Back to the West Coast

A little over a week ago Billy noticed a voicemail on his phone from the director of the California/Nevada JATC (he was working for the South West JATC) asking him if he had gotten his letter inviting him to the climbing class and asking for a call back by the end of the day. Well that was on a Saturday and the message had been left on Friday. So needless to say all weekend we were worried that our chance to move back to California had been missed. Come Monday he was able to get ahold of him and found out the class began in a week. Thankfully Billy only had to work a few hours that day and had Tuesday off because of the rain so we were able to talk and give some serious thought to what we wanted to do. If Billy did decide to come out for the climbing class, he would have to quit the apprenticeship program he had been in for a year and a half and possible need to start all over again. There was also no guarantee that he would pass the climbing class, although we weren't too worried about that being a problem. By Monday evening we decided that if we could get everything together that we needed to on Tuesday we would go for it. There was a lot that had to go right, but everything came together! So Wednesday morning we packed up the trailer, said our last good byes and started driving west! We split the drive up into two days and arrived in Riverside, CA on Thursday night. Billy had a few things to do here in California on Friday before the class started and thankfully all went smoothly again. We spent the weekend relaxing and hanging out at the beach and he went to his first day of class on Monday. By the end of class we should get a call telling Billy where his first job is. We're praying like crazy it's close to family. In the meantime we're enjoying the beautiful weather (while Oklahoma is experiencing a deep freeze) and practicing some serious thankfulness at this wonderful turn of events!

Lineman Rodeo

Last weekend Billy competed in the International Lineman's Rodeo in Kansas City, MO. It was so much fun! There was a big expo on Friday where we got lots of free stuff :) and Saturday was the actual competition. Billy competed in three events, and did really well in all three! Here are some pictures from the weekend (including a giant piece of meat Billy ate one night...).

And in other news... I'm 24 weeks pregnant! 

We set up our crib last week and I made a flannel swaddle :) So much excitement!!!

Poconos Adventure!

Last week Billy and I along with two close friends, spent 7 days in the Poconos traveling around to New York, Philadelphia and Boston! We had such an amazing time and saw so many incredible things! All three cities were so different and each had so many special things to offer I don't think I could choose a favorite.

Philadelphia was the first stop for Billy and I and after Kenny and Beverly joined us, we spent another day there at the end of the week. We had cheesesteaks, saw the Liberty Bell and Independence Hall and had a blast walking around. And I had to eat a pretzel from a food cart :)

NYC was next and was so incredible! I was in awe just walking around. We stopped at Central Park, The MET, Time Square and Greenwich village to name a few places. 

And I think Boston was the crowd favorite. We walked along the Freedom Trail most of the day and saw a lot of great historical monuments, ate lobster rolls and toured the Sam Adams brewery.

We also spent a couple days hanging around the Poconos recharging. We relaxed, watched the world cup and did some wine tasting at a local vineyard. 

I had no idea I wold enjoy the east coast so much! I can't wait to go back!

Witchita Mountains Wildlife Refuge

Unfortunately Oklahoma is known (at least where I'm from) as being very flat, with nothing to look at. But just outside Lawton are the Witchita Mountains, which are not very mountainy but they are pretty with lots of... wildlife!

On another note, Billy's out of town working tonight so that means I get to have whatever I want for dinner, which will probably be something like this: 

Do you ever do this when you're alone for the night? I'm pretty sure if I was single I would just eat plates like this for all of my meals :)

Weekend Happenings

I realize that it's already Wednesday, but time has already seemed to get away from me this week. This was our last weekend home for awhile as Billy has some work stuff coming up the next couple Saturdays, and the weekend after that we leave for the Poconos! So this weekend was filled with lovely time relaxing, enjoying each other and the wonderful spring weather.

I don't know if you've ever heard of Indian tacos before. I hadn't before we moved here, but let me tell you, they add an entire new level of cultural depth to Oklahoma. They start out with a deliciously chewy on the inside, crispy on the outside, piece of fry-bread, layer ground beef, beans, lettuce, tomatoes and cheese on top and finish it off with some sour cream, salsa and onion garnish. It's amazing.

Billy sweetly offered to go pick some up for lunch for us on Saturday and may or may not have come back with three of them... and lets just say he didn't finish two by himself.

The thing about Indian tacos, in Lawton anyway, is that you can't just buy them whenever you want. You have to wait for these special evens throughout the year like festivals or fundraisers to buy them, which of course makes them just that much tastier. 

We spent the rest of our weekend sipping Moscow Mules on our makeshift patio. 

Billy plays in a church softball league on Monday nights and his games have been so much fun to watch. They've been on a great winning streak!

Happy Wednesday!

Resurrection

I've been meaning to resurrect the blog for a while now but motivation has eluded me... until now!

Billy and I are much more stationary if you can believe it. We've been in Lawton for 11 months. The longest we've ever lived anywhere together (as husband and wife) by a long shot. Billy is loving the crew he works with and is now a 4th step apprentice. I have been spending the last few months subbing, which is a GREAT fit for me. I was working a lot when we first moved here, probably because I hadn't been able to for so long and really missed it, but now I'm back to about 30 hours a week and can take time off whenever I want, not to mention the entire summer :)

Billy and I just got back from CA last week, he's set to step again next week, summer break just started for me and with the beautiful weather coming out from all the clouds it just seems like a great time to pick up the blog again. So stay tuned!

The End of August

I know I probably say this at the end of every month but I can't believe that August is almost over! I've been busier than I've been since Billy and I have been hitched and I'm loving it! I've been spending my days working at a coffee shop and my nights working at a wine bar. I have so much fun at both of my jobs and it feel so good to have extra money to save! Billy and I have been seeing less of each other lately but it has definitely been making our days off together that much more special.

A couple weeks ago we took advantage of a groupon offer and took a painting class in Oklahoma City.

Afterward we went to a movie theater in Moore where you can order dinner and cocktails right from your seat!

And if you want some really exciting news... Billy is now a 3rd step apprentice lineman! He took two tests at his class last week and passed! So he's now a little bit closer to being a journeyman (there's seven steps total) and he got a raise!

Anadarko, OK

I've been really busy lately, I meant to post this earlier, but just haven't found the time! I've been working two jobs (one at a coffee shop, one at a wine bar) and have been trying to get all my stuff together for subbing along with everything else going on in daily life and it's been a little hectic!
Last weekend we went to the town about 40 miles north east of us called Anadarko, which is where my grandpa grew up! It was really small, but there was a winery there which gave us something to do and it was just really neat to see where my dad's family came from :)

People also do this a lot in Oklahoma...

Hopefully this weekend we'll get some much needed rest and next week won't be quite as hectic!

Playing Catch Up

Oh wow, it's been just over a month since my last post! I have been up to a lot so I thought I'd get you up to date!
I went back to CA last month for a little more than two weeks and I had an absolute blast. I flew into Sacramento and hung out with my mom and friends in Red Bluff and then drove down to see a friend in Southern California. There was a lot of talking, shopping and cocktails involved. It's probably safe to say it was a very girly vacation :)

After living it up for a couple weeks I actually drove my car back to Texas! It was a very long drive, but I made it in two days, and stayed the night in Albuquerque which was kind of exciting because I'd never been to New Mexico before. I got into Sherman around 5 and had just enough time to have dinner with my very missed husband before we drove up to Lawton, OK, where Billy's new job is. It ended up taking much longer than expected to break down the trailer and then we had a 3 hour drive, it was so late by the time that we got to Lawton that we didn't get bed that night until 3 am. And my champ of a husband still managed to go to work in 90+ degree heat the next day. He never ceases to amaze me.
So here we are in Oklahoma! I get the feeling that the town we're in is very nice for Oklahoma, but there's not a Trader Joe's or Anthropologie for miles so I'm trying to make due ;)
We've also been going to a really great PCA church here that we've been totally blessed by so it's definitely safe to say things could be much worse.

I'm currently on the job hunt and am hoping to start subbing when school starts again, but everything seems pretty up in the air on that front. Billy called the Cal/Nevada JATC a few days ago and found out he's #14 on their list. #14!!! That's huge! I'm so proud of him! He could actually get called out by them any day, and at this point he's thinking he'd accept, but they have more interviews scheduled at the end of this month so there's also a really good chance he'll get bumped back down again... so we'll see. We're completely content with where we're at now which makes it easy not to be anxious about what we're really hoping happens.

Last weekend Billy took me to the top of this mountain that had the most beautiful view of the area we're living in. We're in an area rich with Native American history and there's a lot to see and learn about here. The biggest downfall is it's ridiculously hot. And HUMID. And Oklahoma's experiencing a drought. Have I mentioned how amazing my husband is for working 10 hour days outside? I can't imagine.

Here are some pictures from our lovely date :)

Greek Food, A Soccer Game and a Successful Vegan Mexican Food Night

Billy and I had the most fun last weekend! I was so excited about going to Dallas for the night and I was not disappointed! We started off the evening by going to the BEST Greek place I've every experienced (Platia Greek Kouzina if you're ever in the area). They had an amazing veggie plate and BYOB, so we were able to drink a bottle of vino on the cheap :) We splurged and got an appetizer and desert and I tried the Greek coffee, which was surprisingly good. They boil the water, grounds and sugar together and don't strain anything, so you have to drink it before all the grounds cake on the bottom of the cup, but not so fast that you drink all the grounds and lose your ability to sleep for a few nights ;)

After the most wonderful dinner date, we went to the soccer field where it was raining, but nobody seemed to notice. FC Dallas was playing the San Jose Earthquakes and Dallas won, 1-0.

You can tell my husband loves having his picture taken... :)

And last night I made the yummiest strawberry mojito with strawberries, sugar, mint, limes, rum and sparkling water, I've decided that when it comes to cocktails, the simpler, the better.

I also made tamales for the first time! And I was so worried, but they turned out delicious! I mixed the masa with water and olive oil and filled them with roasted mushrooms, bell pepper, zucchini and onion. Even Billy liked them, which is saying a lot when it comes to vegan food. 

May Happenings So Far

Whew! Where is the time going? I can't believe it's almost the end of May already!!
Billy and I have been doing more of the same down here in Texas. Work has been keeping us busy, and the tornado watches are starting to make my crazy! But it seems like today the weather's taken a good turn and hopefully we'll have some sunshine to finish the month. It looks like we'll be moving to Temple, Texas sometime in June, although nothing is set in stone yet. And I am going back to CA for a visit in a few weeks! I can't wait! I also gave my notice over at Logan's so I'll be working my last day there on June 8.
There's an American style pub down the street from us called Cellarman's and we've been wanting to check it out since we got here, so we finally did a couple Saturday's ago when they had $.79 oysters on the half shell and $2.75 margaritas! But there we're so many good beers to choose from we ended up only taking advantage of the oysters!

Goodness, I love this man :)

Not that long ago when I went to pick Billy up from work, they were still at it, so I got to see him in action! He LOVES working out of the bucket!

I also got tired of using plastic bags every day to pack Billy's lunch in so I decided to make him his own lunch bag one afternoon :)

And I loved it so much I decided I needed one too!!

Poor little Olive also got spade about a week and a half ago :( I take her to get her stitches out this Friday.

And last weekend THIS was outside my window!!! I don't know what kind it is but Billy didn't think it was poisonous...

And on a happier note, my herb garden is doing really well! My first basil plant died after a couple weeks, but I think it was already sick when I got it. My new one's doing great and the mint has been absolutely lovely for my mojitos!

This weekend Billy's taking me on a date to Frisco to watch my first professional soccer game and go to dinner :) I'm so excited!!!