A lesson from "Family Guy"

The other day, Jimmy was watching "Family Guy" while I was puttering around the house making dinner/doing dishes or whatever else was distratcting me for the evening.  I was really only half-watching, but what transpired in that episode really resonated wtih me.

Lois, had a "girl crush" on the newest news anchor. After meeting her once in public, the two miraculously become BFF's and spill their secrets to each other. Later, it comes out on the news that Lois, a revered woman for her roles within the community and her church, had once been in a porno movie.  It comes out that the anchor was actually a girl Lois went to high school with and used to tease and this was her version of revenge. 

After it came out on the news that Lois, had been in a porno movie while in college, trying to earn a few extra bucks, the entire community turned on her.  People pointed, whispered and ignored her.  She and her family tried to attend church and were run out.  This is the part that really struck home with me.

What greater example of how we as God's people need to be respectful and open to people. You may not know about someone's past, and if you did, your opinion of them shouldn't matter. What matters is who they are TODAY.

Our pastor regularly preaches on salvation and it's not we who are in church who necessarily need the salvation, but it's the drug dealers, prostitutes, alchoholics and other lost souls in the world who need saving. It's our job as Christians to talk to them and introduce them to Jesus. Notice, I didn't say "bring them to church."  This is another thing our pastor preaches about. So often we hear people say, "come with me to church, and your life will get better!" Not necessarily...and if it does, it's not becuase you attended church. It's more than likely because of the relationship with Christ that was fostered through your attendance.

Many times people get discouraged from pursuing Christ because things get hard. I can attest to this...growing up, we didn't regularly attend church, we didn't discuss God and life was pretty good.  I had an amazingly, boring, average life growing up and I loved it.  Looking back now, I realize how uneventful it was - how I was almost sheltered. 

Moving to Oklahoma and being on my own, with no friends, no family, no one to turn to, naturally, I turned to God and began to foster a realtionship with Him.  I have faced more challenges in the last 5 years that I have really pursued my relationship wtih Him than I ever have. 

For example, many of you know about Jimmy's accident. Many would have thrown in the towel (or so I'm told) faced with this type of challenge. Then came the challenge of recovery - getting married in the hospital, continuing to live with his parents, finishing our home, etc. etc. etc. The challenges go on and on. But it is through those challenges we can enjoy the boring, average, uneventful life we once had and again long for.

I love my life and I am so thankful for the lessons I have learned and continue to learn as a Christian Woman of God. I am so thankful for His salvation and that in this life, I'm not perfect, but in His eyes, I am and can be through the shed blood of Jesus.

I feel like I'm rambling - probably because it is after midnight. I just had to get that off my chest that I think Family Guy may have actually had a worthy lesson. And I just wanted to express my appreciation for healing and Salvation from the Lord.

Good night.

Thanksgiving

Well, this Thanksgiving "break" has been anything but a break or restful in any way. But, I have to say I am thankful that I was off work for 5 days to help get everything done.

Wednesday morning, I got up at 4:45 to go to Cushing to meet a group to run at 5:30. It was crazy, I was actually excited to run. It helped it was a balmy 65 degrees. Very pleasant for running. I even went 4 miles - a mile further than I'd run previously! I had tons of energy for the rest of the day. I tried to take a nap, but couldn't fall asleep, so it was a great thing. I just wish I could do it everyday. But, living 45 minutes from Cushing doesn't really make it feasible for work days. Oh well. I'll do it when I can.

Speaking of running....I've completed Couch to 5K!! Now, I just need to find an official 5K to run! I think there is one on December 11 called the Jingle Bell run that I'm going to check into running. It should be fun!

We've had some crazy weather swings. It was 81 Wednesday afternoon when Jimmy and I were on our way to Stillwater to get feed, and the high for Thursday as in the 30's. Unfortunately, with weather swings also comes sick cattle. Jimmy's dad has already lost 4 calves to pneumonia. So, needless to say, the majority of the break was spent roping and doctoring sick calves. The majority of the day Thursday, Friday, Saturday AND Sunday was spent messing with the cattle. But, like I said, I'm so glad I was home to be able to help doctor them. I'm the #1 shot giver!

Saturday evening, we were running out of daylight to run our calves through to give them antibiotics so, we just caught the whole herd in the corral and decided to hold them in there for the night and work them in the morning. That turned out to be OK, until I walked out there this morning and found one of our 400-500 lb steer calves wedged in a poly bunk feeder. I'm not sure how long the poor guy had been in there, but he was pretty near death. He was bloated, his eyes were rolling back in his head, it was a bad deal. Luckily, we rescued him just in time, got him upright and he almost immediately started belching gas and his bloat started going down. He laid there all day and this evening Jimmy, Matt, Kadie, Jim and I worked to get him up. We used big straps to help lift him so he could get all 4 legs under him. He eventually was able to stand on his own and was even feeling feisty enough to head butt Kadie.  I was SO glad we were able to get him up and standing. I'm feel much better about his prospects of surviving. Another thing to be thankful for.

So, even though I didn't get my laundry put away, I didn't get my floors cleaned, I didn't get my ironing done, I didn't get my ceiling fans cleaned, and it took us 4 days to get our tub re-caulked, I'm very thankful for the 5 days I had off.

God is with us always, and I know we were able to get all we got done with His help and guidance. I was upset this morning we weren't able to go to church, but I guess it's all OK.

God bless. Love, Jules.

I'm a runner!

I never in a million years thought I'd say it, but I think I've officially become a runner!
I have to give credit to Couch to 5K and especially the C25K App. Having the app on my phone that gave me instructions on when to run, walk, let me know when I was 1/2 way done, time for cool-down, was so incredibly helpful.  When I started 9 weeks ago, running 60 seconds about killed me. Now, for my run tonight, I went a few extra minutes so I could make sure I hit the 3 mile mark.  That's 30+ minutes of running. Without stopping.  Used to be unheard of for me, but now it's like an addiction. I'd heard of "runners high" before, but never experienced it until now. Last Friday, I felt crappy and really didn't feel like running and after my run, I felt fantastic. It helps that I also now have a friend who runs that I run with. He pushes me and encourages me and helps me finish the run. It's awesome.

Well, my fantastic hubby is unloading the dishwasher while I finish my post and get ready to shower.
More later.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone.
God Bless.

My Thoughts on Losing

Well, the title of this post seems pretty drab and depressing, but actually it's a happy topic.  Losing weight.
If you've been keeping up with me, (not too hard, since I don't post a whole lot!!) I started Weight Watchers about a month ago.  so far I am down 11.8 pounds as of today.  Obviously, that's not official WW weigh-in loss, but I bet i will be at at least that, if not more by weigh in Wednesday.

I have to contribute my success to the WW plan, and to my new running program, C25K.  First, the WW plan.

For me, it's easy to follow. you can eat whatever you want, just everything has a value, and you have to decide if you want to fill up your daily allotment (mine is 24) with 3 8-point cupcakes, or if you want to go for some veggies and lower-point value foods.  For me, it's like shopping. You have a budget, and you have to prioritize what clothes you like the best and are willing to spend your hard earned cash on.  The novelty items tend to find their way back to the shelf, hanger, etc. I'm learning some food is just too "expensive." It works for me.

C25K.  Sounds techy. It's not.  It's "Couch to 5K."  It's basically a running program designed for couch potatoes who have rarely run in their life, unless of course it's to answer the phone, beat someone to the last slice of pizza, etc.  I've always been an athlete, but I have NEVER been a runner.  I'm bad at it. I'm awkward. My sister always made fun of how I ran when I was younger.  Nevertheless, I"m sticking with it. I just started week 4 today, which involved 3 and 5 minute intervals of running.  I thought I was going to die during the 5 minute intervals, but obviously, i made it!  It's amazing how the running has helped the weight drop, helped improve my mood, energy level, etc.  Its even helping to curb my hunger. I'm ending the day with 4 points left over - and that's AFTER i ate an ice cream sandwich.  Yay me.

I'm cooking more and finding the Pioneer Woman more interesting by the day. I love her recipes, though many of them are off-limits to me right now, as they are "too expensive."  She posted a great looking minestrone recipe last week that I'm planning on making this week.  Shouldn't be too many points, if many at all. 

I think I'm repeating myself from last time, so I'm going to sign off. This probably wasn't very interesting anyway.

the end.

Life's Lessons

I wish I had more time to devote to my blog.
To be able to chronicle my life, step by step, photo by photo, in such a way that's actually interesting to look at!
To be able to take the time to sit down and document my thoughts as they come to me instead of trying to file them away for "later."
Mid-September I started Weight Watchers.  I needed it. After Jimmy's accident, I lost a bunch of weight. Then, after we go tmoved into our home, I "let myself go," and ballooned up to nearly 200 pounds. Yes, nearly 200. I felt gross. So I decided to make a change.  And it's working for me. I'm so excited.  Weight Watchers is something I can do. It's easy for me. I can eat whatever I want - just as long as I stay within my point allotment for the day. I get 25. So far, it's not hard.  I've also startd running. As of this morning, I'm down 10.2 pounds in 3 weeks. We'll see how my "official" weigh in goes tomorrow.  I'm hoping for another 5lb lost sticker!! My goal weight is 145.  It's a lot to lose and I've got a long way to go, but I think I can do it. No, I KNOW I can do it. I weighed around 150 for most of high school, so I should be able to go back that far. :) It's gonna be awesome.

Faith. Believing in something we cannot see. My faith has really been tested lately.  I've had 4 people close to me have complications with their pregnancies.  One mis-carried. One had a pre-mature baby who only lived 5 days. One carried the baby nearly full-term, then had a blod clot that released and went to the baby and the baby died.  And my 4th friend, her water broke at 20 weeks. By the Grace of God, she was able to keep her baby in until 26 weeks and 3 days (today), then Baby Ty entered the world at 1lb, 15oz and 14" long.  TINY. But ALIVE. And PERFECT. Chad & Johna (Mom & Dad) have such a strong and amazing faith - watching them throughout the complications with their baby has been amazing. They have had such great spirits and never faltered from believing God would protect Ty and bring him into this world as a perfect being. In a limited way, I can relate.  After Jimmy's accident, while he was in the hospital, I realized - there's no room for doubt. You can ONLY believe.  Trusting in God is the only way you'll stay sane. Trusting completely and whole heartedly in the Lord brings peace and comfort. 

I admire Ree Drummond, The Pioneer Woman. I want to cook like her. But healthier. With less butter. :) Actually, I'd love to cook with lots of butter, but I'm sticking with Weight Watchers.

That's all for now.

My First Senior Photo Shoot

I recently had the opportuity to do Senior photos for the son of a guy I work with.  Beau Bruce was a nice easy-going kid who didn't refuse to smile.  We had a wonderful evening and great light. Everything went great - Two sites in less than an hour! Here's a few of the favorites:

Thanks to Roseanna who introduced me to PW's Photoshop Actions to help with editing.

August Update

Since we've been back from Washington there has been a lot going on.
I went to Tulsa for 2 days for conference, we went to the June Noble Memorial Rodeo, and the Pawnee Bill Rodeo... Not necessarily in that order.
We were finally able to spend some quality time with our friends Tyler and Jessica and Jessica gave me some awesome jewelry for my birthday!
Kadie and I have been riding several times, whichnis so awesome. It's so much more fun having someone to ride with!
Jimmy also started a new job pumping oil wells. It has been a challenge so far, especially since the wells are old and have been neglected. He enjoys being outside though so that makes him happy. Both of is are getting quite an education in/about the oil business!
As for us, each day is still a challenge, but we're meeting those challenges head-on and holding hands. I don't think there is much we can't handle!

My faith has been tested lately... 4 of my friends have had complications with their pregnancies or babies. One friend delivered 4 months early, the baby lived for 5 days and passed. One friend had a miscarriage. One friend's baby went full term, but momma had a blood clot that transferred to the baby and the baby died while still in the womb. My 4th friend is 20 weeks right now and her water already broke. She is on bd rest right now and I am praying so hard for that baby to stay in for at least 36 weeks! I know God can do the impossible and she and her husband are wonderf Christian people who also have a strong faith in God. If praying is your thing, please pray for my friends.

I started a 100 day bible reading challenge using an app on my iPhone. I'm hoping I can stick wih it, especially since I'll never be without the scripture.

It's time for shut-eye. Good night and God bless!

Home Sweet Home

For the last week and a half, Jimmy and I have had the pleasure of being in Moses Lake, Washington at my parent's home where I grew up.  I feel like I'm living the Miranda Lambert song, "The House that Built Me." 
It's true, you grow up, move away and do the best you can, but there's just something about coming home that fills that empty space in your heart you never knew was there.
It has been quite eventful, to say the least.
In a nutshell, since we've been back, I lost my favorite bracelet Jimmy gave me for Christmas a couple of years ago, several pieces of farm equipment have broken down and I lost my wedding ring in the lake. 
It seems like everything has gone downhill, but it has been amazingly awesome, as well.  We've got some adorable, beautiful, smart nieces and nephews and have been able to spend quite a bit of time with them. I just love them to pieces and want to bring them back to Oklahoma with us. We've seen nearly every member of my extended family, run errands with my Dad, helped move cows, change oil in the tractor, mow the lawn and of course, rest.
This weekend, we get to see my best friend and her husband and baby boy.  Justin & Katie Sisk and their son, Brody live in the Tri-Cities near my sister, so we are going to to spend the day with them on Saturday, spend the night and come back lat Sunday afternoon.  Katie said Justin is going to cook us Sunday breakfast in the Dutch oven, and he is so excited.
It's been a year since we've been home, so there is so much to see and do, it's hard to fit it all in.  Here it is, Thursday, we leave on Tuesday and there's still so much we'd like to do.  We had hoped to have a 1 or 2 night getaway to either the Seattle or Leavenworth areas, but with so mechanical breakdowns, we're going to forgo an off-site trip and enjoying the time at home, which is just fine with us! :)

BREAKING NEWS:
Our neighbor's wheat field, which is next to a train track just caught on fire. My brother, on his way home saw the flames and smoke and was the first one on the scene. He called us, the owner and the county fire department and we were all on the scene within minutes. Luckily, with quick stomping and shoveling of the soft dirt, we were able to get the fire out before it burned more than an acre of the wheat. Needless to say it was an adrenaline rush. I wish I would have had a chance to grab my camera, but we were more concerned with getting out the door to help our neighbor.  Thank the Good Lord it was stopped easily. 

Now, our shower is way over due, though the smell of the smoke permeating our clothes makes me smile, I could smell like a fire all night long. :-) Makes me want to go camping!

I will post again soon once I have a chance to upload my pictures - I can tell you, I have DOZENS...especially of my nieces and nephews.

God Bless all of you who are taking the time to read this.

It's been a while...

Well, as the title says, it's been quite a while since I've been able to post! So much has happened in the last few weeks, it's easy for me to understand why I've kind of taken a hiatus from all my Internet "fun" sites. 

The end of February, I took engagement pictures for Jaron Beasler and Steve Carder. We met in Davenport near where they live, explores some railroad tracks, old city murals, the park and lake of Chandler as well as downtown.  They were so fun to work with and you could see the love they have for each other as the pictures continued.  Here's a few favorites:

This last picture was purely for Steve.

Mid-March, Jimmy, Matt, Kadie and I traveled to South Carolina to witness our friend, Bryce Rapp, get married. We left Tulsa at 5:30pm Thursday evening and arrived in Piedmont, South Carolina around 9:30 Friday morning.  It was a long drive all through the night, but I'm glad we did it because it gave us a whole day with Bryce and other other friends who were able to make the trek. Since I, of course, always have my camera with me, volunteered to "help out" the photographer with some pictures throughout the day of the wedding.  It was so much fun to be able to watch our friend exchange vows with his love.  Here's a few of my fav's from the weekend:

Sorry this last one is flipped - these are pulled fresh from the camera...

Jimmy and I also got a new puppy. He's a Red Heeler we named "Jasper Wade." He's 9 weeks old now and full of himself.  He is constantly torturing our Blue Heeler, Pistol.  I don't have any decent pictures of him as of now, but as soon as I do, I'll be sure to post.

Some upcoming events I'm pretty excited about...

- Taking Senior Photos for Lexy Rapp

- Bridal Portraits for Emily Rapp with her horse

- Ranch Rodeo

- Jaron's Wedding

Take care, God Bless!

 

cklickers.jpg

This is going to sound corny, but I'm so excited about my new clicker sharpies!
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Exciting Opportunities

The other day, one of my good friend's called to let me know she was engaged. Hooray! Jaron Beasler and I worked at Stillwater Mill together while we both attended Oklahoma State. We immediately hit it off and became good friends throughout our employment at The Mill and after as well. Although we haven't talked regularly, she is one of those friends who you can talk to after months, and pick up right where you left off, never skipping a beat.

I have several friends like that...Roseanna, Katie...but that's another story.

Anyway, Jaron asked if I could do her wedding photos. I am so honored!! I have been working toward building up a "side job" since I graduated college.  Needless to say, it has been a struggle, especially since Jimmy's accident.  Now, in the last 3 months, I have done Kadie & Matt's engagement photos and wedding invitations; taken pictures and am currently designing a "we've moved" piece for some really great friends; and now, Jaron's engagement and wedding pictures as well as her invitations and programs! I am SO excited!

It's exciting to see opportunities opening up and having the ability to make the best of those opportunities. I am so thankful to be able to help my friends with their special days and to be included in such a monumental event.

As we go along, I will post Jaron & Steve's engagement pictures, their invitations, etc. I can't wait to share the journey with you all.

God bless, and good night!

 

These pictures are a slideshow on the background of my work computer. They make me smile. J

Pretty Drive

Pretty drive this morning on my way to work. Hard to capture with a Blackberry Camera.

How to Batch Resize in Photoshop

How to Batch Resize in Photoshop

Thank goodness I just found this! I'm getting ready to select tons of photos from our 40th anniversary Open House and re-size them for Web. This should make it a snap!

A New Season

I don't mean the transition between winter and spring...I mean the Lenten Season.

Although I didn't grow up attending church regularly, everyone around me observed the season of Lent - so I would, too. Then, as I grew up and began attending youth group in High School, I learned more about what it meant and why I would observe it. As I entered college and began my journey toward becoming Catholic, Lent became even more important.

Now, although I no longer attend a Catholic church, I do attend a Christian church regularly and was looking forward to service lastnight for Ash Wednesdsay. No such luck. Apparently the church I attend, "Church of God" doesn't observe Lent? I was so surprised. I thought Lent was a CHRISTIAN thing, not a denominational thing... But Jimmy told me he had never observed Ash Wednesday or Lenten fasting - ever - until I came along. So it makes me wonder, who really observes Lent and honors Lent and takes part in all the Lenten activities?

As a growing Christian, I'm making it my goal to learn more about the season of Lent, what it means, who observes it and why some demoninations don't.

I think anything we can do to demonstrate our love for Christ and our thankfulness for saving us is reasonable. I am gladly going to observe the Lenten season and when I have kids, they will observe it too. I'm going to find the biblical reasoning and use that as a basis - which is what we should all do to justify our actions.

I am glad and proud to be a saved Christian and I hope the way I live my life lets others know I am a Christian as well.  And not just a Christian who is good, but a Christian who does good.  For faith without good deeds is meaningless.

God bless all of you!

I can’t think of a more appropriate phrase to print on t-shirts.

God Bless farmers, agriculturalists and all individuals whose livelihood is rooted in agriculture.

Things to be excied about.

I love it when it's time to take a visit back home to see my whole family. It has been far too long between trips home this time. By the time we make it back to Moses Lake, it will have been a year since we were there last. A year since I last saw my brother and sister, a year since I last saw my nieces and nephew. So many things I've missed by choosing to live 2,000 miles away here in Oklahoma. I don't say that meaning to sound sad or resentful or anything negative, it's just a fact.

So, I have spent this evening watching TV with my computer in my lap searching for the best deal on flights this summer. I got really excited when I found tickets for $218 a piece - unfortunately there weren't enough seats on the days we wanted to travel. Darn. I'd way rather spend under $500 instead of nearly $700! Hopefully I'll find a deal sooner rather than later so I can begin getting excited about our trip home.

On another note... I was super excited because the sun was shining today. It was the first day of sunshine in forever, it seems like. We have had way too much rain, snow, fog and overall yucky winter weather. 

Jimmy and I are making progress on our fence by our house so I can move my horse closer.  We bought Ewok the beginning of summer last year, knowing he still needed a bit of work under saddle but I just haven't had the time to dedicate to finishing him out.  Hopefully, now that he will be right out my door I'll be able to spend more time with him and making him into the awesome horse I know he can be.

I realize what I just wrote has been the ramblings of a restless mind, but as of right now, that's all I have to work with. :)

muddy drive home.jpg

This what I have to look forward to tonight on my way home!
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One of my favorite pictures from this summer.

It's snowing....again.

I have seen more snow/ice/wintery weather in the nearly 5 years I have lived here in Oklahoma than I did my entire life in Washington. This fact seems to fascinate people who are from the South-Central US as the Northwest is viewed rainy and cold - all the time, right? Nope.

The last weekend in January was supposed to be awesome with Mom & Dad arriving early Thursday afternoon and staying through Sunday. Unfortunately, Mother Nature decided to foil our plans, bringing rain/snow/sleet/freezing rain to the Southern Plains starting Thursday morning. All flights into Tulsa and Oklahoma City were cancelled. Fortunately, I was able to get them a flight into Wichita, Kansas after much finagling with the airline. They finally made it, sans checked baggage and arrived about 24 hours later than scheduled via rental car from Wichita.

We made the best of our short weekend together by working on projects in our house, cooking, eating and playing Charades. I had never played Charades and it was probably one of the most fun evenings I have ever had with my parents and Jimmy. It was a great opportunity to act silly and laugh - a lot.

Sunday came way too fast, and as Jimmy and I drove toward the airport, leading the way for Mom & Dad, I couldn't help but think of when the next time I would be able to see them was. Not soon enough, that's for sure!

For now, I'm focusing on the funny memories from Charades and searching the Internet for a decent deal on airfare for late summer.

Summer will be welcomed with open arms - even though summer brings humidity. I'm tired of snowflakes and 6 miles of mud road. I'm ready to go back home, where it stays dry. :)

First time out

This is my first experience with blogging, so forgive me as I figure things out.

I started this blog mainly to let my family and friends back home know how things are going and what happens around here day-to-day.

We're swimming in mud right now and more moisture is on the way. Jimmy and I continue to work on our house and are getting projects done every weekend. The goal for this weekend: build shelves, build fence for Ewok (my horse), move tubs in the garage so the cats can't get on top and clean the house for the Superbowl party we're hosting Sunday.

More later as I think of more meaningful things to write about...and when I have more time. Maybe tonight.

Take care all.