A Step Back in Time

In my last blog I talked of our pending visit with dinosaurs. I promised to share the experience with everyone but, as you can tell by the laps in entries, I have yet to do just that! It was an incredible evening and a wonderful educational opportunity.

We traveled over millions of years in two hours! We witnessed volcanic eruptions, the massive ice age, and battles among the numerous species of dinosaurs. We discovered how loud dinosaurs can be, how they protect their young ones and what each species eats. It was truly amazing. One of my granddaughters watched the entire show with her eyes large and her hands over her ears!

I can't wait till it returns. It is worth seeing again and again, if you love the study of dinosaurs. My grandson summed up the evening when he said, "O'Ma, this is better than a hockey game"!

A Step Back in Time

I am so excited because tonight we are going to walk with the dinosaurs! We are taking all the grand kids and their parents to walk among the dinosaurs and I think I am as excited as the kids. I almost hesitate to tell this, but I have always been infatuated with dinosaurs and their existence. I love going to the museum and chatting with the big fellow through the window of the elevator! Oh well, it doesn't take much to amuse me, and Phil will say I will talk to anyone that will listen!!

Breaking Points

Today I had the privilege of speaking at an Ovarian Cancer Support Group. The topic was Spirituality and the Cancer Journey. As you may guess, this topic is very dear to me but I struggled with what I should say that would help other cancer patients. Ultimately, I decided to tell my story and share scriptures that have been my strength.

Well, I was ready and had more than enough to say but something happened that completely threw me off. Updates on members were given. It was reported that one lady had been struggling with treatments but this past week had been told the cancer had metastasized in her brain and she had 4 to 6 weeks to live. A few minutes later we were in shock when she walked slowly into the room!

I quickly adjusted my talk and began with the insight of the words of Isaiah. In chapter 40:28-31 he writes to a nation in exile in Babylon. In their despair they ask if or why God had forgotten them completely. In reply Isaiah, the prophet reminds them of the greatness of God. I spoke of the same greatness of God to women who need HOPE.

The powerful words of Isaiah help each of us today. God's strength is constant, and those who hope in the Lord will have their strength renewed . Each of us has a breaking point but with our Lord walking with us, we will have the strength to continue. Our journey, whether it is cancer, or marital problems makes us stronger if we will turn to our Lord; "We will soar on wings like eagles, we will run and not grow weary, we will walk and not be faint."

Merry Christmas!

The wonder and magic of Christmas is so contagious when children are in the picture. Our Christmas was exactily what Santa would have ordered...bowls of smiles, plates of giggles, and glasses filled to the brim with contentment. Our grandchildren were so delighted with Santa's gifts and they were so much fun to watch. One moment I was in Tinkerbell's garden helping her prepare a feast for the other faries, and the next moment I was "wii..ing" with James Bond and 007. I even had to help the "Nanny" take care of the baby on the Nintendo DS!

As you can tell, I had so much fun with the kids and one of the funniest moments was when the two little girls highjacked some electronic drumsticks from our grandson and used them for microphones! We were entertained in the finest rendention of the Polar Express theme and then, with an audience, the girls continued to sing and dance around the den. I can't think of a better way to end a magical day.

I wish for each of you a little bit of Christmas magic as you go about your daily routines. Who knows, Santa just might be listening! Merry Christmas.

Christmas Eve with Grandkids

I spent the day with two of my grandkids and we had quite a time decorating cookies and playing games. The cookie sprinkles are scattered all over the kitchen and decorator's icing is stuck to almost everything. We decorated cookies, ate icing by the spoons full and scattered sprinkles like we were feeding the birds

There was also a strange game of chessckers! For those of you who don't know what chessckers is, it is a combination of chess and checkers, neither of which is played by the rules! I have a Civil War chess set and the players are Confederate and Union soldiers so you can imagine how the game went! We had men attacking, jumping and eliminating one another while the "queen" strolled across the playing field untouched! You can't say we don't have an imagination can you!

Throughout the day we had to stop to get information on Santa's progress. We even had an opportunity to make a call, (cell phone of course) and give him our best wishes and directions to the kids houses.

By the way, I have to share something my other grandaughter said to her mother a few days ago. After watching The Santa Clause, with Tim Allen, she asked if she could call Santa, Uncle Scott! You just think they don't pay attention. To close, I want to wish everyone a Merry Christmas and hope Uncle Scott stops by for a visit.

Bread is baking in the oven, there is a fire in the fireplace and Christmas music is drifting through the house...you just can't beat it for getting in the Christmas spirit. And to add to that wonderful spirit, I have a poem to share. I am sure many of you have seen this but I think it reflects just what we should be thinking about. I do not know the author but I know he/she must be singing praise.

The Song of the Stable Mouse

'Twas the very first Christmas and throughout the house

There was no room to share - even for one small mouse.

So he went to the stable where the oxen were fed

To get straw from the manger to fashion a bed.

But alas the small creature found Someone sleeping

On the straw where the oxen and donkeys and sheep

Would come for their food - yet stranger indeed

Was the fact shepherds knelt right where animals feed.

The voices of angels danced on the night air,

The mouse knew heaven's music, though he'd never been there -

And though his mouse heart was incredibly small

It filled with such joy it could not hold it all.

The mouse had to join Nature's glorious song

And his wholehearted "squeak" could be heard right along

With the chorus of angels, the cows gentle "moos",

And the wonder of shepherds who sang the Good News.

For it doesn't matter if you're big or small,

If you're born to sing solo or can't sing at all,

As Christmas draws near it is your time to sing

From the heart filled with praise for our Savior, our King!

I wish each one of you a Merry Christmas filled with the song of our Savior.

Shoe Shopping Spree

I can't believe it has been 2 months since I have written a word! Life has been hectic, fun and a bit challenging. I don't think I have ever mentioned that I broke my foot in May. Well, it is still in a boot but I do see an end in sight.

I have spent the last week seeing doctors and hopefully in a week I will be able to take off the boot, (for a short time throughout the day) and walk in a normal shoe...with an orthotic! I have been promised that I will not have to wear the "old lady" shoes so I am looking forward to the change! It has been ages since I have been shopping for shoes! Get ready guys, I am heading for the mall as soon as the boot comes off!

The CD monster

I wonder what little "monsters" do with the CD's? The radio unit in my car has been "eating" CD's! The first unit decided to hang on to one of the Harry Potter books on tape. The dashboard had to be completely removed to take out the radio unit and save the CD! Needless to say, we then had to replace it with a new radio!

Then yesterday, with a new radio unit, another CD would not eject! It seems that the monster really likes my choice of listening entertainment doesn't he? So, if any of you have some cleaver ideas I am open for suggestions!

Wii -WOW

Just to let everyone know - we now are owners of a Wii!!! I feel like I have joined the thousands that have a pet rock, ferbie or whatever. I think the name lends itself to a little critter - don't you? Anyway, we now have a Wii and I must say - WOW, what will they think of next. It is so much fun and you do work up a sweat.

Phil installed it last night while I was at church and our grandaughter wanted to play with it so bad. However, Pubah would not let her play until O'Ma had had a turn. I walked in the door and heard, "O'Ma's here!" Well, as you might guess, I thought she was so excited to see me. The fact of the matter was she wanted me to hurry up and play so she could have a turn! Oh well, we had fun trying our hand at bowling.

I must admit that I have some serious work ahead of me but with a munchkin helping me, I will enjoy it. I am sure there will be game additions soon! A progress report may be seen in the future!

The Joy of Life

I just want to share what's going on in my life. When you think you live a fairly dull life, stuff begins to happen and you realize how truly awesome God is...He even gives you the wonderful, fun filled, hard working memories to hold on to. I am so very thankful for God's incredible love of me and all the wonderful people I know and love.

Having said all that, I must tell you that we have just completed VBS at our church, (a week ago). I was blessed to work with an incredible gal that stepped up to be our director, (Pam). You know, she can be serious when she has to, but I have always seen her "other side"! She pulled off a great VBS in a short amount of time, but I will tell you all right now, don't get any ideas about trying to entice her away! She is NOT going anywhere, I promise!

That was all just a sidebar - the true joy was all the volunteers that helped out. It was a fun-filled week for the volunteers as well as the kids. Our VBS focused on "our serving family, friends, and God", and the kids were very receptive to the message. I still hear them singing the songs and talking to each other about serving. I even had a young man ask how he could help me clean up after our class on Wednesday! Isn't it wonderful when we can instill a servant's heart in our children that will stay with them as they take their spiritual journey?

The other joy in my life is the opportunity to have my 3 year old grandaughter live with me for a few weeks. Our daughter and son-in-law are building a house and have sold their current home but the new house is not fininshed. You know the story...they had to move out with no place to go! O'mas B and B is always open so we are now a family of five! I honestly have never seen so many computers in one room - other than an office - and all if them being used! We have 3 laptops and a desk top in our den plus the TV! I am truly enjoying every minute of it and the 3 year old runs the show - as you would expect!

Opps, gotta go. The munchkin is up and we have things to do, people to see, and places to go! Blessings to all of you..you bring joy to my life.

Celebration of Our Country

I love the Fourth of July celebrations! The parades are always so patriotic, the fireworks are breath taking, and the food is always abundant! But I must admit that it is easy to forget just why we are celebrating. This year I focused on "why" I was celebrating and not just celebrating.

Early Friday morning Phil & I drove to Edmond for the annual Edmond parade and met the family. We all arrived an hour early for a picnic breakfast on the curb! Tyler kept asking how much longer it would be before the parade began and every 5 minutes I would tell him it was five minutes less than the previous time!
This shot is one of those rare ones! Tyler doesn't often want to sit on my lap - it's not cool!

Once the parade began we were all engaged. We honored so many wonderful men and women as they marched past us. As each group came by, the crowd would stand in honor with hats off and flags flying. Cheers would erupt and a pride could be seen in each man or woman.

Our girls were taken with all the "princesses" with crowns as well as the hundreds of flags. It doesn't get any better than a lolly pop and flag!

Great time was had by all but the reason for the celebration is what it is all about. As James Bryce once said, "Patriotism consists not in waving the flag, but in striving that our country shall be righteous as well as strong."

Psalm 29:11 says, "The Lord gives strength to his people." I pray that America is still the strength of righteousness and that each of us will proudly stand for what is right and good and most of all, Godly.

Our New Childrens' Wing

June first was an eventful day in the life of our church family. Our new Children's Education Wing was open for use. Although I would like to wait until we had all the rooms furnished, we started classes. There is a completely new check in system so our first few weeks have been, you can say, a little more than hectic. However, the kids are loving the new building and that is what is most important.

We have asked the kids what they like the most about the new building and their comments have been interesting. They like the bright rooms and light walls. Several of them like the larger spaces, and some have even said they love the new bathrooms. I have even noticed the energy level increase in our adult volunteers.

I am so excited and anxious to get everything in place and tonight some of the men are installing six new computers in our computer lab. The lab will be up and running in a few weeks and the kids are so excited. I am praying that a group of our guys get excited as well and jump on board as teachers in the lab. There is some incredible software available for class use and this is another way to teach.

Our kids' Faith growth is more important than the clothes they wear, the people they have relationships with or the career path they pursue. It is about them knowing God in a personal, powerful way that directs their emotions, thought and behavior. It is for this reason that I am excited about our new education wing. My prayer is that we, as a church family, actively help in our kids' Faith growth.

I will keep everyone informed of the grand opening in August and other special events.

100 Things about me

I guess it is time for me to give you my "100 things about me" list. However, I think I will only give 50 things because I can't think of 100!
1. I was born in Albuquerque, New Mexico
2. I collected stray dogs and cats as a child
3. I had a pet gold fish that I flushed down the toilet
4. My family was one of the first to have a TV in our area
5. I learned to sew on an old peddle singer sewing machine
6. I had a pet pig that I fed with a bottle
7. I refused to eat pork later that year because my dad butchered the pig for meat
8. Believe it or not, I am not a country girl
9. I love the hectic life of a large city
10.I went to the same elementary school as my father
11.Believe it or not, the name of the school was Alameda
12.I was a valley girl - my high school was located in the Rio Grande valley - hence, Valley High School
13.I have 2 sisters
14.They were adopted when I was 10 years old
15.I was excited about finally having, not 1 but 2 sisters
16 I had a pet cemetary behind our house where all the pets were buried
17.I attended OCC but did not graduate
18.I was a cheerleader at OCC my Sophomore year
19. I met Phil at the beginning of my Sophomore year
20.We were engaged by Christmas & married by June
21.Phil received his draft papers on our honeymoon
22.We were separated one month after we married
23.I lived in Biloxi, Mississippi for 6 months
24.I lived in England for 2 years
25.I have taken Karate lessons and competed a little
26.I got my BA in Business 8 days before I turned 50
24.There were only 4 teens at the church I grew up in
25.I did learn to snipe hunt with the "church kids"
26.I have had breakfast with Larry Gatlin
27.I love to go camping in the Rocky Mountains
28.I have had a motorcycle
29.I have been known to beat a "RAT" to death with a broom
30.It was a joke played on some of us gals on a camping weekend - we found out it was a nurf football!
31.I have ridden a hot air balloon
32.I was known for riding horses while having egg fights
33.I can shoot a gun fairly well - just ask Phil
34.I love to read all types of books
35.I usually have at least 3 books going at the same time
36.I enjoy sewing - quilting, cross stitch, knitting, making clothes for my grand kids, etc.
37.I love to cook.
38.I took 11 mid school girl scouts to California for 10 days.
39.While there we were in a small earthquake
40.I received by masters degree from Pepperdine in 2005
41.Phil & I lived in New Mexico for 35 years
42.I never wanted to have children - go figure
43.My grandchildren are the stars of my life - after Phil
44.I love to toboggan in the snow
45.I loved toilet papering friends houses
46.I once found a live cat fish in my kitchen sink - the teens did it to see my reaction
47.I love my job!
48.I enjoy painting - on a canvas
49.My girls and I love to go "power shopping"
50.And last but not least, I love being a part of my church family.

God's beauty on earth

I don't usually day dream because, frankly I don't seem to ever have the time. However, I have recently spent a week on the Pepperdine campus and felt like I was day dreaming the entire time. The lectureships at Pepperdine are in May each year and I have been blessed by attending for the past 10-12 years. I never leave empty! I am spiritually filled from incredible classes and lectures and physically filled from the breath taking beauty of the campus. Am I trying to push the lectures? Just take a look at some of these photos and tell me what you think!

So, did I get you pumped up and ready to go? I hope so because we could have a great time and take in some of the greatest gifts God offers us. Mark your calendars for the first week in May, 2009.

I must share today's experience with everyone! I went with my daughter and grandaughter to the Cox Center to the Health Wellness Expo! My daughter was registering for the Marathon on Sunday and while she was filling out all the registration information my grandaughter and I wandered through the expo checking out all the "health maintenance stuff"! It was more than shocking to realize that I had NO IDEA what most of the stuff was or what it did. I did, however, understand the rows and rows of tennis shoes and workout clothing.
Today's visit to the expo has made me realize that I need to take health wellness a little more serious. No, I don't need to be a fanatic but I do need to wake up and regroup! So...I am going to sign up for the yoga class being held at our church. This class will begin in June and I must say it will be quite a sight but I am going to give it my best shot.
Who knows, I may discover that I like this "healthy stuff", although I don't think I will ever be able to decline all the good/bad food. My closing thought is a quote from my little grandaughter as we strolled through the expo. "O'Ma where is the cotton candy?"

I must admit that I am not a writer but I love reading everyone's blog postings. You all are such fun to read and I absolutely giggle out loud every time I read what is going on in your lives.

Having said all that I want to recommend a book to read for you gals who knit. Those of you who don't knit might enjoy it also. I must tell you it is not a "happy ever after" book so expect to shed a few tears. The entire book helps us look at life in an interesting way.

Now that I have given it a great introduction, the book is The Friday Night Knitting Club by Kate Jacobs. I would love to have you join me in a discussion of the book and I will even make the muffins and cookies! Happy reading.

Wow, I can't believe it has been so long since I have written anything! Actually, I do know it has been a long time - I just couldn't think of anything worth saying. Now I know many of you find that very difficult to believe but it is perfectly true. I have thought about my silence and have come to the conclusion that I may be suffering from "the winter doldrums". You ask, "what in the world is that" and my answer is..."I'm not exactly sure but I am going to take a stab at trying to answer that".

We have recently heard that a wonderful young woman has been diagnosed with breast cancer and many of us are heart broken. I recently attended a funeral in New Mexico of a young man that grew up with my girls and grieve with his parents and sister. Our church is in a state of transition because Jeremy just started as our youth minister and we are interviewing candidates for the position of campus minister. And to top it off, I am gaining weight! Wouldn't you think all of this combined would send someone over the top? (I had to throw in the weight thing for something light and silly.)

Having said all this, I must say that life is filled with "stuff" and we ALL must continue to remember why we are here. It isn't to be on top of the world all the time. Nor is it to sit around and feel sorry for ourselves. God's love, grace and power can and does help us with each and every situation. Yes, I hurt with Jenny as she struggles with cancer and the treatments. Yes, I cry tears with Doug and Bonnie as they grieve for the loss of Brad. Sure, I know it takes time to develop relationships as new ministers join our church family. And, of course I am going to gain weight...twinkies in the desk drawer are drawn to the hips!

We are here to help one another on this life journey. Remember, with God all things are possible. Doldrums or not, I praise God for each day and know every day is a true blessing from my awesome God.

For the past two weeks I have been involved with some great "Veggies". As most of you know, the new Veggie Tales movie, The Pirates Who Don't Do Anything, was released on Friday. Well, our church was more than ready for the big day. The week prior to the release we had a preview party! The Alameda pirates who do as little as possible were the hosts of an evening filled with games, crafts, and munchies. I can't begin to do justice to the crazy evening so I am going to attempt to download a short video that says it all. Our little guys were absolutely hallarious.

This past Saturday about 50 of us met at the theater in Bricktown and shared in the viewing of the adventures of the pirates. It was a wonderful family day and I hope we have many more in the future.

I recently taught - no, I tried to lead - a ladies class on Wednesday evenings. I must say that I received far more than I could possibly share with the gals. "A Treasured Friend" was the topic for the class and, although it may sound shallow, much insight was revealed.

I began the lessons with the statement that I had moved here with the idea that I would not work on developing close friends because I had all the friends I needed! Little did I know that God had other plans in mind. He has placed special people in my life these past three years and I would be remiss if I ignored his direction. We all need someone who is eager to hear about our past, our dreams, and just stuff in our daily life. We need someone to look to for support and who loves us in spite of our faults. God has placed such people in my life and I pray you share the same blessings.

l pray we never forget that Jesus, our one True Friend, calls us into friendship with him and into friendship with one another. And he helps us to become true friends as well. Through Jesus we slowly develop true and deep friendships that reflect his character.