Saturday, October 31, 2009
"The" Cake.
Anymore, the only time that I usually get to write on my blog is right before jumping into bed. And more times than not, I find myself rushing through them so I get that extra ten minutes of sleep each night. And my post that included Rylie's birthday party pictures was no exception. However, I did want to go back and point out that my mother-in-law was the one who made the birthday cake. Ruby has turned making her grandchildren's birthday cakes into a tradition. And I'm very thankful for her and for her talent!
Happy Halloween!
Today was such an awesome day!
For starters, this was the first weekend, in a very long time, that we didn't have to travel, I didn't have to work, or we didn't have any set plans. Little Miss Rylie let us sleep in until 8:45am. And all day was spent hanging out at our house. This evening, we ventured out to our church's Fall Festival and dressed Rylie up as a flower. Thanks, ma-maw, for the adorable costume! Now, we're back home. And not only was the weather perfect all day long, but the house is clean, laundry is done, and Rylie is about to go to sleep (well, maybe...I hear her in the living room playing with daddy. he's supposed to be rocking her to sleep. and now, she has found me and is looking pretty wide-eyed). Nevertheless, I rented a movie for us to watch tonight and we're going to enjoy watching it on our new reclining furniture!!
But before that happens...I wanted to post some pictures:
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
Debut Party
Now that things are finally starting to settle down in our lives and we are back to our comfortable state of life that Brian and I recognize as stability...it's time to get started with my Mary Kay business. And YES, that means that I actually signed up and am now, officially, a Mary Kay Independent Beauty Consultant.
Woohoo!!
I have my own business cards. My own website. My own products...sitting in my very own "Mary Kay Boutique" located in one of my newly organized hallway closets. And one new team member that is joining me this afternoon...thanks Brandi!
And now that I signed up...it's time for me to host my debut party! Which just so happens to be this Friday! The 30th. From 6:30-7:30pm. At my house. Come. Join me.
In all seriousness, feel welcome to join me! If you are located in a place that would allow you to realistically come over for about an hour, give me a call or leave me a message and I can give you more details. Like...my address, that I would NEVER-IN-A-MILLION-YEARS display on my blog. :)
I'm really looking forward to Friday! I love to have people over and to host parties. But unfortunately, I don't get the opportunity to do so very often. So, I'm taking full advantage of this. My house is clean. Dust-free. Smelly-good. My carpets are vacuumed and my fall and Halloween decorations are out! I'm ready. But now, I just need people. Like you. To show up! It's a "Girls Behaving Pinkly" party. I'm giving away a few door prizes so if you show up wearing pink, you get a ticket. If you bring a friend, you get a ticket. And there will be a few different ways to earn more tickets throughout the party. There will be no facials this time around. Basically, just girls having fun. Enjoying refreshments. Talking amongst each other. And getting the opportunity to purchase products that will be on display. But even if you can't join the fun...you can still help me out by going to my own website and ordering your products from there. My website is: www.marykay.com/chasityn. I will receive an email once an order is placed online. Then I will finalize the order and ship the products out to you. That simple!
Well, in about a week, I hope to report that I had a very fun and successful debut party! I'm sure you will hear a lot about Mary Kay in my future posts. Are you ready? I am! :)
Woohoo!!
I have my own business cards. My own website. My own products...sitting in my very own "Mary Kay Boutique" located in one of my newly organized hallway closets. And one new team member that is joining me this afternoon...thanks Brandi!
And now that I signed up...it's time for me to host my debut party! Which just so happens to be this Friday! The 30th. From 6:30-7:30pm. At my house. Come. Join me.
In all seriousness, feel welcome to join me! If you are located in a place that would allow you to realistically come over for about an hour, give me a call or leave me a message and I can give you more details. Like...my address, that I would NEVER-IN-A-MILLION-YEARS display on my blog. :)
I'm really looking forward to Friday! I love to have people over and to host parties. But unfortunately, I don't get the opportunity to do so very often. So, I'm taking full advantage of this. My house is clean. Dust-free. Smelly-good. My carpets are vacuumed and my fall and Halloween decorations are out! I'm ready. But now, I just need people. Like you. To show up! It's a "Girls Behaving Pinkly" party. I'm giving away a few door prizes so if you show up wearing pink, you get a ticket. If you bring a friend, you get a ticket. And there will be a few different ways to earn more tickets throughout the party. There will be no facials this time around. Basically, just girls having fun. Enjoying refreshments. Talking amongst each other. And getting the opportunity to purchase products that will be on display. But even if you can't join the fun...you can still help me out by going to my own website and ordering your products from there. My website is: www.marykay.com/chasityn. I will receive an email once an order is placed online. Then I will finalize the order and ship the products out to you. That simple!
Well, in about a week, I hope to report that I had a very fun and successful debut party! I'm sure you will hear a lot about Mary Kay in my future posts. Are you ready? I am! :)
Monday, October 12, 2009
Unexpected...probably.
So, I know that I promised to reveal our "news" last week. But last week was...rough!
But now...I'm ready.
In an earlier post, I made a comment about a "hopeful thought" that wouldn't go away. And that hopeful thought was the possibility of moving our family back to Kansas. We moved to Oklahoma five years ago when Brian was transferred with his job. But always talked about moving back "home" eventually. And five months ago, that opportunity came our way. So without hesitation, Brian applied for a job within his company that was located in Kansas. And we waited. And waited. And waited some more. The job got put on hold for an entire month so we...waited. Finally, after what seemed like forever, Brian got called in for an interview. Sept. 16th came and went. And it was eight days later that we found out that he got the job! And within one week, we were in contract to sell our home in Oklahoma, buy a new home in Kansas, close on both of them at the end of October, and move our family back to Kansas.
But this is when it gets...rough. Brian and I prayed for this to happen. And everything fell right into place and after the waiting part, it fell rather quickly. But what we thought would be such an awesome change in our lives turned out to be a stressful and emotional time that took us on the most unpredictable roller coaster ever. We didn't realize that this opportunity would create such a difficult decision for us to make. We thought it would be more plain and simple. Cut and dry. Obvious. Easy-going. But boy, were we ever wrong!
Brian and I struggled with this decision immensely. We were extremely indecisive and time was not on our side. We probably changed our minds a total of four different times before finally feeling comfortable with our decision. We sat in my car one morning, for a total of two hours, and cried. And talked. And decided. And changed our minds. Go. Stay. Go. Stay. Basically, we sat in my car and stressed. And that same night, we contemplated and swayed back and forth for another five hours. We continued to pray that if moving our family was God's will for us, then it would all fall into place. But even though all the pieces were coming together like a puzzle (a very easy puzzle, for that matter)...something just didn't feel right about moving. We had this huge gut feeling and that feeling was not going away! We did not feel at peace with our decision to move.
And because neither Brian nor I could make a final decision, we decided to take another approach. In the end, we considered our goals and created a "three-year plan" for our family. And then, we placed our family in the best possible location to help us reach those goals and help us live out that plan. Unfotunately, we had to make a selfish decision. And that decision was to...stay. Stay right where we are. Turn down the job that we waited five years for. Cancel our contract in Kansas. Cancel our contract in Oklahoma. And deliver the "bad news" to our family...which happened to be the worst part of it all. We knew that they were excited and thrilled and that learning that we were not moving, after all, would break their hearts. But we also knew that they loved us no matter what and would support our decision 100%. As a parent myself, I can now truly understand the ultimate wish that all parents have. And that wish is for their children to be happy! We feel more at peace with our decision to stay than we did with our decision to move. I can not explain it. But I do know that we are happy!
Even though this was probably the most difficult decision that Brian and I have had to make as a couple...there is a lot of good that came from it. I feel that it brought Brian and I even closer together. The communication that we had was great! We considered each other's feelings, wants, dreams, hopes and suggestions. When I was struggling with our decision, he would help calm my fears; and when he was struggling, I would help calm his fears! We were supportive of one another and learned that we have "each other's back!" It made us realize that we have to do what is best for our family. It made us appreciate the jobs we have in Oklahoma. We are more grateful for our home. More grateful for our location and the convenience of it. More grateful for our church. Friends. The flexibility we have in our lives. It made us realize how much we truly enjoy living in OK.
GO SOONERS!!!
(sorry Brian, I had to)
And finally, in the end...it taught me to trust my gut instinct and trust that God can work in mysterious ways. One day, it will be revealed to us and we will completely understand why we decided to stay.
Also...if we would have just gone with the city that we drew from the hat in the beginning, we wouldn't have had to struggle as much as we did!
So there you have it. If the fast traveling news reached you and you were under the impression that we were moving back to Kansas...that has changed.
We will be proud "Okies" for at least another few years!
But now...I'm ready.
In an earlier post, I made a comment about a "hopeful thought" that wouldn't go away. And that hopeful thought was the possibility of moving our family back to Kansas. We moved to Oklahoma five years ago when Brian was transferred with his job. But always talked about moving back "home" eventually. And five months ago, that opportunity came our way. So without hesitation, Brian applied for a job within his company that was located in Kansas. And we waited. And waited. And waited some more. The job got put on hold for an entire month so we...waited. Finally, after what seemed like forever, Brian got called in for an interview. Sept. 16th came and went. And it was eight days later that we found out that he got the job! And within one week, we were in contract to sell our home in Oklahoma, buy a new home in Kansas, close on both of them at the end of October, and move our family back to Kansas.
But this is when it gets...rough. Brian and I prayed for this to happen. And everything fell right into place and after the waiting part, it fell rather quickly. But what we thought would be such an awesome change in our lives turned out to be a stressful and emotional time that took us on the most unpredictable roller coaster ever. We didn't realize that this opportunity would create such a difficult decision for us to make. We thought it would be more plain and simple. Cut and dry. Obvious. Easy-going. But boy, were we ever wrong!
Brian and I struggled with this decision immensely. We were extremely indecisive and time was not on our side. We probably changed our minds a total of four different times before finally feeling comfortable with our decision. We sat in my car one morning, for a total of two hours, and cried. And talked. And decided. And changed our minds. Go. Stay. Go. Stay. Basically, we sat in my car and stressed. And that same night, we contemplated and swayed back and forth for another five hours. We continued to pray that if moving our family was God's will for us, then it would all fall into place. But even though all the pieces were coming together like a puzzle (a very easy puzzle, for that matter)...something just didn't feel right about moving. We had this huge gut feeling and that feeling was not going away! We did not feel at peace with our decision to move.
And because neither Brian nor I could make a final decision, we decided to take another approach. In the end, we considered our goals and created a "three-year plan" for our family. And then, we placed our family in the best possible location to help us reach those goals and help us live out that plan. Unfotunately, we had to make a selfish decision. And that decision was to...stay. Stay right where we are. Turn down the job that we waited five years for. Cancel our contract in Kansas. Cancel our contract in Oklahoma. And deliver the "bad news" to our family...which happened to be the worst part of it all. We knew that they were excited and thrilled and that learning that we were not moving, after all, would break their hearts. But we also knew that they loved us no matter what and would support our decision 100%. As a parent myself, I can now truly understand the ultimate wish that all parents have. And that wish is for their children to be happy! We feel more at peace with our decision to stay than we did with our decision to move. I can not explain it. But I do know that we are happy!
Even though this was probably the most difficult decision that Brian and I have had to make as a couple...there is a lot of good that came from it. I feel that it brought Brian and I even closer together. The communication that we had was great! We considered each other's feelings, wants, dreams, hopes and suggestions. When I was struggling with our decision, he would help calm my fears; and when he was struggling, I would help calm his fears! We were supportive of one another and learned that we have "each other's back!" It made us realize that we have to do what is best for our family. It made us appreciate the jobs we have in Oklahoma. We are more grateful for our home. More grateful for our location and the convenience of it. More grateful for our church. Friends. The flexibility we have in our lives. It made us realize how much we truly enjoy living in OK.
GO SOONERS!!!
(sorry Brian, I had to)
And finally, in the end...it taught me to trust my gut instinct and trust that God can work in mysterious ways. One day, it will be revealed to us and we will completely understand why we decided to stay.
Also...if we would have just gone with the city that we drew from the hat in the beginning, we wouldn't have had to struggle as much as we did!
So there you have it. If the fast traveling news reached you and you were under the impression that we were moving back to Kansas...that has changed.
We will be proud "Okies" for at least another few years!
Thursday, October 8, 2009
12 Months.
Dear Rylie,
On October 8th, you turned one year old! And that evening...we celebrated.
You had a chocolate covered cupcake.
And quickly became a pro at unwrapping presents, throwing the gift over your right shoulder, and moving onto the next. It was such a joy to watch you celebrate.
Little Missy,
This past year has been amazing. The amount of love I have for you is simply beyond measure. It's unconditional, real and powerful! You bring joy and excitment to every single day. For more than one reason, the best part of my day is picking you up from your babysitter's house. As soon as I walk in, I find you contently playing in the middle of a group of kids. But as soon as our eyes meet, you proudly start to look around at the other kids as if you are saying, "That's my mommy and she's here to pick me up!" You let out a loud squeal and immediately start to make your way over to climb up my leg. And then you sit high on my hip and waive bye-bye to your friends. It makes me feel so special and I'm so very proud to be your mommy!
You constantly call out to ma-ma and da-da and have recently started to babble long sentences. And the way you fluctuate your tone of voice throughout those sentences makes for adorable, yet messy, stories. You still aren't walking, but you are getting pretty close. You love to cruise from one thing to the next and have stood unaided a few different times. But you have such a hard time moving those little feet of yours. That's okay though...you will walk when you are ready.
Now that you are one year old, it's time for us to start breaking some habits. And so far, the attempts that mommy and daddy have made have not been very fun. You still heavily prefer your bottle over your sippy cup and that binkus might be around for a little while longer. But there is a new favorite in your life and that is your "blankey!" You love to snuggle up with it and it always looks so comforting.
You are wearing size 3 diapers and you have finally outgrown your 3-6 month clothing. And now that the season has changed and it's starting to get cold outside, I have started this weird obsession to you wearing shoes. But none of them look very comfy. So I usually just cover your feet with socks. I see all these little girls in dressy pink outfits with tights, coordinating shoes, ruffle socks, earrings, and bigs bows. And they look adorable. But that's just not YOU. I typically have you wearing a onesie with red, purple, pink or brown sweat pants! But honestly, I don't think you mind at all! You can not stand anything on your head. Bows...forget it! Hats...nope! Hoods...oh no!
You went to the doctor a few weeks ago and weighed 17.8 pounds. Unfortunately, we visited the doctor because you had your first ear infection. We hated to see you sick but thank God every day that you have been such a healthy baby!
Mommy and daddy can not believe that it has already been one year since the day you were born. It seems like yesterday when we brought you home from the hospital and didn't have a clue on what to do next. I remember it vividly. Daddy made a quick trip to Wal-Mart and I sat there, in awe of you, and wondered..."now what?!" Today...doing things with you, for you, and because of you is our way of living. And it's wonderful!!
Happy Birthday, baby girl!
Love,
Mommy
On October 8th, you turned one year old! And that evening...we celebrated.
You had a chocolate covered cupcake.
And quickly became a pro at unwrapping presents, throwing the gift over your right shoulder, and moving onto the next. It was such a joy to watch you celebrate.Little Missy,
This past year has been amazing. The amount of love I have for you is simply beyond measure. It's unconditional, real and powerful! You bring joy and excitment to every single day. For more than one reason, the best part of my day is picking you up from your babysitter's house. As soon as I walk in, I find you contently playing in the middle of a group of kids. But as soon as our eyes meet, you proudly start to look around at the other kids as if you are saying, "That's my mommy and she's here to pick me up!" You let out a loud squeal and immediately start to make your way over to climb up my leg. And then you sit high on my hip and waive bye-bye to your friends. It makes me feel so special and I'm so very proud to be your mommy!
You constantly call out to ma-ma and da-da and have recently started to babble long sentences. And the way you fluctuate your tone of voice throughout those sentences makes for adorable, yet messy, stories. You still aren't walking, but you are getting pretty close. You love to cruise from one thing to the next and have stood unaided a few different times. But you have such a hard time moving those little feet of yours. That's okay though...you will walk when you are ready.
Now that you are one year old, it's time for us to start breaking some habits. And so far, the attempts that mommy and daddy have made have not been very fun. You still heavily prefer your bottle over your sippy cup and that binkus might be around for a little while longer. But there is a new favorite in your life and that is your "blankey!" You love to snuggle up with it and it always looks so comforting.
You are wearing size 3 diapers and you have finally outgrown your 3-6 month clothing. And now that the season has changed and it's starting to get cold outside, I have started this weird obsession to you wearing shoes. But none of them look very comfy. So I usually just cover your feet with socks. I see all these little girls in dressy pink outfits with tights, coordinating shoes, ruffle socks, earrings, and bigs bows. And they look adorable. But that's just not YOU. I typically have you wearing a onesie with red, purple, pink or brown sweat pants! But honestly, I don't think you mind at all! You can not stand anything on your head. Bows...forget it! Hats...nope! Hoods...oh no!
You went to the doctor a few weeks ago and weighed 17.8 pounds. Unfortunately, we visited the doctor because you had your first ear infection. We hated to see you sick but thank God every day that you have been such a healthy baby!
Mommy and daddy can not believe that it has already been one year since the day you were born. It seems like yesterday when we brought you home from the hospital and didn't have a clue on what to do next. I remember it vividly. Daddy made a quick trip to Wal-Mart and I sat there, in awe of you, and wondered..."now what?!" Today...doing things with you, for you, and because of you is our way of living. And it's wonderful!!
Happy Birthday, baby girl!
Love,
Mommy
Sunday, October 4, 2009
The News...almost.
Wow...it's been a while since my last post! It's about time for an update, huh?!
These past few months have been CRAZY. It's been nothing short of the most unpredictable roller coaster ever imagined. My emotions have gone from high to low. Happy to sad. Excited to nervous. Relieved to worried.
For the past four months, we have been...waiting! Waiting to hear the news. Any news. And finally, it came. And we heard. And it's a great thing, really! But the decision that it required us to make proved to be much more difficult than anticipated. And I'm building this up only to end with saying...we're not quite in a position to tell everyone "the news" yet. I know, that was bad. I'm sorry! But if you don't already know, you should hear by the middle of this week. I promise! Now don't go assuming the worst...or the best, for that matter. Don't start moving us to Africa. Or thinking that I'm pregnant again. What I will eventually tell you later this week will probably not even live up to your assumptions. But it definitely takes our life in a completely different direction.
And to end with something solid and factual. My daughter got her first taste of dog food tonight.
Oh...and she turns one year old this Thursday. This Thursday!
These past few months have been CRAZY. It's been nothing short of the most unpredictable roller coaster ever imagined. My emotions have gone from high to low. Happy to sad. Excited to nervous. Relieved to worried.
For the past four months, we have been...waiting! Waiting to hear the news. Any news. And finally, it came. And we heard. And it's a great thing, really! But the decision that it required us to make proved to be much more difficult than anticipated. And I'm building this up only to end with saying...we're not quite in a position to tell everyone "the news" yet. I know, that was bad. I'm sorry! But if you don't already know, you should hear by the middle of this week. I promise! Now don't go assuming the worst...or the best, for that matter. Don't start moving us to Africa. Or thinking that I'm pregnant again. What I will eventually tell you later this week will probably not even live up to your assumptions. But it definitely takes our life in a completely different direction.
And to end with something solid and factual. My daughter got her first taste of dog food tonight.
Oh...and she turns one year old this Thursday. This Thursday!
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