Confession #12 : The Branding Vote

Hey! Hey! First off, Zachary and I both want to thank everyone for the kind words, well wishes, encouragements and offers to help from all our family and friends! We couldn't be more excited for this new adventure!

Part of what I am so excited about it getting to use my skills for marketing, design and business planning to get this office going. I know Zac is going to totally rock it once we get it set up and I can't wait to get everything rolling with him!

One of the first things on the list is to figure out Zac's brand!! :-) I've come up with these three options. We do have a favorite, but we wanted to see what our friends and family think. So you get a vote!!! :-)


Brand #1: JMH Tree

Brand #2: Book and Quill

Brand #3: Z Box

So... voting time!! Do you like JMH Tree, Book and Quill, or Z Box the best? Which do you think is the best brand to represent an attorney?

Comment on the blog or on Facebook with your vote. You can tell us why you picked it, or give us any general feedback that you'd like. Thanks!

ALSO: On the JMH Tree... did you see it? Be honest, did you notice it before I just made you go back and look?

Confession #11 : We've Got Big News!

We stepped out into the warm air outside the office building. The sun was long gone, but the theater lights two buildings down added a warm glow to the street. I watched my husband step down onto the sidewalk with a big smile on his face.

"So, what do you think babe?" I asked, pretty sure I already knew the answer. "It sounds like you're saying, 'Yes.' That you're ready to do this?"

He smiled, "I am. Let's do it. It'll be an adventure."

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No, we're not pregnant. (The few people we have told seem to jump there when we first say, "We have some news." or "We have something exciting to tell you." So I just wanted to get that out of the way for starters.)

Zachary A. Privott, Attorney at Law, will soon be opening his office across the street from the Lincoln County Courthouse in Chandler, OK and we couldn't be more excited!

God is faithful!
For two months Zac and I have been praying consistently about finding a new position for him. He has had a valuable experience and we are very grateful for the job he has now, but with some years of practice under his belt Zac has been looking for what could be next.

About a month ago Zac was contacted by a friend from OU who's father-in-law was interested in a satellite law office in Chandler. Mr. David Ball has been very kind and helpful as he and Zac have walked through the process of ironing out details and coming to an arrangement that will not only benefit both offices, but also will be a great relationship.

Last night after dinner with he and his wife, detailed discussions and a tour of both David's office in Stroud and what will be Zachary's office in Chandler my husband shook hands with Mr. Ball outside of his soon-to-be office. I have a feeling that this memory, that handshake, has changed our lives forever.

Zac and I have so many plans, ideas and things to do in the next few weeks. First we will get him settled in the office and then begin looking for a house. I am very excited to get to put my passions for design and marketing and my own experience as a small business owner to use for my husband's dream. In the past 12 hours a full month's worth of, "we could do _______" thoughts have become "we're gonna need to do _______." In the chaos that will inevitably come I want my husband to be able to come back to a few simple encouragement a from his wife. So while this post is meant to inform and excite our friends and family, I also want to leave my husband with a letter from his wife.


Dear Zachary,

I am so proud of you. This will be a scary, exciting, challenging, and rewarding adventure and I am so happy to be in it with you.

You will be making thousands of decisions in the next few weeks that will shape your law practice and our lives. I am behind you 100% with every choice that you make. I know you are very capable of setting up a practice with honor and integrity. I know that you are seeking God and are relying on His wisdom to lead you as you lead our family.

Always remember that Christ is your soulmate! He paid for you, adopted you, and gave you the same privileges He gives His Son. He not only owns your soul, He knows it better than anyone and is more delighted with you than I could ever be. (Check out Zeph. 3:17 if you ever need a reminder of that.) He is the one who has extended this opportunity to you and He knows how much it thrills you. Honor Him above all else in every decision that you make.

Remember that I am your helpmate! I was literally designed, created and purposed by our Heavenly Father to help you! I am so proud to stand with you as we begin this new adventure and to "tow the line" with you as your helpmate. Forgive me when I am more of a nuisance than a help and know that I am forever thankful for the grace you extend me on a daily basis. You know how seriously I take my promise to you, and you can rest in the fact that I am with you no matter what. My love for you has nothing to do with the titles that appear next to your name, the colors you wear during football season, the number of zeros in your paycheck, or the address on your drivers license. I love you, I like you and I choose you always.

No matter what is going on, how long the commute is, or how many clients you have scheduled for each day, remember that you have a standing 7:10 (or whatever time it needs to be) meeting with your wife and the Word. I love reading God's Word with you each day. I have so enjoyed studying and putting into practice Justice, Mercy and Humility with you these past few weeks and I can't wait to see how God is going to use what He is teaching us through His word in the next few months and years.

And lastly, have fun! I know there will be times that this new adventure will be more stressful than exciting and more challenging than rewarding, but remember that Joy = Strength. We are here for awhile to LIVE life, an ABUNDANT life. Just as you prayed last night when we finally went to bed, "God this office is Yours. Use it. Use me. Use us." I believe with all my heart that God will honor that prayer and that we are in for the adventure of a lifetime. Smile, and enjoy the ride!

All my love,

Karen

Confession #10 : Adventure - The Escape OKC

As we walked into the dimly lit back room I had this thought: "I literally PAID for this man, that I have never met, to lock my husband and four of our friends in this room for an hour. Am I about to live the opening chapter of Steven King's next thriller?"

Andrew (the man I had never met) took a group "before" picture for us, went over the last minute rules and asked if we had any questions. The clock was set for 62 minutes. (We were given two free minutes because our birthday boy agreed to wear the ridiculous birthday hat for the entire game. Score!!) The door locked behind him and the 6 of us began taking apart The Forgotten Outpost.

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The Escape OKC is a live action escape challenge. I first heard about it through a friend's post on Facebook. At the time I had been trying to come up with the perfect gift for my husband's birthday. Last year (while we were still dating) I had given Zac a gift to unwrap, but also had planned a surprise road trip for him. He talked about that road trip for months! Including listing it as his favorite date for a quiz I had to take at a shower before our wedding.

As soon as I saw their website I knew this was it. It would be another experience we could share and not just something else to sit on a shelf. I booked us a challenge time and read up on everything I could about the game.

As I read reviews I saw a few that recommend you have at least 4 people to do the challenge. (It took quite a bit of time to physically locate all the clues throughout the room.) So I secretly invited some friends to join us.

On his birthday Zac unwrapped this poster I had made:

On Saturday we attempted The Forgotten Outpost. A cold-war themed room complete with a large poster of Stalin and an old marked-up map of the USSR. We had a blast working together to find clues, solve riddles and figure out each puzzle we were presented with. Even though we didn't actually escape the room in the time allotted we were very, VERY close. Andrew told us that they try to keep the puzzle completion rate at about 25-30% so that it's not too easy, but it can be done.

It was a ton of fun and we will be going back to try the other room, The Four Brothers, very soon! Andrew told us that they are about to open a new murder mystery room called The Uptown Murder, and will be having a special Halloween-themed room open during the month of October.

Go do The Escape OKC!

Group Size-
You can have up to 6 people in your group. I would absolutely recommend that you have a large group. There were a few times we were all working in 2s around the room. 2 people working on one riddle, 2 looking for more clues and 2 working on a second puzzle. 4 people would probably be okay, but Zac and I agree that we don't think we would have even come close if it had just been the 2 of us alone. Also the more people in your group the cheaper the cost, which brings me to...

Value-
It costs $75 to book a challenge and is, in my opinion, completely worth it. The cost is the same no matter the size of your group. So if you split it amongst 6 people (the max. group size), its only $12.50 per person for a truly unique experience. (You can easily drop that or more on a 3D IMAX any weekend.)

Staff-
The staff was very friendly. All jokes about being locked away by a stranger aside, they were focused on providing an enjoyable experience for us. Andrew, the owner, was very personable, friendly and made sure we understood the challenge before he got us started. As we waited for our turn they were checking in on groups that were in progress via video feed and it was obvious they wanted to see people succeed.

Am I smart enough?-
YES! When I booked the cold-war themed room I was a little bit apprehensive because of my lack of cold-war knowledge. (I was hoping my history-buff-hubby would have enough in his brain to make up for my lacking.) Without giving away any clues or too much detail, I can say that the room itself supplied you with all the information you needed to complete the challenge. We were told that we could bring in our phones and Google anything we wanted, because it really wouldn't help. The challenge is contained within the room so your cracking the code doesn't rely on your 8th grade World History report card. It takes some sense and patience to put the clues together, but it takes no special knowledge other than the information contained in the room.

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Find out more and book your own challenge at www.theescapeokc.com

About 20 mins after parting ways our friend Derrick, who had worked on the challenge with us, sent us a text, "If they have any openings tomorrow night would you guys be in for trying The Four Brothers?"

Oh Derrick... Yes! Yes we would! :-)