Living the Dream

One thing that I have discovered during my short time in Oklahoma, is the beauty of canola. For most of you, you only see the finished product of canola oil in the grocery store on the shelf, but being in the country, we get the chance to see the beauty of the yellow blooms across the acres of flat land. Everytime I go by the fields, I think about how fortunate I was to grow up on a farm, in a rural area. It amazes me that I can live 20 minutes from Oklahoma City, but I have a dirt county road beside my house. Yet, the more people I encounter, the more they take for granted that the bottle of oil was just placed on the shelf, and they seem to have no concept of the farmer who made that possible.
If anyone has every seen the video "So God Made A Farmer," you know why this profession and these people are so dear to my heart. If you haven't, you should YouTube it...I promise it is worth your time. However, if there is any profession that is kicked around and over looked and taken for granted, it is farming. I challenge anyone to go one day without using an agriculture product. You can drink all the soy milk you want, but a farmer still raised those beans. Farmers are the backbone of our nation and without them, we will fail.
Tonight, my husband, an agriculture teacher, had about 400 FFA Members at his school to compete in speech contests. Because today farmers don't just have to be good at driving a tractor. They have to be communticators, web designers, and videographers. They have to be able to use social media and present their story to the masses, to show others what we really do. They have to know how to use the computers and keep electronic records (unlike my dad's generation, who, by the way, still records all of his farm information in his notebook...and that's not a computer). They have to have a love for accumulating debt and a knowledge that they will never get rich, just get by. But these people don't care. Because they have the best job in the world. They have a passion for what they do. The best part, they do it all for other people, and they never receive the limelight credit for feeding and clothing the world.
I am in awe of those that live this lifestyle and every single day, I wish I could be one of them myself. And even though I can't, I get the privilege of working with them everyday and fighting for what they need and deserve. So tonight, my hat is off to the farmer. Those who are on the front lines, like my dad and my grandfathers, and those who are raising the next generation, like my husband. And I know, that "on the 8th day, God looked down at his planned paradise and said, 'I need a caretaker.' So, God made a farmer."

March Madness

I guess I'm already a bad blogger and I've only been doing it for a month. Sorry my post have been so spread out but things here have been running in full speed! We wrapped up a busy March with Chris in livestock shows most of the month, me on the road, and even a special visit from Kentucky. Needless to say, we are already ready for March to go out like a lamb and April to come rolling in. Last month I traveled from Nowata, OK to Dallas, TX and the ended the month in Altus, OK. For those of you around here, you can guess I put a few miles on my car. For those of you not, let's just say I am already eligible for an oil change and just had one on March 3.
The greatest lesson that I have learned this month has been about love. Everyday we are surrounded by so many people that we often forget how important it is to love those around you. I'm not talking about the guy on the bus next to you, I'm talking about those we often take for granted. We sometimes forget to tell them how much we love and appreciate all they do. For example, my mom was kind enough to come out and stay with Maggie while I was gone on trips and Chris had meetings. I'm sure it was more about the love for Maggie than us (just kidding mom), but she showed us an abundance of love by doing that. Maybe it's not something as big as flying across the country to babysit, but something as small as Chris reaching over to hold my hand in the car.
Being a mom has been one of the best things to happen to me. Because now I know love on a different level. It's staying up all night holding a teething baby, or seeing her smile as her dad walks in the room. It's in washing bottles and changing diapers, and in return the sticky, slimy kiss that you get on your cheek. So for me, March meant focusing on what I have been given and how much love fills my life. Needless to say, it was a good month!
April begins in a mad dash for us as the farm show starts this week and speech contests are already going on. But we continue to work each day on loving one another and finding love in the things we enjoy. I am continuing my quest for the love of running by training one last month for the half marathon on May 1. And.....I have rekindled an old love of mine, Pampered Chef! I had so much fun doing Pampered Chef shows when I was in Kentucky that I want to bring that fun back into my life! I am currently booking shows and would love to have you on my calendar! There a lots of new things and great new recipes to try! I know you I'll find the love in those!
For now it's off to bed and dreams of April shower, because tomorrow is a new day to be with the ones I love!

Running Through the Rain

Today I returned a refrigerator.  A refrigerator that I dreamed about being in my new kitchen and seeing my daughters hand prints on.  But instead, I returned it before it got a chance to leave the store.  Today, the day we were suppose to pick up the Budget truck and pack it full with all the boxes sitting in my house, we found out that the buyers of our house were backing out.  Apparently, they found out they could not get the loan.  Why they waited until the day before to let us know is unexplainable.  Nevertheless, we are not getting to move.  Instead of unpacking boxes at our new house tomorrow, we will be unpacking boxes here.  Everyone says, “God has a plan,” and I believe that with all my heart.  But it still hurts.  This was the house where we would raise our children, play basketball in the driveway, fish in the pond, and grow old together.  Now, we wait to see his marvelous plan unfold.  We have seen other families go through this same difficulty and in one way or another, God soon revealed why to them.  We are just waiting for the why in our lives.  Thank you for all the prayers, thoughts, and kind words.  We can’t tell you how nice it is to know that there are still so many people that care.  And we will survive.  We have learned from past mistakes, and we will be stronger in future endeavors.  Until the time that I can get that new refrigerator in my new kitchen, I will take the old one, filled with bananas and carrots, with my sweat pea in her highchair and my hunk sitting at the counter. 

And by the way…if you happen to be looking for a house….I have just the one for you! 

Life in the Fast Lane....

So...here I sit.  Staring at a screen.  Doing something I always swore to myself that I wouldn't do...blogging.  I can remember being in college and saying that facebook 'thing' will never take off, and I'll never have a page....I caved.  I never thought I'd need a GPS in my car...but, yet again, I gave in.  I never thought I'd live in Oklahoma....however, here I sit.  Never dreamed I'd be training for a half marathon...man, I'm a push over.  Almost anything and everything I always said I'd never do...I did.  When I was younger, I swore I'd never go out with a boy that had a Ford, but my first 'date' in fourth grade was to see Ms. Doubtfire, and you guessed it...his mom drove a Ford.  It's amazing how so many things that you thought you'd never do can have such a big impact on your life when they finally become reality.  That's why I am finally committing to attempting a blog.

Before we get started, I'd like to share a few things about me.  I have been very blessed in my life.  I have an amazing God, who has placed my husband (who is the biggest and best surprise of my life) and I, in an extraordinary church to use our talents for him.  He has given us a beautiful five month old daughter, and family and friends that would lay down anything they were doing to help us.  Every blessing in my life is from him, and every struggle is to teach us more about him.  We serve a great God and everything we have stems from his forgiveness and grace.  Through these blessings, I have been placed in position to work for agriculture and the farmers that shaped our heritage.  And Chris, my hubby, is an agriculture teacher (for those of you that aren't familiar, I'm sure you'll be filled in later).  Life on our family farm shaped me into the person I am today, and taught me more about life and death, wealth and poverty, success and failure, than I ever needed to know.  I also love cooking, eating, driving, and long walks on the beach. :)

Before I close out my introductory blog, I'd like to give you an update on why our life is in the fast lane...On top of the craziness both of our jobs hold, we hopefully bought a house this week and will be moving by the end of the month.  Things around here are fast and furious.  We don't do anything slow.  All of our decisions happen quick.  Good or bad, that's the way our life is.  I'm inviting you to join me as I share a little bit of information about Running with the Carroll's.  From marathon training, to job duties, to raising a newborn, buying a new house, traveling to Kentucky, and trying to find time to love each other, we do the best we can, and hopefully you will enjoy hearing about our journey!  Time to run....