What I'm Loving Wednesday #23

"If you let love guide you, you will never regret the story that is written about you."


It's going to be a quick blog today because I'm currently in Oklahoma City for work.  Yes...another trip.  Seriously, I'm setting some sort of record for amount of time away from home (and my wonderful own bed).  Sigh.  Oh well....on to some things I'm loving today!  Linking up with WILW.

1.  More wedding photos.  Photos continue to emerge from the crazy Texas wedding last weekend.  Here are a few of the funnier ones.  I can't beleive I am publishing some of these for the world to see.

That would be my attitude face during the "Jump On It" song.  Classic.

I think this picture of Brett-Brett pretty well sums up the reception.

Jewish chair dance thing...clearly I did not get the details...before they
dropped poor Brett-Brett.  More than once.

Conclusive proof that I have no business doing any dance other
than the two step.  Poor dude in the bowtie next to me looks confused.

2.  This blog about 25 things I want my ranch kid to know.  Love it.  Lived it.  Hope to teach my kids it one day.

3.  This quote from Modern Family.  Hilarious.  And feeling a little true these days.

4.  This song.  Moon River....one of my favorites.  I just love their version!

5.  This article about loving Oklahoma for loving the Thunder.  I love the comparison to a 20 year old yoga instructor.  Hilarious.  Oh, and Thunder, it's time to Thunder Up, by the way!  Let's get this thing back to OKC where it belongs.

6.  These articles about things that she's like to tell teenages.  I think that she's spot on with a lot of these.  Maybe I'll do my one one of these days!

What I'd Like To Tell Teenage Girls

What I'd Likt To Tell Teenage Boys

There we have it, boys and girls!  Hope everyone has a great Wednesday!

Dream Bigger.

"Disturb us, Lord, when we are too well pleased with ourselves. When our dreams come true because we dreamed too little. When we arrive safely because we have sailed too close to the shore. Disturb us, Lord." ~Sir Francis Drake

I was talking to SoulMate friend a couple of weeks ago and, as frequently happens during our talks, she said something that totally blew my mind.

We were talking about life--you know, jobs, houses, plans, goals.  I was saying how sometimes I just feel like I'm not really doing enough with what I've been given.  Thanks to an amazing scholarship, the fact is that I was basically handed a law degree on a silver platter, and I feel like that must have been for a reason.

SoulMate Friend said that she felt the same way, and mentioned a speaker that she heard at a conference one time.  The guys message was one that really struck a chord with her.  He said, "Dream bigger.  Our God is the God of the freaking universe.  Why wouldn't we ask for something big?" (SoulMate Friend may have added the word "freaking" but I thought it was good for effect!)  He told people to ask God for big, great, amazing things.  Because He might just make them happen.

Oh. Holy. Moly.  I am not sure that there was a single message in the world that I needed to hear more than that one, right there.  It's easy to float along.  To do what is comfortable.  Safe.  Familiar.  It's so much harder to dream big.

But it's also so much morme worth it.  If we are to find our vocation and purpose in life, we cannot sell ourselves and our dreams short.  We have to ask for courage.  For strength.  For opportunities.  For conviction.

Yes, it's scary.  And yes, we might fail.  But so too we might succeed.  Our God is the God of the freaking universe.  What big thing do you need to ask him for today?

Even Weddings Are Bigger In Texas

"We love because it's the only true adventure." ~ Nikki Giovanni

Y'all.  Texans know how to throw a wedding.  This weekend I was in the Big D to be a bridesmaid while my best friend from law school, Brett-Brett, married Miss Texas.  They do things bigger in Texas, including weddings apparently!

Me and Brett-Brett

As usually happens with me, things got interesting in the travel department.  (Remember the recent emergency landing and almost-hijacking?)  Well this time it was a crazy cab driver.  I get in and it's a woman driving who has not shaved her legs in like months and is barefoot.  Ok....  I tell her to take me to a coffee shop, like a Starbucks, so I can use free internet while I wait for my ride.  She says, "And you want me to just like, leave you there?"  Um....since you are a cab driver, yes.  Yes I do.  After we got that straight, I asked if there was a Panera because I'd rather go there.  She says, "Let me check my Gammin" (she apparently could not say GARMIN).  Then she tells me the Gammin is named Robert after her ex husband because they were both so difficult.  Ok....  She plugs in the address for Panrea and Robert says, "turn right in one mile" and then "turn right in 1/2 mile" and the crazy lady says, "Robert, you are so single minded, just like when we were looking at buying that house!"  Ok....  By some miracle I made it out of the crazy cab alive.  Just another chapter for my book.

Friday night was the rehearsal where we practiced the art of standing in a certain spot, walking slow, and generally not embarassing the bride and groom.  Not rocket science.  Then we hopped on a bus to head for steaks at J.R.'s, where I proceeded to stuff my face.  So good!  We capped off the night with a little dancing at The Glass Cactus, a club at the resort we were staying at in Grapevine.

And then it was the big day.  I started off with a 2.5 mile run with the wedding coordinator.  At dinner the night before we were complaining about how much we ate and she mentioned she was going to run in the morning and offered to let me join her.  It was not fun getting up early, but I sure felt better afterwards.  I also learned that the wedding coordinator has lost 85 pounds in the last year doing Jenny Craig and running.  She showed me a picture, it was like a different person.  Talk about motivation!

And then it was time to head to the bridal suite to get ready for the day.  Where we spent the next 8 hours.  Holy crap....it was a lot of stress, estrogen and hairspray in that room!  But everyone wound up looking beautiful and the mimosas helped to calm the nerves.

Then it was time for the big ceremony....and it was beautiful.  A friend of Brett-Brett's who played football at UCLA with his older brother performed the ceremony and did a great job.  It was short and simple, but really beautiful and heartfelt.  I'll have to do another blog when the professional photos come back....we took one really great group shot that I think is going to be awesome!  We took pictures for what felt like hours and finally hit the reception, which had the two requirements to make a great wedding:  good food and dancing.

Best parts of the food were the mashed potato bar--I double fisted it and had regular potatos with sour cream, bacon and cheese and sweet potatoes with cinnamon butter and pecans.  Heaven in my mouth.  And to follow up all that goodness, they had cotton candy in martini glasses (you'll see the picture below).  It was awesome.

And then it was time to dance off some of the calories we had just inhaled.  I love weddings where they play tons of fun music and everyone just dances with everyone else.  It was an absolute blast!  There was even the Jewish traditional dance where we all looked confused going in a circle (except for Brett-Brett's family who led the way) and the dance where they put the bride and groom up on chairs and toted them around the dance floor.  They may or may not have dropped Brett-Brett.  More than once.  It was also during this time when the bride's mom introduced me to a little drink called a strawberry balsalmic martini.  Oh my gosh.....y'all must try one.  No lie!

At the end of the night during the last song, the groom was running all over the dance floor to tell everyone to go to the sports bar at the resort.  No need to end a good party!  So we all headed over there and hung out for a while and I let some of the groomsmen convince me to eat pizza at 3 in the morning.  Not a good plan...I still feel sick! 

Now, because I'm a poor planner, I had to get a flight back home at 9:30 in the morning.  Note the reference to pizza at 3 am above and you'll see the problem here.  So I show up at the airport wearin basketball shorts and an old OSU t-shirt, the remnants of my bridesmaid hair, big sunglasses and carrying the biggest bottle of water I could buy.  It was a hot mess situation for sure.  I get on the plane and hear, "Our flight time to Lubbock is one hour." 

Small problem.  I don't live in Lubbock.  So I have a total home alone moment where I realize I must be on the wrong plane.  After some intense questioning, I find out that the plane is going to the right place, but just making a stop in Lubbock.  (Need to do a better job of advertising that, Southwest!) 

When we landed there, the nice guy next to me points to the seatback pocket where he had the barf bag hanging out and says, "I had this ready for you just in case.  Looks like you had a fun night."  I assured him I was not as bad off as I looked.  Then while we were waiting for the new people to board, the flight attendant taps me on the shoulder and says, "Here are some pretzels, honey, I thought you might could use them.  Bridesmaid?"  I said yes and took the pretzels.  Then the guy who sat next to me for this flight offers me a breakfast burrito and says, "It might help."  By this point, I'm thinking to myself, "Just how bad DO I look!?"   I texted the story to a couple of my friends.  The Godfather says, "Maybe you just look sweet and helpless."  Blonde Oklahoma Girl says, "You must look hungry and homeless."  I figure neither was good!

So anyway to sum up my weekend...crazy cab driver, way too much food and drink, a beautiful wedding, lots of dancing, and looking like a sweet, helpless, hungry, homeless person o the flight back.  I call that a successful weekend.  Congratulations to Brett-Brett and Miss Texas, and thank you both for letting me be part of your big day!

Family Farm Friday #72: A Time To Plant

"To everything, there is  a season.  A time and purpose under Heaven.  A time to be born, and a time to die.  A time to plant, and a time to pluck what is planted..."  ~Eccl. 3:1-2

We've been in a serious drought back home for a couple of years.  Yep, you heard me, I said a couple of years.  When this mess all started, we had about 300 ewes or so and about 90 cows.  And then the rain stopped.  This means two things. 

First, the grass in the pastures doesn't grow, so the cattle and sheep do not have enough to eat. 

Compare 2009 to 2012

Second, it means that we could not grow the crops that we typically grow in order to feed the animals through the winter--alfalfa hay, milo, and wheat.  When you can't grow it, you have to buy it.  And it's far from cheap.

We needed rain to fix both of these problems.  And so, we waited.  And we prayed.  And we bought hay.  And my mom drove to pick up more feed.  And we sold cows.  And we waited.  But the rain gauge remained dry.  And my mom drove to pick up more feed.  And we sold sheep.  And a fire came.  And we bought more hay.  And we waited.  And we prayed.  But the rain gauge remained dry.  So has been the pattern for the last two years. 

The conversations keep getting harder.  "I know all the cows had calves, but we have to cull 10 anyway."  "We are just going to take the ewes from the lease land in the mountains straight to the sale barn instead of bringing them home."  "We'll sell another bull because he's big and needs a lot of feed."  "We've all got to pitch in to afford to buy this next load of hay."  And most recently, the worst.  "If it doesn't rain by June 15, we are going to have to sell the rest of the cows." 

And then, on June 12, just in time, the rain came.  Two inches, to be exact.  That might not mean a lot to some people, but to us, it means that the cows and the sheep get to stay.  That means we can plant the fields--full of the crops we need in order to make it through the winter.  That means a smile on my dad's face. 

To us, it means a reward for the waiting.  An answer to the prayer.  To us, it means everything.

* Linking up with Rural Thursdays.

I Love My Normal.

"Normal day, let me be aware of the treasure you are… Let me not pass you by in quest of some rare and perfect tomorrow." ~Mary Jean Iron

This past weekend was the first one in over a month when I did not go anywhere and did not have anything big planned.  My month of May saw Vegas, Colorado, and Costa Rica.  Then last weekend was the big North/South football game.  All of that stuff was super exciting.  I mean once in a lifetime, bucket list, great experience kind of exciting.  And it was great.

But I'd be lying if I said that I wasn't ready for a weekend of normal. A weekend without having to lug a suitcase around or pack for another trip or be on a plane and a car.  A weekend of not wearing heels or worrying about what dress I was going to wear to dinner or trying to get to a restaurant or airport on time.

On Saturday, I slept in and then went to spin class (where the crazy  nazi spin lady tried to kill me...I usually burn about 500 calories in a class....Saturday I burned 750!).  I did some laundry and cleaned out my fridge.  I listened to my iPod and caught up on emails.  Then I hit up the grocery store, watched some Friends and made dinner.  I spent the evening doing some blogging and talking on the phone and reading a book.

Sure, it's not jet setting around the world.  It's not crazy family weddings in Vegas.  I didn't check a single item off of my bucket list.  But I loved it.  I had a wonderful, boring, normal weekend.

My friend Yoga Master (who just got back from her amazing wedding in Sonoma and honeymoon in Hawaii!) posted on her facebook status that she was glad to have some downtime, and said, "I love my normal."  I couldn't agree more.

It's easy to be happy and be thankful when things are exciting.  But it's just as important--maybe even more so--to be thankful when things are normal.  I'm happy to say that I love my normal.

North/South Football

"Don't live down to expectations. Go out there and do something remarkable." ~Wendy Wasserstein
In New Mexico, a handful of seniors are chosen as all-stars and get to play in a game.  They split the kids up and the north plays the south.  Last weekend was North/South Football for the small schools.  It was a little like the Civil War for me....I had Soldier Cousin playing for the South and the Logan kiddos, including my potential future husband (you know when he catches up to me in age and cuts back on this 10 year age difference...we're cute together in the top left picture, no?), playing for the North.  So I just cheered for all the kids whenever they did something good and spent half the game on the south sideline and the other half on the north. 

That's the thing about small town New Mexico.  All the small town kids across the state know each other.  We know each other's parents and what animals we showed and what judging contests we won.  Take my potential future husband's family.  His family and my family have been friends for three generations.  His mom played against Soldier Cousin's mom in North/South basketball when they were in school.  My mom, aunt and grandma taught his dad in high school.  My uncle and aunt are good friends with his grandparents.  It was sure fun to watch the boys play against each other!

Most of the family came into town to watch Soldier Cousin and, because it is my family, we all stuffed our faces with Mexican food before the game and had cake for Aunt Evil Kineval's birthday after the game.  And we cheered like crazy during it.   A group of people that we knew from Melrose (just an hour or so from Logan) would periodically yell, "Number 50, yea!" and our whole family would go nuts screaming and cheering. Yep.  We were those people.

The Family

Oh, and because it was Cousin Kevin's birthday, we had to give him a little shout out.  Uncle Black Belt even took his fake teeth out to hold them in the picture for the celebration.  Why?  I have no idea.  As Cousin Kevin said, "This is where reality shows come from."  Yep.  Those are our genes.

Nothing says happy birthday like a denture picture.

It was a great night for Soldier Cousin and we couldn't be more proud of him!  He's got about a month before he heads off to basic training, and this was a perfect way for him to wrap up his high school football career!

A Baptism and a Castle

"If you wish to experience peace, provide peace for another."  ~Tenzen Gyatso

Last summer, I got a potted flower plant at Lowes.  I killed it in less than a week.  That's not true.  I killed three potted plants from Lowes at three different times during the summer.  I don't have a dog.  Or a cat.  Not even a fish.  I think that this makes it clear that I am unable to bear responsibility for another living thing.  Most days, it's all I can do to get myself out of the house with my glasses on, teeth brushed, hair looking halfway presentable with matching shoes on the correct feet.

Given this, when Coach A asked me to be her baby's God Mother, I thought she had lost her mind.  "She hasn't seen the flowers," I thought to myself.  Fortunately, she offered me the title before she came to her senses, and just like that, I became responsible for part of this precious baby's life.  (You might remember my blog about the trauma of her birth...)

On Sunday, GBaby was baptized in a tiny church in Colorado.  The same building, and the same priest, who baptized her mom 30 years before.  The day was beautiful.  Her family all lined up in the front pews.  GBaby looking precious in her gown.  And the God Parents doing their duties---I managed to stand in front of the congregation whilst not dropping the squirmy baby in a slippery dress and GodFather did not catch her on fire with the candle (please note my concerned look towards him with that candle in the bottom right photo below!).  We pulled it off like champs.

Fittingly, the homily given at the baptism Mass talked about gifts.  Specifically, how you can think that you're giving a gift to one person, when in reality that person is giving a gift to you.  I can assure you that whatever gift I am able to provide to GBaby as her God Mother will be, and has already been, returned exponentially to me.  Being part of this baby's life, being included in the important events for this family, being entrusted with such an amazing responsbility....those are gifts that I will never be able to repay.

Anyway, after the baptism, we headed to see "the castle" that I've heard Coach A and her brothers talk about for years.  I learned that it was built by some crazy man (who I was forbidden to talk to by The God Father before we arrived) by hand over the last 20 years.  Y'all.  This place was nuts.  If you're ever near Colorado City, Colorado, you have to go see Bishop's Castle.  So we walked around and climbed up to the top of the castle.  Now, let me make clear.  I am not scared of heights.  I am, however, scared of shoddy welding.  I'm a mechanic's daughter, after all.  When I stepped on a broken step and then crawled up onto the little ball at the top of the castle that was seriously freaking moving with the wind, I had just about enough.  We snapped a quick photo specifically for this very blog, and I hightailed it back down to the ground!

It couldn't have been a better weekend with GBaby and her family.  Clearly flowers aren't my thing. Maybe Godchildren are.

Costa Rica Re-Cap #6 (The Finale): Go Big or Go Home!

"I do not bring back from the journey quite the same self that I took."

*If you missed any of the Costa Rica Re-Caps, click here!*  Linking up with Miscelleny Monday and Cup Half Full.



People thought it might be strange, me going to Costa Rica with three people who had never met each other.  People who are different ages, with different levels of education, different backgrounds, different interests, and who live in different places.  But I wasn't worried.  I know my friends.  And I know that no matter who they are with or what they are doing, a good time is sure to follow.

And I knew we all had one thing in common:  we needed a vacation.  It had been a rough year.  Love issues, losing parents and uncles and friends, family problems, work stress....you name it, we did it.  I don't think there could have been a better trip to have some adventure, tons of fun, a little soul searching and maybe some healing.

Photo via La Mia Vita

After our 8 days together, I do not think we came back the same people as we were before. We learned to do things that scared us.  To jump off the ledge.  That being nice to people really pays off, whether that means an upgrade to first class or new friends from Ohio or Texas or Virginia.  Not to panic and to keep our heads above water when things get tough.  To stop and appreciate the scenery.  That sometimes you have to hike a while to get to the good part.  And that some days, when you least expect it, a Monkey parade appears to brighten you day.  We analyzed our dreams, our relationships, our make up products, and our diets (thank you Cousin Swiss Mister!).  It's amazing the problems you can solve when you're bonding in the sunshine after a couple of drinks containing little umbrellas!  

Early on, Cousin Swiss Mister deemed the four of us "The Family Unit."  No matter where we go from here or what we end up doing, the experiences that we had will always bring us together.  Back to that week in Costa Rica when we rode the rapids, swung like Tarzan, swam in a freezing cold waterfall, met complete strangers and hosted a party at the swim up bar, parasailed, sunburned delicate areas, and almost got hijacked on the way home.  Back to the lessons we learned and the bonds we formed.

Our trip theme was Go Big or Go Home.  I think it's clear that the Family Unit went Big.   I love you guys!

Quotography: Orange

I hadn't planned on getting a quotography post put up this week, but as soon as I saw that the theme was orange, well I knew I had to link up for sure!  This Oklahoma State alum bleeds orange!  I shot this photo last year at a football game in Stillwater and thought that the black and white worked well with just the OSU on the 50 in color.  Is anyone else ready for some football??

To see the other enties, click here!

Sunday Social

Today I'm taking a little break before the finale post in my re-cap of the Costa Rican adventure to link up with Sunday Social!

How did you come up with your blog name? One of my favorite quotes is, "My life has a superb cast, but I just can't figure out the plot."  My blog--and my life--is me trying to figure out the plot for my own life.

What is your favorite thing about blogging? I love that my family and friends (and even knew blogger friends who I've never met in real life) can keep up with my life--my travels, my bucket list, my random thoughts on the world--it's been a great way for me to stay connected with people.  A couple of times people have said that something on my blog helped them or motivated them, which totally made my day!

What is one thing you have discovered because of blogging and now cant live without? Google Reader.  I follow SO many blogs and Google Reader makes it super easy to keep up with them all.

Facebook or Twitter? and why? I don't tweet.  Gasp, I know!!  I do love me some facebook though.  My favorite part?  My crazy family, including my parents, aunts and uncles, are on there and crack. me. up.  No lie, on a daily basis.

  If one celeb read your blog who would you want it to be?  Oh wow.  Mike Gundy (Oklahoma State's football coach) so that he could realize what a brilliant football mind I have so that he would offer me a job in the football office and I can move back to Stillwater, the happiest place on earth.  Or Tim Tebow.  As I recently blogged about, I think we are soul mates.  Or Ryan Reynolds.  For obvious reasons.

What is something you want people to know about your blog? I really think that it's a pretty good collection of my life.  I love thinking about how I can look back on the blog in 10 years and remember this time in my life!  The trip to Europe, rushing the field, running a half marathon, seeing the good in a horrible situation, watching a football game at Notre Dame, my brother's wedding in Vegas, St. Patrick's Day in Chicago, giving a Eulogy, sharing my thoughts on childbirth....these are moments that I know I will look back on years past and totally cherish them!