What I'm Loving Wednesday

"Relax. You don't know everything & you're not supposed to. Stop trying to peep the last page & let the story play out!" ~The Single Woman

It's time for another link-up with Jamie! Here's a few things I'm loving this Wednesday.

1. This video called Making It Count.




Not going to lie....I'm pretty dang tempted to just grab my savings account and hop a plane. I'm going to just predict for you now that before I die, I will do this. If that's not motiviation to keep following my blog, I don't know what is!

2. The following text message from ND Friend. The background: I said that I might have been going on a quasi-blind date I was kinda nervous. Her response: "Nope. Not you are not. You know why? Cause you are the best thing that's ever happened to anyone AND because we are totally planning your outfits." That's the response you expect from your kindred spirit, folks. Spot on.

3. Sunday's Coming.

I've heard this before, and it's just beautiful. People post this frequently for Easter, but you know....it applies to every week. It's not just Easter, but every day, that we celebrate the fact that Friday is not the end of the story. Because....Sunday's coming!

4. This picture.

Pretty sure that they based this on me. It's a constant battle....and Baskin Robbins always wins.

5. This travel advice from a grandma. Those grandmas always know best. Her advice is to "Listen to the people. Listen to their hearts." That is perfect in my mind. As beautiful as scenery and famous landmarks and great food is, that does not come close to seeing the people and the cultures of a place. I can't wait to focus on this (and the wild and creazy adventures we have planned!) in Costa Rica....5 weeks baby!

6. Your responses to my Q&A request on Monday. I loved the first round of questions and have a second round of questions and answers for you tomorrow! It's not too late to submit your questions....

Q&A #1

"Never be afraid to sit awhile and think." ~Lorraine Hansberry

Holy cow...you guys are the best! Here I was with nothing to write about and I got over 25 questions in response to yesterday's blog! Nice work. We may have to do this more often. So....I'm dividing this up between two days so you aren't having to read a book-length blog post today. Here we go....

How do have the time/energy to write an awesome blog, run half marathons, sale sheep, interview Little Cowboy, travel? By the time I get into bed at night I am beat so I need some tips as to how to live this whole life thing to the fullest.

This question came from one of my friends who we'll call Mama Rock. Please understand that she has a job and a husband and three kids approximate ages 9, 1 and 2 months. Trust me, if there is one of us here that has mastered how to manage time and have energy to get things done, it's her! Not me!

I think that the biggest things for me would be multi-tasking and prioritizing my time. For example, I don't watch tv very much.....I just don't really enjoy it. So I have more time to blog because I am not spending it watching tv. Now some people would much rather watch tv then blog--so they would prioritize different than I do. However you do it, I think prioritizing is key.

If I do watch tv, I'm almost always checking emails or folding laundry or even writing blogs at the same time. "Oprah calls it, multi-tasking." (Name that movie??) One secret about the blogs is that I almost always write a week's worth over the weekend and just schedule them to post throughout the week.

As for the traveling, I've learned to sleep really, really well on airplanes! I'm always taking off on a Friday evening and not getting back until late Sunday evening from somewhere--which means that my restful weekend is shot unless I can catch some zzz on the flights!

If you could go back to college and major in something that you never had to turn into a career or make useful (but you could it you wanted to), what would you study? Where would you go?

I really like this one!! I think I would major in Spanish and Photography. I kick myself all the time for not taking more Spanish in college. There is no reason that I'm not completely fluent other than my own laziness. As for photography, I just love taking pictures and think that having a degree in photography would be amazing. I would go back to Oklahoma State (obviously!) and stay there until they kicked me out!! I would also have do a study abroad somewhere in Europe---I kick myself for not doing that when I had the chance in college!Have you ever wanted to escape from something? If so, when and where did you want to escape to?

For sure! When I have a bad day and get frustrated about my life as it is, I seriously have googled plane tickets to Europe and thought about just taking my savings and getting on a plane to see how long I could bum around before it ran out! If I was going to escape, I would totally do it in a travel related way! Fortunately for my checkbook, I usually calm down and decide that I have it pretty dang good and that I really don't want to run away and join the traveling circus!

What are you most fearful of? How does that fear keep you from doing things you would like to do?

Oh good one. I think that my answer has to be failing. As a total Type-A, overachiever, competative type person, I don't suspect this surprises anyone. I think that fearing failure is one of the worst fears to have because it can hold you back from doing things. I think that I really do constantly focus in my life on trying new things and being spontaneous and doing fun stuff in order to try and overcome this fear. Specifically, if I wasn't scared of failure, what would I do? Write a book. Do something with my law degree that really helped people. Tell people how I feel. Blow my savings on traveling (see above!). Oh yea, I'm also scared of snakes and I hate feet, but those didn't seem to be very deep answers. :)

What one skill do you wish you had learned but haven't yet?
I really wish I was fluent in Spanish, as mentioned above. I also really wish that I knew how to play tennis. It looks really fun!

Over the last five years how do you think you have changed for the worse? Better?

Shoot.....this is serious! I think (hope!) that mostly I have changed for the better. I think that I've learned to lighten up and go with the flow more. I think that I've learned that life is short and that it's important to focus on living it to the fullest--whether that means taking time off of work for vacations or getting on a plane to be there with your friends when they need you. I've also learned that I can do anything I set my mind to...I can I've learned that I am capable of living in a big city by myself and of navagating the subway system in a foreign country. I also think that I've somehow managed to become more comfortable in my own skin and with where I am in my life.

How have I changed for the worse? I've become less worried about staying within a budget and my spending habits, which I don't like. I also find it harder to stay in touch with friends, I guess because life is so busy, and I hate the idea that people have slipped out of my life.

Should we parasail or snorkel while in Costa Rica in over a month...or should we do both?
Listen you know my answer without asking me. I clearly vote we do both. If I had to pick, I'll be parasailing. I snorkled in Cozumel a few years ago and it was cool, but I am dying to parasail!

What is your greatest strength, and how is it sometimes detrimental? And on the flip side - what is your greatest weakness and how is it sometimes beneficial?

I think that my greatest strength is my loyalty. I'm seriously like fiercely loyal. You screw my friends or family over and I'm done, out, it's over. This has been detrimental because I end up with grudges, sometimes even after the other people have gotten over them. I'm not great at forgiving, which is something I definately need to work on!

I'm not even sure where to start on the greatest weakness.....I have a whole long list of those. One of the things that I hate about myself is not being a morning person. I mean at all. I'm grouchy and hit snooze as long as I can and I am so jealous of people who get up and watch the news and learn what's going on in the world and have coffee all before getting ready for work, when I'm the person who is like hopping into her shoes and finishing my hair in the car because I got up 17 minutes before I had to be out the door. It's frankly not beneficial. At all.

Do you think Weeden will be drafted and if so what round do you think he will be drafted? Blackman?

I do think Weeden gets drafted, and I'll say he goes by the third round. Listen, he's built like an NFL quarterback, he's older and more mature and you don't have to deal with the crazy, party animal 22 year old kid issues with him. He's an accurate passer when he can stay in the pocket, which seems to be what works well in the NFL. He's better out of the shot gun, which could pose a problem, but surely he can get used to that his first couple of years in the NFL.

I think Blackman goes 4th overall. He's unreal---he's so big and so strong and has great hands. He's not the fastest guy, but I read that he ran a pretty dang good 40 at the combine, so I think that he'll be fine.What is your favorite Mexican restaurant?

There is this tiny hole in the wall restaurant in Las Cruces called Nelly's. It's actually like a house with tables jammed in all of the rooms. It's only open for lunch on certain days of the week. No one speaks English (total sign of a good restaurant). Mr. Franklin used to sneak us out of State FFA Convention early so that we could get there and get a table before the other ag teachers showed up.

What is something on your Bucket List - that we don't know already?

Oh there are lots of things..... Seeing an Elvis Wedding. Seeing Aushwitz. Watching a baseball game at Fenway or Wrigley. Go to a drive in movie. Go to the Olympics. I could go on forever!

What is the best book you have read recently?

The Help. I'm totally not a fiction reader at all, so I really did not have this on my radar screen when everyone else in the world was all caught up in it. But I had heard so many good things that I bought it one day in an airport and could not put it down. It was amazing. I'm currently reading a book that I'm loving as well called Half-Broke Horses and it's about this girl growing up on West Texas/New Mexico during the 1900's. She reminds me a lot of my grandma so I'm loving that!

Describe your perfect date.

Well in typical Tiffany fashion, I'm all over the place on this one. I blame the Sweet Home Alabama disease. So this list is not something that I'd do on one date or even one kind of date, just all things that I think could be good: Dancing to the radio under the stars, eating a steak, going to a college football tailgate/game, the boy wearing great cologne (Polo Black or Tommy qualify, fyi) and square toed boots, curling up on the couch and watching a movie in your sweats, dancing at a country bar, going fishing, walking around North Beach (San Francisco) at night, showing up at the door with flowers, riding horses.....do we see now why I can't figure my life out? Anyone?

What is your favorite thing about your young single years?
Great question, Katy!! As annoying as these single years can be sometimes, I'm so grateful to have had them because they have given me the opportunity to figure out who I am. I look back to who I was, how I acted, and who I thought I wanted to end up with when I was 18 or 22 or even 25 and I just think, "What was I thinking!?!?" I've had time to learn what is important to me, and what is important in other people. I've also been able to be pretty selfish---spend my money on what I wanted, travel whenever I wanted to, sleep until noon if I felt like it, have Wheat Thins for dinner---all things that I would have missed out on without my single time! Don't get me wrong, it's hard sometimes and I get depressed and frustrated, but it's been something that I definately needed and am learning to appreciate.

We're Improvising....

"She's a real firecracker, you know? She's not someone you forget meeting.”

Well with the big sheep sale weekend, I had zero time to get any blogs written. On Saturday I spent over 14 hours at the barn.....not condusive to blogging, friends.

So, we're going to improvise today. Let's play Q&A! This means that you guys who read my blog get to ask me questions that I will answer tomorrow. Just leave a comment below (you can comment as anonymous if you don't have a google account) or email me your questions.

Question about growing up on a farm or in a small town? About traveling or running or books I'm reading? About Oklahoma State or San Francisco or my bucket list? Ask away!

This is my attempt at not getting emails from people when I don't blog (ahem....Haleigh and Kristin!) so I'll be expecting questions! :)

Family Farm Friday #70: Roses in December

"God gave us memories that we might have roses in December." ~J.M. Barrie


Well, ladies and gentlemen, another sheep sale weekend is upon us. For those of you who are new followers since last year, each April we sell show lambs to 4-H and FFA kids to show at the fairs in the fall. That means I'll be sneaking out of work early and road tripping it home for lots of sheep showing over the next 48 hours! So far, I think that we have made it through the pre-sheep sale without a single screaming fight and no physical violence....can this be true?!


The last two years, I've written blogs commemorating my favorite memories of sheep sale weekend. So....you can read about my first sheep sale with Mr. Franklin and you can read about my last sheep sale with Mr. Franklin.

Although I love the sale every year--the time with my family and getting to catch up with all the show family and getting to see how all of the lambs look--the sales will never be the same again. The little man in the green dairy judging jacket and floppy eared hat left a hole too big to fill.

And so this weekend, we'll go on with the sheep sale. Ever cognizant of what is missing......today and every day. Ever thankful for the time we did have with him. And ever grateful to have roses in our December.

What I'm For

"You won't have to ask what I'm against, if you know what I'm for...." ~Pat Green

I'm for old hymns. In tiny, white churches. Simple words, sung heartfeltly. For Amazing Grace and In the Garden and the Old Rugged Cross. (Picture from trip to Switzerland)

I'm for mom and pop restaurants. Corner booths with a tiny vase holding one fresh flower. For old cash registers and waitresses who wear their hair in a bun and call you "sweetie" or darlin." (Picture from summer in San Francisco)I'm for the underdog. The David. The Cinderella story. The person who works hard and beats the odds. For going after a dream, no matter how big and unrealistic it seems. I'm for OSU. For the orange fountain on Library lawn. Late nights at the Copper Penny and Calf Fry and Tumbleweed. For midnight pancakes on finals week, for Ag Hall, and friends that became like family. I'm for Bullet and Remembering The Ten. (Photo from Bedlam)
I'm for farms. Fresh cut alfalfa fields and concrete ditches full of water. For pastures filled with cattle and the smell of leather in a tack room. For sale barn pie and county fairs. For neighborhood picnics and volunteer fire departments.
I'm for hoodies. And pajama pants. And warm blankets and fluffy duvets. For macaroni and cheese and apple spice candles. (Photo from New Year's Eve 2011)

I'm for love. For first loves and 60th anniversaries. For late night phone calls and holding hands under the table. For surprise flowers on random Tuesdays. And dancing to the radio. (Photo from Trevi Fountain during trip to Rome) I'm for family. Be it blood or the ones you choose for yourself. For people who love you and support you and are there for you no matter what. For big hugs and smacks on the back and inside jokes.

Quotes from Easter Weekend 2012

"When you look at your life, the greatest happinesses are family happinesses." ~Joyce Brothers

I had a great Easter weekend at home with the fam. Little Brother's wedding shower was on Saturday (blog on that coming soon!) so we got to see lots of family and friends over the weekend, which was awesome. I thought I'd share some of my favorite quotes from the events....Little Cowboy: "Tiff, I forgive you for shooting me in the face, you can come out of time out now."
(This occurred during our nerf gun wars with the new dart shooting guns that Aunt Tiff bought for the weekend.....he was on one end of my parents' giant leather couch and I was on the other. He popped up and I, not realizing that he was so short that the only part of him that would be above the couch was his face, fired the gun and shot him....right in the eye. Cue the screaming and crying from him, inappropriate laughing from me, and time out for Aunt Tiff. Luckily I was forgiven and the shooting games continued.)
(After the wedding shower...at which Little Cowboy arm wrestled all of the women in attendance--including one who is recovering from open heart surgery!)
Aunt Tiff: "Little Cowboy, did you arm wrestle with Opie's mom today?"
Little Cowboy: "No. I only arm wrestled with the young ladies."

Little Cowboy: "Tiff, what does a lawyer do?"
Aunt Tiff: "I fight with people every day."
My Mom: "She means fight with her words, not with her fists."
Little Cowboy: "I bet if she just popped them once she could stop all that fighting."


Little Cowboy's grandma (at lunch): "Little Cowboy, you're supposed to be eating, not talking right now."
Little Cowboy: "Listen Mimi, I haven't seen my family in a long time. This is more important."


Random family friend (to Little Cowboy): "Is Tiff an adult?"
Little Cowboy: "No. She's just a little person. Not an adult."


Dr. Kyra (she's a family friend making her first blog appearance!): "Traveling with my husband is like doing pennance."
Me: "One woman's pennance is another woman's good time!"
Dr. Kyra: "Just for me saying that, you watch me end up in jail or the wheelchair in Vegas."


Wedding Date (to Little Cowboy): "Hi, I'm Wedding Date, nice to meet you."
Little Cowboy: "I'm Eli (which is his real name). But I like to be called Eli....Manning."


Little Cowboy (to my mom): "You'll never guess what happened at the barn. That big guy got a bloody nose because Tiff hit him right in the face." (BFF came over to visit and look at lambs on Sunday morning early and ended up with a horrible bloody nose from all the dust....Little Cowboy was facinated by all the blood and convinced that I had hit him!)


Lastly, if you guys are not my facebook friends, you've missed a completely insane and inappropriate conversation about Little Brother's upcoming Vegas wedding between my family. Uncle Buddy summed it up as he walked out of the house to go home on Sunday.
Uncle Buddy: "See you guys in Vegas. GET. READY."

Built Strong

"Anyone can give up, it's the easiest thing in the world to do. But to hold it together when everyone else would understand if you fell apart, that's true strength.”

A couple of weeks ago I was having dinner with my Aunt Evil Kneivel and some of her friends and we were talking about my family. Aunt EK said that we were from Tennessee farmers, and you could tell because we were built strong--broad shoulders, strong arms, big legs--for working in the fields. As I thought about it, Aunt EK was right, we are built strong. But it has nothing to do with our ability to hoe tobacco (although I'd put us up against anyone at that too!)


In February, Aunt EK and Uncle EK were involved in a serious four-wheeler accident. (You read about one of the sweetest things I've seen related to that here.) By the time I made it to the trauma center in El Paso where they had been air lifted, they had been diagnosed with horrible cuts requiring massive stitches, broken bones, and broken vertebreas. I remember walking in the door and seeing Aunt EK in the hospital bed still covered in blood and dirt, her arm in a cast and her head halfway shaven, and the first words out of her mouth being, "Well, here's my next life experience."

That's how Aunt EK views everything--even the bad things--in her life. They are life experiences. She did not lay around having a pity party. She did not act like a drama queen about her injuries. She chalked this up to being a life experience and started worrying about her ability to go on the fishing trip she had planned a month later. That day in the hospital, Uncle EK said that she could not go...no one was surprised to get a call from Aunt EK on the boat 30 days later. We know she's built strong.


Aunt Delta Dawn is not much different. As long as I can remember, she's signed off on every card that she's ever sent me with the message "have fun every day." That's how Aunt Delta Dawn lives her life. As you might remember, she lost her husband, my Uncle David, over Christmas. And as painful as that was, and even though you can tell how much she misses him and she'll tell you everything is different now...she still does her best to have fun every day.

She got her blog nickname after she spent the weekend showing everyone in the family an iPhone video of her singing karaoke dressed in camo at some random bar in small town New Mexico. She said that they were driving through town when she saw the karaoke sign, something that was on her bucket list, and she made her friend pull right in so she could sing. She belted that tune (Delta Dawn--obviously!) out and bopped through the song and looked like she had the best time. Even in the aftermath of unbearable tragedy, Aunt Delta Dawn manages to have fun everyday, and she's brave enough to rock karaoke dressed in camo. She's built strong.


And I've written before about my mom being a "real housewife" and the strength that goes into that.

These three ladies above--my Mom, Aunt EK and Aunt Delta Dawn--are some of the strongest women I know. No matter what life throws at them, they face it head on. I couldn't be prouder of the women I come from. And I only hope this strength is genetic, because if I can be half as strong as these ladies are, I'll be just fine!

Good Friday

"I'll never know how much it cost, to see my sins upon the cross." ~Chris Tomlin

Let's start off today with a song. (The version performed by the one and only Johnny Cash, I mean if Johnny sang it, there's not other option people!)



The song asks, "Were you there when they crucified my Lord?" The honest answer to that question--for everyone--is yes. It was because of us, for us, that the world turned upon Jesus, that beating occurred, that the crown of thorns was placed, that the nails were driven, that the skin was pierced. We were there. And today, we remember that. We remember the ultimate gift of sacrifice. We remember Him.

I know that for a lot of us, it's easy to lose focus of what today is really about. It can become a day of running errands to get out of town for Easter, a day of class parties, a day of stocking up on Easter candy......the list could go on forever. But today, I urge you to stop, to be still, and to realize what Good Friday is all about. It's not about roadtrips or Cadberry eggs. It's about God's own Son, and a hill called Golgotha, and the ultimate sacrifice--the ultimate gift--for you and for me.

A line from a book that I'm currently reading, Death on a Friday Afternoon struck me. It said, "Good Friday is not just one day of the year. It is a day relived in every day of the world, and of our lives in the world."

May we remember, every day. Have a blessed Good Friday and a Happy Easter!

Letters to Mr. Right: Letter #11

"I say everybody's crazy so what you need to do, you need to find somebody crazy like you." ~Josh Grider Band, Crazy Like You

Dear Mr. Right,

My friend The Crazy Canadian sent me this picture last week.

What else is there to say? I'm not looking for a super hero. Just for you.

And square toed boots.

Obviously.

Waiting for that day,


Me

To see my prior letters to Mr. Right, click here.

What I'm Loving Wednesday #20

"We might not get it right every time – but we bravely get it wrong with the knowledge that you can’t WIN big unless you’re willing to FAIL big." ~The Single Woman

And just like that, it's Wednesday! After last week that felt 57 days long, I'm happy that this week has been going faster. And yesterday at work I was crazy productive, always fun! Today I'm linking up with WILW!

I'm Loving....

1. I won running shoes!! Holy cow y'all, I was SO excited to see this post by Megan announcing that I was the winner of her running shoe giveaway. I'm here to tell ya, it made my whole week! I can't wait for these babies to arrive and to try them out!

2. This new song by Eric Church. First off, can we just discuss how much I love Eric Church? He's like this perfect mix of good ol' country boy and bad boy all rolled into one. Sigh. Anyway, back to the song...it's called Springsteen and I absolutely love the whole song, but especially the music and Eric's voice. Doesn't it sound a little like Willie Nelson?

3. Bopper and Mark. Confused? That means you're not watching the Amazing Race this year. These guys are my favorite team. They are self-proclaimed hillbillies from Kentucky. They are hilarious on the show--my favorite line was when one of them said that a witch at one of the challenges was "uglier than a mud rail fence." Their southern accents and small town roots won me over, but then when they were killer good mechanics and reminded me of my Dad, I was totally sold. And when Bopper teared up and said that he was running the race to hopefully win the money and help pay for medical treatment for his daughter--forget it. I'm in!
4. A weekend at home. I've been running around all over the country here lately, nad I'll be out of town again for the next three weekends in a row, so when I get a chance to be home for a weekend, I enjoy it! This weekend included some running, spin class, judging arguments at the law school, and dinners with friends (including Mr. and Mrs. Top Gun and meeting Baby Top Gun for the first time!). It was glorious!

5. Song of the Year. I was super excited to see that the Eli Young Band won Song of the Year with Crazy Girl. These guys are a Red Dirt Band that I've seen play countless times in college and now they are winning song of the year on tv! Way to go!