Over Spring Break, we went to visit Mackenzie in Florida. "We" meaning me, Laker, my parents, Taryn, & Ben. We had a very full week, with lots of fun activities & good time together. Hopefully I'll get all of this stuff on the right day, but here it goes...

We drove to Orlando (20+ hours over 2 days). Taryn & I took turns taking pictures of each other sleeping. We arrived on Saturday. This day, we just relaxed & settled into our rental house. This palm tree was in our front yard. I love all of the trees in Florida - they're so much different than in Oklahoma!

On Monday, we all visited Mackenzie's Disney College Program apartment, then went to the giant outlet mall (which I didn't get photos at). That evening, Laker, Mackenzie, Ben, Taryn, & I went to downtown Orlando. We had dinner at Sugar Factory, which was so great! Our waiter was so fun, & took a picture of all of us, then took a selfie of everyone & posted all of the photos to Taryn's Snapchat. The other waiters were fun too, dancing & joking around. Our drinks were insane (& non-alcoholic!). Mine & Laker's was a tropical drink with two giant lollipops & a candy necklace. My sisters got one filled with gummy sharks. I'm one of those embarrassing people that keeps up with the Kardashians, so I was a little sad that Kylie Jenner had been at that location for the grand opening 3 days before we were there & we missed it, but we did explore the candy shop afterwards & I got to hold the $30 lollipop she & Kendall designed. Close enough, right? The big ferris wheel is the Orlando Eye, which we didn't get to ride this time, unfortunately, but it was so pretty, I had to get a photo!

On Tuesday, we took the day to rest for the most part. Laker & I went to lunch at Tijuana Flats, a taco shop we don't have here in Oklahoma. We were there for Taco Tuesdaze, & got their awesome dessert, cookie dough flautas! I think we also went to Target later that day, which may not seem too special, but Walmart & Target near Orlando have so much neat Disney & Harry Potter stuff, it's always fun to explore!

Wednesday was spent at Disney World, which will get a couple of posts of its own. Thursday was spent touring Disney resorts, which will also get its own post. Friday, we went to Indian Rocks Beach, where I furthered my sunburn & mostly just read my book. We also saw a one-legged seagull, which was a little crazy. & that evening we went to Disney Springs, which will also get its own post!

This post is very outdated, so sorry. Life has been busy as usual.

Since Mackenzie is away for the Disney College Program, Taryn & I decided to send her & her 5 roommates a big Valentine's Day surprise package. Valentine's would mark about one month since they'd been away from home, & that was Mackenzie's first Valentine's Day away from Ben since they'd been dating.

We decided to make everything Disney-themed, & we had so much fun coming up with everything! We asked for each roommate's top 3 favorite Disney movies, & tried to make gifts based on those.

For her roommates' gifts...
One roommate got Alice in Wonderland roses - White roses painted red.

Another got a Beauty in the Beast "enchanted rose" in a glass jar.

A third roommate got paper lanterns, based on the ones in Tangled.

& two roommates got pretty arrows - One set themed around Peter Pan, & the other around Pocahontas. They were  loosely based on this tutorial.

Mackenzie got a Mickey Mouse box (based on this tutorial), an Up card (based on this bookmark), & a Mickey heart banner (based on this tutorial).

Each girl also got a homemade hair bow. Top is Peter Pan, middle row is Esmerelda & Flynn Rider, & botton is Maleficent & Tarzan. Mackenzie got one too! Inspiration is linked.

The girls also got some candy & paper Valentines, some of which were found on Pinterest. If you search "Disney Valentines," tons of them will come up! Here's a link to the inspiration for a Baymax one we used.

All of the valentines were put in little Disney cups (those ones you can get at Walmart for $1 or whatever!), except Mackenzie's because she had more stuff (& her's went in the Mickey box!) All of this was loaded into a big box to ship to Florida, which we decorated with Hercules lyrics & Disney coloring pages. We were also super annoying & stuffed the whole thing with rose petals.

Hopefully they enjoyed opening their package as much as we enjoyed making it!

As I mentioned before, Mackenzie was accepted to the Disney College Program this past fall. For those who don't know about the DCP, Mackenzie had to go through an application process, followed by a series of interviews. After passing through each round, she was notified of her acceptance to the Spring 2016 program!

As a DCP cast member, she will be working at Disney World in Orlando (although some go to Disneyland in California, too!). DCP cast members can be assigned to work in the theme parks themselves, in Disney businesses at Disney Springs, or at Disney resorts. These can include a variety of jobs - anything from being a character performer to cleaning staff to restaurant service. Mackenzie knows she was assigned to work in restaurant service in part of Magic Kingdom, but will find out exactly where later on. She will also be living in Disney apartments with 5 roommates who are also in the program during her time there. 

We are so excited for Mackenzie! She worked so hard to get into the DCP, & it is a dream come true for her. Our family has a huge love for the Disney company, & we are looking forward to visiting her for Spring Break!

However, before she left, Taryn & I wanted to make sure Mackenzie had a good send-off. We planned a surprise going away party for her with just the family (& Ben & Levi, of course), & tried to make it worthy of her new Disney lifestyle!

Taryn & I made all of the decorations, most of which were based on things we found on Pinterest. For the most part, we didn't follow exact instructions, but just based our ideas on the photos we looked at. We did however, use the exact recipe for the Oreo Fluff Dessert as our "Grey Stuff." I'll post links below - Just click on the titles.

Baymax Balloons
Toy Story Alien Balloon
Pooh & Piglet Balloons
Wreck-It Ralph Sugar Racer Kabobs
Mickey Cupcakes
Oreo Fluff Dessert ("Grey Stuff")
Mickey Party Hats

For the balloons, I either drew the designs on with Sharpie, or drew the designs on paper & taped them onto the balloons. Taryn had the difficult task of hanging them!

The Sugar Racer kabob candy holders were things I already had. I purchased them at $1 Tree, not knowing what I'd use them for, but they were so cute! I bought wooden skewers for the candy, & purchased several kinds of gummies & some marshmallows to put on them.

The cupcakes are red velvet. Taryn decorated them with whipped cream icing & Oreos.

As mentioned above, the Oreo Fluff Dessert is exactly from the Pinterest recipe. We dipped graham crackers in it, but you could also dip Oreos or other cookies.

Taryn & I covered regular paper party hats with colored scrapbook paper using hot glue to make the Mickey party hats. We didn't have a pattern - We just eyeballed everything & they turned out really well!

Laker made all of the signs to go with the food on the computer, & I made the "We'll miss you," banner with chalkboard wrapping paper. Laker also helped me make some super cute photo props, which we totally forgot to use. Oops.

& Ben kept Mackenzie away while we were decorating!

For Mackenzie's gifts, I made her three things:

The first had nothing to do with Disney. Mackenzie & I share a love of dramatic, sometimes ridiculous TV shows, which means we both loved Gossip Girl - especially Blair Waldorf. I made her a mug based on this design. I don't have a picture of the finished product, unfortunately!

The second was a dinglehopper hair clip. If you don't know what I'm talking about & are confused as to why I'd want my sister to wear a fork in her hair, you need to watch more Disney movies, but I posted a couple of clips below, just in case! I got the idea from this post.

Next up is a pin holder, designed to look like Mickey. I based it off of this painting design, but since it was being made to hold pins, I used felt, added the word "pins", & added a rod & string at the top so Mackenzie could hang it in her apartment. You may be wondering why she would need something specifically to hold pins. At the Disney parks, many workers collect pins. They wear them on their lanyards & trade them with park guests. So I figured Mackenzie might like a place to keep her collection! As you can see, she already has a couple added - her birthday button from check-in week (She turned 20 the week she left home!) & the Ravenclaw Head Girl badge I got her as part of her birthday gift.

Her last gift was a Scrump doll, based on Lilo's doll in Lilo & Stitch. This is a bit more of an obscure reference, so I posted a video of that scene too. I used the instructions for this sock doll, & then I sewed on buttons, hair, & a face. I made it in colors to match her room in her apartment.

Mackenzie is all settled into her apartment now & had her first training today. We're so excited to see what's next for her!

It's the start of a new year, so I'm supposed to do one of those "Year in Review" posts right?

As I said in my last post, I want this blog to be something I can look back on to remember how I felt about different points in my life, & since I haven't written in almost a year, I should probably catch up on that. So here's a bit of what I've been up to in the last several months, plus a bit of a refresher on the beginning of last year!

We started the new year in Springfield, MO (one of my favorite places) with some of my favorite people. It doesn't get much better.
​We got a new puppy! His name is Padfoot, & I may or may not have made Laker take us on a 6 hour round trip to Kansas to get him. But I was browsing puppy adoption websites online (a common occurrence) & found his photo & started crying, so it had to happen. Hashtag no regrets.
January is also when Alex & Halli got engaged! I was lucky enough to be a part of it - Alex asked me to secretly photograph the proposal, so I was able to be there. More crying. Lots of happy tears in January.

Our first pup, Lily, turned one year old in February! They grow up so fast...
Alex & Halli came to visit for Valentine's weekend, & Laker & I cooked a nice meal from my Downton Abbey cookbook. Then Halli & I had a Galentine's celebration with my sisters. We had a sleepover, played Disney Sing-It & Just Dance 2, ate way too many sweets, & went out for Italian food. I need more nights like that in my life.
Alex & Halli also asked Laker & me to be their Best Man & Maid of Honor (technically I'd be a matron, but that makes me feel old, so nope). We were so excited to be asked!

In March, the wedding prep began! I met up in OKC with Halli, my mother-in-law, & Halli's mom to pick out Halli's dress. We also went to the food truck park downtown (which I highly recommend, as long as it's not during H & 8th - way too crowded for my introverted self) for my favorite margherita pizza & an awesome s'mores dessert.
We went to the Medieval Fair in Norman with Alex, Halli, Sarah, & Cary, & it was a lot of fun. We also took Padfoot with us, & everyone loved him - even the costumed workers. We constantly had strangers petting him & asking about him. Padfoot, however, was over it pretty quick.
AND I FLEW A PLANE! It was the coolest thing ever, & I can't wait to do it again!

In April, Taryn went to her junior prom, & was (in my obviously unbiased opinion) the prettiest one there. Her friends looked gorgeous too though, & she & Levi were precious, as always.
I also had the pleasure of helping to hostess a bridal shower for one of my closest friends from high school, Katlyn, & attended Halli's first bridal shower, which was held in Duncan.
Laker & I saw Circa Survive & Brand New in OKC, which is pretty much a dream pairing for Laker.

I helped hostess another bridal shower for Halli (this time in Shawnee), & attended Katlyn's gorgeous wedding. She was such a beautiful bride, & didn't let a little rain get her down!
We had Halli's bachelorette weekend, which was so much fun! Rapunzel is Halli's favorite Disney princess, so we had a Tangled-themed sleepover, complete with pink & purple decorations, paper lanterns, & a skillet cookie! The next morning, we went to The Brush Bar in Shawnee, where our friend Amy had prepared a custom painting for us. It was designed to look like the painting Rapunzel does in the movie! We all had so much fun, & I'd definitely recommend The Brush Bar if you're in the area.
I also got to see Dashboard Confessional & I melted the whole time because Chris Carrabba, & Sarah was with me & it made it even more perfect because I didn't have to melt alone. Laker & Cary were there too, but they weren't melting as much. Also, Augustana opened for them, & we missed part of it, but it was still great! I'm not 100% sure this was in May, but it was somewhere around there.

Alex & Halli got married! The wedding was so beautiful, with so many homemade touches added by family members. I think I made more things for their wedding planning & decorating than I did for ours! But it was worth all of the time & effort, because everything was amazing. I am so so so happy for those two! & the rehearsal dinner was also great - so relaxing, with the perfect lighting for us girls to have a spontaneous photo shoot in the evening!
They were married the week of our third anniversary, so Laker & I took a belated anniversary trip in the days after the wedding. We went to Wichita, KS for a couple of days, where we explored the botanical gardens, saw the Keeper of the Plains, & (as always) ate too much.
We saw Jurassic World. Which is a big deal. 
Two of my other best friends from high school, Kate & Myka, married their husbands at the end of June, & I had the pleasure of attending their weddings as well!
Laker & I are also beginner astronomy nerds, & this was a good year for that! At the end of June, we checked out the "Star of Bethlehem," which was cool to see!

We went on a 4th of July camping trip to Duncan. It was a bit of a disaster, with lots of little things going wrong at every turn (Sarah & Cary got a flat on the way there, I stepped on a bee, there was a busted water main at one point, the list goes on), but we still managed to have some good times setting off fireworks, swimming, & exploring on my in-laws' land. Oh, & getting Summer Sno. Some of the best sno cones in the state, hands down.
I also recreated the outfit Bruno Mars wears in the "Uptown Funk" video. Because why not?

Laker & I went to Dallas for a weekend as his birthday/belated anniversary gift. We saw As Cities Burn & Listener. It was ACB's "Son I Loved You At Your Darkest" 10 year anniversary tour, & I also got to meet two members of Listener INCLUDING DAN so it was basically a gift for me too. Dan was so nice, & talked to us for several minutes & even offered to take a photo of me & Laker to commemorate our evening.
Maddie is (or was - she had her baby now!) pregnant! Taryn & I went to her gender reveal party, & both called that he was a boy ;) 

I took the first round of senior photos for Taryn. I can't believe my baby sister is graduating this year!
Mackenzie also found out she was accepted to the spring 2016 Disney College Program in Florida! Such exciting news! 
The three of us went on a triple date to the county fair with our boys. We ate a lot. That's kind of a common theme in my life, if you haven't figured that out yet.
Taryn turned 18, & Mackenzie & I planned a Faux-chella surprise party for her. It was the coolest thing, & we should probably go into the party planning business, if I'm being honest. We had a tent in the backyard, the best playlist (I might've made it), & even the Coachella astronaut, thanks to an old Harry Styles cutout. Everyone dressed like hipsters, & the girls made flower crowns. So fun!
I also watched the Super Blood Moon Eclipse, which was super cool. 

Laker & I saw Hozier in OKC, & every moment was perfection (except for the guy that felt the need to vape next to us the whole time & the drunk girls beside me, but we'll ignore them because everything else was amazing). Seriously, so so so good. 
We went to Sarah & Cary's annual Halloween party, which was the coolest. We were Janet Snakehole & Burt Macklin (a Parks & Rec reference - it's basically a costume of two characters' costumes). 

The day after Halloween, we went to the Dia de Los Muertos festival with Sarah & Cary. It was really fun to do our sugar skull makeup & see everyone all painted up!
The end of October & beginning of November were tough for me. I haven't really talked about this much on social media, but towards the end of October, I was diagnosed with lupus (for reference, I was diagnosed the same day Selena Gomez announced she had it, coincidentally), & the same day found out I was being scheduled for surgery. In November, I had my surgery, where I was diagnosed with endometriosis. Many of you know I've had my fair share of health issues in the past few years, many of which are ongoing, so I was discouraged for a long time, & frustrated that things kept piling up. But I've just got to take things one day at a time, & trust that God knows what He's doing, even if I can't see what that might be sometimes.
Anyway. Beginning of November, I had my surgery. Hung out in bed & watched Netflix for about a week, took it easy for another week after that.
Taryn went to Fall Ball, which is a semi-formal school dance. She & her friends looked fantastic!
At the end of the month, we went to Duncan for Thanksgiving & spent a few days with my in-laws. It was nice to see everyone & relax for a few days!
Padfoot also turned one around this time, but we don't know when exactly. The shelter didn't have a birthdate for him, We decided for the future, we're going to say his birthday is November 3rd, which is Sirius Black's birthday. I realize most of you won't care about this, but Harry Potter nerds will appreciate it! Also, by this point, since he is about 20 pounds, we are 99% sure he is not going to grow into the 80-100 pound German Shepherd mix we were originally promised. But he's cute, so oh well. Lily's not the 35-pound Boston Terrier mix we thought we were getting either. 

STAR WARS! SO GOOD! I just... Ah. We saw it 3 times. The first time was with Sarah & Cary at the Warren, & we (except Laker) dressed up. 
A new tradition we seem to be starting is that I go see the Nutcracker with the ladies from Laker's side of the family each year, & I absolutely love it! The Nutcracker also seems to get better every year with the improvements the ballet is making. It's a great Christmas tradition!
We were with my family for Christmas this year, which was one of only a few days we were home during Christmas Break. It was nice to be with everyone!
Then we went to Atlanta for a night & on to Florida, which was magical (more on that later). Ending the year as it started, with some of my favorite people in one of my favorite places. As I said, it doesn't get much better than that!

We joined a new church, Newpoint, in April, & it has been so great for us! We are both involved with serving & have met so many people & made so many friends. We are so thankful that God led us to Newpoint, & for the growth & community we have experienced since joining.

I have spent a lot of time with my family, especially my sisters. Mackenzie has had a flexible work schedule, so she volunteered to drive with me to most of my doctors appointments this year. That meant several hours in the car together, lots of lunch dates, plus some shopping after the appointments! We had a few fun road trips too, like when we went to Norman & went to the opening of Postscript, a new stationary store. We've also had tons of Disney talks in the past few months, prepping for her interviews, planning for her move, & just discussing the company we love!

With Taryn in the middle of her senior year, she has been very busy with extra-curricular activities. I've loved getting to see her do the things she loves. She is currently president of chorale, & first chair of the cellists in orchestra. She is so talented & a wonderful performer! Taryn is also amazing at hair & makeup. She did all of the hair & makeup in Halli's wedding, & my hair & makeup for a lot of the events pictured here (my Leia hair, my Halloween look, etc.). I love how close we've gotten the past few years, & can't wait to see where the next few years lead her.

I (finally) got a new camera in the spring, & I've slowly been learning how to use it & trying to practice more.

It's hard to believe we're already halfway through January! Mackenzie left for Florida yesterday. We'll all be visiting her over Spring Break! She will be back in May, which is when Taryn graduates. Laker & I are doing some trip planning, which is always what makes me happiest. I'm hoping 2016 will be a great year!