Compare and Contrast

Hi friends! Michelle and Miranda here. We are going to do a little compare and contrast between ourselves just for the fun of it. Here we go…

1.       How long have you lived in the area you live in now? How many places have you lived in your life?

Miranda-  I think its easier if I list...
     Uptown Dallas (March 2010-present)
     Grand Prairie (June 2009-Feb 2010)
     Denton (Sept 2004-May 2009) This includes one dorm, one apartment and two dif houses.
     Plano @ Mimi's house (June 2004-Aug 2004)
     Conway, AR (Summer 1991-May 2004) This includes one rent house for two years and then my 'home' for the rest.
     Springfield, MO (1988-1991)
     Fayetteville, AR (1986-1988)

Michelle- I have lived in Bolivar my whole life. I moved from my parents house into the house John Darrin and I are in now on the day of our wedding. Miranda, I didn't know you lived in Missouri!

2.       Name one thing you like and one you dislike about where you live.

Miranda- I like that everything is so close.  We can walk to the bar or a restaurant or whatever.  I also like that there are a lot of people my age and single, at where I am in life.  What I don't like is that a lot of people are trying to prove who they are by their materials, and its sad and also pressuring for myself.

Michelle- Too many people moving here. They want to live in the country so they move out here and turn the country into a neighborhood. Punks. Oh, and people with loud cars (you know who you are Mustang boy) and motorcycles who just love to rev their engines as they drive by our house. 

3.       If you could live anywhere in the world, where would you live?

Miranda- Ummmmm......I want to go everywhere!  See the world.  So I don't know of where I would live particularly.  I like living near a lot of people.  Rural areas are nice to visit, but after awhile I feel I might get cut off from the rest of the world.  

Michelle- Somewhere close to family, but not close to a city. I always dreamed of living somewhere where when I looked at the horizon there wasn't a building or power line or civilization in sight. And if it never got too cold or hot that would be nice too.

4.       Which band have you never seen live that you would love to see?

Miranda-   Joy Division.  Oh my goodness gracious that would be awesome!  Except the lead singer killed himself and they are all in their 50's now so I would love to go back in time and see them in some venue in their hometown of Manchester, England.  I like the song Transmission and She's Lost Control.  There isn't really good recordings of them live, and their records don't really capture their live sound.  Here is a better example of the song She's Lost Control.  It's an excerpt from the movie about them called Control.  Lead singer Ian Curtis had epilepsy and he danced kinda weird, which helped b/c it disguised any seizures that he might have on stage.  He makes me feel better about my flailing style of dancing.  They are an 80's post punk band, that after the lead singer's suicide, then named themselves New Order.  New Order is famous for Blue Monday, or Bizarre Love Triangle.  If you saw the preview for "Mary Antoinette" New Order is what is plays in the back ground.

Michelle- Jerry Jeff Walker. I love him and would love to see him live in some hole in the wall joint, or maybe down in Belize or something. Or I could jump in with Miranda in her time travelling machine and maybe catch Jerry Jeff with Willie Nelson when they sang together at Gruene Hall and recorded "The Man with the Big Hat". (I couldn't find a recording of them singing it together, but it is pretty awesome.)

5.       What is your favorite way to unwind?

Miranda-  Take a drive on back roads at night with the sunroof open, stars out, and music that is so good it gives you goosebumps.  Or watching movies on Netflix Instant Watch and DVR.

Michelle- Take a drive on back roads with the windows down, classic country up, and sun setting. Or sitting on my parents' front porch in a rocking chair petting the dogs and watching the sun set. That front porch is the reason I survived the craziness of college, I think.

6.       What is your favorite ice cream flavor?

Miranda- Umm, its hard to decide... Tops are Blueberry Cobbler or Birthday Cake, both by Blue Bell.  Yum!
Michelle- Chocolate. Is there any other flavor?

7.       Who is your favorite artist?

Miranda- Cezanne, Degas, Klimt, Auerbach, Grant Wood, Kadinsky (below in order listed)

Cezanne

Degas

Klimt

Auerbach

Grant Wood

Kadinsky

    

Michelle- Um, so, yeah. I can't really name an artist off the top of my head. I mean I can name artists, but to say, " I like So-and-so because of Such-and-such painting." Yeah, I can't do that.  I like that Degas one up there though.

8.       What is one thing that is a must in your husband’s personality? (current or future!)

Miranda- Silly, i.e. he will silly dance with me in the kitchen while I'm cooking :) 

Michelle- Hard worker and not lazy. And be goofy with me!

9.       What do you look at most when you go to a(n) estate sale/ garage sale/thrift store?

Miranda- Chotchkeys (things whose only function is to be pretty or quirky), purses, jewelry, crafty & sewing stuff (I don't sew but I use it for making cards), and clothes (like 75% of the clothes at Urban or Anthro can be found at G-sales for $2).  OH and hats!  I have a lot of cute hats that I need to wear.

Michelle- I love to look at the linens- table cloths, runners, napkins, place mats. Also the dishes, furniture, and books. I pretty much avoid the women's clothes, but will look through the old lady scarves and handkerchiefs.  

10.   Where would you like to be in 7 years?

Miranda- I would love to be married, have a family, doing art, lots of colors surrounding me, and good friends.  I don't mind where I'll be living, but I want to be glorifying and enjoying God, on the front lines against the war on the devil!  I could be in a big or small city, in USA or foreign place, just wherever God wants us.  I hope I still have the mentality that you only have one life, so don't store up treasures here on earth, store up treasures in heaven!

Michelle- Hmm, middle of nowhere, some kids running around, cows of our own, some land around us, a miniature donkey named Po Campo, being a stay at home mom, and discipling girls and teaching them what the Lord has taught me through the years. Also, a water trough in the middle of one of the pastures that nobody can see for me to go skinny-dipping in would be great too!

Rodeo, Chiggers, Uptown, and a Shower

Last weekend was exciting for John Darrin and me. It included a trip to St. Jo, Texas, to watch the rodeo Friday night, hauling square bales with my parents Saturday morning, going to visit Miranda in Uptown Dallas Saturday night, a baby shower for my sister-in-law, Candace, Sunday afternoon, and church Sunday night, followed by dinner with a bunch of crazy musicians afterward.

It is always very interesting to me when you have a day like our Saturday that includes the dichotomy of hauling square bales in the morning and then walking around Uptown at night. We had a blast. Here are some interesting things that I learned and observed throughout our weekend.

1. While sitting on metal bleachers in the middle of a lightning storm might not sound like a good idea, if everyone else is doing it- I will do it too.

2. Sunsets after storms are incredible.

3. My camera doesn’t like trying to take pictures of quickly moving objects in low light settings. Thus, so forth, hence, and such as, that is why you aren’t getting to see any rodeo pictures. They all look like this.

4. Even if you spray yourself with Off you will still end up with seventeen chigger bites after hauling square bales.

5. If you don’t have Chigarid for your bites use clear fingernail polish.

6. If you don’t have clear fingernail polish, use bright orange. It worked for me.

7. Before you cover yourself with orange dots, ask your mom if she has Chigarid- ‘cause she probably will.

8. Orange dots look silly on my legs.

9. Orange is not my color.

10. Where pants to Uptown when your legs are covered in orange dots.

11. Uptown Dallas is nothing like Downtown Bolivar.

12. They have much nicer vehicles, haircuts, legs, tans, eyebrows, restaurants, vehicles, sidewalks, liquor stores, apartments, parking garages, and vehicles in Uptown. In Bolivar, they have nicer attitudes.

13. Oakcliff is fun to drive through, quickly.

14. There is one place in Oakcliff where they have every soda you could ever think of in a glass bottle for sale. JD got RC. I got a Yoo-Hoo. Miranda got Dylan Bottleworks Cane Cola. Elissa got Orange.

15. I love Yoo-Hoo. They have that in Bolivar too. I am super-adventurous.

16. This is the Dallas skyline:

17. See the tall building in the middle? My grandpa built it. (Not Reunion Tower, the other one.)

18. The houses in Highland Park are huge. Some of them are beautiful, some are not. Which just goes to show you that money doesn’t buy good taste.

19. Rich people get toilet papered too!

20. The pizza place just down from Miranda’s apartment is awesome and BYOB. So we went to the liquor store next to the pizza shop and bought beer for Miranda and John Darrin. They gave us a bucket of ice for it.

21. Miranda got some kind of cider beer. John Darrin got Lonestar. They are both gross to me.

22. I got water because I am a loser and the only alcohol I like is the kind I can’t really taste- like in a Margarita or Peach Daiquiri.

23. I really can’t believe that I spelled Daiquiri right on the first try.

24. It was at this very table that we thought of a shirt for Miranda to help with her sometimes being socially awkward. It would say, “No, I don’t have Aspergers. I am just artistic.” But I have thought of a revision for the shirt: “No, I don’t have Aspergers. I am just artistic. You might have thought that I had Aspergers because I sometimes come across as socially awkward and that is one of the symptoms, or you noticed me not picking up on social cues and possibly lacking inborn social skills, such as being able to read others' body language, start or maintain a conversation, and take turns talking, which seem like things that I struggle with sometime, but really, I don’t have Aspergers. What’s that? You have to go call your mother? Ok, I will just wait here for you. Or would you like me to come along? I’m really alright with either.” I think it is perfect for her.

25. I’m totally kidding. I love Miranda with all my heart. Her awkwardness is very dear to me.

26. Then we went to Yogurtopolis, or something like that, and did the whole pick your yogurt and toppings and pay by the ounce. Here are our three yogurts:

27. John Darrin got Cappuccino yogurt with Butterfinger topping. Miranda got Avocado, Taro, and Cake Batter yogurt with Mochi, strawberries, blackberries, kiwi, and crushed graham cracker .I got chocolate with mini gummy bears. I then proceeded to eat all the gummy bears and make John Darrin finish my yogurt.

28. Miranda is braver than me when it comes to eating. Heck, Miranda is braver than me when it comes to most things.

29. I like Uptown. It is nice.

30. I love Bolivar. It is perfect.

31. Candace’s belly is huge and she has an alien in there. You can sit and stare at her belly and see it moving around and trying to break out. It was creepy- the belly moving, not me staring at her. I am ready for that thing to be out of there. I can’t imagine how ready Candace is!

32. Candace’s shower was beautiful! The hostesses, Julia, Karen, Cindy, and Jessica, did a great job!

These were her invitations:

33. Cindy Swank made the most beautiful cake for Candace’s shower (so she says) and even put it in a Candy Haven box to make it look all professional and everything. It matches the nursery bedding.

34. Candace’s doctor told her she is a two. Mom told her that she has always been a 10 to her!

35. IF I were a cussing kind of person there is a certain nickname that I would have for Candace. Cand-Ace. Candy-Ace. Candy-A… you get where I am going with this. So instead I call her Candy Butt. It cracks me up. I don’t think she thinks it is as funny as I do.

-- Michelle

Make-Up!!!

I went to Sephora with some of my middle school girls from church and we attacked the place.  This is what one of the girls picked out for me and I love it!  Next pay check I am investing in hot pink and yellow eyeshadow!  Do you want this look?  Its super easy...

Do pink all over and on the bottom lash line.  Then do yellow (like school bus yellow) going from the inside to about the middle-ish.  The make-up I used is called Make Up For Ever and is $19 a color (let me know if you know of something cheaper that still has the same color intensity b/c whoa baby thats quite an investment) and it bragged that it is the make-up Mercedes-Benz uses.  I never knew Mercedes put make-up on their cars, huh.  

Photo courtesy of Michelle Barker, she was able to take a pic of her new benz right before she drove it off the lot.

Ranch Roping

Hello friends!


I’m here! Yes, I am alive. Thanks for asking. No, I haven’t found someone knew. Yes, I do still love you. I can’t believe you would doubt my loyalty like that. I am sorry I haven’t written lately. This week I have been super-crazy-ridiculously-extremely-a little-busy at work which is usually when I post so that is why we haven’t talked lately. Alright, now that we have the apologies out of the let’s get down to business- ranch roping style.

Last Saturday John Darrin and I went to a free ranch roping just down from our house in Bolivar. It was at one in the afternoon which is just crazy for the end of July, but it was free so we went. There were 7 teams with 3 cowboys on each team and they competed in 4 events. The events were double-mugging, team roping, ribbon roping, and trailer loading. At a ranch roping there are a few ground rules that apply to every event.

1. Each team gets three loops per event. This means that they get to try to rope the steer three times only and then they are done. If you do the math very carefully you will see that this works out to approximately one throw, or loop, per cowboy. You like that math don’t you?

2. I can’t think of anything else.

Each of the four events are timed and added together to get each team’s overall time which is what the final winner is based on. I will now tell you about each of the events, but to make it more interesting we will be following one team through the entire ranch roping so that you will get to know them a little bit better. This team is made up of Darrel, his other brother Darrel and Bubba Joe, and is completely fictional.

Double-mugging was the first event. In this event one Darrel ropes the steer and then the other Darrel and Bubba Joe jump off of their horses and tie any three of the steers’ feet together. The steer must stay tied for six seconds and then they let it go.

Nice catch Darrel.

His other brother Darrel and Bubba Joe getting ready to tie that dude up.

Nice work, boys.

Team roping at a ranch roping is just like team roping at any other roping- almost. The difference is that in a ranch rodeo there are three ropers and at a regular roping there are only two. That’s it! I think. So, Darrel (the other one) ropes the steer’s head and then Bubba Joe goes for the heels, but misses, so Darrel (the first one) has to do it and he catches! So they stretch the steer out and are done.

Nice catch other-Darrel!

Now your turn to try Bubba Joe.

Got 'em.

In the ribbon roping event they tie pretty pink ribbons on the steers’ tails. Bubba Joe ropes the steer, Darrel and his other brother Darrel jump off of their horses, get the ribbon and Darrel (the faster one) runs the ribbon to the announcer’s box while Darrel (the slower one) lets the steer go.

Nice catch, Bubba Joe.

Get that ribbon Darrel. No, the other Darrel.

Now run like the wind. Wait, you got to let go of the tail first Darrel.
(The faster Darrel isn't necessarily the smarter Darrel.)

And the final event is the trailer loading which is where Darrel, Bubba Joe, and Darrel, load a steer into a trailer. Who da thunk it? Before they get started the people running the show back a truck and trailer into the arena and then unhook the trailer and get the truck out of there. Next Darrel ( I’m confused as to which one) ropes the steer while the other Darrel and Bubba Joe get the trailer open. Darrel ( the one attached to the steer by a rope) pulls the steer around until he gets it in the trailer, then Darrel (the one not attached to the steer by a rope) and Bubba Joe ( the one and only) close the doors to the trailer and the time is stopped.

Los truck and trailer. (Translation: the truck and trailer.)

The Darrel that is attached to the steer is the one on the horse, fyi.

Nice work Darrel-not-attached-to-the-steer-by-a-rope
and Bubba Joe, the one and only.

Ok, time to get out of the trailer, Bubba Joe.

And that is the end of the ranch rodeo. Any questions? No? Good, because I don’t know what I am talking about anyway.

Now I have something for you to help me with. You see this guy on the right?

The one on the right. No the other right ,Darrel, in the black hat.

Well, he is my friend, Daniel's, uncle. And he is also this guy's dad:

The cowboy from Mighty Ducks 2 with Emilio Estevez!

And he was in American Outlaws with Colin Farrell.

So, what you can help me with is doing that six degrees to so-and-so and make it where I know someone cool. And in turn, you can say that you know someone that knows someone that is cool, because you know me!

That started to remind me of that Friends episode where the people are finding out about Chandler and Monica dating and they keep saying, "BUT, they don't know that we know that they know that we know that they know!" Or something like that.

I know, Darrel, it makes my head hurt too.

Adios muchachos,
Michelle

Embrace your style!

Why hello!  Long time no see!  Thanks, Michelle, for filling in while I've been gone!  I was at the great city of Galveston last week with the middle schoolers from my church. It was wonderful!  Lovely, but also very tiring.  So I did a lot of sleeping and staying-in this past weekend.  With all that napping I felt I better do something productive, but something I enjoy, so I painted.  I had no idea what to paint so I just popped in one of my favorite and most beautiful movies, Pride and Prejudice (Michelle and I are obsessed with this story!). I just started painting having no idea what to do.  This is what I came up with...

And this is what I was looking at...

Okay, now look again at what I painted from feasting my eyes on what's above...

It's so garish compared to the movie! (gar·ish/ˈgariSH/- Marked by strident color or excessive ornamentation; gaudy./Obtrusively bright and showy; lurid.)  Like goodness gracious, I must really like bright colors, but then you could probably tell that by my room, the clothes I wear, what I paint and such...

I think its fun how God puts this innate style in everyone!  It just comes out.  That is why I say, when it comes to home design/fashion/art/whatever, if you like it put it together.  Once you combine all the stuff you love there will be a style that you can see throughout.  Now, you may want to hire someone like me to help you get in touch with that style, organize it, and make it flow; but all in all God has given you a taste, don't deny it!  Tap into it and just love what you love, love with reckless abandonment!  Don't make your house beige and brown to be safe, embrace whatever you love!  :) 

Finding Cheryl

I want to share a super-cool story with you. To begin, you need a little background information on my Mom, Cheryl’s, side of the family. My mom’s dad, William Van Dyke, passed away when my mom was sixteen. She had never met any of his family. Mom’s parents had divorced shortly before her dad passed away so she was never comfortable asking her mom about her dad’s side of the family. She knew that he had a sister named Annabelle and thought that he might have had a brother and that is all that she knew. She had tried to find Annabelle Van Dyke, but didn’t know her married name or where in the world she lived so she never found anything.


Now fast forward to January of this year. I was going through old pictures that I found at my parents house because that is just one of those things that I do. One picture that I found was of a wedding. It was a beautiful black and white picture; a gorgeous bride and groom, fantastically dressed mother-of-the-bride and all groomsmen and ushers and bridesmaids all around. I searched the faces trying to find one that looked familiar. After all this picture was in with all of the other old family photos, I must know someone in it. Then I saw the one face that I recognized. On the far right I recognized Mom’s Dad’s face. I have obviously never met my grandfather, but I have his picture up on my chest of drawers at home. I took the photo out of its cardboard holder and flipped it over to see if anything was written on the back. It listed the names of the bride and groom, Annabelle and Ralph Kallenberg. Now we had it! Annabelle’s married name! I took the picture home and started searching on the internet for Annabelle Kallenberg. That is when I found this:

Annabelle’s obituary. She passed away in March of 2006. While this was disheartening, we also now had a list of all of her family that survived her. My mom’s family! Next I did an internet search for Ralph Kallenberg, Lancaster, PA. And I found a phone number.


The next morning I raced over to Mom and Dad’s house to show her what all I had found. Once we found Ralph’s phone number again we decided to give him a call. Mom was just beside herself with excitement. We had no idea how the phone call would go. Was this the Ralph Kallenberg? Would he know who Mom was? Would it be the right phone number? She dialed. A man picked up the phone. It was Ralph’s son Greg who had come to visit him for the day. For the first time in her life my mom was talking to one of her cousins on her dad’s side! There were tears of joy and excitement! And then she talked to Ralph- her uncle!! Ralph gave her some more phone numbers and addresses of her other family members one of which was Henry Van Dyke.


Henry was her father’s brother. Her other uncle! A blood relative on her dad’s side! It was such an exciting day! Henry then went on to tell Mom that he has a folder on his desk that is titled “Finding Cheryl” and that he had been looking for her for years. He didn’t know her married name though and so ran into the same problem that Mom did when she was searching for Annabelle. Mom and Van (that is apparently what everyone calls him!) have been emailing back and forth ever since. In his first email to mom he writes (in all caps), “CHERYL, YOUR CALL TONIGHT HAS MEANT A LOT TO ME BECAUSE THAT HELPS FILL A VOID IN MY LIFE. THE MORE I THINK ABOUT YOUR CALL THE CLOSER I COME TO TEARS. I THANK YOU FROM THE DEEPEST PARTS OF MY HEART & SOUL."




And today, yes today, Mom is flying to Virginia to meet her family! After 50 years Uncle Van is the first direct blood family member on her dad’s side that she is meeting! It really brings tears to my eyes when I think about that. She is gaining an entire family today. I am just so happy for her!


Thankful,
Michelle