Early New Year's Eve

We have still not figured out what to do for New Years. So we are at Outback filling our tummies one last time for 2008! Don and Juney came up to visit and hang out for New Year's Eve.

We did get some bargains at the new liquor store in Jenks!
Cheers!!!!

9 YEARS!

Tomorrow, January 1, 2009, we mark our 9 year anniversary of being Oklahomans. It is so hard to believe isn't it!? I thought it would be funny to post a link from my REALLY old website that I used to update back before we had Mia. I have included the link to the pictures of our house when we first moved in. If you have ever been in our house now, you will see how it has drastically changed over the years! You can also look through all of the other little pages that are archived on that site. Some links are expired or broken and no longer work. But most are still running. It is so funny how technology has changed as well over the years! I thought that was so awesome to be able to do that site!

Click on the title of this entry to go to my old, OLD website!

Children's Museum Trip and Riverwalk

With Mia being out of school, Troy is trying to find things to keep them busy. So when the opportunity to go to the Children’s Museum in Tulsa came up, he jumped on it!

They went with some friends of ours from First Christian. Waylon was in Mia’s class and now attends Jenks West with her. They went to the museum for a couple of hours and let off a little steam.

It basically is a place for all kinds of imaginary play. They have a grocery store, a post office, a clinic and even a jail! I think the kids threw Troy in the clink. They were pretty excited about the handcuffs. But scared at the same time because they were real! After the museum, they all met me down at the Riverwalk to have dinner at Los Cabos. YUM.

It is so awesome keeping the ties with our friends from First Christian. We were such a tight group!

I Hate 2008

ADIOS 2008.....You will NOT be missed!

I cannot think of one year that I have been more excited to leave than
OH EIGHT. Thinking back, it has been pretty miserable and I gladly
bid it farewell.
I would go into all of the reasons why I hate OH EIGHT, but to be
quite honest, I am trying to look forward and all I feel like saying
is that it sucked!
I was thinking about New Years Eve approaching in a day and a half,
and I could not be more excited to buy a bunch of booze and party my
booty off. I hate OH EIGHT that much! I hate it so much that I would
gladly welcome a whole day in bed with nothing but a bunch of freeze
pops and a trash can next to my head. And you know how miserable that
is to me! Not really, but you know...!
So I got really excited when I came across an article on the Internet
regarding what they are calling "Good Riddance Day". Could this be
more fitting? Do they do this every year? I have never noticed this
observance before.
But then again, I have never really minded every other year until OH
EIGHT! Apparently in New York, people come to Time Square on said day
and shred memories of the passing year. People either write their
memories down on paper or bring pictures or letters with them to
shred. What a fun idea. I had actually had a similar thought this
morning while driving to work! Only mine consisted of a fire pit,
lighter fluid and a book of matches!

It is now that I say with a happy heart...WELCOME OH NINE! You can't
come fast enough!

http://www.timessquarenyc.org/nye/nye_goodriddance.html

Picnik

I am having all sorts of fun with my new camera. I was thinking about
buying Photoshop. I have wanted it for some time. But then I heard
about the website Picnik. You can have so much fun editing photos for free! Yes, you have to upload each picture you want to edit, but it is free. I was toying around with some of the elements on their site. I think I will just use this for now until I really feel the need to purchase Photoshop.
Here is a picture of Mia from Christmas and an Oldie But Goodie from my photo library. I cropped them, changed to B&W, softened the images and added some text. So fun! It allows you to save your edited pictures to your computer, send them to Facebook or MySpace as well as email or send to your own website! And did I mention it is FUN?

Try it out if you are a obsessed with photos like I am! http://www.picnik.com/

Somebody Shoot Me...

....I'm watching the dumbest movie ever! Troy has been dying to see
this Golden Compass movie. It is "On Demand" so he has decided now is
a good time to watch it. Well, I don't agree. This movie can't hold my
focus for more than thirty seconds. I have been trying to find
anything and everything to do besides watch this movie. I have solved
multiple puzzles on my iPhone app Tanzen. I made Chili, emptied the
dishwasher, surfed the web and played Brain Age with Mia. I am running
out of options. I think I will go scrub the shower. Yes, that's how
much this movie is not for me.
Oh wait...now Mia said she does not like it either. Troy turned the
channel. Go figure. :-)

Christmas...The Day After

Mia was spoiled rotten as usual!

Here I am with my Vera Bradley Boxer Shorts! Sweet! I love my Vera!

Troy loved his Youth Soccer Coaching Books!

Whew! Christmas is over! I didn't think I'd say this, but I am actually glad it is. Is that horrible or what?! This Christmas was just so busy, it is nice to just breathe and know there is not something going on tonight, or not something we have to go buy. We had a good Christmas. I got a new camera which will be a lot of fun. It will take me some time to figure out how to use it properly, but it should keep me busy.

We went to Oklahoma City to Troy's parents. We stayed a couple of days, but had to return to Tulsa on the 26th for work. I only worked for half the day, so it wasn't so bad.

Now it's time to relax and watch some normal TV programs! No more claymation til next year!

We did make some Christmas cookies tonight because we neglected our child and did not provide her with any yet this year. :-/

Pwease,Pwease Santa!

Dear Santa,
I know I have been a little shit lately and have caused much
destruction to my family's things. But I am just a puppy Santa! Can
you pwease forgive me for all I have done wrong? Pwease bring me a
bag of treats and something that I can tear the stuffing out of! I
promise to be a good dog next year. I will even work on not leaving a
little Hannah Present in the doorway of my Mom and Dad's room anymore.
Wuv,
Hannah

Over the River and Through the Woods...

Here we are...Driving to Oklahkma City to celebrate Christmas Eve!
Hannah is restless and Marley has already given back her breakfast all
over my back seat. Troy forgot to have the dogs fast before our trip.
Lovely.
It is 41 degrees right now. Sunny as ever. I have heard that either
Thursday or Friday it is supposed to be 68.
My hopes of a White Christmas are now officially down the drain.
Bring on the Egg Nog!
Merry Christmas!

Wrapping it all up...

Finally! I got busy and wrapped a slew of gifts tonight. Mia helped me wrap and I have to say she did a darn good job! I couldn't really put the gifts under the tree yet this year due to the fact that we have a little hellion on our hands and her name is Hannah. She actually tried to chew through the box on one of Mia's gifts. So I just figured we would be better off if we just waited! We leave for Oklahoma City right after work tomorrow, so I have to make sure every last item is wrapped. That means staying up late to wrap Mia's gifts from us. Santa will be visiting us in Oklahoma City. But I got a cool Pottery Barn Santa Gift Bag this year. We are going to leave it out on Christmas Eve for Santa to place her gifts in. That way Santa doesn't have to take all that time to wrap her gifts. He is going to be busy enough with all of those deliveries. I am sure he will appreciate our thoughtfulness. This bag will make a good decoration each year as well. I just wish I would have gotten her name put on it. It would have been so cute. But I really didn't know what to expect and how the bag itself would look. It would be even cuter with her name on it. :O)

*Free* Straight No Chaser

In case you read my post a few days ago regarding Sraight No Chaser...There is a FREE iTunes download. It is the song "Auld Lang
Syne". I am not sure how long it is on the "free" list, so go get it fast if you want it! Cheers!

Hanging Out with The Pups

It's a bit chilly outside. So it is sure nice to just hang out on the
couch with the dogs and a fire. I'm really tired and feeling blah
today, so I was waiting all day to get home to do just this! I still
have a ton of wrapping to do. But I am putting it off until tomorrow
night! We are going to Oklahoma City Wednesday after work. So I can't
put it off too long. Mia is very excited for her visit from Santa. But
she is a little concerned that he might not bring something for Hannah
since she has been so naughty. :-/

Night Owl

I think I slept in too much today. It just felt so darn good. But if you know me, you know how much I hate the morning. I am totally suffering from insomnia right now. So, obviously, I turn to my lovely laptop to provide me with some kind of entertainment while watching TV and trying to get sleepy. I have been trying to think of a cute little title for my little blog. I never gave it a name when I started it. I really didn't think I would use it. But I have quickly found that this is exactly what I needed. It offers me a space to do a little writing, while sharing our experiences on a daily basis. Maybe some people will actually read it and enjoy keeping up with what we are doing down here. I gave it a name...not sure if I like it, so don't be surprised if you see it changing many times. In fact, maybe I will just make a point to change the title often.

I Caught Santa!

Ho! Ho! Ho!

Just in case you have not heard about this...there is a website out there that allows you to take a picture of your house and place Santa in it anywhere you want. It makes it look like you caught a picture of him! I did one quick to see how cute it was. I think it is a really neat idea to keep the Santa Spirit going. I remember when I was little my Mom bought some old jingle bells and placed them out on our balcony in the snow. I was excited for a long time thinking that they came from one of Santa's crew! If I remember correctly, I think I even brought them to show and tell at school! Anyway, these pictures will only set you back $12.95 (with 5 emails of your friends for referral). Otherwise they are $17.95. You can pick from any of their Santa poses and move him around and get him the correct size. Mine could have turned out better, but I did it quick. I am trying to figure out how I will pull that off anyway, since Santa is supposed to be visiting Mia at Grandma and Grandpa Eberhardt's this year. I suppose I can leave a few Santa gifts here for her when we return on the 26th. Then she might believe it. I guess then I will have to tell her I am putting my camera on timer as well since I won't be here to take the picture myself! You have to get up pretty early in the morning in order to fool that girl!

Here is the website: www.icaughtsanta.com

Have fun! Merry Christmas!

Mia's Chores

Thank goodness for a little help with Mia's weekly plethora of dirty
clothes!
Maybe she will feel the pain from the magnitude of all of the clothes
she wears! I wonder if she will be this excited every Sunday!

Bowling Party

Today Mia had yet another birthday party. This one was at the bowling
alley. Mia had her 6th Birthday there as well. Seems that is the venue
of choice this year! Mia was very excited to see her buddy Leah
there. They will be away from all of their friends for 14 more days
for Winter Break. (Yes, we are counting!)

Visiting Ty

We went to visit my friend Lisa and her family today. She just had a
baby boy last Friday. Mia was obviously obsessed with him. She wanted
to hold him the whole time! I took a couple of cute pictures with my
handy iPhone. She played a little bit with Lisa's two year old Addison
as well.
It was a nice relaxing afternoon!

Mia's Glamorous Birthday Party

This morning Mia went to Sarah's 6th Birthday Party. It was her first
"drop off" party. It was nice for us because we got to have a couple
of hours of free time. I spent mine having lunch with a friend.
Sarah's party consisted of a fancy brunch and a red carpet photo shoot
as well as an award ceremony. The girls got all dolled up and put on
fake nails and make up after brunch and then walked the red carpet.
This picture was taken of Mia and Sarah right when we arrived. Sarah
used to attend First Christian Preschool with Mia.

Straight No Chaser

My friend Hetta emailed me a You Tube video of these guys! Check them out! They are very entertaining. Check them out on this website below or click the title of this post to go direct! They are on iTunes and You Tube as well.

Merry Christmas!

http://www.sncmusic.com/

The Escape Artist

We have been trying to keep Hannah in the Kitchen so she can hang out with the Basset Hounds instead of being in her own crate all alone. We came home one day and she was somehow running around the house. I blamed Troy for forgetting to put her in the kitchen. He even thought he was going crazy and forgot too!

So tonight we left to go shopping, and just to be safe we put the bar stools up against one gate and a basket of blankets on the other. We came home and once again, she had escaped. We saw her do it last night, but thought that with the stuff in the way it would look too frightening to try to escape now! We were wrong. I put her back in the kitchen, and BAM! She was out in less than thirty seconds! I had to get it on tape. It is a bit blurry, but you get the point.

So...since she was only in the kitchen for thirty seconds of the three hours we were gone, you can imagine the fun clean up we came home to. She tore into cardboard boxes from opened Christmas gifts and pulled Mia's Santa Bag off of the kitchen table to play with the pom pom on the top.

No place is safe anymore!!! What to do! I'm afraid to put her in the laundry room for fear that she will dig through the wall!

You think it's funny, but we had a Yorkie who actually did that to my wall when I was little!

Not pretty!

Toys For Tots

Every year at my office we have a toy drive. In 2005 a little girl from Oklahoma was killed by her step father. She had been a victim of child abuse. The year she died, her grandparents gave all of her toys to a local toy drive that benefits children in the foster system. So now every year Kelsey's Kids has a toy drive for the same charity We have been joining in every year at LinkAmerica in conjunction with our Christmas Party. Last week we took a bunch of our donations to the drop. There were several people in our Sales Department who all chipped in and purchased a $150 gift card to Tous R Us. Since the cutoff for the DHS Toy Drive was last week, we took the gift card tonight and purchased toys to donate to Toys For Tots. It was so fun wandering around picking out the toys. Miss Mia helped. However, we had to keep reminding her that it is not always about her. It is a bad habit that she really needs to be broken of. But she thinks she has to get something every time we go anywhere. Even if it is something like just the little eraser set she wanted today. She pouted for like half the time we were there. I guess we will get through to her one way or another. But it is hard because everyone spoils her rotten. It is so hard to not buy her things. So even if we try like mad to get through to her, it really needs to be reinforced all the time. I know, she is just six. So I will be patient! I have to say, it is rather hard to go to the toy store and not find something even I want! Last time we were there I could not leave without a stuffed Smurf!!!

-And by the way...Mia made it all the way through without getting something!

ARGH! Work!

I need a break from looking at spreadsheets. Today has been rough. I
have had to work with my office light off due to the fact that I am an
idiot and forgot my glasses...AGAIN! For some reason not having the
lights on helps me focus on these monsterous spreadsheets. Where is
five o'clock when you need it?!
Troy stayed with Mia again today for the third straight day of ice!
They did some Christmas shopping and waited around for the cable guy.
How fun!
We switched from Directv to U-Verse. This should be interesting. But
apparently now I will be able to watch shows I tape in the bedroom on
the TV in the living room. Plus I can now tape up to four shows at a
time! U-Verse, you better rock like you say you will!!!

Mia's American Girl

Well Christmas had officially started at The Eberhardt House. Grandma
Sherri and Grandpa Poncho sent Mia an American Girl. She is the doll
of the year and her name is Mia. I never got into dolls when I was
little. Except of course the Cabbage Patch Kids, and in that case, I
was completely obsessed. I never really understood these American
Girls. But boy are they hot. Mia had hers in her hands for less than
24 hours and already she wanted more clothes, a coat and some PJs for
Little Miss Mia. I am glad she likes her though. For that kind of
money, she should be taking it to college with her.
I just hope I get used to having two Mias in my house now. I never can
tell which Mia Troy is talking about. Today he said that Mia was going
to stay in the car while we ran into Best Buy. I freaked out as only I
would, thinking he meant that our daughter was going to wait in the 20
degree car while we shopped. Mia is just going to have to start going
everywhere, or I am going to get very confused.

Pottery Barn Girl

Out shopping for Christmas. Gosh how I would love to live in The
Pottery Barn! I am such a freak. I was actually excited that Mia
posed by this Christmas Tree with the Silver Ball
garland on it. I wonder if people thought I was nuts when I whipped
out my iPhone and started taking pictures! Hey! That's what the
camera is for, right!?

Merry Christmas!

So, here is my little collage of pictures that I am sending with my Christmas cards. I feel so sad that we could not get it together enough to send a family picture. It has been a rough few weeks! Christmas was just so darn sneaky this year! I blinked and it was here! I normally have my card ready right after Thanksgiving.

Well, maybe next year!

Ho!Ho!Ho!

Mia got to visit the Santa at Utica Square this year. We went shopping and to see the Lights at Utica Square. Then we visited Santa and had dinner at PF Changs. Mia wrote on her Santa List that she wanted a "Real Blackberry" and an iPod. Hee Hee!
(Yes, I explained to her that Santa might think she is too young!)

Naughty Dog

I am sad to say that now we have no more beautiful, comfy, cozy dog beds. Poor Basset Hounds have to lay on their old, flat beds since the disaster dog decided that it would be fun to demolish both of them. I really wish we had a doggie cam. As much as I am sick about this (not because I now have to buy two more, but because I can't even find something similar) I think it would be freaking hilarious to watch this disaster occur. Hannah!! Darn You!

Blog Writer

OK so my blood pressure is rising. I thought I had this all figured out. Now I am unpleasantly obsessed with getting it to work! So sit tight while I work out the kinks.
I GOT IT!
YAY ME!

Test

Yay! So I finally figured out how to do this from my lovely sidekick, my iPhone. What would I do without you my friend!?!? I'm sorry, but I have had him for almost one year and I could not love him more!!!!
So you will hopefully be hearing more from me in the future. Not sure if it will be anything fun and exciting. You just never can tell!
Ambita

Frozen Eberhardts and Christmas Cards

So we have so far had two days of the slippery stuff here in Tulsa. They don't have the means to clean it up, so we all just have to wait it out. Mia has had no school for the past two days. I stayed home today since Troy took duty yesterday. Plus he is going to be off work for the last two weeks of the year for her Winter Break. Boy do I feel bad. It is all I can take to have one day! We just get cabin fever and end up shopping. I finally ordered Christmas cards. Not really what we wanted, but we never were able to get a good one of all of us plus the three pups. So this year is just Mia. This year has been so hectic. I am just glad to be sending something at all! Hope you all enjoy it anyway. I am even including a small wallet like I do every year. This one will have all the kids on it. (Kids=Dogs in my world)It was hard to have a card without the Chena Beana this year. But we are so glad that she our little angel.

Space to Be

Ok, I will probably only write on this once. But who knows, maybe I will get crazy and use it often. Don't bother checking back! Hee Hee!