Our Life in the Yellow Brick House

This weekend we had a lot of fun things going on and I can’t wait to update you, but I’m a little behind, so first things first. The weekend before last was the third one in a row that we were in Stillwater and had no plans. Kyle was in heaven. I, on the other hand, was getting a little antsy. He works on Saturdays so on weekends that we have nothing to prepare for I stay home and clean the house, do laundry, go grocery shopping, etc. While I don’t mind doing these things, I don’t necessarily look forward to them either. So I told Kyle that this Saturday I was going to tackle a project that I’ve wanted to do for some time now…recovering our dining room chairs. If you read the early stages of this blog, you know that there are literally only 3 pieces of furniture in our house that Kyle and I have purchased (our bed and nightstands). The rest has been given to us. Every. Single. Piece. We are so blessed to have such loving family and friends who will gift us with their hand-me-downs, a...

It is very hard to believe, but I am about one month shy of celebrating my five-year anniversary working for the OSU Foundation. Ever since my first few weeks as an intern, I’ve always imagined being here for a long time, so it doesn’t surprise me at all that I would hit this milestone. I'm just shocked by how quickly it got here! I started work smack-dab in the middle of the busiest fundraising initiative the Foundation had seen. Boone Pickens had made his incredible $100 million matching gift for chairs and professorships, and the entire Foundation was working fast and furiously to match it by getting the word out to donors, soliciting and booking gifts before the state of Oklahoma changed its matching policy. It was 40 days and 40 nights of hard work. While it had its incredibly frustrating, not sure how we are going to do everything, pull your hair out moments, it brought everyone closer together. We were a team working to accomplish a goal bigger than any one of us cou...

Regardless of what it may feel like outside tomorrow, spring is here, and I’m really excited about it! Spring has never been my favorite season but for some reason this year, I’ve loved every minute of it. Maybe it’s because we have a few nice, sunny days when I can go for walks around Boomer with Kim, and then we get hit with cold weather again and I’m dragging out my winter clothes. I don’t care too much for the back-and-forth. But as luck would have it, most of our nice days have occurred on the weekends when we can actually enjoy it. So if you need to find us, chances are we’re out in the yard mowing, sprinkling, planting etc. And when I say “we” I really mean Kyle. He loves to work on the yard and prefers to handle most outdoor duties himself. He also loves to be with me and wants me outside with him. The problem is, I don’t have much to do outside, so I usually start out doing something productive like pulling weeds and then end up just sitting outside watching him work. It’...

Easter came early this year, and Kyle and I weren't ready for it. We had spent several weekends in a row traveling to see family and were ready for a little downtime. However, both of our families were getting together, and I had a hard time wrapping my mind around not seeing either family on a holiday. So in the end we compromised. We would go to church in town, drive to Hennessey for a quick lunch and then come back home so Kyle could do some yard work. I had my reservations, but in the end the day turned out to be pretty perfect. Going to early service gave us plenty of time to make it to Hennessey so I could help my Mom with the meal. Turns out, she would have been better off without me since I managed to ruin my favorite part...the deviled eggs :(. It was so disappointing. But the rest of the meal was great. Kyle and I entertained Asher after lunch with a little soccer and some egg hunting. After a quick game of pitch with the adults, we headed back to Stillwater.  Ashe...

Several months ago, I read an article about getting even with people. It suggested that rather than focusing your energy on getting even with those who've wronged you, focus on getting even with those who've had a positive impact on your life. At the time I was dealing with a lot of internal negativity and frustration so the idea of focusing on something else that was positive was extremely appealing. After that, I started to think of little ways I could get even with people. I don't know that I've done a great job of executing all of my fleeting ideas, but there was one in particular that got me really excited! I decided I wanted to make a book for my Grandparents. They are in their 80's, and I am realizing more and more how lucky I've been to have them in my life. My Grandparents are such caring, positive, content people who were always eager to open their home to 20 + people for an extended weekend with no complaints or reservations. When we all come to...

So the last time I left you, I was planning a trip to Kansas the Thursday of Spring Break to see my Grandparents. I always look forward to our visits to the farm every fall and spring because I can usually go with no problem. Unfortunately holidays have become a little less doable these days. But this trip to Kansas seemed doomed from the start. First, the only time I could go was the end of the week, which is when Stacy and Josh had planned to celebrate his birthday with a trip out of town. They changed plans to accommodate but then we found out Dad couldn't come AND only one of my 10 cousins could be there. Total bummer! So when I got a call from Mom a few nights before we were supposed to leave, I thought, "What now?" She said Grandma and Grandpa called to say we could still come but they wouldn't have any gas at their house, so that means no stove-cooked meals, heat or (and this was the nail in the coffin) warm water. Mom said thanks but no thanks, come visit us...