Introducing Kylie Helene Morton

I got to meet my new beautiful cousin, Kylie. I visited Matt, Beth and Kylie over the weekend of November 2. It was good times... seeing how the family is adjusting. They are truly blessed by this little miracle and Teddy (their dogy) is adjusting well too!

Tulsa Hope Academy

Leland and I volunteered our time with a group of awesome people from our church on Sat. 20th. We painted this center that has been donated for the Tulsa Hope Academy - which is a program created to help high school drop outs who have been dealing with issues such as drug overdoses, sexual abuse, etc. to help them get on the right track.

We painted two large rooms, a hallway and two bathrooms. The boys that were there to represent the students were awesome and very inspirational! We had a very fulfilling day and everyone was very pleased with the results!

It was very rewarding. We want to do more.

Family Fire Night

When Jason and Mandy were in town, we had a little bonfire. It was fun. Pictures of bubby and Baby Lane are priceless!!

Have fun with the pictures!

Update on Leland's Efforts to Become Deputy Sherriff of Tulsa

He had his physical fitness test Wednesday. Apparently, it went well. He had an outline of what he had to accomplish based on his age bracket, and he far surpassed all areas of running, toe touches and sit ups. He was feeling good about it!

They say that he SHOULD know something within the month! Hopefully this will all be worth it!

New Baby Cousin - Kylie Helene

Matt and Beth had a baby girl, October 1. She is beautiful!!

Justin!

He was in town over the weekend. Though a short visit, a good one as always. His line for this visit was "Hey redneck you scared me, oh yea, boo!" I know it doesn't take much sense out of context, but it means something to us. He always has a new phrase...he's really too much.

Justin and Leland spent Sat. afternoon on the motorcycles, Justin has one now and Leland borrowed Pa's. Then they had lunch... I bet you are wondering where. Where do brother in laws want to hang out on Sat. during College football?? HOOTERS. Yes, there you have it. They like them for the ....WINGS!

Anyway, here are a few pics.

Dad's Birthday

We celebrated dad's 64th birthday on Sunday, Sept. 16. Happy Birthday Dad!! Followed by a fun Monday night football game, Redskins vs. Eagles. Redskins won!! Woo hoo!

Time with dad

We have had the priveledge of staying with my dad while my aunt and uncle are in Kentucky. Its been fun. We have been staying the night and waking up early in the morning to get his coffee and lunch made (and in the refridgerator) and then leaving to go home and get ready for work.

He then greets us at the door around 6:15 p.m. or 6:30 depending on the work out schedule with "COFFEE" That is one thing that he isn't able to do himself. Bless his heart. I am sure that he misses Granny and Pa, but I know that he enjoys having us there. At least, he better! :) Our gift to him and Granny from our stay was to teach him how to make his own pot of coffee!! Goooooo Daddy!!

Austin - Labor Day Weekend!

We visited Aimee in Austin for Labor Day. What fun!! 7.0 hour drive to Austin on Friday, hung out with her and her friends and family for the weekend and returned on Monday. It was a good trip. On the trip, we also got to visit with: Leland's aunt and uncle, Dick and Kate; his cousins, Andrew, Katie and Doug; and my brother, who was in Dallas on a simultaneous trip, as we drove through we had some chips and salsa with him!!

It was whirlwind but a great visit with all!! We love Austin!

MD Blue Crabs in Tulsa OK?!

Leland ordered crabs to be delivered to our cousins house in Tulsa. We had our very own crab feast here in Tulsa - it's hard to believe, but see the pictures! It was so fun! Leland is the best for coordinating such a cool surprise!! I didn't think I would get to have any this season BUT low and behold, he made it happen!! So cool!! :)

30 Days to Live - Part III

"The World and its desires pass away, but the man who does the will of God lives forever." 1 John 2:17

How do we leave behind a Godly legacy? What will people say about us when we die?

Will they say "man, she sure liked buffalo wings?" Or for Leland, "wow, he was a car lover". Well we know that's not all that would be said about us...BUT what do we do in our lives right now that will make a difference?

We are striving to answer this very question... Its something that is stirring us both.

30 Days to Live - Part II

"Watch Out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; a man's life does not consist in abundance of his possessions." Luke 12:5

Second part of our session at church stresses the need to let go of materialism. Focus on relationships and things of this Earth that reflect the spirit of God. What I took from this is the bible isn't saying that we can have the things that we want, so long as it doesn't affect our surrounding relationships, i.e. we work so hard and spend many hours away from home to make the money needed to buy those things; or we put ourselves in debt to get them.

This certainly puts things into perspective. When I think, man, it would sure be nice to have.... I will remember this. I will remember that I have a loving husband that God has blessed me with; an awesome family; truely rich friends (and not necessarily in the sense of wealth, but in deeper-than-just-the-surface relationships); so far, my health and that of my family's; and a personal relationship with Him. This is what indicates our wealth - not possessions. Our pastor used this analogy - you don't ever see a hearse being followed by a uhaul full of possessions, do you? Now that is a visual.

In yesterday's series, our pastor interviewed a man that had Lou Garig's (sp?) disease. He has a family of three and a loving wife. His disease quickly paralyzed him and he is losing his speech. He focused on some regrets and what he would have done differently if he had of seen this disease in his future. Unfortunately for him, its too late. But with his testimony we have a chance to make a difference NOW instead of when it is too late for us as well.

Inspirational.

Proverbs 27:1

"Do not boast about tomorrow, for you do not know what a day may bring forth."

Our series at church is "What would you do if you had 30 days to live"? Our existence on Earth is just a breath to God - how are can we reset our priorities, redefine our life? turn intentions into actions...don't wait for "when" do it NOW...well, okay! Sounds easy.

This is impacting me in a huge way. This is only the beginning of this series, so plan on hearing more about our journey through this perplexing question. And it comes at a very appropriate time in our lives. Leland is reevaluating his business ventures, exploring other avenues... we have talked about "wanting more out of life". This series is intended to strengthen our sprirital relationship, but over all it will strengthen us as individuals and as a couple.

Lately, I have been questioning God's will in my life instead of just having faith. My first step in this series is to seriously, conciously "give it to God". I need to learn to consistently rely on that and allow myself to enjoy each passing moment instead of worrying about "what if".
May sound silly or menial, but for me - ITS HUGE!

PGA

We took my dad to the PGA on Sunday - we saw Tiger tee off LIVE! Pretty awesome. Though it was hot, we made do. Dad loved every second of it. We couldn't take pictures; they don't allow cameras there. It was a day of sweat but a day that we will never forget!

Karaoke

Okay.....



Wed nights (not necessarily every Wed but maybe every other) we frequent a little sports bar called THE FOX AND THE HOUND. They have a mad round of Karaoke. Last night must have been professionals' night. I mean these people were singing like they were going to win some money for the best voice, like we were on the latest episode of "Don't forget the Lyrics", which can be intimidating. But, nonetheless, should it stop the amateurs? Um, no.



We proceeded to select our songs and sang. It was Leland's second debut. Each time he gains more confidence and I believe he thoroughly enjoys it! Too fun! My only regret is that I didn't have a recorder, because I can just see you reading the previous few sentences to make sure you read them right...Yes, Leland has added Karaoke singing to his wide range of talents.

Family

On June 21st, we celebrated my Aunt and Uncle's (AKA Granny and Paw, sitting in the middle of this picture) 50th wedding Anniversary. That was a good time. Here is a picture of the family....

It was such fun. We had cake and punch at the church and then a party at the house, hot mic and food and beverages! Great time!! Granny and Paw are such an inspiration to our family and the core of it...so it was awesome to be able to celebrate this with them and honor them with a reception.

Kitchen

Pictures to follow...
This weekend we decided to take action on our accent paint in the kitchen. It turned out really nice. I have just a bit to finish and then we will put our pictures up and stuff....its turning out to be a really nice tuscan theme.

Tulsa County Sheriff

Leland applied for Tulsa County Sherriff back in March. They sent him a letter offering him the chance to take the test. He studied, took the test and passed. He figured, why not? Let's just see what happens. So, now he has to go through back ground checks, interviews, and probably a physical fitness test, just for starters. I guess we will just see how it goes...Its a lengthy process.

1 Year in Tulsa

This weekend marked our 1 year anniversary of moving to Tulsa. It has been an awesome change for us!! We miss family and friends back in Maryland but we are blessed to be surrounded by family here and a whole new slew of friends!

As I reflect back on the year, all of it is really a blurr. It flew by. God provided. We found a home that is a perfect fit for us right now. I had a job almost immediately. We have been able to celebrate many occasions with my family that I haven't been able to in the past. I have been able to spend more time with my brother in this past year than I have since I was 19 years old. Leland has been actively pushing his own home remodel business and keeping his own schedule - you can't beat that. We found an awesome church home, along with some awesome friends. And, we are finally settled.

I have to say nothing beats family hot mic nights!