A WEEK IN THE CITY

Monday, March 14, 2016
Happy Pi Day! Literally, our RS President is having a Pi Open House at her place today. She's making lots of pies, people are brining pies, and everyone is having a pi-licious evening!  Funny.

For the record, I make my own laundry soap. Yes, it saves some money. But that's not why I do it. I do it because I am terribly allergic to most laundry detergent, especially the really scented ones (I will not name names). We tried one recently...Ken really liked it's scent. But I broke out in an awful, itchy rash in uncomfortable places. And this brand claims to keep the scent for two weeks!  Ay-ay-ay! So I made a new batch of my soap today (Borax, Washing Soda, Fels-naptha, and an oxi booster) to use immediately. Mind you, it will take a few washings to get that other stuff out and until then I will suffer.

Apparently, I did not explain enough about our OKC trip this week. Ken has been training with Taco Bell in the City (that's what we all call it 'round here) all this month. Analiese and I are joining him this week. While he's working, we'll be playing the tourists. We have plans to visit a couple of museums (Science & Osteology), the Myriad Gardens and Bricktown, and do a little window shopping at the Penn Square Mall and the Oklahoma Outlets. Our schedule is cram-packed full! I will try to elaborate each day on our activities and accompany them with pictures.

I worked for four and a half hours today between Walgreens and Wal-mart (yes, it is easy to confuse the two). I came home tired and hungry...and glitter-covered. Yes, working for Hallmark makes me sparkle! (Ha-ha) Still, I had stuff to finish to get us ready for our trip tomorrow. Oh, I'm so tired!

Tuesday, March 15, 2016
Ken, Analiese & I were out of the house by 9:00 a.m. (Jonathan will go to work this afternoon and from work go to our friends, the Doshers). First stop: Wichita Wildlife Reserve just outside of Lawton. I had hoped to see baby buffalo, after all, it's that time of year. No luck, I was very disappointed. It was pretty windy, too, threatening to carry Analiese away! We did, however, see lots of longhorn cattle

and prairie dogs who chirped either threats at us or warnings to their neighbors. They waddle as they run, and their tails wag behind them!

Ken had received a gift card to Carl's Jr., so we had lunch in Lawton there before heading to the City. Our next stop was the OKC Outlet Mall.

I wanted to see it...and I had a list of things I needed - or wanted. Some things of a personal, feminine nature, some things for my kitchen (like a replacement for my broken beater w/scraper for my Kitchenaide). Plus a little bit of fun (Ken likes Yankee Candle and I like Vera Bradley). Two good walks today, so far.

In town, near the hotel we're staying at (thanks to Ken's work), we did a little Wal-mart shopping for lunch stuff shopping so we can take food with us and not eat out so much (expensive and usually not too good for you). I brought some Bountiful Basket apples and tangerines with us, too, so we're set to be comfy and taken care of this week.

Dinner tonight was at a place called Swadleys. Now, we've had a bit of barbecue and smoked meats since our arrival in OK, but Ken had been to this place before and said it was really good. After eating dinner, Analiese agreed, she loved her pulled pork sandwich and homestyle tots (not the stuff you get in the store!). I had a smokehouse club sandwich wich onion strings and Ken had a huge potato topped with pulled pork. They have a number of barbecue sauces, and we all chose "the Grumpy," which was a smoky sauce with molasses. I liked it, not too sweet and with depth. The funny thing was, on the way out, we saw at least a dozen Corvettes in the parking lot. It must have been the Corvette Club dining at Swadleys tonight. Too bad Jonathan wasn't there to see it!

Wednesday, March 16, 2016
Our outing for the day was the Science Museum, located next door to the OKC Zoo. Because we got there right when it opened, we had a great parking spot. It did get busy though, we're not the only ones on Spring Break!

I didn't get as many photos as I would have liked because my camera isn't holding a charge well. But here are some:

 A light sensitive floor.

 Analiese trying her Jedi powers

 A bed of nails is not as uncomfortable as you might think!

 Fun water feature that we floated toy boats on.

 The water moves in time to the music.

 Analiese trying to figure out where we are (staged, of course).

 On our whirlwind tour on the "Orient Express." (Not really, it's an American car, but we've recently read the book, so we wanted to say we did)

 Planes of all types and ages (for Jonathan, who couldn't come with us).

Science Super Heroes!

We took a little quiz to see who our "Science Sidekicks" would be. Analiese got Jacques Cousteau and I got Thomas Edison!

Ken had to be to work by 2 p.m., so we grabbed some Chipotle burritos for lunch and headed back to the hotel. Our afternoon was a lazy one, relaxing, going to the pool, etc.

Thursday, March 17, 2016
Today is a beautiful day! Let's go outside!

I knew it was St. Patrick's Day, but I didn't think it would have an effect on our day. But as we got near the Myriad Gardens in the heart of the city, we saw tons of people dressed in green, some weirdly. Parking was a nightmare, too, because something was going to happen at the nearby Cox Center (sports) as well.  After driving round the block three times, figuring it may have been a loss today, we finally found a spot right by the gardens.

 The Spring flowers are out! I'm in love!

 Anyone for a little Irish bagpipes?

 And Irish dancing?

 The Conservatory bridges the two parts of the Gardens

The Gardens sit in the middle of the city.

Inside the Conservatory, everything is lush and green.

Analiese is on top of the world at one end of the Conservatory.

There were hundreds of these butterflies flitting all over inside the Conservatory. We watched them sip nectar from the flowers.

 This is a bridge high up in the Conservatory where you can look down into all the trees. It's a neat view!

Analiese beside a refreshing waterfall.

 This is in the Children's Garden. Analiese really is enjoying herself, but didn't like the sun that was in her face.

Next stop, Bricktown!












Nice mural

Resting by the canal under a beautiful Redbud tree (Oklahoma State Tree).

The canal in Bricktown with Sonic HQ in the background.











Friday, March 18, 2016
The only real fly in our ointment for this trip is the hotel. The closest one to the Taco Bell Ken is training at is the Holiday Inn. Ken hasn't been too happy about it before, but this week it was just plain awful!

It started with them not giving us the right room - one with a refrigerator in it. We had been expecting it and had perishables to put into it (picnic lunch stuff). We ended up having to buy a cheap cooler, an expense we didn't want to make.

Then, the room was dirty. The dust ruffle had some red gross food thing on it, that had extended to the carpet. And getting people to come clean the room was impossible! We told them about the stains on Tuesday, they didn't come. Wednesday, they didn't come. Thursday, they came by a little bit before we left for the day, but said they'd come back later to clean. They didn't. TODAY, we left early in the morning before anyone came by to clean and didn't get back until 3 in the afternoon. The room STILL WASN'T CLEAN!!!

The pool is murky, the jacuzzi doesn't work. The ice machine on the third floor (our floor) doesn't work. There's a huge pothole in the driveway to the hotel. The front desk people are often downright unfriendly. I've told Ken to tell his corporate boss that they should discontinue using this hotel. I've worked in hotels and I specialized in corporate reservations. Corporate guests should be given top priority, because they are solid repeat customers. These people do not understand this.

On a happier note, today Analiese and I visited the one and only Museum of Osteology in the United States, here in OKC.

They are connected to their business, Skulls, Inc., that clean and display bones of all kinds (Yes, including humans. We could have bought a human finger bone, but decided that was a little creepy.) The show Dirty Jobs has visited them before (they were playing that episode on a tv there).  It was a fascinating museum!

This is a human skeleton with extreme dwarfism. It may not be easy to see, but it looked terribly painful!

 This was a favorite of Analiese's - a cheetah!

 This is a sea otter. Reminded me of California.

 This is their signature rhinoceros skeleton. The horns are fake, however, because they are in such demand on the black market that people try to steal them...even from this museum!

 Have to have a shot with a buffalo. Even if all that's left is bones!

 Oh, the inhumanity! Analiese and the alligator bemoan their fates.

 I was intrigued by the giraffe skeleton.

 Analiese with her beloved sharks.

Analiese later remarked that she was surprised how much more interesting it was than she previously thought it would be.

Saturday, March 19, 2016
Our last day here. I took Ken to work at 6 a.m. and went back to the hotel...to go to bed! After a couple more hours of sleep, Analiese and I got up, breakfasted, and set out for our final plans.

We first headed to the mall. Now, it may not seem a big deal to you, but there is no mall in Altus, and a smallish one in Lawton, so this was a treat. We're not really shoppers, but we do like to see things (I window shop excellently). We sampled gourmet gummy bears, toffee, and honeycomb chocolate at an old-timey candy store. Godiva had us sampling creme brulee Belgian chocolate (ooh-la-la), and, of course, we had See's samples. Now, it wasn't all just eating yummy chocolate. I got an oversensory headache at Bath and Body Works (too many and too strong scents do that to me), we played around with gadgets at Brookstone, and found some cute earrings and a bunny watch for Analiese at Claire's.

After our romp through the mall, we headed to the Route 66 Park for a nice lunch.

Unfortunately, we had freezing temperatures last night (Ken had to scrape ice off his windshield this morning), so the day, though bright, was cold and breezy. We strolled through the sunshine eating our sandwiches and only stopped to throw breadcrumbs (saved the ends of the loaf) to the geese and ducks.

 We haven't done that in a while - it was fun.

The park celebrates Route 66, of which the majority of the remaining road exists in Oklahoma.

Our hotel and the Taco Bell Ken was at this week were both on Route 66. If you want to know, it originally went from Southern California

to Chicago, Illinois.

Our pleasant surprise for the day was a farm at the entrance to the lake area (before you get to the park). At first, I thought the field housed horses. But on closer inspection we saw...alapacas!

They run funny, by the way.

We picked up Ken at 2 p.m. and headed home, with a short stop in Lawton for a few needed things at Sam's Club.

We have had a lovely trip and got to do everything we planned, but I was glad to be home. I wanted to see my son, who got off work at 8:30 p.m. I was tired and wanted to sleep in my own bed, too.

Sunday, March 20, 2016

I slept like a rock! I so missed my bed! Too bad I can't take it with me wherever I go.

I played the organ in Sacrament meeting today. I got a call this morning from the organist's wife saying he was sick and would I play. I should have just sat at the piano, because I didn't have enough time to think about the music and what sounds I should use. I felt terrible during the sacrament hymn, because it just didn't sound reverent enough!  I had a couple people comment on how talented I was and I could only think "But I was so awful today!"

More headaches today. Maybe there's something in the Altus air? Or maybe the headaches I attributed to fatigue in OKC were just the same thing - pollen?

SPRING SPRING SPRING!

Monday, March 7, 2016
Only one student out sick now. He was the worst - strep throat - poor thing. But his mom is down, too. Dad brought his sister, but can't do it tomorrow. So if Mom isn't better by then, sister will have to miss another day.

Our family (all of us! Ken is off today) went to Quartz Mountain

& Lake Altus for a picnic lunch and a little hike. The dam wasn't flowing today, but the lake still looked great.

The weather was overcast, with sun peeking out here and there, very comfortable. We saw deer,

snakes (a whole den!) and lovely trees. The redbuds are starting to put out their pink beauty. Told you Spring was the best!

We went by the Resort & Conference Center to cross the bridge

and take a light hike up a paved bike trail that follows the curve of the lake.

That's where Ken & I saw the snakes, though we heard them rustling about in the grass before seeing them. They were garter snakes, but were too hidden in the grass for a good picture. Bummer. The kids had gone on ahead...and missed it.

Youth hurries too much! LOL

Tuesday, March 8, 2016
Soggy morning, wet and loud (thunderstorms). It's a good thing we went to Quartz Mountain yesterday. And poor Ken has to drive to OKC in this!

I just found out from my supervisor that I will be servicing the Walgreens Hallmark section as well as Walmart's. Jonathan (and his friends) work at Walgreens. I must be doing well enough that they'll trust me on my own with the store!

Wednesday, March 9, 2016
Still two absent from Seminary. I made a call to their house this afternoon - I am getting concerned (for their health, I know they want to be in Seminary). Well, their mother has bronchitis and one of them is still not doing great. Those poor dears! Well, we've been fasting & praying for their family, hopefully they'll get better in time to enjoy having Alice the rabbit this weekend. And so they can quit feeling so miserable!

I worked three and a half hours today. Still training, but I got to work on cards today. After everything, I found out I had a paper cut that bled on one finger (who knows if it bled on a card? It wasn't much). My hands and cuticles especially get dry, I'll have to use more lotion before and after work to see if it helps.

Thursday, March 10, 2015
Foggy morning. Just Megan and me again for Seminary. But it was a good lesson and she made an observation that totally brought the Spirit in strongly. She tends to underestimate her spiritual capacities, but I know she is able to be very powerful in bearing testimony, given the opportunity!

I'm starting to feel like River Song from Dr. Who. Not that I'm feeling full of snarky bon mots (well, I like them, but I'm trying to repent of them), or that I can roam carefree over time and space (handy, that), but that I have this head of uncontrollable, unmanageable curls! I was not initially born with them, just some wave and a little curl. But over the years - and babies - my hair has become more and more...curly! I often wonder if the humidity (not too much, but more than CA!) has anything to do with it lately. For those of you who are envious, let me tell you how absolutely hard to control they can be. I'm not one to spend a lot of time on hair, but they never sit where I want them to! They don't hold pins or clips or combs (and I never run a comb through them - that's Frizz City!). Don't even talk to me about rainy days or sweat! The other side of the fence has it's downs, trust me.

I now wear trifocals. It's crazy. I've needed glasses for distance since I was thirteen, and recently succumbed to bifocals ("old eyes") but apparently the difference between them have gotten so great that I need a prescription in between. I noticed this problem when, with my new bifocals, I couldn't read the computer or piano music. When I went to the optometrist to tell them of my problem, they knew right away. The zany world of trifocals! Now I have to get used to the three at once! I hope my "gettin' older" brain can handle it! This is a picture of a pretty flowering tree between my optometrist's and dentist's offices:

We had the Relief Society birthday celebration this evening. Our ward decided on a service project - we went to visit people at a local nursing home. We were told to bring games or something to serve the people there. Well, Analiese and I have been at that particular one before with the Rabbit Club (because they do service, too), so she suggested I take Alice. That was a hit! It really helped people open up and start conversations. Some ladies played Uno, the sister missionaries sang familiar church songs with some, and I carried Alice about the room. One lady I sat with towards the end of the visit said it was kind of us to take time out of our busy days to be there. Actually, it was nice to stop, slow down, and just have a nice conversation.

Afterwards, we went back to the church for cake and ice cream. Irelia Box is the cake-maker in our ward (she is the one who helped me with Analiese's cupcake party last year) and did a lovely job on the Relief Society birthday cake:

It had an Italian Merengue frosting on it, which I'd never had before. Light and not too sweet. Nice evening!

Friday, March 11, 2016
Today was mainly a get-stuff-done sort of day. The obvious stuff was laundry and lessons. But we went a bit farther. I made some lemon bars to take to the Sperry's (my sick family) tomorrow. And Analiese and I looked up the places we want to visit in OKC, their addresses, hours, and entrance fees (if applicable). Half the excitement of a trip is in the planning, and this was no exception. Boy, will we have a lot to tell you - and pictures to show you - next week!

Weatherman was fairly accurate again. Weather Channel said rain storm should start about 6:45 tonight. About five to seven I heard pitter-pattering outside. Not bad. Do you think they're trying to restore my faith in them? Everyone's right - once in a while!

Analiese and I are mapping out our plans for next week. Where we want to go, addresses, hours, and admission (if any). We've got a full plate and it should be a lot of fun. Ken will be able to be a part of it a little on Tuesday as we head to OKC, but not more than that.

Saturday, March 12, 2016
The kids and I started our morning out at the church building for closet clean-up. Lots of people from all the auxiliaries were there to empty junk out of closets and straighten things up. Mind you, the Seminary closet was in pretty good shape, mainly because I'm in there using it all the time and I have a place for every thing! So, after doing what little needed to be done there, I tackled the library with Jonathan and the missionaries (Analiese was off with the YW and their catastrophe of a closet!). We could only do a little, because I guess the Sunday School is over the library (we don't have a librarian) and the SS President wasn't there. Neither was the bishop, so we had to do a little guessing. My first guess was to eliminate ALL of the video tapes. And there were plenty. One shelf was four rows thick of just copies of old conferences. Considering we can access all of them now online gave me great courage to excise them. After we cleared all of them out (including some old 80's videos), we cleaned up the drawers that held supplies - chalk, crayons, pencils, staplers, etc. A place for everything, and everything in it's place.

Around 11:30 we had a barbecue, with the ward providing burgers and dogs and everyone bringing things. I brought a veggie tray of carrots, celery, broccoli and zucchini along with some hummus and ranch dip. Oh, and a big jug of homemade lemonade made from Mom Carr's California lemons! Yum!

A lot of people kept on working after lunch, but we had to go home and get ready to take Alice to the Sperry's. Also, I had to cut-up and plate my lemon bars for them. Their two boys were very excited to have us come, so much so that one of them came with Sister Sperry to the gate to get us on base. We didn't even see poor Aurora, who is still not doing well. I am worried for her. She just isn't getting better.

After acquainting them with the ins and outs of rabbit-keeping, with some demonstrations on how to pick up and hold a rabbit, how to put on her harness and leash, etc., we left to take Jonathan to work. I'd made another plate of lemon bars to give to the Dosher's, since they'll be hosting Jonathan this next week. George Dosher was working at Walgreens today, so I delivered them to him with an advanced thanks. Considering the warm reception I'd received at the Sperry's and by George, I made the right choice making lemon bars. Both claimed they were a favorite.

Sunday, March 13, 2016
Gray morning with just a little sprinkles. A little chilly, too - I actually wore a sweater!

The Stake Patriarch came today and spoke with our ward. He travels all over the Stake (which I just learned is 200 miles across!) to give blessings. And he's been doing this for over twenty years!

No choir again today, because Sister Sperry isn't completely recovered. Jonathan didn't make it to church, either. He was having allergy problems that kept him up all night, plus a sore throat (which I think it part of the allergies, too).

This afternoon Analiese and I created packing lists. Over these last few weeks, Ken has learned to pack lighter and lighter. I'm hoping to do the same, just basics we need. We keep trying to check on Alice in her cage, but she's not there! Doug Sperry assured me (at the door of the church, his favorite station) that she had spent an unadventful night and was just fine this morning. He said he'd wanted to take her out of her cage, but it was harder than he thought. I told him may it would be better if he had someone else take her out and then hand her to him. Too funny...they are going to have a fun week, too!

EYE EYE EYE

Monday, February 29, 2016
Happy Leap Day! Analiese noticed that the Google logo had rabbits on it today. I said, "Well, rabbits leap!"

We had Family Home Mid-day today, because Jonathan has to work this evening. Ken took us to Long John Silver's for lunch (Jonathan's choice) to celebrate Jonathan's completion of his Aviation Mechanics course. We sat there and talked a while about upcoming plans, events, etc. Things are changing again, hopefully for the good!

Tuesday, March 1, 2016
Best laid plans...
I got up this morning to take a shower. I washed my hair. Washed my facial with my facial scrub. But...WAIT! You know how it says on all these little bottles "Keep out of eyes." They mean it. Seriously. Because I got some of the scrub in my left eye.

Now, normal soap would sting and, after rinsing it for a while, would be okay. This scrub is different. I've used it for years - YEARS - without a problem. It contains ground walnut shells to exfoliate (their words, not mine) and thoroughly cleans the skin. It is a bad thing, though, to have it in your eye.

Instant agony. Rinse, rinse, rinse. No go. Ken was still in bed and I called for him to come look at my eye. He can't see anything, but it's not like I'm being very cooperative. It hurts like crazy...even worse if I try to shut my eye.

By now, it was 6 a.m., I'm wet and in a lot of pain. I can't see out of the left eye and the right is watering in sympathy. So, dread-of-all-dreads, I call my students and cancel Seminary. Yes, it's that bad.  Ken gives me a blessing before he heads out the door to OKC for more training. So I'm alone with my kids, can't see, and in pain. Somehow, I don't think my day is going to go as planned.

After a weak scripture study (small print doesn't get any easier with non-functioning eyes) I get Analiese started on lessons - foregoing our usual book reading and history lesson - and I call the doctor. They can get me in at 10:30. I'm at a begging point, so I take it.

Boy, am I glad Jonathan is at home, though. He drove me to the doctor, who's office is just down the road and next door to the hospital. He gave me a hug as I cried (I was encouraging crying at the moment, hoping it would flush the object out), and waited with me patiently. The doctor sees a scrape on my cornea (Don't I need that?) and makes an appointment for me at 2:30 with my eye doctor. You know, the one I saw last week about trifocals. We'll be getting to know each other better today.

One nice thing about my regular doctor - he told me to put a warm damp compress over my eye to help with the pain. I was able to go home and lie down for a while and rest - with my eye closed. Not perfect, still some discomfort, but not so bad.

This time, I had my Visiting Teacher take me to the optometrist. Jonathan had work at 4:00 and since Dr. Geiger was fitting me in, I didn't know how long it would take. Helen is so very nice and helpful, though, and sat crocheting in the waiting room while I had the doctor look me over.

End result: Scratched my cornea, but it'll heal within a day. There was a foreign object on the upper lid. He had to numb my eye, pull up the lid, and take the thing out with tweezers. Fun. Still, the minute he numbed the eye, the pain was ALL GONE, so he was my hero from there out. He gave me some drops and said don't come back unless things get worse.

What relief! I did have a headache when I got home (stress?), but some tylenol, and more eye-resting helped. Another lovely Relief Society sister brought dinner in for Analiese and me, so we didn't have to resort to sandwiches. Sweet, too, was a phone call from a Seminary student, wanting to know if I was okay. I reassured her that I would be fine and had a good cry afterwards: a) to wash those eyeballs again and b) because the Lord blesses me with so many great people in my life.

Wednesday, March 2, 2016
Left eye is a little "goopy" this morning, maybe from the eyedrops, maybe just a reaction from the stress I put it through yesterday. I carefully bathed it in the shower this morning. And...no facial scrub for a while. I am suitable chastened and terrified.

It does itch like crazy, but Mom always said itching means healing. It gets weepy, too, so I blot it from time-to-time. Doesn't look pleasant, all red, and it's a little blurry, but SO much better than yesterday.

Yes, I drove to Seminary. Do you think I am going to let a little eye blur/weepiness get me down? No! And by the time Seminary was over, it was pretty clear. Well, as clear as it gets without glasses. So, I put on my glasses! Duh.

Thursday, March 3, 2016
One of my students who was absent yesterday returned today...but shouldn't have. She is still ill, poor thing. By this afternoon, her mother called to inform me that both she and her brother are now sick and won't be in class tomorrow. It'll be one-on-one with Megan...hopefully she didn't catch whatever they've got. Besides Seminary, I know she has major testing at school this week!

Put my car in at the Ford place for an oil change/check-up. Those people there are SO good! He said 45 minutes, and 45 minutes it was. Everything checked out okay, though I did need new windshield wipers. They've renovated their place, too, and it looks nice. Their service is excellent and their prices aren't bad for a dealership. I don't mind recommending them.

Worked at Wal-mart again today for Hallmark. Got to meet my Wal-mart co-worker, another employee who usually services the other Hallmark displays in Altus and other areas, and my supervisor. I go back tomorrow to get my scanner gadget and more training.

Friday, March 4, 2016
Two students absent today! The ill one from Wednesday is out again, and now her brother is sick, too! Poor dears. Megan didn't catch what they had, though, and we had a nice lesson together.

My Hallmark day today was much longer and harder work. We had six boxes of stuff to put up, plus I watched a bunch of training videos. It was just my supervisor and me and by the time we were done, I was tired! I'm thinking I ought to get a pedometer, just to see how much walking I am doing at work!

Saturday, March 5, 2016
Busy morning - so much for lazy weekends! It started with me and Jonathan going to pick up my basket from Bountiful Baskets. It's been a long time, but is so worth it! Today I had a bunch of gala apples, some tangerines, strawberries, a couple of avocados (Jonathan's), scallions, white potatoes, broccoli, asparagus (small & tender), a large head of romaine, two butternut squash, and zucchini (also nice and small). That's a good bit of veg for a great price - and they all look good!

After that, we went to Fox (Ace) Hardware for a hoe because I need to do a bunch of weeding in all of my planter boxes. Following that was a trip across town to the bank so Jonathan could deposit his check.

Then we went home, did our scripture study and all three of us (Ken was gone by 7 a.m. to work at TB) got dressed in our church clothes for a baptism at 11 a.m. Eric, the young man being baptized, has done stuff with Jonathan and Lance since last fall. It was a great baptism; the Spirit was strong!

Next...home so I could put my veggies away, Analiese could clean Alice's cage (while I watched bun run around - as much as you can on a leash - outside), and Jonathan did up last night's dishes. He'd gone out with friends the night before, but promised he'd do the dishes today. Good. So I can make some more. Neverending.

I took Alice (on her leash) outside to the front lawn for a change today. My neighbors came out and the teen daughter was entranced by Alice. She was also floored that I could leash a rabbit. Not that Alice is in anyway thrilled by it. You know she's not a wild rabbit, she's way too comfortable flopped down in the open sun.

The afternoon was spent taking Jonathan to work and prepping for Sunday and next week. I have lots of things to accomplish next week so that we can enjoy the Spring Break that follows!

Sunday, March 6, 2016
I so love Spring! Those trees were looking pretty pathetic during winter, it's nice to see them budding and greening again. The house on the corner has a weeping willow that is currently green and lacy. I love it. Analiese doesn't understand why I get so excited by the trees and plants (she gets the birds and animals). I see it as evidence of God's love...and I'm just appreciating it!

Really windy and overcast today. It's Ken's turn for a headache. I led the music in sacrament meeting for him. He stayed home and slept. One of my Seminary students is back from her illness, but her brother has strep and is laid low while her mother is now coping with a cold. Taking turns, poor family!

BTW, those tangerines from Bountiful Baskets yesterday...juicy. Really good. Nice to have some decent citrus.

NEW CHANGES IN THE WIND

Monday, February 22, 2016
Because Ken doesn't have to go back to OKC until tomorrow, we had a lunch date and went grocery shopping together.  At Walmart. Several people said hi to him, even saying they missed him and one wondered if he missed the place. The reply was a strong "No!"

I have a lot of apples that are on the way of going past prime, so I made apple crisp to go with Family Home Evening tonight. I haven't done that in a while, so the kids are happy to have a treat. And the house smells fabulous!

Tuesday, February 23, 2016
The weatherman actually got it right this time. The rain started last night and continued through this early afternoon. More than just little sprinkles, too, actually rain. An accompanying wind cooled things off, so after a week of 80's, going down to 40's was quite a drop!

Today I got meet my new supervisor with Hallmark and start learning the biz, as it were. She's very nice and was very pleasant and agreeable to all my questions and requests. I think she likes me, too, because she said I had a good eye to notice things out of place (cards, in particular). Anyway, I have an apron, a badge, a box cutter, some reading material and a video (which I need to review).

Eventually I'll get a device to use for inventory and stock, but until then, I am a working girl!

Wednesday, February 24, 2016
Temperature dropped enough last night that some of the shallower puddles froze over. I wonder if this is confusing the trees, especially the ones who are starting to bud.

It's beginning to be Skunk Season again. Last week, a member of our ward got squirted in the back parking lot that backs up into a large wild field. Skunk squish is starting to be noticed smeared on the roads and highways. This morning I saw a fat fellow waddle his stinky rear across the road. They don't hustle, skunks.

I went back to the Optometrist. My eyes hadn't gotten adjusted to my glasses. I could see the far away stuff, and the little print with my bifocals. But the middle stuff - computer screens and piano music, was getting blurry. Unless I took my glasses off. So now I"m getting trifocals. Thankfully, it's covered by insurance. They'll make new lenses and then put them in my new frames. Then I'll have to get adjusted to that new line in between.

There's a large orange moon hanging low in the East tonight. I'd take a picture, only I know it wouldn't come out. Plus, I'd have to drive out of town to get a really good shot. So you'll just have to take my word for it.

Thursday, February 25, 2016
Spring is making an appearance. Trees are budding. This morning, under the acorn tree in front of the church, Chuckie sat nibbling on acorns. Coming out from Seminary, we spotted two robins and a blue jay doing the same!

A sim card for an older cell phone we have arrived today. Analiese will have her own phone. It's not anything special and has a problem holding a charge for too long, but it's for her to be able to get a hold of me, or Ken, or Jonathan if the need arises. With me going to work, even for just a few hours, and with us having no landline, this is the option we chose. She's been told not to abuse the priviledge. We shall see!

Friday, February 26, 2016
Today is Jonathan's last day at the Vo-Tech's Aviation Mechanics Program.

It's been 2 1/2 years, but he managed to do very well despite the technical stuff, study and pressure. It's a win for me, too, because I won't have to rush out of Seminary to get him to class on time or pick him up after school. He's relieved, but now it's time to get to work and ready for the next big adventure - a Mission!

This afternoon (after the final Jonathan pick-up) I set my nose east and headed toward Lawton. Like I surmised, the roads were spattered with Skunk Squish of all shapes and sizes (yet still the same smell). My first stop was Sam's for shopping.  I'm trying something new: I'm going to do major shopping for the whole month (excluding produce, which just won't last that long). It meant a lot of prep work - a whole month's worth of menus so I could see what I needed.  The only problem is whether or not I have enough cupboard and freezer space for all this stuff.

I also tried Aldi's for the first time. I've seen raves about it all over Pinterest - how it saves so much money - so I went to check it out. You have to pay a quarter to get a cart, but you get it back when you put it away. That keeps the costs down some so they don't need anyone to go out and get carts. Also, you have to bring your own boxes and bags, or buy theirs for 5 cents apiece. It's not an impressive store, nearly everything is off-brand. The produce is very limited and not much to look at and I didn't even bother with the meat section. It doesn't carry everything I need, but might be okay for things like canned goods, milk, and eggs. I have to run some numbers, so I'll let you know how it comes out.

After my shopping, I went to the Stake Center (and changed clothes) for the CES "Evening with a General Authority." Once again, our stake provided dinner - and it was marvelous! - for the Seminary & Institute teachers in the Stake and their spouses. I'm getting to know a few of them, the Institute instructor is our recently-released Stake President. Brother Sturges and his wife came from Norman to join us as well. After dinner we watched the broadcast; Elder Ballard of the Twelve Apostles was the speaker. In some ways, he was overwhelming, because he raised the bar - on us! The leaders of the church are so worried about members (youth and adults alike) not knowing the doctrine. It's up to us to study more in-depth the doctrines of the gospel to be able to clarify and correct anything our kids are learning - mainly erroneous ideas on-line! He mentioned several things to study, personal things to introspectively review, etc. In other words, I have homework!

Saturday, February 27, 2016
Last night, I got home around 9 and was so tired that I put what needed to be put in fridge and freezer and left the rest out and went to bed. So I have to face it all today!

Even though I had plenty to do, I did take some time to go window shopping with Analiese. We dropped Jonathan off at work around 3:00, then we went to some of the shops in the town square, just for fun. Some were clothing and jewelry shops, some were antiques. It was a fun break!

Ken came home from OKC this evening, bringing dinner from Buffalo Wild Wings with him for all of us. I would try the cheese curds and the cheesecake bites, but I didn't dare the boneless wings. He likes them with Mango Habanero sauce on them...too hot! Analiese tried them and I had to pour her a glass of milk to cut the heat! I knew better...

Sunday, February 28, 2016
The wind is up and so's the tree pollen count. My head just throbbed above my eyes and my eyes watered. I lay down for a bit before church with my cold lavendar pack, but even with that and Tylenol, it wasn't cutting my headache one bit. So I stayed home, went to bed, and slept three more hours. I'd have liked to slept more, but didn't dare. Even still, I feel tired.  And now my throat hurts some.

But - and this is my personal theory - I think it could be much worse. I've been taking a nasal spray on top of my medication for allergies lately. Usually, this kind of pollen problem would have meant an automatic sinus infection and I've managed to avoid it this year, so far. I really think the spray helps a lot!

I sent Ken with the kids to choir today. Between my head and my throat, it just wasn't an option.  But I didn't want my kids to have to stay home just because I could go. And, it's good for Ken to get out a little (wink, wink).

PUPPY LOVE

Monday, February 15, 2016
Still headachy and tired. Went shopping and felt totally exhausted afterward. I slept well the night before!

I asked Ken to give me a blessing. I think it's allergies and the wind and pollen count.  There's no fever or any other symptoms, just headache and fatigue. Good thing I had a day off!

Tuesday, February 16, 2016
Back to Seminary. Apparently three teenage boys from Altus died in a car crash this weekend and the town is reeling. So Megan put them and their families on the board for remembering in prayers. That's okay, I want them to thin of others, the community, etc.

Ken is packing for tomorrow. He heads off to OKC tomorrow to start training with Taco Bell. He'll be back Saturday evening and head out again next Tuesday morning. This will go on -  back and forth - until the end of March. Six weeks.

Wednesday, February 17, 2016
Ken left for OKC while I was in Seminary (though I did get a kiss goodbye before I left for class). He's going straight to a Taco Bell there for training and we're on our own here until Saturday night.

I took Jonathan to the Vo-tech from the airport for his end-of-year exam. He's been studying the past few weeks for it and felt ready to do it today. He got a 93%, so I guess he was right! He still has to go to class the rest of this week and all of next, but what he'll do, I don't know.

I was all by myself this evening. Analiese was at Mutual and Jonathan was attending a temple preparation class. This is a sign of things to come, and I don't know if I like it much. The house was very quiet, but I did get my lesson prepared for tomorrow and the dishes done. Still, it was kinda sad.

Thursday, February 18, 2016
Seminary was awesome today. We started on the Psalms today and our focus was on the Messianic nature of many of them. In particular, we studied the most famous Psalm - number 23 - "The Lord is my Shepherd." I came to the realization (in class) that the wording isn't "like a shepherd," or "the shepherd," but MY Shepherd. It's personal, and when you say it, pondering the meaning of it, the Spirit so strongly confirms it. He is MY Shepherd, watching, caring, protecting me. What a testimony that was!

Now that Jonathan has passed his exam for the year, he's sitting in class doing nothing...and going crazy. Nearly half of his class is in the same situation, and the devil finds things for idle hands to do. In point, they are bugging him about the Deadpool movie which, while he thinks Deadpool is funny, realizes that the movie is totally, certainly inappropriate. At home we joke that if we tried to watch it on Clearplay, it would be all silent. I guess the guys at the airport are pressuring him about it and it's driving him nuts. At least going to work today will be better. He works with good people of high(er) caliber, some of whom are his friends. I'm glad he's there.

Friday, February 19, 2016
Last night and this morning:

I got the job today! I will be a Hallmark Retail Merchandiser for the local Walmart. It pays pretty good, but not with many hours. Still, it is very flexible for my schedule and won't get in the way of Seminary!

So I celebrated by getting a much needed pedicure and picking up meds at the Walmart pharmacy. Party on! ROFL

Saturday, February 20, 2016
Nice to have - as our wonderful British sister says - a "lie in" on Saturday morning. The kids and I didn't get to scripture study until about 9 a.m.

We had a fun afternoon, though. Our friends, the Doshers, have got a new puppy. Their dog, Angel, had died a couple of months ago and they were feeling they wanted another one. They found an excellent breeder a couple of hours away who raises the Golden Retriever puppies in their home with little kids and even has them pretty well litter-trained by eight weeks.

So we were invited to go visit puppy and help them. Because, yes, they have yet to choose a name. It's a she. I guess they started out with 25-30 names and were trying to narrow it down when we got there. We put our input in - I liked Emma, and Analiese liked Sierra. They got down to 3 names by the time we were finished - Emma, Sierra, and Lucy.

She's a sweet pup, but was a sleepy baby when we were there. Analiese kept trying to get her to play, squeezing the squeeky ball, but she kept flopping down somewhere on the floor to sleep. Soft as a teddy bear, she's adorable. But our allergies kept us from being there too long. They have a cat, too, as well as their two rabbits. And I've been fighting my allergies enough. Analiese took medication before we came, so she didn't do badly.

And, I have no pictures. Because I left the camera in the van. Sorry.

Sunday, February 21, 2016
Nice Sabbath. Elder Christofferson of the 12 Apostles has been in Oklahoma for the weekend. Friday was a broadcasted fireside (from Tulsa) for the youth, and Saturday he spent some time with the missionaries in Oklahoma and with the bishops and stake presidents in Oklahoma and Arkansas. So we heard reports from the youth, the bishop, and the missionaries. The youth told me that he spoke a lot about Seminary. I said that must be because it's important! I like to feel justified.

The wind has really picked up, whistling around the house. It'll cool things down, for sure. We've had a couple of 80 degree days which - as Analiese says - is just terrible for a February. It isn't really even Spring, she says. But some of the bushes are starting to bud and leaf out. Tree pollen is up, too. Like I can't tell!

OF LOVE & RABBITS

Monday, February 8, 2016
Pretty much a normal Monday, though the winds have really picked up. The weather people have issued a fire advisory. Not that the weather is very warm - in the 50's - but the wind is drying things out and would probably blow a fire into a big problem.

I'm having fun planning the Seminary lessons for this week. We're talking about events that are still celebrated by Jews today - The Feast of Tabernacles and Purim. Jonathan has a couple of friends who are Messianic Jews, so I contacted one for some ideas (and recipes). I've also found a couple of videos from the Israel Tourist board about the holidays. While the spiritual nature of the lessons is most important, it makes things a little more interesting to show them that some of these things are still done.

Tuesday, February 9, 2016
"The best laid plans..." Oh, brother, did I have some! The missionaries (all four) are coming to dinner, and I've planned a pork roast dinner (I make a marvelous pork roast, if I do say so myself!), with potatoes, salad, and broccoli. But I also had planned on making Hamantashen - a Jewish pastry that is made for the holiday Purim in celebration of Esther and the deliverance of the Jews in Persia. That one must be for Seminary (wink) for tomorrow's lesson.

However, I come to find out this morning that the roast will NOT fit in the crockpot! So I have to slow roast it in the oven. Bother! When will I make the Hamantashen? After dinner & dishes? Good thing I scheduled the missionaries to come at five. That may give me a little time. Let's see how that works out...

Not terrifically. The roast was done by five, but not fall-of-the bone done. It was still good, but there were no juices in the pan, so I had to just make a brown gravy, not as tasty. And my mashed potatoes - I had to laugh - I thought I cut them all up before boiling them, but I missed two! And they were a little...firmer...than the others, so I had to take them out before mashing the others. They would have made two BIG lumps!

No dessert, a first for us feeding the missionaries. And, I didn't make the Hamantashen. Sometime - maybe as I was pulling the roast out of the oven - I did something to my right shoulder. When I tried to hug the sister missionaries goodnight, I felt the pull...and the pain. Ugh! So, obviously, I can't move my arm well enough to roll out cookie dough. Now I'm really bummed about tomorrow.

Wednesday, February 10, 2016
We talked about Esther; we talked about Purim. But no guest speakers, no Hamantashen. The kids did laugh when I read to them about how children celebrate Purim in the synagogues. I just wanted more (can you say overly ambitious?).

I got my new glasses today! I hadn't really expected them until the end of this week, because they said it would take about a week. Ken got his, too. That tiny print is much more visible, now. When will you see them? When I get the guts to have my picture taken again. It may be a while. You'd better wish for more baby animals for me to cuddle! LOL

Thursday, February 11, 2016
Two good things today:

One - My mom sent me lemons from California off of her tree. Ken swears they are the best lemons, no matter the tree, no matter the store.

Two - Well, sort of. I had a job interview. Over the phone. Automated. It was weird. The recording asked a question, beeped, and then I had to respond, pressing # when I was done. I'm to keep a watch on my email to see what they think of it. The hardest part was remembering thing from jobs past. After all, it's been 14 years! But I did reference some things from Seminary because, even though it's voluntary, it applies to work situations, too.  We'll see.

Friday, February 12, 2016
Sleep-in day! No Seminary because the high school is having parent-teacher conferences. I didn't sleep in too late, though, because Jonathan did have to go to the Vo-tech. He woke me up with fifteen minutes to spare until I drove him.

This afternoon was set-up time for the Rabbit Show tomorrow. I am going to be working the concessions, so I set up the kitchen area for the morning. It'll be the usual stuff...hot dogs, nachos, frito chili pie (fritos, chili, cheese - Analiese loves it), chips, soda and some homemade cookies/brownies. I'm manning the booth because last year I had a bad allergic reaction to all the rabbits. I'm hoping my isolation in concessions won't allow that to happen. But I will sneak out for some photos tomorrow!

Saturday, February 13, 2016
First thing this morning..at the Expo and the Rabbit Show. I went straight to the kitchen to set up the coffee, heat up the chili and nacho cheese, and to get the hot dogs warming. Analiese is old enough, she set up her rabbit station herself.

In the end we had 20 kids and 90 rabbits. We had mainly local people, but a few came from as far away as OKC. Apparently their 4H areas don't have active rabbit clubs. They did comment how friendly and helpful we were. We are a fun lot!

Rabbit agility was very popular. We are trying to drum it up in the local areas so that eventually we can have real competitions. Alice did very well in the trial runs, but got spooked in the "mock" real one with all the people standing around noisily. It certainly makes the show more interesting.

Analiese did well, with a third place in the Rabbit Quiz.

Alice won second place in Himilayans. There were lots of Californians (think fat Himilayans) and New Zealands, which are meat breeders, several Dutches (always popular) and even a few more Holland Lops than usual. My favorite was Mini Rex in a color called "lilac."

I closed down the concessions by 3:45, and had everything cleaned up and packed up by 4:30. Joy (our 4H leader) said I didn't have to do dishes, but she's having knee surgery this week and I figured that after all the show stuff, she didn't need to face dishes either.

But I was pooped. The floor in the concession kitchen is concrete and I was standing most of the day. I was fairly busy, but handled it pretty well on my own. It's not like the fair, which is teeming with people and you need 3-4 people manning it. As it was, I ran out of fritos, chili, and hot dogs. I almost went completely through the nacho cheese and had half a bag of tortilla chips left. I sold all of the brownies, no-bakes, and peanut butter cookies, with just three bags of snickerdoodles left.  And we made about $300 after the initial change for the money box. Joy says I should run concessions all the time!

Tonight was the ward Cupid's Dinner for the adults.

 The Young Women babysat, the Young Men served, and it was very nice. We had ham, scalloped potatoes, salad, green beans, and brownie parfaits.

A gal in our ward is a photographer and she took picture couples and we had a "Newlywed" game with different couples in the ward. Being single this evening, I didn't partake, but I enjoyed watching them sweat!

I left early, though, not staying for more of the activity. I was exhausted, my feet throbbed, and I just wanted to rest and get to bed.  I've seen some of the pictures they took, though, and it was really nice!

Sunday, February 15, 2016
Didn't go to church. I've been having headaches and feeling run down. So the rest of the fam went off to church and I went to bed.  I didn't even get up until they'd been home nearly an hour and felt like going back. But I'll wait till tonight. I don't want to be up at midnight!

SICK HUBBY WEEK

Monday, February 1, 2016
Today started pretty normally with Seminary and home chores. The only new thing I could think of was teaching Analiese personally (not from some website) how to write a 5-paragraph essay. Because, face it, I rock at essays! Or I did...in college.  No, I still rock them! LOL

Ken has accepted the Taco Bell Assistant Manager job. Arby's couldn't offer him the same $ for the same position, though he liked the guy who he interviewed with. His last day at Walmart is the fifteenth, and sometime after that he'll have to go to OKC for training for six weeks.

This evening just proved how mercurial the weather can be around here. The kids were watching a cartoon in the other room. Ken had texted me from work, "It's sprinkling." Well, I had looked at the weather TWICE today and there were no indicators of precipitation at all.

And yet, within minutes we had a thunderstorm and about an hour's worth of heavy rain and even a teensy bit of sleet. This does not build my trust in weathermen. Quite the opposite. I didn't mind, really, the rain is important and my roof holds just well, thank you. I just don't know how someone could be a weatherman in confidence.

Tuesday, February 2, 2016
Ken is home sick today. He was complaining yesterday of a sore throat and was stuffy. He came home early last night, too, just as I was getting ready to jump in bed. He sounded awful and wasn't better today. So...rest and fluids. Usually he does well with that recipe.

Jonathan texts me from school, "It's Groundhog Day!" I reply, "Yes. And?" "I'm watching the movie." Sarcastic Me: "Some education you're getting there."  To be fair, he was probably on his lunch break and texting me from the pilots' lounge at the airport where he likes to hang.

Wednesday, February 3, 2016
Ken is still sick. So he didn' go to work again today. He tires easily. Like when he took a shower; it exhausted him. At least he had some sick days he could take!

Made a new recipe for breakfast-for-dinner tonight. Buttermilk banana pancakes. Very light and fluffy. Jonathan, who hates have pancakes for dinner, ate three of them. "Not bad," he said. Analiese has rated the pancakes as her favorite all-time breakfast. Success, then!

Thursday, February 4, 2016
Seminary was different today. It wasn't a big scripture-reading, feel-the-Spirit lesson. It was more contextual and historical, setting the stage for everything after Chronicles. Since the books after that in the Bible are not organized chronologically, we had to go over what had happened (Israel splits into two, Northern Kingdom - Israel - carried by Assyrians into captivity are now lost to us. Southern Kingdom - Judah - eventually carried by Babylonians into captivity, but when Persia takes over, gets to go back) and try to place books & prophets where they belong in it all.  The room was split into sections for each area and 3x5 cards were set aside for titling books. It was a little complex, but the class bore with it well.

Ken is doing better. He has a lingering cough and still tires easily, but the headaches and stuffiness are gone. He isn't scheduled for work today. That will give him an extra day to recooperate.

Friday, February 5, 2016
Ken's much better today, just a little cough. We went together today to the optometrist. I haven't had a new pair of eyeglasses in years and my eyes are getting older. It's becoming more difficult to see the small print on things. So it's kind of nice to get a new pair, especially while we still have insurance.

Analiese and I had another practice with Rabbit Agility for 4H. To be honest, Alice needs more help getting used to being on a leash. Though, she does like jumping the hurdle.

We had to push her rear a lot to get her through the course.

At practice, we got to interact with some of the other rabbits,

including an eight-week old baby Dutch rabbit.

I was hooked - he was so sweet! I'm a sucker for baby animals.

Saturday, February 6, 2016
This morning was a work morning: Analiese had to clean Alice's cage, while Ken & Jonathan worked on cleaning up the back yard. I was going to help but ended up more as a superintendent...because I had Alice. I put her on the leash again (we need to do this every day) and gave her room to roam... within boundaries. She fought me a few times (I was a tree...I did not move) and pouted a good long bit, but eventually settled down to sit in a corner by the house where the chimney meets and nibble on dead leaves and live grass. I think she will like it eventually, because it will mean she can go outside. But also, we are trying to teach her who's boss!

SURVEY HERE - I'm SERIOUS!!! If I started a blog on my cooking, experiments and such, would you be interested? I'm thinking about blogging in a way that could earn a little $$, do you think I could do it? I'm thinking about calling it Cheap Chow (if the name isn't taken) and it'll be plain, family-friendly, homemade good eatin'. My stuff, plus what I learn along the way from trying other people's recipes. PLEASE COMMENT TO THIS BLOG ENTRY AND LET ME KNOW!

Sunday, February 7, 2016
Nice day at church today. The Spirit was very strong in Fast & Testimony meeting, and stayed that way through the rest of the meetings. Sundays like this make it easy to want to be in church.

Choir has started up again. We are working on stuff for Easter and for Stake Conference (in June, so we have a lot of time). Jonathan actually came with me and Analiese, too! We had lots of sopranos, altos and bases, but we really need tenors. Actually, I CAN sing tenor (women do it), so I think I will try next time. I practiced a bit with the choir pianist and I can hit all the notes. Besides, I think the lower notes are "yummier." Do not ask me to explain.