Happy Easter!!

So some recent events that have occurred this week have got me thinking. For instance, this week, one of my cheerleaders got an injury playing softball. She got hit in the head with the ball and the bone behind her ear is pushing into her brain. She has swelling and bleeding on her brain and she might have to have brain surgery, she is ten-years-old. A friend of mine, that I met, when I was working in the night club industry, lost his battle with cancer this week. In his short life, the Lord had HUGE plans for him. He was in his thirties. I cannot imagine what these families are going through... I have been in tears & prayer for them both.

There are many times when JJ and I are talking and we think...I would like to have that......or wouldn't it be nice........or when we win the lottery we will have to buy one of those. Truth be told, we are blessed. We have a house, jobs, a family who love us and wonderful things that God has given us. When I think about these things, I am reminded the Lord is in control and our time here on earth is so short. We are here one minute, gone in another. May we all make the best of it, cherish it, appreciate it, and love one another! Every minute, this last week I am reminded what a gift it truly is.

Jeremiah 29:11 11 - For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.

Mary Abbott Children's House

For those of you who don't know what I do, I thought I would give you a little blog update about my job. JJ says that it is always hard for him to describe when someone asks him, what does your wife do, so here it goes.

I work at a Children's Advocacy Center in Norman called the Mary Abbott Children's House. The Mary Abbott Children's House creates a child-friendly environment and brings professionals together in one location to investigate reported child abuse. The center, located in a beautiful historic home in a quiet neighborhood, makes the process of investigation less frightening to a child. The home-like surroundings allow the child to talk one-on-one with a professional, trained to interview on behalf of the investigative team.Cleveland County's Child Abuse Response & Treatment Team involves law enforcement, child welfare, the D.A.'s office and mental health & medical professionals in a collaborative approach to child abuse.

Our mission at the Abbott House is to serve child victims of sexual and severe physical abuse and neglect through coordinated interagency investigation, intervention, education and advocacy. In traditional systems, children are asked to tell their painful story over and over again to all parties involved (including law enforcement, child welfare services, family advocates, forensic interviewers, etc.). What makes us different, is that we get all of the right people together all at once, and record the interview with state-of-the art equipment so that the child usually only has to tell their story once. This reduces the trauma they are forced to endure and starts them on their process to healing. Through our program, more offenders are convicted; they serve longer sentences; they are taken off the streets, sparing future children the pain; and the child is directed toward counseling and healing service providers. In other words, the healing starts at Abbott House.

My job as a forensic interview is to conduct a legally sound age-appropriate interview with children between the ages of 3 to 17 who are currently involved in an open-investigation by child welfare and/or law enforcement. So I get to talk to kids and teenagers all day long.

This is what the Abbott House looks like.

Is you are ever in the Norman area and you want to stop by, just give me a call!!

Where have you gone January?

Wow, it is crazy to think that January is almost over and we will be into the second month of 2010. Unfortunately in the Taylor household that means that it is tine to clean out the office and get everything ready for tax season. The problem that I have with tax season (other than the fact that we usually have to pay in), is that JJ and his dad - yes they were born on the same day - celebrate their birthday on April 14th. Yes, the day before our income taxes are due. I have felt over the past two years, that we usually get hit with a double whammy in April. So, this year, I thought that I would ask the hubby extra early about what he wants for his birthday so I could start saving.

Well, lets just say that when JJ told me what he wanted, I was a little surprised, I mean after all it is his birthday and what exactly do you get the hunter/fisherman who pretty much has everything.......to my surprise, JJ told me that he wants to buy a camper/trailer for his birthday. JJ said that he knows that this would be the only way that I would go out and go camping with him (if I have access to a toilet and a shower). Instead of focusing on him and what he needed or wanted, he wants a camper/trailer.

After thinking about this for several days, I came to the conclusion that marriage is all about the little things.....I feel it's the same with life. The little things that lift us up, the moments in between the grand events, celebration, gifts, and etc. If the little things are good, the big will be even better. Little did JJ know that when I first met him, I knew that he was amazing. JJ has the uncanny ability to make people feel special. When JJ and I committed to each other, I knew that our life together would be wonderful. I have never felt as sure about any decision in my life than the decision I made to marry him. How thankful I am that he asked me to be his wife (two years ago) and that God’s hand guided our every step to the altar!

Enjoy the little things in life!!
God Bless, the Taylors.

Slacker!!!

Yes, I know it and you can say it. I am a big slacker, terrible blogger, etc. Things have been a little crazy in the Taylor household and to be honest since hunting season has started, I rarely see my husband anymore. I am a hunting widow.

For those of you who know my husband, know that he is a hunter, has been and always will be. So in order for me to stay busy while he is gone, I decided to go back to coaching cheerleading. This is something that I have done on and off for the past 13 years, and this is something that I absolutely love. I coach at an all-star gym in Norman called Oklahoma Twisters http://www.otsfcheer.com/ When I went back to coaching, I started with one team (Senior Level 3) and since then I have been asked to coach two other teams as well (Mini Level 1 and Youth Level 2).

We have had two competitions so far this year and we are currently at our third competition this weekend in Tulsa. Our first competition with our Senior team was in Texas at the Dallas Convention Center. Our second competition was in Edmond, Oklahoma at UCO. Our Mini team placed first and they won grand for their level. My Youth team placed second.

After day 1 in Tulsa, my Senior team and my Youth team are in first place and my Mini team is in third place. We still have one more day of competition tomorrow, but I am so happy and proud of my girls. They are doing an awesome job this year!! Way to go girls!

Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge

Hello all, sorry it has been awhile since our last post. JJ is getting ready for hunting season. Bow season starts tomorrow so I will be officially widowed this weekend :(. It won't be too bad, my nephew is going to come and stay with me Friday night, then the OU game Saturday night will keep me occupied. So that will pass the time when JJ is gone. I also went back to coaching a couple of weeks ago so that is fun.

Last weekend, JJ, Gigi and Grandad and I all took a mini vacation to the Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge. The Refuge is located in southwestern Oklahoma near Lawton and it has protected unique wildlife habitats since 1901. It is the oldest managed wildlife facility in the U.S. fish and wildlife service system. The Refuge measures about 59,020 acres (238.8 km2) and hosts a great diversity of species: 806 plant species, 240 kinds of bird, 36 fish, and 64 reptiles and amphibians are present. The Wichitas are approximately 500 million years old.

After leaving the Refuge, we stopped in at Medicine Park for some lunch and some shopping. Medicine Park is a town in Comanche County, that is situated in the Wichita Mountains, near the entramce to the 60,000 acre Wichita Mountain Wildlife Refuge. Medicine Park has a long history as a vintage cobblestone resort town. Many of the original structures in Medicine Park are constructed out of naturally formed cobblestones which are unique to the Wichita Mountains.

After leaving Medicine Park, we drove into Lawton and onto Fort Sill. Today, Fort Sill remains the only active Army installation of all the forts on the South Plains built during the Indian Wars. Fort Sill is designated as a National Historic Landmark and serves as the home of the United States Army Field Artillery School as well as the US Marine Corps' site for Field Artillery MOS school, United States Army Air Defense Artillery School, the 75th Fires Brigade and the 214th Fires Brigade. Fort Sill is also one of the five locations for Army Basic Combat Training.

In 1894 Geronimo and 341 other Chiricahua Apache prisoners of war were brought to Fort Sill where they lived in villages on the range. Geronimo was granted permission to travel for a while with Pawnee Bill's Wild West Show and he visited President Theodore Roosevelt before dying of pneumonia in 1909. The rest of the Apaches remained on Fort Sill until 1913.

Another amazing email......

Here is another amazing email that I got this week. Thought I would share it with you all.

As we grow up, we learn that even the one person that wasn't supposed to ever let you down probably will. you will have your heart broken probably more than once and it's harder every time. you'll break hearts too, so remember how it felt when yours was broken. You'll fight with your best friend. you'll blame a new love for things an old one did. you'll cry because time is passing too fast, and you'll eventually lose someone you love. So take too many pictures, laugh too much and love like you've never been hurt because every sixty seconds you spent upset is a minute of happiness you'll never get back. Don't be afraid that your life will end, be afraid that it will never begin.

God Bless,
JJ and Jess

Life Lessons!!

Someone sent me this list recently through email. After JJ and I both read it to each other, we came to the conclusion that it is a pretty good list so we wanted to share it with all of our friends and family.

Life Lessons was written by Regina Brett, and was published in the Plain Dealer on Sunday May 28, 2006.

1. Life isn't fair, but it's still good.
2. When in doubt, just take the next small step.
3. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone.
4. Don't take yourself so seriously. No one else does.
5. Pay off your credit cards every month.
6. You don't have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.
7. Cry with someone. It's more healing than crying alone.
8. It's OK to get angry with God. He can take it.
9. Save for retirement starting with your first paycheck.
10. When it comes to chocolate, resistance is futile.
11. Make peace with your past so it won't screw up the present.
12. It's OK to let your children see you cry.
13. Don't compare your life to others'. You have no idea what their journey is all about.
14. If a relationship has to be a secret, you shouldn't be in it.
15. Everything can change in the blink of an eye. But don't worry; God never blinks.
16. Life is too short for long pity parties. Get busy living, or get busy dying.
17. You can get through anything if you stay put in today.
18. A writer writes. If you want to be a writer, write.
19. It's never too late to have a happy childhood. But the second one is up to you and no one else.
20. When it comes to going after what you love in life, don't take no for an answer.
21. Burn the candles, use the nice sheets, wear the fancy lingerie. Don't save it for a special occasion. Today is special.
22. Overprepare, then go with the flow.
23. Be eccentric now. Don't wait for old age to wear purple.
24. The most important sex organ is the brain.
25. No one is in charge of your happiness except you.
26. Frame every so-called disaster with these words: "In five years, will this matter?"
27. Always choose life.
28. Forgive everyone everything.
29. What other people think of you is none of your business.
30. Time heals almost everything. Give time time.
31. However good or bad a situation is, it will change.
32. Your job won't take care of you when you are sick. Your friends will. Stay in touch.
33. Believe in miracles.
34. God loves you because of who God is, not because of anything you did or didn't do.
35. Whatever doesn't kill you really does make you stronger.
36. Growing old beats the alternative - dying young.
37. Your children get only one childhood. Make it memorable.
38. Read the Psalms. They cover every human emotion.
39. Get outside every day. Miracles are waiting everywhere.
40. If we all threw our problems in a pile and saw everyone else's, we'd grab ours back.
41. Don't audit life. Show up and make the most of it now.
42. Get rid of anything that isn't useful, beautiful or joyful.
43. All that truly matters in the end is that you loved.
44. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need.
45. The best is yet to come.
46. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up.
47. Take a deep breath. It calms the mind.
48. If you don't ask, you don't get.
49. Yield.
50. Life isn't tied with a bow, but it's still a gift.

Now ask yourself, “what needs to change inside me so that this list is actually do-able?”

We love you all, god bless!!
JJ and Jess