More like a sentence or two.....but I must say....
I really have the best friends a woman could ask for! Your inspiration, love, support, laughter and prayers make me a better woman and I am grateful for having met each one of you!
You know who you are....but just in case....Angel, Candice, Shannon, Deanna, Emily, Thank you!!!
Monday, August 15, 2011
Tuesday, August 9, 2011
Taking Some Time to Copy and Paste...
I think my friend Shannon expresses the feelings better than I ever could...so if you don't already follow her, find her Shannanigans [Sh*t My Kids Say and Other Suburban Adventures].
For the past couple of years, Thursday nights have been Girls' Night Out with some of my close friends. Not every week...but every other Thursday or so, a handful of us thirtysomethings (and sometimes Krystal) would line up at the bar at Othello's around 8:30 or 9 and close the place down with our trusted and much-beloved bartender, Lee. We drink wine and share appetizers and catch up with each other, often discussing our kids and relationships and what's happening in the world. Sometimes there are just 2 or 3 of us, usually 5 or 6, though we've had as many as a dozen. However many we numbered, Lee was always waiting for us with a smile, and he knew to put our water in cognac glasses to make it pretty. He always put extra cherries in my club special and knew how I liked my pizza. When our wine glasses approached empty, he would quietly appear in front of us, raising an eyebrow in question. With a nod or a shake of the head, he would refill the glass or bring coffee, without so much as making us pause in our conversation. We flirted shamelessly with him, both individually and en masse, and he would smile and blush, which made us laugh...but he always took our teasing in stride. Sometimes he flirted back, but he was always careful to toe the line and remain appropriate--at least reasonably so. He didn't talk much, and what little we knew about him, we had to drag out of him, but every once in awhile he would open up and throw his two cents into our chatter. Best of all, when our husbands would show up at our sides, he would treat them like old friends, but never uttered a word about our sometimes personal Thursday Girl talk. I can honestly say, he definitely understood what was sacred.
Today, I found out our Lee is moving on, and I know I'm not alone in my sadness. He tended to us well, and will be sorely missed by us all. Thursday nights won't ever be quite the same!
Thank you Shannon for allowing me to use your words in this oh, so difficult time for us all! :~)
For the past couple of years, Thursday nights have been Girls' Night Out with some of my close friends. Not every week...but every other Thursday or so, a handful of us thirtysomethings (and sometimes Krystal) would line up at the bar at Othello's around 8:30 or 9 and close the place down with our trusted and much-beloved bartender, Lee. We drink wine and share appetizers and catch up with each other, often discussing our kids and relationships and what's happening in the world. Sometimes there are just 2 or 3 of us, usually 5 or 6, though we've had as many as a dozen. However many we numbered, Lee was always waiting for us with a smile, and he knew to put our water in cognac glasses to make it pretty. He always put extra cherries in my club special and knew how I liked my pizza. When our wine glasses approached empty, he would quietly appear in front of us, raising an eyebrow in question. With a nod or a shake of the head, he would refill the glass or bring coffee, without so much as making us pause in our conversation. We flirted shamelessly with him, both individually and en masse, and he would smile and blush, which made us laugh...but he always took our teasing in stride. Sometimes he flirted back, but he was always careful to toe the line and remain appropriate--at least reasonably so. He didn't talk much, and what little we knew about him, we had to drag out of him, but every once in awhile he would open up and throw his two cents into our chatter. Best of all, when our husbands would show up at our sides, he would treat them like old friends, but never uttered a word about our sometimes personal Thursday Girl talk. I can honestly say, he definitely understood what was sacred.
Today, I found out our Lee is moving on, and I know I'm not alone in my sadness. He tended to us well, and will be sorely missed by us all. Thursday nights won't ever be quite the same!
Thank you Shannon for allowing me to use your words in this oh, so difficult time for us all! :~)
Tuesday, August 2, 2011
The heat and the crazies...
Somehow society turns into a bunch of sweaty, irrational, angry, whiny people who want nothing more than to be left alone. "I'm hot, don't touch me," my sisters favorite phrase anytime of year when she is feeling a bit sticky, has seemed to become the theme for most everyone over the last few months!
People's actions this summer seem to be the opposite of what they are before a pending snow storm...you know how it goes...everyone hustling to the grocery store...buying out shelves of milk and eggs... and good luck getting your hands on a Little Debbie Snack Cake....they are gone too! But during this summer heat, people have turned into hermits...staying inside instead of heading to the pool, cueing up Netflix instead of going to local outdoor concerts, forget going to the zoo or taking the kids to the park. And the grocery store...please, I have never seen more creative meals coming out of families using up what they have in their pantry. Tell me you haven't had the thought of feeding your kids cereal for dinner, a popcorn and string cheese casserole, or better yet, the ever creative cheese wiz, artichoke hearts and chicken sprinkled with a crushed cracker topping! Yum Yum!!!
I bet 99% of the people who complain incessantly about the frigid temps we have had the last few winters are the same ones who are complaining incessantly about the heat dome that is cooking Oklahoman's like a steak on a grill, without the char lines of course! But, oh how I bet you are wishing for those cooler temps. If you think about it...when you look out your window it looks the same now as in December....dead grass, no flowers, fallen leaves everywhere....only difference is 100 degrees! How hot is it out? Well, Satan has officially started charging us rent!
If the old addage holds true...there will be a spring baby boom this coming April and May!!
The moral of the story: Suck it up people....it will cool off soon enough!
People's actions this summer seem to be the opposite of what they are before a pending snow storm...you know how it goes...everyone hustling to the grocery store...buying out shelves of milk and eggs... and good luck getting your hands on a Little Debbie Snack Cake....they are gone too! But during this summer heat, people have turned into hermits...staying inside instead of heading to the pool, cueing up Netflix instead of going to local outdoor concerts, forget going to the zoo or taking the kids to the park. And the grocery store...please, I have never seen more creative meals coming out of families using up what they have in their pantry. Tell me you haven't had the thought of feeding your kids cereal for dinner, a popcorn and string cheese casserole, or better yet, the ever creative cheese wiz, artichoke hearts and chicken sprinkled with a crushed cracker topping! Yum Yum!!!
I bet 99% of the people who complain incessantly about the frigid temps we have had the last few winters are the same ones who are complaining incessantly about the heat dome that is cooking Oklahoman's like a steak on a grill, without the char lines of course! But, oh how I bet you are wishing for those cooler temps. If you think about it...when you look out your window it looks the same now as in December....dead grass, no flowers, fallen leaves everywhere....only difference is 100 degrees! How hot is it out? Well, Satan has officially started charging us rent!
If the old addage holds true...there will be a spring baby boom this coming April and May!!
The moral of the story: Suck it up people....it will cool off soon enough!
Tuesday, July 19, 2011
...the long and winding road (I promise this one is it)
I happen to be one of those, "If it's meant to be it will be. If it is supposed to happen it will happen" crazy-kinda ladies! I really believe God has a plan....we don't know what it is, but it is our responsibility to follow the signs to find the path that God has laid for us.
As you all know, Angel and I have started a new endeavor this year...Fancy Like That! Party Productions. It is something that she and I have done for...well, forever! The path was laid for us and we slowly began following it, unknowing of what it would become. The decision was made by she and I to step off the small, over-grown path and move toward the paved road.
Things seem to be unfolding for us this last couple of weeks, the details of starting a catering company are opening up before us...everytime there is a question, the answer seems to fall in our hands. Don't get me wrong, this wider road...you know the paved one....sure has it's share of pot-holes and speed bumps, but it is obviously the right path for us.
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As you all know, Angel and I have started a new endeavor this year...Fancy Like That! Party Productions. It is something that she and I have done for...well, forever! The path was laid for us and we slowly began following it, unknowing of what it would become. The decision was made by she and I to step off the small, over-grown path and move toward the paved road.
Things seem to be unfolding for us this last couple of weeks, the details of starting a catering company are opening up before us...everytime there is a question, the answer seems to fall in our hands. Don't get me wrong, this wider road...you know the paved one....sure has it's share of pot-holes and speed bumps, but it is obviously the right path for us.
Wednesday, July 13, 2011
"My Brudda, DooDah"
For three months, William had been waiting to meet his "Brudda, DooDah." See, William had some trouble talking, so this was his version of "brother JooChan."
Davis JooChan Gregory Peck came home to America on July 13, 2006 and was met at the Will Rogers Airport by his full extended family!
A party ensued after the first meeting....champagne was sabered....and a tradition was born.
Thursday, July 7, 2011
Trying to adjust....
If I've said it once... have said it a thousand times, I am a number 2 pencil in a dot-com world.
I still use a paper calendar to schedule my days, I use my cell phone only to make calls and maybe the occassional text message, I still enjoying picking up a good book (usually in paperback), and I always begin writing things on paper...before I sit at the keyboard.
Until now, that is. I sometimes feel out of place...not having, or wanting for that matter, the latest and greatest technology. The newest item that is "supposed" to help make our lives easier. It is inevitable that one day...I will have to make the switch.
Having a pre-teen daughter, I am going to have to learn the "text message lingo." I will have to finally figure out what "ROFLMAO" means...Ok, I do know that one...but there are several that I turn to my trusted husband to inform me of the definition!
So, you tell me....what am I missing out on...what is the one invention this world has that will inspire me to put down the #2 and pick up something that requires an adapter?
I still use a paper calendar to schedule my days, I use my cell phone only to make calls and maybe the occassional text message, I still enjoying picking up a good book (usually in paperback), and I always begin writing things on paper...before I sit at the keyboard.
Until now, that is. I sometimes feel out of place...not having, or wanting for that matter, the latest and greatest technology. The newest item that is "supposed" to help make our lives easier. It is inevitable that one day...I will have to make the switch.
Having a pre-teen daughter, I am going to have to learn the "text message lingo." I will have to finally figure out what "ROFLMAO" means...Ok, I do know that one...but there are several that I turn to my trusted husband to inform me of the definition!
So, you tell me....what am I missing out on...what is the one invention this world has that will inspire me to put down the #2 and pick up something that requires an adapter?
Monday, June 27, 2011
...no more Disney Channel for you!
After a busy day of cleaning, cutting down trees, and a bit more cleaning...we headed to the library to switch out our "old" books. We left there and headed straight to church, we aren't normally Saturday Mass people, but hey, we were out and why not!?! We got to church earlier than we normally would, about 30 minutes...so, we all said a few silent prayers, sat back, and like any "normal" Catholic...began reading the church bulletin (hey, at least it wasn't during the homily!)
Now, John has been asking me all weekend, "Honey, what do you want to do for your birthday?" My birthay is a month away....I don't know what I want to do when I get off work, much less for my birthday that is thirty-some days from now....
So as we are reading the bulletin...I come across an event at the MAC that sounds perfect....an outdoor showing of The Wizard of OZ...and it's the weekend before my birthday! Perfect, I have an answer to the question.
I show the blurb to Johnny...there was a short discussion between he and William about the idea...then, William looks up at me and says..."Mom, we've already seen Wizards of Waverly OZ. Why do you want to see it again?"
Now, John has been asking me all weekend, "Honey, what do you want to do for your birthday?" My birthay is a month away....I don't know what I want to do when I get off work, much less for my birthday that is thirty-some days from now....
So as we are reading the bulletin...I come across an event at the MAC that sounds perfect....an outdoor showing of The Wizard of OZ...and it's the weekend before my birthday! Perfect, I have an answer to the question.
I show the blurb to Johnny...there was a short discussion between he and William about the idea...then, William looks up at me and says..."Mom, we've already seen Wizards of Waverly OZ. Why do you want to see it again?"
Wednesday, June 22, 2011
Just the two of us...
San Francisco in the fall....that's what we have planned anyway! John seems to be a regular in California, traveling for work at least one week a month. Unfortunatley for Cali, I have never graced it with my presence. While John is a bit more reserved....my excitement level is off the charts....code red. I am not sure what is more exciting to me....the thought of seeing the west coast or the thought of actually taking a vacation alone...with my husband.
That's right, I said it...after 11 years of marriage, we have never taken a vacation by ourselves...with exception of our honeymoon. We have traveled with my sister and brother-in-law...who are excellent travel companions. We have traveled with our children, again, excellent...but in a completley different way!! :~)
We have traveled with both of our families and parents....that can always be a bit more trying...but definately gratifying in the end! But never, just the two of us.
I am looking forward to planning this trip...finding the unique and exciting things for us to do....I am not one that wants to see the "touristy" parts of town....I want to get down to the nitty gritty of the locals...the antique shops, farmers markets and resturaunts.
So, I ask of each of you...give me ideas....tell me what that one exciting, interesting, little known jewel is out in San Francisco!
That's right, I said it...after 11 years of marriage, we have never taken a vacation by ourselves...with exception of our honeymoon. We have traveled with my sister and brother-in-law...who are excellent travel companions. We have traveled with our children, again, excellent...but in a completley different way!! :~)
We have traveled with both of our families and parents....that can always be a bit more trying...but definately gratifying in the end! But never, just the two of us.
I am looking forward to planning this trip...finding the unique and exciting things for us to do....I am not one that wants to see the "touristy" parts of town....I want to get down to the nitty gritty of the locals...the antique shops, farmers markets and resturaunts.
So, I ask of each of you...give me ideas....tell me what that one exciting, interesting, little known jewel is out in San Francisco!
Tuesday, June 21, 2011
Legends of the fountain....
Legend says that if you throw a coin into the Trevi Fountain- with your back to the fountain, throwing the coin with your right hand over your left shoulder - that will ensure a return to Rome.
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Here's hoping!
Tuesday, May 31, 2011
...and neither do you!
Having a ten year old daughter is a challenge to say the least. We seem to have hit this stage where we are trying to find the balance between knowing we are a kid and thinking we are a teen! It is a fine line that all of us have gone through, the problem being that we don't remember those days as clearly as our mothers do!!! The sassy mouth that my sweet little Lady-Bird has astounds me! Once, while instructing her brother as to what he can and can not do....she turned to inform John and I why she had the authority to do so. See, little did I know at the time, when you are ten, and your parents aren't in the room...you get to make all decisions.
Last night, while having the end of the school year talk...who she will miss most and why, what plans she has for her summer, and who is coming to any and all sleepovers she may or may not have depending on her attitude.....she informed me how much she would miss a certain young boy. He is moving to a different middle school next year, and he sweetly wrote in her yearbook, "I am sorry for leaving you." I used my grandmother's old addage...."Boys are like streetcars...wait 15 miutes and another one will be by." To which she looked at me in disgust and said...."You just don't understand sixth grade love, Mom!"
Well Zie, that makes two of us!
Last night, while having the end of the school year talk...who she will miss most and why, what plans she has for her summer, and who is coming to any and all sleepovers she may or may not have depending on her attitude.....she informed me how much she would miss a certain young boy. He is moving to a different middle school next year, and he sweetly wrote in her yearbook, "I am sorry for leaving you." I used my grandmother's old addage...."Boys are like streetcars...wait 15 miutes and another one will be by." To which she looked at me in disgust and said...."You just don't understand sixth grade love, Mom!"
Well Zie, that makes two of us!
Wednesday, May 25, 2011
Tuesday, May 24, 2011
The first to admit it!
I am not one to deny my faults....I know I have them. A short fuse that makes for a very quick temper...I am always the first to apologize and say I was wrong....it may take a couple of hours, but it WILL happen! A lack of desire to do laundry....Some of them, I will even attest are a bit, well, irrational... for instance: a fear of snakes and June bugs, my fear of needles.....Yes, I know it is only a tiny stick maybe a little burn of the medicine, but in the grand scheme of things it will make you feel better. That being said, I will (and have) cried like a baby at the mere thought of being stuck. I will do it, but the probability of a tantrum is at the least high!!!
Now, here's the thing....I am terrified of tornadoes. The sheer destruction they cause, the unpredictability of their path, the indecisive nature of what is left standing...the thought terrifies me. So, here I sit, anxiously watching the weather channel online (note there are no storms as of yet, and nothing has changed since 7am) trying to get my fears out now....before I go home and have to shove all stress and anxiety out the window for my children's sake. So, I will fret, and I will frown, and I will repeatedly hit refresh.....so that my children never grow up knowing just how irrational and nonsensical their mother can actually be!!!
I am guessing a game or two of Sorry will be played, maybe UNO Attacks, I may even get the kids in the kitchen to bake some brownies....baking seems calm and productive.....doesn't it?!?
Now, here's the thing....I am terrified of tornadoes. The sheer destruction they cause, the unpredictability of their path, the indecisive nature of what is left standing...the thought terrifies me. So, here I sit, anxiously watching the weather channel online (note there are no storms as of yet, and nothing has changed since 7am) trying to get my fears out now....before I go home and have to shove all stress and anxiety out the window for my children's sake. So, I will fret, and I will frown, and I will repeatedly hit refresh.....so that my children never grow up knowing just how irrational and nonsensical their mother can actually be!!!
I am guessing a game or two of Sorry will be played, maybe UNO Attacks, I may even get the kids in the kitchen to bake some brownies....baking seems calm and productive.....doesn't it?!?
Wednesday, May 18, 2011
For Granted
Ever noticed the little things in life.....you know, all those things that everyone of us use everyday....but we never give them a second thought. Well, I have noticed and here is my list of just a few of the favorite things I never cared about:
*Cracking an egg and not getting any shell in the bowl! It is always a good day when you aren't fishing eggshell out of a bowl of brownie mix!!!
*The light given off from a brand new lightbulb. Although, first thing in the morning it can be a bit disturbing!
*The sound your cell phone makes when you get a text message! It's kinda like, "Ohh.....someone is thinking of me!"
*A meat thermometer....hello.....no more guessing if it is done and having dry, over-cooked meat!
*Cruise control.
*Unrolling TP for the first time and having it tear apart cleanly.....not shredding and seperating the layers.
*Rhodes Rolls: The fastest way to bake "homemade" bread that everyone will love....and think you spent hours on.
*On that same note.....store bought pie crusts.....sometimes there just isn't time!
*Clicky pens. Even though they can be extremley irritating if left in the wrong, figity hands....
*A light switch....think about it. How many times has your electricity been out and you still walk into a dark room and try to turn on the lights!
*Picking up a roll of tape and realizing whoever used it last folded the end over so you aren't having to search for the start of the roll!
*Finding the perfect gift bag in your gift bag stash. How many times have you tried to wrap a birthday gift in a Christmas bag, just because it was the only one that would fit.
*The taste of ice when you replace the filter in your freezer.
*Public bathrooms with push doors to go out.....who wants to grab a door handle in a public bathroom!
And now, I want to hear yours......What is it that you never thought about, but always take for granted?
*Cracking an egg and not getting any shell in the bowl! It is always a good day when you aren't fishing eggshell out of a bowl of brownie mix!!!
*The light given off from a brand new lightbulb. Although, first thing in the morning it can be a bit disturbing!
*The sound your cell phone makes when you get a text message! It's kinda like, "Ohh.....someone is thinking of me!"
*A meat thermometer....hello.....no more guessing if it is done and having dry, over-cooked meat!
*Cruise control.
*Unrolling TP for the first time and having it tear apart cleanly.....not shredding and seperating the layers.
*Rhodes Rolls: The fastest way to bake "homemade" bread that everyone will love....and think you spent hours on.
*On that same note.....store bought pie crusts.....sometimes there just isn't time!
*Clicky pens. Even though they can be extremley irritating if left in the wrong, figity hands....
*A light switch....think about it. How many times has your electricity been out and you still walk into a dark room and try to turn on the lights!
*Picking up a roll of tape and realizing whoever used it last folded the end over so you aren't having to search for the start of the roll!
*Finding the perfect gift bag in your gift bag stash. How many times have you tried to wrap a birthday gift in a Christmas bag, just because it was the only one that would fit.
*The taste of ice when you replace the filter in your freezer.
*Public bathrooms with push doors to go out.....who wants to grab a door handle in a public bathroom!
And now, I want to hear yours......What is it that you never thought about, but always take for granted?
Wednesday, April 13, 2011
The long way home...
Over the last year or so, I have had a lot of questions about....well, everything. My faith in people, my faith in myself, my faith in God. I guess I always took people at their word, assumed I wasn't good enough and took God for granted. I never thought about why I believed the way I did....why I did the things I did...I never even asked myself if I believed what my church was teaching.
So it struck me...why not question everything. As I dove into my faith, my true religion, and my God, I learned so much more about myself, my husband, my children and my friends. I have learned not to take things for granted...the sunrise, the sunset, a flock of birds flying....even a wheat field. There is beauty all around us...and it is a gift. My husband....is a gift. My children...are a gift. I...am a gift.
I have found that I really do believe in the teachings of my church... that I really do believe in my friendships, I have had to cut ties with relationships that were toxic to me and my family, but I hold dear the friends who are true to me....I have found that I really do believe in myself. Each day we have is a gift, look at it, study it, enjoy it but above all.....question it. For only then can you truely appreciate what we have been given.
So it struck me...why not question everything. As I dove into my faith, my true religion, and my God, I learned so much more about myself, my husband, my children and my friends. I have learned not to take things for granted...the sunrise, the sunset, a flock of birds flying....even a wheat field. There is beauty all around us...and it is a gift. My husband....is a gift. My children...are a gift. I...am a gift.
I have found that I really do believe in the teachings of my church... that I really do believe in my friendships, I have had to cut ties with relationships that were toxic to me and my family, but I hold dear the friends who are true to me....I have found that I really do believe in myself. Each day we have is a gift, look at it, study it, enjoy it but above all.....question it. For only then can you truely appreciate what we have been given.
Nostalgia...
I woke up late this morning
With laughter all aroundTo hear the children playing
Out on the ol' playground
The grass was now a brilliant green
And so were all the trees
I glanced and saw the American flag
Waving in the breeze
I rose to close the window
And as I left the bed
I gently pulled the window down
And crushed my f!&king head.
Tuesday, April 12, 2011
Proud Momma!
My daughter, Zie, is an altar server at our church. She is the youngest, the smallest, the most delicate, and the most beautiful if you ask me.... She has been chosen to serve for the Palm Sunday Mass...She will be serving with 3 of her peers who are taller, stronger, and well....more experienced....but you can bet that that scrappy 62 pound daughter of mine will be carrying that 40 pound cross through all the aisles of the church on Sunday morning. Would she let the boys do it??? No, she wants to be in the forefront, the one who, and I quote..."Gets to ring the bell." So, I will be there, not quite front row, beaming...while she flashes me the peace sign from the altar.
Monday, April 11, 2011
Ever wonder...
William, my 7 year old son, has somehow figured out how to get toothpaste in his eyes not only once, but twice in the last 5 days. Now, I am 30 somethin years old....and I have never in my life brushed my teeth so vigorously that toothpaste has splattered into my eyes. Add this one to the "Sometimes, he makes me wonder" album!
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