Remembering Kari

Today I remember my friend and college roommate, Kari Firestone Heil, on what would’ve been her 32nd birthday. I’ve learned over the years that when someone passes away, no matter the circumstances, the people left typically long to find a way to keep that person's memory alive.

I knew Kari all throughout our ACU years, and we first met when we lived on the same hall of Gardner dorm our freshman year. I think anyone that came into contact with Kari would use so many of the same words to describe her: joyful, friendly, talented, spunky, and bubbly. She had a great sparkly eye and smile combination that was contagious, and she was always bouncing around singing something.

She, Garyn, and I lived together for just about the last 2 ½ years at ACU. I remember when we found our duplex on Turtle Cove and were SO excited to be officially living off-campus. We thought we had arrived. I remember when we all went to Wal-Mart to buy our first grown-up purchase -- a big rug for the living room. We brought it home, rolled it out, and then Amber Lucy (Kari’s dog) peed on it. Hilarious.

I remember all of us racing home in between classes to eat lunch and watch Days of Our Lives. I remember her little blue car that she was scared to drive if we were ever in a big city. I remember driving home with her from a visit to San Antonio when a huge tornado storm passed right over us. We were petrified but just laughed the whole time.

I remember when she would eat some kind of yummy sweet the way she would make a high-pitched “mmmm, mmmm, mmmm” sound. I remember the way she encouraged me to give Wade a chance.

I remember when we moved out of the duplex and into an apartment. The funniest story there was when the bathroom sink broke and about 6 inches of water flooded the entire apartment. We were a bunch of clueless girls and didn’t know what to do but run around screaming and laughing...and pause to take a goofy picture.


And of course, I always remember Kari singing and dancing. For someone who never had official dance training, she was amazingly talented. She loved to perform and was a natural. She was in just about every ACU theatre production and was a Sing Song hostess. You could see on her face how much she loved being on stage.



I wish so bad she had known and felt the love that so many people had for her. I wish so bad that I could go back in time and change things. I hope and pray that somehow good can come from the tragic. I hope and pray that more will be taught on how to handle depression with much more grace extended. I hope and pray that the legacy of the Kari we all knew and loved will live on in her two beautiful daughters.
Happy Birthday Kari!

Highights From The Past Week

Babysitting all 3 cousins…at the same time
We experienced one evening with three kiddos all under the age of two. And I thought dinner time was crazy with just one! It really wasn’t all that bad, just busy. And, sadly, it’s easy to forget about that youngest one when she’s happily sitting in the bouncy seat. When everyone was tucked in for the night and sound asleep, Wade & I looked at each other and said…”at least we know we could handle three kids if we had to.”

It was fun having a little one around again. Baby Morgan is a sweetie!

Valentine’s Part One
Nothing says romance on Valentine's Day like a choice of fried chicken or chicken fried steak. The beauty of Babe's Chicken House on Valentine's with 6 adults and 3 kids...no wait, it's loud, and who cares if you make a mess.

Valentine’s Part Two
Nothing says romance on the day after Valentine’s Day like the kid at the grandparent’s house and a nice quiet dinner where you sit by each other on the same side of the booth (yes, for this one night, we were that cheesy couple). After a yummy Tex-Mex dinner, we had my most favorite dessert ever…EVER…the famous Truluck’s chocolate cake (click to enlarge picture and see the true beauty of this masterpiece).

Love it.

Love him (not in that order, of course).

ACU Sing Song
We braved the rain, sleet, and cold to make the trek back to Abilene this past weekend, so I could serve as one of the judges for ACU Sing Song. It was a lot of fun and brought back many memories. If you aren’t familiar with this little cultural phenomenon, it might seem a little strange. It’s such a hard thing to explain, but it is a pretty impressive show for a bunch of college students. And if you are a past Sing Songer, you might appreciate this “Behind the Scenes” video I found. The infamous double gym…the drama, the tears, the cheers, and the never-ending runthroughs.

14 Months Old

So this week, the Tater Tot turned 14 months old. It has been quite a month. I’ll start with the exciting news…he is mobile! About three weeks ago, this happened one night (sorry for the not-so-great quality and for my quite annoying background voice).



He’s still doing just the army crawl, but he is really able to get around and is already so much faster. This has obviously changed things around the house. In fact, this weekend’s major projects include lots of baby proofing.

So remember all of the toys that invaded our home after his birthday and Christmas? Well now that he’s a man on the move, those aren’t very interesting. What is most interesting is crawling under the kitchen table chairs, getting into the cabinets, opening and closing drawers, and even pulling up to his knees on anything he can reach. The bumps and bruises have already begun.

But when he is playing with his toys, his new trick is to throw them. Everywhere. It was kind of cute and funny at first, but man oh man, this kid can throw. This has become one of a million parenting dilemmas I think about. How do you teach a 1-year-old what is OK to throw and what isn’t? I haven’t figured it out yet, so right now, just about everything gets thrown…food, toys, cups, you name it.

He has also continued to enjoy his tiger xylophone. Although we call it a piano because xylophone is not a word I see him learning any time soon. Anyway, this video is of his Jerry Lee Lewis impersonation.



Tate has had a lot of changes this month in his daily routine. I have to hand it to him, he has really handled it all wonderfully. He’s gone from two naps a day to one. That started off rough but quickly evened out to a good 3+ hour nap each day. Bless you child! He dropped his last bottle in the morning and before bed and is now completely on a sippy cup or cup with a straw. And he made the switch from formula to milk. I was expecting a major protest to these changes after hearing horror stories from some friends but have been very pleasantly surprised. It’s so strange to have so many of the baby phases end.

Another biggie this month was his newfound craziness for his Daddy. He’s always had a good ‘ol time with Wade, but that has really intensified this month. He has said “Da Da” a couple of times right to Wade and even while playing at the door outside of Wade’s office. (He only says “Ma Ma” when he’s upset and crying.) And I’m not surprised at all to realize that Wade can get the biggest giggles and squeals from Tate when they’re playing. I guess my prediction of Wade being the fun-loving Dad, and me being the strict Mom may be coming true. Yikes! Here’s a picture Wade took from some of their guy time. (He also had his SECOND haircut this month. The boy has got some hair.)

This has been a fun month with lots of changes, but has also been one of the more challenging months so far. With his new mobility has also come lots of frustration…for both of us. He has made so much improvement with his physical therapy, but he’s still somewhat limited to what he can really do and get into. This gets him VERY frustrated. This causes LOTS of whining. This gets me VERY frustrated. I know this is just the beginning of a whole new stage, but for some reason, I wasn’t expecting it until he turned 2!

Despite the whining, he continues to be a constant source of joy. He is already taking after his Daddy and seems to know no stranger. When we’re out and about, he will flash his big smile to just about anyone and talk to them in his “Tateish.” He still loves doing anything outside and would love to permanently move his room into the bathtub if we would let him.

After a big month like this past one, I’m excited to see what the next few months bring as I learn more and more about this little guy I love.

***Here’s an extra video just for fun. Too bad Tate couldn’t do this last Sunday for the Cowboys!***

Just Call Me Betty Crocker

Ummm, not quite. But I am pretty proud of myself. I made a quiche for the first time. (Cue the ooooos and ahhhhhhs now.)

Our friends Laura and Jackson came over for our regular lunch playdate. I was feeling extra ambitious and decided it was time I added a quiche to my vast (ha!) repertoire of foods that have to actually be cooked. You can only "cook" these so many times.

So the verdict...not bad, but it's no Quiche Lorraine from La Madeleine (my absolute fav). But then again, with Egg Beaters instead of eggs, turkey bacon instead of the real stuff, and half & half instead of heavy cream, it's not going to taste quite the same.

I know to all of you Bettys and Marthas out there, this might seem small potatoes. But for someone that just learned how to peel potatoes over Thanksgiving (yep!), this is quite the victory. There may be hope for me yet.

"Quiche? How do you spell quiche? You don't spell it son, you eat it." --- (Can you name that movie?)

I Love My Blue-Eyed Boy

Diaper-Free 24 Hours

This past weekend, I was able to experience 24 hours without changing a diaper, cutting up food into tiny pieces, picking up a sippy cup from the floor, or even carrying around a diaper bag. It all felt a little strange. But not so strange that I couldn't enjoy myself immensely.

My friend Laura just finished weaning after over a year of breastfeeding. You go girl! So we decided that this occasion deserved a celebration and Girl's Night Out.

Our 24 hours of kid-free fun included manicures and pedicures, shopping, a yummy Tex-Mex dinner, gabbing into the wee hours of the night, sleeping in at a hotel, a leisurely morning, and a delicious brunch. What more could a girl ask for?

There is something about getting away...even if it's just 30 miles away. Sure a big portion of our conversations were about our boys. And sure I was excited to see Tate again. But just that brief little break from the Mommy duties reminded me of a person I knew a little over a year ago. Myself.

MLK

"Now, I say to you today my friends, even though we face the difficulties of today and tomorrow, I still have a dream. It is a dream deeply rooted in the American dream. I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: - 'We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal.' " - Martin Luther King, Jr.

When I visited the Civil Rights Museum this past summer, I was deeply moved by those that led the civil right's movement. It's so hard for me to even imagine what life was like for African Americans just 40-50 years ago. But it is our history. I am thankful today for the work of MLK and many others, so that those acts of segregation and racism now seem unthinkable.

Oh How I Love To Cook!

Just kidding. But seriously, oh how I love to find something that is easy and makes it seem like I cooked!

If you haven't discovered Bertolli skillet dinners for two, you must run to your nearest freezer aisle right now. I have never been a big fan of cooking, but Bertolli has changed my ways. Who cares if my sister laughs when I say that I "cooked" dinner, and we really had a Bertolli meal. Hey, I did have to heat up the skillet. However you define cooking, these things rock. Yes, I even just did the three-finger rocker hand signal. We had a new one tonight...Chicken alla Vodka & Farfalle. Yuh-mmy!

We’re Official

After a difficult decision and several months of looking for a new church home, we have found it. We are now official members of Richland Hills Church of Christ. For some reason, Wade turned down the free Bible they give to new members. Doesn’t he know how much I love a freebie? Anyway, we are both really excited about this new chapter. This will be a very different experience for us, but one that we look to with much eagerness.

We took our time searching and visited so many wonderful churches with so many wonderful people at them. This decision did not come easy, but was one we were both confident in.

Of the three of us in our family, I may have the hardest adjustment. I’ve never been the best at asserting myself and meeting new people (unlike my husband who knows no stranger). But at the same time, I cherish and hold so close the special friends that have been placed in my life over the years through church.

So I look forward to the weekly Bible study I signed up for and several events coming up that will hopefully help force me to branch out of my comfort zone some.

Although the process has not been easy, it is also exciting to think about Tate having some of his earliest memories here and knowing that we’ll have many important memories as well as we continue to experience the ups and downs of life.

I look forward to our new church home being a place to worship, to serve, to connect, and to grow as a family.

I’m Scared of My Toothbrush

Yes, my toothbrush. A few months ago at my dental check-up, my friendly hygienist pointed out that she firmly believes in the ultimate cleansing power of the Sonicare toothbrush. I scoffed at the idea of paying close to $100 for a toothbrush and thought my manual version did just fine, thank you.

Well low and behold, a few weeks later, our insurance company sends us a special offer for this same toothbrush. For a hold-your-horses good deal, we could have our very own. I’m still rather intrigued and skeptical at the coincidental timing of all of this, but did some research and fell for the deal. I mean decided to invest in our dental health. So I purchased two cute matching toothbrushes.

Being the techie that he is, Wade was pretty pumped about putting the toothbrushes together and getting them all charged up. That should’ve been my first clue. Since when do you have to put a toothbrush together?

He ran in with his mouth full and buzzing away in Sonicare cleanliness. Looked easy enough.

Holy Toledo is all I could say. The combination of foaming toothpaste running all down my mouth, every hair on my arm sticking straight up from the vibration, and my teeth feeling as though they were being jack hammered, all led to my now scared state of the toothbrush.

In the middle of his laughs, Wade also reminded me that the instructions say that it allows for 12 days for the toothbrush to fully rev up its cleansing power. They don’t want to scare you too much the first day. So much for that.

I’m convinced mine has been super-sonic charged and is unleashing several toothbrushes worth of power on me. I am now scared of my toothbrush.