Month: February 2016

There are so many things running around in my head right now, it’s been difficult to get them to become cohesive thoughts. But, I thought I would give it a go. Oh, I must preface this with, this is my world and these are my opinions.

This presidential election has me at times angry, bemused, amused but mostly disgusted, disgusted not only with the candidates but with people as well. The internet provides us with a window into other peoples’ thoughts, it seems a lot of people can’t keep their thoughts in their heads. So, here are my thoughts:

Free education, let’s tackle that one, first off, we do have free education, kindergarten through 12^th grade and in a lot of places Pre-K is also free. So building on the fact that we do have free education in the childhood stage say we, the United States of America decides to give away free college education as well. What will the criteria be? You can’t just say everyone goes for free, can you?

Here is my solution, and I have given this some thought, this is not coming off the top of my head. For this example of how I believe a “free” college education should work we are talking an average student. This mean takes out the student who has learning disabilities, just for this thought, so please, no comments about how I am not taking that into account. We are just working on a premise of the average student, with no learning disabilities.

You have been given thirteen years of free education, if you took advantage of that and kept your GPA at 3.5 and higher, welcome to higher education.

But here’s the catch, you have to work for it, there are plenty of jobs on campus, this is a higher education, you have to want it. So there will be no beer pong parties, my tax dollars will not pay for that. There are plenty of jobs on campus you can do while earning your education. Work in the library, the book store, the cafeteria, janitorial, maintenance and lawn care. It is very feasible to work while obtaining an education.

I, in fact, worked three jobs, was a single mom to three children and went to school full time. It can be done; you are not free from work just because you have decided to take advantage of “free” college.

The students who did not take advantage of their free 13 years of schooling will have to pay for any higher education. You can still apply for grants, scholarships or beg your parents for money. Do away with student loans, there seems to be some contention regarding these, don’t take a loan out to go to school, especially if you are getting a liberal arts degree. You will never, ever, find a job that will pay you enough to pay that debt off.

My advice is take advantage of the first 13 years of truly free education you are being offered. I have seen some college graduates posting on Facebook, Twitter and even blogs. I am horrified by their lack of basic knowledge of grammar. Of the English language, it is truly horrifying what our higher institutions of learning are churning out.

I read a blog a few weeks ago written by a teacher, a teacher, let that soak in, yes I said it twice on purpose. It was filled with grammatical errors, I just sat here, in my chair, shaking my head.

Ok, education issue resolved.

Next issue, illegal immigrants, wait, ILLEGAL immigrants, I want no doubt in anyone’s mind as to the subject matter.

I do not believe people should be allowed to come here illegally, and then given free stuff, education, medical, food and housing. This is insanity, we have citizens who need these things and we are giving them to people who don’t obey our laws? Before you start finger pointing and saying oh a Trump lover, I fully believe he would be a disaster as our president.

However, he’s not wrong about a few things and the media is completely biased against him and does in fact twist his words. He said ILLEGAL immigrants need to be sent back home, 100% I agree, come here the right way.

Before you say oh the Pope says that’s not Christian, seriously I don’t see the Vatican taking in ILLEGAL immigrants, Italy punishes people for crossing their borders illegally. There’s no welcome wagon rolled out for them and let me tell you what the BIBLE says about obeying the laws of the land:

 

Romans 13:1-7 ESV

Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God. Therefore, whoever resists the authority’s resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgment. For rulers are not a terror to good conduct, but to bad. Would you have no fear of the one who is in authority? Then do what is good, and you will receive his approval, for he is God’s servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword in vain. For he is the servant of God, an avenger who carries out God’s wrath on the wrongdoer. Therefore, one must be in subjection, not only to avoid God’s wrath but also for the sake of conscience. …

Romans 13:1 ESV

Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God.

1 Peter 2:13-17 ESV

Be subject for the Lord’s sake to every human institution, whether it be to the emperor as supreme, or to governors as sent by him to punish those who do evil and to praise those who do good. For this is the will of God, that by doing good you should put to silence the ignorance of foolish people. Live as people who are free, not using your freedom as a cover-up for evil, but living as servants of God. Honor everyone. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the emperor.

Romans 13:2 ESV

Therefore, whoever resists the authority’s resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgment.

 

Obey the laws of the land, come here the right way, I live with a LEGAL immigrant, who came here the right way and as a matter of fact has to renew his green card after so many years. Not going to lie, I can’t remember how often he has to do that, but he does it. He works, he pays taxes, pays for his own healthcare, the unmitigated gall we have as citizens to demand people come here the right way.

Ok, next subject:

Refugees

We couldn’t even properly screen a woman coming here on a fiancé visa, she gave an address that simply doesn’t exist. She had Facebook posts before she came here regarding her allegiance to ISIS. Seriously? If we can’t properly vet someone like that, who came through our airports, went through customs, had all the paperwork. How on earth are we supposed to be able to properly vet people who have no paperwork? Stop, just stop, look at what is happening in Europe, Germany is a mess because of this. They are telling their women not to leave their homes without an escort, are you kidding me? They are not safe in their own country, and you want to flood our country with the same?

No, just stop, step back, get a better system in place, our own government tells us that they cannot properly vet the refugees. So just stop.

I still don’t know who I will be voting for on Tuesday in the primaries, I just know it will not be a crazy old man that wants to take my money, a woman who is a criminal, in my opinion, nor will it be for a man who would be a disaster. I seriously love Dr. Ben Carson, but in reality I know he doesn’t stand a snowballs chance in this thing.

With today being Valentines Day I feel the need to talk about the most romantic couple I have ever known in my entire life. My mom and dad, Foy and Odela, true love that lasted a lifetime and left a legacy of love that is still on going today.

Since I didn’t know them when they were just married or even when they were a young couple raising children all I can tell is what I witnessed when they were older.

The first legacy is well me, they didn’t have to take me in, let alone adopt me, teach me what real love is, lasting love. It is unselfish in nature, always putting others in the household before yourself. It was incredible to witness firsthand, I can tell you that, every day of my life I think of them and try my very best to live up to the lessons I learned by simply watching them.

You know what, I am going to tell you about a typical day in their life, not a special day, just an ordinary one.

It began with waking up, very important, as some people don’t, they recognized this and the very first thing they did every morning was give thanks to God. Together.

Next was breakfast together, again, giving thanks that food was on their table, as they had lived through a time that was not always the case.

Next was doing the dishes after breakfast, once again done together, there was no mechanical dishwasher, it was done by hand. The two of them standing side by side, cracking jokes, laughing as one washed and one dried and put away.

Next was daily chores, my dad dusted and vacuumed, my mom cleaned the bathrooms and did laundry. All the while joking as they went along, grateful they had a floor to clean and indoor bathrooms.

Sometimes it was a trip to town, which would include the both of them, when one had to leave to do an errand without the other, they would kiss like they were never going to see each other again.

Lunch was their main meal of the day, once again, giving thanks for all God had provided, there was never a lag in the conversation. One would think after all that time together they would have run out of things to say, but no, they still chatted and flirted like they had just gotten married the week before.

Dinner was simply bran cereal and a piece of fruit, then it was the news and Wheel of Fortune, what came after that was simply the most romantic thing I have ever witnessed in my entire life.

The would take their bibles out and read out loud to one another, not random passages, they had it all planned out. Every year they would read the bible through, and they would choose a different plan every year to do that. Then they followed through with their plan.

Reading to one another out loud every evening, sitting side by side in their recliner sofa, sometimes with the dog between them. More times than not, holding hands while doing this simple, soul bonding, activity.

On Valentines Day my dad would get my mom a beautiful flower, hardly ever a rose, it was something usually hand picked by Scotty, the owner of the flower shop my dad knew. Of course a card and box of candy.

He never forgot me on that day, he and my mom would get me a card and a box of candy as well.

Witnessing the love these two shared, the quiet, romantic, silly, fun and enduring love has shaped how I look at love and romance.

I hope everyone out there can find the kind of love my parents had, however, I do believe it was a once in a generation type of romance.

So, it’s been my Birthday Week this past week and has it been full! It started off with a wonderful massage at Quantum Body Massage and Wellness on Monday, this was actually a Christmas present from the Irishman. I just now was getting to use it; best massage I have ever had! I highly recommend this place, she is an older woman, maybe late 50’s early 60’s, not chatty, and listened when I told her what I do for a living and she got all of the spots! Amazing!

Same day I got to pick up Brooklyn from school, had a short conversation with her and dropped her off.

Then Tuesday went to Sherman to see Jeffrey (oil change, but any excuse to see my son) then Bonham to see Elizabeth Anne. That trip included seeing her new birds, she has a new best friend, an African Goose named Petrie. He’s hysterical, I think he was trying to tell me that she was his and not to get too close.

Then on my actual Birthday, I was able to have a fantastic visit with my good friend Wanda, a 3-minute conversation with Brandon then a 45-minute conversation with Brooklyn. She is much more chatty on the phone than he is. And I managed during that call to get a text from Stacy saying you told Brooklyn to tell me to take her to Petsmart? I can see my phone privileges may get revoked. Then dinner at Abuelos with the Irishman, it was a good evening.

I received phone calls, texts and many well wishes on Facebook, I am extremely humbled that people took time out of their busy lives to tell me happy Birthday.

Thursday was lunch with Alex, always a good time, I love our conversations. Then I got to pick up Tessa from school. Dinner with Jeffrey and Tessa, plus I got two kettlebells, a 20 pound and a 40 pound! I came home and immediately began doing squats with the 40 pound one!

Friday was spent at Tessa’s school for her Valentines party, so much fun! She was so happy that I got to be there. Which made me happy.

The evening was topped off with a movie with the Irishman, The Deadpool, such a great movie!

It was funny, irreverent, tongue-in-cheek, completely enjoyable and can I be honest here? It was great to see a comic book movie with no children in the theater. This is an adult movie, Rated R for a reason! And it was glorious! Ryan Reynolds was completely in his element in this role. I hope to see many more sequels in his future.

Today is Saturday, I have nothing planned for today, tomorrow is shopping and hopefully lunch with Elizabeth Anne and Stacy. Which will be fun.

Oh and The Walking Dead is new tomorrow night! A great ending to my birthday week!

 

I have something I want to say to someone and every time I sit down to write it, it comes out like an eulogy, and it isn’t one, not by a long shot.

I just want this person to know what they have meant to me and how they have affected my life and the lives of my children. So, I am just going to write a letter to him to let him know.

Reno,

From the very first time I met you when I was 18 you have never spoken down to me. You didn’t treat me like a kid, you treated me like an adult. I can’t begin to count how many times you came to the house, after I married your son, to help fix things or get things ready for our first child.

You did it all with a ready smile and with laughter in your voice. When you stayed with us while you were working in Tulsa while living in Texas, you introduced me to chocolate malts made with chocolate ice cream and chocolate malted. Pure, old fashioned heaven.

When your son and I divorced you still treated me with respect, when you would see me you would hug me and tell me you missed me.

You never once spoke down to me, or treated me like I was less than just because your son and I decided we would be better parents apart than together.

With my dad passing away when my children were very young you became their only grandpa. I don’t know if you really realize how much they love you and look up to you.

No matter what they were going through you never made them feel bad, you were there to simply listen and offer your wisdom. Never judging, just being their grandpa Reno, and you have been amazing at that job.

I could never have asked for a better man for the job than you, I see parts of you in each one of them. Especially your humor, they all seem to have gotten a triple dose of humor, I like to take credit for part of it.

I just wanted to take a moment to let you know that what you have done and the way you have treated me have not gone unnoticed.

I think we all do a fabulous job at being exes, ex-in-laws, ex-spouses it doesn’t matter when it comes to family and being there for the children, grandchildren and a great grand. You are incredible at putting everyone at ease and bringing a sense of fun to gatherings.

Even my fiancé, when going to Tessa’s birthday party this year asked if you were going to be there, because he really likes you.

Thank you is all I really have, and it doesn’t seem to be enough.

 

 

It’s my birthday week, so far pretty good, an amazing massage yesterday, today seeing Jeffrey and Elizabeth Anne and the new birds. So far so good, tomorrow is the actual day, today I have things to rant about.

Two thing, there are two things that are really, well, for lack of a better term, pissing me off. The first one is something I read on Facebook last week.

There is a girl, I say girl because no grown woman would seriously whine about this, who recently moved to this country. So she is a foreigner in a foreign land. Not just any land, America, where we have a complete fascination with accents from abroad. So of course, everyone who speaks American English comments on her accent. It’s going to happen, you moved to a country that is fascinated by them. But what caught my attention was she said she wanted to hang out with her own kind, people from her country because someone made fun of her accent. I was taken aback, because while we do try and mimic them, and are fascinated by them, we rarely make fun of them.

So I asked someone who knew her, he said that someone had given her a hard time regarding her accent, another foreigner. What! Are you kidding me? So someone from a different country other than America, where you live, made fun of your accent?

I have to stop here, and tell you, every day that I am at work, people on the phone comment on my accent. I am from here! Well, I am from Owasso. I have a distinctive voice, a unique way of speaking and I recognize this. I have never once, upon leaving Owasso, have said I just want to hang out with my own kind. Why? Because I am an adult, and yes, people have made fun of what they perceive to be an accent. It’s actually a cadence, I have a certain rhythm in which I speak. It’s an Owasso thing, you would have to actually be from there to understand.

I do not take it as an insult, in fact I say thank you, we are different in the magical land of Owasso, and I move on.

If I went to her country they would call me a Yankee, to those of you who know me, you know those are seriously fighting words. But would I take umbrage with those in a foreign land that said that? No, why, because they don’t know me and don’t know where I’m from. So move on, is what I would say to her, if you do not like that fact that you now live in a country filled with nosey, noisy, gregarious, out-spoken and sometimes brutally honest people, go home.

The second thing that is really making me angry is Monica Lewinsky, not her per se, but memes about her.

Anyone that is from here and other countries have heard the story of Monica and Bill Clinton, here’s what makes me angry.

She has born the brunt of the jokes, she is the scapegoat, the shamed one, she is the one that cannot show her face in public, 21 years later, she is still the shamed one. She was 22 years old when all of this started, her boss was the most powerful man in all of America, really, the free world.

These days we celebrate a TV show showing a woman having an affair with the president, right there in the Oval Office. But back then, this young woman was vilified, she was the butt (no pun intended) of late night jokes.

Bill Clinton has been able to go on with his life, he walks freely about, he writes books, gives lectures and is paid to give speeches. Monica still cannot show her face in public due to the fact she is still the butt of the joke.

Bill Clinton was and is a sexual predator, he chose the women he seduced or in some alleged cases, abused very carefully. They weren’t particularly attractive, so who would believe them? This one was incredibly naive and young, she was 22, when you were 22 could you have fended off the most powerful man in the free world? Someone so charismatic he was the darling of late night television?

I am so tired of see this woman made fun of, I am sick of the memes, the jokes, everything. Isn’t it time we placed blame where it belongs? In the lap of Bill Clinton, for his predatory nature? For taking advantage of this young woman?

It’s a sad commentary on our society when women are made the scapegoat of a popular political figure. When future generations read about this in the history books will they be embarrassed that we blamed the woman? Or will they be brainwashed by pop culture and textbooks that are so slanted, that they, themselves will blame the woman as well?

We have to do better, we must teach our daughters not to be fooled by honeyed words and promises of more. I don’t care who the man is, if he is married, walk away, no, run away, just get out.

I know in her case it was a little difficult to do, she was an intern, this was her first official job, she had a history of being used by older men, even as a teenager. She was an easy target, let me tell you, a predator can ferret them out rather quickly.

So stop with the memes, the jokes, place blame where it belongs and after 20 years, let’s let this woman get on with her life.

It is the beginning of my Birthday Week, I think we all know I celebrate all month, however, now I share my month with two special people, their birthdays are before mine. Elizabeth Anne and I don’t know what I should call her. I want to say granddaughter, but I’m not her grandmother, I’m her Angela. I don’t feel free to say her name, as I have not said her mother’s name, her mother that I am not her mother but she is my daughter. It is a strange dichotomy.

Today I start off my week with a 90-minute massage, it is really a Christmas present, but I am just now getting to use it. It’s from the Irishman, I got that along with Alexa and a Star Trek robe. I love all of those things.

So, I did something I have never done this morning, and it is early! I have had a Periscope account for a long time and have just joined in on my friend Shannon Thomas’ broadcasts. She is a local DJ here in the DFW area.

I have followed a Bay City Roller, Les McKeown, lead singer, for a while now, I have never jumped on one of his broadcasts. I did it this morning! An early birthday present, hear the speaking voice of one of my favorite band members. I’m still grinning.

Then, I did the unspeakable, I did a live broadcast myself! I did not show my face as it is not camera ready right now, but I did two of them!! I have no words for how exciting that is to me! I had seven people jump on to listen to me. I do believe I will be doing more of those.

So here I sit, drinking my Braggs, lemon and Nature Nate’s concoction, contemplating my mortality as I will be older this week. I realize I still have so much to do; I don’t know what exactly but I know I have to do it!

Family dinner was at a different location this past Friday, it was hosted by my children’s sister, at her home, with her husband and children. It felt good, complete, a wholeness, there was laughter, conversation and good food. Oh and funfetti cupcakes and a chocolate cake, guess which one was for me.

I also got presents, books! So excited about that, have already started them.

So I am thinking the Periscope will play into my new venture, which will begin this month. I am very excited about this and not quite ready to share here yet. It will be awesome and epic and play right into my wheelhouse.

It is the brainchild of myself and my BFF Tammi, without her I would never have thought of this.

That’s all I have for now, must walk, I got a Fitbit for my birthday, from the Irishman, and it is compelling me to hit goals.

 

Today is the day, the beginning of my birthday month! Kidding, well yes and no, it is February 1^st, however, today is Elizabeth Anne’s Birthday! Yes, we share the month, and that is truly awesome.

I know I usually tell about the day she was born, the 80-degree weather turning into a raging snow storm that night. But today I want to tell you how truly amazing she is.

Elizabeth Anne I always knew you were special; I knew that because you were exactly what I prayed for in a daughter. Smart, funny, beautiful, thoughtful and strong, it is the strength that continues to amaze me.

You are the strongest woman I know, you are so beyond Wonder Woman and Supergirl, and I don’t mean outer strength. Although you have that in abundance as well.

I mean your inner strength, you continue to amaze me with your independent spirit and how you can stand on your own two feet. You meet every problem head on, you exude confidence even when I know you are close to a breaking point.

I have never been prouder of you than this past year, watching you grow, watching you become even stronger. I wish I were more like you in a lot of ways.

You make me a proud mother every single day, not only your strength but your huge heart. If anyone has ever witnessed, you with your animals and your family they would know who you really are.

You are the kind of daughter every mother wishes they had, I am fortunate enough to be the one God gave you to.

I love when we go shopping, I love when we text each other during The Walking Dead and I love when you watch Star Trek or anything with Star in the title. I love that you inherited a little bit of my nerdiness, your dads’ strength and turned it into something unique and wonderful that is Elizabeth Anne.

There is no one on earth like you, I am so proud to call you my daughter. Always remember, you are the daughter of an Empress, you will inherit my entire Universe if you outlive me. If Tessa doesn’t overthrow the throne first, that’s a definite possibility as she is really feisty, and now refers to herself as the official EIT.

I love you so much, I am so proud of you. Happy Birthday Elizabeth Anne!