Lazy Circles in the Sky

First Birthday Chairs

2012-01-26T20:54:00.000-06:00

Studying and sketching animals

For no reason in particular, I have a tendency to paint something for first birthday gifts. I wish I could say that there is some cool symbolism involved, but the truth is that I have no idea why I do it or when it started. I also wish I could say that I ALWAYS give hand painted gifts for first birthdays, but I'm simply not that consistent. If you know me and did not receive a personalized painted whatever, don't be offended! My own son didn't get one! There isn't even a direct correlation between how well I know a person and how elaborate the gift. It is simply a matter of inspiration, motivation and of course, time. Best friends have been the recipients of on-the-way-to-the-party gift cards I scored at the local grocery store while assorted co-workers have been presented with a 150 hr hand crafted gem. It doesn't always happen this way either; again, I'm not that consistent.
One of my biggest regrets that I have worked hard (but not hard enough) to remedy over the last few years is never photographing the finished product. So many projects have been handed over, never to be seen again. Now it seems like if I tie Edward's shoes into a particularly perfect bow, it gets photographed. Its these darn first birthday gifts that I never get a shot of! Maybe its the fact that most of the time I'm still varnishing it on the way to the party or perhaps that I'm so sick of looking at it that even a glance through a lens would throw me over the edge. Whatever the reason, alphabet blocks, chalkboards, desks, name plaques, rocking chairs and countless other projects have been painted and forgotten over the years.
More recently, my variety of creations has been narrowed down to just chairs. This particular chair was quickly photographed on my friend's porch... at the party.

July 2009

The colors were inspired by the color palate in her room. The butterfly was random.

Most of this butterfly was painted with my 1 month old sleeping in my lap

This next chair was more recently painted in 2010.... and 2011. This started out as a "Welcome to the world, Ben!" chair and quickly became a "So, how was that last year?" chair.

Africa

The motif was also inspired by his bedroom decor. Think of the chair as a globe with each of the seven continents sprawling in their relative positions up the legs, seat and back of the chair. Each continent is represented by at least one animal and vaguely resembles the individual landscapes.

Antarctica/Australia/Asia

Central/ South America

Add caption

The original sketches for this were far more detailed than the finished product, but since it had taken me over a year to complete, I was satisfied with the more simplified version. The most impressive thing about this chair is the fact that I took the time to take pictures of it.
So when will the next project endeavor strike? Who knows!? I have a whole vat of ideas just waiting for the appropriate level of motivation to make my hands do what my brain commands.

Toddlers As Teachers

2012-01-16T08:53:00.001-06:00

Back when I was teaching kindergarten and first grade, one of my favorite things to do was throw parties in the classroom to celebrate whatever subject we had just finished studying. The students would take their parent(s) or family member around the room to various stations where a thematic activity awaited them. When he could, Alex would attend, playing the role of stand in dad for anyone whose parents were unable to come. Because they had been studying the particular theme for a few weeks, the students were able to wow the adults with their vast knowledge of the subject matter. Twenty four confident little voices using big words would guide their guests around to each activity, often reteaching them facts that had been forgotten long ago. The party would always end the same way: parents gushing over children who were already sufficiently impressed with themselves.

This weekend, Alex and I planned an event in similar fashion to the parties we used to plan for my classroom. We chose "Winter" as the theme and planned a few activities for the children to do with their parents. Each activity was marked by a single floating white balloon and a descriptive sign. We quickly learned, however, that all this preparation was unnecessary as all 13 children piled into the playroom and just played. The room quickly became an explosion of toys, games and art supplies as each child used their imaginations to repurpose the materials we had so carefully organized for specific projects. It was a delightful sight to behold!

Here were some of our favorite moments:

1) "Snow Blocks": We took a great deal of time wrapping each of the building bricks with white paper to make them look like they were made of snow. The children were supposed to build snow forts, castles and habitats for the Arctic animals we had placed in that area. The concept was lost on most of them and the bricks just sat unused on the shelf until one little girl brought them to life when she discovered that they could be unwrapped like tiny Christmas presents. Before long, the block area was a tangled web of tiny hands excitedly unwrapping.

2) "Building Snowmen": With white model magic, teeny top hats, clay carrots, googly eyes, glass beads and scraps of fabric, the children constructed snow people. This was perhaps the only activity with any degree of structure all day.

Edward's Snowman

3) "Play Kitchen": For Christmas, we built Edward and Henry a play kitchen from a discarded piece of furniture we found (another post for another day!) It was awesome to see everyone "shopping" at the food market we have set up and "cooking" in the play kitchen.

Henry was busily cooking until he saw the camera

4) "Snowflake Fried Dough": We remembered this activity after the fact, so it was done later with my nieces and nephew. Clean scissors were used to cut shapes out of tortillas, making them look like snowflakes. We then fried them on the stove and covered them in powdered sugar and cinnamon. Delicious!

We enjoyed both watching the children and visiting with the adults. Although the activities did not always go as planned, we think they were more fun than we could have made them. For the next party, less planning, more exploring.

Sammy Houdini

2012-01-11T13:45:00.000-06:00

Quite famously, our over-sized Boston Terrier has a knack for escape. Perhaps his love of freedom and open space stems from his roots as a native Oklahoman. Maybe he does it for the greater good like Lassie or Rin Tin Tin. Then again, it could be that he is just in fact a very naughty dog.
After an epic escape about a month ago that ended with us posting an $80 bail to spring Sam from doggy jail, we decided to purchase a tether for the yard. We discovered very quickly that the fence which surrounds our yard is awesome for containing toddlers and useless for containing dogs. This morning, that tether proved to be a waste of $20 when, instead of a Boston Terrier, I found nothing but the tether hook at the end of the line.
It took no time at all to locate him as I quickly realized that he'd been mistaken for the neighbor's Boston Terrier and had been tethered to their front porch by another considerate neighbor. I stared over our fence as Sam pathetically whimpered back at me. With a sleeping baby, a sick toddler and freezing temperatures, retrieving Sam would be an annoying feat at best. I began the process of locating the leash, dressing Edward and checking on Henry when a knock came at the door. Our neighbor had returned Sam!
Unfortunately he was not returned before being fed, entertained by the neighbor's dog, doted upon for his glassy blue eyes and sent home with a dog treat so large and appealing that I actually contemplated taking it for myself.
As if Sam needed another reason for adventure, he now knows that there is a doggie heaven right past the confines of our yard. I plan on writing a thank you note accompanied by a replacement for that magnificent treat. More importantly, however, I plan on asking her where she bought the tether from which Sam could not escape!

A Date to Renovate

2012-01-08T19:30:00.000-06:00

The Summer of 2010 marked another turning point for our family when we packed up and moved back north to Massachusetts. We spent a year renting an apartment and searching for a home. During that time, we welcomed a second son into our family, Alex switched jobs and Edward turned 2. In October, after searching for months, we finally found the place we decided to call "home".

The absolute worst room in the house was the kitchen. The only appliances in the entire space were an ancient electric stove and a refrigerator that clunked each time it achieved the set temperature. It was as if we'd stepped back in time to a world where dishes were hand washed and leftover food was scraped into the garbage can instead of the disposal. This may sound like unnecessary luxuries, but for someone that loves to cook and bake, this was culinary hell.

Alex and I embarked on a 3 month renovation date, complete with midnight painting and early morning tiling.

This is how the kitchen looked the day we moved in:

I always qualify this image with the disclaimer that it was actually much worse that it appears in the photo. There were many times during the renovation process when we would discouragingly look around at the debris and chaos that had become our kitchen. We would turn to the "before" pictures for some motivation only to find ourselves asking, "why did we demolish a perfectly functional kitchen?" Fortunately, reality would always set back in and we would be reminded of the goal ahead. Here were our issues with the space:

1) The sink was in serious need of plumbing work

2) The location of the sink would not allow us to have a dishwasher, ever.

3) The way the plumbing was set up, we could not have a garbage disposal

4) The floor tiles were filthy, grimy and coming unglued

5) The countertops were faux marble, swirled with white and gold

6) The cabinets had been around for a long time in a home formerly heated with oil. To the touch, they were sticky and gritty.

7) There was fantastic moulding, original to the 1910 build that was virtually lost in a white washed scheme.

The first step was to remove the tile floor, cabinet faces and hardware and countertop. Next, we began the long process of sanding, wood filling and priming all surfaces. Due to the deficiencies of the plumbing under the sink, the entire cabinet was rotted through, so we had to remove it. In order to do this, we unbolted all the cabinets in the room and moved them about like puzzle pieces. To fill in the gaps, we purchased a total of 3 new, unfinished cabinets. Once we had everything in place, it was time to secure the cabinets, return the door faces and install the new countertop.

My dad helped us out significantly, removing tiles, cutting pieces of countertop, measuring and devising ways to troubleshoot the countless obstacles we encountered.

One of the biggest problems we faced was that the new cabinets were 1/2 an inch taller than the old cabinets. This meant that we either had to add on to the old cabinets or remove from the new. Either way, it was going to be a huge set back and lots of work. For many reasons we decided to build up the old cabinets. Once this daunting task was complete we were able to move forward.

Here are a few images of the progress we have made so far. We used glass tiles to create a mosaic backsplash. This was my first time tiling anything! It was easy and fun to do. We kept the existing sink, but replaced the faucet, added a garbage disposal and dishwasher.

There is still a great deal of work to be done, but we are so satisfied with the results thus far. The hardware to the lazy susan was accidentally thrown away, so we are working on ordering a replacement. We are excited to continue finishing this massive project and look forward to posting more pictures of the rest of the kitchen!

How Will Our Garden Grow?

2010-02-22T22:26:00.000-06:00

Staying home with Edward has given me the opportunity to finally flip through our stack of dusting cookbooks and get some use out of those fancy kitchen gadgets we registered for. Every Sunday, we venture out to our local food markets to purchase all the ingredients needed for the week. Along with the usual onions, carrots and celery, our produce list always includes fresh herbs. I have always had a love/hate relationship with buying fresh snipped herbs. While I love the flavor they bring to each dish, the herbs are only sold in pre-packaged bundles too large for the “pinch” I need for my recipes. By the end of the week, I am left with a refrigerator full of wilted herbs I am forced to throw away and re-purchase for the next week’s meals. This becomes wasteful and expensive, especially when you need just a bit of 5 or 6 different herbs!

This Valentine’s day while people everywhere were buying long-stemmed roses for their lovers, we were buying potting soil and seeds to begin our own herb garden. One week ago today, we began the daunting task of sowing 500 tiny seeds into the150 separate slots of 3 different greenhouse containers. We planted 2 varieties of basil, caraway, chives, cilantro, dill, lavender, marjoram, 2 different kinds of oregano and parsley, rosemary, sage, tarragon and thyme. We ran out of time after planting the first 80, so we finished the final 70 last night. The 2 large greenhouse trays are now sitting on an end table in our living room while the small one rests on the windowsill next to a pot of thyme we’re trying to salvage. The biggest challenge so far has been keeping the 9-month-old’s little chubby fingers off the lids!

In 1 week, many of the seeds have begun to sprout, so it is time to prop open the greenhouse lid. It is kind of fun having one container of herbs a week ahead of the other because I am already learning from my mistakes. I compulsively overwater plants, and so far this time isn’t any different. Despite the fact that the basil sprouts and a few of the others look green, thick and strong, I can already tell that the wimpy yellowish stems of many others poking through the soil are due to suffocation by water. I am newly committed to leaving them alone and only watering when the soil becomes light brown as recommended. Re-planting is inevitably in my future…

We will continue to buy herbs from the market until our little garden is ready to be harvested! For this impatient lady, that moment can’t come soon enough!

Bringing Back the Blog

2010-02-20T19:22:00.001-06:00

I would like to promise that the Oklahoma variety Popes will be updating eveyone on

their goings on more than once a year, but our track record would make liars out of us. Again, we would like to happily blame our absence on another wonderfully involved event in our lives; a new addition to the family! As pictured above, we happily became parents on May 20th of last year. Our son, Edward James is 9 months old today and is constantly keeping us on our toes. His recent activities have included crawling around the house, turning on/off dvd players, videogame systems and televisions and babbling about.

Alex has been learning the wonderful world of banking while I have spent my days discovering the world of the Motherhood.

I will keep this post brief in hopes that there are more, frequent updates in my future. We hope that as you read this, you are well and happy. Make sure to keep us up to date with your lives!

Ready or Not!

2008-06-29T21:30:00.000-05:00

We hope that everyone is doing well! It has been quite a while since our last update, a reality we will justify by playing the "we're planning a wedding" card. Life has certainly been busy over the past few months! Alex just finished up the first half of his program at TTC and is on vacation until August 11th. The weeks leading up to finals were very hectic and he averaged about 2-4 hours of sleep per night if he was lucky. We are so thrilled that our countdown to when we get to come home for a visit has officially turned from months to weeks. Before we know it, those weeks will turn into mere days and we will be on our way back home!
Our dog, Sam is going under the knife on Wednesday to be neutered. He will be spending most of the month of July at the house of one of my students and because they have other dogs, we thought it was a good time to get it taken care of. Sam also has his first birthday a few weeks ago and has finally begun to show signs that he is calming down. We still baby him to an embarrassing extent and are going to miss him terribly while we are home.
We have spent this summer going to a number of weddings, spending time with new friends and becoming more and more acquainted with Oklahoma. Alex renewed his CFI in Oklahoma City last week and has been instructing more and more. As for me, I have been spending most of my time organizing things and finishing up the plethora of projects I've begun.
We look forward to seeing many of you in a few weeks! Only 21 more days until the wedding! :)

Taking "Fall" to the extreme...

2007-12-10T19:51:00.000-06:00

So, you know those leaves in our last post? Well, here are the trees to which those leaves were
once attached....

2:00 am... the power goes out... which means the heat... which means the fridge...
2:30 am... the BOOMING sounds of snapping tree limbs and the CRASHING sounds of them slamming into our house.
2:30-the present... the trees continue to fall. We fled the house at around 11:00 am (which means we actually left at around 2:00 because it took the 3 hours to cut through the branches to get to the car) and went to the Gentry's. Apparently EVERYONE else had the same idea because when we arrived, there were already about 20 other people there. Due to the underground power lines of their gated community, they still had electricity.
Alex and I kicked back, relaxed and prepared to return to our home within a few hours. Ignorantly, we called the electric company to check on the status of our electricity only to find out that they could come, "A week from tomorrow at the earliest". Needless to say we were a bit disheartened. But here we are and here we shall stay until the storm passes and the power lines are mended. By the light of a half dozen candles and one particularly large mag-lite, we packed our bags and said goodbye to our house indefinitely.
Other than the fact that walking to our front door requires a great deal of planning and skill, and that our yard looks like Narnia meets Jumanji, we are very thankful that there isn't a great deal of visible damage. All we can do is take this moment and chalk it up to a friendly welcome from the state of Oklahoma.

Leaves and More Leaves

2007-11-25T19:34:00.000-06:00

It has been a few weeks since our last update. So before winter is officially arrives, we thought it would be a great idea to share some pictures of how our fall season has been unfolding. With extremely mild weather so far (sorry for all of you enduring Northeast temperatures) As you can see in the first picture, Aime and I had the chance to go sailing with our friends Mike and Emily on Lake Oolagah, in Northern Oklahoma. The other pictures are of Aime, Sammy and I goofing off in our front yard.

If you're backwards in TULSA, you're A SLUT....

2007-11-03T10:50:00.000-05:00

Two weekends ago, Erin Pope came to Tulsa, Oklahoma for a visit. Erin is Alex's sister, one of my bridesmaids, my birthday twin and sharer of an odd affinity for things that are small. We all had a great time exploring Tulsa, watching the red sox, eating out, seeing "the center of the universe", touring the Polo Grill, chilling out and discovering that Tulsa spelled backwards is "A Slut". Sammy once again laid the charm on thick with his "Auntie Erin", basically refusing to sit on or near anyone else.
Day one, Alex proudly showed his sister his work, his school, the airport he flies out of and the stadium where Colorado Rockie affiliate team, The Drillers, play. The weather was ideal for a patio dining experience at the Wild Fork restaurant in Utica Square followed by a relaxing night in, with a win by the Boston Red Sox.

The next day, we were on a mission... Before Erin's arrival, I had asked some of the gals that I worked with for some ideas of good places to bring an out-of-towner. They suggested that we bring her to "The Center of the Universe". Feeling like we were all starring on some 'B' rated Sci-Fi film, we set out in search of this hidden "gem" of Tulsa. Once we arrived in the heart of Tulsa's downtown, our previous feelings were magnified by the deserted, desolate appearance of the city. We were there for over an hour and saw a grand total of six people.... including ourselves. One of these six people was a gender-ambiguous individual whom we asked for directions. With a mystical look in his eye and a foreboding tone in his voice, he proclaimed, "Find the metal cloud on a stick". With our newfound knowledge, we searched for just that. After circling the spot about 10 times, we all agreed to get out of the car and journey on foot. We chanced upon a local man, standing near the road, smoking a cigarette. Still unable to find our destination, we asked him for assistance. We described to him what we were looking for and relayed the advice of our trans-gendered friend. Wisely, he spoke up with, "You mean that big, ol', metal thing over there?", in his best deep Oklahoman accent.
As we rounded the corner and our destination was at lastt in sight, I broke into an absolute fit of laughter. Tears, hyperventilation... the whole thing. Hours of searching had lead us to this vastly disappointing anti-climax; literally an old, rusted, cloud-shaped piece of metal on a tall, awkward post. Once I had calmed down and wiped away the residual tears, we entered the coveted "Center of the Universe". As you can see in the pictures, it doesn't look like, and isn't much. The point of the whole place is to stand in the middle of the brick circle and speak in a normal tone. Whatever you say will echo back at you, but no one else can hear the echo. It was pretty cool, and we each took turns standing in the middle and talking to ourselves. After a few minutes and some memory-making photo ops, we all discussed how "weird" it was and headed to lunch.
Erin insisted that we get some pictures by the "NRA Gun Collector's Show" sign. We all had a nice meal at Jamil's, enjoyed some over-sized frozen margaritas, then went home to sit in the same spots as the previous night to watch the Sox win again.
We had a great time, and it was wonderful to see her :) If anyone else is planning a visit, we promise to do more research on these "must see" places before we bring you there. Jeff, Kellie and baby Gentry are all planning to come to Tulsa next week, a very different occasion because we will be asking them for the grand tour...

Wicked Shot Husses

2007-10-17T23:00:00.000-05:00

Translation: "Horses who are significantly shorter than the average"

A visit from my mother will inevitably bring the need for translation. Between her quirky Boston accent and the Gentrys' "Okie" lingo, I had my work cut out for me as the interpreting go-between. The true story here, of course, is not accent-originated miscommunication, but the short but sweet visit from my mother this past weekend. She arrived late Friday evening and left mid-morning Monday.
Friday evening consisted of a big welcome hug, a 45 minute detour, courtesy of Alex "knowing the way home", and a tour of our house. That evening I could see all the tell-tale signs of a disapproving mother. Once again, my role as translator was exercised as my mother went through the house, looking; judging. She said, "Oh, are the curtains new?"... she meant, "Those curtains are offensive". She said, "The blue wall is fine for you guys"... she meant, "Thank God I only have to stare at it for 2 more days". And so the evening progressed in this way.
Saturday morning, my mother had a whole new perspective on the house. Upon entering the kitchen where I was brewing up some coffee, my mother declares, "Wow, the house looks so different in the daylight!" .... she meant "Phew, the house isn't quite the hideous shack I took it for 12 hours ago!" :)
After getting that out of her system, my mum was all compliments. We had a wonderful morning sitting outside, followed by a nice lunch at Alex's and my regular spot, The Stone Horse Cafe. Later we met Jim and Juli Gentry at Jamil's for dinner, then returned to the house for a nice post-birthday dessert.
The next morning, we cooked breakfast at home and spent lots of time relaxing before setting out for some good 'ole Tulsa-tourism. The way we saw it was, what is a trip to Tulsa without seeing the praying hands, the 76 foot "golden driller", or the Bank of Oklahoma building?

The following morning, my mum and I went to the school where I work and supervised "before school club" together. After that, I drove my mother to the airport and had a cup of coffee before she took off for home.
The most interesting part of this visit by far was the fact that my mom, proud dog-hater, LOVED Sam. When he was being reprimanded by Al and I, he would run over to "nanna" for comfort, shooting us the "what are you gonna do about it" look. "Pathetic" was a word that frequently came to my mind this weekend.
As I walked back to my car and drove away from Tulsa International Airport, I realized fully for the first time what it feels like to live so far from home. So much time and money went into a brief visit that, had we lived close by, would have been nothing more than a casual weekend together. Through all of the joking around and teasing one another, we definitely appreciated our time more than ever :)
This coming weekend, we expect a visit from the beautiful Erin Pope, an idea that absolutely lights up Alex's eyes when mentioned. Keep the visitors coming!

The best birthdays of all are those that haven't arrived yet.

2007-10-12T20:12:00.000-05:00

Yesterday was Alex's birthday, which was celebrated by a pumpkin cupcake in his lunch box, a sweet note and the latest night at work he has seen yet. For Alex, this was perfectly fine because he spent the majority of the time during the days surrounding his birthday pretending that it was not here. Any time I would casually mention that, "It's your birthday in 2 days"... Alex would retort with a disgruntled, "Baaaaabe!", as if I had reminded him of something intensely disappointing.
Alex has had this ongoing delusion that he is in his "mid-twenties", an exaggeration I bought back when he was still 27. In my opinion, early twenties are classified by the years from 20-23; Mid-twenties, the years between 24-26; Late twenties 27-29. Despite the fact that I had once been generous in modifying my age bracket to accommodate his own personal "mid-twenties" bracket, there is no escaping the reality that 29 can be nothing other than LATE twenties. In fact, I hear that in some cultures, the word ,"twenty- nine" is non-existent when it pertains to age. Instead, they just refer to your age that entire year as "almost thirty".
To help ease the blow of entering into a state of caducity, I supplied our boy with the appropriate mid-life crisis-esque gift... a very large TV.
Below you can see Alex and our old TV, looking hopeless and distraught. Next, you will find that the presence of his new gift has brightened his outlook. I hope you will enjoy these pictures as much as he is enjoying his TV.... I am guessing you won't.

Jericho

2007-09-30T20:24:00.000-05:00

We were truly hoping to be able to write some wild account of our rustic adventure at the Tulsa State Fair this weekend, but truthfully it was just... well... boring. Despite our disappointment at the fair, we still do have some interesting pictures and a few noteworthy tales for a later date. As for now, more exciting news is at hand! Now, we know that the goings on of our home is by no means a comparison to the ancient ruins of a fallen city, but today, we willingly and enthusiastically allowed Jim "the tool man" Gentry to cut a large, square hole in our wall.
At our very first ingression, before we even decided on buying that particular house, I knew that there was something missing in the living room. Upon entering the kitchen, I realized that the missing element was continuity. As you walk through the sunny front yard and into the house, you are greeted by a large, dark, claustrophobic room. Luckily, this did not deter us from seeing the rest of the house, which turned out to be very open and window laden. It was immediately clear to me that something would have to be done to link this dank and caliginous room to the rest of the house. The solution was simple... make a hole between the living room and the adjacent room, the kitchen!
THAT is precisely what we did. Jim Gentry entered the home on a mission. With nothing but a hammer, a ruler, a t-square and a sawzall, he managed to get the job done in just over 30 minutes.
I find that when I post pictures and attempt to add captions, often times the pictures and descriptions don't match. I urge you to use both your intellect and your imagination alike in the event that some of these pictures and captions go a bit awry during the publishing process...

(Below The Living Room wall, pre-demolition) (Jim preparing to slice in through the kitchen)

(Above: Jim measures and Juli supports the sheet rock being cut from the other side)

(Below: The unveiling! still in one piece, Jim carries away a 5'x3' chunk of our livingroom wall)

The pass-through has made an enormous difference already! The flow of air and light from one room to the other feels refreshing and the fact that we don't have to yell to one another from the next room is an added perk. Of course, this is only the beginning and for now, we are left with an unfinished, unsightly hole in the wall. Before we can finish this project, we now have to decide if we are going to make the "window" into a bar with stools to sit at, additional counter space, or simply leave it as an opening to connect the two rooms. Until then, we will enjoy our wonderful, ugly, light-giving monstrosity :)

We're Doin' OK!

2007-09-23T10:03:00.000-05:00

Things have been going well since the move, and by well I mean CRAZY.... Alex, accompanied by his saint of a brother, Jason, drove an enormous U-Haul truck from Beverly to Tulsa in just a few short days. After arriving in Tulsa, Oklahoma, the pair unloaded the contents of the truck into a storage unit, which added up to everything Alex and I cumulatively own. One thing that you may not understand about Tulsa in August that we have come to know intimately is that it is freaking HOT. So hot in fact that opening the front door of a house produces the same effect as opening the door of an oven. Now that you may better understand the mid-summer's climate of the area, you can properly empathize with the guys, who did all of this moving in what even Tulsans referred to as a "heat wave". Al and Jay moved into the Gentry household, the home of the parents of our friend Jeff, where we would live for a little over a month. After a week, the Pope brothers flew back home and less than 10 hours later, Alex and I were on the road, heading south early Friday morning in the dark.
Admittedly, it was a strange sensation to pack up and leave, knowing that we were not coming right back. We felt an odd sense of solemn apprehension mixed with an intense Pollyannaish excitement. The drive was long and fun. Late Saturday evening we arrived at the Gentry's house to find Jim Gentry tinkering away in his garage, sweat on his brow and tools in his hands. He greeted us warmly and we quickly headed up for some much needed sleep.

Monday morning, I began my new job and Alex headed back to class. Just one week prior, we had both been living in a completely different state, working other jobs and spending time at the same coffee shops, bars and restaurants. Everything had changed so drastically during that 2000 mile drive! It was suddenly necessary to consult a cheat sheet to fill in our address, and we relied on the internet to find post offices and grocery stores. People were telling us to put things "up" instead of away, asking if we were "fixin" to go places instead of planning to go. At the grocery store, there was a sale on biscuits-n-gravy and the kind bag boy asked me if I wanted a "sack" instead of a bag. Things that looked shabby or worn in appearance were considered "homeless" and it wasn't uncommon to utter expressions like "okie-doke" or "gooooood-night!". In New England, we got excited about the Patriots... In Oklahoma, you get that excited about high school football. The emotion that Oklahomans feel about college football is a degree of elation for which there is no fitting word.

Labor Day weekend, we moved into our beautiful house and spent the subsequent weeks painting and repairing it. We are at a point now where it finally feels like home. Check out the pictures below. Alex has been in a constant battle with our 35 koi fish to try to keep their water clear. We bought a Boston Terrier puppy, Sam, whose favorite pastimes include snuggling, chewing everything, peeing on the floor and inviting fleas to live in his fur. We have also discovered that he is quite the little romantic, and has made love to everything from chair legs to sidewalks.
Life is beginning to feel "normal" again as we become more accustomed to our new surroundings. Alex, who once abhorred his job is beginning to tolerate it and really loves school. He will begin to flight instruct again in the next few weeks. As for me, I am really finding a place in the school where I work. I have had a number of positive experiences and truly feel comfortable. Sammy is doing well, and even had his first trip to the vet yesterday!
Please email us with your updates and comments! We have appreciated the emails and phone calls already... keep them coming! :) Please check back here to see our latest pictures and hear our recent news.
We Love You All,
alex and aime
Here are some pictures of the house... VERY unfinished, but what we've got so far! For those of you at the going away party, note the painting below :)