Lucky... I think so

I've decided that I'm a pretty lucky girl.  

Not lucky in a "bet on that horse, because I'm lucky" kind of way, but an "I'm sure glad that God has got me on the path that I'm on" kind of way. 

Anyway, this year Father's Day fell on June 20th, which is my mom's birthday.  How lucky am I to get to celebrate both of them on the same day?!  So, Jac and I headed up the road to Enid to hang out with my family for the day.  The road trip began with a tradition that started when I was in college - singing along to "Life is a Highway" - LOUD.  There may or may not be dancing involved.  Jacob only had the Rascal Flatts version on his iPhone.  I very much prefer the original by Tom Cochrane. 

Mom & Dad

I had my mom's birthday gift in hand ready to give to her as soon as I walked in the door.  Maybe it's a little selfish but it was a photo book and video from our wedding.  I ordered the book several months before her birthday and I knew she'd love it, so I couldn't wait to give it to her.  I was right, she loved it. 

After swimming with the fam and eating burgers grilled by my brother, we went to visit my dad who was working all day at the grain elevator at ILO.  Yeah, it's a place.

Now, Jacob is a city boy so he's very green when it comes to harvest.  My dad did his dad duties and explained all of the inner workings of the grain elevator then offered to take him up to the top of the bins.  He has NEVER taken me up there!  He really likes his son-in-law.  Of course, he was happy to take us all to the top.  

Me at the top, sister on the ground

Going to the top = riding this teeny, tiny, one-person, "open" elevator or climbing the ladder that goes from ground level to the top, which is 300+ feet high.  My smart father suggested we take the elevator two at a time b/c you could obviously not get anywhere quickly in this thing.  It basically felt like we were hugging each other while surrounded by chicken wire. 

My bro & sis in the elevator

We got to the top and let my dad explain the spiderleg-esque tubes coming down from the top of the elevator & how the grain is transported to the top, how it is separated, and how it gets into its respective bin. 

Dad explains it all!

We inadvertently planned our trip out there at the perfect time, so when we walked out side we were met by a beautiful Oklahoma sunset.  Can't beat it.  

My dad pointed out some landmarks that were around 20 miles from where we were.  AMAZING!  My iPhone camera got a workout.  

Fresh cut wheat fields

My brother - who can be ridiculous crazy sometimes - reached down through the top of the bin to get a handful of grain from one of the bins that were full.  Erik, Jac and I attempted to chew it long enough to make gum out of it, but we all gave up.  I was so disappointed that I tried again.  When it turned liquidy and was running down my chin, I was done. 


So, time to come down... here's where the fun starts.  Again, we took our turns on the elevator two-by-two.  Jacob and I were the last two to go before my dad.  We're just chugging along and we are getting closer to the bottom so I yelled for my mom to take control so she could stop us at the right spot.  we.just.stopped.  No movement.  Up?  Down?  Nope.  I yelled up to my dad but he was not near the elevator, evidently.  Jacob and I saw the cables moving as we pushed the down button but nothing was happening.  All of a sudden there was a LOUD BOOM and we were free falling.  I screamed like a girl.  Jacob said he wasn't sure I was serious about it because he had never heard me scream like that!  Oh and don't worry, I gave a follow up scream once we stopped.  That one sounded strangely like a girl from a bad horror flick.  My mom started screaming to my brother as she was "holding us up with the cable". She gave credit to adrenaline... hmm... 


Well, I bailed on the elevator.  I decided to climb the rest of the way down via the ladder.  No one was hurt, but we were covered head to toe with wheat dust.  And we were shaky and had heartbeats that sounded like a summer storm was approaching - well, I did anyway!

Approximately 7 minutes later my dad stepped off the elevator and was oblivious to the drama that had just unfolded.  As my mom and I are talking over each other to tell the story, he says "Oh yeah, the sparks your mom saw were probably just the emergency brake.  There's no possible way that the elevator would fall all they way to the bottom."  Really dad?  All that drama for nothing?!  I refuse to believe it!  Of course, my dad hugged and said he was glad we were okay.  We survived the evening with nothing more than dirty clothes and some allergies.  

Father's day w/ my dad!

The rest of the evening seemed uneventful.  Watched wedding video - mom cried.  Drove home in a storm of bugs.  Seriously sounded like it was raining.  OH OKLAHOMA!

We survived the elevator!

That's a nugget --B

Nuggets of Sunshine

Yes, I love sunshine!  It makes me smile.

A few other things that bring a smile to my face are...

REAL addressed-to-me-by-hand mail.

REAL addressed-to-me-by-hand mail from a new friend halfway across the country.

Long sleeved t-shirts (especially if they support a cause).

Easter and the candy that goes along with it...

New friendships that only could've been possible through the Lord. 

Thanks Amy!  You're so sweet and thoughtful! 

And I MUST leave you with a couple of pictures of my one year old DOG (he's not a puppy anymore)!  

He was excited about my package too!

That's a nugget. --B

10 in '10

*UPDATE*

You can cross number 7 off of the list!!! LamarOKC featured ME on their billboard! 

 

So I'm not a fan of "New Year's Resolutions" but I do like to make goals and accomplish them or a to-do list and cross them off.  I've actually been known to do something then add it to my list and cross it off.  Yeah, it still feels good... Don't judge.  You should try it.

Since everyone is all about the '10, here are ten things that I want to achieve in 2010:

     1. Read 12 books.  Last year I made a goal to read a book a month and I failed miserably.  I figure 12 books is the same thing but I don't have to be stressed about it

during my busy work months. Here are a few that I want to read, finish, or re-read.

         Side note:  I just finished "Same Kind of Different as Me" for the Bloom Book Club.  This group of 1000+ women is awesome and if you care to join just click on the link!

     2. Be more organized.  This is something I've NEVER been good at.  I guess I've just never known how to be organized.  Sounds silly, but it's true.  I've started with my desk/office at work...

                                                         BEFORE:                                                        

AFTER:

     3. Floss more often.  Seriously, I HATE the dentist so maybe my first goal should be to make a dentist appointment (My friend Vivian is helping with this).  But, yes, I want to floss more.

     4. Start running again.  Running is a huge stress relief for me and I love it, but I've gotten out of it. I would say that I want to make the goal of running a half marathon but I don't know that I'll achieve it.  I will say that my goal will be to register and finish an organized race.  I'll probably start with a 5K... maybe this one for work!

     5. Be more diligent in praying.  I've purchased a simple little notebook that I can date and write down prayer requests and then write how they were answered.  I think it's a good start.

     6. Give blood.  Not only am I afraid of the dentist, I'm afraid of someone sticking a hollow needle in my vein and sucking my blood out.  However, when my grandpa was in his last moments 5 years ago he received a lot of blood.  People donated that blood and it meant a lot to my family so I want to do it too. 

     7. Have a tweet appear on a billboard in Oklahoma City.  Lamar, an Oklahoma City billboard company, posts funny/interesting/informative tweets that are less than 90 characters on their digital billboards around town.  Great marking on their part! 

     8. To go to a movie by myself.  Me and my new friend Amy (we met through the Bloom Book Club that is mentioned above) are planning to do this "together" one night.  We'll still be going by ourselves though because she lives in North Carolina. 

     9. To do the laundry once a month.  I hesitate when I type that because I know WHO will be reading this.  I am really bad at laundry.  I may wash it, dry it a little later, even fold it, but I can't put it away.  My awesome husband normally takes care of laundry.  What a great guy!

    10. Finish a scrapbook I started about 5 years ago.  I also want to take more pictures and document these first few years of me and Jacob's marriage.  There's this awesome thing called Project Life where you take a picture everyday and write a little note about it on a card and BAM! one year later you have a full album.  The kit is available on Amazon.

So there you have it.  My 10 in '10!  Hopefully I'll have a good report at the end of the year on how I did!  Maybe I will have added some by then too, but I couldn't here.  It would've messed with my tens...

That's a nugget. --B

My Theme

Well, here we are.  2010.  Wow!  I have definitely been looking forward to a new year and new goals in life, but I've done A LOT of reflecting on 2009. 

At church last Saturday our pastor posed the question, "What was the theme of your life in 2009?"  I could answer that question several ways but one answer mightily rose above all of the other answers. 

FEAR. 

Fear consumed me.  Not just basic fears like spiders or heights (yes, I'm afraid of both).  Serious fears.  Unhealthy fears.  Unrealistic fears.  Unnecessary fears.  Fear of the "what ifs." 

Minor, controllable anxiety turned into not being able to focus, not being able to drive, not being able to go to work, not being able to go to the store, not being able to eat, severe anxiety attacks, having to be right at my husband's side, not being alone, and an emergency room visit.  This specific time in the summer of '09 was the most difficult battle I've fought in my 27 years of life - I'm glad I didn't have to go at it alone.  So many people invested in me and my well-being and spent valuable time praying for victory including my amazing husband (man, I put him through A LOT), family, pastors, friends, even people I didn't know, but people who cared.  Most of all, the person who literally never left my side - my sweet Jesus!  

I had never had to rely on faith like I did during that time.  I had to quickly learn how to fight a spiritual battle.  I really had to learn what it meant and how to "take my thoughts captive" and how to trust in the Lord completely and wholeheartedly.  It is such a learning process.  I pray I never stop learning.

I subscribe to the LPM blog by Beth Moore and her "New Year's" post couldn't have have hit home more.  She refers to Exodus 33 where Moses asks God to show him His glory and the Lord replies by saying "There is a place near me where you may stand on a rock. When my glory passes by, I will put you in a cleft in the rock and cover you with my hand until I have passed by.  Then I will remove my hand and you will see my back; but my face must not be seen." (v. 22)

Here's what Beth had to say:

When a shadow overtakes our lives and the light dims nearly beyond recognition, we may not see a single evidence of His arrival in our crisis. Sometimes we're in such blackness, we may go weeks or months that we don't sense God right by our side or feel the presence of His abiding Spirit within us. Those are the seasons when we make the choice whether we'll go by what we see and feel, or walk by what we know to be true. These are the places we learn what it really means to walk by faith and not by sight. To sow the seed of Scripture in our tears. It's often not until the crisis begins to dissipate that we look back upon the outstretched horizon and see God's hand prints all over it. No, we do not see His face, because, as Scripture says, our mortal bodies are not equipped to bear the sight. But, in a beautiful sense, we do indeed see His "back." As the season draws to a close, we see that He took every single step we did.

Man, I wish I had written that!!!  She is so wise. 

As I look back on the low point of this battle with fear and anxiety, I do see those beautiful hand prints.  I also know that I'm still growing.  God is still putting His handprints on my life and my situations.  The difference is that I can see them now.  It isn't dark anymore. 

I feel like I am a different person than I was a year ago. I have learned a level of faith that I didn't even know was there. For me, it goes way beyond believing in God; it is simply BELIEVING GOD. Believing truth. Believing that He is crazy in love with me. Believing that He will fight for me when I'm too weak to give anything more.  

I haven't decided what my theme is for 2010, but I know it won't be fear.

That's a nugget --B

The Joy of a Garage Sale

Jacob and I had a garage sale a couple of weekends ago.  Man, I forgot how much work those are!  Not only did we have to go through and gather the things we wanted to get rid of, but I had boxes upon boxes of stuff in the garage to go through (I hadn't since we got married and I moved in).  Needless to say, it was quite a tiring ordeal.  Through being tired and stressed, God showed up.  He always does!


On the first morning of the garage sale I got to help Jacob open before I went to work.  It was dark when we woke up.  It was chilly.  There were threatening clouds.  But even with all of that it was one of the better mornings I've shared with my husband.  No one was waiting to dive into our "treasures" so Jac and I got to spend some really sweet moments - together - outside on our chair for sale as the sun was rising.  It was my favorite part of the day.  After people started showing up and the morning was underway, I had to head to work.  Jacob did a great job on Friday with some help from our good friend Vivian and his mom Nancy. 


Another way I saw God that morning before I went to work was through a customer at our garage sale.  He walked up, asked if we had something specific, and then proceeded to talk to us.  He shared with us that his live-in girlfriend, with whom he'd just bought a house, had just lost her battle with cancer.  She left behind two boys that were transported to live with their dad.  He had no one.  He came to our garage sale to find a friend - an ear to hear.  It reminded me so much that no matter what we're dealing with, Jesus is our friend.  He's always there to lend a listening ear even if no one else does.  He'll hold you up when you're hurting. 

One of the best gifts you can give someone is to listen.  I hope that wasn't the only gift that man got at our garage sale.  I hope that he found Jesus through his sharing and our listening. 

We should've taken pictures of our first garage sale as a married couple, but we only got one.  And who could ever pass up a garage sale if this were in the driveway!!! 

Israel & Zachary marketing for our garage sale

And how could I post a blog without an updated picture of our puppy, Roscoe.  He already loves football!  We're getting Jacob to as well!

Roscoe - 5 months

More than one sentence

Baseball, softball, sunshine, dippin dots, setting records, walk-off grand slams, Jay Leno retiring from the Tonight Show, a road race, lots of water, celebrity deaths, trip to the zoo, an amazing cruise in a Bentley, doctor's appointments, trip to Branson, and a new puppy all in one summer. And, we're back!

That sentence alone is enough to make this blog complete! But you know I can't say it all in one sentence...

One of the biggest changes that Jacob and I have made in our life together happened about two months ago... we decided to get a puppy! Introducing Roscoe Muckelrath II. He goes by Roscoe.

Roscoe 4 weeks old

He just turned 16 weeks old on Tuesday, but we already know the things he loves and the things he doesn't love.



We'll start with his loves:

1. Jacob and I













2. Playing with/chewing on/licking our feet

3. Pouncing on his new friend - the broom


4. "Playing" with the cat (He's not yet aware that Mac doesn't like him very much)


5. Digging for "treasures" in the litter box


6. "The Wiz" w/ Michael Jackson and Diana Ross













7. His puppy food

8. Crawling under the bed (he's not yet aware that he will grow into a 2 ft. 60 lb. dog)


9. Dandelions (they are like built in toys in our yard)

10. Sleeping like this...

11. The new neighbor Lilly, a golden retriever who is 2 weeks younger than him.















Things he doesn't like:

1. Hearing the word "no"

Yeah, that's pretty much it.

We are having so much fun with him, even though he is ornery! I like to think he gets that from his "daddy.

He has done a great job with house breaking... although he still sometimes doesn't know how to tell us he needs to go! He is also doing a great job with "sit" and he's working on shaking. The next task will be not jumping on people... especially our most adorable nephew.

Our nephew trying to keep the dog from jumping on him

That's a nugget --B

Thank God I'm a country girl...

Gosh I feel like so much has happened since our first date night... arts festival, date nights, YoungLife cookouts, road trips, friends from CO, and Laura and Tyler's WEDDING!

Last weekend, Jacob got to spend the weekend in my hometown, Mooreland, Oklahoma! (Go read his blog about this "small town" weekend. He's funny.) We also got to share the weekend with our good friend Jim from Colorado. I tell you, these boys are NOT small town guys, so that made for some fun.

Our first stop along the way was in Richmond, OK. There's some urban legend about a haunted place... I thought it was the church, then I thought it was the school. Well we took a detour to the church anyway. I think the attendance there is 11. It wasn't scary.

After our detour we got to Mooreland about 5:00pm, which was an hour before the wedding rehearsal. I had a great idea... Tour Mooreland for an hour! The whole tour probably only takes 10 minutes, but we made it last about 45. One of our stops was at the football and baseball fields, places I spent lots of time at in high school.

Then I pretended that my husband and I were high school sweethearts and we made out in the dugout. Kidding, we just took a picture.

Next stop was the "Home of the Bearcats." We went to my high school and looked in the windows for a while. Jim then tried to open the doors which were, of course, unlocked. The boys were surprised; I wasn't. I said that if we saw anyone, it would be okay, and I was right. The custodian of 20 years was cleaning away! And she didn't mind us walking around. They were also surprised that from 8th grade until I graduated, I spent all of my schooling in one hallway.

So enough with the small town stuff and on to the AMAZING wedding of Laura and Tyler. The wedding was planned to be an outdoor wedding at the Arney Ranch, but because the forecast showed 52 degrees and rainy for wedding day, we decided (at 10:00pm no less) that it would be better to move the festivities inside. That meant that myself and a dear friend from Boulder went to the Wal-Mart to put together centerpieces. This involved "breaking into" the garden center for flowers, digging through lots of bolts of fabric, and leaving at 1:15am! But it was worth it and the tables were beautiful! Couldn't have done it without each other... Here's to you Lisa!

Even though the wedding was inside, it was beautiful, Laura was beautiful, and at the end of the day Tyler and Laura were husband and wife! Tyler you looked very handsome too. Here are a few pictures of the weekend...

Their last night as Miss and Mr.

Me. Miss Arney. Krista.

From the first date to "old married couples"

Me and one of my very best.

JIMBO!

We're still newlyweds... 5 months and counting!

The fact that so many things had to change during the weekend (at the last minute nonetheless) didn't really matter in the big picture, because at the end of the day Laura and Tyler got to fulfill the plan of God and become husband and wife. Everything about the weekend reminded me of some verses that have taken over my life the last few weeks. Philippians 4:4-8... It begins by saying "Rejoice in the Lord always. I say it again, rejoice!" The rest goes on to say (paraphrase of course) don't be anxious but trust in the Lord and He will bring you peace. Even though there were many times during the weekend that were overwhelming and unpredictable, there was ALWAYS a reason to rejoice. One small reminder was the beauty of the covenant of marriage. Rejoice in the Lord ALWAYS!

Congrats Tyler and Laura Winstone!

That's a nugget. --B