He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint. Isaiah 40:29-31
1. October 3rd is National Boyfriend Day. Ladies, who was your first boyfriend?
His name was Doyle Gene and we were 5 years old. He was my boyfriend who turned out to be rat when he threw a rock at me and hit me in the head. My first boyfriend was named Mike and I thought he was wonderful. We dated and he gave me his class ring. His mother didn't like that and insisted I give it back. So glad nothing came of it because I think he turned out to be a loser.
2. Who was your first celebrity crush?
I don't think I really ever had a crush on any celebrity. I really liked Elvis, but didn't really have a crush on him. I actually wrote him a letter once, but never mailed it because his song Crying in the Chapel touched my heart so. On second thought though, I remember little shivers of excitement watching Ricky Nelson sing on Ozzie and Harriet!!! Lol!!!
3. What is the strangest thing you’ve ever eaten? Fried rattlesnake.
4. What famous artist, dead or alive, would you want to paint your portrait? William Adolph Bouguereau. I love this painting.
5. What Are You Most Likely To Stay Up All Night Talking About?
I think my friends and I could stay up all night (if we could stay up, that is) sharing experiences of the things we've been through and how God saw us through them. Also throw in some political discussions, grandchildren, and health issues!
6. The new Fall season has begun on TV. Which show are you most looking forward to seeing?
It's been fairly quiet around here the past few days. The kids were with their other grandma while Jason and Amy attended a wedding of one of the men from his station. They were looking pretty good there, doncha think?!
Just wondering about that smile and "the look"!
Judging from all the pictures posted on Facebook, I think they had an outstanding time at this wedding and reception. Glad for them to have a night out!
My sister and niece came to our neck of the woods to attend the first birthday party for their great nephew and cousin, respectively. He's pretty cute.
He might be a little squirmy.
With his Mom and sisters.
After the party, Roberta and Robyn came to our house for the night and we had a nice dinner together and good visit.
Annie and Robyn bonded very quickly!
Time just flies by and Sunday morning came very quickly and we had to say good-bye, so, of course, that means taking a few pictures together. DH realized later in the day he had his shirt on inside out! So cute! Nobody noticed, but when I looked at the pics, I do see the tag there by his arm. So what! Who cares.
Just us again!
It rained like crazy here on Saturday and I certainly have no complaints about that. This is kind of a big week for us. Tomorrow is our anniversary, Thursday is DHs birthday, and this weekend, we have a big birthday party to attend. More about that later in the week. October is one of my very favorite months of the year. The season itself is wonderful with the bright, rich colors, the temps are nice with crisp, sunny days, shopped for and purchased my very first home in October, both my marriages were in October … just happy memories of the month.
From 1958 to 1961, we attended a pre-fab school and, except when the weather was extreme, we walked there each day crossing a creek, two fields and a railroad track. There was an adult at the RR tracks to watch for trains and make sure no child was standing on the railroad tracks! I remember walking to and from school carrying my clarinet case in the winter with my hand freezing because I couldn't put it in my pocket. Carrying that case was pretty much a waste of time since I never did much with the clarinet except to make it squeak! At hint of a storm coming on or heaven forbid, a tornado, Daddy was super cautious and would have us all hiding in the bathroom. Our little house had one little bathroom, so believe me, it was a cozy time in there when there was a threat of tornadoes. It was most disturbing to me when we would be at school and had to hide under the desk or go in the hall as I thought about being separated from my family if a tornado really happened or, even worse, if the Russians bombed us! My teacher had put the fear in me over the bomb and the Russians. Daddy at work, us at school, Mom at home. Please God, protect us, was always my prayer!
Momma let me have a birthday party when I was 12 and her idea about it was to have a tacky party! (My sister and her little friend decided a really tacky thing to do would be to take bobby pins and scrape my only lipstick all over their faces. Consequences came for them when they tried to wash it off with some cleanser like 409!) Two of my favorite gifts that day were the book Heidi and a box of chocolate covered cherries. Being a chocoholic from a very young age, I was absolutely in heaven with a book and candy.
We always helped Momma bring in clothes off the clothesline, summer and winter. Those clothes froze up fast out there on the line. Remember how you took a cloth and cleaned the clothesline before hanging the clothes? Birds liked to rest on the lines! She did the laundry on a wringer washer in the tiny utility room attached to the house and in winter hung diapers and baby clothes on a rack over the floor furnace. That floor furnace was pretty pleasant on a cold winter morning when you would stand with your feet on either side and let the warm air flow up your nightgown! Many good times were had make believing we were the Boxcar Children in our back yard with my very pretty friend Cassandra who lived a few blocks away. So much pretending there that we were the orphans who lived in a boxcar with our siblings and digging up dirt, washing pretend dishes with sand, and sending our pretend brother off to earn a living for four kids under 12. Haha! We loved that book!
Sunday School, Church and the Bible have always been a major part of my life and here I am on my seventh birthday wearing a pretty pink dress my Granny gave me and holding my first real Bible.
I was so very proud of it and over the years, I have to say my love for God's Word has never changed, nor has my love for different study Bibles. I also still have that first Bible. When we lived in the little white house and yellow house, we attended a small church a few blocks away. I can't remember whether we walked or Daddy took us, but what I do remember is it was a church that was quite strict in the way ladies dressed and wore their hair and no make-up! This made an impression on me because when we attended Vacation Bible School at another church in our neighborhood, I remember staring in wonderment at my teacher because she was … drum roll … wearing bright red lipstick!!!!! Wow! Isn't it strange how we think and what we notice as young children? And I do have a vivid memory of going with Momma to ladies prayer meetings! Those ladies were down on their knees praying their hearts out … and truly calling out loud to God! Sunday School was a weekly delight I always looked forward to and always had prepared for it in the quarterly the church provided with lessons to read and questions to answer. That is something I still enjoy in Bible Study Fellowship. I don't remember ever not wanting to go unless you count the one year that January 1 fell on Sunday and it was frigid outside. Momma insisted that would not keep us from church that day to make sure we started our year out right! Oh dear, on the way our car broke down but fortunately, it broke down in front of a house where fellow church members lived and they took us on to church. You see, God does work in mysterious ways and He certainly provides for us! One Sunday School teacher in particular stands out to me because of her hospitality to us young girls and she would have parties at her home with cake and ice cream … no special occasion … she just loved us! Although I really don't like this pic, I am posting it because of the special cake she had made for this party. It was a huge Bible cake and we all had to have our pictures made with it.
My hair!!!! Scary from another of Momma's perms
and maybe pin curls the night before!
What a wonderful woman Sister Murphy was and really, all my Sunday School teachers over the years I thank God for what they invested in me. It is my hope that the children I have worked with in church over the years will have appreciation for the people who taught them.
Many times were spent sitting in the yard patiently weaving together clover necklaces ... going to Cassandra's house to play and draw on her giant chalkboard and in the playhouse her Dad built for her ... Cassandra and her mom were both artists and they drew beautifully, but when it came to more important matters, such as sports and outdoor fun, they weren’t quite as interested. And in other practical matters such as being on time when weather was bad and Momma would take them to school with us, it was hard for me to understand because we were always so punctual! Visiting my friend Jackie who had a horse which bucked me off right away, Jackie said the horse knew I was afraid … my best friend Melba and I staying over at each other's house … and a thousand other little snippets of those times. In 6th grade, I started a record club with friends and I remember the shock of seeing one of my friends dance to the song On the Wings of a Snow White Dove ... one of the older girls playing the boogie woogie on the piano … the night my sister and I stayed awake all night out of excitement over her having learned to ride her bike. We couldn't wait for the next day to come so we could ride … going to my friend Cassandra's house to watch Peter Pan in color on their TV, and seeing The Wizard of Oz for the first time … we were terrified of the witch and those monkeys!
I'm guessing this period of time in my parents' lives were very busy and they worked hard to stretch a dollar because very few pictures were taken. That is sad because those were my little brother's toddler years and my little sister in first through third grades and face it! Those are some of the cutest years.
Mine were the awkward years, being tall, having to wear glasses and also suffering with a chipped front tooth did not help with my self-esteem. Oh gee, but how did I happen to get a chipped front tooth, you may or may not ask? Twirling around on the sidewalk showing off for my little boyfriend! I fell flat on my face and broke my front tooth! Pride! Showing off! Consequences, yes. That's all for now, folks!
On Monday, we had a doctor appointment for DH, which I believe I may already have shared. Suffice it to say for the record, the neurologist gave us both thumbs up for where we are right now and the way we are doing life. Immediately following the appointment, I attended the very lengthy memorial for my dear friend, which was so worth it. Kay was honored in a way that she would have loved … and yet, she would have hated it because it was so centered on her! She never liked being the center of attention and so, because she had been shocked at all the attention at her retirement party, she would have been overwhelmed by all the heartfelt words spoken over her.
On Monday evening, we watched this girl hit the ball and run for it! Great job, sweet Katie Kat.
I love watching this girl play.
Here she is with her Momma!
And not to be outdone, here we have Momma and Jack!
I like this sign posted at the fields.
On Tuesday, after Ladies of Grace, I did my grocery shopping and then that evening we had dinner out with our friends and the gathering at our house afterward. I am so thankful for this little group of friends who meet faithfully because it's so good for DH!
Wednesday was a morning spent with the security people getting our system back online and then later waiting for the landscaper to come discuss shrubs which did not happen! Geez! Sometimes people are so undependable. I had Preschool on Wednesday night, so I cooked dinner and left after letting him know I was leaving. Still no response! Hmmmmm.
What a delicious dinner we had!
Peppercorn steak, creamed kale and roasted potatoes!
Thursday I kept the children at Bible Study Fellowship and it was quite a group of three year olds … 14 of them, but my goodness, they were so good and for the most part no problems at all. Just good, sweet fun!
On Friday, we finally got in with the radiologist to hear about the procedure DH will have to repair the aneurysm and we have a date set for that. I won't go into details, but I am expecting a good outcome and praying for healing for him.
Immediately following the appointment, I had lunch with my buddies, Liz, Victoria and Cindy and we had such a wonderful visit. It had been way too long since we had gotten together and, as we always do on parting, agree we have to meet more often. And then, ta-da! I realized we had time to make it to the movie to see Unbroken: Path to Redemption about Louis Zamperini! So excited to see this movie and we really enjoyed it! What a great story of his life and what a transformed life! An immediate transformational work that only God can do!
Friday the rains began and mercy, what a lot of rain … over 10 inches. Our daughter and grandson were on a bus headed for a soccer tournament in Tulsa, and were in the rainstorms all the way there. So glad they made it safely and today it was clear in Tulsa for their game. My brother and sis-in-love went over to watch them play and I know Sara was delighted to have them come watch Brady play.
And last, but not least, here is a sweet little baby girl who is waiting at the door for her Daddy!
Yes, she's going to be one in October! Party smash up pics come early.
I am sharing a youtube recording here which I will be surprised to hear if anyone remembers from the past … like way back a long time ago past!
Love Me to Pieces!
As I was doing dishes, more bits and pieces came to me as I thought about the happenings in the house I think of as the airport house. Our neighborhood was so close to the Tulsa Airport, McDonnel Douglas and Spartan Aircraft before the Tulsa International Airport came to be. Those planes flew loud and low overhead, but we did get used to it.
Here we are now a family of five living in the airport house on Virgin Place!
(Mom was still giving us those Toni Perms!)
My sister and I adjusted really well in this neighborhood, school and new church. There were plenty of kids on our street to play with and I remember them all! Kay and her sister, Leola down the street, Darlene and her sister Linda, Wava Joy and little brother Walter. (A funny memory comes to mind about Kay and Leola. They both were somewhat chubby and I was a beanpole. They must have resented that because Leola informed me one day that her mom had assured them that one day they would be slim and I might be "fat"! Well, that wasn't a very nice thing to say, was it?) The house to our right across the street was also a beauty shop and the family had a teenage daughter and two boys, Harold and James. The daughter was older than us and the only memory I have of her was how she looked and that she gave me a hand-me-down dress once that I loved to wear. It had darts and when I wore it, it almost looked as though I had begun to develop!! Their Mom, Mrs. Owens, was a hairdresser and when I asked begged her, she styled my hair in a French twist!
Here I'm wearing the hand-me-down dress. That is our dog, Whiz, a champion boxer raised by my Uncle Raymond and given to us after he had passed the age for show, I guess! (The dog, not Uncle Raymond!) I have no idea!
As for Harold and James, they played house and grocery store with us and we played softball, kickball and other such games with them. What fun we had and with all the other kids on the street.
My best friend and her brother lived in the house behind us and I loved Carol and her brother Jimmy so much. It was very sad when they moved to another town because Carol and I had shared so many secrets, went to school and church together, and in the same Brownie Troop. I remember her sweet parents and the hot chocolate and cookies her mother, Delores, served to us after Christmas caroling. It broke my heart a couple of years later to learn from her mom that Carol and her Dad were killed when the plane he was testing went down. I have thought about her so many times over the years and know I will see her again one day because of the decision made one night at a revival we both attended.
I mentioned last week the records my Granny gave to us … Elvis, Ricky Nelson, Tennessee Ernie Ford and others. When I was in the 5th or 6th grade, (it doesn't matter at this stage of life), the song Love Me to Pieces inspired me to enter the talent show for the fall school carnival. I practiced and practiced miming this song and putting together my little motions to go with my performance. Lol! My mother baked a cake for the cake walk, and gave my sister and me each a dollar to spend at the carnival. Well, gee, the talent show took up all my time and after all the applause had died down, I went out only to find that my sister had spent both our dollars!!! Shame, shame!!!
Now this is kind of a sad picture. From Christmas, 1959, we are wearing the sidewalk roller skates we got for Christmas. Daddy, Momma, you got it all wrong. Our sidewalk was way too short and you couldn't even get a good start on those skates. So Daddy and Uncle Sonny drove us to our school where we could skate on sidewalks to our heart's content!** But it was just so darn cold and we are wearing dresses, no less!!! All I really ever wanted for Christmas was a pair of skates to wear on Saturdays at the roller rink. (Too expensive for somebody whose feet never seemed to stop growing.) The picture I had of myself was to skate around the rink in my own skates with pom poms and wearing a cute little short skirt. It was a dream that didn't come true until I was 17, my feet had stopped growing, and my best friend took pity on me! I know my sister will roll her eyes and shake her head when she sees this story once again! When we moved to our new house, we had a concrete drive and a garage so we could skate a little bit. Funny thing we found out later was that after we had gone to school, Momma would strap on those skates and skate on the driveway. I wonder what the neighbors thought!
Trying to hold on to a squirmy baby brother.
Summers were filled with fun time … softball, backyard showers with the hose, playing outdoor games such as Red Rover, Crack the Whip and others! I ripped the skirts off more than one dress and ruined several pair of shoes from playing so rough. We didn't belong to leagues such as kids do today, but we did have an "our side of the tracks team" and "their side of the tracks softball team." We challenged them to a play-off and beat them really good. My memory of that is not so much the game, but the victory and the prize. One of the other team's dads had been there to umpire and after the game was over, we all shook hands and he reached down into his pocket and pulled out dimes to give to everyone! I was so impressed that he had enough dimes to spare! (Say Brother, Can You Spare a Dime!!!) haha!! And it is a mystery to me what we would have done had we lost because I don't remember having an adult with us to award any prize!
How many times did we come before our parents with a friend in tow to see if they might spend the night or that we might sleep over at their house? Having that friend at our side practically ensured the answer "yes!"
School, winter, Christmases, summer … good times. The memories made in this little house are sweet to me, as well as the friends we had, the school we attended and our church. It was a difficult transition when my parents decided to build a house on the north side of town, which meant new school, new people, new church. For my baby brother, the change came at a time when he was still a toddler and my sister was still in elementary school, but I was going into junior high and at 12 years old, I made up my mind not to like anything about our new surroundings. I wondered many times how different life would have been had they not moved, but honestly, it was for the best! Besides that, they had no choice inasmuch as the new international airport would displace our neighborhood! And, it turned out, as it always does, I know God worked all these things together in that move and everything else in my life for good.
**At this point in the little tale of roller skating at the school, I stop to ponder the fact that my very over-protective parents actually thought it was okay to leave my sister and me at the school to skate for a while and then come back later to get us! Unbelievable as I was 11 and Roberta was 9 years old. Never, never in this day would we consider such a thing.
In August, I attended the retirement party for my former co-worker and beloved friend, Kay, which I posted about here.
Today, I attended the memorial service for her. Kay would have been absolutely overwhelmed and astounded at the tribute to her. She was a true and faithful servant who deserved the honor she was given at both her retirement party and her going home celebration today. She is in the very best place now and the memories everyone had to share of her impact in their lives was truly amazing. I learned so much from her about grace, love and forgiveness. Galatians 2:20 was her mantra and she truly lived this prayer.
