Yard Work

On one of the hottest days this summer (I'm talking like 115 degrees), we decided to get some top soil dumped on our driveway. The things we do for our grass.

Jack using the Medina shovel, which has been involved in 30 years of yard work.

big pile of dirt.

I helped Jack where I could, which mainly involved getting fresh watermelon and tons of bottled water outside. Duncan.... did not help.

He snoozed. But he does like the grass is greener and softer than it used to be.

We already noticed a difference in the grass. It may be the greenest on our street. Let's hope it stays green and nourished throughout this drought!

And, let's also hope the pile of dirt isn't a yearly event.
-Jack and Kayla

Smart Dog, Cool Dog

It's beginning to hit 100+ degrees each day and Duncan has a new spot to keep cool:

He has figured out the red dirt is cooler than the concrete. I'm glad he is finding ways to beat the heat, but he gets all dirty and ends up needing a hose bath (consisting of using the hose to rinse him).

He makes us laugh.
Stay cool.
-Jack and Kayla

Desert and Beach Life

Jack and I have been on two family vacations this summer. First, we headed out to Scottsdale with his parents, Jordan and Trey, his grandparents, and his aunt, uncle and cousins! It was a fabulous week in Arizona - great weather and great surroundings.

Full suburban - six people, 6 bags, 3 golf bags.

 Sadly, these are the only two pictures I can find of the week right now....

Yummy mac and cheese - I ate the twice during the week!

The following month, we headed back to the lovely beaches of 30-A as we loved our time there last year. A similar group as our dessert vacation came along, however we missed spending time with Trey since he had to start his job while we were there. There is something so special about the beach. I think worries are not allowed to be there.

First in line for donuts at 6:30am.

beach day.

So we rented beach bikes (think baskets and wide handle bars) and rode 9 miles into Seaside. It was fun, but the 9 mile ride home was ....not fun. But fun.

Nature.

Jack likes taking nature pictures.

Once in Seaside, Jack got a lobster roll.

I got a Grilled Cheese.

We had some snow cones.

A needed refreshing treat.

Coolest dog water bowl contraption ever - 30-A loves dogs and this contraption proves it!

Before dinner one night.

We hope you get some time this summer to go somewhere with friends and family. If not, plan a staycation! We are huge supporters of vacations. 

Vacations are awesome.
-Jack and Kayla

P.S. For those wondering about Duncan Dog, he goes to a pet resort in Norman while we are gone. He loves it there. The sweet ladies love him too - we are so thankful he is a good boy while we are gone!

Welcome, Fall!

It's been refreshing to see the high of only 80 - so long triple digit weather. Instead of seeing the morning low in the 80s, we had a morning low of mid 50s.

last picture of the weather according to my car, promise.

It's been great. Jack is waiting for the burn ban to be lifted so we can legally enjoy an outdoor fire. Oklahoma City just needs a little more rain in order for that to happen.

Duncan is also enjoying the cooler temps. So much so, he ended his summer season with a bang.

No more pool for Duncan.

bottomless swimming pool, anyone?

Welcome Fall. We hope you stay a while before it starts snowing.

Happy Fall, Y'all!
-Jack and Kayla

Houston Trip

Here are some pictures from our trip to Houston last month. It was a short trip, but we enjoyed seeing my family.


My Grandma (and Chuck Norris on the tv)



We love you Grandma!

My grandma has two tiny toy poodles and they are just the sweetest, funniest girls ever.

Shablee and Jack have a special relationship.

So, I didn't take all that many pictures. I will need to next time. Next time, my trip will be longer too.

On a side note, Houston Hobby has this resturant - Pappa's Burgers. We ate there earlier this summer during a layover. We made a quick stop to grab some milkshakes to go. Delicious!

I did very much enjoy my airport stroll with my oreo shake in hand.

See you soon Houston!
-Jack and Kayla

Patio Furnitue!

After many months of planning and looking, we finally purchased patio furniture!

Dinner Table.

More seating by the fireplace.

When it's not 105 degrees, we will have you over!

The cushions are a golden/yellow color. The loveseats came with
coordinating red and gold/yellow pillows.

We are so happy to have somewhere to sit in the backyard now. We have already decided the cushions will remain in the garage until we are sitting on them. This will prevent Duncan from being tempted from A) chewing on the pillows/cushion, trying to find the stuffing and/or B) taking a nap on the love seats while we are gone, getting his doggie slobber and doggie sweats on it.

Come sit on the patio with us!
-Jack and Kayla

We got a pool!!

we have been waiting for this day for several weeks!

Nice blue, cool water.

Jack preparing Duncan for all sorts of fun.

 Don't even think about inviting yourself over to enjoy this pool with us....

It's just a dog pool for Duncan.

 With these ultra hot Oklahoma tempatures, we haven't been leaving Duncan outside all day. We try to use our lunch break to let him inside to cool off for the afternoon, but sometimes, our schedules don't allow us to leave work for an extended time. Next  best solution - a dog pool!

Duncan loves anything to do with water.

He jumps in and out of the pool, just like he does at the real pools.

We hope he will learn that it is really just to help cool him off during these hot hot days.

To relax, stay cool and have a some fun.

We hope this pool will last us more than a week. If not, we won't be horribly upset as it wasn't a pricey investment.

Stay cool!
-jack and kayla

Speakers: Installed

We got to check one thing off our our house to do list this weekend. We had Geek Squad come out and install our new speakers. They sound great, but my eyes aren't used to seeing the speakers in the corners of the room (I feel the need to scream "BAT" when I see them).

To break the speakers in, we watched Lord of the Rings. It was awesome.

I hope these speakers don't harm our hearing.
-Jack and Kayla

end of an era

Dear Harry, Ron, Hermione, Professor Dumbledore, Professor McGonagall, Professor Snape, Ginny, Fred, George, The Fat Lady, Hedwig, Buckbeak, The Order of the Phoenix, Dumbledore's Army, and He-who-must-not-be-named, and slew of others,

Thanks for an amazing 10 years of magic.
Thanks for showing us how to overcome dark forces.
Thanks for showing us the power of love and friendship.
Thanks for making us laugh and cry.

It seems we have all grown up together. Now that the end has come, we don't have to settle on being grown ups. We have books, movies, and soon pottermore.com to continue reliving this journey.

Thanks to the movie theatres for having midnight showings.
Thanks to those who went to midnight showings with me (my mom for Order of the Phoenix, a slew of kappas for Half Blood Prince, and Jack for Deathly Hallows, part 2).
Thanks to Jack, who saw this last one with me, who has been part of this journey.
Thanks to my in laws for letting us kids got to Hogwarts in Orlando to be a part of the magic.

While the books and movies may be over, Harry Potter and his friends will live on (as I am planning on seeing the last movie at least two more times and have a plan to re-read all the books).

"The scar had not pained Harry for nineteen years. All was well."

It's the end of era.
-Jack and Kayla

Happy 4th of July!

Happy Birthday America!

My super poor attempt at a firework picture. Ultimate fail of a picture.

We (Jack, Duncan and I) spent many hours poolside enjoying the sun and super hot tempatures. Duncan wore himself out. His typically swim day consists of something like this:

• Test the water out.
• Jump in.
• Fetch anything and everything thrown into the pool.
• Retrieve.
• If all toys have been fetched, jump towards people in the pool.
• Swim after people.
• Play lifegaurd.
• Practice diving for toys underwater.
• Rest, briefly.
• Start all over.

Once home, he may or may not eat dinner. Definately not breakfast the next morning. He will just lounge around and give you eyes "please, rub my ears, head, chin, back, tummy... all at the same time.. please."

note: the couch doesn't stand vertical. it's an illusion.

We hope you had a great 4th of July, three day weekend and we hope you have a great four day work week.

Happy Birthday USA.
-Jack and Kayla

Summer Vacation!

Jack and I had a blast on our summer vacation to Florida. We spent a week with his parents, sister, and brother-in-law having fun in Orlando riding roller coasters and eating great food, then more time with them in the lovely town of Seaside, beaching it up and eating great food.

Here are some pictures. Enjoy, because we definately did.

Dinner our first night in Orlando

Ready for Universal Studios!

Enjoying a butterbeer in Hogsmeade.

Jack, extremely wet, after his three water rides.

Round two of butterbeers.

We had lots of fun at Universal!

We did manage to clean up for dinner at Emerils.

Day 2 - Epcot!

We enjoyed walking around each country eating their food and drinking some beverages.

Our fun in Orlando was quick, but we enjoyed every minute of it. To unwind from it, we went to Seaside. We loved... we are already planning to go back next summer.

This was our view for about 4 days.

Perfect.

We can't wait to go back.

We made it home just in time for two short days at work, then had a day weekend. Great vacation, great timing.

We were so sad to leave Florida (we left a day earlier than the others), but someone was super happy to see us.

He stayed at the puppy spa, but I think he was hard at work ... stealing other dog's toys. Bad Duncan.

We are so blessed to have vacation time to spend with family. And we are thankful vacation days renew each year.

Waiting until the next vacation (which may very well be our favorite October weekend - OU/TX),
-Jack and Kayla