Heather Feather

Happy Birthday to You

2012-02-13T20:02:00.001-08:00

Happy 26th Birthday to a very special man in my life, my husband.

He seemed pretty excited to use his new t-shirt folder, who would have thought?

I must say, the results were really impressive. It made me want to fold all of my shirts.

Jesse, I hope it was the best Monday birthday ever! Love you.

Life Lately

2012-02-07T11:26:00.000-08:00

Here's what's been happening in my world.

I don't believe I have announced this yet, but over Christmas my brother and SIL announced they are having their first baby!!! We are all so excited for them. They find out this month if the baby is a girl or a boy...can't wait to find out!

Car show with Jesse. I have always wanted a Lamborghini, now why is that too much to ask for?
Jesse's college friend Clay, AKA Dirt, spent a few weeks in Houston for work. This is what we call the "dirt" pose, a classic.

Family came to visit (I will post more about the trip).

Received two very cute personalized gifts...

Platter from my SIL, Sarah. Love the green!
My BFF gave me a bracelet to remind me of home (Oklahoma). So cute.

Random, but I stumbled upon this picture from Christmas and thought I would share.
My nephews playing in the tractor tire. So cute!
Upcoming events

Jesse's Birthday!

Valentines Day, which Jesse hates because its the day after his birthday and he feels as though he has to share the spot light. He can be dramatic.

Trip to San Antonio for J's bday.

And I am sure there are many other things, but those are the ones happening next week.

Until then, as they say in Oklahoma, see ya'll later.

The Resolutions Debate: To Share or Not to Share?

2012-01-15T09:42:00.000-08:00

I am a bit behind in announcing my new years resolutions and that is simply because I really don't want to share them.

If I don't write them down or say them to anyone, then I am not as accountable. Makes sense. If I am the only one who knows my year goals then I only disappoint myself if I fail. However, that defeats the purpose of a resolution, in my opinion. I want people to hold me accountable, I want to achieve my resolutions and so after a great debate, I have decided to share my resolutions with you.

No laughing please...

1) Blog: I don't necessarily want to blog more, although that would be great, I really want to comment on other people's blogs more. I read so many great blogs that are fun, witty and interesting and deserve a comment. That doesn't mean if I don't post a comment, that your blog is not fun, witty or intersting, it just means I am lazy.

2) Read a book at least once a month. I love reading, but finding the time is an issue these days

3) Try cooking new recipes more frequent (thanks to Pinterest, I look forward to this weekly)

4) Yes, I am about to say it... lose weight. I am not telling you how much, because for me I would rather be toned and fit rather than counting calories and weighing myself daily. I just want my body to look healthy, which in the process I hope to lose weight...by a few pant sizes :)

I'm not sure if you can count this next one or not as a resolution, but I am.

5) Move to a new location. I don't mean to a new state or city, I just mean a new apartment or into a house. I am ready for a living change. I want to hang curtains and have a place for my sewing machine...and a garage! Most importantly I want the kids above us to stop running and jumping and I want our neighbors to stop having band practice at odd hours of the night. Is that too much to ask?

A townhouse would be fun!

6) And finally, a resolution within a resolution: I want to re-evaluate my resolutions every few months or so. I want to keep track of them, adjust if needed and keep focus. I want to make sure these are apart of my everyday life from here on out and not just for this year. In order to do that I need to make sure I keep them on my mind until they become natural for me to do.

That's the short list of my resolutions. Of course I always want to grow closer to God and read his word, but again that is a goal I try to meet daily. I already consider it a life time goal and not just a new year resolution.

What are a few categories you are resoluting this year? Health? Religion? Financial? Family? Organization/cleaning? Fun? Now that I have shared mine, I'd love to hear from you all. Take my quiz on the sidebar and don't forget to leave a comment.

A Review of 2011

2012-01-01T20:58:00.000-08:00

It's that time of year, the time to reflect upon my journey through 2011. Here is a quick calendar review:

January: Got a title promotion with my old job (United Way)
February: Recorded breaking cold hits Bartlesville (-28 degrees) with a total of approx. 26 inches of snow...burr.
February: Jesse turns 25
February: Find out we are moving to Houston
March: Jesse moves to Houston
April: I finish my job and move to Houston
April: Watched history unfold as Kate and William got married
May: I turn 25
May: Sold our first home
May: Orange Beach vacation with the family
June: Surprise vacation to Montana, visited Yellowstone National Park
July: Visited TN family and toured several more states
July: Celebrated 2nd wedding anniversary
August: Started new job with Fifth Ring
September: 911 10th year anniversary
October: Travel to Key West for friends wedding
November: Celebrated Thanksgiving in TN
December: Celebrated Christmas in OK

I have no idea what lies ahead for 2012, but I already look forward to reviewing all of the wonderful year activities at the end of next year :)

Happy New Year to All!

I Must Have Been Good This Year...

2011-12-30T06:46:00.001-08:00

...Because my family (I mean Santa) came bearing great gifts!

More important than gifts, I got to go home this year and it was so good to see my whole family. I will let the pictures show the madness : )

Before heading to OK, Jesse and I celebrated our own little Christmas. We never got a good picture together, thus the matching individual pictures.

Chickasha Festival of Lights
Time to open presents!

My niece and nephews.

The nephews hang out with uncle J...

...quite literally.

Hope all of your Christmas celebrations were merry and bright.

Brightened My Day

2011-12-03T20:17:00.000-08:00

I have been very busy lately with little sleep and lots of crankiness. However, my husband knew just what I needed to make me smile.

Flowers are my weakness. My husband knows me well, love him.

Oh Christmas Tree, 2011

2011-12-03T20:02:00.000-08:00

This years Christmas tree experience was different.

In year's past, we went to a tree farm, pick out a big tree and cut it down.

We are living in a smaller place than last year and we live in a big city where it's not very convenient to go cut down your own Christmas tree, but we did the best with what we had and it was still a lot of fun.

This year was a quick trip to Home depot to find the perfect tree and we did.

I apologize in advance for the blurry pictures. My camera was struggling.

Jesse bringing in our tree.

Before.
After.
Another After.

Poll: real or fake tree, which do you prefer? Take my poll in the top, right corner.

A Tennessee Thanksgiving, 2011

2011-12-03T19:22:00.000-08:00

Nashville, TN was were Jesse and I spent our time for Thanksgiving this year. Technically we stayed in Gallatin, but we did spend a few nights in Nashville with my SIL and BIL, the Martins.

Although I had been through and in the general area of Nashville several times before, I had never really toured it, so the trip started off with an insiders tour from my SIL, Molly.

In this picture: cool, old buildings/churches, Batman looking building, our pretty tour guide.

A few of the McKee women.
Jesse's Grandmama and I matched, so a picture was an absolute must.

A walk to the creek. The weather was beautiful.

It never fails. Jesse is always climbing on things.

A few of the cousins.

Happy Belated Thanksgiving from the McKee's.

November Family Visitors

2011-11-08T18:26:00.000-08:00

I officially have to add the month in the title when we have family visitors because we have had so many lately, but I am not complaining, we have so enjoyed family coming to visit us.

And now for our featured November visiotrs: Mike and Kim McKee (aka Jesse's parents).

Wednesday was Mike's birthday, so we ventured out to the Mason Jar for dinner.

Opening a few presents.

Mike created a beautiful painting of our friends dog, Norman. I call this picture "Stormin' Norman." There of course is a story behind it : )

Althought I didn't post a picture, Saturday Kim and I attended the International Quilt show. Wow, there are some pretty talented quilters in the world. I like to sew, but I'll stick to my curtains for now.

Sunday afternnon we went to Galveston. It was a cool by the water, but still only around 70 degrees.

Mike and Kim seeing Galveston for the first time.

Now for a silly picture...
We even saw the cutest little mermaid.

Thanks Mike and Kim for the great visit!

Trick or Treaters Welcome

2011-11-08T16:47:00.000-08:00

We hung our little "Welcome" sign for trick or treaters expecting floods of cute children in their cute costumes to come to the door. Unfortunately all we got was a 13 year old with no costume and a Wal-Mart sack. She didn't even say "Trick or treat" or "Thank you."

What is this world coming to? You can bet my children will say "trick or treat" AND "thank you."

Fortunately this cute trick or treater showed up and made my day.

He is such a good sport.

Hope everyone else had great trick or treaters come to their door.

Blogger Help: Spacing Issues

2011-11-02T10:41:00.000-07:00

I know I don't usually have many people comment on my blog posts, but if you can help me, please don't be silent!

The Issue: I create my posts in edit mode and format wise they look fine, but then as soon as I post the blog and review it live there are all of the crazy spaces and sometimes my font color changes. What is going on?

Just take a look at several past blogs and you will see what I am talking about.

I don't know much about HTML code, but is the issue occuring there?

If you can help, please leave a comment. If you have any suggestions, please leave a comment. OR if you just feel sorry for me, please leave a comment :)

In advance, thank you for the help!

Family Visitors

2011-10-30T09:17:00.000-07:00

Last weekend my sister, brother-in-law, neice and nephew came to visit Jesse and I in Houston and we were so thrilled to have them!

Name reference list:
Amy = sister
Brent = brother-in-law
L1 = neice
L2 = nephew

They got in Thursday late afternoon and the kids wasted no time and went swimming. Of course the water was a little chilly.

We also went to the Galleria mall and went ice skating. Let me just say that was quite an adventure. Neither Amy or I had ice skated in years and L1 and L2 had never ice skated. L1 picked it up real quick. L2's attempt was not as successful, however even though he fell several times, he never cried and he wanted to keep going. And my sister and I, well let's just say it's not like riding a bike. Jesse and Brent decided to sit back and laugh as we fumble around on the ice.

A good picture on the left since we weren't moving. We pretty much laughed the whole time we had L2 on the ice. He wanted to do it on his own so bad, but he could only go a few steps before falling. I'm sure it doesn't help to have two adults helping you when they can't even ice skate themselves.

The next day we went to NASA. We have gone before with Jesse's parents, but this time we were able to do more kid things. I know the kids had a great time, but I think Brent enjoyed it even more :)

Jesse and I being kids again.

On the trolley for a tour.

Left: Amy, Brent, L1, L2, me. Right: We told them to give us a thumbs up, but for L2 that meant giving the "go pokes" sign.
We got to see a science show and L1 got called on stage to be an assistant. There was no hesitation, she hopped right up there.

At our favorite Mexican resturant in Houston (thus far), Chuys. The kids got some pretty cool balloon characters made for them.

Saturday we watched the first half of the OSU game together before everyone had to pack up and head back to Oklahoma.

Thanks for coming to visit us!

The McKEY WEST Vacation

2011-10-15T20:31:00.001-07:00

First of all, I need to point out that Jesse created this title, he is proud of it and I am proud of him for at least being somewhat interested in my blog.

Second of all, I have to warn you that there will be picture overload on this post and a few of them I played around with in Photoshop, so they may look disjointed, hmmm not sure if "disjointed" is the word I want to use.

Third of all, I need to get to the point of this post, so here we go.

Attending the "wedding of the year" allowed Jesse and I to take a mini vacation, which was a nice treat considering we typically don't travel in the Fall.

The trip started in Miami, FL, where we met up with our friends Dustin and Robyn.

Our hotel.

From the rooftop of our hotel. The view was amazing!

At the rehearsal dinner.

Jesse wore pants the color of the ocean.

A better shot without my hair in my face.

The Nerd Herd- definition: a group of engineering friends.

I just love this application/filter I used, I think it is called "seventies"

Reception pictures.

At the southernmost point in the United States.

Sunset.

A before and after shot. Our last night in Key West having dinner with friends: Robyn, Dustin, Clay, Jesse, Heather, Lauren, Aaron.

Jesse and I decided to make a quick stop in Everglades National Park before heading home.

I love how the clouds reflected in the water.

Not sure if you can tell, but there is a gator down there. Look past our reflections in the water...do you see its tail?

As we left the park we saw a rainbow in the clouds, not a bad scene to see before hoping on a plane and heading home.

And that my friends was the McKEY WEST Vacation.

Wedding of the Year

2011-10-12T18:48:00.000-07:00

You are probably thinking I am going to do some kind of recap of Prince William and Kate's wedding or Kim Kardashians wedding to Kris, but no.

Some people recall those weddings as being labeled "the wedding of the year," but not for me.

There is only one "wedding of the year" in my book for 2011 and that title belongs to James and Brittany Nickles.

Last weekend Jesse and I traveled to Key West, FL for the "wedding of the year."

Just a few snapshots of the bride and groom...

Five things that made this wedding great (well, there's more than just five):
1) Beautiful couple
2) Wedding on a beach
3) Reception on a boat
4) Vacation, vacation, vacation
5) And do I even have to say it? Key Lime pie!

I will post more pictures later on our vacation segment of the trip and just as a heads up, Jesse created the title for that blog all by himself, so get ready.

For now all I have to say is, Congratulations James and Brittany!

It's All About Being Organized

2011-10-02T16:21:00.000-07:00

Moving from a larger space to a smaller space creates challenges.

Challenges that make you scratch your head and say to yourself "Where is this all gonna go?"

You all remember this, right?...

A lot of boxes and not a lot of space. Jesse and I decided to tackles these boxes full force a few months ago to make our apartment feel more like home, boy what a task. The majority of the boxes were all kitchen stuff.

Here is the solution we came up with...

A custom made storage solution...all for around $100!

Now, it's nothing fancy, but it is a whole lot better than those boxes. And a whole lot cheaper than other storage solutions we looked at.

Here is the spending breakdown:

Two book shelves from Big Lots at $30 a piece = $60

Two short curtain rods from Wal-Mart at $2 a piece = $4

Fabric from Hobby Lobby = $15

Shower curtain rod from Wal-Mart = $12

Four storage baskets from Wal-Mart at $4 a piece = $16

Total (give or take a few dollars)= $107

Finally, no more boxes!

Orange Power

2011-09-17T14:52:00.001-07:00

For all of you Oklahoma State University fans, I know you know what "Orange Power" means. However, I am talking about a different kind of "Orange Power." I am talking about the power the color orange has over me this fall.

Let me just say it, I am tired of summer.

I want fall to come so desperately so I can wear cooler weather items, however in Houston this may not happen until November.

For some reason I am attracted to the color orange this season. Let me just say that I look terrible in the color orange. It is just not my color, yet I still keep trying on cute orange things, just hoping one of the items will go with my fair, yellow under-toned skin.

If you see me wearing orange (outside an OSU football game), please don't tell me I look washed out, because more than likely, I already know this. I just couldn't help myself :)

Oh and GO POKES!

Orange Power by heatherjmckee featuring a cashmere cardigan

Kemah Weekend

2011-08-28T11:23:00.000-07:00

Jesse and I were invited for a weekend getaway to Kemah for our friends (Brittany) birthday this past weekend. Kemah Boardwalk is in a small town located on Galveston Bay. Kemah Boardwalk kind of reminds me of a mini version of Coney Island.

We had a blast!

I won! I never win these kind of games, so I was pretty proud of my baseball throwing "skills."

Ring toss time.

Brittany and I with our prizes.

The trip was fully complete with a scoop of ice cream.
We also spent some time relaxing by the pool and ate at yummy restaurants. What a great way to spend a weekend.

Happy Birthday Brittany!

When the Parents Came to Visit

2011-08-28T11:02:00.000-07:00

Due to my recent career activity, I failed at blogging about my parents visit to Houston. They came to see Jesse and I the weekend before I started my job, so it was a little crazy, but we had a really great time with them.

We went to the JPMorgan Chase Tower observation deck.
The Tower is 75 stories tall, making it the tallest building in Houston, and one of the top 10 buildings in the United States. The observation deck is on the 60th floor. We didn't get to go all the way to the top, but believe me, the 60th floor was high enough!

Views from the deck. The view was amazing!
Dad and mom posing for a picture at the deck.

Touring the aquarium. The white tigers were pretty cool...such and odd animal to have at an aquarium.

At the Water Wall. This is probably my all time favorite free thing to do in Houston. It is so peaceful to watch the water.

There you have it, a fun-filled weekend with the parents. I already have a list of things to do for their next visit.

I'm Back In the Real World

2011-08-16T17:39:00.001-07:00

Hello world! I just got back from a four month (jobless) vacay so last Monday morning was a little rough to squeeze in eight hours sitting at a desk and being on the computer....oh wait, I guess it isn't that much different from me sitting on my couch and being on the computer :)

My first week of PR work went great. I stayed very busy learning all kinds of things. Since a lot of our clients are in the Oil and Gas industry, I get to learn about fun things such as: fracking, mud logging, TriAx products, etc. INSERT BIG QUESTION MARK. I will learn though. Good thing I have Jesse to help me on some of these terms.

Getting back into a 40 hour workweek will take some time to get used to, however I have a feeling I will stay busy which means the work days will go by fast.

I forgot how much fun Thursday's and Friday's can be when you work. I took for granted my weekends when I didn't work, so I am glad to be appreciative of them again. Thursday's, in my opinion, are always great because you are only one day away from the weekend and Jesse and I typically hang out a little later with friends since we only have to push through one more day of work. Friday's are obviously great because it's Friday! At Fifth Ring, someone always brings breakfast on Friday mornings and the office atmosphere is so much more relaxed (meaning I get to wear jeans), I love it.

On the flip side, I forgot how much I dread Sunday evenings. There is always so much to be done before work the next day and after evening church you don't have much time to relax and unwind before Monday arrives. Oh well, it's all part of the package I guess.

I feel bad for Jesse, I didn't cook once last week. However, I did make him a yummy breakfast on Saturday morning to prove that I was still a good wife, not that he ever questioned that matter.

So that is that, my first week has been completed and to answer one of my blog reader's comments (which by the way, you all should check her blog out at www.smilesteady.com): Yes, there is a small chance I may get to go to Scotland, but who knows when that will be and it is a small chance. Oh how I would love to go though. I have always wanted to visit Ireland and Scotland, maybe that dream will come true : )

Have a happy workweek, everyone!

You're Looking At...

2011-08-13T13:09:00.001-07:00

...the newest Public Relations Account Coordinator for Fifth Ring!

Huh? You heard me, I got a full-time PR job! And I could not be more excited, as if you couldn't tell already.

How it happened: well let me just say that God works in mysterious ways, sometimes I interpret that as playing a mean joke on me to test my patience. Mission accomplished! My patience was about all out and crazy about took over. I had been looking for a full-time position in Houston for the past four months with no luck at all. I mean not even a phone call or an interview, nothing! I started to give up and started looking for a part-time job and I got one as a sales associate at a clothing and jewelry store. Then one day I made a great connection with the Houston United Way media/marketing director. He looked over my resume and portfolio, was highly impressed and said "I think I know of someone who is looking to hire." BAM, less than 48 hours later I had a job. I emailed my resume-they liked it- then I emailed my writing samples-they liked it- then I interviewed-guess I didn't do so bad- then I took a writing test- then I had a job offer :) I DID IT! I did have to make an awkward phone call to my part-time employers and bail out, but they were really nice about it.

About the company: it is an international company called Pennebaker, but I will be working for the PR segment known as Fifth Ring. Fifth Ring's only location in the U.S. is in Houston. Pennebakers headquarters are located in Aberdeen, Scotland and they have other locations in Inverness (in Scotland) and Dubai. They offer services of brand and strategy development, public relations, digital media, design and production, and advertising.

I start Monday so I will keep my blog readers updated. And please remind me if I don't :) Life is about to get busy again, can't wait!

Check This Out!

2011-08-02T14:24:00.000-07:00

My In-laws came up with a brilliant business adventure that I just have to share with all of you. They started their own shop on etsy. And if you don't know what etsy is, well then you are missing out, big time.

Etsy.com is a Web site dedicated to handmade, vintage items. You know, crafts, paintings, sewing, decorations, clothing, etc. So if you are creative and want to make some money, you can start up your own online store which is what my in-laws did.

My father in-law likes to paint and draw and my mother-in law is really big into sewing and quilting so they came up with....

Great name, huh? I really like it.

Anyway, you ALL need to go check it out. They just got it started, but they already have items up to view. Christmas is just around the corner if you need a great gift idea : )

http://www.etsy.com/shop/HePaintsSheSews?ref=ss_profile

Pizza and Potter

2011-07-31T15:01:00.000-07:00

I FINALLY got to see the last Harry Potter movie. It was a bitter sweet moment when it was all said and done, I mean I had only been reading the books and watching the movies for the past several years so it was a little sad to see it all come to an end, loved the movie though!

Now if it were up to me I would have watched it the weekend that it came out. However, Jesse (very sweetly) had told me that he would watch ALL of the movies with me and then go see the final one with me in theaters so I wouldn't have to go alone. I was so excited because he had never shown any interest in watching the movies with me.

Watching seven movies takes time, but we made it into a fun event with our friends and called it Pizza and Potter night. Afterwards, we would create silly, poorly created pictures using Paint on our computes.

I can proudly say that I made this one. Our friend James is Harry and his fiance, Brittany, is the owl. Jesse and I are Ron and Hermione

Just thought I would share in my nerdiness.

Anniversary Activities

2011-07-26T13:46:00.000-07:00

Jesse and I had a WONDERFUL anniversary!

Check it out..

Saturday we went to the circus and had a blast! It was just like being a kid again as we oohed and awed over our favorite acts. My favorite was the elephants.

Now, normally it may be tacky to put your gifts up for everyone to see, but our gifts are so silly and fun that I just have to share them with all of you. Last year, Jesse had the idea that we not get each other big gifts, but that we spend less than $20 and get something with the number of the year we were celebrating on the gift item. For example: last year I got Jesse a #1 80's hit c.d. and he got me Uno (now technically it is a 1, but he just had to think outside the box)

This year, he did it again. He thought outside the box and got me a stuffed Tucan bird : ) I got him a two dollar bill and made him an ornament using a number two wooden cut out and pictures from our past year. Usually I am pretty good about coming up with unique ideas, but Jesse won this year with originality.

I highly recommend our method, it is so much fun!

Jesse did an excellent job this year with the flowers, they are beautiful.

Our friends James and Brittany got us a very nice gift card to Flemings Steakhouse for our anniversary, so we got to enjoy a very nice dinner thanks to them. We even got free cake since it was a special day for us. Don't worry we decided to share it with our friends : )

Here's to another great year of marriage, cheers!

Two Wonderful Years of Marriage

2011-07-23T20:40:00.000-07:00

Well, another year and hundreds of new wonderful memories created and shared with my husband.

Here's a brief list of what all our past year included:

Owned our first home

Said hello to my first big girl public relations career

Made wonderful friends in Bartlesville

Welcomed our nephew Wade Douglas Kirkpatrick into the world

Survived the coldest winter in Oklahoma history

Said goodbye to my first big girl career

Sold our first home

Moved to Houston, TX

Made new/reunited with friends in Houston (thanks James and Brittany for being such awesome friends to us!)

Saw a piece of history as Prince William married Kate Middleton

Traveled to Connecticut, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, Vermont, New Hampshire, Maine, Louisiana, Alabama, Florida, Montana, Wyoming, Idaho, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina and Georgia, whew!

And I know I am probably forgetting some major stuff, but you get the gist, we move around and travel a lot which makes for a busy life.

We have been through a lot together in the past year, nothing traumatic, but we have been very busy and our lives haven't seemed to slow down since we got married. However, I wouldn't change our crazy lives for anything. Jesse is my best friend, a great roommate (does his own laundry and all) and a wonderful husband. All I have to say is thanks sweetie for putting up with me another year, I know there will be many more crazy, happy times ahead.

Happy Anniversary Jesse!

Last Week At a Glimpse

2011-07-21T12:41:00.000-07:00

This past week was a busy one! I went up to Elgin, OK to spend time with family. I spent a lot of time with my niece and nephew. Their parents ( aka my sister and brother-in-law) went on a week trip to Mexico, which meant these two little ones were spoiled all week by their grandparents...and their aunt Heather of course.

Lucas on a horse. And don't worry that is not a scared face, it's just a big smile. It's so funny when you tell him to smile for the camera because he has to say "cheeeeese" and as soon as he is done saying it, the smile is gone :) Kids can be so funny.

And here's Blue Mouth Lillian! She loved her blueberry snow cone.

I thought this picture was too cute. All of the cousins together. Lillian reading to her brother and two cousins Nathan and Wade (those boys are growing way too fast for me). This moment probably only lasted a few seconds so I am glad I got a shot of it.

Jumping on the trampoline...even my mom and dad joined in, which was something to see :)

The main reason I went to Oklahoma was to visit my grandparents. My grandma Loretta has not been feeling well lately and due to a series of events is now feeling better, but is really weak. She needs physical therapy and more on call care so she is going to be in a Care Center for hopefully just a few months until her strength returns.

We got her all settled in and stayed a few day's to be with her. She seems to be doing OK, but I know my family would really appreciate prayers for her, my granddad and all of us.

Not only did I get to see my grandparents, but both of my uncles (mom's side) and several cousins, so it was really good to see all of them.

Justa Passin Through

2011-07-21T11:40:00.000-07:00

As I traveled to Oklahoma this past week, I drove through several small towns. One in particular caught my eye. The town of Calvert, TX. Calvert is a historic Victorian town founded in 1868 (and yes it's registered as a historic town and all of that).

I have driven through it several times before and each time I have been wanting to take a few snap shots. Well, this time I just decided why not?

As many of you know, I am a wanna be photographer. All I lack is the right camera and skill :)BUT what else do you need when you have the heart and Photoshop? Well, yes skill would be nice. Anyway, my point being, this town is full of great senior/engagement photo backdrops.

I love this building, so colorful.

Now this is a fun door.

Here are a few pictures of the town.

In honor of my grandma Loretta I took this picture.

I would love to eat at this restaurant. Maybe next time I go through.

None of these pictures of have been touched up with Photoshop. (and they obviously don't look photo shopped) In fact most of these shots were taken from the car. I have been playing around on Photoshop and hope to have some before and after pictures soon.

Cleaning Out the Closet

2011-07-07T09:35:00.000-07:00

I have learned a new trick! Today I had this huge urge to go shopping, everyone gets those urges right? Anyway, I wanted to get new things, but I knew there was nothing that I " absolutely had to have or else I would die" type stuff, so I cleaned out my closet to prove that I NEEDED new clothes. In the process of cleaning out my closet, not only did I realize I have an extreme excess amount of clothes, but I also found old clothes that I love! I now have seven new/old outfits hanging in my closet...that I guess technically have always been hanging in my closet.

So if you are getting those "I desperately need new clothes" blues, just clean out your closet. If you have an empty closet when you are done, then go shopping. If not, then maybe you will come to the same realization that I did. Man, I can be so smart sometimes.

Pictures of clothes that are long over due to go to a new home.

Here we go, a little more organized.

I have a problem, I think I hoard jeans. You don't want to know what is left in my closet.

The clothes are still in good shape, just things I have out grown (sad to say), so if anyone wants them, just let me know. If not, then out they go by next week.

Red, White and Blue

2011-07-06T10:38:00.000-07:00

I hope everyone had a great 4th of July, I know the McKee family did!

This year Jesse and I traveled to Knoxville, TN to celebrate the holiday. We made a stop in Gallatin, TN to visit his grandparents, sister, brother-in-law, aunt, uncle and counsins first.

The McKee boys.
We went to the neighborhood parade Monday morning. I thought this little girl was just too cute.

There were no fire bans in Tennessee so there were fireworks.

My best firework shot. I can never seem to get a great one, but I really like this picture.

We also got to travel to four new states.

Virgina. In front of Martha Washington Inn.
North Carolina. At the Biltmore Home, which is the largest private residential home in the United States.
The Biltmore had beautiful gardens. I just love this picture that Jesse took.

South Carolina. Just in front of an old building.

Georgia. We thought the peaches were appropriate.

Firework Photography Tips

2011-07-04T06:31:00.000-07:00

Happy 4th of July to all!

I hope it is full of family, fun, food and fireworks.

I found an article on Yahoo that gave tips to taking good pictures of fireworks and I thought I would share it:

http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/technology-blog/photograph-fireworks-193512467.html

New States

2011-06-26T19:12:00.000-07:00

Jesse and I added three new states to our list when we went on our Billings, MT trip. We are now up to 32 states! And for those of you who don't know what I am talking about, we are trying to go to all 50 states before we start a family.

Montana.

Bear Tooth Pass.

Wyoming.

Old Faithful, Yellowstone National Park.

Believe it or not, Idaho.

I wish we could have been in a potato field or something.

We are going to TN soon and we plan on traveling to more states on our visit, so stay posted for a new total and more pictures.

On My Own- Surprise Vacay Part 3

2011-06-26T18:34:00.001-07:00

I was on my own on Sunday of our "vacation." Jesse had to work all day, but I was able to pull him away from the computer to eat brunch at a local place called McCormick Cafe and it was delicious!

They had hand squeezed orange juice. I could not believe how good that stuff was. I wish I had taken I picture of my banana and strawberry french toast, but I was too hungry and ate it all up before I had time to think about it.

That afternoon I drove myself to the Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument.

A monument to the Fallen 7th Cavalry, it bears the names of the 7th Cavalry officers and enlisted men who fought and died.
Custer National Cemetery

There I am! Thanks to the timer on my camera and a convenient wooden post, I have proof that I was there.

Yellowstone- Surprise Vacay Part 2

2011-06-17T19:18:00.000-07:00

I was so excited when Jesse said we would have time to go to Yellowstone National Park while I was visiting. I remember going as a child, but you just can't get enough of this...

At the Entrance.

A funny looking rock. Can anyone else see the face in the rock? Or is it just me? I can make something out of nothing sometimes.

Old Faithful.

We had dinner at the Old Faithful Inn.

Inside the hotel. It is so big! And old; it was built in 1903.

We didn't get to see a bear like we were hoping, but we did see lots of wildlife.

This is one of my favorites: A Bald Eagle. Terrible pictures of it, but I have never seen one in person, so it was pretty cool to see.

Look closely and you'll see the Bald Eagle.

Bison

We only drove through probably a quarter of the park and we would love to back someday. Anyone who has never been, I would highly recommend it!

More to come...

Surprise Vacay

2011-06-17T18:40:00.000-07:00

Well, unexpected may be a better word than surprise. Jesse went into work last Monday and found out he was going to have to make an unexpected trip up to Billings, Montana. He quickly came home, started packing and then went to the airport. It all happened so fast and I was sad to see him go. But then we had the brilliant idea that I should try to get the next plane to Billings and join him for a few days.

So unexpected for Jesse and a surprise for me to get to go.

Warning: lots of photos in this post and more to come in later posts.

First thing I see getting off the plane and driving to the hotel. Way back in the photo are snow covered mountains.

Jesse had to work A LOT! But we did get to hang out in the evenings and the weekend.

One evening we drove through Bear Tooth Pass. It stayed light outside until about 8:30- 9 p.m. so we had plenty of time to make the drive after Jesse got off work and it was well worth it.

On our way!

I forgot to pack a jacket, mistake. It was chilly.

Nothing says "Big Sky Country" like these next three photos.

We could not believe how much snow there was in June!

Finally reached the top.

Hello Wyoming.

It's impossible to take a bad picture. God provides some pretty awesome back drops.

More to come...

Polyvore

2011-06-12T15:54:00.001-07:00

Old Navy- Comfort by heatherjmckee featuring embellished sandals

Old Navy sleeveless tank
$15 - oldnavy.gap.com

Old Navy long maxi skirt
$30 - oldnavy.gap.com

Old Navy embellished sandals
$23 - oldnavy.gap.com

Old Navy filigree earrings
$5.50 - oldnavy.gap.com

Illamasqua S/S 11 Toxic Nature Collection Nail Polish
$23 - asos.com

I may be way behind on the times, but I recently discovered this Web site known as Polyvore. It allows you to pick out clothes from any of your favorite stores and piece outfits together. I think it is way fun! Anyway, here is a look I sort of already have. I love, love, love that skirt. It is so comfortable, it is especially nice to travel in. I pair it with a white top and minimal jewelry (then again, I am not too big on lots of jewelry). And right now I am really into that peach finger nail polish.

For me, this outfit just screams COMFORT!

It was fun piecing this together so you may be seeing more fashion posts from me in the future...even though I am no fashionista :)

Come On In

2011-06-03T11:18:00.000-07:00

I have failed on updating everyone on our lives in Houston. Some of my family have mentioned they would like to see pictures of where we live, so here it is, a web version of an open house for the McKee's. Come on in...

When you walk in the door and look left this is what you see: the dinning room/storage center :) This is only temporary madness and the only way I get through looking at this daily mess is knowing that it is only temporary until we get a house.

You can also peek into the kitchen from this view.

If you look right when you walk in you will see the living room. Behind that big window is our patio, but it is so full of stuff (lawn mower, potted plants, grill, etc.) that I couldn't get a good picture. That door on the left is the guest bedroom. And the door on the right (not in view) is the master bedroom.
The kitchen. It's a small kitchen and was hard to adjust to compared to my last kitchen, but it is still nice. Updated cabinets and appliances, granite counter tops and includes a small pantry ( a space lifesaver).

Right off the kitchen is the laundry room/cook book storage room/randomness.

Right off the kitchen and living room is the guest bath.

And attached to the guest bathroom is the guest bedroom.

Off of the living room is the master. I love that bay window. I just need a little reading bench there or something.

And finally, right off the master bedroom is the master bathroom. I love this bathroom. It has tall counter tops and there are TWO sinks. Jesse and I have never been able to share the same bathroom because we have never had the space, now we do. It also has TWO walk-in closets. We have decided that this has been a marriage saver and it is a must on our house wish list.

So there you have it. The McKee household has been posted. Come again and in person this time :)

Orange Beach, AL

2011-05-29T16:26:00.001-07:00

This past week was vacation week with my family. We went to Orange Beach, Alabama. The beaches were beautiful and we all had a great time. I already miss listening to the waves crashing, so peaceful.

Here is a glimpse of what all we did...

We spent a lot of time at the beach and pool. I know these are tiny pictures, but there was no way I was going to be able to share all of these separately.

The boys went on a fishing trip and we had a feast of fish that evening for dinner.

While the girls went on a shopping trip :) We are at lunch at The Shrimp Basket, yum!

Putt-Putt and games one night. I lost, but I always love a good game of Putt-Putt.
Jesse and I also got to check three new states off our list:

Louisiana (This is a place holder picture until we go to New Orleans), we thought this was somewhat appropriate.

Florida (another place holder pic, we are going to Key West in the fall).

Alabama.

Does anyone have vacation plans for this summer? If so, please share!

A Busy Weekend

2011-05-16T15:45:00.000-07:00

It's that time of year, the time for graduations! My brother graduated from Oklahoma State University medical school this past Friday and our family could not be more proud of him and his accomplishments. He will be in residency for the next five years as a general surgeon.

His wife, Lindsey, put on an awesome party! The cake was so neat.

I loved the mason jars with the orange straws.

A closer look.

Ty with the sisters.
I also have to congratulate my BBF, Julie, from graduating from the University of Oklahoma Health Science Center. Julie graduated with a masters in Occupational Therapy. We celebrated with pedicures :)
Aside from celebrating all of the graduations, I got to see two (out of three) of my best college friends, Lauren and Chelsea. It was great catching up and we missed the 4th member of our crew, Ashley. I also went on an adventure with my niece and nephews to find the Dinosaur rock. This picture was just too cute not to post :)

Success! Just use your imagination. It looks like a Brachiosaurus or according to the Land Before Time, a Long Neck.

I had a great weekend seeing family and friends and the fun will only continue next week when we go on vacation with my family. Can't wait to soak up some sun!

A Successful Birthday

2011-05-11T15:19:00.000-07:00

I had a wonderful 25th Birthday. Thanks to everyone for all of the b-day wishes!

Here's a brief recap:

I slept in.

Went shopping.

Bought an outfit.

Opened presents.

Went to Studio Movie Grill- A place where you watch a movie and they serve you dinner.

Ate a piece of cookie cake.

Stayed up late because I could.

A few random gifts from the husband. I think he thinks I am obsessed with the whole Will and Kate thing.

From left to right: paper dolls, Time magazine, Puzzle

Not the best picture, but here we are at Studio Movie Grill

And finally, the cookie cake, yum!

Twenty Five

2011-05-06T11:01:00.000-07:00

Due to a very special day, I decided to share 25 facts about myself:

I like vegetables.

My favorite color is green.

Favorite activity is shopping! I promise I am not that materialistic, I just think it is fun, even if I don't buy anything.

I have always had a hard time determining what "my style" is, I just buy what I like and what fits.

I feel my best when I am in a pair of jeans and t-shirt.

I think vacations are fun no matter where they are. Any break is a good one!

I am afraid of the ocean, but not the beach :)

I have started running again, we will see how long it lasts this time.

Painting my toe nails in the summer always makes me happy.

When I was little I wanted to own a grocery store and also be a florist.

I don't know what my dream job would be, but I know what I want to do. Does that make sense?

I started watching Lost. All seven seasons are on Netflix instant. I am on Season 4.

Last book that I read was The Help in January. I would recommend it.

Currently searching for a new book to read. Any recommendations?

I used to love going to the dentist to get my teeth cleaned, but my last appointment was not so fun so I have decided not to like it anymore.

I wish I had the skill to be a photographer, a cake decorator, a florist...really anyone with a creative eye.

I have never colored my hair and never will. Well, I may be singing a different tune once that first gray hair comes in.

If I had the guts to color my hair I would color it a deep red, but I am all talk.

I love swimming.

I could eat chocolate everyday for the rest of my life.

I would rather bungee jump than sky dive.

I desperately want to go to Ireland someday.

I would rather bake than cook.

Bad habits: I bite my nails and play with my hair.

I love birthdays! And today just so happens to be my 25th birthday :)

Let's all eat cake!

All Things Royal- Heather's Notes

2011-04-29T01:44:00.000-07:00

Yes, I was one of those people who got up at 3 a.m. to watch all the royal wedding details and I am not ashamed to say it! My husband on the other hand thinks this is all nonsense...he is just no fun sometimes :)

I proceeded to hear the alarm go off (highly annoying at 3 a.m.), ate an English muffin (get it? English muffin?) and watched history unfold.

Here are a few of my notes, thoughts, opinions, etc. from watching the wedding:

I don't know why they keep calling it a "modern" royal wedding, from what I saw it all seemed pretty traditional.

Not a fan of Victoria Beckhams dress choice. All black? Is this a funeral or a wedding? Of course she looked gorgeous though...especially on the arm of David.

Interesting choice to put maple trees in the Westminster Abbey instead of flowers. The plan is to plant them in a park after the ceremony; the trees symbolize commitment. I like the thought behind it, but I also love flowers so I was disappointed not to see the whole place decked out with roses and such.

Loved all of the hats! Well, except this one:
*Little fact I learned this morning from the news is that the queen owns over 5,000 hats.

Kate's (Catherine's, I should say) dress was no show stopper like princess Diana's, but it was simply stunning. My favorite part was her veil, I loved the lace detailing.

Looks like the next step for the prince and his bride is kids, right? At least that is what the newscasters were already talking about after they walked out of the Abbey...good grief people, give them a break.

After seeing the kiss on the balcony I went back to sleep for a good four more hours. That's a perk of not having a job, but before you all get jealous I must say that I would rather have a job.

Well those are my notes, what were your favorite parts or not so favorite parts about the wedding?

Our First Houston Visitors

2011-04-25T19:13:00.000-07:00

Jesse's parents, Mike and Kim, were our first out of town visitors and we had lots of activities lined up to do with them.

Picture via Google: This is the Williams Water Wall and it was awesome! I already can't wait to go back and see it.

Picture via Google: Kemah Boardwalk

One of my favorite stops was NASA. We saw rockets, engines, moon rock and....

...the Control Center. "Houston, we have a problem," does that saying ring a bell? This is where it happened.

We went to the Miller Outdoor Theater to see a human light show. It was a fun experience, but the show was only so-so, good thing it was free.

We also went to a place in Spring, TX called Old Town Spring. It was a neat place. Lots of antiques. It really made me feel far, far away from Houston, which may not be a bad thing at times.

Overall it was a great trip. Unfortunately, towards the end of the trip we got some news that Jesse's uncle was involed in an accident on his farm. I believe he had some head trauma and had fractures on his face. He had to be placed in an induced coma, BUT things are getting better and better each day. He is having surgery tomorrow and I ask that each of you pray that all goes well and to give his family the support they need to help him recover.

You are in our prayers Mark!

Without a Paying Job

2011-04-12T14:38:00.000-07:00

Just because I don't have a paying job, doesn't mean I don't work. In fact, I currently I have MANY jobs.

For example:

Baker- homemade Cinnamon rolls and french bread, need I say more?

Gourmet Cook- yes gourmet, I am trying newer, "fancier" things in the kitchen.

Interior Decorator- Finding out how to make a stack of card board boxes look stylish is not a task for everyone.

Professional Career Consultant: I would consider applying for jobs, contacting businesses and spending tons of time on the Internet job hunting deserving of this title.

Maid- CLEAN, CLEAN, CLEAN. Our apartment is immaculate (just don't look too closely please).

Fitness Instructor- I have been working out just about everyday. I have a beach vacation coming up soon, again, need I say more?

And last but not least, the never ending, 24/7 job of being a wonderful Wife :)

Now come on, who would not hire a baker, gourmet cook, interior decorator, professional career consultant, a maid, fitness instructor and super incredible wife????

Enough said! Let the (paying) job offers start rolling in.

Ladies and Gentlemen, We Have Internet

2011-04-12T14:18:00.000-07:00

FINALLY! I don't know how Jesse went two weeks without Internet. One week was way too long for me. No excuses for me now if I don't update my blog.

Moving on...

Jesse and I have had fun discovering our new city in the evenings. We had several very pleasant days last week and we went to a few parks, loved them.

We attempted to go to the Water Wall in uptown (I have no idea the importance of this place, yet), sadly it was shut down for a cleaning. We did however end up eating at a delicious seafood place called Pappadeaux, yummy.

We have officially unpacked. I use the word "unpacked" loosely though, because we still have tons of stuff in boxes, however, we don't need all of our stuff right now and there is no place to put it, so in the boxes they stay.

Next on the list, find me a job! Oh yeah, and sale our house, I sort of forget from time to time that we still own a house in another state...out of sight, out of mind.

Sorry there are no pictures this week, I forgot my camera each time we went out, I will do better this week of taking pictures of the fun things we do in Houston.

The Journey

2011-04-07T07:22:00.000-07:00

Due to lack of Internet in our apartment, I have been unable to update everyone with the move. However, I finally found a path through all of our moving boxes to the door of our apartment and was able to escape to an Internet accessible location. The pictures below are snapshots of our exit from Bville.

First I had to say goodbye to my co-workers. Nothing says goodbye better than the comfort of pizza!

The moving truck in front of our old home. This is the last picture we took of our house...makes me sad to think about it, so moving on.

Jesse and I at our hotel in Bville. Last picture in Oklahoma. Outside of Houston we stopped at this gas station that apparently is really popular and lots of people insisted that we stop there. My review: It's pretty neat, way more than just your average gas station. Not sure if I would drive out of my way to go to one though.

And finally the mover arrived to our new home/apartment. After three days of living out of suitcases and hotels I was glad to see them...and my bed.

Time to get back to unpacking, more updates to come.

Tears and Smiles

2011-04-01T13:06:00.000-07:00

Tears = What I have produced a lot of lately. I have been really sad with this move to another state. I get attached easily to things/people/places and I did not realize how attached I have become to certain things until I have to say good bye to them. I cried when I left my parents house for the last time as an Oklahoman. I cried when I hugged my friends for the "last" time. * Last meaning for that moment, not as in forever. I cried when I left work on my last day, but I blame that all my co-workers for crying first, I held my own until they all lost it. :) (I will miss them). I cried when I came home from work to a house full of boxes. I was even sad (did not cry) when the sweet, older mailman, Roger, at work hugged me good bye. He is the best mailman ever. There were many occasions he would come in and sit with all of us in the work lounge to talk...when he was ahead of his schedule of course. And there have been many other moments I have cried that I don't wish to share for the sake of my dignity. HOWEVER... Smiles = What I plan to do a lot of from here on out as I start this very exciting adventure with my wonderful husband. Bartlesville was our first real home, but Houston will hold many firsts as well and I look forward to that chapter in my life. So here is to many more smiles in my future!

Cato, You're Not Too Bad

2011-03-27T17:50:00.000-07:00

I don't typically shop at Cato; it is not my clothing store of choice to shop at, however if you ever grew up in a small town with limited shopping you will know exactly what I mean when I say sometimes you have no other options. The malls are small and are filled with random small stores like Cato. Where I grew up, there was a Cato and now in Bville there is one in the mall. What is it with small towns and Cato's? Anyway, my intent is not to offend anyone who shops there. I own a few clothes, shoes and accessories from there and it is typically very reasonably priced. Lately I have been kicked out of my house while potential home buyers view our home, so what do I do? I go to the mall to kill time which means I always make a stop into Cato. I found some cute shoes for a good price.

And in case you were wondering...the shoes pictured above are only $15!!!! I love bargain shopping.

The shoes below are not Cato shoes, but they are super cute! My parents got them for me as an early b-day gift. I desperately needed (wanted) flats so they helped out the cause.

Such a fun lining.

I hope each of you have a happy shoe shopping adventure soon! And I hope I sale my house soon so I can stop this shopping spree that I am on :)

Weekend Trip

2011-03-21T13:27:00.000-07:00

The weather was so pretty this weekend and I am glad I got to spend a lot of my time outside while visiting my family this past weekend.

I always love hanging out with these guys! I chose B & W for some reason.

The kids just had to take their shoes off and play in the water

Us girls (minus me) relaxing, enjoying the nice weather. Somehow I missed getting a picture of the guys, sorry boys.

Hope everyone enjoyed their weekend just as much as I did.

Houston Update

2011-03-17T10:38:00.000-07:00

I said I would keep everyone informed about our Houston move and so far I have done a terrible job.

A few weeks late on this information, but we did find an apartment to live in, which was a huge weight off our shoulders. We will be living on the west side of Houston in a 2 bedroom apartment (an extra room for visitors of course) that is close to Jesse's work for now.

Next steps: sale our house, get moved, find me a job! (Not necessarily in that order, but preferably)

After we are settled in Houston and I have a job we can start looking for a house, which I am hoping and praying happens fast! I forgot how little I enjoyed apartment living. Jesse and I went to look at our apartment right after we signed the papers and someone had their music cranked up way too loud, you could hear dogs barking and you could hear people walking above you, perfect. Nothing like moving from a beautiful, spacious home to a cramped, slightly less appealing apartment.

The apartment itself is great though and I feel very blessed that we found one we liked that was safe and in our price range in the short amount of time we were visiting Houston.

In other news: I plan on going to Elgin this weekend to visit family and the following weekend, my bff is coming for a visit so I am super excited about the weekends to come :)

Oh and Happy St. Patricks Day, I wore my green, did you?

I Never Thought I Would Clean That!

2011-03-02T09:16:00.000-08:00

I am a neat freak, most of the time. I don't mind doing dishes, ironing, vacuuming. I used to think it was therapeutic, now I find it slightly less therapeutic but very rewarding after I have cleaned my house from every inch. I take great pride in my house after it is clean and typically fall in love with it all over again.

However, there are some things I never thought I would do to get my house clean. As many of you know, we are getting ready for our house to go up on the market for sale and cleaning has been on my mind.

Here are just a few examples of my recent odd cleaning habits:
Steam ironed my shower curtains,
Ironed pillow cases,
Washed walls,
Cleaned the exterior of my washer and dryer...no judgement they look nice and shiny now,
And I have seriously debated about moping the garage..YIKES, now that is bad.

We need to sale fast so I can stop obsessing over this cleaning stuff.

Please tell me I am not crazy and list some of your own odd cleaning habits!

Shout Out

2011-03-02T09:08:00.000-08:00

Before I get to tangled up in all of this moving stuff, I need to give a shout out to my SIL, Lindsey, who did an amazing job redesigning my blog. I LOVE IT! Green is my favorite color, the pattern is fun and funky and yet it is still very chic. She definitely listened to everything I was wanting and did a great job.

If you would like your blog redesigned, you should definitely check her out at http://www.sweetsimplicityblog.com/. She won't let you down!

Extra, Extra Read All About It

2011-02-21T08:00:00.001-08:00

The News: One week ago today Jesse and I found out that Jesse was being transferred to Houston, TX!

The Details: Jesse starts work there March 15 and I will joining him by the end of March. This is completely fast and crazy if you ask me, but I guess that is part of working for a big company.

The Work: We have only a few weeks to go to Houston and find an apartment to rent, thoroughly clean our house and get it ready to be out on the market, find a Realtor and do some work around the house. Luckily we don't have to pack a single thing, the company will do that for us and they will fly us down to Houston, so for the most part it is stress free, but that still doesn't mean there isn't lots of work to do.

We plan to rent for a while until I can find a job and figure out our commute schedule and to figure out which neighborhoods we want to live in.

Here is something crazy to think about, we will have lived in four cities in the past 22 months: Stillwater, Ponca City, Bartlesville and Houston. Even crazier to think about is how in only 11 months we have lived in three of those cities. Less than a year and three moves...good thing we like to travel.

Our New City Skyline

Although we are sad to leave close family and friends, we are also very excited to start this new adventure. We will have so many options of places to go to church, places to buy a house, shopping (Ikea and Target in the same place...my dream!!), eating out and options for me to find a job (most important of course because I will be spending lots of money at Ikea and Target!). Just joking Jesse...or not.

Please be thinking of us as we prepare for this change in our lives and please know that everyone is welcome to come visit us :)

-Heather

Jesse's B-Day Details with a little Valentines Day on the Side

2011-02-17T17:30:00.000-08:00

Jesse requested Lucky Charms for his Birthday breakfast

The Loot!

In the words of Jesse "IF I live to be a 100, then I am already a quarter of the way done." Depressing anyone?

Yummy Paula Dean Red Velvet cupcakes. I would suggest just buying canned frosting, her's was good but did not make for a very pretty looking cupcakes. Notice the one off to the side, I had to scrape off and start over.

Jesse did a good job on these beautiful flowers

-Heather

Happy Birthday Hubby!

2011-02-13T11:24:00.000-08:00

Today is Jesse's 25th birthday. I will post more on the birthday events later, but so far he has had a wonderful day. And he is probably super embarrassed that I am making this post, but oh well....Happy Birthday Sweetie, I love you!

-Heather

Setting Records

2011-02-06T10:26:00.001-08:00

The first of February brought approximately 12 inches of snow here in Bartlsville, OK. Yesterday about 14 inches more snow fell totaling about 26 inches all together so far. Other than setting record snow fall we also set a record low in temperature this morning. A low of -28 degrees was recorded during the early morning which according to one news channel was colder than the North Pole or Alaska! Here are some pictures of the snow day's around our house.

Snow Storm #1

Snow Storm 2

Weather forcast for next week...70 degrees!!! I can't wait!

-Heather

Just a Saturday Morning with The Pioneer Woman

2011-02-06T10:25:00.000-08:00

Saturday morning I met up with my bff, Julie, and battled the crowd to get our books signed from The Pioneer Woman, Ree Drummond. Her newest book is titled "Black Heels to Tractor Wheels" and talks about how she turned from a city girl to country wife and mother.

My Saturday ended with celebrating a friends birthday. We went to eat at Cattleman's in Oklahoma City. It was yummy! Happy Birthday Clay!

-Heather

Heather's Library

2011-01-28T10:41:00.000-08:00

I just finished reading the fourth book (out of seven) of the Outlander series by Diana Gabaldon. Now those are some looong books, that one took me somewhere around three months to read...and I mean I read chapters beyond chapters daily. I decided I needed a break from the series so currently I am reading The Help, which my sister got for me for Christmas and I was super excited to get.

After I read The Help, I plan to read the Girl with the Dragon Tattoo series and then the Hunger Games series. I have heard/read several people just can't put them down...now those are my kind of books.

If you haven't noticed, I like book series and I am always open to new book series suggestions if anyone would like to share.

Well, that is the start of my reading plan for 2011...because I knew you all really wanted to know : )

-Heather

And the Job Gets Even Better

2011-01-23T15:13:00.000-08:00

*Career Update*

As of Monday, Jan. 3, 2011, I became the new Marketing and Public Relations Coordinator for the Bartlesville Regional United Way! I was previously the Marketing and Campaign Assistant so it was quite the step up.

My current job duties are: writing press releases, news articles, campaign letters, funding request letters (basically anything written), keeping good relations with the community as well as our agencies, updating the Web site and our Facebook page, creating brochures, newsletters, etc. All of this I was doing in my previous position, but now I am the one who has to make sure it gets done instead of being told when it needs to get done.

I like to joke that I am head of the marketing and public relations department for the Bartlesville Regional United Way...but that is only because I am the only one in my department, hey it is still true :-) Really I work with a great group of people and we all have to work hand in hand to get the job done, one without the other just would not work.

I have been blessed with a good boss, co-workers and career.

-Heather

Ringing in the New Year, 2011

2011-01-08T13:58:00.000-08:00

Jesse and I helped ring in the new year with family, presents, games and sparklers! We were at my parents house this New Years and since we had not had Christmas with them yet, we got to open presents...as you can see in the following pictures we had LOTS of help opening the presents.

Nephew Nathan helping me...

Nephews Nathan and Lucas helping my brother...
Nephew Lucas and niece Lillian helping Jesse...see what I mean :)

Mom and dad opening gifts.

Jesse wearing a few of his gifts. This man lives in pajama pants and flannel shirts, fashion comments anyone?
Ringing in the New Year with sparklers!

Happy 2011 Everyone! May it be filled with new and exciting adventures everyday.

-Heather

Traveling the New England States

2011-01-08T13:16:00.000-08:00

As many of you know, Jesse and I are trying to travel all 50 states. So far, in only 1.5 years of marriage, we have covered 26 states! When we are done conquering the U.S. we plan to travel all 7 continents...but we will see :)

This holiday season we traveled the six New England states: Connecticut, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine.

Newport Rhode Island.

In front of one of the Vanderbilt home.

Connecticut.

This is taken outside Jesse's grandparents house. They have such a good view.

Massachusetts...where basketball began.

Behind us is the Basketball Hall of Fame. My face only looks funny because it was freezing!!

Vermont.
It was too cold outside to try and take a picture, but the view inside was nice.

New Hampshire
Maine

We had a blast to say the least. After hour New England tour we traveled to Elgin, OK to celebrate Christmas/New Years. More to come...

-Heather

A 2010 McKee Christmas

2011-01-04T17:03:00.000-08:00

This year Jesse and I were able to spend Christmas with Jesse's family in Connecticut. We had a great time, saw lots of cool things and it even snowed while we were there!

The whole family at lunch

We traveled to Newport Rhode Island one day and saw two huge mansions. This one is called the Breaker, owned by one of the Vanderbilt brothers. (more to come on my next blog post)

I know it is hard to tell (I thought my camera had zoomed in) but this is 50 cents house. He lives pretty close to Jesse's grandparents house s0 we took a quick look. That little guy (really a BIG guy) standing outside the gates is the one who pulled out his phone and yelled "I am calling the cops" since we were taking pictures.

We drove by ESPN headquarters.

ESPN satellite dishes.

The siblings

Christmas morning
Jesse loved his green pants!

We played lots of games

Snow!

While up in Connecticut, Jesse and decided to take a little road trip to all of the New England states (Connecticut, Massachusetts, Vermont, New Hampshire, Maine and Rhode Island). More to come on that on my next blog post.

The Tree Topper Debate

2010-12-09T10:33:00.000-08:00

I need help from my readers...

This will be the second year in a row that Jesse and I don't have a tree topper on our Christmas tree. This may be no big deal to some, but to me the tree looks incomplete and we can't agree on what it should be. I want something traditional like a star and of course Jesse disagrees but he can never give me an idea of what to put on there.

Here's what we have so far:
I like: star
Jesse likes: ? ( I am guessing something a little more modern)
Reject ideas: We both agreed to not do what our parents did, a stocking cap or bow. Also no angels, they creep me out.

So any suggestions?

The Making of Christmas, 2010

2010-12-09T10:14:00.000-08:00

I was having a hard time getting into the Christmas spirit this year for some reason. The first week of December did not feel like December. Slowly through out the past week I put Christmas decorations up, but still no Christmas spirit. It wasn't until last Saturday when we went to get our Christmas tree that it really felt like Christmas. There is just something about the tree that makes the holiday more special. Now the decorations, lights and tree are all up and it finally feels like Christmas...good thing too because it is only a few weeks away!

Here's the making of Christmas in the McKee household...

The stockings were hung by the chimney with care...(all we are missing is a fire)

Putting up outside lights. We don't have a ladder so we just decided to decorate the bushes.
Finding just the right Christmas tree.

This year we got a Fraser Fir, they have the perfect branches for hanging Christmas ornaments and they smell wonderful!
Decorating the tree
The finished look

Just a thought: For so many people Christmas will come and go without decorations, lights, a tree or presents. Think about about it...No, do something about it and give to someone who may not have any of these things this Christmas.

Merry Christmas!

-Heather

Thanksgiving Time, 2010

2010-12-01T17:29:00.000-08:00

I have much to be thankful for this year and the Thanksgiving holiday always reminds me to be thankful for what I have. I am thankful for...my faith, family, friends, my awesome and amazing husband, my new house (and garage! Love it during these cold days), health, work. Well, I think you get the idea.

This year we were at my parents for the holiday. There was lots to keep us busy while hanging out with our niece and nephews.

Jesse, Lillian and Lucas on the four wheeler...it was very cold, but that could not stop them!

Lucas opening his early b-day gift. I just love those Little Golden Books.

Jesse chilling with the newest nephew Wade.

Spending quality time with his aunt.

Jesse also snuggled up this little guy (for those of you who don't know Jesse, this is a very rare thing).

Nathan opening his b-day gift. He was so excited to get a train.

Even Wade got a gift, it's hard to see it on his face, but he loved it :)

Hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving!

-Heather

Here are some pictures of my Thanksgiving holiday weekend.

A Quick Trip

2010-11-16T13:54:00.000-08:00

Jesse and I took a quick trip to Branson, MO this past weekend. It is only a few hours away from us and Jesse and I have a goal to do all of our Christmas shopping by the end of November (hint, hint family members, I need your lists!) and Branson has outlet shopping as well as tons of other shopping. However we were totally unmotivated and overwhelmed when we got there that we were not in the mood to Christmas shop on Saturday. We literally went through 2 shopping centers in about 3 hours, which if you know me, that's a miracle. There were so many people! It was way too crowded and they already had Christmas music playing...it was just too much. Jesse and I both have a rule not listen/watch/decorate or basically have anything to do with Christmas (except shopping of course) until AFTER Thanksgiving. So we were Grinch's. However the Christmas spirit broke through by Sunday because we were back out shopping and singing all of the Christmas songs. I was afraid I would not get the songs out of my head, and luckily I came home to my nice FALL decorated home and it felt like Thanksgiving was near once more. All I need to do is hold out for another 9 days and then I will be singing "Jingle Bells" and "I'm Dreaming of a White Christmas" for a solid month!

View of the pretty sky as we shopped

They had lots of Christmas decorations up

Taking a walk down by the river

All-and-all it was a great weekend getaway.

In other news: My nephews birthday was yesterday, he turned 2! I can't believe how fast time flys.

According to my poll the majority (of all 2 people) would NOT pay big bucks to see a favorite celebrity, sorry Ben/Brad and all of you others. That event I was talking about was last week and I heard that Ree Drummond was there (the Pioneer Woman) and that several people attended which is great for all the non-profit organizations the event benefited.

-Heather

I Said I Would Tell You...

2010-11-04T18:35:00.000-07:00

Remember my blog about Ben Affleck? Well I had high hopes of "bumping" into him while in Bville and they are leaving in a few weeks because they are done filming and unfortunately I had zero luck of even catching a glimpse, well that all changed today because I SAW BEN AFFLECK! I saw him shooting a scene downtown while I was driving. I don't have a picture, but I can still say I have seen him and I mean he was facing me, only a few feet away, and I was at a stop sign so I got a pretty good view. And I am not for certain, but the girl he was shooting the scene with kind of looked like Rachel McAdams (her back was to me, but she is for sure in the movie). I guess I will have to wait until the movie comes out for me to know for sure.

I know you may think this is childish of me and that I should just think he is just another human being, and he is, but it is totally different when you are in a small town in OK and celebrities are hanging out at the places where you hang out.

Here's a question for you...The film crew is having a fundraiser for Bartlesville which will benefit certain organizations and they are doing a celebrity poker game. By invite only, you can pay $250 to attend the social event for the poker game OR you can pay $1,000 to actually play poker with Ben Affleck, Rachel McAdams or Olga Kurylenko. The question is, would you pay, for any celebrity for that matter? Now I did not get an invite (my boss did) so I don't have to actually make that decision. Now I don't think I would, but if it were Brad Pitt I think I might scrap up the $250. Anyway vote yes or no on my side panel.

A Spooktacular Weekend

2010-10-31T16:45:00.000-07:00

Jesse and I enjoyed the Halloween festivities this weekend. Saturday we went to OKC to see The Phantom of the Opera ballet with friends Kacy and Kelli. We all went to Bricktown to eat at Zio's Italian Kitchen, walked around downtown and then it was off to the ballet. The ballet was amazing. We were a little disappointed though that it wasn't really the music from the play and of course there was no singing which for me is what makes the play so awesome.

In front of the Civic Center in OKC

Friends Kacy and Kelli

Viewing the art...a very grown up thing to do :)

Sunday I put up more fall decorations around the house (thanks to Kirklands 50% off sale) and then patiently waited for trick-or-treaters to arrive.

I waited and waited and finally the doorbell rang and I got so excited. Here was my first trick-or-treater.....

As I opened the door I started to say "trick or tr...." and then it was followed by "oh, it's you." Jesse felt bad that no one had come to our house yet so I guess he thought he was doing me a favor by getting my hopes up. He would not come inside either till I gave him a piece of candy, what a kid. We did however have about 10 trick-or-treaters. I was disappointed by the turn out. I blame the City of Bartlesville for not taking a "stance" on when Halloween trick-or-treating would be...DUH it should be on Halloween, right? However many churches had their trunk-or-treats that Saturday so I am guessing many parents wanted their kids in bed at an early time for school.

The question is what would/did you do? Allow your kids to trick-or-treat on Halloween (even if it is a school night) or take them on another day? I have my opinion, but then again I don't have kids :)

Another thing, what happened to kids saying "trick-or treat," "Happy Halloween," or even "Thank you" ? A little appreciation goes along ways. The (few) kids that said those things got a very generous helping of candy from me and those that didn't...well they got the banana laffy taffy that no ones wants. Wow, that makes me sound mean.

Let's end on a happy/friendly note, Happy Halloween!

-Heather

Pillow Fight

2010-10-27T19:44:00.000-07:00

The great debate in the McKee household over the past few months has been over pillows (of all things).

I have brought home six pairs of pillows over the past three months or so! Yes, six! You just never know what the pillow really looks like until you get it home, and even then if I liked the color it had to pass the husband.

The Pillow Fight:
Pillow 1: Burnt Orange, The Problem: Jesse thought it looked too much like Texas orange.
Pillow 2: Lime green and brown. The Problem: I know what you are thinking, the colors actually looked good together, and I loved the pattern, but it had fringe on it and that made it look old lady(ish).

Pillow 3 & 4: Patterned bright blue with a fun solid green pillow as an accent. The problem: Jesse hated the color combo, but I liked it.

Pillow 5: Patterned multi-color circle pillow. Problem: not enough color, too beige, plus Jesse thought it looked like a clown pillow.

And then finally, one day as I was too tired to shop and it was raining outside I decided to push through Bed, Bath and Beyond one more time and there it was, my perfect pillow (or at least in my mind). It was colorful and had the right shades of green (my favorite color) to match our fun and funky green chair. Plus with all of the other colors in it I can now have a wide array of accent color choices to decorate the room with.

THE WINNER

The lesson I took away from this pillow hunting experience: I should be thankful that our only marital problems are what our living room pillows should be. And I should be thankful that Dillard's, Bed, Bath and Beyond, and Pier 1 all have excellent return policies.

-Heather

Vote: See my voting panel to decide which accent color I should go with- purple, blue, green, or orange.

Have you heard about this....

2010-10-21T14:21:00.000-07:00

As I was listening to my daily radio station the other morning on my way to work, the radio hosts were discussing this new(er) line of all natural make-up called Earth Angel Minerals.

This make-up was created by a lady named Christine Keeter in Claremore, OK and it is an organic make-up. According to the radio station it "feels like silk". Apparently her make-up was worn by a few celebrity's during the 2009 Emmy Awards. When I heard that, I thought "expensive!" but no, it's sold on etsy for no more than $10 (depending on what you get). I wear Bare Mineral make-up and love it, but I think I will be trying out this healthier, cheaper make-up soon. I'll let you know how it goes.

You can check her out on her blog, facebook or etsy. And although I wish I were being paid for this little advertisement, I am not. I just wanted to share my new found knowledge for all of you mineral make-up people.

-Heather

Weekend Visitors

2010-10-18T16:47:00.000-07:00

My parents came to stay with Jesse and I this past weekend. This was my dads first time to Bartlesville, so we got to give him the grand tour of our house and of the town.

Saturday we went to Woolaroc ( I have blogged about this before). I guess this is the place we have been taking most of our guests. It is a really neat place and the weather was beautiful on Saturday.

Friday night we went to Tulsa to see my brother and SIL. Went out to eat at a yummy place called Te Kai's (Asian Kitchen). And although I did not get the chance to go in it (who closes at 7 p.m.?), but for all of you Anthropologie fans, there is now one open in Utica Square.

Sunday was church, out to eat and then my parents headed out. We all had a great time. Thanks for visiting mom and dad!

-Heather

Close, but No Cigar

2010-10-14T18:34:00.000-07:00

So I have not blogged about this yet because I did not want to get carried away with the topic, but I might as well...

So Bartlesville has turned Hollywood, sort of. The Rose Bud film production is filming a movie here in Bartlesville and it is staring....BEN AFFLECK! And yes that did deserve all caps and an exclamation mark. Other names in the movie are (supposedly) Rachel McAdams, Olga Kurlenko (the girl off of one of the newer James Bond movies, Quantum of Solace), Javier Bardem and Rachel Weisz. The only ones I for sure know are in the movie are Ben and Olga. I have met several people who have seen Ben and his lovely wife (Jennifer Garner!!) but I have yet to "bump" into anyone famous. That ALMOST changed today, I was so close to Ben but I could not see him. They were filming in my building today and he was just floor above me! I was so excited, I was just hoping they would stop by the United Way office to say hello...yeah right, but I can dream.

I have had the opportunity to meet the community relations person for the film crew on several occasions, but that is as close as I have gotten to the film crew.

I have heard that the name of the movie is "Day's of Heaven," but that could be all talk. I do know that is it a Romantic Drama.

They will be filming until November, so there is still hope for me to run into Ben and if I do, the blogging world will be among the first to know.

-Heather

Fall Decorations

2010-10-04T14:43:00.000-07:00

I am almost embarrassed on how pathetic my fall decorations look, but this is my first year to decorate for fall so the plan is to start small and build throughout the years. This year I am just focusing on the outside of my house and I am proud to say that I am the only house on my block that has decorated for fall so at least I have that going for me.

I planted orange mum's and I am hoping they will bloom soon, that will really add some color to my front porch.

I have feeling for Christmas I will be going all out on my decorations...and by "all out" I mean outside lights!

On another note, Jesse's dad came for a visit this past weekend. It was a Saturday and Sunday full of watching football for the boys. I enjoy some football but not 2 day's worth which is why I finally got motivated to decorate for fall. We all had a great time though, always love it when family gets to visit. Thanks Mike for coming out to see us, Kim we missed you!

-Heather

The Working Girl

2010-09-24T11:59:00.001-07:00

I think this is the first time in two weeks I have had time to check my blog, e-mail's, facebook, etc. OK, so that may be a little exaggerated, but not by much. I have been working my tail off at work recently. The past two weeks I have been getting to work by 6 a.m. and some night's not leaving till 8 p.m.

The good thing is I love it! It's fun work. I am not pushing papers at six a.m., I am setting up for a golf tournament or a breakfast for volunteers and my evening work consists of having a street party, socializing, eating yummy foods and listening to music. But somehow it is still exhausting. There is a lot of behind the scenes work to prepare for these fun events and at the end of the day I am beat.

To sum it all up, I am tired! I have never felt so tired in my life. I have developed an eye twitch which I have always heard it due to lack of sleep and stress and my poor right eye can't even open for a few minutes while I have a "twitch episode."

This weekend it no work but Jesse and I are volunteering for an organization called Family Health Care Clinic in order to raise money for women who can't afford yearly mammograms. And then in the evening we are attending a YMCA event. Should be fun, but no rest. I plan on catching up in December when work calms down, until then I will have an eye twitch.

-Heather (aka The Working Girl)

Labor Day Weekend and New Things

2010-09-11T14:41:00.000-07:00

First of all I have to say I LOVE Ikea! And I have grown more fond of it ever since we got a house that we needed to decorate. This past weekend Jesse and I went to Dallas, TX to visit his uncle and aunt, which they happened to be conveniently located close to an Ikea which was a major bonus.

We got to his uncles house late Friday night (no thanks to traffic), so we pretty much said our hellos and then crashed. Saturday was fun and eventful. We went to Ikea, ate at 5 guys burgers and fries (which Jesse loves), watched football, walked/drove around their beautiful neighborhood and went to a neighbor hood block party. Sunday we went to church with them and went downtown to eat and visit the place where president Kennedy was killed. We left Sunday afternoon to head back to Oklahoma and Monday we just relaxed, cleaned and got caught up before work started again.

Out and about in their neighborhood

X marks the spot...unfortunately this is where Kennedy was shot and killed.

Our new chair from Ikea, surprisingly really comfortable.

New lamps (Ikea) for the bedroom- we got the black and white shade.

I added some pops of color in our guest bathroom and I love it!

-Heather

New Nephew and Birthday Celebrations!

2010-08-31T10:40:00.000-07:00

This past weekend Jesse and I went to Elgin, OK to see my new nephew Wade and to celebrate many family birthdays.

He is so tiny....

...and long! Look at those legs.

Big brother giving Wade a kiss

The three birthday girls (Mom, niece, SIL)

Happy birthday to all!

-Heather

Introducing....

2010-08-20T09:16:00.000-07:00

Douglas Wade Kirkpatrick! Welcome to the world little nephew. I can't wait to meet your precious face in person.

-(Aunt) Heather

Aldi vs. Wal-Mart

2010-08-08T10:52:00.000-07:00

Recently, Jesse and I have been trying to think of ways we can cut back on what we spend. Here is what we have been doing so far:
1) Cut off Netflix
2) Take packed lunches to work instead of going out to eat
3) Only eat out one time a week ( I still refuse to cook after church on Sundays)
4) Turn the air condition up to 80 while we are gone during the day
5) Cut coupons for groceries

This last one has been a challenge. I have to be really careful what coupons I use because half of the time it is stuff I would not usually buy, so in the end I spend more! I mean come on, do I really need to try that new type of ice cream that is 10 cents off its regular price? I don't think so.

So I started looking into other options and that's when someone suggested I shop at Aldi.
I was curious so I checked it out. First of all they provide almost all of the same groceries you would find at any small grocery store but at lower prices.

If you plan on going, there are a few things you might want to know:
1) Take a quarter. You need a quarter to get a shopping cart, but you get it back when you are finished with it. Sounds crazy, I know, but part of them offering lower prices is by cutting back on staff. The customers are in charge of maintaining the carts rather than having a cart boy.

2) Bring your own shopping sacks (they can be from Wal-Mart). You have to bag your own groceries and believe me its not that bad. This is another way they can offer their customers lower food prices.

3) They almost always carry off-brand stuff.

The best part, other then the lower prices, is that there is hardly ever a crowd! I hate the crowds at Wal-Mart, I always feel rushed and frustrated and end up forgetting things on my list. Am I the only one that feels that way about Wal-Mart?

Anyway, here is what I have started doing even though it is a bit more time consuming. I first go to Aldi with my grocery list and get what I can there. Since they are small, they don't always carry everything on my list. Then I go to Wal-Mart and get the rest. This last time, I decided to do some research. Listed below are the foods I bought at Aldi and their prices versus what I found at Wal-Mart (Great Value or any off-brand):

Grocery Item	Aldi’s	Wal-Mart
Strawberries	$ 0.99	$1.88
Whole Carrots	$ 0.99	$1.48
Bag of Salad	$ 1.99	$2.38
5 lb sack of potatoes	$ 1.99	$2.97
Tortillas	$ 0.99	$1.38
Loaf of Bread	$ 0.99	$1.78
Rotini pasta	$ 0.78	$2.08
Eggs	$ 0.99	$1.18
½ gallon of Milk	$ 1.77	$1.98
TOTAL	$11.48	$17.11

These are just a few comparisons. You can make the decision if you think its worth it.

Check out their website: www.aldifoods.com. They have a one week food shopping challenge and a meal planner that I think are cool.

I am still looking for ways to cut down on costs so if anyone has any ideas that don't include cutting off the air condition completely, let me know!

-Heather

Happy Blog: Furniture

2010-08-01T12:53:00.000-07:00

Think happy thoughts, think happy thoughts...

First let me say, that right now I would really like to complain, but my husband sweetly reminded me that I was "one of the happiest people he knows and I should not complain on my blog and make myself seem like an unhappy person." So sweet, and sometimes completely not true, but I do like to think of myself as a happy person for the most part.

So I have completely rewritten my blog to not sound as complaining as it was.

Anyway, our bedroom furniture is here! To those of you who don't know the whole story you may think I am crazy and that this is nothing to get excited about, but it has been quite the ordeal. We ordered our furniture back at the end of April, we were told it would be here at the end of May and it arrived the end of July! So I have had to think happy thoughts about our furniture for a long time.

Here it is:

Now, I know the newest thing is to not have matchy furniture, but I guess I am not creative enough to pull together things that don't match and yet still go together.

In the end, Jesse and I love our new furniture and we are very happy to have settled into our completed bedroom.

-Heather

Happy One Year Anniversary!

2010-07-25T14:05:00.000-07:00

This time last year Jesse and I were doing this.....
We made it through our first year of marriage and I can honestly say it has been one of the best years of my life. Here is to many, many more!

-Heather

Canada Eh? Part 3

2010-07-21T14:27:00.000-07:00

Yes this is the third post on this subject!

Our Keepsake Pictures from each (new) state on this trip.

Mississippi- No idea where we were, we just crossed over the border to get our picture.

Kentucky- Nothing like cows for a back drop!

Ohio-In the corn fields.

West Virgina- In a small town called Wheeling.
Pennsylvania-In front of Lake Erie.

New York-At the Horseshoe Falls.

Ontario, Canada- At the family reunion.
Michigan- We wanted a picture of old cars for this state but the graffiti had to do.

Indiana- Again, no clue where we are at.

OK, I am finally done posting about this trip on my blog, enjoy!
A special thanks goes out to Jesse's parents for taking all of these photos...it was much better than using my car as a stand.

-Heather

Canada Eh? Part 2

2010-07-21T14:05:00.000-07:00

Our Journey

Like I said in part one of this, we made five major stops along our journey: 1) Buffalo, NY; 2) Niagara Falls, NY; 3) Niagara Falls, Ontario Canada; 4) Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario Canada; 5) Campbellville, Ontario Canada.

Buffalo, NY/Niagara Falls, NY
This is the birth place of Jesse, although their family left when he was about two years old so he does not remember much about it. We explored downtown a bit and ate at a famous BBQ wing restaurant, which is where Buffalo wings originated. I am not a wing person, but I couldn't let Jesse pass up eating wings in Buffalo, NY! Next we went to Niagara Falls. It was beautiful. I could have stared at the waterfall all day. Since it was evening, there was not much of a crowd and we got to see the falls lit up at night which was cool. We then drove by Jesse's old house and then went and stayed the night with some friends of Mike and Kim's.

At the Horseshoe Falls.
The American Falls.

Niagara Falls, Ontario Canada
We spent Friday morning at Niagara Falls on the Canada side, and I must say that it is a lot prettier from the Canadian side then the American side. We took a tour called Journey Under the Falls. We got to go underneath the Falls and got close to the base of the it. It was very neat because you could hear the roaring of the Falls. You got somewhat wet, but not too bad. Again, I could have watched the waterfall for hours.

I bet the people in that boat got SOAKED!Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario Canada
We went from the Falls to a town called Niagara-on-the-Lake (Lake Ontario that is). The one word I would use for this place is "quaint." The flowers there were beautiful and very plentiful! We spent the afternoon there shopping and walking around the town.
Campbellville, Ontario Canada
Last stop....Campbellville! Time to meet and greet lots of my new family. Some of the family from Canada came to our wedding so it was good to see faces I recognized, but it was also great to meet the rest of the Ellis family.

There was a lot of this over the weekend.
Jesse's grandparents. This is his Grandmama's side of the family.

Serious golfers.

Three generations.

At this point we are half way home!

-Heather

p.s. I have no idea why half of my writing is centered and not the other half, so excuse the inconsistency.

Canada Eh? Part 1

2010-07-21T13:33:00.000-07:00

Jesse and I have hit the road again and this time it was a VERY long road we traveled. Last Tuesday evening we headed to Nashville where we would hop in the car with Jesse's parents and travel our way to Campbellville, Ontario for a family reunion! Since this was a vacation, we took a longer route going to Canada in order for us to do some site seeing.

Travel Route- Going to Canada:
Staring point- Oklahoma
Arkansas
Mississippi
Tennessee
Kentucky
Ohio
West Virgina
Pennsylvania
New York
Canada

Travel Route- Going Home:
Starting point- Canada
Michigan
Ohio
Indiana
Kentucky
Tennessee
Missouri
Oklahoma

Total hours in the car: Approx 50 hours

On this journey we went to seven new states together as a married couple and one new country! The map below show all of the states we have been to in blue, somehow Wisconsin sneaked by us.

We made little stops along the way so Jesse and I could take our pictures in each state (Our keepsake of the trip), but some of our bigger stops were in Buffalo New York, Niagara Falls (both NY and Canada sides), Niagara-on-the-Lake in Canada and of course the family reunion in Campbellville, Ontario.

More details to come on each stop.

Oh and if you did not know, Canadians say "Eh" almost after everything they talk about. They like to put things into question form. I don't know what I was expecting about how they spoke, but to me it did not sound that much different than from the way I speak. There were a few words though that I do not think many Americans say.
Examples:
We say: Bathroom/Restroom
They say: Washroom
We say: Baseball Field
They say: Ball Diamond
We say: Baseball glove
They say: Ball glove

Oh and they also think 70-80 degree weather is hot and I thought it was wonderful!

Job Update

2010-07-07T18:21:00.000-07:00

I have completed my first week of work and it went great. I love my new job! I mean I still have a lot to learn, but I am just excited that I get to learn. This job is going to teach me great things and I cannot wait to jump into the events even if it does mean working on a Saturday here and there (yuck).

My office, well technically it is a small conference room, but for now it is all mine. My desk is on the left. I also use the conference table when I need to spread something out.

My desk! Small, but it's all I need.

One of my window views. This room has three large windows in it so I get great lighting and views (even if the views are of parking garages). The big building in the background is the building Jesse will move into soon.

Another great thing about this job is location, location, location! We get our own parking garage and I get my own spot, so no more hail dents in the car. Even better, it is super close to where Jesse works, we even got to eat our lunches together some this week. AND it is right across the street from the gym I go to (will go to...more often hopefully).

-Heather

4th of July Activities

2010-07-07T18:03:00.000-07:00

Jesse and I had a great weekend with my family for the 4th. Hope all of you had a great 4th of July as well.

Started with a round of putt-putt with the parents.

Mom's flag creation...I helped :)

And this is what it did almost all day on the 4th. It did stop for enough time to pop fireworks and then it started again.

The rain did not stop mom and dad from grilling our lunch.

Oh and I also got to see the new Twilight movie with my mom and sister. I won't spoil anything but it was a GREAT movie, now if I could only convince Jesse to see them with me. Any suggestions on how I can do that?

-Heather

New Job!

2010-07-01T11:11:00.000-07:00

I officially have a job!!!! Can you tell I am a bit excited? It has been a tough two months of never ending searching and rejection...it can really take a toll on yourself.

Who I (will) work for: United Way

What is United Way? A non-profit organization that works with nearly 1,300 local United Way offices throughout the country in a coalition of charitable organizations to pool efforts in fund raising and support. The focus of United Way is identifying and resolving pressing community issues, as well as making measurable changes in the communities through partnerships with schools, government agencies, businesses, organized labor, financial institutions, community development corporations, voluntary and neighborhood associations, the faith community, and others. The issues United Way offices focus on are determined locally because of the diversity of the communities served. However, the main focus areas include Education, Income and Health.
According to (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Way_of_America)

My title: Assistant to the campaigns and marketing director.

What I will do: I get to work on every detail on putting on an event, some writing of press releases and letters to supporters/volunteers, find volunteers and financial supporters for our events, work with some Photoshop and InDesign for fliers and such and of course answer phones and stuff envelopes. This is a new position they are creating, so I will get to help define it.

This job is right up my ally. I love working with the community and having that since of attachment to where I live. I start Tuesday July 6th, so I will let you all know how it goes.

Family Visitors

2010-06-27T14:43:00.000-07:00

This past weekend my sister, brother-in-law, and niece and nephew visited Jesse and I. They had never seen our new house so we got to give the grand tour, although my niece and nephew only cared about finding the stair case. The stairs kept the kids busy and happy.

Saturday night we took the kids to a place called Kiddie Park. It is just a bunch of rides for little kids and the rides only cost 25 or 50 cents per ride, so pretty cheap entertainment. Afterward we went for some snow cones, my favorite summer time treat.

I tried to find the history on Kiddie Park, but could not find much. All I know is that it first opened in 1947. The rides have obviously been updated since then, but some of them look original. I will show you what I mean in one of the photos.

Lillian riding the airplanes

Riding the train

Look at the old horses on this ride. A closer look reveals more about its age, but I did not get a close up picture of them.

Look at the face! Lucas did NOT want to ride this one.

Last ride, the carousal. The worker had to push start the ride and help stop it.

We all rode of course and Jesse insisted he wear his Polo tucked into his athletic shorts with blue flip flops and a cowboy hat. Yes, we did get lots of stares. Brent was getting in trouble by Lillian because he was riding his horse backwards.

Jesse acting goofy and making me laugh...as usual. It's one of the things that I love so much about him though.

Sunday was church and then back on the road for the Young family. Jesse and I had a wonderful time with them.

-Heather

Where In The World Have We Been Now?

2010-06-13T13:40:00.001-07:00

More traveling for the McKee's: Jesse and I went to North Dakota and Minnesota this past weekend. We have a goal of going to all 50 state's together. Jesse had never been to North Dakota and we had a free weekend so we decided why not? I was not on board at first with the idea of driving that far over a weekend, but then Jesse pointed out that Mall of America was only four hours from ND so then I became a little more interested.

We drove through Kansas, Iowa, Nebraska, Missouri, South Dakota, North Dakota and Minnesota. I had never been to 4 out of the 7 states, so I got to check a lot off of my list.

So almost everyone collects something from their trips, my mom and Jesse's mom always collect Christmas ornaments. Some people collect those silver spoons, shot glasses and state magnets, Jesse and I just collect pictures. We take a picture of each state we are in and then we plan on making a decoration out of it with the map of the U.S. It will look pretty cool when it's all said and done. Oh and we do also collect Christmas ornaments from our trips.

What do you all collect from your trips?

Kansas

Nebraska

Iowa
South Dakota (Favorite pic)

North Dakota
Minnesota
This place was crazy!

Lego's

Jesse in front a Dino made of Lego's

Weather on our trip: Mid 60's and 70's, still needed a light jacket.

Fun facts of Mall of America:

The mall is located on the same land where the Minnesota Twins once played baseball...before they moved to the Metro dome in downtown Minneapolis/St. Paul. http://www.funtrivia.com/en/subtopics/Mall-of-America-140015.html

Seven Yankee Stadiums would fit inside Mall of America. http://www.justforkidz.org/mallofamerica_facts.asp

Walking distance around one level of Mall of America is .57 of a mile. http://www.justforkidz.org/mallofamerica_facts.asp

Spending 10 minutes in every store would take a shopper more than 86 hours to complete their visit to Mall of America. http://www.justforkidz.org/mallofamerica_facts.asp

Advice: Take two days to go to the Mall of America, our legs are still tired from all of our walking!

-Heather

Moving, Family and Friends

2010-06-01T12:04:00.000-07:00

I can sum up this post with one word, BUSY! Busy is what Jesse and I have been for the past couple of weeks. We moved into our new house in Bartlesville Wednesday May 19th and since then we have had six guests come visit us. Jesse and I had a great time with all of our guests, most of them we had not seen in a while so it was good to spend time with them. Now that they are all gone I don't know what to do with myself! To say my life will go back to normal is incorrect, I don't know what normal is yet in Bartlesville since we have had so many guests. But the house is clean so if anyone else would like to visit, Jesse and I would love to have you come see us! And I am getting much better at cooking for a crowd. For the past year I had only cooked for Jesse so my cooking skills have really been put to the test and I can say proudly that I succeeded.

Pictures from our past busy weeks.

Moving Truck. It was very nice to have someone pack, load and unpack all of our stuff.

Mom helping me plant flowers.

The Finished project. The flowers have already bloomed so much since we planted them.

In front of Frank Phillips Home.
Woolaroc Adventures(Stands for Woods, Lakes, Rocks)

Mike and Kim in front of an old oil derrick in Johnstone Park.

Jesse with his mom on an old railroad track. One of the side adventures we took.

All the things we did while our guests we're here:

Toured the antique district of Dewey; Went to an old time soda shoppe; Tom Mix Museum; Toured downtown; Keepsake candle factory; Toured Frank Phillips home; Gilcrease Museum in Tulsa; Went to two different parks; Explored Bartlesville; Woolaroc Museum and Wildlife preserve.

I am sure I missed something. The great part is that there is still stuff to do!

This weekend is Sunfest here is Bartlesville. Not 100% sure what it is, but Jesse and I are going. My guess is that it is some type of music festival or mini fair.

I will try to do a better job this month on keeping you all posted.

-Heather

Blogging Help

2010-05-07T20:28:00.000-07:00

I need help with my blog. I recently discovered that I am a follower of my own blog! I have no idea how long it has been there or how I did it. Maybe some of you have realized it, but I promise I am not that desperate for followers to sign myself up for my own blog. Does anyone know how to "un"follow a blog?

Latest Project

2010-04-26T20:52:00.000-07:00

I have been wanting to recover my dinning room chairs for a long time and today I finally did it! I had a friend come over and help me or else I don't think I would have known where to begin. The project was pretty easy. It was no professional job, but I am proud of it. This is the same dinning room set I grew up with so it was time for a change.

BEFORE

Jesse and I had the hardest time deciding what color to go with (we have totally different tastes), but we finally agreed on red.

AFTER

Other News:

This is my last week of work at the Ponca City Eye Clinic, after this week it is time to get serious in another job search in Bartlesville.

Jesse and I close on our house this Friday!

Secret Weekend Getaway

2010-04-05T18:15:00.000-07:00

Jesse and I have become quite the travelers. The one advice we almost always hear from "older" married couples is "travel, travel, travel while you are a young married couple, because once you have children it will become more difficult to travel." We took that advice to heart and NO we are not ready to have children at this time (Just to clear that question up).

Jesse surprised me with a weekend getaway to St. Louis Missouri! I was allowed one question a day and he told me one clue a day, I never guessed it right.

Our first stop: Lambert's Cafe. Located in Ozark MO. A famous restaurant where they throw rolls at you. Lots of food...I think I gained weight just from that place.

Second stop: The Gateway Arch in St. Louis MO. Great view of the arch from our hotel room.

Jesse and I at the base of the arch.

The elevator to ride to the top of the arch was tiny! It was called a "pod" and you could not even stand up in it. This was a challenge for me but I survived.
View from the top of the arch.

Jesse and I drove across the river into Illinois, I have no idea where we were at but we wanted our picture in Illinois so we just pulled over and took one. Not much to look at.

These trees were everywhere and I loved them.

These are the blooms on the trees. Anyone know the name of this tree? I want one!

Third Stop: The Anheuser-Busch Factory. Jesse likes factory tours, I had never been on one and it was free! Three great reasons to go. It was sad however to see so many parents (with their kids on their hips) were already inebriated before the tour even started, we saw a lot of "white trash" America.

A great Photo Opportunity...

Final stop: Six Flags! We are still kids at heart.

More House Photos

2010-04-05T17:29:00.000-07:00

Jesse and I went on a weekend getaway this past weekend (all of which I will blog about on my next post). Our first stop was our house (well almost) in Bartlesville. We just stopped by to take a few pictures of the exterior since we did not have any. Enjoy!

Front view.

Contract pending, that's us!

Side yard.

Back yard. Back yard, facing house.

The house already has great landscaping.

Stay tuned for the post on Jesse's secret weekend getaway for me!

St. Thomas, Virgin Islands

2010-03-22T18:24:00.000-07:00

This past week Jesse and I took a wonderful vacation to St. Thomas, Virgin Islands with his parents, sister and brother-in-law.

View from our house

Another view, Jesse even took a kayak out to those islands, I didn't think I could make it so I did not go
View from our room

It is hard to see but in the clouds there are two tornadoes

A little closer look

Beautiful Sunset

All of us about to go on a all day snorkeling tour

Feeding the sting rays

In our snorkel gear- tour guide Jacob on the right

On a boat on our way to St. John

View from St. John- St John has a beautiful national park

Oh and this is St. Patrick's day so Jesse and I wore our green :)

Building a sand castle on Megan's beach

Where we ate a very good meal, I am beginning to love sea food

Mike and Kim climbing the "99 Steps," which is actually 103 steps. I forget the steps importance but it was a tourist thing to do and it was free!

This is a brief summary of pictures. We also were beach bums a few days of vacation and we did some shopping.

Iguanas were everywhere, weather was in the 80's ,never rained on us during the day and waters were crystal clear.

Great trip, would recommend St. Thomas to anyone!

Our First Home!

2010-03-09T17:42:00.000-08:00

Jesse and I bought our first home last night! We went house hunting on Sunday and did not really expect to find anything we both agreed on. Jesse likes the brand new houses and I favor the more charming older homes. After several hours of house hunting and after looking at 12 different houses one house kept coming back into our minds and we began to compare all of the other houses to it. So after a restless night of sleep Jesse and I both woke saying "we have to have that house." We rushed back to Bartlesville that night after work took one more look at it, made and offer and BAM we had it!

We got a 3 bed 2 bath newer home, but it still has plenty of charm. This house we hope to be in for a long time, well as long as Conoco Phillips does not send us to another location.

Living Room

Looking from entry way into dinning room. Living room on left. Kitchen is on the left of dinning room

Love this kitchen!

More cabinets

Upstairs media room

Guest bath, looks similar to master bathroom sink

Master bedroom

Master bath shower, small tub but we love the rain shower heads

Jesse and I are thrilled and blessed to have this as our first home and we hope we can share it with all of our family and friends and create some wonderful memories in this home.

Rock Climbing Fun

2010-02-28T15:08:00.000-08:00

This weekend Jesse and I stayed in the Ponc and hung out with friends. Friday we had dinner and hung out with our friends Katie and Logan and their three-year-old son, Hank (he is so adorable). Then on Sunday afternoon we drove to Stillwater and went climbing on a rock climbing wall at the Colvin Center on Oklahoma State University's campus. We had a great time. Jesse climbed a few times, once was enough for me. It wears you out! My arms and legs will be feeling it tomorrow.

Before our adventure

Just getting started

Made it

Jesse mastered the wall

Hank had to show us all how it was done

Katie and Logan with Hank swinging on the ropes in the background

After a few hours of rock climbing we went to Orange Leaf, so yummy. I thought it was called Orange Tree, so I wonder if Orange Leaf is a branch (no pun intended) of Orange Tree. Anyone know the difference?

I Love New Hair Cuts!

2010-02-19T14:47:00.000-08:00

Today was a big day for me; I got a new hair cut. I was nervous, the lady who cut my hair has only done it one other time and it was just a trim. I really liked her, but you can't really mess up a trim so it was hard to judge if she would do a good job. However, she did a wonderful job and I am very pleased with the results.

Reasons for hair cut:

1. It was time. I had been putting off the after-wedding hair cut for to long.

2. Jesse and I are taking a trip to the Virgin Islands and I wanted something cool (as in temperature and style) and something that would not take long to fix.

3. My hair was just getting to long. I would get rats nest in my hair around my neck when I wore it down...gross.

4. We live in an apartment and our shower pressure is terrible. It would take forever to wash my hair, almost to the point to where I did not look forward to washing my hair at all.

Before Pictures

I will miss my beautiful, long hair, but it can always grow back.

After Pictures

Total damage: 6 inches cut off!

The best part about it was I got to donate my hair to the non-profit organization Locks of Love (http://www.locksoflove.org/), which provides hair to children with long-term hair loss conditions. I have always wanted to donate, but my hair was never long enough. They changed their regulations from 10 inches to 6 inches. I just barely made to cut, no pun intended. I checked the website and it still says 10 inches but the hair stylist said it has changed, so if you are interested I would get all the facts straight. The stylist said even if my hair is not long enough then the organization can still sale my hair to wig companies for money. Either way, glad I could help.

I am in love with the new hairstyle! I am glad I got over my nervousness and finally cut my hair. I might even go shorter with it next time.

What do you all think? Like the look? Think I could go shorter?

Happy Birthday Jesse!

2010-02-14T06:39:00.000-08:00

Yesterday(2-13-10) Jesse turned 24 years old. We started the day off right by sleeping in and then eating cinnamon rolls, yummy. Everything Jesse did that day was followed by him saying "It is my birthday." I guess that meant he was allowed to do anything he wanted.

Jesse's Birthday balloons.

Present time!

Jesse was pretty excited about the GPS.

After a full Saturday of doing nothing but watching basketball and the Olympics we went out to eat at Red Lobster in Stillwater. I had the coconut shrimp (so good) and Jesse and some steak and shrimp combo. And of course we took leftovers home and we made sure we had plenty of those biscuits in our to go boxes.

All dressed up for dinner.

Happy Birthday Jesse!

Six Months of Marriage...Check.

2010-01-26T10:33:00.000-08:00

Jesse and I made it through six whole months of marriage! I know after we hit the one year mark we won't make every six months a big deal, but for now I plan on making it a big deal.

Jesse surprised me with pink and orange roses ( our wedding colors) and he made dinner. So Monday was a great day :)

Complaint

2010-01-06T19:37:00.000-08:00

Due to a recent complaint from one of my blogger followers, I have enlarged the photos from the TN trip so that the people in them are more recognizable. The pictures are as large as they can go, so I hope they are clear enough.

This one is for you Brent :)

New Year's in Tennessee

2010-01-06T07:30:00.000-08:00

Jesse and I safely made it to Knoxville Tennessee over the New Year holiday, but it was a challenge driving through a snow storm and rain. Of course the drive would not have been complete without some problem. While it was raining pretty hard, Jesse's windshield wipers broke and there was no where to pull over, so we drove a ways driving slow and not being able to see. All is fixed now though.

The cousins (and spouses).

Jesse with his sister and brother.

Opening gifts!

Jesse and I wearing our New Year's crown.

Happy New Year's everyone!

A Very Busy Christmas

2009-12-28T17:43:00.000-08:00

Graduation, wedding, birthday, Christmas and snowy days all packed into one full week. The week started out with my friend's graduation. Ashley plans to move to Las Vegas for an engineering job. I will be sad to see her leave, but I can always go visit!

Me with the happy graduate.

Next was another friends wedding. She is now Mrs. Jennifer Smith, so exciting. Watching her wedding brought back so many great memories of mine and Jesse's wedding.

I did not get my picture with the bride, but I did get a picture with one of my best friends, Chelsea, who I had not seen in months.

The same day as my friends wedding was my nephews 2nd birthday. Jesse and I got
him a tractor or a "choo choo" as my nephew calls it. He calls many things "choo choo's." To celebrate his birthday we went to downtown Guthrie where everything had been decorated for Christmas and people were dressed up like people back from the Victorian age. It was fun. The girls decided to go on a carriage ride.

Mom and Lillian on the carriage ride.

My sister, Amy, and I on the carriage ride. The boys did not want to go on the ride.
Finally Christmas! Jesse and I spent Christmas day with my family this year. We even had a white Christmas, which we have not had in a long time. The snow was beautiful and we all had so much fun playing in it. My mom, brother and even niece had their 4 wheelers with them so we drove them around, we sled and of course through a few snow balls at each other. What a fun holiday.

Dressed in our Christmas best. Mom and I playing an intense game on the wii. Even Nathan wanted to play the wii. He had watched us adults play it all day, so he knew exactly what to do.

Starting to snow.

Lillian on her 4 wheeler. It was just her size.
The giant hill that Jesse made me sled down...very scary, but fun. The hill is bigger then it seems in the photo, just ask anyone who was standing at the top looking down.
Next stop, Knoxville Tennessee. Jesse and I will leave Tuesday so pray for a safe journey. We can't wait to spend more time with family.