The Lone Star State

I FINALLY made it to Texas!!

Anthony & I haven't been to the temple in a while and decided before Saturday rehearsals are in full swing this is a perfect time to go. While the Oklahoma City Temple is about 45 minutes away from where we live in Norman, the nearest Distribution Center is three hours away in Dallas. Anthony & I needed some things from the Distribution Center so at 6:30 this morning we headed out.

We were lucky enough to watch the sun rise as we drove.

We also saw the "mountains" here in Oklahoma as we drove West.

We made it into Texas, a first for both of us!

First we went to the Distribution Center, which is handily located in the temple. However, they only had clothing and such so after getting a few things we headed down the street to a tiny little LDS bookstore to get a book I've been eying and little plastic holders for our recommends.

The Corner Market and Bakery was down the street & around the corner so we stopped there for lunch. The Paninis were phenomenal.

Even though we ended up in a Spanish session it was such a magnificent and beautiful afternoon. I love learning new things :)

finding puddles when I prayed for rain

Many people wonder "why do bad things happen to good people?" but I wonder, why do bad things happen at all? I don't care if you're a good person or a bad person, bad days are just plain old bad days, and we all hate them.

Maybe it is true that "bad" things happen so that we can know the "good" in life. Any church-goer, or someone with a parent or grandparent who was a church-goer have heard the same thing before... but maybe there's something to it. In The Quest for Joy, Barbara Workman stated, " We may not feel deeply enough to know joy unless our hearts have been hollowed out by sorrow. A heart may not be big enough to know real joy until it has been stretched and pulled by trials and hard things." Maybe it is true. Maybe, just maybe, it really is true that without having your heart ripped out of your chest you won't realize just how much you can fit in that beautiful little muscle. Maybe being thrown down the metaphorical stairs of life, and getting kicked in the face by Mother Nature are ways for someone to be at the bottom of those stairs to pick you up and dust you off. Maybe someday there really will be that moment where you lay eyes on someone and think "oh, so here you are". For some of us, that may be a sweetheart, and for others it might be a child, and for others it might even be the perfect pet - I'm not judging. The point is, maybe it's true. Maybe the only way to get to Heaven is to pass through Hell. And maybe we don't get it right the first time, or we miss a detail, so we have to do it all over again.

Maybe bad things happen so that we can recognize the good. I definitely admit that I take good things for granted, a phone call with my mother, a text from a friend, or a lunch date with a loved one... but suddenly, when those things are whipped away, I realize how much I miss them, and I promise myself that I will never take them for granted once I get them back. But I, just like you, dear reader, am imperfect, and I often go back on my word. And when I go back on my word, the next thing i know I just expect those phone calls and texts and luncheons, without realizing just what a treat they are. So maybe, just maybe, bad things happen to remind me what is really important, and what not to take for granted. Maybe I no longer have someone's hand to hold so that I can remind myself that if he reaches for my hand in the grocery store, I'll hold it willingly, even if it makes carrying a basket full of green peppers and tomatoes (oh who am I kidding? A basket full of ice cream and hard shell chocolate syrup) uncomfortable to carry. Because I can tell you right now that I would much rather have the indentation of a shopping basket tattooed on my arm than no hand to hold.

Maybe some things happen as a punishment, maybe as a lesson to learn, and maybe because we've asked for them. I often wonder if when i pray for things, if I'm not taking into account everything that could come along with it. It's like praying for rain but then hating the mud puddles that come along with it.

Have you ever noticed that when people pray to God for something, and it does not turn out quite how they expected or wanted, they blame God? I am in no way excused from this. I've been known to yell at God quite profusely from time to time. But maybe if we realized that when we pray for something, it goes into God's hands, and God sure does see a lot further and a lot more clear than I can... and maybe he's just aching to scoop us up onto his lap and say "now you listen here,baby girl, I knoy you said you wanted X and Y... and you're right, they can make you happy, but not as happy as Z that I can see but you can't yet. I promise you that if you just hold on a little longer, and trust me on this one, that you will be so " much happier in the long run. Will you trust me on that?" Some people could look up into His kind eyes and be like, "sure, no problem.". But me? I'm ashamed to say that i've now realized that I am the kind of person who would look at Him and say "I can't see what you can see, but I can see this thing right here, and I know it will make me happy now, so let me just have that." And then, because God is so nice, he will give me that little piece of happiness that I could see, and then because I didn't see the bigger picture, and didn't trust that it was there, I am not ready for whatever it was that God saw when it comes, and it feels like my whole world has fallen apart. I need to constantly remind myself that I can't see the whole big picture.

So what do we learn from this? I'm not sure, but at O dark 30 in the morning I feel like it is something big. Something that I'll need to re-read in the morning, and maybe the morning after that too.

There's been some changes round these parts

Figured it was about time for an update... That and Anthony has the car at the copy shop & I'm late for work and have already done everything I can think of to bide my time until he gets back.

ANTHONY: school is in session and my goodness is that boy happy. He really likes his classes thus far. Oh, he had his first voice lesson yesterday and his teacher, Bill, told him there are no major flaws they need to work on, just "polishing" things up. Hooray! Anthony accomplished his goal of fixing the big stuff while an undergrad.
He's been studying hard and learning his role for L'Incoronazione di Poppea (The Coronation of Poppea). He has a big death aria (aka he sings a song as he dies).

Anthony has also been invited to audition at the Santa Fe Opera in New Mexico. The audition is next weekend in Albuquerque and he & I will drive with a soprano from OU and a Tenor from Oklahoma City University to the audition. Fun stuff. If anyone wants to meet in Albuquerque (such a funny looking word) we'll be there Sept. 10 & 11.

Today Anthony auditioned to song the National Anthem at one of the OU home games. His text to me when he was done with the audition said "It went well. A couple of mediocre low notes but my high F was money!" So, if he's selected to sing at one of the games you just might see/hear him on tv or something. I don't know.

Speaking of OU games, any first semester student (like Anthony) is not allowed to buy tickets outright and your name is put into a lottery to "win" the opportunity to buy tickets. Well, Anthony was selected in the lottery so he can buy one ticket for each home game. Want to know the best part? All I have to do is show up at some office in a few days to show them my smiling mug & marriage license and I get to buy a ticket too!! OU games here we come!! First game is this Saturday... we've been warned to stay off the roads or get stuck in hours, literally HOURS, of traffic.

ALISHA: did I ever tell you I got a job? I work for NorthCare as a CHBS (Comprehensive Home Based Services) worker. Families are referred for services by DHS Child Welfare. "CHBS services are intensive, in-home interventions designed to preserve, strengthen and restore the family. CHBS service goals include the prevention of further incidents of child abuse or neglect, and family reunification. Case managers (that's me) provide comprehensive services suited to each family's needs, including: child health care, parent-child bonding, home safety, budgeting assistance and problem solving, crisis management, parent-child visitation and family reunification."

In other words; if there are allegations of child abuse or neglect DHS goes into the home and completes the initial steps, then call us. We go in and teach the family what to do if their children are sick, teach discipline techniques, teach parents how to better interact with their children, help clean up homes to make them more safe for children and loads of other stuff. Cases are usually open about 6 months so hopefully by the end of that time the parents have learned some techniques to make the whole household better, and in most reunification cases (where the children were removed from the home and we're trying to get them back in) the kids do end up coming back home. Yay!!

I like my job thus far. My first day was August first and I've already got 6 cases. Average case load is 10-14 so I'm doing pretty well I guess. I like most everyone I work with, so that's good too... don't feel as awkward in the office as I have in some other places of employment.

What else... I'm getting my paperwork ready to submit to OU to see if I'm accepted for the Masters of Social work program. It's all due October 1st, so well see what happens.

Thats about all that is going on with us. Toodaloo.

I skipped a year

Do you know what it's like to be 25 when you go to bed and 27 when you wake up? I do. Apparently that's what happens when you don't remember how old you are and just assume you're 25 when in reality you're 26.

So... 27. I feel ancient. Curtis sent me a text that said "holy crap you are getting old" and to further rub it in Lauren told me my "wrinkle cream" is in the mail. Little does she know I was in the mirror fretting over my under eye wrinkles just last week. I'm getting more gray hairs as well. I used to say I'd gray naturally and wouldn't color my hair. That was until the other day I used this waterless shampoo that you spray on and leave for about two minutes then brush it out... I walked into the living room looking like I was 65 (the stuff is gray/white on the hair) and Anthony's horror filled expression about made me jump under the covers and never emerge, but I had to buck up and catch him as he practically fainted due to me old age appearance.

Ps. thanks to everyone that text, called & sent cards, it made my birthday that much more special :)

Our first three months in the fiery depths

I should start out by saying that Oklahoma isn't Hell, but by golly is it hot. It was up to 116* last week. And the humidity!! Lozzy day is it humid here! Today it was actually 96* and I was wishing I had a cardigan. I'm ruined I think.

Anyway, since we've been here in Oklahoma we've gotten to see some pretty cool things. We've made quite a few trips to OKC (Oklahoma City) and have seen the Stock Yards, Bricktown, and the OKC National Memorial. We also went to the Sam Noble Museum of Natural History here in Norman (I'll post about those later).

I also invited myself on a trail ride with Erica & her friend Megan. So very glad I did.

I learned to saddle a horse. Pretty cool stuff.

I got to ride Ellie, a regular sized horse while Erica & Megan rode these ponies. It was hilarious though... Their heads only reached my ribcage as we rode along.

Megan is such a stud, she rode bareback. Her fanny was so sweaty by the end of the ride.

Look at all that sweat where the saddle was. Sad!!

Thanks for the day Miss Ellie. I enjoyed your company.

Ok, now let's talk about "critters."

This Alligator Snapping Turtle was in the middle of he road the other day. My visiting teaching companion & I were on our way to a visit and I just had to pull over to get a photo. She, having been raised in TX/OK, warned me not to get too close... apparently these are mean little guys.

(I stole this one from the internet so you'd have a better idea of how blasted ugly/creepy/cool these guys are)

I saw my first Armadillo!! Too bad it was dead. That didn't stop me from pulling over (and totally blocking traffic I might add. Oklahoma doesn't believe in shoulders or turn lanes) and getting this shot. Apparently Armadillos are nocturnal so there's a much higher chance of seeing them out in the country at night.

I've not turned into one of those people who stop to ogle and take photos of cows, I promise. All these poor cows were sharing shade of this tree and I thought it was too beautiful not to share. It's really quite sad when there are literally 50 cows sharing shade like this.

This is Herbert. He lives under our door, but most recently he's been living in the weird space under the neighbor's door, there's more bugs over there. That guy must not have used half a gallon of Raid when he moved in.

A few random notes.

Oklahomans are WORSE THAN IDAHOANS when it comes to double parking.

Also, there's something about old cars and HUGE rims.

Interestingly this is not the only car I've seen like this.

I've discovered Flea Markets. This is my favorite so far, it's on SE 44th in OKC.

The first day I walked in I thought of my dad & dad-in-law. I think they'd both cry if they saw this place. It was SO cool!!!

The first time we went we spent over an hour wandering around but didn't get much of anything.

The second time there we found this gem for $20. Bobby, the little old fellow who sold it to me, had an accent as thick as molasses, I liked him.

We call this painting the SS Leonard, it hangs in our breakfast nook (wherein we do not have a table and therefore do not eat breakfast).

Last but not least, did you know I married a super hero?

I am officially unpacked and moved into my new apartment. Would you like a tour? Of course you would. These are a few snippets of my favorite things.


This is the kitchen table. This is where my roommate and I spend time chatting because, as you can see, this is where her PC is set up and where I can usually find her if she's not at work. This also happens to be the table where I was sitting when a cockroach decided it wanted to share my breakfast.

This is the raid I bought to kill that cockroach, and his aunt and his grandma and his little dog too.

This is our couch, circa 1962ish. Check that baby out! Isn’t it marvelous!? I tell you what though, it was a beast getting it in through the many doorways and entryways!!! And those foot stools! Boy oh boy, they may not be much to look at, but they sure add to the comfort level!

This is the TV that we watch when we sit on the 1962 couch. This baby weights a total of like 25,000 pounds and took 3 people to get it into the apartment.

This is the temperature guage. This is the first time in a week that it has dropped below 81 degrees. In fact, even though it is set at 73 it usually fluctuates between 81 and 85, which is very sad.

It’s a good thing we have these babies on our ceilings, or we might be numbers 12 and 13 to die because of the heat in this state so far this summer.

This is my bedroom, and I don't know what to do with all the space. I'm currently looking into getting a comfy chair or love seat or something to replace the fan.

And check out all my closet space!!! You could fit a twin-sized mattress in there!!! (If you ever come to visit, I guess you know where you're sleeping... I promise I'll keep the door open.)

And for the Pièce de résistance, check out this lamp!!!!! I bought it for a whopping $7 at a flea market in South OKC and think it just might be the best $7 I've ever spent! If they had a dress made like this lamp, I'd... well I'd wear it just for fun for a few minutes, but that's besides the point. Awesome lamp. Awesome!!!


I hope you enjoyed the tour, and I hope it prompted you to want to come visit! The door is always open (figuratively, not literally cause Dad would shoot me if he found out my door was always open).

I'll miss you

When I was in 3rd grade I got an adorable gray cat from my friend Rebecca's house, and named her Shannon. That cat, more often called "Miss Kitty" or "Pretty girl" than Shannon, kept me company when I was lonely, brought me brand new kittens to cuddle with when I slept on the trampoline, and showed her ultimate love to her Mama when she plopped a dead mouse onto my sleeping bag and looked at me proudly. She used to sneak her way into my sleeping bag or under the blankets in the middle of the night and I'd wake up with her snuggled against my belly. She didn't let many people love on her, but whenever I was home, she'd come up and love on me, without exception.

She was super protective of me too. There was once that I took a walk up the canyon and then up around the Rodeo arena, and she followed me the whole way. As she got older, my pretty girl got a bit grouchy and chased off little kittens that my Mom brought home as "replacements", cause she had absolutely no intention of being replaced. She started to have a struggle when she jumped up onto the railing of the porch to get her dinner, and spent more and more time curled up in the shed than begging for food on the porch. But she still loved on me anytime I came home.

I called mom yesterday and we talked about if it was time to take Shannon to the vet so he could put her to sleep, and she said she didn't think it was quite time yet. Well, my cat has always been a 1 upper and I guess that she decided she didn't want to go to the vet, she wanted to have her last few moments in the place that she loved most, and mom and dad found her this morning and Dad lovingly buried her out by our great old dog, Thor. I'm sure she'll be happy out there. Whenever I get home again, I'll bring some flowers and let my pretty cat know how sorry I am that I couldn't be there to love her as she passed on.



My cat's the big one. The little one was a "replacement", and the spitting image of Shannon when she was a baby.