Think. Shop. Buy. LOCAL movement has been gaining momentum across the country. It is in full force here at the Courter house; our eggs and a lot of our produce come from Achille, OK, our coffee from Hotshots, and we love shopping at Craigheads in Caddo and the shops on Main here in Durant.
BUT, I challenge you blog friends to take the Think. Shop. Buy. Local idea and apply it to the sports loving side of your brain! Here in Durant you are lucky to have both a college and several schools who would LOVE to see you support their sports programs. On any given Friday night, you could watch the pigskin be thrown around under the lights in Caddo (whose Bruins won a STATE TITLE last year), or at Paul Laird Field where the Durant Lions play. I can guarantee that those programs would appreciate your support!
A lot of people in Durant don't seem to be connected to Southeastern Oklahoma State University. GET CONNECTED!! Take advantage of a fantastic opportunity to spend time with your family, entertain your kids for literally pennies and get engaged in your community. Got kids? You know how expensive it is to go out and MAKE MEMORIES as a family these days. Good grief, you need a 2nd mortgage for a weekend in Dallas if you take in 2 sporting events and pay for meals out and a hotel room.
I'm about to blow your mind......if you have, let's say a family of four, and buy local when it comes to sports by purchasing the SE All Seasons Family Pass ($125), you and your children can attend EVERY HOME GAME for ALL SPORTS for $0.07 per person/per game. Seriously. 7 CENTS. Your kids can literally pay their own way to our Home Opener this Saturday by digging through your car for spare change. One of your kids could get the whole family in by finding some change in the Wal-Mart parking lot!. Go here for more info.
What's that you say? You are a die hard OU fan? Okay, I'm an alumni, I get you. The first 2 SE home games are OU bye weeks....no conflict there. The 3rd SE home game is against Southwestern (3pm kickoff) and is generally a pretty big game so fan support is essential, paired with OU vs. Kansas. Yeah, go ahead and DVR that one. The final SE home game is versus Harding (2 pm kickoff) and should be a great game. OU plays in Ames, IA...again, you pay for the DVR, let's use it. And finally, the last regular season SE game is at ECU and kicks off at 2 pm. OU plays Baylor at home. This is a big game for SE. Every. Year! We NEED you! Heck, ride with Ella & I!
So, I think your pickin up what I'm throwin down by now right? Here's what you get when you Buy Local.
1) you help strengthen your community
2) you get priceless memories with your kids for 7 CENTS per person/per game (ridiculous cheap)
3) you might meet new friends at a tailgate
4) my undying appreciation.
5) unheard of value for your sporting dollar
So please, this year consider Buying Local for your sports entertainment!! If you don't live near Durant, check out the options in your area, I know your local D2 or D3 school would love to see you there!! For more info, check out the "Tickets" link under the "Athletic Dept." tab on gosoutheastern.com or just click here
GO SOUTHEASTERN!!!!!
Monday, September 10, 2012
Sunday, September 2, 2012
Time flies when you're having fun!
I have been so bad with this blog.....SO BAD! I just can't seem to get motivated to write and when I do have the motivation, Ella is awake, and that's just not going to happen. What can I say, we've been busy making memories. Here is my best attempt at catching up!
The summer of 2012 was a busy one with lots of time spent on the road, but it was so great to see so many of our friends and family! Here are some pictures from a great summer!!!!
Ella had a lot of "Firsts" this summer....
1st trip to a petting zoo! We met up with some of my cousins and their kids and took Ella to the Deanna Rose Children's Farmstead in Overland Park. We had so much fun & true to form, Ella LOVED touchingall most of the animals.....our little animal lover was NOT a fan of the pig!
1st Royals Game! After the petting zoo, we grabbed some lunch and headed to The K for Ella's first Royals game. Scott was SO EXCITED to take his baby girl to watch his beloved Royals! Ella's Godparents joined us and brought Lilly, my cousin Tim's oldest. We had a wonderful time and even ran into Jason & Kim Menefee!
1st trip to the zoo!!!! Ella had her first zoo experience at the Henry Doorly Zoo and she loved it, especially the aquarium. We went with Grammy & Grandpa Courter and Aunt Berta & Uncle Reg were able to meet us there. It was a very special day and we are so grateful that we were able to share it with family!
We were also able to visit with the Morley's (I can't seem to find the pictures) and spent some time with Adam, Jill, Pierson and Kendal.
Met the newest Lamberson....
And had a great time at the lake for the 4th of July with Ella's future husband & in-laws....
Ella also racked up her 6th and 7th states, adding Iowa & Nebraska to her list of travels. She is an amazing kid who surprises, inspires and blesses us every single day. We are so blessed and grateful that we were chosen to be her parents.
The summer of 2012 was a busy one with lots of time spent on the road, but it was so great to see so many of our friends and family! Here are some pictures from a great summer!!!!
Ella had a lot of "Firsts" this summer....
1st trip to a petting zoo! We met up with some of my cousins and their kids and took Ella to the Deanna Rose Children's Farmstead in Overland Park. We had so much fun & true to form, Ella LOVED touching
1st Royals Game! After the petting zoo, we grabbed some lunch and headed to The K for Ella's first Royals game. Scott was SO EXCITED to take his baby girl to watch his beloved Royals! Ella's Godparents joined us and brought Lilly, my cousin Tim's oldest. We had a wonderful time and even ran into Jason & Kim Menefee!
1st trip to the zoo!!!! Ella had her first zoo experience at the Henry Doorly Zoo and she loved it, especially the aquarium. We went with Grammy & Grandpa Courter and Aunt Berta & Uncle Reg were able to meet us there. It was a very special day and we are so grateful that we were able to share it with family!
We were also able to visit with the Morley's (I can't seem to find the pictures) and spent some time with Adam, Jill, Pierson and Kendal.
Met the newest Lamberson....
And had a great time at the lake for the 4th of July with Ella's future husband & in-laws....
Ella also racked up her 6th and 7th states, adding Iowa & Nebraska to her list of travels. She is an amazing kid who surprises, inspires and blesses us every single day. We are so blessed and grateful that we were chosen to be her parents.
Thursday, July 5, 2012
Ruler of Hope: Landrey's Story
This is the story of Landrey Hope, the unborn daughter of our new defensive coordinator & his wife. I am beyond thankful that God brought them here & cannot wait to meet His Miracle. “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”
Ruler of Hope: Landrey's Story: This is a story of how God impacted our family through an unborn baby named Landrey Hope Eargle. This is Landrey's story. On April 5,...
Ruler of Hope: Landrey's Story: This is a story of how God impacted our family through an unborn baby named Landrey Hope Eargle. This is Landrey's story. On April 5,...
Sunday, July 1, 2012
Clearing out the weeds
My flower bed has been severely neglected in the month of June. Prior to that, it was lovely, not a weed in sight, and if one did creep up in the night, I would pluck it out the second I saw it in the morning light. Well, life happened and I kept meaning to get out there, but never did. Today I was bound and determined to get it back in shape. It took all day. Okay, full disclosure, it took a few hours but since I have a 1 year old, it took all day.
I was planning on doing the bulk of the work after we put Ella to bed, but it started raining. Ugh, another distraction, even if we did desperately need the rain. I decided to go out and get to work any way.
I was pulling weeds like crazy, in the rain and I started thinking about how my life at times had been like my flower bed....all overgrown and in serious need of weeding. I was also thinking how easy it was to see the big, established plants through the weeds, but the new plants were literally being attacked. I was kicking myself because if I had just gone out and spent a little time each day, the weeds would never have gotten so bad!
Can you hear Him? I certainly could. The familiar sound of my Savior, using such a simple thing to remind me that I need him to clean out the weeds in my life EVERY SINGLE DAY, because when I wait, the weeds take over. What was so daunting could have easily been prevented with just a little time each day. Then He started bringing some of you to my mind. A lot of my people have a lot of new in their lives....new jobs, new babies, new marriages, new Bible studies, and doesn't the enemy love to attack new. I felt like my Father was warning me to be standing in the the gap, on guard for my friends....to shoot down weeds that might be coming towards them like I'm some Bible toting, weed killer out of a Round Up commercial. Ha! So I started praying, right there in my yard, on my muddy knees, with my hands in the dirt pulling weeds and knowing that God was using intercessory prayer to protect my friends from "weeds". Maybe you are not a believer and you think I'm crazy.....if so, I'd love to talk with you more. Maybe you are one of those people with a lot of new, if so, know that God put you on my mind....and I'm guessing He's using others too. Maybe you are an established plant that stands out against the weeds....awesome, join me in prayer! Maybe God brought me to your mind tonight.....wonderful, stop reading and start praying because I'll take all the prayer I can get for my little family, these weeds are killing me.
You may be wondering why I wrote this.....I wrote this out of obedience to my Lord mainly. I also wrote it so that you know that God cares enough about you to call on people to lift you up in prayer. Even when everything is still new & shiny. So, enjoy the new & watch out for weeds, but know that My God has your back!!
I was planning on doing the bulk of the work after we put Ella to bed, but it started raining. Ugh, another distraction, even if we did desperately need the rain. I decided to go out and get to work any way.
I was pulling weeds like crazy, in the rain and I started thinking about how my life at times had been like my flower bed....all overgrown and in serious need of weeding. I was also thinking how easy it was to see the big, established plants through the weeds, but the new plants were literally being attacked. I was kicking myself because if I had just gone out and spent a little time each day, the weeds would never have gotten so bad!
Can you hear Him? I certainly could. The familiar sound of my Savior, using such a simple thing to remind me that I need him to clean out the weeds in my life EVERY SINGLE DAY, because when I wait, the weeds take over. What was so daunting could have easily been prevented with just a little time each day. Then He started bringing some of you to my mind. A lot of my people have a lot of new in their lives....new jobs, new babies, new marriages, new Bible studies, and doesn't the enemy love to attack new. I felt like my Father was warning me to be standing in the the gap, on guard for my friends....to shoot down weeds that might be coming towards them like I'm some Bible toting, weed killer out of a Round Up commercial. Ha! So I started praying, right there in my yard, on my muddy knees, with my hands in the dirt pulling weeds and knowing that God was using intercessory prayer to protect my friends from "weeds". Maybe you are not a believer and you think I'm crazy.....if so, I'd love to talk with you more. Maybe you are one of those people with a lot of new, if so, know that God put you on my mind....and I'm guessing He's using others too. Maybe you are an established plant that stands out against the weeds....awesome, join me in prayer! Maybe God brought me to your mind tonight.....wonderful, stop reading and start praying because I'll take all the prayer I can get for my little family, these weeds are killing me.
You may be wondering why I wrote this.....I wrote this out of obedience to my Lord mainly. I also wrote it so that you know that God cares enough about you to call on people to lift you up in prayer. Even when everything is still new & shiny. So, enjoy the new & watch out for weeds, but know that My God has your back!!
Tuesday, June 26, 2012
The Good Life
This is a little personal....but this whole blog is a little personal,
so what the heck. My amazing husband made this for our anniversary. As
you can imagine, I love every second of this. Not surprisingly, so did
Ella....that girl loves seeing herself on the television.
"Oh this has gotta be the good life
This has gotta be the good life
This could really be a good life, good life......"
"Oh this has gotta be the good life
This has gotta be the good life
This could really be a good life, good life......"
Thursday, May 3, 2012
Oh the drama!
Never in my life did I ever imagine I'd be dealing with the aftermath of Dad's death on a social media site with all this drama and craziness. I guess that's what I get for posting my disappointment about the truck.
First of all, let me say that I never have, nor will I ever wish the woman who was married to my Dad ill will. I wish her the best in her life and hope that she finds peace and happiness. She lost someone in all this too and I'm not going to try to diminish that loss. I will say though, that she does not have children (either bio or adopted) so she does not, she cannot, fully understand the bond my Dad and I have.
Secondly, I'm not using her name so she can remain anonymous.
Here is the original post "Sure wish we would have been given the opportunity to buy my Dad's truck from the woman he was married to before it was sold to some random person....I would have loved taking Ella to the golf course in it and having that little piece of my Dad still around." There was nothing specific about his wife, or anything meant to be outright hurtful.
His wife is upset because of how my Dad's Oklahoma retirement check is being spent. My dad left that check to my mother (who has dementia) and I have power of attorney for her. When Dad died, mom was in a nursing home and on Medicaid (as a retired teacher she had a limited income) after Dad's sudden death I, as POA, had 2 choices. 1) continue receiving Medicaid for Mom, give the money to his wife and risk the federal government coming back to collect if they found out or 2) use the check to care for my mom.
I actually went back and forth and tried to find a way to use some of the money each month for my mom and some for his wife, but I just couldn't do it with the limited resources there were. It was only after I decided to use the money to pay for my mother's care in a memory care unit that his wife really stopped being friendly with me.
When we went to get some personal stuff from his house, she had someone there who watched us. If you've never gone through your deceased parents belongings, it is heart wrenching and having a stranger watching you like a hawk makes it doubly hard.
The last I heard, his wife was not ready to sell the truck and would contact me if she had an offer. That never happened. I was disappointed. I was mad. I did not ever intentionally try to hurt her.
I was never outright rude, mean or hurtful to his wife. I would not have done that because I know my Dad cared for her. I only did the best I could in an impossible situation. Yes, I put something on facebook about being disappointed about the truck, but I never said anything directly about her or anything outright hurtful.
Not that I owe anyone this little nugget of info, but I'll put this out there too. For a while before my Dad died I was working at a courthouse 2 hours (one way) away from home. Dad & I had talked about him watching Ella so that she wouldn't be so far away. The week before he died, we had a plan to get a suite at a hotel in Duncan and Dad would stay there with Ella while I worked then the 3 of us would just hang out in the evenings 3 days a week. Dad cancelled on me. I was upset and I told him I was upset because he was the only family I had to count on. He was the only parent I had. The night before he died we talked and while I was disappointed, I wasn't mad. I told him I loved him and he told me the same. There was no hate talk, and for his wife to say that was not only wrong, it was a calculated attempt to inflict pain. It didn't work. Okay, maybe it stung a little, but I know the truth and that's enough.
I have 34 years of memories with my Dad. I will love him and miss him until the day that I die.
In 2011 I lost the mother I knew to dementia, 4 days after that I had my first child and 6 months after that lost my father to a heart attack.
I am not asking for sympathy.
I am simply telling the story as I see it.
First of all, let me say that I never have, nor will I ever wish the woman who was married to my Dad ill will. I wish her the best in her life and hope that she finds peace and happiness. She lost someone in all this too and I'm not going to try to diminish that loss. I will say though, that she does not have children (either bio or adopted) so she does not, she cannot, fully understand the bond my Dad and I have.
Secondly, I'm not using her name so she can remain anonymous.
Here is the original post "Sure wish we would have been given the opportunity to buy my Dad's truck from the woman he was married to before it was sold to some random person....I would have loved taking Ella to the golf course in it and having that little piece of my Dad still around." There was nothing specific about his wife, or anything meant to be outright hurtful.
His wife is upset because of how my Dad's Oklahoma retirement check is being spent. My dad left that check to my mother (who has dementia) and I have power of attorney for her. When Dad died, mom was in a nursing home and on Medicaid (as a retired teacher she had a limited income) after Dad's sudden death I, as POA, had 2 choices. 1) continue receiving Medicaid for Mom, give the money to his wife and risk the federal government coming back to collect if they found out or 2) use the check to care for my mom.
I actually went back and forth and tried to find a way to use some of the money each month for my mom and some for his wife, but I just couldn't do it with the limited resources there were. It was only after I decided to use the money to pay for my mother's care in a memory care unit that his wife really stopped being friendly with me.
When we went to get some personal stuff from his house, she had someone there who watched us. If you've never gone through your deceased parents belongings, it is heart wrenching and having a stranger watching you like a hawk makes it doubly hard.
The last I heard, his wife was not ready to sell the truck and would contact me if she had an offer. That never happened. I was disappointed. I was mad. I did not ever intentionally try to hurt her.
I was never outright rude, mean or hurtful to his wife. I would not have done that because I know my Dad cared for her. I only did the best I could in an impossible situation. Yes, I put something on facebook about being disappointed about the truck, but I never said anything directly about her or anything outright hurtful.
Not that I owe anyone this little nugget of info, but I'll put this out there too. For a while before my Dad died I was working at a courthouse 2 hours (one way) away from home. Dad & I had talked about him watching Ella so that she wouldn't be so far away. The week before he died, we had a plan to get a suite at a hotel in Duncan and Dad would stay there with Ella while I worked then the 3 of us would just hang out in the evenings 3 days a week. Dad cancelled on me. I was upset and I told him I was upset because he was the only family I had to count on. He was the only parent I had. The night before he died we talked and while I was disappointed, I wasn't mad. I told him I loved him and he told me the same. There was no hate talk, and for his wife to say that was not only wrong, it was a calculated attempt to inflict pain. It didn't work. Okay, maybe it stung a little, but I know the truth and that's enough.
I have 34 years of memories with my Dad. I will love him and miss him until the day that I die.
In 2011 I lost the mother I knew to dementia, 4 days after that I had my first child and 6 months after that lost my father to a heart attack.
I am not asking for sympathy.
I am simply telling the story as I see it.
Sunday, April 22, 2012
1 Year Photos!!
Ladies & Gentlemen.....SHE'S ONE!!!!
She couldn't figure out why the tutu was attacking her, but it was so cute.
So, we switched her to some shorts....she approved & turned on the charm.
I'm 1!
She loved the balloons!
Our sweet girls.
Our girl loves her "burpie"
Wearing Poppa D's hat
Daddy, Mommy & the Birthday Girl
Our Family
(minus the 3 that are impossible to photograph together)
C A K E!!!!!!!
My favorite....
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