Because we chose to raise our kids in Oklahoma, it wasn’t always easy to take them to the beach. While we love the sand and the waves, I can count on one hand how many times we have been. Our first trip to the beach was to Pensacola, Florida when Ransom was two. I don’t…
To All the Kids I’ve Taught Before
Today was bittersweet. It was my last day in the classroom with my last class of kids. I am so excited about the future ahead me, but when you are born with a teacher heart, you expect your days to be filled with kids. Goodbyes are always hard. Last night, Ransom came home from work…
Changing Identities
I’ve been a stage mom for awhile now. After nine years of dance with Kambry and five musicals with Tait, I know how to go from bouncy curls to a messy bun in under a minute and just how much mascara to put on a boy’s long eyelashes to make the spotlight love him. I know…
In the Garden
One of my favorite places on earth is my parents’ backyard. They have spent countless hours making a beautiful oasis of colorful flowers and plants. They have comfortable lawn furniture, melodious wind chimes, and rockers on the porch. It is the perfect place for the grandkids to have lunchtime picnics, evening s’mores with marshmallows roasted…
Easter Tricks
Look at this sweet, innocent little face. As evidenced by the new dress, the matching hat, and the fluffy stuffed bunny that she found in her pink basket that morning, it was Easter, maybe more than a few years ago. She had played in the nursery during Daddy’s sermon that morning, hunted eggs with the other…
Finish Strong
It really doesn’t matter how fast you swim a race if you don’t put your head down and reach for the wall. Until that hundredth of a second that it takes to touch, the race isn’t over. I have seen kids well in the lead, lose it in a heartbeat when another swimmer simply out-touched…
Saying Goodbye to 2016
It’s a new year, and I sure am glad. 2016 was rough. If I am being honest, it was probably the most difficult year of my life. It came with challenges, frustrations, pain, and loss that at times threatened to overwhelm me. It brought questions I couldn’t answer, things I didn’t understand, and joy I…
Moments
There’s something about the holidays that always brings reflection. It seems like busy lives get even busier as shopping, decorating, baking, and wrapping are squeezed into days already packed with activities. Add in the holiday parties, events, and concerts, and sometimes we are so busy creating the holidays that we miss the moments that make…
How to Disagree
If you know anything about the state of Oklahoma, you know that few things matter more than college football. If you want to make instant enemies in Oklahoma just go out of the house wearing a Texas Longhorn shirt. It’s a constant source of disagreement. When big rival games roll around, there are tailgates, watch parties,…
Sticks and Picks
Originally posted on Stilbagriawomen:
My son is not a guitar player. Don’t get me wrong. I have no doubt that he could be if he put his mind to it, but he isn’t one, yet. He prefers life in the drum cage. He has spent the past four years learning to drum, and he loves it.…
The Storm Shelter
I love rain. I love the beauty of it. I love to sit on the porch and watch it calmly fall from the sky or to lie in bed listening to the soothing sound. However, I live in Oklahoma. I know all too well that this friendly rain can turn into something hateful, something destructive, and…
Left at Walmart
Walmart is not exactly one of my favorite places. I usually avoid it, but on some occasions, I find a trip to Wally World necessary. One day as I was checking out at Walmart, I saw a display of an infant incubator set up by the Children’s Miracle Network as a fund raiser. My daughter, Kambry, stared…
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