18 years ago in Oklahoma City

We hold our collective breath today while Boston continues searching for the 2nd terrorist in the city’s attack.  We also pause to remember another terrorist attack on our country.

I was a freshman at the University of Oklahoma in Norman, just 20 miles or so from downtown Oklahoma City.  I vividly remember coming back from my early Calc II class.  I stepped off the elevator and through the glass door into the hallway.  I had to go past the tv lounge on Walker 11E to get to my room.

Something was different – off –  that day.  Everyone was in the lounge, crowded around the television.  Mouths agape.  Faces tear-streaked.  I stopped and found out within seconds what had happened.  A few of my friends and I went to the sight of the blast a day or so later.

The images of that day may have faded in my mind, but the emotions, the sounds and the smells that encapsulated the entire area…these are things I can’t forget.  These are the things that I will remember for the rest of my life.

I have not been to the memorial site, even though I continued to live in and around Oklahoma City through 2006.  Maybe when the girls are a little older, we’ll go.  But for now, I’ll just sit right here to remember.

And to pray for Boston.

 

spring has sprung!

I adore springtime in Kansas. The land comes alive with blooms and blossoms. The grass starts to turn green again. And the kids get outside and play!

We started this beautiful weekend with a chilly soccer game. I don’t know how it is in other parts of the country, but here, the wind at the soccer field always blows 20 mph harder than anywhere else in town! And in March, it’s also about 15 degrees colder.

Just looking at those poor girls makes me cold all over again!

Yesterday, we celebrated Easter Sunday with my parents, brother, sister-in-law, and nephew out on the farm in north Lyon County. It was a gorgeous day, and my 8yo nephew had convinces his daddy that he needed to go fishing…something that has become an Easter tradition. So after dinner, Grandpa and Uncle Darin took the three kids and their fishing poles down to the pond on the property. The water is still low, and it was a little cool, but they had a fantastic time!

Alexia finally caught her first fish. She’s been down to the pond many a time, but has always come back empty handed.

Yesterday, she caught four.

{de-clutter 365} breakdown

I have been horrible about keeping up with my de-cluttering! That derailment in the craft room really set me back, and I’ve had a hard time getting back in the swing of things. The closet is still empty and everything is still still scattered in the room. The girls somehow manage to wiggle over to futon to watch tv, but there is exactly zero visible floor in there. Yes, I do realize that was nearly 2 months ago! We of the disorganized nature are easily distracted and discouraged when a project like this goes awry. Tomorrow, I’m planning to head in there and shove it all right back in the closet. That is too big a mess for me right now.

We have made a couple of strides forward. I mean, it’s not like I’ve been sitting around the house twidding my thumbs! My 7yo and I made way through her room, with the exception of the closet. And I did the same for mine. The 9yo is next on the list…eventually.

So here’s where a little shout out goes to my new hero of sorts. Last week, Noni, over at {A Slob Comes Clean} shared the drama that is her master bedroom saga. I started following Nony’s blog when I was looking for cleaning instructions for kids. But after this whole confessional (you really have to watch her videos), I truly respect the woman. Can you show me another de-cluttering blogger will show you more than once that her house has gone to crap…again? She’s real, y’all. I like real.

Picked up her ebooks tonight.

Looks like I’ll be doing dishes tomorrow. Lots and lots of dishes.

{de-clutter 365} stuck in a rut

I had high hopes of finishing the project I started over a week ago. Alas, it didn’t happen.  In fact, I didn’t even step into the room I had been working in to continue.

A week ago Saturday, I pulled everything – and I do mean EVERYTHING – out of the closet in our craftroom/playroom.  As you can see, that sucker was stuffed to the gills.  The door shut, but you had to be really careful when opening it again.

 

It’s so bad I couldn’t even get a picture from another angle.  Probably the worst place in the house that is under my control.  That is to say – my daughter’s bedrooms don’t count!  Frankly, I’m horrified to think about what I’m going to find when I make it to my youngest’s room.

But we’re not there yet because I am stuck.  I made the mistake of pulling everything out at once, and now I’m overwhelmed with the chaos of it.  I managed to sort through exactly one of the boxes.  And I can’t make myself do anymore.

Maybe I’m stuck because I don’t know how I’m going to organize what I do keep.

Maybe it’s because I have a case of the “I-don’t-wannas.”

Maybe I’m panicking over this and the next semester of school starting and changing our routine to fit my new class schedule and finding a babysitter for the night my class goes past bedtime and finding a guitar instructor for my oldest…

and…

and…

And the list goes on.

Or I could just be in the midst my normal mid-winter funk and it will blow over once there are more hours of sunshine.

In any case, I’ll get through this eventually.  And I promise to give y’all an update when I do.

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