That's What I Want...

Facebook Status Updates that Might Have Been

As you know, I gave up Facebook for Lent.  Had I not done that, here are a few Facebook status updates that I might have posed over the past week.


In 24 hours I have clogged my garbage disposal, broken my dishwasher, and seriously burned my finger.  Perhaps it was not the bar exam and the sad truth is, it's me.

I was being super productive today until I happened to flip through the tv channels and saw A Few Good Men.  YOU CAN'T HANDLE THE TRUTH!

Baked pumpkin muffins today.  Here are some ideas about why I have problems in the kitchen.  Whole wheat flour used had a "best by" date of 2012.  I didn't have any cloves or ginger.  Used extra nutmeg.  Got the amount of brown sugar for the muffins (1 1/4 C) mixed up with the amount for the topping (1/2 C).  Made the executive decision that 3 tbs of butter seemed like a lot for the topping.  Cut that in half.  Somehow, still turned out okay.

One year ago, I was on my first date with my favorite guy.  Today, I am scrubbing the toilet.  What a difference a year makes....

Ran two miles and almost died.  Just 11.1 more to go before I'm ready for the OKC Half Marathon in 7 weeks.....Shoot me now.

Yes, Mr. Dishwasher Repair Man, I did just pay you $60 to come yank a dishrag out of my garbage disposal thereby fixing my sink.  Mock away.

Girl Between the Lines: Lesson Learned

“Don’t spend your time on and give your heart to any guy who makes you wonder about anythingrelated to his feelings for you.” ~Greg Behrendt, He's Just Not That Into You

This week's prompt for Girls Between the Lines is a doozy:  Tell us a lesson you wish you had learned sooner in life. Looking back, what do you see now you wished someone had told you before?

Where do I even start?

I decided I should make a list to try and choose a topic to write about...

What real friends look like and how to find them.
No one should wear a t-shirt every day of junior high and high school.
That you have to stand up for yourself and fight for what you deserve.
How to put out an oven fire before calling the fire department.
That it really does not matter what other people think.
Bridges ice over before roadway (I know signs say this but I clearly didn't get it...)

But in the end, I decided to go with a lesson that I have only recently learned, courtesy of The Boy from Texas.  It's one that I really do believe is true and is important for girls to hear. 

If a boy likes you, he will make that clear and you will not have to question it.

I cannot even begin to tell you how many hours of my life I wasted over the past 30 years wondering if a boy liked me.  It happened in high school.  "Well if he didn't like you, why did he do xyz?  Guys just don't do that!"   College Roomie and I probably walked 1,000 miles analyzing this in college.  "Well he was really flirty with you last night at the Penny...."  It continued on into adulthood.  "Well if you're talking that much, he has to be into you!"  It seriously was a never-ending cycle that left me hopelessly confused (and single....awesome combo.)

Then along came the Boy from Texas.  He was up front right from the beginning.  He told me he did not play games (which I was honestly pretty sure was a game...turned out it wasn't.) He has always been straight forward about how he felt and what he wanted and where this was going.  I have never once wondered how he felt about me.  It was refreshing.  And honestly a little bit confusing!  Is this how things are supposed to be?  How did no one tell me this before?

Well, girls, I'm here to tell it to you today.  I'm not saying it will all be roses and puppies and unicorns.  There will be hard decisions to be made, he will yell at you and make you cry when you catch your oven on fire and hang up on him during that traumatic event, you will have bad days, you will argue, you will not understand his shopping habits.....but through it all, you won't have to question how he feels about you.

If he likes you, he'll make that clear and you won't have to question it.  Learn it now.  Save your time and your thoughts and your tears.  

The Itch

I'm starting to feel it.  It usually start slowly and then before I know it, it takes over.  It's the itch.  The itch to just GO.  Pack up a suitcase and a passport and see something new.

Although no international travel is currently on my radar, I've got some fun domestic trips headed my way.

In June I will make my very first trip to Boston!  I am super excited about this and have my fingers crossed that I can squeeze in a game at Fenway (bucket list!) while I'm there!  This summer I'll also be checking Minnesota and Pennsylvania off my list thanks to presentations I'll be giving in Minneapolis and at Penn State.

I've also got a few "repeat" places on tap.  In less than a month I'm headed to Indy where I will give a presentation and see my Hometown Friend.  In July I'll be off to Chicago to see ND Friend marry Tiny Dancer in what is sure to be the coolest wedding ever.  In November, I'll head to DC for another conference and while there I plan to meet up with my blogger friend Katy, my old buddy King of Capitol Hill, and I swear if it kills me I am going to see the Holocaust Museum (I've been to DC like 5 times and never made it there!)

And I've got a few NM/TX/OK destinations as well.  Frequent trips to see a cute boy who lives 9 hours away will keep happening.  Blonde Oklahoma Girl will be having a bachelorette party at a lake and a beautiful wedding in a barn that will take me to Oklahoma City.  I'll head to NM to hang out with Aunt and Uncle Evil Kineval at their new lake house and to see my sweet friend Baby Hepburn graduate from high school.  I'm hoping to convince The Boy from Texas that we need to spend a weekend in Fredricksburg...that place looks fun!  And because I'll be teaching a class at the Texas A&M University Law School in Ft. Worth next semester, I'm foreseeing some fun in Cow Town in my future!  Oh, and then throw in an awesome family reunion with my dad's side of things...no date is set, but it has been said, "The kegerator will be in attendance."  That's how we roll.

What trips are on YOUR agenda for the remainder of 2014??  I'm always hunting new ideas!

Just Because It's Not Happening Here...

"The most profound statement yet made about Auschwitz was not a statement at all, but a response.  The query: 'At Auschwitz, tell me, where was God?'  And the answer: 'Where was man?'” ~Sophie's Choice

I must admit that my initial reaction to any sort of foreign controversy is that we should stay out of it.  That it's not our business, that our soldiers should not be put in harms way when it is not necessary to protect our country.

But then, I went to Poland.  I walked on the ground where bodies lay in piles.  Through buildings where people were imprisoned, beaten and starved.  Into a gas chamber where thousands were murdered.  Seeing Auschwitz in person changed my life.  My perception is not--cannot--be the same after that experience.

And while I am certainly not saying that I believe that the US should rush into the middle of the ongoing foreign conflicts in places like Syria or Ukraine, I am saying that we must be aware of what is happening there.  Innocent people's lives are being ruined--and worse, taken--for no reason.  We cannot pretend that they do not exist.  We cannot ignore the horrors that are occurring.  We cannot turn a blind eye.

Because if we do, the nightmares of Auschwitz may become a reality yet again.  So while I am not sure what the right thing for our military to do is, I am certain that there is one thing we can all do.  Pray.

Pray for peace.

He Said, She Said.....Our First Date

Sunday is the official one year anniversary for me and The Boy from Texas.  To commemorate the event (and share the hilarious story of that situation....), we're doing a He Said/She Said version of the story.  I had to sweet talk him to get him on board, but I used my lawyer skills of persuasion and got it done.  Okay, maybe it was more of a bribe using a promise of baking him a pie.  Whatever works.

Enjoy.

Valentine's Day

{I had no intention of including Valentine's Day on this blog, because it was another month until we actually went on our first date.}

He Said:  You have to include Valentine's Day.  This all leads up to it.  These are historical events, you can't leave parts out.  {Okay then...}  I tried to send you flowers on Valentine's Day.  I called like 10 places, but no one could deliver that day.  So I had to fess up and tell you the plan that had failed.  I sent them a few days later.  That way it would throw you off.  I couldn't just send them the next day.  That was too obvious.

She Said:  I didn't really expect anything for Valentine's Day, we hadn't even gone on a date yet.  But about 1:00 that afternoon, I got a text with a really pretty picture of a flower arrangement with orange roses that said, "I really tired to get this delivered to you today, but failed.  This will have to do."  I was impressed, even at the failure.

Asking me out

 {To set the stage here, we lived about 5 hours apart and my parents' house was in the middle.}

She Said:  I was driving to my parents' for the weekend with plans to go to a basketball game on Friday night, take reasons at an FFA contest on Saturday, and go to the National Rifle Association Banquet with my parents on Saturday night.  He called and asked if I could come to Amarillo so he could take me to dinner.  I said that I already had plans and told him my agenda.  He said, "Can you get me a ticket to this banquet?"  I said, "Um....it will be me, my parents, and every gun toting redneck in the county there.  You don't want to come."  He said, "I don't care what it is.  I just want to see you.  Get me a ticket."  Well, okay then.

He Said:  I don't really remember the conversation because I was kinda nervous.  You kept saying you had all these plans.  I remember you said you were taking horse reasons, and I told you that I had judged horses in high school too.  You didn't get the hint.  You just kept making excuses for me not to come.

Horse Contest

{Because Mrs. Arizona is sure to ask, a horse judging contest is an FFA competition where there are four horses in a "class" and the students rank them first place through fourth place from best to worst.  Then you give reasons that explain why you ranked them how you did to adults like me.}

He Said:  We were not really meeting up until the NRA Banquet that night, but I headed over early.  I got there and you weren't answering your phone.  I kept trying to call so I could find you.  You kept texting me and saying you were almost done.  I finally found you.  I almost didn't recognize you because your hair was in braids.  After that, we sat in my pick up and judged horses from there.  Then we went into the barn and took a set of halter reasons.

She Said:  Okay, I kinda freaked out that he showed up early.  He wasn't supposed to be there until that night, I was busy, I was also nervous, so I may have not answered his calls on purpose.  I know, I know.  Sorry.  It all worked out fine.  Turned out he knew something about judging horses (major bonus points) and he held the score cards for me while we were taking reasons.

Parents House

He Said:  After the contest we went to your parents house.  I met your mom and dad.  First thing your mom said was "you're not as wild as Sweet Talker are you?"  I said no, no I'm not.  {Sweet Talker is the mutual friend who introduced me and TBFT.  We've been friends for years and my parents know him well.}

She Said:  We got done with the horse contest and after all day outside in the wind, I was literally covered in dirt.  Like it was caked on my face.  So I told him I was going to run home and get ready for the banquet.  He said he'd come too.  Not going to lie.  First thought?  "Holy crap, my parents are there, is this guy crazy?"  But he would be meeting them later in the night anyway, and it's not like there is a mecca of activity going on in my hometown, so what else was he going to do?  

I remember my mom's comment, she thought she was really funny and laughed at herself.  I remember TBFT and my dad talking about oil and gas stuff (they both work in the industry) and being happy he could carry on a conversation with my dad.

NRA Banquet

He Said:  When we walked in the room, there was a ton of people.  Of course, the first people I see are relatives of my ex-girlfriend.  But it was fine, we said hi.  Your mom was kinda quiet.  Your dad was running around like crazy bidding on guns.  We got tickets and were trying to win you a pink pistol that you really wanted.

When it got time for dinner we sat down at a table.  Turns out it was you and me, your parents, your Dad's high school prom date's son and husband and a guy who your dad went to high school with who said your dad can fight really good.  At this point, I didn't think it was awkward, I just wondered what the heck else could happen on this date.

She Said:  There are really are two main things I remember.  

The first was with the aforementioned ex-girlfriend's cousin and his wife (who I also know).  The wife figured out right away TBFT and I were there together.  The husband, on the other hand, saw TBFT walk in with my family and said, "What are you doing here, buying lambs from her dad?"  Well....not exactly.

The second is obviously dinner at the table.  TBFT's assessment pretty much sums up who was sitting at the table.  Gotta love small town America.  My dad did announce that he had taken the other guy's wife to the prom.  That wasn't awkward.  And the guy didn't just say that my dad could fight really good.  He said it like 57 times.  "Your dad, he was a really good fighter, I mean really good."  Given the fact that this guy had been in PRISON, I leaned over to my father and said, "What the heck did you do, shank people on the playground?!?"  He said, "I don't know what he's talking about" and kinda giggled.  Yea, right.  

This whole time, I'm relatively sure this will be both the first and last date because after all this, TBFT had to run for the hills, so we might as well just enjoy it while it lasted.

Breakfast

He Said:  I stayed at a hotel that night and met up with you the next morning for breakfast at Kix.  We ran across the Hepburns and I met them.  I really couldn't even eat or get a word in edgewise with Mrs. Hepburn's questions.  I remember Baby Hepburn came and sat in the booth with us.  I ate breakfast and headed home.

She Said:  The Hepburns are like family to me, so it was fitting that he meet them along with the parents on the first date weekend, right?  Mrs. Hepburn was so excited.  SO excited.  She really did talk about a million miles an hour.  After TBFT left, I went back inside to chat with them.  She said, "You two just look so cute together, you fit, like he could be your cousin."  Yea.  That wasn't traumatic.  {She later explained she just meant we were comfortable with each other, he would fit in with my family, he was my kind of person, etc.}

The Aftermath

 He Said:  I'm pretty sure I texted you to tell you that I had a great time and ask you out again before I left town.

She Said:  I was honestly shocked (but obviously really excited) that he texted me so quickly and that there would be a second date.  I mean, for real, if a guy can survive horse reasons, meeting the parents, an NRA banquet, learning that my father is some kind of secret fighting ninja, the ex-girlfriend's family, and Mrs. Hepburn calling him my cousin, he might just be a keeper...

Valentine's Day 2014 (sadly, I have no photo proof of the first date)

Photo Challenge: Best from February

Another month down and I'm still at this daily photo challenge.  It's a small miracle, really.  I was pretty worried about having any good photos this month given that it feels like all I have done is bury my head in books studying (and sometimes that included throwing said books across the room...) but I'm actually pretty happy with how this turned out.

It's up to you to vote for your favorite photo of the month, which will be in the running for my photo of the year in December!  Comment below.

Photo #1:  Orange  (my OSU gallery wall)

Photo #2:  This Is Where I Relax (sunny afternoon and my comfy chair)

 Photo #3:  Childhood (downtown Dallas, the opposite of my childhood, makes me thankful I grew up in the country!)

Photo #4:  Out and About (in my fancy red shoes)

Photo #5:  Reflection (three reflections of their mama)

Lent Begins

"Until you return to the ground, since from it you were taken; for dust you are and to dust you will return.” ~Genesis 3:19

Since this is Ash Wednesday, I am going to share my plan for Lent this year. For those of you who may not be familiar with Lent, it the period of time during which many Christian churches prepare their hearts for Easter by various means including prayer, almsgiving, penance, and fasting.  The idea is to focus on your life and your faith to ensure that you are ready to celebrate Easter come April.

Warsaw, Poland - 2013

So...what will I be doing to observe Lent this year? 

Well, I'm giving up chocolate.  And no, I do not think that God requires me to do this, or that you are going to hell if you eat those delicious Reese's eggs over the next month.  But I do believe that for me, giving up chocolate is truthfully a sacrifice.  Am I equating Jesus' death on the cross to my not eating one of those eggs?  No.  I am just saying that if making a small sacrifice in my own life allows me to better remember and focus upon His ultimate sacrifice, then it is something I am going to do because it is beneficial to me.

I will also be giving up Facebook.  I know, WHOA.  The thought process behind this is relatively simple.  I spend too much time on Facebook every day and for the next 40 days I intend to use that extra time to do something to prepare my heart for Easter.  Reading a devotional, doing my Bible Study, going to Adoration....whatever it is, I hope to find a way to use this extra time and make this a priority in my life.

Lastly, I am going to be receiving the Lenten reflections from Father Barron in my email inbox.  I'm really excited about this because (a) Father Barron is brilliant and (b) they come right to my email so I will have no excuse to "forget" to read them!  Here is a link if you want to sign up as well.

For those of you who celebrate, I hope that you all find your faith increased during this season!

The "Blessings" Controversy

"My blessing is this. I know a God who gives hope to the hopeless. I know a God who loves the unlovable. I know a God who comforts the sorrowful. And I know a God who has planted this same power within me. Within all of us."  ~Scott Dannemiller

There has been an interesting article going around on Facebook that has caused a great deal of controversy among Christians.  The author's premise is that Christians should stop saying they are blessed when referring to materialistic things.

It has created quite the firestorm.  Just so everyone knows where I am coming from--I agree with the author.  That said, I certainly never think that it is improper to be grateful for the blessings that you receive.  I do not think that the point of the article is to discourage thankfulness, faithfulness, and praise as many who have taken offense to the writing seem to read it. 

I think the point is that we must ensure to make clear that our greatest blessing is the hope and joy and purpose found in Christ, both in our own minds and in the perception that we give to others (especially non-believers).  On that note, we must be careful that when we discuss the blessings in our life--something that I earnestly believe that we should do often with others--we do not miss the big picture by focusing too earnestly on material items.

Sometimes we get so caught up in the world that we forget exactly what God's blessings look like.  And when we describe our material acquisitions like new vehicles or corner offices to others as "blessings", it may make it seem to them (and maybe to us, if we are honest) that these are the reason that we follow God.  And while I am certain that obeying God results in blessings, I am quite uncertain that those blessings are the ones that humans appreciate with the naked eye.

There are many kinds of blessings.  There are the blessings in disguise---those "no" answers to prayers, the broken hearts, the wishes unfulfilled---that later turn out to all make sense.  There are the hard, impossible, horrific situations that we would never wish on anyone, but that in the end bring us closer to God--giving a eulogy at a funeral, facing chemotherapy treatments, losing a loved one.  There are the joyous blessings--new babies and answered prayers and rain falling on fields after a long drought.  And, without question, there are material blessings that God provides--a check that arrives at just the right time, the opportunity to buy a new home, a fancy title at work.  And we should be thankful for those. But it does not end there. It cannot because these things are not the eternal-life giving blessing that we have been given.

If we were to lose everything tomorrow, we should still be blessed because we have knowledge of the Creator of the Universe, his plan to do good for us, and his unconditional and unending love for us.  Would we be able to consider ourselves blessed because of the peace of knowing Jesus, even if we were alone and abandoned and ostracized?  The truth is, at least for me, all too often I fail to mention this blessing, opting instead to talk about the fancy new car that God has allowed me to acquire.

In my mind, that was the author's point.  And I think it is a good one.  Would we honestly believe that we were blessed if we lost all of those "blessings" that the author critizices?  If we ended up homeless and jobless and living off of what we could scrounge up in a trashcan, would we still claim to be blessed because we know the Father?  Would we smile and love our neighbor and feel that sense of peace that faith brings?  I think that if we are truly Christians, the answer has to be yes. 

And I think this is the concern that the author expresses---that we may forget this critical fact if we focus too much on our earthly possessions rather than the true blessing we have been given.  Aside from any worldly thing, we have an otherworldly, Heavenly blessing bestowed upon us as believers.  And it is that blessing upon which we should focus.

May you all be truly blessed today.

We Survived

Well, folks, the Texas Bar Exam is officially over.  I know that the first question everyone wants to ask is, "How did it go?"  The answer is that I have no idea.  No one ever knows.  Truth is, I could have passed by 50 points, or by 1 point, or failed.  I am willing to say that I feel CAUTIOUSLY optimistic, but that's as far as I'm going.  We'll find out on May 1.  I can tell you that win, lose or draw, I am never doing that nonsense again.  I'll go live under a bridge in a box first.  Sheesh.

In more positive news, I want to say that I could not have been more touched by all of the people who were rooting for me and thinking of me and putting up with me and praying for me.

The last two months have been filled with texts and phone calls and cards and packages full of a lot of cookies and chocolate and love.  You guys are the absolute best.

The day I left for Austin,  lunch and 2 dozen warm cookies were delivered
to my house courtesy of ND Friend and Super Mom

One thing is for sure, God knew I was taking the bar exam!  I had prayers from friends who are Methodist and Catholic and Baptist and LDS and Episcopalians and pretty much anything in between.  Prayer chains and Novenas and Namaste from a yoga studio.  You guys are the absolute best and I am so grateful to have you all in my life.

And a special shout out goes to New Roomie who, bless her heart, has had to deal with my study habits and lack of being an actual functioning human being for the last 2 months.  And to The Boy from Texas who is the only person in the world who might be happier than me this test is over.  He has had to put up with crying and yelling and bad moods and more crying and he's been a trooper.