Life is Full of Surprises

Steve and I celebrated our 19th anniversary today! 19 years?! Where does the time go?! I can still remember the first time we met. We were going to school at OSU and we were at a dance club on one of my first weekends in Stillwater. He asked me to dance and I told him, "No thanks." Four years later, we were married and the rest is history ;-)

We already celebrated early last month when Steve surprised me with tickets to see my favorite band ever, U2. It was a quick, but fun, getaway to Denver and back in one weekend.

But we had to do something to celebrate on our actual day - well, the day before anyway. (The girls had a Swim Meet tonight so we went out last night instead.) This time I surprised Steve with something I wasn't so sure he'd actually like. In fact, I was a little afraid he would think it was silly and super cheezy. I bought a Groupon from Golzern Pedicabs - you know, the little cabs that are pulled by someone on a bike? I have to say, it was so much fun and yes, Steve actually liked it!

We met at 8th & Boston in downtown Tulsa. We were given a list of about 15 restaurants in the area and could pick up to six that we would like to stop and visit (the cost of the food was also included in our Groupon!). Our tour guide, Beth, then drove us to our first stop, Joe Mommas Pizza, where we ate yummy pizza bread and marinara sauce...

Next stop, a restaurant called Trula, which was located at the Mayo Hotel. We had some really good sliders with sweet potato fries. While there, we ran into an old friend of mine from college who knew Steve and I when we first started dating! Small world! ;-)

After stopping twice for food, we were already getting full and we knew right away we wouldn't be able to eat at 6 restaurants in one night! So we decided to make our last stop El Guapos. They have outdoor seating on their roof so we just hung out, watched the sun go down, and snacked on chips, salsa & sopapillas...

When it was time for our evening to come to an end, Beth took us on a scenic route of the downtown area. She was very knowledgable about the history and architecture of the buildings and shared all kinds of neat info with us. She also gave us "the scoop" of what new things were coming to the area such as an art gallery, upscale apartments and a park that will host outdoor concerts...

Since we only used 3 of our 6 restaurant choices, Beth gave us gift cards for the last 3 restaurants we wanted to visit, and now we can just stop by whenever we have a chance! So now we look forward to trying out Elote', Mod's Coffe and Crepes, and Yokozuna soon. Beth also informed us that they'll be offering another Groupon in August but this one will also include a hotel stay :-)  I highly recommend Golzern Pedicabs! We had such a fun and romantic night and it was a neat and unique way to see downtown!

So that was yesterday. Today our girls surprised us! They decorated our house with streamers - something they like to do for most any occasion ;-)

Then, after the girl's Swim Meet, they planned a surprise party for us - something that was apparently in the works for several days now ;-)  Steve's family were at the Meet so they stopped by on their way home and brought brownies for desert. The kids played in the sprinkler and gave Steve & me homemade cards...

It was the perfect ending of celebrating 19 years together. I'm one lucky/blessed girl to have Steve in my life and I truly believe God brought us together. As I mentioned at the beginning of this post, Steve and I met on one of our first weekends at OSU - thing is, I wasn't supposed to go to OSU. I was supposed to go to OU. I come from a family of HUGE OU fans and everyone in my family attended school there. When I was in high school, I applied to OU and was accepted but just weeks before school was to start, I received a letter in the mail that said they were not going to offer my degree anymore (fashion merchandising). So I quickly had to apply to OSU (at the heartbreak of all my family). Had I gone to OU, I'm pretty sure things would have turned out much differently - can't even imagine, nor do I want to. Steve is everything I could ever want in a husband and father of my children - and more.

So next year's the Big 20! Better start thinking about it now! Any suggestions?! ;-)

A Little Summer Fun

Here's a little bit of what we've been up to lately.

My super silly nephew, Luke, turned 5 and we celebrated his b-day at a jump house in OKC...

We had dinner with friends at our favorite restaurant, Ted's...

Then "Mr. Brett" took us to see the airplane that he flies for his job...

We celebrated Father's Day with Steve's family and of course, the grandkids went swimming...

The girls had their first Swim Meet. Go Kenz!

Go Abby!

We went blueberry picking at Thunderbird Berry Patch in Broken Arrow...

And we made Blueberry Banana Bread with the blueberries we picked at the patch. You can find the recipe here. Yummers!

We went swimming at the Dossett's, a retired teacher and principal that has taught swimming lessons out of their home for many, many years. Everyone in Owasso knows and loves the Dossett's! We also made some yummy Sun Baked Smores. Messy but goooood! ;-)

And my sweet friend, Steph, came in town for a brief visit so we had a little reunion get-together playdate at the park...

Gotta love summer fun!

Put Your Love Glasses On

This is for my girls as they are huge Beckah Shae fans and they love her newest song, "Put Your Love Glasses On". Very convicting...

Air1 radio's website states of her testimony and upbringing, "Growing up in a broken home, Beckah Shae's childhood was what most would consider 'less than stable'. She lived with various family members in cars, hotels, battered women shelters and foster homes. But, as a result, developed a stronger dependence on God through her experiences. 'I know that He’s allowed me to endure all the things I’ve gone through in life to draw me close to Him and find faith, humble me while gaining a bold confidence in His power and develop a true compassion and genuine love for His people,' she states."

And here's a few more of Becka's videos for my girls ;-)

Girlfriend can sing!

Upcoming Girly Me Missions Sale!

As mentioned in a previous posting, my girls and some of their friends started a ministry about 1 1/2 years ago called "Girly Me Missions". They make super cute crocheted items, duck tape purses, jewelry, etc. They sell their items and the profits from their sales go directly to Project Hope Worldwide, a non-profit organization building an orphanage, school, and medical clinic in Lira, Uganda.

They are having a Charity Sale at the Owasso Farmer's Market (in the Owasso YMCA parking lot) this Saturday from 8 to noon. The story of their ministry and info about the upcoming sale was featured in the Owasso Reporter last week. You can read about it and watch a video the girls made here.

I'm so super proud of the girls in Girly Me Missions and of kids around the world that care about things outside of their own selves and are trying to make a difference. They have such big hearts - they just make me smile! ;-D

So if you don't have plans this Saturday morning, please stop by and say "hi"! The girls would love to see you!

Fun Day in Downtown Tulsa

I took the girls to a neat field trip today with the Tulsa Area Homeschoolers to the "big" post office in Downtown Tulsa.

We learned a few interesting facts like...

* One foot of letters stacked on top of each other equals about 250 letters.

* They sort through about one million pieces of mail each day.

* Some of their staff begins work at two in the morning to start sorting through mail.

POSTAL SERVICE LESSON PLANS:

Community Helpers at Learning to Give

Curriculum Guides (from the National Postal Museum)

Lesson Plans for Preschoolers

Mailing May Lapbook

Mailing May Resources

National Postal Museum

Neither Wind Nor Hail (from the First Ladies Library)

Postal History

Post Office Lesson Plans for Junior High and High School

Post Office Lesson Plans for Preschool

Prince Lapbook (Correspondence Unit)

Princess Lapbook (Correspondence Unit)

The Jolly Postman

After our field trip, we decided to grab a dessert at El Guapos and eat on their roof since it was such a nice day out...

Then we found a cool place to take some fun photos...

Love hanging out with my girls ;-)

Little Girls With a Big Heart

A few years ago, I started volunteering for Project Hope Worldwide (PHWW), a non-profit organization that is building an orphanage in Lira, Uganda. Our girls soon took a special interest in PHWW's mission to help needy children in Uganda, so they began to brainstorm ways that they could help raise money for the orphanage.

About 1 1/2 years ago, they began a ministry called Girly Me Missions. Some of their friends hopped on board, too, and joined them in their endeavor. The girls make and sell items and their profits go directly to PHWW. To date, they have raised close to $1,000. I'm so proud of all the girls - not just for their good work ethic, but mostly for their big hearts to help those in need.

Girly Me Missions has received yarn and craft donations from several companies nationwide. It's always a huge treat for them to find a box waiting for them on our front porch. They appreciate the donations so much so they don't have to spend any of the profits from their sales.

They have decided to sell their items at the Kid's Day at the Owasso Farmers Market on Saturday, July 2nd. They have set a goal of raising $400 and have all been busy making new things to sell. Here's a video Mackenzie made promoting the sale...

and a poster she also made promoting the sale...

She is very much my little entrepreneur. She and the girls have taken off with their ideas and have done a great job getting the word out about Girly Me Missions. The Owasso Reporter came out one day last week and interviewed them. They talked about their ministry and upcoming sale - sounds like their story should run one day this week. Here's a few pics I snapped during their interview...

I'm just so super excited to see these girls use their gifts to help those in need and to be the hands and feet of Jesus. I look forward to seeing where their ministry goes in the future!