short summer travels-coming home

so..a couple of things. i left mo on friday, after taking a short run on a back road just up from mom and dad's. gps and location doesn't work out in their rural area, so i had to kinda guess on distance. i stopped just shy of the mile mark; when i went back to check the distance on the way out, i found that if i'd gone just a little further, i would've KNOWN where to stop: always look for the signs...

yep, motivation for next time!

when i went to get the boys ready to go, chaco was all about it, but bruno, well, he said he was just getting settled in and wanted to stay.

basically he stayed near the door in order to ensure that i wasn't going to be leaving without him.

next renovation up: new carpet, new flooring! 

and made my way through ok..i now know why i always go south at big cabin (apart from the fact that it's faster and shorter)...the tolls. oh my word, the tolls. if you don't have a pass, you have to have exact change. so i found myself stopping at a Quicktrip to purchase something and get coins. unfortunately i turned out and drove in a huge circle to get back on the creek pike, but found myself back-tracking, AND to top it off, i'd forgotten to get gas while i was there. so i pulled off at the next exit, and again had to pay out change, meaning that i'd have to go in to this gas station and make another purchase to ensure i'd have enough coin-age, as they don't have bill changers at all of the stops (and no live people). and no sooner did i get all of the coins, than the next toll i went through had a human...as well as the next. i now have a very heavy purse with all the extra coins. make the best of it-great weapon.

so why did i go this way? isn't it obvious? i had to stop in norman to visit bmayes!! and since i had the boys, they haven't had a play-date in awhile, so i thought a little socialization would be good for them!

okc at rush-hour is satan. and i should have gotten off at the very first exit-tourist-welcome center, at the first signs of possibly needing to use the restroom...but i missed the exit, and decided i would push on. 17 miles south. it wouldn't have been an issue, except for the fact that when i got to moore, about 8 miles, there was traffic, due to construction and it was SOLID. by the time i got close to my exit, i had to unbutton the jeans, and find ways to distract myself, because i had to go so bad it hurt! all i could think about was the need to find a restroom, because i wasn't going to make it to bmayes' place and into the house, especially because i needed to let the boys out to relieve themselves as well. so i stopped at braums, and while i was in the one-person restroom, someone kept trying to open the door. hint: if it's locked the first time, it probably isn't going to be unlocked until someone comes out. (foreigners-tourists, i don't know, but it wasn't like i was in there watching a 2-hour movie or something). then of course, i felt obligated to make a purchase, because it seems like the bathroom/customer obligation-etiquette. so i bought two bananas, hoping my dollar would suffice, as i'd left my change in the car.

not long after arriving, we set off on a mission for hurt's donuts. my craving was about to be satisfied. and since i'd not had lunch, we grabbed a kale superfood salad at chic-fil-a (love). i was really struggling the inner battle while making my donut choices. i love the twix, and always get one (maybe next time i'll branch out). the dilemma came when i was trying to want to love the bacon-maple donut...it seems like such a great foodie item, but it hasn't worked for me the past few times, so i opted for the plain maple-suggestion from b mayes. it was the right choice! yum.

i'm a sucker for hurts-oh, the sugary abuse...but the craving is taken care of now for another 6-9 months.

then we chilled at the house, relaxed, watched a movie (bridge of spies), which was really good! based on a true story-obviously with artistic priveleges, some things lose historical accuracy...and after the movie, time to cleanse the palette with a little jimmy fallon- made sure not to let the boys out at night, as there may be resident owls of the large size, who leave bunny skulls in the backyard... so, after thank you cards with jimmy, it was off to bed, which if you recall, the first time i'd experienced the foam topper was when bmayes suggested it back in 2013! #perfectnight

as i was driving home, i laughed, remembering something that was said while i was visiting with the harmons on thursday...i don't know what made me think about it, but diane was talking to one of the grandkids and said, "you're as tiny as tinkerbell, but you weigh as much as ursula!" HA!! using disney characters to shame a child! comical-i'm sure there are plenty of disney references out there that would work to shame others-passive aggressive? lighthearted teasing? #adultingaspirations

today i will go in for a couple of hours to do some paperwork and benefits-stuff, and tomorrow will be the first day of actual full time employment with istation! the week sounds like a lot of fun, so i am looking forward to meeting the team and learning as much as possible! it's going to be packed and busy.

-julie