Tulsa, OK: Wyndham

I have 8 more states that I need to visit in order to have visited the entire US. I am taking it as a serious challenge to knock those out! So for the last couple of months I have been thinking about Oklahoma. Tulsa is around 6 hours away from my home. I thought about driving to TX then flying to Tulsa. But then I realized I wouldn't have a car. So driving was just the better option.

One night I was creeping on Groupon when I saw Wyndham had a deal at their Tulsa location. I immediately texted JMN to see if he had anything to do next weekend and when he replied no I said we are going to Tulsa! 

( The view from the elevators) 

(From the interstate)

( from our room)

( They had  cool " Lagoon" for the kids)

For the price we paid it was a nice stay. The staff was nice, their were comfy beds, good parking, and the hotel was in a decent area in Tulsa. The only two issues we had were the elevators on Saturday morning took about 20 mins to get to our floor, and it was little hot in the rooms. The thermostat was set at 63 but at 64 is where it came on and believe me the room  wasn't at 64 degrees.

New Product!

Y'all know I am the queen of red lipstick. But for the summer I wanted to switch it up. I see everyone online in their pretty natural colored lipsticks and I wanted some too. So I went to Target and stocked up . 

I've been seeing ads for the the new Katy Matte on Tv and in Cosmo so I decided to try it out. Of course I couldn't leave Target without checking out the NYX aisle.

Overall I like the Katy Matte.

NYX Suede without some gloss as a base is very drying on my lips. It looks as if little velvet pieces are coming off throughout the day. 

I'll leave some links below so you and find them.

8.26. Update: When I edited my post I realized that I didn't add the links and Target.com doesn't have these shades anymore. :( EPIC FAIL TARGET!

Paradigm Shift

When I married JMN. I told him I hold the responsibility of  all my family. Every couple of months I would lie awake at night crying about that day. Because thats a huge weight in my shoulder. I have never been able it seems to not carry a large responsibility. Im not sure why that is. I was talking to a friend last night 7.23 and she was telling me " you've always had this respectable amount of life to juggle. And somehow you have been able to do it without neglecting yourself."

 I feel like I  have gotten to that point where I am now neglecting myself . I think with my gg in the hospital I have forgotten to take care of myself because everyone expects me to take care of them. Yesterday I got 8-10 calls and 3 text messages from my gma . Not that what she was calling about wasn't important. But she expects me to answer the phone. She expects me to control the room when I am present. She sits back and allows me to. When you are 10 years old its fun to be an " adult", but when you are an adult with all of the responsibilities I have sometimes I just want to run away from it all.

I wonder if I was the screw up of the family if I would be able to escape it all?

My gma is going to have to move in with us. In my deepest of hearts I am okay with that. I pray that it will draw us closer. I pray that I will learn more. I pray she will respect mine an JMNs boundaries On the selfish tip. I pray that we can co exist for decades. I pray that she can raise my child just like I was raised. I see/ hear what goes on in those daycares and I don't want any part of it.
I pray peace, protection, kind words. and understanding hearts for my family. And Ill appreciate it if my fellow creepers could pray those same prayers too.

Floating Season

I've been going on and on about getting a pool. I just needed a fence so I didnt have to show my entire naked body to our neighbors. I don't know if JMN really took me seriously , until I asked him o borrow his truck I could pick it up. Good Ole Target .

It didnt take us but maybe 45 mins to out it up. Before I bought the pool i looked it up on youtube and there as a professional pool guy instilling an Intex pool ( wooT).

LINK

`What really took a long time was filling the pool. I thought it was going to take 45 mins. Boy was I wrong. It took 6-8 hours. But the first dip in the pool was totally worth it.

`

Austin, TX : June 2016: Shaking it DOWN in a strange town.

Dj Elliott brought it down ! There was soo much Bad Boy Music I didn't even know what to do. Seriously the 90s were in the building and I loved it. Around 15+ shots we went home. Thank God.

Secluded fortress

 Our FENCE IS ALMOST FINISHED.  Many of y'all know that our fence was blown down less than a year after buying our house. ( Stupid tornado) Ever since then I have been telling JMN I want to get our fence rebuilt. Having a fence in the backyard was one of the reasons I really liked our house. There is nothing like being able to walk around half naked in the comfort of your own home , outside included. 

Fencing is an expensive process. The wood alone has cost us about $1000-1500. We bought treated wood from Home Depot in bulk for about $1.38 a piece.  Lets call that step 1.

Step 2 using an auger to dig your holes.

Step 3 set your posts. Its very important that you make sure your post are even because they are going to be the models for your pickets. JMNS friend used a string to ensure the posts were straight.

Where are we step 4? quick crete. DO NO LEAVE YOUR QUICK CRETE OUTSIDE. We had some on the trailer covered with a tarp and under our awning and we've lost about 20 bags.

Step 5 2x4x8 or 16. 

Step 6 Picketssssssss and LOTS of them. 

This is where we currently are.  The next thing for us will be getting our gates built. We will have 3. Most importantly before all of these steps. Walk out or mark where you want your fence. It really is a hassle when you have to restart a fencing project. We have had to adjust 3/4 times. 

I can't wait to show you guys the finished product!

Checking off my list

Many of you know that I have a list of states that I need to get to in order to have every state in the US. Sometimes its hard to remember when I'm asked about it so I decided to make a list.

1. Kentucky - I plan to visit this state by the end of 2016.
2. New Hampshire
3. Maine
4. Massachusetts
5. Connecticut
6. Hawaii
7. Alaska
8.  Rhode Island
9. Indiana

Boom there you have it ! Anyone want to buddy up ? :)

Seattle: Space Needle

When I went to Seattle in May I tried to do as many touristy sightseeing things as possible. Of course I had to go to the Space Needle. As many times as I have been to Seattle I am pretty sure I haven't been as close as I was this day. I made it my business to get selfies and actually go inside and go up. 

As a tourist I would not encourage anyone to actually go up. Why? Well tell me  your main reason for wanting to go? Bragging rights? View? Immersing in culture? Okay all of those things are valid reasons minus bragging rights.  Heres a tip if you go after 8 on any date the fee is $22 as opposed to $28. To me $28 is an outfit that I can wear for years, not an hour experience.  

When I went to the Space Needle I stayed for about 45- hour. I looked around in the shop that on the lower level. I actually had to go outside to buy my ticket then go inside and follow the ramp to the elevator. And let me tell you it was packed. But while you wait you get to read about the development of the Space Needle, theres even a little model. When you get closer to the elevator they take your picture and they email you a link so you can download for free. I appreciate the little trinket. 

From there you get into an elevator. For all of my Willie Wonka fans it reminded me of the glass elevator. I just knew at any moment we were going to breakout of the building and fly. The 30 seconds to the top is kinda scary but literally you are i think 500 ft off the ground.  When you get to the top the view is pretty amazing. While I was at the Space Needle  it actually rained, the only time it rained while I visited.  ( Naturally)

There was some crazy people there too.You will see in my pictures the guard rails. There were people who actually put their phones in between them to get better pictures. I am not that trusting of myself. I just knew someone would bump into me, I would sneeze , or blink and there my phone would go plummeting to its death. (Dramatic) Back inside  theres a bar and restaurant and lots of cool gadgets to show the views of the city throughout the year. 

In my next Seattle blog I'll give a  reason why you shouldn't go to the Space Needle for the view.