BONUS YEARS - HEART HEALTH

                         BONUS:  Something extra - not expected

 Who doesn't like a bonus?  You usually think of bonus as a monetary item.  Something extra given.  

 

So why did I title this post as BONUS YEARS?  That's because I think I am in my bonus years and I am grateful for every one of them I have been given so far.

Let me tell you why.  My parents died young of heart disease.  My mom was 48 and my dad was 51.  I gave myself a goal of living to age 65.  This would allow me to see all my grandchildren graduate from high school. This may not seem like a big goal to you but my mother never even go to meet her grandchildren so it was a big goal for me.   

We moved to Tulsa and I found a new doctor who solidified my goal for me.  My very first visit with him he said, "let's tweak your medicine and I think we can get you to 65".  He wasn't joking.  He had my family history and it wasn't good.  Let me add, he did not know that was the goal I had myself.  I was 47 years old at that time.  I was happy with his goal. 

 Forward 17 years later and I am now 64.  My husband and I had the opportunity to take advantage of a heart and lung scan.  This is expensive and not typically covered by insurance.  We had a very special rate and took advantage of it.  I truly believe this saved by life. 

This scan revealed my calcium levels to be in the high 300's.  This meant I had plague buildup - a lot of plague buildup. Concerning enough that the doctor who read the scan immediately called me advising me of my risk and telling me I needed to see a doctor ASAP and using the words "widow maker".  This would not be the first time I heard these words over the next few months.

My primary doctor referred me to a cardiologist and again I'm hearing the words "widow maker".  Stress tests and heart caths followed.  This showed three blockages.  One in my main artery was 75% blocked.  A stent was put in and here I am more that 4 years later living my BONUS YEARS.  

I believe if I had not had that scan that I would have had a heart attack - the "widow maker" within the next year.  So because of the scan and stent placement I survived past my 65th birthday.  I have set a new goal age-wise for myself. I now have a goal to live to age 75.  

This is why I promote heart health passionately.  This is why I will be wearing red the first Friday of February this year and every year.

                                      Heart health 

 

 

 

  

 

 

Why I'll Be Wearing Red

CORONARY ARTERY DISEASE:

    Also called: CAD, atherosclerotic heart disease

   Damage or disease in the heart's major blood vessels.

The usual cause is the buildup of plaque. This causes coronary arteries to narrow, limiting blood flow to the heart.

Coronary artery disease can range from no symptoms, to chest pain, to a heart attack.

Treatments include lifestyle changes, medications, angioplasty, and surgery.  

Do you see what I highlighted in red up above?  This is why it is so hard to detect.  A little over a year ago I was diagnosed with CAD - Coronary Artery Disease  purely by God's grace.  I had no chest pains, no rapid heart beats. A little short of breath but that was not uncommon for me.  NO SYMNPTOMS

Gary and I had the opportunity to get a hear/lung scan at a super great rate.  This is not something that our insurance would pay and very expensive.  So when the opportunity presented we took advantage.  September 2021 we went and had our scans.  Thus it began.  

Within a matter of days I was talking to doctors who told me I had to see my primary care provider ASAP.  My calcium count was extremely high. Words like 'widow maker', 'heart attack', and 'open heart surgery' were used.  I then had many doctor appointments, many tests, and two heart caths. During each visit I kept hearing those words repeated over and over. I ended up having one stent placed in the main artery which was 75% blocked. I have two more arteries that are 50 % blocked. 

Some of you have never been through a heart catheter.  You are awake for the procedure.  They need you awake.  I was strapped down to the table and I could see the monitor the doctor was using as he threaded the catheter from my right wrist to my heart.  I remember saying 'My chest is starting to hurt.'  The doctor asked me what the pain level was.  I said '8".  Next thing I know I'm waking up in a recovery room with the doctor looking at me saying, 'You don't look very good.  Are you having trouble breathing?"

After an overnight stay in the hospital I was sent home. It has been thirteen months since I had the stent placed. During that time I have gone through 5 months of cardio rehab, 3 times a week. I was given multiple handouts.  I changed to a low sodium, heart-healthy diet.  I went through numerous medication changes from my cardiologist.  I have had an episode where I passed out which resulted in even more testing and more medication changes.  

My cardiologist now feels like we have a handle on things. I know what to do if I start to feel 'off'.  This is what will cause me to pass out.  I know to watch my diet.  I have pretty much given up on chips, french fries, salt (even going so far as to limit the good things like bacon, ham, sausage). I eat more chicken and fish. 

So don't think that just because you have no symptoms you are good to go.  If something feels off - see your doctor; more tired than usual, shortness of breath, chest pain. 

Parent - Child - Friend

I haven't posted for a while but  here's one for you.  

The other night I'm sound asleep in bed - 12:30 am my phone rings.  I grab the phone and can see it's my daughhter calling.  I don't have my glasses on and my eyes don't focus well when I first wake up plus I had been sound asleep so I swiped the wrong way and instead of answering it went to voicemail.  

Of course I immediately call her back to hear  'You voicemailed me!"  We got that straightened out.  

Now I have 5 kids and I don't get the middle of the night phone calls like I used to. Guess that's what happens as they get older. When the phone does ring in the middle of the night I can be pretty sure which daughter is calling me and that it's most likely not an emergency.  I was right. 

My daughter was with my oldest brother and they had had a few drinks and basically I was called on a dare. My brother told her that I wouldn't answer a  phone call in the middle of the night and her response was 'My Mom will always take my call." (please note if I accidentally voicemail you I will call back immediately).  '

Well, we had a nice little chat - almost an hour  - said our goodbyes and hung up.  Please note - I did call her back the next afternoon and woke her up from her nap.  Seemed only fitting.  

During the course of our calls, yes both of them, my daughter made mention of the fact that she was glad that we were 'friends'.  Well, her call got thoughts running in my head and as usually happens those thoughts developed into a poem which I thought I would share with you.  

And for all those new mommas, struggling mommas, and just plain worn-out mommas, hang in there - your friendship days are coming.

 

Snuggles and cuddles, unlimited feelings

Enjoy your babies, the time is fleeting.

Next up is the laughter and giggles,

And what causes those unstoppable wiggles?

Elementary school they still need you

They are experiencing all things new.

You’re not sure that you or they will survive

The rebellious teenage years when they arrive.

Becoming an adult and finding their way

So many lessons learned along the way.

Now an adult your babies have grown

Each one now has their own home.

You’re still just a phone call away

Whenever they are having a bad day.

Middle of the night and want to chat?

They know you are okay with that.

 

More than your child they are now your friend.

 

Written by: K. Marrs

                       02/20/2022

Eyes of a Child

I recently spent the day with my great-granddaughter.  Life is so fun with kids!  I do appreciate that I had my kids and grandkkids young as I don't have near the energy now that I did for them.  LOL

It's wonderful to see life though a child's eyes.  So here is what a day with Amelia can be like.

A mylar balloon becomes a floating anchor.  You are the 'matey' and can help her pull it down. This is repeated several times as it just keeps floating away. This same mylar balloon is also a great punching bag and offers lots of giggles.

The pillows on the loveseat can be rearranged and with the help of a blanket it becomes a great hide-away house.  Those same pillows if arranged on the floor will become a 'jump pit'.  This is especially fun when Grampa comes home and throws you in the jump pit.

Macaroni and cheese is a fun thing to eat if you get bored.

Everyone needs family.  Even a dead worm.  Also, please note that if worms spend to much time in the sun they die.  Even biiiggg worms.

Trash men going by picking up the garbage are fun to watch.  Their truck is awesome!

All birds in the world are your friends.

If  you go into the kitchen in your socks it's like ice skating and is lots of fun.

Climbing on top of Grandma's head is fun - but can also be a little bit scary because it is so high.

If given a choice of which plate you want to eat off of, always choose one with snowmen because snowmen are fun.

Having A Brother

I grew up the only girl with three brothers.  I was next to youngest.  What did that mean?

It means I know how to fight.  I mean really fight - none of the sissy-fighting.  I know that if you put your leg behind someone else's leg and yank you can take them down.  Good move to know.

It means that sometimes you get punched in the stomach if your brother doesn't want you to use something.  That's especially painful if you have just come home from the hospital after having your appendix out.

It means you play football, baseball, basketball - 2 on 2.  You don't cry when playing with brothers they'll just make fun of you.  So you learn to suck it up and play on.

It means you know how to hunt and fish.  You can skin a rabbit and scale and fillet fish. And while fishing with a pole is nice - nothing beats hand fishing.

It means you learn how to burp really good -- and how to make the arm-pit farts. 

It means someone you can depend on.  When you are in Junior High and High School and there's one annoying guy bugging you.  You know your older brother will take care of it.

It means that you are included when they round up the guys to head to the movie or drive-in.


It means that if  you want something most likely your brother will make sure you get it.  Like a sweater/skirt set with matching knee socks for Christmas.

It also means that when you are adults you still have someone to talk to that understands you.

It means that they will call you to ask you to order them something online when they want it.

It means that when you have knee surgery and you live over a thousand miles away, your brother will call you every single day to see if you need anything.  Then he'll say, 'I don't let myself have a drink until I talk to you and know that you are ok.'

It means that they still look out for you - always.

It means that one brother will fly from Arizona to Tulsa to drive with you to Pennsylvania when your brother dies. Just because he wants to make sure you are ok.

Having a brother is pretty nice.

Working Remotely

Working remotely!  Can I say I LOVE IT!!! 

Now, I'm not so much liking the reason why of course.  But I am so thankful that I do have that option and do not have to go into my work thus exposing myself to the possibility of contracting the virus or bringing it home.

Am I still working?  Yes I am.  And I feel like I'm accomplishing quite a bit.  I'm able to assist students through e-mails and voicmails.  I am not receiving calls but I am available to my on-campus co-workers if they need me to follow-up with a student who might be needing extensive assistance. 

We actually have three workspaces set up at home as Gary is also working remotely.  I have the breakast room, Gary has the dining room and we have Lily's bedroom in case privacy is needed.  Not necessarily  privacy but maybe quieter space.  Such as if we both happen to have Zoom meetings at the same time or both need to use our phones.  One of us goes to Lily's room which can be set up with a small desk as needed. 

You can see from my first picture that I have a pretty great view.  I've picked a few roses that have bloomed from my garden and brought inside. I also have a picture of my favorite partrooper there.  Did you see the engraving on my tray?  Enjoying Life  -  that's what I'm doing.  Enjoing this time I have at home.  I watch walkers in the neighborhood.  We have provided chalk should anyone wish to leave a picture or message on our driveway.  It's always fun to see someone sitting in the driveway drawing a picture. Not to mention, I now think I know which neighbor it is that has the big dog who uses my yard for a restroom but doesn't pick up after it.  I can tell that my across the street neighbor must be bored as it appears he has been mowing his yard twice a week. 

I know that this is a temporary thing but if I could I would work from home forever!  If they could just forward my phones.  Yes, I know phones can be forwarded but a call center is a little bit different. 

So for now I will continue Enjoying Life. 

Clothespins On A Line

Who grew up hanging their clothes on the clothesline? 

I did -- it was my job to do the laundry at the house.  And like everyone else we had a clothespin bag. 

A year or so ago my cousin gave me a little baggie of clothes pins. You might think - how weird.  Our Granny hang her clothes out on the line and had a clothespin bag with clothespins.  Now Granny has been gone a very long time but her clothespin bag and clothespins were still around.  The clothespins were divided up among the cousins for a remembrance. 

So I have had this plastic baggie of clothespin trying to decide how I wanted to display them.  I knew I wanted to write some kind of poem but nothing was coming together.  That's the way it is sometimes with poems.  I kinda know what I want to say but it just doesn't work like I want. 

Well, yesterday I saw a clothespin shadowbox with a hymn behind it.  I thought, well that's cool I'm going to save it.  Then I thought of Granny's clothespins and I thought a shadowbox would be a cool idea but I need something with it.  So I penned this little poem:

These clothespins on the line

Bring Granny to my mind.

Gone but not forgotten

I wander back in time.

Memories that make me smile

For just a little while.

Just a memory of my Granny

Clothespins on the line

Written by:  K. Marrs 03/11/2020

I will be putting together a shadowbox to hang with a cord of some kind with Granny's clothespins hanging on it and this poem below.  

Unexpected Memories

I stepped off the elevator at work the other day and it hit me. 

The smell of cherry pipe tobacco.

This is a very distinctive smell and one I hadn't smelled for over 30 years. 

My dad was a pipe smoker and he liked cherry pipe tobacco.  So there it was - a memory of my dad from nowhere.  Unexpected.  But it lead to another unexpected memory of my brother who passed away just a few weeks ago.

My dad had several pipes and always had pipe tobacco around.  Always.    Sometimes it was a small pouch but he also had a humidor that he kept pipe tobacco in.  One year for Christmas one of us kids got him some cherry pipe tobacco for that humidor. 

Fast forward to July after that Christmas.  We kids were home while Mom and Dad were at work.  Wayne convinced me that we needed to try chewing tobacco. 

Don't you know that there was still some of that cherry pipe tobacco in Dad's humidor?  And of course Wayne thought that was what we should try chewing. 

OH MY WORD!!!  That stuff was so nasty!!!  It was the one and only time I ever tried chewing tobacco. Wayne of course chewed his longer than I did but neither of us really chewed it for very long.

Those unexpected memories come from nowhere sometimes.

They can hurt.

But at the same time - it brings a smile and gratitude that I have those memories. 

Curve Ball

Sometime life throws you a curve ball - out of the blue.

One of those curve balls came my way last night in the form of a phone call.

Not a phone call that anyone wants to receive.

A phone call I knew I would receive and had been expecting for some time but still not ready for it.

I knew when I looked at the screen of my phone it couldn't be good.  It was worse than I thought.

No, my brother wasn't in the hospital - he was gone.

That curve ball hit me right in the gut!

I just wanted to go off in a corner by myself.  But I had calls I would have to make myself.

A part of myself is gone. 

It will take getting used to. The pain will always be a part of me. It will lessen in time but will always be there.

My other brothers and I will continue but it won't quite be the same.  No more calls saying 'Wayne, said I had to call you.'.  Well, I'm not sure why he told you that but I'm glad you called, what's up?

We will reminisce about things.  We will share our good times. We will share laughter.  We will share hugs.

The next few days will be hard -- a 15 hour drive - service to attend.  Condolences to accept but we will get through it. I have great support with my husband and my girls. 

The calls about my parents were hard when I was 19 and 24.  It's not any easier when you're 62. 

Oh My Heart

Did the title grab you?  Are you expecting some mushy story?  

Sorry to disappoint but you know what's coming up!  A cause that is near and dear to My Heart!  

Women's Heart Health

Every February is designated as Women's Heart Month and everyone is encouraged to wear red as often as possible.  If nothing else wear it on the first Friday of the month.  

I've shared stories in the past of losing my mom when she was only 48.  I've shared stories about my mother-in-law and her surgeries, heart attacks, etc.  

I've shared all kinds of statistics with you. 

I drill this into my kids and grandkids -- PROMOTE NATIONAL WOMEN'S HEART HEALTH DAY!!!  

So I asked myself -- what can I say that will make an impact?  How do I stress how important this is?  Important for you - your mother, your daughter, your aunt, your cousin, your girlfriend, your wife. 

Think of all the women you know and then remember this:  1 in 3 women die of heart disease each year.  Did you read that?  1 in 3!

Heart disease is the leading cause of death for women.  

So pay attention to your body.  If someone you know talks (I don't want to use the word complain) about 'vague' symptoms such as pain in their back or jaw, feeling overly tired, nausea  encourage them to go to their doctor. 

Have you heard them say 'I just feel off'?  Have them get their blood pressure checked.  

Trust me - at my house we take these things seriously.  I'm feeling off?  I'm calling to get a blood pressure check - I know it's going to be high and I'm not wrong.  And it's not just me -- Gary will be checking with me too -- probably more concerned than I am.  :)  

So here's your reminder:  Friday, February 7, 2020 - WEAR RED!  for Women's Heart Health. 

I'm going a little bit further here and encouraging you to post your picture on Facebook wearing red next Friday.  Ask your friends to post theirs as well.  

OH MY HEART!  

Mouse in the Lunch Box

This picture has been showing up all over my Facebook feed the last few weeks - not sure why.  It always brings back memories of my dad.

My dad worked at a manufacturing plant in our town.  His shift would vary.  It might be first shift which was 7-3. Second shift was 3-11 and third shift was 11-7. 

My mom also worked outside the home.  She left for work early, not sure what time but us kids always got ourselves up, made breakfast and got ourselves off to school.

One of my jobs was packing Dad's lunch, probably because I was the only girl. If Dad was working the first shift he would wake me up about 6:15 or so to pack his lunch. If he was on second shift and it was during school I guess he packed his own but it if was summer I was the one packing his lunch.

Lunch always included a thermos of coffee.  Mom always had some frozen pies or cupcakes or something from the day-old bakery shop in town.  She would buy several and put them in the freezer for snacks and lunches.  There would be chips and a sandwich or maybe some sardines and crackers or vienna sausages.  My choice what Dad ate - I made the lunch. 

While in Junior High I was in Home Ec class. One thing they advised was to 'make lunch boxes interesting and fun.'  Well, one summer day I tried to decide what I could do to make Dad's lunch 'fun'.  I took a plastic mouse and added it to his lunch box, kind of underneath a frozen pie wrapper so it looked like it was nibbling on the sandwich. 

I thought this was really funny of course.  What did my dad think when he opened his lunch box that night at work?  I don't know. I hope he found it amusing but he never said a word about it. 

I took a lunch box break for a few years but when my kids started school they quickly decided that packing a lunch meant they got to save that lunch money.  So I again started packing lunches.  No little rubber mice in these lunches though.  I would write little lunch-box ditties and poems and send along with them or else a short little note.  Their lunch boxes weren't anything like Dad's but I packed their lunch every day until they graduated.  With 5 kids and the last one graduatiing in 2011 I have packed many many lunches.

But this picture, whenever it shows up on my timeline, always makes me think of Dad and the mouse I sent in his lunch. 

Sparkle to Paratrooper

That little girl right there -- she used to call herself Sparkle.

My name is Sparkle she did declare

Back when she was young without a care.

I’ll give you a makeover, it will be fun.

Glitter everywhere when she was done.

Time marched on as it tends to do

Bringing with it challenges new.

The Army life was calling her

Now she is an Infantry Paratrooper.

Miles from home she answered the call

To protect our country one and all

No more Sparkle but still the same

She just goes by a different name.

Katherine to most but to me she will be

A girl called Sparkle when she was three.

Written for :  Katherine

By: Kathie Marrs

November 25, 2019

Christmas Memories

I love Christmas!  That probably comes as no surprise to any of you that know me. 

I love everything about it. Lights, snow, decorating, trees, carols, memories, ornaments, family - yep everything.  It makes me happy.

My mom loved Christmas.  That might explain why my brothers and I all seem to love it as well.  Yes, even my brothers.  Two of them are bachelors -- but they decorate. 

Our parents died when they were young. I was 19 when Mom died and 25 when Dad died.  We closed up the house, sorted things out.  I already had some of Mom's stuff that Dad had given me. I took some of Dad's stuff.  Some old irons, that's how I refer to them - Dad's irons  - an old pair of handcuffs, wire whisk, small electric plate - nothing major just things that were Dad's. 

Dad had a lot of tools. He used them all.  The boys took them - I had no use for them.  I don't do any 'handy' stuff or at least very little.  I did, however, take my dad's handsaw.  It has travelled with me to three different states, and if I counted correctly 13 houses and moves.  I finally found a use for it.

I'm adding to my Christmas collection!  I took my dad's saw and added another saw to it to make myself a new Christmas tree!  And I LOVE it!



I've always had a little bit of my mom with me at Christmas as I had these old ceramic bells of hers.

and Santa cups (not all are hers - I've added a few).

Now at Christmas time I can have a little bit of both Mom and Dad with me ::)

CRANK IT UPS!

                                               

                                                                      CRANK IT UP!!   

I like to listen to music. 

I grew up listening to music.  My brothers and I used to play our records and use a tape player and pretend we were radio dj's.

I like most music.  Probably my favorite would be country and oldies.  I like the old country songs too.  That's what I grew up on.  My mom had quite a collection of Marty Robbins records and my dad was kinda partial to Roy Acuff and Farron Young.

I always have the radio on in the car.  If I'm home alone, I will most likely have my phonograph player running listening to my old records.  I have a collection of LP's and 45's.  And no, 45's does not refer to the number of records I have. 

I have my favorite songs. You know, songs that once you hear the opening strands of music you know what's coming and you reach for the dial to CRANK IT UP!! 

Doesn't matter if I'm at home, in the car, or listening to Pandora at work.  Some songs just require you to CRANK IT UP!

That means I'm going to turn that sound up as loud as it will let me and I'm going to be singing along! 

I love when a CRANK IT UP! comes on the radio.  I feel the beat of the music in my soul I have it cranked so loud. 

Usually when I'm in the car and pull up to a stop sign I'll lower the volume so it doesn't bother anyone who might be in the lanes next to me.  Dont' want to be rude, you know.  Doesn't count though if it's a CRANK IT UP song. 

The Lion Sleeps Tonight is my all-time favorite song and always one that is a CRANK IT UP!  Others can vary, but it's usually the music itself that defines it for me as a CRANK IT UP!

So this morning at 6:50 am when that CRANK IT UP  Knocking Boots came on - I did.

 I CRANKED IT UP!

And I left it cranked while I sang along.  To anyone at the stop sign - my apologies but you have to admit it's a good song. 

And hearing a CRANK IT UP that early in the morning on the way to work makes going to work a whole lot easier to handle.

So tell me, what is your CRANK IT UP song? 

Potatoes Say Love

When you look at this picture you probably see a bowl of potatoes.  Not a big deal you're thinking. 

I look at this bowl and see love. 

You're thinking What?  You love potatoes?

Well, yes I do love potatoes -- raw, fried, boiled, baked, broiled -- they're all good. 


If you know our family you know that my husband is the main cook.  He loves to cook and enjoys it.  I cooked for enough years that when he came along and wanted to take it over I did not object.  LOL 

There are however, a few things that he thinks I make better than him and if we are having them I'm responsible.  One of those items is scalloped potatoes and ham.  Yummy - cheesy goodness with potatoes. 

Well, that was what was on the menu last night so I was responsible for supper. 

I have arthritis in my hands.  I have a couple of fingers on my right hand that are swollen constantly and it makes it difficult for me to hold things.  Especially small things like a paring knife.  Knowing this, before he went to work yesterday he peeled this bowl of potatoes for supper and put them in the fridge for me. 

I didn't ask him to do this.  I planned on peeling the potatoes myself when I got home just knowing it would take me a little while and I might have to stop and rest my hand some while doing so.  Instead, knowing my limitations, he took the time, because he loves me, to do this for me. 

May not seem like much to you but it sure means a lot to me. So in this case - Potatoes say love. 

Numbers

19     41     42     48     90


Looks like a set of random numbers doesn't it? 

Well, they each represent something to me.


19 .....

    That's how old I was when I received the phone call telling me my mom had passed away. 


41......

     That's the number of years my children have been without a grandma.


42.......

     That's the number of years my mom has been gone.


48......

     That's how old my mom was when she died.


90......

    That's how old my mom would have been today if she had lived. 


Random numbers - yes - but each one represents something. 

These do not include:

      the number of hugs not able to be given
      the number of phone calls not able to be made
      the number of family birthdays not able to be attended
      the number of family dinners not able to be attended
      the number of I Love You's not able to be said
      the number of laughs not shared
      the number  of tears shed
      the number of school plays and programs not attended
      the number of graduations missed
      the number of grandchildren, great and great great grandchildren not held in her arms 
      the number of whispered confidences of those grandchildren
      the number of books not read


The list could go on and on.  Every year on her birthday I remember her - I remember what she is missing and I remember what I have missed by not having her here.  I also remember what my children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren have missed by not having her here. 

I remember her at other times throughout the year. Christmas - which she loved and probably why my brothers and I all love Christmas.  Memorial Day - when I take flowers to her and Dad's grave site. March 5th - the day she died.  March 8th - the day we buried her.

These are just a few of the times I remember her and think of some of those random numbers.

Salad Equals Love

This is my lunch.  I've had one of these Italian Pasta Salads every day this week. 

It's really good!  Pasta, artichokes, peppers, red onions, cherry tomatoes, pepperoni, salami.  All mixed up together. 

I'm not showing you this to make you hungry, although it should.  I'm showing you this picture to show you a picture of love. 

That's right - I said love.

I take my lunch to work every day.  Every Sunday my husband prepares my lunches for me.  This week happened to be Italian Pasta Salad.  Some weeks it's soup, some weeks sandwiches. 

Whatever my lunch is for the week, Gary prepares it on Sunday.  He then portions it out into containers and puts it in the fridge for me.  Then all I have to do is put the container and any snacks I want in my thermal along with a bottle of water in the morning.  Presto - lunch is ready to go in no time! 

He doesn't do this because he has to.  He doesn't do this because I have asked him to.  He does it because he wants to.  It's something he does because he loves me.



 

4th of July Goosebumps

I've talked before about my granddaughter.  She enlisted in the Army a couple of years ago.  I wrote a blog about that.  I'm used to service to my country.  I explained how I was the only one in my family who didn't serve in the Armed Forces. 

I'm used to sending letters, care packages, etc. to friends and brothers in service.  I thought I was ready but man it's much different when it's your granddaughter. 

Then when she chooses Infantry/Paratrooper as her choice of service.  The feelings are strong that's for sure. 

I've known for several months that she was scheduled for deployment.  I even made arrangements to be able to spend some time with her while she was on leave before deployments.  We have our flag flying at home, for our country, our veterans, and our deployed granddaughter.

Yesterday was the 4th of July. We were at the ball game.  We have a minor league baseball team here and it just seemed like the perfect way to spend the holiday.  What's more American than a baseball game, right? 

So our favorite paratrooper has been on her way for deployment, plane rides, waits in airports, I think this is probably typical for anyone on deployment but I'm not sure. Anyway, she has been underway for a few days.

We are at the ballgame.  We are standing for the National Anthem as any good American citizen will do. 

I get a message that our granddaughter has landed at her destination.  Wow!  Talk about goosebumps!  We got 'em!
 

We are enjoying our Freedom and celebrating with fireworks while she is defending our right to do so!  We don't take this lightly. 

The next few months may be a little emotional for us but we will be showing our support for her and all deployed service members.  Our flag will be flying, we will be wearing our red on Fridays (Remember Everyone Deployed). 

Tornado Season

It's May in Oklahoma. One thing you can count on is we will have tornado warnings.  The last few days have been pretty intense for us here. We started with earthquakes on Friday and progressed to tornadoes and flooding.

If you're my friend on Facebook, or you have friends on Facebook who live in Oklahoma, you might have seen several funny posts regarding tornadoes.  We deal with it with humor.

That doesn't mean that we don't take these warnings seriously.  We do.

Over the weekend the weather forecasters were advising that this was going to be a major storm.  The severity was enough to cause several school districts to cancel school Sunday night for Monday.  Some schools closed early on Monday.

I don't know about the rest of the state but the meteorologists here in Tulsa are AWESOME!  They pinpoint and advise and go non-stop coverage. And when I say pinpoint they tell you area by area where the threat is right down to specific neighborhoods.

Yesterday my work let out at 10:30. The day was rainy, overcast and gloomy. The main storm didn't get to us until close to 8 pm or so. Sirens went off - and off - and off. The weather guys were vigilant and very informative in their tracking of the storms.

First round was intense. It was close to 10:30 before we felt it was safe enough to go to bed.  We never took cover ourselves here at our house. If we had kids at home with us we probably would have as a precaution. Again, our forecasters are amazing and we knew the direction of the storm.

The evening was filled with occasional warnings of severe storms, flooding, etc. but uneventful. Got up this morning early to get ready for work as usual. You guessed it - sirens and warnings started about 6:20 am.  Torrential rain came down - tornadoes spotted - as close as one mile from us.  Once again a big shout out to our forecasters - who had actually been on air non-stop since last night.

The weather has cleared out now. The sun is shining. The storms have passed but we still face flooding from all the rain received.

For family and friends who have checked on us, we appreciate the thoughts and prayers. And again, we may joke and post funny memes etc, on Facebook but we do take these warnings seriously. It's just Oklahoma's way of making the best of a bad situation. 

Showing Love

I took this picture last month when my in-laws came down for a weekend visit.  We had gone out to do some sight-seeing for the afternoon and ended up at Turkey Mountain.  We got out and walked around a bit. I was behind Gary and his mother and snapped this photo. 

I love this photo because it captures so much. 

Notice how he has given her his arm so he can help her walk?  This is typical. 

When he is around his mother he is always looking out for her.  When they come to visit he wants to make their favorite meals, Vicki loves meatloaf and Gary always wants to make it for her.  I try to talk him out of it because I know that Red doesn't like meatloaf.  It's kind of a 50/50 deal - sometimes Gary makes it sometimes not.  LOL

Grammy is always cold so it's not uncommon for Gary to take a blanket and wrap her up in it. 

This picture also gives you an example of how Gary was raised. He loves his mother very much, therefore he takes care of her.  That's a tribute to her and also to his father.  He had to have the example of his father on how to treat his mother.  And obviously he was treated with love and is showing that love to her as he takes care of her.

Ladies, watch how the guy you are dating treats his mother.  It's probably a good indication of how he's going to treat you.  Guys, make sure you are showing your daughters and sons how they are supposed to treat mothers. 

Yes, Gary looks out for his mother and he also looks out for me.  We've been married 25 years come October and for all those years he has been looking out for me.  I like to think I look out for him too but I know he does a much better job than I do.  And it's because of the example he had growing up and continues to have from his parents.