~AN OKLAHOMA OFFICE for my MR. AGP Man~

Now that my guy has found amazing employment we've had to work pretty hard at returning to a normal schedule.  That means no more late night movies (bummer!) and we are once again getting up with the chickens (even bigger bummer).  I'm not a morning person in the first place, but considering the fact that for almost seven months we've slept in almost every single day we've got some serious adjusting to do.  Our body clocks are completely out of whack!

One unexpected thing that I'm excited about is that for the first time EVAHHHHH my Mr. AGPMan has his very own office.  No more traveling out of state (whoot!  whoot!) or even from account to account!  He has a huge desk and chair, a tall cabinet, a table and two guest chairs.  Every single piece of furniture is brand new and the walls are completely bare....

Hmmm....

Knowing this has helped set his high maintenance gal's mind to, um...well, you know...wandering THINKING!

And so, for the past week I've worked hard at convincing my Mr. that an

ANGRY BIRD

decorating theme MIGHT not be such a wise idea given the fact he is employed at an Oklahoma College, a place of higher learning.  I rolled my eyes up into my brain at the very thought of those silly stupid colorful little birdies nesting in his workplace.

:) :) :)

Anyway~after a lot of thought he (truly, it was HIM, not me!) decided he wanted to go with a vintage OKLAHOMA theme for his new place.  Today I'm showing you the first piece of decor that will take up residency in his office.  I found an old wooden sign and painted it out with Simply White chalk paint (CC Caldwell) and then accented it with subway style lettering/wording depicting several places of interest in our beautiful state.

A couple of coats of wax (one dark and once clear), some gentle distressing/aging and it was done.  Not sure what else is going to go in the room, but this is now our INSPIRATION PIECE!

Hope your week was wonderful...I'm just so thrilled our lives are getting back to normal.

Love to you...

 

~BEGINNING AGAIN~

Blessings to you all for a Happy New Year!  

Thank you for all the notes and comments as we said an earthly goodbye to my hubby's dad just after Christmas.  Tough times during the holidays this year and honestly we are so glad they are over.

We returned from Nebraska late last night after nearly a week long family gathering that included the memorial/funeral for my Mr. AGPMan's father.   He was buried with full military honors and the service was beautiful.

Needless to say we are glad to be home.  The skies turned cold and ominous the night before we left and we hit crummy weather during the entire drive through Kansas.  Once we hit Oklahoma the roads were clear once again.

Our La Chaumière de Briarwood never looked so good.

Hope to share fun stuff with you soon.  Thank you again for all the kind words and expressions of love and sympathy for our family.

Love to you...

~TIME TO SAY GOODBYE~

Early this morning my beloved Mr. AGPMan's Father, Raymond E. Nelson, passed away.  I would sooo greatly appreciate your prayers as we say goodbye to our loving Father, Husband, Grandpa and friend.  He will be greatly missed by all of us...especially by Steve's mother.  They were married for over sixty years and I'm sure she will have some challenging days ahead.

You can read more about Steve's father HERE.

  My hubby's father honorably served in the US Army and was awarded a Purple Heart for Bravery after being severely wounded during the Korean Conflict/War.  He was blinded in one eye and suffered a traumatic head injury and yet lived to be almost 85 years old.

God is good.

Raymond was a dearly loved husband to Doris and loving Father to my husband, Steven Kent...

Adoring Grandfather to Brandon Kent...

And to Adrienne Rachelle....

 We hold many precious memories inside our hearts of him...

 Seems like yesterday he was a giddy Grampa to our two beautiful (and young!) children.

He helped us celebrate in the best of times...

 And loved me from day one.

He left us far too soon...

Today was his first day in heaven!

We rejoice in his home-going!

Thank you for your prayers during these tough times.

Blessings to you for a wonderful New Year.  This was a truly challenging year for us and we are looking forward to a fresh beginning.

Love to you all...

~HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MY BELOVED~

JUST HAD TO POP IN AND SAY A BIG

HAPPY BIRTHDAY

TO MY HANDSOME HUBBY, STEVEN!

(AKA:  MY MR. AGP MAN)

COULDN'T LET THE DAY SLIP BY WITHOUT TELLING YOU ALL (ONCE AGAIN) THAT I HAVE THE MOST AMAZING MAN IN MY LIFE!!

TOMORROW I GET MY CASTS OFF MY HANDS AND  I AM SOOO HAPPY!!  NOT BEING ABLE TO MOVE MY HANDS/WRISTS HAS MADE ME NUTSO!!!   STILL ONE-FINGER-TYPING BUT I'M GETTING BETTER AND STRONGER EVERY DAY!

THANK YOU FOR YOUR KIND WORDS, NOTES AND EMAILS.  YOU ALL ARE THE BEST!!!!!

~~*~~

HOPE YOU ARE HAVING A WONDERFUL NEW YEAR SO FAR!  HOPE TO BE BACK SOON!

LOVE TO YOU...  

~MY MR. AGPMan - THE CUM LAUDE GRADUATE~

 ~MY BELOVED~

To our surprise and delight we found out just before my Mr. AGPMan walked across the stage to receive his diploma that indeed he was graduating with honors, Cum Laude.  Just had to share a few photos taken yesterday afternoon during the graduation ceremony at Southern Nazarene University in Bethany, Oklahoma.

~JUST BEFORE RECEIVING HIS DIPLOMA~

I'd love to show pics of him actually shaking hands with SNU President, Loren Gresham (his former/1975 Poli-Sci Professor!), but I was bawling my head off so I don't have one.  Thankfully the school snapped a professional shot we'll be able to purchase online in a few days.

~WITH MISS K~

After the grad ceremony we had a wonderful party at our home with lots of family and friends.  I'm loving this photo taken of my guy with our beautiful Miss K.

 

~LOTS OF GOOD EATS~

Today starts a new day! 

Thanks to all of you who sent cards and well wishes and left sweet comments during this special time.  We are happy to close this chapter in our lives and we are excited about pressing onward.

Blessings and love...

~GRADUATION DAY~

GRADUATION DAY!

It's FINALLY here! 

Such a happy day for my family...

You can't even begin to know how full my heart is with gratitude and joy!  I'm so proud of my husband...so very proud!

Promise to share photos soon.

Love to you... 

~ONE WEEK TO GO~

Last night my Mr. AGPMan and I attended an Open House for the first semester graduating class at SNU.  A week from today (that is SATURDAY the 8th!!!) I will watch my beloved receive his LONG OVER DUE diploma.  I snapped both pictures you see while he was waiting to get his cap and gown... 

As I reflect back upon the past 18 months I'm so grateful Steven was finally able to return to school and earn his degree in Computer Science.  Even though there will always be a twinge of regret over him not finishing college when we were still young, today I'm overjoyed the path was made straight once again.

 Ever since his class ended two weeks ago I've had to work at getting use to my guy being accessible again.  It's just the weirdest thing as I've come and gone alone since about May of last year.  For so long his evenings and weekends were filled up and overflowing with studying and classwork that I rarely asked him for help unless it was really important.  I learned really fast what was critical and what was not.  For 32 years he was my go-to-guy and I really had to learn to function a lot on my own~  It took a lot of adjusting I can assure you!  Now, instead of being a student he's just my hubby again...and I'm one proud and HAPPY wifey.

Last weekend he said:

 "You wanna go junkin' or go see a movie?"

(nearly.fainted)

We both missed our old life so much.

We feel like we've come home again.

For those of you who followed the school drama/saga since the beginning and offered your words of encouragement...well again, I can't thank you enough.

God is good.

About to cross the finish line now...

~~*~~

This next week I'll be showing you pictures of our home dressed for Christmas.  Don't faint...but gone are the pink decorations (I know!  I KNOW!)...  In their place are soft, natural whites and a tree filled with family photos, keepsake ornaments, vintage tinsel and all things merry and bright.

Blessings for a lovely day.  December 1st.  Wow...the year has flashed by with lightening speed~

Love to you...

~MOVING TOWARDS A BETTER TOMORROW~

November the first.  Can you believe it?  Seems like yesterday we were all whining about the heat of the summer sun and now here we are closing in on winter!  I'd love to tell you that for my Mr. AGPMan and I the year has flown by, but that wouldn't be the truth.  I do believe the past 12-18 plus months have been the slowest passing months we've EVAHHHHH lived.  EVAHHHHH!

They say good things come to those who wait and I suppose that is truer for us today that ever before.  Tonight my guy will attend one of his last three remaining FIVE HOUR LONG~Thursday Night Classes~and in just two short weeks he will complete the accelerated degree program he began in May 2011.  After years and years of talking about returning to school he finally got his bummerita in gear and walked right back thru the very door he walked out of as a twenty-something kid in 1978....  

 On December the 8th of this year he'll dance jump run walk across the stage at Southern Nazarene University in Bethany, Oklahoma and receive his college diploma.  He will officially have earned his Bachelor of Science Degree in Computer Science.  

LottaWattah under the bridge since the picture above was taken back in November 1977.  We were both in college and didn't have a clue what was in store for us or the many twists and turns in the road of life we would face together.

Quite a journey we've been on.

Quite a journey!

   The photo below was snapped back in 1984 around the time I found out I was going to have our daughter...  Busy days raising our little son, Brandon, and they were about to get even more exciting when baby #2 arrived in October of the same year.  

No time and no money for school!

If you missed any of the posts about setting things right in our lives the first one began HERE.

They continue HERE and HERE and HERE.

 And here we are last Christmas.

A whole lot older and a lot wiser, too!  Today my beloved has silver streaked hair and a lot less of it, but still as handsome as ever.  We are still madly in love and blessed to be together after 34 years of marriage.  We are still passionate about life and still committed to bettering ourselves and finishing the things we started so long ago.

It's never too late to go back and right a wrong.  Never.

 

Not sure I'll be able to contain my joy (or stay silent) come graduation day.  You know how they always say

HOLD YOUR APPLAUSE 'TILL THE END...

Well, are you kidding me?  Seriously?  Do they honestly believe this high-maintenance-girl is going to keep quiet while watching the man of her dreams grab his diploma and fulfill his life-long desire of earning his college education?

  Nope.

Not gonna happen.

I'm going to be a crying, wailing, cheering fool and I don't care whose watching.

~~*~~

 The countdown to the celebration has begun!  

Love to you...

~WHEN DISAPPOINTMENTS OVERWHELM YOU~

Some personal thoughts today...

I've shared with you in several blog posts over the past year and a half that in May of 2011 my Mr. AGPMan returned to school to complete a course of study.  This November he will finish his accelerated degree program and in December he will finally graduate from SNU.  If you'd like to read more of the story you can go here, here and here.

I've watched the husband of my youth work towards earning a degree in Computer Science for sixteen months while working a full time job as well keeping up with his day to day responsibilities.  It's been more grueling for him to balance everything in his life sometimes, but his steely determination to finish what he began so many years ago has kept him focused on his goal.

About three weeks ago, after an extremely busy, hectic week at work, my guy logged onto his computer to take the Final for his history course (the only outside credit he was missing).  To his horror he realized he'd confused the test dates and missed the last test completely.  He ended up passing the course with a "C" only because he had made "A's" on all the previous exams.  He knew the material backwards and forwards and would most certainly have made a 100% on the test had he taken it.

Yesterday we found out that because of the mess-up with that History Final he's going to miss out graduating Magna Cum Laude (with honors) by four one-hundredths of a point...

He's sick and I'm sick for him. 

Neither one of us could sleep last night and at 2AM we were both wide-eyed and chatty.  Our best talks have always been in the wee hours of the morning and I've always loved being able to share our moments of quiet despair with one another.  Even when our life's sorrows don't include tragedy, I'm still grateful that God understands our hearts as well as our disappointments.  The super-big, big, small or even tiny stuff...

When nobody else 'gets it',

God does.

Today my guy woke up happy and focused on his great life.  It never ceases to amaze me that even when he stumbles, the pathway narrows or the road ahead is unclear, he still fully understands all he has and all he's been given.

(Oh to be more like him!!!)

May your Thursday be blessed.

Love to you...

 

ONE YEAR DOWN

~MY BELOVED AND I~

1977

As incredible as it seems this month my Mr. AGPMan will complete a full year of night classes.  I first shared with you about his plans to return to college in August of 2010 and if you'd like you can read all about it HERE and HERE.  After some scheduling delays, last May his classes finally began.  Only a few more months of studies and then come November he will complete his accelerated courses and FINALLY graduate with a Computer Science degree.  On Thursday evening while in class he was measured for his cap and gown and was given information about ordering announcements.

Can this be true???
ONLY A FEW MORE MONTHS?

Oh my goodness!

OH MY GOODNESS!!!!

In many ways this past year has flown by.  Equally there have been many challenging days that were difficult to meander through and I felt like some of those days would never end!

My guy has studied long, long hours.

Taken and passed many difficult tests.

Studied.

Read.

Studied more.

Read more.

Studied more and more and more.

Read more and more and more.

Went without sleep.

Went without sleep.

Went without sleep.

Went without sleep.

He questioned

WHAT HE WAS DOING A GAJILLION TIMES

before finally settling in for the long haul. 

And me, you ask?  Well...Can I be honest here?

 Hmmmm....

OK...HONESTY!

Right?

Well, early on I spent many

long

long

long

long

hours alone.

(Being lonely in your house when not alone is not a good feeling!)

At first I pouted over the loss of our routine life.

Then I got depressed.

Then I got angry.

I prayed a lot.

I prayed a lot.

I prayed a lot.

I prayed a lot.

Finally...

I began to embrace a new normal.

I read.

Blogged too much.

Painted.

Sewed.

(Did more special orders than I dreamed I'd ever do.)

Prayed more.

I said

WHAT HAVE I AGREED TO? A GAJILLION TIMES

before eventually finding

peace

peace

peace

peace

While embracing God's amazing grace.

Both my hubby and I have learned a lot over the past twelve or so months about our lives and each other.  None the least being that although grueling at times it is possible to go back and right a past wrong.  School is often difficult when you are young, but it can be REALLY hard when you are older.

But, we are strong.

Committed.

Resilient.

Blessed.

And...

He's still my man.

I'm still his lady.

Truthfully it all feels a bit surreal.

For so long the husband of my youth and I lived with such intensive regret over him not finishing college that sometimes pressing onward was tough.  This last year has been quite a ride emotionally for both of us and I'm grateful it is over.  Only a few months to go now and my hubby's hard-earned and long overdue diploma will be in hand.

We've certainly taken the LONG WAY around the world!

Note To My Mr. AGPMan:

The finish line is in view...the race is almost over!  I'm still in your corner and more proud of you than I can say.  Never too late...never too late...never too late to be what you could have been!

YOU CAN DO THIS!  YOU CAN DO THIS!

I love you most

xo~Beck

~~*~~

Gotta go~

Love to you...

~JUST BE HAPPY~

WINTER 1977

Sometimes

life gets really busy

and I forget who I am,

where I am going

and just who it is that's helping me get there.

For over thirty years

my beloved and I 

have journeyed together

down a path towards oneness.

The long, winding roads

have taken us deep into the valley,

directed us towards the highest mountain

and somewhere in between.

On a daily basis the 

husband of my youth

reminds me to live

life to the fullest...

To face each new morning

with renewed hope and purpose

and to never wander far

from the pathway God has prepared for me.

SPRING 2011

"Now and then it's good to pause in our

pursuit of happiness and just be happy."

Guillaume Apollnaire

Love to you...

~AND THE CHRISTMAS TREE GOES UP~

~ALL PAINTED UP~

(frosted white and totally yummy)

Yesterday evening my Mr. AGPMan and I packed up our fall decor and returned it to it's hiding place safe within our attic.  And, there the two boxes will stay until we haul them back down next year.  I feel like 2011 has blown by us in a flash, do you?

"Like a commet blazing 'cross the eastern sky, gone too soon...".

 ~WIREY and BRANCHY~

(just love the texture)

Christmas bins are currently stacked up all over my downstairs and just like I've down for all my married life (and then some!) I'm about to begin another season of holiday decorating.

I love CHRISTmas and all it represents.

New life.

Growing Peace.

Constant Hope.

Fresh Promise.

I'm thinking the year has gone especially fast for us because as you may remember last May my guy returned to school.

Here's a quick update for you:

 ~STUDYING TAKES HOURS~

Of the three accelerated semesters my hubbs had on the horizon he just finished the first one.  That means he's one-third of the way through the process of getting his degree in computer science.  It's been grueling.  The study time has been challenging to work through, more-so for him than for me.  Don't get me wrong...I absolutely hate the fact 'his time' is no longer 'my time' (just keeping it real here!).  I terribly miss the fun times we've always had as they've been replaced with hours and hours apart.  But, knowing he's working towards completing some unfinished business is making it MORE than a worthwhile experience.  I'm more proud of him than I can say.  Sooo proud.  School is always tough...but when you have a full-time job, life responsibilities, a wife, family and home maintenance chores, etc., the balancing act can be a bit difficult.  Anyway...like I said~one semester down and two to go.  Next year at this time we'll be planning his graduation and boy am I excited about that!

Oh...and his grade for Semester One?

A BIG FAT "A"!!!
(nothing less for my guy I can assure you!)

And so...we are pressing on and excited about the

Season of Light!

The Tree at the top is exactly where I'm at in the decorating process.  A couple of days ago I showed you how I painted my new Christmas Tree from SAM'S CLUB.  If you missed that post you can find it HERE.  Currently our new girl is standing proudly in the corner of our formal dining room just waiting to be dressed.  More soon!

Now...as if my day isn't convoluted enough (much to do!) this is the security word I got earlier this morning...  

~FLABI or FLABBY~

(doesn't matter to me HOW you spell it!)

Do I need to tell you that seeing that word was MORE than depressing?  I've kept off all but TWO of the forty pounds I lost earlier this year, but man, it's been hard to stay focused with so much food around!!!!  Anyway, that word was NOT what I wanted to read the Monday after Thanksgiving!

Exercise Bike HERE I COME!

OK peeps...hope your Monday is fabulous!  I'm back in my studio working on painted pretties.  The decorating will have to wait until this evening...  I owe, I owe, so off to paint (and sew) I go...

Love to you...