OklaHOMEa

I remember at the beginning of the year Matt and I had been going back and forth with each other and our travel agent as to where we wanted to go this summer. The summer didn't look like it would be nearly as busy as last summer, and with 9 months including his training and work trips, and my going back and forth to school every week and all of the running around that we do (attending every piece of "home" we could manage) we thought a trip with just the two of us would be a really good way to catch up. We're always catching up on life, but we needed to just relax and catch up on us. After a lot of discussion, we finally decided to go to Costa Rica. It is my most favorite place in the entire world (well, the entire world that I have seen thus far). I really want to surf again, I want to take a siesta while it rains, I want Matt to fall in love with it as much as I am so when we win the lottery one day we can buy a second home there.

Little did I know that shortly after booking the trip, Matt would get a job offer in Oklahoma City that we couldn't refuse. The biggest portion that we couldn't refuse was that it was in Oklahoma. Ever since he moved to Midland we have talked about where we would like to live when we get back and all the fun stuff we will do and how much easier holidays and football and time with our friends will be. That was all a distant thought though. I figured we would get back after I finished my program. Remember that??? The school I've committed myself to for about 40-60 hours each week for the last year??? Well the Lord works in mysterious and surprising ways  sometimes and Matt and I decided that this felt like God was telling us to move and so we listed our house and bought another one.

Just for the record, being a grown up is nuts. I don't feel any level of qualified to sign anything that has to be notarized.

I went to Atlanta for a weekend for an Adeepi conference, got off the plane Sunday evening, and Monday morning my mom flew down (bless her) to help me get a few things in order before I came to stay with Matt. We lived in a hotel for about a week (2 weeks for Matt) and then it was time for moving day. Lisa was kind enough to go down with me to help supervise and movers.

Nothing says you have a ton of crap than having a semi-truck take up your street to load your stuff. This is for 3 families, but there weren't any other families....

 These guys were in charge of "crating" our T.V.s They come out and build the crate on site. I think the crates may have been worth more than the T.V.s

 Remember our office that we worked so hard on and loved? Hope the new guys like it...

 Good bye guest room. I am very impressed with how many people stayed in that room in the last year. We truly have some amazing friends.

 And right there. Tears welled up when I walked away. The very place where Matt proposed.

 Matt was so sweet and got me a house charm for my charm bracelet.

Welcome to our new home! I would post pictures of the new house, but I really want you to come see it for yourself. Let me know when you're free!!

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Another Shout Out to the Moms

Matt and I were in the car the other day going on a date because when you're married and have no kids and just want to go to the movie at that moment, you can. You don't have to ask for permission. You don't have to call a sitter. If you have an extra 20 bucks, then you're free to do as you please. We were talking and we passed by a soccer field and it had to be a thousand degrees outside. We saw all of the kids playing and I look at Matt and say, "Wow, parents are pretty amazing. Think of how busy we are, getting every thing done with the house and working on paper work and you're working and I am teaching and we have had these trips, and we've been out of town every weekend and it's all so much. Other people have just as much on their plates, but they even make time for soccer practice."

He agreed and said "It really is incredible what people turn into when they become parents. They just seem to make time for their kids activities because it's a priority".
I returned with, "You know, as busy as we are, it's actually pretty fascinating that so many parents get their kids to graduate high school, let alone all of the extra stuff that many parents seem to do too. I mean, for 18 years they did stuff like enrolled their child, had them clothed, and fed, and up and ready and actually got them to school enough days that they graduated. Incredible!"
Then Matt replies, "Yeah, it's like the ultimate Giga Pet".
Hand to forehead.

Remember Giga Pets????

I know that we're technically old enough to have kids. I know that our parents would love it. I have friends that have kids and they're doing a great job. We even still hang out! Danielle's daughter, Serenity, is the most precious little human. We went to a flea market with Danielle and Joe and Serenity last week and Serenity wanted to walk around and see all of the puppies. I wanted to visit with Danielle so I handed Serenity to Matt and I'd be lying if I said that watching him hold her and walk around and engage with her about how every farm animal "goes" didn't melt my heart, and make me reconsider for a fraction of a moment the whole school thing. I feel extremely convicted to stay the course and finish school. I feel that God has big plans for me in academia and it's a niche where I feel comfortable and feel that I can succeed and feel fufilled in my work, all while getting to be a mom.... one day.

I've been working all morning cleaning the house and doing to preparations for the move. I'm going to Atlanta for an Adeepi conference, so I have to get about 1000 ducks in a row by Wednesday. It's just me! No one else is demanding my time (not even Pistol!). But somehow I wonder how I'll get it all done, and what if I DID have distractions? (Except those self inflicted distractions like wanting to go lay out at the pool and go to a movie with some friends....)

My big and my g-big both had babies in May and I know that they're going to be wonderful mothers. They're successful and bright, and so capable. I'm glad I have them to look up to because I can't even imagine doing it all right now. So to all of you moms out there reading this, thanks for being a good role model, because I have no clue how you do it.

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The House on the Monopoly Streets

I may be a little biased, but I think Matt's and my "how we met" story is pretty cute. In Stillwater, OK, my little, Anna said that a few friends were going to her boyfriend's house to play games and just hang out for a chill night in. She was the homecoming chair that year and had made a lot of friends with the Delts, so some of the boys came over. I had never met Matt before and we all sat down to play, and I may or may not have cheated a time or two (Monopoly is a long game and lets face it, I was going to win ;) ). I had Matt's attention pretty early on, and he had mine. It was all history from there.

Well it turns out that our first home is in a neighborhood with streets all named after monopoly properties. We live on Oriental. It's pretty cute and felt meant to be. It also makes for a good story ;)

We also got engaged in this home. After he asked me to marry him, my first response was "yes!" and my second comment was.. "Now I am never going to be able to sell this house!"
Little did I know that in a short year I would.

Our house went on the market yesterday afternoon. We have had 2 house showings in less than 24 hours. This is encouraging! However, I have issues with change. I don't mind things being "in addition to" what we already have going on. But I typically dislike having to exchange one thing for another.

Last night we had several friends over to watch the game and just hang out one more time before we move. It was such a good time that after every one left, I was a little sad. These are good people. This house has done a lot of entertaining in the last year. I'm truly excited about all of opportunities for us in Oklahoma. Family, Life long friends, a new house, closer to OSU, less long long trips to Oklahoma what seemed like every other week, all great things. But It's hard to think of what we are leaving behind. Why can't I just have it all???

But the good thing about the 21st century is that if there's a will, there's absolutely a way. Internet, social networking, no fees for long distance calls, cars, planes and the list goes on allows for an opportunity that if people want to stay close, they will.

So before we go, here's a few photos of the house that has held memories of my first year of marriage, times and experiences that I'll hold onto forever.

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Big News!

Let me go ahead and and tell you right off the bat that no, Matt and I are not having a baby. Not right now anyway. But, for where we are in our lives right now, for us this news is just as exciting!

Now that the boss man knows, we can officially tell people that Matt has accepted a new job in Oklahoma City and we are moving home. I can safely say that in our first year of marriage, we made the 6+ hour drive each way to Oklahoma at least 16 times. I might be grossly undershooting that one. I know that since the end of July we have put 25,000 miles on my car, so we're goin somewhere. Season tickets to OSU football games, holidays, and special events call us home on a pretty regular basis.

Oklahoma is just where our heart is, and we do know that if we do start a family in the next several years, we would want to do it closer to our parents.

We put in an offer for a house in Edmond yesterday. I feel like one should feel older to be doing things like putting an offer on a house, but I guess life doesn't wait for you to be ready for it. I feel hopeful that the house is going to work out. If not, well then that just means that God has a better option waiting for us.

Yes, I am still going to go to school at Tech. Instead of living in Midland and going to Oklahoma all the time, we will live in Oklahoma and I will regularly travel to Tech. It will be a little trying, but wont be much different than what we already do. Plus- during those 40 day Christmas breaks, I can spend them at home instead of using up Matt's vacation time to spend a few days at home.

So if you're inclined to such things, we would love some prayer for this extremely exciting time in our lives. If you're in Oklahoma, please come visit us. Looks like we will be there in just over a month! Now I have a paper and test to write. Then I need to run errands and pack for Vegas. A post of our upcoming adventure coming soon!

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The Things I've Learned in a Year

I hate to be cliche, but I absolutely cannot believe it has been an entire year. It makes me wonder if I'm going to blink and be 85, sitting in a rocking chair, holding Matt's hand talking about how quickly 60 years went by. Talk about a need to savor every moment!

I can honestly say that this year has been the best year of my life. I wish I could say that it's because all I've experienced was rainbows and butterflies, the fairytale that all girls dream of. That's the idea I get from most girls on Facebook any way (and can I just say, and I may dedicate a blog post to it, I think Facebook is severely distorting what marriage really is and I think encourages people to over exaggerate how magical it all is, which I believe in turn peer pressures people into getting married before they're ready- anyway... back on topic). I think marriage in many ways has taught me to grow as a person.

If you're a dedicated blog reader of mine (haha! I'm not even a dedicated blog creator these days), you will know that Matt and I spent a great deal of time apart during our dating time. We spent about a year and a half pretty much inseparable during college, but then I graduated and moved to Tulsa while Matt finished school in Stillwater. Then Matt moved to Midland which I stayed in Tulsa to finish up school. I have nothing in the world against waiting until one is in their late twenties (or older!) to begin thinking about marriage, I actually encourage it. But at 24, it was the right time in Matt and my lives to continue our life together. I don't regret it for a moment. Is it what I thought it would be when I was young? Not really. For some reason I spent a lot of time thinking the Disney 90 minute cartoon version of marriage was what life would be like, instead of looking to my parents who had sustained a 30 year marriage, showing Joe and I what true love was. Now that I'm married, I've quickly realized that the Little Mermaid, Cinderella, and yes, even the Notebook, are literally figments of some one's imagination, and if you want to see a love story to model your life by, it's probably about a generation or two away for just about every one.

But enough philosophy, lets get to the promise of the title. What has a year of marriage taught me? Well neither of us have enough to work with a comprehensive list, but I'll give you some high lights. How 'bout a good 'ol Top 10 for old time's sake? Yeah.. that sounds like fun. And as always... these are in no particular order.

1) While Matt may not have been the most eco-friendly guy when I met him, he really shows kindness and support in his heart to support my convictions for the earth, and I think he has in some ways adopted them himself.

For example, he created this recycling system in our garage before I even moved in and I never even asked him to do it. He just took it upon himself knowing it would be important to me. He also diligently takes the recycling every couple of weeks to the drop off sites, and doesn't complain about it. Not to me any way.

And here's the composter. At first, Matt sort of hated the composter. I won it at a home and garden show, and these suckers are sort of expensive, so I was stoked. He didn't like the idea. We all know what a composter is, right? Well if not, I'll tell you. This is a bin that sits in our garden and it has a lid on top. You put all of your fruit and vegetable scraps (you wouldn't believe how much we have of this DAILY), and yard clippings and what not. You're supposed to get a good Carbon to Nitrogen ratio in there, and you're also supposed to turn it (I turn it with a rake, but they make some that are circular so you can turn it with a handle and it's a lot easier). Over time, all of this organic material hangs out and decomposes (it doesn't stink though), and it makes a nutrient rich dirt. Isn't science fun!? So not only are we significantly decreasing what we send to the land fill, but we're also creating a compost that we can put on our garden. I love it. We've been putting stuff in that thing for a year and it always seems to remain about 3/4 full. Matt has gotten a little more on board, and at least takes the vegetable and fruit scraps out there daily, and for that I love him.

2) Now these awesome footie pajamas I found at Target and immediately got an idea for our Christmas card. Oh my. I never thought he would ever in a million years do this. Sometime in October we were in the kitchen and I looked at Matt and said, "Honey, sometimes in marriage when you love someone, you have to do something that you may not necessarily want to do," then I led into something about footie pajamas. He agreed at the time, I guess thinking I would forget. I never forget. This may be my favorite picture of us of all time.
What a sport.

3) I still have to work on this all the time, but I'm getting a better idea of what is worth fighting over. Choosing not to speak kindly can really hurt a day, and it's just not worth it. I'd rather have fun and do what ever activity planned that day than sit and argue over something unimportant. But one thing I have learned, is that if you want to get Matt mad... forget to clean out the lint trap in the dryer. Apparently it's more important to some people than others. Something about burning the house down.

4) We are ridiculous human beings who really value entertaining. No matter the theme.

We had a birthday party for our dog. This inspired the cupcakes I made, but I can't find the picture.

Luau themed birthday party for me. And a beer themed birthday party for him. We also had a BCS championship watch party during the middle of a snow storm. Good times.


5) We work really well together. This office is a room that I love. I think I love it even more because I was sure that doing a project like this together would surely spell the end of our brief marriage. On the contrary! I think we may try to do several projects like this together.

5) We're always going to bleed orange. I never grew up loving college sports. I didn't even realize until I got to OSU that students cared about going to games. I was a little misguided. After a year of traveling all over creation and putting about a gazillion miles on my car, I think this dedication is here to last.

6) We LOVE to travel. In 1 year we went to St. Lucia, Oklahoma probably a dozen times (or more), San Antonio, Scottsdale, AZ, Fredericksburg, and tons of day trips. This summer we're going to Vegas and Costa Rica. I LOVE this part of our marriage. We value memories over possessions, and I think that's the way it should be.

7) I've learned that gardening is tons of fun (we're old people). But it's also extremely difficult in the desert with clay soils and only watering once a week. But we love to eat veggies out of our garden.

  If you live in Oklahoma, you may not be impressed. If you live in Midland, you should be amazed!!! We have cherry tomatoes coming out our ears!!

What's that?? Green grass? No way!

8) Homie has a lot of socks. I knew Matt 3.5 years before we got married, but until I started doing his laundry, I had no idea about the socks. 3. THREE. Tres. Drawers for socks. Just socks. What?
I can barely find socks that match. A little quirk that you figure out after you get married I guess. And I suppose it could be worse...

9) If our relationship with our dog is anything like how we will be with our children, I understand if you don't want to babysit. Just kidding. Pistol is a great dog, but if we can love a little creature so much, I can't even imagine what we will be like with our own little human. I am not a dog person at all, but Pistol lights up my life every day, and in some strange way, I think our mutual love for him strengthens our marriage.

10) The biggest thing I have learned so far about marriage is to think outside myself. I like to say that I'm generally caring person who genuinely tries to be thoughtful of the feelings of others. But this is a different kind of relationship that I daily find confirmation was designed by God. This isn't a business transaction or a piece of paper. It's a commitment to making each other better. We really do make a great team, even when we make mistakes. We always ultimately have each other's best interest at heart. It's really nice to know that you have someone unconditionally in your corner. Matt's success is my success and vice versa.

They say that the first year of marriage is the hardest. If that's true, this is going to be awesome.

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Mixed Emotions

I can not recall a time in my life when I have felt so many intense emotions in a short amount of time. Last Wednesday I left Lubbock to go home for about a week. I stayed with my mother and father in law the first night and picked up my puppy who I so so desperately missed (he was away for about 3 weeks, because my in laws were kind enough to watch him while Matt and I were both out of town in different places). Seeing my puppy ( and my in laws) helped make my heart feel whole after an extremely draining couple of weeks working on finals.

The next day I headed "home" and saw my mom and dad and brother, and hugged the neck of my best friend and got to play with the sweetest little girl who I believe must have grown a foot since the last time I saw her. My heart felt even more whole.

Friday evening, I watched one of my heros graduate at the top of his class from high school. My baby brother, Joe. Proud is an understatement. He even mentioned me when he gave his valedictorian speech. He spoke of how much he admired me and looked up to me for pursuing my education. Of course I cried. What a special evening that I will never forget.

The next morning, I picked up my best friend in the whole world to take to her graduation in Shawnee. It took her a while, but amongst having a full time job, and a child, that girl showed the world what determination was about and I sat there and cried, so proud to call her my friend when they called her name to receive her bachelor's degree. She is an incredible individual and I was so so blessed to get to share that day with her.

That evening, my parents threw a graduation party for my little brother. Family came in from out of town and I got to play with my three year old cousin, visit with my aunt and uncle, and sing with my cousin Dakota. We sang "The House that Built Me" for my mom, I watched her get a little emotional from such a special song. That's a memory that I'm not likely to forget.

Mother's day was really  nice, and I was blessed to get to surprise my mom with a pair of earrings that she had really wanted. I also felt really blessed to be there that day. We live so far and sometimes I have to miss major events, which really breaks my heart. My mom had surgery recently, and it made me feel terrible that I couldn't be there with her. But on that day, Mother's day, I was there for my mom.

The next day (Monday), I got to be there to celebrate my best friend's birthday. We saw "The Lucky One" and got our nails done and had lunch. It reminded me of all the great times we've spent together. It reminded me that time and distance will not have an affect on our relationship.

I also got to take some graduation pictures of her that evening. I'm starting to get back in to photography, and that makes me happy.

I had lunch with a wonderful friend, Brandie on Tuesday. I hadn't seen her in a really long time and getting to catch up was great. After I visited with Brandie, I went to go see my grandpa. I knew that he had been having a rough patch, so I wanted to check on him. I walked in the door an knew something was wrong. The nurse and doctor said that it wasn't looking good. However, we had been told that before. I thought I said my final goodbye to him 8 years ago, but he's been with us enriching our lives ever since. I called my mom and she went up to stay with him. I had a bad feeling about it, so I took my brother back up there and let him know how much I loved him and what a blessing he had been to my life.

The next morning Joe and I headed to Midland. We had to get back and I had some stuff for work to sort out. I got a call from Matt that day that a family friend, Angie, had passed away. We were aware that it was coming soon, but it was still really heart breaking. I believe she was 38 years old. My love and prayer goes to her family, and to Matt's sister, who was Angie's sister in law and best friend.

Then I read that my dear friend Crissy, had her baby boy Mason. I knew she was so so excited to be a momma, and I am so pleased with her little blessing. She and Chase are going to make wonderful parents.

Today I woke up and started getting the house put together before we leave again. I went grocery shopping and made lunch. Then I got a call from my dad. My grandpa has left this world. It's so so sad to see him go. My mom and he had gotten very close since he moved down here about 8 years ago. He enriched our lives in so many ways. I know that God has his perfect timing, but it still hurts to know that he is not here any more. We used to take him chocolate shakes all the time when we would visit him. After Joe and I collected ourselves, we went out and had a chocolate shake for him.

When I got home, I saw that one of my best friends, Krissy, had her baby girl Amelia today. I had been praying for quite a while for a safe and wonderful baby and momma when this special day came. I am so happy for her and Scott. They're going to be great parents, Amelia is lucky to have them.


It's amazing how many ways life can turn. Happy, Joyful, Despair, Peace, Sorrow, Glee. I've felt all of these things in the last week. I'm grateful, not only for the happy moments that have occurred, but also to have had the opportunity to know those who we have lost.

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No Time For An Update

I get so tired of talking about how busy I am and how school swamps my life so I'm not gonna. But if you are wondering what's the deal with the lack of blogging? Well I'll let you judge for yourself.
Here's the brief version of the last month:

For Spring Break, Matt and I went to Fredericksburg and San Antonio for a long weekend. Fredericksburg is a land of wineries, so we hit up as many as we could. We even took a tour because clearly we were only there for learning purposes.

GrapeCreek Vineyard.

Some how they got us to sign up for a "wine club" where they ship us wine every month. I think they're giving out too many samples. I was sure of  it when we got the first bill.

We rented a little 2 person cabin. It was really cute. When I first walked up to the door I realized I could have gotten charged for breaking and entering. I thought the barking dog was sort of strange. Turned out I was at the wrong cabin....

It was a cool feature that there was a whirlpool tub. The downside? That was all there was. Haven't taken a bath to wash my hair in a really long time. Not a fan.

We even went to a bourbon distillery. It was really cool. The downside? They give you free beer at the beginning and there's not a bathroom to be seen until the end of the tour. Too much?

Oh- and if any one tells you to take a big gulp of "white dog" slap them in the face. This is literally a drop by drop situation. Whew! I felt a little manly after that. And by "that" I mean the drop.

 We went to a couple of smaller wineries. We were into the variety of free glasses that came with the tastings that you paid for.

 This is "Big Tex". The next time you see me, ask me about "Big Tex" and the beef jerky story. Oh my.

After a couple of days we went to San Antonio to visit Matt's sister, and her husband Joe (who was on leave from his work in Abu Dhabi) and Ian. Matt's parents were also there so it was a miniature family affair. Ian got his very first hair cut. It was pretty cute. The hairdresser asked if it was his first hair cut. I said no, we bring the entire family and a camera every time.
I almost wanted to say "Here's your sign"

 We got home and realized that we had a really good time and perhaps were a little overzealous. If you're counting, that's 15 bottles of wine. Any one want to come over?

 We've also been gardening! The garden is doing great (this is a picture of week 1 and I decided to spare you ALL of the pictures). Hopefully we'll have something  to eat soon! It's looking promising!

 My parents came down for Easter and saw our house for the very first time. It was a really nice visit. I made my very first holiday meal. We had steak, shrimp, salmon wheels, grilled artichokes, boursin macaroni and cheese, and salad. It was a success! I don't know why there aren't any pictures of actual people from Easter. Lauren even drove up to see us. Fail on my part.

 This weekend Matt and I have just hung out. I did some school work this weekend and we went to the Stanton trade days yesterday which was... windy. Tonight Matt decided to have the cute idea and have a "date" decorating cookies and having a glass of wine. It's the little things.

 Pistol hung out. He's just cute.

And our cookies. I'm not sure we'll be opening any businesses soon, but they were good!

Now I'm off to pack my things for another big week. For the next 30 days I'll pretty much eat sleep and breathe school. So very ready for summer, but still very appreciative of the opportunities that I have going for me now.

Until Next Time (Whenever that may be)!

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