July 2009

Ok...so I know June was pretty uneventful, but I made up for it in July (and just wait until you see August...we are going to have to break it down into more than one blog). July brought a new change....my house went up for sale. Ken and I worked A LOT on getting it staged and looking good. And we did it! We have been worried about the timing because we were told not to miss June...and we did. However, knowing that God is perfect in His timing, I knew that He would take care of it all. I have been praying for the perfect family to come along at the perfect time to fall in love with my house (stay tuned because we may have an update on this very soon)!

And then there was VEGAS!!!!! YAY!!!! I love it! This year, I went with my friend Tia. We had so much fun. My first time to Vegas (last summer), I went a little overboard on the spending b/c there was just TOO MUCH!!! This year, I was prepared and we were very frugal!!! Our hotel, flight, food, and entertainment was around $600! That is a nice, cheap vacation! It really was great! We stayed at Paris...and it was beautiful! Our favorite meal was Sunday brunch at the Palms. Its their mexican restaurant and on Sundays they have a Margarita Brunch...all you can eat breakfast and mexican food...and all you can drink margaritas!!! Our favorite was the french toast with CARAMEL SYRUP!!!!! I think we had at least 2 servings!!!! A-MA-ZING!!!! Our favorite show was a dinner theater...it was a murder mystery in old downtown. The Freemont experience was really cool! We met some really fun people and had a great time there. Our other favorite thing was to spend time at the POOL!!!! :) We had a great time!

This is a view of our entire hotel from across the street.

And this is the view from our room!

This is the inside of our hotel. The entire thing is designed to look like you are walking the streets of Paris. It was great!

Right outside the hotel....obviously the night view of the Eiffel Tower.

The pool...this is a view from our room.

After a morning of laying out and swimming!

The two wedding chapels that were open! I was actually surprised at how pretty they were. I think I just have this idea in my head of what "Vegas Weddings" are like. They actually have a staff to coordinate the wedding!
This is the old downtown...they call it the Freemont Experience. Its really neat! They have closed off the street and its covered. The entire street lights up and they play music. You can see the lights on the over us, right past the "Queens" casino.

On the Strip:

Playing the slots....thats the only thing I do play. I think I spent about $15 total the entire trip.

A night out (every night was really a night out)...but this was the night we got really dressed up and went to see a REAL Vegas-style show, Jubilee!
And when I got home, I had these waiting for me! :)

Towards the end of July, my niece (Kassie) came to stay with me. We had a good time! She hung out with me and my girlfriends the first night she got there. We ate at a Japanese restaurant and sat at the hybachi table. After dinner we went SHOPPING! The next day we travelled to OKC to see Michelle and Finley! There we were also able to meet up with my college roommate, Fizz (her real name is Stephanie, but we call her Fizz), and her family. We ate at Olive Garden and then did some shopping there too. Kass and I had a good time....her last night, we made her a t-shirt. She ended up just loving Lexis (our German Shepherd). My brother and his family came to Stillwater to pick her up...my favorite was my nephew was scared of Ken's car! :) He wouldn't get too close to it. It was cute!

The rest of these are just random pictures from the month....stuff out at the house, our neighbors, and Ken's new addition!

Hanging out with our neighbors...Ken has some serious tractor-envy!

We had a pretty rough storm in July. Here is some of the damage and then our big fire to burn it all!

And here is Ken's new addition to our home. He has been waiting over 2 years to get his little friend...and its finally here!!!

June 2009

While I'm waiting to get wedding pictures back so I can blog in detail, I am going to do posts to catch up from the summer months. I took kind of a blog break....so here is what has been going on. I did a picture blog to update everyone from March - May...and I'll be doing the same for each month until we are up to date. June was pretty uneventful...except for our annual girls' trip. Michelle and I went to Dallas...and this year little Miss Finley came along. We were both trying to save some money with the wedding and Finley's first birthday...plus, it was Finley's first trip and we didn't want to be TOO far from home. She was fantastic!!! She travelled so well! She was actually really good all weekend long. We stayed with my Aunt Julie and her family. It was really nice and relaxing. They have a great house and a pool! We were able to do some fun things...Michelle and I went to Fogo de Chao! Its our FAVORITE place to eat!!!! It was yum!!!! Our events pretty much revolved around food. :) We went out with all my family (and my mom was there too) one night to Bucca de Beppo! Its fantastic!!! We met my friend Alleigh (sad to have no pictures) for dinner at the mall and was able to catch up with her. Our biggest event was going to Market with my mom. We were so blessed that she was able to take us! I was able to get a lot of wedding stuff done...we got table centerpieces, church decorations, bridesmaids jewelry, and my wedding band! It was a successful trip!!! Sadly to say, Michelle and I did a TERRIBLE job of taking our camera...so here are a few pictures (mostly from our family dinner at Bucca de Beppo) from our 3rd Annual Girls' Trip:

And She's ONE!!!!!

Happy Birthday Little Miss Finley!!!!

I can't believe its been a year since she was born!!! It was actually much earlier than I am typing b/c at this time last year, I was already home and in bed. I got the call after midnight...I was asleep on the couch and I answered the phone to hear Devin telling me its time and they were at the hospital. I was up and on my way to Mercy Hospital! Sweet little Finley entered the world and has entertained us and made us all smile ever since. She is a beautiful gift from the Lord!!!!

Last Year:

This Year:

What’s In A Name?

Everything!

I am leaving behind my last name and taking on my husband’s name. This is very bitter-sweet for me! I have waited my whole life to find this amazing man that God would bring me…and for me to take his name. To represent him. To be identified with him. But, I never realized what I was leaving behind. Farquhar. The name my parents gave me! I was identified with them! It’s my family. It's how I was raised. It’s the name that every one of my brothers, their wives, and all their kids will have…but I leave it behind. All growing up, I’ve been a daddy’s girl. This makes it even harder. There is part of me that is sad to no longer have his same name because its what I have of him. However, if that is ALL I have of my dad, then I am lying to myself…I have his faith, his hands, his eyes, his love for theology and so much more. I also leave the name my mother took when she married my dad. It’s the only way I have known her. To leave her name doesn’t make me lose her either…I have her faith, her compassion, her love for others, her gift of singing and so much more. She is an example to me. She left her last name of Hogan to become a Farquhar. However, the blessings I see in the Hogan generations are what I see in the Farquhar family too. So, even though I leave my last name, I will not leave my faith! People who know our family will see that Petrashek has a strong foundation from Farquhar and Hogan! My family has laid a phenomenal ground for Ken and I to continue to build on.

Petrashek. Ken has made a tremendous name here for himself where we live. A name that I am proud to be associated with. He has an incredible reputation. His character is upstanding and he loves the Lord. He takes a stand for what he believes and I completely respect him and am encouraged by him. I am excited to make a name for OUR family and carry on what Ken has started. I pray that I represent him well. I pray that we actively and purposefully make decisions that will give our future generations something to be proud of. The Petrashek name…A name that is, first and foremost, honorable to the Lord. That it will remain respected in the community. That it will be a name our future daughter will be sad to let go…and our future son will be proud to carry on. I pray that our future generations can look back and see what God has done in our family. I pray they will see a family of men and women who seek the Lord and share his Good News!

So…some may say, “a name is just a name.” But I say it’s everything! It’s how people know you. Not just to distinguish you from someone else, but it also has a character and a reputation attached. What character and reputation do I want attached to my name? One of honor, one of respect, one of pride, but mostly one who absolutely loves the Lord!

We Did It!!!

Well, its official!!!! I'M MARRIED!!!!! :) The wedding day was absolutely perfect and everything was beautiful!!! I will be posting pictures and comments and all the background now that I am back to "real" life!

God is completely good! I know He shows His goodness daily, but I see it more in Ken everyday. Ken is perfect for me and its fun to watch God reveal that to me more and more.

No big news in the 10 days we have been married. We are starting to renovate our little country house. Thats about it...We are just getting back into our work schedules and learning to live with each other. Its really fun to live with him, but its been interesting to see us work around each other and together. I think the weirdest thing for me is that his house is now my house....I don't have my home to go "home" to anymore. And my house is still on the market, so we are still dealing with that. I am thankful that it didn't sell before the wedding b/c it would have been crazy trying to move everything before then. I have to remind myself that God's timing is perfect in ALL things. He already has the future owner of my house picked out...and we just have to be patient and obedient.

I can't wait to start showing off everything wedding! I had a hard time not posting anything during the planning, but I wanted to keep somethings a surprise!!!

Thats about it from here! But, I will be back soon! ;)