Author: Angie World

Today is my Dad’s Birthday, he would be 100, he was born in 1911, he took the journey home in 1993, and I still miss him. On this day I would like to share all of the things I learned from him.
I learned how to laugh, my dad was a funny man, he always said it was better to laugh than to cry, he could find the humor in almost any situation. He taught me how to look at life with humor and not to take myself so seriously. He taught me loyalty, if you believe in something, stick with it, don’t give up, fight to the physical or metaphorical death. He raised me in a Christian home where morals and values where prized above all else. If you can’t do it in an honest way, don’t do it at all, if what you are doing harms others, stop it. Simple rules really, but ones that don’t seem to be taught anymore.
My dad was a visionary, he taught me to trust what God was trying to tell you, I remember when the church that he and my mom had started, First Freewill Baptist Church of Owasso, was ready to expand. They bought the land, then they had a deacons meeting to decide how big to build the church, how many should they plan on seating. My dad said without blinking an eye, one thousand, everyone laughed nervously, then realized for once Foy was not joking. You see God had given him a vision for that church, he was determined to see it through. He knew then that his body was preparing for him to go home; he would not be there to see the new church built. But God had given him one last vision for the church he had worked so hard for. At that time maybe 150 people were coming to service regularly, so you can see why the rest of the deacon board and the minister were hesitant.
Well they did not build that new church to seat 1000, instead they planned on 300, the day they opened the doors to the new church sanctuary they had to add a service because they didn’t have room for all of the worshipers. My dad didn’t live to see that his vision was indeed from God, but everyone else saw it and smiled. They should have trusted Foy. I know without a doubt that when he arrived before God that He allowed my dad to see what would happen with the future of that church and it was good.
One cannot talk about my dad of course without talking about my mom; theirs was a true love match. They were incredibly romantic with one another, small things, her baking his favorite cake, or having his favorite cheese in the refrigerator. Every night they read the bible to each other, I have never witnessed a more intimate act between two lovers. You could tell their faith brought them closer and closer together every day, and they were married for 58 years before my dad passed away.
My dad taught me so much, humor, compassion, how to argue and win, how to drive, how to carry a rifle, how to see the world in a positive way. I will always love you dad, I will always remember you and tell your stories to my children and grand children and beyond, I will continue to do my best to instill your values in future generations. Happy Birthday Dad!

Well yesterday I did it; I faced my worst enemy, the stair machine at 24 Hour Fitness. The last time we had faced off was years ago, I conquered him then and I shall again. The last time I started using the machine I was able to go 3 minutes and worked my way up to 30. This time around, I was able to go 6 minutes, and I will work my way up to 30. I am aiming for 10 minutes on the beast today. The cravings are subsiding, I have not had diet coke since Sunday and am cutting back on the coffee, instead of a pot every morning, I am having half a pot before leaving for work. I have cut back gradually; however, I can assure you on weekends the whole pot will be missing. I have also cut back on Starbucks, which is killing me, not just missing the coffee treats, but the whole experience of going there. The overwhelming aroma of the coffee, the smiling faces all of it. I miss it; however I cannot control my reactions right now, so I will continue to stay away until I can.
My goal is to look halfway decent, I will never have a flat stomach again, unless I go under the knife. 4 C-sections have seen to that. Once that muscle is cut there is no amount of exercise that will get it back to what it was. If I had given birth naturally I might have a chance, but nope, no chance at all. Like Jacqueline on RHNJ my belly button is sad. Only a doctor can make it happy again.
Yesterday was a great outfit day; I wore my new blue polka dot Calvin Klein sundress with a cute shrug and my blue suede Steve Madden pumps. I have to admit, I looked really good, although, losing weight will make the dress not fit properly, even yesterday it was loose where it should not have been and was not when I originally bought it. So, yay me!
June is upon us; tomorrow would have been my dad’s 100th birthday, so expect a huge write up for him. I am working it out now. I want it to be a fitting tribute to a truly great man.

As I watched the Real Housewives of New Jersey this week I could not help but think we are watching a woman implode from all of her pressures. Of course I am talking about Teresa Giudice of course. At first glance, if you have not watched the previous 2 seasons, you just think this woman is just a raving lunatic. But having watched the previous seasons I was left wondering why is her brother so hateful towards her? Does he not realize the pressures his sister is facing? Of course we don’t know the back story here, perhaps he is hurt that she did not come to him for brotherly advice and comfort when she started learning about the financial woes of her family, perhaps he tried to reach out to her and in her shock she pushed him away. Embarrassed for her younger brother to see what can be perceived as failure. We don’t know all I know is that I see two people in an inordinate amount of pain and lashing out at each other. On to Melissa, Joey’s wife, Teresa’s sister-in-law, the previous two episodes left me really not liking her, especially when she allowed Kim G to trash Teresa, she did not participate, but she did not stop it. She should have, she should have told Kim G that Teresa is her family and she is not allowed to say bad things in front of her. This week Melissa actually began redeeming herself, she encouraged Joey to contact his sister and to put this feud to rest. They are family, family is forever. She earned a little respect there.
Still love Caroline, man she just does not put up with any nonsense and good for her! I have one question what is wrong with that Kathy woman? She seriously is inappropriate on a lot of levels, confronting Teresa at a fashion show, going to Caroline’s house when she doesn’t know Caroline. Met her once! Seriously, Kathy, pay for some common sense, you will not be sorry!
Well I am on week 2 of Weight Watchers; it is getting a little easier, staying away from the puffy cheetos and sour skittles. Although I miss my old friends greatly, I don’t know when the missing stops. Is there anyone else out there addicted to junk food? Anyone else having withdrawals? Hopefully after this week it will be better. I have gone back to the gym; I was there Friday, Sunday, Monday and Tuesday. I will be there today as well. I hate the gym, I think we all know that, it is my nemesis; today I face my mortal enemy, the stair master. Wish me luck!

Another day is upon us, a short work week, and it is Freddy’s birthday! Happy Birthday Freddy, we are so happy that you are part of our lives. You are funny, smart and have an amazing heart; I hope your day is filled with happiness and great adventures.
So yesterday I decided I was going to cook something healthy, so I made chicken breasts with rice, asparagus and peas. The peas were for the Irishman, he doesn’t like asparagus. So anyway, the chicken was bland, the rice overcooked and asparagus a little, um, black on parts. The good news is I did not set off the smoke alarms, so yay me! If anyone can tell me how to get the chicken breasts tender I would greatly appreciate it. I have the rice thing figured out, how I overcooked it.
As of yesterday I have lost 7.5 pounds since beginning Weight Watchers, I started working out at the gym on Friday; I worked out Friday, Sunday and Monday. I skipped Saturday as I was chasing Tessa all over the place and that is a workout in itself. I will be going back today, to torture myself some more. I hate working out, people talk about those endorphins that are supposed to kick in. well they never do for me, never have, never will. I have a friend that she and I used to workout together, and they kicked in for her, and you could tell by looking in her eyes. Her eyes would get big and she looked a little high, but it was from the endorphins, and she was all like, let’s work out, it’s fun. And I was all like um no, it is not fun. But it was nice working out with her, we would talk the time away, it just flew by. Going by myself is kinda boring, no one to talk to, so I listen to my IPod on my IPhone, mostly the Bay City Rollers and Britney Spears, don’t judge.
I figure is muscle memory is not a myth it will take no time at all to look halfway decent. Well that’s all I got today folks, remember to send your chicken breast secrets to me!

Today is Memorial Day, a day we Americans have set aside for honoring our Veterans, men and women who have served or continue to serve in our armed forces. In the past I have spoken about each of the branches and my gratitude to everyone who served or serves. Today I wanted to focus on one man who served our nation and made a huge impact on my life in a personal way. So, today in Angie World I am honoring Great Grandpa Wells.
He was not my Great Grandpa, he was my children’s, and he was my ex-husbands grandfather who served in WWII. Not only did he serve but he gave a limb and some fingers to the cause as well. He came home as some would say not a whole man, those of us that were fortunate enough to know him, well we know that is a correct term because he came back twice the man most men are.
Like I said he was not my grandfather but my ex-husbands, I know you are thinking it is strange to write about an ex-in-law, however, this man was amazing. He was an ordinary man living an extraordinary life. I, of course did not know him before WWII, so I don’t know the man he was before, however, I know from experience, your core personality never changes. I believe before he went he was a man of integrity, honor and courage.
Great Grandpa Wells continued his dedication to serving when he returned from the war, he had a soft spot in particular for the Vietnam Vets, he made regular visits to the home for Veterans, ferrying the ones that needed it to doctor visits and also to the Veteran hospital. Of course he had the pre-requisite Cadillac that all older Americans seemed to love at that time, what a boat! But he also had a station wagon, that was what he used to carry the men (and it was mostly men those days) to their appointments. He said he could get quite a few in there and the back was roomy enough for ones that could not sit comfortably but had to lie down, he would put pillows and blankets down to make their ride comfortable.
He didn’t brag about doing these things, he just did them, he was unassuming in his greatness, he was humble in his dedication. He was simply a great man, a great example to his family in courage, honor and duty. I am so beyond proud that his DNA is part of my children’s genetic makeup, I can only hope those traits are passed down. Some of those things cannot be taught, but are innate, part of our genetic code.
So today, Great Grandpa Wells, I salute you, I remember you and all that you did, you had a profound effect on me and the way I see people. I thank you for your service, for your willingness to fight for the freedom of this country, to ensure that future generations had the same rights you enjoyed. Know that we all miss you and your quiet sense of humor, your kindness and your example.

I am about to divulge a horrible secret that no one warns you about when you are younger. If you are under the age of 25 I suggest you stop reading, what I am about to share will scare the living daylights out of you.
Aging is pure unadulterated hell, there I said it, that is the truth of the matter, you will never in your entire life look better than you did in your 20’s, unless you are horribly and tragically scared and completely ugly. Your skin loses elasticity and it does not come back, no matter how many beauty products you use. Oh trust me when I tell you that I thank God every single day for Mary Kay skin care because without it I know I would look a whole lot worse.
Your body begins to change as well, you don’t lose weight as easily, you can’t stay up until 2 in the morning then get up at 6 and go to work and be full of energy. No matter how much coffee you drink, you will never have as much energy as you did when you were in your 20’s. Your body begins to betray you, for those of you with those real cute tattoos on your backside and on your breasts, well those will eventually be to your knees, yes both sides, front and back. No matter how many lunges you do, sit-ups, bench presses, to your knees.
The only way to get rid of the lines and the sagginess altogether is to go under the knife, yes plastic surgery. I have often said it, I want it, I need it, I must have it, I cannot afford it. Right now. But eventually I will be able to. But the thing is, even with the plastic surgery, I will never ever look like I did in my 20’s. I was cute, hot even; I didn’t appreciate it, at all! If I could go back, understanding how pretty I was, I would rule the world.
Ok under 25’s you can begin reading now, enjoy your cuteness, your elastic skin and everything else for as long as you can.
Back in 2003 I began a journey to lose weight, I lost over 100 lbs, I recently faced the fact I have put 30 of those pounds back on. So on Monday as many of you know I joined Weight Watchers, I honestly had no clue how many bad things I was putting into my body. You just don’t realize until you have to keep track of it. My eating habits are changing, I am going through junk food withdrawal, I am not liking it, however we all have to make sacrifices if we want to look good and feel good. I can already tell a difference. I started working out on Friday, yesterday did not go to the gym, instead chased Tessa, and today went back to the gym. I hate, I will not deny this, no matter how much I work out those endorphins never kick in with me. However I will continue to go back for my daily torture because there is no way on this earth I am going back to the person I was before the weight loss.

Correction on @tobraavery she has 4 children! I guess I did not pay as close attention to her tweets as I thought!
So I watched the 2nd episode of The Real Housewives of New Jersey, I am still not a fan of Melissa and Joey, they are immature for their station in life and just seem intent on blaming the whole feud on Theresa and Joe. I am sure there is plenty of blame to go all the way around. I hope they can resolve this, family is family, and in the end they will be the ones there for you. I am fortunate, my friends are my family.
How rockin’ was Caroline? She handled that nonsense at the Brownstone with a firm hand, dishing out common sense and let the other ladies (used loosely here) know she would have none of that in her house. That was her husband’s place of business, he has worked hard for his successes and she would not have his reputation sullied. I am such a huge fan of Caroline Manzo, I think everyone should be.
I am on day 4 of Weight Watchers, man do I miss puffy cheetos, however I am eating much much better these days. More fruit, which is free food, I use no points eating that, drinking more water and I don’t have that bloated, full feeling at the end of the day. I actually feel great! After just 4 days. I wonder what I will feel like at the end of next week. I will let you all know.
I have been thinking about my funeral a lot lately, I have my songs picked out, I want Green day and the Bay City Rollers for sure, also P Diddy’s song, I’m Coming Home. I love that song, especially the part where it says “Let the rain wash away all the pain of yesterday I know my kingdom awaits and they’ve forgiven my mistakes I’m coming home”. So powerful, so simple, I want that one for sure. I know I want a purple casket with a disco ball on it. I want to be remembered for loving my children, for being there for them and for the people in my life. I want my epitaph to read “Angie isn’t here, she went home”. I’ll probably change that a lot, I am going to live until I am 100+, the women in my family tend to do that. I just want to be prepared and have all of my funeral arrangements down. I don’t want my children to have to worry about planning anything. It will all be done for them.
I hope everyone has a great, safe Thursday, I, myself have a lot of errands after work, it is supposed to be sunny and great!

As some of you know I am a huge fan of Twitter, it is a medium that is more conducive to following or being followed by total strangers. I don’t even know how people find me to follow but they do. There is a woman on there @tobraavery that began following me after I began following my hometown church. I of course began following her. I don’t know her, if I passed her on the street in Owasso I would not know who she is. I am totally fascinated by her. The things I have learned while following her on twitter is amazing. I have found she is not only witty, smart and at time irreverent, she is also a woman of integrity, she is a faithful Christian who does not claim perfection, she is a mother of two and her husband is a volunteer police officer in a K9 unit. Here is one of the things I find completely fascinating, she is part of a blended family, there are two children in the family, I don’t know whose they are biologically. Hers or her husbands, she never says, she just brags on the children or recounts something funny they said. I find this amazing; she is by all accounts a truly remarkable woman, who is part of a remarkable family. Her husband not only volunteers as a police officer in the community, he also recently went to Joplin, Missouri to help in the aftermath of the tornado that hit.
I hope one day I meet @tobraavery, I think we would be friends in real life, at least I hope so. Part of me wonders if I do know her in a round about way, I wonder if she knows some of my family that lives in Owasso and goes to church at Rejoice. I wonder if she knows that my family was one of the founding families of the church. I wonder how she ended up in Owasso, how she met her husband and how she became a photographer. So many questions, I imagine a lot of them will go unanswered as twitter is 140 characters or less per posting. Life is funny these days, with technology you can become friends with someone you have never met in person, you can follow someone’s life, a window into their world in a way that we have never been able to before. I don’t know if this is an entirely good thing, but I do know that I am enamored with it.

It is day 2 of Weight Watchers, I have survived thus far, I will keep you updated. It was not too terribly bad the first day, there is an app (of course) that I downloaded and was able to add up everything that I ate. It is a little tedious to keep track of everything; however it makes you painfully aware of what you are putting in your mouth. You definitely think twice when you have to record what you are doing.
I think I am getting sick, the past two days I have woken up congested, maybe it is just allergies, the weather is crazy right now. Speaking of weather, I believe we all know what happened in Joplin Missouri Sunday evening. I want to give a huge shout out to the Owasso Police Department, yes; Owasso, Oklahoma sent their specially trained officers and their canine counterparts to Joplin to help. Once again Oklahoma does not disappoint in the helping hand department. I have never been prouder to be an Oklahoman than I am right now.
I am embarrassed to live in Texas right now seeing all of the unsportsmanlike comments on Facebook concerning a basketball game. Shame on the Texas fans, you are poor winners, that’s right, I said it, you should be ashamed of yourselves. Comments like “suck that Oklahoma”, “they can’t even cheer right, stupid Oklahoma fans”. Interesting, this is how you choose to win? What do you say if you lose? I am not going to trade insults with you Texas fans, I myself am a Dallas Mavericks fan, however, I don’t slam the fans of other teams. It’s embarrassing, it is like being back at my sons sporting events and when some of the parents would scream and “coach” their children. Ugh. That is all I have to say, Ugh.

Two reasons I am in love with Starz right now, Camelot and the upcoming Torchwood, I think I am nerd heaven. Camelot is getting good, I am loving the evilness of Morgan, or Morgana as we all know her, and this one is just fun evil, taking the form of Arthur’s mother to infiltrate Camelot, a brilliant use of magical power. But then things turn ugly when she accidently kills a boy right after spending the day with him and Merlin. And how perfect is Merlin? Wow, conflicted about his powers, and he even kills, we see him kill purposely once then accidently a second time. This show just gets better and better.
Torchwood starts this summer and I cannot wait! Loved the BBC version cannot wait to see where it goes on Starz. They seem to be doing things right over there.
Speaking of cable shows, Game of Thrones, wow, amazing, did not see last night’s episode, so don’t spoil it for me. Jane Esponson wrote it, we all know her from Buffy and Angel fame. One of the great writers of those series; can’t wait to see what she did with this one. I also will need to watch the season ender of the Borgia’s, the show is good, don’t get me wrong, but every time Jeremy Irons speaks I just keep hearing Scar. I have got to get that out of my head and concentrate because he does a really good job as the head of the Borgia clan. They were “family” before it was defined as such. A more ruthless head of household did not exist at the time, ambitious, self-serving and completely oblivious to the pain he was causing everyone. Jeremy Irons is perfection in the part; I just wish I could get the Disney character out of my head.
My heart is heavy today waking to the news of Joplin, Missouri, all of those poor people, the whole town decimated. The world didn’t end on Saturday night, but Sunday night brought devastation to that town. Growing up in Oklahoma, you always knew someone who had relatives in Joplin or the surrounding area; my prayers are with all of the people there. Whatever we can do to help them will not be enough, the pictures look like a war zone. However, knowing Missourians, I know they will not only rebuild, they will come out of the other side of this stronger, they are a resilient people. Already tons of Oklahomans are pouring in to help. You are not alone, we are here, and the whole country is holding you in our hearts right now.
That’s all I have right now, I hope everyone has a wonderful, safe, Monday!