The Second Fur Child

Last February (2014) I somehow convinced my husband that we needed to add another fur child to our family of three. I still don't know how I managed to accomplish that, but I thought it best not to ask questions! Today I realized that I hadn't posted about her yet, so here is a tribute to our dear Chloe Daenerys Black.

From day two, she absolutely loved Daisy (day one she was terrified of the white polar bear) and still follows her around and snuggles with her on the daily. They're two peas in a pod and are great companions for each other and endlessly entertaining for us!

 

 

 

 

Then....

 And now!

2013

This year was great to say the least. It was filled with travel, friends, family, jobs and so many adventures in between. I started doing graphic design and photography on the side, our fur baby turned a year old, and the hubs and I built a wall. Yes, you read that right. Be prepared for an epic blog post about that home renovation adventure. We joined a wonderful church community, celebrated our one year anniversary in our first home, and started clean paleo eating (or at least attempting it!). I hope your 2013 was fun-filled and fabulous!

Here is a little peak at the backside of our Christmas card:

Cheers to 2014!

Christmas Thoughts

I'll just go ahead and say it: Christmas may not be my favorite holiday.

Go ahead and cue the "boooo" and call me call me a grinch. But before you pass any ultimate judgement, let me explain.

I dislike what the holiday of Christmas has become. Sure, it's fun picking out gifts for people. But when your family begins growing into ridiculous numbers (marriage tends to contribute to this), it can get stressful and incredibly expensive. You feel like a jerk if you don't get every single relative a gift. But you also feel like a jerk if you do and your gift is small because you have 50 people on your list so your "per-person" amount is a bit puny. So this beef is really with the commercialization of Christmas rather than the holiday itself. 

But these next thoughts on Christmas might redeem me if you're still convinced that I'm a heartless grinch.

I absolutely love the family time. My family is a strong contender in the contest of how spread across the country you can get. With family members in states on every coastline/border (yes that includes north, south, east and west) it's nice to be able to see at least part of them during the Christmas season. It can mean some intense schedule arranging and trying to allow time to breathe in between Christmases, but the memories are worth it. 

And one more very random thing I love about Christmas are the cards. And I don't mean the ones you buy in boxes with a creepy picture of Santa on them. I mean the family photo cards. This year I grossly underestimated how many I should print (sorry if you got missed!), but I vow to do better next year. In the spirit of the season, here is our card for this year, furbaby included. And don't even ask how long it took to get her to sit still for the self-timer.

Merry Christmas to you and yours! Hope your Christmas is full of family and laughter.

A Ponytail Memoir

If you have known me for long, you probably know how insanely long and thick my hair was. Not to mention unruly. But I loved it. Long hair was a staple of my existence for the past decade and a half. When I did manage to find an hour to fix it, it was fabulous. Thick and shiny with lots of natural bounce. However, most days ended up being ponytail days.

I am not a morning person (surprise, surprise), so when I got a grown-up job, getting up an hour earlier than necessary to fix my hair just wasn't an option. For several months I contemplated chopping off my lovely locks, but could never quite bring myself to do it. I pinned lots of ideas that I loved, but when it came down to it, I was too chicken.

But like every small annoyance, you eventually reach a breaking point. Mine came on a Saturday morning when I threw my hair up in a ponytail, as usual. I looked in the mirror and just decided I was done. Done with everyday ponytails, done with an hour to fix my hair. I walked into the living room and briefly warned the hubs of my plans and then headed off to the salon.

I thought the woman was going to have a stroke when I told her to chop it all off. She told me that I had enough to donate to Locks of Love, and that only convinced me more that this was what I wanted to do. She put my hair in a ponytail, got the scissors and said: "Last chance. Are you sure?"

I took a deep breath and said "Cut it off."

It took several slices of the scissors to cut through the entire mane-like ponytail, but in a few seconds I opened my eyes as she held up what used to be my ponytail. Whoa.

After having long hair since second grade, it was surprisingly freeing to chop it off. It now takes me a glorious 15 minutes to fix my hair and I have yet to regret the death of the ponytail. 

First Time Home Buying: {The Crash Course}

As recent first-time home buyers, there were many things we wish we had known before starting our house search. And as much as we wish there had been a required Home Buying 101 course in college, we got through the process with some valuable lessons for years down the road when house number two shows up on the horizon.

So here are a few words of wisdom for anyone who is approaching the home-buying phase of life.

1. No Credit is Bad Credit

• As much as I hate debt of any kind, you will have major trouble getting a home loan unless you have some type of credit history. My husband has always been extremely good with money and has avoided debt and credit cards altogether (Dave Ramsey would be so proud!). Not inheriting debt on our wedding day was an added bonus, but it turned out to also be a thorn in our side when we started applying jointly for home loans. If you are looking to buy a house and have never had an open line of credit before, consider getting a credit card so that you will have some type of credit history when you start the loan application process.

2. A Good Mortgage Banker

• Having gone through Dave Ramsey's Financial Peace Course, we knew most of the basic home-buying lingo. "Adjustable-rate mortgage, fixed-rate mortgage, etc." And we thought we were doing pretty good. But boy were we wrong! There are more loan options out there than hairs on my head. I really think we would have just thrown in the towel if it wasn't for our amazing Mortgage Banker (if anyone wants a recommendation, just ask!). She knew that we were new to the process and answered all of our seemingly stupid questions in ways that we could understand. She got us a great interest rate and went to bat for us several times to keep it when rates went up. Basically, she was a life-saver and we couldn't have gone through the process without her help. Ask friends and family for recommendations before you start the process and it will be one of the best decisions you'll make!

3. A Good Real Estate Agent

• For as long as I can remember, I always thought a real estate agent was just the one who let you into the houses so you could look at them. Wrong again! We got lucky and had an agent who had been in the business for years. She knew all the neighborhoods, school districts and areas to watch out for. She showed us how to look for water damage, foundation problems and roof problems. It's my first instinct to just wander through a house and admire the floor plan, pretty cabinets and wood floors, but apparently there are many other things to be on the look out for. It may not be as fun as my way of looking at houses, but it sure saved us from some lemons. When the time came to negotiate on things like price and additional repairs, our agent turned into our personal assistant. She handled all the negotiations for us and made sure all the loose ends were taken care of. As much as I hate real estate fees and trying to find a good agent, it is 100% worth your time. 

4. Base Your Budget on You, Not Them

• If you want to know how the housing market went bust, just go apply for a loan. If you calculate what monthly payments you can safely afford, I guarantee you'll be approved for a house that will absolutely max out your monthly income. DON'T FALL FOR IT! Know your monthly income and base your total home loan amount on what you need your monthly payments to be. Sure, you can get approved for more, but that's how people overextend themselves and forget about all the other monthly expenses. Banks make more money if you borrow more money, so it's no surprise that many people take the bait (after all, who wouldn't want a bigger house?!). Sticking to your budget will free up enough monthly income to let you continue to live your life and enjoy it. Moral of this story: own your house, don't let your house own you.  

Choosing to Love

It doesn't take much effort to think of a topic that causes political and social division. In today's world, they seem to be a dime a dozen (I thought of 5 off the top of my head while writing that sentence). As our country begins to bring about change on these issues, people scramble to affirm their beliefs and blast those who oppose them with hateful comments, campaigns and publicity. I've seen friendships ruined and people deeply hurt because people can't let go of their hatred for the other side of an issue long enough to remember that there are people behind that issue. People like them who have feelings and fears just the same. 

So why the random political topic all of the sudden? No, I'm not becoming a political opinion blogger or trying to get people to take sides on an issue. In fact, quite the contrary. This blog is centered around an article I read in the Huffington Post today. 

If you don't want to read the entire article (it is a bit long), I'll give a quick recap. First off, it's written by Shane Windmeyer, founder of Campus Pride and "lifelong gay rights activist." For anyone acquainted with the fissure between the gay community and Chick-fil-A, the title of the article is shocking to say the least: "Dan and Me: My Coming Out as a Friend of Dan Cathy and Chick-fil-A." In a nutshell, Shane tells his story of how he became friends with Dan how they each display a level of humanity and love that has thus far been absent from the "gays vs Chick-fil-A war." Yes, Dan believes in a biblical view of marriage. Yes, Shane believes in marriage equality. But they both also believe in something more important: showing love to others.

It was never new news that Chick-fil-A supported the traditional, biblical view of marriage. But it has recently spawned a terrible battle between Chick-fil-A supporters and gay rights supporters. I have heard people accuse Dan Cathy of being a "filthy bigot" and worse. And on contrary, I have heard Christians call gay rights activist "faggots" and enemies of the American family. At the start of the article, Shane shares his initial feelings towards Dan Cathy and Chick-fil-A:

"I have spent quite some time being angry at and deeply distrustful of Dan Cathy and Chick-fil-A. If he had his way, my husband of 18 years and I would never be legally married...Dan is the problem, and Chick-fil-A is the enemy, right?... I had the background and history on him, so I thought, and had my own preconceived notions about who he was. I knew this character. No way did he know me. That was my view... I had researched Chick-fil-A's nearly $5 million in funding, given since 2003, to anti-LGBT groups. And the whole nation was aware that Dan was 'guilty as charged' in his support of a 'biblical definition' of marriage. What more was there to know?"

Shane goes on to explain his unlikely friendship with Dan Cathy that started with a simple phone call and turned into in-person meetings with Dan and other representatives of Chick-fil-A. While Shane had never heard their side of the story, they had never heard his either:

"It is not often that people with deeply held and completely opposing viewpoints actually risk sitting down and listening to one another. We see this failure to listen and learn in our government, in our communities and in our own families. Dan Cathy and I would, together, try to do better than each of us had experienced before."

This part of the story really touched me. Here they were, the leader of a national campaign against Chick-fil-A and the founder of the company taking time to learn about the lives and views of the other. As it turns out, Dan Cathy had never had this kind of open discussion with an LGBT member before and was unaware that the financial decisions of the company were spawning instances of hatred among college students across the country. What they both came to realize was that Chick-fil-A was being used by both sides of the political debate and "the repercussion of this was a deep division and polarization that was fueling feelings of hate on all sides."

The point that stands out to me most in the story is not one about the issue itself. Rather it is Shane's description of how Dan expressed his faith and beliefs. Shane says this:

 "I gained an appreciation for his devout belief in Jesus Christ and his commitment to being a follower of Christ more than a Christian."

The difference in the two at first seems obsolete. But when you think about it, it is the most important difference there could be. As a Christian, you may be for or against certain issues. And if that's what is  most important, then hatred and anger towards the opposition is inevitable in the name of standing for what's right. But being a follower of Christ is so far beyond that. It doesn't discount what is right by any means, but rather, it reminds us that Jesus himself spent time with thieves and prostitutes and treated them as human beings and showed them love. He didn't act out in hatred and anger, although he had more of a right to than any of us. So many times we forget the faces behind issues that we have opinions on. And I am as guilty of this as anyone. But we should never forget that of all the commands given to us in Scripture, the most important is to love God and love our neighbor. This doesn't mean we should change or apologize for our beliefs, just as Dan didn't in his interactions with Shane. But it does mean that we should treat people with opposing views with love and respect. If we forget this, we have truly forgotten the heart of Christianity. 

Where the Heart Is

Everyone has something that they love—a cause that really pulls at their heart strings. Companies sponsor the charity whose cause their CEO loves, churches start charities for causes that their members love, and people invest their lives in causes that they love.

This post is to share with you about a cause that I love.

If you are connected with me on any form of social media, you probably already know from the multiple posts about my niece and nephews that I love kids. But what you may not know is that kids are also part of the cause that has captured my heart.

Six years ago, I was introduced to a non-profit that seeks to confront child abuse and bring hope into the lives of children who are victims of it. The organization partners with churches across the country and around the world to host week-long summer camps for children who are in the foster care system because they have suffered from some type of abuse. These kids come from home lives that I couldn't imagine in my worst nightmares and they have been exposed to more trauma than most of us will probably experience in a lifetime. What's even more heartbreaking is that their past makes them likely to fall into the same patterns of life as the homes they came from.

For six summers, I have worked at one of these camps and seen the difference that one week can make in the lives of children. As kids aged out of camp each year and new kids came in, I began wondering how many of them there were. So like any good American, I asked Google. In just a few short minutes I was able to find a report from the Department of Human Services detailing all of the child welfare statistics for the state. Although I can't find the specific year that I looked at back then, the current report brings the same heartache when I read the numbers. On average, the camp I attended reached approximately 55 kids every summer. While this number is on the high end in comparison to other camps across the country, it did nothing to prepare me for the numbers I saw on the 2012 Oklahoma DHS report.

I almost couldn't believe my eyes. Suddenly the immense need that Oklahoma has for programs to reach out to these children hit me like a ton of bricks. One camp wasn't enough. There had to be more that could be done to help the other 9,787 kids that we couldn't reach. It was at this moment that God and His immaculate timing stepped in.

Ever since I could drive, I have been babysitting for a family in Norman that have practically like family to me. Little did I know that they too shared the same desire to do more for these kids. During the years that they were involved with camp, they had a vision for a campground that was build solely to accommodate camps for at-risk kids so that more organizations across the state would have a place to host camps and programs. In a leap of faith, they took out a loan and purchased 60 acres of land in the metro area in hopes of one day making this vision a reality. This was the birth of Avalon Campground. Within a week, there was a donation made that paid off the loan completely. God's timing is perfect. For several years following the purchase, God closed the door on efforts to move forward with the campground. As discouraging as it was, they kept the faith that His timing was still best.

And of course, it was.

In a conversation between our families last year, the topic turned to what could be done to reach more at-risk children. As we shared or hearts, it became apparent that we all had the same passion for this cause. Prayer and faith soon opened the door for my family to get involved with the campground. Although there have been many bumps in the road along the way, we found the doors that God has opened for us and been able to move forward in the process of getting Avalon started. From the business plan to the website, God has given us exactly the tools we need at the moment that we need them and we are slowly, but surely, getting closer and closer to breaking ground.

So what's my part in all this?

Well, simply put, (or maybe not so simply) I am the social media manager/graphic designer/marketing coordinator/this-and-that organizer/fundraising idea generator. In short, I do whatever I can within my abilities to help with the process of moving Avalon closer to being able to build the campground.

The current goal (from my side of things, at least) is to raise awareness for Avalon so that people know the name, know our cause and know where we are in the process of making the campground a reality. This week, we launched our Facebook page, Twitter account  and our newest addition, a Pinterest page. If you are on any (or all) of these social media sites, please follow and like us and share our vision with your friends. God is faithful in providing everything we need in each step we take and we can't wait to see how He works in the coming months!

"I am not called to be successful, I am called to be faithful." -Mother Teresa 

While Job Hunting...

So what do you do when you're waiting to hear back from a million and a half jobs that you've applied for? There's always the option of eating an entire box of Oreos from nervousness, but this time, I chose a different option (not to mention, healthier).

That's right, I started my own quaint little Etsy shop to sell my designs. Shout out to those who have put up with me stealing their baby pictures and couple pictures to use in my designs and to Pinterest for my constant source of inspiration. I try to make one new design a day, although other projects like recovering chairs (pictures to come next week) often get in the way of that.

I thought it would be fun to make a variety of graphics for different occasions, although weddings and babies are the primary categories at the moment. I promise, I am trying to branch out.

I'm thinking maybe birthday, party and shower invitations as the next ventures. Feel free to share your ideas because today, the Benadryl and allergies are sucking the creative life right out of me.

On a happier note, here are two of my favorite designs I've made so far. The first is a baby announcement featuring my friend Victoria's beautiful baby girl (photos by Cherish Me Photography) and the second is a wedding invitation that I just completed this morning!
Enjoy!

Confessions of a Dog Mom

As most of you know, in May I became "mom" to the cutest little white fluff ball you've ever seen. 

It has been loads of fun (and work) and I have learned a lot about what it's like to have a living creature be completely dependent on you. There have been moments when I was sure she was as needy as a child. 

Most of you probably also know that I am a worrier. And no, not the "I worry too much every now and then" kind. I'm talking the "I have a headache so obviously it's a massive brain tumor" kind. One sure way of gauging how close I am with someone is how much I worry about them. Let me paint a picture of just how irrational and ridiculous it can be: When I was a kid (think 7 or 8ish), I used to be extremely worried that my mom would be kidnapped by aliens, they would clone her and then send the clone back to be my mother. Yeah, keep laughing because I'm laughing right along with you. Pretty ridiculous, right? Thankfully, over the years I have learned to get the worrying under control. But it's still always something that I will struggle with. 

Recently I had an experience that really helped me grow in this area. This past weekend, Daisy officially lost the ability to reproduce cute little white fuzz balls of her own someday. We (mostly Seth) decided that it would be better to have her spayed than to end up with an accidental litter of puppies to take care of. Being the worrier that I am, I was not about to take her to a vet clinic that I wasn't familiar with. So I drove her down to Norman to her usual clinic where one of my best friends assisted with the surgery. When we got to the clinic, I signed the papers that explained the surgery, risks and all that jargon. I probably shouldn't have read the "worst case scenario" paragraph, but of course, I did. My mind instantly went to what would happen if the surgery didn't go well and I almost teared up as they took her back to the exam rooms and I was left to spend the day hoping things were going smoothly. For those of you that have never owned and raised a pet, this probably sounds ridiculous and pathetic. (And to some extent, it is) But pets easily lick and snuggle their way right into your heart and become like members of your family. 

The surgery went well (praise the Lord!) and my friend who works at the clinic sent me periodic picture updates of how she was doing. 

Here is one from just after the surgery. Talk about a pathetic face. 

She was still heavily medicated and nauseated from the anesthesia when I brought her home that evening. You could tell that the incision was hurting her and the usual sparkle was missing from her eyes. Of course, I completely freaked out. Even though these are completely normal post-surgery symptoms, I couldn't shake the fear that she wasn't going to make it (for some unknown reason that I couldn't rationalize, of course). Watching her be in pain and feel sick was heart-wrenching to say the least. 

And now here is the actual point of this blog.

Thinking back on the saga, it struck me that this is only a glimpse of what it must feel like to have a child who is ill. Obviously the care and worry are much, MUCH stronger for a child, so I can't even begin to imagine what it would be like to send your baby in for surgery, chemotherapy or treatment of any kind. This train of thought gave me a whole new respect for parents. There used to be a sign in my grandparent's house that quoted Elizabeth Stone: "Making the decision to have a child is momentous. It is to decide forever to have your heart go walking around outside your body." I had read this hundreds of times through the years, but never had even the slightest concept of it's meaning until this weekend. At church the following day, someone asked prayer for a 6-year-old who was recently diagnosed with cancer. My heart broke as I tried to imagine the pain and worry those parents must carry with them every single day and the trust in God it would take to get through that. Suddenly, my worries became nothing even worth thinking about. 

Some people show strength through physical power and influence; but the strongest people in the world are parents. 

     To end the blog on a light note, here is Daisy in her most pathetic state ever. 

She got a homemade "cone of shame" so she wouldn't lick the incision.
As you can tell, she loved it! 

The Power of Social Media

   If you have ever taken a media class of any kind, you probably had it pounded into your head how social media has impacted businesses. As an advertising major, I heard countless lectures and read hundreds of pages on how it has changed the consumer-business relationship. But somehow I never grasped the gravity of the concept until this little episode. 

Day 1:
  
   Like most people, we chose Cox for our Internet service, as they seem to have the best deals and service in Oklahoma. Seth went online and set up our account so all we had to do was go into the store and pick up a modem. The gentleman in the store was very nice and informed that all we needed to do was go home, hook up the modem, activate our account online and we should have Internet that day. Simple and easy. 
   That should have been our first red flag. Because let's be honest, nothing is ever that simple. But we went home an followed the instructions anyway. And of course, it didn't work. We put in our first call to the Cox helpline number only to find out that we actually needed someone to come to our house and do a "quick connect" (turn on some kind of signal in the backyard). They apologized for the misinformation and told us that a dispatcher would show up sometime between 8AM and 7PM the following day. Luckily I had enough to do at the house that I decided I would just spend the next day working on the never-ending to-do list. 

Day 2: 

   I kept watch out the windows all day for any sign of Cox. Six thirty rolled around and still nobody showed. I called to make sure we were still on the list and they confirmed that someone would be there by 7. We waited until 7:30 and then called again (this was call #3). This time, we were told that that they actually had until 8PM. Annoying. So we said we would call back after 8, knowing that they wouldn't show in the next half hour. And guess what? They didn't. Cue call #4 to Cox. 
   This time, we were told that they didn't know why nobody had showed up. The woman was very nice and emailed the dispatcher to see what the issue was. She assured us that she would call us back by 9:45 when she clocked out. 
   It was 9:55 and still no call from Cox. So we started call #5. While we were on hold waiting to get through, we got another call from the call #4 woman. The dispatcher had not responded to her email, so she assured us that she would call us back the next morning and update us on the status of things. When we switched back to the other call, we were still on hold so we decided to speak with a supervisor to see where the error in communication was happening. There wasn't a supervisor available, but the service rep apologized and credited our account for the poor service, which was nice. Then he told us that all the dispatch schedules were full for the next day, but he would put us on the schedule anyway. 

   Let's pause and examine this for a second. Nobody showed up when we were on the schedule. But they want us to believe that someone will show up on a day that every dispatcher's schedule is completely full? HA. This must be a joke. But we didn't have another option, so we waited until the next day. At least we would be on the top of the list since it was suppose to be done the previous day, right? ...  

Day 3:

   It was 10AM and I was sick of waiting around for them to show up and to hear from "call #4 woman" (yeah, we still hadn't received the call she assured us would come that morning). And I had a list of errands to run. Frustrated, I got on Twitter and posted about the situation. 
   Then things got interesting. In less than 10 minutes, my phone buzzed with a Twitter alert. To my surprise, Cox had responded to my post. They asked what was going on and I explained that this was day 3 of no Internet after 5 phone calls and all we needed was a quick connect. They apologized and asked for our address so they could look into it. 
   BUT, before I could even respond, there was a knock at the door (literally only 10 minutes after the Tweet was sent). Looking back, I think I literally said "HALLELUJAH!" when he introduced himself as being from Cox. He asked if we had been having trouble getting our Internet turned on. Apparently, his manager called him and told him to drop everything and "get over there and take care of this." Wow. 
   Three days, five phone calls, and all it took was one Tweet about poor customer service to get someone to our door in ten minutes. The management team at Cox apparently has a good grasp on the importance of customer service. After seeing notes from the 5 calls on our account, it only took a matter of minutes for them to make sure that the issue was resolved. Now that's customer service. 

   There were several things we took away from this experience. Notice: this is where my advertising/marketing nerd side takes over, so consider yourself warned. Ha. 

   First of all, Cox does an excellent job of monitoring their social media presence—something that every company should be doing in order to know what people are thinking and feeling about their brand.

   Second: Companies care about customer satisfaction. Sure, they may care more about those customers who talk about their bad experiences, but it's better than simply disregarding the consumer altogether. Cox did a great job of making up for their poor service and because of that, we will probably keep using their internet as long as we are in Oklahoma. 

   Last: Social media has given the consumer the power to communicate with thousands of people at once about their experiences with a company, making customer satisfaction a top priority. Previously, word-of-mouth circulated the frustrating tales of poor customer service. But let's be honest, how many people do you verbally tell a story like that to? Not many compared to the hundreds you communicate with on social media sites.  

All this to say, speak out about your experiences with companies. If you have experienced one of these tales of poor customer service, talk about it and talk to the company about it. You'd be surprised at just how much companies care about your satisfaction. 

A Fiancé, a Degree and a Puppy

This semester has been life changing to say the least. But don’t worry, in a good way.

First came the fiancé. Two months and 6 days ago, Seth dropped to his knee and popped the question. Through my blubbering tears, I of course said yes to a lifetime spent with my best friend and the most wonderful man I know. :)

Next came the degree. Graduating college is absolutely great. Don’t get me wrong, I LOVED my time at OU. Yes it required long hours and late nights in Gaylord working on ad projects, but when you love your major, it's all fun and all worth it. The good times and friends that I made at OU are the best I could have asked for and I wouldn't trade a second of my time here. BOOMER SOONER for life.

Then came the puppy. Aside from the fiancé, this is my favorite part. As most of you probably know, I LOVE puppies. Every year since junior high, I have asked for a puppy and never received one (deprived child, right?). After months of looking for a golden retriever puppy that didn't cost $500, I found this lovable ball of fur on Craigslist for $20. Best find ever? I think so!

Her mom is purebred Great Pyrenees and her dad is Golden Retriever. Code, she is going to be MASSIVE. Currently she is gaining about 2 pounds a week and couldn't be happier at her new home. I named her Daisy in honor of my grandparents' Golden Retriever that I grew up with. And with any luck, she'll be just as smart and lovable for many years to come. Welcome to the family, Daisy!