Sorry and Goodbye....For Now

As you all have noticed, I haven't blogged in a few weeks. I'm sorry :(. Opening a side business and preparing for the craft show in October has really made me rather busy. You probably already realize this, but I'm going to take a small hiatus....just until after the craft show in October...I promise. Once the show is over, then I'll be back strong. I hope you all understand. In the mean time, the best way to follow us is on Twitter (@TulsaNicky) and Facebook.

See you in a month!

-N

P.S. If you're interested in taking a look at our CO pictures, visit....http://gallery.andrewandnicky.com, click on "Gallery Menu" in the top left corner, choose "2009" and "Colorado." We had a great time on the trip...the weather wasn't too good, but it was still a great trip. We're off to LA and San Diego today, so I'll be sure to document the trip well. Watch for regular updates on Twitter and Facebook. Talk to you all soon!

We're Off to Colorado

Tomorrow afternoon, we're off to Denver and Breckenridge. Don't worry, we won't be gone for long...we'll be back on Sunday. I've never been to Colorado, so this is going to be a fun experience. I can't wait to see the mountains! If you've ever been to Denver or Breckenridge before, what would you recommend us doing?

Lots of photos to come!

-N

ACS Kickball Tournament

The hump day dinner crew has signed up to play in a kickball tournament at the end of August and we can't wait. We're going to create t-shirts, have practices after dinner...you name it! It's going to be a lot of fun and what's better than helping out a create cause at the same time. All the proceeds are going to benefit the American Cancer Society. I'll keep you updated on our progress. :)

-N

Hump Day Dinner #68: India Palace

India Palace

6963 S. Lewis Ave.

Tulsa, OK 74136

Last Wednesday, the crew ate at India Palace for Wednesday night dinner. The restaurant is located at 69th and Lewis and seems to be the only true indian restaurant left in Tulsa. Unfortunately, Andrew and I decided to eat before dinner because Andrew doesn't like indian food and I've had a bad experience with the meat at this restaurant. So, we ended up just getting some naan bread at the restaurant, which ended up being really good. Overall, our group really liked their meal. The managers were very helpful in helping them decide on what to order and the service was fairly fast. Unfortunately, the prices were moderately expensive. If you've never had indian food before, I would definitely recommend you try it. My favorite is chicken tikka masala.

-N

95. Create a Family Cookbook

Over the past few weeks, I've been working on #95 on my 101 list...create a family cookbook. For Andrew's grandma's birthday, we're giving her a recipe book full of family recipes. It not only holds some of Andrew's grandma's recipes, but it holds the favorite recipes from each branch of the family. So, it's a book that everyone can enjoy. The goal is to continue to add recipes to the book over the years.

To make the recipe book, I created a Taste Book through the Food Network's website. To take a look at the Taste Book's website, click here. The service is REALLY easy to use. For about $35, you can order a Taste Book that has about 100 of your favorite recipes. All you have to do is type your recipes into the website, click "order" and your recipes come printed on recipe cards and in a binder. The great thing about the Taste Book is that if you don't have 100 recipes, then you can continue to use your leftover credits, add recipes at a later date and have the recipe cards printed separately. Since, your recipe book is a binder, you can still add your recipes to the book. Here are some pictures of the book that we created for Andrew's grandma...

Enjoy!

-N

The Taste Book comes all wrapped up.

The front of the book...

One of our recipes.

Inside the binder...can you see the dividers?

StyleMark Designs: New Signs

If you're wondering why I haven't been blogging a lot recently, it's because I've been working to on the official launch of StyleMark Designs. I never realized how much work you would need to do to start a business. Anyway, I wanted to share with you some signs that I've created for my customers over the past couple of weeks. Enjoy!

Here are some cards...

-N

Hump Day Dinner #67: Casa Laredo

Casa Laredo

403 S. Cheyenne Ave.

Tulsa, OK 74103

Last week, we ate at Casa Laredo, a small mexican restaurant in downtown Tulsa. I was very surprised by this restaurant. It was a lot better than I had expected. Out of Tulsa mexican restaurants, it definitely didn't rank the lowest, but instead in the middle of the pack. Andrew and I had chicken fajitas for dinner. The chicken was a little bland and I didn't care for the rice, but the vegetables, tortillas and tortilla chips were great. Also, I really liked mixing together the guacamole and pico de gallo....delicious! The price of the meal was moderate expensive...similar prices to On the Border and Los Cabos. If I was in downtown and looking for a mexican restaurant, I would definitely eat here again, but unfortunately I wouldn't make the trek downtown just for the restaurant.

-N

Hump Day Dinner #66: Cosmo Cafe

Cosmo Cafe

6746 S. Memorial Drive

Tulsa, OK 74133

The week before last, the group ate at Cosmo Cafe at 71st and Memorial before playing volleyball. This restaurant is a very laid back place to eat. Think coffee shop meets sandwich shop and bar. It's a great place to hang out. On the menu, you will find both hot and cold sandwiches that range in price. Some of the sandwiches are a steal of a deal (Veggie sandwich + side for $3-$4) and some are expensive (bagel and cream cheese for $4)...it really just depends on how you order your meal. The general sandwiches aren't anything special, but they are still ok and cheap. The pizza sandwiches looked good though, as well as the chocolate dessert. This is definitely not a dinner type of place for Andrew and I...we like a warm meal at dinner, but it's a place that I would like to try with my co-workers for lunch. If you're in the area (for lunch), give Cosmo's a try and see how cheap you can order a sandwich.

-N

Hump Day Dinner #65: Andales Tex-Mex Grill

Andales Tex-Mex Grill

5966 S. Yale Ave.

Tulsa, OK

A couple of weeks ago, we ate at Andales Tex-Mex grill for Wednesday night dinner. This restaurant is located at 61st and Yale in the Kingspoint Shopping Center. I've been wanting to try this restaurant for a while. Unfortunately, our experience wasn't the best though. Even though the restaurant has a nice patio area, the service was slow and the food was mediocre and cold. The only good part of the meal were the tortilla chips. They were really good. In addition, the meal was fairly expensive as well. You could get much better mexican food for the same price, if not cheaper, somewhere else. Overall, I'm glad that I have tried the restaurant, but I don't plan on eating here again.

-N

Hump Day Dinner #64: Clubhouse Bar and Grill

The Wednesday night dinner crew decided to give the Clubhouse Bar and Grill, which is next door to the Spirit Bank Event Center, another try for Eric's birthday. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to make it because I was in Washington D.C., but everyone thought that the food was really good and inexpensive, but the service was sub par. So, we have received bad service on a concert night, as well as a non-concert night. No bueno.

-N

What to do? What to do?

We got an invitation to a wedding in Santa Monica in September this weekend. So, we are thinking about making an anniversary trip out to the west coast. Here's our dilemma though. We want to visit Los Angeles, San Diego (only 1.5 hours from Los Angeles, plus we would like to go to Sea World and the San Diego Zoo) and Las Vegas (to see Cirque Du Soleil's Believe), but we can only visit two places. So, do we visit Los Angeles and San Diego or Los Angeles and Las Vegas? Decisions...decisions.

Here are some things to consider...

- In an ideal world, we would love to vacation down in Cancun and relax by the beach/pool.

- The temperature in San Diego is going to be in the 60s and 70s in September.

- Our honeymoon was in Las Vegas.

- We have already been to Las Vegas twice.

What do you all think?

San Diego

or Las Vegas

Please help us decide! Thanks in advance.

-N

I love this store!

Have you visited the new Reasors in Jenks yet? If not, you have too! It's AMAZING. We finally have a proper grocery store in Tulsa. Yeah!! It seems like the selection has grown and the people are friendlier. My favorite thing about the store is the floral department. The floral choices have grown exponentially. I love their signature bouquets. You buy the bouquets arranged, so all you have to do is drop them in a vase. The best thing is that they are really cheap when compared to a bouquet of flowers from an actual florist. If you have a chance, check out the store because you won't be disappointed.

-N

Recap: Washington D.C.

As you all know, I attended the Cox Teen Summit on Internet and Wireless Safety a couple of weeks ago in Washington D.C. This was my first business trip and it was a lot of fun. The Oklahoma teen delegate, Mariel, her Mom, Dorenda, and I attended the summit on Wednesday morning, which was hosted by John Walsh. Then on Wednesday afternoon and Thursday afternoon, we were on Capitol Hill meeting with Oklahoma legislators talking to them about internet and wireless safety. We were able to meet in person Congressman Lucas, Congresswoman Fallin, Congressman Cole and Senator Coburn. Also, we met with Senator Inhofe's legislative assistant as well.

I wasn't able to do much sightseeing on the trip, but here are some pics for you to enjoy...

The White House

Washington Monument

The National Christmas Tree

Capitol Hill

Georgetown - I love this place!

On Thursday morning, I went for a run around the city, which was one of the highlights of my trip. On my run I saw the White House, the Treasury Department, Washington Monument and the World War II Memorial. I wish my runs were this exciting everyday! Here are some pics from my run...

Washington Monument - Do you know that the Washington Monument is made of two different types of limestone? Can you see the line??

World War II Memorial

Oklahoma!

Overall, the trip was VERY successful. I definitely learned two things on my trip...

- Kids are not aware of the consequences that can occur when they participate in online activities.

- Education and awareness of internet and wireless safety needs to continue on a local level.

Let's hope I can help with these two insights from my trip.

-N

Better Late Than Never

Sorry for the delay on updating the blog. Andrew and I have been very busy and we are just now getting around to updating the blog. In the next couple of days, we will be updating you on EVERYTHING! We promise. So, sit back and enjoy the ride!

- A&N

Bring on the Beach!

I saw these dresses on Victoria Secret's website and wished I was personally wearing them by a beach. A mexican or caribbean beach would be perfect! I'm not picky.

-N

Washington D.C....Here I Come!

This morning, I'm off to Washington D.C. for the Teen Summit on Internet Safety. This is my first business trip, so I'm pretty excited! Watch for lots of pictures this weekend.

-N

2009 Parade of Homes

Today, we went out to the Parade of Homes to look at some houses with Abby, Mark, Eugene and Lindsay. We're not in the market yet for a house, but we figured we would go and see what's available, since the Parade of Homes only occurs once a year. We look at a look at several builders, subdivisions and homes and it has given us some insight on the home buying process. Here's what we learned today...

1. Looking at homes is exhausting, especially in 100 degree weather.

2. After a while, all the homes start looking the same.

3. You can definitely notice the difference in the quality of the materials used by each builder.

4. Guest bedroom closets are starting to become walk-in closets. Some were nearly as large as the master walk-in closet - Crazy! I don't understand this at all.

5. The new trend: Connect the laundry room and the master bedroom closet together - At first I thought this trend was stupid until Andrew and our friends started to show me the usefulness of this feature. When I saw this in a house, all I could keep on thinking about is the washer and dryer keeping me awake. Is that bad??? After some consideration, I take back my initial thought and I definitely see how useful it would be. Pretty smart feature after all!

6. No one likes smooth walls. Everything is textured...Grrr! The only builder that likes smooth walls seems to be PMC Homes.

Here are a few pictures from the tour.

We loved this house in Millicent Ponds. It was built by PMC Homes.

We loved the patio at the front of the house.

The chocolate walls were so unique.

The formal living room.

I would be such a happy camper with this kitchen. It's perfect!

The living room. I love the size of this room, as well as the stone fireplace. The neat thing about this fireplace is that it goes to the outside as well.

The game room.

The master bedroom.

The mud-room - one of my favorite rooms.

A laundry/craft room!! They had me sold on this house when I saw this :).

The patio

Here are some pictures of features that we liked from other houses.

Gotta love these lamps.

I was in heaven when I saw this closet. A place for my shoes, plus a mirror :).

I love the storage area underneath these window seats. Great use of space!

Another game room. It was huge! I'm pretty sure that this was in one of the Shaw homes.

Another game room. The think that I liked about this one was the high ceilings.

I loved the formation of the his/her sinks. Very different!

A built-in bookshelf. My books would have a home :).

I loved the outside "look and feel" of this home.

I ADORE corner stone fireplaces. I would love to have a fireplace like this.

We still have several months before we are serious about buying a home, but the Parade of Homes has given us a great idea on what floor plans we like, as well as what part of town we would like to live in.

What does our future hold? I guess only time will tell.

-N