simple moments

Three Months Later

2011-04-18T21:59:00.004-04:00

A lot has happened since our last post in January when we celebrated Baby A's 1st birthday and I returned to work. Though I only have the time to post these two videos, I'll just mention that in the last three months, Baby A has enjoyed daycare, crawled, walked, had two sets of febrile seizures due to two fevers, is starting to cut a molar, babbles and talks all the time. Thank God Almighty he continues to sleep from 8pm- 7am (when he's not sick or teething :). His personality is revealing his fun and sometimes sly self, and he's super friendly- waving and saying "hi" to everyone he sees no matter where we are.

Also, mommy has finished her first semester teaching university-level students, daddy has been busy teaching, presenting and planning conferences, and we've made it through two different virus/ cold cycles and moved to a different house in the same neighborhood. It's been a very exhausting month and a crazy busy semester!

For now, here are two videos. I realize these are mostly for our parents. After all, who else has the time to watch videos of other people's kids that last longer than 30 seconds? :)

Ball or Duck's Head? Bathtime fun yesterday.

I Can Walk, Mom & Dad! The most exciting thing the three of us encountered all day!

More later.

Hope you're pondering the Reason for Easter!!!

Baby A is 1 Year Old!

2011-01-08T20:13:00.005-05:00

Our little house smelled of chili, cornbread, and cupcakes yesterday. Several balloons and Happy 1st Birthday signs decorated our sage green walls adding to the new 1-year-old photos of Alexander, which were placed around the house (the portraits were done wonderfully by Mona Elisa Latif!)

Then the doorbell rang and all the fun began! What wonderful chaos it was to have our house warmed with dear friends and children who all ventured through the thick layers of last night's snow. We are loved and how grateful we are for each of them. (We wish we could have invited more friends to join the celebration. Next time, perhaps, we'll be in a bigger space :)

4 short videos below show just part of Alexander's special day. The first two are of our Happy Birthday song to the birthday boy, and the last two are what happened post-candle-blowing. It makes us smile and laugh out loud to watch them. Hope it warms your heart, family. We wish you all could have been with us today!

Love,

2 Parents of a 1-Year-Old!

PS. Soon, we'll post birthday pictures and a brief update about Baby A's 1st Christmas, mommy's return to work and our first days of home daycare.

VIDEOS 1 & 2: Happy birthday song

VIDEO #3: Post-Candle-Blowing Fun

VIDEO #4: Cupcake!

Baby A Bundled & His New Drum

2010-11-08T09:31:00.004-05:00

With the temperature cooling, Baby A finally gets to wear his winter clothes when we go out for our walks. He gets all bundled up and I think he likes it. We'll get to take our BumbleRide stroller out for a spin in the snow & he'll be nice and cozy!

Baby A loves to slap his hand on his tray table & give high-fives. So at one of the mom-to-mom sales I went to a couple weeks ago, I bought this cool Baby Einstein drum for a really good deal. It sings and talks in English or French and has lights on the top to keep baby's attention. I thought it was a good find. So after I sanitized it & put in some new batteries, Paul and I gave it to him to see how he'd like it.

I think this was a superb find! Watch out, Lou. Baby A may be after your spot on the FFC worship team :)

Happy Monday, all!!!

Catching Up Before Falling Back

2010-11-02T20:40:00.013-04:00

Whew, this summer came and went faster than I imagined! And now, fall is coming to a close, too! So what have we been up to since our last post?

Our almost-10-month-old son

showing off his karate skills.

Well, since Ontario permits up to a full year of maternity/ parental leave and Paul doesn't teach during the summer, we had the wonderful opportunity to spend a lot of time with family. It was such a refreshing time, especially being new parents and living so far away family. Paul and I were able to go out without the baby for the first time. And, wow, all the people around to help care for Baby A! We found great pleasure in seeing our family interact and love on Baby A. WE MISS YOU ALL SO MUCH!

There are way too many pictures to post here, and I've started posting our pictures and videos on one of our previous sites. I find it so much easier to use and there is a very simple way for viewers to see pics, watch videos and comment. If you're interested, check it out here!

A quick run down on Baby A's summer:

* flown on an airplane several times & travelled to NY, CA, OK, TX (he is an incredibly easy baby to travel with, thank you God!)

* lost his spiky hair somewhere around 6 months old :(

That spiky hair is all natural and is, sadly, gone.

* took a boat ride on Lake Tahoe

* went swimming in a couple different pools with his cousins

* was dedicated to the Lord in June. (Family, we wish you could have been with us that day! The video is about 6 minutes long, and you'll need to turn up your volume. Just remember to turn it back down when you're done :)

Pastor Don Horban at our home church, Cedarview Community Church.

* started eating solid foods and has quite the appetite!

* with daddy teaching him about the "claw" and the "antlers," Baby A cheered at his first Texas Rangers game when they played the Toronto Blue Jays

* cut both his bottom teeth and is now working on the two top ones

Can you see them?

We LOVE that Baby A loves to smile. It's contagious!

I suppose we could say these were some of the highlights of our summer. Lots of delightful memories to think back on. Fall has been wonderful, too, with its sunshine autumn weather and beautifully colored leaves. We take advantage of these days with leisurely strolls around the neighborhood and through the parks. Winter, with its chill and snow, is lurking around the corner and this California girl is bracing herself. Paul keeps telling me he'd like to see me purchase a knee-length puffy jacket. He jokes the warmer I am, the less I complain about the cold and the fact that he's dragged me from my California sun! Ha! :) I will survive.

Thankful for you & praying for extra blessings as the year winds down to the next.

Love,

the franks tribe

Standing, Splashing & Noise-Making

2010-05-14T21:26:00.006-04:00

So today was a pretty laid-back Friday. Daddy got to take care of Baby A while I went out shopping, then we all hung out & relaxed. Baby A showed us a couple of new skills today. First, while we've known he's growing in strength, we didn't realize how strong he already is. This boy has been "standing"! He can't balance just yet, but he sure can support his own weight!

Also, he has been kicking around in his bathtub for a while now, but today he was really showing off his splashing skills! Good thing Mommy covered up Daddy's coffee grinder & coffee maker! You can see the short video on our family photo site.

Finally, we had some fun making noises!

He makes us smile :)

4 Months Old & Mother's Day

2010-05-08T10:12:00.008-04:00

Baby A is 4 months old today or he's 17 weeks & 1 day old. I'm still not sure which date to use. If anyone has an opinion on this, please feel free to comment :)

I was just talking with Paul today about how it feels like so long ago we excitedly (and somewhat naively) brought this sweet, tiny little person into our home. This small, delicate boy, snuggled into a brand new carseat, driven through the winter snow & chilly air, was welcomed into a warm house by two curious corgis & Grammy & Grandpa Franks. The fatigue of labor & the exhilaration of delivery was followed by our world being turned upside-down during those first few weeks. We laugh now at our insanity due to the lack of sleep (thankful for Paul's parents' help!), fumbling through diaper-changing a newly circumcised boy, and ourselves baffled at the different types of cries used to communicate with us. Just from these first few weeks, I know I'll never be able to repay my mom for all of the love & care she gave to me :)

On this first Mother's Day, I cherish the memories already. I remember how Baby A's entire body curled up to fit softly & perfectly across my chest when we cuddled & fell asleep on the couch; the tired tears & joy of nursing him a gazillion times each day; and staring into those beautiful eyes, wondering what he'll see in his lifetime and praying God's blessings over his life. Even at 8 lbs at birth, he still was so little to me. What a precious gift he is to us.

(1 day old; 7 weeks old; 9 weeks old; 12 weeks old)

Our little guy is 4 months old now, weighed in at 18 lbs. 5 oz at his well-baby doctor visit this past Tuesday, and he's over 26.3 inches long. Doc measured his head & it's not as big as we thought it was; it's just the right size (LOL!). He sits well in his Bumbo & holds his head up quite steadily. His hair still spikes up like a peacock's tail feathers. He's alert & growing more & more in awareness of his surroundings. With consistent sleep training & a great temperment, he's a sleep champ- naps well throughout the day, sleeps at least 8 hours each night (praise the Lord!), and wakes with smiles and coos in the mornings. And he loves to talk & play with dad & mom. His bedtime routine includes a story from dad & lullabies from mom- it's our favorite part of the day with him.

(4 months old)

What a pleasure & privilege it is to be a mom, especially Baby A's mom. I think of how much I love him; how I'd do anything for him- and immediately, I think of how the Lord loves us. How deep, how far, how wide is the love of Christ. The amount of love I feel and have for my son is just a taste of the love God has for us. I know this now in such a new way.

Happy Mother's Day, mommies!

The Tickle Monster & The Giggles

2010-04-29T15:53:00.005-04:00

This will make you giggle :)

Baby A & Cousin J- March 30, 2010

The Edited Version

If the sound doesn't match the picture, try the one below.

Photo Sharing - Video Sharing - Photo Printing

2 Weeks in Cali & Easter Homecoming

2010-04-09T11:30:00.005-04:00

At 2 months old, our little guy braved a road trip to Buffalo and a round trip to California to meet family. He was such a great traveler on both the car & plane ride (thank you, Lord!). As a side note, when traveling with an infant, people are either extremely helpful or want to run from you like you've got the plague. I was happy with either :) Kudos to the gentlemen who helped carry the stroller down to the plane so it could be gate-checked, and to the Southwest flight attendant who held him so I could use the little girl's room, and to all the passengers who walked right on by and left us with an empty middle seat!

We had such a fun time with our family. Besides hanging out at home, we went to the mall, ate at Mommy's favorite American restaurants, took cousin pictures, and spent time with our extended family and friends. It was so hard to leave them. But we missed Daddy so much, too, since he had to work & couldn't be with us. Here are some pictures telling the story of our journey. There are captions for each picture; feel free to visit our site for easier viewing (there are a lot of pictures!).

Although we had to miss out on our family gathering remembering our Papa (who went home to be with the Lord last year at this time), it was good timing for us to come home. Daddy missed us & we missed him terribly; two weeks apart is a long time! The great thing is we got to celebrate Easter together as a family. Check out our Easter pictures here or below.

Our big guy is now 3 months old! He has outgrown all of his newborn & 0-3 month clothes, and he has discovered his hands. His thumbs, which used to be hidden in his fist, are now out & he is constantly staring at & sucking on his hands. We think thumb-sucking is just around the corner. He's a talkative chap, too, in person & via web cam. Just the other morning, he spent 20 minutes talking with Mimi via Skype!

Our little bundle of joy brings smiles to our faces daily! Happy 3 month-day!

March Updates Piling Up

2010-03-10T16:20:00.008-05:00

I'm trying to keep up with how quickly Alexander is growing (he's already 9 weeks old!), so I've posted a few different blog posts in the last week. Scroll down to see videos and pictures of how he has grown in the last 2 months!

Also, I just realized that I didn't post the pictures of Alexander at 10-days old. So here is a slideshow with captions. You can see the whole gallery here.

Don't forget to set your clocks to SPRING FORWARD tonight :)

I've Traded In My Purse for a Diaper Bag

2010-03-07T18:56:00.008-05:00

and I don't mind it one bit. All I used to carry included my wallet, cell phone & chapstick anyway; however, in the last 2 months, I've increased my load to include all things needed for having an infant with me 24/7- diapers, tee-pee pee-pee, wipes, vaseline, extras - clothes, bibs, burp rags, nursing apron, snacks, rattles, camera, etc. etc. All in a very cool diaper bag that Paul doesn't mind carrying around :)

Our little guy is 2 months old on Monday (8 weeks old on Friday... I wonder when I'll stop counting Fridays?) and we took him to his check up this past Friday. He's a whopping 13 lbs. 14 oz., 25.5 inches long & in the 90-95th percentile for babies his age. I think it's safe to say that he like Mommy's milk & Paul and I are doing something right :)

He also got his 1st round of vaccinations- 2 shots. Our doctor is fantastic, though, and she brought in one of the other docs to help. They administered the 2 shots simultaneously- one on each thigh- while Paul help Alexander. I watched- held my breath as they counted to three- my son take a deep breath, face turned tomato red, and a single cry rang out in the room. Immediately, the band-aids were slapped on his chunky thighs, daddy cuddled and rocked him, I released my breath, and our son was comforted. One scream. That was all, thank God. He was quite the trooper :)

Here are a couple of adorable photos taken of our big guy today after church. He's growing so fast & every day, we just continue to fall more and more in love with him :)

Some firsts we new proud parents would like to share with you:

He's so alert! We love that we can tell he knows we're around! He sees us, follows us & his toys with his eyes, turns his head toward sounds, and he doesn't mind our loud doggies, especially when they play right in front of his crib.
We think he has discovered his tongue (as seen in one of the videos below).
He's found is fist! He likes to suck on it and Paul is trying to teach him to find his thumb (it's always hiding in his fist)!
He's been on a subway train & walked through downtown Toronto via Daddy & baby Bjorn.
He sleeps between 5-7 hours a night (between the hours of 10:30pm - 6:00am)!!! Hallelujah!
He coos and oos and "talks" with us. See the videos below.

Now, we're just waiting for him to laugh! He's right on the verge of doing it...

Here are a few short videos that we thought you, our friends & family, would enjoy.

7.5 weeks old: Happy baby. After nursing, the diaper change signifies "wake time" & Alexander and I often "talk" for a few minutes before our wake time activities (playgym, swing, etc). The next 2 videos are of those talking times with mom & baby.

7.5 weeks old: Ooooo

6 weeks old: Playing with his tongue!

5 weeks old: Little sounds as he slept.

3 weeks old: Alexander's 1st subway ride, walk through downtown Toronto, and a visit to American soil at the US Consulate to get his US citizenship & passport.

There are a couple of other videos from a previous post from when he was a day old and 3-4 days old.

More to come.

Love,

The Franks

Babies Grow Like Weeds!

2010-03-02T11:24:00.005-05:00

Somehow it is already March, which means our little newborn son is no longer a newborn as he is over 7 weeks old and on his way to the 2-month mark this Friday! Time has flown by so quickly that Paul and I catch ourselves already reminiscing about the day we brought him home and how we somehow made it through those tough first weeks. While I did not wholeheartedly believe the encouragement of those who said it would get better, we definitely feel like it really has become easier as time has passed. I am {now} a believer!!! LOL. :)

For now here are some pictures that show just how much the little man has grown. I plan to post a couple of short videos, too, but it's time to get ready for cuddle time with my little guy.

Enjoy!

BIRTHDAY- January 8, 2010

1 day old- First day home after our overnight hospital stay

4 days old- Daddy just loves holding me

10 days old- Our first set of professional family pictures.

20 days old- Let the chunkiness begin!

4 weeks old- By this time, he gained over 3 pounds and grew over an inch!

5 weeks old- This is one of Daddy's favorite pictures... the thinker :)

And this was taken on his first trip to church. It took us 5 weeks to finally get the energy & timing down :)

6 weeks old- Web cam picture time with Mommy!

7 weeks old- Bath time is so much fun!

... and so is sleep-time :) On this day, we went to church & out to lunch before watching the USA v. Canada ice hockey game.

More baby updates to come!!!

Until you get to meet him...

2010-01-24T08:09:00.004-05:00

these short videos may have to do :)

Alexander at 1 day old

I developed a fever during labor & it passed on to Alexander upon his birth. Thankfully, we both got over it before we were discharged. In the hospital, he rested in this bassinet right next to my bed, and I couldn't help but wake quickly every time I heard him move or sigh or wimper or cry.

This is just a short clip of one of his many sounds at just a day old, while the nurse took his temperature.

Alexander & his Daddy

An adorable video of my two loves. Alexander just 3-4 days old.

Happy 2-Week Birthday, Alexander!

2010-01-22T10:53:00.006-05:00

Two weeks ago, Paul and I welcomed W. Alexander Franks into the world and how amazing it has been to be his mom and dad. He is such a sweet boy. He makes the most adorable sounds - I call him my little noise maker - and the most wonderful expressions when he sleeps. You know, those little smirks and smiles :)

Bill & Nita arrived just two days before I went into labor, and it really worked out perfectly. We were able to spend some time with them before the little guy arrived, and then it was all about him. We were all happy to make it that way :)

The first few days were a bit rough - with the hormones, the adjustment to breastfeeding and missing sleep, and just the realization that this little person was really here and in our care. God really did give us such a precious little gift! But we got into the swing of things with lots of support from daddy (I couldn't do this without Paul!), grammy & grandpa, and lots of Ontario nurses :) It's been amazing to partake in the post-partum support.

Anyway, I could go on and on about the stories just from these last two weeks, but I'll reserve those for conversations :-) For now, check out Alexander's photo album. Enjoy the story of our little one's debut!

Love,

The Franks Tribe

Waiting For My Son

2010-01-04T10:30:00.003-05:00

When I wake up each morning I immediately wonder how my wife is doing and if she’s gone into labor. I furiously look around for any noticeable signs of such a wonderful event. Then, when I learn all is well, my heart-rate begins its slow return to normalcy. When I get into bed each night I lie there wondering if I’ll make it till morning without being woken up with those words I’ve been dying to hear, “I”m going into labor.” While mulling over this soon-coming joyous moment I reach over and place my hand on her stomach so I can feel him squirm and kick from inside the womb “one last time.” As I slowly doze off I can only imagine how great it will be when those squirms and kicks are performed before my very eyes.

For almost a week now that is how I have started and finished my day. What do I do in between beginning and end?

I prepare.

Once I hear the magic words from my wife there are things I won’t have time to do, so they must be done now. Each day I have a checklist of things I run through to make sure we are as prepared as we can be.

Is the driveway clear of snow so we can easily get the car out of the garage? Am I clean shaven so I don’t look like a ruffian when I see my son for the first time? Do the dogs have plenty of food in their containers for whoever ends up feeding them while we’re at the hospital? Are the relevant gadgets – cell phones, iPods, cameras, video cameras – fully charged and packed? Do my parents have all the information they need to get to the hospital and/or house? Is there cash in my wallet to pay for parking at the hospital?

It can be a bit wearisome to go through this list each and every day, but it’s a wearisome chore that is done with great joy. What makes this waiting for my son unique is that I’m always preparing for something that could come in a moment’s notice (perhaps even before I finish writing this) or could come in a week’s time. There are ‘big days’ in our lives that are exciting and require a lot of preparation. In high school there is the SAT (or for my fellow Oklahomans – the ACT) at university it seems there is always a mid-term or final exam to prepare for, and there is perhaps the biggest day of one’s life his or her wedding. But for each of these big moments in life there is a specific day on which you know the event will happen.

I’ve been struggling to think of an event that is similar in that you are always preparing for it even though you don’t know when it’s coming. Last night I finally found a comparison. An event that I should’ve thought of a long time ago but didn’t. (Perhaps this lapse shows that I haven’t been preparing for it as diligently as I should.) In the same way I’ve been preparing for the arrival of my son, I should be preparing for the arrival of the Son.

My joyous thoughts of my soon-coming son should be based upon the foundation of the soon-coming King. In fact, my son’s very life is dependent upon God’s gracious gift to my wife and me. So what should I be doing from morning to dawn?

Prepare.

Have I been seeking a more developed relationship with God? Have I sought to know him through studying his word? Am I continually trying to live the life that he intended for me to live? Is the life of Christ exemplified in my daily actions? In how I treat my wife? In how I treat my co-workers? Do I seek to glorify God in all my actions? Is he the center of my academic pursuits? Do my goals and dreams reflect God’s desire that all would come to him and have everlasting life?

I am sure that over the next many years I will learn many things about God through my son. I am truly happy that these lessons are beginning even now.

The kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. Five of them were foolish and five were wise. The foolish ones took their lamps but did not take any oil with them. The wise, however, took oil in jars along with their lamps. The bridegroom was a long time in coming, and they all became drowsy and fell asleep.

At midnight the cry rang out: ‘Here’s the bridegroom! Come out to meet him!’ Then all the virgins woke up and trimmed their lamps. The foolish ones said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil; our lamps are going out.’ ‘No,’ they replied, ‘there may not be enough for both us and you. Instead, go to those who sell oil and buy some for yourselves.’ But while they were on their way to buy the oil, the bridegroom arrived. The virgins who were ready went in with him to the wedding banquet. And the door was shut. Later the others also came. ‘Sir! Sir!’ they said. ‘Open the door for us!’ But he replied, ‘I tell you the truth, I don’t know you.’

Therefore keep watch, because you do not know the day or the hour.

Matthew 25: 1-13

Maternity Pics, Christmas Banquet Heels, an Olympic Torch & a pre-Christmas Surprise

2009-12-23T20:04:00.006-05:00

Thanks to our dear friend, Eric, we had the privilege of working with Mona Elisa Latif for our maternity photos taken toward the end of November when we were about 33-34 weeks along. She & her husband, Dirk (a fellow Catan fanatic) made it so enjoyable to be out in the chilly fall weather and were just a joy to work with. Here is a collage Elisa put together and we've posted the other pictures here.

This photo was taken during our Tyndale Christmas Banquet early in December, and here we are 35 weeks along. After avoiding all things pumps or heels, I donned a pair of Kenneth Cole heels that night. Alas, they didn't make it in the picture, but I did get a few props for being so daring :-) Isn't my husband handsome? I think so very much.
Then just last week - my final week of work before maternity leave - one of our staff, Danielle Rourke, got to run with the Olympic torch! She came back to share her excitement with all of us and even let us take pictures with the torch.

And last but not least, we are pleased to introduce our new nephew - Jacob Adelio Hemsworth! On my final day at work this past Friday, I learned my sister, Trish, had gone into labor 12 days before her due date! About 22 hours later, little Jacob entered the world and what a wonderful Christmas gift he is! Daddy Eric & Mommy Trisha are doing very well taking care of this handsome boy.

Now, Paul and I await the arrival of our little bundle of joy! Being home from work has allowed me to rest much and get last minute tasks checked off my to-do list, not to mention spending time with Paul and the corgis. Our house is all decked out with Christmas cheer and we're ready to celebrate Jesus's birthday together... perhaps it will be with our little boy? We'll just have to see. We wish you and your family a very Merry Christmas!

Thankful for the gift of forgiveness through Jesus Christ!
Paul & Tina Marie

36 Weeks Today!

2009-12-10T18:29:00.005-05:00

We are 36 weeks pregnant today! It's hard to believe that 9 months have come so quickly and we'll be meeting our little boy very soon!

Here's the latest belly shot. Sorry about the quality- we had to use our cell phone because our battery is dead in our camera. Nevertheless, you can still see the round-ball I carry in my belly.

Pregnancy has been a pretty cool gig for me. From the stories I've heard, I consider myself very blessed to have avoided major pregnancy complications and side effects. Paul and I are praying this continues through a smooth delivery whenever Baby Franks decides to make his debut.

We saw our doctor yesterday at our first of weekly visits, and all seems well. His heartbeat continues to beat strongly, my blood pressure and weight are good, and according to the doc, the baby's head is "nice and low" getting ready for labor soon enough. I'm getting more and more excited- and thankful since it really does feel like he's running out of growing room in there! My poor belly needs a Palmer's lotion rub at least twice a day to relieve me from all the itching.

We're thankful to the Lord that all is well. And we await Baby Wentie very soon, too! Trish & Eric are in countdown mode as they're due a week before us!

Lastly, we took some maternity photos with the fabulous M. Elisa Latif. Here are some sneak peeks to some of the shots she's shared with us:
collage
and
more photos

We'll get the full CD in the mail soon!

That's all for now.

Much love,
the Franks

Family Love, Baby Shower, California Food & Babymoon

2009-11-28T11:27:00.006-05:00

Lots of pictures to tell our story over the last month. Here we go...

In late October, we made a trip home to see my family in California...for our Go Team Franks & Hemsworth baby shower.... and to eat at my favorite restaurants.

Trish & I were given a fantastic double baby shower while we were home!

It was a perfect way for us to start off our time in California because we got to see a good chunk of our family and reconnect with friends.

Mom and the aunties were like cooking queens! So much good food.

Dad and the guys set up comfy seating for the great weather outside and kept the drinks cool!

Trace put together some funny games and had people chewing through ice cubes to get the babies out, stealing pacifier necklaces from each other throughout the day, and sticking their noses in "dirty" diapers...

Paul & Justin weren't too interested in discovering what types of chocolate bars were melted inside. ... too grossed out, I suppose :-)

And wow, all the gifts that we received!

Team Hemie & Team Franks are so grateful for our family and friends who were able to get us on a solid start with our kids!

Who would have thought so much is needed for such a little person! Diapers galore, bottles, clothes, blankets, furniture, travel gear, oh my!

These babies don't know how blessed they are!

Now, on to all the food I ate while in California (LOL!)

Yes, I will happily confess that I ate at In-N-Out at least 2 times while we were there. Thanks, family, for indulging my cravings!

Of course, we had to visit BJ's Pizza & Brewery to get yummy pizza & pizzookies!

Yes, the yummy things in my life that day.... three mini pizzookies and a Jasmine.

I was only able to take one home that day :-)

And she was happy to come with us to play games and read and watch her favorite movies (right now, it's Aliens vs. Monsters, or is it the other way around?}

Jasmine has grown so much!

She's already in pre-school classes and she loves taking pictures of everyone with Auntie's camera.

She photographed everything including Auntie Trish & Uncle Eric.

Baby Wentie should be arriving very close to the end of December! We can't wait to discover if we should be saying "he" or "she"!

Then it was on to the Olive Garden. {Yes, our itinerary for the week was planned around my eating desires :-) In-N-Out burger, BJ's, Olive Garden, IHOP, and so on....}

Uncle Paul and Jasmine get along pretty well. He is her human jungle gym and he is happy to oblige when she asks to be thrown up high in the air.

Besides lots of golf & sitting out on the patio eating oysters for the boys.....

And pedicures and shopping for the girls, we also went on a tour of the Jelly Belly Factory!

Mommy Tracey and big girl Jasmine in front of the big huge Jelly Belly man!

Just last weekend, Paul and I stole away for a babymoon.

One final trip away- just the two of us- before our little guy arrives.

We got a great deal at a hotel in Niagara Falls (Canadian side) and found ourselves enjoying a meal at The Keg Steakhouse (Paul loved it! His prime rib was still mooing... ick!).

And we saw the fantastic view of the Falls, illuminated! We confess, this side of the falls is much better than the American side (sorry!)

After dinner, Paul had this terrific idea to go to the top floor of the Hilton hotel and we found this great spot called the Blue Martini Lounge.

It was a perfect place for us to hang out, enjoy a nice after dinner dessert and drink, and watch the fireworks over the Falls!

Here we are at the Blue Martini Lounge.

The next day, we crossed the border to eat at Red Robin and did a little bit of shopping at Target and Babies R Us before heading home.

A great trip with my love!

Finally, here is a little sneak peak of our little one's crib. Grammy and Grandpa Franks got this OU jersey for him (and one for Paul) and I finally put it in a shadowbox.

OU fans... :-)

We're still deciding on what we'll name our son but I feel we may make a decision pretty soon. For now, we're simply enjoying the time we have together - just the two of us - but we're also so excited to meet him.

Mat leave starts in a few weeks and he'll be here a few weeks after that. What a blessing!

Til next time!

Nita's Visit/ Canadian Thanksgiving Weekend

2009-10-23T08:36:00.004-04:00

I am SO behind on posting & we're getting ready to leave for Cali, so this will have to be a quick summary of recent events :-)

Nita came out to visit us over Canadian Thanksgiving weekend and she & Bill totally blessed us with baby Franks's new crib, a rocker/glider, and other knick knacks. Nita also arrived with a whole luggage of infant clothing from some friends and some very comfy maternity wear for me. This child doesn't have a clue how spoiled he already is :-) Daddy put the crib together all by himself, and now the little one's room is ready for final touches.

Our dear friends from Tyndale - Cynthia, Karina, and Sharon - planned a surprise baby shower for me and Paul. Paul was in on it but he thought it was a ladies only thing- only to find some of his buddies present, too! It was a fun evening of baby shower games, yummy foods, and the joy of friends celebrating this little life growing inside!

Finally, Nita helped me put together my first Thanksgiving meal! It was tough for her to sit and watch and direct me as I did the work, but the master chef directed well and we had quite the meal for the 3 of us. You'll see the before and after pictures in the slideshow below (it looks like we barley touched any of the dishes!).

It was a fast weekend but we sure did enjoy having family with us over the Thanksgiving holiday! Thanks, Nita! (I've told you all before that I've got the best in-laws on the planet).

Finally, some prego updates. As of yesterday, I am 29 weeks along. This photo was taken this week and yes, the belly is growing large!
The little guy is growing stronger every day (as I can tell from his kicks and squirms inside). He has hiccups that I can feel and I find myself staring at my belly more now just to see him move. Paul tells me that, at night while I sleep, he will reach over and feel my belly and the little one will move and kick for him. These are "their" moments (since I'm usually knocked out). I thought that was the sweetest thing ... already between daddy and his son.

Now we're off to Cali to see my family and enjoy a dual shower with my sister & bro-in-law. More to post later.

Love,
The Franks

A Very Early Morning Update

2009-09-11T04:38:00.003-04:00

Since last weekend, I've been waking up between 3 and 4am pretty consistently and it's been a bit of a bump in the road. I must confess it makes the grumpies come out :-)

I wonder if I've hit the point where pregnancy has become just uncomfortable enough that I can't sleep through the night, or is it because my 7pm dinner is gone shortly after my 9:30pm bedtime & I'm hungry, or is it because I'm concerned that I'm sleeping on my side and not on my back, or what?

I suppose I'll go grab a bite to eat now (currently 4:41am EST) and try to get back to sleep before work. Thankfully, I've got a job with flexibility and very understanding co-workers. I'm open about my potential grumpiness and they're great about giving me space :-) Thank God for good people!

Anyway, under the fantastic news section, Paul finally got to feel Junior move! For the last month or so, I've been able to confidently say that it's the little guy moving around inside, and for the last couple of weeks, I've had Paul rushing over to feel my belly. Every time, though, was a negative response to a series of "Did you feel that? How 'bout that? Dya feel that?" I could feel the little jabs and flutters, but not Paul. Not yet.

Then on Monday night, while Junior performed his nightly somersaults as I relaxed into bed, I had Paul, yet again, reach over to feel. And viola! Success! Paul was thrilled and so was I. Now we look forward to SEEING Junior's movements these next few months.

More news and pictures to come at a more decent hour of the day. :D

Head over heels even while sleep deprived,
tinamarie

Past the 1/2 Way Marker: 21 Weeks Today!

2009-08-27T20:33:00.003-04:00

Today, we hit the 21 week marker and we got to see the little guy at our sono appt this afternoon. He appears to be either stubborn or bashful because he, again, would not lay face up. He was on his side, which gave the technician good enough shots of his heart, but then he returned to his face down position, showing us his beautiful spine :-) The tech said he's about 28cm long.

Sorry that we didn't get any new photos to post today. Baby boy Franks moved quite a bit, waving his arms and squirming around, as we watched him. The tech joked how it was no error that he is a boy as it was quite obvious from the images on the screen. "You just can't mistake that," she said. Thrilled to see him again, his profile, his heart beating, his movements, I wished we could take that sonogram machine home.

I was a bit frazzled, a bit stressed before we arrived and seeing this little life inside me brought about a sense of awe and calm. There is so much I cannot control; but of those things I can, I entrust to the Lord.

Well, here is a picture of me at 20.5 weeks. I'm now officially past the "are you fat or pregnant?" phase :-)

Just a young lady loved by a handsome man, both blessed with a child and learning how to entrust all to the Lord of lords.
~tina marie

Baby Franks update & a Visit from the Joneses

2009-08-24T21:06:00.008-04:00

Baby Boy Franks
All is well with baby Franks, according to our wonderful OB/Gyn. His heartbeat was strong and from the pics from our previous sonogram appt, all is well. My belly is growing beautifully (at least Paul and I think so :-) and we're so excited to meet this little guy. We get to see him again this Thursday at our follow-up sono appt since we still need good images of his heart and to check on that low-lying placenta. More info to come.

The JONES come to Toronto
Our dear friends, Emily & Rusty, spent the week with us this past week and Paul & I had such an enjoyable time! Paul & Rusty have been working on publishing a couple of papers and spent most of the daylight hours working on those philosophical matters :-) Emily and I spent much of our time catching up, talking baby (she's a labor and delivery nurse!), shopping, and doing some cooking.

We even taught them how to play Settlers of Catan and spent 2 nights playing until about 3am! Sadly, Paul and I were poor hosts as we beat them 7 games straight. We will have to set up a re-match for a Jones redemption :-)

How quickly the week flew by as we enjoyed each other's company and cooking. Rusty made us his infamous pasta and we indulged in great food like apple pie, black bean burritos, and mozzarella & tomato sandwiches to name a few. Great company, great food, great conversation makes for a relaxing weekend with wonderful friends.

Here are some photos of our final days touring parts of Toronto with our other friends, Hugh & Cheryl. The Royal Ontario Museum is holding the Dead Sea Scrolls so we decided to check them out; pretty cool to see. The 1st pic is of Rusty, Hugh, Paul and a bust of some guy I can't remember :-) We trekked through Toronto and visited a pub called Sin & Redemption, then had dinner at a Vietnamese resto before checking out a bookstore with a really good philosophy section and hanging out at the Hunter's pad for a bit. Then are a couple pics from Niagara Falls.

We are having a ...

2009-08-15T12:16:00.002-04:00

Here's a picture of the goods :-) The sonogram technician asked, "Do you see the turtle sticking its head out?"

And immediately, Paul raised his hands up like our Sooners just scored a touchdown against the Longhorns. This is a picture of Paul after we stepped out of the sonogram office. He was all smiles.

As of yesterday, I am 19 weeks along with a due date of January 7, 2010. The sonogram technician spent about an hour measuring his bones, internal organs and so on. Paul got to stay in the entire time and watch as the sonogram technician took all the measurements. We tried to video tape the monitor but were told that we could not because of their insurance compliance. Oh well :-)

Peanut moved quite a bit & so did the sono tech, so most of what Paul could see simply looked like a big bunch of black and white blobs. However, Paul was able to immediately see the spine & arms, the heart beating, and the brain.

At one point, Paul gasped because he saw the little guy open his mouth while moving his hand toward it. It looked like the little guy wanted to suck his thumb! Here's the picture taken after that moment. Can you see his hand, mouth & lips, and little nub of a nose?

The little guy was being a bit uncooperative with the position he was in. He was facing my back, and was laying with one arm alongside his head and the other next to/ across his body. The picture on the right looks like he's flexing, while the one on the left looks like he's just hanging out and lounging.

In this one, you can see his little body and head - chin, nose, eyes, and brain. His heartbeat was a strong 154 beats per minute.

The sonogram tech didn't get all of the measurements she needed, which means we get to come back to finish up in the next week or so. We are all for it, since we thought this may be our final sonogram until closer to his birth date.

We have one prayer request that we would like to ask of you. We're hoping the placenta will move up as this little one (and my uterus) continues to grow in the next 4-5 months. Typically, the sonogram techs like to see the placenta at least 2cm away from the cervical opening, and yesterday, mine measured at about 1cm away (considered a "low-lying placenta"). She told us that 99.9% of the time, the placenta moves as the uterus grows, so for now, there is no need to worry. All is well. Our next sonogram appointment will tell us if we'll need continued monitoring.

Paul and I feel so blessed to have such a gift! It's really exciting and we're thanking God for it all. We'll keep you posted.

Snips, snails and puppy dog tails!

Friday can't get here fast enough

2009-08-11T21:28:00.002-04:00

I have no pictures to share yet, but I'm so impatient for Friday! We will see Peanut for our 18 week sonogram and we are going to {hopefully} find out if Peanut should have a girl or boy name! I'm hoping the kiddo will cooperate and spread 'em :-)

I'll be 19 weeks along by Friday, which is great because I'll be that much farther into the pregnancy, which means more growth is happening with kiddo!

My sister & bro-in-love got to see their little one today and they have decided to wait to find out th gender. At least we'll get to see new pictures soon!

So, I will keep you all posted with new pictures and an update this weekend.

PS. A prayer request, if you remember us. We've just reduced the price on our home in Norman, OK and hope that buyers will make offers before the end of this month. This is our 2nd summer attempt at selling this home. Thanks for your prayers!

Stratford Festival - Macbeth

2009-07-26T20:12:00.007-04:00

On Saturday, our friends Dean & Karina, took us to the Stratford Festival in Stratford, Ontario where we enjoyed Macbeth at the Festival Theatre. Colm Feore, known to us as President Taylor's husband in 24, played the lead role of Macbeth, and he was fantastic!

The play was "modernized" and set in Africa, however, I wasn't too impressed with this artistic license. It was odd seeing the random African outfits when the characters were referring to "thanes" and "earls." Nevertheless, the actors and the theatre itself were amazing! I think Shakespeare would have been pleased with their performance :-)

The Festival Theatre was also surrounded by beautiful gardens. I decided to refrain from photographing all of the pretty flowers, well, because they're just flowers. Think of a beautiful garden outside of a theater, and there, that's what we saw! LOL!

Then we headed for a bite to eat. After waiting with the after-theater crowd, we finally found ourselves seated at an Italian/ Mediterranean resto called Felini's. Great food! Good service! And our dessert was yumbo! See my creme brulee above. Overall, our day in Stratford was a wonderful first-time experience and a perfect way to bring Paul's birthday week to a close. Paul and I think we may come back to watch West Side Story before the theater season curtain falls.

Ciao for now!

The First Belly Shots

2009-07-23T19:51:00.005-04:00

My sister-in-law, Nesa, asked to see belly shots, so here they are.

The 1st one was taken in mid-June when I was around 10 weeks prego. Athena wanted to be in the picture, too; she even posed for Daddy the photographer :-) Not much too see, however, I was already feeling the squeeze in the waist of my jeans. My baby 101 helpers informed me that I'm more likely bloated than I am actually showing. Eh, it's just fun to have a pre-I'm-huge picture to compare to!

Then this was taken last week (15 weeks along). I thought if I wore the same shirt, I might be able to see the belly growth more but it doesn't look like I've grown too much. However, the increasing number of pairs of pants I'm packing away beg to differ. After all, at this time, Peanut is only about 3.5 inches from crown to rump.

And this was taken today, Paul's birthday! I'm 16 weeks prego and I can definitely see and feel the difference. The pictures may not show it well enough, but my belly is thankful for the maternity pants that I have (I got an excellent deal from a lady selling her maternity clothes via craigslist!). I've read that Peanut is about the size of an avocado (about 4-4.5 inches from crown to rump) and that the major growth spurts are just around the corner!

I've only gained 2-3 pounds and the doc says I'm right on track. Paul lovingly refers to me as the Hobbit since I eat 1st & 2nd breakfasts everyday. I suppose eating heaviest in the mornings has helped (and the fact that I don't feel like eating too much in the evenings).

Despite a migraine headache episode I had this past weekend, my pregnancy has been rather uneventful. So much so, that the sonograms and heartbeat Doppler have been the major reality checks that there's a growing person in there! Lately, I've been telling Paul that sometimes I think I feel Peanut in there, but I just can't tell exactly if it's really Peanut or other things going on. I can't wait until it's just obvious! For now, my prayer is that Peanut continues growing steadily and healthily and that the migraine doesn't ever come back.

In about 3 weeks, we will see Peanut for possibly our last sonogram. I'll be about 19 weeks by then, and we're hoping to discover Peanut's gender. We're praying kiddo will be cooperative! We'll also get a more "finalized" estimated date of birth from that sonogram, so that will be cool.

With Baby Wentie (my sister & bro-in-law's kid) and Peanut both due in January, Paul and I are just thrilled that Peanut will have a cousin the same age!

Thankful that our kid's heartbeat is strong,
Paul & Tina

Peanut & family update

2009-07-22T07:25:00.009-04:00

A great birthday week gift for Paul happened yesterday. After 2 sonogram appointments and about 16 weeks along, we finally got to listen to Peanut's heartbeat yesterday! It had to be the coolest sound we've heard in a while. It was a very strong, rapidly steady heartbeat coming from inside my belly! Yes, we are 1st time parents and things like that bring us even deeper in awe of God. In the next 2 weeks, we will go back possibly to our final ultrasound and will hopefully be able to identify if Peanut is a boy or a girl. We'll keep you posted.

We thought it would be a bit of a treat to show you a couple of presents that Peanut has already received. Last month, our dear friend, Sharon, got Peanut this beautiful little bear wrapped in pink tissue paper and a cute blue bag. Yes, she was thoughtful enough to pick the colors so as not to prefer a gender! :-) In honour of our Elvis-loving friend, we have decided to call this cuddly bear ELVIS. He'll be in Peanut's welcome home bag and crib!

Then Auntie Trish, Uncle Eric, and still-in-the-belly cousin, lovingly known to us as "Wentie" (short for Wentworth Hemsworth :-), sent this adorable onesie to Peanut. It reads "I'm cute, I get it. Now put me down." If you know my sister, you know how perfect this shirt is to come from her! I love it!

It's been fun preparing and thinking about Peanut's arrival in January. Paul and I can hardly wait- we even re-arranged our guest room last weekend so we could visualize where exactly we'd put the crib (this also led to re-arranging our living room, too, which is so much nicer than the way we had it before). We're thankful that Peanut's development has been pretty much smooth-sailing (despite my surprise migraine episode this past weekend). We continue to thank God for this gift of life and thank you for your kind thoughts and prayers.

PS. I have to include some new pics of my other "kids" Aquinas and Athena. They're still our spoiled ones in the house and they've been doing well. Summer has been really mild here in Toronto (averages in the 70s lately) and they love being outside - nosing around the grass, chasing the black squirrels that run across the fence tops, or sniffing for the little bunny that lives under our deck. And on most days, Aquinas likes to walk just past the shade line and plop down to sunbathe. And he just watches for one of us to call for him, or he naps right there.

And Athena loves to beg to go outside. Say the word "outside" and she scampers down the stairs straight to the back door. Once that door opens, she dashes out only to run back to the door (or window in this picture) to be let back inside. Paul thinks it's because she thinks she'll get a treat. How could you resist such an adorable face?!

Blessings,
The Franks Tribe

Soulation Retreat w/ the Finchers in Steamboat Springs, CO

2009-07-11T17:05:00.009-04:00

We had the pleasure of joining Dale & Jonalyn Fincher and several new friends at the inaugural Soulation Retreat at the beginning of this month. From Steamboat Springs, Colorado, Dale & Jonalyn run a non-profit organization called Soulation. Their vision: "outfitting communities to grow more appropriately human™ and navigate today's crucial questions through apologetics and spiritual formation."

Paul and I firmly believe that the Lord has equipped and empowered them for this task. And the Finchers do this well. It's certainly not an easy task. We've seen how they have poured their lives into it, and they work hard to keep their minds sharp, their souls attentive to the Spirit's leading, and their focus always on the task at hand. It's amazing to watch this dream the Lord gave them unfold into reality before our very eyes. Soulation is on the move... helping people become more appropriately human.

Our new friend and photographer, Savannah Kenney, composed a beautiful blog about her experience there along with some amazing photos.

The mountains and trees welcomed us with sights like the one below. This photo was actually taken from the Fincher's home, where we 9 stayed for several days. Overlooking the Yampa River winding its way through downtown Steamboat was a sight we all enjoyed waking to every morning. The fresh air tempted the taking of many deep breaths, and even the afternoon rainstorms caused us to pause and reflect on God's magnificence. What a perfect location for a retreat. And I believe this is one reason why the Finchers are building the Soulation retreat center out in this exhilarating land. It has been endearingly referred to as the "White Woods" and you can see some incredible pictures on Savannah's blog.

I know I found myself very encouraged and refreshed from our time with the Finchers, the Wursts, the Moores, and Kenneys, and Jeff Lefever. Author, apologist, administrator, film critic, photographer, artist, philosopher, mom & dad-to-be, psychologist, IT specialist, worship leader, musician, and grandparent were some of the ways to describe those in our group. Yet with the Finchers being the initial reason this diverse group came together, it was fascinating how quickly we bonded. As Dale mentioned, we not only had he & Jonalyn in common among our circle of friends, but we all seek truth in Jesus Christ, care about and enjoy discussing new ideas, and dare to become more appropriately human. This common ground established a foundation for honest conversation, openness to new ideas, and a breeding ground for our souls to be refreshed. I could go on about how I was enlightened by the use of the arts, film, music and how they communicate to deeper parts of my soul, or about how the Body of Christ was revealed to me in new, deeper ways through casual conversations, simple home churches and a Soulation salon, or how I felt Jesus was glorified in our talks over sushi. But those topics are still for me to ponder. What I can say is that the inaugural Soulation retreat's mission was accomplished.

While there are many things I've not included, here are a few photos exposing other parts of the allure of Steamboat Springs.

This was our day out at Music on the Green in the Yampa River Botanical Garden. Perfect weather to listen to a string quartet play and teach us a bit about the fun of classical music.

A must have while visiting Steamboat = a fresh baked cinnamon bun from Winona's! This was our appetizer before our breakfast and yes, it was delicious!

Finally, during our last evening in Steamboat, we ate at this fabulous resto called Bistro C.V. This photo is of Paul, Jeff, and Dale indulging in one of the best hamburgers they've ever had.

I'm SO excited, and I just can't hide it!

2009-06-23T19:26:00.007-04:00

Literally, I just can't hide it! :-)

Please say hello to Peanut Franks!
(we're referring to the little one as "Peanut" not only because the gender is still a mystery, but mostly in honor of Grammy aka "peanuts" :-)

Paul and I went in for a sonogram yesterday and were all teary-eyed as we watched our kiddo bouncing around inside the womb. What an amazing sight!

You can see Peanut's head, body, and umbilical cord below. Here, Peanut is 11 weeks and 4 days along.

When we first began, the technician pointed out that Peanut was doing a handstand. And with every movement, the little one moved, too. She pointed out Peanut's eyes, mouth, arms (in the 2nd photo below), and the heartbeat! And of course, I confess Peanut looks a bit like an alien, but we all looked like that at some point, right? ;-)

We think the profile shot below shows a little bit of a smile. That could just be us, though, in all of our excitement to see this little one!

So we are just overjoyed with the news of this life inside of me. We're so thankful to the Lord for this blessing (already) and we're looking forward to the next six months of growing! We ask for your prayers as we experience the journey of this wonderful gift!

In complete awe of God's handiwork,
Tina Marie & Paul

Birthday Week Begins!

2009-06-13T15:12:00.002-04:00

Yes, I think it is an absolutely acceptable tradition to celebrate birthday week in addition to the actual birthday! Life is too short to only celebrate one day a year. God has blessed me with another year on this planet with my favorite people, foods, music, and so on, I've got to celebrate!

My birthday is on Tuesday and we started the celebration this morning with a wonderful breakfast at Cora's Breakfast & Lunch (www.chezcora.com) with our good friends, Dean & Karina. The food was scrumptious and the company was animated and delightful. They're just good peeps!

So now to plan for the rest of the week. Food will certainly be involved and perhaps a trip to Buffalo to eat at some of my favorites, like Red Robin Gourmet Burgers, or Olive Garden, or even Uno's Pizza! We did find a Denny's close to the Toronto airport, so that may be on the itinerary, and I think it would be fun to take a trip downtown to see or do something new (there's SO much we haven't seen). Pics and posts to follow.

I'm pushing for an incredible birthday week; one that's not only full of fun and food, but also one that allows me to reflect on how God's blessed me and how He's challenged me to contribute something of His goodness to this world... I hope your week is fabulous, too!

OU Graduation Vacation

2009-05-30T14:34:00.017-04:00

Thought I'd finally post some pictures from our trip to Oklahoma to celebrate my graduation and to finally meet our new niece, Lily! We drove about 20 hours in 2 days so that we could take our dogs with us to see their old friends! After arriving to Grammy & Grandpa Franks' place, we all went to visit with the Jones and their schnauzies, Scout (Miss Salt & Pepper) and Pheado (Mr. Chocolate). Em & Rusty hosted a really great dinner for us the evening before so that we could spend some time with the Seachrises & Osmundsens! But in all of our fun and catching up, we forgot to take pictures! So this is the only one we have from our friend visit.

Then my parents flew into town from California! Paul's mom & dad were wonderful hosts (as always) and they showed my parents such a great time! Here's mom and dad in front of the Oklahoma City Red Hawks stadium (note: Starbucks coffee in dad's hand!).

After a delicious dinner at Cattleman's in Stockyard City, they took us to Bricktown to take a water taxi tour on the river walk (you think Paul & I would've done that when we lived here), then walked around Bricktown before stopping by to visit the OKC memorial.

It was so great to spend time with our parents!

Then it was on to graduation celebrations! Friday found us at the Stephenson Research Center, where the OU Graduate College hosts its annual Advanced Degree Graduation Reception. Lots of great food, a message from the Graduate College Dean, and I got to see all of my fabulous co-workers! It was like I never left and I could've stayed forever if we didn't have to return to work in Toronto! :-)

And yes, Texas sucks!

That evening, we FINALLY got to meet Lilian Grace!

Here's a picture of her with Mommy Nesa. Aren't they so beautiful!

I don't have pictures of big sister, Bella, or Greg, so I'll have to wait to see pics from Nesa & Nita's cameras.

And then, it was time! I got hooded :-) I opted to skip out on the large graduation ceremony the night before, and instead went to my College of Education ceremony. My name was pronounced correctly and everything. Ha!

So after three years of coursework while working full-time, a long comprehensive exam, and finally getting notice that I passed, I'm relieved that it's done. Master of Education in Higher Education Administration (long, I know :-). This degree opened my mind to brand new issues and experiences related to work that is done in universities and other higher education institutions. Marrying my M. Ed. education to my job at OU made me a better young professional in the higher education world. I'd like to see it take me to the next step, even while I'm here in Toronto. PhD, you're next.

Thanks to those of you who've supported me and Paul as we pursue our educational and life goals (ya'll know who you are!). Life's so much better with family and friends who spur you on to success, especially when it feels unattainable! This accomplishment is as much yours as it is mine.

Much appreciation from a new M.Ed. grad wearing Mickey Mouse 2009 ears!

Love, Tina Marie

Endings & Beginnings in April

2009-04-26T20:37:00.005-04:00

Yesterday, I was in heaven! The weather throughout most of the day was a warm 78-80 degrees Fahrenheit, the sun was shining, there were little flowers (likely weeds) on our lawn, and it was beautiful. Then suddenly I found myself sitting at the window, watching dark, ominous clouds roll in with a thunderstorm of lightning and rain. It was quite stunning, really. And it made me miss Oklahoma. Thankfully, we'll be back in Norman in May for my graduation! Yes, that's right. 20 days after my exam, I finally received the long-awaited email notifying me that I passed that 4-hr comprehensive exam. Thank God.

The weekend of my exam was a tumultuous one. I'd been studying for months and amongst cramming more that week, I received news that my Papa was not doing well. I scheduled a last minute flight home to California. So the plan was to get to Oklahoma on Friday, sit for my exam on Saturday, then jump on a plane to Sacramento asap. Half-heartedly, I knew it was my trip to say goodbye.

More often than not, my plans don't go the way I plan them. Early Friday morning, before heading out for the airport, I got news that my Papa passed away peacefully late Thursday night. My heart broke; the tears fell. Paul held me. I had missed him.

It was about a 2-hr drive to the Buffalo airport where I would board the plane to Oklahoma. Paul drove us through heavy rainfall and he held my hand most of the way. He was okay with my silence. All I could do was remember my Papa.

See, I spent every week with him & Mama during the first 10 years of my life. I remember his meticulousness, cleanliness, discipline, and generosity. Papa would pick up lint from the carpet, kept the cleanest house I can remember, floss his teeth daily, and when I asked, he didn't pause to think about giving me a piece of gum from his bottom drawer or a couple of bucks so I could buy candy from the Fil-Mart around the corner. I remembered his smile and the times he would take me & my siblings to McDonald's, or shopping at the mall. And of course, I remember him making us take our dreaded naps. I loved my Papa; I always wanted him to be proud of me. I'm thankful he loved me enough to discipline and spoil me as a child. (I think I turned out pretty decent :-) Along with so many other people, he contributed to the person I am today.

After getting my selfishness out of the way, my outlook on his passing was brighter and hopeful. He was no longer in pain and that was what mattered. While my family and I miss him and the mourning was/ is very real, we celebrated the fullness of his life during his memorial services. This man lived 84 years and had a packed room full of family- wife, kids, grandkids, great grandkids-- and friends who came to pay their respects. "Weddings and funerals," my Auntie Dette shared. "These are the times when all of us get together. Weddings and funerals." The funny thing is you'd think we were at a wedding, the way we gathered together those few days. Tons of food, everyone present, sharing fond memories of Papa and catching up with each other.

For me, it's comforting to know that Papa knew Jesus and that I'll get to see him in heaven when the time comes. I know he knew I loved him. I know he knew I appreciated his role in raising me. And I know he would have wanted me to sit for my exam and that he would have been proud of me for earning this degree.

Alas, April came and is practically gone. Its warmer temperatures and some much needed rain end the harshest 4 months of winter I've ever encountered and commence the delights of spring. The years I've invested into this master's degree come to a pleasant end and I start a new chapter yet to be written. But Papa's life does not truly end here (a great message, see Easter and the Life After Life After Death). Papa lives on, as we all will. His soul with the Lord now, the One in whom my hope rests.

What a truly meaningful Easter season -- of a beautiful Life that was sacrificed to defeat death and rise again to live. This is the Hope I have. This particular Easter season I will not soon forget.

Let the Sun Shine, The Sun Shine In

2009-03-15T22:10:00.005-04:00

Sunny skies and temperatures warm enough for us to open windows and use our screen door today! Although it was still cool enough to wear long sleeves, it was a beautiful Sunday and we took advantage of it by taking the dogs on an extending walk around the neighbourhood. All of our neighbors had the same idea and we saw many 2- and 4-legged ones walking around today.

Paul has been extremely wonderful this weekend. He took me to Red Lobster on Friday evening despite my I-don't-feel-like-cooking-dinner strike, then we went shopping for new office chairs, which we desperately need at home. He let me sleep in on Saturday & made us homemade waffles for breakfast, he took care of all the dog hair on both floors of the house while I was out grocery shopping, he helped with laundry, and he even bathed both dogs (none of the three like that task)! He's grrreat!

With the cold weather retreating, some encouraging church Sundays, and the somewhat settling-down that is happening in our lives, we find ourselves energized for the tasks of our week. We'll rest tonight, reminded and encouraged to find joy and hope in a Source that is unwavering.

Blessings, in Jesus's name.

Stupid Groundhog

2009-03-04T21:44:00.003-05:00

That darn varmint poked its head out and saw its shadow, cursing us with 6 more weeks of winter as the story goes. Or perhaps this is just Toronto. :-)

I'm told that it won't be until April when I can pack my warm clothes away and that February is typically a rather depressing month up here. So much so that the suicide rate tends to increase, and many of our students get a week off (called Reading Week) so that they can enjoy what sunshine appears and get out and about. Yes, February was a rough month, but good company and keeping in touch with family and friends helped me out of my February funk.

New friends, Eric & Sharon, took Paul and I out to this sweet place called Panorama, where on a clear night in this 51st floor lounge, you can see all of Toronto.

From New Album 1/11/09 9:17 PM

Then, a fellow Californian (Daniel Wong), took us to Panera Bread for some familiar grub. Yes, there are 3 locations in Toronto!!! This was rather refreshing for me because I absolutely LOVE their souffles!

From New Album 1/11/09 9:17 PM

Paul's Pick Two

From New Album 1/11/09 9:17 PM

And to kick my funk out the February door, my mom-in-law surprised me a bright bouquet of gerbera daisies (flowers in our wedding!) sent to my office. The note read: "A little sunshine from Oklahoma. Hope this brings a smile. Love and miss you so much! Nita" I think I'm spoiled. I've got the best in-laws anyone could ask for.

From New Album 1/11/09 9:17 PM

March has been cold but much better since the snow has melted and the sun's out a bit longer. We'll see how the rest of the month goes.... so far, so good.

Valentine's Day in Niagara Falls, NY

2009-02-15T22:35:00.003-05:00

For months, I have been longing for warm weather and my favorite American restaurants, so Valentine's Day for us included a trip to the Niagara Falls area. While I didn't get my warm weather wish, Paul and I did get to eat at two American restaurants. We also did some outlet shopping, and made it home in time to save and feed our dogs who were penned up all day.

We live just under 2 hours from Niagara Falls and found ourselves giddy among the Denny's brunch rush. Paul got a scrambler and I got my no-meat build your own grand slam!

From Valentine's Day in Niagara Falls, NY

Our waitress was super sweet and took great care of us.

Then Paul and I headed to the Fashion Outlets at Niagara Falls. We got a decent parking spot, took a look at the place, and kinda doubted what was inside. How surprised were we to find it was quite the indoor shopping outlet with stores like Banana Republic, Anne Taylor, Rockport, and Johnston & Murphy. We have already made plans to return after a longer trip to the States (to avoid Canadian taxes) and shop like crazy.

With hamburgers in mind, we began our way to Fuddruckers. But as we drove past an Olive Garden and had Fuddruckers in sight, RED ROBIN pleasantly appeared :-) Since we missed out on this favorite restaurant while we were in California, we decided to indulge our appetites there.

Our Valentine's Day dinner included Paul's Royal Red Robin Burger & my Petite Shroom Burger with Bottomless Fries & Ranch Dressing!!! Absolutely delicious!

From Valentine's Day in Niagara Falls, NY

This stuff is awesome! It makes you want to eat as many fries as you can!

From Valentine's Day in Niagara Falls, NY

With full tummies, a few new items from our new favorite shopping outlet, and a pleasant time with my wonderful husband, we made our way home. Even through the hour long wait at the border, we had a great time. This Valentine's Day will be one we'll remember... our first one together during our first year in Toronto.

Super Bowl Sunday in Canada

2009-02-01T17:20:00.002-05:00

Super Bowl Sunday in Canada feels the same as in the States... Paul's making some Frito Chili Pie, we have game day beverages, all seems the same except for the fact that the commercials will be different. So, Paul and I plan to watch the game courtesy of Mom & Dad Franks and our Slingbox.

January was extremely cold, and as we've been told by the Torontonians, it's been colder than they're used to, too. I suppose that's comforting.... nah, not really. It's a terrible feeling being all bundled up in the warmest clothes and shoes you own, getting in the car in the morning, and still freezing. It makes for a rather grumpy drive until the cabin finally reaches a reasonable temperature. Yes, this California girl is praying for spring!

Paul and I live outside of Toronto in the 'burbs, but we actually found sometime to experience some of downtown. We attended 2 debates on "Does God Exist?" with William Lane Craig, research professor from Talbot School of Theology. First, we visited Ryerson University for a lecture from Dr. Craig, then got to hang out with Hugh & Sheryl Hunter, friends we met while at OU who are now living downtown. My first subway ride on the TTC was smooth, the weather though was cold and windy. Overall, we had a great evening with the Hunters.

The next night, Paul and I went to York University for an exciting debate with Craig and atheist, de Souza. This was my first time attending a live debate and it was certainly energetic and thought-proviking. I am amazed at how skilled a debater and apologist Dr. Craig is. If you haven't heard of him, you should check him out at www.reasonablefaith.org.

Finally, Paul and I enjoyed a delectable meal with two new friends, Dean & Karina, at a small, but fancy restaurant called Across the Road. Winterlicious is this fabulous event where restos have set menus and reduced, fixed prices. We enjoyed a delicious 3 course meal for $35 a person when a normal dinner might cost over $100 a plate. Karina & Dean made it an even more enjoyable occasion as we learned more about each other over such tasty food.

I am thrilled to say farewell to January and it's terrible temperatures, and am looking forward to a warmer February. Sorry for the lack of photos-- I'm not used to carrying our new camera and if I do have it, the cold has distracted me from playing photographer so far. Hopefully, more pictures will come soon.

May February bring you warm smiles (if not warmer temperatures;-)

Back to Reality...Again

2009-01-11T21:01:00.005-05:00

It was really difficult to return to our normal routine following our Christmas and New Year's vacation in California. It took us about a week to get back to eating, sleeping, and functioning on eastern time! Christmas Eve and Day surrounded us with family we haven't seen in months and it was especially wonderful to see the youngsters. My niece, Jasmine, has grown so much and now talks and sings and dances and recognizes me and Uncle Paul. What a special feeling. Thanks to my fabulous family, we had a non-stop schedule of family time and going-ons. We took a trip to South Lake Tahoe to play in the snow and go snowmobiling. This was Paul's first time there. We also went golfing, shopping, and lots and lots of eating. It was really difficult for me to leave. Nevertheless, it was wonderful, memorable, and I can't wait for our next trip.

A few video clips of Jasmine. This was her first time in the snow and she absolutely loved it!

Photo Sharing - Video Sharing - Photo Printing

Jas loves to sing. These are with Auntie Trish and Jas is singing a rendition of Snow White and Giselle (from Enchanted). So she may have been a bit off key but it made me smile anyway :-)

Photo Sharing - Video Sharing - Photo Printing

Photo Sharing - Video Sharing - Photo Printing

Finally, a video of one of the best 2-year-old air hockey players I know.

Photo Sharing - Video Sharing - Photo Printing

Now the weekend leaves us, but I have to share that we celebrated Aquinas's 3rd birthday (yes, we celebrate our dogs' birthdays). This year, we made special doggy cupcakes and if I had candles and a birthday hat, he would be photographed with them. This is what we got and both pups enjoyed the pup-cakes! And part two of the birthday weekend had us taking the two monsters out for a walk in the snow. I'm so glad they love it! Here are the fun pictures.

So while the holidays are behind us and all the fun times pass so quickly, I'm thankful for the memories I get to recount. Now, on to making more ...

Have a great week!

The Season of New

2008-12-21T16:16:00.006-05:00

Our first month together in Toronto has been full of wonderful new things. We're beginning to truly settle down in our house, developing our routine in this new place, hanging old pictures and shelves on new walls, tidying our belongings in the new spacious basement, and finding extra linens and things their new permanent home. Work, for me, has been full of new pro-cesses (yes, it's pronounced with a long 'o' out here), new computer systems, new friendly co-workers, and a new maze of campus to get familiar with. And it is so delightful to do this all with Paul.

Advent has come and Christmas is upon us, and it has been a beautiful experience here in Toronto. The snow-covered trees, lawns, and streets have the pleasure of being blanketed by some of the largest snowflakes I've seen in awhile. Paul has shoveled snow from our long driveway and backyard numerous times over the last three days (I'm thankful for my strong husband!), and we may be investing in a wovel to hopefully save Paul's back. Finally, Paul and I are relieved that Aquinas and Athena, our cardigan welsh corgis, absolutely love the snow! Our new camera has captured just how much. Enjoy the photos and videos.

Advent Blessings and Merry Christmas to you and yours!
Love,
The Franks

Our first big snow

Wanna see a corgi frolic through the snow?

Photo Sharing - Video Sharing - Photo Printing

This one is about a minute long, but you'll see how deep the snow is in our backyard. The dogs seem to create only a few trails and then stick to them. So this is our attempt to get more trails blazed.

Photo Sharing - Video Sharing - Photo Printing

Greater Appreciation for Fleece and Space Heaters

2008-11-19T20:50:00.005-05:00

Toronto is cold! brrr....

It's day 2 and I have successfully unpacked all of my clothes and semi-organized my office which is also known as our guest room. I hope that it will be used, by the way, so please give us a jingle if you're up this way! We would enjoy the company.

The two-day, 20-hour drive went rather well. We rented a Jeep Grand Cherokee and with the help of Bill & Greg, Paul was able to load all of my clothes and books into every nook and cranny and in 3 tubs atop the roof rack. Aquinas and Athena had plenty of room to stretch out and sleep, and they were very well-behaved. No potty accidents or whining :-) Kudos to La Quinta for being a pet-friendly, affordable hotel and oh, those SpaceSaver vacuum bags work wonders. We were also very thrilled to drive through decent weather and pay no more than $1.95 per gallon for gas! Amazing!

While I miss my gracious in-laws, my Norman friends, and OU co-workers, I thoroughly enjoy the warmth of waking up next to my husband and not just my doggies. It feels back to normal, even though I am still searching through kitchen cabinets and drawers I filled 3 months ago when I was last here. The dogs are curious of this place but they are at ease. I notice a joy in Paul's countenance that I could not see from our video-chatting, and I am simply happy to be "home" (albeit somewhat a temporary one).

Upcoming events involve my first day of work tomorrow. I'm quite excited. We'll also shop for more appropriate cold-weather clothing (I must confess that I do dread the cold temperatures). And finally, we're looking into purchasing winter tires for our little Civic. Suggestions for handling the freezing tundra are welcome! More to come...

Love the Sooners freezing in Toronto,
Tina Marie & Paul
Aquinas & Athena, the Cardigan Welsh Corgis

let the countdown begin...

2008-10-28T22:48:00.005-04:00

this is getting exciting!

paul spent four days in oklahoma this past weekend, and as with all things fun, time flew right by. but instead of moping and pouting after he left, i replaced those emotions with anticipation and greater hope. he will return to me in 15 days and we'll go home TOGETHER. i have 11 business days left at work. by the time we leave for toronto, i will have completed 95% of my class assignments. can you blame me for not wanting to be "type a" and just check these things off my list? i really just want it all to be done with, to move on to the next phase, and to be at home with my hubby. i am ready.

prayer requests. we need a buyer or a renter for our house. i need focus for these last days at work and in school because i really do want to do well (it's just easier to start going into "vacation mode" if you know what i mean). patience- so that i can keep my wits about me... i am SO excited to get to be at home with paul! i can hardly wait.

love and blessings to you and yours,
tm

ps. sorry for the lack of pictures. our camera died several months ago and we've yet to replace it... that is one thing on our "things to buy" list :-)

A Warm Welcome to Fall

2008-10-09T22:44:00.000-04:00

A warm welcome to the chill of fall means Paul and I are closer to the day our little family reunites. In the past few weeks, I have been tying up several of my many loose ends before I leave Norman in mid- November. My resignation was submitted with mixed emotions, I've interviewed, hired, and now await my rather-capable replacement's first day at work in less than two weeks, and am up to my ears in group assignments, readings, and papers for classes. And I am reveling in these final days I get to spend with my dearest Oklahoma friends. Everything is falling into place.

I'm going to miss this place. And to think, just three years ago, my homesickness consumed me upon arrival from Southern California. I have grown to love Oklahoma, my family here, the draw and excitement of the Sooner crimson & cream, the fresh dairy of Braum's, and especially the delightful shows of ice storms, thunderstorms, and the many colors of fall. The southern drawl is common to me now, the pace of life has brought my attention to otherwise-missed occasions, fried okra is not a stranger, and tornadoes aren't so frightening. Most prized are my relationships with these OK folks. They will be what I'll miss most. There are so many people who've supported Paul and me this far, personally, professionally, spiritually; how valuable our relationships are with these encouragers, challengers, and mentors. These relationships are the most worthwhile investments in life, and we've been so blessed to live life with these people the past three years. Yes, we'll miss this place, but we'll be sure to take those friendships with us on our journey to the next phase of our life.

It's Official

2008-09-10T07:26:00.003-04:00

I got the job!

The offer arrived yesterday from Tyndale College & Seminary, and as of November 17, I will serve as the Assistant Director for Admissions for the Seminary. This is certainly an answered prayer! Paul and I will, yet again, commute and work together at the same college, something that has been in effect since the beginning of our marriage. He's my best friend, and it thrills me to be with him so often. A new factor is his status as faculty and mine as an administrator (for those who are familiar with the longstanding faculty-administration tensions). We'll be fine :-)

I can't help but notice how all of my worries have become my celebrations as I've chosen to really trust in God; that He's in this like we've known since the beginning. Some may say all these happenings are just in good timing or simply coincidence, but I'll choose to thank God for it all whatever the case. He blesses me, though I never truly deserve it.

All for His glory,
tm

I've Got Some Time

2008-09-06T01:18:00.003-04:00

It's been 25 days since Paul and I parted, and I am giddy with excitement that he'll be home for a weekend visit in 7 days! In all honesty, being away from Paul for this long has been difficult-- the longing, the anticipation, the waiting for the day when we'll finally be together again-- yet, it somehow becomes "easier" in the sense that I've come to grips that I will see him sooner than it feels like I will. That all will be well. That God truly is trustworthy as we choose to follow His lead.

My prayer the last couple weeks has been heavy, burdensome, doubtful-- a longing not only for my husband and all that is familiar but mostly that God would give me reassurance. Moving to another country, living apart from Paul has proven to be a difficult task. It's expensive-- financially and emotionally. And oh, how my soul cried out for comfort as my heart, broken and burdened, beat only because that is what it is made to do. I desperately needed to hear God, to see Him do something; to answer me, to respond.

And He never fails me. While away on a much needed fun trip last weekend, I had the privilege of serving meals during our church's youth leader retreat... this pretty much meant, in exchange for making hamburgers, tacos, and smoothies, I got to spend time with the coolest people at the church, jet skiing and knee boarding at Lake Murray and bathing in awesome times of evening worship and intimate times of prayer. That's when He comforted me and assured me. "Trust me" was His only message, and I was revived with a fresh outlook, and a reminder of how He'd done this before in my life, and how He provided all we need and more.

Paul writes to the Romans (15:13), "May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit." With such a small affirmation, these are what I now embrace-- joy and peace and hope. God is truly faithful and worthy of my trust. So I'm makin' lemonade out of my lemons instead of squeezing the juice into my now-healing wounds.

Blessings.

It has begun

2008-08-23T08:14:00.006-04:00

The first big step has been taken for our move to Toronto- Paul and all our belongings made it safely to our rental home earlier this month. We were able to arrange and decorate the cute two-story, 3 bedroom, 1.5 bathroom house with a basement, fenced yard, and 1 car garage in only 4 days. The dogs and I now live with his wonderful parents in Mustang as we all wait for our house to sell in Norman. Please pray for that as it would be a huge burden lifted off our shoulders. I return to school this week and Paul begins teaching in September, and then he'll come home for a short visit during the weekend of September 12th. As you can imagine, I am counting down the days. Only 12 days since we've been apart and I miss him so much. It's been a long time since I felt the heartache I felt that day, but there's always healing and that's where I am now. Thank God for web cams and video chats! It's extremely comforting to be able to see him as we talk, even hundreds of miles away. That's all for now. The slide show below contains pictures from our trip with some commentary about the house. There are a lot of them. You can also go to our Picasa picture album to click through them faster. Thanks so much for your prayers and emails and phone calls as we make this transition.

We are in TORONTO!

2008-08-03T21:25:00.006-04:00

Okay, so Paul and I currently sit in a really cool coffee shop called Second Cup, located a few kilometers (yes, I said kilometers) away from our rental home in Markham (Unionville), Ontario. Why? Well, we like coffee and we needed to get wireless internet. It's about 9:30pm EST and I have only a few minutes to type, but here's a bit about our trip (with more details to come).

Today, we bought our first bag of milk from Sam's Club! I found this hilarious yet very informational site about milk bags that I thought I'd share with you, who may be like us and have no idea these even existed! So we are on the lookout for a milk jug. :-)

The move has been quite stressful and admittedly, Paul and I found ourselves on each other's nerves. But, all is well now that the tidal waves of packing, moving, hours of driving, and customs have somewhat passed. More details to come, but we should mention that we had the best time this past week hanging out with Bill & Nita, Melanie (in MO), and Josh in Chicago. We've been in Toronto since Aug. 1, very late arrival = 10pm. The house is muy cute and I will post pictures as soon as I can (probably when I get back to Norman since we're borrowing Nita's camera).

Thanks for your prayers, by the way. We are doing quite alright up here :-) Monday is a holiday in Canada-- Civic holiday, we think-- so the country is off to celebrate. Tuesday, Paul has orientation at Tyndale and I will get to meet the hiring folks to discuss my employment opportunity this fall/winter. The internet guy will be at the rental home on Wednesday, and we hope that the movers will arrive at the house, too (please pray for that!).

Well, we are off to return home, so we hope you enjoy to fun story about the milk bags. We'll write more soon.

Love,
the Franks in Canada

Athena, the Champ!

2008-07-21T10:08:00.003-04:00

Introducing, Athena, the first Cardigan Welsh Corgi champion bred by Rainbow Showdogs (Kari & Kathy's breed name).

Athena arrived at the Houston Dog show this past weekend with 13 points, so she only needed 2 points in order to receive her championship. On Friday, this little girl won a 5-point-major, which is apparently the most points a dog could ever win at a show!

Visit Athena's website (yes, I know, she has her own site! ha!)

40 Boxes of Books

2008-07-19T23:16:00.005-04:00

40 boxes of books sit waiting in our garage (I know at least 10 are mine, and the rest Paul's). And the number of boxes in our garage increases daily as we pack up all the things in our cozy, first home, in preparation for the movers who'll transport it all to Toronto. The garage has become our storage unit, and the cars are displaced in the driveway.

I have to brag about my in-laws at this point. Please allow me to just lather these two with appreciation. They have been so supportive these past few weeks, it's amazing to me how much they give. While some call it generosity, I acknowledge it all as undeserved blessings. These two are just incredible! An example: I've had class these past few weekends and Nita has spent her last two Saturdays packing our kitchen and living room and the little junk drawers around the house. Our household items located in over 30 boxes have Nita's fingerprints on them, and Paul and I are just SO thankful. Bill and Nita are also planning a small farewell party for Paul and me, and Bill's been working hard at prepping the backyard and cabana for this shin-dig. These two just don't ever quit. Love love love.

Also, my family on the west coast sent us a most wonderful and extremely useful birthday/anniversary gift-- a Magellan Maestro GPS (or is it the other way around?). The card sits at my desk as a reminder of their support and love. It simply reads, "As you follow your goals to Canada, we want to be sure you can always find your way home! Dad, Mom, Trisha, Eric, Tracey, Justin, Jasmine, and Cookie (the dog)" Brought tears to my eyes, as you can imagine. Through this process of deciding to move to Toronto, I unearthed this latent expectation, this silent longing of wanting to return to my family after this season in Oklahoma passed. My thoughts asked things like, "after all, it's their turn to have us, right?" Alas, that will wait, for hopefully just one more season. With that ache, I try to reflect on Auntie Dette's tender reminder that "This is part of the leaving and cleaving." And I just keep asking God to give me strength and renew my trust to follow where He leads. So Paul and I choose to follow Him on another adventure full of potential and all for His glory (right, Craig?!)

July stirs up a mixture of emotions; the roller coaster between moments of mourning the end of our time here in Norman and the eve of celebration and utter excitement for a new beginning in Toronto. For now, though, I celebrate with Paul and focus on joy.
~ our 3rd year of marriage (7/16)
~ another year of life accomplished (mine 6/16, Paul's 7/23)
~ Nita's birthday (7/18)
~ our champion Cardigan Welsh Corgi (Yes, ATHENA is officially a champion as of 6/18!)
~ my flowerbeds still thriving through this hot, summer heat
~ and finally, a potential buyer who returns for a serious 2nd visit during our open house tomorrow afternoon.

Last 10 Years

2008-07-08T23:00:00.000-04:00

This time ten years ago (almost to the day) I was packing my things to move from Oklahoma to Texas so I could begin my educational career at Southwestern Assemblies of God University. I would have never guessed then that ten years later I would be packing my things again to move from Oklahoma to Canada so I could begin my professional career.

I have been reflecting on the type of person I have become in the last ten years and am glad that I have become the person I now am. I think leaving my family and most of my friends was a good thing for me. I still remember lying in my bed at Southwestern that first October wondering how everyone back at Crossfire (my church's youth group) was doing at the annual Neewollah (Halloween spelled backwards) festival. I remember missing Mother's & Father's Day for the first time and not being able to get over the fact that dad's barbeque chicken and mom's potato salad was being enjoyed by everyone in the family but me. It was difficult to leave them, but it was good.

I am grateful for the family, friends, and pastors that I had up through high school. Without your guidance, I would have never been able to leave Oklahoma in the first place. I am thankful that as I went through many changes these last ten years that you have been patient with me. To some, I have become a completely different person. To others, you have witnessed these changes gradually and so they are less striking.

While I can never put into words how grateful I am for those that helped me the first eighteen years of my life, I want to take a few minutes to reflect on those that helped me that last ten. I have changed a lot in the last ten years and most of those changes have come through the influence of new friends and new family that has come into my life.

I thought it might be an interesting exercise to list out some of the changes that have taken place since I first moved from Mustang. What I know is interesting is that the group of people that have influenced me the most over the last ten years would disagree about almost every one of the changes listed below! Some of these are trivial, some quite important, and some are somewhere in between. In no particular order...

I now think that developing the life of a mind is required to grow spiritually.
I am in the process of becoming one with a beautiful woman.
I am now more of an OU fan than an OSU fan (though I still pull for the Pokes when they're not playing OU).
I am much more hesitant about saying non-Christians will spend eternity in Hell.
I no longer worry too much about cursing on occasion (but do think that cursing often demonstrates a lack of vocabulary and creativity).
I now wish American churches were less patriotic on Sunday mornings.
I no longer listen to rap.
When the radio is on it is probably tuned to a talk radio station, but when I do listen to music, it is most likely classical or jazz.
I recognize that Catholics are Christians.
I know what eschatology, soteriology, modal realism, epistemology, and "Gettier problem" mean.
I went from loving everything Republican, to hating everything Republican, to agreeing with many things Republican, but for different reasons.
I think altar calls are more often designed to make the pastor feel good than for the those walking down to the altar.
I no longer think consuming alcohol is a sin and thoroughly enjoy fine scotch (or at least as fine a scotch one can buy on a graduate student budget).
I used to find no problem with Christians serving in war, then thought it was completely unacceptable, and am now thoroughly undecided because both sides can make a very good case.
I began to avoid Wal-Mart because it put the "mom & pop" stores out of business.
I now realize that Wal-Mart probably does more good for society than it does bad, but still avoid the place because it is too often overcrowded and staffed by incompetent employees (low prices comes at a cost).
I no longer think attending church three times a week is a requisite for being truly devoted to Christ.
I think seeker sensitive churches are silly.
I think we should be concerned about the environment because it is pretty to look at and not because it is intrinsically valuable.
I no longer think homosexuals are the scourge of society, but still think the New Testament calls all homosexual acts sin.
I think a decent case can be made for the legalization of marijuana (and no, I don't smoke it).
I no longer think certain events have to happen on earth before Christ can return.
I think many, if not most, of the good things in life are not fun.

One of the changes that took place over the last ten years that I am most happy about is that for each position I take above, I can give a good argument supporting that position. We all go through life with beliefs about the world around us. Some of those beliefs are true and some are false. We need to be able to give good arguments for our beliefs, and those that we can't adequately support, we should seriously consider abandoning.

When I left for university, I was not able to adequately examine my beliefs. I could not give an argument (and when I could, it was not very good) for just about any of the things I believed. God has allowed me to become acquainted with certain people that poked and prodded at me until I realized I didn't know as much as I thought I knew. They helped me examine the case for and against different positions and taught me to be humble throughout. They taught me that rigorously examining our beliefs is an essential element to growing spiritually. I am who I am now because I have always had people willing to give of themselves to help me grow.

It is late now, and I am sure I will forget someone, but I would like to mention some of the individuals I met after moving away from Mustang that have played a large role in my life. So, to Jeff Magruder, Paul Alexander, Andrew White, Adam Fithen, the Wells family, the Dennis family, the Slover family, my Talbot professors, Dale and Jonalyn Fincher, Adam Stowell, the Tanyag & Tano families, Josh Seachris, Rusty Jones, and of course, my wife Tina Marie, I say thank you for picking up where those before you left off. If, in this new chapter of life, Tina Marie and I can find people half as loving and thoughtful as you, we will be blessed.

Lots Been Going On

2008-06-28T22:44:00.009-04:00

Paul has been hired as a Philosophy professor at Tyndale College & Seminary, a small Christian liberal arts college in Toronto, Ontario. It's his dream job, really, and he'll begin teaching THIS fall (yes, August 2008!). In fact, we're packing up our belongings these next few weeks and will make the drive to Toronto at the end of this month. It amazes me (and sometimes saddens me to realize) how quickly the time has passed.

HOW IT HAPPENED
Paul unexpectedly received an email from Richard Davis, Philosophy department chair and professor from Tyndale, inquiring of Paul's interest in the position. Gary DeWeese, one of Paul's professors while at Talbot School of Theology (Biola) recommended Paul for the job. Within a week, Paul had sent off his CV, and Tyndale had flown him to Toronto for an interview.

The Tyndale faculty loved him and extended the job offer formally! They also grew interested in hiring me, as my background in enrollment management and as a Biola alumni seem to fit right in with their vision for cultivating the college's growth in the upcoming years. Do we think this a coincidence-- absolutely not. We, along with Rich Davis and the Tyndale crew, see the Lord's hand in this.

SO WHAT'S NEXT?
Paul will move to our rental home in Markham, Ontario at the end of the month, and he will begin teaching toward the end of August.

I will stay in Norman until the end of the fall semester (December 2008) as I need to finish up classes for my master's degree in Higher Education Administration and tie up loose ends at my job at the Graduate College (that I will miss so much)!

We will both graduate in spring 2009.

We are in process of selling our home, and I, along with our two dogs, will be moving in with my wonderful in-laws, Bill & Nita. Since they live a good 30 minutes away, I will also spend some weeknights at friends homes in Norman and Moore to save on fuel costs.

WOULD YOU PRAY FOR US?
1. We'll be apart from mid-August to mid-December (4 months). We've got great family and friends here in the Norman area and from our church, Great Life, school, and work, all of whom I'm thankful will be around me. Paul, on the other hand, will be meeting new folks and working diligently in his dissertation. I keep telling myself, "It's only 4 months. You'll be busy with school and work and church. You'll be fine." But would you please pray for us anyway? We have a strong marriage centered on Jesus, we love each other so much, and we know that our time apart has an end; but it will be different and it may be tough at times.

2. We need to sell our house quickly, preferably in the next two weeks, so that Paul is with me to help handle all that's needed when selling a home.

3. Please pray for a safe 2 day drive for us from Norman to Toronto, and that the movers arrive safely and on time with all of our belongings. Thank God, Tyndale is picking up the cost for this one!

4. For my job, whether at Tyndale or another college/university. I've "interviewed" with the Tyndale Administration via phone conference, and they've already expressed their desire to hire me. Now it's about finding the funds to do it. I'll meet with them in person while we are getting the house settled in Toronto. Please pray for God to open the right door for my new job. I'd like to apply for the Higher Education doctoral program at the University of Toronto, and it would be ideal for me to continue working in the field.

5. Last but certainly not least, for our family and friends, as we're moving farther away from where we thought we'd be. Thank you for supporting us as we follow where God leads us. We love you.

We'll keep you posted and we look forward to hearing from you! Here we go on another adventure.

Love,
Paul & Tina

Things with Did in California

2008-05-28T14:35:00.003-04:00

Paul and I visited my family in CA at the end of May, and on the plane ride home, I jotted down all the things we did. It was my way of "letting go" since it's always SO hard to leave my family, especially after long stays. We did a lot of sleeping in and napping, which we never get to do at home.

With the family
~ Always eating something yummy: Kintaro, Bamboo Inn, Pizza Guys, Dos Coyotes, mom’s yummy portabello mushroom shrimp dish, breakfast of course, Pike Place Roast coffee vs Don Francisco coffee, oysters lots of them, Chelada, Navan, Fat Tire, cigars, boba
~ Party at the Tanos for the May birthdays
~ Miss Asia Sacramento pageant
~ Girls day pedis and manis; Boys went golfing
~ Watched August Rush, So You think You Can Dance, sports
~ Got to spend time with mama & papa, Dominic & Elise, Auntie Deb and Tita Cyndi

With Jasmine

~ Watched the movie Enchanted plenty of times, at least twice each day

~ Sang lots of songs: nursery rhymes like Humpty Dumpty, “Head Shoulders Knees and Toes,” “Ah ah ah ah ah” from Enchanted, “That’s How You Know” from Enchanted, “Old McDonald,” “Oh Toodles” from Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, “No one” by Alicia Keys, “Low Low Low” by Flo Rida, “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star,” and the first sentence of “Somewhere over the rainbow”

~ She talks … a lot… and in full sentences most of the time. Mommy, mimi, grandpa, auntie, uncle, no thank you, please, “tome here back here” means come here back here, JLo for Mama, “tome to my room please” means come to my room please, “no no no no no,” she has a really indecipherable word for “cheese-it,” “Let me do it,” “take picture of me,” “chanted” for Enchanted

~ She’s ticklish, doesn’t like to wear dresses, snacks all the time instead of eating meals, plays sleepy when she is being shy or doesn’t want to play, goes pee in her little toilet bowl, sometimes gets embarrassed when she has pooped in her diaper, has a preference on who does what for her (like if mommy says it’s time to change her diaper, she sometimes says, “no, mimi do it”)

~ We tried teaching her to cover her mouth when sneezing or coughing; ask nicely; not whine when she wanted something… all things that will take more than a week to learn

April's Over...Finally

2008-05-04T18:31:00.003-04:00

April has finally passed and Paul and I are looking forward to a restful May. The weather outside is a pleasant 73 degrees, sunshine with a calm breeze... perfect reading-outside weather. The semester is winding down, no more business travel, and a long-awaited trip to visit my side of the family takes place in May. It's going to be a rejuvenating month.

Here is our April recap:

PAUL THE PHILOSOPHER is now working on chapter one of his dissertation! His doctoral committee members have given him the thumbs up to get writing, and that's what he's doing! Chapters one and two are planned for completion before the fall semester begins. Here is a picture of Paul with Aquinas's mom, Cider, at Bill & Nita's house.

TINA THE TRAVELER has completed her duties. April took me to LA, Chicago, and Denver. All work related (recruiting and conferences) with some fun in each city.

ATHENA in SEASON, AQUINAS CONFINED: Yes, our little pup is all "growed" up. While she was away from us for two weeks, she won two more show points (hooray!) and also went into season. I had no idea what this entailed, but it apparently involves a cycle of Athena's pheromones and hormones that made Aquinas quite the flirt and pest. Since these two have the same dad, we had to be sure no hanky panky went on. So there were a few days Aquinas peeked through the holes of a baby gate, confined to a room, so Athena could find respite from his pestering. It seems that her cycle is finally ending (thank goodness) and we can all return to our normal lives. Here are a couple pictures of her in panties. Hilarious!

GOING BACK TO CALI to see my family is one of the many exciting events in May! Not to mention Mother's Day and the upcoming birthdays of our nieces, Jasmine (May 31) and Isabella (June 21). We're looking forward to celebrating with the fam!

Happy Warm Spring to You!

Gripes and Good Things

2008-04-26T18:04:00.008-04:00

It amazes me how irritable I get when life is packed with back-to-back meetings, a list of too many things to do, and all the rest that life throws my way. So, I decided that for every gripe I spout off, I have to think of 2 good things-- reasons I'm thankful, things that are going well in life. Here's the short list.

GRIPE #1: I still have a 12 page literature review for my class that officially ended in March.

GOOD THING #1: My second class ended today!
GOOD THING #2: I'm more than halfway to receiving that Master's degree (SP09 baby!)

GRIPE #2: My house is an absolute mess, and my dogs smell.

GOOD THING #3: We have a house that we can afford, and I think it's pretty cozy.
GOOD THING #4: With just one paper due and back to a somewhat normal work schedule, I have time to bathe my dogs and clean my house.

GRIPE #3: This girl in my class announced, rather proudly, to signing a statement of Christian beliefs to get an adjunct teaching position at a nearby Christian University and in the same sentence confessed her non-Christian, very Eastern beliefs. That got me, but what really fanned the flame was her boast in that a student approached her and asked how this class affected the student's relationship with God. To this, she responded, "It doesn't." Following my rebuke, my classmate clarified her response to the student by admitting she was unqualified to answer such a question and that the student should seek out other professors who were more qualified...Please tell me you see the problem here. Sheesh!

GOOD THING #5: I, surprisingly, challenged the ethics of her actions in front of the class. Firmly but gently. I was SO inflamed by her pride in her lack of integrity, and I actually said something. I guess it was more of a good thing for me because I never really express myself like that, but maybe not so much for her.
GOOD THING #6: God is SO good- Paul and I experience his goodness in everyday, no matter how subtle.

Where in the World is Tina Marie (as my sister inquired)

2008-04-17T12:33:00.003-04:00

17 days of work has taken it's toll. I think I'm crazy now.

I'm taking off work tomorrow to tend to my sanity, but it unfortunately will be a day full of homework. No respite just yet.

Earlier this month, I got to hang out with a few of my favorites in SoCal AND I got to chow down on some grubbin' In-n-Out (how I missed it so).

My co-worker and I were at UC Irvine for a recruiting event, and we got to play tourist in LA. A short but fun trip.

And just this week I returned from a trip to Chicago (another work event). Then I'll be in Denver for a few days for a conference. Yes, I love to travel. But this month is just crazy!

Naughty Cardis

2008-04-09T12:29:00.005-04:00

Athena has been travelling quite a bit, which may be the reason for her mischevious behavior. She's got 3 major points so far and is on her way to earning her championship (15 points). This week she leaves for Kentucky Nationals for 10 WHOLE DAYS! Thankfully, Aquinas's mom, Cider, has been staying with us while Athena is away.

But I thought I'd share some funny photos exhibiting her (and Aquinas's) misbehavior and some cute ones to show why we love these dogs so much.

A surprise when we came home.

Athena & Aquinas got into a grocery bag and decided to decorate our home with pinto beans and jello powder.

Showing off her strong front teeth

Yes, those are pieces of our carpet disconnected from the floor. And she stood right there and let me take her picture! The nerve! But, oh, isn't she cute?

And the reasons why we love them

Athena sitting with me as I work on my paper

Paul, Aquinas, and Momma Cider

They keep us pretty warm at night. (Yes, we use older blankets to protect our good ones).

And they're the only dogs we've seen do this

2008-03-27T20:03:00.001-04:00

Every once in a while I hear the word "karma" being thrown around in regular conversations, and then I came across this post written by Dale & Jonalyn Fincher.

I was educated; that’s for sure. I’m curious to hear your thoughts, so what do you think?

PS. You can read more from the Finchers at the following websites. They’re super-talented, non-threatening, and well-educated folks who want to influence our generation to be "appropriately human." Paul and I love reading their work. We hope you’ll find it as thought-provoking and encouraging as we do!
www.dalefincher.com
www.jonalynfincher.com
http://www.soulation.org/

Blessings,
T

Boutique Religion
Karma: A Selfish Motivator

Sometimes coffee counters, deli counters and pizza counters will sport a little jar. Taped to it a strip of paper reads "TIPS" with smiley faces and often an urging phrase, "Good Karma." Here’s how this little boutique spirituality works.

If you give a tip, regardless of their pizza or sandwich or coffee service, you are building good karma. How? You throw good into the universe, it will throw good back at you. It’s a principle somewhat like sowing and reaping, you get what you give.

But karma is less relational. For instance, even if you get terrible service at a restaurant, the soup is cold, the waitress forgets to refill all your drinks, the bill is inaccurate and you still tip big then you’ve got more karma points. The tipping is not related to the service, it’s related to your desire to build karma. If you build up your Karma Account, then you are told to expect good things to happen to you, like someone might help you out when you’re in need. The energy of the mindless, impersonal universe is poised to give you a boost up, cause you did good.

This is supposedly how karma works.

The way karma is believed and practiced today is inherently egocentric. Tipping becomes a way for you to help yourself. So you’re not really giving up money you’re investing in your Karma Bank. And there is the added problem that karma is an idea that the universe just automatically balances itself out. How does that work? Since Buddhism claims no personal God, only a mindless, impersonal force, how does this force know what is good and what is bad? Since there’s no Judge or Person to decide, what decides that a good deed is ’good’? If I believe rewarding poor service with a tip is good, does that give me karma credit? What if my idea of good is actually not so good? Who decides what counts as good karma?

Christ gives us other reasons to do good unto others. As Christians we tip at restaurants, for instance, because of the satisfaction of knowing you encouraged a good job with monetary praise. When we tip we are inviting others to share in our resources, just like our Father in heaven invites us into his resources. Jesus asks us to do good because this is what an appropriate human does; we were made to do good unto others, for their benefit, inviting them into the goodness of God.

The idea of karma isn’t just on tipping jars, I’ve seen it in commercials and overheard it in conversations, like, "I don’t want her to stay mad at me cause, you know, karma, it’ll come back." I’ve noticed people use karma as their motivation to make things right with me, like when a handyman in town left us hanging on a home improvement project. For five months we called and wondered at his unresponsiveness. Then one day he showed up on our front porch with an apology because as he said, "I didn’t want the bad karma." I wanted to be thankful, but I could not see his actions as anything but a selfish desire to soothe his own guilty conscience.

Now let me be perfectly clear, when we do good to others, we also get rewarded, but not with karma points. God has built into every virtue a natural reward that fits the good we do.

The virtue of love, for instance, rewards you with intimacy. Intimacy, not good karma, is the proper reward of love. But if a man were to woo and marry a wealthy woman for the reward of her money, then we would call him mercenary, seeking an improper end of love. The proper reward of love is not money, not karma, but intimacy.

Courage has a proper reward too; courage gives us expanded opportunities. For instance, if you are in high school and muster up the courage before a Winter Formal to ask the person you want, then you have an expanded opportunity to go with someone you like. Courage rewarded you with this opportunity. Courage on the battlefield gives you more opportunity for victory. Courage with God gives you expanded opportunities to know his will. But courage has some improper rewards, too. We don’t think a courageous woman should be rewarded with a fancy mansion or an attractive male escort. And we don’t find it courageous when someone jumps into freezing water to rescue a stray dog in hopes that they will get a hefty reward from the owner.

Hard work and persistence in our occupation has its proper rewards. When you do a job well God rewards us with satisfaction, not good karma, that we’ve served the work at hand (be it a research paper, an Algebra assignment, an application, a presentation or an interview). But hard work has improper rewards, too, like fame. We would all agree that if the reason I am an author is "for the fame" or "for the karma," then I am writing for the wrong reasons. I strive to write in order to write well, to write accurately, persuasively, powerfully, to help others, but I do not write merely to get famous or increase my Karma Account.

So while karma gets it half right when it says "do good," it gets it wrong when it says that the main reason to do good is to "get good." Karma encourages us to become fearful about our own karmic debt, constantly keeping tabs on how much good we have acquired and prevents us from enjoying God’s natural rewards, different for different things we do.
For instance, what is the natural reward of tipping? For the good of the other, not for my own future ends. We may feel satisfied that we helped another afterwards, but we cannot expect God to rack up brownie points for our kindness. Whereas karma turns our attention inward, the kingdom of our God turns us outward into the inclusive, community-oriented type of motivation that is the basis of good relationships.

Recently, I read the popular book, The Four Agreements: A Toltec Wisdom Book which despite some rather obvious self-help ("tell the truth," "don’t take things too personally") is full of terrible motivation and Buddhistic ideas ("Everything is God"). The author, Don Miguel Ruiz, writes that telling the truth or "Being impeccable with your word is the correct use of your energy; it means to use your energy in the direction of truth and love for yourself" (italics mine, 36). According to Ruiz we tell the truth because of it’s good for us and us alone.

But the teaching of Jesus is quite the reverse. In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus says, "Let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven" (Matt 5:16). He grounds our good deeds in the relationship we have with our Father and the relationship we have with those who watch us. Then Jesus breaks down karmic ideas with these words,

But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. - Matt 5:44-45.

God does not play favorites, he is not going to automatically give you blessing because you did good things, but he will always be with us, through rain, storm, pain and laughter.

Karma may be the way the world operates without Jesus. But now, as followers of this God-man, we can live in the knowledge that he has put an end to karma. In the next fledge, I’ll talk about how Jesus broke down the karmic system, how karma like an old moldy document, disintegrates in the light of God’s grace.

[If you have any questions/comments, simply reply to this email. And don’t forget "Ask! LIVE" for questions or puzzling life situations.]

© 2008 Dale & Jonalyn Fincher

Hemies in OK & TX

2008-03-18T20:20:00.004-04:00

I'm SO sad.

Trish and Eric had to leave for Cali today; Paul and I had such a great time with them during their visit. It was a jam-packed 4-day, 5-night trip. I just wish they could have stayed longer, but as Paul gently reminded me, we all need to return to the norm and earn the money to pay the bills :-)

So what'd we do, you ask?
1) Friday night arrival brought the 4 of us back to the Franks Pad for an intro to our humble abode, our two cardigan welsh corgis, and calm setting of conversation and imbibing of our duty free purchases from our January Mexican Riviera cruise.

2) Saturday AM: good ol' Southern breakfast, courtesy of Paul's folks, Bill & Nita; a trip to their land and building project in Tuttle, OK; then a road trip to University Park in Dallas, TX to meet up with cousins, Tiff & Jena,
and Trish's jr. high school friend, Frances.

3) Saturday PM: With the help of the Magellan GPS, aka Madge, we had a super smooth time driving around University Park, meeting up at Seth's place (Frances's beau), having a fun time at The M Street Bar, then back to the Hawthorn Suites for much needed respite. To sum it up, we had loads of fun... ask Trish :-)

4) Sunday brought us to a nearby IHOP then we parted ways with the cousins. It was nice to see them and meet their beaus. As for us, we headed to Plano/Frisco, TX for some Starbucks, some uppity shopping and a grubbin' meal at the OG (Olive Garden). After the drive back, we took the Hemies to Fat Sandwich Co on Campus Corner in Norman,

where we were greeted by a freaked out cashier and some killer sandwiches.

Good times.

5) Monday= St. Patty's Day and we chilled for most of the day. Homemade breakfast, Rudy's BBQ,

a walk through campus and the Great Reading Room (where Paul's dissertation will be housed),

then back to the house with boba and "Waiting," a hilarious movie about waitstaff and the difficulties they face. Then it was off to celebrate St. Patty's Day in Oklahoma City. TapWerks and the Biting Sow were awesome places to visit, and we had so much fun listening to Flogging Molly, seeing all the St. Patty’s greenery, and tasting some of the best brews in town. Good times. Good times.

6) Tuesday greeted us too quickly and we enjoyed a final home cooked breakfast together. The Hemies packed up, and we headed out to Charleston's for a farewell lunch before reluctantly taking my sis and bro-in-law back to Will Rogers World Airport.

Yes, I pouted on the way home. I’m so bummed they had to leave. Alas, vacation ends and we return to normalcy. I miss those two already. The four of us get along so well; I’m happy to call them friends, not just family. What a cool spring break and St. Patty’s Day celebration. Thanks for coming out to Oklahoma, Hemies!

CLICK HERE for More Crazy Pictures of the Hemies' Visit

Athena's Major Win

2008-03-14T12:13:00.002-04:00

Here's a picture of Athena's 1st 3-point major! Our breeders, Kari Smith is center and Kathy Rasmussen is on the right.

We're so proud of our little cardi!

Spring!

2008-03-10T16:16:00.003-04:00

The weather is finally warming up this week, which is great timing since Trish & Eric are visiting this weekend! We have fun plans to meet in Dallas with our Texas cousins and Trish's old high school bud, then show them that Oklahoma is cooler than they might think.

Paul's progressing well in regards to his dissertation. He's presented a draft prospectus to his dissertation chair, Linda Zagzebski, and will finalize it this week. I'm so proud of him. My position in the Graduate College and as a Masters of Ed grad student has really enlightened me to the amount of dedication and energy required of graduate students. PhDs, especially, put in so much work; it's amazing they still embrace their discipline following degree completion!

Brief news flashes here:
*I'll be traveling much of April, without Paul (sadly), for work. So I'll see my SoCal folks soon and do some shopping on the Magnificent Mile in Chicago, too.

*Athena, our little Cardi girl, won her first major at her 2nd show last weekend. For the non-show dog folks, let me explain. In order to receive a championship title, a show dog must earn a total of 15 points. 6 of those points must come from a "major," which earns a dog 3 points. Therefore, our little Athena is well on her way to her championship!

*Athena will be on "tour" from now through the end of April, entered in 5+ shows, including Nationals, where she'll be gone for 10 straight days! The other shows are weekenders where she's only gone Friday-Sunday. Paul and I are already dreading being without the little rugrat, and Aquinas misses her so much when she's gone.

*Finally, we got a piano! It's a 1911 M Schulz & Co upright, given to us by a couple who is moving in the fall. We picked it up (thanks to the help of Bill & Nita and Scott & his truck), moved it in (thanks to Josh, Damien, Don), and got it tuned. It's perfect for novice-me to get plunking away!

I suppose that's it for now. Pictures to come!

Happy Spring to you!

Driving Home 02/17

2008-02-29T11:03:00.003-05:00

Driving back from a Texas-recruiting event this weekend (02/16), I actually had some time to do nothing but think. Haven’t had that in a long time.

See, my life is a whirlwind of work and school and “wifery,” all of which I thoroughly enjoy. I get to travel, plan, problem-solve, and make things happen at work. I get to read, think critically and creatively, and interact with grad students discussing the happenings of higher education in my master’s program. And finally, I arrive home to my DH (dear husband) and two corgis, make a somewhat healthy dinner, pay inevitable bills, and decide if I will hit the books or lounge around (all depending on how tired I am, of course). Like many grad students with a full-time job (or any other busy people), my life is full of unending activity.

But the 3-hour drive home was a treat. It was full of endless fields on my right and left, a sleeping husband at peace in the passenger seat, and 6-year old worship CD invigorating my speakers and my soul. The dreary skies of northern Texas seemed to dissipate as we made our way north into Oklahoma. My mind was full of lists of things to do, ideas for home improvement and decoration, the latest class presentation I delivered, memories of our recent game of Cataan, and then this song began to play.

The instruments play the gentle intro. The worship leader starts and I sing right through the first line with him. And then I pause and just listen.

I will bless the Lord forever
I will trust Him at all times
He has delivered me from all fear
He has set my feet upon a rock
I will not be moved
And I'll say of the Lord

You are my shield, my strength
My portion, deliverer
My shelter, strong tower
My very present help in time of need

Whom have I in heaven but You
There's none I desire beside You
You have made me glad
And I'll say of the Lord
(You Have Made Me Glad - Hillsong)

Suddenly my mind flashbacks. With every line sung, I vividly remember God working in my life. With every declaration of who He is, I recall how He’s worked and is working in my life. He's my shield from all that would harm me, my strength when I am weak, my portion and all I need, my deliverer from the mess I get myself into, my shelter from storms I can't (though I try to) prevent, my strong tower where I run to when I'm in need of protection and refuge, and my very present help in time of need. Every time the chorus is sung, different times and experiences of my life play back. How cool it was and is to meditate on and recognize how His goodness affects my life. And I am so thankful, unworthy, but thankful.

Despite life's challenges and all the reasons to be busy, it's comforting to know and remember that God is mightier than any challenge that may come our way. I rest in that truth. That three-hour drive helped me be still and know He is God. And how important it is to pause and reflect on how He has and is working in my life. I need to do that more often and give Him glory for where He's led me today.

Our Mexican Riviera Cruise

2008-02-01T16:46:00.002-05:00

Paul and I went on our first cruise in early January with my parents, my mama, my brother, and my sister and brother-in-law. An 8-day Mexican Riviera cruise, Norwegian Cruise Lines took us to Acapulco, Ixtapa/Zihuatenejo, Puerto Vallarta, and Cabo San Lucas. The short version of our experience:

~ eat whatever you want, whenever you want. we did happily.
~ 85-degree weather in Acapulco, authentic fajitas, bottomless coronas, warm pacific waters splashing on a beach where we could walk 100-yards out in waist high waters; of course, we did the senor frogs things. muy bien.
~ ixtapa/zihuatenejo were two quiet towns visited, we're told, by celebrities like michael jordan and those who seek quiet and serene vacation sites. pretty beaches, great shopping, and lots of history. the boys deep sea fished while the girls toured and shopped the small towns.
~ puerto vallarta was a booming tourist city where paul and i gallavanted and shopped. trish, eric, justin, and dad went on a mini-jeep excursion, while my mom and mama went on a pirate tour. the pictures tell it all.
~ finally, we found ourselves snorkeling and kayaking in cabo san lucas.
~ then it was back home

you'll have to talk with me to get details (cause I wanna talk to you :-).

see all 5 million of our pics below or at My Picasa Site

Ice Storm 2007

2007-12-10T17:36:00.000-05:00

OU was closed today, but we'll all be back to work tomorrow. At the moment, Paul and I are at our friends' house (Rusty & Emily and Scout, the little Schnauzer) because our power has been out since the wee hours of the morning.

You should see how beautiful the trees look with ice on every branch, BUT they're also all touching the ground! It's kinda crazy. :-) The branches get so weighed down that the entire limb snaps off the trunk! Hence, down power lines.

Hope you enjoy the wintry pictures from today.

We are well, warm, and fed. The pups (Aquinas, Athena, and Scout) are all running around the house playing, and we adults are trying to get some work done (it's finals week at OU, so I'm finally done with the semester and Paul's preparing to administer his class's final on Friday). Paul and I are hoping the power at our house will be back on soon. :-) Keep warm and take care!

November-- it's finally FALL

2007-11-15T08:56:00.000-05:00

November has been fun-filled and it's only half way over. Melanie came down from MO to check out our Sooners kick some Baylor-butt (thanks Nita for hookin' up some great seats!). I cut my hair and sent all 10-11 inches of it to Locks of Love, and Paul got a whole smorgasboard of Craftsman accessories at a pretty good deal. Athena and Aquinas are doing really well, too. More later.

OU beats Texas weekend

2007-10-06T19:53:00.000-04:00

Chili, cornbread, fritos, rotel, tortilla chips, home-brewed beer, and some OU-Texas football. Oh, it was an exciting day in Oklahoma. OU beats Texas 28-21. Whoo hoo!

Here are a few pictures of game day at the Franks home. Paul made some his mom's yummy chili and prepared some rotel cheese dip, and our friends, Rusty and Emily came over with little Scout.

Also, here are some of the latest pictures of Aquinas and Athena (Paul and I are in there somewhere, too). Athena has been growing quickly... she weighed in at 12 lbs this past week and her pink paws are now showing signs of black spots...she's growing up! Aquinas loves his little sister and they play all the time! It's so enjoyable watching the two of them pounce and chase after each other.

Blessings from the Franks!

Sooners and Doggies

2007-09-09T10:41:00.001-04:00

Another great weekend in Sooner land and in the Franks home. More pics below.

They're Getting Along Just Fine

2007-09-07T07:52:00.000-04:00

These are just a couple of short videos of our doggies at play.

Aquinas the Acrobat plays with Athena the Squeak

Listen to her deep growls and high-pitch barks as she and Aquinas play. It's surprising to hear it but still pretty cute!

Our first week with a puppy has been extremely eventful (lots of pictures and videos as you can imagine), but man, we're tired! Ha! It's amazing how precious sleep is when you don't get enough! Overall, Athena has behaved as well as any other puppy we hear about. She chews on just about everything and we've been using vinegar-water sprays and tabasco sauce on these chewables to deter her. So far, so good. Aquinas has been a fantastic big brother and really has enjoyed having Athena around, especially now that the tape has been removed from her ears. We think he was kinda freaked out by those!

Enough for now, more later.
The Franks-four

Athena's First Days

2007-09-03T12:19:00.000-04:00

We're definitely in puppy season with this little girl! She's fun and adorable and way interested in chewing! She's been very responsive to us though, and that's promising. Paul and I have been really good about taking turns, waking up in the middle of the night to let her out to potty. We're trying to get her crate trained, and that has been a task, let me tell you. But, I think we are making great progess! Big brother Aquinas is still getting used to having to share with her, whether it be toys or our affection, but he's been very well-behaved and has been playful. Wish us luck with the little one. It's been a great Labor Day weekend: Sooner victory, fun puppy and a short work week ahead!

Boomer Sooner!

Welcome Athena to the Franks Tribe

2007-09-01T09:25:00.000-04:00

Athena is home! She and Aquinas are getting along just fine!

She came home with us yesterday and started to get acclimated to the house and the yard. She played and seems to like us, despite her ears being taped! What a good girl! She slept through most of the night and woke us at 5am to go potty! Not bad! And there were no accidents in her crate. Visit her website at http://www.rainbowshowdogs.com/athena.html

More later... for now, I'm off to my 9am-4pm Saturday class. I believe our prof will let us out early so that we can beat the crowd on campus.

Go SOONERS!

Our Newest Addition

2007-08-26T20:37:00.001-04:00

She comes home this Friday night! We are still deciding what we want to call her, but we think we've narrowed it down to 2-3 names. For now, she is still called Selena, but we'll post our decision by Friday. In the mean time, here is a picture of our little happy family :-) And you can see more pics of her and the litter at The Puppy Page. She's also the little pup in the second video below this entry.

PS. The semester has begun and it's already flying by pretty quickly. Paul is sitting in on a Latin class (no not dancing) and teaching Critical Reasoning two evenings a week. He's also ready to start writing his dissertation. I have picked up the pace a bit and am enrolled in 6 hours this semester. It's pretty tough when you're working full-time, but I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength (I just have to remind myself of that while I'm running on fumes by the end of the week)! We would appreciate your prayers as we strive for excellence. God's been sooo good to us, and we want to honor him with all that we do.

Blessings to you and yours!

Aquinas meets the Puppies

2007-08-19T21:31:00.000-04:00

Paul and I visited the 7-week-old pups this afternoon, and Aquinas got to come along to meet them for the first time. Besides marking his territory and peeing on the carpet, he did really well with them. We will know next weekend which pup gets to come home with us, and then we get to take her/him home at the end of the month for the long weekend. Horray! Here is a slideshow of some of the pictures and a couple of videos of Aquinas's first reaction.

Spring/Summer Recap

2007-08-16T16:55:00.000-04:00

Since April, we have been traveling fools! We've been so fortunate to have visited Florida (Orlando), Illinois (Chicago), California (SF, Sac, LA), Texas, Colorado (Steamboat Springs), Missouri (Springfield), and Rhode Island (Providence) for both work/business and personal travel. But because of all of the busyness, we haven't found time until now to update our blog, so here is a short recap and some pictures!

The summer brought about several memorable events:

~Jasmine & Isabella's 1st birthdays

~Exciting ATV/fly-fishing adventures with Dale & Jonalyn Fincher and Adam Stowell and a party with the cutest corgis in the world (3 Pems & 1 Cardi)

~Good times with more old friends (Melanie and her new beau, Ben; the So Cal crew and a much-needed visit to the beach; the Biola crew; a special Norah Jones treat with our Chicago buds, Josh & Ashley, weddings, and new babies- Joe & Shannon's little doll, Ava Eileen, and Marcus & Jen's little beau, Brody).

~Paul's completion of his General Exam (whoo-hoo, he's ABD)

~Paul's first (and last) summer course (he taught the whole month of June and survived!)

~TinaMarie's growing responsibilities at work brought about a helpful financial increase (yes! thank God!)

~Our 2 YEAR ANNIVERSARY! Yup... we're still in love.

PS. We've changed our cell phone numbers and home number so look for an email from us to get you updated!

PS.PS. Visit http://www.rainbowshowdogs.com/litter3.html to see the litter from which we'll select our 2nd puppy!

LOVE THE FRANKS

Wedding Weekend in Cali

2007-08-13T16:36:00.000-04:00

We spent several days in California to witness the wedding of Leah Lazaro & Jonathan "Bean" Huang on August 11th in NorCal, and then down the coast to SoCal for the wedding of Alissa Tidwell & Eric Yang (our new Norman, OK friends). Lee & Bean have dated for over six years (I think... I lost count after year 4), and I had the privilege of being part of the bridal party. The wedding was a beautiful blend of cultural tastes (BMs in Indian saris, GMs in Filipino barongs, Chinese Tea Ceremony and 9-course meal, Jewish handwashing tradition, Tres Leches wedding cake, Tagalog love song, and more). We drove down to SoCal on Sunday morning and made it just in time to watch Alissa glide down the aisle towards her new hubby. It was an intimate ceremony as the couple, both talented musicians, recorded a song to play during communion and unity candle ceremony. I love weddings. I'm reminded of our wedding two years ago...how I'd do it all over again {sigh} :-)

Ruby Slippers: One fine book.

2007-07-26T14:25:00.000-04:00

I recently started reading Ruby Slippers by Jonalyn Fincher and thought I'd take a quick moment to let you know about this great book. I should probably let you know that Jonalyn is a close friend, but that's not why I think you should read her book. One thing that impresses me about this book is that from the very beginning you can see there is actual substance behind the style. Don't get me wrong, she is a great writer. It's very easy to want to go ahead and read one more chapter because the flow of her writing is quite enjoyable. But what makes this book different from many others on the market (the Christian book market especially), is that it is so much more than a cheesy marketing attempt for someone to make money. So, you may be asking "What's the book about and why should I read it?". Let me tell you.

This book is about the souls of women. What does it mean (beyond the obvious answers) to be a woman? Is a woman's soul different from a man's? If so, is that good or bad? Though it has fallen out of favor in some academic settings, many people today recognize that there are some essential differences between men and women. But, just how different? Different planet differences, or different cities differences? Maybe I should explain what I mean by essential differences. Something is essential to you if you couldn't lose it without ceasing to be you. For example, if I were born with blonde hair, I would still be me. My parents might be surprised since neither of them have blonde hair, but nonetheless, my hair color isn't essential to me. I could've grown up to be 7'2" instead of 6'2". While I might have played college basketball at a major university instead of intramural basketball at a small one, I'd still be me. But if I was a girl (like my mom 'knew' I was up until my birth) instead of a boy (which prompted a quick repaint of the nursery by my dad) I would be a different person. Gender is more than a role society puts upon us, it's essential to us. This is part of what Jonalyn explores in her book. Are there things about women that are essentially different from men? Do these differences mean women bear less of God's image than men? Jonalyn does a great job explaining what's lies behind these types of questions and how one should go about answering them. But that's not all she does.

In the process of exploring womanhood, Jonalyn is able to peel away some of the bad ideas and beliefs that have caused so many women to be unsettled about who they really are. She aims to show what true femininity is and how, even though there are some common features among all women, it can look quite different for different women. Being feminine isn't about what you wear or do, it's who you are (assuming you're a woman reading this!). Finally she illustrates how women are able to live their life in the way God intended them to live by embracing their true femininity.

You may ask why in the world I am reading a book about the woman's soul. Well, I can think of at least two reasons. The first, and I think the less important one, is that Jonalyn is a good friend. I want to know about her work and support her in ways that I can. But, I could probably accomplish a lot of that with some extended email exchanges. The more important reason is that by understanding more about true womanhood I can relate better with the women in my life. Just as many women have false beliefs about their femininity, men probably have even more. In reading Ruby Slippers I can learn more about my wife, my mother, my sister-in-laws, and many of my friends. This is why I would read and recommend the book even if I didn't know Jonalyn.

I enthusiastically recommend this book to those that seek a better understanding of the woman's soul. Man or woman, this book will be a tremendous aid in living the life that God intended for you to live.

Back in the O-K

2007-06-09T16:56:00.000-04:00

An update on the happenings of the past week...this is our 1st weekend home since Cinco de Mayo!

* We have finally posted entries on our trip to Cali; they are found before this entry :-)

* We got a brand new air conditioner! For those of you who knew of our frequent AC problems, we are thankful that the old thing finally gave out...less than one week from the expiration of our home warranty!!! That's the best part! We paid a whole $200 for a brand new AC! We are totally praising God for that one!

* Paul began teaching his first summer school course at OU. Monday through Friday, two hours a day, four weeks. Talk about working in overdrive... we'll see how he feels at the end of the month!

* Tina Marie went to her first actual running shoe store, OK Runner, because her big toe falls asleep 20-minutes into her elliptical workout! She left with the most comfortable pair of running shoes she's ever been in....now to schedule time to use them regularly!

* Aquinas, the lovable Cardigan Welsh Corgi of the Franks abode, developed a "hot spot" underneath his tail. After a visit to our favorite veterinarian, Dr. Emmert at McGee Street Animal Hospital, Aquinas received medicine to treat the tender boo-boo. He also has worn an E-collar to prevent him from licking, and it is healing quite nicely.

* Justin, Tina Marie's little brother, graduated from high school on Wednesday! Very bummed we couldn't be there to share in the excitment, but Whoo-hoo for Justin!
* Family Vision Trends (www.familyvisiontrends.com) is by far the best place we've been to in Norman. Dr. Chad Bagg, a good friend of ours from church, and his staff, Tamara and Lindsay, are great people to work with. So go check them out!

And finally the plan for this weekend involves much to do around the house...laundry, housecleaning, etc. etc. We can check off several items off of the to-do list: laundry is almost done, fridge is full, Paul has mown the lawn, and Tina Marie has kinda worked on the flowerbeds. Back to the grind...

Paul left his WIFE in San Francisco

2007-05-31T22:30:00.000-04:00

While I sat in diversity seminars, Paul explored San Francisco coffee shops and used bookstores. His favorite, by far, is located on Clement Street in the Richmond District and is called Green Apple Books (www.greenapplebooks.com). Two stories of cubbies and shelves with tons of books and a music store close by. We ended up buying T-shirts from this place because it was so neat!
Then we headed south to visit Golden Gate Park, but we were pretty pooped and decided to pop in to Cafe Muse off of 8th Street. Another friendly, local coffee shop all decked out with a Herculean slash hip hop type feel to it.

After a finishing our white chocolate mochas (mine iced, Paul's hot), we headed to the Park and found ourselves at the DeYoung Museum (www.deyoungmuseum.org), in the heart of Golden Gate Park, near the Japaneze Tea Garden. The guy at Green Apple Books told us to head straight to the Observatory, where we had free access to see a 360 degree view of San Francisco from the 9th or 10th floor ( I can't remember). Here are a couple of pictures of what we saw. Beautiful, eh?

If you look closely, you can see the top of the Golden Gate Bridge in the picture above.

The Franks at the top!

Then it was time to head back on the Muni to our hotel by Union Square (http://www.sfgate.com/traveler/guide/sf/neighborhoods/unionsq.shtml). We decided to walk over to the Cheesecake Factory located on the 8th floor at Macy's, and there pictures were taken from the patio seating area.At the center of Union Square a monument of Victory. Among other things, there are inscriptions on their referring to the Filipino soldiers of MacArthur's time.

The city glows marvelously at night.

After dinner, we headed back to the Hilton to enjoy a nightcap at Cityscape Bar & Restaurant (www.cityscaperestaurant.com) found at the 46th floor of our hotel. A scotch and a martini to top off a great time in San Francisco while we looked over 360 degrees of the night sky (yes, this place had a view of the entire city). Paul left me in San Francisco on Thursday to prepare for lectures the summer school class he would begin teaching on June 4th, and I had a conference to finish attending.

Good times. Good times.

The loveliness of Paris seems somehow sadly gay,
The glory that was Rome is just another day,
I've been terribly alone and forgotten in Manhattan,
I'm going home to my city by the bay.

I left my heart in San Francisco, high on a hill it calls to me
To be where little cable cars climb halfway to the stars.
The morning fog may chill the air, I don't care.
My love waits there in San Francisco, above the blue and windy sea,
When I come home to you, San Francisco, your golden sun will shine for me.

Frank Sinatra - I Left My Heart In San Francisco Lyrics
(Douglass Cross, George Cory)
[Recorded Augast 27, 1962, Los Angeles]

One of our favorite cities with some of my favorite people

2007-05-30T21:31:00.000-04:00

Tracey, Makalani, Paul and I made our way to the San Francisco Hilton, so that Paul and I could check in. Then we got in touch with Laura, another all-grown-up-now youth group buddy, and little Laura hailed a cab which whisked us straight to North Beach...great place for Italian food! http://www.sfnorthbeach.org/dining/index.html We found oursevles dining at a super authentic Italian Ristorante called Mona Lisa (http://cityinsights.com/sanfran/monalisa.htm). Superb service, superb food!

Walking down Ofarrel to hail a taxi.

To Paul's delight, we stopped by a cool bookstore called City Lights (no relation to the dance club by the Bay Bridge). This would be the first of many he would step into within the next three days.

Then Trace and Makalani had to head back to the Grove, Laura headed back to her place on Haight St, and so we snapped several pictures before parting.

Me and my babysister, Tracey.

Muk and Laura.... see the Italian stripes

Smooshed in the backseat of a cab.

Makalani drove back down to SF to meet up with Laura. They ended up caravaning back down to LA, so it all worked out perfectly. Laura showed us around again, and we found ourselves at Fillmore and Clay Street, having dinner at a cute cafe called Crepevine (http://www.fillmoreshop.com/pages/crepeVine.html). We checked out another bookstore down the street, then Laura showed us to another cool sight... a cafe/wine bar with a lodge feel to it, fireplace and all. I wish I could remember its name!

Let's just say, I had a great time learning at the conference, but the after hours with Paul, Muk, and Laura were much more enjoyable!

Jasmine's 1st Birthday.::.oysters.::.shotguns

2007-05-28T21:14:00.000-04:00

Paul and I flew out to Sacramento since I was attending a diversity conference in San Francisco during the work week, and of course, we had to spend time with my family. We hadn't seen them since Christmas {by far, the longest time I've ever been away from them}. And to top it all off, it was the weekend of Jasmine's first birthday.

Princess Trisha & Prince Eric

Trish and Eric swooped us up from the airport, and we met the family at BJ's Restaurant and Brewery. You can only imagine the anticipation I felt as I waited for the little princess who I cradled in my arms almost six months before. Flashbacks of her tiny neck resting in the corner of my elbow, her little body against my forearm, her little Tanyag toes between my fingers, all rushed through my mind, even though I carried on conversation with my sister and brother-in-law. Paul knew I was so excited to see her... and the family, too :-) Here is a picture of me with Jasmine. I couldn't help but tear up, thinking about how much she has grown.

The picture above was taken at the end of December 2006. The pictures below were taken at the end of May 2007.Jas playing chase with Uncle Paul.

The weekend got better and better as time passed on. Our friends, Delvin and Nikisha, celebrated Madison's first birthday (I finally got to see the child in person!).
I got to see the newest Tanyag addition, Dominic, who's already eating food and almost crawling.
Makalani, one of my original LA youth group kiddos and now long time friend drove up from LA to spend a few days with us. Then we celebrated Jasmine's first birthday, sweetly planned and decorated by mommy Tracey, auntie Trisha, and Mimi (my mom, Angie).

Check out her new birthday dress. And her new sunglasses from Makalani. She loved wearing those! Check out her catwalk style!

The theme surrounded Disney Princesses, and Uncle Paul was designated as the pinata holder! The food was delicious (lumpia, chinese food, barbecue and oysters... check out the size of those bad boys below), and the best part was seeing the cousins, aunts & uncles, and friends. Good times.

The next day, we were in for a real treat. After morning fun with Jasmine, my Dad, Uncle Mel, Eric, and Trish took me, Paul, Tracey, and Makalani clay shooting with shotguns! Talk about having a blast. Here are some of the pictures.Paul had flashbacks of his hunting trips with his dad.

Trish, me, Mak, and Trace: with the safety glasses and without.

We left with raspberries where the shotgun rested against our inner shoulders.

A great start to a wonderful time with the family. But alas, duty called, and Paul and I were headed to San Francisco to check in to the Hilton San Francisco where the NCORE Diversity Conference was held.

SHOW ME whatcha got, Show-Me state!

2007-05-24T14:53:00.000-04:00

A four hour drive from Norman, OK to Springfield, MO wasn't bad at all. We stopped by the biggest McDonald's I had ever seen located somewhere at the border of OK & MO. It stretched over the freeway! It would've been great to see it when I was a kindergartener! Could you imagine the excitement?

We hung out with Melanie, our very good friend from LA LA land. She's settled into her beautiful 3-bedroom home in Springfield and took us around town to show us the sights. The Show-Me state isn't too shabby. They've got a place called Andy's that serves some pretty scrumptious frozen custard, and Missouri is home to the family-friendly version of Las Vegas... called Branson! Lots of shows and has its own strip!

We got to meet Mel's newest friend, Ben (and not to embarass her, but he's also a newly proclaimed boyfriend, as expressed by him to our waitress at Cantina Laredo!). He's a cool guy. Tall, dark and handsome, just like the Melsers ordered! ha ha!

We also got to spend some time with Melanie's brother and sister-in-law, Jon & Jenn. It was great to catch up with them, too, as Paul and I hadn't seen them for about 4-5 years!

They're doing well and Melanie's move completed the Armont exodus to the midwest. They're all one big happy family in the same state! Fabulous!

A short but great weekend to hang out with Melanie and see how life is treating her in Missouri. The coolest people surround her at Karma Salon where she creates new-dos for her growing list of clients, and the salon is around the corner to a very trendy, friendly cafe which serves a really good panini sandwich (i can're remember the name!)! Paul was excited to find a very full and inexpensive used bookstore called Redeemed Books, and we were able to purchase a few books for about $15! Good time, good times.

Love, Paul and Tina Marie
PS. Thanks to the Oklahoma State Trooper who gently pulled us over and gave us a warning that the 8-miles-over-the-speed-limit rule still catches cops' attention! Ha!

Mother's Day Weekend

2007-05-15T14:39:00.000-04:00

Bella really is a beautiful little girl.

Greg & Nesa dedicated her to the Lord on Mother's Day weekend, a priceless way of thanking God for her in our lives and a vow on our part to raise her to live a life that honors God. The whole 9-seconds of this dedication took place at their church along with about a dozen other kiddos, but let me tell you how exciting and adorable it was to be with them that day. Grammy, Grandpa, Uncle Paul, myself, and godparents, Aunt Carrie and Uncle Drew, were happy to fill an entire pew with smiles and 3-digital cameras! Talk about stardom! Ha!

I missed my Mom the most that day. She's such a strong woman and I look up to her for so many reasons-- her selflessness, gentleness, and the joy she spreads around. You know, you just know that you would never be able to find anyone who could fill her shoes? She's like wonder-woman! I know she was being celebrated and loved by my sisters, Trish & Tracey, and my little brother, Justin, and probably the rest of our huge family; but I think she missed me, too {actually, I know she does 'cause she tells me all the time :-)}. But, it was enough to talk with her and tell her I love her... I get to see her and the rest of the clan this weekend! Whoo-hoo!

As a plus, Paul and I did get to spend Mother's Day with his mom, Nita. I must brag on her and how special she is because I know I could not have been blessed with a better, more loving mother-in-law. She's been a wonderful mom to Paul and Greg, and I love how she loves them both. She's great... she's know exactly how they tick! But the love doesn't stop with the boys as she's loved me and Nesa like her own. Who could ask for anything more than that?

So a great Mother's Day weekend it was to top off our trip from Chicago... Now it's back to the grind!

Chicago-Norman-Lewisville

2007-05-12T21:54:00.000-04:00

Our first trip to Chicago together was terrific. Seeing Norah Jones in concert was Paul's Valentine's gift to me (a very soothing evening at the Chicago Theater), and we had gobs of fun hanging out with Josh & Ashley (we'll plan to visit with less school work next time!)

The flight from Chicago to Oklahoma City was fine, not even any turbulence to deal with. Our first stop from the airport was, of course, to pick up our little baby cardi, Aquinas. We missed this little guy so much, it's amazing we survived so long without him! But, we knew he was in good hands with his Rainbow Showdogs breeder, Kari Smith, and he got to spend some quality time with his dad (Mac), mom (Cider), brother (Fletcher), Bam Bam (a pointer sister), and two Siberian Huskies (I think they were outside in the kennel).

We were as excited to see him as he was us, so we thought we'd include our most recent family picture.

After a quick Subway lunch, we packed up an overnight back and drove the 2.5 hour drive to Lewisville for Isabella's dedication & Mother's Day with Nita & Nesa.

So here we are after 1,000 miles of traveling, hanging out with the Franks tribe and our doggies (Aquinas, Elway, & Gracie... missing Bubba on days like this). I miss my side of the clan but am being patient as we will see them very soon!

Life's good...

Looking forward to a good night's rest,
tinamarie & paul

Philosopher's Cafe & Chicago's Magnificent Mile

2007-05-11T21:16:00.000-04:00

Chicago's Magnificent Mile was a busy street filled with over five Starbucks Coffee cafes (I stopped counting after the fifth one), beautiful buildings, and an infinite amount of shopping opportunities. This was an excellent way to end our final day in Chicago. We stopped by H&M, and I picked up a couple of cute skirts for work for under $30, visited the 4 story Border Bookstore, and Paul's jaw about dropped to the ground when he saw this....

A beautifully designed Mac Store

Then we continued our journey down the Magnificent Mile to visit Descartes Coffee, also known as the Philosopher's Cafe.

Josh hung out to do some grading while Paul and I gallivanted up and down the Mag Mile, and when we walked in, we were amazed to see the portraits of some of history's greatest philosophers. Paul, again, was on cloud nine. He tried to talk the owner into opening up a shop on Campus Corner in Norman... we'll see about that.

A chicken wrap & a monte cristo filled our tummies at Bennigan's. Paul left 1/4 of his monte cristo on the plate and learned that if he finished it, he would have consumed over 3200 calories!!! That's about two times his daily intake! Nonetheless, we enjoyed our dinner despite the smoke-filled restaurant.

A few pictures taken from our walk down the Mile.

This was taken from the third floor of the Borders Bookstore.

And finally, after a long day, we all relaxed at the Price crib with a toast to a fun-filled time in Chicago.

Cheers,
Paul and Tina Marie

University of Chicago

2007-05-10T20:22:00.000-04:00

Our Wednesday in Chicago was a bit of a work day. We kicked off our late morning with a yummy brunch at Egg Harbor Cafe located a short walk from Josh & Ashley's house. While Josh & Ashley went to work, Paul and I hung out for a few hours at a coffee shop called Caribou Coffee to work on my research paper and for him to grade papers. That's pretty much all we did that day. To top off the evening, we had some fantastic sushi with Josh & Ashley.

Thursday was a bit more eventful. I had to turn in my research paper by 5pm that day, so the morning was spent completing final paragraphs and re-reading previous ones. Paul got his grading done and had some time to read JP Moreland's "The Lost Virtue of Happiness." Paul's been really enjoying it, so I think I'll pick it up after he's done.

Then, Josh took us out to the University of Chicago, and by Paul's request, we also stopped by Powell's books. Paul had prepared a deck of 3x5 cards full of books he would search for. He practiced great restraint, though, and only purchased 2 books at a total of $15 (for those who have not learned, Paul LOVES books and often requests them for birthdays, Christmas, etc).

We had some time to walk through the campus at the University of Chicago. Here are a few pictures.

Inside a very, very unique Seminary Co-Op Bookstore, we found ourselves in the basement of the Chicago Theological Seminary, winding our way through a labyrinth of neatly categorized books. Ducking under large blue pipes about seven-feet from the ground, Paul was like a kid at a new McDonald's playground. It was a fantastic bookstore to end our day at UOC.

We paused for a picture in front of the school's stain-glassed church (but we were bummed to miss out on seeing it from within its doors).

Paul's being silly.

A great view of the church.

On the drive back home, we saw this spaceship-looking structure from the freeway, only to learn that it was Soldier Field, where I'm told the Chicago Bears play.

Despite a very cranky worker at UOC's student cafe, we really enjoyed the campus. To end the night, we had the best Chicago style pizza from Giardino's... deep dish, pepperoni & mushroom, stuffed-crust. It was SO think, we were full off of one slice! We should have photographed that.

Thanks to Josh & Ashley for being such great hosts. (Red apple martinis are on the agenda for our next visit, Ashley!)

norah jones @ the chicago theater

2007-05-09T22:27:00.000-04:00

Norah Jones is a doll.

paul and i are here in chicago visiting josh and ashley for the week. last night we got to head out to the chicago theater to watch norah jones and the sunshine band with m. ward opening the night up. she is just too cute and uber talented. the woman sings artful lyrics with such a smooth, rich sound, and she plays the electric guitar, a grand piano, some sort of clavichord/organ, and some "toy" she said she picked up in japan.... all in a doll-like dress with the most darling pair of shoes. can you tell that i really enjoy everything about her?! it was great. her musicians also all play more than one instrument, and m. ward joined in on the fun towards the end of the show. a great night. great, great night.

{norah jones & the handsome band @ the chicago theater}

{tinamarie & paul in front of the chicago theater}

then we were off to downtown chicago to get some grub and drinks, and we found ourselves at a sweet little place called rock bottom. good times stuffing our faces and imbibing fun drinks while catching up with josh & ashley. among two philosophers, a nurse-in-training, and a higher education administrator, you can imagine the conversation going all over the place .... good times.... brought back to the house in the wee hours {reminding paul and me how "old" we are.... we often cling to our 10pm bedtime}.

{pausing for a picture in front of the chicago river & some beautiful architecture}

today was a work day thought. josh & ashley had to work, and paul & i did school stuff at the local caribou cafe. a very comfy coffee joint, offering tasteful espressos and free wifi. this paper i'm working on is coming along and paul's grading those final exams quickly enough. the weather has been super pleasant, so for a quick break, we went on a delightful walk heading over to the nearest chipotle for some tacos, then back to relax at the house before dinner with josh & ashley at a fantastic sushi place down the street. it's a treat to find GREAT food!

so i am off to work on this paper a little more before we all hit the hay.
chicago's been fun... looking forward to the rest of the week.

love, the franks & the prices

tinamarie......ashley....................josh...............paul

end of semester = party time...almost

2007-05-07T18:36:00.000-04:00

Tina Marie here:

paul never has to take another class again...unless he wants to, that is. he will by typing his little fingertips off for the next two-three years, but don't let that fool you... he really enjoys reading and writing (if ya haven't caught on ;-)

i, on the other hand, still am working on this 20-25-page research paper, scurrying to get it done by tomorrow so i can enjoy a real vacation with my hubby this week. we're off to chicago for four days to see josh & ashley (paul's best man and his wife), norah jones in concert on tuesday night, a cubs game on wednesday night, and then chill out in the windy city until saturday (hopefully far far away from the nearest tornado!) the weather has been stormy, thunder, lightning, and tornadoes included. we're still okay over here in norman as the tornadoes have been elsewhere. anyhoot, all that to say

we need the r&r since we're not as young as we were when we first met (ha ha!)
yeah, we both agreed that we were much thinner back then!

well, we are off to devour our baked potatoes, and then i am hopefully going to finish my paper. thanks for all of the love!

Phase 1: Complete

2007-05-03T09:33:00.000-04:00

Paul here:
Well, I PASSED! Thank you so much for your thoughts and prayers these last couple of weeks regarding my general exam and defense. Last week I took my general exam and yesterday gave the oral defense of my answers. I've never had to justify an exam answer before, and honestly, I hope I don't need to do it again. Even though there was so much pressure building up to the defense, it was actually kind of fun. God really helped me recall not just what I studied for this exam, but other things I didn't really even think about prior to the defense. It was cool to have at something intelligent (or at least mostly intelligent) to say in response to each of their questions.

So what's next? Pretty much, all I have left is the dissertation. I have one more paper for my Kant seminar due (on Friday) and after that all that is left is to write my dissertation and teach a class each semester. I'm hoping to finish that in the next 2 years, but a 3rd year wouldn't be too big of a surprise.

Thanks again,

Paul Franks

paul's big test part two

2007-05-02T10:17:00.000-04:00

hey all,

at 10:30am (8:30am pacific time), paul is defending his General Exam (he has to explain the answers he wrote on his written exam before his 5 phd committee members). Needless to say, he's a little bit nervous {I know he'll do fine}, but please say a short prayer for him if you get the chance. it'll be about 1-2 hours of their questions and his explanations, and this will be his 2nd to last step before he completes the doctoral program. after this, he'll write his dissertation, defend it and then apply for jobs all over the country! who knows where we'll be in two years! thanks for the love!

blessings,
tinamarie (super proud wife)

ps. i had a fabulous time in florida(lots of helpful workshops) and goofy fun free time at the epcot center and mgm studios.

My General Exam

2007-04-24T17:07:00.000-04:00

Paul here: I just thought I'd take a quick minute to let you all know that my general exam is tomorrow from 9am to 1pm. If you think of it, please pray for me during that time. I'm getting really sick of studying for this thing and will be very happy to have it over with. Of course, as soon as I'm done with the exam I'll start worrying about the defense, but that's part of the process I guess.

On a different note, I just got off the phone with Tina and she's landed safely in Florida. I hope she has a good time, but I also can't wait till she gets back. Okay, back to studying. Take care everyone (and for the family and friends in California getting ready for the game...GO DODGERS!).

Seeing the Light

2007-04-22T21:36:00.000-04:00

We're nearing the end of the tunnel, so to speak, as this semester winds down to a close. Paul has been studying flashcard by flashcard, book by book, article by article, for his general exam this coming Wednesday. If you think of him this week, please shout out a short prayer for him. This Wednesday, he will complete a 3-4 hour exam of which he will choose 4 of 12 questions. Then the following Wednesday, he will stand before his five-member dissertation committee to defend the answers to the 4 questions. I know he'll do well {he always does} but it's always different when you're the one taking the exam {I'm sure we all can relate.} I, on the otherhand, will only be there to support him by prayer and phone as I will be in Orlando from Tuesday through Saturday for a business trip, so any love you can send his way is greatly appreciated :-)

I wish he could come with me since I'll be staying in one of the Walt Disney World Resorts (courtesy of the job) enjoying the 80-90 degree sunshine. Please pray for safe travel and for the absence of hurricanes! JK. I'll attend several training seminars to help me develop skills for my job {which I love and thank the Lord for}. I also intend to summon the melanin within my skin, work on a research paper due on May 8th, and finish up Ruby Slippers (by Jonalyn Fincher). I tend to be over-ambitious so we'll see how much of that list actualizes.

Thanks for the prayers and good wishes ahead of time.

holding tightly to our sanity
.:tinamarie&paul:.

our nieces

2007-04-16T09:53:00.000-04:00

thank God for little girls.

we have the most adorable nieces in the entire world and we're not just saying that to be nice. you know it's true that some kids just aren't really cute and that often, we just say that they are to be courteous. but seriously, these are two of the cutest girls on the planet. thought we'd share a couple of pictures with you to see for yourself. enjoy!

Jasmine... she not only crawls, but she also stands by herself and walks. The giggle is just too much for us to not join in with her!

Isabella is on her way to walking, and this video is of her and her two doggies, Elway and Gracie. Check out how she throws the ball at the end. Oh, and the giggle, again, is contagious!

peace and blessings to you!

Celebrating Jesus

2007-04-08T21:54:00.000-04:00

Happy Easter to you and yours!

The Easter weekend zoomed by as Paul and I packed up our AeroBed and Aquinas and drove down to Texas to celebrate with the Franks tribe. Dad & Mom {Bill & Nita} met us at Greg & Nesa's purty little home in North Dallas, and despite the shorter intervals of sleep, little Bella was all smiles and giggles. The three dogs, Aquinas, Elway, and Gracie had a fantastic weekend, too, frollicking around the backyard, playing with toys, and even partaking in the Easter luncheon leftovers. The Easter Bunny left us yummy baskets out at the front door, and Bella colored eggs, got dolled up in her pretty dress and took pictures with the Easter Bunny. It was a fun weekend celebrating what Christ has done for us by the cross, and we're glad we got to spend it with family.

The Tanyag clan celebrated in Elk Grove, but last I checked with my Dad, they were all heading to a cool church somewhere in the city for the big day. They may even call this place "home" which would be a superb start to a new spring season of life. Paul and I miss you guys!

Well, the pictures of the family and especially little Bella were mostly taken from Nita's camera, so I'll post those when I get them, but in the mean time, here are a couple of pictures of Aquinas during the drive south. He was so excited that he whined a good chunk of the drive down. We had to stop at a bargain store in Ardmore to buy him some rawhides to chew on. It didn't work as well as we planned, so the little guy got to sit shotgun with Momma for a good part of the ride.

But, on the way back to Norman, he was SO exhausted from all the fun he had with Elway and Gracie, he slept the entire ride home! Not a peep out of him for 2.5 hours!

That's all for now. We'll post those pictures when we can.

Remembering the Resurrection,
Paul and Tina Marie

Rainbows after Tornadoes

2007-03-30T20:54:00.000-04:00

We tested out our storm shelter this evening.

We just finished eating our yummy T.E.A. Cafe (pretty good "Chinese" food), enjoying a rerun episode of Friends, when all of the sudden Paul yells at me to be quiet. The tornado siren was wailing and Paul yelled at me again to put my shoes on! Our poor dog, Aquinas, was shivering in his fur because he had no idea what was going on (and I'm sure he could tell we were a bit frazzled). So as the rain poured heavily down from the gloomy clouds, we hurried through the now-puddling grass to open the door of our storm shelter. Poor Aquinas, his chest is only 2-3 inches off the ground, so his front was pretty wet. Paul had to grab him by his pelt in order to get our frightened doggie into the shelter. So, I can say that the storm shelter is pretty cool... dark with some cobwebs, but still pretty cool.

After the storm and tornado passed, here's what we saw about an hour later.

Rainbows shine after tornadoes! They are, after all, accompanied by storms. It was a bit eerie as the storm moved on. It could have just been my nerves settling. The sun began to shine as the clouds moved away, but the colors seemed to strangely glow.

And this was taken from inside our front door.

Thankfully, we are safe and our home is intact. Our friends, Josh & Sarah, are here with us {just in case} and our fellow Biola translpant classmate, Eric, is fine, too. He's so funny. He told me he was saying his last prayers because he mistakenly thought the wailing tornado siren meant "game over, the tornado is ripping through the city." I guess we forgot to tell him Lesson number 1: When the siren sounds, a tornado has been spotted and it's nearby- get to your shelters. Poor guy. We're all laughs now. We're extremely thankful.

What a way to begin the weekend.

Love, The Franks

PS. Oh, and we're going to the store tomorrow to seriously prepare our emergency stuff.

tornadoes and march

2007-03-29T23:26:00.000-04:00

one of few downsides to living in oklahoma has to do with tornadoes. we've lived here for almost a year-and-a-half now and paul tells me a tornado hit ground about 30 minutes west of norman! this is the second tornado that has touched ground since we've been out here. now, yes, the first one was a bit farther away from us, but it's still frightening to think that our home could be blown over by powerful, yet invisible tunnels of wind. it's also pretty amazing ... the wind, that is. so with the storm that is passing through the past couple of days, i suppose it's time paul and i get working on our storm cellar and emergency preparations. it's written on our to-do list, but my goodness, how that list keeps growing. i think we know what to do, but suggestions are always welcome.

besides the tornado and storm, we've enjoyed the passing of winter because the warmth of spring has been pleasant. it's refreshing to see bright red tulips and other colorful plants (of which i don't know names) pop up among the green grass along the neighborhood roads. it actually makes me want to get in there and learn about what types of plants i can plant in my garden. yes, i love spring. no, i've never really worked out in the yard. and, the mosquitos seems to have come back with the spring warmth. ay. so we'll see how the gardening happens (suggestions welcome here, too) and how my body handles what seems to be a new form of allergies. we'll see how the rest of the season goes.

welcome to our web home

2007-03-25T18:35:00.000-04:00

hi everyone.

it's an overcast sunday afternoon in norman, oklahoma, and we should be doing our homework. :-) instead, we've decided to get our blogspot going so that we could keep you updated on everything that's going on out here! we love ya!

surprisingly, it's become a tradition in the franks home for paul and i to watch NASCAR racing on sunday afternoons. actually, it's more like paul watching NASCAR and then about 30 minutes into it, I'm asleep on his lap! nevertheless, we baske in the break from the rush of the week.

yet this blog will be kept short because it's almost dinner time and, as the responsible young grad students we are, we need to get something done. so please check back every once in while and let us know how you're doing, too!

love
the franks