Our Life in the Yellow Brick House

Last weekend was OSU’s homecoming and since we live in Stillwater, you couldn’t get away from all of the school spirit! Not that we’d want to. It keeps us young. Unfortunately last weekend was a rainy one. As an adviser, I spend a lot of time with the students. Since school started, not a week has gone by that I haven’t heard something about homecoming. Whether it’s someone stressed out about all the pomping they have to do, or someone who is excited about seeing it all come together -- that’s all they've been talking about. So in the early morning hours on Friday when the rain started, I was sad for them. That didn’t damper the spirit, though, and all events went on as scheduled, rain or shine. Had the Cowboys won, it would have been the perfect end to the weekend. It was a great reminder that we can’t control our circumstances, and sometimes you just have to roll with the punches. That’s something I’ve been working on this year. I am a planner, which is not always a great q...

I really look forward to October because my favorite season is fall and my favorite holiday (besides Christmas) is Halloween. I was super excited this year because I finally have a house to decorate! Unfortunately, Kyle doesn’t feel the same way. I would say 90 percent of our “heated discussions” are about money. I’m a saver, he’s a spender, and therein lays the problem. His phone contract is almost up and he has been dying to get a smart phone. The only problem is that not only are they more expensive up front, but it’s an additional charge each month. So every time he brings it up, I tell him that we need to wait a few months and then see how it fits into the budget. (We are still getting used to paying the mortgage and waiting to be reimbursed for Kyle’s medical bills.) I can only imagine how frustrating it is for him, and overall he has been VERY patient with me. But that patience ended when he came home to discover that I had gone crazy buying “junk” for the house. Obviously w...

After skipping summer vacation this year because I had a new house and an injured husband, I was really looking forward to taking a few days off work. I love my job but every now and then, you just need a little break. So I took Friday and Monday off and went with Mom, Stacy, Asher and Zach to Kansas to visit the family. Now that Kyle's dealership is down to three salesmen, there is no way he could take off, so he had a boys weekend with Tom and Josh. There is no telling what went on, but they had a great time! I love visiting my grandparents on the farm because it's like being transported back in time before the internet, reliable cell phone service and cable. :) It's a simpler life and I appreciate the break. The drawback is that it's a four-hour drive, which seems long even when you aren't traveling with a one-year-old. Luckily Asher has always been a pretty good traveler, and he did great on the trip! He was a perfect angel on the way and most of the way back. I...

My nephew, Asher, turned one on Oct. 2. I cannot believe he's already a year old! We celebrated his birthday on Sunday, and it was so much fun to watch him open presents and eat cake for the first time. I'm sure he was trying to figure out what on earth was happening. It's not every day that 30 family members visit and bring presents for you to open. Kyle and I got him the cutest little outfit (I had so much fun shopping!), but I wanted to do something more because 1. clothes are no fun and 2. I wanted my gift to mean something to him when he's older. So I decided to make a photo book of our first year together. It was so much fun looking through all of the pictures, and I hope one day he'll be able to look at it and know that his aunt loved him from the very beginning. Below are some photos from the day: I was going to have to work on Sunday, but my boss was kind enough to cover for me so I could make it to the party early to help set up (Thanks, Michal!). This is ...

It's Dad's birthday today. We celebrated with him yesterday, and it was a wonderful ending to the weekend. Below are some photos. Asher helped Dad open his presents. That's good practice for his first birthday next week! We got Dad a grill for his birthday. Josh gave Kyle a hair cut, too. He got a little cold, which is why he's wearing a trash bag. I promise we aren't as redneck as we seem! When I was a teenager, I went through a stage when I didn't really enjoy having my parents around all of the time. Kyle can attest that that's not true anymore! I love visiting them any chance I get, and I especially love days like yesterday when the whole family is together. As far as traits go, I take more after my mom (brown eyes, fine hair, mild temperament, etc.) but I have picked up plenty of things from my dad along the way. I think three of the most important things I've learned from watching him the past 24 years are: 1. Hard Work As a small business owner...

I have so much to catch up on since my last post, where to begin? I suppose I will begin with the fact that I have a new cousin! Landon James Morrison was born on Sept. 7 and we cannot wait to meet him! Krista (Landon’s mom) and I are the same age, and it totally weirds me out that we are old enough to be having kids. I remember when we used to play with our Polly Pockets together! Those were the days. I guess that’s how life is. You wait around for what seems like forever to grow up, and then before you know it, life starts speeding by. I am going to Kansas in October, so hopefully we will get to meet the newest edition to the Donahue clan then. If so, I promise to post photos. Kyle and I have had one busy weekend after another, which means we have a very messy house! Overall, though, we have been having a blast watching our first-ever Stillwater fireworks show with Kim and Trey, golfing, enjoying a cookout with Kyle’s family, going to the city to shop with the girls, watching OSU foo...

Sorry I've been a little delinquent with the blog this past week. With the students starting school again my work schedule has been busier than normal and by the end of the day, all I want to do is relax. On top of that, Kyle and I have had busy weekends, which is a double-edged sword. It's great because we've been able to do some really fun things with the people we love, but bad because we haven't had a chance to recharge our batteries and just sit around doing nothing. So to catch you up, here are some things that have been going on in our lives: 1. My boss is back from maternity leave! I am SUPER excited about this one, not just because it means a lightened work load for me, but also because I really enjoy working with her. She injects a little youth into our working environment and is a great sounding board for me, and I really missed her while she was gone. 2. Kyle and I are the proud owners of a new circuit box, which should solve our electrical problems and make...