Meet the Cast Monday #8: My Mom

Well today you all get to meet my Mom. Say, "Hi mom!" Anyway, just a little background--my Mom taught English and history for about 33 years to junior high and high school students. I think she has literally taught everyone in the county where I grew up. She's one of those moms that all kids need to have--she loves you and supports you but is always right up in your business and you wanted no part of her when she got mad! She's pretty famous for her ability to turn any situation into a "life lesson" and she didn't disappoint me in her answers to the questions in this regard.

So....meet my Mom!

What’s the funniest story you remember about me when I was little?
There are 2 stories. You had an imaginary friend named Gloff. Anytime you did something wrong or made a mess and we would get on you about it, you would argue with us that you did not do that…it was Gloff who did it. (Sidenote: Dad and I take partial credit for your becoming a lawyer because you have argued with us your entire life!) Poor Gloff was blamed for many things. We finally convinced you that we needed to get rid of Gloff and had you lock him in a closet at Nannie’s house in town. {It's really a miracle I don't have some sort of abandonment issues after this parenting move....}
The other story is that when you were little, you sucked on a pacifier. When you were about 3, we needed to get you to get rid of the pacifier. We went to Tatum for Christmas. We told you that for Santa to bring you anything in Tatum, you needed to leave a gift for Santa. We had you wrap your pacifiers as a Christmas gift for Santa and put them under the tree for him to get when he brought your gifts! You never asked about them again. {I have always been so giving...} What was your favorite part from 33 years of teaching?
By far and without any doubt, my favorite part of every day of teaching was the students! I loved working with the young people I was fortunate to teach. I found so much good, right, and positive about students. My students from all that time honestly captured my heart. I still love them! {My original question was what was the FUNNIEST part, but she modified. Go figure.}

You weren’t a farm kid when you married Dad…what was the hardest thing to adjust to?
The aunt and uncle who raised my dad lived in the country and worked as sharecroppers on a plantation in Tennessee. As a child, I remember going there and really liking the country. When we lived in Cloudcroft, I was in 4H and showed pigs. My family raised pigs and we made and sold whole hog sausage to restaurants in Cloudcroft and Alamogordo. So, “country” life was not completely foreign to me. I have loved living on this farm from the beginning of our marriage.

This was a neighborhood that was a perfect place to raise you and Little Brother. We have had the most amazing and special neighbors through the years. I don’t know that anything was really hard to adjust to. I guess one thing I did not realize was how much work there is to do here. Your dad amazes me at what a terrific farmer/rancher he is “in his spare time.” We have all stayed very busy “on the farm and with all the animals,” but I would not have traded it to live anywhere else.
What is one secret for a successful marriage?
I would say, “Marry the right person and BE the right partner.” I honestly believe that God directed your dad into my life. I thank Him every time I pray for your dad, our marriage, and you and Little Brother.
You love to shop (a trait which is apparently NOT genetic)..give everyone a shopping tip for finding a great deal.
Okay, the deal about being a good shopper is that you have to be vigilant about shopping ALL the time! You have to be able to spot deals that are too good to miss! Shopping for items out of season is a great money saver…like buy ski coats on sale at ski shops in March! When I go to “expensive” stores, I only shop the sale racks. Also, never think you are too good to shop at discount stores…there are some amazing deals. One time I was offered a job to be an international buyer for a store in Dallas, that may have been my “lifetime calling.” It is true that I love to shop! {When I was a kid, I never worried about losing my mom in a store, you just had to be quiet and listen for the click, click click of hangers being moved through and you'd know right where she was.}

What is one (or more) item (s) on your bucket list?
I really never had a bucket list. When I was young, there were some things I thought I wanted, but now I think back on those and am thankful I did not do them. (I was headed for California when your dad proposed!) I’m basically a very simple person who finds much happiness in small things. I can remember that watching how much my parents loved each other and us kids, I always hoped that I would marry a special person and have children. I have been completely blessed with Dad, you, and Little Brother. There really is no place I want to go, nothing I want to do, or no material thing I really want to own that could hold a candle to the happiness I have found right here at home. Maybe I am just very fortunate that I got everything I wanted without having to work at completing a list! {See? Life lesson. As a sidenote, when I was looking for pictures for the blog, I came across these two below that show what fantastic children she has.}

Photos of the Week: Week 8

First off, can you believe that we just finished the 8th week of the year? And that on Tuesday, it's March? It feels like yesterday we were just ringing in the New Year! Anyway, with that....here are this week's photos.

Theme: Upstairs/Downstairs

I saw this theme coming up when I first started this project and knew right away that I had to go to the Loretto Chapel for this photo. You've seen other shots here and here. After sorting through my pictures, I decided I liked this one best--you can't see as much of the staircase itself, but I love the light shining through the stain glass window. To read more about the miraculous staircase in the photo, click here.

Theme: Valentine's Day

Not going to lie, when this theme got announced, I groaned. I'm over Valentine's Day. Fortunately I still had a good shot of the cupcakes that the Blonde Oklahoma Girl made for our dinner party (and you can read about it on her blog by clicking here). These may just be the most photographed cupcakes ever....remember last week?

Theme: Spirit

I had to do a lot of thinking on this one to figure out what I would shoot. Then when I noticed this statue on my way into church, I knew that the dove would be perfect, as it represents the Holy Spirit.

Theme: Winter Wonderland

When I was at Oklahoma State last week, I headed to Theta Pond to take some pictures. Turns out, part of the pond was frozen over from the epic snowstorm that hit the week before. So while some ducks were swimming, others were walking around on the ice probably wondering what the heck was going on!

Theme: Habakkuk 3:19

As soon as I read the verse for this week, I knew a picture of the mountains would be prefect to symbolize the "heights." Be sure to go over and check out all of the other takes on this verse from far more artistic people than me!

Theme: Yellow

This week's Happy Monday prompt was yellow. Even though you guys saw this photograph last week, I knew that I had to link it up for this theme. I think it's the perfect shade of yellow.....and that this was the perfect prompt for Happy Monday! Check out the other entries here.

Project 64: Week 8 - Lavender

So this week's color is lavender.

I have to admit, after weeks of struggling with the colors (remember my Indigo fiasco?), I was so excited to have one that I knew right away what my topic would be!

With that background, I give you Lavender:

Can I just tell you how useful I have found the flowers College Roomie gave me for Valentine's Day in my photography challenges? You've seen photos once or twice in the last week. I mean seriously--good work friend! :) Sadly (or maybe not so sadly for you!), the flowers have died now, so you guys will not be seeing any more photographs of them. It was a good run while they lasted though!

As always, go over to Project 64 and check out the other people who participate. They are seriously amazingly talented!

Family Farm Friday #43: Bigger and Better

"People take different roads seeking fulfillment and happiness. Just because they're not on your road doesn't mean they've gotten lost." ~H. Jackson Browne

Well I'm back with another Family Farm Friday (motivated primarially by my mother's constant complaining when I don't have one!) for your reading pleasure.

A few weeks ago while I was browsing through some blogs, I came across one where the writer talked about how she had grown up on a farm, and spent her childhood dreaming of "bigger and better things." Right away, I knew that I had to blog about this.

First off, let me just say that I absolutely loved growing up on a farm. I don't think that there is a better place to raise kids, and I know without a doubt that that place made me the person that I am. So, I suppose there is a slight chance that I'm biased.

Secondly, I will say that I think there is some value in getting away from the farm for a little while---to traveling to different places, to seeing new cultures, to trying new things. I think that people who do these things only come to appreciate the farm more. I know that this has been true for me. And, I understand that the farm is not for everyone. That's okay, because we each get the chance to choose our own path, that's the beauty of life!

But, I think that where the other blogger got it wrong was when she categorized her dreams of the big city as "bigger and better." If you ask me, it's hard to find things that are bigger and better than these....

I feel like I'm just rambling here, but the point that I hope to get across is that while we each get to choose the path that our lives take, I hope that everyone can see the value in each chapter of their own story. I know that I will always treasure the lessons and values that I learned growing up on a family farm. And I hope we can learn to respect the different paths that other people take. In the end, although some people may have dreams that are different, nothing makes those dreams right or wrong, better or worse.

Throwback Thursday #46: Snuggles and Oreo Ice Cream

"In everyone's life, at some time, our inner fire goes out. It is then burst into flame by an encounter with another human being. We should all be thankful for those people who rekindle the inner spirit." ~Albert Schweitzer

Who missed Throwback Thursday? Well it's back! :)

This week has been pretty stressful for me. I've just been crazy busy and stressed out and sort of in a blah kind of mood. As I was sitting on my couch thinking about this last night (yes, I actually wrote a blog during the week instead of using something I pre-posted over the weekend--shocking, I know!), I thought to college at OSU (you've read about that experience before!) When I was in college and would have a bad day, there was always a sure fire way to fix it. It consisted of me, a boy, a girl, a couch named Snuggles and a bucket of Oreo ice cream.

We'll start out with the boy. You guys have read before about BFF (remember the boating incident??) on this blog. He and I have been friends since we were 9 years old and I tell you what, that boy just gets me. He knows how to push my buttons to drive me crazy, he knows how to make me laugh, and he knows how to make it better when things are bad. We were lucky to end up going to college at OSU together because our friendship just totally cemented while we were there. That's why there's a second F in his name....we're forever friends.

Then there's a girl. College Roomie was always involved in these little "make life better" evenings. For real you guys, I couldn't have asked for a better roomate in college. I remember our RA in the dorms our first year saying that she'd never had two girls that roomed together who came in as friends and left as friends. Well, we came in as friends and left as best friends. Guess we proved that chick wrong!

Snuggles. The best couch ever. Yes, we named our couch. Actually, BFF named our couch. We usually didn't lock our front door because there seemed to always be someone in and out of our house since we lived right next to campus. BFF frequently came by between class to catch a quick nap. One day, he was all comfy curled up on the couch and he deemed it the most comfy couch ever and named it Snuggles. It stuck, and he was right.....good grief why did I not steal that couch when we left?? (You can see Snuggles below being included in our family Easter photo!)

And finally, ice cream. I tend to think that ice cream is a girl's cure all for a bad day. But I'm here to tell you, it apparently works for BFF because he was the one who started this little tradition! It has to be the right kind---in a tub, name brand, Oreo ice cream. Heaven!

Whenever he was having a bad day, or when he knew I was having a bad day, BFF would show up with the ice cream, College Roomie would get the spoons, we would all congregate like a family on Snuggles, and we would hash out whatever was going on. We probably could have solved world hunger, the economy and the crisis in the Middle East in that apartment!

If you put that all together that would be me, two of my best friends in the world, the most comfy couch in existence, and Oreo ice cream, in the happiest place on earth. To this day, that's my happy place. And I could not be more grateful to have had those people and those experiences in my life.

Dating Observations

"You have to figure ... if the world's fattest twins can find love, there's hope for all of us. Somewhere out there is another little freak who will love us, understand us, and kiss our 3 heads and make it all better." ~Carrie Bradshaw

Okay, I wasn't going to blog about this, but I feel like my observations are so wonderfully insightful, that I can't help but share them with the masses. (The odds are I just think I'm clever even though no one else will agree...)

A couple of weeks ago, there was a website that asked people to write blogs about their favorite singles. The idea was that perhaps some of the singles might be good matches, and this would be a good way for them to meet.

So....people would review all of the blogs and if they liked the guy/girl whom the blog was about, they could comment or email the writer, who could decide if she wanted to pass the info along to her single friend. Although I have never been into any sort of online dating (i.e. eHarm, Match.com), I somehow got caught up in the entertainment that this little website provided. One girl commented that looking at the blogs and comments was better than watching the Bachelor!


Anyway, I had a few observations that I wanted to share.

1. All single men apparently live in the south.....Texas, Louisiana, Georgia, Tennessee..... Which, ergo, means that they have awesome southern accents. On top of that, they all seem to love their families, Jesus, college football, country music, and babies. FYI: I'm renting the moving van last week.

2. There are infinently more single girls than single guys. If you are a single girl, this is not earth shattering news to you. I did not ever do the math, but my guess would be probably a 5-1 ratio of girls to guys. I have been trying to tell myself that this is only because this involves bloggers---and it's almost only girls who seem to blog. Please let me live in my fantasy land. Don't burst my bubble.

3. Every single on the website was holding a baby. At first, I thought they all had kids. But then I realized, that pretty much none of them were holding their own children. It was always a niece or nephew, or a friend's kid. I pondered this, but then realized that it was normall the guys' sister, or his best friend's wife who was posting the blog. Clearly, the only pictures that she has of the guys are the ones with her kids. This calmed me down a little because I don't plan to start popping out a bunch of babies anytime in the near future. Just saying.

4. It was amazing to read the kind, loving things that the bloggers said about their single friends. First off, I love that there are so many great people in the world. (Love even more that there are so many great single boys in the world!) Sometimes it's easy to get jaded and fall into the "all guys are jerks" or "all girls are crazy" mentality. Reading about these people and the awesome things that they do made me feel good about our generation. There were guys and girls on there who did amazing things, and I find that inspirational. Second, I love that so many people have friends/family who love them and want them to be happy so much that they will take the time to write a crazy personal ad-type blog for them. That's true friendship at its finest.

And, to answer the question that most of you have been asking since you started reading, no. Mr. Right apparently did not participate in this little game. Or if he did, he did not email me back when I commented! :)

February Giveaway

"It is not the reciever that is blessed, but it is the giver. Be thankful that you are allowed to exercise your power of benevolence and mercy in the world, and thus become pure and perfect.” ~Swami Vivekananda

Well folks, we're going to change up the giveaway a little bit this month! As you might remember, I'm doing a Happiness Project. This month, I focused on money as the topic of my project. As part of that, I knew that I wanted to make a donation to a charity or some sort of worthwhile cause because I strongly believe in giving back. Anyway, I was inspired by Christin's blog post a while back, and knew this would be my way to accomplish my "make a donation" goal.

So....here's the scoop. You guys leave a comment below suggesting an organization that you think I should make the donation to. (If you have problems with the comment box, you can email me at tiffy83@hotmail.com or facebook me!) Feel free to suggest more than one. I'd love it if you'd explain why you chose the organization that you suggest so we can all learn a little more about you and your cause.

Then, I'll pick one and write a big fat (I suppose that's relative....) check! So even though it's not technically giving anything away to my readers, it's giving something away to an organization that you support, so I figure that's a win/win, right?

Can't wait to hear your suggestions! And feel free to pass this blog link on to others, or to share it on your own blog...the more suggestions, the better!

You have until this Thursday at midnight to get your ideas in, and I'll announce the winner in my Happiness Project post next week!

Meet The Cast Monday #7: SoulMate Friend

Today you guys get to meet SoulMate Friend. She and I met at OSU in a really round-about way, through a girl that neither one of us are friends with anymore. So glad that all happened---someone was watching out for us! And even though we are really different, we have this connection and I feel like she always gets exactly where I am coming from! She lives in Oklahoma with her awesome husband, Tuba Man, and son who you frequently read about on this blog, Little Linebacker. She works in public relations, volunteers for a children's museum, and is a worship leader at her church....can we say over achiever?? She is absolutely one of my best friends in the whole world!

Here she is.....SoulMate Friend!

What is one thing that you constantly pray for?
My son. That he will be healthy and come to know the Lord early in his life. That he will be aware of and follow the calling the Lord has for his life, and that he will be successful. {His Aunt Tiffany always adds in prayers for college football glory since mom has these things covered. :)}
Do you believe that opposites attract?
You need only to spend a few minutes with my husband and I to know my answer to this question...yes! :) Dave and I are complete opposites, but I think it actually makes our marriage stronger. He balances me, and sees things in a way I can't. It's challenging sometimes, of course, but I wouldn't have it any other way. {I will never forget once before they got married, she told me that she just couldn't believe how much she loved this man, because he was everything that she was not. I have loved the thought of that since that day!}

What was your favorite part of college at OSU?
Football games. No doubt. There was nothing like gameday on campus. I miss those days!
You came to visit me in San Francisco when I was there for the summer.....what was your favorite part of that trip?
That's a tough one. I enjoyed so many things about the trip! I loved the tour of Alcatraz and the fact that Tiff scoured the city for days for a deal on tickets! I also loved attending a Sunday morning mass at Saints Peter and Paul's Cathedral. I had ever attended a Catholic mass before. It was beautiful. I would be remiss if I didn't talk about some of the food. The Greek yogurt at that little breakfast place was amazing! I also adored the gelato. I was bummed we couldn't try those yummy cookies Tiff told me so much about, but we ate plenty :) I also loved being able to ride on a street car for the first time. Oh, and I think my absolute favorite was getting a cab to take us up the huge hill to Tiff's apartment. The look on the driver's face was like, huh? But my legs just couldn't do it! {Please understand that the reason the cabbie thought we were crazy is that it was LITERALLY three blocks to the apartment. But it was three blocks straight up the hill that you see below. The picture really doesn't do it justice.}

You and Tuba Man have been married for over 5 years now. What are some lessons that you have learned about love?
Hmm. It really does grow with time. I would have never imagined five years ago that Dave and I would love each other like we do today. It's not always an ooey gooey make your single friends want to puke kind of love, but a deeper I can't imagine my life without you kind of love. He's my best friend, my partner, my rock. When I look back, I am so proud of the life we've built together. I've learned that it can be tough and requires work. But it's so worth it.
What has been the most unexpected part of becoming a mom?
That, regardless of what people say, it's hard and doesn't always come naturally. Now, I wouldn't consider myself the natural mom type but still, it's a lot harder work than I expected! There's no real planning anymore, and everything revolves around this one tiny person. That said, it's also completely wonderful and had mellowed me in a way I didn't expect. I don't really care so much about planning anymore. I care more about our family being together, making memories.

Where would you like to be in 10 years?
I would like to be working less and being a mom more. I want to attend all my kids' school parties and field trips. I want to pick them up from school and help them with homework. I want to volunteer in my community and be making a difference. I want to be happy.

You are a worship leader (along with Tuba Man) at your church. What is your favorite worship song?
Oh this changes all the time. Right now I'm really liking stuff by Jimmy Needham (although I don't really think that qualifies as worship). I also love Kari Jobe, Hillsong, Shane and Shane, Casting Crowns, MercyMe...

What is one (or more) things on your bucket list?
Go to the Superbowl. Attend as many college bowl games as I can. Take a cruise. Buy a house on the lake. Take my family to Disney World. Give an amazing gift to an amazing cause.

Project 64: Week 7 - Indigo

Okay, I really struggled this week for some reason. Go figure I can find grey and apricot easily, but I have fits with this bluish/purplish crayon!

I thought share a couple of my failures with you since they are part of the process.

I thought that the BEAUTIFUL flowers that College Roomie got from McCain (have I mention before that they are dating??) for Valentine's Day would work, so I snapped lots of pictures. But once I got them on the computer, it was too purple.

Then I had seen this really cool entryway on a house in my neighborhood that I thought might work. So, in true stalker-style, I snuck over to take a couple of shots to see if the color was right. Again, the color was wrong.
Finally, I found something that would work. One of my Grand Champion Lamb banners from back in my showing days, which now hangs on my wall in my dining room/office area, was pretty darn close to the right color!
Please go over and check out the excellent photographers who participate in this little challenge, and feel free to join in with us at any time!

Photos of the Week: Week 7

Another weekend means it's time for another photo challenge report! I have to tell you that I think I enjoy these challenges more and more each week. I feel like I am learning a lot and becoming a better photographer....at least I hope so! (If you want to catch up on any of my prior weeks, just click here.) With that, here are this week's photos!

Theme: Don't Ever Change

It's no secret that I loved my time at Oklahoma State. You actually read an insanely long blog about that earlier this week. Well, when I was back in Oklahoma last weekend, I snapped some pictures around campus. I thought this one was perfect for this theme. Old Central is the oldest building on campus--built in 1894 as the first permanent structure on the then-named Oklahoma A&M campus. I love being an alumna of a school who values its great history!

Theme: Love Hearts

The first night I was back in OK last weekend, the Blonde Oklahoma Girl hosted a fantastic dinner party. (You can read more about that on her blog!) The menu incluced these homeade red velvet cupcakes that she decorated herself! She's seriously the next Pioneer Woman, ya'll!

Theme: Romance

I stalker shot this picture of these two kids having a romantic Saturday afternoon date at Theta Pond. Ah, young love. But, I also wanted to include the picture below.

Although I took it last summer at our Centinneal Ranch Celebration, the story behind the Love Tree makes this my favorite romance photo!

Theme: Fresh

As I mentioned previously, I got surprise flowers from College Roomie. There really is nothing like walking into your house to find unexpected fresh flowers.

Theme: Jewelry

As soon as I saw this Happy Monday theme (click here to see the other amazing entries!), I headed straight for my turquoise cross necklace that College Roomie bought me for graduation. Although I have tons of jewelry that I love, I knew this one would be right for the photo. As I was snapping pictures, I noticed the little charm on the clasp, and knew it had to be included.

Theme: Psalm 139:14

I struggled trying to figure out a picture for this verse, but when I snapped this shot of a red rose at my office, I thought it fit, and was appropriate for Valentine's Day! Be sure to check out the other (far more talented and artistic) people who did their own version of this verse!

Family Farm Friday #42: Farming Translates

“Basically we are all the same human beings with the same potential to be a good human being or a bad human being ... The important thing is to realize the positive side and try to increase that; realize the negative side and try to reduce. That's the way.” ~Dalai Lama

A while back on Nicole's blog, I read about her signing up to be a pen pal with a child in an orphanage in Bolivia. (Yes, I had to google it to see where it was....I'm like the dumb blonde girls on the Amazing Race, I know, I know.)

Anyway, she mentioned that there were other children in the orphanage who had not been matched up with a pen pal. So, being the bleeding heart that I am, I signed up right away because I just couldn't imagine some kiddo not getting letters while the other kids did! By the way, I love that we can use technology to love on kids half a world away!

So, I emailed the people in charge at the House of Dreams Orphanage and signed up to be a pen pal. A couple of weeks ago, I met my new little friend, Yamil.

Um yea....seriously....how adorable is this kid?? Word on the street is that he likes pulling practical jokes....cute and personality! Loving it!

Anyway, I sent him a letter right away. In so doing, I realized, I have no idea what to say to a kindergarten boy! I racked my brain and realized something important. Farming translates. Whether you are a 20 something girl in America or a 6 year old boy in Bolivia (or a guy in New Zealand), you like animals and at leat get the general concept of farming.

With this in mind, I wrote little Yamil a letter, told him about having a farm, and showed him these pictures of some of the animals.

I have to tell you that I absolutely love the fact that farming does more than feed clothe people. It does more than provide a living and a way of life for those of us involved in agriculture. Right here is a real life example of agriculture helping to bring to people from different worlds together. It translates across gender gaps, age gaps, language gaps.....it translates. Thank you, family farm!

Quick sidenote here: There are still a few kids at the House of Dreams that do not have pen pals....so if you are interested, you can comment and leave me your email and I'll get you the information. No farm animal ownership necessary!