The Masons....

The masons have a truly amazing building in Guthrie that if you are ever in town you MUST go take the tour. It was built and fully decorated (i think) 3 days before the stock market crashed in 29.

Below you will find some pictures they won't do it justice but I hope you can get a feel for the beauty of this building.

I was a little shaky so I apologize for the quality of the images.

The ceiling treatments area all hand painted and some of the chandeliers are worth more then I'll make in my lifetime.in the ceiling above the flowers in the arch are actually 3 dimensional.

below is a picture of the detail of the ceiling and it's all hand painted some colors take up to 6 coats to get the right shade.


Built in book cases filled with rare and old books.
The stage with it's original backdrops for plays and skits.
This table was cut in one big cut of a tree. vertically not horizontally and would probably seat 12-14 people it was huge. the rug below it is hand woven and is so large they had to take a window out and part of the wall. to get it in the room it's magnificent.

I hope you enjoyed and I hope someday you get to see the beauty for yourself.

Young love.

The other night I was laying in bed at 10:30 attempting to sleep with the smell of my neighbor bar-b-Queing next door. It was all quiets except for the sizzle of the grill. When I started to hear a female voice. so I flip around in bed so I can see out the window. I had to see what was going on out there.
For the next 30 minutes I proceeded to watch "Young Love".
You may be thinking.. YUCK.. but it was amazing. I forgot what it felt like to be young and in love.
the holding hands while you grill. The playfulness. Giving piggy back rides. Rubbing each others shoulders. any excuse for physical touch.
It was sweet.
I miss those days and I often wonder will I be like that again..
Do you act the same way when your 30 something and in love instead of 20?
Either way I can't wait to find out.

busy..

well it's been a while since I wrote I guess I'm not as dedicated to this blogging thing as I thought I would be.
Had a wonderful a few weekends ago I spent over 18 hours sewing with my best friend. It was a time filled with laughter and reminiscing.
below you will find a few pictures of the baby bedding we are making for her soon to be baby girl.

Weekend

Sorry it's been a few days since my last post.
What a busy weekend it was.
Friday night I debated on what to do.. Stay home and watch TV online, rent a movie, or do some sewing. Then I heard that it was ladies game night at the church so I called an old friend to see if she wanted to go but she already had plans. I didn't really know if I wanted to go alone. Since I don't know allot of people anymore and the people I do know seem put off by me or something. But I made myself just get in the car and drive over. It ended up being an Okay night. My partner (a junior high student) and I won our game of cards. It wasn't the same as playing with good friends, there was no good conversation or laughter. But at least I won.
When I got home at around 10:45 I jumped online to see the my facebook friends were saying. I started a conversation with an old college friend (C) that had driven an hour to help me move when I moved back home. We decided he would ride his motorcycle over on Sunday and we would hang out.

Saturday I decided to sleep in.. until all of 9:00. I spent the day doing some sewing and running a few errands with mom like going to the antique mall and buying a table and lamp for the end of the hall. It was a fun day. Not quite as productive as I would have liked but relaxing.

Sunday started off busy. I woke up and was vegging on the couch when my electricity went off (AGAIN) I was planning on making some strawberry bread. I owed C a loaf for helping me move a few months back. I called the electrician but sadely it came back on as he was turning the corner onto my street. But I had enough time to whip up the bread and get it baked before I have to leave for church.
After church I made dinner and needed to get my house cleaned before C got there at 2:00 when he called and said he was running 30 min early.. AHHH My house was a pit sewing stuff everywhere, dirty dishes pilled in the sink, etc. Needless to say I didn't get it all cleaned up before he got there but that is life. He didn't really seem to mind I don't think most men do. After some deliberation we decided it was too hot to do any of the things we had planned to do outside so we watched some track and field on my one TV channel then decided to play scrabble where he beat me by 1 point. We then proceeded to go watch a movie.
Movie was over at 7 and he wanted to get on the road since he road his bike. He took off and I headed to church (only 40 min late lol) But some friends of mine from TX were going to be there so I felt like I should go even if I was late. After church my TX friends and a few of us went to Arby's for a cheap dinner.
It was a full weekend.
I will try to be more diligent with my posts.

A few of my favorite things.

Some of my favorite things are sunrises and sunsets, and the Oklahoma country side has some of the very best sunrises and sunsets. Here are some unedited photos to show you why.
































And Oh my the sunsets in Wyoming.. They say it's "like no place on earth" and they aren't kidding. It's magnificent country.

















Take a moment to enjoy a sunrise or a sunset this week and meditate on how great God is.

How will I be remembered...

Have you ever sat and wondered how you will be remembered when you are gone?
While I was waiting on a store to reopen on Friday, (This is small town America where stores close to run to the store. lol) I was driving around town reminiscing when I passed the local cemetery. I hadn't see the grave markers of a few of my friends since they had died so I decided to pull in. While I was looking at the beautiful grave markers it got me to thinking about how will I be remembered. What will my friends and family say about me. What impact am I leaving on their lives?
There are some that list those left behind.
Some have a simple scripture.
Some have a favorite saying.
Some have pictures.

Am I makning a difference in this world?

Friends for Seasons

Some say that there are 19 kinds of friends, while others say there are only 3 kinds of friends. I Think there are more than 3 but there are less than 19.
In the following paragraphs (in no particular order) I will try to explain what I feel are the different types of friends and why they come and go from your life.

The childhood friend. - Most of these friendships arise from our parents friendships we are forced to play together and invite them to birthday parties. I'll never forget some of these friends from my childhood some of them are still what I would call an old friends.

The teenage friend. - These friends are a little harder to describe. Some of them are true friends, they like you for who you really are and not what your status. These are few and far between and if you are lucky enough to find one of these they are likely to stay your friend for the duration of your life. While others can be users who take advantage of you for something you have or have to offer. You can also be a user.

The college friend. - These friends typically become life long friends. They are built around some of the most memorable times in your life. They are built upon your area of study. Your exploration of religion, politics, and the adult life. Where I am from most people Date to Marry in college so these friendships are built and strengthened around this process. The life changes and experiences help to determine what kind of person you become and those that experience these times along with you are typically your friend for life.

The Professional Friend - These are your coworkers and associates you deal with in your professional life. Allot of times they are the ones you vent about your boss to. The ones you attend happy hour with. The network connections you make. They say that life is all about who you know and who they know and they aren't kidding. Typically you find your jobs thru your professional friends and the connections that they have.

The Seasonal Friend - The friend that is sent from God to see you thru a season in your life or so that you can see them thru a season. They are typically in your life for only a season. However sometimes out of the situations you make life long friends.

The true friend. The gold standard of friendships. A true (best) friend listens but never judges, helps you out of a jam, tells it to you straight, and often forgives a debt. They are there when you need them no matter what time of day you call. True friends are also your confidant, someone who wheedles more out of you than you planned to share.

The special interest friend. The friends you meet over a shared interest, such as a craft, a sport or a hobby. They can be your drinking friends, your shopping friends, your adrenaline junkie friends, etc.

I know that I have friends in all of the above categories, some of them fall into multiple categories. I couldn't live without any of them. They have all served a purpose in my life and played a role in the person I have become today. I hope that I have served to better there lives in some way.
You will learn about most all of them in blogs to follow.

A little background information...

I was born Dec. 27, 1979. Which makes me just shy of the dreaded 30~~ I don't know that it would be so dreaded if I weren't so very single. It's been over a year since I had a date and multiple years since I had multiple dates with the same guy. I won't even call them relationships.


Due to the economic downturn I was laid off after working for 7 years as a drafter for a prominent residential design firm in Dallas Texas. As a result, last march I moved back home. Back to the small town where I grew up, had my first job, went to college, and meet my life long best friends. I'm not sure the reasoning why God closed the door to every job in Texas and opened the door for me to be back home. Where I now work for half the money and doing something I'm not trained in. But someday I'm sure he will reveal it to me until then I wait patiently.


In following posts you will hear me talk about my friends, my family, my church, my neighbors, and my thoughts and opinions. I hope you find something entertaining and thought provoking. Thank You for reading along.
Tara

Current bible quotes I stand on are:

Deuteronomy 31:8

"The LORD himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged."

Jeremiah 29:11

For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.

Psalm 37:4

Delight yourself in the LORD and he will give you the desires of your heart.