Last Thursday's Meme (Yes, I realize I'm late!!! What's new?!)

From Dawn's Meme...

1. What is the worst meal you've ever had?
When Steve & I were first married, I tried a new recipe for ham loaf that called for ground ham (which I ground in my blender), ground beef, vinegar & a few other ingredients. By far my worst meal ever & I'm very sure Steve would say the same. Needless to say, I think we had Sonic that night.

2. The one place you could vacation every year.
I have to say I love Destin, Florida ;-)

3. Five things that drive me crazy.

* Going to Wal Mart on the weekends
* People at Wal Mart who don't pay attention and walk down the middle of the isle and won't let you pass
* When I go to Wal Mart and they are out of what I need
* When my girls or I need to use the restroom at Wal Mart but it's closed for cleaning
* When you have a return to Wal Mart, you can't just go straight to "returns". The door checker now has to check your return & give you individual return stickers for each item. Major pain when you're in a hurry.
(Can you tell I have issues with Wal Mart?!)

4. Name someone from your past that makes you stop and think, "Hey, I wonder where they are and what they are doing?"
An old friend, Brandi Hensley - I remember she dropped out of school to move to New York to make it "big" on Broadway.

5. What did you do today?
* Went to a Cardio Power class then ran 2 miles
* Took my girls to swim lessons
* Watched my nephew and the girls had a friend over
* Took my girls to "Girls Club"
* It's about time to fix dinner - better run...

Night out on the town at El Guapo's

Last night, Steve and I had a date night to celebrate our anniversary at El Guapo's in downtown Tulsa. My friend, Cari, told me about it months ago and we finally had a chance to try it out. The food was really good, but the atmosphere was great!

We sat on the rooftop and enjoyed the downtown scenery - it was so neat! If you haven't been to El Guapo's yet - you have to try it soon!

Happy 4th of July...

Before watching this video, be sure to scroll to the bottom of this page and turn the sound off first ;-)

Helpful advice for parents...

Since kids don't come with an instruction manual, I love to read books and listen to CD's or radio podcasts on parenting and raising children. I have two favorite shows I like to listen to on Saturdays on AM 970 Tulsa talk radio. The first one is called Heartlight Radio with Mark Gregston and it airs at 8:00 a.m.. His show is mostly on parenting teens but much of it I can use even now in raising my young girls - plus, it helps me prepare for their future.

The second show I like to listen to is Moms in Touch which airs at 12:30 p.m. Moms in Touch works kind of like a support group for mothers and focuses on the importance of praying for our children. Even though they focus a lot on kids who attend public or private school - and we homeschool - it simply impresses on me how I need to be actively praying for my children.

The great thing about those 2 shows is that you can listen to their podcasts on the computer at any time if you're not able to listen to them when they originally broadcast. If you're a parent, you ought to check them out!

Upcoming Tulsa Concerts

Pillar
Tuesday, July 15, 2008 at The Riverwalk Crossing Amphitheatre. Pillar in a rare acoustic performance.

Caleb Rowden - August, 7 2008 at Riverwalk Crossing Amphitheatre w/Frencesca Battistelli. Jenks (Tulsa), Oklahoma 74037.

Skillet - August 23, 2008. Skillet will be performing at the Mabee Center, 7:00pm on Saturday, August 23rd.

Newsboys- September 29, 2008. The Newsboys are coming to the Tulsa State Fair! Your family will be able to see them for free at 7:00pm on Monday, September 29th.

Third Day - October, 5 2008. Oklahoma City, Oklahoma - Ford Center. Music Builds Tour - Third Day with Switchfoot, Robert Randolph & The Family Band, and Jars of Clay

Big Daddy Weave - October 10, 2008. Big Daddy Weave and Rush of Fools are coming to Tulsa on October 10th at the new Venue 68 at 67th & Mingo next door to Asbury United Methodist Church. Tickets are available at both Mardel locations, Lifeway Christian Store, Asbury, or itickets.com.

Casting Crowns - November 30,2008. Casting Crowns comes to the new BOK Center on November 30th. Tickets on sale July 19th at 10am.

Toby Mac - December, 13 2008. 7:00 PM - Mabee Center. Tulsa, OK. Winter Wonder Slam Tour.

Awwwwww ;-)

The girls surprised us with these sweet cards tonight. Too cute ;-)

Our sweet 16 ;-)

June 27th is my 16th anniversary with my hubby, Steve. We dated for 4 years before we got married, so we’ve actually been together for 20 years now! So, I thought I’d share a little about how we met, Steve's proposal and our wedding – the cheesiest one ever – seriously, it was…

A little background before I met Steve…As I look back now, it’s amazing to see God’s hand on our lives and how He worked situations out in His way for our good. When I was a sophomore at Putnam City High School in OKC, I started thinking about where I wanted to go to college and what field I wanted to study. I had been very involved with newspaper for the last few years, so I just knew I wanted to go into Journalism. And it was pretty much expected that I attend OU since my family had always gone there and they were huge OU fans.

But then my junior year, I got involved in DECA/Fashion Merchandising and loved it! Then I just “knew” I wanted to go into that field and, of course, still attend to OU. So I graduated from high school and was looking forward to going to college. Well, just a few weeks before I was supposed to start, I received a letter from OU saying they were no longer going to offer my degree. I was so disappointed! I really wanted to go to OU, but even more than that, I wanted to go into Fashion Merchandising. So, I quickly applied to OSU, because they offered Fashion Merchandising as a degree, and got accepted. And yes, I received a lot of grief from my family for being a “trader” and becoming a cowboy poke instead of a sooner. I think I’m still living that down today ;-)

The courtship: One of the first weekends in Stillwater, I went to a dance club, called Chances, with some of my friends. This guy came up to me and asked if I would dance with him. I politely told him “no thanks” and kept dancing with my girl friends. Well, this guy’s friend came after me and yelled, “What are you doing? You are making the biggest mistake of your life! You need to meet this guy!” So, I thought I’d give him a “chance” (ironic, huh?!), and went to meet him. We ended up dancing the rest of the night – which is funny as I look back now because he hates to dance. We also ended up dating all four years of college.

The engagement: When I finished my first semester finals of my senior year, Steve decided we should go out to eat to celebrate. He took me to TGI Friday’s in Tulsa (hey, we were cheap college students, okay?!). He somehow got me to go to the restroom before our dinner was served and while I was gone, he slipped my ring in my napkin. When I got back, I was about to put the napkin in my lap when I noticed the ring. He asked me to marry him and everyone around us started clapping. I was so thrilled and immediately said yes!

The wedding: Now mind you, I wanted to plan my own wedding, which I knew nothing about and I was trying to finish up my last semester of school at the same time. And the year was 1992 which just reeked of cheesiness – cheesy colors and flowers were “all the rage”. And, being a fashion merchandising major, I wanted to design my own dress. I found a lady in Stillwater to make my “creation” – which ended up costing even more than the wedding itself, I think! My bridesmaid’s dresses were made from this big, bold blue and pink floral fabric and my plan was to have them wear huge straw hats with a big flower on the front – but fortunately, one of my bridesmaids, Allana, refused to wear the hat and talked some sense into me!

We got married in a cute little chapel called Countryside Baptist Church and Pastor JB performed the ceremony. After the wedding, we did a few pictures then started the reception. Well, being the designer of my dress, I made it to where I could snap off the bottom of the dress and train so it would be a cute little dress for the reception. I’m horrified now as I look back in pictures to see just how “little” that dress was! What was I thinking?!

After the wedding: So the rest is history. We now have two precious girls and I feel SO blessed to have the family that God has given me. And just think, if I would have stuck with my first decision to go into Journalism at OU or if OU still offered Fashion Merchandising, I more than likely would have never met Steve. It’s funny how God works – even hooking up a couple at a dance club! And our love continues to grow more and more for each other every year. Love you, Steve, and thanks for the best 20 years of my life ;-)

P.S. - Warning about the wedding pics: The guys do NOT have long hair as it appears. That would be shadows!

Little girl and Psalm 23

Before you watch this video, be sure to scroll to the bottom of this page and turn the music off first. This is SURELY too cute!!!

Some wet fun in the sun

We went swimming today with some friends at the Dossett's pool and had a great time! The Dossett's are retired teachers who spend their summers teaching kids how to swim out of their family pool. My girls have learned so much from them and they look forward each year to lessons at the Dosset's!

My little prairie girls...

It was an exciting day at our house today! The girls received a package they have been patiently, but anxiously, waiting on for a few weeks now. When I went to the Wichita Homeschool Convention a few weeks ago, I met the nicest lady, Deana Haines, who makes the most precious prarie outfits for little girls. Of course, since my girls LOVE Little House on the Prarie so much, I just had to order them some dresses. Deana made them a prarie dress with a matching bonnet and purse, as well as an apron and a kit to make handkerchief dolls. The girls were SOOOO excited! They quickly put on their outfits and got to work making their dolls. They turned out really cute and have been playing with them all afternoon!

If you are interested in Deana making your little girl a prairie outfit, you can contact her by phone at 816-942-8897 or by e-mail at dmahaines@yahoo.com. She's currently working on a website that should be up and running soon. She also sells several other kits including a marble kit, quill pen kit, colonial girl's and boy's kit, settler boy's and girl's kit, civil war boy's and girl's kit, prince and king kit, and princess and queen kit. She also sells some great homeschool curriculum kits for $15-$25. If you contact her, tell her Christy sent ya!!!

Best of buddies

The girls attended VBS this past week at First Baptist Church in Owasso. They had a great time and knew lots of kids there. It was a huge group - close to 400! One day after VBS, the girls invited some of their friends over to play - 5 girls in one house - that's a lot of giggling and hormones! "A" and her friend mostly played dress-up and "M" and her friends played outside catching frogs and butterflies. Oh - to be a kid again ;-)

Happy 50th, Lesa ;-)

Yesterday, we went to OKC to celebrate my step-mom's 50th birthday. It was a surprise and held at Vivo's Italian Restaurant at 122nd and Rockwell. She had a great turnout and I think she was definitely surprised ;-)

I've been tagged...

Oh man - I've been tagged to list 5 unimportant things about myself. Hmmm - let's see. There are so many ;-)

1. I have a majorly weak stomach. I have the superhero ability to picture something gross in my mind and automatically throw up. Jealous, are you now?!

2. If I have a bad experience with a certain kind of food - i.e., if I see a bug crawling across my peanut butter sandwich - I'm scarred for life and can no longer eat that kind of food anymore. Hmmm - maybe I should try that with brownies.

3. You don't want to know how long I will go without cleaning my shower. That's my least favorite chore ever!!! I should consider adding that to my girl's chore list!

4. I refuse to step on a crack and break my mother's back.

5. I have a secret desire to learn to play the drums someday. Can't you just imagine me jammin' out?!

Okay - who hasn't done this yet?! Kelly, Jennifer, Christy, Kathy, Ashley, Jarae, Gina, Gyna, & Leah - tag, you're it!

Meet little Leya...

Our family has been meaning to do this for a while now, but we finally are sponsoring a young child through World Vision. She is a little four-year old girl named Leya and she lives in Uganda. The girls chose her because they wanted a little girl that was born on September 11th. (World Vision has a database to help you choose a child or you can let them choose one for you.)

The information we received on Leya says, "Leya lives with her parents and 1 brother. Her parents struggle to provide for the family. Leya and her family live in a community severely affected by the HIV/AIDS crisis. In some communities, AIDS affects the entire social structure as a generation of hardworking adults is being wiped out. Frightened children and exhausted grandparents rarely have money for food, school, or medical care. Through sponsorship, you can help with these and other basic needs for Leya and her family. Leya is not in school at this time. She likes to play with dolls. She helps at home by learning to do small tasks. She is in satisfactory health. Your sponsorship commitment will help provide Leya and her community with the assistance they need to save a generation from the HIV/AIDS crisis. World Vision will faithfully use your sponsorship support of Leya to meet her needs and minimize the impact of AIDS in her community through tangible prevention and care programs. You are an answer to prayer, helping children and families gain access to basic needs and learn about God's unconditional love."

This is just one small thing our family can do to help someone in need far away. We live such a privileged life in America, I want the girls to learn about the underprivileged and how it's our responsibility and a great honor to help them, even if we live in a different country. They are very excited to start writing letters to her and develop a long-distance relationship with her. We've also started praying for little Leya that God would bless her and her family and that God would use her in a big way in the community that she lives in.

Little House on the Prairie Festival

We went to the Little House on the Prairie Annual Festival this morning which is held about 13 miles southwest of Independence, Kansas. The girls are very into Little House on the Prarie and we attended the festival last year so they couldn't wait to go again this year. Of course, they had to wear their prairie dresses and bonnets - with a modern touch complete with earings, watches and non-prairie shirts. I'm not sure that Laura Ingalls would have approved of their attire, but they had a great time. They made a beaded bracelet, colored paper dolls that were based on the Little House on the Prairie characters, had their face painted, took a tractor ride, did sack races and ate yummy hot dogs. We also saw the local grocery store, the post office, the replica of their log cabin and they even got to participate in a Spelling Bee in "school". We ran into some friends, too, which was a nice surprise. We look forward to going again next year!

Art in the Park

We went to Art in the Park last Thursday night with friends to hear the Owasso Community Band and the County Line Band finished out the night. The kids had a blast getting their faces painted, jumping and sliding on the jupiter jumps and playing games supplied by Target. Looks like "A" will be in the Owasso Reporter on Tuesday - they took a picture of her sliding down the slide. Yes, she thinks she's famous now. We had a great time hanging out and look forward to the next one - reggae night!

Strength

Incredible video about the relationship between a father and son.... and God's relationship with us. (Get out your kleenexes!)

* Before you watch this video, please scroll towards the bottom of this page and pause the sound.

Our vacation to Scottsdale

Steve and I just got back today from a much needed vacation (alone without kiddos) to Scottsdale, Arizona. It was an early celebration of our 16th anniversary which is actually later this month on June 27th. Even though it's our 16th wedding anniversary, we're actually celebrating 20 years of being together since we dated for 4 years before getting married. Wow! That's a long time! I can't believe he's put up with me this long ;-) Seriously, he's my best friend and I feel so blessed to have him in my life. Okay, everyone say "AWWWWWWWW!" I know, I'm cheezy - on to our vacation...

Day 1 - We woke up bright & early at 5 in the morning to make a 7:00 flight on Southwest Airlines. We left at 7 a.m. Oklahoma time & made it there at 7:30 a.m. Arizona time. We couldn't check in to our hotel, 3 Palms Resort, until 3 so we went to breakfast then did some shopping at Scottsdale Fashion Square. That is such a neat mall! It's pretty trendy and high end but it's neat to look around. That afternoon, we layed out at the hotel pool then went back for dinner at the Grand Lux Cafe there at the Fashion Square. We ate out on the patio and shared a margarita pizza and I had a yummy banana daquiri. Afterwards, we went walking around the riverwalk and did some window shopping. Very romantic and hey, I'm a cheap date ;-)

Day 2 - We thought about driving to the Grand Canyon since we were in the same state, but it was going to be just a day trip & we decided we didn't want to spend most of our day driving. So, we decided to go to Sedona which is only about 2 hours north of Scottsdale. While it wasn't the Grand Canyon, it was a great substitution. The views were SO beautiful! Breathtaking, actually. Just looking at God's amazing creation is a tremendous spiritual experience. What's sad, is that Sedona is actually known for its "mysticism" - new age, palm readers and talk of "the vortex" is everywhere. It's sad because they've turned God's creation into something it's not. It was still an amazing experience and I'm so glad we went. When we first got there, we took the Sedona Trolley Tour which was a 55-minute tour around town. I think we were the youngest ones on the trolley ;-) We toured around the Hyatt Pinon Pointe, Tlaquepaque Arts & Crafts Village and the Chapel of the Holy Cross. After that, we walked around the "touristy" part of Sedona and had dinner overlooking the mountains. On the way home, we tried to find a good place to watch the sunset but the mountains were in the way :-( We had a fabulous time.

Day 3 - After bagels for breakfast, we worked out at the Eldorado Recreation Center there in Scottsdale. Yes, I said we worked out! We're kind of fitness nuts-oes so that was actually a fun thing for us ;-) Plus, we had to work off some of the great food we had been eating! The rest of the day was spent mostly lounging at the pool. We then had dinner at Abuelos - yes, I know we have that in Oklahoma - but we wanted good Tex Mex and were afraid to try something new. Afterwards, we did something so fun! We went to an outdoor concert at the McCormick-Stillman Railroad Park in Scottsdale. It was the coolest park EVER! Our girls would have died! They have train rides, a carousel, shops, a museum, 2 playgrounds, a gazebo, and picnic ramadas. We heard a band called Rock Lobster - they were so awesome! They played all of the great 80's music that I used to love - everything from "99 Red Balloons" to "Come on Eileen" to "Jesse's Girl". I was in heaven! I mostly just listen to Christian Rock music now - but I used to just LOVE 80's music. I'm sure I drove Steve crazy dancing and singing to all of the songs and saying, "Name that tune!" or "What year was that popular in?!" We had a blast - or should I say I had a blast!

Day 4 - We started out the day working out again - remember we had Abuelos the night before! Then we went shopping at an outlet mall in Phoenix. Of course, I was back at the pool that afternoon while Steve went to his favorite guy store, Best Buy, then took an afternoon nap. That night, we got to visit with one of my best friends from high school, Allana, and her husband, Barry. She's living in Scottsdale because she's a flight attendant for Southwest Airlines and based out of Phoenix. We ate dinner at Stax Burger Bistro close to the Scottsdale Riverwalk. It was great catching up with her and I hope to see her next month at our 20-year reunion - hint, hint, Allana ;-)

Day 5 - Time to go home! We love to visit Arizona - the mountains are beautiful and the dessert landscape is a nice change of scenery. However, we were really missing green grass and trees and our simple life in Oklahoma. Plus, we really missed our girls! And what did we come back to? A flood! Apparently, it rained all day yesterday & many parts of Oklahoma were flooded. In fact, we had trouble getting to Steve's parent's house to pick up the girls so we had to take the long way back home. We're all home now and ready for a good night's sleep tonight. I can't wait to sleep in my own bed with my own pillow and our fan blowing for noise. Our trip was restful, romantic and rejuvinating. Now, whose up for working out with me tomorrow?! Back to the grind ;-)

Five Finger Prayer

Five Finger Prayer

1. Your thumb is nearest you. So begin your prayers by praying for those closest to you. They are the easiest to remember. To pray for our loved ones is, as C. S. Lewis once said, a 'sweet duty.'

2. The next finger is the pointing finger. Pray for those who teach, instruct and heal. This includes teachers, doctors, and ministers. They need support and wisdom in pointing others in the right direction. Keep them in your prayers.

3. The next finger is the tallest finger. It reminds us of our leaders. Pray for the president, leaders in business and industry, and administrators. These people shape our nation and guide public opinion. They need God's guidance.

4. The fourth finger is our ring finger. Surprising to many is the fact that this is our weakest finger, as any piano teacher will testify. It should remind us to pray for those who are weak, in trouble or in pain. They need your prayers day and night. You cannot pray too much for them.

5. And lastly comes our little finger - the smallest finger of all which is where we should place ourselves in relation to God and others. As the Bible says, 'The least shall be the greatest among you.' Your pinkie should remind you to pray for yourself. By the time you have prayed for the other four groups, your own needs will be put into proper perspective and you will be able to pray for yourself more effectively.

Give Me Your Eyes

I have a new favorite song and it's by Brandon Heath. It's called "Give Me Your Eyes" and you can preview it on his MySpace page if you haven't heard it already.) I love the beat, but I especially love the lyrics. It talks about how we can get so caught up in what's going on in our own lives that we forget about what's going on around us. We, as Christians, especially need to get over ourselves and look outside our little box. We also need to stop being so judgemental and love on others as Jesus directs us to. Everyone has a story and everyone has pain. May we see others as Jesus does - through His eyes.

"Give me Your eyes for just one second
Give me Your eyes so I can see
Everything that I keep missing
Give me Your love for humanity
Give me Your arms for the broken hearted
The ones that are far beyond my reach
Give me Your heart for the once forgotten
Give me Your eyes so I can see"

Tenth Avenue North concert

We went to the Riverwalk in Jenks tonight to see Tenth Avenue North in concert. I LOVE outdoor concerts and now the girls are starting to get into them, too. I think Steve lovingly tolerates them for us ;-)

"M" was so proud that this was her 3rd concert. She's also seen Toby Mac with Barlow Girl and Charlie Hall played at our church last fall. I actually used to go to Cherokee Hills Baptist Church with Charlie when I lived in OKC & was in junior high and high school. He was about 4 years younger than me and good friends with my brother.

Anyway, Tenth Avenue North was really good & I really love their song, "Love Is Here". I do not mean for what I am about to say to sound sacreligious but it's so funny, I just had to write about it. I caught our little six year-old, "A", singing in a microphone on her dance stage this afternoon. She was belting out what she perceived to be the lyrics to that song. The words actually read, "Love is here. Love is now. Love is pouring from His hands, from His brows." Well, "A" was singing, "Love is here. Love is not. Love is pouring from His hands, from his snot." She really thought that was the words! We had a chance to meet the band after the concert was over & I had to share that story with them. Fortunately, they thought it was pretty funny! And "M" was very excited because we got our picture taken with them and she got their autographs on a frisbee. It was a fun night ;-)

Today's zoo trip with friends...

Running update

This is my 2nd week of running with the Couch-to-5K running plan and believe it or not, I've actually kept it up! For three days last week, I had to do a 5-minute warm-up, then alternate running for 60 seconds and walking for 90 seconds. I had to keep that up for 20 minutes and actually found that pretty easy to accomplish. This week, I had to do the reverse - run for 90 seconds and walk for 30 seconds. That's not much of a time difference but I found it much harder to do - especially the first day, but the second day seemed a little easier. It's funny that I can do high impact aerobics for an hour and hardly even get winded, but when it comes to running, I feel like I'm going to have a heart attack after just running for a few minutes! Maybe I have ADD and just get bored and want to do something different ;-) I enjoy classes much more than working out by myself. Although, a huge benefit of running before a class is that I burn an extra 200 calories that I wouldn't have burned if I didn't run. I'll keep posting my progress - this blog is kind of a good way to hold myself accountable!