04.02.2009: amelia's {27th} birthday.

in honor of my dear friend's special day ...

01. amelia and i have been friends since the 6th grade
02. one of our first memories of meeting was at donna spears's house with our church youth group
03. her middle name is unusual and beautiful: witsell
04. she has the most beautiful, long hair
05. most people think we are sisters ...
06. ... and many people believe us when we say that we are
07. we always dreamed of living together in a big city ...
08. ... but stillwater and tulsa were as close as we got
09. she is a huge fan of fashion and shopping
10. she hates to try anything on ...
11. ... but unlike me doesn't mind making returns
12. she always has the best bags and purses
13. and the greatest shoes
14. we have lived several states away from one another ...
15. ... and also right down the hall ...
16. but no matter how much time or distance between us, we always pick up right where we left off
17. we have an uncanny similarity in the events that take place in our lives
18. travis and i are her "mom & dad"
19. she loves to travel
20. and any big city that either of us have ever travelled to, we've gone to together
21. she loves photojournalist photography
22. and has an incredible knack for interior design
23. she carries her tan year-round
24. and hates her job almost as much as i do
25. she loves to force me to order in a "man voice" at the drive-thru while she laughs uncontrollably
26. she has a beautiful smile that brightens your day
27. and morning, noon, or night, i know that if i really need her, she's the kind of friend who will always be there for me.

happy birthday. we love you. xoxo.
~ mom and dad

happy {23rd} birthday, j.

today my brother turns 23 years old. it is incredible to think that he is so grown up; he even has a wife and two pups now! looking back, i have so many fond memories growing up with him. i'm not sure how he and i got to be so "old." in honor of his special day:

justin w. leach ...
01. ... was my best friend from the time that he was born
02. ... didn't talk for a long time because i said everything for him
03. ... could close his ears while napping, and they would remain shut for 10-15 minutes after he woke up
04. ... had a "rat tail" hair cut in elementary school
05. ... would go hiking with me for hours in the hillside on the mountain we grew up on, with nothing but his bow and arrow, a canteen, and a baggy filled with peanuts and dates
06. ... loved to sing about his "fellow man"
07. ... and shout hall-le-EU-la in our little country church
08. ... looked forward to friday nights because that's when we were allowed to sleep in the same room talking and giggling together
09. ... cried the first time that i didn't want to have our ritual friday night "sleep over" {now i cry to think that we don't have weekly moments together like that anymore}
10. ... was known around our house as brother bear
11. ... and eventually bubby when sierra began talking
12. ... now i can him j
13. ... is an all-star athlete, good at any sport that he tries, and especially talented at basketball
14. ... could truly be a stand up comedian, giving jerry seinfeld and dane cook both a run for their money
15. ... has always wanted nothing more than a wife and children to love and support
16. ... looks after his big little sister when she needs it
17. ... and remembers to spend time with his little sister
18. ... has had too many motocycle accidents to speak of, but loves riding as much as ever
19. ... has always looked out for the underdog
20. ... can carry on an entire convesation in his sleep
21. ... and can also fall asleep in the middle of a sentence having a conversation while wide awake
22. ... has been thought to be my twin when others meet us
23. ... is the greatest brother & friend a girl could ask for

03.27.2009 travis lear {24}.

i let travis's birthday pass by without a post in his honor! on his birthday i did send him texts throughout the day to remind him what a fantastic person he is, and i've decided to post those here:

travis l.w. lear ...

01. does the great impression of joey gladstone's mister woodchuck
02. has feet small than he used to from rock climbing shoes
03. knows how to fix just about anything
04. is my rock star
05. likes to go fast
06. can drive for hours going no where ...
07. ... but has the best sense of direction of anyone i know
08. can do pull ups with his fingertips
09. shares a birthday with quentin tarantino, fergie ferguson, & mariah carey
10. shows me exactly what a hard time i'm going to have when we have boys when he gives me that adorable "little boy" face
11. is another james dean; he even looks like many of james dean's pictures
12. does not like sour cream, cream cheese, or whipped cream
13. is a lover of classic rock
14. recently discovered that LITs are his favorite alcoholic beverage
15. buys the greatest gifts
16. but never gives others the opportunity to buy great gifts for him -- he always buys what he wants
17. helps me appreciate the little things in life and the southern values i grew up with
18. is a lover of all living creatures & believes all life should be treated with respect {until connor starts barking too much}
19. is a great "dad" to the pup
20. loves romantic comedies
21. makes me smile every time he walks into the room
22. supports his family and friends and is always there when it really counts
23. can say the silliest things {just like me} that cause us to laugh out loud
24. will be the man standing at the end of the aisle on october 17th -- he'll make a great husband.

happy birthday, vit. i love you.

engagement party thank you notes.

i have been so terrible! i designed these thank you cards immediately following our engagement party. i even got most of the cards filled out, but i kept waiting for travis to sign them, and i also needed a few more addresses. i was appalled this evening when i ran across the written thank you cards that had not been mailed. for those of you who were at the shower and have not received your thank you card, please forgive me. travis and i are both so appreciative of the time together with our family and friends and your thoughtful gifts. please do not take the delay in the notes as a sign that we are ungrateful. it truly meant the world to us to spend that time with you, and we look forward to spending other memorable moments together the next few months {and many years to follow}.

wedding registry.

before our engagement party travis and i registered at bed bath and beyond and at target. i have been dying to get registered at pottery barn, so tonight while travis was in muskogee, i started our pottery barn registry. there are some things that are only available in the shop, so i'm looking forward to going there to finish up.

i am now contemplating whether or not to register at dillards. the stores that we've selected are only in tulsa, and that leaves none of our muskogee guests with any place to shop. i would like to think that they could just do a little shopping while on a trip to tulsa, but there are several of them who do not often travel to tulsa. i'm really not sure what to do, and would welcome suggestions. four registries seems like an awful lot. my brother's wife has said that she thinks it would be just fine and that the muskogee guests would probably appreciate us thinking of them. again, four just seems like a lot, and the thought of tackling another registry seems a little daunting. i considered closing our bed bath and beyond registry, but am not sure if i want to do that either. i don't know why i am making such a big deal about this, but i really just can't decide.