the wildfire life

As I sit in my living room, watching the snow fall on the pond, it almost feels too good to be true—yet here I am, living this moment. The past five years have been a wild ride for so many of us. COVID (need I say more?). For my family, it’s also brought cancer, a stroke, loss, an empty nest, the end of a career, opening a business, selling our family home, moving to a new city, living with my mom, buying a house, finding a new church, facing a painful diagnosis… and more. Like I said—wild. And yet, somehow, I find myself here, in this place of beauty, choosing to embrace the joy in my life.

When we opened Wildfire Gallery in June 2021, I had just finished 30 rounds of radiation after breast cancer surgery. I could have stayed in my empty house, just surviving. Or—I could take a chance and embrace the opportunity to open a gallery in my hometown, just an hour and a half away. We jumped in with both feet.

For a few months, things were going great—until my husband, Greg, was diagnosed with COVID. He was at our home in Lawton while I was in OKC running the gallery and caring for my parents. My dad was on hospice for Parkinson’s, and I was by his side with my mom when he passed. Meanwhile, Greg was still at home, fighting COVID. Two weeks later, he suffered a stroke, losing the use of his right hand. As a right-handed pianist and artist, it was devastating. I temporarily closed the gallery and went back to Lawton to focus on his recovery—which, I’m so grateful to say, has been miraculous!

As you can see, life has changed in almost every way since opening the gallery. But the things that truly matter have stayed the same—our love for faith and family, our passion for the arts, and our commitment to being active in our community.

I hope you’ll follow along as I continue sharing our story and the stories of the incredible people in our lives.