Drive by Post-N-Ditch

No time for much chattin! But, let me just say, I have a LOT to chat about. So pretty soon, you'll have to pull up a chair, grab a cup o' joe and some chocolate and I will fill you in on all the comings and goings at the Wright house. Aye yi yi.


I did have a few things to post about that just couldn't wait. This is the cheesecake Josh made recently. When I say he made it - I mean he made it with cream cheese, sugar, eggs, flour, etc. (No mixes for that future chef!) It was quite an adventure with the mixer. Ya know how you shouldn't raise the mixer up when it's going cuz it will splatter everything with what your mixing??? I didn't quite make that point before it happened. Twice.

But, it was so good. Josh LOVES cheesecake and he thought it was pretty good, too. Maybe he

will be the next Food Network Star. (don't get me started about that show!! do you watch it? did you see the finale Sunday night???)

And, this picture is of Roman's indoor soccer team, Roma. (She loves that the name is so close to hers!!! When anyone cheers for "Roma" she thinks they are saying her name.)

Anyway...they played their last game of the season last night and took home 1st place trophies!! Way to go girls!

But, if you can believe it, the person on top of the trophy is a BOY!!! How dare they? My daughter will probably be writing a "strongly worded letter" to the folks at the arena. Giving a boy trophy to girls.........what is the world coming to? *wink* Like Richard says "you can't stop her, you can only hope to contain her!"

I'm outta here,

Beverly

My Space

No - not myspace or facebook. I only have a slight grip on this blogging thing!! I'm not ready to add one of those to my life right now.



This is the computer desk in our study where I do my bloggin'! My friend Linda at Gotta Grow With It (see my blog roll on the left side since I don't know how to link things. *sad roll of the eyes*) put out a little challenge to show your 'puter space. And this is my space.



And my children's space.



And my husband's space.



And the cat's space.



And, yes, Josh has put his picture as the screen saver. It's usually something he's created that says "Josh Rocks" or "Josh is the King" or "Josh is Da Bomb." Roman will sometimes put her own on there that says "Josh is a Weirdo." I never know what I will find when I get to the computer.



This study is the reason we bought this house. (another day, another post!!) It's got a beautiful finish on the walls, has this great built in and has a map on the opposite wall that looks very old and like it's been uncovered by an explorer!! I do love maps.



Which brings me to another "challenge" from Linda. She tagged me. I've been tagged before and have seriously dropped the ball so I'm doing it this time!! It's called Fours. And it will give you more information about me than you probably need. bwahahahaha



Four jobs I've had:

** Ice cream scooper at the Victor Mall Ice Cream Store
**Teller at a Savings & Loan
**Advertising at the Lazy E
**Registered Nurse



Four movies I can watch over and over:
**Gone With The Wind
**Troy
**Father of the Bride
**Steel Magnolias
(and You've Got Mail, Willy Wonka, Pearl Harbor, Wizard of Oz, Step Mom, The Wedding Planner, Pretty Woman, and on and on and on!!)



Four places I've lived
**Guthrie, OK
**Edmond, OK
**Midwest City, OK
**Where I live now, OK
(Should I be sad about this???)



Four TV shows I love:
**Grey's Anatomy
**Amazing Race
**Jon and Kate Plus 8
**Little People, Big World (I'm convinced I have a dwarf fettish!!)



Four places I've vacationed:
**Cozumel, Mexico
**Destin, Florida
**Holiday Island, Missouri
**Gulf Shores, Alabama



Four of my favorite dishes:
**Pizza - thin crust, supreme from Mazzio's
**Turkey artichoke sammy from Panera
**Santa Fe Chicken salad from Applebee's
**Chimichangas from anywhere - haven't had a yucky one yet!

Four sites I visit daily:
Sad to say, it's not daily but as often as I can check in!!
**Splitcoaststampers
**Scrapjazz
**All the blogs on my blogroll
**my e-mail

Four places I would rather be right now:
**Alaska visiting my friend Cathy - it has to be cooler there, right???
**At the Allegro in Cozumel - it's not cooler, but at least I'd be poolside with my diet coke being refreshed every 15 minutes! (or at Mindi's - I'll bet she'd take care of my DC by her pool!!)
**Somewhere in Asia with the O Fam for a visit
**At the movies - I **heart** going to the movies

Wowzers! That was fun and somewhat a kick in the pants about how boring we really are!!! Ahhhhhhhhh.........but I wouldn't change a thing!!

If you're reading this, consider yourself tagged. I would love to know more about you!

I have to go make a birthday card for a teenage boy - now that's a challenge!!

Gotta jet,

Beverly

Boring...Just the Way I Like It!!

It is H*O*T, hot here in the heartland. So I dug up this video of the boys during one of the last ice storms we had so I could remember that summer really doesn't last forever. On this day, there was no school, stores were closed tighter than a drum but my boys HAD to get to Lightning Creek for the best sledding in the state. Keep in mind, videography isn't their strength and there were literally 50 videos that they made that day with my camera. This just happens to have all three of them in it and it makes me giggle! (Yes - that is Josh tumbling down the hill at the end of it. YIKES!)

I have - for the most part - stuck to my "stay at home" week and it's been FABULOUS!! Josh had football practice every morning, Roman had two rehearsals, we met Patrick for lunch and he took the little kids swimming, Roman had a dr's appointment this morning and that, folks, is ALL! Woo Hoo!! Party!

Oh, wait.

Tuesday night Josh had a session with a kid who is the kicker on his college football team. Josh is going to try out for that position on his jr. high team so he needed to learn to kick for reals. I guess it's a little different than kicking a soccer ball. So, while the boys were doing that, Roman and I played tennis. (Please refer back to the top where I commented on how hot it is here. 100 degrees still at 7 pm. At least 110 on the tennis court at 7 pm.) Picture me: sweat dripping from every point it could drip from, trying to keep up a happy face so my daughter could practice all the skills she learned at tennis camp the week before. After only 30 minutes, my knees hurt, my shoulder hurt and I'm sure I had mild dehydration. After 45 minutes, I convinced her we had REALLY been out there for over an hour (Wow! Doesn't time fly when you're having so much fun?) Then we went in the tennis center and I practically laid over the vent on the floor that was blowing out the coldest air EVAH!!

There was one thing that came out of that tennis game - I really want one of those cute tennis outfits!! You know the ones with the skirt and the matching shirt. I bet it has a built-in air conditioning system!! Seriously, it was fun. I used to play a lot of tennis when I was in college. Here's a random fact about me: I was the intramural tennis champ and racquetball champ at NOC!

Going to ice my shoulder,

Beverly

Inspired

First, a little tidbit from "Bev's Crafty Corner." :^) I made this as a birthday gift for one of Roman's friends from her soccer team. She just got a room remodel in lime green, hot pink and zebra stripes - so this should fit right in. The picture doesn't really show all the BLING and sparkle that I added. Can a girl have too much bling? I hope she liked it!

Speaking of remodels.....................

I (and my family) had the opportunity to participate in an extreme home makeover for a very deserving family this weekend. It all started with (here I go again!!) my friend Joan's daughter, Stephanie. A few years ago, Stephanie, then 12-ish, raised money and gave an update to the waiting room of the Jimmy Everest Cancer Center at CHO. (Her brother had spent A LOT of time there when he was battling cancer.) The next year, she continued to raise money and gave a complete Christmas "package" to this needy family - tree, dinner, gifts, etc. And did it anonymously. So this weekend it was a total home makeover. New roof, paint inside and out, new furniture, new flooring, new curtains and blinds, new accessories, cleaning from top to bottom. And, she got a total kitchen remodel, complete with new appliances, donated from a local interior designer. That will happen in the next few months.

So, instead of the Great Church Search today, we spent the day living Jesus's words. And it was incredible. It was hot. It was muggy. We were stinky. We are exhausted. My sweet children worked and worked and never complained and really understood the value of what we were doing.

So, here's a shout out to Stephanie! You are an amazing young woman with a servant's heart and you have inspired me. Thanks for letting us be a part of your BIG GIVE!!

Humbled,

Beverly

More Evidence...

that I have completely lost my mind!

Yes, that is a samurai sword in my sweet baby son's hands that he bought with his birthday $$. He likes to strike that pose and say "Wya haa" in his best ninja samurai high voice. I seriously just howl laughing because I think he's going to bust
out a whole string of Japanese lingo and start
doing some ninja flips and moves.



It all started when (it seems like I always say this!!
LOL) he was just a baby in his high chair. Before I was a mom, I would say things like "I'm not going to let my children play with guns" and "I'm going to teach my children to not fight" yada, yada, yada. Give peace a chance, right? Who knew I was such a hippie?


So, I did my best to stay away from guns as toys for the boys until that monumental day in the high chair. Josh was eating toast as part of his breakfast. I looked over and he had bitten his toast into the shape of a gun and was shooting his big brothers with it! I started learning then the true "hunter" nature of boys. And, it has been quite the ride ever since - I just roll with it!

On that note, if you haven't read Wild At Heart by John Eldridge and you have any association with men/boys i.e. you have a husband, boyfriend, male children, brothers - I would highly recommend it. All to say, it's "in their genes!" And, it's a wonderful thing, really.

There have been a few casualties of the sword already. No, not fingers or toes of the sister. A few balloons have lost their lives to Ninja Samurai Banzuki Josh!

I love that boy!

Peace out,

Beverly

What Speed Limit Sign?

I was going HOW fast?

The speed limit is only 35 here?

Are you sure your radar is working correctly?

Just practicing my best trying-to-get-out-of-a-ticket voice! No ticket yet..............but, I'm tellin' ya, it can't be far away!

First, let me say, I have never had a speeding ticket in my life. And I like to drive fast. Really fast. Even when I'm in no particular hurry to get anywhere. I don't like to dawdle - just get 'er done, right???

Well........this car goes fast and it seems to do it before I even notice it's at 80 and I'm in a 35 zone. It's one smooth, sweet ride.

And, I've only put the top up twice. Once, on the way to football practice at 7:45 a.m. because Josh was COLD!! And, today after Roman and I got a few groceries because she had ice cream and she wanted to hide it from the sun! It's like an affirmation that I should have this car because we have had unseasonal (is that a word??) cloudy, cool-ish days. I know.........whatev!! *wink*

Don't have much time today. I'm planning a stay-at-home week next week - one where we stay in our jammies until right before Richard gets home from work!! tee hee

Happy Hump Day,

Beverly

Mid-life Crisis, Much???

Well, Linda, it's not bumblebee yellow - or Screaming Yellow as it's known in the Ford world - but pack those boys up and send them to me and I will gladly take them for a ride!! (And, fyi, if Josh could have chosen, it would have been that yellow!)

So...........it all started Friday morning when Mike M. picked Jeffrey up at our house and handed me the keys to Michelle's convertible Mustang and said "I just gassed it up. Take it for the weekend and have fun." (They were headed to the lake for the weekend.) I just "couldn't" really do that, could I? I didn't want to impose.........so I just went and bought my own!! **huge grin**

I could tell you all the ways we rationalized this purchase and how it's smarter than the Trail Blazer, yada yada yada. (Call my friend Tonya and she can laugh her way through all those deets!) But, seriously, I just wanted one and have for a very, very long time. (Way back a few years to high school. LOL)

The funniest part is that I'm the hottest-natured person to ever live. If you are freezing cold, I'm probably just right. If you are comfortably warm, I'm melting with heat exhaustion. It's July here in Oklahoma and it's H*O*T outside - but I'll be snookered if I have put that top up once since Saturday! Maybe if the kids need it up........................*wink*

I haven't really told many people about it but my SIL just called me and busted me. My BIL had seen me a little while ago coming home from Josh's soccer practice! I asked how I looked and he said, "Like a 21-year-old." Mike S., have I ever told you you're my favorite????

Gotta jet,

Beverly

Picture of the Day

Hmmmm........what could this be?????

The Great Church Search and a Sneek Peek

Another Sunday, another visit to a local church. And, today it finally happened. (I know you're thinking we may have heard from the Lord and found a place to put down roots...but, ummmm, no that's really not it.) We sang out of a hymnal. Insert long, dramatic pause here. It's been at least 15 years for me and NEVER for our little kids. I wish I could remember which hymn it was.

Now don't get me wrong. I love hymns. Strike that. I wish I loved hymns. (Like I wish I loved vegetables and exercise.) Really, I don't even like hymns very much. I really like the message and that someone wrote them 28 bazillion years ago in response to their love of our Heavenly Father. But, besides that, I almost couldn't open the hymnal after the worship pastor called out the page number - I was too busy trying not to hyperventilate and run screaming from the auditorium.

To quote Roman: "Well, I bet we can put that church in the "no" column." Out of the mouths of babes, right?

BUT, of course, God was so gracious to me and had something to say specifically to my heart. The word of the day for me was 'surrender.' I have been so very focused on being obedient - which takes a L*O*T of work that I sometimes miss the joy of surrendering myself to the wonderful plans He has for me. Redeemer, Savior, Friend.

They showed a video about worship which was amazing. We talk about worship: how and when and where we do it, the right way, the wrong way, blah blah blah. But, what did Jesus say about worship? Not much. He lived it. Everyday. I'm gonna work on that.

It's late now. We've had a busy weekend. Josh has football practice in the morning and Roman starts a tennis camp. So I need to go to bed. I'll leave you with a teaser about the big THING in my life right now. And, since I CANNOT put pictures where I want them in a blog post, I'll put it in separate post. Aaarrrrrgggghh.

TTFN,

Beverly

Cutie Patooties!

Now all you child modeling agents just hold on - we're not interested in any big money contracts! They just want to have a normal childhool...

LOL! These are just 2 of my favorite photos of Josh and Roman taken by Marla the Marvelous. (That would be Marla Wingfield, my sweet friend and photographer.) We spent an hour in Bricktown in some deserted alleys and it was so worth it. Marla has been taking their pictures for many years now and she always does a brilliant job.

So, just picture these in black and white on 16x20 canvasses on my entryway wall. mmmmmmmmmm hmmmmmmmmmmm. Can't wait!

Thanks Marla!!

We've been so busy the last few days. And, my children really try to hog the computer ALL the time. They have to earn their 'puter time by working with their soccer ball, reading, chores etc. etc. etc. but they seem to do all those things willingly!! I think I need a laptop but after my big purchase today, that will have to wait.

So, what's my big purchase???? I'm going to save that for tomorrow so I can take a picture of it to post. I'll just say: Practical Beverly out, Lost Her Mind Beverly in.

B-dog

Stamp Day.........or How I Keep My Sanity

I **HEART** rubber stamping. It makes me feel like the most creative and artistic person ever to walk this earth. Move over Picasso. And, once a month I spend all day stamping with my peeps in my stamp club.

These girls rock! About a year and a half ago, I got a call from Sandy, who I only kinda knew through another friend of mine. She told me about a group of women who had been stamping together for FOREVAH. There were six of them and they rotated houses each month and stamped and ate lunch together. They hauled every stamp, ink pad, and embellishment they possessed in suit cases and shared it all with each other. One of the ladies was going back to work (GASP!!) and they invited me to join their group.

Completely out of character for me because I'm not a jump-out-there-and-meet-new-people-on-my-own kind of girl, I said yes and it has been one of the most enjoyable things I have ever done. These women took me in and I feel like we've been friends our whole lives. And, when we get together, the glitter and ribbon and cardstock just fly all around us. It's fabulous!

These cards are made with all Stampin Up! supplies. Oh that Stampin Up!.............love, love, love all their stuff cuz it all matches. And I want everything to match: the ink, the cardstock, the ribbon - all of it.

Here's my crazy confession of the day: Patterned paper is my passion. I buy it, lots of it, and then I hoard it. I get it out and look at it but never, ever use it on a card or scrapbook page. Yep - it makes me a little happy!

And, before I go, just a little WORD ABOUT THE BIRD. It's now been three nights of no sleep after 2 a.m. Last night, Richard did go out and shake the tree (thank you Linda and Bro. Curtis!) and they/it did fly away. For a few minutes. And then they/it came back loud and proud. It's raining here tonight so I'm hoping they have to cut their little vacay short and go back where they came from!

Here's to sleeping on Josh's top bunk,

Beverly

For the Birds

OK. Remember the baby birds in the nest on my back porch? Remember how I loved them, watched over them and encouraged them as they started to grow? Remember how sad I was when they flew away and then how happy I was when I knew they came home each night to sleep in their own bed? Remember how I was so willing to clean up their "mess" that fell under the nest onto my porch?

Well...........that's all out the window!! I have a new bird "situation."

I love the sound of birds chirping. I like when there are several birds together and they seem to be talking to one another and playing. It's so enjoyable and just soothing to my soul.

BUT NOT AT 2 O'CLOCK IN THE MORNING!!!

Aaaaaccckk! We have been awakened the last two nights (morning) by birds having a huge party right outside our bedroom window. The first night it was at least 2 1/2 hours of birds gone wild! Last night we turned on our box fan and agreed that if it happened again, the first one to hear it would turn the fan on high. My sweet hubby heard it first (or maybe I was pretending to sleep so he would get up *insert evil laugh here*) and turned the fan up. Crazily enough, I could still hear the birds!!!

I have no idea what to do! Don't birds sleep? Is this some species of nocturnal bird that I've never been exposed to?

And, when did I forget that I really don't like birds because I'm scared they are going to dive-bomb me like they did the lady in the movie, The Birds?

So many questions, so much sleep deprivation!

Later,

Bleary-eyed Beverly

What a Day!

OK. This post is all out o' whack! Still can't figure out how to get pictures EXACTLY where I want them and in the order that I want them. But, hey, I can just roll with it. My friend, Linda, had a little 4th Of July fun over at her blog, Gotta Grow With It, and encouraged everyone to post a memory, food, craft, tradition, etc, about Independence Day. She is such a part of my favorite recent memories of this holiday that I just had to play - even a week late. These scrapbook pages are from 2004. When we built our house (that we moved out of last July *sad face*) we figured out that sitting in our backyard was the best seat for our town's huge fireworks show. We had a few friends over to watch in 2002 and, after we put in a pool, that blossomed into a few more friends that soon became an annual event. It was some serious fun with lots of crazy kids running around with punks and sparklers. (I would like to note at this time that we never had to make a trip to the ER.) Our neighbor a few houses down came over with a water balloon launcher. He had one at his house and we used the other to have a little "war." And, then we turned them on the unsuspecting (and un-participating!) other neighbors. Fabulous! I hope the new owners of that house enjoyed this weekend the way that yard was meant to be enjoyed!
So, here's a big ((hug)) to all my friends who celebrated July 4th at Falls Creek, in Oregon and all over this big ol' world. I thought of you all! Now for my big TA DAH of the day:

MMMMMMMM!! Muffins. Homemade blueberry muffins. Homemade by me - not Betty or Duncan!

Confession time: I have never, ever, ever, ever made muffins from scratch. I'm not sure I've ever had a real blueberry until a few weeks ago. Not so very impressed with blueberries. I want to be. I want to eat them by the handfuls knowing that they are full of lots of good-for-you things. But these muffins were to die for! That's actually what they are called - "To Die For Blueberry Muffins." You can find the recipe at allrecipes.com if you want to give them a try.

This whole cooking-without-emptying-it-out-of-a-box started at the beginning of the summer when I decided Josh and Roman would cook something every week. I was thinking they would cook a meal that we usually eat but they lugged out a Rachael Ray cookbook for kids. Roman fixed Quesadilla Pizzas and Josh cooked Thai Rice Bowls. Wowzers! Roman's next dish was a dessert cup with lots of fresh fruit and Josh is making a cheesecake (his fave) this week. Roman's dessert is why we had fresh blueberries in the fridge. Hence...the muffins. I felt quite "domestic" as I started my day this morning! HA!


Today was a toughie for me. Visiting/searching/hopping churches is starting to wear me slick. I knew the minute my feet hit the floor this morning that it was going to be a struggle. I was sad and wishing we were heading to EHC, to the 4th row on the west side of the auditorium to sit next to the Eastwoods and behind the Cleghorns.

Then, reality set in. Blech.

But, we had already decided to re-visit Journey Church because when we were there before, they had a guest speaker so we wanted to hear their Pastor. (Wouldn't you know the Pastor was gone on vacay today???!!) God was incredibly gracious and present for me in that service today. Among many things, He reminded me to let him do his work and that my job is to just love his people. Irrational love is what the speaker called it. Unconventional, uncommon and uncomfortable love. AND, as much as I'm in a hurry to get settled in a new church home - well, He is still working that out. He is God, I am not. Can I get an "AMEN SISTAH" on that?

Trying to be still,

Beverly

AKA Sistah Hurry Up

So much to say, no time to say it...

Hope you all have a fabulous 4th of July! Celebrate with the sweet abandon of people blessed to live in such an amazing country where so many have given their lives so we can live ours. Thank you, Jesus, and thank you to every single soldier who has ever served our country in one of our military branches!

I have SOOOOOO much to blog about but can't seem to sit at the computer long enough to get it from my head to the screen.

Today, Josh comes home from camp!!! WOO HOO!!! I am one happy mama. The big boys will be home and we'll BBQ with some of our family and then we are heading over to our friends' house to watch the Moore fireworks show. It's always a good one!

So, I'll catch up in the next few days all the blah, blah of the Wright household!

Later Gator,

Freedom-loving Beverly

Old Friends...Not that We're Old!!

Maybe I should have titled this "Lifelong Friends" because, seriously, I don't know how I could have had a 22-year-old friendship when I still feel like I'm 18!!

My bestest friend from college was in town from Tennessee for the day yesterday and we tried to spend every minute of it together. Let me just say, we shut down Starbuck's last night! Even after the baristas had turned off the lights, locked the door and gone to their cars - we sat on the patio and chatted and laughed until our 40-year-old bodies reminded us that we NOW require sleep at a certain hour!

These photos are of Mindi and me. The one on the right is circa 1987. (I don't really know what circa means but I've seen it before. Maybe it means "many moons ago.") The one on the left is from last fall. She looks like I'm squeezing her guts out but I chose this one cuz it was the better picture of me!!

(Sorry about the weirdness of the photos and placement. I cannot, for the life of me figure out how to put pictures where I want them. BUT, and this is huge, I scanned the one from 1987 and got it on here all by myself!!! Prolly couldn't do it again, but YAY for me!!)

We met, as freshmen, at Northern Oklahoma College in Tonkawa in 1986. It was the start of a truly wonderful and unique friendship that has lasted all this time. I could fill volumes about this chick but no one but us would want to read that, I'm sure!! *rolls eyes*

So, let me just say that no one has influenced my life more than she has. She is a "what you see is really what you get" type of girl. She loves Jesus and is transparent in her ability to love others without judgment or condemnation no matter what their life choices may be. We are terrible at keeping in touch with each other but always pick right up where we left off and love each other like we hadn't missed a beat. Our friendship is like a great pair of Nike Shocks - no matter how old (again, we're not old!) they get, you keep going back to them even when you have brand new New Balance 718's on your shoe rack.

Ecclesiastes 4:9-10a says "Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their labor. For if they fall, one will lift up his companion."

I **heart** you, Min!

Beverly