Couch, Camera and Catfish Hole

We discovered that our couch had a couch bed this week. We also discovered that we are no longer 12 and we can't just sleep in or on any random space anymore. The after math of trying to sleep on said couch bed was horrible. I was so excited to find the couch bed. A bit too excited I think. As I was putting the sheets on it and making plans to have an awesome night of movie watching and popcorn eating I started getting all nostalgic. I have countless memories of couch beds past. Like, trying to do a back drop and feeling the bar of the bed in your back. Sleepovers. When relatives came to visit. Or, the time my 4 siblings and I were sick with the stomach flu and Mom and Dad pulled out the couch bed and passed out barf bowls for us to use while we watched T.V. So you can see why I was excited to find this hidden gem. Couch bed = guaranteed magical times and memories. I got everything situated and flopped on the couch bed...big mistake. Remember the fore mentioned bar in your back... ya that was painful. I've seen maxi pads with more thickness than that mattress. Even Digby hopped off and opted to sleep on the floor instead. I made it through one movie then tossed and turned for and hour before I gave up and put away the couch bed feeling slightly sad and defeated. You know you're old when the couch bed has lost its novelty and comfort. Goodbye youthfulness. Hello back pain.

Derek's Grandma Bobby had hip surgery over the weekend. We drove to Arkansas to visit her and Derek's Mom. She is doing fine but hates her physical therapist for making her walk everyday. Ouch! Derek's sister Bobby and her husband Torrey were in town from Maine as well so we had a nice little reunion in Alma. We went to eat one night at the Catfish Hole. This place was home to Derek's first real job. He was the hush puppy maker.

We had fried catfish and fries and it was scrumptious! I'm convinced that the hush puppies would have been better if Derek was the one making them though. It was a very nice visit and we always love to be around family. I loved seeing Bobby and Torrey. They actually made it to our wedding in Florida and they have quickly become some of my favorite people. It's not very often that you meet people that you instantly feel comfortable with and I'm lucky enough to call these ones my family.

In other exciting news, I got a sweet new camera thanks to my wonderful and loving husband! After months and months of searching and trying to decide which one I wanted and if I could bring myself to pay the price...Derek said "Just do it already!" Well said husband, well said. So I did just that and I got a Canon Rebel t3. It is beautiful. I've never owned such a magnificent piece of equipment.
Shortly after getting out of it's box and set up, Derek began to regret his words of wisdom to me. He and Digby have become my sole models and they hate it. Deep down I know my boys love it but they have that manly facade to keep up with. Digby is a better sport since he doesn't really have a choice Here are a few shots for your viewing pleasure:

Digby Boy

Derek's nephew Jason

I made some jam!

So I am in love with my new toy and I'm sure I will be posting a ridiculous amount of photos on here now.

"Do not regret growing older. It is a privilege denied to many."

Past, Present, and Future

To say this past week was eventful would be an understatement. It all started with the weekend. Derek had to work three consecutive days which meant long hours of boredom for me at home by myself. Digby is good company but when I start talking to him like he is another human I know I've hit my "lonely low". So I decided to take a trip down to Edmond which is about an hour and half south of Tulsa. Since I served my mission in the greatest state ever...I'll give you one guess...did you guess Oklahoma? Winner Winner Chicken Dinner!! I love the fact that I can hop in the car and be back in my mission in just an hour. It's been more than amazing to be able to go back and visit so many wonderful people who made my mission so wonderful. In Edmond resides one of the most fantastically loving, down to earth and generous families I have ever met. They were quite literally my mission family, my home away from home, and my immediate friends.

Meet the Eckmans

They opened their home, their cabinets and their hearts whenever we needed it. So many gospel discussions and warm spiritual moments happened within the walls of their home during my short time in the Edmond area.

Since moving to Tulsa, I have to admit, I've often felt alone. I have no family or friends in the near by area. I didn't have a clue how to get anywhere and was always getting lost and frustrated as I tried to navigate my way to the grocery store. As I walked into the Eckman's front door this weekend I immediately felt like I had just walked into my own families home. I was greeted with such love and excitement. I felt silly for feeling alone all this time! They were the exact dose of family and love that I needed. We had a nice long visit and I felt the Spirit whisper to my heart "You are never alone and you are never forgotten." I'm reminded daily of what a wonderful thing my mission was and how it has changed my life forever. I'm grateful for the blessing of the Eckman family in my life. I do have some family close by after all. Dexter, the dog, and I even shared a lollipop on my mission...I'm pretty sure that secured me a spot in the family forever.

So that was my trip down memory lane. Moving onto the present. My hubby turned 24 on Tuesday. He is practically half way to 50 and therefore old and almost dead. Well that's what he thinks anyway. Birthdays seem to lose their novelty after a certain age. What used to be excitement for parties, presents, pinatas and goodie bags has now been replaced with fear of extra pounds, sore muscles, sleep deprivation and the looming presence of the Grimm Reaper. And we are only 24....
I got him some portable pop up soccer goals so we can now play soccer wherever and whenever we want. I thought it to be the perfect gift for such a soccer enthusiast. We set them up in the yard and played against each other. We are out of shape. Like really bad. After just a few minutes we were ready for a half time. Digby joined in the festivities trying to bite the soccer bad. He soon gave up and plopped himself in my goal. I thought he would help me out and at least try to keep Derek from scoring but he ended up being the worst goalie ever. He just ran away chasing butterflies every time I needed him. Some help he was. We played 4 games and Derek won 3 of the 4. I blame Digby for my defeat. We now keep a running score card on the fridge. Little does Derek know, I am training Digby in private to become my secret weapon. Needless to say, I'm feeling an epic comeback in the near future.
Derek hates cake so we had pumpkin pie instead. You might be saying to yourself, "Pumpkin pie in March? That's weird." And to that I say, We do what we want....don't judge us :) So there is the Present, as in my present life and birthday presents. See what I did there? Puny right? Ah, I did it again.

So this past week as I took a look back on my past and enjoyed my present, I got to thinking about the future. Derek will graduate in May with his bachelors degree which means new opportunities for our family. Derek and I often feel overwhelmed with the many options and paths we can choose for our lives. It seems so daunting at times...making decisions that will decide and pave the way for our future and our kids futures. I don't like the pressure of being an adult and having to make these choices. What if we choose the wrong one? What if things don't work out the way we hope? Why can't there be a manual out there that tells you what to do with your life? I had all these questions on my mind as I went to church on Sunday. We have been praying, and fasting and praying and studying the scriptures to try to narrow down our options. Derek had to work Sunday so I found myself sitting alone in a pew, lost in thought as the meeting started. Our opening song was How Firm a Foundation. As we sang, the words began to take on new meaning for me. The third verse says, "Fear not I am with thee, O be not dismayed. I am thy God and will still give thee aid. I'll STRENGTHEN thee, HELP thee and cause thee to stand." Basically, Heavenly Father was using a mega-phone to get His message across to me. I'm here, I will help you, I told you I would. Even though I might not see where our life is headed at all times, I can trust my Father in Heaven to lead us the right way because He does know.

We have thought about joining the Air Force ever since we met. (When I say we are joining, I really mean Derek). Through lots of prayer and fasting we have decided to move forward and enlist. We are excited and nervous for the opportunities, challenges and adventures this new decision will hold for us. It truly feels like the right thing for us to do at this point in our lives and with the go ahead from our Main Man Upstairs we will move forward with faith.



"Past is experience, Present is experiment and Future is expectation. So use your experience in your experiments to achieve your expectations." -Nishan Panwar

So let it be written...

Greeting and Salutations!

I am a terrible journal keeper. When I say "terrible" I actually mean "I don't do it...ever". So in an attempt to leave behind some sort of documentation to my unborn children that their parents were cool and awesome at some point in their lives, I have started a blog. I don't really expect anyone to ever read this, unless they happened to be so bored they think reading this blog will be a better option than the alternative of poking their eyes out with toothpicks. 

Now that I've got that out of the way, here's a bit about me and my family. 

My name is Bethany. I'm an old married woman with an empty womb...In other words, I've been married to my Best Friend for an entire year and we have no children yet. Derek, the fore mentioned Best Friend, and I were married in December of 2011 in Orlando Florida. We both are a bit obsessed with soccer; playing it, watching it, coaching it, playing it, and playing it. Derek is more of an addict to the sport than I am. His idea of a good retirement is adopting Brazilian babies, instead of having our own, so they can become professional soccer players and make us rich. He was a bit heart broken when I told him I didn't think it was quit humane to traffic in soccer slaves to be our own personal piggy bank. 

We currently live in Tulsa,Oklahoma. We left sunny, perfect Florida for windy plains and solely country radio stations. Honestly, it's the greatest place I've ever lived. The people are so genuine, honest and kind. Well, except for when they ask us if we are brain dead for choosing OK over FL. We moved here for Derek's job. He is an E.M.T for a company here and he enjoys his work very much. His work is never dull and he always comes home with interesting stories. I landed a pretty sweet job as a soccer coach for a Lil Kickers program. Basically I get paid to wear soccer clothes all day and play soccer with kids. One word, AMAZING! I laugh daily at the things those little ones say. Here is an example;

Gavin is in one of my classes and he is 4. He is smarter than me and wants nothing to do with soccer but his parents put him in to get him out of the house. As we are scrimmaging at the end of class I see Gavin twirling and circles and muttering big words to himself. I walk over to check on him and he pulls on my shirt and says he wants to tell me a secret. I bend down to his level and he says "I run on diesel." To me it sounded like he said "I run on the field" so I told him to get running then. He annoying looked at me with that You're-an-ignorant-fool face and said again "I run on DIESEL! Watch!" He proceed to push his belly button and take off at rapid speeds around the field. The following week as Gavin came into class I asked if he had filled his tank with diesel before class. Again I got the You're-an-ignorant-fool face and he stated so matter of factually, "Diesel prices are outrageous. I'm going green. I switched out my engine and now run on electricity." Well DUH. I should have known. He is 4....

We have no human children but we do have Digby. He is our 5 month old Mini Schnauzer who is sleeping next to me as I write this and is expelling the rankest flatulents known to man. If he and Derek had a Fart Off, Digby would take the cake hands down. He is full of live and energy and is in some ways preparing us to be real parents. We figure if we can keep him alive and happy then we could probably handle a baby.

 I guess that will do it for my first post. Hopefully I can stay diligent and make one a week. But who am I kidding....

We are the Hellard's and we are out to raise hell on this world while this world helps to raise us.