OOOOOOOk-lahoma!!!!

My dad requested pictures of the place that I am staying while in Oklahoma, so here it is! This first picture is of the lake off of my apartment. It really is pretty to see, though not the cleanest little lake... If you can see it, across the lake is a pool and a pavillion. It has been so blasted hot while we've been here (seriously, every day has reached above 100 degrees), that I haven't even ventured to the pool. Maybe when it cools down... We go to the pavillion most every night for dinner, which is included in rent! Eric enjoys breakfast there, but I prefer to sleep!

I love to look for turtles in the lake! There are so many of them! When you catch them taking a breath, they dive deep as soon as they know you're looking and really make me frustrated!

Here is our dining area, which suits our purposes just fine. We've had some friends from the academy here a couple times. Funny enough, one of the guys that comes over graduated from good ol' WJHS a couple years before Eric! What a small world...

And of course, the kitchen. We have a ramen noodle pan, a mac'n'cheese pan, a scrambled egg pan, and a pan for me to boil noodles for spaghetti! Just kidding, I haven't even made spaghetti here, though we really do have a ramen noodle pan! I brought my crock pot with us, and on Sundays we enjoy a crock pot dinners.

We have a chair (not comfortable), and a couch that looks just like it only bigger (also not comfortable).

This is where Eric spends most of his time when he's at home. And yes, most of the time he's eating a popcicle. And yes, most of the time he's wearing either a Batman or Rocky shirt.

Our bed that I have given to Eric, I now sleep on a twin size air mattress. What a sruggle for two tall people to go from a comfortable king size bed to a full... I found myself not sleeping well at night because I wanted to make sure he was sleeping well! I would sleep on a tiny corner and not move at all! We are both much more comfortable now!

And one of the most interesting things of this apartment is our washer/dryer. Exactly, a washer/dryer. You put clothes in the wash, and in 4 hours they come out dry. You have to drape your clothes over the entire apartment after they are done to let the steam dry off so they don't wrinkle. Wierdest thing I've ever seen, 2nd only to the ducks I'm about to show you. Needless to say, I have resorted to using the laundry facilities with a normal washer and dryer.

Let me introduce you to the baby Moscovy duck:

They are really cute and friendly, walk right up when you have some bread.

At least they're cute and friendly until they grow up, then you get this:

They are the funniest-looking things. They don't quack, and when they get nervous or defensive (or excited, I don't know) They wag their entire back sides. When feeding them bread, I was surprised to see the mama ducks eating the bread before the baby ducks. And the red mask just makes them look like they are trying to be a super hero. I'm not a fan. Give me a Mallard anyday.

It has only rained once while we've been here, but when it rains it pours! Eric got golf-ball sized hail a the academy, and we got a little hail at the apartments too. The worst part, though, was the flood on my porch, that ended up in my apartment! I soaked it all up with the towels we had, then when I went to get more towels, I locked myself out of the apartment altogether. What a day! I hope that doesn't happen again!


Let me give you a typical day in the life of Stephanie while Eric is slaving away at school: I wake up around 10:00ish (after 10-12 hrs of sleep), eat breakfast, go back to bed and read my kindle until noon or 1:00, get up and do my Insanity workout (which is, in fact, insane), take my leisurely time showering and resting since it is so blasted hot out here, and hope that I am ready by the time Eric gets home. Eric gets home at about 4:00, and while he does Insanity himself, I watch HGTV, surf the internet, or perhaps read my book again. Sometimes, if I get up early enough, I shop, though I try not to go outside in this heat. Here are a couple things I've learned from this rigorous schedule: I love Dear Geneveive, anything by Sarah Richardson, and Property Virgins, Eric and I will apply for Property Virgins when the time is right to buy a house, and lastly, I will never have a time again where I can be this lazy until I am on my death bed. So, I'm going to enjoy it. I'm going to make sure that Eric has all his needs met, make sure that my house is clean and that I am presentable when he gets home, make sure we invite people over for dinner on Sundays, and that I don't feel guilty for this time! I think its a blessing! Hopefully this is what my body needs to have a baby!
I'm visiting Nashville in two weeks, and I CAN'T WAIT to see everybody there (including you, best friend)! Then I'm going to Utah for a little over a week to help my sister who just broke all the bones in her ankle! She was in surgery for almost 7 hours and now has some major implanted hardware! She is starting her first year as a school counselor, has 4 very active kids, and has not right foot to drive with, noon-weight-bearing for 6-12 weeks! I'm so sorry, Julie!
So, this is my life in a nut-shell right now! I'll have to post pics of wind sweeping down plains and waving wheat and such!