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The biggest blessing of all. :)

GoodNESS it has been forever since I’ve posted anything at all to this blog! Quite frankly, I’ve been way too busy and while I’ve had lots going on for quite some time, I just haven’t really had anything that I really wanted to babble on about in my blog....BUT things change don’t they? :)

I am excited to the moon and back and yes, I think fully entitled to take a moment to blab our blessing from  above - Cameron and I are going to be parents for the first time! :) We aren’t rushing into picking out names, painting any nursery walls, worrying about lamaze classes, buying strollers, baby furniture or any of that just yet. We have months ahead of us for those things. For now, we are just enjoying this very tiny (4 oz to be exact as of our ultrasound today!) miracle that God has placed in our lives. 

God never ceases to completely amaze me at His timing - how perfect it is. Life happens and develops just as He plans for it to, and I am just tickled pink at the road He has put Cameron and I on together. 

Can’t wait to meet our little Cowboy (or Cowgirl - we are seriously considering not finding out the sex...yeah right, let’s see how long I can stick with that decision...ha!) in early October! It’s amazing how quickly our baby has changed from a little round blob to an actual baby over the last 8 weeks or so since our first ultrasound. Our ultrasound pic from today absolutely took my breath away - to see our little one moving around and waving his/her hands around, and well actually looking like a baby - head, fingers, toes, tummy and everything...well, it’s nothing short of a miracle. 

In Him,

Brooke Lindsey

The town that built me

When I'm asked where I'm from I usually just say Tulsa, Oklahoma. But the truth is, I'm actually from Orlando too. No...not Florida - Orlando, Oklahoma to be exact....where?? See! That is why it is just easier to say Tulsa...about 98% of people I meet have never even heard of Orlando and if you google it, you'll see why. It is extremely small - as in less than 500 people small. I moved there with my mom after my parents separated when I was 12. Despite the fact that my parents were separating and of course I was heartbroken over that - I was also super excited to be moving to "the farm" as I called it. Orlando would be a brand new start for me, an adventure and I couldn't wait! Well, fast forward about 6 years to high school graduation. As excited as I was to move to the farm years before, I was even more excited to be moving away from Orlando! I was 18 so of course I had everything figured out...or so I thought. I had it all planned out - I would go to college,  graduate, get a good job, maybe get married, have kids...you know the drill...but most importantly, I would not live in Orlando - I was moving away and that was what I was most excited about.

At that time, I certainly did not appreciate the community I spent the most formative of my adolescent years in - in fact, I think I resented it. Hind sight is always 20/20 though right? Now that I've had a few years to begin the process of growing up (please note - I did not say I am done growing up - I figure anyone reading this who actually knows me would call b.s. on that comment so just wanted to clarify), I realize that this community that I was so ready to get away from actually had a huge part of shaping who I am today. I am aware of the "Orlando in me", so to speak, on a daily basis. I am still torn on the nature vs. nurture argument - but, I do tend to lean towards the nurture side. I think we become who we are more so from our environment - our family, friends, the communities we live in...

I'm all about reflection, reminiscing, communicating what I am thankful for and what I love and appreciate, etc... so today I thought I'd make a list of some of my favorite memories as well as what I love and appreciate about my tiny hometown of Orlando, Oklahoma. These are the building blocks of me.

• M-O FFA and my high school ag teacher, Mr. Brent Casey
• Lady Panther athletics - Coach K!! Our very loyal fans who came to every game even though, let's face it...we sucked. Now don't get mad and yell at me for saying this Kayla!
• I love that our teachers were not only educators, but were (and most still are) actually friends with our families
• we had to drive 20 minutes to go to Sonic...and we made this drive nearly every single day after school
• Carl's Quick Stop - we miss you Carl. I think this was my first actual job other than babysitting. 
• sneaking out my window in 7th grade to meet boys and getting caught by Uncle Wayne in less than 5 minutes
• "Drive your tractor to school" day for National FFA Week...and yes, we did actually drive tractors to school
• stock shows - waking up early & washing our calves in the freezing cold - it builds character right?
• bus rides to softball games & singing Dixie Chicks with my team as loud as we could. I clearly remember how great Crystal is at harmonizing - she can sing the high and the low parts perfectly!
• also related to softball game bus rides (and this is an inside joke) - DO THE DEW! Anyone else remember that besides me? I know Jennifer Wimsey will. :)
• driving dirt roads for hours and never caring how much gas we were wasting...but whatever you do - don't waste the beer!
• spotlighting deer AKA making out on dirt roads
• after prom party and bonfire Senior year...Aunt Carla stole all my date's beer out of his ice chest & replaced it with DR PEPPER!!! We got the beer back at the after party, but she really got us good!
• detention in the back of Mr. Pfeiffer's old science building - I spent a lot of time there for, what else, talking too much!
• home made breakfasts at school courtesy of Evelyn Schwandt - I still crave those cinnamon rolls and Kolotchy's or whatever those things were called, on a regular basis, however Evelyn is my favorite part of this memory
• coffee shop talk - anything you do your grandpa was going to find out about the next morning at the coffee shop. I actually appreciate this now believe it or not.
• I love that 4 generations of my family & most of my friends' families all attended the same school
• I love that nearly all of our grandparents have all been married for over 50 years...and most of them were married in the same church
• everyone knows everyone - mostly I appreciate this part of Orlando because this is not the case in any other place I've lived in
• when my mom made Carra a homemade German chocolate cake for her birthday...and left the potholders between the layers when she iced it!!!! I think we nearly peed our pants laughing after we discovered the potholders inside the cake!
• it still makes me smile that every family at our church has their own row that they have sat in for years - I also love children's church - Jovonna is the best children's church teacher ever!
• I love that my entire family has said the same dinner time prayer for years and that this same prayer will likely be passed down to future generations of our family
• I like that I graduated with less than 20 people and we all pretty much know what everyone else is doing these days, or at least where everyone else is...thanks facebook! ;)
• I so appreciate the weekly Sunday after-church lunches at Grandma's - I especially love that our menu consisted of pretty much the same thing every week - taboli, baked beans, mashed potatoes, sauerkraut and weenies, macaroni and cheese, homemade lemon meringue pie...these are all pretty much my favorite foods to this day.
• I love that, in some way or another, a lot of people in Orlando are related, even if only by marriage...this however, does make dating people from your school rather complicated...
• I love that Kayla's mom always had the BEST cereal ever! And she let me eat as much of it as I wanted!
• I love that my mom tried her hardest to teach me how to cook, but all I wanted to do was watch tv and read gossip magazines...as a result, my mother gets lots of emergency cooking phone calls
• I love that my grandma RARELY would use pre-made pie crusts. I also fondly remember how much time and effort she puts into her homemade pie crusts...and how often she made me redo mine cause my crimps weren't pretty enough :)
• staying up all night in Grandma & Papa's backyard to catch the armadillo tearing up her flower beds...and then watching the boys kill the poor little guy with a baseball bat
• Kayla & Cory surfing on top of my Jeep while driving through Orlando - ahhh! this scares me that we thought this was a good idea!

Okay...I'm stopping there because I could go on and on and I'm probably the only one who cares about these things anyways. Thank you Orlando, and thank you to my wonderful family and friends, for keeping me grounded & for all the lessons you've taught me & memories you've given me over the years. I am blessed & I wouldn't change a thing even if I could.

In Him,

Brooklyn

the whirlwind of 2010 (ok well the last couple months of it at least...)

Since my last post, so very much has happened and changed in my world. 

I went on my first "just the girls" vacation (NOLA!) with my best friend Kayla - we hadn't ever gone anywhere just the two of us. We had such a blast.

Kayla & Joey & their son William moved back to Tulsa. I was ecstatic to have them home at last!

I then got a wonderful and exciting job offer...but of course, it wasn't in Tulsa...so Kayla & I will just have to wait until some point in the future to be able to live in the same city. Geez the timing on their move and my job offer was just perfect huh? :)

After a few weeks of serious deliberation and prayer, I decided to take the new job and resigned from my job in Tulsa. I took a month and took an impromptu trip to Mexico, came home, packed up my entire house and moved to Fort Worth, TX.

Mom, Grandma & Papa helped me get moved in, unpacked & organized - this is our routine when I move and that has been a LOT in the past ten years. 

I absolutely love my new job and the company that I work for - God has blessed me beyond belief. I know I am where He wants me to be, both personally and professionally. 

New city, new job, new friends - change can be scary, but I am enjoying the challenge.

My family has been extremely supportive of my move. I think they are just thankful I didn't move back to California - a 3.5 hour drive is slightly less excruciating than a 21 hour drive.

I had a severe allergic reaction and ended up in the ER. It was at this point that I too was thankful for the 3.5 hour drive - Mom and Dad both came to my rescue.

The following week, while I was home for Thanksgiving, my stepdad's mother had a severe stroke on Thanksgiving Day. Patricia Ann Miller passed away just a few days later. 

That same week my Papa had a heart attack. Papa is home now and recovering. I am so very thankful I was able to hug him and tell him I love him this weekend when I was home. 

Life is so short and is such a blessing. As I reflect on the events of the last year, I am a little shocked at everything my family has dealt with healthwise - my stepdad's heart attack, my Grandma's two strokes, my uncle's heart attack scare, my cousins Bailey and Jace spent some time in the hospital this year, Pat's passing and now my Papa's heart attack... 

Life never slows down it seems, never stays steady and predictable for too long, but rather continues to throw you curve balls every now and again (for some a lot more often than others)...just to make sure you're paying attention, just to remind you to appreciate each and every moment because it could always be your last.
Despite all the things that have happened this year, I have so much to be thankful for. I have a roof over my head, more true friends than I can count on one hand, a career that challenges me and that I actually enjoy, and a family that I love, respect, admire and appreciate more than words can say.
It's funny, I have a birthday coming up in about a week and then of course Christmas is just behind that...everyone keeps asking me what I want or need for my birthday and/or Christmas. I honestly do not need anyTHING - sure I want some things, but I have everything and everyone I need. Quite different from my birthday/Christmas gift lists when I was younger. Oh my, could this possibly mean that I am growing up? ;)


God is love,
Brooklyn

Where in the world is Carmen San Diego?

At the beginning of 2009 I decided that I was going to travel as much as possible that year...that plan changed when I closed on my house. With new homeowner expenses popping up everyday, that plan was put on hold for awhile. That change of plans didn't bother me in the least because I just loved being home every weekend and enjoying my new home. I suppose you could say I was nesting.

Well, my friends and family will tell you that has not at all been the case in 2010. I haven't even really been in my "nest" much at all this year. What a whirlwind of wonderful new friends I have made and fun travels I have had this year! Where have I been? This is a very brief overview of my year thus far.

Denver

Norman, OK for the OU Spring Red/White game....only because I love Rachel so much even though she is a Sooner :)

Denver again, to surprise my "twin" Sarah for her birthday

Stillwater, OK for Calf Fry - soo felt like I was back in college this weekend

Las Vegas for Memorial Day weekend

New Braunfels, TX to float the Guadalupe River and visit my favorite town in Texas - Gruene!

San Diego, CA...why did I ever leave there? Such a great trip & wonderful to be back out there seeing old friends!

New Orleans, LA - NOLA has replaced Vegas as my favorite US city. Hands down.

Kansas City, MO - one word. BBQ!!!

Fort Worth, TX - where the East ends and the ass-kickin' begins! Had to break in my new boots in the Fort Worth Stockyards of course... 

This upcoming weekend is my first at home in a very long time and...I.AM.EXCITED!!!!! My fun travels will begin again the following weekend, but for this one weekend I get to be home and be lazy. :)

In Him,
Brooklyn

It takes a long time to grow an old friend

During a brief conversation with my best friend today, one of us brought up that we had been best friends for over 16 years now!!! That number of years just seemed...well, too high. No way have we been friends for almost 2 decades! My reaction was something like, "Seriously? That can't be right...do the math real quick...we met when we were 12 and we are now...oh crap, I guess it really has been that long."

It never ceases to amaze me how quickly time flies by. It also never ceases to amaze me how our friendship becomes more and more precious to me with each passing year. God has blessed me with a beautiful friend, inside and out, who loves me just as I am, unconditionally. We are both pretty much complete opposites - always have been, always will be I am sure. Our lives have been no different - opposite, but you know what they say - opposites attract right? Let me briefly illustrate...

She is shy. I rarely shut up.

She had a steady boyfriend when we were kids. I was always boy crazy.

I went to college and got a business degree. She became a massage therapist.

I moved to California. She moved to Midland, Texas (I know, I win this one right?) 

She got married! Wait, I did too...

She had a baby. I have two labrador retrievers...is that kind of the same?  

She had her first year anniversary...I ummm well, I ended up happily uncommitted.  

She loves the Young and the Restless soap opera - gag. I can't stand soaps.

She hates tomatoes, I eat them like apples... 

You get the picture.

We now live only a little over an hour apart - which although it is far far closer than 10 hours (thank God she came back from Midland! ehh!) - it is still difficult to coordinate our busy schedules to spend time together. But when we do get together, we are like two old hens, I swear...we have so much fun and so many laughs remembering all the trouble we have been in together...and I have the pictures to prove it! But it also makes us smile to recall some of our most memorable "disagreements"...one really big, nasty one in particular, which in a fairly direct way, led her right to the man God made for her to share her life with.

My train of thought that led me to write this blog today essentially boils down to this - God always gives us what we need, when we need it, in His time, not ours. The people, places and events of our lives are part of a much bigger story that He wrote for us long before you and I took our first breaths. I believe this more and more everyday. My life has been living proof of this. I am a lucky girl and am thankful everyday that God wrote such wonderful friends and loved ones like Kayla, in my story.

Garth never did a video for this song, so this is a dorky youtube video I found...but I have loved this song for years and it is fitting. I just wish the youtube video wasn't pink...geez...could it be any cornier? :)

Three books, three authors, one day

I read Elizabeth Gilbert's book "Eat, Pray, Love" awhile back and loved it. I got so much out of her story and I was excited today to find this video on BigThink.com of Ms. Gilbert's thoughts on modern love. In addition to the Elizabeth Gilbert video, I also randomly found out that John & Stasi Eldredge, authors of my two other favorite books "Wild at Heart" & "Captivating", will be speaking tonight downtown...so in ONE day I get to hear these three very wise, well spoken people speak about L-O-V-E...and it is Valentine's Day weekend...coincidence? I think not...I hope you enjoy the video.





LOVE,
Brooklyn

No I'm not the girl I used to be lately...see you met me at an interesting time...

I think John Mayer is an amazing performer as well as songwriter - I found this video recently and it is just too good not to share. Check it out - hope you enjoy it! (I'm sure this is probably an old song, but apparently I've been living with my head in the sand for the last few years as I had never heard it until this weekend...)


Brooklyn

You can take the girl out of the country...

I got a wild hair last week and decided to get out of Tulsa and head for the hills so to speak, for some R&R. I never realized how beautiful & serenely quiet southeastern Oklahoma is until this trip. I rented an awesome cabin in the woods, borrowed some fishing gear, packed some steaks and my ridiculous John Deere cowboy boots, and took off for a random weekend. It was the most relaxing, fun, "old people" weekend I have had in a long time. I came back completely rejuvenated as nerdy as that may sound. For me, the simplicity of just being out in the woods, by the lake, standing on the banks of the river & fishing, rocking on the porch of a cabin, hanging out fireside, playing cards, watching Lonesome Dove (cause what perfect country weekend would be complete without L.D. I ask you?) and just not being in any hurry whatsoever - no agenda, no stress, no drama - just enjoying God's creation & the peaceful quiet, was a wonderful idea.  I already have my next fishing trip planned and I can't wait!

To me a lush carpet of pine needles or spongy grass is more welcome than the most luxurious Persian rug.

- Helen Keller

Much love,
Brooklyn

Circles for Amber :)

Today I was lovingly reminded how everything we do comes full circle right back to us, in His perfect time. I love this song and yes, I do believe in circles...and so will you in time. This is one of my favorite songs by one of my favorite bands. They are right - life is one big circle - a circle of life, love, lessons, heartbreak, successes, failures, mistakes, pain, blessings, trials, tribulations, etc...we can't make the circles go away, but that is where our faith comes in. Always remember there is One whose love doesn't come in circles - His love never falters, is ever constant and the absolute definition of unconditional. By the way, this is a great song to turn up really loud in the car...windows down helps too. :) Love you girl!

Circles by No Justice

Somewhere far away where the sunlight shines in circles

Don’t you wanna be so deep in love

And be loved in return I think it comes around in circles

Magic is the minute of your day

When you look at me and smile

You know it happens every time

Sadness is the face that you put on

When I’m not around

Why can’t you think of me in circles

It goes around it comes around

It’s where you want it to be

Sometimes you’re lost sometimes you’re found

It’s an eternity why can’t we make the circles go away

We can’t make the circles go away

Now it’s time to say what you will say

For better or for worse you got to know it all by heart

And as you’re making up your mind

Remember what I said because I still believe in circles

Don’t you wanna fly along with me

somewhere far away where the sunlight shines in circles

It goes around it comes around

It’s where you want it to be

Sometimes you’re lost sometimes you’re found

It’s an eternity. We can’t make the circles, no we can’t make the circles

Why can’t we make the circles go away

Today you are You, that is truer than true. There is no one alive who is Youer than You.

I have always said that when I do something...I tend to do it all the way. Now I would NOT say I am a perfectionist, but rather, I am usually incapable of half-assing a task, a conversation, a relationship...whatever it may be. If I am passionate about something, it is hard for me not to give 110%. If I am reading a book I like, I can't wait to get home at the end of the day to read it and I usually will try to finish it as quickly as possible. I love planning dinner parties - from planning the menu, to preparing the food, to getting dressed for the party, to welcoming my friends into my home - I love every second of it and find so much joy in each of those steps, which to some may seem far too "Martha Stewart-ish" - but I soo enjoy it! When it comes to meeting new friends, I tend to play 20 questions almost immediately because I want to learn about someone - I want to know what makes them tick & start building a legitimate friendship rather than the all too common "acquaintance". My "question mode" is always in full force on vacations too - so much so, that some of my closest friends joke with me that they'll pay me $20 if I just stop asking questions for a few minutes. If I choose to start dating someone and my gut says "this could be a good fit", I will give all of myself pretty quickly because I figure, well whats the point of dating if you're not going to give your all? Don't you want someone to know the real you and appreciate you just as you are - with no false pretenses to have to weed through further on down the road? Well, the answer is yes - but that is MY answer. And all the previous examples I just cited - those are also just MY examples.

Take a minute and think about what makes you, well you. How would you describe yourself? Are you a talker or pretty quiet unless you really know someone? Are you a procrastinator or do you have a to-do list everyday that you have to complete before you can hit the pillow at night? Are you an introvert or extrovert? Are you a hot head or pretty slow to anger? Are you a musician or just really awesome at downloading mp3s? What are your priorities? What excites you? What makes you mad? Is it hard for you to admit when you are wrong? Are you selfish or maybe the opposite and altruistic to a fault?

I'm going somewhere with this - just stay with me for a bit. I think the narcissist in all of us makes us think our way is the best way, the normal and acceptable way to do something, way to think, teach, learn, drive, love, whatever it may be... and we tend to subconsciously project this onto others creating an unrealistic level of expectations with which we hold our imperfect and very human loved ones to. This is where conflict, fights, divorce, disrespect, mistrust, etc. stem from.

So my point is simple - to assume and/or expect others in your life and in this world to think, behave, react, love, work, worship, prioritize, dress, and give the same effort you give is wrong. That kind of expectation will only set you up for disappointment, frustration, anxiety and probably a few burned and irreparable bridges. No two people are exactly alike - you are the only you in this world just as I am the only me. Yes, we naturally tend to gravitate towards those who are similar to us in many areas, but even in your close groups of friends think of all the differences that lie between each of you. And what a beautiful gift God has given us in that respect - how boring would our world be if we all thought and behaved exactly alike? What lessons would we learn without conflict and resolution? How narrow minded would we remain without being exposed to different ways of behavior and thought? It is only through respect and appreciation of what makes each of us unique and different from each other, that we can let go of the negativity that comes with the "my way or the highway" type of mentality. Leave the judgment part up to the man upstairs.

"Judge not, and ye shall not be judged: condemn not, and ye shall not be condemned, forgive, and ye shall be forgiven."  Luke 6:37

In Him,
Brooklyn

5 Rules For A Happy Life

1. It's important to have a woman who helps at home, who cooks from time to time, cleans up and has a good job.

2. It's important to have a woman who can make you laugh.

3. It's important to have a woman who you can trust and who doesn't lie to you.

4. It's important to have a woman who is good in bed and who likes to be with you.

5. It's very, very important that these four women do not know each other.


Sincerely,
Tiger Woods

Ha! I had to share - my good friend Chuck sent me that today and I got a good laugh. Happy New Year friends!! I wonder...could it be possible that good ol' Tiger might be next in line for an "uncalled for" nomination for the Nobel Peace Prize? You never know what this year could hold. I don't intend for the purpose of my blog to ever be too political...but I wonder how many people actually are aware - in light of President Obama's Nobel Peace Prize nomination and victory last year - that Adolf Hitler, Joseph Stalin, and Benito Mussolini were all nominated for that very same award. Just something to consider...

A valuable lesson revisited

An old friend of mine taught me a great lesson earlier this year. Following is what I wrote back in March 2009 about that lesson. I found it very enlightening to go back and read my thoughts from this spring, to reflect on that time in my life when I first wrote this, and my positive perspective despite all that I was dealing with then; and now, at the end of a very significant decade (1/4/10 correction - so I have been informed that the end of the decade is next year...duh my bad. haha) to realize how this lesson has applied to my life not only throughout this tumultuous year, but every year before and how it will continue to apply every year I am blessed to enjoy hereafter.

When you quit worrying and stressing about the things and people in your life that really don't matter (ahh! my room is a mess, i have to get my oil changed, my car needs to be washed, does my hair look okay?, why doesn't he/she respect me, like me, love me?, is he/she talking about me behind my back? blah blah blah...you get my drift) then you have soo much extra time and energy available for the things and people that really DO matter. Those are the people that make life the gift that it truly is. They should have been your main priority all along...

Simple lesson - and it shouldn't be too difficult to implement that in my life either...in a way, I have already been taking steps to eliminate the negative in my life. So I'm just going to keep on going down the path I am currently on, making the types of choices I have recently been making...and I have a wonderful feeling that I will end up right where I am supposed to be. No more wondering or worrying where I will end up - I'm still curious yes - but the destination is not my main focus anymore - it's the travel time getting there that is the good stuff.

In Him,

Brooklyn

Sharpen your listening skills...gain some clarity :)

A year ago at this same time, someone very special gave me a gift for my birthday, a book called "Wild at Heart" by John Eldredge. I mentioned in a previous post my habit of buying and receiving wonderful books and just shelving them until I "have time" to read them...and although I have been doing a surprisingly great job of overcoming that old habit of mine (along with several others), I hadn't yet dug into this book. Over the past year I have seen this book everywhere - on my father's bookshelf, in friend's homes, office waiting rooms, heard it mentioned in random conversations, etc...it is almost like God has been trying to get my attention for a year now and get this stubborn girl to finally read the message of "Wild at Heart."

I don't want this post to come off as a push to get you to buy this book or even to read it if you aren't already so inclined. What I do want to get across in sharing this with you is the long awaited lesson I learned - God does speak to us even in this modern day and age - all you have to do is be receptive and listen. So, it appears there is a reason I decided to pick up this book when I did - I was finally at a point in my life where I was able and willing to be still, open my heart, my mind and to just listen.

I'm fairly certain that if I had actually read this book a year ago when it was given to me, the message might not have come across as clearly or I might not have listened to it at all. God speaks to each of us in different ways - and He spoke directly to me through the pages of this book. Just by being open and willing to listen to someone other than myself and my own (often flawed) reasoning, I was able to receive very direct answers to some personal questions I had been dealing with; not to mention how much weight was lifted from my shoulders. The best part though, is He gave me peace and a smile in my soul. I could not ask for better gifts this Christmas. Brooklyn is back ladies and gentlemen. :)

What unanswered questions or desires do you have? Ask God those questions. Share with Him your hurts, your confusions, and your worries. Carrying those uncertainties all by your lonesome is a neverending and uphill battle. So do yourself a big favor -take a moment to just be still and actually listen. He will provide you with your answers...just remember His answers will come in His time not yours - so you may have to put on your patient pants and rest easy knowing that He will give you exactly what you need when you need it.


Much love,
Brooklyn

Click my title link above - I stumbled across this Coffey video today...after creating this post - pretty cool. :)

Ahhhh I love this!

I fly like paper, get high like planes...

Wow. I wrote this about 5 or 6 months ago, somehow stumbled across it today and...well, I don't believe in coincidences, so I felt compelled to share this since it seems to relate so directly to my previous blog. A couple of my girlfriends and I had "freewrites" not too long ago that we did as a dorky thing, just the three of us. We'd pick song lyrics for each other and then spill our guts about what that lyric meant to us. Sometimes our freewrites were downright hilarious and sometimes they were pretty insightful and creative. I was assigned the following lyric from an MIA song...and here is what I came up with...

"I fly like paper, get high like planes"

from MIA "Paper Planes"

First, I want you to picture a paper airplane – the clean folded lines, how it glides through the air effortlessly and in the exact direction you aim it…the beginning launch always appears as a successful flight and then BOOM! Unexpectedly the damn thing takes a 90 degree nose dive straight to the floor. That seemingly perfect paper airplane has, in less than two seconds, become a bent and disheveled piece of origami with no hopes of ever flying as straight as it did on its first flight….
Ahhh yes…I can relate to that little paper airplane. My life has thus far, and I imagine will continue to be, a series of attempted solo paper airplane flights that always end the same way – crash and burn. I think I have folded my plane just perfectly, cleared an unobstructed flight path, and am ready for almost guaranteed success. For some reason, I am always surprised when my solo endeavors continue to end in what I used to view as failure. For the purposes of this little writing exercise, I’d like to refer to my mistakes as “crashes”. My perspective on these crashes is much more appreciative now than ever before and also now that I have been through so many, I am becoming somewhat of an aficionado at “disaster recovery” (HA!). These wrecks, although initially devastating and confusing, are always salvageable – IF you allow yourself to learn from them. It is a difficult thing to do to 1) admit how wrong you were and how badly you screwed up and then 2) to really be able to see the silver lining – to understand the lesson you were meant to learn even before you started folding up that little paper plane.
The silver lining – I could write all day about this little cliché but I will save that for another time – is what life is all about. The silver lining is what makes the last half of this song lyric make sense to me – lessons learned and all the good things that follow your “crashes” are what help you continue to grow as a person, truly appreciate life as the gift that it is and essentially take flight, not on your own, but with your friends, family, and God by your side helping you fly your plane through what no doubt will be a stormy sky at times. So recover from your crash and burns, fly straight through the storms, and always look forward to the next beautiful sunrise on the horizon.

Much love,

Brooklyn

GO POKES!!! BEAT TEXAS TECH!!!

Crash and burn...well isn't that the way it always goes? :)

My dad has told me more times than I can count this phrase, "The only thing certain in this life is change." Well, despite the fact that my dad attended the University of Oklahoma, I must say he is a very very wise man. :) It's true - just when you think you have your path in life figured out, you are on the right track and moving forward full steam ahead...something will happen that will most certainly attempt to derail your progress and your personal growth - spiritually, emotionally, whatever it is...life is a constant series of ups and downs. Simple as that.

But what if you always knew what to expect and really could plan your own life out to the tee? How boring would that be if you knew what to expect everyday? If you knew how every friendship or every relationship would turn out? It is easy to be pissed about the constant ups and downs when you are in a slight or even not-so-slight downturn if you will...and even easier to be giddy and thankful for the turbulence when you are on the roller coaster ride on the way up ...the key is finding joy and blessings in both scenarios.

Realize what it is you are supposed to be learning about yourself and those around you during periods of difficulty and frustration. God doesn't "close a door and open a window" for us as the popular old saying goes...I would argue that it is absolutely the other way around. He closes windows (cause who can comfortably crawl through a window to begin with?) and opens up doors for us that bring much larger, greater possibilities and opportunities than we could ever have planned for or imagined on our own. Look for your door, open it and walk right through it! Its much easier than crawling through a darn window. :)

And when you are reaping the joys of being "on top of the world" don't be selfish with your happiness - share your prosperity, your love, your time, your knowledge, your friendship, whatever...with those who may not be as fortunate as you at that moment in their lives.

This life is a wonderful gift and we only get one shot at it, so choose to be your best you at all times. You are a great idea because you were God's idea to begin with. And your time here is not meant to be squandered on self-pity, worry, stress, anger, jealousy, mistrust...let it go and laugh!

Click the title link above - not only is it a great laugh, but is an even better reminder that laughter is always present, even when we fall down. Quite literally in my friend's case. HA!

In Him,

Brooklyn

Too funny not to share as well - my dad's other famous phrase that he has loved to share with my girlfriends and me over the years...

"Boys are like socks; change 'em often."

the Augusteum and...me?

I love books. I love buying books, I love reading books, I love spending hours in bookstores...I am a true book nerd and I always have been. I used to read like 4 or 5 books at a time in elementary school and always won the class award for most books read or whatever...lame I know, but my momma sure was proud. :)So as a result of this book obsession of mine, I always end up with far more books on my shelves at home that I haven't even opened than those that I have actually read. (I should also mention how much I love to travel and in particular, how badly I have always wanted to go to Italy...but I'll get to that...)The A.D.D. child within me makes it difficult to choose which book to read out of my wide selection...but for some reason, a couple weeks ago, this one particular book which I bought like 8 months ago, caught my eye.

The book is called "Eat, Pray, Love" by Elizabeth Gilbert. Every word of the first few chapters spoke directly to me...and quite loudly might I add. It wasn't until a few weeks later that I realized why I had read those words - they were preparing me to deal with a very abrupt change in my life...and when that change hit, and had a few hours to settle in, the message I had read - a part of Gilbert's book that I thought was just so beautifully and purposefully written - came flooding back to me and became so significant to me. (here is where the "travel and Italy" part that I mentioned above falls into synch with this message I have been rambling on about...)

I hope you appreciate Ms. Gilbert's talent as well as her message as she describes her visit to the Augusteum in Rome, Italy.

excerpt from "Eat, Pray, Love" Chapter 25

"On my way back home I take a little detour and stop at the address in Rome I find most strangely affecting - the Augusteum. This big, round, ruined pile of brick started life as a glorious mausoleum, built by Octavian Augustus to house his remains and the remains of his family for all of eternity. It must have been impossible for the emperor to have imagined at the time that Rome would ever be anything but a mighty Augustus-worshipping empire. How could he possibly have foreseen the collapse of the realm? Or known that, with all the aqueducts destroyed by barbarians and with the great roads left in ruin, the city would empty of citizens, and it would take almost twenty centuries before Rome ever recovered the population she had boasted during her height of glory?
Augustus's mausoleum fell to ruins and thieves during the Dark Ages. Somebody stole the emperor's ashes - no telling who. By the twelfth century, though, the monument had been renovated into a fortress for the powerful Colonna family, to protect them from assaults by various warring princes. Then the Augusteum was transformed somehow into a vineyard, then a Renaissance garden, then a bullring (we're in the eighteenth century now), then a fireworks depository, then a concert hall. In the 1930s, Mussolini seized the property and restored it down to its classical foundations, so that it could someday be the final resting place for his remains. (Again, it must have been impossible back then to imagine that Rome could ever be anything but a Mussolini-worshipping empire.) Of course, Mussolini's fascist dream did not last, nor did he get the imperial burial he'd anticipated.
I find the endurance of the Augusteum so reassuring, that this structure has had such an erratic career, yet always adjusted to the particular wildness of the times. To me, the Augusteum is like a person who's led a totally crazy life - who maybe started out as a housewife, then unexpectedly became a widow, then took up fan-dancing to make money, ended up somehow as the first female dentist in outer space, and then tried her hand at national politics - yet who has managed to hold an intact sense of herself throughout every upheaval.
I look at the Augusteum, and I think that perhaps my life has not actually been so chaotic, after all. It is merely this world that is chaotic, bringing changes to us that nobody could have anticipated. The Augusteum warns me not to get attached to any obsolete ideas about who I am, what I represent, whom I belong to, or what function I may once have intended to serve. Yesterday I might have been a glorious monument to somebody, true enough - but tomorrow I could be a fireworks depository. Even in the Eternal City, says the silent Augusteum, one must always be prepared for riotous and endless waves of transformation."