Brklacich Family Blog

A Long Time No Talk

2012-01-08T18:58:00.005-06:00

Tonight I decided to get back on here and revitalize my efforts to keep up with this blog. Tony and I have seen lots of changes in 2011, with many new ones to come in 2012 (more to come later). The greatest love of our lives, Brady, is now 2o months old. He started trying to walk at 9 months, but a short stint in the hospital, with an IV in his foot, stopped him from putting his foot back on the ground for a while. However, in true manly form at 11 months, when a 3.5 year old gave him a kiss and said I love you, he took off after her. Thanks Kyndal!. Brady enjoyed the summer at the pool. We put him in swim lessons starting at 6 months and kept them up through the summer, so he took the pool very well. Sadly he has no fear.

Tony and I sold our house this summer, moved into an apartment, and then built our new house. We moved into this new house the week of Thanksgiving. In true fashion we hosted our family Christmas here, followed by our annual New Years Eve Party. We had a blast.

We lost our dog Toby in November 2011. It was the hardest thing Tony and I have ever had to do. Toby had Congestive Heart Failure and COPD. It got to the point where Toby's life was impaired, so we had to make a decision. However, God had a plan to make that easier. We had began rescuing and fostering dogs again about a month before Toby passed away. With that, we found a Shih Tzu, that we eventually kept, and named Mariyo. We are back to being a 2 dog house again.Yoty our oldest dog, turned 12 this year and he has welcomed Mariyo in true older brother fashion.

Brady is now in enrolled in Soccer. He absolutely loves it. We love taking him. Tony is in true Dad form. He is such a proud father and is probably the best father in the world. Those two are true peas in a pod. As for me, I love watching those two together. Nothing warms my heart more than those two.

We have a surprise for everyone coming soon. I will post when I know more.

Life as we know it

2010-09-03T20:37:00.006-05:00

It has been a while since I have posted on here. Brady was born on April 16 and I only took 4 weeks off. At 6 weeks, Brady went on his first business trip with mom. We took him to Chicago. His next trip was to San Francisco at 9 weeks. Then we went back to Chicago @ 12 weeks. He has been to Arkansas 4 times already. He is quite the traveling little dude, just like his parents.
Tony and I feel like we haven't missed a beat. Granted it takes us a little more time to leave the house, but we love it. He is a happy little guy and sleeps 12 hours. What could be better? We are truly blessed.
All of this comes, at a very trying time in our marriage. God puts challenges in our paths on a daily basis. Some of them are small and some of them are huge. So, my life, as I thought it would be when Brady got here, is not quite what I had planned. We have some really great friends who have offered support, haven't judged, and just been there to listen. It is times like this where God's amazing grace and infinite wisdom are shown. I am not sure how I could have dealt with some of this without knowing such a loving God and knowing he put some really amazing people in our lives. Then I have to remember that life in general is not going to happen the way I plan it out. It is going to happen on God's plan and there is a reason for everything. No matter how bad the hurt there is a reason. We may not be able to see it or understand it now, but in the end we will be able to see it. For me personally, I have had to grow in many areas, but the two most important are anger and forgiveness. No matter how bad we hurt and get mad, remember that Jesus died on the cross for us and I have no doubt that hurt a lot worse. Thru that action, he forgave. He died to show forgiveness. I sit and think what would I do to show forgiveness. He made it easy for us, we don't have to die to show it, we just have to live and show it to others. That is a hard lesson in life to learn, especially when sometimes you want to be angry or hurt. From the words of one of my favorite songs "some things are the way things are and words just can't explain." I am not sure what he has planned for us, but I know there is a reason and I know we will survive everything brought our way. Thank you Jesus for loving us and making us stronger on a daily basis.

My 1st Mother's Day

2010-05-10T20:38:00.003-05:00

My 1st Mother's Day was absolutely perfect. Part of it felt like it wasn't real. Tony and I went to church. I had fed Brady right before the service started so he was asleep. As I was sitting in the pews, I couldn't believe I was sitting there holding my 3 week old son. Our journey to have a family started almost 4 years earlier. It was such a long and winding road, with hurt, pain, tears, laughter, and finally joy. During the worship time, I could hardly keep my emotions from showing. It meant everything in the world to me to have my son in my arms. The 4 years of wait came to end in my head as I sat there holding him.

Tony and I were finally diagnosed "infertile" in August of 2008. When we got this news, I remember calling my friend Becki who had struggled with the same issues, and she said to me that everything would be okay and that Jesus had a plan. She reminded me that even though it took a long time she had the child that God wanted her to have. So, there I sat on Sunday morning of Mother's Day, in church, worshiping God, and holding the child he wanted me to have after all these years. Nothing could have been more perfect. It wasn't an easy journey by any means. However, it was a nice reminder that God does have a plan and I was holding in my arms Jesus' love for me. I am blessed.

In the throws of Motherhood

2010-04-28T15:55:00.003-05:00

Brady Lawrence Brklacich was born on April 16, 2010 @ 4:22pm by Emergency C-Section. He weighed 8 lbs. 13 oz and was 20 inches long. Yes, he was big, but that was expected. All the babies on my side of the family are big babies. The fact he was under 9 lbs I was greatful! I was 9lbs 4 oz myself.

The labor process itself was very dramatic and has been a little emotional to deal with. Not quite ready to talk about all of it yet. I think it scared a few people in my family who were present. The finale of the labor started with me pushing and ended with an emergency c-section where I was knocked out and Brady was delivered 41 seconds later.

I am sad it ended this way. I really wanted Tony to witness the birth of his son, but he did not get to see it and neither did I. Tony tells me that he is okay with not seeing Brady being born because if he had witnessed the birth he would have also witnessed the funeral. Logically I know this is true. However, I spent 9 months building the moment up in my head and it turned out completely different. I really didn't feel bonded with my little guy the first few days because I felt I missed the most important moment in his life-his birth. Lucky for me, Tony really pushed me to breast feed and Brady and I have had some fun moments during the process. Needless to say I haven't allowed Tony to bottle feed Brady yet, because I am being selfish and holding onto those bonding moments. I told him to give me some time and we will gradually transition there.

Brady has been home for 9 days now. He is a great baby. He feeds every 3.5- 4 hours. He has had only 3 fussy nights where we wanted to pull our hair out. (Lucky for me those were on Tony's nights, all I had to do was feed). Tony and I are balancing chores and Brady very well. We are communicating better than we ever have. AND I believe our marriage has become stronger having gone through the rough delivery and feeling the emotions around it.

The only thing we are suprised at so far is what we call DPD (diapers per day). Holy cow, we burn through diapers like the world is ending. Our friends have been very gracious with bringing meals and setting up a 742-Dine account for us. We couldn't have asked for better support. Thanks to all of you!

Baby Brk's Room

2010-03-08T20:56:00.003-06:00

For those who haven't had a change to see Baby Brk's room, here it is. He will be here in 6 weeks!

Baby is going to be big!

2010-02-03T20:14:00.002-06:00

We went for an ultrasound today. I was told that even though I am at 29.5 weeks my baby is measuring at 32 weeks. He is estimated to weigh a little over 4lbs. I have a feeling he is going to be big. The first of my showers is this weekend. I am excited. I am more excited because the day is getting closer. I am also excited because Tony is really getting into this dad thing. We went to our first breastfeeding class and we have also been to our first birthing class. Still not into the breastfeeding thing yet. They weren't making it easier for me either telling me how hard it is. Then telling me that the 2 hours between feedings means from start time to start time. When do you sleep? However, I did enjoy day one of the birthing class. Tony was the class clown, making jokes, so I am glad he was into it. Now the big debate is do we bank the cord blood or not. Does anyone have any thoughts on this? Did you do it? Why or why not?

The Best Husband in the World

2010-01-16T17:31:00.002-06:00

It is not very often that I brag on my husband. I need to do it more often. However, it is something I am not very good at. I really started thinking about how great he is when I got pregnant. It is a shame that I take those little things he does for granted. However, when I got pregnant we got into a routine. Every night my husband tucks me into bed. When I say tuck in, he brings me a glass of ice water, brings me my prenatal vitamins to take, kisses me goodnight, and then turns the lights out.

We were out of town on Christmas and came home Christmas night. Our driveway was was covered with snow and a huge snowdrift piled up on our driveway. My husband made we wait in the car until he could clear a path to our front door. Then he came got me out of the car and walked me into the house. Every where we went for about 2 weeks he came and got me out of the car and walked with me on the ice. At first I told him, I was just pregnant not an old lady, but he said he didn't want me to fall.

Next, the first week of January, I went out of town on business. I was flying home late Wednesday night when Tulsa was expecting some more ice to come down. I managed to get on earlier flights and land about 8:30 when the sleet started. My car was at the airport and I had every intention of driving home by myself like I always do. However, my husband showed up at the airport with his 4 wheel drive truck. He made me drive his truck home and he drove my car home. I told him he worried to much. He said he just wanted me and the baby to be safe.

He doesn't let me lift heavy things. He got mad at me when he found out that pregnant women really weren't supposed to paint. He tried to kick me out of the baby's room but I won that battle. I only left when we had to close the door and the fumes got bad.

He also gives me back rubs when my back starts hurting, without me even asking him. He will run me a warm bath and turn on the heater, bring me my towel. When I get out and ready for bed, if my back hurts, he will stop what he is doing to rub it without me even asking him. I really don't know how he knows it hurts, but I guess he pays attention.

He was also very cute as we put the stroller together the other day. Neither one of us can believe that a little person will actually fit inside that car seat. Tony likes to watch my stomach at night when I first lay down. He likes watching the baby move around. He also enjoys putting headphones on my stomach as I fall asleep so the baby can hear music. Tony was happy when I told him that the baby seemed to like Eric Clapton and Oscar Peterson. Every time we are near baby clothes I see Tony picking out stuff. He would buy the world if I would let him. He is getting really excited about this and I enjoy watching it.

This weekend the nursery will be done and ready for "Baby Brk" to move in whenever he decides to show up (hopefully April). I will post pictures of it later.

Catching Up

2009-12-29T09:21:00.003-06:00

It seems like this pregnancy thing is moving by very quickly. There is already talk of showers, the weeks are flying by, and I am now in my 25th week. I started feeling a little pressure to get things done. Especially after I found out my kid is estimated to already weigh 1lb and 3 oz (at 23 weeks) and that lady in Arkansas delivered a kid a little over a pound. I looked at Tony and said holy crap this is going to happen pretty soon. So on Dec. 23rd we finished phased one of the baby's room. Phase 1 being the wainscoating is up, carpet is cleaned, and ready for move in. The day after Christmas we put the crib up. My cousin graciously gave us a crib that had been used about 6 times. I washed a few sheets and clothes that were also given to us by my cousin in the "Kids Wear" Cycle on my front loader (which by the way takes forever, with all the skin care rinses that are done). While all the washing was going on, I cleaned out the closet in the baby's room. It is amazing how much junk we keep. Tony and I have lived in this house for almost 5 years. We moved in here from a 1100 sq foot apartment and somehow the closets were full of junk.

Anyways, got all of that stuff moved out and began to hang the clothes that have already been bought (yes he is spoiled already) and that were given to us. I had to laugh because you open up the closet and there are all these little clothes in there with a definte theme. He better like sports!

I think now is the time to mention that "Daddy" bought his son some shoes last night. We were at Babies R Us adding things to our registery (which we started weeks ago) when Tony came over to me with a huge smile on his face. He found some shoes that were gray and white, with the word "Biker" on the side and a realistic picture of a motorcyle. Tony said "I have got to get him some Biker shoes." I laughed, I am surprised we haven't registered at Yamaha for the kids first motorcycle.

Anyways, we got the shoes, and went to Target to Register (yes I know they have the worst return policy, but a few friends have told me a way around it). When we got home, I told Tony I finally feel caught up. We have a place for the little guy when he gets here and I feel like I have prepared the best I can at this point.

Now the decisions are what colors to paint the room in and how to arrange the other furniture that we will get. Did I mention that while all of this is going on, I am also trying to clean the house to get ready for a New Years Party that we always throw?

Tony and I also got new office furniture in early December. We had to move everything out of the office because we both got new desks and filing cabinets. Our garage and attic are full of stuff waiting for a garage sale. Our dining room looks like a disaster with paperwork, but somehow it all has to be put up before New Years Eve. I can't wait. You see, the paperwork is all Tony's. He is the world's worst organizer. Hence, the overabundance of filing space we now have in our office. He is actually going through and creating files for the very first time. For Christmas, I got him this thing called Neat Desk. I told him that it will save our marriage. He felt a little pressure when he opened it. However, he loves it. What it does, is it scans all his receipts, makes copies of them and then categorizes them. He can then export them to a excel spreadsheet or pdf which is great for taxes. It also scans business cards and other documents. However the main thing was the reciepts because every year at tax time, we have paperwork for months all over the house because we have to organize the receipts (he started the receipt organization on our dining room table back in September and it is still not done). Now it is all done electronically and we can throw away the receipts (the IRS will take pdf files). It was kind of a selfish gift to get him, but it saved me from killing him. Hopefully all of the paperwork will be gone by Thursday!!!

Anyways, that is our update. We hope all of you had a great Christmas and have a wonderful New Year.

Name that Boy!

2009-11-10T21:33:00.002-06:00

Ok guys! I need some help with Baby Names. I don't have very many rules, but here are a few.

1) Don't give me something you might want to use
2) Remember our last name is weird and complicated.
3) If you happen to know what I am considering, don't post it here.

Other than that I am good.

A new beginning

2009-11-02T13:53:00.002-06:00

I just realized it has been forever since I posted something on here. I need to catch all of you up. First of all, as of today, I have a new job. I am now working Altos Solutions. It is a company that specializes in an Oncology specific Electronic Medical Record system. I am working for someone I worked for in the past and around people I used to work with. The beauty of it is that I get to work from home and I will travel about once a month.

I left the District Attorney's office for many reason. None of which I am going to discuss here. The main thing is I did what I though was best for my family. Tony was very supportive in the decision and is very excited about where this career will take me. So today marks a new beginning!

Now, as far as the baby is concerned...we are officially 4 months pregnant. I am showing now, but I still fit in my normal clothes. Tony laughed at me this weekend because it was the first time either one of noticed my belly and it was prominent.

On another baby note, we found out on Friday that Baby Brk (Burke) is a boy! We had an ultrasound at 7:30 on Friday. The tech told Tony the gender and not me. I had bought baby girl gifts and baby boy gifts for each of my parents the night before. Tony had to pick my mom up and take her to the airport, so I told him to to take the gift that was gender specific to my parents. My mom opened her gift right away and he left the one for my dad until after work. So my dad found out after 4pm on Friday and I didn't know until around 7pm, when I opened a gift from Tony. The gift from Tony was a little black jacket with the #10 on it (that was my jersey number in college) and a little brown outfit that said Mr. Cool. It was really sweet. I also got to the see the ultrasound picture of the little guy which was a between the legs shot with the words "Outdoor Plumbing." I thought that was funny. So, our little man will be here on or before April 18th! He is still yet to be named!

I need a home

2009-09-09T18:48:00.003-05:00

Hello! My name is Keegan. I am Tony and Stacy's foster dog. I am somewhere between 5-8 years old. I weigh around 5 lbs as well. I have no teeth, that is why my tongue sticks out. I do eat small bite hard dog food though. I love other dogs and learn from them. I am as cute as can be. I am a little shy around people because I was a puppy mill stud and underwent some abuse. I am about 90% potty trained. My favorite thing to do is follow other dogs around. I usually do what they do. I have a cute little bark that only comes out when my foster parents arrive home after being gone or when another dog barks. Other than that I am a quite dog. I can be adopted through the Animal Resuce Foundation of Tulsa. I have had a hard life, need a great home preferably with another dog, and need my owners to be patient as I adjust to life outside a cage.

A single baby and a heartbeat

2009-08-25T19:36:00.002-05:00

Tony and I found at yesterday that we are pregnant with just one baby. I would say that I think we were both a little surprised. I think we had psyched ourselves up to have twins and we were fully prepared for that. Then when she said one, I think we did a double take. However, we were both extremely excited. Then at just 6 weeks and a few days, we were able to hear the heartbeat. That was cool. I could see the heartbeat on the ultrasound screen. It was amazing.

We have another appointment in a few weeks. Our due date is April 18th!! Baseball season- yeah!

We are Pregnant!

2009-08-10T21:08:00.002-05:00

In case you haven't heard, it is official, we are pregnant. Due date should be in April, but we will know more of that a little later. I go back for blood work August 17th and then my first ultrasound is on August 24. It will be at the ultrasound when we know if it one kids or multiple kids. Tony was excited and nervous. He had been great though. He bought me roses and a card. He then took me out to dinner to celebrate.

On a funnier note, for those of you who know that Tony and I have been trying to have kids for the last 3 years, I told Tony tonight that I never had the joy of peeing on a stick and it being positive. Tony has left the house to go buy me a pregnancy test to take at home. I told him not too, but he wanted to do it. He also took me to buy a journal because I like to write. Lastly, our good friends Kim and Aaron bought us some non alcoholic wine and "What to Expect when you are Expecting."

Thank you all for your prayers. We appreciate them.

Eggs are in!

2009-08-01T12:41:00.002-05:00

Friday morning at 8:30, Tony and I reported to the doctor's office for our eggs to be put in. We ended up with 4 grade four's and the other 3 died. So we put two grade fours in and froze two. Grade four is the highest possible grade. The best part is that one of them was grade 4AA which is the best, the other was a 4BB. I go in for my pregnancy test on August 10th at 8:30am. I was told to rest as much as possible over the weekend. I do have a picture of the eggs, but scanner is on the fritz. I will try to get that for you later.

Eggs are fertilized

2009-07-26T17:16:00.002-05:00

Ok, so yesterday they recovered 11 eggs which were able to begin the fertilization process. Out of those 11, seven actually fertilized. Tomorrow I will get the update as to what Grade these eggs are. Four is the best and one is the worst. Out of those seven we only 2 to be good for implantation.

At first I was disappointed in the number. Let's think about this I made 23 eggs people. We only got 11 of them to be ripe for fertilization and only 7 of those did. However, I am happy with the small number of seven. Mainly because it is my view on when life begins. For me it begins at conception. So right now I have 7 little lives I am concerned about. I don't have to worry about destroying any extras. It is possible that not all of those will develop. I will freeze the other good ones and possibly donate them to a couple that needs them. It keeps my decisions to a minimum. I had struggled with this "extra egg/extra embryo thing." Looks like God took that struggle away. Thank you!

Eggs are out!

2009-07-25T17:19:00.002-05:00

Ok, so I went in at noon and they took the 23 eggs out. It is common during 'harvest' to loose some eggs. This is because some are too mature and some are not mature at all. I ended up with 11. So out of those 11 they will attempt to fertilize all of them. Statistics show that 50-80% of them will fertilize, so that will be between 5-8 eggs. Out of those, Tony and I are only putting 2 in. They will put them back in either on the 28th or 30th in the afternoon. We will let you know. All did go well today. I am tired, but I am not sore anymore so that is good! God is Great!

Today was 23!

2009-07-23T20:36:00.002-05:00

Okay, so today they told me my body is responding well. I had 23 follicles. The best part is that tonight I will give my trigger shot at 3am. They will then harvest all those eggs on Saturday. Don't worry- I am out for that surgery! We will see then how many grow etc. They said my uterus is ready! Yeah!

14!!!

2009-07-21T20:25:00.002-05:00

Ok, so I am starting to get a little excited. I am on the every other day status with the doctor. Sunday I went before church and I had 11 follicles. I was happy with the number, but still a little disappointed. Tony, on the other, would have passed out if he had been there when the doc said 11. Well, today I went and I have 14 follicles and some of them are big. I thought 10 was the highest number, but today there were a few size 13s. I read on the internet that mature follicles get around 10 to 18mm. So, we are on our way. I will say that the pressure down there is starting to get to me. You have to understand that I was the lucky girl who never had cramps, and if this is what they feel like, then I will thank the Lord when I see him for not making me suffer most of my life. I start the next round of injections on Thursday, so Harvest will be sometime in the next 5 days.

Baffling

2009-07-18T17:05:00.002-05:00

I sit here today baffled (is that a word). Something at work went horribly wrong, my intentions were mis-understood, and I guess I made a collegue of mine mad. I have tried to shake it. It floored me on Friday to read a text from friend/collegue. I didn't get it. I had upset this person. I had-had a fairly lenghtly conversation with this person, thought I knew what this person's wants were, thought I would do something nice for this person because this person had been so nice to me. I acted by writing a letter on this person's behalf.

Now, to my mistake, and I will admit it, I should have check with this person before writing and hitting send. Apparently this person changed their mind or maybe I misunderstood in the first place. But I seriously thought I heard the conversation clearly. However, my intentions were nothing more than to do something nice. That is all I thought about it. Apparently, it was not so nice, and it was frowned upon.

For those who know me, you know I love to work. I started pushing lawn mowers at a young age. When I was old enough to get a job, I did, even though my dad told me I didn't have to. I have never not worked (minor exception for about 9 months the first year of law school). I take pride in my work, work long hours because I like too, and usually have lots of friends at work. However, somehow through this mis-understanding I made some enemies and this overshadows my work. I am floored that no one came to me (well I guess someone did via text, but it took a long time). I am such a direct person, and I guess this time being direct was a fault. I will own up to that. However, I feel like I lost the respect of a few people I admire, look up to, and want to learn from.

I have had a headache for two days now because it really bothers me. I slept like crap last night because all I could do was think of ways to make it up to these people and I how perceive this as a big misunderstanding. Maybe its the hormones, this is such a wrong time for me to be stressing over this. I have another doctor's appointment tomorrow and I need everything to be normal. I just can't shake this. This is so atypical of any job I have ever had. I am just really at a loss with no clear direction because it truly does bother me. I truly do look up to these people and want to speak to them face to face, but I was told to let it go. I just hate that this is now overshadowing my work and that someone possibly thinks I tried to hurt them somehow. Truly baffling!

Tomorrow Starts the Process

2009-07-10T21:10:00.004-05:00

Ok, so I am sitting at my house on a Saturday night by myself. I am thankful for the time. You see tomorrow is the official start to the in vitro process for me and Tony. Tomorrow is called baseline day! It has a title, weird to me, but there is a title. Baseline day is an ultrasound and some blood work- I believe. They are getting a picture of where I am on the internal clock. Tomorrow is also when all the money is due (thank you Lord that Tony had a closing today).

Up until this point, I have been fairly calm and collected. I have done what the doctors have said. I started taking certain medications back at the end of June, I have taken them religiously. I have cut back on working out and I get plenty of sleep (I am in bed between 9-9:30 on work nights). But tomorrow starts the clock. This is really happening. I am not nervous because Tony has enough nervousness for the both of us. I just needed a night to myself to collect my thoughts, pray, and just be me for a while. Tony is at a Poker night up the street and I am thankful to just have this time alone.

I really don't know what to think or how to feel. I think my dogs know something is up because my youngest dog (Toby) has been all about sleeping on my stomach or right by my head these past two weeks. I wonder if he can smell the hormones? Or, I wonder if it is because my house looks like a small pharmacy right now, they are wondering what the heck is going on. I am sure when I have to start giving myself injections twice a day, I might question why the heck I am doing this. However, every morning I wake up, look at Tony, and I know why I am doing this. He is a great husband, will be a wonderful father, and I am so thankful that I get a chance to start a family with him.

I usually don't ask for prayer (just ask my Sunday School class), however, if you are out there and could send some words up to the good Lord above, I could really use them. I know God has a plan for us, and I hope I can live strong in my faith through this entire process.

Holy Cow- It's gone

2009-07-02T19:29:00.004-05:00

Ok, so I have had long hair most of my life. Back in 2000 I cut my hair short when I moved to San Francisco. It was short and I hated it instantly so I let it grow back out. Well, today, I got the guts to let my stylist cut my hair off. I love it. Tony came in the salon when we were half way done to bring me something and he was shocked to see all the hair on the floor. He said "how short are you going?" Which made me nervous because I thought he was upset I was cutting my hair off. He was in shock when I got home to see this. However, I think he likes it.

A busy few weeks

2009-06-24T21:16:00.010-05:00

Tony and I have blazed through June. We have 3 weekends in a row full of stuff. On June 13th we held Tony's 41st Birthday. Yes, Ladies and Gentleman he is officially over 40.

The Day after Tony's party, we kept Jake and Cade again for the night. Cade enjoyed his first motorcycle ride with Uncle Tony.

I do have to say that we took the helmet off of him because he looked so uncomfortable while riding. He sure was cute and enjoying it. He didn't complain about wearing it, but we thought he was going to break his neck. When we took the helmet off he was able to look around (with the helmet on he couldn't move his head).

On June 20 Cade turned 3, although he will argue with you that he is still 2.

The Day of Cade's party, I woke up, helped some friend's move, went to Cade's party, then headed off to NW Arkansas to see my little cousin play in the state baseball tournament.

The very next day was father's day. Everyone came to my house. I made London Broil and Home-made Ice Cream. If you need a good recipie for London Broil, try this: Get a 2.5-3.0 lb London Broil, put it in bowl or ziplock, pour over it a 12 oz Coke and 10oz of Teriyaki. Let it marinade for 24 hours. Grill it over medium heat, 12-15 minutes each side. Get it close to 155 degrees, Take off the grill and let sit 10 minutes (it will continue to cook). It will be tender!!!

This weekend, I am going to Las Vegas with my friend Val. When I get back, my family has one more birthday to celebrate...My dad- he is June 29th.

Life's Anger

2009-06-14T20:47:00.004-05:00

So, I haven't been on here in a while mainly because I have been busy. The other excuse is because I have been angry. I didn't want to use my blog to vent, but I am thinking this might be therapeutic. You see, I spend my whole day every day in juvenile court. Granted, I don't like juvenile court because I think we give kids and parents to many chances, which is something i need to take up with the legislature. However, my anger goes deeper than that.

I have watched as parents relinquish their rights to their kids. Some of the parents do this sobbing as they should, but ultimately they know it is best for their kids. Some parents cry because they don't understand why the state wants to take their kids away (who would have thought if you blow up your house making meth the state would take your kids away? or You have beaten them so bad the state would take your kids away). Other parents have stood there and stone cold sober with no emotion and told the judge they just don't want their kids anymore. In any of these instances, I am very very angry. Why? Because Tony and I have tried for 3 years now to have children and we can't. To me kids are a privilege, a gift from God, and something that should be cherished always!

This is the first time I have admitted to the public that Tony and I can't have kids. In August 2008 we started to see an infertility doctor. Tony was tested and their was a problem. The day we found out he had the problem I was 2000 miles away at Saddleback (Celebrate Recovery Summit). I remember sitting in the grass listening to the doctor tell me it will be impossible to do this on our own. I remember then calling Tony and hearing the words "Do you want a divorce?" He thought because he couldn't give me kids that I would leave him. He felt like he had failed me. It was a crushing conversation. My next call was to my friend Becki- I knew she would understand and help me pull myself together. She was wonderful beyond explanation and still remains that way today.

The next step was a laparoscopy for me. My results from a laparoscopy were fine, however at the same time after the procedure I was told I was fine, the doctor told Tony it was confirmed that he was not. I cannot express to you the emotions that you go through. I put on a mask in front of my friends. Every time I hold a baby I wish it was mine and wonder what mine would look like. It is just emotional and I spend my whole day around people who could care less about their kids. It is AGGRAVATING! I HATE IT! And quite frankly it is not even remotely fair. I know God has a plan and I shouldn't question him, but I find myself everyday now, asking why and telling him I don't think it is fair. I just don't know what to do- I feel consumed by the anger!

To fast forward a little, Tony and I are going to try in vitro. The cost is overwhelming and I have put a lot of pressure on Tony to sell more houses (probably not the right thing to do). The beauty is my insurance will cover part of the invitro but really not enough of the cost. We have a few of Tony's sperm stored that we can use. We go for our in vitro patient education on June 29 and our trial run is on July 6. Sometime after July 6 the real procedure will happen and I can only hope it works! I am really tired of spending my days angry and I hope that I can just let go and give it to God soon!

Tony's New Toy

2009-06-02T21:21:00.003-05:00

As Tony said "I can't believe I bought a bow-tie!" He did it ladies and gentlemen, Tony bought himself a Chevy! Not only that, he bought a Chevy Truck! It is a 2006 Chevrolet Avalanche Z71 LT. It has a Bose stereo system, sunroof, powerseats, heated seats (both passenger and driver), cruise control, all leather seats, and most importantly DUAL air controls!! He loves it and so do I. We are one step closer to making him a Redneck Republican!

Hong Kong Fooie- Chop Sooie

2009-05-28T20:17:00.003-05:00

Ok, so every night we play Karate with the kids. The major words are Hong Kong Fooie or Chop Sooie! Jake asks to play Karate every night and Cade just goes along with it. This game started along time ago with Jake and the tradition continues through this round of Camp Uncle Tony/Aunt Stacy. What is funny is that Jake will ask anyone to play. He asked his "Gammie" tonight to play tonight, but Gammie replied that she is too old. (Gammie is my mom). Tonight however, it was just Tony and the boys. It was fun watching them.

Precious Moments

2009-05-27T20:05:00.009-05:00

Tony and I have our nephews this week. We call Camp Uncle Tony/Aunt Stacy. Jake just turned 6 and Cade will be 3 on June 20. They never stop amazing me. First, I think I have a redneck 2 year old nephew. See, I was standing in my kitchen cooking dinner and I look out towards my back yard and I see this naked butt. I quickly grab my camera and missed the butt, but I did get this

When I asked Cade what he was doing, he said "peeing in the grass." I thought "holy crap, I have a redneck in my family." Needless to say he peed in the grass probably 5 more times that night. However, it made me laugh each time! He was having a blast and that was all that mattered.

We took the kids to Incredible Pizza. Someone should have told me how expensive that place is, we even had coupons, but man is that place expensive. Anyways, we enjoyed watching them play together. Jake liked the bumper cars, and Cade loved the train.

However, my favorite moment came at bath time. For Jake and Cade bath time is called wash down. I keep my legs in the water to stay warm and Cade decided to wash my legs for me. Cade them said "all clean" and then kissed my leg. He was too cute. He also helped to wash Jake. Jake likes to play in the bubbles and then call himself Santa Claus. (I guess the white bubbles make a white beard= Santa Claus). Anyways, here is a picture from wash down. I love it.

Selling the Xterra

2009-05-25T15:43:00.003-05:00

Hey Tony, Xterra starts with an X not an E. Tony has had this SUV since 2000 and always thought it was spelled with an E until one day a few years ago I made him look at the back of his truck. He was shocked. Well now, Tony is parting with his Xterra. He loves this thing and it has been a struggle for him to come to the decision to sell it. It runs fine, has been serviced regularly, and the inside is clean. However, it has 139,000 miles on it and Tony needs something with fewer miles. He spends all day everyday in his car now showing homes. Plus, he deserves a newer car after putting me through law school and having such a successful first year in real estate. So, if you know of anyone that is looking for a car have them check out http://tulsa.craigslist.org/cto/1184615960.html.

Also, if you now of anyone selling a Avalanche or a Titan, Tony would love to check it out. He is leaning towards getting one of those trucks to help haul around his Real Estate signs.

My Big Brother

2009-05-18T21:06:00.008-05:00

On Saturday May 16, my big brother, graduated from Midwestern Theological Seminary in Kansas City. It was a proud moment for our entire family. I, however, was overcome with silent emotion. I sat in my seat and couldn't wait for the graduates to enter. When the music began I was so happy to see my brother come marching in. This was a 6 year journey for him.

When I was growing up, I like most, didn't appreciate my childhood nor understood how much of an impact a sibling could have on your life. I always thought Josh hung the moon, but I never really knew how much to appreciate him. When we were little, he always held my hand, wanted to make sure I was okay, taught me to play basketball, always included me (even when he was told not to), walked me in homecoming, cheered me on when I got my ACT scores, and was always supportive. However, the one thing I missed seeing was how God impacted our lives. We grew up in church so to me it was no big deal.

Now, it means so much to me to be able to see my big brother as not only a sibling but a brother in Christ. I see how much God has done in his life, how God has shaped him into the man he is, how great a husband he is, and how great a father he is. I know he had some struggles in his life and thank God for Celebrate Recovery. My brother is who he is because of the Lord Jesus Christ and I am so thankful that I get to be a part of it. I am so proud of him. I am truly blessed to have him in my life.

New Background & Praise God

2009-05-14T22:15:00.005-05:00

Ok, so it's baseball season and I love baseball. I found this free background and decided to put it on here. How do you like it. There was another one full of baseballs that were easier to see, but it was more geared for kids. Speaking of baseball---I will be in Kansas City tomorrow night at a Kansas City Royals game. Surprisingly that is one ballpark that I have not been to. I am excited.

Now, for those who don't know, my brother, Josh, is graduating from seminary on Saturday at 10am in Kansas City. If you know me, you would not think that I have a brother who is a preacher. We are exact opposites. I am not worthy to have such a wonderful brother. I am so excited about what God has done in his life and the example he sets for others. I am so proud of my big brother!!! I am so blessed to have the brother I do.

This picture was taken of my brother and me at the Celebrate Recovery Summit trip in August 2008- we went to Laguna Beach one night.

Girlfriends

2009-05-12T22:54:00.005-05:00

For those of you who know us, you know that Tony and I have lots of friends. You also know that we absolutely love hanging out with them at every chance we get. What you don't know is that I learned that trait from Tony. You see, my oldest and dearest friends happen to be men. They will tell you that after a long day I would always want to be alone. If they wanted to hang out with me, they would have to schedule it with me in advanced because I loved my alone time. I think this came from years of being on softball teams where all I did was hang out with 18 girls all day long for 7 days a week. Needless to say I didn't want or feel like I needed any girlfriends. After all, I spent most of my days around females some of whom I didn't even like.

When Tony and I got married I couldn't find any bridesmaids because I had so many guy friends. So, to get our wedding party we each wrote down our closest friends names, I had more guys than girls and he had more girls than guys. So we decided to have 4 attendants on each side, and then moved one person from my side to his and vice versa to get 2 guys and 2 girls on each side.

Fast-forward to 2009, and my how things change. I love my girlfriends. I finally found a set of girlfriends that I can be honest with, just hang out with, and that share some of my same wants, needs, desires, and complaints. If I want the honest truth and also for someone to keep a secret, I call Becki. If I want to relax, have a beer, and just hang out, I call Val. If I just want someone to listen I call Candace. I pretty much talk to each of them almost every day, just checking in to make sure they are okay. I am amazed at how God has completely changed my attitude about girlfriends. I wouldn't know what to do without them. I even organize girls nights out all the time. My last day of finals, it was Val who put signs in my house to cheer me on. She even showed up at the law school with beer after my last final. Becki and Val cheered me on through the bar exam process. It was my girls who took me out when I found out I passed the bar. Becki is even encouraging me through another difficult time right now. I can't say enough about each of my girlfriends.

Here are some pictures of the girls out on the town. It was Susan's 30ish birthday and she wanted the girls to go out. So we did it. We even organized a designated driver- Thanks Brandon! Most importantly thank you God for giving me these women in my life (all of whom I met through our church).

Val, me, and Susan

Candace, me, and Val

A Time of Adjusting

2009-04-29T19:16:00.004-05:00

This weekend I went back home. Home to me is in Little Rock. I go there for many reasons, sometimes to just get away, sometimes to visit my family, and to help take care of my grandmother. This weekend I went to both get away and take care of my grandmother. I needed the time to regroup myself and get in the right frame of mind.

See, at work I was transferred to the Juvenile Division. It is not that I didn't want to go out there. I was fine with going out there, but I felt the circumstances for me going were different than a normal working procedure. I am not going into details. I guess I was being selfish. I love working downtown for many reasons. I love walking to lunch, I love feeling safe at work, and most importantly I loved my job there. In 2006 I left a job that I absolutely loved to be with my husband. However, part of that decision to make a career change was to make sure I was going to be in a place I loved just as much. I found that. Then all of a sudden, I get moved.

Don't get me wrong, I am happy to have a job and I will do my job well, but the passion for this job is not there. So this weekend, I needed to go away to clear my head. The first visit I made was to my Me-Maw's house. She has lived 19 years without my Pe-Paw. She is now 92 years old and still gets sad every Christmas when he isn't there (he died on Christmas Eve) but she adjusted and moved on with her life. She told me this weekend all about planting her garden, mowing her yard, and how she was about to bake a chocolate cake. She told me that she was only 29. I laughed and deep down I hope I live to 92 years old and can still mow my yard.

I then spent a lot of time with my grandmother. I took her out of the nursing home and let her spend the night at her house for the first time since February 2008. I made her breakfast and we managed to watch 3 baseball games (2 of my little cousins play baseball). I enjoyed watching the games, but I enjoyed more being there with my grandmother. It reminded me of a simpler time, when I was playing ball and I would look out and in sitting on the sides would be my grandmother and grandfather. I was able to give her that part of her life back. She told me how proud she was of me and she thanked me for letting her come to the games. She doesn't really understand why she can't live at home, but she never complains to me. She always thanks me each and every time I take her out of the nursing home, and never complains about going back.

So, on the way home, I thought to myself how selfish I was. I should just be thankful I have a job. Instead, I was more worried about the fact that I had no passion for the job. I don't think after being there for over a week now that I will have the passion for juvenile work. I also do not think I will ever feel safe there (it's not in the best neighborhood). However, those things really shouldn't matter.

What matters is that I am out of law school. What I went there for is now coming into fruition. Tony and I now get to spend time together because there is no more studying, no more traveling like in our previous jobs, and no more waking up alone in a hotel room somewhere in the country. What should matter is that I take this opportunity, make the most of it, learn from it, try to help others as much as I can, and most of all spend as much time with my husband as I can. So in an effort to adjust, my husband and I ate lunch together for the first time in many years. It was the best part of my day and helped me get in the right attitude about work. I am happy that I work in a job that is 8:30-5:00 and I can take the time to have a lunch with my husband. The way I see it, if both my Me-Maw and grandmother could adjust to a new life why couldn't I.

I Did It- Stacy B- Attorney at Law, Esq, JD

2009-04-18T16:40:00.005-05:00

In the words of a famous almost 3 year old..."Stacy, You Did It!" (that would be from my wonderful nephew Cade).

On Thursday April 16, 2009 @ 10am I officially became an attorney. I took my oath in the Supreme Court of Oklahoma, signed the Roll of Attorneys, & received my bar card. It was the best feeling in the world. For those who have been to law school or supported someone through law school, you will know that it is a good feeling just to be done with school. You also know the relief that comes when you pass the bar. However, there is no feeling greater than standing up with your right hand raised and taking your oath. At that moment everything you worked for, all those nights of no sleep, all the pressure you felt, and all the stress on your family is finally over. I think Tony was almost as happy as I was on that day.

Tony, my parents, and my brother Josh were all present for the big event. When it was over all the brand new lawyers were in the Rotunda of the State Capital calling each other counselor. However, for me I don't think it sunk in until Friday when I was at work. I had a felony docket on Friday that I did all by myself and I had to put on a Preliminary Hearing all by myself. At the hearing, the judge, said "representing the State, Assistant District Attorney Stacy Brklacich." At that very moment it hit me like a tons of bricks. This was real, my work paid off. I am now getting ready for next week, where I will be doing a Jury Trial on a Robbery with a Firearm. After the trial, I am needed in the Juvenile Division of the Tulsa County District Attorney's Office and will be moving over to that division.

This is me signing the Historical Oklahoma Roll of Attorneys!

Steve

2009-04-12T20:58:00.002-05:00

Today is Easter Sunday and I have sat and reflected on my week. Last Sunday at church Tony and I sat together as we always do, and we watched our church put on a drama that told the Easter story. We watched as Jesus was crucified. Tony and I had seen this many times, but that particular Sunday it was different. I had teared up for the first time, but at the end of the service I began to cry. I looked over at Tony and he was crying. For me, it was because I watched my best friend Becki and her 3 sisters get up and go pray for their dad.

For those who don't know Steve, he is one of the greatest men you will ever meet. I sat there in amazement watching 4 daughters (plus some of their other family members) pray at the alter. I knew their faith was solid, but I also knew their hearts were possibly breaking. I would have never thought Steve would need bypass surgery. However, I knew that no matter what Steve was at peace. I had only wished the rest of us could have been. I am so proud of his family. Watching the family pray, tears just fell from my eyes, but most of all I was admiring them because their witness to others. I only wish my witness could be that strong. Steve raised a family with a strong faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and that day anyone could see that. What an accomplishment.

When we got home that afternoon, Tony and I talked about what happened that day at church. It was the first time I had seen him cry at church. He was sad for Steve. Tony has always been drawn to Steve, mainly because Steve is so accepting of others, never judged Tony, and has always been there for our family. Even though Tony was sad, I told him my thoughts and how I felt it was such a strong sign of that family's faith and trust in the Lord. We both were at peace by the end of the conversation. It is funny how God uses others so that you can have an important conversation with the ones you love.

This Sunday I sat in church and looked at Steve's family. What a week they have had. Steve came thru surgery with flying colors. Surgery was on Monday and he was home on Thursday! I had to laugh at Tony though. Tony and I wanted to do something for the family, but we knew so many people would be at the hospital and it would be overwhelming. Tony prepared a goody bag full of toys and took it to the hospital. I read the note Tony put together and it was classic Tony, trying to make others laugh. I am not sure if they did laugh (Steve and Norma were both asleep when it was dropped off) but I chuckled as Tony said "hey from what I understand God gives second chances, I just wanted to help Steve get a second chance at being a kid again."

So to the family, thank you for sharing your lives with us and thank you for such a strong witness that you each have. And to Laura (one of Steve's daughters) good luck tomorrow on the birth of Luke. We can't wait to meet him!.

I PASSED!

2009-04-07T10:52:00.003-05:00

This is a little late, but for those who don't know, I passed the bar exam. I found out on April 3 that I passed. I get sworn in on April 16 and will be an official ADA on April 17th. How awesome is that!!! I get the opportunity to do a Jury Trial with another attorney the week of April 20th. I am excited! Thank you to all of you for your support and prayers!

Thunder Snow

2009-03-31T22:27:00.004-05:00

Ok, so I was born and raised in Arkansas. I had heard of Thunderstorms and I have seen snow. Never in my life had I heard the term Thundersnow! We woke up Saturday morning March 28, 2009 to a Thunderstorm, then by 9am we were still hearing the Thunder, but it was no longer raining. It was snowing. In a matter of a few hours Tony and I had about 4 inches of snow in our backyard. Typical Oklahoma though, it was 50 degrees the next day and it was around 70 on Monday. Here are a few pictures.

Who We Are

2009-03-24T15:13:00.018-05:00

Since this is my first post, I decided to explain who we are and how we met. I am Stacy. I am a 31 year old who was born and raised in Little Rock, AR (Go Hogs- Whoooo Pig Sooie!). I played softball for the University of Central Arkansas in Conway, AR and graduated in 2000. When I graduated I took a job for Oncology Therapeutics Network in San Francisco, CA. Yes, a long way from home and I didn't know a single person. This is where I met Tony.

Tony was born and raised in Salt Lake City, Utah. He is 40 years old. Tony moved to Los Angeles, CA when he was 17 years old. He lived in Los Angeles for 8 years and then lived in San Francisco for 11 years. Tony spent his early career in retail, managing Pottery Barn, GAP, and FAO Schwartz stores. In 1996 he made the jump to medical sales and he began work at Oncology Therapeutics Network (OTN).

Tony was my boss when I moved to San Francisco. He also was my downstairs neighbor. You see, I moved in with his best-friend and old roommate Brian. My room was directly above Tony's room. After spending all day at work together, we would frequently spend our nights eating dinner with each other and friends. Thus, our story began.

Tony left OTN 2 months after I started working there. I moved out from my apartment above Tony a month after that, but somehow we still managed to see each other almost every night.

Three months after I moved to San Francisco, Tony asked me if Yoty (my dog) and I would like to go to Oregon with him. He was going to see his mom, but he said since I had never been to Oregon the drive was beautiful and that I should see it. After talking it over with Yoty, we agreed to go with Tony. It was on this trip, I asked Tony if he realized we had spent pretty much everyday together since I had moved there (granted, he dated a few people and so did I, but for the most part it was me and Tony). I told him that where I come from that is called dating and wanted to know how he felt about it. He agreed to give it a shot.

Low and behold, Tony got us lost on a mountain pass to Oregon and we ended up needing a hotel room. We found a Motel 6 in Weed, California (remember we had a dog in the car). AND guess what else, Tony only got one bed (he thought he was sneaky). So, our first kiss, was in a Motel 6 in Weed, California after Tony was a gentleman and asked me if he could kiss me goodnight. Our first "official" date was a few days later.

Three and 1/2 years later, on September 25, 2004 we were married in Tulsa, OK where we moved earlier that year for my job. Tony since leaving OTN, worked at McKesson, National Oncology Alliance, Cardinal Health, back to McKesson, and then to Oncology Metrics. I left OTN, went to Roche, and then worked with Tony at National Oncology Alliance (NOA). I left NOA in 2006 to start law school. I graduated on December 20, 2008 and took the bar in February. I find out the results on April 3, 2009. I currently work as an intern for the Tulsa County District Attorney. Tony also made a career change in December 2007. He decided to go to real estate school. He got his license in March 2008 and sold $3.3M in homes his first year. He is on an awesome team, check them out at http://www.lauragrunewald.com/.

We both wanted career changes to be with each other. During my stint at OTN I traveled frequently and when I was at NOA I traveled every single week. Tony, throughout his career, traveled quite a bit, but his last run at McKesson put him on the road every week as well. We were losing touch with each other. Now, that I am out of law school, we are spending more time together and really growing in our marriage. There were times when I had to look at the picture on the top right of our page and say "just get back to that moment." Tony and I gave up the frequent flier miles, hotel points, travel, and high pay to find something we both enjoy (our new careers) and something we truly need (each other).

Our 1st Christmas together in Arkansas- 2002. My did we look stupid.