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Fort building, star gazing, life loving and the first time Brendan met the family of one of my best college girlfriend's, Mary ... my how we've grown. ❤
Full set.
And in video form....
Music by my talented sweetheart.
It's strange to think that it's been almost 3 weeks since the wedding! I really do not understand where time goes. Anyhoozle, here are some snaps from the trip to the Midwest, which involved my yearly visit to Oklahoma to see my lovely gals and then a little (actually, very long!) road trip up to Chicago. Not pictured: upon realizing we were not going to make it to see the fireworks with Beth, my 7-year old desire to see them suggested we stop in a random town on the way, wait for an hour, and then watch, but Mary's desire (and motherly instinct understood that 10-hours in a car is a long time for a 4-year old) to justgetthere won | the point of the road trip where everything just becomes silly | swimming in the hotel after our 12-hour drive, which consisted of multiple switches from the "hot pool" to the "cold pool" (per Georgia, naturally) | and everyone's obsession with candy crush. **I was thrilled when I could see the fireworks from the hotel! yes, I was obsessed with the Bean! O'hare's knock-off of the tunnel in Detroit, personally I like Detroit's better!
...these are the moments to be had in oklahoma. :) **p.s. i made the little kitty and bunny for georgia! ;)
It's hard to believe I was playing in sunshine and riding midnight donkeys two days ago. I'm back from my trip and missing my girls something fierce.Highlights of the 2011 tripHearing Georgia call me, "Auntie Tim" :)Horseback ridingNature walksMidnight donkey riding after drinking "cowboy koolaid", which btw = dangerPlaying with a baby deerSeeing Jenna and her bfDriving aroundPainting on the porch listening to Dixie ChicksOh how I love Oklahoma. And my girls there, Mary and Georgia ~ my love for you is as bright as Saturday night's full moon, far as the mountains we could see, runs like a stampede of those wild horses, and is just oh-so-full.I love you!**
Horses really love sugar...and they like to tell you thanks! :)
a little thank you gift for letting me ride the horses!
like this doggy, Oklahoma is not so scary. :) it's actually a wonderful place to visit and quite fun! 
More photos will be posted on my flickr page soon! And tomorrow I'm headed to Key West! Hooray for vacation.Sunshine, here I come!hope you all have a fantastic week!xoxo
Happy Friday! I'm hanging in Oklahoma with two of the best girls in the world!!So far this trip has been awesome!Fresh mountain airHikingPainted nailsPretty skyMy yams (you are my sisters!)SunshineAnd of course, lots of love
Hope you had a happy St. Patricks day and a fantastic week. More photos and such when I return! For now I will just enjoy this bliss.Xo!
I did a lot of art in Oklahoma.Antler painting, a collage for Mary's classroom, paper art, and I started a new painting. :)
It's not finished yet, but I'm excited about it!
I also did some journaling and drew a picture of our last night..
I wrote Mary a message on the back and stuck it in a bottle...
Reminding her that some things aren't complete unless they are together. :)
Love you girl! No matter how far apart we are!
Mother nature can't make up her mind on the weather!Snow, sun, sleet, rain, and today gray and dreary!I've seen all of it in the past 48 hours! Luckily I made it out of Tulsa before the snow got worse. Yesterday, I left Tulsa at 6:00 am and only had 15 minutes to make my connection in Detroit. In that 15 minutes I sprinted from one terminal to another, wiped out on the escalator, went to the wrong gate, and barely made my flight. (I am seriously the worst traveler!)Now I'm back in the office. Lots of clicking of keys and catching up to do, but I have a little time to write about the trip.Most people ask, "why in the world would you go to Oklahoma?" I must admit that OK would not be my ideal travel destination, but since one of my best girls lives there, I've come to love it.Here are the reasons why I love Oklahoma! (there are lots of them!)***O~pen skies with floating balloons on gray days...*
...and blue, cloudless skies...
...for pretty driving...
*K~ids and their puppies...(1:1 ratio)*
...and their willingness to share...
...for stories on NYC...
...curious puppies...
...and at times even a little sleepy...
...just like the Donaho's...
*L~ovely mountain treasures found on hikes*...like berries...
...bark grooves...
...pink flowers...
...fluffy moss patches...
...tiny bones...
...big skulls..
...golden straw in ditches...
...backyard waterfalls...
...shadows from Georgia's first mountain visit...
...and capturing moments of serenity...
*A~ntlers*
...for painting...
*H~orses that are wild, beautiful... *
...and friendly... 
*O~ld tilted houses*
*M~oonshine and the shining moon over a sunset* (just kidding, I didn't have any moonshine!)
*A~rt days on a sunny patio with Georgia and Mary*
...creating a collage for Mary's classroom...
...and catching sun with Georgia...
There are many reasons to like Oklahoma and it's strange beauty. But my favorite moment of all...Sharing a laugh with Georgia.
xoxo
Sigh, I am stuck in Tulsa, Oklahoma.It is snowing.It is cold.I have a cold (or bad allergies)I am annoyed.But, I am laughing...And am with one of my best girls, Mary. :)We've had some good chats--in between frantic weather updates--The past couple of days have been a see-saw of global weirding!It was 70 degrees and sunny yesterday and today it is 30 with snow and sleet.I also have internet and I'm able to blog about the past week...So here goes...~~I left NYC last Saturday around 4:00 am. I was very tired. But I managed to tape a butterfly to the back of a cab, since I decided they were traveling along with me.
...they also followed me on the plane, where I made new friends! The guys sitting next to me were intrigued by me taking photos of butterflies. They were college football referees on their way to a conference, so we chatted about the little I know of football, the Hawks, and art. It was fun, and I gave them the butterflies I was shooting. Enjoy!
Once I got to Tulsa, Mary helped me add some color to the airport..
...And I added some color to the jeep, and the butterflies saw Oklahoma...
We also added color to the side of her house...
And a classic scene from Gone with the Wind..
Georgia enjoyed playing with the butterflies...
And we enjoyed playing in the sun...
We also went for a drive in the mountains..
The sky was so blue...
And the sun was so bright!
Making pretty butterfly shadows...
And finding pretty flowers on the ground..
And nice spots on sticks..
We had one last day of playing in the sun...
And now I'm watching the snowstorm...
Good night and more on OK, Georgia, and Mary soon!Let's hope I get back to NYC!xo!
Tomorrow morning, I will be headed to Poteau, Oklahoma!I'm really excited to get a break from the city! Believe it or not, Oklahoma is beautiful. Blankets of stars and open skies!And cattle!
I'm going to visit one of my best girlfriends from college, Mary!We've come a long way from days of carving pumpkins by recycling!
Now Mary has her own little pumpkin! Or as I like to call her, our little peach!Last spring, I visited Mary and we went hiking...
And I painted a mural for Georgia Faith..
...with my favorite...butterflies!
Tomorrow is special because I get to meet Georgia! And she gets to meet "Auntie Kim!"Since I've been back to loving butterflies, I decided that my butterflies will follow me on this journey.They've already seen some of the city!From 86 Street...(i didn't have time to snap a close-up, since I was going to miss the train!)
To the subway...
To subway maps..
To walkway from Grand Central to the shuttle...
I have a bunch of butterflies that will follow me all the way to Oklahoma!I'll be sure to share their adventures (and my own!).Have a great week!xo