Bear Traps and Road Maps

Updates!

2008-10-29T23:47:00.001-05:00

Go to this post on my craft blog for an update! My grandpa recently passed away and I was able to spend some time with family. Check out the photos!

New to My Blog?

2008-10-14T13:19:00.002-05:00

Check out these links to some of my favorite stories shared on this blog!

Wild Horses, Airplanes, and Things That Bite

Can Sticks Float Upstream?

December 2002: Harley Saves Christmas!

Bear Traps

Cow Slippers, Metros, and Things That Make Me Laugh

Repo Man: These Guys Are Dedicated To Their Jobs

"To The Moon, Bart"

Extension Cords and Cuss Words

Disappearing In The Night, Cobra and Other Updates

It's Like Being Smacked In The Kidneys 3000 Times

Confusing Words Can Lead to Embarrassing Moments

When Things Turn "Sour"

Unsolved Mysteries Made Me Crazy

Check out my craft blog too Itching2Bstitching

Busy Busy

2008-10-14T12:53:00.004-05:00

If there was an equivalent for neglect to a blog like there is for adult protective services, I would be charged on major neglect!!!! I have been so busy keeping up my blog in the "craft world" that I have SEVERELY neglected this blog. This semester of school mixed with life has really challenged me on making time count. I am currently completing 400 hours of field work and finally getting a chance to "practice" social work!! I don't know if many people can relate to this, but it feels so good to finally find a career where my talents, interests and the basic enjoyment of going to a job I like have finally met. I have often wondered on my journey if I would ever get to have a career that I would enjoy.

SO - anyway - back to the good time stories of our lives! I have enjoyed sharing this blog and have enjoyed so many people seeing the humor in our lives. I have set the goal to post once a week on here. I need to pick up the pace people!!!

Let me kick off this week with an honor that was bestowed to me! I received the BFF Gold Card award! So here are the rules:

The rules are:

1. Only five people allowed.

2. Four of them have to be dedicated followers of your blog and one has to be new and live in another part of the world.

3. You have to link back to who gave you the award.

Aunt Pitty Pat's has been a friend who has followed my craft blog and she nominated this blog as one she likes! How awesome. So here are my five folks you MUST check out!

1. SarahsCorner - http://sarahscorner.com/ Awesome girl and such a FAST seamstress!

2. I'm a Ginger Monkey - http://www.imagingermonkey.blogspot.com/ Not only is she funny - and I mean hilarious - but SO talented

3. C Berry Baby - http://cberrybaby.blogspot.com/ So creative and a beautiful family!

4. Sew Much Fabric, So Little Time - http://beezekneesfashions.blogspot.com/ I have nominated her before for other awards, but man, she is the queen of knocking projects out!!!

5. Niki's Knacks - http://nikisknacks.blogspot.com/ She has recently joined my blog followers, and her blog is too cute. Check it out!

Thanks to Aunt Pitty Pat's for nominating me. Go check out these awesome blogs! Check back soon for more humorous stories (believe me - we were busy this summer making memories)!

Breast Cancer Awareness Apron Giveaway

2008-09-30T21:30:00.001-05:00

Check out my craft blog to see my apron giveaway to help raise awareness of breast cancer!

Help me get the word out!!

Fabric Scrap Swap

2008-05-13T11:14:00.002-05:00

I am hosting a Fabric Scrap Swap! Consider joining in on the fun! Click here for more details!

I am still alive!!!

2008-05-13T01:29:00.002-05:00

Sorry for the lack of anything but dead air around this blog lately. I have been a crafting fool with my craft blog and with school just ending last week, I am slowly coming around to the living again. I have much to share and will try to catch up soon. I have a couple more projects to complete and then I will return!! In the mean time - check out my craft blog and see what I have been up to!!!

Book Update

2008-04-19T09:13:00.003-05:00

A couple of posts ago I talked about how I wanted to read a book by or about a woman each month. Well, I am still working on Vindication of the Rights of Woman. This book takes some time to read and to think about. So, to try and help myself keep my goal but not overwhelm myself, I read Cool Women this month. Cool Women is a great book which showcases several women from different cultural backgrounds. The women discussed were warriors, authors, musicians, pilots and suffragists. If you are wanting to read a book about women but are pressed for time, Cool Women is a great book option. Plus - I checked my copy out from my local library - so you may not even have to buy the book! Try it out and let me know what you think!!

Contest on My Craft Blog

2008-04-15T11:16:00.003-05:00

Stop by my craft blog and participate in a naming contest for my dress form. The winner will receive a craft apron prize. Check it out and spread the word!

"A Time To Break Silence"

2008-04-10T10:20:00.003-05:00

I found the speech in audio version and underneath the audio is the speech written out. All in one location. The speech was delivered by Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. in 1967. He was addressing such issues as the Vietnam war, but also subjects of racism and poverty. Listen to the words of his speech and consider - has our world changed since 1967 or have we made little progress since King's speech? I have my own opinion but have decided to refrain from blogging about it. It is more important to me that you listen to the speech without bias - either negative or positive. This speech was introduced to me on Monday night through a guest speaker we had in my Human Behavior and Diverse Populations course. It was an inspirational class and made every dollar that I spend to receive my education worth it!! Please make the time to listen or read the speech and consider what your reaction or call to action might be. It will take close to an hour to listen to, so if you are pressed for time, read a little bit each day found below the audio. "Beyond Vietnam - A Time to Break Silence" by Martin Luther King Jr.

Trying to Find a Link

2008-04-09T21:16:00.002-05:00

We discussed Rev Martin Luther King Jr in class Monday and talked about one of his most influential speeches in class. I am trying to find a link to it now so you can listen to it if you would like to at some point. I am also looking for a book that has the speech in case you don't have the time to listen to the speech. I was going to blog about all we discussed but I think his speech is all that needs to be said. What he said 40 years ago applies to today! It isn't his I Have A Dream Speech - so look forward to some good stuff! I will get it up as soon as I find it!

Great Class Tonight

2008-04-07T21:37:00.001-05:00

We had such a great guest speaker tonight in class. There is so much to say and consider but I am still putting all my thoughts together. I will post tomorrow or Wednesday with some thoughts he shared with us. Very motivational, inspirational and reflective!! Can't wait to share!

Swap Bot

2008-04-04T10:38:00.004-05:00

My posts have been a little slow on here because I have been so busy working on my crafts and crafting blog! I have joined a website Swap-Bot, where you sign up to participate in different swaps. I have joined some where you swap aprons, fat quarters of fabric, and where you shop for people based upon their first names. Not all swaps entail sewing either. There are bookmarks, books, candles, candies, etc. If you are looking for something fun to do or to make friends all over the country (I have met some international friends through this site), take a peek and think about joining a swap. It is so much fun!!

Woman Of Honor

2008-03-31T10:16:00.017-05:00

Last day of honoring women from history. I debated back and forth who to use, so instead of using a woman from history today - let's change it up.

I am honoring all women today - that includes you. Here is to the many roles that we fill each day and for the roles we have yet to break in to. Take a day to consider all the great things you have done in your life, even if we won't be on a list the world remembers. We have all done great things!!!

Thanks to any of you who have taken the time to read and gain more knowledge on who came before us!

Don't forget to check out the National Women's History Project if you would like more information!

Becoming Who I Want To Be

2008-03-26T11:45:00.002-05:00

I had a great conversation last night with my husband about some changes I want to make. Have you ever been going through life and then all of the sudden - it is like someone took the mask over your eyes off? I have been thinking a lot lately about what I want from life and who I want to be. I realized the other night while reading that I put most of my worth and opinions in what my husband thinks - and not because he has forced this or requires this. It has been my doing. I made a common error I think a lot of women would agree they have done as well. In fact - my husband is excited about what changes I want to make as it was constantly putting pressure on him when it shouldn't have in the first place. So here are some of my proposals:

I want to be a different type of wife - one who has an independent identity, can do for herself and holds strong to my opinions - while also participating in a marriage of love, respect and honor to my husband. I can do both!!!
I want to learn to love myself and find my own worth without requiring my husband to have to fill my worth with his words. I want his affirmations to add to the love I have for myself already!
I want to be more open-minded to the new people I meet
I want to celebrate being a woman and having the rights I have to work, equality and the freedom to read, write and think
I want to be strong but gentle spirited
I will no longer give other's the power I have given in the past to form my opinions, judgements or hide my opinions for fear I may upset someone. This does not mean I will start railroading people with my opinions, but I will not let fear of another person's reaction keep me from participating in open discussions with others.
I will celebrate my individuality and talents. I will stop comparing myself to other women and their talents. I am capable and have the ability to do many things and I will be grateful for what I can do - not what I lack
I will begin to accept my weaknesses as a part of who I am and begin to stop the control a perfectionist lifestyle has begun to create in me
I will love my body regardless of how it fits into clothing and I will work on becoming healthy - not necessarily skinny
I will support groups in the community I feel strongly about - advocating for those who have need

I decided to post about this so publicly on my blog to give myself a form of accountability. These are real things I want to begin to implement into my life and I want to give my husband a break for all that I have demanded of him in the past. He is not responsible for the joy, happiness and needs in my life. I am responsible for those and I am fortunate to have him to share to my life and journey with.

I would be interested in what many of you think as women at any age. I think sometimes it becomes really hard for women as we begin marriages or partnerships, careers and families to remember who we are. I think it is easy to get swept up into the needs of everything around us that we often work on ourselves last. I believe we need to work on our own happiness and goals to be a better person to those around us. We were talking in class on Tuesday about the third wave of feminism and I think it is the greatest age of the feminist movement yet. The third wave movement encompasses women having the right to decide. Some women don't want to marry and some do. Each of those decisions is okay because each woman had the CHOICE to make their own decision. I think the best part of the movement is that it allows women to come together - even when we disagree - for the movement of our gender. What do you think??

Craft Question!

2008-03-25T10:46:00.001-05:00

If anyone knows some great reading materials on how to smock - visit my craft blog and leave me a comment. Thanks for your help!!!

Chasing "My Dream"

2008-03-25T10:15:00.002-05:00

If you remember, I have a made a "Tracey's Dreams To Do List". On my list I mentioned chasing my number one dream. I kept myself from sharing what that hope was due to being intimidated by what I want to do. I have started to read a book on how to capture my dream and the first assignment is reflection and gathering information. So - I decided I would no longer intimidate myself and share with you all what my dream is. I have decided to write a book - whether it publishes or never leaves my desk - I am going to do it. What type of book? I have always admired David Sedaris and Amy Sedaris and the humorous stories they share. I have had so many experiences that are funny that I would love to compile all of them into one place.

This is where I need your help. I can remember some pretty funny experiences, but I cannot remember them all. I have shared so many funny situations with many of you. If you can remember something that happened - drop me an email. Don't feel obligated to type a whole situation out. Maybe give me a couple of reminders and I will see if I can't recall them.

Like I said earlier - I don't know if this will ever go anywhere - but I said I wanted to write a book. Maybe once I have reached the goal I can consider if it is good enough to attempt to publish. Thank you for your help. Who knows - maybe you'll see your name in the book??????

Racism is real

2008-03-19T10:18:00.002-05:00

Often I sit in my social work classes wondering how our system can be corrected to help those who need it and how America can overcome obstacles to heal and be a better nation. I am committing my life to work for the better of those who cannot reach the basics and the needs that everyday life demands. My hope is that you will find a way to help America be the nation that we have the resources to be! Regardless of how you feel about the presidental race or even Barack Obama, you should consider listening to his last speech delivered in PA. By listening to this speech, it does not require that you agree with him or suddenly decide to support him. My hope is that it will encourage and inspire you to consider Race and how it does divide America. Regardless of what you feel Obama's motives were behind the speech, please just listen to the message he IS delivering. His message does contain his aspirations to be President, but listen to the truths he discusses about all races and the need to unite and heal. If you disagree or dislike Senator Obama, I respect your right and understand if you would prefer to not listen to the speech. However, if you can take his speech and consider how Racism affects your life and those around you and start to consider what we can do to help other human beings out - I say it was worth the time you invested to watch his speech. If you do decide to pass on the speech, I ask that you refrain from negative comment posting on my blog. I respect your right to feel differently and ask for only positive comments to be left if the speech so moves you to do. Thank you and enjoy A More Perfect Union.

When things turn "Sour"

2008-03-19T08:59:00.003-05:00

Not too long after Bart and I were married, we stopped in OKC to see his family. One morning, Debbie, my mother-in-law took us to breakfast at a donut shop before we ran some errands. All three of us settled in to eat some donuts and have some milk. As we start eating Bart tears open his milk and throws his head back, taking a big drink. Instantly, he leans forward and spits milk into the container, making a horrible face and sound. Debbie and I look at Bart to see what is wrong and he says with great distaste (ha ha - good pun) "The milk is spoiled". At this point, I am pretty sure that Bart has turned green. Bart takes a look at my milk too. The date on the carton says the 11th. We thought it said the 17th. Bart takes the cartons up to the counter to alert the clerk that she is selling spoiled milk.

Now here is where most of you can probably figure out the rest of the story, right? She takes the milk and says thank you for helping me catch this. Think of all the people and children who are ingesting this nasty concoction of grossness!!!

WRONG. She looks at Bart and says, (I swear I am not making this up!!) "What do you want me to do about it? The milk guy was already here this morning"

Bart doesn't get angry often, but when this little vein in his forehead comes out, that is the time I personally choose to step back and usually warn others to join me. Bart's response went something like this, "What you can do is give me new drinks - orange juice- and maybe you should consider contacting the milk guy before anyone else drinks spoiled milk?"

We got little cartons of orange juice and the day continued on great. I, however, thought it was hilarious!!! I couldn't stop laughing and still to this day, I can still hear Bart's "animated spitting spoiled milk out" sound. He doesn't quite see it as funny as I do.

But years later - he would take his revenge!!! Just last year - there was a week where I wasn't feeling so great. It would come and go. I would feel great and then my stomach would start to hurt. All week I investigated the foods I ate, the drinks I had, etc - anything to track down why I felt so horrible. Bart had been fixing me dessert all week - being the nice guy that he is. Well, about the 5th night, I decided I would get my own snack. I got out some mini cupcakes (YUM) and I thought - I will pour myself a glass of milk - like I had been drinking all week. To my horror, I open the refrigerator to find TWO containers of milk. My mind starts racing - "Didn't I tell Bart when we were cleaning the house to make sure and toss the one milk because it had expired???" OMG - "I have been drinking sour milk all week!! That is why I feel so bad"

I confront Bart with the evidence to hear him say, "I thought that was the good milk".
So now he just confessed to not only giving me sour milk but also to the fact he knew there were two milk containers in the refrigerator and one should have been trashed!!!! He still claims he is "not guilty" to this day and that it was an honest mistake. I say it sure seems like he finds more humor in sour milk now than he use to!!!

What's In A Name

2008-03-14T12:30:00.000-05:00

I have joined a swap with some different criteria! All you have to do is once you are assigned a partner's name, go to their blog, find out what they like, and then send them items. Here is any example:

T - a train
R- a razor
A - an apron
C- candy canes
E- pink envelopes and stationary
Y- Yarn

(I don't actually like some of these items, they are just examples!!)The items have to start with the letter of the partner's name and be things that they like listed on their blogs. Too fun! Join the fun here!

Unsolved Mysteries Made Me Crazy!!

2008-03-14T09:47:00.003-05:00

When I was younger, my favorite show was Unsolved Mysteries. I loved that show even when it scared me! Unfortunately, my interest in shows that solve cases and deals with murder and kidnapping has probably led me to be a bit weird. I am the girl that enters the room and looks for exits and scans the crowd. Now, I do not allow this interest to intercede on my living. I still go out and do things, still meet new people through groups and don't let the evils of the world keep me in my house. I guess I am probably more cautious - that is a better description.

Let me share a humorous story about a time when I was overly cautious and made my friends laugh.

When I lived in Tulsa I worked at a Pediatric clinic in a big medical building. When the time came to start thinking about moving to Texas I began collecting boxes from the different clinics. The security guard would keep a supply of boxes thrown out in the water heater closet. Now, that seems like a nice thing to do, but if you are a creepy security guard, nothing nice you do can replace your creepiness. He was an older man who frequently checked out my friends and me when leaving the building. He would often hold the elevator and then ride with me to the parking garage even after I said it wasn't necessary.

When I needed boxes, he usually had them by his station and I would pull my car around and load up. Out of nowhere one day he says that the boxes are back in the water heater room. The water heater room was far down a hallway all the way at the back - out of sight. I had left work late that day, so the normally busy lobby was dead silent. So, not wanting to be offensive I followed him back there. I began thinking of ways I could let people know I was back in this room with the security guard. Then I came up with the great idea that I would have a conversation with this guard - AT THE HIGHEST LEVEL OF TALKING that I could muster. As he was picking up boxes, I began with this conversation:

"I DON'T THINK I HAVE FORMALLY INTRODUCED MYSELF. MY NAME IS TRACEY SMITH (Not my real last name - but hey - I have privacy issues). I WORK UPSTAIRS. THIS IS THE FIRST TIME I HAVE BEEN BACK IN THE WATER HEATER ROOM. LOOK AT US - YOU AND ME - MR SECURITY GUARD PICKING UP THESE BOXES IN THE WATER HEATER ROOM. IT SURE IS DARK AND COLD IN THIS WATER HEATER ROOM THAT YOU AND I ARE IN MR SECURITY GUARD. I BETTER GRAB SOME BOXES AND RUN OUT OF THIS COLD WATER HEATER ROOM. I WORK IN THE BUILDING AND LIVE DOWN THE STREET WITH MY BIG HUSBAND WHO STARTS TO SEARCH FOR ME IF I AM EVEN 1 MINUTE LATE (which is a total lie - I always beat my husband home.)"

Now I know from his perspective he was probably saying in his mind, "I should have told someone that I was down in this room with this crazy loud chick?" I grabbed a handful of boxes and practically ran down the hallway. I threw them in the back of my vehicle and he did the same.

He then asked, "Do you want anymore boxes?" I needed more but as I heard the theme song from Unsolved Mysteries playing in the back of my mind, I decided to cut my losses and decline more boxes.

As I told my friends the next day about my experience I received lots of laughing and lots of questioning like, "You did not shout out like that, did you?" My response,

"Yes I did and that is why I am still alive and well!!!!"

Special birthday message

2008-03-11T23:09:00.000-05:00

Tomorrow is my 31st birthday and to my delight, people are posting special messages for me. Take a look at the fun! My bestest friend Sarah has paid a tribute to me through photos - yikes! My mom has left a message too. Thank you for your kind words and for helping me celebrate another year. Here's to another year of joy and fun!!

Do you have a second home?

2008-03-11T00:42:00.000-05:00

I visited my mom this weekend and had a great time. Got some birthday presents (yay me!). While home, I got a chance to visit with one of my best friends, Sarah. We have been friends since 1992 (16 years - crazy). I spent so much time with Sarah in my high school years, and each of us adopted the other's family. We had a chance to visit her parents for a couple moments during my visit, and I was so amazed when we stopped by. As soon as we walked through the door, everything familiar hit me. The smell of the house (a good one Denise - no worries!), the stools I spent hours sitting on, the dining room where I shared meals, the living room where we watched so many movies and just remembering all the times Sarah and I did absolutely nothing - just hung around the house.

Everyone has places that you love to go that make you just stop everything in your life and take a deep breath and STOP. Sarah's parent's house is my house, just like my mom's house is Sarah's house. I guess it just struck me this weekend how lucky I am that I have two houses where I can go and reconnect with the ME that I like to be. So, in honor of my joy this weekend to come home to my second home, I have to share with you some of my favorite memories shared with Sarah and her family when we were in high school. Thank you guys for always allowing me to come to my second home.

My memories:

Sarah and I taking our socks off and whipping each other with them (what was that about anyway?)
Denise making us put magazines under the pull out couch in the living room so we didn't scrape the floors up
Walking into the bathroom to find Kenny's pant leg in the toilet (I still remember laughing so hard I thought I may have an accident)
Staying at the house while preparing for my wedding and Sarah's niece calling me "The Bride" Too Cute
Spending a whole Thanksgiving break with Sarah in our college days
Spending Easter at the Grandparents in Arkansas (remember climbing the trees and me hanging on for dear life while you took pics - crazy!)
Denise walking through the house in her high heels early in the morning
Kenny being covered with animals as soon as he sat down. (That still amazes me)
Kenny scratching on the window screen when we watched the scary movie, almost making me die on the spot.
Hours spent outside hanging out on the back porch

I know I am forgetting many more and I could probably go on for hours. I just wanted to share my joy at having two homes that give me joy and love. Kenny and Denise - thank you so much for putting up with Sarah and I all those times we were loud and crazy. You are my second set of parents and I love you both dearly. Sarah - what do you say to a sock rematch? Remember how they stretched out each time we whipped them? Hilarious!! I am so thankful for your friendship and I cannot wait until we have been friends for 32 years.

My wish for those of you reading this is that all of you have a second home and if you do, reach out to those people and tell them how much they mean to you. A trip down memory lane is always the best way to spend your day!

I voted today!!!!

2008-03-04T12:24:00.001-06:00

Have you voted in your state's primaries? If not, get out there and vote for whoever you support. It is fun and this election especially is making history. Be a part of it!!!

Women's History Month

2008-03-03T21:10:00.001-06:00

Get out there and learn more about the women in the world who made it possible for women today. I am searching for some really good sites about women's history and hope to post some a couple times a week. Celebrate women!!!

Updates on Craft Blog

2008-03-02T19:50:00.003-06:00

See my latest creative projects:

A new apron to update
Handmade recipe cards
New craft area organized

You can see it all on my craft blog!

People mean well most days, but........

2008-02-29T21:57:00.003-06:00

I often avoid the topic I am going to blog about due to the raw emotion it brings me, but have found in reading a section of Elizabeth Gilbert's book Eat, Pray, Love that really resonates with me. After a lot of prayer and consideration the last several years, Bart and I have reached the decision to not have children. This decision does not stem from anything religious, career-oriented, children hating or selfish motives, but just out of the understanding that we have elected to not partake of this journey for our lives. Now, before sharing some passages from Gilbert's book that helped me find some peace and understanding, I want to share with you some experiences we have had.

Many times when people ask about if we have any children or plan to, I many times find myself saying, "not yet" instead of being truthful and saying I don't intend to. The reason I chose to start responding that way began with other's responses. Bart and I have endured the following questions or statements before:

Do you hate children?
You have to - that is what you are supposed to do
Children are blessings..... you can't miss out
You'll change your mind one day
Hope it isn't too late WHEN you do change your mind
You aren't getting any younger, you should start now. You'll be thankful later.
That is a selfish thing to say. Do you want to save your money?

I kid you not, these are the responses we are often left to deal with when people say such things. Let me set the record straight, we LOVE children and one of the greatest days for me was when I became an aunt. Some of our decision comes from the desire to find ourselves a place in social justice issues and to be able to move freely. I once heard someone say, "Some people are placed on the earth to raise their children, and others are placed on earth to raise those children who are without". I can't remember where I heard it, but I think that describes Bart and me best. We won't have our own children, but my hope is that in our future work and careers we will touch lives and become family among many differing people.

My purpose for this blog is not to guilt individuals to avoid this topic with us nor to claim myself to be a speaker on behalf of all childless people everywhere. It is purely to begin to help myself understand that I need not hide my childless journey anymore. It is time for me to be true to my goals and future by telling the truth from now on, regardless of what responses I receive from others. I am allowing others opinions and beliefs to dictate how I respond to such an easy question and allow that fear to dominate my interactions with people who genuinely just want to understand. Being known as different is not necessarily a bad thing, and sometime people just want to know why what you believe makes you so different?

Let me share some passages from Gilbert's book that have helped me reach the conclusion that I can speak the truth for my life with no shame and really begin to live my life to help others:

"But what if, either by choice or by reluctant necessity, you end up not participating in this comforting cycle of family and continuity? What if you step out? Where do you sit at the reunion? How do you mark time's passage without the fear that you've just frittered away your time on earth without being relevant? You'll need to find another purpose, another measure by which to judge whether or not you have been a successful human being. I love children, but what if I don't have any? What kind of person does that make me?"

"Not all reasons not to have children are the same, either, though. Nor are all those reasons necessarily selfish"

"It is better to live your own destiny imperfectly than to live an imitation of somebody else's life with perfection"

To all of you who are parents or will be parents, thank you for being the people you are. I agree with Oprah that it is the toughest job in the world. Most of all, to my friends and family, and to anyone who may read this - THANK YOU for allowing me the chance to finally tell the truth about who I really am and to finally let go of the misconception that childless=purposeless. I know I have a purpose to not be a mom and I cannot wait to find out what that journey is going to encompass.

Good questions to think about

2008-02-28T23:17:00.002-06:00

I am behind in reading my Eat, Pray, Love book because I have found sections that make me stop and really think. There are two that speak to me and I will start with one now. I will try to post the other tomorrow as I am still thinking about how I want to say what I want to say (hee hee- that was confusing!!). In Elizabeth Gilbert's book she asks the greatest questions, things that I have started asking myself. Take a second to reflect on them for yourself and see what your answers are. Here are the questions (found on page 83 in her book):

What are my choices to be?
What do I believe that I deserve in this life?
Where can I accept sacrifice?
Where can I not?

I am still thinking over these questions, and I probably won't bore you with the answers for them. I challenge you to consider these questions and reflect on what your answers would be. You are welcome to leave them as comments, but I respect the sensitivity of privacy that would accompany these types of questions.

My Apron from my swap partner

2008-02-28T15:04:00.002-06:00

Today I received my apron from my swap partner. I was overjoyed at how beautiful this apron is. Even better, it is reversible. I absolutely LOVE it. I want to wear it outside of the house as a top - that is how crazy I am about it. Thanks go out to my AWESOME apron creator - Julie Ross from San Diego, CA. While making the apron and receiving one is such a fun part of this swap, I think the greatest part for me is that someone I never knew before put hours of their precious time into a gift for me to enjoy. Can you imagine what a better world we would live in if we all acted selfless like this? I would put a link on to my swap partner's blog, but I also want to protect her privacy - so for all of you out there, if you could take a moment to leave some comments about the apron that she could check in the comment section - I would love to hear what you think too!!!!! Julie - from the bottom of my heart - thank you for your time and effort that you put into my apron. I LOVE it and cannot begin to thank you enough. You created a masterpiece. Blessings to you and your family.

Chocolate Yogurt????

2008-02-25T23:37:00.004-06:00

I picked up this yogurt at Whole Foods because chocolate yogurt sounds interesting. I am still out on the taste, I think it is good. I had banana with it too and that seemed to make it taste yummy!! I have another yogurt that is caramel flavored. We will have to see what that is like.

My apron is finished

2008-02-25T21:26:00.002-06:00

Check out my craft blog to see the tutu I made my niece and my apron I made for a swap.

I had a great time making them!

Apron started

2008-02-24T10:34:00.002-06:00

I started my apron for the apron swap I am participating in. Check out my craft blog:

I will hopefully be finished or close to finished by today. Check back tonight for some more pics hopefully. Enjoy!

March Book Selection

2008-02-22T21:11:00.004-06:00

I have started this book so many times and have enjoyed it, but always seem to quit reading before I finished it. I am going to try again!! I am finishing Eat, Pray, Love for February and will start March with:

A Vindication of the Rights of Woman by Mary Wollstonecraft

Synopsis from Amazon.com

Writing in an age when the call for the rights of man had brought revolution to America and France, Mary Wollstonecraft produced her own declaration of female independence in 1792. Passionate and forthright, A Vindication of the Rights of Woman attacked the prevailing view of docile, decorative femininity and instead laid out the principles of emancipation: an equal education for girls and boys, an end to prejudice, and the call for women to become defined by their profession, not their partner. Mary Wollstonecraft’s work was received with a mixture of admiration and outrage—Walpole called her “a hyena in petticoats”—yet it established her as the mother of modern feminism.

Want more information? Check out this link to Amazon:

Here is to finishing the book for the first time!

My Dreams for 2008

2008-02-22T20:55:00.003-06:00

UPDATED

Read one book written by a woman or about a woman who fought for the rights of women each month
Take dance lessons - possibly swing and salsa
Participate in at least 3 sewing classes to increase my knowledge and skills
Get involved in Yoga again
Chase my Number One dream (I will share eventually, but am still intimidated by the hugeness {is that even a word?} of what this dream entails!)
Try a new recipe once a month (let's keep it realistic - maybe I can try for more - but keep it simple for now!!!)
Participate in the 3 Day Walk to end breast cancer - 60 miles baby!!!!
Visit the Kimball Art Museum at least 2 times this year (I still haven't made it there)
Take a cooking class
Write out a life plan - what do I want my life to encompass and how will I get there?
Visit The Women's Museum in Dallas

Some of these may seem so weird, but they are things that I have always wanted to do and I can do them here all locally! I am still processing if there is anything else I really want to do for myself - so I'll just keep updating. Good Luck to anyone else starting their own fun little journey!

The Year of ME!!!

2008-02-22T20:44:00.003-06:00

I have caught the fever!! I have been reading Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert. I am not one to usually get caught up with Oprah books, but after seeing her on Oprah, I knew I had to read the book. It is the story of a woman who takes a year to spend time in 3 countries, Italy, India and Indonesia to spend time studying herself and finding one's passion. While reading this book, I have had the "fever" to declare something as wonderful for myself like she has. Now, I have no plans to divorce my husband, nor can I afford to take off for a year and travel the world (if only we all could, huh?). I started thinking about what could I do to have my own Eat, Pray, Love moments here? I already have started the journey of higher knowledge by returning to school for my Masters Degree, but what else could I do to rejuvinate myself? So, I have come up with a list of things I really want to do or have wanted to do, but somehow, always make excuses or put off!! I am sure as I go along I will think of new things, but I am going to start my list and begin the year of ME. A lot of times we are told it is self-absorbed to focus on ourselves and dreams, but why not? Wouldn't we all be happier and healthier if we even did one thing a year we wanted to? I will post my list above this. Wish me luck and consider doing something you want or for yourself this year. Tell me what it is or what all you want to do in my comments. Keep me posted if anyone else decides to make this your year too!!!

Cool Apron Contest

2008-02-19T09:42:00.001-06:00

Check out this blog:

http://apronista.blogspot.com/

Not only do they have a great blog, but they are hosting a contest. Check it out and you could get some pretty neat gifts and ideas!

Where I find my HOPE for the future of America

2008-02-18T13:24:00.003-06:00

I know many people say you shouldn't discuss politics because it can become very heated or even offensive to some individuals. I, however, feel differently. I don't expect you to agree with everything I say on my blog, but I know all of you will respect what I say - and that is all that matters to me. I am HUGE HUGE HUGE fan of Barack Obama and see him as the change that America needs. He is the first and only candidate that has been able to inspire me to watch debates, to follow the primaries, to read about issues and concerns in America and to REALLY believe that I can make a change by simply voting. Even if you are not interested in voting for Barack Obama - I encourage you to visit his site and really get to know what makes this man a great candidate for America. No matter which candidate you are for - get to those voting booths and make a difference. Thanks for allowing my plug!! If you do disagree - I ask that you politely not leave hateful messages in my comments, but just peruse the rest of my blog entries. Thank you! Please enjoy the will I am video below done by Obama supporters. It is a good one!! You will need to silence my playlist found at the bottom of my blog.

Yes We Can Obama Song by will.i.am

2008-02-18T13:23:00.001-06:00

FNP tacos and Apples

2008-02-17T09:43:00.007-06:00

Last night we had a small party at our place with some GREAT friends we have made down here. My friend Lori and I had gone to OKC for a craft fair and she LOVES Indian Tacos. We decided we should have a taco night and learn to make the fry bread. She and her husband Russ came over early last night and we made fry bread. No burns, No restarts and No cussing - everything went smoothly and the fry bread tasted awesome!!! Our friends Michael and Cami joined us as well. We discussed some confusion on what people thought Indian tacos were - maybe made with curry. My suggestion was we rename the taco to what my textbooks for social work suggested out of respect to address Native Americans by. In my textbook Native Americans were called First Nation People. We discovered that while politically correct it took a really long time for someone to say, " I love these First Nation People Tacos". Russ came up with the idea that we call them FNP tacos. Probably you are saying to yourself at this moment, "Really Tracey?".

We then spent about 3 hours playing Apples to Apples. If you do not have this game, you really must invest in it. It was a blast with TONS of laughter. We made Michael laugh so hard that he was having mini asthma attacks all night. Awesome!! (Just teasing, we were really concerned we might be killing Michael) I got to use my new tablecloth that my mom bought me at the craft fair although it did not go with theme for the night. It has cowboys and cows on it. Bart said "Way to be sensitive Tracey. We are celebrating Native American heritage tonight and you set the table with Texas cowboys." I started to change the table, but Bart said it looked fine and he knew that is not what I meant for the night. I really just wanted to use my new tablecloth and give Lori some tacos!!

It was really a great time. I think we should continue this tradition every couple of months and try different ethnic foods. It would be a great educational experience and some good food. Enjoy!

It's Like Being Smacked In the Kidney 3000 times

2008-02-17T09:42:00.000-06:00

Bart always lovingly tells me that I constantly try to "one up" him. He does with kindness and teasing, but there is a level of truth in that statement. There is something about him that makes me want to constantly beat him or outsmart him. It is like a friendly competition. (Some of this does come from the fact that I know Bart likes smart girls!!)

So with this thought in mind, it is only fitting that I tell you about my kidney stones. Now, this will NOT include the process of passing a stone, but what led up to it. So rest assured, no grossness here!!!

We celebrated Bart's 30th birthday (in 2005) with a big party at our place in Tulsa. We had a great time. I made his cake for him, we watched a DVD slideshow of pictures from his life and enjoyed the time with friends and family. We went to bed that night tired and happy. The next morning I woke up early in the morning feeling like I was going to be sick. After time spent kneeling (we all have been there) I went back to bed. Once at the edge of the bed, a weird sensation happened and I collapsed into the fetal position. After crying and getting Bart awake, we decided we better go to the hospital. At this point, I don't know what is going on with me, all I know is that it hurts.

We get to the window to do all the check in stuff. Now, Bart was not given a lot of time to get ready so he had on pj pants and he forgot a book (that should tell all of you who know Bart well how freaked out he was). As we sit at the window, I am in intense pain. About every two minutes I continually cry out in pain and begin to pull on Bart's pants, who is fighting against me to keep his pants pulled up and give my info to the girl. This girl behind the counter was the worst person I have EVER encountered in life, and if I should meet up with her again in life, Beware lady - I have your face memorized in my brain. As I am struggling through my pain, she begins to say, "I bet you have a kidney stone, They really hurt, You are really acting like a kidney stone is passing, Oops, she is pulling down your pants". After a look at Bart that said exactly what I planned to say and do, he interceded and continued the registration process.

They got me back fast. I refused pain medicine but they insisted. I was out of my mind, because as soon as they got the meds into my veins, the world was a wonderful place. For three hours we waited in the ER room to find out I was passing a stone. I had to go to my Urologist (who was a beautiful, beautiful man) for X-rays in the weeks following our ER adventure. Come to find out I had several stones. I had to have a procedure done which my urologist said is "like being smacked in the kidney 3000 times". WHAT? Was that supposed to make me relax? "Oh, ok, great, because if you were about to say 3001 times I was going to run out of here." It was some kind of sonic procedure that looked like a ball. I laid on top of it and it sent sonar waves or something like that , to break up the stones. Thankfully you are put under during this procedure.

Some highlights from this whole experience:

Bart and mom got to watch me sit up, throw up, drink cranberry juice, lay down, fall asleep, sit up, throw up, drink cranberry juice, lay down, fall asleep for about 4 hours after the procedure. Lucky people!!
I disgustingly learned that some individuals keep their stones and make earrings and rings out of them.
I had the misfortune of nerves before the procedure and responded inappropriately to my doctor when asked "How do you feel today?". My response, "I don't have any underwear on" Note to self: Consider what you are going to say before you open your mouth.
I spent my time recooperating after a sewage outbreak at our apartment (that story to come soon)
When Bart met my doctor, his first comment to my mom was, "He isn't that good looking"

Good times. So it would appear that I once again "out did" Bart. This one was not intentional I can say with all honesty. I would have preferred the whole weekend to be about him. The one thing I learned out of this whole situation is: Bart loves me a whole bunch and his concern for me trumped remembering to grab a book. He REALLY loves me.

Music Mania

2008-02-14T23:26:00.001-06:00

I put a playlist on here of songs I enjoy. As a side note, do not feel bad if you hate the music as Bart and I have very different tastes in music. We will be traveling places together and I will put in a CD and he will look at me and say, "Who is this?". I will tell him and his next response is "Huh" - which in Bart translation means "Yeah, I don't like it!!".

I find this type of music helpful while studying or when I want creative thoughts to come to me. I hope some of you might enjoy this music!!

A Great Gift

2008-02-14T12:07:00.003-06:00

I have been so busy lately with work and school that I haven't had a chance to really work on sewing or anything I enjoy, so I have been very sad and mopey. Last night while I was at work I received a wonderful gift. It was what I needed to know that I was at the right job and that even if I haven't had a chance to do what I love to do lately - it is ok! My gift came from a gentleman at the Independent Living Community that I work at. He went to his room after dinner and made it for me. I think it is quite impressive. Please enjoy my wonderful artwork gift.

How To Be A Great Wife

2008-02-11T22:42:00.000-06:00

I have always found this to be fascinating, and my friend recently emailed this to me. I find some parts of endearing and others not so much!!! Hope you enjoy it as much as I have.

Dog Days of Winter???

2008-02-10T19:41:00.000-06:00

No real story for this picture. We have had some rare weekends lately ranging in the 70's here in Texas. So, last weekend we met some friends at the park and enjoyed sitting out in the sunlight and warmth. My favorite picture of the day is below.

New Collections

2008-02-10T19:05:00.000-06:00

I have finally found the book I wanted. I could have gone to Barnes and Noble and purchased it with Bart's discount, but the cheap part of me wanted to find it in a half price bookstore. We searched around everywhere last weekend and could not find it. I settled with getting it from the library until I could find it. We stopped by Half Price Bookstore today and I FOUND IT. The book I have searched the heavens and earth for is: Amy Sedaris' book "I like you". WARNING: this book is not for the easily offended. If you cannot handle a sarcastic humor focusing on some umcomfortable topics, you may want to reconsider reading this book. I think Amy and her brother David Sedaris are comedic geniuses!!!

I have also started collecting older cookbooks from the 1950's. I enjoy the volume of recipes you get in these books. Also, in some of the books, I have been able to find other clippings from who had previously owned the book. Pretty cool. I have the 2nd volume of the Meta Given's Modern Encyclopedia of Cooking - very neat. I just found the 1st volume on Amazon, so hopefully it will be joining my collection.

The last exciting addition to my book collection is a book from the 1940s about sewing. The most amazing thing this book has in it is a pattern for a mother and daughter apron. The sizes for the women are size 14 and size 8. Whatever happened to the good old days when we didn't use the term - PLUS SIZED women. Those were good days!!!

Working for a living

2008-02-10T11:58:00.001-06:00

Bart and I have not left the country!!! We both started new jobs this week and are trying to set a routine in place. Bart started his job at the Lowes this week. He is now actually employed by Lowes instead of working for a company hired by Lowes. He works 6am to 3pm Monday to Friday. I wouldn't say it is his dream job, but he likes the people and he knows his flooring!!!

I started orientation at a Independent Living Facility. I will be the concierge. I will answer phones, light paperwork, assist the residents and be there to help if a resident needs something. I will work 5pm to 10pm tues to thurs, and 5pm to 8pm on fridays. Working at evenings will be a bit of an adjustment, but this job will be invaluable when I start my field work next sememster for school. Those will be busy days. I will do field in the am or afternoon, classes in the am or afternoon depending when my field is, and working in the evenings.

I have training on Monday and start my job on Tuesday evening. This week will probably be the hardest as I start a new routine and begin passing Bart in the night!!! Thank God for weekends to catch up and see each other. I will try to post some more this week.

Date Night and the 3 R's (Reduce, Reuse, Recycle)

2008-02-02T09:23:00.001-06:00

I borrowed this pic from a Whole Foods in Ann Arbor found on Flicker at this link:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/adinges/286505164/. Bart wouldn't let me take my camera. I will go back without him and do it!!!!

Bart took me on an interesting "quick" date last night at my request. Since moving to the metroplex I have desired to take a look in the Whole Foods Grocery Store. I never made it, but after a recent news broadcast, I knew I needed to get there. The company has made the commitment to stop using all plastic bags by Earth Day of this year. You can still use their paper sacks or buy one of their reusable bags for .99 a bag. They are made from 80% post recycled material like old plastic soda bottles. Pretty Neat. The bags are adorable and I can use them even if I stop at Walmart or Target. I was so excited last night, coming up with new ideas. I can use one of the bags when I go to the library instead of having to carry all my books, or making Bart carry half of my stack.

Aren't they so cool

The store has some products that I will continue to purchase at my other stores, but nothing matches what I like to call their "Aisle of Grains and Goodies". I about exploded with excitement last night. I can purchase things like flax seed, barley, alphabet soup, wild rices, all kinds of flours and even local honey out of these huge dispensers. Bart and I have made it our goal this year to eat healthier and to improve what we use and do this year. Having a store like Whole Foods will make it easier for me to make all of the tasty recipes that require items you can't normally find at your neighborhood grocery store. I hope to post some of our yummy meals this year for you.

I also have a basket that I got last year to use when we go to the local farmers market. It is the cutest basket, and I use it around the house too. I use it when I am picking up around the house or to hold some of my craft items. I hope to use it for picking fruit this spring and summer. We have found a couple of local farms that allow you to come in and for a small price pick some of their fruit and vegetables. I hope to post some pics of that later this year. You can find this basket at The Container Store under Handled Bins and Baskets.

http://www.containerstore.com/

The last thing we are considering is starting our own little garden. We only have a front yard, as our back yard is actually a driveway for us to park our cars. So, we are trying to decide if we have an area to plant or if we will container garden. Stay tuned for some pics on that as well.

I recently picked up a book at the library to begin my own research on the organic v. regular foods. It is a great book and represents both sides equally I feel. Plus, it explains all the lingo that is thrown around in case you are like me, a organics virgin. If you have questions, a quest to understand the history of organics or you are just bored, pick up this book.

Check it out at Amazon:

http://www.amazon.com/Field-Guide-Buying-Organic/dp/0553590294/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1201967681&sr=1-1

I also have started into the exciting world of repurposing or refashioning clothes. I am involved in an online group or two right now where the challenges are to refashion your old clothes. It will probably be closer to the end of February when I actually finish some of the projects, but check out my craft blog later to see those projects:

http://www.itching2bstitching.blogspot.com/

Thanks for allowing me to indulge in what excites me right now. Even if it is not your cup of tea, I hope you will enjoy our adventure this year as we reuse and repurpose items. It should be a good time!!

Confusing words can lead to embarrassing moments

2008-02-01T22:39:00.000-06:00

When Bart and I were preparing to get married we had to each take a blood test for Syphilis before we could get a marriage license. Oklahoma law mandated it back it our times. I think you don't have to do it anymore. Anyway - we went to the doctor and had our tests done. We waited for just a few minutes for the results. The nurse came back in and told us we were both negative and gave us the paper so we could get our license. Then came the moment that I will never live down from my husband or family members. There are times where I swear my brain shuts down to reboot and during this time all stupid thoughts escape while I can't stop them. Here is how the conversation went:

Nurse: "Here is the paper. You are both negative"
T: "Wooooo. That is a relief. I was nervous"
(Bart looks at me with a horrified face that says, "why are you concerned that you would be positive?")
T: "Although I have to say I don't think it is any of Oklahoma's business. I mean, who cares if I have a curve in my spine. I am so relieved that my spine is okay."

Bart and the nurse started laughing so hard that I was VERY confused. What did I say that was so funny? Bart finally gets himself composed enough to say,

"Tracey, that is scoliosis. This test was to see if you had a genital disease."

My face was so red and so horrified. The whole time up to this appointment I had tried to figure out where in the world the government felt it had the right to know how my spine was. I recalled all the times in elementary and middle school they used to call us down to check our spines. I figured it must continue on into adulthood.

I promise you I am a smart girl. I just have my moments. I guess being a Doctor is nowhere to be seen in my future!!!!!

Cool Cookbook

2008-01-31T20:25:00.000-06:00

I found this cool cookbook on one of the blogs that I absolutely LOVE. Check out her website sometime:

http://rosylittlethings.typepad.com/

The cookbook can be downloaded for free at this link:http://www.archive.org/details/bookofpracticalr00chiciala

It is a cookbook that is compiled with 13,000 housewives from back in what I would assume were the 50's or so. It has some really nice recipes and plus, it is FREE.

Hope you enjoy it as much as I have already in just one day!!!!!

Wild Horses, Airplanes and Things That Bite

2008-01-30T10:59:00.000-06:00

During the summer of 2006, Bart and I took a week long vacation to Washington DC. I had been a couple times before during my early adolescent years, and dreamed of taking Bart, the historian, to our nation's capitol. We had a wonderful time in DC during the day, and we stayed at the most awesome campgrounds in Maryland. If you are ever going to DC and like to camp out, consider staying at Cherry Hill Park. It is mostly an RV park, but they do have some lots open for tents. The bonus to this park is they offer a ride in to the train stations to get into DC, so your car can stay at the campsite and you don't have to drive in the traffic. They have very clean bath houses and a great swimming pool. Plus, they have activities in the evening, more family oriented, but fun!

Okay, so back to the story!

We decided after running around for so many days that we would end our trip somewhere relaxing. Through all of my research (I made a travel binder for this trip - obsessive I know, but fun!) we found Assateague Island National Seashore in Maryland. How great does this sound? Camping on the beach. Good times. Plus, they were known for their wild horses who run free on the Island. We didn't get in until late the first night and after much walking around and shining a flashlight on all the tents, we finally found our location. We set up camp in the dark and could hear the ocean over the sand dune. We went to sleep excited about the beach the next day.

In the middle of the night, I wake up to hear wild horses near our tent. So excited about nature being that close to me, I lie there, waiting for the horses to run wild. Instead, I hear what sounds like someone turning on the faucet near my head outside of the tent. I then hear another noise, and smell the most horrendous smell ever. Yeah, you guessed it. The horses relieved themselves outside of my tent, by MY head!!! I tried to wake Bart up but he was OUT. The rest of the night, I try to sleep with that smell right in my face.

Finally, at day break, I wake up to find Bart gone. I lay there for a few moments relaxing and looking forward to the day and rub my face. As I rub my face I realize it is swollen and there are bumps all over my face. I had been eaten alive by these little bugs throughout the night. Bart returns from the beach all happy and saying annoying things like, "Isn't it beautiful here?" and "The beach is so beautiful - come see" and my favorite, "What happened to your face?". Once stepping out of the tent, we observed everyone in screen tents. Why are they all in screen tents you ask? Because, as we found out too late, if you aren't directly on the beach, you will be swarmed by little biting insects. OUCH. We took some pics on the beach, saw some horses, and then I told Bart - Let's shower and hit the road a day early. I am not doing this.

We shower in cold water in a shower on the beach where anyone could have seen my business if they walked by and looked down. We hit the road, and I am feeling worse by the minute. Bart had his heart set on seeing a hanger full of planes that used to be at the Air and Space Museum. So, we decide to stop. As we are there, I begin to get the chills, feel horrible, and basically realize a sinus infection is coming on. I tell Bart I am ready to leave. He says he just wants to see a few more planes. I sit in a row of chairs sneezing, shaking, coughing, with a fever and scaring children as they come around. We finally leave when Bart is done and here is how the rest of my trip went:

Get in car and sleep

B: Tracey, wake up. Do you want lunch?

T: Yes. (I eat sandwich and lay back down)

B: Tracey, I am stopping to go to bathroom. Do you need to go?

T: Yes. (I go to the bathroom and lay back down)

B: Tracey, we are at the hotel.

T: Ok. (walk in and go to sleep)

Next day:
Continues much the same until a couple of hours before we reached home, I finally wake up. Bart drove all 18 hours by himself. I can't believe he didn't pull over, lay me on the side of the road and drive off! It was a fun trip, but it sure ended differently than I expected. Enjoy the pics below from some of the places listed above!

The wild horses on the beach

Our Camp Site

You can see how swollen my face is if you zoom in
The planes Bart HAD to see. He had a great time!

Confessions of a Biased Woman

2008-01-28T13:00:00.000-06:00

I had the enlightening experience this weekend that I am indeed a biased woman. I know - it is horrible. Who am I biased against? My husband. Okay, now I know that doesn't seem to be a huge monumental life shattering moment, but I did realize something this weekend.

I expect Bart to know how to fix anything because he is supposed to as the husband.

Now if Bart were to come home and tell me to do something in particular and I say I don't know how to or don't care, he says ok. Our dryer began making this horrible squeaking noise. The noise is so ear piercing I am sure that the number of strays in our neighborhood has decreased. I am not kidding!!! We are missing two cats and a dog that I used to see running around. I think the packed up and moved a couple blocks down due to the ear damaging noise coming out of my house.

So, I don't want to buy a new dryer when the one we have works well enough. What do I do? Look to Bart and say, "Can't you make it stop?" His response is, "I have never worked on a dryer before." My response is eye blinking and staring at him until he gets a flashlight and takes my dryer apart.

The best part? He FIXED the squeaking!!! So, maybe I am not necessarily biased, but confident that my husband is a brillant person who can figure anything out - like MacGyver.

Yeah - that sounds better than being biased.
(Check back soon for pics of my "MacGyver" working on the dryer. He was personally thrilled that I was taking pictures of him while he is trying to work on the appliance. He really doesn't understand the addiction of blogging and pictures, does he?)

A Funny Book

2008-01-28T12:55:00.000-06:00

This book cracks me up. Now, the unfortunate thing is that it does suggest men don't do ANYTHING for women and has funny pics. I must admit my husband does help me around the house and with groceries, but there is an element to this book that just gets a woman laughing.
The title sounds "dirty" and "inappropriate" but it is NOT what it sounds like. Check it out at your local Barnes and Noble ( I have to promote BN only since Bart still works there - sorry Borders lovers!!).

Porn for Women by Cambridge Women's Pornography Cooperative and Susan Anderson

Your husbands may not find it funny, but every woman will find at least one description and picture true to their life. Enjoy!!

Can sticks float upstream?

2008-01-23T19:29:00.000-06:00

Our friend Liesl reminded us of this story and I must say it is one of my favorites. Probably one of the most romantic things Bart has ever done for me.

When we worked at Camp Lutherhoma together we did adventure camps throughout the week with campers. One such option was the Canoe option. Two days of canoeing the Illinois River with tons of kids. Good times!! The typical canoe assignment has a counselor lead canoe, an end canoe, and some in between. Our lead canoe gets us to where we are going and end canoe dislodges all the canoes from wrecks and the bank of the river. The middle canoes try to maintain calm and order.

Not surprising at all, Bart usually was the end canoe. On one such trip I had two campers in my canoe with me who were not expert canoers. As we reached a certain area, my canoe became lodged in the trees along the river bank. Usually we just push or try to scoot it loose if you can. Luckily this time, I decided to get my girls out and have them float downstream to where all the other canoers and counselors were. Once they were out and safe I tried to move the canoe myself with no luck at first, but it finally budged. I was trapped in a deeper area of water and would have to climb over a huge tree trunk to make my way downstream. Just as I was about to start the climb out, I heard a splash like a branch falling in water. About this time, Bart happened upon the scene, and parked his canoe on a island in the middle of the river. I was fascinated with this stick downstream from me that seemed to be heading towards me UPSTREAM. Bart yells to come on, and the conversation continues on this way:

T: Sparty (his camp name), can a stick move upstream?
B: No, why?
T: Because, there is a stick with white on the end coming towards me

Bart beginnings tearing across the river toward me at this moment

T: What are you doing?
B: That is a snake, get out of there!!

I can't remember the exact words I said, but I know they were not Christian or child appropriate. However, I couldn't get across the log half because it was so large, half because I couldn't keep my eyes off the snake who was extremely close to me.

Next thing I know, Bart rips me across the log into the safety of the river, seconds before the snake reached me. Come to find out, it was a water moccasin intending to sample a little of Tracey. No thank you!!! I had to take a couple moments before going downstream to meet the kids because I was shaking so bad. We didn't want the kids to freak out.

All the girls loved that Bart pulled me out of the water where "I was just stuck in the mud, nothing else". He became the strong cool counselor that trip.

Bart, my hero! (Sigh)

Coming soon to a blog near you

2008-01-18T23:43:00.000-06:00

I hope you have enjoyed several of our stories on here. I have had several of you email requesting some of your favorites (I love that you guys enjoy these as much as we do) stories. So, as not to disappoint our few fans we have out there, I will be working on adding some in the next couple of weeks. Here are some of the highlights coming soon to a blog near you:

1. Sewage outbreak in Tulsa apartment
2. Ending part to our DC vacation (which includes wild horses,rv wrecks,sinus infections, and bug bites - good times)
3. Kidney stones- jewelry and how I spoiled Bart's 30th birthday weekend.
4. Bart saves me from a water moccasin
5. Just for fun - a classic favorite- the time Sarah and I got stuck in a canoe on the river! Enjoy that one Sarah!

I hope you will enjoy each of these. We may just have to write a book one day!

December 2002: Harley Saves Christmas!!

2008-01-18T23:04:00.000-06:00

Here is the story that many of you love so much. It may seem that we have made this up, but sadly it is all true! I have tried to condense it down, because it can take hours to tell. Enjoy!

Bart and I moved to St. Louis in August 2002 for Bart to explore if he was being called to be a pastor or not. He left Seminary the first time and had questions on if he was burnt out or not supposed to be a Pastor. So, we decided let's go figure it out. By December, we were out of money, Bart was exhausted from working two jobs and going to school full time and I was having a hard time getting even 5 hours a week at my job. Now, I refer to these times as the Dark Ages for Bart and I. Not that I like to air our dirty laundry but to understand the beauty of the end of story you must understand where it began. Bart was rarely home and I didn't even see him some days. When he did come home he was either sleeping or studying. Life was tense in our household and I was miserable. We fought more than we ever have-EVER and even slept in separate rooms for awhile. Finally, one day I approached Bart and said I was moving home. This was the beginning of December. I told him if he wasn't home by Christmas day, this marriage was going to have some serious problems - then I left St. Louis.

Bart finished his semester and finished working his jobs. Cut to Christmas Eve evening. Bart calls to tell me he will be home late Christmas night. I beg him to be there when I wake on Christmas morning. He agrees, although at that time I had no idea how tired he was. He leaves at 3am that morning so he can be home by 9am.

I wake up Christmas morning at around 8am to a phone call from Bart. I ask if he is almost home, and he says he is only outside St. Louis by one hour. WHAT??? I finally realize Bart is whispering and I ask what is going on.

He says, "Baby, you have to get me out of here. My metro is in a ditch. I need you to call a tow truck for me and get me out of here"
T: Where are you?
B: I am in a house with large women wearing tweety shirts and chain smoking. Some man named Harley picked me up and brought me to his girlfriends grandparents house. I am calling from the bathroom. GET ME OUT OF HERE"

I have never heard Bart so panicked. Here is what Bart experiences before, during and after the tow truck comes to his metro. Then I will share the ending of story with you.

A semi flies past Bart on the highway, he hits black ice, runs off the road and buries his front end of the metro in a snow covered ditch. He is trapped in the car and spends the next 4 hours or so covered in blankets waiting for someone to see him.
He is awoken by a tap on the window. A man named Harley (who had been out of jail for only 6 months at this time and a Wiccan) saves him and takes him to the Tweety House
I call and get a tow truck and tell Bart to get out to the car. During this time Harley offers to drive Bart home. No thank you!
Before taking Bart back out to his car, Harley tells Bart he needs to stop by an apartment. Supposedly, Harley's girlfriend's brother is in jail and Harley is supposed to be keeping an eye on his girlfriend. The girlfriend reportedly has a boy in this apartment with her.
Harley stops at the apartment and pulls out a large knife. Bart stays quiet and still. Harley knocks on the door, goes in, has some words and comes out. No knife needed. Thank God!
Harley returns to the truck and takes Bart to the metro. He offers to stay until the tow truck comes. Bart says "I am ok. Thank you".
Bart waits and waits for tow truck. (It is Christmas Day. Imagine how much that cost us!)
Strangers stop on the side of the road to offer help. Bart alerts them to the tow truck coming. A woman gives Bart cheap walmart gloves, for which Bart is grateful.
Tow truck comes and Bart gets back on the road, no injury to the car. (As much grief as I give that car, it is a tough little thing)

Bart finally pulls into Tulsa around 5pm but still needs to shower. We are at some friends of the family's house sharing Christmas gifts. FINALLY, at 6pm Bart knocks on the door and enters the house. CUE THE DISNEY MUSIC. I am sure we have all had moments where we have said things, fought, etc and always assumed our loved ones will return later to us safely. Bart and I had some rough times before his trip home and had shared some harsh words.

The minute he walked through that door, every hateful word, action and separation plan we might have made went out the window. The relief and joy I felt at having my husband home and safe again was all I wanted that Christmas. It was the best Christmas gift I ever received. Nothing will ever top that night. I hugged him so tight and couldn't let go.

This really is a funny story, especially if you hear it in person from us. However, most of the funny stories that exist between Bart and I usually have a touching moment for us. I enjoy being able to laugh with him, but it always means more to me if our relationship gains something from these times too.

We painted a bulb that Christmas for our tree (it is a tradition we do ever year) with Bart's metro buried in a snow mound and it says Harley saves '02. So- to Harley- wherever you are now- thank you for the greatest Christmas gift ever - the safe return of my husband!!

For the Ladies.....

2008-01-17T19:55:00.000-06:00

Today, as I was sitting in class, we were reading from a book of a woman who is considered one of the founders of the field of social work. While we were reading and discussing, I found myself distracted and had a "moment" - I guess you would call it.

I have never taken the time to REALLY think about what a great gift I have in being born when I was. I realized today that I take my education, voting rights and right to work for granted many times. It was only 1920 that women were finally given the right to vote as men had been participating in for YEARS in this country. Women have only had the right to vote for 88 years now. How that pales in comparison to the years that our country has existed. I don't often think of the women who marched, fought, spent time in jail and sacrificed the comforts of their lives to make my life so privileged and comfortable.

Even in today's standards, how lucky am I to be working on a Master's Degree?!?! There are many women who will never get a chance at a college education, let alone, a master's degree. There is a small part of me that would love to have causes to march to like those women had. There are many things I could march to and support now, but I guess I haven't taken the time to consider what social justices I feel so passionate about. What can I do today that will enhance my niece's life when she is my age? What can I do for the women of the world who have little or no rights? I am sure this is a question everyone searches out many times in their lives, and I guess it is my time in the spotlight to consider such things.

So to the women of the past, present and future who did, will continue and will inspire me to be thankful for my rights to speech, thought, voting, education and the right to be an equal human being - THANK YOU. I hope my life and daily actions will be an appreciation of those rights others have fought so valiantly for. Whatever your passion or journey in this life brings to you or has already begun in you, may it inspire you as deeply as the women who marched and struggled for equal rights for me - without ever seeing my face or knowing my name!

I leave you with this quote:

"Remember our heritage is our power; we can know ourselves and our capacities by seeing that other women have been strong."

-- Judy Chicago

(taken from http://www.betterworld.net/quotes/women-quotes.htm)

Please feel free to leave your thoughts and what inspires you. I would LOVE to hear it!!

Bear Traps

2008-01-14T20:44:00.000-06:00

Many of you know this story, but there are still some of you who don't know why our blog is named Bear Traps and Road Maps. We chose the road maps part because we love to travel and hope to travel more in the future. We are going on a cruise with family this summer to Alaska. Not too sure yet how to feel about being in water- my number one fear- but who is going to pass up alaska. I will just wear a permanent life jacket at all times (hee hee). So that is how we came up with road maps. Bear traps came about not too long after Bart and I had been married. Here is Bart's favorite moment since we have been married, or what he likes to call his finest moment in life.

We were living in Waco, Texas and decided on a Saturday to take a drive on some of the back roads to see the wildflowers. As we were driving, I noticed these little blue boxes attached to fences on properties. Finally, I see a B on one of the boxes and don't understand what they are. The conversation went like this:
T: "What are those boxes?"
B: "They are bear traps"
T: "Bear traps? There are bears in Texas? Why do they need those traps?"
B: "To keep bears off their properties and from eating their livestock"
T: "Well, how do they work?"
B: "See how those boxes are long and narrow, like mailboxes? See how they have the small hole in the front? What the ranchers do is put honey at the back of those boxes and when the bear reaches in to get the honey, a wire bar smacks the bear on the nose"

At this point I became irrate. The thought of being deceitful enough to put honey to lure the bears in angered me. I was raging about calling my senator, writing animal rights groups, and protesting Texans. The whole time, Bart is looking sympathetic and agreeing with me. We drove for about 20 minutes with me fuming and making comments every few seconds. After about 20 minutes, I am looking out my window and see the "supposed bear trap" with writing on the side. However, it does NOT say bear trap, it says Bee Trap.

T: "Hey, wait a minute. That box said bee trap."

At this point I turn to Bart but all I see from him are tears, dimples, and uncontrollable laughter.
Nice, huh? There are times in this marriage where people would question why we are married. Even though this isn't my brightest moment I have to say it is fun to be in a marriage where we can play and tease each other. Believe me, I have returned the favor to Bart and it shouldn't be too long before you see another prank appearing on our blog. Enjoy everyone!

Cow slippers, Metros, and things that make me laugh!

2008-01-12T09:24:00.000-06:00

I always find that Bart's birthday falls on the worst time of year and always feel so bad for him. He even says that his birthday falls right when everyone's first credit card bills are due from Christmas shopping!! This monday the 14th he will be 33. I still don't know where all the time has gone. I have spent 11 total years of my life with him and they have gone by so quickly. I thought to honor my husband for his birthday I would give you some highlights of times that I have enjoyed with Bart. Also, I love to tell people how we first met, years before I knew he was the one that was chosen for me!!

How we met:
I was a senior in high school (Fall 1994) involved in a group through my church known as Ongoing Ambassadors for Christ. It was a group of kids from all over Oklahoma that got together and spent a weekend a month witnessing to people about Christ all over the city we were hosted in. I had met Bart's middle brother David a year before and had become fast friends with him. (On a side note, all the girls LOVED David and I always felt a fast friendship with David. I used to always joke I was the only girl there that didn't have the hots for David. Wrong brother I guess!!) So, at one of the events in Edmond, Bart was sent to pick David up early from the event and he was not happy he had to do it. David was excited for me to meet his older brother and so was I. I had the unfortunate choice of shoe selection and had decided to wear cow house slippers. I marched to my own beat of the drum - okay! Bart comes and David rushes me over to meet Bart. He introduces us - "Bart this is Tracey, Tracey this is my brother Bart". I smile big and show excitement when I say hi. Bart looks at me for two seconds says hey and tells David to get his stuff.

That was it. I had just met my husband at age 17 and had no idea. Not to mention the fact that I thought he was a major jerk and rude. Cut to the summer of 1996 - I get the Camp Lutherhoma mailing for the summer staff, and there is Bart's name. I told all my friends at college what a jerk he was and that I was not looking forward to meeting him. We were friendly in 96 but no love connection. Not until the summer of 1997 - when the power of cow house slippers and a energetic girl - finally got the man's attention. We were later married in 2000. It goes to show you that God works in mysterious ways.

After attending a Journey in January event at Camp Lutherhoma in my high school years, John Busch had shared a story with all of us about how we all should be praying for a future spouse - that God would protect them and to strengthen their faith each day. I had started doing that immediately after that event. Looks like God decided a tiny sneak peek at my husband would be okay. My question to God is: Did you have to introduce us when I was wearing sweats and cow house slippers??

Most of these are my favorite memories with Bart, but there are few that he was involved in that I know he would love to see on here, so I will add them in his honor:

Top 10 Favorite Memories:
10. Bird flies out of door wreath into house. Bart laughs as Cat jumps around house to get bird, instead of chasing bird out of our house. (NOTE: the bird made it out safely as did the cat. Although we had a touch and go moment with Batley when we flew into the wall. He just picked himself up and continued the hunt)

9. Bart subs for kindergarten kids for a week. He comes home at the end of the week swearing off teaching and kids. "They all just started crying and they kept calling me Mr. Ham". He looked so frazzled.

8. Bart gets hit by a semi in his Metro and walks away with a scratch on the arm. (Not that this is awesome, but his little car held on and he was proud. Although we basically rebuilt the car. That is a whole other story!) I have never been so scared in my life to receive that call. Thank God he was alright.

7. Right after we had been married for awhile my mom came to visit. As mom and I are in the car, Bart decides it would be funny to moon me. However, right at that time, I look down and my mom looks up. My mom screams and Bart laughs, and laughs, and laughs. He thought it was even better that he mooned my mom. Something is not right with that boy!

6. Bart hides somewhere in the house and listens to me say, "Baby, are you in here? Please don't scare me. Don't jump out at me. Baby?". To which he jumps out and scares the life out of me. This has happened too many times to count in our marriage, but he loves it so much!

5. Classic Bart - right before we got married I asked Bart the dreaded female question, " Do I look fat in this?". His unfortunate response - "Don't worry baby, I'm fat too" Nice Bart, Nice!

4. Bart has a little too much to drink at David's wedding and decides that would be a great time to sing me a song on the dance floor as other people try to dance and enjoy the music. It went something like this, "What did I do, What did I say, to turn your angel eyes my way? I love you Tracey. I love you angel eyes" Good times!!!

3. We got married outside in August in OK. It was about 106 and no breeze. ( I know it is crazy, but we were in love and not thinking clearly.) I asked Bart to wear his suit jacket for the first part of the wedding until I got to the front, then he could take it off. I get to the front and Bart has a wet paper towel he is dragging across his head. I say, "Why do you have a wet paper towel?" He says, "It was dry when I got down here" No doubting that man loves me and will do almost anything for me!!

2. Bart's favorite: He convinces me that bee catchers on a country road in Texas that are attached to people's fences are actually bear traps. That story I will share with you in a couple of days, but hence the title, "Bear Traps and road maps" He loves that story.

1. Bart is run of the road by a semi in MO on Christmas day, hits black ice, lands in a ditch with his front end buried in snow. Waits four hours for someone who finally sees him to rescue him. The story is long, and I will post that as well on here in a couple of days, but to give you a hint to why it is #1 - He was rescued by a man named Harley and taken back to his house where large women wearing tweety shirts were waiting!

As you can tell, there is never a dull moment for the two of us. Happy Birthday Bart! Here is to many more years of exciting memories shared with you!! I love you!

Time Flies

2007-12-17T19:07:00.000-06:00

Well, once again I have slacked off on the blogging thing. I have to learn to keep this up. To bring you up to date, life is mostly the same.

Bart updates:
Still working for his company. Their doors are closing February 1st and Bart will no longer work for the the Floor Team after almost 5 years. There is some sadness about losing this job to some degree. His hours were flexible for the most part. The good news is no more packages will be mailed to my house anymore. Thank You GOD!! We get up to 10 packages a week sometimes. I am finally reclaiming my spare bedroom.

Bart still works for fun at Barnes and Noble. Other than that, his life remains the same. You know Bart - he is a pretty stable guy!!!

Tracey updates:
I no longer work for my company as of November of this year. I was forced to choose between work or school - so I chose school. For those of you not aware, I was accepted into the Masters program at the Social Work school at University of Texas Arlington. I am loving it. It is a lot of hard work, but so much fun to be back in school. I am very excited about this career path, and await a very exciting career once completed.

Our neighbors continue to provide entertainment. Police, ambulance, etc. I promise we live in a very nice area. Our place next door seems to attract the crazies!! They always seem to like Bart too. What does that mean?? I had my first experience giving the police an eye witness statement. That is some crazy stuff my friends. I keep praying they decide to move but it hasn't happened yet.

Once again I will try to keep this updated. I hope in the next couple of weeks to get a couple of my projects I have been working on posted on here for some ohhhhs and ahhhhs. Feel free to check back in the next month to see if they are posted yet.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you all!!!

Disappearing in the night, Cobra, and other updates

2007-04-15T12:16:00.000-05:00

Hey Everyone!!

So I did the bad thing of not keeping up on the blogging, but we have literally been gone almost every weekend. There is much to update, but we will break it down over the next couple of weeks.

Some of my personal highlights:

1. Good Charolette has vacated the premises. We saw him loading his truck one night, but I didn't think anything of it. Next day we realize the place is empty. Sure enough, he left in the middle of the night (aka: I owe rent- I am not paying- I need to run!!) Thus began the cleaning of the duplex to rent again. Nastiest carpet I have ever seen, and so much junk and trash to throw away.

2. We now have two new neighbors. At first I was excited. They seemed like a nice couple. Life in the suberbs was going back to good times. The next thing I know I am being awaken by this sound, "God (beep) Cobra, get your Mother (Beep) (Beep) back here. Cobra. Cobra!!!" Yes, our new neighbors have two dogs. A pug named Cobra and a French Bull dog whose name has yet to be broadcasted across the cul-de-sac yet. In due time, everyone, in due time!!
Most of my mornings on the weekend include the F word in them. It's good times around here, all the time!!

I will try to remember some of the other "good times" we have had the last couple of months and keep you posted. As always, our lives include such random and fun events. Never a dull moment at the Willingham Abode!!

Repo Man: These guys are dedicated to their jobs

2007-01-15T21:28:00.000-06:00

Now you may be thinking "Why would Tracey be talking about the Repo man, how embarrassing?" or "She could have just asked for money and we would have helped". This story is not about us directly, so breathe easy - Bart and I are doing fine.

In a earlier blog we had mentioned that people are always welcome at our place anytime. Well, someone out there must have taken that a little too literally. Wednesday night at 2:30am, Bart and I (Grissom and Batley too) were in bed and toasty warm. I was sleeping great because I was home battling the "Black Plague of all flu's", but suddenly I heard my dog barking, and Bart getting out of bed. There was someone knocking on our front door and ringing our doorbell like crazy. I immediately think of the degenerates next door, and figure one of our neighbors friends forgot which duplex was where they were staying.

It felt like 2 years for Bart to finally get to the door. We have no weapons in the house, so Bart had to use the fireplace poker tool as his back up. Bart opened the door only as wide as the chain would allow, and asked what was going on. Come to find out some guy was looking for a girl whose truck was being repossessed. The guy was told she was at our place, or we at least knew how to find her. It took Bart a couple of minutes to convince the guy that we didn' t know her or where to find her.

Later it made me think how sneaky and dedicated these guys have to be to do their jobs. They have to track these people down, and sneak attack them too. Plus, they probably have to deal with some scary people - which makes the 2:30am sneak attack so smart!! Keep up the good work Repo Men. Just keep us out of the excitement in the future please.

"To the Moon, Bart"

2007-01-15T21:11:00.000-06:00

We have had such weird things happening lately around here. It makes you wonder about the people we live around! The other evening Bart took Grissom outside to conduct his "evening affairs". As Bart is waiting for Grissy I hear him say "What the hell?". He then tells me to come outside. Once I get out there I see some guy walking into the duplex of the guy next door (the electricity stealer). Apparently this guy was outside with his "Junk in his trunk" exposed to the world. Bart isn't sure what quite happened, but we have three guesses, the last of which is the most disturbing. The guy was heavily intoxicated, but it still makes all 3 very painful to consider!

1. He fell down and was pulling his pants up ( I know, who pulls their pants up from a squatting position? - Just let me go there and stay happy)

2. He was peeing and was startled by Bart, so he quickly pulled up his pants.

3. He was "going #2" in the yard. This is Bart's hypothesis. Notice I say hypothesis. We did not go over to investigate the situation the next day. It is best to leave some things alone.

As you can see, things only continue to amaze me more each day! "To the Moon Bart, to the Moon"

Road Rage - Scary and True

2007-01-07T17:49:00.000-06:00

This past friday I had the unfortunate experience with road rage. I take a highway on the way to work every day, and I consider myself a very polite and consciencious driver. I had to swerve into another lane on Friday to avoid hitting two cars in front of me. There was a space for me to do that and not harm anyone. Evidently the car I got in front of felt the need to have a set amount of feet in front of his truck, and he didn't like me getting into that area.

He proceeded to follow me on my tail, and even came around on the side of my Explorer and tried to run me onto the side of the road. Luckily for me, I watch a ton of the real crime shows and the cold case shows. Bart mocks me for it, but I feel I learn some interesting stuff from it.

There is a place in the trip on my way to work where I go to the right onto a smaller highway to get to work. So, to lose the crazy guy in the truck, I decided to act like I was going straight until the last moment. At the last moment, I jerked my car to the right over the white "don't cross over" lines and was able to lose him. I was very scared and did okay until I called Bart to tell him what happened. Of course, the tears came easily!! What makes people so crazy on the roads that they would put my life and others' lives into danger just to prove a point that I should have not entered his lane? I know that things can always end differently and I am thankful that I didn't get some crazy with a gun! If I hit the guys in front of me, they could have become angered as well. I guess at times you don't which would be safer, hit someone or swerve into the next lane? Here is wishing you all safe and road rage free travelling in the year of 2007.

2006 - A Year of Changes

2007-01-06T13:58:00.000-06:00

Every once in awhile one of my friends will try to convince me that I need to write a book about some of the things that have happened to Bart and I. It seems we do have a lot of fun together, and we always have some pretty odd things happen to us. I need to catch you up on some of the fun times we have had in the last year. We will try to recall some of our favorites, and post them over the next couple of weeks. I hope that they bring you tons of laughter and enjoyment. I also was bad about mailing our Christmas letter from 2005 ( I know, it is sad), but it was one of my favorite years. I will be posting that on here as well soon. That was a year that included raw sewage and kidney stones. Stay tuned!!!

Extension cords and cuss words

2007-01-06T13:36:00.000-06:00

We went back to OKC this year for Christmas.

Pause for some explanation: We now live in a duplex in Arlington, and we have a interesting driveway here. I had never really seen anything like these driveways before, but they are all over the area here. I guess it keeps the cost down when building duplexes. Who knows? We share a driveway with the neighboring duplex building. You come up our driveway and go to the right to get our parking spaces, and go to the left for our neighbor. Now, I will leave our neighbor's name out of this in case he should stumble upon my blog. We have appropriately named him "Good Charolette". He is a nice kid for the most part, and unfortunately, he was without power for 2 and half weeks.

So, I am loading our car up to head home and "GC" comes out and asks if we are leaving town for Christmas. We exchange the normal pleasantries that you do around the holiday season, closing out with "Have a merry christmas". We leave and have a great Christmas. I had to work this year the day after Christmas, so we headed back home on Christmas day. We arrived home around 7pm that night. We had my brother in law David, sister-in-law Kristen, and niece Kalyn with us. I am in the back seat with the girls and can't see anything, but while pulling into the driveway I hear a stream of cuss words come from my husbands mouth (Kalyn is only 6 months thank goodness. Uncle Bart will soon have to watch his words). Confused and not sure of what is happening, Bart throws open the car door and hops out of the car. I see him go to the side of our house, pull on something, and throw whatever it is across to our neighbors yard. Come to find out our neighbor had plugged a extension cord into our outside electrical socket and had been using our electricity all Christmas weekend. The worst part of all of this is as we are pulling into the driveway, I say "Oh look, how wonderful, "GC" has his electricity back on. I see light in his living room"

Oh yeah- he had electricity- on my dime!!!! The audicity of people. It never ceases to amaze me.

Back and better than ever!!

2007-01-03T21:43:00.000-06:00

After much nagging from some of you ( I know some of you are wondering who wanted to hear about us so much that they would bother us to return to blogging), we have resumed our blog. We did this half to appease the few of you who enjoy our lives so much. The other half is to make it convinent for our future house guests to know when we are available. We are now residing in Texas and we have already had quite a few house guests. Our house is always open to any of you. Don't stay longer than a week though, or Bart will begin to charge you rent (just kidding). We will be getting a bed for the spare bedroom in the next month or so (from IKEA!) so bear with us and the queen air bed a little longer.

Texas is becoming what we expected it to- fun and busy!! Bart and I plan to hopefully start taking some courses next fall (2007) to begin the journey of getting our Masters. Bart still works for the flooring company(almost four years now), and Barnes and Noble (his fun job) part time. I somehow found myself back in a pediactric office with 5 doctors again. I am working up front and things are slowly getting better. I called Bart my first day at lunch crying because no one was really befriending me. I know how shocking that sounds that no one wanted to be my friend - I am so personable!!! I have slowly begun to make friends and generally enjoy the clinic I work in . We will see how it pans out in the future.

If you are interested in coming for a weekend to visit, you will find our open weekends listed on a calendar under our links below. We named it Bart and Tracey's Bed and Breakfast ( I thought it was a appropriate name). There are no rates to stay here. We just wanted a fun way for you to be able to see when we are in town. Just drop us a email if you want a weekend, and we will block it out for you. We strive to be a fun host and hostess.

We are going to strive to be better at this. We'll see how well we do!!

The Road and the Radio

2006-04-04T22:38:00.000-05:00

This past weekend - while storms raged on in OKC - Bart, Mom, and I spent about 4 hours rocking out with Sugarland, Dierks Bentley (Pause for reflecting on his hotness factor), and Kenny Chesney. What a concert!! Kids - seriously - fork out the money when Kenny comes to town. He puts on a show!! Once again, I followed the rules (when will I learn to walk on the edge?) and did not bring a camera because the tickets clearly stated....NO CAMERAS/VIDEO/AUDIO. Only to find out once we are inside, EVERYONE had cameras (Insert own choice anger response to the situation). Bart decides to save the day and go out to the car and get the camera. Great idea - until you read the signs on the door that read NO RE-ENTRY. Once again, I attend a concert without a camera. I am either going to have to pack one in or get a camera phone, but this insanity must stop. I do have t-shirts for both concerts that I have attended in the last month, so I can prove I really was there!!!!

On a side note, many of you have asked for a picture of Grissy to be posted. I am currently working on it and he should be on here soon. He will be so pleased to know he is popular - just like his mom (some of you may also say crazy and neurotic like his mom - but let's just leave those comments unspoken). I know I also owe many of you the explanation to our blog name (Boy - aren't you guys nosey...tee hee). That will be coming soon as well.

Happy Birthday, Debbie!!!

2006-03-26T19:30:00.000-06:00

Love you!! Bart and Tracey

Rocky Mountain High

2006-03-26T19:24:00.000-06:00

Two weekends ago, Bart and I hit the road down to Fort Worth, TX. We are slowly beginning the process of preparing to move there this late summer/early fall. We took some time to see the future college we hope to attend. We had a fantastic time with our good friends Matt and Melanie, and we even got to squeeze in seeing another camp friend, Michelle. In honor to our fantastic hosts I had wanted to get John Denver's "Rocky Mountain High" playing on here, but I am not sure if that can be done. Until that is developed, you will just have to hum it while reading this post. That is our way of saying thank you to Matt (a Coloradan?) and to Melanie - you make the best brownie ice cream snacks - EVER!!! Thanks for a fantastic time.

The New Dining Room

2006-03-14T21:29:00.000-06:00

We just got and assembled our new dining room table this evening. We were mattress shopping and found this gem. I absolutely loved it, and it expands to seat 8, which is wonderful with all of Bart's family members. We still have to purchase 4 more chairs, but if any of you want to come to dinner we can seat more of you soon. My wonderful mom bought this for us as we begin to start furnishing our home slowly. My mother-in-law was gracious enough when Bart and I first were married to give us a lot of furniture. What a life saver!!! Let the dinner parties begin!!!!!!

Happy Birthday ME!!!!

2006-03-13T21:33:00.000-06:00

Bart was a wonderful husband this past weekend and threw me a birthday party on Saturday. We had a fondue party with about 20 people. It was fun, and it really wasn't too much work!!!! Thanks to all of my great friends, I will be able to get the KitchenAid mixer that I have wanted for so long. Come and visit us and I will use my mixer to make you some cake or something. We'll post some pics soon as long as they turned out okay.

Me and My Gang Tour

2006-03-05T18:25:00.000-06:00

You may have wondered what it would be like to see Rascal Flatts from a second row seat? Let me tell you. Now, I did not have second row seats , but I was in the last row on the floor. During the concert this past friday they climbed onto a mobile stage and came to the back of the arena, landing on a small little stage. My friend Mindy and I immediately ran and were only about 10 feet away from them as the performed for about 20 minutes. What an awesome experience. Performing with them were Blake Shelton and Keith Anderson. They know how to put on a concert!!!! The sad part of this experience is that my camera was considered a professional camera, and I could not take it to the concert. Next month when I attend the Kenny Chesney, Dierks Bentley, and Sugarland concert, I will be taking a different camera!! Get out and see some concerts people - it is a great evening.

Mr and Mrs Patrick Willingham

2006-03-02T21:30:00.000-06:00

On Friday, February 24th, Bart's baby brother got married. My new sister-in-law's name is Crystal and she is a absolute delight. The pictures are in the following order:
1. The dress rehearsal
2. Bart, David, and Patrick
3. The wedding couple
4. The couple and the cake
5. Debbie (the boys' mom) and Patrick
6. Mike and Lisa Willingham (Pat's dad and step mom)
7. Aunt Connie, Aunt Linda, GMA Willingham, and GMA McGehee
8. Kristen and Tiffany (my sisters-in law - both making me a future aunt) and me
As you can see, the Willingham family is growing quite quickly. For this only child, it has become an awesome time with all the new siblings I have inherited. Trust me, you will be hearing when I am an aunt!!!! Congrats Patrick and Crystal.

The Feather

2006-03-02T20:44:00.000-06:00

Our good friend Mindy bought Batley a feather toy for Christmas. We have to hide it in our hallway closet or the cat will play with it until he dies!!! He has started a new routine when you pass the door. He sits and cries for his feather. Once you open the door, he actually tries to scale the door frame. Bart was able to catch him in action one day. It shouldn't be long before we are posting a picture of him opening the door.

Arkansas Trip

2006-02-19T21:51:00.000-06:00

Against my better judgement, I have put our favorite new place to stay in Arkansas. This cabin was top notch, and we hesitated to let everyone know about it. We decided it was mean not to share what fun we had. We stayed in a cabin about 7 miles from Osage, AR and the entire place was ours. I included pictures of the cabin, some pictures we took on a photo adventure day, and the main room of the cabin. Bart had been putting in about 70 hours a week between his normal job and Barnes and Noble. I thought he deserved a break!! Check out their website sometime. You will find the website in our list of links. Once you are there, scroll down to Stonewall Cabin and click away!! Just don't book a weekend that we want!!!!

Summer Travels 2005

2006-02-15T20:10:00.000-06:00

We had the opportunity back in August to take a small trip to celebrate our 5th Anniversary. We went for 3 days to Austin, TX to see family and friends, and to spend the day at Schlitterbahn. This is my absolute favorite place in the world (I haven't seen much of the world, but the Travel Channel agrees with me!!) Schlitterbahn is ranked every year on Travel channel as the World's Best Waterpark. We also had to make sure we got a photo of the Stevie Ray Vaughn statue down by downtown Austin for Bart. At least there were dogs for me to watch playing in the water and chasing each other. The last photo was a day shopping trip I made with my mom and Bart. I absolutely love Crate and Barrel and could not resist adding it in to our travels.

Our New Family

2006-02-14T20:42:00.000-06:00

Back in July we added to our family by adopting Batley from a coworker of mine. He received his name from the vets because of his massive fangs he has. He fully believes in carrying out the statement of a "curious" cat. He keeps us on our toes. His favorite activity is to tap me on the head with his paw around 6AM so that Bart can wake up to feed him. Grissom quickly adjusted to his new friend. This won't be the last time you will hear his name. Many stories are sure to follow.

The Beginning

2006-02-12T22:25:00.000-06:00

This is a work in progress. Check in later this week for our blog!!!