STORMY WEATHER

Monday, May 23, 2016
Bad night's sleep. That could be due in part to the tornado sirens going off at 11:16 p.m. and Ken not letting me back into my bed until an hour later (he was keeping track of things online). On top of that was the crazy thunderstorm and wind that kept shaking the house, rattling windows. I feel sluggish this morning.

Driving to Hobart, there was water everywhere! The ditches are full, so is the lake. At the Wal-mart, I had to go behind the store for a cart (not grocery, vendor) and walk in puddles to get one. Afterwards, I had to tread through mud to put it back. Ick!

I am so sleepy. I'm afraid to sit down for fear I'll doze off. I think an early night is in order.

Tuesday, May 24, 2016
It didn't matter. Another group of storms rolled in, this time with non-stop thunder and lightning. About 1:00 a.m., the noise and light show was at it's peak and I was awake. Drats!

On top of that, I had to get up to receive a friend's 8-year-old daughter, who we'd be watching part of today. Not the whole day, she'd spend part of it at a friend's house. We just had her for the morning.

I had to work, too. But "dear" FedEx hadn't delivered all of my stuff, so I only had one box and about two hours worth of work.

I have my summer study for next school year's Seminary planned out. Some days reading lessons, some reading the New Testament, some reading about Doctrinal Mastery (new replacement for Scripture Mastery), some reading teacher manuals, etc. But that went on hold this week when a member of the bishopric called to ask me to speak on Sunday. So, brake; stop; change gears/direction. Now I'm working on the talk instead.

I'm super-sleepy. I can't wait to get to bed. It looks like the weather might co-operate this time. Please, let me sleep!

Wednesday, May 25, 2016
Reprieve! Other than a small bathroom break, I slept soundly last night. No sirens, no flashes, no thunder.  I'm still residually tired, but at least it isn't getting worse. Maybe I can get some stuff done.

Actually, I've felt kinda sick this morning. So I went to bed and slept for four hours (not straight, I had a bathroom break in between). Then I felt better. I don't know if it was the late nights and lack of sleep, something my tummy didn't like that I ate, or some kind of bug. At least it's better now.

I had the house to myself this evening. Ken was at TB, Jonathan was at Walgreens, and Analiese was at Young Women's. Oh well. It gave me time to work on my talk some more. Four general conference talks, a New Era article, three books, not including the scriptures, and a CES talk from an apostle later...do you think I have enough material? A fifteen minute talk, with three hours worth of info. Better too much than not enough, I say!

Thursday, May 26, 2016
Guess what's come up today! Lots of stuff in the garden! Lettuce, zucchini, beans, canteloupe, oregano, and some of the flowers.

It's super exciting...I hope and pray they flourish!

My throat's a little sore this afternoon. I hope I'm not coming down with something. I worried about that yesterday, and now I'm wondering the same. I know I'm tired. I can't really afford to be sick, but then, when can I?

Making lasagna for dinner tonight. It's a belated birthday dinner for Jonathan. Lasagna, garlic Texas toast, Caesar salad, and cheesecake. I don't think he'll be too sad about it. The missionaries were over earlier working with him and I asked if they had dinner appointments. They said yes and I apologized for the awesome lasagna smell wafting through the house. One elder's response: "I have a request for dinner next week (they're on my calendar))...lasagna!" Too funny!

Friday, May 27, 2016
We had a teensy storm last night

Weird clouds over Altus, OK

that dropped enough water for me to not have to water my garden today.  Still, I went outside to glory in their growth. I don't know if all of them will come up or thrive, but I'm excited to see them today. Sorry, I get a little nutty at garden time!

Work was work was work today. The manager of the store wants us to take down graduation. But I've had several people today getting graduation cards. Just because our town's high school has graduated, doesn't mean that everyone else has!

Spent the rest of the day working on my talk. I have to pull it all together tomorrow. I only have one day left to work on it! It's a big responsibility (to me), I guess.

Saturday, May 28, 2016
Today was a total sick day. I woke up feeling awful and spent the day either in bed or drinking water and oj and struggling to finish a talk for church tomorrow.  My throat hurts, there's phlegm (always wanted a chance to spell that word!), my head aches and I am so tired. Plus, my equilibrium (another great word to spell) is off, too. The word to describe it all - and it's not one bit of fun - is miserable.

Sunday, May 29, 2016
I really don't know how my talk went today. I felt very incoherent. Every time I stood up, I felt dizzy and by the end of sacrament meeting, leading the closing song, I felt that I was getting feverish. It definitely wasn't my best.

After the meeting, I had to take Jonathan to work. I asked someone to take Analiese home, so that I could go home and sleep. Which is what I did. I only woke up to greet a ward member at my door, who was bringing me some oils I needed to help me breathe and sleep. Analiese just happened to come home at the same time. I went right back to bed and didn't get up until 4:00 p.m.

Am I better? No, not really. Still sluggish, dizzy, coughing, tired and off-and-on feverish. Something has hit me hard. I haven't gone back to bed yet because I want to be able to sleep through the night with the diffuser on. It means I don't enjoy much either, and we've had a veritable bird haven in the backyard this day, according to Analiese. Blue jays, robins, and even a cardinal! And no pictures, cuz I'm too lazy and sick to get up in time. Major bummer.

Thunder outside. Another storm may be rolling in. Hey, if it waters my plants for me, I'm all for it. Especially since I don't feel good.

LEAVIN' ON A JET PLANE

Monday, May 16, 2016
Really? Awake at 5:30? You can take the girl out of Seminary, but not the Seminary out of the girl! I could have used a little more shut eye!

Today is Michele-Michele-Karla Day, or the Tres Amigas, as we call ourselves. Reunited after three years. This trip is due in part to Michele (ME). She helped Andy and Wendy get me here.

Our day is packed. They kept asking me what I wanted to do, though, frankly, anything with them there was perfect. I did mention how I liked the Sherman Gardens in Newport Beach, so we started there.  It was, as always, beautiful. It's a wall-enclosed garden with several sections and a conservatory. The dahlias were blooming gorgeously

, and they have amazing roses. Even the succulents, not one of my favorites, were fascinating.

Colors, patterns, geometry. Really cool.

After that we drove to Newport Beach - THE beach.

We sat in the sun in chairs,

ate lunch, talked and laughed. Especially funny were seagulls descending on someone's stuff who had foolishly left out food. They were all over it! When the gal got back to her stuff, her mouth just hung open.  After all that fun, we climbed some rocks to the side that were weathered interestingly. I forgot to bring my hat (left it in my suitcase conveniently) and got a sunburn. Karma for laughing, I guess.

Following that we headed to Rogers Gardens (also in Newport Beach) that is gardens and nursery. So many amazing, lovely plants.

Good think I only have a carryon or I'd be so tempted. Karla was, and I don't blame her. But it did give me some great ideas and a yearning to get home and get gardening!

We drove to Long Beach, then, for dinner and a movie. We went to a Peruvian restaurant - a new experience for me! I had a nice grilled flat steak with roasted vegetables. I never knew how good a roasted tomato was! Trust me, Peruvian is not Mexican, but they did have a sauce on the table that was VERY hot. A teeny bit had me heading to the bread basket for something to cool the fire!

The movie we went to was "The Abolitionists." http://theabolitionistsmovie.com/
It's a movie about child sex slave trafficking and the brave men and women who are fighting to shut it down across the world. It wasn't pleasant, but it was important. I recommend it to everyone. Just as Harriet Beecher Stowe opened the world's eyes to the plight of the African slave, this movie can do the same for child sex slavery. It's incomprehensible, hideous, and should never be tolerated!

After the movie, it was back home (the Carr's) and goodbye again, but hopefully not for too long. Who knows?

Tuesday, May 17, 2016
No big plans today, but lots of little ones. First was to go to In-N-Out to get a t-shirt for my son as a belated birthday present. He probably would rather have a hamburger from there, but it just isn't feasible. I hope he likes this.

My Dad drove me over in the afternoon to Luyben Family Mortuary where Wendy works, and where once I did (Jonathan was a tot). Of course there were changes, but some familiar faces, too.

We passed family pictures back and forth and had a lot of good memories.

This evening Mom & Dad took me to dinner at a restaurant in Cerritos called "Stacked."

It was fun and very tech-y. You ordered off of an iPad what you wanted

. It would give you all the options, you chose it, they cooked it and put it together for you! I had a lettuce-wrapped burger with smoked gouda, garlic aioli, sauteed mushrooms, carmelized onions, and pickles.

It was really, REALLY good. My parents ordered specialty salads that looked just as yummy.

Later...well, it's time to get my stuff together, packed, and ready to go. Vacation's over, it's time to head home. Tomorrow.

Wednesday, May 18, 2016
Dad & I left the house at 6:30 this morning for LAX.  Good thing, too. Traffic. Gotta love it (not really). But he dropped me off at my terminal about 7:30ish. Not bad. My flight isn't until 10:15.

I got through TSA quickly (despite what you hear about the 3-hour delays on the news. Probably why we decided to get there so early). So I had a wait ahead of me, but better that than worrying about getting to the plane on time. I sat down with a breakfast sandwich (airport food, expensive and not awesome), a book, and relaxed.

No delays! Yay! Other than that squished-in-a-tin-can feel, everything went smoothly on the flight to Dallas. In fact, we must have had a good tail wind, because we were there a little early. Which was good because I was unable to get my Dallas boarding pass in LAX. Something about being unable assign me a seat. It was a much shorter wait, and at my gate to Lawton I was able to get the boarding pass thingy straight.

Such small planes!

Three across the plane, one on one side, two on the other. Not much storage space, so they have a deal called "valet" for carry-ons. You load it on a cart, it goes on the plane, and when you disembark, it comes off, you grab it and go! Not nearly as bad as checking in luggage.

And a short flight, too, thankfully. I was talking with the gal seated next to me. I told her, "It goes up, it levels off, it comes down." She was surprised at one point when I said, "Time to go down." "Really?" And then the pilot announced our descention. To be honest, a short flight on the last leg feels so good!

My family was waiting for me right outside the doors to the airport. I was very glad to have my big boy take my luggage from me. They were glad to see me, and vice versa. But, oh, was I so tired. We grabbed dinner, drove to Altus and dropped Analiese off at the church for Mutual, and went home. I actually unpacked before I went to bed!

Thursday, May 19, 2016
First full day home, and so much to do. Some laundry (obviously), a very needed pedicure, and some grocery shopping. For some reason, my kids want to eat!

The missionaries came over this afternoon to work with Jonathan as I worked on dinner. They didn't have an appointment, so I invited them to stay. It was only barbeque cups and salad, but they seemed to like it.

Ken has to work today since he took yesterday off. Jonathan hasn't seen Captain America:Civil War with his buddies while I was gone, so it falls to me to take him. And Analiese. She is a big Marvel fan and won't be left behind.

The seven o'clock show is 3-D, the next one that isn't is 9:45, which is WAY too late for this old broad. But we enjoyed it well enough. I think the best part (Spoiler Alert if you haven't seen it and still want to) was the fight with all of them, including Spiderman and Ant Man. Those two made a stressful situation way funnier. The interaction was hilarious.

Friday, May 20, 2016
Reality hits - I have to go back to work. Co-worker had texted me in CA about something and I asked her if she needed me on Friday. "Yessiree" was her response. It's really impossible not to. We get too many deliveries at the Altus Wal-mart on Thursday and Friday for one person to do alone in a couple of hours.  As it was, between the two of us, we clocked seven hours total. The biggie today is graduation cards, because tonight is Altus High School Graduation. So that section was chaos, though all the Hallmark aisles seemed busy today.

Boss called me later today to ask me to go tomorrow morning and cleaning up the graduation chaos from today. She's really nice and understanding about giving me more hours - especially since she knew I hadn't clocked many this week because of my trip.

Ken got called in to work; Jonathan had to work. This evening, it was just me and Analiese, spending a little time together. We like to look up random things on Pinterest; often it's animals and rabbits in particular.

Saturday, May 21, 2016
After taking Jonathan to work this morning, I went to Wal-mart to do a little work of my own. Boss called last night and asked if I wouldn't go and straighten out the graduation section, again. I only worked for a little over an hour. It didn't take much to do it and I couldn't reach anything in our bin in the back storage area of the store. It was all blocked off.

I spent the rest of my morning planting!  It's probably a little late in the year to be doing most of these, but I figured "nothing ventured, nothing gained." Lemme explain...
The top 4x4 "box" (Box 1)hold basil and calendula. It should hold tomatoes, but this year they are in another location. To the right is Box 2, and it has watermelon, canteloupe and nasturiums. Yes, flowers are in the garden, mainly as pest-deterrants. The bottom box is #3, and it has lettuce in it, a couple of rows, mainly for experimental purposes. Number 4 is on the left and it has beans and carrots, companion plants. In the middle is "box five," which holds a zucchini in the middle, with oregano, thyme, chives and dill in the corners. Edging it between the other boxes are marigolds, a good all-around pest deterrant.  I am very proud of myself; I only hope they grow!

Sunday, May 22, 2016
Nice Sabbath. I led the music in Sacrament Meeting, the hymns really brought in the Spirit. I had to take Jonathan to work after the meeting, so I missed most of Sunday School, which I love. Relief Society focused on Visiting Teaching; I really love our current President, she is just delightful!

After church, it was just me and Analiese, so after our own scripture study I took a nap. Gotta love the Day of Rest! Still, I couldn't sleep too long, because tonight was Seminary Graduation in Lawton.

I was to leave at 5:30. The elders knocked at my door at 5:00. The weather's really muggy (some storm is supposed to be coming in) and they were warm. I offered cold water and conversation on the porch, since neither Ken or Jonathan was home. They scooted just in time for me to get going.

I do not have any graduating seniors this year. I only had one student in attendance tonight because the other two are still out of town. The bishop's out of town so a counselor from our ward came with his wife. I sat next to her (She's our Gospel Doctrine SS teacher; I love her.).  Seniors spoke, two sisters had a musical number of "I Love to See the Temple" on the piano and violin. They were spectacular.

One part of the program read: Testimonies by invitation. I just assumed it was for other seniors who hadn't spoke. Nope. The Stake President called on ME. My SS teacher can affirm...my head went up and my eyes grew wide. So I went to the podium and weakly said, "Surprise." And did what I was asked, albeit in a watery way, because I love Seminary and I love the Gospel and I love my students.

The ride home was uneventful, except... My SS teacher was tracking an incoming storm during the meeting that seemed to be growing heading from Altus toward Lawton. About a quarter of the way through, the lightning show started, with intermittent light rain. But the lightning was plentiful, very bright, and a little scary! Still, I am home now and able to tell the tale, so I must have survived!

SURPRISE!

Monday, May 9, 2016
Today didn't have a great start. Everyone was either tired, sick or grumpy in Seminary (for the record, I was only in category one). I think we have the end-of-the-year drag. The kids have their own stresses of projects and testings. I really feel for them!

Work was horrifically exhausting. I was asked to help at the Wal-mart in town as soon as I could (I got there close to 8:30 a.m.) with the change from Mothers' Day to Fathers' Day. I spent the first half hour of it climbing over Wal-mart pallets and stuff to get to our bin with all of our boxes. I managed to get it all onto one cart - I am good at Tetris! LOL

I knew I had to go to Hobart today, too, and that all by myself. So I had to leave her with the rest of the work at 1:30 p.m. (Mom was down and discarded, Father signage was up and I'd sorted the cards) and felt pretty guilty about it.

Well, I ended up at Hobart until 9 p.m., when the store closed (not a 24-hour like Altus). Fathers' Day was mostly up, but I hadn't gotten to all of the everyday work and nothing had been "zoned" - cleaned up and organized. Plus, I had problems, figuring out one of the endcap displays for Fathers' Day, so I had to leave it, too. My boss is going to take my shift next Monday, I hope she isn't too disappointed or upset. I think what I did, I did well. There just wasn't time and I didn't have the experience for the endcap.

I was so sore and tired by the time I got home. I went to bed hungry, too. I knew I should eat, but was too tired and sore to worry about it. But lovely hubby gave me a backrub and some Tylenol PM so I could get to sleep.

Tuesday, May 10, 2016
I did not go to Walgreens at 8 something this morning. I waited until 11, mainly so I could follow Ken to TB and get a big glass of ice for my water. It's a nice little perk I have; sometimes he'll even come home with a glass of ice for me!

But I was there until 5:45, working again. I did stop at two-fifteen, to take a break, eat some lunch, and get Jonathan to take back so that HE could work at Walgreens. Another long day, footsore, backsore, and exhausted.

And problems again. I do not, apparently, know how to read their instructions. Mind, they aren't that clear and you have to think on your own how to make their plans fit your store. It often includes a little fudging. That I can do. But this was a matter of too much space and not enough cards. It's kind of funny, because it's the opposite of the other stores where we have tons of cards and not enough room! Unfortunately, I had to talk to my boss again (I hope she doesn't think I can't cut it) and when she comes out next week to work for me, she said she'd fix it. It was something I didn't know about, apparently.

It was delivery pizza for dinner with just me and Analiese (Jonathan will come home and eat some). Ken's at work until 9...or so. I will get to bed as soon as I can. And NO WORK TOMORROW!!!!

Wednesday, May 11, 2016
Today felt like a vacation...I didn't have to work! Even Seminary felt leisurely...I have been under a lot of pressure lately. Even though I have a lot to do today, it feels so relaxed. I needed a breather!

I actually went grocery shopping today; for some reason, my kids want to eat. I caught up on bills, reconciling financial stuff, and regular home things. Like, watering my plants. My tomato plant has blossoms! I'm not sure I'm going to see more upward growth, but it definitely wants to fruit.  Hooray! The cilantro is still alive, too, which I take as a good sign. Not leafing out more or anything, but not dead or wilted.

Thursday, May 12, 2016
Last Old Testament lesson in Seminary today - Malachi 4. Only one student, too, the others had a family event. But we had a great time talking about family history and stories from our families' past, hopefully inspiring. too. It was a nice way to end the year.

I ran home from church, got dressed, grabbed my stuff and was out the door with my family by 8:00 a.m. Why? Well, here it is, the thing I couldn't write about for months, literally. I was headed for the Lawton airport to take a flight (by myself, the fam was just seeing me off) to Dallas to CALIFORNIA for my parents' 50th Wedding Anniversary. This was a surprise cooked up by my brother and sister (aided by a BFF - you know who!) two or three months back. They were throwing a party, my parents knew about that. But I was the special surprise!

So Ken & the kids dropped me off (no tears, those ingrates!) in front of the small airport in Lawton, and I went in with my carry-on (no check in baggage for me!) and a messenger bag. Traveling light, or as light as possible, for six days. Now, I read all the rules and stuff, I'm not totally ignorant about TSA and flight, even though it's been eight years since I've been on a plane. But I thought, surely, an unopened bottle of water? Those who know me know I'm a huge water drinker, I dehydrate easily, my meds make me thirsty. But, nope, no go. I opened it up, chugged some down (how hard is it to drink water when you don't need it at the moment?), and threw the rest away. What a waste.

Whatever. I'm past security and ready to get on that tiny plane and jump to Dallas. Screens read "on time." I see it land from its last jump to Dallas (boy, is it small!), people get out, and crews start plugging stuff into it, taking stuff out.  Cool.  Soon, I'll be boarding.

Then, the announcement. Delayed. Maintenance issue. What does THAT mean? A few minutes later I learn that the problem was an external scratch on the plane. Really? I've got all kinds of paper cuts and scratches on my arms from cards and you don't see me delaying anything! So I texted my resident airplane expert (IE. Jonathan). Well, he replies, it could cause problems eventually, so they like to take care of those sorts of things right away.  BTW, what could scratch an airplane in the air? Don't tell me. I'm being facetious.

Great. So, the question becomes, How Long? Apparently, Lawton airport does not keep a maintenance crew full time there. So they have to get somebody from - you guessed it - Dallas - to come and take care of it. Estimated departure time is no 2:00 p.m.

Oh, so great! My connector flight to LAX from Dallas leaves at 11:40. Ain't happenin' now. So they send us all back to the ticket counter to see about rearranging flights (BTW, the ticket agent is the same gal as the gate agent). There's only about fifty people to reschedule. but as you can imagine, it isn't super easy to do.

Actually, I was pretty fortunate.  American Airlines called with a message about my flight rescheduling, so I was all set except for getting a new boarding pass for the new flight, though it wasn't leaving Dallas until 4:30. But just as I got up to the counter to do so, the gal told me (and the others behind me) that things were fixed (or whatever) and that we'd be leaving at noon, now half an hour away. And we could get our new tickets/boarding passes/schedules in Dallas. Okay. I think. Should I be anxious about this?

Through the TSA security check again. "I remember you; you're the water bottle lady!" Thanks. Yeah, I've learned my lesson. No water bottle the second time around. And directly board the plane.
I call it a puddle-jumper. It only holds about 50 people. I'm in a window seat near the front, so I will get to watch the whole 35 minute flight. Which is basically up and down. I can drive to Dallas in 3 1/2 hours. Other than being a little cramped, this was much nicer. We didn't even get about the clouds before we had to head on down.

Another line to stand in as I exited the plane in Dallas. But once I got to the desk, gave them my I.D. and no-longer-possible boarding pass. They handed me the new one for the new flight...and I had three hours to wait. Lunch was a priority, so I had Qdoba (good Mexican - like Chipotle or Taco Mayo), and then just walked around the shops and stuff till it got close to time to board. I knew I'd be sitting for 3 1/2 hours, I needed some exercise.

Thank heaven, no delays! But I was in group four (the cheap people), and sat way back near the tail behind the wing. Another window seat, but since we were up in the clouds most of the time, I didn't see as much. Better leg room this flight, too, because I could stretch my legs under the seat in front of me with my bag between them. Still, after 3 hours, my back was screaming for me to stand!

Now, this whole time, from the first notice of the delay in Lawton, I'd been texting back and forth. With Ken. With Jonathan. With Wendy, my sister. With Andy, my brother, who was to pick me up at the airport. I had run the battery down on my phone just with texting! I managed to charge it a little bit in Dallas, but since I didn't really stay put until half an hour before departure, I didn't get much charging in. I prayed it would be enough so I could keep in contact with Andy as he tried to find me and pick me up at LAX.

He did, with his kids and Wendy in tow. So we headed to Norwalk. I did not, nor ever had, nor ever will, miss the California traffic. Going from LAX to Norwalk in traffic, sigh. I knew I wasn't in Oklahoma any more. I didn't relish sitting more. Couldn't wait to get out and stand for a while.

We finally get to Norwalk. Mom is home, but Dad is not. We'll have to surprise them separately. Andy goes in. The kids go in. Wendy goes in. Mom is confused. I go in. She sees me and starts to cry and envelops me in a hug. We did it. She had no idea I was coming. It's a miracle, really, we're all such blabbermouths.

Dad gets home about a half hour later, comes into the living room. Scans the room, sees Andy and the kids, sees Wendy, sees me, goes past me... Wait. His head swivels back to me. "What are you doing here?" He was immensely pleased. He told me later that he figured Wendy had some surprise up her sleeve, but had no idea it was me.

We stayed up and talked until the one who'd been up since 5:15 a.m. Oklahoma time, couldn't stop yawning and had to go to bed. I got niece Amanda's bed for the visit (pre-arranged by Wendy without my folks' knowledge). I'm not sure it took all that long to get to sleep.

Friday, May 13, 2016
Happy Birthday to my big Buddy Bear, Jonathan! I have sacrificed (and he has, too) being with my son so that I could come to California. Ken took him and Analiese out to lunch yesterday as pre-birthday celebrations, but we'll do something together when I get home.

Today's been an easy day. Talking with Mom and Dad through the morning, mainly, because there was a lot to catch up on. Also, Dad did me the sweetest favor of driving me to visit Ken's Aunt Cathy and his Uncle Bruce,

and his grandfather, who's bedridden. I had (sadly) forgotten to include them in my itinerary, so I was grateful for the opportunity presenting itself today. I think it made Ken happy, too, that I was able to check in on them for him.

After that, we made a stop to something on my California Wish List (yes, I have one). We went to the strawberry stand

in the fields next to Cerritos College and I bought strawberries. Sweet, juicy, enormous. red strawberries. Oklahoma, this is was a true strawberry looks like:

What it tastes like, I can only describe as ambrosia. Ah, so delicious!

Andy and his kids were over this evening. The boys - Jay and Logan - were on devices and Ellie hadn't really warmed up to me yet, which just wouldn't do. So I started to show them some of my Sketchnote class drawings. The boys were somewhat interested (but still didn't really pull away), but I managed to convince Ellie to come with me to the dining room table and draw pictures.

I think we were at it ten-fifteen minutes when the boys came in and saw some of the "cool" stuff I was doing and wanted to join in. Of particular interest was learning how to draw a donkey from the number 16. But it didn't stop there.

A couple friend of Wendy's came over with their two young boys. They saw what we were doing and wanted to join in. Soon everyone was drawing and even wanted to play the Doodle game (make a squiggle and the other person has to draw a picture from it). I'm not sure who was held captive - them or me - until parents managed to drag kids reluctantly home. It was cute and funny!

Saturday, May 14, 2016
The big day! Today is my parents' 50th Wedding Anniversary. Tonight is the party. I guess we will be busy all day!

Wendy was a blur all day, trying to get everything into place. Andy and co. came over to help in the afternoon, so did Meri and three of her kids. Oh, and Wendy's friends. They are so nice to come over and help with a party that isn't even for Wendy, but her parents. But that's the kind of friends she has. Really great ones. And yes, one of the little boys from last night kept bugging me all evening about drawing! I guess I made a friend.

The party was a smashing success.

So many people came, including a Michigan childhood friend of Mom's (she lives in AZ with her husband currently)! My aunt had come a little early to help and she apparently hadn't been told I was coming. She cried to see me, she was so glad I made it! She's one of my biggest blog fans, so since I'd been careful not to mention the surprise before, she had NO idea. I thought Wendy might have told her, but I guess not.

People were there from my childhood past. Someone who had babysat me (and I had eventually babysat her sister's kids), an old Primary teacher (the only Primary teacher I've ever remembered - she's very special), long-time neighbors (angel friends, really) of my folks, a past Church sorority/Young Adults friend with her husband, and of course, people from my parents' ward and stake that I haven't seen since our move.

I spent the whole night, bouncing from person to person. My throat was so dry and sore by the end of the night. But I think it was an unqualified success. Dad and Mom opened gifts and cards afterwards and Dad marveled at the $50 increments on gift cards, etc. I said, "It's a 50-year anniversary celebration! Not many people get to that point anymore!" So it was well-worth celebrating!

Sunday, May 15, 2016
I think we all managed to straggle into bed by a quarter to midnight last night. Party animals! I do not do late nights well! Plus, I got up early (for a Sunday) in order to have Dad (graciously) take me to Corona for sacrament meeting with me old ward.

Lots of old friends were there and surprised to see me. The ward choir director pointed a finger at me accusingly, "What are you doing here?" I got lots of hugs. The best, though, was surprising one of my old VT sisters, Sherry, who burst into tears when she saw me. I sat with her in the meeting,

where she'd keep squeezing my hand or arm. I had really wanted to see & surprise her. It was too bad I couldn't stay (Dad had to get back to his ward for financial clerking stuff), but at least I could see her and some of the rest of my old Corona Ward friends. It was...and still is...a great ward.

But getting through another sacrament meeting and three more hours of church was TOUGH. I could hardly keep my eyes open. I am too old to party like that anymore. I thought about taking a nap after church, but we were having a family birthday party that evening for Andy and his boys

(turning TWELVE!!! Ay!).

This time, I could spend more time with my siblings and their families. Last night had too many people for that. Of course, Ellie wanted to draw (we did)

and play games (we did). Still, it was very much like old times, before we left for OK, when the family would all crowd into my folks' living room to celebrate birthdays. Definitely good memories.

HALLMARK (MOTHERS' DAY) WEEK

Monday, May 2, 2016
And it begins! The week preceeding Mothers' Day is a crazy Hallmark one!  After Seminary, I quickly changed, had devotional with my family, and headed northeast to Hobart to meet my boss there for my new assignment.

The Hobart Wal-mart not a supercenter, so it's not as big as the Altus store. There's still plenty to do, just in a smaller area. They don't have the storage, either, so we get what we need right when we need it, not in advance. I'm starting to see how each set up is different in each store according to the needs of the community. Each Hallmark set up is unique. So Wal-mart Altus is different from Walgreens Altus and it is different from Wal-mart Hobart which is in turn different from the others.  And it's my job to keep it straight!

Still, I got home at a reasonable time, around 1:30. I had feared it would take up most of my day. Thankfully, no. Still, I will be back two more times this week to keep the Mothers's Day section in stock for all the last-minute shoppers. This time, yes, I will be working on a Saturday.

Tuesday, May 3, 2016
Glitter day at Walgreens. The Mothers' Day section is very busy. I think the thing I like the best about my job is helping people find the right card. Keeping everything neat and stocked is only a part of it.

I went to Wal-mart to do my grocery shopping afterwards. I saw my Wal-mart co-worker still working after four hours. It's a crazy week for all of us. I'll be helping her later this week, but today was rough for her.

The weather is not sure what it wants to be. It started out nice and sunny and the Weather Channel said nothing about rain. Things started clouding over around mid-day and when I got to Wal-mart it started sprinkling and evidentally kept going the whole time I was in the store. Not anything like real rain, but it has moistened everything.

Wednesday, May 4, 2016
Spring is trying to give way to summer. The sun was already trying to peek at the horizon when I left for Seminary. By the time class was over, it reigned in the sky. Driving to Hobart, I saw mockingbirds and scissortailed flycatchers...harbingers of summer. Also, a turkey vulture nearly flew into my windshield as it lifted off the road and its roadkill dinner.

After a short stint at the Hobart Wal-mart, I went to lunch with a lovely sister in my ward who lives in that town. She is truly the genteel, well-bred, sweet southern lady. She had great stories of her life; she really needs to write her life story, though she said her husband had the better stories.

She had said I looked tired, and I was. I've been busy and not necessarily sleeping well. I came home desiring to nap, but instead doing the needed chores and lessons studies.

Thursday, May 5, 2016
We were all so sleepy in Seminary today. Three out of the four of us said we'd had trouble sleeping. I don't know if it's because we're so close to the end or so much is going on or what...

I went early to Walgreens today to work (only!) on Mothers' Day stuff. I totally ignored anything else that was there for me on my shelf...it'll have to wait until Monday. After I got home, Ken took me and the kids to Lawton for a little pre-Mothers' Day celebrating. Both he and Jonathan will be working this weekend (I will on Saturday, too), so we figured today was the best day to do stuff.

Since this was for me, I asked if we could go to the reserve and try (again) to see buffalo.

I really wanted to see baby buffalo (how cute would that be?) but the babies are still elusive. But there were several buffalo out, some behind fencing...and some not!

 There were a few prairie dogs out, too, but not at the "town." A group of preschoolers were there and apparently scaring them into their hidey-holes. We saw some on the other side of the road - smart critters!

We had lunch in town at a favorite - Santa Fe Cattle Company

Horseshoe rabbit

Cowboy Armadillo

Jonathan's motto

She's only acting bored.

He took the challenge...and ate it!

- and then roamed the tiny Lawton Mall. After that we headed for home; I was too tired to go anywhere else. I dozed on the ride home, but Analiese said she couldn't for the bumpiness of the road. Ha! She should travel with me to Hobart sometime. That's bumpy!

Friday, May 6, 2016
I walked into the church building this morning, and I was confused at first. I saw a rug in the middle of the walkway, so I pulled it to the side. Don't want my kids tripping over it. Then, when I turned the corner to walk down the hall to our classroom, I saw the doors to our room open. That is odd, because I always close them.

The real shocker came when I walked into the room. Everything was cattywumpus! The piano was IN FRONT OF the blackboard. The kids' table was pushed to the way back of the room and the chairs were all stacked next the the wall with the windows. Apparently the carpets had been cleaned in the whole church. We worked around our room, there was no way I - or anyone else in class - was going to move that piano.

Oh, today was such a crazy day for work. I went to Walgreens, and managed to get all the Mothers' Day stuff out except for one bag set which I'll have to figure out tomorrow. Then I went to Wal-mart and worked with my co-worker since she'd been busy with Mothers' Day, too, and couldn't get to boxes yesterday (inventory was being done) and we got more today. Everyday stuff, but it had to be done on top of the other.  Then I went back there AGAIN at 5 p.m. to clean up the Mothers' Day cards (while people were coming and going there) and try to put another box or two of cards out. It was insane and I am so tired I cannot hardly think. And tomorrow I have to do all three stores!

Saturday, May 7, 2016
SHOUTOUT TO MY BABY BROTHER, ANDY - Happy Birthday, old man! LOL 

The day before Mothers' Day. Walgreens, Hobart, Altus Wal-mart. Hoo-rah (blah-blah-blah). I've cut my right thumb at the cuticle and it keeps getting caught on cards and is filled with dirt and glitter. Ouch.

Managed to get all the Mothers' Day product out. HOO-RAY! (That one is real.) But what terror I encounter at each store. Cards, cards, everywhere...on the floor, stuffed every which way, jammed into cracks between sections. Makes a girl want to cry.

Plus, I have to work around people. Now, generally, I like working with them and helping them find cards, but this is a deluge. Inconsiderate people put the cards anywhere, some people have kids with them who have to pull out every sparkly, shiny thing they see. Some people are sensitive enough to realize I am working there and try to put the cards back where they belong (A for effort, at least). Some people are irritated by my presence. Don't you realize I am there to make order out of chaos? How could you ever find a card in that mess?

I went to do the Altus Wal-mart shift at 8:00 p.m., on the recommendation of my boss. She/we hoped that the crowds would have thinned and I could actually get in there and do something. NOPE! I did the best I could, sneaking into sections during the ebb and flow of the people. But after two hours of battle, I was done.

The other issue today was Altus's Rock & Rumble, which they unfortunately always hold the weekend of Mothers' Day (great, a testosterone event on a women's weekend.) It's fascinating, all the fun cars, and people get out and barbecue, smoke (meat), listen to oldies music, etc. However, it does block of Main St. (wherein lies both Wal-mart and Walgreens) - the only time we have a real traffic jam in Altus - and brings droves of people to town (I saw an oldies car heading from Hobart to Altus this morning), which I suppose is the point, but it also brought droves of people into Wal-mart and Walgreens. Trust me, if you live in a tiny town in OK, visiting a "bigger" city like Altus and getting to go to those bigger stores is a treat! It made for a horrific mess for me, though!

ONE AMAZING, GREAT THING ABOUT TODAY: Has nothing to do with cars or cards. A sister/friend in my ward decided to help my husband figure out a gift for me for Mothers' Day. She likes to garden, too, so she coordinated with Ken, Jonathan, and my two VT sisters to finance and fill my boxes! I came home from Hobart that afternoon to see my box looking like a real garden box!

Mind you, I won't be able to do anything with it until after the Mothers' Day and changeover to Fathers' Day craziness, but still! I was very surprised and thrilled!  What a wonderful idea!

Sunday, May 8, 2016
HAPPY MOTHERS' DAY. First, to my Mommy, who is always the first and the best! Then, to my sister (Meri) and sister-in-laws (Julie, Jenna, Kathy) who strive so hard to keep their families going strong. Then, to my aunt (Nilas), my wonderful grandmother-in-law (Louise), and Ken's aunt and cousin (Laura & Laurie). And all my friends and ward sisters who are such good examples of motherhood to me. I can't name you all, but if you know me, I'm sending love to you!

Church was nice today. The Primary sang, of course. The Young Men handed out little bags of chocolate with a Mothers' Day message on it. The piano was still in front of the chalkboard when I got to church, so I asked the elders to move it for me. In return, they asked if they could Skype their families at our house this evening. 

After church, I got changed, took Jonathan to Walgreens, and went to Wal-mart to work. I only stayed for an hour, straightening up, putting things away and then leaving. Could I have stayed longer? Sure, I could have followed around all the sad, crazy people who put off Mothers' Day until this afternoon, but it would be an exercise in futility. Besides, we're taking it all down tomorrow. That'll be another big job.

This afternoon, the weather got a little weird. Humid, then cooler, then warm. And the announcement came - Tornado Watch (That's not the bad one. That one is Tornado warning. I'm trying to keep the two straight.) Clouds like whipped cream (Ken say's it's like that, the air getting all whipped up with the two temperatures.) starting piling up,

but passed us by quickly heading northwest. Altus Bubble keepin' us safe again!

THE END OF AN APRIL

Monday, April 25, 2016
Another busy day in Lawton. I went back with my Altus Co-worker to one of the Wal-marts in Lawton to do an installation. Yep, the place I was at Friday. Time to tear down and put back up.

But this time, instead of only three people, we had about ten. We got everything done by 3:00 p.m. Not cosy like at Hobart, where we were all in close quarters and a little silly. Some of my silly ex-cohorts were there and we ribbed each other some.

They say the next few weeks between now and Mother's Day is going to be crazy. Lots of hours, lots of new things for me to learn.

Tuesday, April 26, 2016
Today was so humid. In the morning, the Weather Channel just said sunny and warm. But by the time I was done working at Walgreens and going grocery shopping, the clouds began to roll in and people began to talk about a storm moving our way. Supposedly a big storm.

Schools were closing early...just in case. There may be hail, stay inside. But don't panic, it doesn't look like an tornado indicators are in place.

By about four, we had thunder, lightning, rain and small hail. But it was very short-lived. What's all the fuss about? By about six-thirty, it was back stronger, bigger (hail was walnut-sized), but short, too. All headed toward the center of the state - OKC, Moore, Norman - you know, the cursed places. So glad we don't live there!  Now, there's no more rain "expected" until Friday. We shall see.

Wednesday, April 27, 2016
Jonathan had picked up some more hours at Walgreens, so after I got out of Seminary, I picked him up and took him to work. I fetched him from work at about four, too.

I ended up going to Walgreens, though, after I dropped Analiese off at Young Women's. Jonathan had told me I'd received some boxes at the store (he's my eyes and ears there) and one read "Mothers's Day." That's a priority right now, so I went back to set up another section with Hallmark Mothers' Day stuff and to put out more cards for the holiday.

Having taken an hour to do that, I took the van over to a car wash. All this driving back and forth to Lawton has made it very dirty! When the water first started pouring over the top, I could see sheets of dirty water flowing past the windows. Between that and the bug guts, it was in desperate need of a bath!

After that, I met Analiese at Braum's (Ice cream store & fast-food place) where the Young Women had gone to celebrate a birthday. I was glad, too, because I was able to catch one of my VT sisters (she's in YW) who had to cancel our latest visit due to a busy schedule (sound familiar?). Hey, sometimes you visit where you can!

Thursday, April 28, 2016
This was Michele's Horrible, Terrible, No Good, Very Bad Day. At least it began that way. I woke up so tired. My students weren't much better. I think all of us are in the last-days-of-school funk. Goodness knows, I'm exhausted.

Before doing lessons this morning, all the family went out to do some yard work. Jonathan mowed the front yard, Analiese and Ken cleaned up trash and sticks from the front, and I trimmed the rose bushes and pulled weeds from around them. During this time, big old mosquitoes came out from apparently nowhere and attacked us!  They even had the audacity to bite me through my pants and underwear!

I got lessons going with Analiese and was - unfortunately - short-tempered with my poor husband on his day off. Then, while working on a dessert for a dessert auction at the YM/YW fundraiser tomorrow evening, I had cocoa powder and flour fly EVERYWHERE! This is NOT an exaggeration. It was on the counter, on the mixer, on the toaster, on the cupboards, on the floor, on ME! It meant I'd have to start all over again, but I just couldn't bring myself to do it...the recipe uses four eggs! So I cleaned up the mess, refused to redo it (Analiese is making a dessert, too, so she'll just have to represent the whole family) and begged my husband to run away with me! I was so done for the day.

We only ran as far as Lawton. We stopped for Panda Express, wandered Target, and then went back home in better spirits. I had left my phone at home, which was actually a good thing, since my boss called and wanted me to go in to work. Which I couldn't, cuz I wasn't home. I needed time away, doing nothing in particular. And thankfully my hubby forgave me and came along with me.

Friday, April 29, 2016
I did have to work today at Altus' Wal-mart. Between myself and my coworker, we logged 8 hours. A lot of it was Mother's Day card replenishing, which is not as easy as you might think. There were lots of heavy boxes full of cards to move around!

In the middle of this, the store grew heavily humid. When we were in the storeroom, another storm broke out and we could hear hail pelt the metal roof. Ken took pictures of all the hail that hit our home, small, but plenty.

No, it's not snow (though it looks like our snow), luckily not any of the damaging stuff.  The storm was well over by the time I was done with work.

At home, we were in a hurry. Analiese had to be at the Church by 5 to finish setting up for the ward fundraiser dinner. Jonathan had to be at Walgreens for work by 5:30. I had to whip some cream to put on a truffle-bottom chocolate cream pie

for the dessert auction after the dinner. Then Ken and I ran off to be at the Church by 6.

The dinner was Hawaiian-themed, with Hawaiian Haystacks. The auction was a lot of fun as usual (it gets pretty crazy).

And Ken bought the pie! I guess he didn't want that chocolately goodness in the hands of anyone else but himself!  Everyone passed desserts around again, too, which is part of the fun.

Saturday, April 30, 2016
Today was a half-relaxing, half-get-the-work-done day. Ken left early in the morning for Taco Bell and I took Jonathan to Walgreens at eight. I watched Alice for Analiese while she cleaned the cage, worked on some stuff for Seminary, did dishes, scrubbed my sink (necessary after the cocoa powder/flour fiasco the other day) and planted cilantro (Cuz I want some. Whoever heart of salsa without cilantro? Jonathan and I actually use it quite a bit...and not just for salsa). It's a beautiful day out there, sunny and warmer.

Analiese and I went to Wal-mart to refill water and then got Jonathan. Came home to fix dinner for the kids. I made Mock Tacos, a family favorite. Jonathan was giddy (well, he was certainly weird) to have it. You'd think I never fed him.  Ken came home about two hours late and didn't want dinner. Generally, on later days, he gets his dinner at TB.

Sunday, May 1, 2016
Lovely meetings again today. We have several families moving soon, which is normal for this time in our Air Force town, some of whom were released today. Two of them were in the bishopric (well, one was the ward clerk)! So, the Stake President was here and changes were made.

Too, I got pulled out of Relief Society to go to Young Women because Analiese was made a counselor in the Young Women's class presidency. They don't go by Beehives, Mia Maids, and Laurels here; there aren't enough of them for that.

It's gray and windy outside. The Weather Channel said maybe a ten percent chance of anything. It well may end up a little bit more.