Reach for the stars…

I am a dreamer. I’ve know for quite some time, but it has become more apparent since I have nearly nothing to do these days. I come up with some new adventure, some new idea and it just takes off. It consumes my thoughts for about two weeks or so and then eventually dies off. My lovely husband, (the one who is supposed to tell me I’m going too far) likes it and encourages it. Don’t get me wrong, some of these are very good ideas and I should probably follow through with them. Want to hear some of the ideas that I’ve entertained in the last few years?

1. Let’s build a tiny house!!---I love being minimal. These houses are very minimal. J

2. I want an MBA.---The job offers would surely come rolling in… But 2 more years of school???

3. Let’s join the Peace Corps.---Always a dream of mine. Minimum length of service is 2 years. My mom said no.

4. I want to open a coffee shop.---Sounds fun right? I think this would be a cool job to have.

5. I want to make Tucker’s food.---This one was very short lived. I would still like to, but I know nothing about what Tuck dog needs to stay healthy.

6. Let’s seriously lose some weight.---This one has been around for quite some time. It shouldn’t be a dream, but it’s never really moved into the reality stage.

7. I want to be a world racer.---Check this site out and you’d want to be one too.

8. Let’s move to a different state. ---This one’s been around for a while and it may one day come true. I’m still hoping and dreaming on this one.

I know 8 is weird number to stop on but these are the best of the best. :) 

Finished...

I am officially finished with school! Friday was my last day and Sunday is the party to prove it. It's such a good feeling. :)

A Thief Among Us...

I just got home for lunch and I found some saran wrap in the middle of the kitchen floor. When I left for work this morning there were some snickerdoodle cookies in some saran wrap on the kitchen counter. After a little investigation I noticed that there were no longer any snickerdoodles on the counter. Kasey was still in bed when I left for work, so I called her to see if she had done anything with the cookies. She admitted she did take a couple for the road, but there were still 3 on the counter when she left. Once I was sure there was actually a theft, I searched the area for clues, or maybe even the culprit. I found some crumbs and hair up were the cookies had been. I haven't quite saved up enough money to buy that DNA tester I've been wanting, so all I had to go on was the length and color of the hair.  Now, I do shed a little, and so does Kasey, but our little roommate sheds a lot. There's pretty much a trail everywhere he goes. And it just so happens that the hair found at the crime scene looks a lot like his. So I went looking for him. Sure enough, I found him sitting in the living room with his head hung so low that his nose was almost touching the floor. He always seems to know when he's done something wrong, but I guess he just doesn't think about the consequences when he's doing it. Oh well, I was looking forward to having some cookies for dessert, but I guess I'll just have to go without. 

Clara...

The cutest little 5 year-old girl lives in Indonesia. Her name is Clara and we sponsor her through Compassion International. We have received 3 letters from Clara since we started sponsoring her in April. Here are some of the comments from her letters that make us smile (and sometimes cry).

"How are you Mr. Mike? You must be doing well. Here my family and I are always doing well."

"Thank you for the picture. Mr. Mike looks handsome and your wife is really pretty."

"Are Mr. Mike and your wife happy to sponsor me? I'm happy to have Mr. Mike and your wife as my godparents."

"Have a great new life, Mr. Mike! May you have a cute little baby like me, soon!"

"Mr. Mike please pray for me that I will be the best at my school."

"Our hobby is the same; singing and take care a dog. Later, if I have a dog, it will also be given name Tucker so that I always remember Papa Mike and Mama Kasey."

"If I have grown up later, I also would like to serve God like Papa Mike."

The translation is a little rough on a couple of them, but it's still cute nonetheless. If you've never considered sponsoring a child, maybe this will change your mind. It's totally worth the sacrifice on your part to see the difference you make in the life of the child.

Christmas Time...

I think it is officially Christmas season! Mike and I hung the out door lights this past weekend and are starting on the indoor decorations this week. That means I need to spruce up the blog too! Enjoy!

Fork in the Road...

It seems as though I have come to a fork in the road on this journey called life. I will be finished with school in a couple of weeks and still have no idea what I am going to do afterwards. I could get a job like everyone else does when they finish school, but then again I’m not usually like everyone else. I’ve been looking for jobs off and on when I get a chance and I haven’t really found anything that has caught my eye.
The fact is I don’t know if I’m ready to join corporate America or if I even want to. Of course me working would help us to save for lots of things we will need in the future and will help us to live more comfortably and not just paycheck-to-paycheck, BUT we could get by without it (we have been now for a year!). I would love to travel and to volunteer or go on a mission trip, or go join an international graduate program, but those things just don’t seem feasible.
I have such a desire to help people that can't help themselves. I have such a desire to do something meaningful with the days I have here. I have such a desire to do something big in my life. I don’t want to look back in 10 years and see: get married, graduate college, and get a job. BLAH!!
Mike and I have been praying for some kind of insight into what God wants us to do with ourselves. There seem to be so many unknowns. If you would have asked me five years ago what I was going to do with my life I would have had it all planned out to the T, but not so much anymore. It’s like the opposite of that now. Am I going to work after college, if so doing what, and where? Am I going to volunteer and serve, if so how and where? Are we going to have children, biologically or adopted? There are so many things that are just so complicated right now! If anyone is actually reading this please pray for us and our fork in the road.

Gone Hunting...

Right now I'm sitting in a tree south of Covington, waiting for that big buck that I'm nearly certain will never show up. I saw a little five-point buck out here this morning. If I see anything tonight it will probably be him again.

I spend the whole year looking forward to rifle season, the only hunting season I take part in. It lasts for two weeks starting in late November. I wait and wait and build it up on my mind, then get out there at the crack of dawn in the freezing cold and wonder, "what about this was I looking forward to?". Of course, I'm reminded when the sun comes out to warm me up a little and I get to watch a deer step out onto the field I've been watching for two hours. (ok, not really now that I have this fancy phone to keep me preoccupied, I only glance at it every once in a while)

Anyway, I don't think I'll see anything tonight with this woodpecker remodeling his house in the tree next to me and the armadillo rolling around in the leaves behind me. I'll just bet the deer will steer clear of this area, instead of risking being shot by whatever is making all the racket.

History...

I don't know exactly what to think about Barack Obama being our next president. I think he has some new ideas and I think it will be exciting to see where he takes us. I also think it will be a scary journey. I don't agree with some of the things he says. I choose to put aside the political junk for now and just be happy that I was alive to see a black man elected president. This is a huge thing for America. Not all that long ago blacks weren't able to vote, let alone use the same water fountain as whites. I think it is so exciting to witness history. I will be able to tell my great nieces and nephews (or grand kids) that I remember the night I watched the first black president be elected. So even though I'm not all that thrilled about him leading our country and making decisions on behalf of our country, I am very thrilled to see our country looking past skin color.

Count your blessings...

I was thinking the other day about how incredibly blessed I am. I know it’s not Thanksgiving yet, but I don’t think it has to be a holiday in order to count your blessings.


I have been going through some different emotions lately and I’m not sure what they are really all about, but I have been kind of down. Mike has been there for me. He is able to joke around and make me laugh and he is able to sit down with me and help me talk some things out. He is truly an awesome husband.

I just had lunch with two of my sisters-in-law the other day and got to thinking, I can’t wait to see what we will be like when we are older. I hope we are those little old ladies that you see walking together in the mall. :) I am really lucky to have those girls in my life.


Once a week I go to my parents after class and stay for a few hours. I think I’m to the age where I can finally appreciate everything my parents have done and I respect them. I love those afternoons where my mom and dad and I can just sit at the kitchen table and catch up on what has been going on. I really couldn’t ask for better parents.

Embarrassment...

Yesterday I was riding my grandpa's little Honda scooter. I was going around a curve, overly confident in my scooter riding skills. I was going a little to fast to take the curve, so I started to grab the brakes. Like I do regularly, I started squeezing one brake before the other. This was a huge mistake. The brake I used first was the front brake, and it "grabbed" a little quicker than I expected it to. This caused the front wheel to completely stop, lifted up the rear of the scooter, and sent me flying. I skidded a few feet on my knees and the heels of my hands before coming to a stop in the middle of the street. Luckily, I was in Covington and the street wasn't busy. I picked my self up off the pavement, grabbed the scooter, and pushed it to the side of the street to assess the damage. My hands had a few scrapes and I could tell they were going to be sore, the scooter had a few more scratches added to it, but the worst of the damage was my jeans. The skidding across the pavement ripped a hole in one of the knees and stained the other one. The reason I'm calling this the worst of the damage is not because I'm so vain that the condition of my clothes is that important. It's that I knew I was going to have to go tell Kasey what happened. This is where the embarrassment comes into play. I could have brushed my self off, downplayed my wounds and just gone about my business if this little fiasco hadn't ruined my jeans. You see, Kasey is not a fan of the scooter or of me riding it every chance I get. As it turned out she was surprisingly supportive and compassionate regarding the incident. I figured at the very least she would ban me from any scooter riding from here on out. But she just made sure I was ok and told me to remember to wear my helmet.

I wanted to add something about it hurting my pride, being embarrassing, and changing my view about some things. But I can't concentrate because the roofers are making way too much noise. Maybe I'll add something about that stuff later.

Tucker...

I think it is time to introduce the world to our dog Tucker. He is a 2 year old cocker spaniel. He has crazy hair that we absolutely love. He knows lots of tricks. He can sit, stay, shake, lay, play dead, roll over, and balance a treat on his nose. Tucker has quite the personality. He loves being around people and is usually the center of attention. He has recently learned that he can sit on the back of the couch and chair, and he does so often. Tucker has an under-bite and it makes for some comical pictures. He has an orange ball that he loves, loves, loves. He likes to go everywhere with us and hates being alone. He really likes to hang his head out the window when we drive around town. He likes to hunt flies in the house. That is a funny thing to watch. Tucker hates (and I mean hates) the water hose. Tucker is a great dog and is very well-mannered. We are so glad we got Tucker and can’t imagine our life without him.

Here's a thought...

On my way home from work yesterday I was thinking about the amount of new cars on the road today. It made me wonder why we categorize things in the way we do. Why don’t we recycle vehicles like we do with other things? I think I would much rather drive a refurbished, rebuilt classic vehicle than a brand new vehicle. Of course, this doesn’t really fit in with the whole push to have more efficient vehicles. Maybe people are just ok with recycling the materials that vehicles are made with instead of recycling the vehicle itself.

Funny little story...

One of the many reasons I love being married is being able to share in moments that I would otherwise know nothing about. Here is one of those moments. The other night I woke up in the middle of the night freezing cold. I looked around for the comforter and sheet and found nothing. I looked over at Mike and noticed that he was almost sleeping sitting up. When I looked a little closer I noticed that the queen sized fluffy comforter and the sheet were both stuffed underneath his pillow. Why? I have no idea, but it was definitely funny. Those are the moments I love.

New to the scene...

Hello all! This is our first blog so we will start by introducing ourselves. I’m Kasey and I’m a student at UCO. I graduate in December and am on the job hunt. Mike is an environmental consultant for a company in Enid. We are newly married. As of right now we are renting a house in Enid OK, but the future is wide open and we are not sure yet where we will end up. We regularly attend the Baptist church in the town we grew up in. Mike is the worship leader for Sunday service and for the youth on Wednesdays. We have a really cool dog named Tucker. He is a 2 year old cocker spaniel. I guess we should share what kind of people we are, not just what we do. Mike is very smart and analyzes everything to death. (Seriously) He has an engineer’s mind and always tries to find the absolute best way to do things. He hates unnecessary things. He is also a joker and loves to make people laugh (especially around close friends and family). I am somewhat of a free spirit. At least I aspire to be. I’m a born traveler, but don’t get to do it nearly as much as I would like to. I’m a self proclaimed dork. I like non-mainstream music and listen to NPR any chance I can get.

We are going to try to post a blog once a week or so just to let people know what is going on with us.