September Pics

Miguelito at the fair... check out that finger stash.


Taking a load off our tired feet after hours walking around at the fair.


Swifty... the swimming pig!!!


After our race down the slide... our annual tradition.


Girls night extravaganza with the MFT girls!!!

Joey's Cafe

Michael and I enjoy going out for breakfast together. We don't get to do this very often, so perhaps that is part of what we enjoy about it. A couple of weekends ago, before Michael had to catch a flight out of town on a Saturday, we went to Joey's cafe. The breakfast menu was somewhat limited (mostly omelets and pancakes) but I personally think limited can be good when trying to make a decision at a new place. They are open 7-3, so some day we will have to go back for lunch.
Food: The omelets come with fruit or potatoes, pancakes or biscuits. If you like breakfast foods you would enjoy the food.
Atmosphere: The restaurant is small with a warm atmosphere, and quiet (or maybe it is just quiet at 7 AM because everyone else is SLEEPING!!!) It was a great place to catch up in the midst of our busy lives.
Price: The omelets were 6.99 each (same as you would pay at IHOP) and with all the sides we wished we had shared. Great price for portion size!

You should try it out!

10 reasons why DW likes fall

Ok I am writing this without looking at DH's reasons, so lets see how many compare. These are not really in a particular order.

10. The Oklahoma State Fair. People always ask me what I ate at the fair. Most of the time a better question is what did I NOT eat at the fair. :) I know we will have "arrived" when we can buy the fair season pass and go as many times as we want without thinking about the entry fee. (Ok so maybe that is a slight exaggeration) Also- No I don't ride the rides at the fair, I go to eat, see the chicks, watch the pig races, go up on the sky tower, and eat some more. My sister and I do ride the big slide every year, but that is not really what I consider a ride because it isn't folded up, loaded into a truck and hauled all over the country.

9. The night that we "FALL" back. Who doesn't really appreciate an extra hour of sleep!

8. The leaves changing color. Most of the time I don't really like change, but the changing of leaves is something I always enjoy. The colors are beautiful, and remind me of God's hand in our lives and over creation.

7. Lower electric bills.

6. The beginning of many holidays. I love decorating, carving pumpkins, making glitter pumpkins, baking, the smell of fall and holidays...

5. Halloween is always fun. This past one was our first year to have a house, we didn't have that many trick-or-treaters, but we are still excited about handing out candy at our house!! (have you ever had candy corn mixed with peanuts? YUM!)

4. Speaking of Halloween, I LOVE baby/kids Halloween costumes! Check this one out! When I have kids I will probably need a separate closet for all of their costumes! (again another exaggeration, but I get really excited, and I don't know how I will choose just one!!)

3. My favorite TV shows are back on. (Except this fall. None of the shows I watch start until next year. You would think that would be great so I can spend that time working on school stuff! HA!)

2. Cool mornings and warmer afternoons.

1. The fact that hopefully this fall will be my LAST back to school fall!! :)

What are your favorite things about fall??

Going the Distance

I am thinking about running today. I would like to say I am a runner, but these days it is more like I USED to be a distance runner. :) (I hope to change that, but that's another post.) I know and love the process of training hard, running the course and attempting to finish strong- even when you are ready to quit and every muscle in your body is telling you to do that. At that point it really becomes a mind over matter issue to push yourself to the finish when you want to stop.

(Insert my life currently). So much of my life feels consumed with finishing this graduate degree, my time, my energy, my emotional state... A lot of the time I think about just wanting to be done. The past few weeks I have felt really immobilized by having to finishing my thesis and internship hours. Always thinking about wanting to be done does not strengthen me to run keep racing strong. When I look at the whole picture I can see how much is behind me, and that the hurdles in front are possible to overcome. This week I am really going to try to focus on Paul's words: "I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith" 2 Timothy 4:7.

When I think back on my cross country days several things come to mind. But- one special memory in particular sticks out. My dad was so faithful to support me. He came to every meet. He was usually at the start, and then would cut across so he could cheer me on as I neared the finish. I could count on him being there, and I could count on him hollering out encouraging words to me. I also knew that no matter what the outcome was of my performance in the race he was always proud of me for finishing- as it was finishing that mattered most. I get a little choked up and teary when I think about this, it means so much to me.

As I am nearing the finish of this part of my life I know there are many people cheering me on as I am struggling to get to the finish line. I know how good it feels to finally finish something. I feel stuck in the mind over matter part-even though I just want to be finished, I want to finish strong. Although sometimes I feel like I just want to quit running and have the struggle be over- I know at the end of this life race my dad will be there, proud as always, DH, and others. I am so thankful for that unwavering love and dedication.
(Just think, less than 4.5 months and no more posts about school!!)

Busy busy busy...

I've always heard that the older you get, the busier you become, but it's never really meant anything to me before... until recently, that is.

I was looking at my Outlook Calendar (which I live by) this evening at the next few weeks worth of activities and I couldn't help but notice an obvious absence of blank space on it. While the temptation is certainly present for me to look at my full calendar and be negative about the lack of free time I have in the coming weeks, I think I'm going to resist.

Just because my calendar keeps getting more things on it, doesn't mean I have to become one of those people who is always complaining about how busy they are and about how they never have time to do anything. The honest truth is that my calendar is full right now because I allow it to be full. If I want more free time, all I have to do is say, "No" to something. If I want even more free time, I all I have to do is say "No" to something else... and on and on it goes.

But I don't say no, because when it comes right down to it, I enjoy 90% of what I spend my time doing. Sure there are things that I occasionally HAVE to do - not because I want to but simply because they have to be done. Those types of things are few and far between though and consist mostly of activities like: driving to work, mowing the grass, doing chores, going to the occasional meeting at work that wastes my time, driving home from work, and few others.

However, most of the things that consume my time are either enjoyable to me in some way or another or they make a positive difference in my life or the lives of others. The majority of time is spent on the following activities: working, sleeping, hanging out with DW, hanging out with friends/family, watching OU football, worshiping, writing, reading, volunteering, advising two student organizations, teaching a class, and watching an occasional movie.

While I'm just like everyone else in that I'd love to have a few extra hours at the end of each day, the truth is that if I had more hours, I'd probably just spend them doing more of one or two of the things above. Sure... there are certainly things I'd like to add to the list (exercising more frequently and traveling are two that immediately come to mind), but the truth is that my life is filled up with things that are all (for the most part) personally satisfying to me in one way or another.

Instead of complaining about how busy I am, my goal for the rest of September is to be thankful for the freedom I have to decide how I spend my time and for all of the many opportunities I have to spend that time doing things I enjoy. Instead of complaining about how busy I am, I will make a concerted effort to spend (waste) less time doing and concerning myself with things that have little to no long-term value while spending more of my time on those things that bring significance to my own life and/or to the life of others.

P.S. I'm not sure how blogging fits into all of this.

10 reasons why DH likes fall...

10. Warm afternoons, cool crisp evenings.

9. High school football games on a Friday night. The lights, the sound of the band, the smell of popcorn, the sound of whistles blowing and pads crashing... there's just something special about Friday nights in fall.

8. The smell of burning leaves and campfires in the air. Even in the middle of the city, there's something invigorating about the fresh crisp smell of a fall afternoon.

7. I like to wear long sleeve t-shirts with shorts. Summer's too hot, winter's too cold, and I'm ready for short sleeves by the time spring gets here.

6. Dew. I love the way dew forms on my car in the evenings during the fall.

5. Handing out candy to Trick-or-Treaters on Halloween. Little kids in Halloween costumes make me laugh.

4. My favorite TV shows. Lost, 24, The Amazing Race, The Office, and My Name is Earl all have new episodes in the fall.

3. My birthday. When you're born in September, no fall comes without presents and cake and I like presents and cake.

2. The Great State Fair of Oklahoma! Where else can a guy be entertained by so many culturally diverse mullet-sporting "people" while simultaneously blowing a weeks worth pay eating fried food on a stick?

1. OU football season. This one would be cheapened with any more explanation.

Welcome back DH

DW says that this is now her blog because I never post anymore and because I disagree (seeing as how I was the one who started it) I feel the need to post so as to have some credibility when I tell her that it is just as much mine as it is hers.

I don't really have much to say, but I saw or heard a funny saying recently and I thought I would share:

A crocodile can run faster than you on land and it can swim faster than you in the water. So... if you're ever racing against one in a triathlon, you better have a pretty good bike time if you want to have a shot at winning.

I have an early morning appointment tomorrow before work at Starbucks so I should probably go to bed now.

Good night world. It's good to be blogging again.

Michael's Birthday Week Extravaganza!

The birthday week fun began with tailgating for the first OU game of the season.

On Sunday we went out for lunch at Cheesebuger in Paradise. (Our first time...we both liked our bugers a lot, but the experience as a whole was not enough to win a whole post). We celebrated with some desert nachos.

Then on Michael's actual birthday (after he recovered from a severe migraine that morning) we went to dinner with his family at Charleston's, and then to his grandparent's house for cake and ice-cream.

The day after his birthday Michael went out for lunch with his coworkers and they made him a yummy cake.

As all good things must come to an end (finally), tonight we had dinner and cake with my family.

Happy Birthday Michael! I love you!

Recent Pics

the girls in my cohort at our "team building" day- we are finally third years!!














First OU game of the season














My Favorite part!














Girls Night dinner at the cheese cake factory














Hanging out on the new fun island






























Having a blast on Big Mable





























Sunset at Lake Tenkiller

Food Glorious Food

I thought this would be a good place to write about interesting resturants we go to or great food we try. I LOVE food. :) I like to hear about new places, and it is fun to pass them along. A couple Saturdays ago I went to Ingrid's Kitchen with my mom and sister. This is a German resturant in OKC. They have traditional German food, like schnitzel, red cabbage, and bratwurst, and great sandwiches (try the turkey rueben!). There's bakery cases filled with all sorts of homemade baked goods - I recommend the chocolate chewies, but I didn't try everything! They also have live music on Saturdays from 12-2. The day I was there the band played Sinatra classics, and some couples were dancing - couples who probably danced to those songs when they were new! It was great food, a fun atmosphere, and a different experience than usual. If you live in the area you should try it out. It's a little noisy, but it's great for couples (old or young) and families. I will have to take Michael there...he will LOVE the music and food. Post a comment if you have a place to recommend.

1,2,3,4,5.....

We have both been counting a lot lately.
Michael is counting down for this:













as for me, I am counting down my client contact hours. (At the end of this month I am up to 266, only 234 left- I'm finally half way!). I am still hoping to walk in December, and hopefully finish my hours a few weeks after that. I met with the supervisor of my thesis yesterday. He said "try to do something every day that takes you a step closer to graduation. So, if you are waiting on clients that don't show up have something for your thesis to work on so it is not just wasted time."
Although the concept is simple and not earth shattering, it was motivating to me. Perhaps the simplicity of just trying to take one step a day seems more managable than a looming goal I feel I can never get to.
We have been busy on the weekends lately with weddings, birthdays, and doing some work in our yard. Michael is already busy preparing for OC's homecoming in November. They cut the funding for a lot of the graduate jobs at school this year. But I just got hired for a few hours a week working for the graduate office starting this Friday. So that will be good.
That is about all that is going on here for now. We are excited about fall, cooler weather, and Michael probably won't be able to sleep the next few nights with OU's season starting on Saturday. (It is pretty much like a child on Christmas Eve). As this blog is titled "our life in pictures" I will post some pictures soon of our trip to Chicago, and some of the other things we have been doing recently. We are doing well, and hope you are too! :)

The Past Five Years

We recently (almost a month ago) celebrated our 5 year anniversary.This seemed like such a milestone to us and a time of reflection of everything that has gone on in what seems like such a short/long time. In the past five years we have:

-moved 4 times
-had 7 jobs
-attained 3.75 college degrees (hopefully that will be a solid 4 in the coming months!!)
-seen God's hand working in our lives, and at times not seen God's hand and had to work to trust he was there
-bought a house
-bought a car (after dw's broke down twice on the way to Stillwater, the final time up in smoke)
-gained weight and lost weight
-traveled to Nassau, Paradise Island, South Padre Island, Gettysburg, Washington D.C., around Europe, over to Australia, down to Mexico, to three OU football national championship games (Miami, New Orleans, and back to Miami), Chicago, Memphis, along with countless trips to the lake for camping, waterskiing, boating, camp fires, and smores.
-lost loved ones
-become even better friends

-taken a lot of pictures
-been through times of plenty and times of little (why did we ever give up free housing??!)

-learned how to change ceiling fans and garbage disposals

We celebrated our anniversary in Chicago. We had the best time. (Aside from a crippling bout with food poisoning). It is always nice when we are reminded we can have fun doing anything together- at home, walking around a huge city, or laying around in a hotel room because one of us is too sick to do anything. We are excited as we wonder about what the next five years will hold...

Busy Busy

Well...that is what it seems like we are these days-busy! We are loving summer. Michael is enjoying his job and has been traveling a bit more lately visiting alums and doing interviews. He was in Bentonville and Hot Springs earlier this week. He will end this week in Fort Worth and then meet me and his family at Lake Murray for the weekend. Then to LA next week... What a jet setter! :)
He has a conference in Chicago the first weekend in August (which is also our 5 YEAR ANNIVERSARY!!). We had a free flight voucher, so I will get to join him for a few days for this one. We are very excited! Sometimes it seems like we hardly see each other throughout the week when I am working late every night, and especially when he is out of town. This too shall pass right...??
I have just been plugging away at school. I am at my internship about 25-30 hours a week now and only commuting to Stillwater 2 days a week now for our clinic up there. I now have 210 of my client contact hours...but the way things have been going lately have not put me on track to finish in the December. Which is really disappointing. Everyone has said that the summer time is a lot slower with people going on vacation and more busy, so hopefully it will pick up. I just keep trying to remember what things are in my control and what is not-I can only do my part.
My parents are still in Australia until next week, and Heather takes the bar next week. So there are some of things to pray for in my family.

Some pics from the 4th of July Celebration in Yukon

Michael taught me how to mow the grass. (This is hard work with a non-propelled mower and 100 degrees!) :)

Some Sunday nights we watch the sun set at Lake Hefner.

Out to dinner with Mom and Dad before they went to Australia

We went to lake Fort Gibson for the weekend with some friends. It was flooded from all of the rain. This is one of the bathhouses underwater.

Michael preparing food on the window sill of our tiny cabin

Heather and me outside our cabin

Summer Time is Here (kind of)

We are summer kids and are happy its here! It has rained now about 17 days straight, so that has been crazy! It seems like every time I leave for Stillwater a torrential downpour begins and I can't see ANYTHING! We planted grass seed this spring, and our grass is loving the rain!


Happy Birthday Sister!

First Snow Cone of the season!

Some of the MFT (marriage and family therapy) girls

Michelle and Me in our office at school

Heather graduated from Law School!! We are so proud!

We went to see the show Wicked with some of my friends from school. It was so good!!!

George at Flower's birthday

Having fun tubing

Last Class!!

Today I turned in my take home final exam for my last class of the program!! I honestly still don't believe it! Now I "just have to" write a thesis and complete 320 client contact hours. Its going to be hard work...but it feels so good to look back and see how much is behind me. It feels very strange to be this close to a life long dream. I have to thank Michael and my mom for listening to countless hours of me talking about this experience. This class was on family crisis...so every day was a discussion on working with families or individuals who are experiencing death, domestic violence, terrorism, racisim, sexual abuse, grief, war, divorce, and on and on. I was telling a supervisor the other day how exhausted I am...and unsure if I can hear another heart breaking story. I was again reminded to look for all of the good in the world, and that it is there all around me- everyday. There are heart breaking stories, but also stories of hope and healing.
One of my favorite songs has been Praise you in this storm by casting crowns. (If you have read my other posts or know me...songs seem to fit for me to express things) :)

I was sure by now,
God, that You would have reached down and wiped our tears away,
stepped in and saved the day.
But once again, I say amen and it's still raining
as the thunder rolls I barely hear You whisper through the rain, "I'm with you"
and as Your mercy falls I raise my hands and praise the God who gives and takes away.

And I'll praise you in this storm
and I will lift my hands
for You are who You are no matter where I am
and every tear I've cried You hold in your hand
You never left my side and though my heart is torn
I will praise You in this storm

I remember when I stumbled in the wind
You heard my cry to You and raised me up again
my strength is almost gone how can I carry on if I can't find You
and as the thunder rolls
I barely hear You whisper through the rain "I'm with you"

and as Your mercy falls I raise my hands and praise the God who gives and takes away

I lift my eyes unto the hills where does my help come from?

My help comes from the Lord, the maker of heaven and earth

I love this song. God has truly called me to and taught me to praise him even when the storm seems to be raging all around me. In my unfaithfulness, God is faithful, in my weakness God is my strength, in my fear and uncertainty- God is so consistent and unwavering. There have been times when I have asked God to deliver me from pain, and he has not. In times that require blind trust my faith grows even more. I'm thankful that God's plan is so much bigger and better than mine. I am praying to be in a place where I can truly say show me your glory God...and know that that sometimes may require hard times- and that I will praise him in storm or sunshine.
This is me with some classmates after our last class.

2005-2007 Cohort

There's something about the ocean...

There is a song that I like:

There's something about the ocean
Makes me rise up and praise
There's something about the heavens
Makes me stand in awe again
There's something about the sunrise
Reminds me of Your faithfulness
There's something about the ocean (Your presence)
And I'm lost in love again

There is something healing to me about the ocean. I think part of that is that I grew up 45 minutes from the ocean, have lots of happy childhood memories there, and it reminds me of a much simpler time of life. Also- being at the ocean reminds me of God's incredible power. The ocean is a metaphor to me of God's faithfulness. My faith may at times be like the shifting sands, but God is steady and consistent like the tide. We spent the last week of May at the beach with my family. It came at a time when I was in great need of a break, rest, and renewal. Again I was reminded of God's power and faithfulness- and that has been my anchor these days.

Happy Spring

Dying eggs...oh so carefully! :)

Happy Easter!!

Day at the zoo with the Hartman boys

Isaac rode in the red wagon

This is our street the night of the flood that kept us home from Uncle Craig's wedding. We weren't brave enough to risk having to get our car towed after the rain went down like this one did! We were sorry to miss it!

Sister Sister!

A flower from my hibiscus plant...so far so good...its still alive!

George wearing Great-Grandad Hartman's hat

The past two years...

The past two years that I have been in graduate school, I have had some of the most challenging, exciting, and difficult days. Not only am I doing hundreds of pages reading, writing papers, researching for my graduate job, and preparing my Thesis- I have been seeing clients and just began my external internship where I will see more clients. On top of all of that I am figuring out who I am, and how that affects me as a therapist. I have had to write self studies, an in depth paper about my family, be interviewed in depth about my personal strengths and weaknesses, and do live therapy in an observational setting with everyone seeing my strength and "growth areas". My beliefs and biases have been examined to see how those affect me as a therapist. My supervisors believe you have to know your worldview, and how you percieve and think about yourself to better understand how your work with clients is influenced. I don't know how to explain what things have been like for me in this program... Not only is the work of graduate school a heavy load, but there is a whole emotional component to the program that is exciting, but often draining. Sometimes I feel like I am in the middle of a lake, trying to get to the shore- I can see it, but its far and sometimes the swim wears me so that I wonder if I will make it. I am not saying these things at all to complain. I would not trade what I am doing. But the growth process has been tough. Sometimes under a microscope, you like what you see...sometimes you don't.
I remember my sessions after my grandmother passed away sitting there numbly...struggling to pay attention (thank goodness I still had a co-therapist at that point). After a long, tearful supervision discussing the question, "how do I remain an effective therapist even when I'm having a hard time", I learned a lot about self-care and the value of that concept when in a profession that requires you to give your best to people.

Some people say, I could never be a therapist and listen to people's problems all day-When I take the view that I am only listening to problems I loose focus and become overwhelmed. I am not just listening to problems- I am encouraging, I am looking for solutions, and I may be the only one listening. There is so much pain and sadness in the world, but there is also joy and you must look for it. Pain always seems to find people- so work to find joy. It has been an honor and a joy to walk with people through some of their darkest and brightest days.

I can't believe how fast the last two years have gone, and December is quickly approaching. Soon I will be leaving the safety of an environment of having a live supervisor, and friends that have become so dear as we have triumphed and struggled together. I have loved this experience. I have been constantly reminded of how blessed I am to have the family and marriage I have. I couldn't have asked for a better partner to encourage me, and be patient through the late nights and business as I chase this dream. Life is a journey, and I hope to always be growing, learning about myself and others, and finding out how to best be the person God is calling me to be.

Who knew?

If you want to add plants or change your flower beds...don't begin by ripping up EVERYTHING that was previously there. You might not know that you are ripping out HUNDREDS (or so) of dollars of plants. Also...just because the people at the nursery tell you that your plants are safe, and it won't freeze, REMEMBER this is Oklahoma...it could very well freeze! (this means your plants die, unless you are smart enough to cover them up)