Oh Little Town of Oologah

Its been 6 months since we took a huge leap of faith and moved to the small town of Oologah, Oklahoma. At first I was a little nervous about moving out so far, thinking I may have trouble not being so close to necessities and such. But to my surprise its been the opposite. We moved here in June and by November the town added a brand new grocery store and of course we have a dollar store. We're only about 15 min from Claremore which also has pretty much everything else we would need.

Since we've been here things have been difficult, I wont lie. It seems like we've been attacked at every turn. But I am firm in my belief that we were led here for a purpose. We had originally started attending a church here in Oologah but after some thinking and talking we decided it might be best to look elsewhere for a church more involved in the community.

The truth is that I love it out here. For the first time ever in my adult life I am at peace with certain things. Right now my van is in need of work so I dont go any farther than in town, for those of you who know me you know that I hate feeling "trapped", without a car. But I actually dont feel this way at all. I am at peace about it. Yes I want it fixed and yes it bothers me but not the way it used to. This place is special. The kids are happy here, the community is nice and people here are so generous. I have met wonderful people here.

My prayers for the coming year include us being able to stay here. Im not sure what all this will entail but Im trusting God that things will work in our favor. I ask all praying people to continue to pray for us regarding this.

For those of you who have not been out to see me and this magical town please try to make it out. I know I would love a visit and the kids too. Thank you to all who have prayed and have been praying its appreciated more than you know.

To my Family and Friends, Please Read

 What I am about to write about will most likely offend or turn off those in my family and maybe even some of you who know me best. I will not make any apologies for this. Please do not post any rude comments about this post, I am not looking for a debate or to judge others. I am however stating what we believe and my reasons for it. I know everyone has their own beliefs and that is fine. It doesn't make me feel any different about those I care about. This post is about letting people know exactly where I stand. Please understand that I love all of you very much and it is not my intention to cause distance.

In the past year or so I have felt major changed happening not only within myself but within my family. By family I mean I and Mikes and my extended family.

I first noticed this change when I began to have feelings that homeschooling was the best choice for our kids. It started out as a nagging feeling, something I couldn't shake. I began to feel convicted that something needed to change. Then I started to have the same feelings about not having a church home. We had been unable to find one in Tulsa. The house we are in now in Oologah came across my path through a friend. I spoke to the couple who owns the house and initially it seemed like we could easily afford the rent as it wasn't much higher than what were paying at the old house. I began to pray for this house, for the opportunity to move into it. I saw things start to be put into motion. Then we were told the rent would be a lot more than we were used to paying. But again I saw things work out. We were able to cancel some things we weren't using and rearrange some money so that we could afford the rent. Around this time my mother in law was going through a rough time and needed a place to stay. We offered her a room in our home. It was a small house but I kept praying the house in Oologah would come through. It did and she is able to have her own room and bathroom with space.

Moving out to Oologah took some faith. Its about 45 minutes from Mikes work but thankfully a few months before we moved out here he was able to buy a small truck that gets decent gas mileage. We don't know anyone out here, yet moving here has been a huge blessing. The people here are so generous. We found a church home, its small but I can already see God moving there since we arrived and I think its the perfect place for us. I have found several other families who homeschool and have made some friends. With Claremore, Collinsville and Owasso close by theres lots to do. I believe that we were unable to find a church home in Tulsa because this is where we are supposed to be. I love the house. It needs a little work but we have time and so many ideas that once we're able to start implementing them it will be wonderful. The yard is amazing and the kids love to go out in the back and play, its nice to be able to send them out there without having to worry too much. I still worry but more about bugs and snakes than people coming by and harming them. We live on a very quiet street close to main street. I can easily see myself living here forever.

Which brings me to why I am writing this. We have lived here 3 1/2 months. In that time I have seen God (and unfortunately Satan) working on us. I have been convicted of things that need to change in my own life and I'm praying that Mike will see things too. It is a huge blessing to have my mother in law living here with us. She is a source of inspiration to me and a guide through my journey in Christ.

I am coming to deep Christianity late in life. Although I remember going to church as a child I don't remember any permanent place. The main reason being that my dad was in the Navy and we moved often. I am trying very hard to teach my children about God and Jesus. To pray, read their bibles and attend church. For some I know this may seem silly or crazy, but it is what we believe. We believe in God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit. We pray at meals, even out in public. We have bible study before school starts and attend church. Because of all of this I do not want my children taught about other religions unless I am the one doing the teaching. I think it is important to know about other beliefs and religions but to not lose sight of your own. I do not want them to believe that you only have to do good works to get to Heaven. We believe you have to be saved and born again and turn away from your old life and become a new person in Christ. To be like Christ as much as possible. This does not mean perfect. I am not perfect and I still have daily struggles.

Right now I am involved in a ladies bible study at our church that I helped start with my mother in law. It is called "Jesus the One and Only", it is by Beth Moore. So far I am really liking it. Its nice to be able to spend one night a week with other women, getting to know each other and learning more about God.

Sometimes I like to listen to the podcasts from the pastor of First Baptist Tulsa, Darren Spoo. He is a wonderful pastor and I really enjoy the podcasts. If you get a chance check him out. I started at the very first podcast and have been working my way up. One of the first podcasts I listened to was one where he as talking about Christians and he said "are you a disciple or a dabbler?" Ouch, it was like a slap to the face. I have been a dabbler for far too long. I started really going to church when we moved to Oklahoma in 1993. It was the first church I consistently went to and got involved in. I had an awesome youth group and met many of my good friends there including my husband. But around 19-20 I was involved with a guy that wasn't too keen on going to church, so I quit going. Then we got married and although I went off and on it was never consistent. I didn't teach Jordan from a young age about God and now I'm having to make up for it. It wasn't until Henry and I split up that I started to think about my own salvation. Then Mike and I married and things changed.

I have changed. My views on certain things have changed. I am attempting to become more Christlike. If this offends anyone or makes them uncomfortable then I'm doing my job. I'm not sorry about this. If you are not saved, then you are going to Hell. Its as simple as that. I say this out of love. There is no other way but through Christ. None. If this statement offends you or makes you uncomfortable then that is the Holy Spirit knocking at your door. My heart is heavy when I think about those I know who are not saved. I will not spend time with them Heaven, I will not see them again.

The only thing I can do for those people is pray. I know that God can change them, Hes the only one. So just know, whether or not you agree with me or not of whether or not you think I'm crazy, I am praying for you.

Homeschooling: My Kids, My Choice

This is a touchy subject amongst my family and some close friends. Recently, after a much heated argument between Mike and I the decision was made to put the kids in public school. I of course was against it but I relented and agreed.

A little back story, about two years ago I began to have feelings of being led to homeschool the kids by God. For those of you who do not believe in God I'm sorry if you don't believe me or understand this but I cannot describe the way this feels. So, for the past two years I have been schooling the kids. Unbeknownst to me Mike wasn't in complete agreement. So we had it out one day, big time. I finally relented and agreed to put the boys in public school as long as I could stay home with Emma and at least do preschool with her.

So the decision had been made. With a week to go I gathered all the things I would need to enroll the kids in the local school. The process was awful. The enrollment was in the cafeteria, lots of people and lots of tables with steps to get it done. I wasn't sure what grade Jordan would be and when I mentioned he'd been homeschooled the looks ensued, they finally decided he should be in 5th grade, which we had already been doing. I got all the paper work done and headed home. About a week later it was time for the first day of school. The way the school is set up is ridiculous. I had to drop Jordan off in the front of the school at his building and then drive all the way around the very back to the lower elementary building to drop off Conor. The traffic was outrageous. I parked and got Conor and Emma out and started walking. The lower elementary kids all meet in the cafeteria at tables marked with their teachers names (thinking about it now, a picture of the teacher next to her name would have made more sense for those who don't read). I got Conor to his seat and it was a mad house and that's putting it nicely. I couldn't believe the number of people in this small cafeteria. No organization, and I couldn't find Conors teacher anywhere. I sat him down and had to really hold back tears as I said goodbye. Conor sitting at this table looking confused and scared. I even saw one little girl, gripping her mothers arm and crying hysterically. As I walked back to the car I was trying hard not to cry where Emma could see me. As soon as I got in the van I let the tears come. I cried almost all day. At the end of the day I was relieved and happy to get them home. The pick-up process was way worse than the drop off and I kept thinking about how much I was going to dread doing this for the next 10 months.

The second day the kids were in school wasn't much better for me. I kept having this sickness in the pit of my stomach and a feeling of "somethings not quite right" but I couldn't put my finger on it. I picked up the kids from school and came home. Within minutes of arriving home my phone rang, it was Mike. He says "hows your day going?" I say "ok", he says "how was Conors day at school", I said "I don't know you ask him.". So Conor gets on the phone and talks for a moment and then I got back on and the first thing Mike says is " if you still feel strongly about homeschooling the kids, I will support you." I could have fallen out of my seat. I said "WHAT?!" He says " Ive been thinking about it and I thought the school was more of a small town school so Ill support you homeschooling but I have some conditions." I said "Ok lets talk about it when you get home." And we did. For the record, Conor is excited about school at home. As he put it "I get to be with Jordan and Emma."

I have been praying for Michael for over a year to understand why I want and feel the need and the conviction to homeschool our kids. I have many, many reasons. I am not going to go into these reasons as the last time I did I seem to have offended some people.

What it boils down to is this- MY KIDS, MY CHOICE! I shouldn't have to justify my beliefs or my decisions to anyone else. I don't ask others why they put their kids in private school or Catholic school, etc. I know most of you are worried about socialization and them making friends. Let me ease your fears. I read this in a recent article and couldn't have put it better: "Instead of being locked behind school gates in what some would consider an artificial setting characterized by bells, forced silence and age-segregation, homeschoolers frequently extend their everyday classroom to fire departments, hospitals, museums, repair shops, city halls, national parks, churches and colleges, where real community interaction and contacts are made."

My kids are around people of all ages. We get out on a regular basis and see things they may never see being in school for 30 hours a week. There are two homeschool co-op groups in Owasso and I have several people here in Oologah who homeschool and I am in the process of setting up meetings. My kids will grow and excel in this environment.

A friend of mine was recently grilled by a local teacher about her day, curriulum choice and hours spent schooling. Not only is this not okay for her to have done,  it is very rude. She basically told my friend that "we homeschoolers" should not have as much freedom as we do with our own kids! I was shocked! What?!  They are my kids, no one else's, I should be able to make any decisions about my kids that I want. Religious, educational and medical. Luckily in Oklahoma, homeschooling is protected by the state constitution.

So yes, once again I am about to embark on a homeschool journey. I would hope that my family (least of all) and friends would support me, even if you don't agree.Lets face it, you've all done and continue to do things I do not support, yet I never say a thing.

Thank you to those who do support me and even those who homeschool along with us. And thank you God for allowing me and my family to continue.

Our Life....a small update.

 Life is crazy and busy sometimes, so I dont always get to post here as much as Id like. Plus there are times where I wonder why I blog, whose reading it? Right now I am homeschooling two of the three kids, while babysitting another. Ill be honest, some days its hectic and Id rather stay in bed or vegg on the couch, but I cant do this. My husband really doesnt like me homeschooling the kids which makes some days really hard because I feel I cant talk to him about it. So I ask for help from friends and family who are homeschooling. Its nice to have allies in this department.

I may not always show it but I love being home with the kids. I love watching them grow and learn. Emma says things like "I want a different shirt", shes only 2 1/2! Maybe this isnt big for some but I feel her speech is way above her age level. I cannot imagine them all being gone all day.

My youngest sister is coming to town today for 10 days, I think. Shes mainly coming into town for our other sisters wedding, but its also my mom 60th birthday! It will be nice to see her and visit with her son. Its always so sad when she goes back but such is life.

On top of all of this Mike and I are looking for a church home. I want to go one place and he wants to find a smaller place. We both miss our old church Carbondale Baptist. It not only held lots of memories but was a nice size. I want a church where the kids can make friends and we can get involved. It seems like we've been searching for forever.

I cant think of anything else going on right now. Im looking forward to spring/summer. I really want to get out and enjoy the weather and the sights of Oklahoma. I intend to continue to update my blog Field Trip Fridays in Oklahoma in the hopes to give me an excuse to visit more places.

Its tax time!

Its that time of year again. Tax return time! I love this time of year. Its a chance for us to catch up, to get things that we've needed and of course get things we want. This year there are some important things that need to be taken care of. First and foremost here at the Morrison household is getting a car for Mike. Next on the list is homeschool curriculum and miscellaneous items. There are a few small things that need to be taken care of but for the most part we'll be able to get what we want this year. Even better, next year we shouldnt have anything too major (assuming nothing major comes up) to take care of so we're hoping to put a down payment on a house.

This time of year also starts me thinking needs versus wants. There are so many things I want, but I HAVE to think of what we need first. More importantly do the kids need anything? The kids dont need too much this year but I have to think of them first. The next thing we have to think about is our car. Luckily we invested money in our van last year so it really only needs minor work. We're hoping to find Mike a car/truck that wont need much in the way of repairs, maybe just a small tune up.

This time of year is fun and sad sometimes. Its fun because we get a little extra money to spend on things we want but its a little sad because in years past we havent been able to put anything back. This year has already started out well though as we are following a plan to put money back every paycheck. Small amounts but enough to make a difference by the end of the year. This time of year is a little sad thinking that we get this money back and then before we know its gone. Im optimistic though that we will be better this year. Michael and I have been very diligent so far this year to make a conscience effort to be more careful with our money. 

Im not writing this to sound like Im bragging. I just know Im not the only one whose excited about this time of year. I know for some people that they have to pay or that they dont get one because of certain reasons. But Mike works hard throughout the year, I see this as kind of a reward. I know there will come a day that we will no longer receive this money. So in the mean time we are trying to be careful and thoughtful with what we are getting now. Laying a foundation for the years ahead.