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personal

what I want to give: presence

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a girl and her brothers

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About me

Alongside my husband and 5 kids, I'm a fan of hometown roots and passport stamps. Our days revolve around the idea that building tables is better than building fences, cookies should be shared, and adding more color is always good.

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underthesycamore

2025: I started the year by returning to college f

2025: I started the year by returning to college for Spanish with a dream of being a better bridge-builder in my community. In May, our party of 7 grew to 8, and I flew to Colombia to watch my book roll off the press. August and September marked the launch of that book into the world. When the whirlwind of book stuff slowed down, I started a new part-time job and returned to hobbies that didn’t involve a keyboard.

Those were some of the highlights. In the background, Spanish music played, fresh paint dried on old walls, and I lay in bed at night, worried about my neighbors and friends who face hate because of the language they speak, the faith they practice, or the lack of financial resources they have.

Another year of both/and. This new year, I’ll start back where I did last year - in the classroom. I’ve moved up from Spanish I to Intermediate Spanish, one of the most surprising achievements of my year.

Yearly ‘Christmas Structure’ contest. The rules: i

Yearly ‘Christmas Structure’ contest. The rules: it has to somehow be tied to Christmas and it can’t be more than 6” deep (to fit on my shelf).

1. Sponge Bob’s House by Evann
2. Cozy Christmas House by Breese
3. Polar Express by Everett
4. Cousin Eddie’s trailer by Hudson
5. Grinch Who Stole Christmas by Corbett
6. Snoopy’s House by Raley
7. Nativity Scene by Chris
8. Shop Around the Corner by me

Thank you to all who voted. Hudson won last year and I took the crown from him this year.

“You have everything to gain and not much to lose,

“You have everything to gain and not much to lose,” my Spanish professor encouraged us today, on the last day of class.

I took Spanish I & II in college 27 years ago, but retained about 10 words because I didn’t have something strong motivating me to continue past the two As on my transcript. Back then, his words would have bounced off me. Not today. I can see what is on the other side of being bilingual. I can see the relationships that can go deeper, the opportunities that will open up, and the adventure that will be possible. Basically, it will give me an entirely new world to experience. However, it’s going to require hard work to get there!

I still clam up, and my mind goes blank when I try to speak, but I understand and know things I would never have imagined last year. The lightbulbs are beginning to go off, albeit slowly.

I have dreams around working with families and children, but none of them will be possible without speaking Spanish. Next week, I’ll take my Spanish II final. In January, I’ll return for Intermediate Spanish. Next fall, another course, and I’ll keep going, even though every day being bilingual feels unattainable. I know that sticking it out long term with dreams that feel impossible can pay off in extraordinary ways.

!!Giveaway!! GIVEAWAY HAS CLOSED - congratulations

!!Giveaway!!
GIVEAWAY HAS CLOSED - congratulations @rachelcneeley you won!

I’ve been using Plant Food from @happyhappyhouseplant for a couple of years and find myself recommending it all the time. It is one of my favorite gifts to give plant-loving friends, so I am really excited for the opportunity to partner with HHP and host a giveaway today.

I picked my three favorite items for the prize:
1 bottle of Plant Food
1 bottle of Fungus Gnat Death Drops
Fiddle Leaf Fig Guide (download)

I water all my plants once a week with Plant Food. I use the Fungus Gnat Death Drops every couple of weeks as a preventive measure (after using it to kill an infestation a year ago). These are game changers - you’ll love them!

To enter:
Leave a comment on this post telling me a plant you love, one you’d like to grow, or who you’d like to give your prize to...

Giveaway closes 12/2/25 8am CST

(Right now there is a sale on the website, but in the future it if you use the code UNDERTHESYCAMORE, you can get 10% off)

I was scanning my Pinterest boards the other night

I was scanning my Pinterest boards the other night for a quick project and came across a taco shop ‘takeout’ sign I had saved. I changed it to ‘coffee’ and added it to the kitchen because whimsy is fun and it is just paint.

*If you’re wondering my ‘how to’, I opened the image in Canva, found a font I liked and put ‘coffee’ on the image. Then I used my projector to trace it on the wall. However, I didn’t have enough space for the projector for all the letters without distortion, so I had to draw grid on the wall and hand draw some of the letters. I used latex paint I had on hand.

This weekend, I went to our library’s local author

This weekend, I went to our library’s local author book fair - AS A LOCAL AUTHOR! For a decade, I read every travel book at my library branch. I finished the last one about a week before we left on our trip and took a “peace out library, I’m going to see the world instead of reading about it” pic (2nd pic).

The Tulsa County library system has 25 branches, 20 copies of my book, and five more on order. My fellow local library users requested it so much that it received the library’s “Bestseller” sticker the first week. Pinch me. All the copies have been in use or on hold since it came out in August, so I haven’t seen it on the shelf yet, but I do stalk the HOLDS and slip notes inside when I spot it. I have a book in the library, it still makes me giddy.

Spotted a cute land realtor hard at work at @laura

Spotted a cute land realtor hard at work at @laurannae.co today. One of his sister’s was in the back decorating cakes. Another was on the patio doing school with friends. ♥️

Once upon a time, my kids would volunteer me to br

Once upon a time, my kids would volunteer me to bring desserts to their class parties. Oh, how the tables have turned. I volunteered Breese to make cupcakes for my Spanish class fiesta today.

Being on a community college campus the last two semesters has been a highlight for me. Many of my classmates are building their futures in the only way that is financially possible for their families without heavy burdens of debt. Many don’t have any family support. They are juggling heavy course loads and working full-time to put themselves through school. Too often, they also have to navigate others’ opinions on community colleges and words that discredit the educational path they took. Learning the stories of some of my classmates brings out the mama bear in me.

I wish I could give them all a cupcake and a high five. I’d tell them not to listen to the critics, that they are awesome, and that their path towards a future is just as valid as that of their peers at four-year universities. I can’t tell them all, so I start with my classmates (and my own kids).

We snuck away for homework and work at a local bak

We snuck away for homework and work at a local bakery. Rain pattering outside the window as we sipped on lattes and ate warm coffee cake. Sweet moments with my girl. A bit dreamy from one perspective.

On the edge of the frame is my computer with a document open. I was combining lists of food pantries across my state into a single resource organized by county and zip code. One in four Oklahoma children face food insecurities…one in four children in my state know what it means to be truly hungry.

I can’t provide a meal to every child in my state, but I can find ways to be on the side of the story that feeds children. I can sit across from my daughter and enjoy coffee cake with her while also discussing tangible ways we can help our neighbors. It is a hard tension, and I don’t get it right all the time, but I know my life is short, and I am ever mindful of how I want to spend it.

Saturday morning whim. I figure if I don’t like it

Saturday morning whim. I figure if I don’t like it, it will be really fast and easy to paint over!

Supplies: cardboard cereal box cut up as a template and paint I had on hand. Took approximately 30 mins.

The first time I visited @philbrookmuseum, I was a

The first time I visited @philbrookmuseum, I was an elementary school student. Many decades later, I still look forward to slowly meandering among the art. This time I planned my visit for when Patrick Gordon was live painting in an exhibit showcasing his work. He answered questions and spoke about wanting his work to bring joy to others. As sat watching, a video nearby played an interview with him. “My quality of life is pretty good and I want yours to be on par with mine.”

Earlier this year, a friend who works for a non-pr

Earlier this year, a friend who works for a non-profit introduced us to a family that had recently arrived in town as refugees. She knew we attended a bilingual church and had friends in the Spanish-speaking community. The new family didn’t know anyone, and we had the honor of being one of their first contacts in a new place. For a season, we were able to give them rides a couple of days a week, and in my attempts at conversation, I said the most random things using my limited Spanish vocabulary. The language barrier was and still is great.

Over the weekend, they invited us to their son’s 11th birthday (even though we’d be the only ones whose first language was English). As I sat in their living room, surrounded by the friends they had made, trying to pick up on as much of the conversation as I could, I felt a deep gratitude for the opportunity to know them, to be considered a friend, and to be welcomed. I was also grateful for quick tips from ChatGPT 🤣

I recently heard a quote about the kind of hospitality that involves being uncomfortable is the kind of hospitality Jesus showed. When the language barrier is massive, hospitality can feel very uncomfortable. My friends extended it to us anyway, and as a result, my weekend was so rich.

The end result was fun, but I might’ve liked the p

The end result was fun, but I might’ve liked the process even more. Breese and I spent a few slow evenings sitting in the living room and adding a little craft paint to plain frames for her gallery wall. Thankfully, we still have more to paint!

The two biggest hurdles in our house for getting p

The two biggest hurdles in our house for getting pictures off phones and onto walls are: taking the time to print the photos and overthinking how to hang them. Thankfully, @mpix has an app that makes ordering prints super easy. I’ve ordered all my prints for nearly 20 years from them! As far as planning out the wall, I’m more of a ‘just go for it’ girl.

My daughter wanted a colorful gallery wall of her favorite photos, and plain frames were not an option for her. We spruced up basic frames with craft paint and opted for a hodgepodge wall instead of a perfectly spaced one.

We could have easily used command strips, but I had nails on hand, and if you know me, I’m constantly patching and repainting walls!

I started a new part-time job last week, and I am

I started a new part-time job last week, and I am spending the rest of my free time immersing myself in all things Spanish. Both provide me with opportunities to engage with different demographics in my community and offer a front-row seats to witness kindness, compassion, and beauty, even in the most difficult of circumstances.

It means a readjusting of how I spend my time, but it’s a change I’m welcoming.

Notes to Strangers spotted in Cartagena, Colombia

The face of a guy that just told the waiter to onl

The face of a guy that just told the waiter to only speak in Spanish to me…”Queremos fajitas, por favor.” The fajitas were excellent. My Spanish was not.

We may have eaten ramen for dinner, slept on sandy

We may have eaten ramen for dinner, slept on sandy mattresses on the ground and skipped showers for a few days, but we were rich in time, and I cherished it.

The 2nd image is the intro to the Egypt chapter of my book. The 3rd is a video from that intro. The final image is the last page of the chapter. Every chapter has a similar Wisdom & Wonder page.

I added questions to each chapter, hoping they’d spark conversations among families and friends reading it together. If you are reading it with others, I’d love to hear how your conversations are going.

Signed copies of my book are available online from @magiccitybooks

For the first time, my family joined me for an int

For the first time, my family joined me for an interview (and book signing). They each wrote essays included in the book, but those are far too short. They have so much they could share! I loved sharing that couch with them, and others enjoyed hearing their perspectives, too. It was a sweet gift for me, for sure!

It is a strange season. An unexpected season. Anot

It is a strange season. An unexpected season. Another season I am figuring things out as I go.

My days have been looking very different recently. I was a guest on three podcasts this week. Tonight, I’ll be doing a book signing, and next week, a local news station will be visiting my house. It is weird, but also…I get to talk about all the beauty in communities around the world, so that is fun.

One takeaway: the girl who always helps me test my mic (my youngest daughter) needs to host a podcast. She is witty, asks the best questions, and keeps things very real 🤣. I want to be her guest!

The girl got a lot of iced coffees and baked goods

The girl got a lot of iced coffees and baked goods with me 😆♥️

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Latest posts

I've Never Been Here Before {my book}
July 11, 2025
A few days in Chichicastenango, Guatemala
June 26, 2024
Tips for staying in a hostel as a family
December 26, 2022

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