Our Life in the Yellow Brick House

We decided to celebrate Father's Day on the Taylor side a week late since that's when Dad was planning the big 50th birthday bash for the store . I am so thankful my Grandpa had the courage to open a grocery store half a century ago because the store is the reason I am who I am today. It's why I grew up in Hennessey and why I have been blessed with so many opportunities in my life. My parents' hard work has a lot to do with that, too, but it's hard to imagine our life without 4T's. So when Dad told me about the concert/picnic they were throwing for the town, we made plans to be there for it. Kyle only had to work half the day on Saturday, which hardly ever happens. I was so glad he got some extra time off because he'd been working late nights all week covering for one of the managers who was on vacation. So we made it to Hennessey by lunch and had plenty of time to play with Asher before the party started. At the party, we got to reminisce about what it...

We spent Father's Day in Mulvane. Originally we thought we'd be in Ponca, but since Greg has to work on Sundays, it just worked out better to celebrate in Kansas. Kyle and I went down the night before and stayed with Greg and Stacie. Kyle went riding with Greg SUPER early in the morning, and Jerilyn and Conner stopped by to show us their new dog, Lucy. Then the boys took their naps before Nana and Papa showed up for the cookout. It was so much fun spending some time enjoying the day together and seeing all of the fun things the boys are doing. They really are growing up SO fast! It was also great to celebrate Kyle's Dad and all he does for his family. The Fox boys have a great example to look up to as they start building their own families. Here are some pictures from the weekend.  Lucy would crawl on her stomach under the dining room chairs. It was so precious. If only puppies never had to grow up!  Writing on Papa's Father's Day card.   W...

Kyle and I headed to Hennessey the weekend after I got back from my conference. Our mission was to help Mom and Dad finish the deck. We had really put their old deck to good use over the years, which left it a little worse for the ware. With warped boards and nails missing, it was time for a fresh start. This is something they'd been planning for a while, and we were happy to help them. By the time we got there on Saturday, they'd been hard at work prying up boards and were ready for a break. Perfect timing, huh?! So the girls made dinner while the guys talked strategy for how to lay the deck the next day. After a lovely dinner and a few games of volleyball (yes, Ty and Lisa beat us twice!), we were all worn out.  Asher had so much fun balancing on the boards.  As we got ready for bed, I noticed Kyle was covering up with a blanket, which he never does. Turns out that wasn't a good sign because at 5 a.m. he woke up not feeling well. By 7, he was miserabl...

The first week of June was a little hectic. I had just returned from San Francisco and was trying to catch up on things in the office before leaving midweek for a conference. I am so thankful I get opportunities like this to meet colleagues, learn best practices and explore new cities each year. I really do love it. However, this year, I was having trouble getting into the spirit of things because my head was still spinning with everything that needed to be done. But before I knew it, 5 a.m. on Wednesday rolled around and I was heading to the airport, destination: Denver. I love Colorado, so landing in the state instantly made me feel better. There was a refreshing breeze and I was ready to tackle the conference. I was so thankful to spend the weekend with Lindsay, our new team member. It was great getting to know her better. We also met up with some Canadians, one of which I'd conferenced with before. They were such a fun group and our happy hour turned into back-to-back dinn...

Where does the time go? My summer is already flying by and it hasn't even officially started! Before I update you all on all the wonderful things of June, I thought I'd share some snapshots from May in Oklahoma. It was a crazy one. I think we all welcomed June with open arms, ready for a fresh start and hopefully an escape from the awful 2013 storm season. May started out so calm and Kyle and I enjoyed evenings on the patio. We got a new fountain AND tiki torches so Kyle is pretty much in heaven.  Northern California has NOTHING on Oklahoma sunsets.  Grandpa and Grandma Donahue sent us home from Kansas this fall with some peonies. I really thought they had no hope, but wouldn't you know, all three of them started growing this summer. We only got one bloom, but it was a beauty, especially after the first storm.  Then came May 16 and we got our Nielsen TV diaries. I was SO excited when Nielsen chose us because I am a complete nerd and I LOVE filling ou...

My memorial day weekend started a little early because we had planned a trip to California to see Zach. Unfortunately, Kyle didn't go with us. He only gets one week of vacation a year and for some reason he didn't want to spend it on a family vacation. Humm... Maybe he actually wanted to relax. We didn't do much of that, but there was no time for it. We were busy seeing where Zach spends his days and exploring the city. It was so much fun, and I am so glad we got to go. It had been far too long since we'd seen him. The first day was a long day of travel. We were at the airport by 8 a.m., and I think we drove into Monterey sometime around 8:30 p.m. California time, 10:30 our time. Plus we hadn't eaten dinner! It was exhausting but everything went very well. Asher had never flown on an airplane before this trip. I wasn't exactly sure what I expected his reaction would be, but he did great. It was like he was oblivious to the fact that we weren't on the groun...