November is almost done!

Season's Greetings friends! We have made it through Thanksgiving.So here is what has been going on. My work news... I am slowly making the transition to inpatient at OCH. I will continue to work outpatient in the afternoons.  I am very exciting about the new opportunities that are coming.

Two weeks ago I spent an amazing weekend with some great friends! My road trip started with lunch in Waco with my favorite Baylor Bear. Kaitlyn and I spent a long time talking Georges. We discussed pretty much everything and nothing all at the same time. My next stop was a quick trip to the outlet mall in San Marcos. I love that town and I realize that I do not get down there often enough!

My final destination was San Antonio a weekend with the Mackerers! We had a great time. Friday we went to dinner and caught up. It is strange how much conversations have changed as the years have passed. But the laughter seems to be the same. Saturday we participated in a walk for ovarian cancer awareness walk. We helped Kristin reached her goal!!!

The rest of the day we spent eating, drinking and laughing!

Sunday I started the long journey back to Arlington. Kristin and I spent some more time at the outlet malls. The place we had spent so much time in college...but now we had money to spend :) After my morning shopping I had lunch in Austin with Sarah and Megan. I love spending time with them it's like we don't live 4 hours away from them. We went to the most amazing Italian resturant, Mandola's Italian Market. I think we had every combination of bread and cheese possible. With sweets to end the day.  I finally made it home.

Thanksgiving. Since Gary had to work at 3, we had Thanksgiving lunch at our house at noon I cooked everything except the pumpkin pie that Gary made. It was all pretty good if i do say so myself :) Also during lunch we took a little field trip to our dream house which is back on the market. The rest of the weekend I spent working and working.

I am so excited for the upcoming holiday season. Our house is already decorated and most of the Christmas presents are bought. Gary had his bid and he will be continuing on east side evenings. However, he will not have Monday and Tuesday off which means... every Monday holiday plus Christmas Eve and Christmas off next year! Yay for that.

2012 is looking like a busy year for the Sims. We have several vacations planned to Key West and Colorado, some weddings and hopefully a house to call all our own. Happy Holidays. I can't wait to see my family and celebrate all this year has given us.

I am Thankful....

Everyone on facebook is listing things that they are thankful for in their lives. I think it is a great idea... however knowing myself I know that I won't update everyday... So here are the 30 things I am thankful for! Just as a disclaimer... please don't take these as rankings!

1. Gary. I have the most amazing husband and best friend in my life and I am more thankful for him than I can ever express.

2. My Family. I have an amazing immediate and extensive family... and now I have amazing in-laws...Gary and I are so lucky to have supportive parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles. Plus they know how to party!

3. Jake and Millie. They truly brighten my day.

4. Amazing Friends. I have the best friends a girl could ask for! Even if we don't see each other all the time, when we do it's like nothing has changed. I have been through so much with these girls!

5. OCH- (Our Children's House). Even though I do complain about my job (who doesn't), I have some of the best patients. co-workers and opportunities a recent graduate could ask for.

6. The Jeep. As my first major purchase after I graduated I can't express how thankful I am for my Jeep. It is perfect for me right now!

7. Texas State University. How can I not be thankful for that campus? I learned so much and had the best time. Go Bobcats!

8. Toms, Uggs, and Sperrys. Footwear of choice when not wearing flip flops.

9. Junior League of Arlington. These ladies have welcomed me with open arms. I am thankful to belong to a fun- loving, passionate and selfless group. I definitely think that I am going to be a better person for joining.

10. Alpha Xi Delta. I met some of my best friends in that house and I can never be thankful enough for those 4 years of my life... even if I am just a little bit bitter....  :)

11. Flying Fish. It is just really good food!

12. Wearing scrubs to work.

13. University of North Texas. I loved that campus. It is beautiful and full of hippies! It was the prefect fit for me for graduate school!

14, Most Blessed Sacrament. It is a wonderful church that I am thankful to be apart of.

15. Texas Rangers. More specifically baseball in October! But good baseball all year long.

16. Katy Tiger Football. I think anyone who has been to a game would agree. There is something special about going back to your high school 8 years later and still enjoying a high school football game. I would argue it is the one place that people feel it is acceptable to wear their letter jackets after they graduate. (Not sure if I would agree...) I love that my parents still have 6 season tickets and never miss a game.

17. Heart of Katy Craft Show baked potato. They are delicious.

18. Crock Pot. It is so easy to make delicious food... and thanks to the new crock pot liners they clean easily too.

19. Gary's Bulletproof Vest and Backup Gun. I think this one is easy.

20. The Lake House. I love spending time up there. I am so glad that our family has such amazing traditions.

21. The Czech Stop. I think I was hungry when I was making the list.

22. That most of my friends live in Austin. Perfect reason to visit!

23. Our Wedding Day. It was perfect!

24. Opportunity to Travel. Key West and Colorado in the works for 2012.

25. Texas Country Music and Jimmy Buffett.

26. Great BBQ.

27. LA Fitness. I don't use it as much as I should but I am thankful I have access.

28. Sunday Afternoons. I don't do anything and it is awesome!

29. 7's jeans. They seem to fit just right.

30. The Outlet Mall. Really I tried not to be shallow but it really is one of my favorite places.

So I know I have so much more to be thankful for, and I just need to work on being thankful everyday. I hope everyone is having a wonderful start to this holiday season!

When did life happen....

Well I did join the Junior League. It has turned into a fabulous opportunity for me to meet people, volunteer and feel more connected to Arlington. I know it sounds cheesy, but I am getting to a point were I am ok with that in my life. What else is happening... Lots of possible career stuff for both Gary and I but post more about that when we have some definite plans....

So much is/ has happened I don't know how to process it all. First of all my very dear friend lost her mother to cancer in September. It really hit me hard, I couldn't imagine how difficult it would be to lose a parent at this point in my life. But what hit me equally as hard was how strong my dear friend was. Without any hesitation she just took care of things, she even had the strength to speak at the funeral.. As I reflected on the situation later I realized I don't think I would have been that strong. Anyways I am in awe of how strong she is and I hope that she realizes how much of an inspiration she is to me.

That is about it for now... New goal post once a week! I'm sure it will be easy with the holidays and so much going on!

What's a married woman to do....

When I met Gary he told me that he was going to be a police officer. So I knew that this was going to be my life, and I prepared myself for Christmas, Easter, and Thanksgiving alone and the potential danger that he would be in every day. What I wasn't exactly prepared for was the daily loneliness. The holidays that aren't big, Memorial Day, Labor Day, the 4th of July. So the moral of the story is... I need to make friends in Arlington. So how does 1 go about making friends in a new town when you aren't in college anymore. Answer I really don't know.... we haven't bought a house yet so I can't have fun neighbor friends. I love my work friends but it's hard to hang out with them since no one lives close to Arlington... So I am back to where I started from. I guess I could join the Arlington Police's Wife Association. But am I going to have anything in common with any of those women besides the fact that our husbands work for the same department? Church? Could I find friends there? Alpha Xi Delta Alumni Association? Texas State Alumni Association?

I really just don't know the answer.... I have had no revelation while writing this so basically I am just feeling sorry for myself this weekend. Especially since Gary said I can't work as much as I have been. Sad to say that my hobbies were working on the weekends and planning a wedding. So now what do I do?  

I actually wrote that last weekend thinking that I would come up with a solution over a week. Well I didn't. I even tried to email the Junior League of Arlington... their email was full. Maybe I'll try again later.

So this weekend I am in San Antonio at a training for work. On the way down I stopped in Waco to see Kaitlyn at Baylor. We had a great visit and seeing her dorm room made me realize how much I miss Texas State and the good old college days :) Anyways not to be sappy but I really am thankful for all of the friends that I made at Texas State.

Sorry this post was super random and sappy... but if anyone has ideas to keep me busy or a hobby I should take up let me know.

Officially Mrs. Kayla Sims

Today I officially became Mrs. Kayla Sims according to the federal government and the State of Texas. Really I have been Kayla Sims since August 13, 2011. It is easy to say that that was the best day of our lives to this point. Just a little recap of that weekend...

August 12- Rehearsal Dinner... Rehearsal went great! The Rehearsal dinner was a blast, we had Los Cucos (a Katy tradition) at the Knights of Columbus hall. We had amazing food, tasty cupcakes, good drinks and great friends. The dinner ended with a dance lesson from Kaitlyn, Cliff and Aaron. From there we were able to hang out with old friends at Baker Street. We had a great time... some more than others. I was actually picked up from the bar by Uncle Dale and Uncle Dan, who gave both Gary and I some good advice that night. I was able to go home and fall right asleep. I don't think Gary had a hard time either.

August 13- The Wedding Day! My morning started bright and early with a hair appointment at 9am with my mom, Elizabeth, Alice, and Alexa. I wouldn't say that I was nervous but I was glad when Alison offered to get me some apple juice. I have to say that Caffery Photography was amazing!! They were there bright and early with us and stayed until the very end. After we had our hair done at Salon Victoria, we headed to The Tuscany Villa to finish getting ready. At that point the rest of my fabulous bridesmaids and readers joined us. Getting ready was a blur, the shaky stomach was back for a little bit. During that time i sent my sister to give Gary his wedding gift. A brand new Tag Heuer watch. He was very excited. I am not sure what the boys did during this time but I did hear about a football game and lots of Chic- Fil-A.

I can honestly say that shaky stomach thing went away as soon as I put on my wedding dress. I felt amazing in that dress and it seemed to have a magical way of making me very calm. Next we hopped on the party bus and headed to the church. I have to say we definitely had the best flower girl. She kept everyone entertained. Once we got to the church and finished pictures I was ready to get the show on the road. Until the fear that no one was going to show up set in... I was quickly assured that people would show up and they did. The ceremony was great. Everything went perfect.... well almost. I slipped on my dress and almost fell, Gary was feeling the night before and I wasn't sure if he was going to make it, and as we were leaving the photographer's photo lens fell off and we both ended up kicking it. Deacon Bill's homily was great. (even if my grandpa thinks it was too long). 

Then it was off to the reception! Safe to say that everyone had a great time. There was plenty of food, drinks, dancing and the most wonderful people to share it with. There were several emotional moments for me including anything that had to do with my dad, dancing with my brothers and uncles and probably the biggest tear jerker for me was an amazing dance that I shared with my Grandpa. Just thinking about it I get misty eyed. I am so grateful and lucky to have and continue to have strong male role models in my life. The cake was delicious. (the small piece that I got) And the evening ended with bird seed and us being whisked away to a historical hotel in downtown Houston. It was a perfect evening... The next morning my brothers who were sent to pick us up ended up in downtown... Clear Lake. But eventually we made it back to Katy and had a little BBQ to open gifts and share stories from the evening before. Then it was off to bed for a very early flight and off to St. Lucia for the honeymoon.

The honeymoon was great! I won't bore anyone with those stories, but basically we ate (alot), drank, and made friends with a local named Robo. We had a blast then it was back to the real world.

So that brings us to today... social security and DPS. That was an experience all its own. But probably my fault for going on a Friday afternoon. Well I think that is about it, Gary and I are starting our new lives. I am happy to share our stories but mostly we wanted to chronicle our lives together. Enjoy!