Pink Sky

I'm Tired...

2011-12-16T22:04:00.000-06:00

I’m tired of the hate. I’m tired of the judgment. I’m tired of the bigotry.

From the time my sister and I were very small children, our mom taught us that all people are equal and all people deserve to be treated with dignity and respect. Yes, we grew up in rural Kansas, attended a Christian church, and went to school in a predominantly Caucasian community. No, we did not grow up with great wealth and affluence. We just had a normal childhood – and were raised by a fantastic, progressive mother.

I wasn’t raised to hate, so I can’t understand why there’s so much hate, judgment, bigotry, and intolerance in the world. It comes from all corners, too. Some religions don’t like other religions and choose to judge. Some races don’t like other races. Some heterosexuals condemn homosexuals. And what really kills me is that many of these people choose to hate and judge in the name of their religion – even though their very religion says they’re not to judge.

To me, the bottom line is that people are people. No one should be judged based on his or her appearance, lifestyle, religion, or anything else, until he or she has had a chance to prove/disprove himself or herself.

Do I like everyone in the entire world? No. But I’d like to think that I don’t pre-judge people based upon their characteristics. Typically, if I don’t like someone, it’s because he or she and I don’t see eye to eye, he or she is unkind or a bad person, or he or she is judgmental – and I always try to give everyone a chance first. Am I perfect? ABSOLUTELY NOT! If I said I was, you could readily call me a liar – and I hope you would.

I wish people could open their eyes and see that the color of a person’s skin is not a good indicator of his or her internal person; a person’s religion does not make him or her a good or bad person; a person’s sexual orientation doesn’t make someone right or wrong.

I’m just tired of the hate.

Oops!

2011-12-16T22:03:00.001-06:00

Apparently, I've kind of abandoned my blog. It was completely accidental, so I'm staging a comeback. Well, I don't really know if it can be called a comeback, since I truly never left, but you get the drift.

A Powerful Weapon

2011-10-08T07:47:00.002-05:00

Knives. Guns. Baseball bats. Clubs. Nunchaku. Swords. All are weapons and all, when used in the right manner, can be deadly, or, at the very minimum, extremely harmful.

But when I think about it, the most powerful weapon of all isn't an actual weapon and it can't physically kill or harm anyone. On the surface, it doesn't seem that powerful, but that's a deceptive facade, as it's actually incredibly powerful and damaging.

What is this weapon? Words.

Be careful with your words, for sometimes, even when they're said in an off-hand or joking manner, they may wound more deeply than you realize. And, much like the gun that's been fired or the club that's been swung, they can't be taken back. Yes, you can explain or even apologize, but the hurt's still there. And you know what? It doesn't always go away easily.

Crazy, Glittery, Trashy Vegas!

2011-08-19T15:17:00.001-05:00

For the past three years, I’ve spent five days each summer in Las Vegas for work. I’ve never taken anyone with me, other than my coworkers. This year, though, I called my mom and invited her to join me; I’ve ALWAYS wanted to hang out with Mom in Vegas and this year, we made it happen.

Instead of flying in while I was busy with work, Mom elected to fly in on the last day of our tradeshow and we stayed an additional three nights. The beginning of our insanely fun girl weekend was fraught with complications, including no A/C in the airport, a super late flight, a lost cell phone, a hotel that forgot to hold our room, and an initial replacement room that looked like something from a horror movie, but we got the crap out of the way early on in the trip.

Sadly, even though we both took our cameras to Vegas and both have cameras on our phones, we neither one took a single picture. That’s a huge fail on our part, as documenting those memories would have been a fabulous idea.

We definitely made the most of our four days. We gambled up and down the Strip, visited Fremont twice, had fantastic balloon hats made at Margaritaville, spent way too much money in The Mirage at The Beatles stores, and slept very little. Oh, and we crammed in a bachelorette party and a wedding for one of my best friends, too.

I came home broke, but totally happy. I may not have won in the casino, but I definitely won in the mom department!

It seems like everyone these days talks about having a bucket list – you know, a list of things they want to do before they kick the proverbial bucket. I’ve never assembled a formal bucket list. Instead, I just know there are lots of things I want to do while I’ve still got time. I’ve done some of them, but nowhere nearly all; some have been amazing experiences and others haven’t been as fun. But this one? This one was a biggie. As I said, I’ve always wanted to do Vegas with my mom and it was more fun than I ever dreamed! And, yes, we’re already starting to plan our next trip. I can’t wait!

Second Place...

2011-07-28T17:20:00.001-05:00

Remember those popular No Fear T-shirts from back in high school? You know, the ones that featured obnoxiously funny slogans? One of my favorites said, oh-so-snarkily, “Second place is the first loser.”

For years, I’ve quietly giggled over that saying, finding it meanly amusing – until today.

There’s no two ways about it – being second SUCKS.

Tornado Follow-Up

2011-06-02T19:56:00.003-05:00

Here's the response that I finally received from the City of Midwest City late last week:

I am truly sorry for the problems you encountered on Tuesday. As you know Midwest City operates 3 public shelters and has a shelter manager designated for each location. The shelter at city hall was full that is why we had several people including yourself that were on the first floor and not in the shelter. Knowing that the Reed Center shelter was not full and knowing that citizens had adequate time to drive to that location before severe weather reached Midwest City I made the decision to send those not in the shelter to the Reed Center where it was confirmed that they were not full at that time. The City maintains its policy that only service animals are allowed in the shelter. Thanks!

Midwest City
Emergency Manager

I have yet to respond to him, but I seriously probably still will. I've been allowing myself a little time to cool down about being told that my life essentially didn't matter to this man. Don't get me wrong -- I'm super happy that we all were safe, but what happened was just flat unacceptable. And, honestly, I think this response is a watered-down, poor excuse of a response -- and one that I'm guessing this person was forced to make.

Shelter From the Storm...Or Not

2011-05-25T18:55:00.003-05:00

The following is an email that I sent to all Midwest City, Oklahoma, City Commissioners, the Mayor, City Manager, and Assistant City Managers after I several of us were kicked out a storm shelter during last night's tornadoes, due to a lack of room. Thus far, I haven't received an answer. I'm hoping for a response soon. I'll keep you updated:

To Whom it May Concern:

For the past two and a half years, I’ve lived in Midwest City. When I moved here as a young professional, I did so against the advice of many friends who’ve lived in the greater Oklahoma City metro area for several years. Numerous people told me Midwest City was not safe, clean, or well-governed. I believed them to be wrong and have proven them wrong; I’ve enjoyed nearly everything about Midwest City…until last night.

Beginning Monday, central Oklahoma was warned about the possibility for dangerous weather. We were encouraged, even by the City of Midwest City’s official Twitter account, to have a plan in place, should dangerous weather occur. So, I set about developing my safety plan.

I learned that Midwest City provides three public shelters, so I called the City’s switchboard for more information. When I asked if I could bring my small, calm, vaccinated, dog in a crate, I was told, unequivocally, no – but more on that in a minute. I decided I’d leave my dog in the closet and seek shelter at City Hall, should the need arise.

With a plan firmly in place, once the sirens began to sound last night, I left my house and headed for City Hall, upset over leaving my pet, but reassured by the fact that I’d be safe. I got to City Hall and saw numerous people flocking in the door, many with pets. I joined the line and went inside. There was a major jam of people, so I couldn’t get down the stairs, but from my vantage point, I could see that people could easily make more room in the basement by crowding together. About 20 of us stood in the hallway upstairs, away from glass, figuring that was better than going back to our cars.

You can imagine my complete and total shock when we were told, even while Tinker’s sirens were sounding and meteorologists were warning people to take cover, that we had to leave! We were told, in no uncertain terms, by a City of Midwest City official employee (wearing an official polo-style shirt with, I believe, an Emergency Management logo) that we were not allowed to stay. When I questioned him, he told me he “didn’t care” where I went, but there wasn’t room for us at City Hall – when, quite obviously, the people downstairs could have moved closer and provided more room.

Luckily, I knew there was an additional shelter at the Reed Center, but, let me tell you, that’s not too much comfort when the sirens are sounding and you’re driving through pouring rain, all because someone “didn’t care”. Obviously, I, along with several other people, arrived at the Reed Center and was safe, but that doesn’t change the treatment that we received.

Are your Emergency Management employees truly that poorly prepared? Do they need to watch videos and review the stories of people from Joplin who were killed while in their vehicles? Or, to bring it even more closely to home, stories of those who died yesterday while driving down I-40 in the storm? Do they need to be taught that a vehicle is one of the most dangerous places a person can be during a tornado?

I would like to commend the staff at the Reed Center, as they were obviously well-prepared, kind, and caring. It was an orderly scene, with workers helping those with pets, children, the disabled, and the elderly. We were kept updated and everything ran very smoothly. When more people needed shelter, we were told to move closer to each other and make room for them. To the best of my knowledge, NO ONE was turned away. The Reed Center DEFINITELY needs to be used as an example for other tornado shelters.

Quite frankly, though, this entire situation has me re-evaluating my decision to live in Midwest City. Perhaps I’ll heed the advice of my friends and move to Oklahoma City or even Edmond, where they truly seem to care about the safety of their residents.

I hope you’ll take this email to heart and implement some much-needed training for your employees. There need to be policies and procedures implemented, including one for pets. Otherwise, I’m awfully afraid that there could be storm-related injuries or fatalities in the future, if this treatment and attitude continues.

Midwest City, I’m disappointed in you.

The Soundtrack to My Life

2011-04-17T21:42:00.002-05:00

I love music. Maybe it's because I believe that music is, essentially, lyrical poetry. And, obviously, I love poetry. My musical tastes are pretty eclectic, as they range from the Beatles to Eminem and Don Henley to The Fray and pretty much everything in between. So, I'm taking a challenge that I saw on another blog -- I'm putting my mp3 player on shuffle and explaining the first five songs that play. Why? Because I think it sounds interesting.

Song one -- Sundown, Gordon Lightfoot: Why is this song on here? I don't really have a specific reason, other than liking Gordon Lightfoot. When I was a kid, my mom listened to him, so I suppose it's partially because it takes me back to my childhood. Guess that explanation isn't too exciting!

Song two -- Dear Mr. President, Pink: Gotta admit, this is a pretty heavy song. I'm a huge Pink fan and also am extremely interested in politics. I'm a registered democrat and I'm NOT a George W. Bush fan, although I did vote for him the first time (I'm tremendously ashamed to admit that now, though). This song says so many things that I felt, especially towards the end of his term -- so very many things that I had difficulty putting into words.

Song three -- Without Me, Eminem: This is one of those songs that I just like for no real reason. It became popular when I lived in Pratt and one of my coworkers loved this song -- and if you knew him, you'd probably be surprised. It was the first Eminem song that I really liked.

Song four -- November Rain, Guns 'N Roses: Oh, Guns 'N Roses...takes me back to sixth grade, Teen Town dances, and sneaking into my sister's room when she wasn't home to borrow this tape. She loved GNR, my mom hated them, and I pretended to be indifferent, but I secretly liked them.

Song five -- Cat's in the Cradle, Harry Chapin: This song...this song has so ridiculously much meaning to me. It's not a secret that I have an essentially non-existent relationship with my father. Apparently, when I was a little girl and this version of the song was popular, it was one of my father's favorite songs. I always wanted to spend time with him and he never had time for me -- and my mom always cautioned him that the lyrics would come true. In a way, they have. Interesting.

So, that's pretty much it -- a portion of the soundtrack to my life! This was interesting for me -- maybe I'll do it again some day.

Slot Machines, Deer, and Bikes

2011-04-07T18:29:00.003-05:00

One of my closest girl friends and I have established a recent tradition -- hitting Fire Lake Grand Casino one Wednesday night a month. I guess maybe you can't really call it a tradition yet, as we've only gone twice, but it's such crazy fun that we swear we're going each month.

The main reason we go on Wednesdays is because every Wednesday is Ladies' Night at Fire Lake. That means you get $10 in free match play on your Player's Club card and, if you have the handy-dandy little coupon that they send you each month, you get ANOTHER $10 in free match play.

The first time we went, we walked out after a couple of hours, both between $100-200 richer. The second time we went, I walked out $311 richer and Jenn was ahead, too. It definitely was a success!

On the way home, we had a deer play target practice with Jenn's car, but luckily, we all escaped unscathed (except the poor deer). It definitely shook us up, but it still didn't dampen our enthusiasm on going again.

After a ton of debate, I finally decided what to do with my second batch of winnings (the first went to pay doctor's bills and prescriptions, thanks to my third bout with bronchitis this year). Yes, I could use a new cell phone, but instead, I decided to buy a bike. You read right...a bike...and I don't mean a motorcycle.

I've wanted a new bike for several years and have plans to start riding to work and around town for simple errands. I looked at bikes at WalMart and Target, but nothing seemed very comfortable. So, I started doing research and finally decided I'd be better off spending a little more and getting a truly high-quality bike.

Poor Jase listened to me rant, rave, guess, and second guess myself for hours and also went shopping with me. After two weeks of shopping and countless hours of research, I finally narrowed it down to two bikes. Then, finally, last Saturday, I pulled the trigger and bought this:

It's a Trek 7100 -- a hybrid bike -- one designed for comfortable riding on streets, paved trails, and even some non-paved trails. I bought it from Al's Bicycles in Edmond (whom I HIGHLY recommend) and will get to pick it up this weekend. I'm so very excited!

It's a Home, Not a House

2011-03-05T21:34:00.003-06:00

Yesterday, I had the opportunity to be inside a very nice house -- notice, I didn't say home. It was decorated impeccably and there was neither a speck of dust nor an imperfection to be found. It was beautiful...but very, very cold.

I don't yet own a house (am happy renting for now), but I do take pride in my home. I love to decorate and think I actually have a knack for it...albeit in a different manner than a professional iterior designer. My home is decorated with items that are uniquely me -- vintage items from the 50s and 60s, a red pleather chair, "ugly" lamps, tons of photos, and other random items that I happen to love. It's by no means a showplace, but I love it.

When I think about my house and it's quirkiness, I sometimes wonder if I should grow up and decorate in a more staid manner...focus less on my unique items and more on what looks good to society. Then, I realize that it's me...my house is very definitively me. It's fun and interesting and unlike anything (or anyone) else. I love that my friends can walk into my home and be comfortable. I love that people don't need to worry if they get dust on the floor when they walk in. I love that I have a home, rather than just a house.

Sure, I could change my style and have a more beautiful (but safe and boring) house...but then, to me, I'm afraid that it wouldn't be a home. It just wouldn't be me.

So, for now, I'm keeping things as they are and enjoying my home. While I may not have the absolute nicest things of anyone, they're mine and I love them and they make my house my home. When you walk into my house, there's a good chance that you'll find an extra pair or two of shoes by the door and some dog hair on the couch -- but that's my normal...it's my home.

After all, one of the best compliments I ever received was from a friend who hadn't been to my house in several years. When he walked in, he told me, "Meg, your house always feels the same -- it's just so comfortable and truly feels like a home." Indeed!

I Want My Rose-Colored Glasses Back!

2011-03-05T21:32:00.000-06:00

Las month, snow, ice, and Arctic temperatures have pretty much had the state of Oklahoma at a complete standstill. The majority of Oklahoma is not prepared in any way, shape, or form to deal with snow and/or ice. In addition, probably 98% of Oklahomans panic when forced to drive in any type of inclement weather (including rain), so the roads have been, at best, dangerous.

Last week, I heard a news bulletin on the radio that eight individuals had been involved in a horrific car accident in far northeast Oklahoma – near Miami. (They all were in one vehicle, which wasn’t a good idea to begin with, since it wasn’t a large van or SUV, but I digress.) They were driving down the Turnpike and somehow flipped their car over the edge of a bridge and into an icy river, some 60 feet below. Three of the eight died – two from the impact and one from hypothermia – and the remaining five survived, all in serious condition, with broken bones and hypothermia.

The media soon began showing photos from the scene, including photos of the Chevy Avalanche they’d been driving, which said “Enrique” across the top of the windshield. Within seconds, the comment sections on the news websites were filled with hateful comments about the ethnicity and citizenship of the individuals in the SUV. The things said were unbelievable and horrible – things like that the injured and dead were probably illegal immigrants, so they deserved to die. They literally took my breath away and made me sick to my stomach.

What in the world has happened to humanity? Common human decency? Compassion? Have we, as a society, become so jaded that we don’t care about anyone besides ourselves? It makes me sick to hear people say things like were said in these comment sections. It makes me sick to see people rush to judge others based on their skin color, name, ethnicity, or anything else that truly doesn’t matter. It just makes me sick.

Several years ago, I was accused of wearing rose-colored glasses. That’s obviously no longer the case. I’d like to think that decency and compassion could prevail in this world, but apparently that’s not the case. There’s so much hate in the world today and I just don’t understand it. I don’t know how to change it. Sometimes I wish that I still was wearing those rose-colored glasses. Life would be a lot more pleasant.

Justifying Your Actions

2011-01-22T21:43:00.002-06:00

As a child, I was raised attending church. I faithfully attended nearly every Sunday, essentially from the time I was an infant until I graduated from high school. I've attended sporadically since then, although not as faithfully -- and definitely not as much in recent years because I somewhat question religion.

The summer after my sixth grade year, I attended church camp. I remember having a really good time, swimming in the lake, dancing to old country songs, and having a crush on the absolute cutest boy I'd ever laid eyes on, but I don't remember a ton else about camp...except the lyrics to a song we learned: One Tin Soldier.

The chorus of the song still sticks with me today:

"Go ahead and hate your neighbor,
Go ahead and cheat a friend.
Do it in the name of Heaven,
You can justify it in the end.
There won't be any trumpets blowing
Come the judgement day,
On the bloody morning after....
One tin soldier rides away."

The past two weeks have been two of the more difficult weeks I've experienced in recent memory. In fact, I can pretty much say they've been about the worst I've had in years, save for the week we lost Pop.

So, what's the connection between this song and the last two weeks? The person who's made the last two weeks so difficult for me has done so and then used the fact that she's a Christian to defend her actions.

I'm no longer the devout Christian I once was and it's largely because of people like this individual. I have an incredibly difficult time listening to someone claim to be a Christian and then watching them do things that are SO un-Christlike that it's nearly impossible to fathom.

If there truly is a god, I have to believe that, when the judgement day comes, he's going to have a field day with people like this -- those who do horrible things and then claim to be doing them in his name. It's just so wrong.

So, as the song I learned so long ago implies, go ahead and do whatever you will to me...and do it in God's name. Do it. I may never be able to see you encounter the consequences of your actions, but I truly believe that you'll eventually have to answer for your behavior. Somehow, someday, somewhere.

366 Days

2010-11-23T18:45:00.002-06:00

It's been 366 days since you left. I was going to write this yesterday, but I had a good day and was filled with happy thoughts and memories of you, so I waited because I knew that I'd be sad if I truly thought about how much I miss you.

I can't believe that it's been 366 days since I last talked to you. I know that probably doesn't really count because you couldn't respond the last time I called, but somehow, in some way, I have to know that you knew it was me on the other end of the phone.

In some ways, the past year has flown by. Like everyone says, the holidays were difficult without you around. This was my first Valentine's Day in years that you didn't send me chocolate...or at least a card. Since I was old enough to remember, we spent Independence Day with you (as long as I wasn't traveling for work, as I've done in recent years). I was in Las Vegas this year for work, but I thought about you -- and had a hard time not crying all day. This was my first birthday without you. Seeing as my birthday's the day after Independence Day, I had a couple of really hard days.

Most days, when I think of you, I smile -- I remember your twinkling blue eyes and booming laugh. I remember how much you loved me. There are days, though, when knowing that I can't pick up the phone and call you breaks my heart.

I miss you so much, Pop. I wonder if you'd like my tattoo that I got in your memory. I wonder if you're proud of me. I wonder if you found amusement in the Exit sign that inadvertently hung above your casket in the funeral home, due to fire martial regulations. (Somehow, I think you might have appreciated the irony.) I wonder if you'd be amused by the fact that I'm seriously thinking about taking a hunter safety course this summer so I can hunt deer with Jason next winter, even though I'm still not sure I want to actually take my own deer. (I have a hunch you'd be tickled.)

Next year, when it's been 730 days, I hope that my memories of you are still as sharp. I hope I can still hear your laugh and see your twinkling eyes. I know that time will dull the pain, but I hope that it doesn't dull my memories of you.

Most of all, Pop, I hope you know how much I still love you.

Giving Thanks

2010-11-17T18:27:00.000-06:00

Turkey, sweet potatoes, stuffing, mashed potatoes, cream cheese corn, homemade rolls, gravy, cranberries, pumpkin pie…Thanksgiving just tastes so sweet! I have to admit, though, I’m not particularly excited for Turkey Day this year. So, while I’m not necessarily excited about the holiday yet, I’m determined to get myself in the spirit.

Honestly, I AM looking forward to having a couple of days off, if for no other reason than to relax and spend some time with friends. I’m not going to Kansas this year because I was supposed to work the day after Thanksgiving – and that’s just way too far to drive for a meal. So, I’m staying in Oklahoma and probably will be joining Jason and his family for the day. If that doesn’t work out, I’ll be joining Joel and Mary and their crew for lunch; if that’s the case, I’ll just plan on wearing sweat pants and rolling myself home – and then not eating for about four days after!

Then, you have Black Friday…the shopping day to end all shopping days! I was supposed to work, but I *just* found out that we get the day off this year. Whoo-hoo! I’m going to try to get some shopping done.

After that, the Christmas countdown begins in earnest. And I can happily say that I AM excited about Christmas this year! I’m going back to Kansas for the first time in what seems like forever and will be spending several days with my family and friends. I hope to make a stop in Wichita and see some friends I haven’t seen in a while – especially Roy and Lisa and their adorable kids. I LOVE Christmas and all that goes with it – the cooking, baking, shopping, wrapping, sneaking, surprising, laughter, smiles, good cheer, and more. All in all, I’m looking forward to all of it – including NOT seeing my father.

But, let’s rewind a minute – since I’m having a hard time getting excited about Thanksgiving this year, I decided to start thinking about things for which I’m thankful. So here, in short order, are some of the things for which I’m thankful this year:

My family – They say you can’t pick your family, but if I could, I think I’d keep most of mine (at least the maternal side). I’ll even keep some of the fruits and nuts because they add spice to life.

Jason – I’m pretty much the luckiest girl in the world to have such an awesome boyfriend.

Tess and Tanner – There’s nothing better than a puppy hug at the end of a long day!

My friends – They say you can’t pick your friends…wait, that’s your family that you don’t get to pick. In all seriousness, I’ve got some of the most amazing friends in the world and they really ARE my second family. I wouldn’t trade them for the world.

I’m thankful for so much more, but I don’t want to get sappy here – and I’m definitely not going to be like the person at work who’s most thankful for the fact that “The Sooners suck less than Texas this year.”

Happy Thanksgiving, y’all!

Bibles and Bras

2010-11-13T18:34:00.002-06:00

Ahhh…Oklahoma…land of the hypocrites!

Deeply entrenched in the bible belt, most Oklahomans love their guns and their god, while they loudly and proudly proclaim their distaste for religions other than Christianity, homosexuality, and anyone who dares to be pro-choice.

So yesterday, the announcement was made that the Lingerie Football League was interested in bringing a “team” to Oklahoma City. According to the articles I read, the LFL is comprised of teams of women who wear lingerie (duh) while playing football. A few other major league cities have teams and they believed their next location should be Oklahoma City. It took approximately 3.48 seconds for OKC Mayor Mick Cornett to offer up a resounding “Hell, NO!” to the idea of a Lingerie Football League making its home in our city.

How do we get to the correlation between devout Christians and Mayor Mick’s rejection of the LFL? Well, it’s like this…Mayor Mick’s rejection was met with massive amounts of hostility – people seem to love the idea of the LFL coming to OKC and are enraged that he’s blocking their attempt to develop a local team.

Wait…this is the bible belt, right? If we’re filled with truly devout Christians, then why in the world are we so angry that our mayor doesn’t want to allow in a “team” that focuses on extremely scantily clad women, beer drinking, and other “immoral” ideas – a “team” that is extremely degrading to women? To me, it seems that a true Christian wouldn’t want to see something like the LFL in their state…but, then again, it seems like many Oklahoma Christians are hypocrites – it’s the whole do-as-I-say-not-as-I-do mentality.

While Mayor Mick hasn’t given exact reasons as to why an LFL team wouldn’t be allowed to play at either the Cox Center or the Arena Formerly Known as the Ford Center, there are thought to be several – including the fact that the entire LFL is in a major financial bind and appears to be on the brink of financial disaster. I truly don’t think that he’s trying to infuse morality into our city – if he was, then I doubt he’d be such a huge OKC Thunder supporter, what with their equally scantily-clad Thunder Girls. I believe it’s simply a matter of making a sound business decision.

Political Vomit

2010-11-08T19:41:00.003-06:00

Excuse me while I spew a little political vomit. This is mostly just my stream of thoughts right now, so it might not all pull together well. I think you'll get the idea, though.

Last Tuesday, my state experienced a major change. (Actually, our entire country experienced a major change, but for the sake of this post, I'm simply thinking about my state's change...and that, honestly, is a whole heck of a lot for me to absorb.) For the first time in state history, the majority of all elected State of Oklahoma offices will be held by republicans, come January. And, to be brutally honest, it scares me.

When I moved to Oklahoma more than five years ago, I was excited to learn that I was moving to a primarily democrat-led state. I soon figured out that Oklahoma democrats basically are just democrats in GOP clothing, but there still were a few true democrats out there...a few like me...a few *true* liberals. While those true liberals are few and far between, it's always made me feel at least a little better.

Two years ago, we, as a nation, elected our first democratic president in eight years -- President Obama. We all knew that he was inheriting a huge mess from the previous eight years, but I believe that most of us had great hope that he could get our nation back on track. Fast forward two years and it seems that almost no one is happy with President Obama. He hasn't accomplished as much as I'd hoped, but realistically, I understand that it took us more than two years to get into this mess, so it's going to take a heck of a lot more than two to get us out.

So, last week, due to massive amounts of unhappiness with our nation's administration, people flocked to the polls. Sadly, this unhappiness manifested itself throughout the entire elections -- both locally, on a state level, and nationally.

In Oklahoma, every single elected political administrative office will now be held by republicans. After January, there will scarcely be a democrat to be found in the state capitol, save the few in the House and Senate who managed to be elected. We ousted some perfectly great democratic administrative officials (insurance commissioner, for one) based solely on the fact that they are democrats. Instead, we elected a very conservative governor who's tight with Sarah Palin...a lieutenant governor who's primarily concerned with making all abortion illegal...and more.

Oh, and we also passed some seriously ridiculous state questions, including one banning the use of Shariah Law and/or all religious and international law (anyone stop to think about some of those little treaties -- you know, like the Geneva Convention?) and one mandating the presentation of official identification at the poll (wait, that happened to me last week anyway). Lawsuits already have been filed regarding the question disavowing the use of Shariah Law. There's no doubt that this new law is unconstitutional and will not hold, but, hey, let's pass it anyway and then spend hundreds of thousands of dollars to fight it in court! It's not like we're not already in the middle of a budget crisis!!!

I'm worried about what's going to happen in the next several years. I'm afraid that the already monsterous gap between the haves and have nots is going to get even more insurmountable. I worry that we're going to continue to try to take away rights through numerous means. I'm concerned that we're going to increase the amount of xenophobia in this state -- and, let me tell you, we don't need any more than we already experience! I'm worried that things are just going to get worse.

I have to wonder how we're going to make it through the next two-four years. The only thing I can hope is that, come next election cycle, people will be unhappy with this new "change" that they voted it -- and that common sense will prevail and we won't become our own worst enemy.

Choosing to be Happy

2010-11-05T19:54:00.000-05:00

Contrary to the popular saying, life isn’t always a bowl of cherries…at least my life isn’t! I have awesome days, I have crappy days, and I have days that are just, well, days. I long ago learned that some situations are great and others are not-so-great and, while I can’t necessarily do anything to change my situation every single time I don’t love it, there is something I can control – my own personal happiness.

Sometimes life doesn’t give you exactly what you love – your current job may not be your dream job, you may live in a city that doesn’t really feel like home, or you may want to weigh more, or in my case, a whole lot less. There are things that each of us can do to affect change in these situations – look for a new job, make our house and city an actual ‘home’, or exercise to gain or lose weight…but it’s sometimes hard because these things typically don’t happen overnight. Rather, they take time, dedication, and perseverance. And, of course, there are always things that can’t be changed – someone’s opinion of us, the temperature outside, and the color of the sky. We just have to learn to live with those things.

So, what do I do in the meantime? I try to make the best out of every situation. There’s almost always something positive to be found in every life situation, no matter how dire it may seem. To that end, I CHOOSE to be happy. Sure, I really want to lose weight, but instead of sitting around, whining about being fat, and letting life pass me by, I’m working on it slowly and still enjoying all that life has to offer. Sure, it would be easy to mope and pout because I can’t wear the cute jeans I bought three years ago, but I’d rather enjoy life – albeit in a pair of pants that’s a size larger (and they’re still cute). Life’s way too short to let it pass me by! So, now it’s up to you – are you going to choose to be happy or are you going sit around and let your current situation take away from your potential happiness? I’m choosing happiness.

Do Your Part!

2010-10-26T19:53:00.002-05:00

I'm a firm believe in our right...no, make that our DUTY...to vote. I registered to vote shortly after I turned 18 and have proudly voted since that day. Now, perhaps more than ever, it's direly important to make your voice heard by voting.

Next Tuesday, November 2, is election day in Oklahoma. We'll choose a new governor, lieutenant governor, insurance commissioner, state superintendent, legislators, and more. You may think that since these are state-level elections, your vote doesn't make a difference. You'd be wrong. Each and every single vote counts. If you vote, even if your chosen candidate isn't successful, you'll make your voice heard...you'll say your part...you'll be doing your duty.

I don't want to tell you for whom you should vote (okay, so I really DO want to, but it's your decision and that's part of the beauty of voting). But I do want voters to be educated and ready to make decisions based on facts. In this election, in some ways, it seems more confusing than ever. But careful research can help you find the facts.

During this election, Oklahomans will vote on 11 (yes ELEVEN) different state questions, running the gamut. There are several questions on which I've definitively decided my vote (744, for example), but there are still others about which I have questions. So, tonight, I set out to learn more about them. I found this website: https://www.sos.ok.gov/gov/proposed_questions.aspx. It describes each state question in detail, which should help voters be better prepared, come Tuesday.

I also learned this evening that voters can take a "cheat sheet" into the voting booth with them. This cheat sheet cannot be used in an attempt to sway other voters, but it can be used to help you remember your research and decide how you want to vote.

While I'm decided on many of the races for the main offices, I've still got some research to do -- and some decisions to make. But, by next Tuesday, I'll have made my decisions and be ready to make my voice heard. Please, do the same.

Oklahoma vs. DC

2010-09-30T18:47:00.003-05:00

Ah, yes...I just saw a commercial for esteemed Oklahoma gubernatorial candidate Mary Fallin. Mary Fallin...the political conservative...the woman who's endorsed by Sarah Palin...the woman who says that she's sick of Washington politics...the woman who's full of the "do as I say" mentality. The woman who, quite frankly, I believe to be a huge hypocrite.

A couple of years ago, Fallin successfully ran for US Congress and won. She represented Oklahoma at the national level and now has decided to run for governor. Her reasoning, at least according to the commercial I just saw? "I'm sick of Washington politics! The best way to fight the politics as usual is as your next governor."

Really? The best way to fight Washington politics is as a state governor, rather than a congressional representative, where you can actively vote and have a voice? Really? That's like me saying that the best way to improve the economy in the state of Hawaii is by living in Kansas. Seriously. (Oh, wait...being a congresswoman should dictate that you actually show up and vote, but I digress.)

Don't get me wrong -- I'm glad she's no longer in Washington. I'd like to see someone with some true common sense and a bit more liberal lean represent me, but this is Oklahoma, so that's probably not going to happen.

But I'm scared about the possibility of her being our next governor. She's super conservative and has very different thoughts, values, and beliefs. Our state's in the midst of what I believe is pretty much a full-on budget crisis. We need to be focused on what we can do to save money and turn our economy around. Instead, I'm worried that our state government will, once again, focus their time on unconstitutional things, such as the abortion ultrasound bills, and end up wasting more of our money on the frivilous lawsuits that are sure to follow. Thankfully, Governor Henry has done his best to veto those illegal bills, but he's been overthrown before -- and now is term-limited and gone very soon. So I'm worried about Fallin winning -- she'll probably just sign those bills right into law, illegalities be damned.

While I supported Drew Edmondson in the primary election against Jari Askins, he didn't win the primary vote. So now I'm supporting Askins. Sure, she's a bit conservative for my tastes, but you know what? I think she's got a good head on her shoulders and will stop and think about things, much like Governor Henry has done these past eight years.

Polls indicate that Fallin and Askins are pretty much neck-and-neck right now. Some major players are predicting a win for Fallin, but I have faith that Askins can come around and surprise everyone. At least I hope she can!

Letting Bygones be Bygones

2010-09-16T17:32:00.000-05:00

I’ve learned in life that it’s sometimes important to my mental health to let bygones be bygones. There are people from my past who have wronged me, if you will, but I’ve chosen to let go of my grudges for many of them. It’s just not worth the mental stress to hold a grudge for so long. And, as I’ve learned, sometimes people change. They grow up.

I’m the first to admit that I have bad days. I’m also the first to admit that I do like things to happen my way and that I sometimes get testy when they don’t go how I want. And, yes, I’m known to complain, sometimes quite prolifically, if I experience poor customer service. But, despite all of this, I’d like to think that I’m still a pretty decent human being inside. I always try to remember to treat others as I’d want to be treated (no, it doesn’t always happen, but I’m really working on it).

So what prompted this post? Well, lots of things actually, but one in particular has been bugging me for the past several days: I’m an active Facebooker. I enjoy staying in touch with people from my past, especially those from years ago – those I might not otherwise see, such as many of my high school classmates. I like to know what’s happened to people, but not to make fun of them or be rude – I’m happy to see their successes and am sad when they’re hurting. Do I have friends on my Facebook list who haven’t always been terrifically close to me (and even some to whom I’m *still* not close)? Sure – I think everyone does. All of that said…there’s someone on my friends list who friended me, along with several of my high school classmates, but never hesitates to cut down pretty much everyone from high school, although she at least chooses not to slam people by name. We were never close in the past, but I always thought she was nice and I believe I was always kind to her. I can’t say for sure if anyone was ever not nice to her, but that’s the impression I get.

When I first started reading her snarky little posts, it stung. Then, it made me angry. Now, I just kind of feel sorry for her. I’m guessing she’s not had an easy go of things since high school and the best way to make herself feel better is to cut others down. I’m sorry that she’s struggled in life. But, you know what? I think everyone has, at least in some form or another. We’ve all faced frustrations and difficulties and sometimes things aren’t always what they seem. People change. They grow up. If she’d give people a chance, I think she might be pleasantly surprised to learn that people really do care for her. But that’s a decision that she’s going to have to make on her own…a decision that I suspect she’ll never actually make.

I don’t spend my time re-living the so-called glory of my high school years…nor my college years. High school certainly wasn’t the greatest time of my life and I have less than zero desire to go back. However, I still have friends from those years and I fully believe that, 14 years later, it’s time for everyone to let bygones be bygones and to move on with life.

Still Life Saturday

2010-08-29T11:54:00.010-05:00

A local author and creative genius, who I admire very much, challenged several people on twitter to participate in Still Life Saturday. Basically, the idea was to take photos throughout your day on Saturday, documenting the things you did, even if they were the mundane. The following is my Still Life Saturday for August 28:

It all started with me leaving Jason's at 8 am to head home to meet the A/C repairman. I waited...and waited...and waited...and watched the clock for several hours:

Once the repairman was gone and my A/C was still not fixed, Jase suggested making the day better by grabbing lunch from one of my favorite places in the world. If you're from Edmond, you may recognize this menu:

After lunch, we decided to take the wave runners out to the lake to test drive them before we head to Grand for vacation next week. As a precaution, my awesome and mechanically inclined guy added some fuel stabilizer:

Ahhh...waiting to unload:

Saying goodbye to the lake after playing:

Tess was happy for us to come home:

And Tanner was content to play with his favorite toy -- a bottle pilfered from the recycling bin:

Are my photos great? Nope...partially because I took them with my cell phone, rather than my actual camera. No matter, though -- I still think this was a great idea and it's one that I'm eager to repeat in the very near future...and maybe that's because it helped me realize that even they typical weekends can be spicy, flavorful, and absolutely awesome!

I Wanna Be a Billionaire...

2010-08-25T21:32:00.000-05:00

One of my current favorite songs is Billionaire, sung by Travie McCoy and Bruno Mars. I liked this song long before I ever actually truly listened to the lyrics, simply because of the music and the beat, but after I actually contemplated the song, I grew to love it even more. One line, in particular, has really made me think: “…and last but not least, grant somebody their last wish.”

Yesterday, as Jase and I were driving home from Lake Thunderbird (more on that in a later post), this song came on the radio. Once it was over, I turned to him and asked if he knew why there wasn’t an organization, similar to Make-A-Wish, for granting adult wishes. He and I both agreed it was a great idea.

Make-A-Wish is an absolutely fantastic organization and their work to grant the wishes of children with terminal illnesses is amazing. In fact, I’ve got a friend whose son was granted a wish after he overcame Stage IV cancer, which was diagnosed when he was just four months old. I whole-heartedly support their efforts.

But, I can’t help but feel that it would be nice to do something for adults who also are facing the fight of their lives. So, when we got home, I started doing some research regarding adult wishes and I came across a website for the Dream Foundation, www.dreamfoundation.org. From the research I’ve done, it appears to be a foundation that grants the wishes of adults who have terminal diseases. What an awesome mission!

At this point in my life, I’m not a rich person. I still believe that this is an incredibly worthwhile endeavor and any charitable contributions that I can afford to make are going to go to this group. And, maybe, if I’m ever a billionaire, I can take a line or two from this awesome song and grant some wishes to people who deserve them!

Sucker Punched

2010-08-05T21:29:00.003-05:00

Within the past few weeks, I know at least three people who have been diagnosed with cancer. Happily, one is expected to have a good outcome. Another has a slightly less bright future, but still has some hope. And the third? Well, the third has me feeling like I've been sucker punched.

When I saw my phone flashing with a text alert this evening, I instinctively knew that the message wasn't going to hold good news. I had no idea that I'd learn that a man I've known for the last ten years has been diagnosed with terminal, Stage IV, liver cancer that's totally inoperable. He's got six months to live.

I'm just sick to my stomach. I can't even put into words how shocked I am right now. I've lost friends and family to cancer before, but for some reason, this has just hit me hard and I can't really pinpoint why.

I think part of it is because he's such a happy, friendly, kind, loving, and outgoing guy. I met him and his partner when I took my first professional job out of college -- and we immediately became friends. I haven't seen either of these guys much in the past six years, due to my various moves, but we always exchange Christmas cards. I have a picture of the three of us that sits on a table in my living room -- and they have the same picture of us up at work. Every time I look at it, I smile.

From what I've been told, he's remaining very positive about his situation. He doesn't want everyone to know because he doesn't want people going out of their way and making a big deal over him. In fact, he's such a trouper that he's been given pain medication and he's planning on continuing to work until he absolutely can no longer handle it. But I cannot imagine what he's really feeling inside.

I'll eventually get my head wrapped around this and quit feeling so shocked. I want so badly to call my friends, but I want to wait until I'm in a better mindframe. Hopefully I'll be able to call them this weekend.

Side note: I realize that this is somewhat long and rambling and I'm very sorry. I just need to get this off my chest.

The Statistic That Really Hit Home for Me

2010-07-30T20:21:00.002-05:00

A couple of weeks ago, I was sitting on the couch doing some work while Jason watched a show on Discovery or Planet Green or History or some other informational learning channel. I was halfheartedly listening because it was interesting, but I was busy with my work.

Suddenly, through my haze of work, I heard something that made my blood run cold. I shut my computer and made Jason rewind the show, just so I could make sure that I'd heard correctly. Sadly, I had.

You see, this show was about the Earth and the things that we do to it -- the way that it's changing and the way that it will continue to change, if we don't start altering our lifestyles. So, what was the statistic that startled me? Of all of the plastic that has EVER been manufactured in the world, NONE of it has broken down or biodegraded. None. Not one single piece.

It's stupid, really, that I hadn't realized that before. I guess it makes sense because we know that plastic can be damaging. And, after watching this show, I learned just exactly HOW damaging.

How many bottles of water have I consumed in my life? How many prescriptions have I had filled? How many plastic cups or utensils have I used? How much plastic have I actually thrown away in my life? Way too much.

In the past several years, I've made an effort to recycle, but I often get lazy about it and throw it away because it's easier -- my city doesn't offer curbside recycling, so I have to haul it to the recycling center. There have been more than a few times when I haven't wanted to mess with storing boxes or bags of recyclables until I had time to make it to the center.

No more. From here on out, I'll be storing my recycling at home and making a trip to drop it off each week. I don't care that it's a little frustrating and not the easiest option. I want to do my part to make sure that our little round planet is beautiful for generations to come.

One person can't make a huge difference, but each person makes at least a small one. If we all band together and commit ourselves to recycling instead of trashing, we can make a much bigger impact. Join me, won't you?

Automatic Ways to NOT Get My Vote

2010-07-23T21:19:00.002-05:00

I'm extremely liberal, so obviously, I'm a democrat. Even though the candidates I support typically come from the democratic party, I do vote for whomever I believe will ultimately do the best job.

There are several different things that you, as a political candidate, can do to ensure that you DON'T get my vote. Try one of the following and I will never vote for you, even if you're running against my sworn enemy:

Have a ringing, or for that matter, any other form, of endorsement from Sarah Palin. Seriously, there's no chance in hell that I'd ever vote for her, or anyone she supports. This woman truly isn't qualified to drive a garbage truck, let alone run any form of government.

Misspell or mispronounce words in your campaign ads. Randy Brogdon, candidate for Oklahoma governor, currently is running a commercial on local radio that touts that he's "different from all of those in 'Warshington.'" If you can't pronounce the Washington correctly, then you're probably not smart enough to be running for office, or recording commercials in support of candidates who are running.

Brag that you've never supported a single tax increase. Really? You've never supported a single tax increase? So we should never have developed taxes to help support education, prisons, roads, bridges, and more? You really would rather be driving a horse and buggy on a grass path, with no healthcare and no support? Okay, go ahead with your life...but I'll take my small tax increases and the things they bring on any day.

Bring god or any other religion into the equation. There's this little thing called separation of church and state. You really should remember that fact if you're running for office. I don't care about your religious affiliation -- I simply care that you're intelligent, good, decent, and moral. You don't have to brag about your religion to reassure me of these facts.

Finally, if your campaign revolves solely around slinging mud at your partner, then don't ask for my vote. Truly, I'm intelligent enough to find out about your opponent's misgivings and misdeeds. I don't need you to throw them in my face to help me make a decision. And mudslingers who are incredibly religious are even worse, in my opinion.

So, there you have it. Five huge things that you can do to ensure that you'll NEVER have my vote.

Please Help Locate a Missing Woman!

2010-07-23T21:10:00.003-05:00

Please help us find Tiffiny!

Tiffiny Ann Bray

Please call her family with any information you may have -- 405.250.7518.

The Comanche County Sheriff's Office needs your help finding a woman from Fletcher, Oklahoma. Tiffiny Ann Bray has been missing since 8 a.m. Monday. She is 5' 2" tall, weighs 95 lbs, has blue eyes, and long, curly blonde hair. Bray was last seen driving a 2006 white Chevy quad cab truck with Oklahoma license plate number 608-AXW. Her fiancé says she was on her way to Lawton to run errands. He received a text message from her around 10 a.m. saying that she would be home after noon, but she has not been heard from since. If you have any information on her whereabouts, call the sheriff's department at (580) 353-4280.

This is Jason's sister-in-law's cousin. Please, please, please keep your eyes open and call her family or the sheriff with any information you may have.

What a Pain

2010-07-10T23:16:00.004-05:00

When I was 16, I was diagnosed with Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS). Since prior to my diagnosis, I've dealt with myriad PCOS-related issues, including, at times, some pretty intense pain.

Three and a half years ago, I woke one morning with a massive pain in my lower right abdomen. After showering and going to work, my boss ordered me to the doctor, as he was afraid I was in the throes of an appendicitis. Less than 24 hours later, I was in surgery, having my appendix removed and having my abdomen explored, laparoscopically. Several hours later, I learned that my appendix had been fine, although they went ahead and removed it, but the pain had been caused by rupturing ovarian cysts and endometriosis.

Fast forward to this past January, when I began having severely intense pain in my lower left abdomen. I was pretty sure the pain was either PCOS or endo related, but a trip to the ER, multiple tests, and a consultation with an OB-GYN later, I still had no answers. Frustrated, I sought out yet another opinion -- this time from a reproductive endocrinologist. I had to wait until yesterday for my appointment, but finally, I have some answers.

It turns out that the new massive pain is being caused by a significant buildup of scar tissue on my left ovary. In fact, there's so much scar tissue that it's totally attached to my fallopian tube and is "frozen" in place. The right ovary has some scar tissue, but not as much.

So, what are my options from here? Well, my new doctor is a fan of the team approach to treatment, so I'm now waiting to see a gynecologic urologist and a gastrointerologist. After I've seen these two doctors, the four of us will sit down and format a treatment plan. My doctor has said that one option is surgery to remove the scar tissue and free up my ovary, thus ending the pain, but there's no guarantee that it won't grow back. In fact, it's pretty much a guarantee that it'll grow back...eventually.

For now, I sit waiting, but feeling more secure in at least having some answers. I'm in a great deal of pain, especially after some test yesterday, but at least I know there's a light at the end of the tunnel.

Hopefully I haven't offended anyone with my openness about dealing with PCOS and endometriosis. While both are truly personal problems, I think that we need to remove the stigma of discussing them so that women who are suffering will know that there are options. There's no reason to suffer in silence and no reason to spend as much time trying to find answers as I've spent in my life.

Lost Dog!

2010-06-30T21:43:00.002-05:00

My friend Tracy adopted a dog last Saturday from the Oklahoma City animal shelter. This afternoon when she got home, she found that her roommate had left two of her dogs outside (they're inside dogs) and Rita, her new pup, had jumped the fence and disappeared. As you can imagine, she's heartbroken.

Rita's a two-year-old yellow lab mix who is wearing a green collar with no tags. She's only lived with Tracy for a few days, so she doesn't know her name very well yet. She was in the shelter for two weeks and her name there was Honey, but she doesn't know it well, either.

She disappeared from Tracy's house this afternoon (June 30) between 3-3:30 pm. Tracy lives on NW 31st, just north of the Paseo Arts District.

Can you help sweet Rita find her way home? If you've seen her, you can either call or text Tracy at 405.210.2949 or email her at tracy.walton@gmail.com.

It's Who I Am

2010-06-30T18:47:00.002-05:00

I am so many things.

I'm a daughter, sister, aunt, niece, granddaughter, friend, and girlfriend. I'm not a mom, and may never be, but I love my dog as if she is my child.

I try to be happy most of the time, but I do sometimes have a nasty temper. I protect those I love and would do nearly anything for them...or, for that matter, for nearly anyone. I love quickly and deeply and permanently. I hate to see suffering, whether it's human, animal, or any other form.

I have three tattoos, all of which are meaningful and important to me, and none of which I regret, or ever will regret. To that end, I believe in self expression and probably will end up with at least one more tattoo and eventually would like to pierce my nose.

I believe in karma and in doing no harm. While I'm not a member of any particular organized religion, I do think there probably is a higher power. And, yes, I do pray because it soothes my soul. I do not, however, judge anyone based on his or her religious beliefs and it irritates me when people do judge.

I have a job that's just basically a job. It helps me pay the bills and I work with some cool people, but my job no longer defines me. Ultimately, I'd like to be able to make it as a full-time jewelry designer.

I'm by no means rich...and, while I'd like to have more money, I'm okay with not being a millionaire. Sure, it would make life easier, but I like to think that having to sometimes pinch pennies builds character.

My relationship with my father is non-existent and I'm at peace with that fact. Just because he's my father doesn't mean that I have to honor, respect, or even like him.

When I'm really tired, I tend to either get really, really, really mean and crabby or to cry at every little thing. Of course, there are times that I laugh like a loon, but it's usually one extreme or the other.

I am so many things, all of which combine to make me uniquely me. And if, for some reason, you decide that you don't want to be my friend because of who I am, well, then, I guess that's okay. I'm me...and I'm happy being me. You either like me for being me or you don't. It's that simple.

He's Way Too Young!

2010-06-29T20:28:00.003-05:00

One evening last week, my phone rang. As I picked it up, I saw that it was my mom calling, so I answered, fully expecting to talk to her. I was a little surprised that it was my nephew calling, but I was happily pleased.

We talked for just a few minutes and then he told me why he really called. It seems he has a girlfriend and he wants to buy her a gift -- one of my bracelets. Now, this isn't the first time he's had a girlfriend, but this time, it seems a little different. In fact, this isn't even the first time that I've made a bracelet for one of his girlfriends. I made a couple for a girl's birthday two or three years ago, but that seemed to just be a little kid friendship.

This time, it seems like something's different. It seems more serious...well, at least as serious as a "relationship" can be at 11 years old.

I'm a little surprised. This is my nephew...my sweet (and, yes, extremely stubborn, at times) boy who still giggles over farts, cuddles with his Grams, and sleeps with a stuffed animal or two, when he's upset. It just doesn't seem like he should be old enough to be wanting to buy a gift for his girlfriend...especially a gift just for the heck of it. Sigh...this probably means that I'm getting old. He's still supposed to be a little boy.

What Exactly Is It That You Believe?

2010-06-29T20:11:00.002-05:00

During the past several months, Oklahoma has dealt with a plethora of nasty weather and, honestly, natural disasters. Last May, we were scorched by wildfire; in December, it was record-setting snow; in January, we had icepocalypse; in April and May, we received several nasty tornadoes, and less than two weeks later, still in May, we had one of the worst hail storms ever on record...anywhere. Oh, and let's not forget the floods from two weeks ago. I'm truly beginning to wonder when the locusts are coming, but I digress.

It's been interesting to see how my fellow Oklahomans (I despise the term Okie) have dealt with these issues. Some rely on prayer, some just pull out their boots and gloves, and still others donate time, goods, and money. The theme throughout the past year has seemed to be survival; it's truly cool to see everyone band together to help their fellow men.

A couple of weeks ago, shortly after the hail storm, J and I were driving through town and saw a church saw that was, most likely, meant to be inspirational. It said, "God didn't bring the hail, but he did bring the help."

Um...what?

If you believe that God is the root cause of everything, wouldn't you believe that he brought both the hail and the help? To believe that he brought one, but not the other, seems to me to be a little contracdictory.

Please understand that I'm not denigrating anyone for their beliefs; that's not my style. It just seems a little strange to me to say that you believe one thing, but then to pick and choose parts of it to actually believe, seemingly making it fit your every whim. Shouldn't we all believe what we will, but believe that way all of the time?

A Poppy for My Poppy

2010-06-24T18:24:00.004-05:00

It's no big secret that I like tattoos. Before getting my first, I was warned that they were addictive, but I didn't believe it. Well, that warning was correct...they are incredibly addictive!

I got my first once, Picasso's Dove of Peace, more than two and a half years ago; my second, the Sanskrit interpretation of "honor", followed a year later. I knew that I wanted a third one, but for the longest time, I wasn't sure what I wanted -- but I did know that it needed to mean something important to me, like my first two.

Last November, the idea for my third tattoo became crystal clear. I wanted to get a red poppy in honor and rememberance of Poppy Abe.

So, two weeks ago, my mom came to visit and I decided it was the perfect time to get ink.

Before:

During:

After:

I think he'd be touched...he'd probably tell me that he didn't deserve anything, but I'd have to disagree. After all, he was my Poppy.

Comfort Food, Grandma Style

2010-06-24T18:11:00.003-05:00

I think that everyone has a comfort food that their grandma used to make. Most of my comfort foods were things my mom made, but there are a few out there that remind me of my grandmas: homemade mashed potatoes, melted cheese sauce, strawberry pie, and more. Some people, however, have slightly stranger Grandma comfort foods...like Jason, but no matter how weird they seem, they're sometimes ah-mazing!

A couple of years ago, Jason started talking about Grandma's Country Stew. He dug out the recipe and I think looked at him like he was completely insane. The first time he made it, I barely touched it because, after all, it contained canned vegetables and hot dogs, which are NOT my idea of haute cuisine. The second time he made it, I grudgingly ate some...and fell totally in love. It's so good! Yes, it's definitely a grandma-style comfort food, that, more than likely, was initially made when she looked in her pantry and refrigerator and realized she didn't have a lot of any one thing.

So, without further adieu, here's the recipe for Grandma's Country Stew:

1.5 pounds hamburger, browned and drained
1 package hot dogs, thinly sliced
1 can mixed vegetables (do not drain)
1 can (8 ounce) tomato sauce
1 package sloppy joe mix

Mix all together in either a large skillet or pan; stir and cook until heated through. You can either serve it in a bowl like a soup or over rice or pasta as a main dish. (We tend to prefer it over brown rice.

So, there it is...Grandma's Country Stew. Seriously, don't judge. It's pretty darned good, and, as Jason said, if you were to make it for one of their family dinners, there wouldn't be a single bit left over!

A Yard of Flowers in OKC

2010-06-02T19:07:00.006-05:00

When I was growing up, my Grandma Dorothy and my Poppy Abe were quite the gardeners. They always had a huge garden, filled with all sorts of vegetables, strawberries, and, my favorite, a huge variety of flowers, including the flower I most closely associate with my grandma, the Bachelor Button.

Bachelor Buttons are fun little flowers that are simple and cute. They grow tall and typically are a blue, purple, white, and pink, or any combination thereof. When we were kids, they grew by the ton at Grandma and Poppy's -- and we were allowed to pick and play with them, making things like homemade leis. While I love them, they're not a flower that you see often in floral arrangements; in fact, I just don't see them often at all any more.

A little more than a week ago, I was at my friend Tracy's house in the Paseo Arts District. We were walking down her block, heading to a meeting, when I saw a yard full of Bachelor Buttons. The instinct to pick one was nearly overwhelming, but I stopped myself and just spent a few seconds looking at them and fondly remembering Grandma Dorothy.

Fast forward to last Saturday and, after an incredibly long and hot day, we were again walking past that same yard. As I looked at the Bachelor Buttons again, there, dead in the middle of the yard full of them, was a single bright red Poppy. A Poppy growing among the Bachelor Buttons? You couldn't find a better reminder of my grandparents if you tried for six years.

It's been six months since my Poppy passed away and, to be brutally honest, I'm still not dealing as well as I could with my grief over losing him. Every time I start to cry, I stop myself -- and I know that I haven't truly mourned properly. Somehow, though, seeing that single red Poppy growing amidst the yard of Bachelor Buttons, made me feel a lot better. I still miss him and know that I'll always have a void in my life, but what an amazingly awesome reminder of two fabulous people.

Dancing in the Rain

2010-05-27T16:14:00.000-05:00

Last night, after leaving Henry Hudson’s, where I’d had a drink with the girls after work, I headed to the grocery store to pick up a few necessities. I noticed that it was cloudy and humid and I knew that storms had rolled through, just to the north, an hour or so earlier. I quickly ran in to Crest, grabbed the few things I needed, and came back out, just in time for the rain to start softly falling. Normally, I might have been a little irritated, but last night, it was kind of a magical experience.

You see, I love the smell of rain. I always have and I always will. For me, those first few minutes of a soft late spring or summer rain immediately transport me back to the days of my childhood…

Suddenly, I was no longer standing next to my car in the parking lot of a metro grocery store. Instead, I was seven again, running down the sidewalk at Grandma Barbara’s, laughing uncontrollably with my face tilted up to the sky, taking in that soft rain. I could hear the pinging sound of my feet hitting the sidewalk and see Gus and Ben, her two dogs, running alongside me, while she sewed on the kitchen table – because it was cooler in the kitchen than in her sewing room.

My memory’s time travel didn’t last terribly long, but it was an incredibly sweet journey.

You see, Grandma didn’t care if we played in the rain, as long as there was no lightning. She’d even let us use her umbrella, if we wanted to dance and twirl it, while dreaming we were singing on stage. For that matter, she normally didn’t care if we played in the mud…or the puddles…or her flower beds…as long as we stayed safe and out of trouble.

But, I digress. I feel so fortunate to have sense a strong connection between my sense of smell and my memories. Sure, there are times that it’s difficult – like when I was in public and smelled someone smoking a King Edward cigar shortly after Poppy passed away – but it’s a feeling that I wouldn’t trade for anything!

Ahhh…to be a carefree child again, even if it was just for a few minutes last night, thanks to a brief rain shower!

What a Kid!

2010-04-27T19:32:00.003-05:00

I like kids...I always have. Sure, there are a few out there who are little jerks and don't know how to behave, which annoys me, but there truly are some good kids in this world. With some kids, I'm scared to think that they'll eventually be in charge of the world (for that matter, about half of the adults currently in charge terrify me!), but there are others who give you faith that the world will be well off in their hands.

I personally know several great kids -- Adrian, Harrison, Emilie, Ella, Bridgette, Shayla, Alex, Kaitlyn, Lauren, Emma, Aidan, Isaac, Aidan, Abbie, and many more -- and it always makes me happy to meet other great kids. About a year ago, I met two more great kids -- two of my neighbor kids -- Reece and Cora.

Last night, Reece, who is 13 years old, rang my doorbell and asked me if he could mow my yard this evening. I glanced out at the forest and asked him if he really wanted to do it because it had gotten really out of control after the last week of rain. He told me that he did -- and only wanted $10 for it. Well, I knew that I'd pay him more than $10 because it was BAD -- figured I'd give him $20 and we'd both be happy.

Fast forward to tonight...I came home from work and he was happily mowing away. My front yard was nearly done and looked fabulous! An hour or so later, he finished the back yard and I heard him fire up the weed-eater...which is something that the last professional I hired did NOT do. I looked out and he'd picked up all of the sticks, mowed, trimmed, and more...and did a FABULOUS job! To be honest, other than the time that Jase surprised me and mowed for me last summer, my yard has never looked better. He rang my doorbell to tell me he was done and I handed him $30 and I thought his eyes were going to bug out of his head because he was so excited. I also asked him if he'd be interested in mowing for me the rest of the summer, even though it wouldn't always pay this much. He's in and excited...and getting cookies later this week to share with his sisters.

Kids sometimes get such a bad rap. Sometimes it's deserved, but other times, it's definitely not. This kid, like many of the others I know, is going places! Let's hear it for polite, respectful, kids who have great morals and ethics!

Cruel and Unusual Punishment

2010-04-26T18:58:00.003-05:00

I'm a liberal. I believe in equal rights. I believe in gay marriage. I believe in the separation of church and state. And I also am pro-choice.

Before I go too much farther, let me say that I'm pro-choice, which does not necessarily mean that I'm pro-abortion. Instead, it means that I believe in a woman's right to choose. And, I'm not going any deeper into my beliefs (do I think it's right or wrong) -- other than to say that I support the right to make a choice.

Last week, Oklahoma legislators sent two bills to the governors desk, restricting abortions. Friday, he vetoed the bills because neither contained provisions for cases of rape or incest. Today, with zero discussion, the House of Representatives overrode his veto. Tomorrow, the bills go to the Senate for their vote.

In a nutshell, the bills are designed to make it much harder, both physically and emotionally, for a woman to have an abortion. One bill requires a woman to complete an extremely long questionnaire, detailing her reasons for seeking an abortion, her education, her family background, her religion, and all sorts of other information -- information that will then not be kept behind the veil of doctor/patient confidentiality. This information, sans her name, will be gathered in a statewide database. In addition, this bill also requires that the women undergo a mandatory ultrasound, with the doctor explaining, in great detail, what he or she is seeing. The woman will be forced to listen to the fetal heartbeat. Essentially, these bills are designed to make it excruciating for women to obtain abortions.

Think about this...if a woman is brutally raped and becomes pregnant, she very well may not want to carry the fetus to term. She, after all of her trauma, makes the incredibly difficult decision to have an abortion. She seeks medical attention and is forced to face all of the above...and this is in addition to the horror she's already endured...all because Oklahoma's right-wing nut jobs are so determined that women should not have the right to make a decision regarding their own health.

Substitute a woman who's a victim of incest and you still have the same scenario. A woman whose life is in danger because of her pregnancy...again, same scenario. In fact, you can plug in any woman who's reached the decision to have an abortion into the above and she's still going to suffer additionally and unnecessarily.

We don't force condemned criminals to face this type of cruel and unusual punishment before they're put to death (let's not discuss if I agree with the death penalty or not). So why is it okay for us to make innocent women suffer?

If, as is expected, the Senate overrides the Governor's veto tomorrow, there are already court challenges planned. I can only hope that the highest court will find these bills to be unconstitutional.

If This Doesn't Scare You...

2010-04-13T19:18:00.004-05:00

...then I'm going to guess that not much will. Copied/pasted directly from www.newsok.com (The Daily Oklahoman). I don't even know what to say, other than the thought of this totally and completely terrifies me. We don't need more extremists with weapons:

Oklahoma Tea Party Leaders Consider Forming Volunteer Militia

Frustrated by recent political setbacks, tea party leaders and some conservative members of the Oklahoma Legislature say they would like to create a new volunteer militia to help defend against what they believe are improper federal infringements on state sovereignty.

Tea party movement leaders say they’ve discussed the idea with several supportive lawmakers and hope to get legislation next year to recognize a new volunteer force. They say the unit would not resemble militia groups that have been raided for allegedly plotting attacks on law enforcement officers.

"Is it scary? It sure is,” said tea party leader Al Gerhart, of Oklahoma City, who heads an umbrella group of tea party factions called the Oklahoma Constitutional Alliance. "But when do the states stop rolling over for the federal government?”

Thus far, the discussions have been exploratory. Even the proponents say they don’t know how an armed force would be organized nor how a state-based militia could block federal mandates. Critics also asserted that the force could inflame extremism, and that the National Guard already provides for the state’s military needs.

"Have they heard of the Oklahoma City bombing?” said Joseph Thai, a constitutional law professor at the University of Oklahoma. The state observes the 15th anniversary of the anti-government attack on Monday. Such actions could "throw fuel in the fire of radicals,” he said.

But the militia talks reflect the frustration of some grassroots groups seeking new ways of fighting recent federal initiatives, such as the health reform plan, which requires all citizens to have health insurance. Over the last year, tea party groups across the country have staged rallies and pressured politicians to protest big government and demand reduced public spending.

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In strongly conservative states like Oklahoma, some legislators have also discussed further action to fight federal policies, such as state legislation and lawsuits.

State Sen. Randy Brogdon, R-Owasso, a Republican candidate for governor who has appealed for tea party support, said supporters of a state militia have talked to him, and that he believes the citizen unit would be authorized under the Second Amendment to the Constitution.

The founding fathers "were not referring to a turkey shoot or a quail hunt. They really weren’t even talking about us having the ability to protect ourselves against each other,” Brogdon said. "The Second Amendment deals directly with the right of an individual to keep and bear arms to protect themselves from an overreaching federal government.”

Another lawmaker, state Rep. Charles Key, R-Oklahoma City, said he believes there’s a good chance of introducing legislation for a state-authorized militia next year.

Tea party leader J.W. Berry of the Tulsa-based OKforTea began soliciting interest in a state militia through his newsletter under the subject "Buy more guns, more bullets.”

"It’s not a far-right crazy plan or anything like that,” Berry said. "This would be done with the full cooperation of the state Legislature.”

State militias clearly are constitutionally authorized, but have not been used in recent times, said Glenn Reynolds, a law professor at the University of Tennessee and an expert on the Second Amendment. "Whether someone should get a militia to go toe-to-toe with the federal government … now, that strikes me as kind of silly,” he said.

Some conservative legislators in Oklahoma say talk of a militia, which would be privately recruited, armed and trained, goes too far.

"If the intent is to create a militia for disaster relief, we have the National Guard,” said Sen. Steve Russell, R-Oklahoma City, a retired Army lieutenant colonel. "Anything beyond that purpose should be viewed with great concern and caution.”

Democratic Gov. Brad Henry’s communications director Paul Sund also discounted the militia discussion, saying the National Guard handles state emergencies and security.

Federal authorities say that radical militia groups have not emerged in Oklahoma, unlike many other states, in part because of the legacy of the Oklahoma City bombing. On April 19, 1995, an anti-government conspiracy led by Army veteran Tim McVeigh exploded a bomb outside the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building, leaving 168 people dead.

Last month, FBI agents conducted a raid on the Hutaree militia group in Michigan and accused members of plotting to kill law enforcement officers.

Life Is So Very Fragile

2010-04-12T20:30:00.004-05:00

A couple of weeks ago, I spent five days in Los Angeles for work. As part of the event that I planned and hosted, we visited a local martial arts school that's pretty well-known for training martial artists who end up in feature films and on television. Little did I know that someone I met at this school would reinforce an incredibly important life lesson in me, just two short weeks later.

We had a party one evening at this school and, after watching some seriously amazing performances, met several of the school's staff members. These people were not only amazing martial artists and performers, but also seemed to be amazing, all-around, genuinely good people, which is something that you find all too rarely in life.

One of these staff members was a woman named April. When we met her, she was introduced to us as a quickly-rising Hollywood stuntwoman who was in high demand. From her performance, you could see exactly why -- she made flying, flipping, and twisting through the air seem totally effortless -- all while smiling from ear to ear. She just radiated positive energy.

At the end of the evening as several of us were driving back to our hotel, we discussed the party and her name came up as someone who had impressed each of us. It was partially because of her performance, but mostly because of her demeanor -- and because, even though she didn't know us, as we watched her pull on her motorcycle helmet and gloves and prepare to leave, she thanked us for visiting her school and wished us safe travels, both around LA and on our journeys home.

This morning, I opened my email at work and scanned through it when one caught my attention...and I opened it with dread. It seems that, early last week, April was traveling down 101 in LA on her way to a studio set to perform some stuntwork, when she was cut off by an inattentive driver and killed as a result of the ensuing accident.

I feel so horrible for April's family and friends. From everything I heard, she lived a life that was exactly as I thought it -- happy, loving, humble, cheerful, and full of life. She was four years younger than me...way too young to die.

I truly didn't know this young woman, but I feel a duty after meeting her...a duty to try to live my life to the fullest and ensure that my loved ones know that they are loved. I challenge you to do the same.

Am I Being Too Mean?

2010-04-12T19:53:00.002-05:00

There’s something that annoys me that I just need to get off of my chest. It’s quite possible that what I’m about to write may seriously irritate some people, which is not my intent. If you choose to read on, please know that I honestly don’t intend to offend anyone.

So, here it is: I’m frustrated by women who constantly complain about being pregnant. First, let me say that, yes, I do think that when you are pregnant you should get to whine some – after all, it can’t be the most pleasant feeling in the world – and you are entitled to complain…a great deal. What annoys me, though, are the women who complain from the first moment of conception and don’t stop until after the child is born (and even then, probably don’t) – those who can talk about nothing except their misery for nine straight months.

Why does it annoy me? Because there are a TON of women in the world who are unable to have their own children – women who would gladly trade places with those who are complaining about being pregnant…women who would give anything to suffer from morning sickness, swollen ankles, and the inability to tie their own shoes.

In fact, I recently had dinner with a great friend who currently is facing infertility. She and her husband are totally awesome people and would make amazing parents, but it sounds like pregnancy may not be an option for them. They’re facing this struggle as they do every other struggle in their life – head-on and rationally. Instead of whining or complaining about their infertility, they are checking into adoption options and are discussing ways to provide a home for children who might not otherwise have a real mom and dad. But that doesn’t mean that my friends (especially the wife) don’t feel momentary pain when they see pregnant women. Like the phenomenal people they are, they’re happy for the expectant mother, but you still can see a trace of sadness in their eyes – sadness over the fact that the world will never know the unique combination of them.

Has my friend ever said anything to me about pregnant women who continually complain? Nope. But I know that she would give nearly anything to be able to endure the “tortures” of pregnancy...and I wish that others would understand that while they may dread pregnancy, others may long for it.

This is the Story that Never Ends...

2010-04-07T20:52:00.002-05:00

Last Thursday, my trusty old cell phone finally bit the dust. I was at work when the phone became incredibly hot to the touch and shut itself off. No matter what I tried, it wouldn't turn back on. So, after work, I headed off to Verizon to finally upgrade to a new phone.

Now, I should preface all of this by saying that I've been doing research on new smartphones and was torn between canceling my account with Verizon after 14 years (was with Kansas Cellular, who became Alltel, who became Verizon) and signing a new two year contract. Part of me wanted to go with AT&T and get an iPhone, but the other part of me wanted to stay with Verizon to get a Droid. Well, I finally decided to re-up with Verizon and buy a cute little Droid.

So, back to my story...I walked in to the store, knowing pretty much what I wanted to buy, but was accosted by a salesguy, who I could immediately tell was full of himself and ready to do basically anything to sell me a phone. I kind of ignored him, but finally told him the exact phone I wanted to purchase. His eyes lit up because, of course, they work on commission and he was getting a heck of a sale.

As we walked to the computer to complete my sale, I asked him why the phone cost $100 more in the store than online. He told me that was just the way it was...and I told him he could either give me the same deal (I didn't want to mess with waiting for six-eight weeks to receive a rebate in the mail), or I'd walk and buy it online. He told me that was impossible, so I headed for the door. He quickly chased me down and told me he could "get permission" to give me the deal. Okay, no problem...right? Wrong.

After about 15 minutes of ringing up my new phone and waiting through me picking a case, he finally told me that the phone wasn't in stock and it would have to be shipped to me. Again, I told him I was walking because I didn't want to wait. He told me, "I will have it overnighted to you today so that it will be on your doorstep tomorrow by 1 pm. I PROMISE it will be there." I should have known he was a liar.

Friday morning came and went and, when I took a late lunch at 1 pm, I came home to find...no phone. Back at work, I received an email that indicated that my phone would arrive on Monday. Um, what? That wasn't what I was promised. I called the Verizon store manager and after a pretty long discussion (mostly one-sided), we reached an amicable solution, which includes some discounts for me. But I still had no phone...and wouldn't until Monday.

Monday finally rolls around and I met the FedEx truck at the end of my street on my lunch break. I was so excited because I knew he'd left my phone. Wrong! He left me a note that said I had to sign for the package, which meant I had to drive to the south side to pick up my phone...after 4 pm.

After work, I drive down to the south side and pick up my phone. I immediately head to the Verizon store to have my numbers and contacts transferred to my new phone...and encountered another semi-jackassish salesguy (not my original one, who, I have a hunch, may have gotten fired after what the manager told me), offered to help me. I dealt with his so-called humor for nearly an hour and finally set out for home, with my shiny new pink encased Droid in my hands.

This morning, I grabbed my car charger on the way out the door. I went to plug it in, once in the car, and discovered that they sent me the wrong charger. I began to wonder if this phone saga was ever going to end! After work, I went back to Verizon AGAIN, and, after waiting 20 minutes to be waited on, they gave me the new charger and told me good-bye. I have a hunch they were happy to see the last of me...I know that I don't want to see them again!

So, is this the phone saga that never ends? I guess we'll see. For now, everything seems to be great and I absolutely LOVE my phone (no regrets about not getting an iPhone)!

Letting Kids Be Kids

2010-03-26T16:37:00.000-05:00

As I was packing and preparing to leave for California earlier this week, I found it necessary to make a run to the Mart of Darkness . I had a couple of items that I needed to get, so I expected a short and uneventful trip. Unfortunately, that’s not what happened.

I walked in, grabbed what I needed, and got in the express line, standing behind a father and son. The father was probably about my age and his son was probably about my oldest nephew’s age – ten. I glanced at their items and realized the dad was buying a couple of child-sized polo shirts; shorts; a kid’s toothbrush, toothpaste, and mouthwash; a small carton of chocolate milk, and sunglasses for both the father and son. None of that seemed particularly unusual, but the father’s behavior struck me as very odd.

The father kept making comments to the little boy about how expensive everything was and how he felt like he was spending too much money on him – when the sunglasses that the father was buying for himself appeared to cost more than pretty much everything else put together. (It almost seemed like the father had suddenly gotten totally unexpected custody of the child and had to buy things to get him to school the next morning.) I watched as the happy light faded out of this little boy’s eyes. You could tell that he was excited to be getting new things, including a cheap pair of sunglasses, but the father’s words and actions were really hurting this little boy. In just a few minutes, he went from happy and excited to very quiet and somber. It was just incredibly sad.

As the father and son left, the father did put his hand on the boy’s shoulder and seemed to say something to him that made him a little happier, but I doubt that little boy easily recovered his excitement. The father seemed to kill his happiness with just a few sharp and misguided words.

It just really makes you think – we’re all children at one point and, as an adult, I can’t even begin to guess how many times I have wished I could go back to my childhood. Since we all seem to want to go back to those easy days, at least at one point in our adult lives, shouldn’t we let kids be kids and be happy before they have to deal with real-world issues and problems? I think so. I’m not a mom, but I am an aunt. I also am the first to admit that there are times that I’ve snuffed out my oldest nephew’s excitement (my youngest isn’t old enough to care yet), but I’m resolving to never do that again. He’s just a kid – and he should get to stay that way as long as possible.

The Learning Channel?

2010-03-26T16:15:00.000-05:00

Years ago, the television station TLC was aptly named The Learning Channel. A few years back, they dropped their lengthy moniker and became known as TLC. Along with their name change, they changed some of their programming – truly, for the most part, for the better. I’m a longtime TLC fan and have enjoyed many shows on the network. After what I heard earlier this week, though, I’m afraid that’s going to change.

Early this week, Discovery (which owns TLC) announced that they had decided to purchase the rights to an eight-part documentary series featuring Sarah Palin. I was more than slightly surprised. Discovery and Sarah Palin? It just seemed…wrong. Discovery, which prides themselves on providing learning opportunities, has picked up a show that’s sole purpose essentially seems to be to promote a woman who should be well past her 15 minutes of fame. Sure, they say it’s to promote Alaska, but using Palin as a host? Come on!

Does Alaska intrigue me? Absolutely. Would I enjoy learning more about it? Sure – I’d like to learn more about all of our states. I’m not, however, interested in listening to Sarah Palin’s nasal voice extol the virtues of moose hunting. I truly think they could have found someone who knows Alaska better than a woman who chose to resign from an elected position, for no reason other than to promote herself and make more money. Had they, I’d definitely be more interested in actually watching the show.

Now, is everything on TLC a learning experience? Heck no. I’ve got to admit that I’m (ashamedly) addicted to Toddlers and Tiaras and that I used to watch Trading Spaces and, sometimes, even Jon and Kate Plus Eight. But for some reason, this just doesn’t sit well with me…and I’m strong enough to admit that it’s because I just flat do not care for Sarah Palin.

Larger Than Life

2010-03-15T11:25:00.001-05:00

Early yesterday afternoon, I received word that my first grade teacher had passed away in a tragic accident. As I fought back tears, for just a few minutes, I was transported back to her classroom, more than 20 years ago.

At the tender age of six, I thought she was an old woman, as she had steel gray hair and that was how I best judged age in those days. On the first day of first grade, I remember being somewhat scared, as I’d heard she was mean – after all, she was the one teacher who still kept a paddle in her classroom. I did know that she’d been my sister’s teacher, and since Jill had survived, I figured that I would, too.

What I didn’t know but learned throughout my year with her was that, while she could be stern and strict and ruled her classroom with somewhat of an iron fist, you would be hard-pressed to find a teacher who loved her students more. She was a relatively short woman (I’m guessing she wasn’t a bit over 5’2”), but she was larger than life. She played the piano and we sang at the top of our lungs. She read us books and we all listened to her as she gave life to the different characters. She introduced us all to the “super duper smiley face” and we all worked hard to have one of those placed on our assignments, as they were way better than ANY gold star!

The following August, when I moved on to second grade, I was sad – I’d loved my first grade teacher, but I knew it was time to grow up. I went on to have numerous other teachers, including those who were wonderful (Clara Margaret McCluskey) and those who were not so great (who shall remain nameless).

While I continued to grow up and finish out my elementary, middle, and high school education in Fredonia, any time I saw Ms. Harris, she greeted me with a smile. Even during my junior and senior years of high school, if she was in the grocery store where I worked, she made a point to say hello to me.

At the end of my senior year, when I had decided that I wanted to become a high school language arts teacher, Ms. Harris was still highly involved with the Fredonia Unified Teachers’ Association, from whom I received a scholarship. I received a card from Ms. Harris, along with a check for the first half of my scholarship, in May; in addition to wishing me luck, the card told me to come see her in December, once I had my first semester’s grades.

When I stopped to see her before heading back to college for my spring semester and showed her my grades, she didn’t denigrate me for receiving a “C” my first semester. Instead, she invited me in and asked me how my semester went and listened to my explanation of my “C”. She didn’t demand an explanation, as my grades still were high enough to retain my scholarship, but somehow, she seemed to know that I felt the need to explain. After several minutes, when I finally quit talking, she told me that she was proud of me, “C” and all. I also felt the need to tell her that I’d decided that teaching wasn’t my calling – and again, she was supportive and reassured me that I had a bright future, no matter what career path I chose. She handed me another check and told me to stay in touch.

I hadn’t seen Ms. Harris in several years, but her death still hit me pretty hard. As I read her obituary this morning, I discovered that she wasn’t quite as old as I thought all of those years ago – she was only 64 when she passed away. And even though she’d retired from teaching a few years back, she still was extremely involved in the community.

I don’t know much, but I do know that Fredonia has lost a giant. Rest in peace, Ms. Harris. I’m sure you’re somewhere playing jazzy tunes on a piano and singing your heart out.

Good Friends, Good Food, Good Fun

2010-03-03T09:10:00.000-06:00

My friend Tracy and I had a girlie party last Friday night. While I wish that some of our other friends could have joined us, we had an absolute blast! Good friends, good drinks, good fun, and good food….mmm…good food. Below are recipes for a couple of things that I made to take; I’ll add another post later with a couple of recipes that I was planning to make and take, but didn’t, simply in the interest of time.

Spinach Brownies

Ingredients:

10 ounce package frozen spinach
½ cup all purpose flour
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon baking powder
1 egg
½ cup milk
¼ cup melted butter
½ onion, diced
½ medium red pepper, chopped
1 clove garlic, diced
2 pieces of bacon, chopped
½ cup shredded mozzarella cheese

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 317. Lightly grease 8x8 inch pan.
2. Place spinach in medium saucepan with enough water to cover. Bring to a boil. Lower heat to simmer and cook until spinach is just cooked, which should be about 5 minutes. Remove from heat, drain thoroughly, and set aside.
3. Sautee red peppers, onions, garlic, and bacon in frying pan over medium heat, until vegetables are slightly softened.
4. In large bowl, mix flour, salt, and baking powder. Stir in egg, milk, and butter. Mix in spinach, pepper mixture, and cheese.
5. Transfer the mixture to prepared baking dish and bake in preheated oven for 30-35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Notes:

This is similar to a quiche – only you can hold it in your hand. As the recipe author suggested, I initially served mine chilled, but think they’d be much better if slightly warmed.

I doubled this recipe and didn’t have the best results ever. If you decide to double it, bake it in two 8s8 pans, not one larger pan, and I think you’ll be happier. I also think I should have baked mine a little longer, but they still were pretty good. I’m excited to try it again with some spice additions.

Uncle Bill’s Sausage Balls

Ingredients:

2 boxes Stove Top Pork Dressing
1 ½ cup hot water
2 pounds sausage
2 eggs
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 cup chopped celery
1 chopped onion

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350. Line several cookie sheets/jelly roll pans with foil and spray with Pam.
2. Mix all ingredients together with hands and shape into small balls. Place balls on pans.
3. Cover with foil and bake for 20 minutes. Remove foil and bake an additional 30 minutes.

Notes:

These things are seriously like crack to me. Seriously. One recipe makes a TON, though, so unless you’re planning on serving a lot of people, you might cut it in half. These actually freeze quite nicely, too.

Nervous Nellie

2010-02-09T20:43:00.005-06:00

I'm excited that I've got a day off tomorrow. I'm not so excited for the reason I'm not working tomorrow. I've got an appointment for some tests tomorrow to see if we can get to the bottom of a little problem I've been having for the past five weeks.

I hate to admit this, but I'm nervous. I'm actually even a little scared at what we might find, but yet, I'm ready because I want some answers. Because, with answers, then we can figure out a way to start fixing things...right?

I've just got to remember that, no matter what, there are other people out there who are dealing with way worse problems than me. No matter what, I'll make it over this little speedbump in the road of life.

Take Your Slander Elsewhere

2010-02-09T20:37:00.003-06:00

Wow, was yesterday a serious Monday for me. I woke up ready to take on the week, but by noon, I was not a very happy girl -- and it was all due to the fact that someone I know decided to slander me.

Without going into too much detail, I learned, through a friend, of the things this person was saying about me. Needless to say, I was shocked, horrified, distraught, and most of all, pissed off. There wasn't a shred of truth (at least not as far as I know) in any of the things he was saying about me.

I don't take too kindly to having my character and work ethic attacked. I'm a hard worker and most anyone who knows me probably will tell you the same. Do I have days when I don't give it my all? Sure, but I think that we all have those days. Do I like to have a good time while I'm working? Absolutely! If you don't take a few minutes here and there to laugh and enjoy life, then I think you're less productive.

If I was a different type of person, I would consider hiring an attorney and going after this jerk for slander. But, I think I'll pass...at least this time. After all, I'm a firm believer in this little thing called karma...and, while she's a bitch, she has yet to fail me.

Professor John Lehman

2010-02-01T10:05:00.002-06:00

In college, I double majored in English and communication, with an emphasis in public relations. I was fortunate enough to have several amazing professors who taught me a great deal – both about the subject at hand and about life – but I truly can say that there was no one quite like John Lehman.

Ah, yes…Professor Lehman. The communication professor to be feared by many, revered by most, and respected by nearly everyone in the division. I heard stories about Professor Lehman and, honestly, was kind of scared to take his courses. Horror stories – stories of seniors having to delay graduation because of not passing his classes, stories of memorized speeches, stories of no one, and I do mean no one, passing the first exam in each of his classes. So, I did the smart thing: I waited until my senior year to take the three required courses that were taught only by Professor Lehman. Just a few weeks into the semester, I figured out that waiting to take his classes was not intelligent; in fact, it was one of the biggest mistakes of my collegiate career. Why? Because I was afraid I wouldn’t pass? Nope. It was because of the amount of knowledge this man possessed – knowledge that would have benefitted me much earlier in my academic pursuits.

I took one of his classes the first semester of my senior year and was planning to take the remaining two during my final semester. We were approximately a month in to the first class (Theory of Communication) and he announced the first test. In his rough, gravelly voice, he proclaimed that no one ever passed his first test. Well, if you know me, you know that I took that as a challenge and set out to prove him wrong. Amazingly enough, one of my classmates and I DID prove him wrong, by passing. He lauded us in front of everyone, which embarrassed both of us, but secretly, deep down inside, we were proud of ourselves.

Fast forward to the end of that semester and the class (significantly reduced in number by those who couldn’t hang with Lehman) filed in to take our final. We waited…and waited…and waited. No Professor Lehman. Was this some kind of joke? Was there really not going to be a final? The class had gotten easier over the semester, so dare we hope that there wasn’t going to be a final? The door opened and Dr. Katt, the division chair, walked in and stood before us. As he looked us over, swallowed hard, and managed to not look any of us in the eye, we all knew something was wrong. He told us, in a hushed voice, that Professor Lehman had suffered a heart attack the night before. He was alive and expected to live, but was not in good shape. Dr. Katt would be giving us our final.

A few weeks later when the spring semester started, I walked into my first Professor Lehman course of the semester and found a stranger for a professor; he announced the Professor Lehman was out for the semester to heal and would not be back until the next year. I was crushed -- no more Professor Lehman; this man was my nemesis in that he made class incredibly difficult, but he was my sage, knowledgeable professor who taught me so much. While I was excited to realize that this might mean that my final semester would be easier, I was broken-hearted that I wouldn’t be learning from such a great mind. In the end, the two courses I completed that semester, which were supposed to be taught by Lehman, were taught by two stellar professors and I look back on those memories fondly. I learned a lot from both professors and have one of my best collegiate classroom memories from Advanced Public Speaking, taught by Dr. Joseph Rosillion.

So, why the long soliloquy on Professor Lehman – the gruff, old, stubborn professor? I learned this morning that he passed away on Friday and I’m overcome by a huge sense of sadness. When I first learned of his death (posted by Roger Heineken on facebook, for those of you ESU’ers who remember Roger), I sat in my office with tears in my eyes. Even though I knew that his health most likely wasn’t great, especially because of the heart attack, he somehow seemed like the giant who would live forever. ESU will not be the same without him. Professor Lehman, if you’re somewhere that you can read this, thank you. Thank you for helping make me the communications professional I am today. The future students of ESU truly never will know what they missed out on without you.

Icy Awesomeness!

2010-01-31T20:37:00.004-06:00

Jason was very sweet and came and got me during the middle of Icepocalypse 2010 on Friday afternoon and brought me back home tonight. Without going into why, I haven't been feeling very well and wanted to spend the weekend with him; he's such an awesome guy and I'm so very lucky!

Anyhoo, after Tess and I got home and she had dinner, I opened my back door to let her out and found this:

This was taken from my back porch. I could see some even bigger icicles and ice formations on the corner of my house, but I didn't feel like killing myself on the steps and trying to slide under these, just for a pic or two. When it's light out tomorrow, perhaps I'll be able to get a better pic from the porch!

Priorities, People!

2010-01-31T12:29:00.002-06:00

A week ago tonight, I had one of those nights when I just flat could not sleep. Around 2:30 am, I crawled out of bed and headed for the living room, thinking that I'd watch a little TV and try to fall asleep in the recliner.

I had just turned on the TV and was starting to drift off when I heard the dreaded tones of the Emergency Management System. After being advised that "An emergency had been declared in your area; turn to channel 7 for more information.", I flipped to channel 7 to learn that an Amber Alert had been issued.

I didn't get a ton of information from channel 7, so I flipped to some local news stations. Nothing. I grabbed my laptop and started looking for information and finally, on the last station page I looked at, I found a little more information. A little girl, age 8, was presumed to have been kidnapped by her ex-stepfather, who was wanted in connection with killing the little girl's mother earlier in the day. They gave the information about the girl, the suspect, and the vehicle he was thought to be driving, but not much else. I had a very hard time going back to sleep, as I was thinking about this poor girl and was hoping she'd be okay.

Sickly, it wasn't until several hours later before ANY of the other local news stations or the Daily Oklahoman had any information on their websites. Sure, there aren't a ton of people who were up at that time and could be on the lookout for these people, but there definitely were some. And, yes, I know, for a fact, that each of these media outlets have people on staff around the clock, so this information *could* have been posted.

Fast forward two days and no one has seen neither hide nor hair of the suspect or little girl. Is it still front and center in the media and on the electronic billboards on Oklahoma highways? Nope. So what's front and center? The damned impending ice/snow storm. If you can even find mention of the Amber Alert and this missing child, it's deeply imbedded within the media. Instead, we're focusing on the potential bad weather.

I think that we, as a society, and ESPECIALLY our media, need to re-adjust our priorities. We've all been through ice/snow storms before. We all know what to do and there's no reason to panic. Instead, we should be focusing on what we need to do to find this little girl and bring peace to her father. I'm infuriated that we'd rather focus on potential bad weather (that's truly not putting lives at danger outright -- like a tornado or hurricane) instead of a young, innocent life.

So, I'm doing my part. Here the information on the Amber Alert and missing child:

Victim is a Aja Johnson, White Female, 8-year-old, 4 feet, 65 pounds, Brown hair, brown eyes - very thin build. Victim is very slender -- no clothing description. Suspect is Lester Hobbs, White Male, 47-year-old, 5 feet 9 inches, 180 pounds -- no clothing description. Suspect is driving a white 1992 Toyota Paseo Oklahoma license Plate number 577BPW. The back window has been replaced with a piece of sheet metal. Suspect is also wanted in connection with the homicide of the victim's mother and should be considered armed and dangerous.

Any information contact:
COMANCHE County Sheriff's Office
580-353-4280 or 877-652-6237 or 911

No matter where you live, please keep your eyes open for this little girl and this suspect.

Customer Service FAIL!

2010-01-26T13:23:00.000-06:00

Recently, I’ve begun a redecorating project at home. For a quite some time now, I’ve been on the hunt for decent black photo frames, but have yet to find any that both look good and are affordable. Today, while hunting for frames over my lunch break, I experienced some tremendous customer service.

First, I hit up Hobby Lobby, as I’d learned that their frames are on sale this week. Not a problem – run over there, grab the ten or so frames I need, swipe the debit card, and head back to work. Much easier said than done – they didn’t have anything that I really wanted – at least, not enough of them.

So, as I’m leaving Hobby Lobby, I remember that someone told me that Michael’s had frames on sale last week, too. Awesome! They frequently run their sales for two weeks, so I thought I might have a chance there. Plus, they tend to have at least a slightly better selection. So, I called them to double check, as I didn’t have enough time to stop. My conversation went something like this:

Michael’s employee: “Michael’s in Midwest City. How can I help you?”

Me: “Yes, I was wondering if you can tell me if you have photo frames on sale this week.”

Michael’s employee: “What?”

Me: “Could you tell me if your frames are on sale this week?”

Michael’s employee: “Oh. Yeah…I don’t know.”

Me: “Is there any way that you could…”

CLICK.

He hung up on me. Seriously! Not only was he rude and unable to answer my question, but he slammed the phone down in my ear. He. Hung. Up. On. Me.

I guess I’ll either be purchasing my frames from Hobby Lobby or else I’ll be looking other places! I do know this: I won’t be back to the Michael’s here in MWC, which is a crying shame for them, because I tend to spend a decent amount of money there. Customer service FAIL!

Princess for a Day

2010-01-22T10:00:00.001-06:00

I love to dress up. There’s just something about putting on a gorgeous dress, fabulous heels, and the perfect accessories (which, of course, include lots of jewelry!). Yes, I know that if you look at me on any given day, you probably wouldn’t know that I enjoy dressing up, but I really do. When you look good, you feel good, which makes life seem so much easier.

I’ve always loved dressing up and, when I was younger, looked forward to my high school’s annual semi-formal Christmas dance and prom. Even then, while I didn’t have the world’s high self-esteem (still don’t, but that’s not for here), I felt like a princess when I had my hair and make-up done and slipped into my clothes. For that one, magical moment, I was, at least in my mind, beautiful.

Today, I want each and every girl to feel as beautiful as I felt on those nights so many years ago. But sadly, many girls will miss out on the chance to don a pretty dress and the perfect accessories because their families simply can’t afford the added expense. In this economy, when things already are incredibly tough, these young women probably already are used to missing out on many things. They shouldn’t have to miss out on their prom, too.

That’s why I’m volunteering for an organization called Princess for a Day. It’s a group of dedicated women who have, for the past several years, gathered together to provide formal gowns, shoes, and accessories so that all young girls can afford to attend their proms.

We’re currently accepting donations of any gently used formals that young girls might wear to prom today – no, I’m not donating my old prom dresses, as they are wayyyy out of style! We also are accepting shoes and all other accessories – jewelry, handbags, etc. If you have anything you’d like to donate, please let me know and I’d be more than happy to take it off your hands – even used bridesmaid dresses (the non-hideous ones!) would work nicely.

Please help me turn the young women of OKC into Princesses for a Day!

A Baked Potato!

2010-01-18T20:11:00.002-06:00

Okay...I'm gonna admit up front that this post is probably, okay definitely, a little mean-spirited, but it just begs to be written.

As some of you probably know, I was sucked into the, ahem, interesting realm of the Miss America pageant world when I first began my professional career. I was drawn in, silently kicking and screaming, because my first boss had strong ties with the Miss Kansas pageant and it was in my best interests to be involved. So, I shut my mouth, pasted on a smile, and volunteered in the ways that she asked. It didn't hurt me, so I sucked it up and stuck it out.

I learned a lot about the pageant world. Honestly, not all of the young women involved in the system fulfill the stereotypical pageant girl mold -- goofy, dingy, blonde, and devout wishers of world peace. Sure, plenty of them do, but I also learned that there are some who are incredibly conniving and bitchy and others who are intelligent, kind, and genuine. But, I digress...

Once I moved up the ladder in my career, I figured I was done with pageants, and, for the most part, I've remained removed from them (although I've been asked to judge since and was supposed to, until something came up and I couldn't).

Something I saw online this morning caught my attention and sucked me right back in to the pageant world. What caught my attention? A link to a webpage that features recipes submitted by this year's Miss America contestants. I skimmed through them, stopping to read a few that sounded either good or horrifyingly awful. I was three-quarters of the way through the page when one caught my eye: Miss North Dakota had submitted a recipe entitled, "Baked Potato."

Seriously? A baked potato? I had to click on it, and as I waited on it to load, I desperately hoped that it was a recipe that would feature a new, unique, and innovative way to prepare a baked potato. Was it? Nope. It literally was a recipe on how to bake a potato. Wow. I was speechless. Doesn't nearly everyone over the age of ten know how to bake a potato? Is a recipe really necessary?

I'm thinking that, perhaps, this year's Miss North Dakota fits the sterotypical pageant girl mold -- not the most sparkly rhinestone in the tiara. No matter, though -- I still wish her the best in all that she does and, if being Miss America is her life goal, then I hope she achieves it.

The First Ten

2010-01-18T20:01:00.003-06:00

I'm a little more than two weeks in to my new health and weightloss regime and I'm proud to say that I'm already down ten pounds!

If you look at me, chances are that you're not going to be able to tell yet -- at least not truly. I haven't lost it all from one place on my body; rather, I've lost a little bit from several places -- my face, my back, my stomach, and even some in my legs.

My current short-term goal is to stay on Phase 1 of this diet (meat, vegetables, and dairy) until the end of January. Typically, you don't stay on it for more than two weeks, but when you have this much weight to lose, you can stay on it for up to 30 days at a time. Since I've lost an average of five pounds a week, my goal is to lose a total of 20 by January 31.

The carb cravings have significantly lessened and it doesn't seem to be impacting my mood as much any more, which definitely is a good thing! I feel better -- have more energy, feel less lethargic throughout the day, and already can tell a difference in my overall health.

Oh -- and I also have decided that I'm going to reward myself for each ten pounds lost. My first reward? A pedicure tonight after work. Yes, I get pedis pretty frequently in the summer, but rarely, if ever, get them in the winter, so this was a definite treat for me. I'm not sure about my next reward. Someone suggested a massage, but I've never had one and am not a fan of people I don't know massaging me. Hmmm...maybe a new purse instead. Anyone have any other suggestions?

If You Can't Say Anything Nice...

2010-01-13T17:59:00.003-06:00

Since news first broke of the massive earthquake that struck Haiti yesterday, I've been essentially glued to the news footage. As far as I can tell, I know no one who lives in or was visiting Haiti (although I did have a Haitian stalker in college), but I'm still checking the news for updates rather obsessively.

Why? I guess it's probably because I'm just heartsick for the entire country. What they're suffering is essentially incomprehensible to most of us. Yes, we've faced countless natural disasters (Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, the Greensburg tornado, etc.) and even disasters created by terrorists (9-11), but we've never faced anything like this earthquake. I think that part of the incomprehensability goes back to the fact that Haiti is a relatively impoverished and poor country. What they face on a normal day is more than most of us can comprehend.

I've got to admit that I'm extremely pleased that it seems like most other countries are rallying and doing what they can to help. President Obama has promised our assistance, France already has troops in place, China is sending troops, and the UN has activated disaster relief. The American Red Cross and even Wyclef Jean have set up programs for texting to make donations and even those of us who have very little are giving what we can.

And then you have Pat Robertson. Ah, yes...wonderful, insightful, loving, and caring Pat Robinson, the evangelical broadcaster from hell. Robertson, who just couldn't keep his idiotic mouth shut. Robertson, who now has promised to send help, but not until after he declared that Haiti is "cursed" by a "pact with the devil", which is what caused this earthquake. Wha??? I'm so very sure that everyone impacted by this horrendous tragedy needed to hear that, Mr. Robertson. I'm sure that makes them sleep better at night -- in the streets because they have no homes, suffering from gaping wounds because they have no hospitals, searching fruitlessly for loved ones who most likely perished. Yep, I'm sure that's going to comfort them during this time of sorry and tragedy.

There's one thing I know, Mr. Robertson: my mama always told me that if I couldn't say anything nice, I shouldn't say anything at all. And, you know what? She's right. You need to shut your big, fat mouth and, instead of condemning those who are currently suffering a fate that's tantamount to hell, do something good for mankind. Help them. Or if you can't truly be a help, then just shut the hell up and leave them, and all of us, alone.

A Bowl Full of Awesome!

2010-01-06T21:38:00.002-06:00

I love soup. I especially love soup on cold winter nights. And I love that soup even more if it's simple to make and can be dumped in my Crock Pot to cook all day and await my arrival after a long day at the office.

Last night, while purchasing supplies to make a giant pot of chili, I was struck by inspiration, and decided to make a Crock Pot full of ham and beans instead. I've made this recipe before, but have always cooked it on the stove -- never in the Crock Pot. Never again will I waste my time making it on the stove -- it's now destined for the Crock Pot file.

So, without further ado, here's my recipe for the most amazing ham and beans to ever grace the face of this planet:

Ingredients:

1 pound dried Great Northern Beans
6-8 slices of bacon
half a small white onion, diced
3 cups ham, cubed (I usually just buy a ham steak and cube it up myself)
1-2 ham hocks for flavoring (can also use ham bone)
3 cans chicken broth (I was a can short, so substituted two cups of bouillon)
1 tablespoon onion powder
1.5 tablespoons garlic powder
2 tablespoons dried parsley
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
salt to taste

Rinse beans and place in large stock pot, covered with 6-8 cups of water. Bring to rapid boil for two minutes; cover pan and remove. Let beans sit for 1 hour and then drain and rinse.

Chop bacon into small pieces (like the size you find in baked beans) and saute bacon and onion in large skillet. Remove bacon and saute ham in same skillet until browned. When brown, drain ham.

Combine all items in large Crock Pot. Set Crock Pot on low and let cook for approximately 8 hours.

A couple of notes: I don't add much salt until after it's cooked, as the combination of the natural salt in the bacon, ham, and broth is pretty much enough for me. You also don't HAVE to use the ham hocks or ham bone, but it adds a ton more flavor if you do.

If you're not low carbing it like me, serve with cornbread. If you are low carbing it, well, the soup's great on its own!

Enjoy! And watch for more soup recipes to come...

The Surreal Becomes Real

2010-01-05T21:50:00.002-06:00

Yesterday morning, I awoke to the radio news warning of a fatality accident on the northwest side of the city; all motorists were being advised to avoid the area. I gave a sad, fleeting thought to the realization that someone had lost his or her life and then jumped in the shower, as I was running later than I had planned and needed to get to work.

This morning, the radio news announced that it was a "mom" who had died in the accident and her tween son had been injured and was in the hospital.

Tonight, I read an article identifying the victim and her son. Apparently, several years ago, her father was a pretty well known local television personality. The article mentioned that she was a freelance writer and avid blogger. They gave her personal blog address and something pulled at me to click on the link. Since then, I've pored over her blog, with tears of sadness streaming down my face, over a life lost...a life I never knew that has been made so much more real because of her blog.

She was a single mom to her son, who suffers from several different physical disabilities. In an entry from about a year ago, she talks about what would happen to him if something happened to her; both of her parents are deceased and her son's father is not part of his life. She's apparently got at least one brother, but they are not close. One thing was clear throughout her entire blog -- her son was her life and she was, most very likely, his life to him. Like most of us, she was far from perfect. She didn't hide that fact. She just simply loved her son and went without herself so that she could provide for him.

I didn't know this woman, so it doesn't make a ton of sense that I feel such a sense of sorrow and grief at her death. Actually, it does. She was a fellow human who loved and was loved. As is proven by the way that I quickly brushed off her death when I heard about it yesterday morning, we have become almost robotic when hearing about the loss of life. I know that's probably somewhat of a defense mechanism so that we're not overwhelmed with grief on a daily or hourly basis. But sometimes, I wonder if we should stop and think a little more about death...or rather, about the lives that have been lived.

As sad as I am to think about her poor son being, as she termed, an orphan, and to think that she'll never see what he does in his future, I'm very glad that I clicked on the link to her blog.

Thank you, Lisa Powell, for reminding me that every life is important and that every life is worth honoring, remembering, and celebrating. I hope that you're free from the chronic pain you experienced and that you're in a happier and safer place. Maybe someday I'll meet you in some form and be able to tell you how you have changed my perspective.

(#)!&(#@!)_(%$_#@!_)$!!!!!!

2010-01-02T13:26:00.002-06:00

Wow. I remember carb withdrawal from two and a half years ago when I last started this diet, but OMG I don't remember it being this bad. I remember being really crabby the first day, extremely emotional (read: cried at everything) the second, and kind of depressed the third, but this time, it's much worse.

Yesterday was day one. It wasn't at all bad -- had the cravings and was continually hungry, as is expected with the withdrawal, but wasn't crabby. I was so excited because I thought the crabbiness had bypassed me this time. Um, yeah...not so much.

Today is day two. I woke up this morning pissed off at the entire world and things haven't gotten much better. I'm really fighting it, but it's like a demon has taken possession of my body and won't let go. And then I made the mistake of going grocery shopping. Big mistake. I'm hoping that the caffeine I just had and the nuts I'm getting ready to eat will help; I think they will. Then, I'm planning on taking a nap.

Tomorrow is day three. Since today has been pretty nasty for me, mood-wise, I'm hoping that tomorrow will be easier. Happily, I know that this is just withdrawal and the symptoms will go away soon.

I wonder the carb withdrawal symptoms I'm experiencing are similar to the nicotine withdrawal that Jason has experienced when he's quit smoking before. I can say that I now have a lot more sympathy for him than before, because this is just miserable.

So, the upshot of it all is that if you see me in the next few days and I'm bitchy or crying or otherwise not my normal Meggish self, it's due to carb withdrawal. Hopefully it'll let up very quickly and lead to a happier and thinner Meg!

Day 1

2010-01-01T10:22:00.003-06:00

Let me begin by stating the obvious: it's a new year!

I'm not normally a fan of making new year's resolutions because, for the most part, I don't think people stick to them. Historically, I haven't -- it's been more of a rarity for me to actually follow through with mine, than it is for me to achieve mine.

This year, however, is a little different. I'm actually making a couple of resolutions and I'm planning to make at least one of them stick! I want both to stick, but I also know me and know that both will be a challenge.

So, the first is to lose weight. I'm hopping back on the South Beach Diet train today. I've actually been mentally ready to get back on my diet for a few days, but decided that I'd start today, just so I had plenty of time to get the rest of the junk food cravings and consumption out of the way. This is the resolution that I KNOW I can make happen. It's worked for me before and I've just got to be strong enough to make it work again.

The second, is my resolution to quit letting people walk all over me and dictate how and what I'm doing in my life. I'm usually pretty good about marching to the beat of my own drummer and being content, but recently, I've had a few too many occasions when someone has dictated what I'm to do. And, unwilling to make too many waves, I've just fallen in line and done what was "expected" of me, even though it wasn't what I necessarily wanted. No more. I'm not out to make waves or enemies or trouble, but I've got to resolve to stand up for myself and quit letting people walk all over me. This is the resolution that I'm relatively sure will be more difficult for me.

So, there you have it in a nutshell: I'm going to become a better me in 2010...a healthier me...a happier me. Wish me luck! For now, I'm off to find some carbless food for breakfast. Guess I should have gotten groceries yesterday!

Please Help, If You Can

2009-12-21T11:39:00.002-06:00

Most of you know that I'm an avid follower of Cake Wrecks (www.cakewrecks.com). Well, a week or so ago, Jen and John (Cake Wrecks owners) decided to start a charity drive for the two weeks before Christmas. Each day, they've highlighted a different charity and encouraged readers to give a dollar to each charity each day. They even asked readers to suggest charities and have picked some awesome ones who I truly believe are doing great things.

Today, however, is different. Today's donations are going to a 27-year-old woman who, a few days ago, lost her house, her belongings, and, most importantly, her husband and two children, in a fire. She and her 12-year-old step-daughter were rescued, but the husband died while trying to save the other children. The fire still is under investigation, but one thing is known: the rental house in which they all lived was not equipped with working smoke detectors.

So, here's what I'm asking: First, please keep this family in your thoughts and prayers; they need to know that people care. Second, if you can help financially, I'm sure that every cent would be much-appreciated; a trust has been set up for the family. Donations can be made by either linking back to this blog or to Cake Wrecks. Third, PLEASE go home and check your smoke detectors tonight. This could easily happen to any one of us.

****Please note that I do not personally know anyone associated with this tragedy, but it's really made me think about how much I love my friends and family.****

Something to Believe In

2009-12-17T10:48:00.000-06:00

Yesterday, I went to lunch with a really good friend. As is often the case, our conversation somehow strayed to a random topic; I’m still not quite sure how our conversation stumbled upon the topic of religion, but I guess that doesn’t necessarily matter.

We began to discuss the ways that some of the ultra religious treat those who aren’t necessarily as stringent in their beliefs, as well as the opposite: how some of those who are strict atheists treat those who are Christians and are believers in a higher power. It seems to me that both sides are so totally and completely sure that they’re 100% correct and are equally sure that the other side is absolutely wrong. In turn, then, both sides judge one another and try to force their opinions on the other.

In this aspect, I fully believe that both sides are wrong. I don’t think it’s necessary to force your belief upon another person. Instead, I believe that it’s important for people to be allowed to make up their own minds and come to their own conclusions in regards to religion.

My thoughts, then, turn to this idea: wouldn’t the world be a much happier place if we all just lived by the principle of the Golden Rule? Wouldn’t we be better off to treat others as we want to be treated? If we were to treat others this way, including by not judging them based upon their belief systems, then perhaps the world would be a better place.

Home Sweet Home

2009-12-03T14:00:00.000-06:00

I’ve never been one to get homesick. Even as a child, it was pretty rare for me to be homesick when I was staying somewhere else. It’s not that I didn’t love my family, but rather, I always enjoyed new adventures. Sure, there were a few times in college, especially my freshman year, that I longed for home, but they were very few and far between. It’s kind of surprising, then, that for the first time in my life, I’m really, truly homesick right now.

Three weeks ago, I flew to Florida for a week for work. While I was in DeLand, my phone rang and it was my mom, telling me that my grandpa had passed away. Before dawn the next morning, I was on a flight back to OKC. Once I finally landed, I hopped in my car, and within two hours, was on the road to Kansas to be with my family. After nearly a week with them, I headed back home, where I spent three nights before hopping yet another plane back to Florida…and here I sit.

The feeling of homesickness didn’t really hit until last night, as I sat in my hotel room, missing everyone and everything. I slept in an ungodly large and comfortable bed…alone. No Jason. No puppies. No one. My coworkers with whom I’m friends weren’t here yet, so I was on my own for dinner.

Why am I homesick? I live alone and usually enjoy some solitary time, but this time, it’s different. I’m guessing it’s because I’ve finally had enough time to process all of the events from the past month.

The good news is that it’s better today. I’ve been very busy and will remain busy right up until it’s time for me to head home.

I enjoy traveling for work and I like to see new things and places…and meet new people. But there’s definitely something to be said for being home for a while!

People Watching

2009-12-03T13:40:00.002-06:00

One of my favorite activities is people watching – just sitting back and observing the behavior of people in a random setting. In the past couple of weeks, I’ve learned that one of the best places to people watch is in an airport (after all, I’ve had plenty of experience with it lately!). Yesterday morning, I had a 6:15 am flight out of OKC. As I sat and observed those around me, I began to wonder about their stories, including where they were going.

How about the woman about my age who was walking through the airport in jeans, a hoodie, a flipflops, carrying a laptop backpack? Looking at her was kind of like looking in a mirror – except, of course, for the fact that she had dark hair and was skinnier than me. Is she traveling on business, but like me, traveling in comfortable clothes because she detests flying in a suit? Is she flying somewhere for vacation? Going home slightly early for the holidays?

Was the very large, Santa-resembling man sitting in my row traveling to see his family? On business? Or does Santa fly Southwest when he’s got a horrible cold and his sleigh isn’t working?

I do know that the woman sitting next to me was flying from New Orleans to Albany, New York, because she readily told me, even though I didn’t really want to talk; she’d been to see her grandchildren. (I was annoyed with her because there was a nearly totally empty plane and she sat RIGHT beside me – not even in the aisle seat – and didn’t smell great.)

And the man in the emerald green velour track suit, with the burgundy fanny pack, and Barbie pink hat? I have NO idea and, honestly, I’m a little scared to ask!

The cool thing, though, is that airports really show you a true picture of life. You see people of all walks of life, from all different backgrounds, with all different stories. It’s just a little reminder that the world is a very big place.

A Little Less Bright

2009-11-22T21:03:00.002-06:00

Tonight, at least to me, the world is a little less bright. My Grandpa Abe (Poppy) passed away this afternoon, just barely a month after turning 90. My heart is hurting so much right now and I want nothing more than to have a hug from someone I love. Unfortunately, I'm stuck in Florida on business right now and can't get back to Oklahoma/Kansas until tomorrow around noon.

Pop wasn't in very good health for the past six-12 months. It's been very hard for me to reconcile myself with this fact, but when he suffered his first stroke back in August, I told myself that, while I wouldn't have him here forever, I will always have my memories. And what great memories I have...

The way his bright blue eyes would twinkle when he was teasing me.

Watching and cussing KU basketball and Royals baseball together.

Seeing him be so tickled over sharing his homemade caramel popcorn with Tess.

Him coming by my house to surprise me when I was living in Emporia during college and again when I was living in Hillsboro.

The smell of his stinky old King Edward cigars and his aftershave/cologne.

Knowing that he was proud of me and, no matter how ugly I might feel, that I was beautiful to him.

Drinking wine one spring afternoon with him (and several other family members) in his living room. (He and I were the only ones who liked the wine, so, consequently, we drank most of it.)

Watching his eyes light up when I took him a can of honey-roasted peanuts last time I saw him (he was in the hospital after his first stroke and asked me to bring him "a surprise").

Him wearing and loving his "dude cap" all day last Christmas.

Oh, god, I'm going to miss him...I already do. I hate knowing that I'll never see him again...never hear his loud and sometimes gravelly voice. I'd give anything to have just one last day with him...one last day where he wasn't sick and suffering, when we could just sit in the living room and keep each other company.

I know that there are people who didn't think he was as wonderful as I did...and that makes me sad. They don't know what they were missing.

A Sad, Mad World

2009-11-16T22:31:00.002-06:00

This morning when I was in the shower, I heard news of a death in Nichols Hills. Like many adults these days, I didn't stop to think too much about it, as I've become somewhat inured to the death that often surrounds us. What I heard next, however, stopped me, shocked me, and literally made me sick to my stomach: the deceased person was a little boy, who was not yet ten years old. That along is horrible, but what I heard next made it even worse. The suspect? His very own father.

This little boy's father, who is an OKC physician, is accused of murdering his own son in the middle of the night by stabbing him to death. The boy's mother currently is hospitalized with non-life-threatening defensive stab wounds, that apparently were inflicted upon her while she was trying to protect her son.

Why? There are so many questions out there, but the one that's absolutely foremost in my mind is WHY? Why is this little boy dead tonight, at his very own father's hand? Why?

There are so many things in this world that make little sense. This one makes absolutely no sense.

That poor little boy. His poor mom.

May justice be swift and appropriate.

But until that time, I can only ask...why?

Snap Judgements

2009-11-07T19:59:00.002-06:00

For the past couple of days, I've been quietly watching and reading the news coverage of the mass shooting at Fort Hood. To say the least, I am horrified by what happened and feel a deep sense of sympathy for all of those who have been impacted by this senseless tragedy.

When the shooter's name was released, along with his religious preference, I knew that things were about to get interesting, with his Middle Eastern-sounding name and Muslim background. While I knew that some people would be nasty, I never thought imagined that the hate would be spread this far.

Since Friday, I've watched comments be added to online news stories and have listened to people around me, the majority of whom profess to be devout Christians, denigrate all Muslims. Comments such as, "The world would be a better place if we just took care of the Muslims by wiping that religion off of the face of this planet", completely and utterly blow my mind.

What little I know about Islam includes the thought that it is, for the most part, a peaceful religion. Yes, there are members out there who are fanatics and believe that senseless killings are necessary, but the religion, as an entirety, does not support radical violence.

So, who are some of the people making these horrific blanket statements? Many of them are self-professed Christians. I grew up in a Christian home and was taught to love my neighbor and to not judge. Apparently, these Christians choose to ignore those tenets of the religion.

This just makes me sad. I don't understand why people have to make such blanket statements and rush judgments about a person based upon his or her religion. For that matter, why is it that we have to think that one religion is better than another? Wouldn't the world be a better place if we all agreed to just respect one another and our beliefs, no matter what they might be?

The bottom line is this: more than a dozen people lost their lives in Texas one day last week. Instead of judging the accused shooter based upon his religion, why don't we, as a nation, spend our time and energy helping those who lost loved ones grieve and heal? I think it'd be a better use of time.

Such Sadness

2009-11-05T20:55:00.003-06:00

Earlier today, an Army psychiatrist went on a shooting rampage and killed 12 people at Fort Hood in Texas, wounding at least 30 others in his crossfire. Then, a few minutes ago, I received a message telling me that one of my former students committed suicide earlier today.

All I can ask, in the case of both of these incidents, is why? Why? Why did this soldier find it necessary to kill so many innocent people? Why did this young woman decide to take her own life? Why? I just can't understand any of this. I always struggle with the senselessness of murder and suicide, but in these two cases, I'm struggling more than in times before.

I'm going to go out on a limb here and say that mental illness was at play in both cases. It's not a big secret that I fight slight depression and that several people close to me also fight mental illness, including depression and bipolar disorder. Knowing what I know about these diseases (and, yes, they are diseases, just like any other illness), I still find it hard to comprehend how things could be so hopeless in your life -- so hopeless that you're driven to kill others, or just as sadly, yourself.

I'm really bothered by these senseless deaths tonight. My heart is sad and I wish that I could help make things better for people, but I just don't know how.

I sometimes wonder if things like this could be prevented if some of the stigma surrounding mental illness were removed. We don't judge people who have pneumonia, so why do we judge those who are mentally ill?

I want to see the day when we, as a society, quit associating mental illness with something horrific, contagious, and denigrating, and instead, much like we do with phsycial illnesses, we recognize mental illness and encourage treatment. Perhaps then things like this will no longer happen and there won't have to be so many sad hearts in the world.

Sexy...Car Parts?

2009-11-05T19:51:00.003-06:00

One evening earlier this week, I was heading up to Edmond for the night after work. I'd heard there were some accidents slowing traffic on the interstates, so I decided to take a different route. I'd never before taken Sooner Road all of the way north and connected with I-35, but I decided to try that route, figuring I might see some interesting things along the way. Boy, was I right!

I drove north to NE 24th Street, up Midwest Boulevard, and then took NE 24th west to Sooner Road. I knew that I'd drive through some relatively hoodish areas, but didn't worry about it because it wasn't yet dark. I just thought of it as an adventure!

As I was driving west, just ahead of me, I saw a purple and white striped metal building. I was a little puzzled because the area seemed pretty industrialized and I wasn't sure what the building might be. I drew closer and, as soon as I saw the building's sign, I about wrecked my car because I was laughing so hard. There, right in the middle of the hood, stood the battered purple and white building housing...wait for it...Fantasy Muffler! Hmmmm...car parts...every woman's fantasy! All I can do is wonder what's next -- Erotic Exhaust?

Tess, the Trash-Eating Dog

2009-11-05T19:39:00.002-06:00

I've had Tess, my little mixed terrier dog, for nearly nine years. If you've met her, you know that she's a pretty well behaved little dog and, while she sometimes might be a bit sassy, she rarely does some of the evil things that I hear about other dogs doing. Sure, she's done the rare rotten thing, like getting in the trash, but we've never really had a problem...until last week.

Early last week, as best as I can guess, Tess was mad at me about something and decided to retaliate by getting into the bathroom trash. She didn't just drag trash throughout the house, but instead decided to eat a lot of things that no animal should ever eat.

I was a little pissed, especially when I realized she'd vomited on my area rug, but didn't really worry, until I came home Friday and found that, over the past day and a half, she'd vomited at least 12 times. So, I called the vet and made a flying trip out to El Reno. They hospitalized her for some tests and soon determined that she needed emergency surgery to clear an intestinal obstruction.

Luckily, she came through the surgery with flying colors and, in fact, didn't even have to have her intestines or her stomach cut -- they were able to manually work the blockage out the back end. She was hospitalized until Monday evening, at which point I finally was able to bring her home. Now, nearly a week later, she's faring relatively well and, while still very obviously sore, wants to play and be her normal self. I'm so happy and thankful!

I can't even begin to explain the emotions I experienced when I learned she needed surgery. I was terrified and felt horribly guilty. Luckily, everything turned out just fine.

So, what's the lesson in all of this? Even if your dog has only gotten into the trash a time or two in his or her life, make sure that the trash is inaccessible to ALL pets. Tess never has been the type to pull stunts like this and I seriously doubt that she will repeat this performance, but I've moved my trash and removed any temptation from her little paws. I'm not taking any chances, because, had I not kept an eye on her and taken her to the vet when I did, I could have, very easily, lost my little dog.

Ahhhhh! Fear the Demonic Candy!!

2009-10-29T18:46:00.002-05:00

So apparently the Christian Broadcasting Network has decided that Halloween is a purely evil holiday. This isn't a particularly new belief for them, but their newest reason? Because witches pray over ALL Halloween candy, making it demonic!

So, now can you not only not go trick-or-treating because of the sheer terror associated with people who might be dressed as a witch or the devil, but you now also cannot purchase Halloween candy from the store because the demons don't know the difference!

Run for your lives! The Halloween candy is out to get you! It's sooo scary! Of course I have ALWAYS believed Halloween candy is scary -- but only because of the extra pounds that it tends to cause.

Don't believe me? Read the story here.

I'm a Believer

2009-10-28T22:10:00.002-05:00

I'm a strong-minded, strong-willed (okay, stubborn), opinionated woman. I have a pretty strong belief system and think that my beliefs are right. I think that it's important for a person to have a strong belief system and that it's even more important for that person to stand up for his or her beliefs. However, I also think that standing firm in your beliefs does not have to mean that you belittle others if they believe differently than you.

Most people know that I'm extremely liberal: I believe in a woman's right to choose, do not believe in the death penalty, believe that gay marriage should be legalized, believe that our healthcare system needs some work, I believe in freedom of religion, and believe that immigrants have previously and can continue to make immense benefits on our country, among many other things.

Now, do I think that I'm right in my beliefs? Absolutely. To that end, I want others to believe the same way that I do, but I also know that it's not always going to happen. I enjoy a spirited debate about nearly any of these beliefs, so long as both sides can remain civil. But, as much as I believe that I'm right and want others to share in my belief system, I'm not going to stoop to making fun of people who believe differently than me and I'm not going to belittle someone because he or she may think that the death penalty is a great deterrent to potential criminals.

Yes, I may disagree with people on some things and it may frustrate me to no end (sometimes making me want to bash my head against a wall because I think that common sense is not prevailing), but I also love the fact that people can agree to disagree. In fact, several of my absolute closest friends and I have to agree to disagree on a variety of things. And that, my friends, is what makes life so spicy and great.

I Don't Wanna Grow Up!

2009-10-27T19:55:00.003-05:00

I'm very fortunate to have grown up in a family that loves to celebrate holidays...all holidays! When I was a kid, there was Irish Soda Bread and a ceramic leprachaun sitting on the table for St. Patrick's Day, balloons and flowers for Valentine's Day, flags flying high for Flag Day, cracking and sparkling fireworks for Independence Day, and tons of ghosts, ghouls, pumpkins, and more for Halloween. So, as an adult, even though I have no children yet, I'm proud to carry on my family's holiday traditions.

I'm sure that there are many who would call me foolish, or even childish, for loving holidays so much, but, well, it doesn't really matter to me. I love to celebrate and will happily celebrate pretty much anything. The first night Jason got the Mustang started? I wanted to celebrate. The first time I successfully finished a major project at work? I celebrated. It doesn't really matter -- I just want to have a good time. My theory is that life can suck enough, so I want to find ways to make it fun and happy.

So, what's my favorite holiday? Well, it's probably a three-way tie between Christmas, Independence Day, and HALLOWEEN! I simply love Halloween! I usually have a big party, but this year, due to several factors, I decided not to have one, which makes me incredibly sad. I'm still celebrating, though -- I plan to carve pumpkins and am watching the best Halloween movie ever, "It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown", as I type this blog.

I suppose that I should grow up and quit celebrating every single holiday, but, quite honestly, I don't wanna grow up! My mom still celebrates holidays and, while she's got two grandsons with whom she can enjoy the season, I'm relatively sure that she'd still celebrate, even without them. So, if she doesn't have to quit, then neither do I! And if you want to celebrate with me, just let me know. After all, the more the merrier!

Common (Lack of) Sense

2009-10-27T19:43:00.002-05:00

Sometimes, I swear that people just flat don't think in life. My proof? Two scenarios that I experienced today:

Last night, I got my hair cut...and I mean *really* cut. I wasn't planning on it being this short, but on the parts that are now the longest, my stylist cut off approximately eight inches, so it's pretty obvious that I got my hair cut. Well, this morning, I ran into someone that I typically see about five days a week. Her first comment to me? "Hey, Meg -- did you get your hair cut? It looks cute." I smiled, nodded, and told her that, indeed, I had gotten it cut last night, when I really wanted to say, "Really? Did I get my hair cut? Nope. It decided that it wanted to vacation somewhere warmer, so eight inches jumped off and ran away last night."

Mean of me? Kind of. I was nice to her, though, and she truly is a sweet person. It just kind of threw me for a loop.

Fast forward to this evening. I needed to get a few groceries, so ran up to Crest after stopping at the post office. To help the environment, I typically use the reusable shopping bags, but I didn't have mine with me because it was a spur of the moment trip. So, since I always can use more, I decided to buy another one. After the sacker bagged my groceries, he looked at the green bag, which was the first thing down the belt, and said, "Oh, did you want your groceries in this bag?" I smiled and told him that, yes, I did, when I really wanted to say, "Nope. Just thought it'd make an awesome new purse!" So, the kicker? He took the five things he'd already put in the paper bag and put them into the green bag -- paper bag and all. Boy, that really helped conserve our resources!

Thought for the Day

2009-10-26T22:20:00.002-05:00

Sometimes, when you're making fun of something that you know virtually nothing about, you're better off just to keep your mouth shut.

Just What I Needed

2009-10-21T18:52:00.003-05:00

Today wasn't the best day. I woke up this morning, after spending most of the night tossing, turning, and unable to sleep, to gray skies and a crabby dog. I slugged my way through my morning routine and got to work nearly on time, which was a plus, but my morning still wasn't anything spectacular.

As the day wore on, some of the major stressors that I'm dealing with right now decided to show their ugly heads. Early this afternoon I learned that Poppy (Yes, Sean, I call my grandpa Poppy; to borrow a phrase from you, if you don't like it, suck it!) was being transferred to a nursing home. It's very far from an ideal situation, but since he's remaining in Fredonia, my mom, aunt, and sister can check on him frequently. He's not doing at all well; at this point, it's still pretty much a waiting game.

This evening, as I was leaving work, my mood was about as gloomy as the sky. I was unlocking my car and heard my text message alert beep, so I pulled out my phone. One of my best friends, Misty, sent me a text that made me smile and made my day turn out to be a little brighter.

When I was first out of college and was offered my first professional job, I moved to a relatively small town in western Kansas, where I served as the public relations director for a community college. I soon learned that my job entailed *SO* much more than just PR, and while it wore on me at times, I loved it. I had lots of one-on-one interaction with students, and periodically, there was one who would worm his or her way into your everyday life. For me, it was usually the kids who were nice, but also had ornery streaks.

There was one student, in particular, who managed to work his way into all of our lives my first year there: Tex. He was continually doing things he shouldn't be doing and getting himself into trouble, but there was just something about him that made it nearly impossible for you to be angry at him. We pulled him out of numerous messes, but all worried that he would eventually end up in more trouble than we could repair. He left after one semester and, to the best of my knowledge, none of us heard from him again -- until today.

Misty texted me to say that he stopped to see her on his way out to Colorado and told her that he's now married to an amazing woman (a teacher!), has two children, owns and operates a successful welding business, and owns a good chunk of land oustide of Wichita. Wow!

It's awesome to know that, despite my concern, Tex managed to become successful in life. And what's even more awesome is to know that, in maybe a tiny party, his success can be attributed to some of the things that we all attempted to teach him.

An Abomination

2009-10-15T20:06:00.004-05:00

This evening, as I was reading the news, I saw a headline that literally made me stop dead in my tracks: "Louisiana Judge Denies Marriage License to Interracial Couple." I was *positive* that I had misread the headline, so clicked on it to read the article. Sickeningly, I was not mistaken.

I cannot believe that, today, in 2009, a judge honestly had the temerity to deny a marriage license to an interracial couple! His reasons totally blew my mind: first, he believes that interracial couples have a higher incidence of divorce, and second, "the children will suffer."

Excuse me...WHAT?!?!

Did this man truly just deny this couple a marriage license? When did it become appropriate for a judge to decide who should or should not be married? Just because he's a bigoted, racist, (and I'm guessing here, but a year's salary says I'm right) right wing Republican freak, does NOT give him the right to make this decision! You may not agree with interracial marriages (although I'm not sure why people would disagree), but it is NOT up to you, as a judge, to make the decision to deny a couple a marriage license.

Thankfully, the Louisiana ACLU already is all over the case and is investigating. I'm relatively sure that this judge will essentially be forced from office, which is more than appropriate.

Personally, his claims and his actions make me want to force him to be submitted to a DNA test that will show his entire background and lineage, much like they can do for dogs to determine their ancestry. If his bloodlines include anything, other than one particular race, then I believe that, not only should he be forced from office, but that he also should be forced to divorce his wife, as it then would be deemed an interracial marriage.

Things like this incense me to an extreme degree. Truly, I believe that there is only one race: mankind. We are all so much more than the color of our skin, the shade of our hair, the hue of our eyes. There is no reason that we still continue to judge one another based on anything, other than who and what we are inside.

If you want to read more about this sickening idiot, click here to go to a news site that has an article.

Lending a Helping Hand

2009-10-15T19:57:00.003-05:00

I had an encounter with someone this afternoon that proved to be less than stellar.

To be honest, I don't want to go into a ton of details, but I had to humble myself to ask someone for assistance -- I needed to borrow an air bubble to attempt to air up a half-flat tire on my car (I was on my way to go buy new tires). So, I asked someone who I thought had access to one. To make it clear, I did NOT ask this person to help me with my tire, rather, just asked if I could borrow an air bubble. Well, muttering under his breath, he reluctantly retrieved an air bubble and assisted me in airing up my tire.

As soon as he was finished, I thanked him for his time and assistance, because, to be honest, I truly appreciated the help -- and it helped me out of a major bind. I didn't expect him to actually air up my tire, but rather, had just wanted to borrow the air bubble and was extremely pleased when he actually helped me. Instead of telling me that I was welcome, however, when he was done, he began muttering under his breath about idiot drivers who don't take care of their cars.

To his credit, I *did* need new tires and have known this for a while, but had been putting the purchase off for a bit longer. So, yes, I suppose that you could say I was acting like an idiot driver by not replacing my tires sooner, but still, was it necessary to point out that fact? I felt appropriately chastised and promptly drove off to Hibdon, where, nearly $250 later, I became the proud owner of two brand new tires.

An Oddly Comforting Thought

2009-10-14T23:03:00.003-05:00

Early this morning, I received a message from my mom, telling me that Grandpa Abe is back in the hospital with a serious brain bleed. Sadly, things look pretty grim at this point. I was, for the most part, not freaking out too much over the knowledge that things are this way, but I had a mini breakdown at work. One of my co-workers saw me and asked me what was wrong. I explained and she offered a platitude that, at the outset, seemed a little odd, but yet was very comforting.

As I explained to her, Poppy will turn 90 years old on Monday of next week. He's lived an amazing life and has seen so many things, both good and bad, happen throughout the course of his life. His life has been filled with love and happiness and, until the past couple of years, he hasn't dealt with much in the way of health problems.

That being said, we were discussing suffering and pain. And, as crass as it may sound, I told her that, if and when it's his time to go, then I'm ready for him to go. I don't want to see him suffer and I don't want to see him waste away to nothing. She didn't think that odd at all and, in fact, reassured me that she would feel the same way.

As she was leaving my office, she said to me, "Well, Meg, I'd tell you that I hope that your grandpa is alright, but if things are bad for him, I don't know that that's what I want. Instead, I'm going to just tell you that I hope that you're alright." She went on to tell me that she'll do anything within her power to help me, when the time comes, and offered a shoulder for crying, should I need it.

The day wore on and I thought more and more about what she said to me. You know, there are people who would think her wrong, but I don't -- not at all. I understand that she's wishing the very best, whatever that outcome may be, for my family.

When the day inevitably comes, my heart will break. I know that I've said it many times before and I'll say it again: I love my Poppy with all of my heart and I'll miss him more than the mind can possibly fathom. He's always been there for me and no one, no matter how hard he or she may try, will ever take his place.

Two Wrongs....

2009-09-21T20:22:00.003-05:00

Eighteen years ago, my Grandma Dorothy was killed in a tragic car wreck. She was hit head-on by a tractor trailer that crossed the center line and was driving in her lane. At the time, the driver of the semi was not drug tested, which was an oversight, but evidence seemed to indicate that he was neither high nor drunk. (I'm not going to delve into my belief that any party involved in a fatal car accident should undergo mandatory drug testing here, though.) The punishment meted out by the law? A relatively inconsequential ticket for driving left of center.

For the past 18 years, I've frequently questioned whether or not his punishment was stringent enough because, after all, he took the life of one of the world's most beloved women. It's taken me a long time, but I've finally realized something: his punishment wasn't the traffic ticket he received, but rather the fact that, for the rest of his life, he'll have to live with the knowledge that his inattentiveness killed a sweet woman.

So, how did I come to this conclusion all of these years later? Well, earlier this summer, there was a horrendous accident on the Will Rogers Turnpike in northeast Oklahoma, in which a semi driver's inattentiveness killed ten people. After much testing and research, the media has reported that the accident was solely the fault of the truck driver, and, today, he was charged with ten counts of negligent homicide. I've spent the past couple of months thinking about and reflecting upon this situation and comparing it to my grandmother's accident.

This truck driver is an older gentleman. He very obviously made a horrible mistake that resulted in tragic consequences. But is it necessary to charge him with such a crime? Just like the driver who caused my grandma to die, I truly doubt that this man woke up one morning and decided to intentionally kill these people. I would imagine that it truly was an accident; what I cannot imagine is the amount of grief and guilt that this man must carry with him each day.

Sadly, no legal charge will bring back the lives that have been lost in these two accidents. And while I don't know any of the individuals involved in this situation, I can say that, at least in my grandma's case, the mental anguish that the truck driver has to suffer is more than punishment enough for him.

(Note: in cases where people are drunk or high or doing something completely stupid, like running from the police, and cause accidents, I fully believe that they should be prosecuted to the highest limits of the law.)

A Gentleman and a Jerk

2009-09-14T20:05:00.003-05:00

All day, every time I've turned on the news or browsed the Web, I've had stories, videos, and image's of Kanye West's little uncalled for temper trantrum that he threw last night at the VMAs, thrown at me. I've never been too big of a Kanye fan, and definitely am not now. His little childish display was, I believe, solely to garner more publicity for himself. Quite frankly, I don't care if I ever hear another of his songs and want nothing more than to see him fade into oblivion.

Conversely, I just flipped over to a news Web site and saw the news that Patrick Swayze succumbed to pancreatic cancer this evening. He was such a huge part of my childhood -- even today, I still can recite practically the entire script of Dirty Dancing. As a child, I was more interested in the fact that I thought he was "cute", and not in the fact that he truly was, by all accounts, one of the good guys. You never hear anything bad about Patrick Swayze -- he appears to have been a truly, genuinely good guy.

So, here's what I would like to see happen: let's get Kanye West out of and off of the news -- FOREVER. Let's let him just disappear and no longer get the attention that he so desperately wants. Instead, let's focus on some of the good guys -- guys like Patrick Swayze -- or girls like Taylor Swift. Let's focus on the decency in humanity, not the jackasses.

Carefree Summer Days

2009-09-07T20:45:00.002-05:00

As a child, I loved summers -- the endless days filled with art classes at the Stone House, swimming lessons (which I truly hated), homemade popsicles, the scent of chlorine as we spent hours at the pool -- I truly believed that summers were magic. As an adult, the magic of summers hasn't really resonated within me -- until last July.

Last summer, Jason asked me to spend a week and a half with him at Grand Lake. I initially hesitated because I HATE camping, but I soon said yes because I knew it was something he really enjoyed and I figured it was a good way to spend some time with my favorite guy. Well, I soon figured out that he wasn't meaning camping. Instead, he was meaning long, amazing days spent at an awesome house on the lake (complete with air conditioning, wifi, and nearly anything else a girl could want), playing on the boat and waverunners, and spending sultry nights swaying on the dock. The time I spent at Grand with Jason and several of our friends was relaxing, rejuvenating, and, in a word, amazing. And I was lucky enough to go back this summer.

Spending time at Grand has again made me love the days of summer. In life, it seems like we all have to put up with so much stress, and, honestly, just plain crap nearly every day, that it only seems fair that summers can still be magical.

I got home from my Grand this evening, having spent four days there to celebrate the long Labor Day weekend. I'm sunburned and exhausted and am not really looking forward to returning to the daily grind again tomorrow, but I'm so relaxed and content. Sure, I'm a little sad because it's September, which means the end of the summer, but I'm still very happy and eternally grateful to Jason for giving me back something that I didn't even realize I was missing -- the joy of a completely carefree summer weekend.

Dear Geico...

2009-08-18T20:37:00.002-05:00

Dear Geico:

If you want me to open the letter you sent to entice me to purchase your insurance, you probably should spell my name correctly. I might still have opened it, had you just misspelled either my first or my last name. But to misspell both? It's not like I have a particularly complicated name!

Oh -- and you probably should spell my street name right, too.

Thanks, but I think I'll stick with State Farm. They have great customer service AND spell my name right.

Sincerely,

NOT Meaghan Canon

WILD Two Days!

2009-08-12T22:53:00.002-05:00

The past two days have been nothing but a blur.

I received a call Tuesday afternoon, telling me that Poppy'd had a stroke. I was told he seemed okay and that I could put off a trip back to Kansas until the weekend. Well, about 9:30 pm Tuesday night, my phone rang again -- and I was told, in no uncertain terms, to get to Kansas immediately. I threw some random clothes in the car, grabbed the dog, held my emotions, and left. I finally arrived in Fredonia around 2:30 am, went straight to the hospital, and was greeted with a very sad scenario. Grandpa wasn't doing well and we weren't sure he'd make it through the night. Finally, around 5 am, Mom and I headed home for a quick nap, before returning to the hospital.

Alas, a nap was not to happen. After less than 90 minutes of sleep, the house phone rang. I heard Mom calming someone and saying that we were on our way. I assumed the worst about Grandpa -- and quickly learned that it was my sister -- calling to say that her water had broken -- two weeks early.

We brushed our teeth and threw on clothes and headed to get her for the drive to Chanute. After getting Jill and Adrian in the car, we headed for the hospital (of course not the one where Grandpa is a patient), with me timing contractions and Mom driving with the pedal to the metal. We got there, got her admitted, and she was on her way.

Well, less than two hours later, I was in her room talking with her when the baby's heartrate suddenly plummeted and refused to rebound. The medical team was in immediately and she was rushed off for an emergency c-section. Within less than seven minutes, my new nephew arrived. He had some breathing issues at first, but I'm proud to say that Harrison Monroe Doane is now happy and healthy and absolutely beautiful.

Mom and I came home for a nap this afternoon, which again, never materialized. We went to see Grandpa and then went back to Chanute to retrieve Adrian. On our way home, Mom's cell rang and it was my aunt, telling us that Mom's driveway was full of cops and firetrucks. Apparently, in a way unknown to any of us, power lines from the neighborhood had fallen on Mom's house, in her yard, and across my car -- with her yard on fire. We rushed home to find the house still standing, the electricity actually back on, the yard a little scorched, and...the passenger side of my car lined with scorch/singe marks. All along the top and passenger side, paint has been burned off, all the way down to the steel.

So, before heading home tomorrow, I'll be working with the City to find the cause of the issue and discuss with them how they'll be covering the cost of repairing my car damage, along with any damage done to Mom's house (we can't see any of it yet because it was dark when we got home).

And then, after all visiting with them, seeing my Grandpa, and visiting my new nephew, I'll be heading back towards home, driving through Wichita so that I can stop to meet Isaac Wayne Stout, my best friend's new baby son who also was born today. I can hardly wait!

But, first, sleep...

Generosity

2009-08-03T22:00:00.002-05:00

As a child, my mom always drove home the importance of sharing with others, no matter how little you have, and being kind and generous. She also frequently reminded me that, no matter how bad things seem for me, there's always someone who is in a worse position -- and that's part of the reason that it's so important to share.

As an adult, I like to see myself as a giving and mostly selfless person, but I know that's not always the case. Too often, I get tangled up in what's fair and unfair and focus on myself, instead of others.

Today, I learned an incredibly valuable lesson in generosity and kindness and it's reminded me that I need to remember these two values myself.

Without going into too much detail, a friend decided that another friend and I were being wronged. He took it upon himself to try to right this wrong, even though it was not his place to do so and it was going to end up being less beneficial for him in the end. His reasoning? "Well, what's happening to you isn't fair, and while life is never fair, I can do my part to try to make things a little better for both of you." It brought tears to my eyes and when I asked him why he felt it was his place to try to make us feel better, especially when it was going to be less beneficial for him in the end, he simply told me that it was the right thing to do.

I was, and several hours later still am, humbled by his generosity. Of course, I turned down his offer becuase he deserves everything for himself and he and his fiancee can really use the benefit, but the offer was so very kind. Score one more for teaching me an incredible lesson and, once again, making me have faith in humankind!

Slowing Down

2009-07-25T12:03:00.002-05:00

I'm getting ready to go to a funeral for a woman who was very much loved. Sadly, I didn't have the time to get to know her as well as I would have liked before her time ended, but she was a very kind woman.

This morning, as I sit here pondering life before leaving for Mustang for the service, I've been thinking about life. We often say it, but then we forget it when we get wrapped up in the everyday drudgery -- life is too short to not enjoy each and every single moment.

Instead of being annoyed by delayed planes and airport layovers, I need to sit back and take advantage of that down time -- time during which I could read, people watch, talk to a friend, blog, or do any other number of things. Sure, I'd rather be at home, but airports can be relaxing. Instead of being irritated about being stuck in traffic, I need to roll down the windows, open the sunroof, turn up the radio, and sing like a rockstar, enjoying the moment to relax.

There is so much that's beautiful in this life. It's too short to be angry. It's too short to hold grudges. It's too short to take things for granted. And, perhaps most of all, it's too short to not tell the people we love that we love them.

I'm going to try to be a better person. I'm going to try to relax more and worry less...to enjoy more and hurry less...to give more and take less. To forgive more...to experience more...to be more thankful. And, above all, to love more.

Idiots? Underpaid? Or Just Don't Care?

2009-07-12T20:10:00.004-05:00

While I'm by no means a world traveler, I have flown quite a bit in the US -- mostly for work, but for some pleasure, too. If possible, I've tried to fly without checking my luggage, but with all of the new TSA rules (thanks, idiot terrorists), it's nearly impossible to carry on everything you need for more than a day or two. So, I typically end up checking my bag(s). After my most recent trip (last week to Vegas), I've reached a conclusion: I will never again spend good money on nice luggage -- from now on, I'll buy the cheap crap and call it good.

Back in May, as I was preparing to leave for Aspen for a week, I realized that I needed a bigger suitcase. I spent some time shopping around and, after quite a bit of searching, found a very nice suitcase at Tuesday Morning. I paid nearly $100 for it, but with all thngs at Tuesday Morning, it retailed for significantly more -- I think it was somewhere around $300 -- for just one bag. My thought was that it was a good quality bag that would last me for a while. Well, the airlines have taught me differently.

After a trip to Aspen and a trip to Vegas, my bag looks like it's been around the world six times. During the first trip, the airlines managed to get quite a bit of grease all over the front. After my most recent trip, I found more grease and a huge snag on the back, and this evening, discovered that the zipper pulls have been ripped off of the big front pocket. I didn't realize this, of course, until I'd been home for two days -- which is about 44 hours too long to make a claim. I'm SO angry!

I guess that I should be thankful that it wasn't searched (not because I was hiding anything, but because I don't really like the idea of people rifling though my lingerie), it wasn't completely ruined, and it wasn't lost. It still irritates me, though. While sitting on the plane in Las Vegas and again in Denver, I watched our bags being loaded. Conversely, I watched them being unloaded while we were stuck on the tarmac in OKC. What I noticed is that the luggage handlers are either idiots, are underpaid, or just flat don't give a damn about doing a decent job.

Perhaps the airlines (and yes, it was two different airlines who beat the crap out of my suitcase) should spend a little more money on salaries for these handlers, offer them more training, or weed out the idiots. I can essentially guarantee that the money they spend working to resolve the issues on the end of the handlers will more than pay for itself with the money that they have to shell out for lost and/or damaged luggage. And, it would make customers a whole lot happier.

For the record, when I discovered the ruined zippers this evening, I checked Southwest's policy -- to make a claim, I needed to do so, in person, within four hours of my flight's arrival. I'm still going to attempt to make a claim, but I doubt that I'll get far. I do know this -- I will NEVER AGAIN leave the airport without throughly examining my luggage.

An Epiphany

2009-07-11T16:29:00.005-05:00

I try my best to be a good person and a good friend. While I'm the first to admit that I'm not always perfect, I do my best to remember things and dates that are important to those I love and try to make a point to see my friends if I'm near their homes, especially if I haven't seen them in a long time.

Even though I've got the best of intention, I do sometimes forget these things because of everyday life. I don't mean to and know that it's simple for things to slip my mind when I'm busy -- everyone has a lot of things on their minds. Why, then, does it upset me and make me feel less-than-loved and less-than-important when people I love either essentially forget my birthday or can't be bothered to call me when they're vacationing less than five miles from my house? After some serious thought, I've come to the conclusion has to do with the fact that my father, who no longer really plays a role in my life, did these things to me frequently when we still talked -- he would be just miles from my house, but wouldn't come see me, and nearly every summer, he forgot my birthday -- no present, no card, and usually, not even a phone call. Every time, it hurt me and made me feel like I didn't matter...at all. And, even though I fight feeling the same way when someone I love accidentally does the same thing to me, it still tends to creep up and rear its ugly head.

It makes me feel so incredibly immature to have these feelings. I'm an adult. My birthday is just another day and I don't need presents or a big celebration. Vacations are a time for resting and relaxing and I'm not so important that I need to be included.

Okay...enough brooding and feeling sorry for myself. I'm going to go take a nap because I think some sleep will really help me. I was in Vegas part of last week and most of this week for work and I got very little sleep. Since coming home, I'm still been, oddly, too keyed up to sleep well. A nap should help me shake these stupid feelints and get on with my life.

31 Things to Love at 31

2009-07-10T16:01:00.002-05:00

So, I hijacked this idea from my friend Tree's blog. She recently posted 31 things that she loves at 31 and I decided to do the same thing. I wanted to post it actually ON my birthday earlier this week, but things were hectic because I was in Las Vegas for work. So, even though it's a few days late, without further ado, here's my list:

Disc Golf – especially playing with Jason

The Beatles

Going to the lake

Baking and cooking – especially for other people

Tess and Tanner

Friends

Family

My guy

Shaken black iced tea from Starbucks

Afternoon naps

Good surprises

Lazy Sundays

Hugs

Downy Wrinkle Releaser

Fit-Flops

Pedicures

Purses

The smell of rain

Gummi Bears (even though I rarely, if ever, eat them anymore)

Japanese Steak Houses – especially Sumo in Edmond

IMing

July 4th (and, yes, my birthday the next day)

Baths

Clean sheets

Post-it Notes

The peacefulness found only in early mornings

Bio-Freeze

My awesome pink and black sunglasses

Seeing rainbows

Getting cards in the mail

Celebrating anything with my friends

One Lucky Woman

2009-06-28T21:33:00.003-05:00

In the past three months, I've broken both my tailbone and my nose. My car has recently broken down. My former landlord has essentially refused to refund my security deposit. I've had a misunderstanding with a friend. Both my nephew and my grandpa have been hospitalized in serious condition and my cousin was killed in a tragic accident. Someone recently told me that if I didn't have bad luck, I'd have no luck at all. It may seem like that on the outside, but I've gotta say -- I disagree. I believe that I'm one lucky woman.

Why do I think I'm so lucky?

I have a mother who loves me unconditionally. My grandfather, one of the most important people in my life, still is alive and seems to be doing better. My nephew, even at 10 years old, an age when most boys start to think that aunts are dumb, still thinks I hung the moon. I have a boyfriend who is, in a word, amazing -- he's always there for me and believes in me. I've got the best friends in the world -- from those who have been around since elementary school, high school, and college, to those who I've just met in the past few years, or even months, I have wonderful friends. I also have one of the coolest dogs on the planet. These are the important things -- the things that make me lucky -- my loved ones.

I've got a cozy home. Sure, I don't own it and it's currently very disorganized and still in boxes, but it's mine. I have a car in the driveway (now, granted, it's not running at this very moment, but still) and a good job. I have clothes, shoes, and food to put in my belly.

So, yes, I'm a very lucky woman. I've got life and I've got love. To me, that's all it takes.

The Journey of 100 Steps

2009-06-28T10:55:00.002-05:00

As of Thursday, I have embarked on a new journey in life. It's one I've tried before, and one where I've been semi-successful, but this time, I plan to make the journey, succeed in my journey, and maintain my destination. So, what's my journey? I'm going to lose 100 pounds. That's right. One hundred pounds.

Two years ago, I made, what I believed to be, a lifestyle change. I lost about 70 pounds and was feeling pretty good about myself, even though I still had more to lose. Well, as always, life intervened, I strayed from my diet and quit caring, and now, I've now gained back a good amount of that weight.

As of Thursday, I've set a new goal -- 100 pounds in one year. That's a lot of weight, but it's weight that I need to lose. Ultimately, I'd like to lose it within the next ten months -- ten pounds a months -- but I know that I have to be cautious and realisic.

So, how am I going to do it? By eating healthily (but neither starving nor depriving myself) and exercising. I'm giving myself a couple of weeks to get started with the diet (mostly because I'm getting ready to leave for a week again) and then will kick the exercising into gear. I'm looking into taking some martial arts lessons. If the weather will cooperate, I'm thinking about starting to run again. I'm going to continue to play disc golf. I'm just going to try to be more active.

Is this going to be easy? Absolutely not. I've got to remember that I can take the weight off the same way that I put it on -- one pound at a time. They say that a journey begins with a single step, so let the journey begin!

I Believe In...

2009-06-14T21:59:00.002-05:00

There's an old song named I Believe in You by an artist named Don Williams. I heard this song periodically as I was growing up, but this past Christmas, I rediscovered it when I hopped in my mom's car and it was playing...on a CD. As a child, I liked the beat and the music; as an adult, not only do I like the beat, the music, and his voice, but I also LOVE the lyrics.

The song has a pretty simple premise -- the writer (I *believe* it was Don Williams himself, but am not totally sure) discusses things he believes in...ending in with, "I believe in you." He also talks about things the things he either no longer believes in or never did believe.

Part of the reason that I like this song is that it makes me think long and hard about what *I* believe in...and about what I don't believe. The other reason I like it is because, while it's a song from the 70s (?), it is very applicable today. Lyrics like "I don't believe...that black is black and white is white...that gasoline's in short supply...the rising cost of getting by..." were written during a time when these were issues facing society. In a way, I think it's pretty sad that, some 20 years later, we're still facing these issues -- and that people haven't changed much.

Wow...this post has taken a different direction than I was planning. I was going to discuss the things in which I believe. I guess I'll save that for another time. For now, I'm going to listen to a little Don Williams while finishing my laundry and head to bed shortly.

Help Buddy Find a Home!

2009-06-08T21:10:00.002-05:00

I received an email this morning from a friend. She has a friend who found a stray male Beagle mix several weeks ago. She's apparently been looking for his home this entire time, but has been unable to find his parents. So, she's on a mission to find him a new home (apparently her dogs don't really care for him).

His name is Buddy and he's the adorable puppy dog in the photos below. He's approximately three years old, has been neutered, is up-to-date on his shots, and is described as mellow, friendly, and extremely loving. He's house trained, and prefers to spend his days outside, but wants to sleep beside your bed at night.

If you're a good person and can give Buddy a home, please let me know. I'll put you in touch with his temporary mother. Please help Buddy find a forever home!

Leave Them Alone!

2009-06-08T20:55:00.004-05:00

For the past couple of years, basically since the beginning, I've loosely followed the TLC show Jon and Kate Plus 8. At first, it was due to a strange fascination with the family, but it slowly morphed into a slight habit.

Essentially, I've always wondered if I'd actually like Jon and Kate in real life, and sadly, although I think they love their children, I don't think they'd be my favorite people. She seems overwhelmingly controlling and he seems to be underwhelmingly able to think for himself. That's really neither here nor there, though, for the purpose of this post.

Since the beginning of the year, Jon and Kate's relationship problems have been broadcast for the world to see. Sure, some would say that they brought this on themselves, what with their show and all, but I don't really agree. I truly doubt that, when they signed a contract, they planned to have marital issues and have them shown to everyone.

For the most part, I've just listened to the edge of the publicity...until today. Apparently, as of today, in addition to being investigated for possible violations of child labor laws, they now are being investigated on charges of animal abuse -- because of a comment that one of them made about their children roughhousing with their dogs.

I am sorry. This is just RIDICULOUS! Leave these poor people alone! Let them work out their marital problems alone. And, Jon and Kate? Put your show on hiatus. Work on your life. Get out of the spotlight. I have a hunch that you'll be glad you did.

Passing Up a Good Deal

2009-06-03T20:34:00.003-05:00

This evening, after running several errands, I decided that I wanted a sugar-free sno cone to soothe my irritated throat. After finding all three sno cone places closed for some reason, I got frustrated and headed home.

I was happily driving along (after nearly getting hit by an ambulance who decided to flip on their lights and sirens and flip a u-turn in the middle of the street) when I approached a massive line of traffic. I wasn't sure why there was a traffic jam in Midwest City -- I mean, really, this isn't exactly the most happening place in the world.

Suddenly, it hit me...Sonic is giving away free root beer floats tonight. There was a line of traffic approximately three blocks long (to the north), waiting to turn in to Sonic. I bypassed it, shaking my head, and was nearly hit by a car that was determined that I wasn't going to beat them in the driveway. Trust me...there was no way in hell I was entering that fray! Incidentally, the line stretched about two and a half blocks to the south, too.

Everyone knows that I'm a sucker for a good deal. Seriously, I'm the one who can ferret out a Dillard's sale ($7 leather purses and $23 Born boots, anyone?) at ten paces, and I also love free things, but there's no way I would risk my life going to Sonic tonight for a free small root beer float. I'd rather dig through my couch cushions, find two bucks in change, and buy one when the crazies are not out in full force!

Legal vs. Illegal

2009-06-01T14:01:00.002-05:00

Controversial Wichita physician, Dr. George Tiller, was shot to death while serving as an usher at his church yesterday morning. Dr. Tiller was a prominent figure in the medical field for providing women's health services, particularly, abortions.

More details are coming to light on Dr. Tiller's death, including that the suspect is an anti-government, anti-choice, pretty much anti-everything nut job who believes that killing a living, breathing human is justifiable, just because he doesn't like what he did for a living. Thankfully, he's been apprehended and is in custody, awaiting charges.

I'm not going to turn this into a pro-choice/pro-life post, because, here's the deal: abortion currently is legal. Whether it's right for you or wrong for you, if you're ever in a situation that could call for an abortion, only you can decide. Bottom line? It's legal.

The other part of the equation is that murdering a living human is illegal. No matter how you slice it, Dr. Tiller was gunned down and murdered in a place that's supposed to be a place of peace. A haven. Safe. Bottom line here? Murder is illegal.

If you're so completely pro-life because you believe that abortions are murder, then how can you justify murdering someone yourself? It just doesn't make any sense to me.

All I know is that, while I might not agree with everything he did, Dr. Tiller was a husband, father, grandfather, friend, and so much more -- he was more than his profession, as are we all. Today, his family and friends are mourning because of someone who apparently has a skewed sense of right and wrong. And, to me, that's just sad.

A Sad Day...

2009-05-29T19:03:00.003-05:00

As I was winding down from the Memorial Day weekend and working on unpacking my house, my phone rang...and I had a really bad feeling. When I answered, my mom told me that my cousin's youngest son, Tanner, had died from an accidental shooting.

As Mom told me, my heart absolutely broke. My poor cousin -- I cannot imagine losing a child at such a young age (he was 12) in such a tragic manner. How do you continue your life? How do you go on?

Tanner was such a sweet boy. He never knew a stranger and his eyes practically sparkled with laughter -- he was just a very cool young man.

I'm currently out of state for work, so I was unable to attend his funeral, which was earlier today. Mom went to his service and called me after. If possible, my heart cracked even more as she told me about the service. I feel so horrible that I wasn't able to be there for my cousin...my family.

Make sure you and your children know and understand gun safety. Tanner did, but still fell victim to a tragic accident. The rule I always learned was that any gun is a loaded gun.

Tonight, hug the ones you love. Pull them a little tighter and tell them that they're loved. I wish I could hug my people, but since I'm still gone, for now, I'll just have to make sure that they know that I love them. And, you can bet, that the hugs will come the minute I'm home.

Even Jerks Can Have a Good Side

2009-05-24T12:00:00.003-05:00

Professional golfer John Daly is oftentimes thought of as one of the biggest jerks on the tour. He's got a bad temper and also appears to battle an addiction to alcohol. He's never been one of my favorite golfers and never really impressed me...until now.

Last week, news broke that Phil Mickelson's wife, Amy, has been diagnosed with, and is undergoing treatment for, breast cancer. Let me clarify that I've not always been a fan of Mickelson, either, but do respect him as a golfer. (If you know me, you probably know that I'm a HUGE Tiger Woods fan.)

So what precipitated my change in opinion about Daly? Well, it seems that he wore a pair of bright pink pants in the final round of a tournament this weekend. His reasoning? To support the Michelson family and let them know he's thinking about them.

One could argue that this was done as a publicity stunt to garner more attention. Was it? Maybe so, but then again, maybe not. Either way, I've got to admit that I'm impressed with Daly's pink-colored pants statement, especially as a woman who has lost more than one family member to breast cancer.

So, today, John Daly, I salute you!

Just What I Needed

2009-05-23T19:51:00.002-05:00

The past two weeks have been extremely long and trying. I spent last weekend making the move to my new home, which took a physical and mental toll on me. We finally finished moving the last pieces of junk late Wednesday evening/early Thursday morning, by which time I was exhausted beyond all belief. Add to that a nephew in the hospital with a liver injury from a fall and a grandpa in the hospital from continued heart problems and you have one incredibly stressed and unhappy Meg...until last night.

I have unpacked very little in my house yet, thus making it difficult to find anything and impossible to set up my bed, so I've been sleeping on my couch. While my couch is extremely comfortable and I've spent plenty of nights there, it's not the ideal place to get an optimal night's rest.

Last night, I was surprised with a brand new shiny pink disc golf driver by the world's best boyfriend. Last night, I filled my tummy with a fabulous steak dinner. Last night, I slept in a bed for the first time in nearly a week. And while I woke up earlier than I would have preferred due to back spasms, I moved to the recliner and slept for another three hours. It was, in a word, glorious!

Today, after sleeping in and having a totally calm morning, we went to one of my favorite delis (Hobby's Hoagies) and then went and played a round of disc golf. Yes, this was the very first round of disc golf that I've actually completed and, no, I didn't break anything. This evening, I'm sitting here, slightly sun and wind burned, but happy, content, and truly relaxed for the first time in more than two weeks. I'm beyond mellow and just enjoying life!

An Awesome Web site!

2009-05-14T20:31:00.002-05:00

I absolutely love the movie "The Bucket List". Since the day I saw that movie, I've sworn that I would make a bucket list of my own, but I just haven't taken the time to start one...until this evening.

My friend Tracy introduced me to the Web site www.43things.com today. It's got to be one of the neatest sites I've seen in a long time! It's a very simple premise: you create a free account and then start creating a list of 43 things that you want to do in your life. They can be major goals or they can be smaller things -- my list contains some of each. I'm not quite to 43 yet, but starting my list has been extremely thought provoking. I'm sure that some of the things on my list will change as time goes by. Some are fun; some are serious.

It's a cool Web site. Check it out!

Graffiti Slurs

2009-05-13T21:17:00.002-05:00

While driving home from work earlier this week, I noticed that someone had spray painted a message in a lovely shade of day-glo orange across four of the cement barriers along west bound I-40 at the Broadway interchange. Their message? "Brad Henry Baby Killer".

Now I'm assuming that this is a pro-life message that's aimed at Governor Brad Henry, but I'm a little confused, or perhaps more accurately, somewhat amused. Governor Henry is not exactly your most liberal of democrats. He actually tends to be quite conservative, but I suppose that's neither here nor there.

So why am I confused and amused?

Well, first, unless Governor Henry, or another Brad Henry to whom the painter was referring, has actually murdered a child, then technically, this graffiti is libel.

Second, I'm curious to know about the painter's background. Frequently, radically pro-life individuals come from a stringent religious background and feel that they have a very definitive sense of right and wrong. Since they technically defaced state, or possibly federal, property with this message, then how can this graffiti be considered right? I can't quote a statute, but I'm about 100 percent certain that defacing this property is illegal, so I don't understand how someone could consider this action to be above board and appropriate. I would think that illegal actions would violate their sense of right and wrong.

Finally, and perhaps more than anything, I would like to know how in the hell someone managed to paint such a huge, long message along a major highway WITHOUT being noticed! I'm guessing that it was done at night, but you've got to know that it still took some time to paint. How did no one catch the painter/s? I see OHP troopers along that stretch of road all too frequently, so I'm still in awe that someone managed to paint such a huge message without being caught.

As a side note, I've looked for the message the past couple of days, but traffic has been pretty heavy when I've driven past, so I haven't seen it. I suspect, though, that the real reason that I haven't seen it is because it's been removed/painted over. If that's the case, then I'd like to thank this idiot graffiti artist to wasting some of MY taxes!

Pink Sky

I'm Tired...

Oops!

A Powerful Weapon

Crazy, Glittery, Trashy Vegas!

Second Place...

Tornado Follow-Up

Shelter From the Storm...Or Not

The Soundtrack to My Life

Slot Machines, Deer, and Bikes

It's a Home, Not a House

I Want My Rose-Colored Glasses Back!

Justifying Your Actions

366 Days

Giving Thanks

Bibles and Bras

Political Vomit

Choosing to be Happy

Do Your Part!

Oklahoma vs. DC

Letting Bygones be Bygones

Still Life Saturday

I Wanna Be a Billionaire...

Sucker Punched

The Statistic That Really Hit Home for Me

Automatic Ways to NOT Get My Vote

Please Help Locate a Missing Woman!

What a Pain

Lost Dog!

It's Who I Am

He's Way Too Young!

What Exactly Is It That You Believe?

A Poppy for My Poppy

Comfort Food, Grandma Style

A Yard of Flowers in OKC

Dancing in the Rain

What a Kid!

Cruel and Unusual Punishment

If This Doesn't Scare You...

Life Is So Very Fragile

Am I Being Too Mean?

This is the Story that Never Ends...

Letting Kids Be Kids

The Learning Channel?

Larger Than Life

Good Friends, Good Food, Good Fun

Nervous Nellie

Take Your Slander Elsewhere

Professor John Lehman

Icy Awesomeness!

Priorities, People!

Customer Service FAIL!

Princess for a Day

A Baked Potato!

The First Ten

If You Can't Say Anything Nice...

A Bowl Full of Awesome!

The Surreal Becomes Real

(#)*!&(#@!*)_(%$_#*@!_)*$!!!!!!

Day 1

Please Help, If You Can

Something to Believe In

Home Sweet Home

People Watching

A Little Less Bright

A Sad, Mad World

Snap Judgements

Such Sadness

Sexy...Car Parts?

Tess, the Trash-Eating Dog

Ahhhhh! Fear the Demonic Candy!!

I'm a Believer

I Don't Wanna Grow Up!

Common (Lack of) Sense

Thought for the Day

Just What I Needed

An Abomination

Lending a Helping Hand

An Oddly Comforting Thought

Two Wrongs....

(#)!&(#@!)_(%$_#@!_)$!!!!!!