Earlier this week Christian singer Josh Wilson came to Tulsa to play a Christmas concert at Southern Hills Baptist Church. We went with the friends the Sheffields. JJ Sheffield is a member of the Matt Roberson Band and has played with Josh Wilson before. This summer I was invited to the YEC conference in Norman where the Matt Roberson Band played for Josh. Josh’s Christmas concert was unlike anything I’ve ever seen before. He played 20 different instruments and recorded each instrument creating “loops.” in the process. It was a remarkable concert as Josh is not only a very talented singer, but a tremendous musician. The church was packed and Josh played for a solid two and half hours. It was my first time using the Canon 7D. I sold off my Canon 5d Mark II and Canon 1D Mark III in preparation for the release of the Canon 1Dx in March. It’s been a busy time this holiday season and we’re looking forward to some much overdue time with family. Merry Christmas to all of you and thanks for all of the Happy Anniversary wishes we’ve received this past week. -Barnezy-
Yesterday Oklahoma Joe’s BBQ opened in Broken Arrow, OK. This is easily the best thing to ever happen to the city of Broken Arrow. (Well at least since we’ve lived here!) As many of you know, we spent the last four years in Kansas City while I was in chiropractic school. Shortly after arriving to KC we were introduced to the Big 3 BBQ joints of Kansas City. Fiorella’s Jackstack, Gates, and Oklahoma Joe’s. Arthur Bryant’s is also one of the best places in town, but the three I mentioned are our favorites. The original Oklahoma Joe’s of KC is located in a gas station at 47th and Mission. They added a second restaurant in Overland Park, KS which was just a few miles down the street. On one of my weekly visits to “Okie Joe’s”, I sat down with one of the managers for a quick bite and he told me the history of Oklahoma Joe’s. I won’t give you all of the details, but you can read about it on their website. When it came time to move back to Oklahoma this summer one of the hardest parts of leaving KC was leaving Oklahoma Joe’s behind. It had become part of my weekly routine (and sometimes several times a week routine) and I got depressed just thinking about the Tulsa BBQ joints I knew of. Shortly after we moved back to OK I heard rumors about an Oklahoma Joe’s coming to Tulsa. I asked around and even contacted “Joe” who lives in Bixby, OK. Sure enough, the plans were set and they were only looking for the right location. A few months later my wife and I were on our way to church when we saw a sign on a building which read “Oklahoma Joe’s Coming this Fall.” My wife and I literally screamed as this building was less than a mile from our home. What are the odds? Our favorite restaurant in the world was moving right down the street from us. Given, this isn’t a franchise of the KC restaurant, it was built by the founder of the restaurant and most of the menu is unchanged. Ali and I showed up last night (for our anniversary.) and were one of the first people to get to enjoy the new restaurant. We were greeted out front by Joe who is very personable. We also got to meet Joe’s wife Page who was incredibly welcoming to us on our first trip to the restaurant. We ordered the “Jumbo Chicken Z-Man” and fries since that was our favorite thing in KC. The sandwich did not disappoint and we were surprised at how close it tasted to KC version of the sandwich. It took several years for the second Oklahoma Joe’s location to catch up to the flavor of the original restaurant which is probably due to “grill time.” The sandwich was FANTASTIC and the fries were amazing as well. We didn’t indulge too much because we had a reservation at Mahogany Prime Steakhouse in Tulsa for our anniversary dinner. We’re planning on swinging by after church tomorrow and then we’ll probably make it a weekly meal for sure! If you live anywhere near Tulsa you HAVE to stop by for the best barbecue in the state… and maybe the planet! Tell Joe we sent you! -Barnezy-
Yesterday Ali and I celebrated our 5th Anniversary as husband and wife. We were married on a beautiful December day in Guthrie, OK in 2006. The past five years have been simply amazing through the fun times and the hard times. We have grown closer every single year and this past year was no exception. We faced several challenges with so many transitions in our lives but the Lord was faithful and brought us through them all. Yesterday we started out the day watching this year’s anniversary video I made. I’ve made one every year since we’ve been married and it’s one of my most favorite things to do every year. This year we broke out all of the stops and spoofed a scene from “LOST” for our opening. We watched all 120 episodes of LOST this summer thanks to Netflix and we loved it so much we wanted to include it in the video. For dinner, Ali and I stopped by the all new Oklahoma Joe’s in Broken Arrow, OK for their grand opening. I will blog about that later this weekend. We split a Jumbo Chicken Z-Man with fries which was just enough to tie us over for our second dinner at Mahogany Prime Steakhouse. I’m convinced they have the best Filet Mignon in Oklahoma. I have yet to find a better filet in my travels. I gave Ali a diamond tennis bracelet this year since I haven’t bought her anything jewelry-wise since we got married. With this being our fifth anniversary she definitely deceived something sparkly for putting up with me for this many years! Overall, we had a fantastic anniversary and I can’t wait for the next one with all the challenges we will meet before then. People ask us how we’re so happy with one another and how we seem to fall more and more in love each year instead of drifting away like most couples. The answer is always simple. I married the one God made for me. The reason we know this is that when we met we were both seeking to know God more and when we met, it was never so clear that we were the ones for each other. I fell in love with Ali the first time we sat down and had a conversation. A few years earlier I may not have given Ali a second look as I was looking for a “different” kind of woman. When I started seeking after a godly woman instead of a worldly one, I was given the gift of Ali and I knew in my heart very early on that I was going to marry her. So when you marry the right person, it’s pretty easy to grown more and more in love with them every day! Thanks again for all of the congratulations you have sent our way, we are truly blessed to have such good friends! Now sit back and enjoy the four months of hard work I put into our 5th Anniversary video! -Barnezy-
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