It's mid-October now. Most people are thinking about Halloween at this time of year. While the thought of super cheap chocolate the day after the ghost and goblin holiday has crossed my mind with pleasure, I've been more focused on the holiday following it: Thanksgiving. Thanksgiving is far and away my favorite holiday. I could write pages and pages about past Thanksgivings, but I won't. However, my Aunt Greta (who just recently moved to town with her family) was over the other night and told me a story from a Thanksgiving when I was little, probably two years old, she said. I've been thinking about it a lot lately, and I'd like to share it.
Every year at Thanksgiving, my mom's side of the family (there are seven children on my mom's side) would get together for a few days. There were lots of us cousins running around, and all the aunts and uncles decided to start this tradition where all the kids make candles (or maybe they just did it once and it stuck). At bedtime we pulled them out, turned off the lights, lit all of the candles, then sang the "Goodnight Song" to each child individually and let them blow out their candle. [For those of you who are not familiar with the Goodnight Song, it's to the tune of "Goodnight Ladies" from The Music Man (but without the cheeping). Instead of "ladies," just plug in the child's name.] It was soft, slow, and harmonious, with Uncle Floyd adding in his own high tenor descant every now and then.
This was always the highlight of my Thanksgiving holiday. There was something magical about all those flames flickering in the darkness illuminating the young faces of my brothers and sister, my cousins, my aunts and uncles, my grandparents, and somewhere out there in the shadowed ring of adults around us kids, my parents. These were the people I loved most in my young heart. I cherish the memory of that lullaby and those candles and all the warmth and love that enveloped us.
As we got older, our candle designs got more and more creative. We made fun shapes instead of just sticks; some of the boys worked match heads into theirs, hoping they'd ignite as the candle burned down and reached them; the last year we did it, I worked mine into the shape of an E. It became a burden on my mind somewhere in my teens that one day I was going to have to give this part of Thanksgiving up. One day I'd be too old and would have to take my place with the adults. I hated the thought of that. I hated the thought of growing up.
Apparently, there was one year when I was very young (two years old) that I missed out on the candle tradition. This was the story my aunt told me the other night. My mom wanted to put me to bed, but everyone was being slow getting around to the candles, so finally she just decided to put me to bed without it. Later, I guess when she came up to check on me, she heard my little two-year-old voice singing to myself alone in the darkened room, "Good - night, Wiz'bif.... Good - night, Wiz'bif...." She went back downstairs crying and told the others about it (knowing my aunts, they probably cried with her).
When Greta told me about that the other night (this was the first I'd heard of it), I couldn't help it. I cried, too. I'm not entirely sure why. Partially because I miss my mother so much, and the rest of my family. Just picturing that mother-baby relationship and my mom crying... Imagining the scene of me singing to myself. It made me so sad! It's so strange to me to think that that was me in there singing to myself. That little girl was me. And look at me now. Could I even be the same person? I'm not saying who I am now is bad, but I'm certainly not that little girl. And I guess I just wish I was a little more like her. More innocent, more trusting of other people, more time spent in play, and less time working or worrying. I wish I still cried when I thought I hurt my Blankey's feelings because it was pink and I said my favorite color was blue. I wish stuffed animals still had consciences, and I treated every human soul like it was the most important in the world. When did I get so judgmental? When did I get selective about showing compassion to another person? Always on the outside, but what about in my thoughts? When did it become so important to be strong, and by strong I mean completely self-reliant? I think I've really lost something along the way, and I want it back. I want to be like that little girl I used to be.
Growing up is a funny thing. There's no way you can pass through life without it changing you in some way. I just didn't realize how closely you have to watch to make sure you're changing in the way you want to be. If you just go along, roll with the punches, you'll grow and stretch to fit your needs, but that doesn't mean you're growing in the way or direction you should. But it's also kind of a comfort to know we're so malleable. I can change to be who I want to be, no matter how far I've strayed from my original person. Developmentalists say that life changes you all the time, but your core will stay the same. I saw a glimpse of my core in that little girl Greta told me about, and I want to get back to her more.
My mom's side of the family hasn't gathered for Thanksgiving in the last few years, and it's broken my heart every year. I don't see my family nearly as much anymore, and that's a hard thing for me, after all the years of being so close. But even with the ever-increasing distance our busy lives put between us, I would do anything for them, and I will always love them so dearly. It's wonderful to know that feeling is reciprocated in the hearts of all my family. Almost every single one of my relatives from these Thanksgivings made the journey to be at Etienne and I's wedding this past May. They came from California, Louisiana, Missouri, Tennessee, and Indiana to be there, and I know it was a sacrifice. And once they got there, they all worked so hard to help get things ready and running smoothly! I was so touched by all of this, but I was stopped dead in my tracks when, just as Etienne and I were about to leave, I heard all of them start singing in the crowd, "Good - night Elizabeth, Good - night Elizabeth, Good - night Elizabeth, You're going to leave us now." Tears were streaming down my face, and I'd never felt more blessed in all my life.
The memories of all the years of candles and singing and each of us kids having our moment to be the sole recipient of all that love will stay with me till the day I die. I hope someday when I tell my kids about it they'll beg for us to do the same thing at Thanksgiving with my parents and my siblings and their kids.
My once-strong hope of all of my mom's side getting together for Thanksgiving is almost non-existent now. But, if we ever do, I know what I'm going to do. Grown-up or not, I'm makin me a candle!
Though I'm sure you'll hear from me before then, I hope everyone has a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday! Etienne and I plan to spend it in Ohio.
Love to all!
Elizabeth
Monday, October 15, 2012
Monday, September 3, 2012
Etienne
Dear loved ones,
I've been on such an emotional roller coaster lately! I hate life, I love life, I cry, I laugh, I mourn, I rejoice... It's a good thing the human body is so resilient after what I've been putting it through emotionally lately! But, even with all the downs, Etienne inevitably will bring me up. I have a really great husband. Allow me to extol his virtues for a moment...
Just a few days ago, I rear-ended someone. I was fine, she was fine; her bumper was a little scraped, and my hood buckled a little as it was expertly engineered to do. Not a huge deal, but of course I felt horrible about it. Not to mention, I was on my way to school to take an exam. When I called Etienne, he didn't sound too upset, but I figured it would sink in later. Well, I took my exam and the computer led me to believe I got C's on both of them, which shocked me given the amount of study I put in, and how good I felt about the tests. Driving home was one of those times when I hated life. And then I walk in the house, and there on my desk was a beautiful red rose flower arrangement with a large bar of chocolate propped up on it. I immediately started bawling. Here I was thinking what a failure I was, and my husband went and bought me flowers and chocolate. I wrecked the car! I should be the one buying HIM chocolate! I read the card, and he'd written,
"Elizabeth,
You're a hit with everyone you run into, babe! I love you!
Etienne"
Oh, that man... It made me laugh, and I felt better about things. And then I found out the computer at the testing center lied to me, and I actually aced my exam. Win-win!
Another instance of how great he is... The other night, I was laying on the couch. This is dangerous in evening hours. If I sit down for any length of time, my body soon becomes glued to the spot and all of the energy is leeched out of me by some unknown force. This was happening that night, and at the same time my need to go to the bathroom (and my hunger) was ever increasing. After a few hours of sitting watching Etienne surf the web, the need to go to the bathroom was just too great to ignore any longer. But I couldn't move! I politely asked Etienne if he would carry me to the bathroom. To my surprise, he only ever so slightly rolled his eyes, came and picked me up, carried me to the bathroom, and set me down right in front of the toilet. Seriously, how cool is that?! He didn't tell me to get off my lazy bum and walk the ten feet to the bathroom. He carried me there, without a word of protest.
If you hadn't noticed, this is a post to brag about my husband. I feel very blessed to be his wife, and I want other people to know how great he is. So, to save my tired brain from trying to think of clever transitions between paragraphs, I'm just going to start numbering.
3. He never gets mad at me for taking a nap. Even though I feel extremely guilty about it (there's always something I could be doing), he never even hints at the state of the house or the diminishing pantry while I slumbered for an hour. Instead, he tells me I work so hard I should get some extra sleep every now and then. I don't feel like I should get off so easy for napping... But he always thinks I'm crazy for feeling guilty about it, which makes me feel a little better.
4. He always shares his ice cream with me. Even though I know he probably doesn't really want to. Actually, he shares pretty much any food item with me. But it's especially a big deal with ice cream. He LOVES ice cream. Sometimes he gets the ice cream just so he can share with me 'cause he knows I want it, or I'm down, and of course ice cream will cheer me up! Lately he's taken to just getting two spoons to start with. It's such a sweet thought!
5. He never stops taking care of me. Sometimes I think I fall into the trap of thinking I'm the only one doing any of the "taking care of," because I wash his clothes and make sure he's fed and other such things. But really, he does so much to make sure I am well. He stays very in-tune with how I'm feeling, physically and emotionally, and does his best to fill the deficit.
I got sick early on in our marriage for a few days. He came home from work and found me on the couch. So he dug out two mattress pads (you know, the memory foam stuff), put them on our bed, then carried me in there and laid me down. Then he got a bowl of ice cream (see what I mean?) and set up my laptop on the bed so we could watch an episode or two of The Cosby Show. (The Cosby Show is pretty much what we turn to when things get unpleasant). He's a great nurse. =) And when I'm just too busy, or too stressed to cook, he takes me out for dinner. It's his idea 95% of the time.
6. He plays with me. School has started, and we're both pretty busy with our classes. He has a more limited time to study than I do since he works (I haven't started work yet). So usually when he gets home and sits down to study, that's when I want to talk to him. I can't help it. I pester him a lot. And to anyone else, I would probably be super annoying -- actually, there's no probably about it. I'm super annoying. But he just takes it in stride, gives me the attention I want, then goes back to studying when I feel like I've bothered him enough for now. It's usually quite hilarious.
The other day, I kept throwing a booklet at him. The first time, he just calmly gave it back. So I did it again. I (giggling from hyperness) told him I was conducting an experiment to see how many times it would take for him to stop taking the high road by calmly handing it back, and give me my just deserts for being so annoying. For anyone interested, it's three. After the third time, he pushed my chair over, with me in it, and we both ended up laughing. And then I went and made dinner.
7. He goes to work everyday to provide for us. This is a big one. He feels his responsibility to provide for us financially, and he takes it very seriously. On top of that, he goes to school full time, and works hard to get A's in everything so he can someday have an even better job that will give us a more secure future, and enable us to then give of our means. He has a very generous heart.
8. He can always, and I do mean always, make me laugh. He is the funniest person I know. No matter what he's done to get under my skin, he saves his own by making me laugh. His facial expressions, his mannerisms, his dance moves... I wish I had a video camera constantly rolling to catch all of the random hilarity. From dawn to dusk, he displays that cute, innocent energy you'd find in a little puppy wriggling with joy just to be alive and learning how to bark. Only he takes that energy and turns it into his own random gestures and voices and nuances.
His imagination runs wild all day long. The other day, he was cleaning the bathroom -- wait, wait, wait. Let's just take a moment to enjoy the fact that he cleaned the bathroom. What a keeper! -- Anyway, he was cleaning the bathroom, and from the time he started till our company arrived, he narrated a radio broadcast to all the "listeners at home" about the upcoming presidential election. It was so entertaining while I did the rest of the cleaning.
9. A lot of people don't know this about him, or aren't willing to accept it, but he is incredibly smart and knows how and when to be serious. He's quite the intellectual if you sit down and talk with him awhile. He knows the Bible well, and I feel like I can talk to him about any questions I have. He's a great Christian support to have by my side. I am extremely blessed in that respect.
10. After many instances of making each other angry over our differing views concerning Jane Austen movies, and that whole genre, he actually sat down and watched North and South with me (no, this is not Jane Austen. It falls under the same genre, though). He knew I wanted him to watch it with me, and that I wanted him to like it, so he sat through all four hours and never complained once. And after it was over, he didn't let a negative word out of his mouth. I'm not sure there was much praise either, but I'm ok with that if there isn't any negativity. This was an exciting day in the life of Elizabeth Nichols.
11. Let's make it an uneven eleven. This one is perhaps one of the best and most comforting to me. He lets me cry. It doesn't matter what it's about, or what time of day or night it is, he will hold me and comfort me until my tears have stopped. I can't tell you how many times I've cried from homesickness, and if he was within ten miles of me, he rushed to my side and told me everything was going to be ok and he was so sorry for how hard it is. I can't tell you how many times I've cried without knowing why I was crying! Even then, he still holds me tight and lets the waterworks go. And then, of course, there are specific times when things have gone bad and I've gotten hurt. He's right there. Always. I can't even describe what that means to me.
So basically, I'm extremely blessed in the husband God has given me. I could certainly stand to be a little more like him. I hope I never take him for granted. I love my best friend, and I'm so happy to be by his side. I wish you could know the wonderful person he is as well as I do, but hopefully this short letter gives you some insight into his beautiful soul.
As a side note, after nearly four months of marriage, I'm quickly sliding into a cooking rut. Please, everyone who reads this, send me your favorite recipe! I'd love to try something new. I have a lot of great cookbooks that I've searched many times, but I think I get overloaded on the possibilities. So just a couple recipes at a time that I know will be good based on your recommendation would be most appreciated. Thanks in advance!
Danielle, I can't wait to meet your new little girl!! I hope the next few months are an easy adjustment for the whole family. Give my love to Madison and Noah, and Lydia!
Love to all,
Elizabeth
I've been on such an emotional roller coaster lately! I hate life, I love life, I cry, I laugh, I mourn, I rejoice... It's a good thing the human body is so resilient after what I've been putting it through emotionally lately! But, even with all the downs, Etienne inevitably will bring me up. I have a really great husband. Allow me to extol his virtues for a moment...
Just a few days ago, I rear-ended someone. I was fine, she was fine; her bumper was a little scraped, and my hood buckled a little as it was expertly engineered to do. Not a huge deal, but of course I felt horrible about it. Not to mention, I was on my way to school to take an exam. When I called Etienne, he didn't sound too upset, but I figured it would sink in later. Well, I took my exam and the computer led me to believe I got C's on both of them, which shocked me given the amount of study I put in, and how good I felt about the tests. Driving home was one of those times when I hated life. And then I walk in the house, and there on my desk was a beautiful red rose flower arrangement with a large bar of chocolate propped up on it. I immediately started bawling. Here I was thinking what a failure I was, and my husband went and bought me flowers and chocolate. I wrecked the car! I should be the one buying HIM chocolate! I read the card, and he'd written,
"Elizabeth,
You're a hit with everyone you run into, babe! I love you!
Etienne"
Oh, that man... It made me laugh, and I felt better about things. And then I found out the computer at the testing center lied to me, and I actually aced my exam. Win-win!
Another instance of how great he is... The other night, I was laying on the couch. This is dangerous in evening hours. If I sit down for any length of time, my body soon becomes glued to the spot and all of the energy is leeched out of me by some unknown force. This was happening that night, and at the same time my need to go to the bathroom (and my hunger) was ever increasing. After a few hours of sitting watching Etienne surf the web, the need to go to the bathroom was just too great to ignore any longer. But I couldn't move! I politely asked Etienne if he would carry me to the bathroom. To my surprise, he only ever so slightly rolled his eyes, came and picked me up, carried me to the bathroom, and set me down right in front of the toilet. Seriously, how cool is that?! He didn't tell me to get off my lazy bum and walk the ten feet to the bathroom. He carried me there, without a word of protest.
If you hadn't noticed, this is a post to brag about my husband. I feel very blessed to be his wife, and I want other people to know how great he is. So, to save my tired brain from trying to think of clever transitions between paragraphs, I'm just going to start numbering.
3. He never gets mad at me for taking a nap. Even though I feel extremely guilty about it (there's always something I could be doing), he never even hints at the state of the house or the diminishing pantry while I slumbered for an hour. Instead, he tells me I work so hard I should get some extra sleep every now and then. I don't feel like I should get off so easy for napping... But he always thinks I'm crazy for feeling guilty about it, which makes me feel a little better.
4. He always shares his ice cream with me. Even though I know he probably doesn't really want to. Actually, he shares pretty much any food item with me. But it's especially a big deal with ice cream. He LOVES ice cream. Sometimes he gets the ice cream just so he can share with me 'cause he knows I want it, or I'm down, and of course ice cream will cheer me up! Lately he's taken to just getting two spoons to start with. It's such a sweet thought!
5. He never stops taking care of me. Sometimes I think I fall into the trap of thinking I'm the only one doing any of the "taking care of," because I wash his clothes and make sure he's fed and other such things. But really, he does so much to make sure I am well. He stays very in-tune with how I'm feeling, physically and emotionally, and does his best to fill the deficit.
I got sick early on in our marriage for a few days. He came home from work and found me on the couch. So he dug out two mattress pads (you know, the memory foam stuff), put them on our bed, then carried me in there and laid me down. Then he got a bowl of ice cream (see what I mean?) and set up my laptop on the bed so we could watch an episode or two of The Cosby Show. (The Cosby Show is pretty much what we turn to when things get unpleasant). He's a great nurse. =) And when I'm just too busy, or too stressed to cook, he takes me out for dinner. It's his idea 95% of the time.
6. He plays with me. School has started, and we're both pretty busy with our classes. He has a more limited time to study than I do since he works (I haven't started work yet). So usually when he gets home and sits down to study, that's when I want to talk to him. I can't help it. I pester him a lot. And to anyone else, I would probably be super annoying -- actually, there's no probably about it. I'm super annoying. But he just takes it in stride, gives me the attention I want, then goes back to studying when I feel like I've bothered him enough for now. It's usually quite hilarious.
The other day, I kept throwing a booklet at him. The first time, he just calmly gave it back. So I did it again. I (giggling from hyperness) told him I was conducting an experiment to see how many times it would take for him to stop taking the high road by calmly handing it back, and give me my just deserts for being so annoying. For anyone interested, it's three. After the third time, he pushed my chair over, with me in it, and we both ended up laughing. And then I went and made dinner.
7. He goes to work everyday to provide for us. This is a big one. He feels his responsibility to provide for us financially, and he takes it very seriously. On top of that, he goes to school full time, and works hard to get A's in everything so he can someday have an even better job that will give us a more secure future, and enable us to then give of our means. He has a very generous heart.
8. He can always, and I do mean always, make me laugh. He is the funniest person I know. No matter what he's done to get under my skin, he saves his own by making me laugh. His facial expressions, his mannerisms, his dance moves... I wish I had a video camera constantly rolling to catch all of the random hilarity. From dawn to dusk, he displays that cute, innocent energy you'd find in a little puppy wriggling with joy just to be alive and learning how to bark. Only he takes that energy and turns it into his own random gestures and voices and nuances.
His imagination runs wild all day long. The other day, he was cleaning the bathroom -- wait, wait, wait. Let's just take a moment to enjoy the fact that he cleaned the bathroom. What a keeper! -- Anyway, he was cleaning the bathroom, and from the time he started till our company arrived, he narrated a radio broadcast to all the "listeners at home" about the upcoming presidential election. It was so entertaining while I did the rest of the cleaning.
9. A lot of people don't know this about him, or aren't willing to accept it, but he is incredibly smart and knows how and when to be serious. He's quite the intellectual if you sit down and talk with him awhile. He knows the Bible well, and I feel like I can talk to him about any questions I have. He's a great Christian support to have by my side. I am extremely blessed in that respect.
10. After many instances of making each other angry over our differing views concerning Jane Austen movies, and that whole genre, he actually sat down and watched North and South with me (no, this is not Jane Austen. It falls under the same genre, though). He knew I wanted him to watch it with me, and that I wanted him to like it, so he sat through all four hours and never complained once. And after it was over, he didn't let a negative word out of his mouth. I'm not sure there was much praise either, but I'm ok with that if there isn't any negativity. This was an exciting day in the life of Elizabeth Nichols.
11. Let's make it an uneven eleven. This one is perhaps one of the best and most comforting to me. He lets me cry. It doesn't matter what it's about, or what time of day or night it is, he will hold me and comfort me until my tears have stopped. I can't tell you how many times I've cried from homesickness, and if he was within ten miles of me, he rushed to my side and told me everything was going to be ok and he was so sorry for how hard it is. I can't tell you how many times I've cried without knowing why I was crying! Even then, he still holds me tight and lets the waterworks go. And then, of course, there are specific times when things have gone bad and I've gotten hurt. He's right there. Always. I can't even describe what that means to me.
So basically, I'm extremely blessed in the husband God has given me. I could certainly stand to be a little more like him. I hope I never take him for granted. I love my best friend, and I'm so happy to be by his side. I wish you could know the wonderful person he is as well as I do, but hopefully this short letter gives you some insight into his beautiful soul.
As a side note, after nearly four months of marriage, I'm quickly sliding into a cooking rut. Please, everyone who reads this, send me your favorite recipe! I'd love to try something new. I have a lot of great cookbooks that I've searched many times, but I think I get overloaded on the possibilities. So just a couple recipes at a time that I know will be good based on your recommendation would be most appreciated. Thanks in advance!
Danielle, I can't wait to meet your new little girl!! I hope the next few months are an easy adjustment for the whole family. Give my love to Madison and Noah, and Lydia!
Love to all,
Elizabeth
Saturday, August 4, 2012
A Quick Update on My Life
August is finally here. Things are brown and crunchy and hot, as is only fitting for the month of August. It brings back memories of cross country and band camp. Those were the good ol' days! Back before I had to do my own grocery shopping and cook for myself. =P I miss the simplicity of that time of life. Things were pretty simple: go to school, get good grades, hang out with your friends, and avoid the drama. Oh, and make getting into college a priority. I was pretty good at handling all of the above. Now I have a whole new set of priorities. Stay on top of the laundry, find the best grocery deals and stay in our budget, make sure Etienne eats three meals a day (this one is harder than you'd think... He forgets about lunch a lot), find a job, and get ready to jump into college again.
Surprisingly, I feel like I'm doing pretty well with all of my new responsibilities, too. I confess, sometimes we run out of cereal or bread/eggs (shame on me) so I have to get kind of creative with breakfast, but I am getting better about that. I plan a week's worth of meals at a time so I only have to go grocery shopping once a week, and I'm doing well with being resourceful with what's already in the kitchen. I have my schedule of classes worked out for this first semester (biology, american history 1492-civil war, developmental psychology, and american government), and it's paid for. Best of all, I have an interview at Hillcrest hospital next Wednesday for an endoscopy technician position.
Many of you may be wondering what an endoscopy tech is. To answer that question, here is the description from the website. "To process and disinfect endoscopes and accessories to the high infection control standards of the endoscopy unit. To assist the registered nurse in caring for patients in the endoscopy setting. To assist the physician during endoscopic procedures. Responsible for cleaning and routine maintance of equipment used in endoscopy. Takes assigned call including weekend shifts on as needed basis (30 minutes response time)."
I think it sounds fascinating! It's a Monday-Friday position as well. I hope they are willing to work with my school schedule. I'm very nervous they won't. I scheduled all of my classes to be on Monday so I could work the rest of the week, but I won't work on Sundays either. We'll see. Please pray they are somewhat flexible!
Now for something a little more interesting. Today, I will finish painting the study!! Granted, I've been saying that for the past week.... But I really am determined to get it done. It's looking really good! I'm quite proud of it. I will post pictures when it is completely done (hopefully I will have found my camera by then... It has been MIA for about a week now). Etienne is going to build desks for us and other such things. It will be a room quite conducive to a couple of college kids trying to ace all of their classes. I'm so glad it'll be ready in time for school to start!
Also, we have decided to scrape our ceilings. Oh boy. We have popcorn ceilings in the downstairs, and I don't really like it. So we've decided to scrape it all off. Etienne (with the help of Cameron and my father-in-law Rylan) scraped the study Thursday. It was a surprise, I didn't know they were going to do it. They did it while I wasn't home, and what a beautiful surprise it was! It looks SO good! I'm glad we've decided to do it. Unfortunately, it's a lot of work. But it will be worth it!
I need to go wash the walls in the study again (the scraping is a lil bit messy) so I can do the last bit of painting in there and be DONE with it. But first, Etienne and I are off to the bank to secure our emergency fund.
Oh yes. One last thing. Lord willing, Etienne and I will be visiting Ohio next weekend! HOORAYYYY!!!!!
Love to all!
Wednesday, July 18, 2012
Valley Girl
I can't believe it's over halfway through July! Time sure does fly. I think I'm finally getting used to being here in Tulsa. I'm getting the hang of being a wife anyway. We have, of course, been doing a lot of traveling in the last few weeks. The annual 4th of July meeting was spectacular. And last weekend I had the pleasure of seeing my dear friends Blake Wallace and Heather Fesler get married! In the interim between these two events, my parents came to visit for a few days.
It was very strange being the hostess to my own parents. But they didn't really let me do much in the way of hostessing. They bought us groceries, and took us out for dinner a few times, AND bought a bunch of paint and paint supplies for my birthday! Dad had the graciousness to paint the living and dining room for us while Mom sewed my bridesmaid dress. It was so good to see them again, and very sad to see them leave. Next time I see them will be Thanksgiving, Lord willing.
I promise I will be posting before and afters of the whole house soon! There won't be much in the way of decorating, but we hope to have every room painted by the end of July. We'll see... I've got a lot of work to do in that department.
I've officially been here 2 months. There are some things about Tulsa I knew to anticipate, and some things that have caught me by surprise. For example, I thought Clermont County had the worst drivers in the world, but I do think it has been outdone by Tulsa County. I was driving on the expressway the other day and saw someone literally come to a complete stop at the end of the entrance ramp onto said highway. Instead of merging, she was just sitting there waiting for traffic to clear! I was flabbergasted. And then, just yesterday, I was on that same entrance ramp, and the woman in front of me did the exact same thing! She just stopped, right there on the entrance ramp! I was so mad, because now I was starting from 0 mph, too. Most irritating. And I know for a fact these were two different people... Tulsans definitely don't know how to merge, but that's the worst case I've witnessed.
One thing I discovered about Oklahoma the very first week I lived here is that the wind does indeed come sweeping down the plain. Constantly. It was actually a source of contention between Etienne and I that first week when I had a moment of frustration against the wind. (Remembering that little spat makes me laugh now... How ridiculous). I guess Oklahoma is a land of extremes because when summer hit, the wind died completely. There's an occasional breeze now, but nothing compared to the spring time gusts.
Naturally it would die right when it would actually become valuable. Summer came with a vengeance. It got up to 107 - 113 degrees every single day for two weeks solid. It still breaks 100 on a daily basis. It would get hot in Ohio, but it wouldn't stay hot like this. No wonder Oklahoma is so brown. They don't get much rain, and the sun scorches whatever it touches. There's not much in the way of shade in most places. Our lawn is quite brown and crunchy. It cracks me up to look out at the peach tree Etienne just planted a few weeks ago. I've been watering it pretty faithfully, and I believe it's holding its own, much to my relief. But what's funny is the 3-inch ring around the tree of green, green grass in the vast barren wasteland of brown everywhere else. The grass just around the tree has been enjoying the water I give it everyday.
We do have some superb trees in our yard, especially by Oklahoma standards, but I do miss the towering trees of the Ohio valley. I know I'm going to be shocked at just how tall they are whenever I get to go home again. My eyes will have grown accustomed to the medium-height (and smaller) trees of Oklahoma. And I miss the green! I miss soft grass beneath my feet, and I miss brown dirt, and the gray Clermont County clay. Here, it's red dust or red clay. Take your pick.
I don't want to be ALL down on Oklahoma. It does have its beauties. There's something captivating in the sweeping plain, and the gently rolling hills. They're not tall hills, but they are pleasing to the eye. It's as if the whole earth was moving like the ocean, when you get way out from the shore, and just froze that way. The land has rolling ocean swells, dotted with the occasional tree or brush. And the sky is amazing. You can see from horizon to horizon when you get out of the city without trees to block the view. I particularly like going out to Lake Skiatook, about an hour north of town. The cliff faces are so beautiful. It's absolutely rich with greens and browns and grays. I'll have to post pictures sometime. The land has the lake to drink from, so it's nice and green, not parched and scorched by the sun.
Still... I long to see my beautiful Ohio valley again. What can I say? I'm a valley girl. ;-) So to everyone back home, take a moment to enjoy the beauty around you. Drink it in, for my sake, and cherish what you have.
Love you all!
Elizabeth
It was very strange being the hostess to my own parents. But they didn't really let me do much in the way of hostessing. They bought us groceries, and took us out for dinner a few times, AND bought a bunch of paint and paint supplies for my birthday! Dad had the graciousness to paint the living and dining room for us while Mom sewed my bridesmaid dress. It was so good to see them again, and very sad to see them leave. Next time I see them will be Thanksgiving, Lord willing.
I promise I will be posting before and afters of the whole house soon! There won't be much in the way of decorating, but we hope to have every room painted by the end of July. We'll see... I've got a lot of work to do in that department.
I've officially been here 2 months. There are some things about Tulsa I knew to anticipate, and some things that have caught me by surprise. For example, I thought Clermont County had the worst drivers in the world, but I do think it has been outdone by Tulsa County. I was driving on the expressway the other day and saw someone literally come to a complete stop at the end of the entrance ramp onto said highway. Instead of merging, she was just sitting there waiting for traffic to clear! I was flabbergasted. And then, just yesterday, I was on that same entrance ramp, and the woman in front of me did the exact same thing! She just stopped, right there on the entrance ramp! I was so mad, because now I was starting from 0 mph, too. Most irritating. And I know for a fact these were two different people... Tulsans definitely don't know how to merge, but that's the worst case I've witnessed.
One thing I discovered about Oklahoma the very first week I lived here is that the wind does indeed come sweeping down the plain. Constantly. It was actually a source of contention between Etienne and I that first week when I had a moment of frustration against the wind. (Remembering that little spat makes me laugh now... How ridiculous). I guess Oklahoma is a land of extremes because when summer hit, the wind died completely. There's an occasional breeze now, but nothing compared to the spring time gusts.
Naturally it would die right when it would actually become valuable. Summer came with a vengeance. It got up to 107 - 113 degrees every single day for two weeks solid. It still breaks 100 on a daily basis. It would get hot in Ohio, but it wouldn't stay hot like this. No wonder Oklahoma is so brown. They don't get much rain, and the sun scorches whatever it touches. There's not much in the way of shade in most places. Our lawn is quite brown and crunchy. It cracks me up to look out at the peach tree Etienne just planted a few weeks ago. I've been watering it pretty faithfully, and I believe it's holding its own, much to my relief. But what's funny is the 3-inch ring around the tree of green, green grass in the vast barren wasteland of brown everywhere else. The grass just around the tree has been enjoying the water I give it everyday.
We do have some superb trees in our yard, especially by Oklahoma standards, but I do miss the towering trees of the Ohio valley. I know I'm going to be shocked at just how tall they are whenever I get to go home again. My eyes will have grown accustomed to the medium-height (and smaller) trees of Oklahoma. And I miss the green! I miss soft grass beneath my feet, and I miss brown dirt, and the gray Clermont County clay. Here, it's red dust or red clay. Take your pick.
I don't want to be ALL down on Oklahoma. It does have its beauties. There's something captivating in the sweeping plain, and the gently rolling hills. They're not tall hills, but they are pleasing to the eye. It's as if the whole earth was moving like the ocean, when you get way out from the shore, and just froze that way. The land has rolling ocean swells, dotted with the occasional tree or brush. And the sky is amazing. You can see from horizon to horizon when you get out of the city without trees to block the view. I particularly like going out to Lake Skiatook, about an hour north of town. The cliff faces are so beautiful. It's absolutely rich with greens and browns and grays. I'll have to post pictures sometime. The land has the lake to drink from, so it's nice and green, not parched and scorched by the sun.
Still... I long to see my beautiful Ohio valley again. What can I say? I'm a valley girl. ;-) So to everyone back home, take a moment to enjoy the beauty around you. Drink it in, for my sake, and cherish what you have.
Love you all!
Elizabeth
 |
| Here is Etienne with a baby I won't recognize next time I see her. Sigh... I hope you're doing well Landreman family! |
Wednesday, June 20, 2012
A Fish Story
Well, this really hasn't been a banner week for me. I've been kinda down. Not sure why, really. But I'll try to make it interesting and entertaining instead of gloomy and depressing.
We painted the bathroom last week. Woohoo! That wasn't a problem. It looks really good! And it's a pretty small room so it didn't take long at all. I still need to put some finishing touches on it, and then it'll get it's own personal blog post. I'm excited about it! And that excitement helped inspire getting the rest of the house done. We want to do the bedroom next, so we decided to pick a comforter. We really didn't agree on much. So I went with the only one we did agree on. As soon as I ordered it, I started doubting. Which grew to complete dislike of the comforter. It arrived yesterday, and is going back. I already have another picked out that has yet to make me doubt, so I'm confident in what our bedroom will look like! For all interested parties, I am choosing this one: http://www.kohls.com/upgrade/webstore/product_page_multiple.jsp?PRODUCT%3C%3Eprd_id=845524892808882&FOLDER%3C%3Efolder_id=2534374757579802&searchTerm=bamboosa+8+pc+set&bmUID=1340201813060
I've come to realize our toaster doesn't like me. It took a few pieces of bread to find the right setting, but I did. I make Etienne's toast first and it come out perfectly. But then I make mine, haven't changed a thing, and it's overdone. Every single time! I've even tried turning it a setting lower and it STILL burned. What in the world, toaster?! Why you bein' nice to Etienne? He didn't even want you! Well, I hope whatever it has a against me will be short lived so I can start eating some decent toast. =P
I'm working this week as a greeter in a fancy house that is a part of what Tulsa calls the Parade of Homes. It's much like Home-a-rama in Cincinnati. It's a beautiful home! It won second place in it's price category ($800,000 and above). The builder, Dennis, was pretty pleased with that. It's kind of a boring job, but all the interesting people make it ok. There's some weird ones out there, let me tell ya! Oh! I almost forgot! The first day, Saturday, this man was hanging around me waiting for what looked like his mom to finish touring the house - or so I thought. She finally came back to the front and walked out the door. Before he left he said he had a question for me. I said, "What?" and he said, "Are you single?" ARE YOU SERIOUS?! But then I had the privilege of saying, "No, I'm married." And it was pretty cool. =)
I found out that I need to register and pay for classes by July 9th. I did not know that until a few days ago, and really am not prepared. I was planning on getting into the Honors program, and then getting the Honors tuition waiver, but that's a process that could take a month. Now I find out I have two weeks. I'm still trying to put the process in motion (which is even more difficult it being the summer), but I don't think it'll be done by July 9th. I'm debating just waiting till just before school starts in hopes that I'll get it before then, and then just pay the lame $25 fee for signing up late.
Looking back on the last few days, there's really no reason to be down. What's silly is the one of the biggest things that's happened that should've brought me down really didn't have much effect on me at all! I totally burned dinner last night. My first time to fail in the kitchen since being married, and only the third time to fail in the kitchen in my life. Since these are such isolated incidences, I don't pay them much mind. Anyway, I call this a big event because of how dramatic it was.
Blackened salmon was on the menu. First of all, I've never made any kind of fish before because I don't like it and never eat it. Second of all, I was expecting Etienne to make it, because he talks about making it all the time. But when I asked him if he was going to make it, he told me he had to clean the garage, and went outside. So I attempted it.
I had found the recipe online and really should have listened to one of the ladies that commented on it and gave an oven alternative to the skillet. But I didn't. I prepared the fillets (which were WAY too spicy for ANYONE'S taste, so the recipe was partly to blame for the epic failure this fish became) and threw them on the skillet, on high heat as directed. Immediately smoke starts billowing out of the skillet. This has happened before when Etienne makes steak (which is all part of the cooking process - he does it on purpose) so I knew what to do. I turned on the microwave fan, threw open the kitchen window, and turned around to see even more smoke pouring from the pan. This was a lapse of maybe ten seconds. I turned the salmon in vain hope of saving it, but this was very blackened salmon. Heat was WAY too high. Etienne came back in and opened all the doors, and it's something of a miracle the smoke detectors didn't go off. The house was full of smoke. I took the fish out of the skillet (that side was less blackened though it had been in there longer. Go figure) and put it on a pan to put in the oven. It needed to finish cooking. While the outside was charred, the inside was raw.
Eventually we ate it and Etienne pronounced it the worst blackened salmon he'd ever eaten. Which made me smile. At least now I know he's being honest in his reviews of my cooking. Turns out, he buys salmon fillets already blackened from Sam's and all he has to do is heat it up. So when I asked him to make it from scratch, he was intimidated and found the garage a necessary task for the moment. What's funniest to me about the whole thing is, it's the only fish I've ever eaten that I've been able to stomach without gagging. I didn't say I liked it - there was too much burn flavor for me - but I honestly didn't hate it either. So that was the ordeal with the fish. I now know to buy the already blackened salmon from Sam's if I ever want to do this again. And also, it might be a good idea to listen to the lady who gave the tip about the oven if I ever decide to attempt that recipe again.
Well, that's all I've got for now. I hope my blunders of the past week have made you smile. I think I've been down because I just miss home. I guess I'm still adjusting to this living in Tulsa thing. Pray for my spirits to be lifted while I muddle through being a grown up down here!
Love,
Elizabeth
We painted the bathroom last week. Woohoo! That wasn't a problem. It looks really good! And it's a pretty small room so it didn't take long at all. I still need to put some finishing touches on it, and then it'll get it's own personal blog post. I'm excited about it! And that excitement helped inspire getting the rest of the house done. We want to do the bedroom next, so we decided to pick a comforter. We really didn't agree on much. So I went with the only one we did agree on. As soon as I ordered it, I started doubting. Which grew to complete dislike of the comforter. It arrived yesterday, and is going back. I already have another picked out that has yet to make me doubt, so I'm confident in what our bedroom will look like! For all interested parties, I am choosing this one: http://www.kohls.com/upgrade/webstore/product_page_multiple.jsp?PRODUCT%3C%3Eprd_id=845524892808882&FOLDER%3C%3Efolder_id=2534374757579802&searchTerm=bamboosa+8+pc+set&bmUID=1340201813060
I've come to realize our toaster doesn't like me. It took a few pieces of bread to find the right setting, but I did. I make Etienne's toast first and it come out perfectly. But then I make mine, haven't changed a thing, and it's overdone. Every single time! I've even tried turning it a setting lower and it STILL burned. What in the world, toaster?! Why you bein' nice to Etienne? He didn't even want you! Well, I hope whatever it has a against me will be short lived so I can start eating some decent toast. =P
I'm working this week as a greeter in a fancy house that is a part of what Tulsa calls the Parade of Homes. It's much like Home-a-rama in Cincinnati. It's a beautiful home! It won second place in it's price category ($800,000 and above). The builder, Dennis, was pretty pleased with that. It's kind of a boring job, but all the interesting people make it ok. There's some weird ones out there, let me tell ya! Oh! I almost forgot! The first day, Saturday, this man was hanging around me waiting for what looked like his mom to finish touring the house - or so I thought. She finally came back to the front and walked out the door. Before he left he said he had a question for me. I said, "What?" and he said, "Are you single?" ARE YOU SERIOUS?! But then I had the privilege of saying, "No, I'm married." And it was pretty cool. =)
I found out that I need to register and pay for classes by July 9th. I did not know that until a few days ago, and really am not prepared. I was planning on getting into the Honors program, and then getting the Honors tuition waiver, but that's a process that could take a month. Now I find out I have two weeks. I'm still trying to put the process in motion (which is even more difficult it being the summer), but I don't think it'll be done by July 9th. I'm debating just waiting till just before school starts in hopes that I'll get it before then, and then just pay the lame $25 fee for signing up late.
Looking back on the last few days, there's really no reason to be down. What's silly is the one of the biggest things that's happened that should've brought me down really didn't have much effect on me at all! I totally burned dinner last night. My first time to fail in the kitchen since being married, and only the third time to fail in the kitchen in my life. Since these are such isolated incidences, I don't pay them much mind. Anyway, I call this a big event because of how dramatic it was.
Blackened salmon was on the menu. First of all, I've never made any kind of fish before because I don't like it and never eat it. Second of all, I was expecting Etienne to make it, because he talks about making it all the time. But when I asked him if he was going to make it, he told me he had to clean the garage, and went outside. So I attempted it.
I had found the recipe online and really should have listened to one of the ladies that commented on it and gave an oven alternative to the skillet. But I didn't. I prepared the fillets (which were WAY too spicy for ANYONE'S taste, so the recipe was partly to blame for the epic failure this fish became) and threw them on the skillet, on high heat as directed. Immediately smoke starts billowing out of the skillet. This has happened before when Etienne makes steak (which is all part of the cooking process - he does it on purpose) so I knew what to do. I turned on the microwave fan, threw open the kitchen window, and turned around to see even more smoke pouring from the pan. This was a lapse of maybe ten seconds. I turned the salmon in vain hope of saving it, but this was very blackened salmon. Heat was WAY too high. Etienne came back in and opened all the doors, and it's something of a miracle the smoke detectors didn't go off. The house was full of smoke. I took the fish out of the skillet (that side was less blackened though it had been in there longer. Go figure) and put it on a pan to put in the oven. It needed to finish cooking. While the outside was charred, the inside was raw.
Eventually we ate it and Etienne pronounced it the worst blackened salmon he'd ever eaten. Which made me smile. At least now I know he's being honest in his reviews of my cooking. Turns out, he buys salmon fillets already blackened from Sam's and all he has to do is heat it up. So when I asked him to make it from scratch, he was intimidated and found the garage a necessary task for the moment. What's funniest to me about the whole thing is, it's the only fish I've ever eaten that I've been able to stomach without gagging. I didn't say I liked it - there was too much burn flavor for me - but I honestly didn't hate it either. So that was the ordeal with the fish. I now know to buy the already blackened salmon from Sam's if I ever want to do this again. And also, it might be a good idea to listen to the lady who gave the tip about the oven if I ever decide to attempt that recipe again.
Well, that's all I've got for now. I hope my blunders of the past week have made you smile. I think I've been down because I just miss home. I guess I'm still adjusting to this living in Tulsa thing. Pray for my spirits to be lifted while I muddle through being a grown up down here!
Love,
Elizabeth
 |
| My fishing buddy, Rex, at my grandparents' farm in McAlester. |
Sunday, June 10, 2012
New Car Smell
I've heard a lot about that "new car smell," but have only ever experienced it once that I can remember. (I hope someday I'll experience it again with a shiny blue Toyota Tacoma...). Some people love that smell (or perhaps they just love the fact that they have a new car), and some people hate it. Nevertheless, the smell eventually fades as the newness wears off.
Before I got married and moved to Tulsa, I had the idea to start this blog about all of my Tulsa happenings as a way to keep in touch with all my friends and family back home in Ohio. Tomorrow marks Etienne and I's one month anniversary of being married, and it hit me that the new car smell is quickly fading on my new life here, and if I was serious about blogging and staying in touch with everyone, I'd better get on it. So here I am.
It's been an interesting month to say the least. We got off to a great start! The wedding was absolutely beautiful and I had a great day start to finish. And then we spent the honeymoon in Disney World (I wanna go back so bad!!!) and enjoyed a day at the beach on the way out of town. It was glorious! But I'll blog about that some other time. We got home to Tulsa at midnight Friday a week after the wedding. We literally couldn't move through the living room because of all of the STUFF jammed in it. We were certainly blessed with gifts for our new marriage.
However, I had my work cut out for me. It took awhile for us to unwrap and sort all of the presents, and go through all of my boxes from moving. Then there was the matter of cleaning.... Oh my. Etienne has owned the house we currently live in for six years, during which time he has had about 20 different roommates. Thankfully, some women from church came over and cleaned the bathrooms for me while we were on the honeymoon, but I still scrubbed the bathtub another two or three times and it grew shades lighter each time. When I got to the kitchen, I finally realized I was cleaning up after 20 men and six years of bachelorhood. It took a lot of elbow grease, but I really didn't mind. I got to bond with my new kitchen quite a bit. =) And now, the kitchen is sparkling and doesn't take much to maintain.
We did a lot of traveling this first month, too. Florida was quite a bit of time in the car. The next weekend we went to the Memorial Day meeting in Ozark. The next weekend we went to Kansas City for a wedding... With all the traveling and trying to get the house together, it was easy to distract myself about the fact that this wasn't just another trip to Tulsa. That I wasn't going home. Because I was already home. I didn't do myself any favors by distracting myself, to say the least, because then I just exploded after awhile. I cried like a baby (finally) and called my mom and cried and cried and cried. And then I was fine. It's hard for me to accept that Tulsa is home; I have a lot of loyalty to Ohio. So I've decided I have two homes, and that's okay.
That's basically my first month out here in a nutshell! I'm having a pleasant time figuring out my own routines and which grocery stores are the best (I'm a regular at Aldi now). Laundry is actually kind of fun for me because I hang all the clothes on a line outside. We have a tiny garden with a grand total of 8 plants (big plot of land, not many plants. Kinda silly lookin). I planted Morning Glory by my little section of picket fence my father-in-law built me, and will be planting sunflowers courtesy of Heloise Besse this week. I'm a member at Gold's gym and have a great time working out with Etienne.
(Funny story real quick... The other day we were working arms, and I had little 5 pound dumbbells doing a tricep exercise on a bench. This guy next to us asked Etienne to come spot him for a minute and he picked up these MASSIVE dumbbells - I don't think they come any bigger than those - 135 pounds at LEAST and starts benchpressing them. I was literally laughing at how pathetic I looked next to him with my teensy little 5 pounders. It's always a walk of shame in the gym for me, but I'm getting stronger! Maybe one day I'll be a hoss). So far Etienne has liked everything I create for dinner. We had my in-laws over for dinner last week, and our first overnight guests stayed with us last night (the lovely Krull family, minus Lori and Rachel, on their way to Cedar Creek Camp).
Slowly but surely I'm figuring out how to be a wife and keeper of the home. I'm not looking forward to throwing in the wrench of getting a job, but I guess it's gotta happen sometime. But before all that, we're going to conquer a rather exciting task....
REDECORATING!!!! I am truly excited for this. Right now, every room and ceiling is the same shade. Somewhere between brown and gray. I cannot wait to transform this place with color! Of course, I will post before and afters of each room as we tackle them. Stay tuned! More exciting posts a surely to come!
For now, I just want to say, I miss you all terribly and think of you often. I hope I can come home for a visit before school starts, but I'm not pinning any hopes on that. Please don't hesitate to call or text me! I'd love to hear what's going on in that part of the world. In the mean time, know that I'm doing just fine and Etienne continues to be the best husband I could've prayed for. I'm happy in my own little way with my new life. Frankly, though, I'm glad that new car smell is fading, and I can feel more like Tulsa really is home. But that will never diminish Ohio's place in my heart, and all the love I have for the people there.
Love,
Elizabeth
Before I got married and moved to Tulsa, I had the idea to start this blog about all of my Tulsa happenings as a way to keep in touch with all my friends and family back home in Ohio. Tomorrow marks Etienne and I's one month anniversary of being married, and it hit me that the new car smell is quickly fading on my new life here, and if I was serious about blogging and staying in touch with everyone, I'd better get on it. So here I am.
It's been an interesting month to say the least. We got off to a great start! The wedding was absolutely beautiful and I had a great day start to finish. And then we spent the honeymoon in Disney World (I wanna go back so bad!!!) and enjoyed a day at the beach on the way out of town. It was glorious! But I'll blog about that some other time. We got home to Tulsa at midnight Friday a week after the wedding. We literally couldn't move through the living room because of all of the STUFF jammed in it. We were certainly blessed with gifts for our new marriage.
However, I had my work cut out for me. It took awhile for us to unwrap and sort all of the presents, and go through all of my boxes from moving. Then there was the matter of cleaning.... Oh my. Etienne has owned the house we currently live in for six years, during which time he has had about 20 different roommates. Thankfully, some women from church came over and cleaned the bathrooms for me while we were on the honeymoon, but I still scrubbed the bathtub another two or three times and it grew shades lighter each time. When I got to the kitchen, I finally realized I was cleaning up after 20 men and six years of bachelorhood. It took a lot of elbow grease, but I really didn't mind. I got to bond with my new kitchen quite a bit. =) And now, the kitchen is sparkling and doesn't take much to maintain.
That's basically my first month out here in a nutshell! I'm having a pleasant time figuring out my own routines and which grocery stores are the best (I'm a regular at Aldi now). Laundry is actually kind of fun for me because I hang all the clothes on a line outside. We have a tiny garden with a grand total of 8 plants (big plot of land, not many plants. Kinda silly lookin). I planted Morning Glory by my little section of picket fence my father-in-law built me, and will be planting sunflowers courtesy of Heloise Besse this week. I'm a member at Gold's gym and have a great time working out with Etienne.
(Funny story real quick... The other day we were working arms, and I had little 5 pound dumbbells doing a tricep exercise on a bench. This guy next to us asked Etienne to come spot him for a minute and he picked up these MASSIVE dumbbells - I don't think they come any bigger than those - 135 pounds at LEAST and starts benchpressing them. I was literally laughing at how pathetic I looked next to him with my teensy little 5 pounders. It's always a walk of shame in the gym for me, but I'm getting stronger! Maybe one day I'll be a hoss). So far Etienne has liked everything I create for dinner. We had my in-laws over for dinner last week, and our first overnight guests stayed with us last night (the lovely Krull family, minus Lori and Rachel, on their way to Cedar Creek Camp).
Slowly but surely I'm figuring out how to be a wife and keeper of the home. I'm not looking forward to throwing in the wrench of getting a job, but I guess it's gotta happen sometime. But before all that, we're going to conquer a rather exciting task....
REDECORATING!!!! I am truly excited for this. Right now, every room and ceiling is the same shade. Somewhere between brown and gray. I cannot wait to transform this place with color! Of course, I will post before and afters of each room as we tackle them. Stay tuned! More exciting posts a surely to come!
For now, I just want to say, I miss you all terribly and think of you often. I hope I can come home for a visit before school starts, but I'm not pinning any hopes on that. Please don't hesitate to call or text me! I'd love to hear what's going on in that part of the world. In the mean time, know that I'm doing just fine and Etienne continues to be the best husband I could've prayed for. I'm happy in my own little way with my new life. Frankly, though, I'm glad that new car smell is fading, and I can feel more like Tulsa really is home. But that will never diminish Ohio's place in my heart, and all the love I have for the people there.
Love,
Elizabeth
 |
| Etienne and I in a swirling teacup at Magic Kingdom! This was before the swirling.... |
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