Home is where the heart is

So, it appears I only have 38 days left in Oklahoma.  And about 14 of those days I will be in Kentucky for Thanksgiving.  To say I am sad about this is a real understatement.  I officially became an Okie on December 12, 2007, and my four years and four days here (by the time I leave) have been some of the best days of my life.

I have no plans for the future, and I don't know where my path will lead, and that only adds to the sadness.  Until I figure out what's next I will be staying in my hometown of Louisville.  I'll be living in the house I grew up in, but it's still not MY house.  I'm going to feel kinda homeless, since I won't have a house of my own, but that got me thinking about this concept of home.

What a cliche... "Home is where the heart is"  But it's true.  I might be moving away from Stillwater, but I'll be leaving a little bit of my heart here.  My house might be sold, but whenever I come back, this town will still feel like home.  Of course Louisville will always seem like home, too.  My heart is also with my horses in Shelbyville, with my best friend in Massachusetts, with my cousins in Cincinnati, and with the Gators in the Swamp.  I have lots of homes I guess.  I just hope my next home is as good as the last.  It's gonna be hard to beat Stillwater.

There are no knots in knitting!!

Another project is done!  Whew!  I finished a special blanket for the newest edition to my second family this afternoon... just in time, because he's on his way as we speak!  I wish I had finished it earlier so it could have arrived in Kentucky before little Brock was born, but I don't think he will mind.  I made this blanket in UK colors, because Brock's daddy Brandon, like any respectable man, is a big fan of the Wildcats.  I hope it will be a lucky blanket, and UK will win another football game this year :) haha!

I love knitting, because it relaxes me, and I just think it's fun.  But the one part I hate is the end!  I just HATE tucking in those ends!  They say there are no knots in knitting, and I always try to stay true to that....  But when I think of the terror that will be unleashed on this blanket I fear for its future!  How will it stay together after getting puked on, washed, dragged around, and washed some more??  I cut the ends extra long so I had plenty to tuck away.  And, there might be the occasional knot or two, but don't tell!  I just can't bear the thought of my little treasures coming unraveled!  I found the pattern on the TLC website:

http://tlc.howstuffworks.com/home/free-knitting-patterns-for-baby-blankets3.htm

There's a tiny picture of the blanket on the website, but it's hard to see, so I had to basically imagine what it would look like when it was done.  It's supposed to be in 3 colors, but I only wanted 2...  BLUE and WHITE!  :)  I also increased the size by 50%.  I think it turned out pretty good!  I just hope little Brock loves it.  I shipped it off to Bowling Green this afternoon.  I wasn't sure if I should post this blog with pictures of the blanket before they get it....  But then I realized, "There is no way they are going to read this before it gets there....  They're having a BABY right now!  DUH!"  haha!  Congrats Sarah Beth and Brandon!  Congrats grandma Carol (and grandpa Dan)!  Congrats Uncle Ozzie, Aunt Beth, and cousins Landon and Piper!  And of course, congrats to the 2 coolest twuncles ever, Danny and Bobby.  Love all of you to pieces, and I can't wait to see all of you again, hopefully very soon!

Here's the blanket:

On to the next project!  WOO HOO!

Sing it!

Sitting here watching The Sing-off on tv...  I love this show sooo much!  Probably because it kinda reminds me of high school when I was singing...  Granted we never did anything quite like these guys, but I still feel like I can relate to them a little bit :) I was never the best singer, but I understand music, I tried my best, and thank goodness, my best was good enough!  Maybe some of my old choir or madrigal buddies will come across this post, and remember some of these great songs from our singing days:

John Rutter's Gloria (1st movement, you can find the other 2 movements on  youtube, too):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pJ8gRQLXe10

Cantique de Jean Racine:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wKwHiGg21KA&feature=mh_lolz&list=FL6FNopC1wTS6moAEv4IRYHQ

Ubi Caritas:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=457nVpxJDkA

Now, we were no Cambridge Singers, but I dare you to find a high school choir better than us :)  Maybe I'm a little biased, but only slightly!  haha

First Blog!

I'm surprised to say I'm joining this blogging world...  I always enjoy reading my friends' blogs, but I've never thought anyone would be interested in what I have to say.  That's probably still the case, but I think I'll find this quite therapeutic!  I have recently finished my PhD, and I can't find a job :( So while I chug along through this job search, I'll use this place to celebrate myself, since all the employers out there have left me feeling pretty useless!  Kidding!  (kinda)

As I go through this job search, I know my time in Oklahoma is growing shorter by the day.  I love this place, but I don't think my dream job is here.  There is no place like Oklahoma, and I will miss it very much, because it really has become my second home.  This is why I chose the name for this blog.  My first home is Kentucky, and I don't belive I will live there again anytime soon, either.  But Kentucky (and Oklahoma) will always be there.  And I know that whenever I return, for a visit or for forever, both of these places will always seem like home.

So, let the therapy begin...  During my unemployment I have reconnected with one of my favorite hobbies - Cross stitch!  I've been working on a few projects, and I think this will be a fun way to keep track of them.  I think I will enjoy looking back on this in the future.  A few weeks ago I went up to Manhattan, KS to visit my great friends Andrea and Austin.  I made them a kitchen towel with a fall design, but it was supposed to be a set of towels.  Thanks to slow shipping, I had to finish the second one when I returned home.  I took some pics of it as I worked through all the different colors.

First, I centered the design and started stitching with the main center color

Next orange...

Yellow...

Green...

A little bit of red...

A little bit of purple....

Some dark green leaves...

Then I added some border to the top and bottom....

And this is what it looked like in the end:

I'm glad I have friends who let me endulge in my old lady-ish hobby.  Pretty soon I will have to make some of these cute towels for myself :)  If anyone has any cross-stitch needs, I'm your lady!