Schwan's Man

Do ya'll remember the Schwan's man? I DO!!! They had the BEST chicken nuggets and the BEST ice cream. It was always a treat when they came to Shiner. Then they just kinda disappeared.

Well -- I was on a walk Wednesday evening and at the school I walk around there were signs of a "Schwan's Fundraiser Truckload Sale TODAY". I thought I was seeing things. Well, not really because I did see the Schwan's truck in the neighborhood about a week ago.

By the time I got home it was a couple minutes to 6 so didn't think I'd be able to make it to them, but I did and I got some chicken nuggets, marinated salmon and strawberry explosion yogurt. They have a whole freaking catalog now!!!!! My how times have changed! The nuggets are still yummy, but you have 3 to choose from, and fortunately after some talking I think I got the right ones.

Our Engagement Party

Karena and Drew, Angela and James hosted an Engagement Party for us and the wedding party on Saturday, February 21, 2009. We had a great time and everything was PERFECT! I cannot thank everyone enough -- for having gone to so much trouble, coming to celebrate with us, and to being in our wedding!!

Special thanks to Jennifer and Zack who brought an amazing Italian Cream Cake & Oatmeal Cookies (My Faves!) and for Jenna and Chad on helping out!

Here's a few pics from the party:
The Groomsmen:
Robert, Nick, Mike, Taylor, Blain, Nick, my dad Ronnie, Matt, Jr & Jaace

The Bridesmaids:

Karena, Jennifer, Wendy, Shawna, ME, Meagan, my mom Barbara, Jenny & Hana

Opening gifts (this was about the only pic that turned out!!)

Our Toasting Flutes which are so beautiful!!! from my parents, Jenny & Nick, Jillian & Thomas, and Jaace

Me and Meagan, one of my Jr Bridesmaids! She's so pretty! And tall too!
The engaged ones! :)
Smooches ... to end the night!
Thank you ALL again - from the bottom of our hearts!

2nd Monday of the Week

Hey everyone! I hope all is well. I'll be posting pics from this weekend's festivities tonight!

Send a good luck wish to Robert Jr as he will be showing his pig, The Beast, on Thursday morning at the Katy ISD FFA Show. The hog is looking good, so hopefully he'll place high and will be able to make the sale on Saturday!

Yesterday was a blur, however some good news at work. Very likely to be switching groups and roles here at Hess -- which is really cool! Travel involved and lots of responsibility. Can't wait!

Thursday is also BBQ Cook-off day! YAHOO! It's the best part of Rodeo, no doubt about it! We've got tickets for a couple booths and can't wait to go. However that means Rodeo is starting and it'll be 3 weeks of no sleep and busy-ness.

Robert is really liking his new job, which we are so blessed to have! Next week he's heading to San Antonio for the Subsea Tieback Conference, so I'll be handling the boys and keeping things calm at the fort! Not to mention -- RODEO begins. This week and next are going to be BUSY!

Anyway. What's new with everyone? Drop me a line soon!!!

8 months and I'll be on my HONEYMOON!

Yay -- how cool is that!? Yep -- 8 months from yesterday I'll be walking down the aisle. 8 months from today and I'll be heading for my HONEYMOON as a Mrs and not a Miss!!! SO EXCITING! Robert and I worked on the honeymoon this past weekend a bit. FUN!!! It's starting to come together .....

I also went shopping on Monday (Dillard's of course -- 70% off sale!!!) and did some serious damage. And just by chance I bought 2 really cool tops for the honeymoon (not to mention some really cool shoes -- not for the honeymoon, but just for fun!)! Yippee!!!!

Hope everyone's having a good day!

Valentine's Weekend

It was SUCH a great weekend! Robert and I really needed one of these just to rejuvenate! And we did.

Saturday we ran a few errands in the morning together to get prepared for the day. He was in charge of grilling and I was in charge of the others. We worked on our wedding guestbook and before we knew it it was time to start dinner.

Appetizers: Stuffed jalepenos

Salad: Robert had Serrano Ranch & I had Olive Oil

Main Course: Grilled Tiger Shrimp & Ribeyes

Side: Baked Potato

Dessert: Chocolate Fondue

I have to say though that dessert was postponed till Sunday morning after church cause we were just stuffed on Saturday. But hey -- it was a great treat after church. Sunday was a bit more of this and that and yesterday we both had off, so more little errands and just hanging out. I couldn't have asked for a better Valentine's weekend! And the food -- superb!

Thanks babe for braving the elements and for the gorgeous flowers -- You know just what I like!

Friday the 13th

Happy Friday the 13th everyone! Ah -- it's just another day, so enjoy it!

I snapped this picture yesterday morning. It's my office desk. Pathetic. Anyone who knows me well enough knows that I hate mess. Clutter - yuck! Organization - yes! Nice neat piles -- for sure! So -- this is uncharacteristic of me yes, however it's the best way for me, at the moment, to keep straight at work. Too much to do -- to little time.

I did manage to straighten it up yesterday before I left ... so it does look slightly better... :)

Happy Friday ya'll!

Look what I did last night

I got to play "mom!"

So today at Matthew's school they are having a Valentine's Day party -- you all remember those fun times at school. Coming home with a bag full of cards and candy! Good times.

Well, he was "unable" to get help from someone ELSE on this, so when he got to our house last night -- we got the task done. We ran up to CVS and got him some cool "Nerd Valentines" with little boxes of Nerds attached. He filled out the From line and I did the To line. Got that all done then it was "ugh oh we need a box". So we went through the scrapbook box and he saw some cammo paper that he liked, of course I only had 1 sheet -- so Robert helped us out and we used some old cammo jeans and look at our finished product!!!! Matt drew a heart on red paper, we used my star punch to get the stars in the different colors and he wrote his name out using the stars. For an improvised job -- I think it turned out cute! Even has a "secret pocket" on the bottom! He kept saying "this is awesome!" So my heart was full.

And as he was going to bed that night I told him I loved him and he said it back! awww


Sad to say though -- I'm sure when he gets to his house this afternoon it'll probably hit the trash, but not by his choice. I truly hope that's not the case!

One Week Ago

Last Thursday as I was walking downstairs to get a cup of coffee (iced coffee at about 2 pm) I noticed in our lobby this pretty bouquet of flowers and told the friend I was with "aww those are pretty!". Mel, our security gal said "jamie, didn't you get my message -- those are for you!?!"

Awww -- my sweetheart got me -- AGAIN!!!! 2nd time this exact instance has happened at the office! He's so great!

But look closely at the picture above. Do you see something else teeny-tiny at the bottom????!!!!
At Bunco that same night I got the baby out of the King Cake!!! So, as the tradition here states:

the tradition of choosing the Queen of Mardi Gras was determined by who drew the prize within The cake. Today, such a find is still deemed to be a sign of good luck and it customary for the person who discovers the hidden plastic baby to host the next King Cake Party!!

WOO HOO!! What a great year to be blessed with even more good luck for this year!!!! I'm ready for the luck to start rolling in! :)

A Sad Day in Shiner

Wow. These pictures brought a tear to my eye! Shiner High School, High School building is no more. The K-3 wing and cafeteria are already gone ... and here's saying goodbye to a building that is laden with history. (taken this morning) Our parents, friends, family and so many others had strolled the halls once upon a time. The new school is great -- but this demolotion tugs at the heartstrings. Good bye SHS! And definitely -- THANKS FOR THE MEMORIES!!!!!

Wreaking havoc on Mrs Sestak's math room ... calculus oh boy!

Saying goodbye to Mrs Jaehne's blue walls. Once was Mrs. Stluka's room too. I sang "I hate Housework" to the tune of "Can't touch this" there in Jr High and spoke all sorts of Spanish as Estella in high school.

Hello bloggers!

Today is my mom's birthday, which means in just over a month I'll be 32. Old like my friend Karena! (I know she never reads this, but even if she did she'd get a good laugh! She's 3 months older than I am! ha!) My mom is such an amazing woman. Never once has she let me down! She truly is my VERY BEST friend in the entire world. There is nothing I could do without her, there is nothing I can't tell her and I'm sure there's things she doesn't want me to tell her! ha ha So have an AWESOME birthday Mom!!!

Today Robert accepted a new job! Way to go babe! I'm so proud of him! He's been wanting a new one for a long while, however the economy pushed him into ramping up his search a little over a week ago. And in a week he's found a new job that he's totally excited about and he is going to be so great at!!! I wish he'd give more credit to himself than he does!

In exactly 8 months and 2 weeks from today Robert and I are walking down the aisle! Kuh-RAY-Z! So exciting, but so much left to do! After March is over, I should have more time to focus on our wedding and really get some things knocked out!

I thought of something really profound this morning, was going to use it as my Facebook note, but heck if I can remember it! HA HA HA Is this a sign of getting old? I hope not!

Also -- if anyone reading this can and does give blood, Nick's Uncle Louis Buzek needs it! He was in a hunting accident last week, which he was very critically wounded. He is still in very unstable conditions. Prayers are needed! Dr Red Duke is his surgeon, so he is in some of the best medical hands in Houston.

Finally -- Robert and I have been living together for about 2 weeks now -- actually, 2 weeks today! That's good stuff! We really are enjoying it. It's been so natural too. I truly am marrying someone that compliments me in so many ways, and I know he feels the same way! I"m assuming all you married friends out there know exactly what I'm talking about!!

Here's to hoping everyone has a wonderfully blessed week and weekend!

Company Appreciation Party

Hey all -- I know I know ... it's been awhile. I've just not been camera-happy, finger-snappy lately, so haven't posted much. As you can see on the previous two blogs -- I have been scouring for pics! Should have some from this coming weekend for ya' next week.

As for this post -- we had the Hess Corporation Employee Appreciation Party at the Hilton Americas on Saturday night. We all had a good time -- I think 1,300 people RSVP'd for it.

Here's a few pics from the evening. Robert and I stayed the night at the hotel and it was like a mini-vacation. We plan to do more of those cause it just worked out TOO WELL! And Miss Sophie was an ANGEL. She stayed at home while we were away and oh she was such a sweetie! Behaved even better than expected! Now -- I'm sure if we do this again soon, she may show us who's boss!

R & J

Andy & Beth

Me & Rob -- although I'm not sure who he's checking out!!!

My how time flies

So this picture is of me almost a year ago. I had just started at Hess and they wanted a picture for our newsletter. These were the glory days. When I had my own office. When I wasn't working on contracts for 6 to 8 different countries, all of which were different. When I didn't have quite so many stacks of files on my desk that I was literally buried! These days at work I share an office. They made this one a shared office, then moved us into a new shared office. I do the work of at least 2 persons. People know I'm swamped because I rarely, and I mean rarely have time to visit or socialize with anyone. It's quite frustrating. I'm thankful to have a job and even more at an oil company ... however ... there are days when I just want to say 'thanks, but no thanks'. However, I perservere. AND .. in 2011 we're moving into Hess Tower into downtown and 'should' have my own office again. HA HA HA 2011. Really.

Christmas is over and so is January, practically

I hated taking down the Christmas decorations. Not only because it's a chore, but I just love the season. So here is one last pic (actually the ONLY pic) of our Christmas tree and beautiful nativity set before it went back into boxes and stored away.

And now JANUARY is almost over? That's craziness!!! Lot's has gone on this year so far, some good, some bad, . . . but we'll perservere and face the challenges head-on and the fun times with gladness.

Hope you all have a great weekend. I'm READY for it. Heading to Shiner for some R&R with the family. Yahoo!

Frustrations!

I have thoroughly enjoyed wedding planning so far! I wish I could take a month off to get things done, but unfortunately that's not feasible. So it's trying to get things done during work breaks and weekends. Luckily I have every other Friday off, so that helps. I can say it feels very surreal right now. Like I'm doing all this planning for someone else. Like I'm not really the BRIDE! Does it ever sink in???

And when you're planning do you continually second guess yourself?? Geez! I could kick my own butt sometimes!

However -- I am having a DOOZIE of a time with bridesmaid dresses. The color I want is only available in the priciest of dresses, which is NOT HAPPENING! I made a mad dash to Ventura's on Saturday with a limited amount of time only to find out I needed a LOT more time there. I've done numerous online searches, but you cannot compare a color online to one in real-life. Oye!

I know it'll all work itself out, however it's driving me crazy in the meantime. Quite a lot hinges on the color of the gals dresses, like the guys tuxes. Robert tried some on last night (and oh my gosh he was SOOOOOOOOOOOO handsome), and there were a couple colors we liked, however I can't give the go ahead until I have the girls dresses figured out. (naturally us ladies are MOST important!) Hee Hee

Anyway -- just writing and venting here ...

On another note, cause I don't like posting without a picture -- here are some fun ones. Enjoy!

Frio Breakfast Stop. Look at all these folks! And still more on the way!

Dogs always make me happy. They are so fun! Always happy.

Miss Sophie -- one FINALLY where she's looking at the camera.

Sophie on Robert's lap as we're cruising down the highway, probably back to Katy from Shiner!

Bella Rose as a puppy. Too cute! Bella as an adult. She's still just as sweet and cute!

Gotta Love the Weekend!

Especially those that are FREE! Robert and I have no real "set in stone" plans this weekend. No doubt we'll still be busier than ever, but nothing that we just HAVE to do.

I still have the Christmas tree up. We took down all the outside decorations last weekend, so it's time for us to hit up the inside. I'm sad to take it down because the Season just came and went so fast! But I need to get off my rear and get it done! ha ha

We do have some errands to run tonight and are likely meeting up with his friends Brian and Kim for dinner in Columbus.

Saturday will be de-decorating day! Saturday afternoon I'm going to Steph's wedding shower which will be good fun! I've got a trip planned to Ventura's before to look at bridesmaid dresses, but mainly color swatches! And hopefully in the evening Robert and I can look into our Honeymoon a bit!

Sunday will be church and undoubtedly more wedding stuff. Like the GUEST list. Wow! That is craziness. But EXCITING!!!!!

We had our first Rodeo meeting last night which was good. Always nice to see so many sweet familiar faces. We went to Watson's after for a couple drinks with the Subsea7 clan then up to Stephanie's to get Sophie and a few things. This morning he mentioned something about "your husband" and it was SO COOL to know that in such LITTLE TIME we'll be a Wife and a Husband. Awesome!

I hope you all have a great weekend, whomever reads this. Know I'm thinking about ya -- cause I'm always thinking about ALL those I love and have cherished friendships with!

Shiner girls representin'!!!!

We hit the Bridal Extravaganza on Sunday and had a great time! I got loads of ideas and even got to see 'my' dress on the runway!!! Yep -- it made the show. It looked sooooo preeeeeeeetyyy!

It was the first time for Jenny, Jillian and Dawn to see it, and was glad to hear they thought it was nice.

Do these shirts look familiar? They are the ones I got all the gals when I asked them to be in the wedding! Mom and I got one too so I thought it would be really cool to wear them to the Extravaganza ... and they were a hit! How many times did we hear "got any beer?" "where did you get those?" "are ya'll from Shiner?" It was pretty cool!

New Year's Eve 2008

So Robert and I had a great low-key New Year's this year!!! We spent it over at Ryan & Shannon's house with them and Danny. We had THE LOUDEST fireworks in the area. By far.

Good times! Happy New Year everyone!!!

Here are Robert and Ryan chopping wood for the fire (so safe after a few drinks!) with this mallet Ryan whittled.
Here is the gang chillin out (literally) before the countdown.

The Loot . . . and only a SMALL portion of it!

Prettiness

Our 3rd New Year's together! A great start to an amazing year!!!!

AFTERMATH

Oh now let's see. How to explain this one? That is me enjoying the last drops of my bottle of red wine. Apparently, as Danny suggested, I'm doing a Soprano's impersonation. Hmm. Could be.

Happy Times

We had an impromtu party at Robert's house this past weekend! Talk about a good time! Thank you to EVERYONE who came over for it!!! Let's do it again soon!

The host & hostess and of course Sophie!

Michelle posing for the camera. Hot momma!!

Jamie & Karena lookin smokin' hot, of course! :)

Hangin out: Nick (so sweet and so single!), Patsy & Taylor (also sweet and also single!)

Robert and 3 of his groomsmen: Mike, Ryan & Danny

Snack time!

Francina & Greg hanging out watching the football game

2009 - Back at Work already!

Man -- I don't know how many of ya'll are suffering today like I am. It is all I can do to get some good work done today. I've been muddling through but the motivation is JUST NOT THERE YET!!!!

2009 is going to be a busy year. Most importantly with our wedding! It's so exciting! And we go so much done over the holiday's. Of course ya'll know me I want it ALL done like yesterday, but I'm managing to not get too overly excited or stressed. I am just so happy about the leaps and bounds we've made so far! Yahoo! More details of that to come.

I wanted to share a picture of our His and Hers Washer and Dryer! HA HA HA This is Robert and my FIRST purchase together. They are AWESOME too!!! I'm not sure if the washer is HIS and the dryer is HERS, but I like to think the Washer is mine and the Dryer is his. (then HE gets to take the clothes out and fold them, not me!) Right? Right! ha ha

Last night was Robert and my first night apart in over 2 weeks and it was so hard to leave. But I needed to get back to Steph's and missed visiting with her over the past weeks. I slept good but was just lonely. He didn't get to bed till after midnight, said he just couldn't sleep. That's a cool feeling. (not that he couldn't sleep, but the feeling of oneness when we are together).

Yesterday I went up to the barn with him so he could attach a bracket to Jr's pigs water spiggot and I was watching him work and tears welled up in my eyes because I just love this man so much. I never knew I could love someone like this. I love my Mom and Dad, sisters and brother, grandparents and family so much -- but the love I have for Robert is different. He truly does complete me.

Thoughts and "lasts"

Hello everyone -- HAPPY FRIDAY!!! Can you tell I'm excited? I'm really hoping to get all my work stuff done so I can enjoy the time I should be having off. I really really don't want to "work from home" but inevitably will and I really don't want to "come in on Monday" but still may. Oye.

So I just reminded myself of something as I was responding to my good friend Stephanie's recent blog -- I've had some of my first last's recently!!!! What do I mean?

Now that I'm ENGAGED! (yah! Yahoo! YIPPEE!) I've experienced some "last's" and there's NO TURNING BACK FOR ME, no siree bob!

I've had my last Halloween as a single lady. (we got engaged the friday before)
Robert's had his last Birthday as a single man!
We've both had our last Thanksgiving as Mr Corkren and Miss Chumchal. Next year will be Mr & Mrs Corkren. (cool!)

And I'm about to celebrate my last Christmas as a Chumchal. Well, ya'll know what I mean. :)

Some really cool "lasts". 10 months and it's all going forward from there!

MERRY CHRISTMAS with lots of love from Jamie CHUMCHAL! hee hee