me : The Post Where I Catch Up

{ Settle in for a long read, it's a lengthy post. }


It's been a week since my ranting post. But it feels like a month ago. First off, thanks everyone for the support and the encouragement of said rant. I agree, sometimes it's good to let off some steam, rant about something and then really get over it and put it behind you. Well, not really put it behind you, because people are still going to say things like "adorbs" in their tweets and statuses. And unfortunately, for all of us, people are still going to post pictures of their "pee-sticks" for us to see. Which is why I'm most certain this current generation should be nicknamed Generation O. For over share. 


But, now that the actual rant is out of my system, I feel much better. And after the amazing week I had last week, I feel completely, overwhelmingly blessed with fantastic friendships that keep getting stronger and better as we all get older. So here's a recap of everything:


Last Monday I got off work and drove to Hobbs, NM, for some time with my friend Sharilyn. Sharilyn and I became friends when we were in the same class at Texas Tech and I felt terribly bad for her because she was on crutches at the start of the semester, and she felt terribly bad for me thought it was too hilarious when a substitute professor mispronounced my name in class while taking roll. { I'm from America. Not from Canada. You're a substitute teacher at Texas Tech. Let's use some common sense here and pronounce a name correctly. There's a possibility I still harbor some annoyance at said substitute professor. } Anyway, Sharilyn and I became friends, took more classes together at TTU and have spent countless hours sharing life and laughs since then. A couple years ago she moved back home to Hobbs and we haven't gotten to see each other much anymore. BUT, when Joey and I moved to Plains, I was happy to discover that Sharilyn is now only about 45 minutes away from me. YAY! So Monday I went to see her and had a wonderful time. We went to the casino for dinner and I also donated $20 to the poor owners of the casino. I had never been to a casino before then and honestly, I don't get it. I didn't understand any of the games we played and it was smoky. Maybe it would be different if the games were fun, but the only game that provided some entertainment was a game that had cute penguins on it. Cute penguins that took $14 from me. Fail. When we were saying goodbye, I remembered that we didn't have one single picture of us together, so I snapped a quick one before coming back home. It's terrible quality, but it'll have to do until the next time we're together. 

Tuesday, Joey and I went to Lubbock for BB's weekly visit and while waiting for BB we went to Barnes & Noble because I had given in to peer pressure and wanted to buy this:

I thought that with my trip to Oklahoma City coming up that week, it would give me something to read at night in the hotel. Turned out to be a pretty good plan. 

Wednesday I drove to Oklahoma City for work stuff. I stayed at The Skirvin Hilton in downtown OKC and didn't see one single ghost or apparition. Bummer. Why should I have seen something? Because The Skirvin is allegedly haunted. Also, I should note that Friday night I stayed at Comfort Suites in Edmond and was more impressed with things there than The Skirvin. Can you see over-rated? Because I can. But at least I did't have to pay for my nights at The Skirvin. How many times can I fit "The Skirvin" into one paragraph I wonder? I got to The Skirvin, checked in after some annoying desk clerk issues, and settled into a huge comfy bed for a couple hours of reading, watching TV and relaxing. Then I walked over to Zio's for dinner, went back to The Skirvin, ate dinner, showered and settled back in bed for a few more hours of reading. It was amazing. Eating without having to share my food with a toddler. Showering for as long as I want. Reading without being interrupted. In fact, I finished my book that night.

Thursday I worked all day, then met my friend Hillary at Barnes & Noble because I had to pick up these two books: 

Yes. It's safe to say I'm a fan of the trilogy. And again, just like Harry Potter and Twilight, I'm late coming to the show. But count me in, I love them! I finished Catching Fire last night and will be starting Mockinjay later today. :) 

After getting my books, Hillary and I went to Poblano Grill to eat some yummy Mexican food. We stayed there talking until they were taking apart booths and cleaning them. I didn't get a picture of us together DANG IT but I'll try better next time. :)

Friday involved more work, but when I got off of work I drove to Edmond and checked in to Comfort Suites that I found via hotels.com. Amanda arrived not too long later and then Ashley met us at the hotel for us to go to dinner. We went to The Cheesecake Factory where I had never been before and oh my goodness, it lived up to everything I was expecting. It was amazing and I'm so looking forward to going again and taking Joey. 

Ashley and I getting ready to go. 

Amanda and I waiting for our table. The wait really wasn't too bad at all. 

The grand finale! 

We had fried cheese and fried zucchini (per one of my readers suggestion) for appetizers. I had the chicken romano which was like a chicken parmigiana, and then I went for the Fresh Strawberry Cheesecake because I'd seen at least 5 of them pass by our table while we were eating and I wanted something classic and fruity. But next time, I'll try something new. Maybe. ;) Seriously, The Cheesecake Factory was heavenly goodness and I'm so thankful the girls took me. :) 

After that yummy trip, we went back to the hotel, told Ashley goodnight and set a time for meeting in the morning. 

Saturday we woke up and had brunch at Jimmy's Egg. I had never been there before and was quite hesitant to go. I'm not sure why, but the whole time I lived in OKC/Edmond I thought Jimmy's Egg as a rundown sort of place, comparable to a truckstop diner. Good heavens I was totally wrong. Due to IHOP being packed and Ashley saying how much her family likes Jimmy's egg { and if it's good enough for them, it's good enough for me } we went there. I was really wanting blueberry pancakes but didn't anticipate getting them at a place called Jimmy's Egg and not IHOP. I was wrong again. I got some delicious blueberry granola pancakes and some "fixins" as we Okies say. 

Divine.

After Jimmy's Egg, we went back down to OKC to Anthropologie. Again, I've never been to Anthropologie before and it was everything I imagined it to be. I loved it. I didn't buy anything. This time. But I ooh'd and aah'd and dreamed and wished and I'm looking forward to another trip back. Here are some pics from our Anthro-trip:

My favorite owl.

But then, our time at Anthropologie was up and it was time to head back to Edmond to take the girls to their cars and time for me to head back to Texas. But not before goodbyes and several pictures:

Group shot by Ashley. 

photo by amanda

And that, dear friends, was my fabulous week. I got to try out some new things for the first time, spend lots of time laughing and eating, and feeling completely, overwhelmingly blessed for such wonderful friendships. Love you girls, can't wait till the next time!

And now that I'm back home in Texas, I'm definitely looking forward to getting my craft on. Watch out world, Regina's feeling refreshed and rejuvenated!

How was your weekend? Anything exciting happen or are you looking forward to anything coming up?

♥