Simple Pleasures

I've been thinking about life's simple pleasures lately. Maybe it's the verge of spring weather that's got me thinking about all the little things that make me smile. Here are a few things that make me smile....

driving with the windows down


iced coffee


tan skin


walking barefoot in the grass


snow cones


yard work - this is a new one for me


the smell of rain


my scentsy


a clean house


clean sheets


Rocky's sudden burst of energy after he's had a bath


watching Josh grill


a clean car


painted toe nails


cook out food


dessert


cold beer


What are some of your simple pleasures in life??

Spring is here.....kind of!

This week was spring break, so I took off a few days to spend with Josh since he didn't have school. Wednesday we had lunch at Red Robin (Josh's favorite) and hit up Home Depot for some landscaping stuff. As sad as it sounds, Home Depot has become one of my favorite stores! haha

Wednesday night we went to Libby's to celebrate St. Patty's day with the fam. We had a blast! The Buffalo Family usually plays on Wednesday nights and Josh is usually off work. We love going and sitting on the patio & listening to some good music. Luckily, patio weather is finally starting to come back!

Good grub & green beer!!

Patrick & Jennifer

Me & Hubby

Mom & Dad

Buffalo Family

Thursday we spent all day doing yard work. Once again, the weather was great! We got a ton of work done.

We built a flower bed in front of the house.

I painted the shutters.

We found an awesome fountain for a steal!

And the guys cut down a big ugly dead tree.

haha, I caught the guys taking a break!

Friday, I went with my mom and sister to Ponca City to have my sister's bridal pictures taken. Another beautiful weather day! Lesha looked absolutely gorgeous - I can't wait to see the pictures! Saturday........the FIRST DAY OF SPRING, I woke up and looked outside to see the ground covered in a blanket of SNOW! haha, I guess that's Oklahoma weather for ya! I really hope that is the last winter weather we will see. I can't wait to plant some flowers in our new flower beds!

Road Trip!

Last weekend my family (Mom, Dad, Lesha, Josh, Me, Grandma, Aunt Sherryl) headed out on a road trip to Decatur, TX. Why Decatur, TX you might ask??

For some entertainment!


My cousin Robynn had a gig! She is an incredibly beautiful person inside and out and has an incredibly beautiful voice to match! I am so excited to see where her music career takes her...she is VERY talented!

Here is her proud momma (Aunt Glenda) and proud hubby (Matt).


We all had a great time - it was so great to get away for the weekend and spend some time with family!

(Above L to R: Aunt Glenda, Grandma, Dad, Aunt Sherryl)

(Below: Mom & Dad)
Dad couldn't help himself - we were in Texas after all!



Hope ya'll have a wonderful weekend! We are having some beautiful weather in OK!

Tennessee, Day 4

Our last day at Gatlinburg, we woke up to a dusting of snow! Here is a view of the back of the cabin....gorgeous! Did I mention there's a hot tub on the first deck???

We headed in to Pigeon Forge for some lunch and a show. We went ahead and bought our tickets for the show first, just in case it would sell out. While the guys bought the tickets, they took the liberty of asking the lady who sold the tickets where she would recommend eating. It's always a good idea to get a "locals" advice. She recommended The Applewood Farmhouse Restaurant.

And, OH MY GOODNESS was it good!! First thing when you sit down, they give you complimentary Apple Julep, Apple Fritters and Apple Butter. The Apple Fritters were "to die for"!

I feel like all we did on this trip was eat...not that I'm complaining. So, after stuffing our faces yet again, we headed to The Apple Barn and Cider Mill to buy some of their famous Apple Butter to take home with us!

Next stop was our variety show at The Country Tonite Theater.
It was a cute show, but honestly I don't remember a whole lot of it. I think I was in an Apple Fritter-induced coma. haha


Just like most vacations, we hated to leave! We loved this little cabin, and could have easily stayed there for several more days.

But our trip had to come to and end....

Tennessee, Day 3

This is the view that I woke up to on our first morning in Gatlinburg!



I think I could sit in these little rocking chairs on this porch and stare at the mountains for as long as the sun would shine!


Of course, we had to get a few games of pac man and pool in before we left for the day.




We walked around downtown for a while.....how cute is this town?!


And stopped in at The Pancake Pantry for breakfast. There was a looooooong wait but I have to say the wait was well worth it! If you ever go to downtown Gatlinburg, you MUST eat at the Pancake Pantry!


We watched this man make taffy while we waited in line.
He was working so diligently!

These boys were ready for some pancakes man....standing in line builds up an appetite!


So, I thought this was whipped cream.....nope - that is a HUGE bowl of hand whipped BUTTER! I think I'm in heaven!! haha


I ordered the pigs in a blanket, and they were sooooo yummy!
These pancakes were a consistency I've never had before...so light and fluffy, but dense and rich at the same time. They were out of this world good!


After eating all that butter and syrup, we decided we needed to walk around a bit.
So we did a little shopping in "The Village"


All the little shops were so cute! Our favorite was the Pepper Palace. We found some awesome hot sauce and wing sauce there. They had a ton of samples and the salesmen were really good at figuring out which hot sauce we would like. It was a good thing someone helped us cause there were a TON of hot sauces, marinades, dips and mixes....we'd have been there all day trying to figure it out.


Before we went on our trip, we read many traveler's reviews on what to do while visiting Gatlinburg and most everyone recommended not only the Pancake Pantry but also the sky-lift.


It was a little bit cold that high up in the air....


But the views were well worth it!


They're called "The Smokey Mountains", but I didn't know it was really going to look smoky up there.


By the time we got to the top, took some pictures, looked around and headed back down the mountain...we were FREEZING! But once again - the view was well worth it!


So after freezing our tails off, we headed inside this pub to warm up.


Hogg's & Honey's Saloon and Grill, Home of the "Hillbilly Hammer"
And guess who had to try the "hillbilly hammer"??...the Phillips brothers! haha


After a few drinks, we headed to Bubba Gump's for some shrimps!


I think Josh makes a good Forest! haha


Cajun Shrimp!


After stuffing our bellies full of shrimp, we went back to the cabin and ended our day just the way we started it...in the game room.