i work at a bank, so i can dream, right?

if you went into work tomorrow morning and found a bonus check for $100,000 on your desk, would it change your life? well, maybe you were born wealthy, make a boat-load, or have a lot of money coming your way at some point in life, but me, well - i don't. $100,000 all at once and not-planned for would definitely change my life (can you tell it's been a while since i got a bonus?? haha).

well, there is a very generous bank executive in miami, florida that thought that money could change some lives, too. and so upon receipt of monies owed in the sale of his bank, he decided to shell out $60 million dollars in bonuses to his employees and former employees - from the execs to the tellers. the total spread amongst the 400+ people adding up to an average of $127,000 a piece.

wow. just wow. you don't hear of stories like that anymore ever. and in this economy, in my opinion, this kind of generosity is exactly what could save us. even president obama recognized this generous act in a speech he made this week - touting the bank owner as a "national inspiration." mr. abess, the banker that so generously shared the wealth, openly said that he has plenty of money and thought he would rather share it with these hard-working people than have more for himself. truly a selfless act from a man with a very generous heart. well done, sir. well done.

we got the beat

so i took a little car ride to see my doctor this morning...with a lot of anticipation in my mind. you see, i took a pregnancy test recently and saw two lines. yes, two. kids, WE'RE HAVING A BABY!

so anyway, on the way to my first ultrasound this morning, i was having normal mom-like neurotic dreams, hoping that i would get to see the little ones legs, arms, heartbeat, etc!! and of all songs, the go-go's, "we got the beat" came on. i cranked it up and began having visions of the nurse dancing around the room singing that song as jay and i watched the little baby dance around. it was definitely a funny moment...

well, the nurse didn't dance, but the baby sure did! yes, our healthy little growing baby is already dancing up a storm in there - and in jay and me. we could not be more excited. watching that little one's heart beating brought tears to both our eyes. that was definitely one of "those" moments that i will remember forever. please pray for us as we prepare for this amazing journey. we are already completely in love and cannot wait to be parents to this beautiful gift from God!  september 30th, here we come!!

view from our campsite, cedar hill state park (texas)

the last couple of weekends jay and i have been taking advantage of this gorgeous texas and oklahoma weather and doing a little camping. i know, i know, so many of you think we are crazy, but we both just love being outside, and don't mind a little grubby-ness to be able to enjoy it. the dogs have a blast hiking, playing in the water (norman always finds the river, lake, whatever it is - he just loves it!) and snuggling up with us in the tent. we are a cozy bunch in there, it's really pretty fun.

two weekends ago, we hit the closest spot to town that we enjoy, cedar hill state park. only about 20 minutes from our house (aka 20 minutes from downtown dallas!). unreal it can get this pretty this fast...austin, eat your heart out (kidding, i know we are stretching here...)

doggies love the water!!

norm had a hard time "letting go," mckenz, looking on,safe with dad:)

tents for the crew!

last weekend we traveled about 3 hours north with two of our good couple-friends, mary and whitney and doug and kelly, to beaver's bend state park in oklahoma. jay and i both spent a lot of time in this park as kids, so it was really great to go back after all these years and see that it is still just as beautiful, as if it was absolutely untouched by the years that had passed!

the pristine beauty of the great state of oklahoma!

norman, enjoying the water - oh so cold!

j-aty take on the river, together... :)

the crew prepping for the hike

super bowl party

we invited a few friends over to watch the super bowl this last weekend, and had such a great time! jay made wings, i made five-alarm turkey chili, and then the guests all brought their favorite dip or sweet. we had everything from spinach dip to cupcakes from sprinkles. YUM! lots of good times, friends, a good game of squares, and as it ended up, a great football game, too.

i took a lot of pictures (some of which are below), as i was invited to participate in a contest put on by a dallas marketing firm. i was to document the entire weekend, the prep, getting ready, party, etc, from the point of view of the hostess. i turned it in yesterday, so we will see!!

3-D glasses for halftime

game-time!

grub!

sara was the ultimate winner of the "squares" game

we had some pups over - here are the goldens. normie is on the left.

swoozies, where have you been all my life?

so today i joined my parents and hubby for a little lunch date at cafe r&d in preston center, which i LOVE (hello, asian chopped chicken salad)!

afterward, we strolled through the shopping area and into swoozies. people, where have i been?? and more importantly, why had you not directed me here?? as a person that likes to entertain and have parties more than anyone i know, this place became an immediate staple in my life this afternoon. i purchased baby gifts, got cups and napkins for our super bowl party (see, i told you, i like to entertain!), a birthday card for the party we are going to tonight... i mean seriously, this store is SO relevant to me all the time. anyway, if you aren't the last person on the planet to go on a shopping spree like i did today at the great swoozies, trust me, your day is rapidly approaching...

neighborhood services

oh mommy!  jay and i just got back from our first visit to the highly anticipated new dallas restaurant,  neighborhood services.  

oh.  my.  goodness.  that was a little piece of heaven.  as a self-proclaimed "foodie" little makes me more happy than a good meal.  especially when it's within my 'hood.  this place comes to you from the same peeps that put together hibiscus, which as any dallas native will tell you, is an obvious top 3 dallas restaurant (we are too frequent of visitors!).  so anyway, we have been cooking at home more this month, part of a new years resolution to eat better and to save cash.  tonight, we blew both.  fresh green chile crab dip, steak frites, three cheese mac au gratin, pan fried chicken...oh my!  it was a FAB meal and the atmosphere was just as spectacular.  this experience will definitely make the new "rotation" and i am thrilled to have finally made the trip!  glad i ran today - and may have to run double-time tomorrow to make up for it, but i PROMISE, it's worth it!!

so go check it out, right by my office, at lovers and inwood.  definitely a new favorite.

oh happy day...

it's going to be 85 degrees in dallas today. it's friday. and OU was just named the #1 team in the prestige rankings. nevermind all the talk, ESPN has spoken, and in turn, made me a very happy little girl.

1. Oklahoma Sooners
Total points: 1,968
Positives: When you look at the big picture of college football since 1936, no program has achieved greatness as consistently as Oklahoma. We didn't even count the fact that Oklahoma owns the longest win streak in FBS history (47) or leads the nation with a .765 winning percentage since World War II. The 1956 Oklahoma team catapulted the Sooners past Notre Dame to the top of the Prestige Rankings, and it's been in the top spot ever since. OU's seven national titles have spanned four decades. The Sooners have finished in the final poll's top 5 an astounding 29 times. But the real fuel for OU's rise to the top of our rankings has been its conference dominance. The Sooners finished the regular season with at least a share of their conference's best record a stunning 39 times, seven more than any other program in the country.

click here to see the full article and the top 5.

today is a good day. or as my friend, jay said, "It's official, all is forgiven and I'm ready for August. Bring on the Mormons*."

BOOMER SOONER!

*(for those of you that may not know, we play byu the first game of the season at the new stadium in arlington).

welcome to mi-ami...

well we made it. and by "we" i mean OU and by "made it" i mean another bcs national championship. of course, jay and i could not resist the calling. it was so exciting to be a part of it all and we were so grateful to be there. way to go, boys!

we were sorry the outcome wasn't what we were wishing for, but on that note, i really do get tired of all the bias. i mean, if this great team can make it to great games every year (and they do), heck, they cannot win them all. but i can tell you one thing, we will be cheering them on, win, lose, or draw...good work, sooners. you worked hard against a great team. this season brought a heisman trophy winner, a big 12 championship, and a wonderful, exciting season. no question, the sooners of the 2008-2009 season made for a really fun team to watch. congrats guys, you are all winners in our eyes!. looking forward to next year and all the fun it brings! BOOMER SOONER!



we had a great time in miami, enjoying the sights, friends, family, and weather. what a great, beautiful town! thanks miami residents, the shaws, justin, roger, and leslie for hosting...we enjoyed time at the standard, the fountainebleu, prime italian, gansevoort, and on and on, so many fun places! and the beach, weather, and company were all fantastic.

we met several sooner greats, my favorite was, #44, brian bosworth, starting linebacker in the mid-80's, and the sooner i most remember from my childhood - having a brief meeting with him was honestly the highlight of my trip. unfortunately i didn't have the guts to ask for a pic, but that's okay, i have plenty of myself at age 8 in his jersey...hahaha!!

at the standard hotel having lunch

happy 2009!

we have had a crazy fun couple of days - went to house of blues on the 30th with my brother and sis-in-law and some friends to see old 97's...always a great show.  we spent NYE in victory plaza, enjoyed dinner with friends and then rang in 2009 at house of blues watching petty theft and some fireworks on the porch of the foundation room.  we had a GREAT time!

on the 2nd we decided to make a trip to the cotton bowl for the tech vs. ole miss game.  we had a good time and ran into so many friends, crazy!  sorry to the tech fans, we were hoping for another big 12 win, but it was a good game.

old 97's show

some of our NYE crew with rolando blackmon!

foundation room

ladies of 2009!

at the tech/ole miss game

holiday party bus

this year we held our 3rd annual holiday party bus...lots of christmas lights, funny times with karaoke, and lots of good friends made for a really fun night on saturday.  i'm so happy that you could all join us, what a great time!!  i didn't get a lot of pics, but hope to add some good ones as they are sent to me by all of you...

christmas!

jay and i had a wonderful christmas - time spent in tulsa at my brother's house with my family and time this weekend in fort worth with jay's.  it was a great time, lots of games, eating and even a two-hour flag football game with my brothers, dad, nephews, and lots of friends!  i didn't get a lot of pics, but some really cute ones i thought i would share.

caroline, the youngest of the seven, got a "style station" for christmas.  she wanted to style all of our hair, but really, really loves jay...and wanted to style his most.  hilarious...

woof, woof!

dallas is in the works for a new dog park, and it sounds like it is going to be nothing short of greatness! the name of the park is "unleashed," it will be in east dallas.

Next February, the Acrees are scheduled to open Unleashed, a 50,000-square-foot indoor dog park on Interstate 30 near Ferguson Road in East Dallas. Unleashed will sit on 6.5 acres that includes more than two acres of wooded land that will be developed with trails, benches and a picnic area for an added outdoor dog park.

In addition to an indoor, climate-controlled open-play area with agility equipment, Unleashed will offer doggy day care, grooming, bathing, pet supply sales and a cafe.

see the full article here, in the dallas business journal.

i know two pups that will definitely be making regular trips to unleashed. i'll speak for nomran and mckenzie and say that we can't wait! ;)

congrats, sammy!!!

oklahoma's all-star QB won the heisman tonight!  congrats to you, sam bradford, and BOOMER SOONER!!!!!!!!!!!  you deserve it, enjoy every moment!

YAY - the death of the cancer stick is upon us!

finally, the citizens of dallas are catching up to the rest of america. dallas is currently the largest major city in the U.S. without a smoking ban. bring it on, i say!! the rest of us don't want to inhale that filthy garbage, you can take it outside, smokers! oh, and stay 15 feet away from the door, please, while you are at it...

After months of consideration and debate, the Dallas City Council is poised to ban smoking in bars, billiard halls and most areas within 15 feet of a business entrance.

read the entire article here - 'city council poised to approve smoking ban'

i will say when i read "poised" to ban smoking i was a little disappointed. jay had sent me the article and i wrote back, "poised? i don't want poised, i want DONE!"

can you tell i am just a teeny bit excited about this?!?

***update - as of 3:30pm today, the dallas morning news is reporting it is official! the smoking ban passed!!! holy moly i am happy!

i should live in vegas...

or so my dad said after i told him this - if you will, look back to a post i made over a year ago, where i proclaimed that i predicted oklahoma versus florida to be playing in miami for the title this year. pretty amazing, huh? it must be that sixth sense i have...i swear, i live in a state of deja vu on a daily basis. or maybe it's my obsession with all things college football, i'm not sure...

anyway, we watched with great anticipation the bcs selection show yesterday evening. as sure as we felt about the outcome, after this crazy year, i just wanted to hear it live. moments later, we both got calls from our dads, who were equally, if not more excited (is that possible?). it's so much fun having a family (or set of families in jay's and my case) that can enjoy all this energy and excitement over the sooners together. jay and i were talking about memories of the mid-80's and bowls of oranges scattered amongst ours and our family friends homes. it's all very familiar feeling...and it feels very good! funny to think back then i still lived in tulsa, jay lived in fort worth, and sam bradford hadn't even been BORN yet!! ha! needless to say, loving the sooners is a family tradition that jay and i plan to carry on for years to come. now, i need to go to the grocery store and pick up that bowl of oranges...

go sooners! bradford for the heisman!

3-PEAT!!

congrats to the sooners for their third consecutive big 12 title!! we are making plans for miami and so excited!!

i will be watching the below intro video on repeat for the next month until the game...granted, it's better on the gigantic screen at owen field, but wow, it's even motivational on youtube!!

BOOMER SOONER!!!

beat florida!

BCS and the sweet, sweet sooners

in order to "answer" the facebook messages, dirty looks, and many emails...yes, i too think the bcs is crazy. in the scenario that has played out for the big 12 south, there was no way that anyone was going to be happy. a three-way tie sucks no matter how you get around it. i think i mentioned a while back how much i love the book, bowls, polls, and tattered souls, a book by one of my favorite writers, stewart mandel. if you feel confused at this point, i highly recommend it. i think if anything, it helped calm me down the years that i felt OU was the one getting screwed.

of course i am happy. and of course i can argue my case for why we deserve it. and of course if the shoe was on the other foot, i'd be ticked off, too. there is just no good way to solve it. and now the pressure is ON the sooners. do i think they can do this? yes. does that matter? no. it's college football. the reasons we love it are some of the same reasons we hate it.

so if any of you care to hear it, i will share my two cents for the best way to solve this whole mess. first, the ncaa needs to either eliminate or require conference championships for all conferences (and if notre dame ever gets good again, they would have to play an extra game if others did - someone, anyone...). and in the event of conference championships, i believe that the top two rated teams should play for the championship, regardless of "north" or "south" divisions (ie, in this case, OU would play the longhorns again for the big 12 title, not mizzou).

second, i think a full-out playoff would just end badly, lots of kids getting hurt, etc.  what would work best after the conference champions were decided would be a plus one scenario, with two games between the teams ranked 1-4, then a final national championship game.  

thoughts?  

there is no way to sort this out and make it 100 percent fair.  but i will say, of the three-way tie, OU did have a very strong case for coming out on top, regardless of how it was decided.  we had the only big-game win on the road.  we beat more ranked teams than any other (#11 tcu, #13 cincinatti, #7 texas tech, #14 oklahoma state) and beat them all soundly.  it's a biased argument, but it's all i have - i am not a computer nor am i a voter, so it's more of a "i'm just sayin" kinda thing.  at this point, i think the most qualified team is going to the big 12 championship. whatever happens up in kc, one of the two best teams in the big 12 will go to the national championship.

we will see how it all shakes out.  friends that are longhorn fans, i agree.  you got the short end of the stick on this one.  but no matter how you slice it, tech fans have an argument, too. they now have to sit and watch after beating a texas team that is now ranked above them and poised to go to a bcs bowl (strangely familiar, huh?). what do they have to look forward to after their excellent season? not much. however, as my ut friend said this morning, "all we had to do was win out and we lost..."  obviously this argument could be made for any of the teams, so in the end, it came down to who had the best entire season.  we all lost one game, and we all should have won out - so really, none of us can say that we deserve it over another.  now i just hope and pray we can go out there, despite our injured players and all the chaos surrounding this week - and take care of business this weekend. let's go OU - represent the big 12 as it should be - the powerhouse conference of the year!!

hopefully at some point the coaches and players will have a voice and all this can be put together a little more fairly - but hey, at least it's better than it used to be...when there was no national title game at all!!   

BOOMER SOONER!!!  

the dallas economy

i reached the end of the internet today in regard to BCS/bowl game projections and sooner-football-talk. so, i decided to read up on something relevant to my actual job. to my own disbelief, i actually found some really interesting information.

for those of you that have read the blog for a while, you may remember a post i put up about my "walk score," which is a measure of the walkability of your community. apparently that very thing is becoming more relevant in the current economy. and apparently jay and i aren't the only folks who felt the 'burbs weren't for us (yay for the m-streets!). it seems that in dire straights, it's predicted that the suburbs would actually become the ghettos, and downtown areas would be the most vibrant areas...maybe this downturn will actually make our downtown dallas blossom to it's full potential. well, that and the giant park over woodall rogers...

read up on it! and read up some more!!

BOOMER SOONER!!!!  finally, order has been restored to the football world.  we had a reaaaaaally fun day in norman yesterday.  the stadium was electric and stoops and each and every one of those boys trotted out on the field and played like champions.  there is still a lot of football left, so for now, i'm just enjoying a BIG win and a spot at #2 in the nation.  it's all yours for the taking, boys - now go and get it!!!

after we recovered a fumble, offense coming on for another TD!

lined up and ready for action

BOOMER SOONER!!!!

our friend had found a really funny OU hat, i deemed it a "thug hat" - i had to get a pic in it...

corby, exasperated, explaining things to a confused tech fan...  ; )