The heat is fully upon us and I loath it with a passion; I am so totally not a summer person. I would do so well in Alaska, I think; I say I would do well in Alaska or Antarctica, however one does wonder has Texas ruined my ability to withstand the cold?
I think about that a lot, I love the cold, was raised in brutal winters, which I thrived in, but not having been in that environment for over 25 years would I survive a real winter. I like to think I would, but I have my doubts, oh trust me I do not do well in 100-degree heat, but would I do well in below zero conditions? I have the boots for it, I have the sweaters and coats for it, I even have hats, gloves and scarves that would enable me to withstand a brutal winter. However, could I? That is the question I ask myself a lot. I really believe that I need to go somewhere on vacation that would allow me to experience real winter.
Maybe a week in Alaska would cure me of wanting to be somewhere bone chillingly cold for a few years. I am thinking Alaska in January would make a good honeymoon. What do you think Irishman, could you do a real winter with me?
Probably not, he complains if the temperature dips below 50 degrees, I seriously don’t understand people like that.
My daughter thrives in summer, huge surprise because she was born the same month that I was. We are both children of winter, but she hates the cold, rain, sleet, ice and all that comes with it. She literally comes to life in the summer; when I retreat from the world, she welcomes it. This is disconcerting as we are alike in so much of our personality traits. I don’t know what to think about this situation.
My boys, on the other hand are more like me in this respect, which is equally surprising because they are both summer children. One born in August and the other in July, one would think they would love the heat, but they don’t. Perhaps they will inherit their mother in the winter months so we can enjoy them together and I shall torture my daughter in the summer with my whining.
I am preparing for my dotage, someone is going to have to listen to all of my stories over and over, I am choosing all three of them, that way they can bond in their misery of having to take care of their mother. I plan on being an incredibly eccentric old person, wearing outrageous outfits consisting of loud colors and tottering around in heels too high for an eighty year old. I suspect I will have broken hips in my future due to this inability to give up high heels.
Happenings
Sometimes in life people mistake niceness for weakness, I do believe that people are crazy when they do that. It takes real strength to be nice to certain people; I refuse to go to hell because some people cannot control their idiocy.
Make no mistake, I will not allow you, and you all know who you are, to take advantage of me or demean me in any way. I will, and have, reported you to the proper department within the major corporation I work for. Trust me, I left nothing out; you will be taken to task.
Enough of that, today was recording day with Shanon J, I am so proud of the work we are doing; it is nothing short of awesome. I hope you all are listening and enjoying the topics we are covering. If you are new, the website is http://www.convosate.com, you can listen to previous shows and leave feedback.
I am still recovering from my feeding frenzy at the family reunion, everything was so amazingly good. It’s hard to say no to family members giving you food, one simply does not do that. I love food, I admit it, I should have been born with a tapeworm or something. Instead I was born into the body of a farm worker, short and steady, close to the ground to do farm work. It is so frustrating, all I want is to be beautiful and thin, instead I am plain, short and squatty. Not a great combination when one lives in Plano, TX, perhaps if I lived in a farm state then I would fit in. oh well, one works with what they have, so therefore I wear spanx and makeup. Fixes a lot of issues that I have, heels help with the vertical issue that I have. Other than that all is good here deep in the heart of Texas.
My Man of Steel Review
I finally saw the new Superman movie; I have to say I went with mixed expectations. I had reviews that were not so kind, however, since I am an open-minded person, I decided to go and form my own opinion.
I am a superhero junkie; I cut my teeth on Greek and Roman mythology, making a progression to Egyptian and Norse mythologies as well. I was well versed in the hero world when I discovered Superman comics at the age of 6. I remember being entranced, fascinated, this could actually happen. A being not of this planet, sent here from his dying planet, he lands in Kansas, the heartland of America.
He receives his moral code from his salt of the earth parents; I have to say that Kevin Costner and Diane Lane did an excellent job portraying Jonathan and Martha Kent. We should all be so lucky to have parents that steer our morality while accepting who we are at the core of our being.
I was not disappointed by this movie, I am not going to give any spoilers, I will just give my thoughts and feelings.
Russell Crowe was a great Jor-El, we understand why he sent his son to save humanity, why he did the things he did. We feel sympathy for his mother Lara, having to put her son in a ship built for one. Not knowing who was going to raise him, would they love him, accept him, nurture him and help him grow to be the man he needed to be. The ultimate sacrifice made by a birth mother, to give her child to the unknown when she was not able to be there for him.
I read reviews that said there were no moments of humor, however, I saw several moments, they were subtle, but there. Perhaps the reviewer didn’t have a sense of humor, or needed it to be in your face humor. Either way, this was a good movie, a good reboot, of course no one will ever take the place of Christopher Reeve, his Superman is iconic. Unrepeatable, lightening in a bottle, as it were, one of a kind.
This movie does not try to be something it’s not, it is refreshing, Amy Adams is a good Lois Lane.
Lois Lane was my second female role model, the first being Lt. Uhura, Lois Lane made me want to become a girl reporter. She was fast talking, cigarette smoking, in your face, give me an answer woman. She first inspired me to write, my mom was my second writing inspiration.
All in all, I recommend you see this movie, whether you are a novice Superman fan, or a die-hard, comic reading nerd of a fan, like me.
My Taste Discovery
I think by now everyone has a tiny clue as to how I feel about food. Sometimes, in life, one comes across something so perfect it makes your eyes roll into the back of your head.
You experience such sinfulness it cannot be good for you. I have come across such a creation. It is touted as a diet food; however, with that first bite you will not believe it. It is a creamy chocolate outer casing filled with liquid caramel. When one bites into it, a taste explosion happens on your tongue.
You bite into it and the first thing you notice is the creamy chocolate, then comes the surprise. The liquid caramel flows onto your tongue, covering your taste buds in a molten, golden delight. It is quite literally a party in your mouth.
These amazing things are Skinny Cow Divine Filled Chocolates, the caramel ones, not the peanut butter. The peanut butter ones do not have the same eye rolling effect, they are ok, but not heaven sent.
Run, do not walk to the nearest store to purchase these, now, a word of warning, you will not find them everywhere. Tom Thumb does not have them, Target does, grab them, however, do not be greedy, I want to find them when I go to the store.
My Crazy Weekend
The Family reunion has come and gone and I am extremely happy that I went. I saw cousins that I didn’t know existed and cousins that I hadn’t seen since last year and some I had seen in between reunions. I was happy to see my Aunt Laura Faye there; she has become the heart of our family, the elder that we all look toward for stability, guidance and at times discipline. I am happy to report she was good, a little emotional at times, to be expected, this is her first reunion since her beloved husband passed away. However, she showed what she is really made of, sugar, spice and a spine of steel, she didn’t let the younger cousins get away with much, imparting wisdom and love all at once. We are lucky to have her in our family, I look at her as see what my Uncle saw in her, strength, beauty, intelligence all with a sense of humor.
I was happy to see my cousin Sherry come with her husband, even if it was for a little bit, I was sad my cousin Pat could not come. He was sorely missed; I don’t know if he realizes how much everyone thinks of him. He is a truly good man, Pat if you read me you better come next year. I told everyone I tried to talk you into coming! Cousin Cindy can cook, and it’s good!
I ate my way through the weekend; I ate brisket, fried pies, cookies, potato salad, chilidogs and everything else I could see. I totally forgot to be on a diet, it is a good thing I don’t live near these people, I would be 800 million pounds, I would not be able to fit on the campground if I lived near them.
Seeing all of the younger children run and play and get reacquainted from the year before brought back memories of all of my cousins coming to my grandma and grandpas house. I used to love it when they would come, the whole house would fill with shrieks of laughter, and just busyness. I miss those days, I look back on them with the eyes of the child I was. I can see them all so clearly, my grandpa, always smiling, eyes permanently crinkled in laughter. My grandma telling us kids that she was going to be on us like a duck on a June bug if we didn’t behave. Aunt Effie, whose very name invokes peace, calm, tranquility, if a child was in distress she was there with a comforting word.
There is a world that no longer exists that I will never forget, when I sit very still and close my eyes I am transported to. I am so happy to be connected to my family again; I missed them all so very much.
Don’t get me wrong, I loved my mom and dad an inordinate amount, and loved the life I had in Owasso. It was the best thing that happened to me and took my life in a direction that it would not have gone otherwise.
That does not lessen my happiness with being back with my cousins and it does not take away from what I felt for my mom and dad. Turns out I can have the best of both worlds.
Father’s in my Life
With it being Father’s Day soon I wanted to talk about the Father figures I have been fortunate to have in my life.
The very first male influence in my life was my grandfather; I cannot properly express how much I loved that man. To this day not one person can say anything bad about him in my presence. Not that anyone has anything bad to say, he was nothing short of awesome. My earliest memories are of him teaching me to read, taking me for car rides and buying me a nutty buddy and telling me not to tell grandma. Especially if I was too full to eat dinner after that, but my favorite memory are of the two of us eating apples.
I would sit in my rocking chair (which Elizabeth Anne has now) and he would sit in his recliner, he would peel the apple and then slice it. I would eat the peeling and he would eat the apple slices. He didn’t have teeth, well he had them, but only wore them to town and church, so he couldn’t chew the peel. It was our time, we would just talk and munch our apple, he taught me to love animals, to grow green things and appreciate laughter. He taught me that Jesus loves me and showed me, on a daily basis exactly what it meant to be a Christian. I am so fortunate that man was my first male influence.
I was so blessed to have wonderful Uncles in the mix, Uncle J.H., Uncle Walter, Uncle Albert, Uncle Wayne, Uncle Cecil, Uncle J.D. and so many male cousins. Pat, Albert, Gary, Larry just to name a few, they were all older and all influenced my way of thinking and my moral compass.
They laid the foundation for the man who would become my Dad, he was, blood wise, my great Uncle. He and his wife, my great Aunt would adopt me and become my mom and dad.
He taught me to laugh; life was too full of wonderful things to be serious all of the time. He taught me to find humor in everyday events; he built on the foundations of respecting the earth, taking care of what God gave us. He also had a deep love of Jesus and God, taking me to church every time the doors were opened. Teaching me to respect others beliefs, and learning everything I could about them, in order to witness more effectively. He taught me to read everything I could get my hands on, to educate myself in order to argue logically, and win. He was a great debater and enjoyed the fact that I could, in fact, hold my own with him.
He taught me discipline, a work ethic, be early, he would say, respect others time and smile. Treat others the way you want to be treated and you wont go wrong.
I’ll never forget him, I’ll always think of him as my Dad not my great uncle, he built on the foundations that my grandfather and other male family members started. He gave me a place to call home, a place filled with laughter, love, discipline and a strong relationship with Christ.
Humbled
Yesterday was the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure in Plano, once again I signed up as a course monitor. This is my second year of volunteering for this great cause; I do it for several reasons. First is to honor my friends who are currently fighting this disease or who are living testimonies to wining the battle. Second I do it in memory of my friend Sandi who battled this horrendous disease for 20 years, never giving up, never stopped being her and never let this disease rob her of her dignity.
I do it to let her mother know how much her daughter’s friendship meant to me, I do it to let her sons know how their mother’s life was an example of how everyone should live.
As I looked around, I saw warriors everyone, women who were survivors, proudly displaying the fact for everyone. We all applauded these women and their courageousness to tell everyone their story of triumph. I saw people who came out to show their support for finding a cure, people who were in shape and ready to run, people who were not in great shape and came ready to walk. Some were pushed, wheeled and at times carried across the finish line. But finish they did and raise money so that eventually no other families would have to know the anguish of watching their mother, daughter, sister or friend die a slow agonizing death.
I am proud to give the time I am able to in honor of this monumental task of finding a cure. If you ever have the opportunity to volunteer I believe you will find it a humbling, enlightening and fulfilling experience.
Family Reunion
Yesterday was a stellar day; Tessa graduated from Kindergarten and will now enter the world of numbered grades. It seems like only yesterday she was learning to walk, holding on to Chewie to balance herself and feeding him goldfish. I look forward to the many more adventures she and I will be having as she continues to grow. She is an amazing little girl, I feel fortunate indeed that I get to be her Gigi.
Next weekend is the Testerman family reunion, last year was the first year that I have gone since I was a little girl. I cannot begin to express the emotions that flooded through me. I had not seen my cousins and Aunt and Uncle for so many years. I didn’t realize how much I missed having a family, that family, the ones I look like.
Looking at all of them I see my grandmother’s genetic so strongly in so many of us, I have one cousin, Pat, that looks exactly like my grandfather. I don’t think I can ever fully form the words to express how much I have missed being connected with these people. They formed my world when I was a little girl, younger than Tessa; they influenced my thought process and my belief system.
They all exemplify what it means to be a Testerman, generous, kind, rowdy, loud, boisterous and fun. I can’t wait to see them all again.
The Irishman is going with me this time, so that will be interesting, I think he will get along with them. After all he is pretty rowdy himself, being Irish and all.
My thoughts are racing, my emotions are a mess right now, seeing Tess on stage, singing her heart out, and getting ready for the reunion. I shall sign off for now.
Opportunity
So the weekend has come to a close again, it is with a hopeful attitude that I face Monday. I am always hopeful for a good week, and it will be a good week, Wednesday Tessa will be graduating Kindergarten. I cannot believe how time is flying by; it seems like yesterday she was learning to walk. Now she is running, running toward adventures and learning, she is so smart and funny and beautiful. I hope she keeps her sense of adventure and fun while discovering her part of the world.
I am so proud of my son and the kind of father he is with her, attentive and gentle, disciplinarian when he needs to be. Teaching her consequences in regards to her actions.
The other day I was having a conversation with this man at work that I swear we are related, we think so much alike. We were conversing on parenting, he said parenting takes two things, time and energy and of these the greatest is energy. If you don’t have the energy to teach your children right from wrong, to discipline when they need to be disciplined then you have no business being a parent.
I agree, parenting does take an abundant amount of energy, you are on 24 x 7, there are no off days whatsoever. Everyday brings a new lesson, a new adventure, and a new opportunity to be better.
I still am a parent even though my children are grown, I really only have one that asks my opinion regarding what is going on in his life. One who just wants me to listen and one that doesn’t want me to try and resolve their issues; just be there. I can do that, I am happy to be the kind of parent each one needs at this point. My job is not done; it will not be done until I leave this plane of existence.
I hope everyone has a great week ahead, I hope you all take advantage of whatever opportunity God puts into your path.
Angie World 