O-K-L-A-H-O-M-A

I have a few vivid memories of traveling to Oklahoma with my good freind Kamie and her family when I was around thirteen/fourteen years old. I was part of their trip to visit with Kamie's Uncle (and family) living in Oklahoma City. I remember the night we arrived was very stormy, and several tornadoes had been spotted in the area. I also remember the family being very relaxed about the threat...even going out on the back patio and looking into the sky to see if they could watch anything form. After a long, stormy night, which I primarily spent in the bathroom applying my fake tan in a bottle (believe me when I say that's a whole story unto itself ;), we traveled the next morning to a local water park for a day of wet and wild fun. What I remember MOST vividly however, was going to see a live production of the Broadway musical Oklahoma in a large, outdoor ampitheater. They used real horses, and I remember that the haystack really caught fire at the end. The music was fabulous, and the night ended with the entire cast singing and dancing to the production's theme song, "Oklahoma, Ok!" (for all you Broadway junkies out there, I don't know if this is the song's actual title, but I think it is...I'm too lazy to go and look it up at the moment). I especially loved the part of the song where they spell out the state's name over and over again...O-K-L-A-H-O-M-A
That's the memories from my teenage mind. I don't remember ANYTHING about the general landscape, the look of the town, or the overall friendliness of the people. The truth is, I didn't have much of a reason to notice. However, as I board a plane this Thursday headed for Oklahoma once again, these are the questions foremost in my mind. My dear hubby and I are headed to Norman, Oklahoma for a weekend trip to see my sister and her husband. While it will be a wonderful weekend away with my hubby, and a time to visit with family, there is more to our trip. For over a year now, my dear hubby and I have discussed the possibility of moving our family to a smaller town. Most everyone who knows me will know that it has long been a desire of my heart to move back to a somewhat slower pace of life. My sister and her husband have lived in Norman for almost a year now (all of her hubby's family lives there). They have extolled Norman's many virtues, and asked us to consider making a move there. So, that's what we're doing....considering...not to mention praying, wondering, questioning, and asking God for some of what my friend Nicole would call "crazy wisdom". I wish I could tell you that I felt something one way or another, that I had a "feeling" about what might happen, but I don't. We are getting a realtor to show us around some houses/neighborhoods one morning while we are there. I am trying, really trying, to just "relax" and leave this at God's feet. I will, of course, continue to keep everyone updated as to what God has in store for the Smiths. I think my hubby is going to be taking the computer too, so who knows, maybe I'll get to blog from there...

Squeezies...

It seems that so much of what I write has to do with Miss K-Bug. Her budding preschooler antics leave me with endless stories to tell and write. Lore-lin plays a co-starring role in most stories, but tonight I'd like to give her the spotlight. Lore-lin is in every way different from K-Bug. While K-Bug tends to be more cautious, Lore-lin embraces life (literally) head-on. She is very independent and most of all, inquistive. She wants to touch, see, feel, and experience everything in a hands-on way. I have found her going through my make-up, with ALL of the jars opened, lids un-screwed, and contents dumped out. She has the ability to open and or take-apart virtually anything she can get her hands on. But, most of all, Lore-lin is a very physical littl girl. K-Bug will give the gentle hug every now and then. Lore-lin will knock the wind out of you while sqeezing you in a full-body embrace (I know, I know, just like her Mom...). Needless to say, lots of positive hugs and kisses go a loong way for this little girl's love language ( for more information, check out all of the Love Languages books by Gary Chapman). Lorelin's favorite thing to do right now is get "Squeezies". Getting squeezies involves hugging Lore-lin's full body into my own (or squished like peanut butter beteween my dear hubby and myself) - and then giving her several short, tight body squeezes while saying, "Squeezie, squeezie,squeezie," over and over again. Short, fun game, right? Except Lore-lin never tires of it. Every time I'm done, she looks at me with those sparkling, blue eyes, and says, "More?" Truth be told, I don't ever get tired of it either. I love to love on this tiny toddler (who won't stay that way) and I'll take ALL of the "squeezies" that I can get!

Anniversary Gift

This past Sunday was my seventh wedding anniversary. My dear hubby and I will be taking a trip to Oklahoma at the end of this month (kid-free!) to celebrate and to visit my sis. Our actualy anniversary, March 11 , fell on a Sunday, and we had no plans to do anything in particular (we did go out the night before for a nice dinner while my Mom watched the kiddos - thanks Mom!) So, imagine my shock when my dear hubby surprised me with a beautiful and priceless anniversary gift. It was the gift of.....laughter. Now, to tell you why this gift meant so much to me the morning of our anniversary, we have to back up to oh...around 9:00 a.m. I had left the house early and dropped the bulletins (we had folded and stuffed them the night before) off at the church for their weekly Sunday service use. I had to get them there before first service started. The plan was for me to drop the bulletins off and then return home in time to pick-up Brian and the girls for our attendance at second service. Everything ran according to plan, right up until I pulled into the driveway at our house. Bri has often teased me about parking the car in the driveway SO close to the house and garage, but I've never thought anything of it. After all, it's not like I've ever hit the house....until now. In my defense, let me say that it was purely an accident, and as I pulled in, my foot slipped off the brake. Even as I heard the "thunk" I knew that I probably didn't want to see the damage. A sucker for punishment though, I immediately looked. I'll post a picture of the hole tomorrow for the world to see, but let me say that my immediate reaction was one of dread and panic. Crumbled stucco and chicken wire stood out at odd angles around a fist-sized hole. I meekly crept into the house and told Brian what happened. He threw back his head and........laughed. He lauged and laughed and laughed. He held me and told me it was OK, that it was just stucco, and then proceeded to tease me mercilessly the rest of the morning. My amazing hubby, whose reaction could have been one of anger or frustration, instead chose to give me grace. It made me think of all the times over the past seven years that he has given me mercy, grace, and laughter as gifts in our marriage. Brian's ability to see the lighter side of life has helped us through many a "bump" (or in this case hole) in our marriage. My dear, sweet, amazing hubby I love you more and more with each passing year. You are without a doubt my favorite, my soulmate, my warrior. Thanks for being you. Thank you for one of the best anniversary gifts I have ever received - I have a feeling I'll remember this one forever! :)

High Tea

It was the sound of fine china, a string quartet playing softly in the background, and a little voice asking me... "More tea, Mommy?" K-bug got a real glass tea-set from my dear hubby's step-sister last Sunday, and was thrilled with the idea of using only the glass pieces (not her regular plastic dishes) for a "high tea". Sissy Lore-lin played with Daddy while Mommy set the stage. A quilt on the floor, some real milk, and animal cookies completed the ensemble. K-bug insisted on wearing a full "Princess dress" and I surprised her (and myself for still fitting in it....smirk...:) by changing into one of my old bridesmaids dresses (complete with matching heels) to wear to tea. Once K-bug found me a hat, and my dear hubby put on a classical CD, we were set. I used my best English accent to discuss everything from the weather, our clothes, and the tasty cookies set before us. K-bug kept giggling at my accent (can't blame her there), but took seriously her role of pouring tea, offering sugar, and stirring cream into my tea cup with her glass spoon. Lore-lin, of course, knew that something was going on with her sissy that wasn't involving her, and came out to investigate. Although K-bug was intially very upset with her sister's apperance, we transitioned into a Royal Parade, led by my dear hubby, the King himself. K-bug found "wands" for all of us, and off we went, marching in a line around the coffee table, into the kitchen, and back into the girl's room. I'm sure this will be the first of many "high teas" through the years - as this was the first, it was very precious to me.

The Roof Caved In- Part 1

I have felt led to talk about an experience that my dear hubby and I have walked through recently with our family....our church family, that is. It will easily be rememberd as one of those times that I prayed harder, hurt more, and asked more questions of God. Still, as I pause to dive deep and share my heart with you all, I have to blog about the roof caving in, not colletively, but individually, on so many of my sisterchicks around me. I am so blessed to be part of an amazing women's bible study. We have dubbed ourselves The Sisterchicks (not an orginal idea....it's based on one of my favorite author's book series. Check it out yourself at www.sisterchicks.com). In any case, we have loved on, prayed for, and gotten to know each other's hearts incredibly well over these last few months. As we were all going along, it seems that the roof suddenly caved in for so many members of our study. By "roof caving in", I mean huge, life-changing issues. Parents/friends dying of cancer, divorces, and premature birth...just to name a few. I believe that the Lord has us together for such a time as this in one another's lives. And, to be honest, some of these problems have forced me to re-evalute my heart and attitude about the church situation. God is working here, no doubt about it. Still, my freinds and family, keep this little group in your prayers. Pray for God's comfort and victory like only HE can bring it! And, if you are my sisterchicky reading this, you know that I love you, and continue to pray for you, even as you pray for me. I'm excited about God's plans for our group.