Author: Angie World

Good Morning and Happy Day After my Birthday! Yes, it is that time of year, February, the month I declare as mine. However, I find that I am sharing that month with some pretty spectacular women. More on them later, first up, in the immortal words of Toby Keith, I wanna talk about me.

The birthday celebrations started on Friday night, dinner with Alex, Elicia, Elizabeth and Tess. Wait, back up Thursday was Starbucks and a movie, the Upside, which was a good movie. i was pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed it.

Back to me, Saturday was spent catching up on Star Trek Discovery and not a lot else.

Sunday, my actual birthday, was lunch with Jeffrey, Amanda and children, then dinner with BBFF and his GF.

Turning 55 is not a lot different than 54, except I have learned a lot in that one year about myself and have seen the lives of friends changed for the better. Still no Dean Cain on the horizon, but I am ok with that, he will show up when God wants him to, not before or after. I am a firm believer in God’s timing not mine, my timing has always been off. 

I consider the past birthday year a win, now to see what God has in store for this one.

Now for the amazing women I share this month with, I want to let you all know they share so many awesome qualities.

They are all independent, hard working, free thinkers, they all think for themselves, They are fact gatherers and able to make decisions based on fact not emotion. I find that is a common trait of February people on the whole.

I am proud to share this month with them, I cannot think of better women to be associated with.

I took several days off from work to celebrate, well, me, I will go back refreshed and recharged and ready to tackle any and all problems.

I look forward to so many things coming up, I am also enjoying the now. I will sign off for now as I have to do something incredibly unpleasant. Which is resolving an issue that has been ongoing for several months. I may have a resolution, finally, but it does involve me actually visiting a store. So off I go.

I really want to thank every single person who went out of their way to make me feel special on the day of my birth. The phone calls, text messages, Facebook messages, dinners, presents and everything in-between made my day incredibly special. You all so totally rock!

Ok, so, I was listening to the radio this morning and they were talking about John Travolta shaving his head. Which made me think about celebrities and their aging and which ones had disappointed me in that process. I started thinking about it then refocused to the ones that have not disappointed me. 

So here is my list of celebrities that have not disappointed me through the years. These are in chronological order, not in order of way I love them.

First up, William Shatner, this man gets better with age, I loved him from the very first Star Trek, and I love him now on Twitter. He is funny, sharp and suffers no fools, I love the way he shuts down people who behave badly towards him. He does it with humor and grace, never mean spirited, I hope he continues for a long time to come.

Leonard Nimoy, I know he is no longer with us, however, while he was, he never, ever disappointed me. From the first time I caught a glimpse of those pointy ears, his unflappable logic, to the rea man behind the Vulcan. He aged with grace and dignity, continuing to educate us to the very end. Even reprising our beloved Spock to hand the baton over to a very capable Zachary Quinto, he do so with a grace and dignity rarely seen in Hollywood.

Steve Perry, even though he had to quit Journey due to crippling anxiety, he does not disappoint. His vocal chords are still as great as ever and he still has the best hair I have ever seen. His ability to open his heart up to a woman he knew had a terminal illness just endeared him more to me. 

Harrison Ford, his ability to make hearts flutter at the age he is at is a miracle in itself. His self-deprecating humor spills over to the characters he plays. He has only been in one movie that I truly loathed his character. Which means he did his job excellently. He managed to take his career from playing a space rogue to playing everything else, then coming full circle back to said rogue. Harrison Ford is ageless, timeless and never disappoints.

Ronald Raegan, even though he is no longer with us, he remains a fixture in my heart. I love him, I miss him, and I miss his humor, his strength of character and just him. I can see him and Nancy dancing in heaven, he never disappointed me.

Jude Deveraux, her books never let me down, I have been reading her since I was in my early 20’s. For those of you keeping count, it’s a long time. She has recently switched genre and she continues to delight me with her characters and even her series with the same family. I will buy any book that woman writes. 

Which brings me to my number 1 never disappoints:

Dean Cain, I fell in love in 1993, he was quite simply the most beautiful man I had ever seen in my entire life. Still true today, I don’t know what kind of deal he has, but it’s working. I know God and I have a deal, regarding my looks, I wonder if Dean has the same deal. I will still watch anything that man is in, I will buy Lois and Clark DVD’s and watch any series he appears in. except for the dating one he did, I refuse to watch that. Dean choosing a woman other than me! A travesty I tell you. He is still the prettiest man on the planet and I dare say others in the universe. The more I see of him, the more I am not disappointed, he is not only pretty, he is intelligent, well-spoken and makes though provoking points. I really love a man that not only looks good, but sounds good as well.

There you have it, a smidgen of a list of celebrities I am not disappointed with as the years go by. Do you have a list? I would be curious to know who has not disappointed you. As usual you can comment here or send me a missive at angie@angieworld.com.

 

Dear Elizabeth Anne,

Today is the day of your great arrival in this world, it was a day that was filled with greatness.

I loved you before you were born, I knew without one doubt you were going to be a girl, I had everything pink picked out.

Everyone tried to tell me you would be a boy, the odds were against me. Two boys before you, but I knew, you were going to be a girl.

Everyone was wrong, you were the daughter I dreamed of, I prayed for you before you were here, God did not disappoint.

You were born with so much personality, you knew what you wanted from the beginning. Animals, the cat was drawn to you, wanted to be with you, I had to get him out of your crib so many times.

I am proud of the woman you became, your deep love of animals have continued. Your farm and the way you have so many animals and such a variety, it is breathtaking.

You have personality traits of both me and your father and the combination equals total greatness.

I admire your tenacity, stubbornness, caring nature and your ability to see things as they are. You do not react on emotion, you react on facts, I like to believe you got that from me.

I asked for a daughter just like you, from your straight dark hair to your larger than life personality. God never disappoints, you are the daughter of my prayers.

Was it all sugar and spice and everything nice? no, but that is what happens when two people have the same amount of stubbornness and the belief that they are right.

It was all worth it, I’d do it all over again, from the very beginning, when I found out I was pregnant with you and began that conversation with God. You are exactly the person you are supposed to be.

I love you so much Elizabeth Anne, I hope your birthday year is filled with all of the amazing goodness that God has to offer. Go on adventures, see new things, don’t be afraid to go after whatever it is you want in life. Never forget, you are named after two Queens, brave Queens who made their worlds into something completely different from where it started. 

Love,

Mom

I am very upset, I have obtained information that is so epically wrong in nature that I almost don’t have the words to properly express my utter disgust. Almost.

On the news all I am seeing is Polar Vortex, Polar Vortex, Polar Vortex, take cover people, do not go outside. I get very excited by this news, I do the weather equivalent of WebMD, weather.com. Since I am a frequent visitor it has my favorite cities saved.

I click on what I think is my little part of Texas and look to my birthday, I get very excited, it says snow and rain, snow and rain people, let that sink in. I am ready to do a happy dance, then I see I have clicked on Owasso, OK, not my little part of Texas.

I click the appropriate link, 56 degrees, I don’t understand this, what is happening. The people in the Midwest are totally bogarting Polar Vortex. Selfish, that is what they are, why are they not sending it down this way? Why are they keeping all of that snowy goodness for themselves?

I have questions, I need answers, is there anyone that would care to explain themselves to me? 

This is highly upsetting and I seriously don’t know how I am going to celebrate in that kind of heat wave. In February we should be getting snow and cold, boot and sweater dress weather for my enjoyment.

If you live in one of these states I am making a formal request for you to stop being self-centered and send the cold and snow to me, here in Texas. That is all, peace, love and light to all who are going to send me what I am requesting. To the rest of you who insist on keeping this for yourselves, you will have to answer to the Empress once the takeover begins. 

Crazy words from someone who desires nothing but snow, being snow deprived makes one ramble like a madman. I should know, I’m doing it now.

 

I had something strange happen today, on Facebook, of course. I received a message from someone I don’t know, they said they took a DNA test and it said we were a match for 3rd cousins.

I am intrigued, she went on to say her daughter said we look alike. I looked at her fb page and there are some similarities. Our smiles are eerily similar, I don’t know what to think.

I, of course, asked her familial relations, she said her mother told her that she had an affair and that the result was her. Super candid, she told me what she thinks is the name of her bio dad. His name doesn’t ring a bell, but the last name does.

The men in my family are notoriously, um, well, randy. My dad and my grandfather and my oldest brothers were not strayers. I know a couple of uncles that didn’t seem the type, but some of those others. Well, let’s just say there are family rumors.

The last name she told me is one that is familiar, but I can’t quiet place it. Maybe I’ll call one of my cousins and see if it sounds familiar to them.
The thing is, I look like my grandmother, the older I get the more I look like her. Her genetics are incredibly strong, whenever my family gathers I can see her. I used to think it was a trait passed on by my grandfather. I was wrong.

If this woman is really related to me, it is on my grandmothers side.

In other news, my version of crack chicken turned out amazingly well. here is the recipe, I know you all have been waiting with baited breath:

4 chicken breasts

4 chicken thighs, bone in and skin on, this makes for a more tender chicken breast.

1 bottle of Good Foods Caesar salad dressing

Cream Cheese brick

Half a cup of chopped up bacon. I use the Kirklands bacon that is already cooked and chopped up.

This all goes into a crockpot.

I put the breasts in first

Then the cream cheese

Then the thighs

Pour the dressing over the whole thing.

Last the bacon.

Cover and cook on low for 8 hours.

I am not going to lie, this was the most tender, tasty chicken I have ever cooked in my entire life.

If you are like me and hate Ranch, this is the chicken for you.

It is 100% Keto friendly, the dressing only has 1 carb as well as the cream cheese. that is it, no other carbs in the whole thing.

There you have it folks, my life in a nutshell, strange occurrences and a recipe all in one setting.

Bon Appetite, or dig in.

As usual any questions, comments or recipes you might suggest that are keto friendly you can leave here or send to me at angie@angieworld.com

At night I watch a lot of Netflix, Hulu and Amazon Prime Videos, the main ones I watch are series I have already seen, shows that are now defunct.

There is one show I found on Amazon that was never on any of the main networks. It was a show I discovered on Soap Net, a network that is actually now gone. With the wind, or with some other weather happening.

I discovered it while I was looking for my favorite soaps on that channel, they used to show Ryan’s Hope! Hands down one of my favorite soaps, I digress. The show I discovered was called Being Erica, it was a BBC show that was set in Canada.

The main character, Erica, was in a car wreck and while in the hospital a therapist comes to her room. Convinces her she needs therapy and then has her right a list of regrets.

The list is long, and they start going through them, the thing about this therapy is that Erica goes back in time to try and fix her “mistakes”.

It is a really good show, it is over now, it only had 4 seasons, but the storyline wrapped up in four seasons. It was a satisfied ending, I highly recommend it.

But here is my question, if you could go back and change some things, what would they be?

I have often said I would only change one thing about my life, one real regret.

But there are things I would go back and relive if I had the chance.

I would do any day that I was 16 over, even the days I was busy breaking up with Kent King. I would love to wake up in my bed, in my parents home and walk into the kitchen and see my dad at the dining room table and my mom at the stove. I would love to have her pancakes and homemade hot chocolate. Then go to school, I would talk to people I normally would not have. You would all be confused, but I would still do it. It would be the talk of many reunions to come.

I would see my best friend, hang out at her house, drag main and get Sonic ice.

I would go home and talk to my parents, I would tell them how much I love them and how much I owe them for rescuing me.

I would call my grandma and tell her how much she has influenced my life.

I would play my music on my turntable and sing the Bay City Rollers at the top of my lungs.

But I wouldn’t change anything there, not one single thing, not even that oh so regrettable blue eyeshadow.

I would then go back to my time and relish all of my memories, of the one day I got to go back.

I am always curious, what would others do with a do over or a day back?

If you have Amazon I hope you watch Being Erica and tell me how you liked it or didn’t like it.

As always you can tell me here or send me an email at angie@angieworld.com.

Today is a day that will live in infamy, no, not really, but I couldn’t resist.

Today is that special day, the anniversary of my parents marriage. I know I write about them often, due to the fact they were and continue to be the most amazing humans I have ever knows. I know some pretty amazing humans, but hands down those two remain my favorite.

They were steadfast in their faith, confident their belief in God would carry them through everything life had to throw at them. They would be proven correct time and time again. 

Their love for each other sustained them as well, their relationship is the one I go to for guidance. To show me what I should look for in a mate. One that I am equally yoked to, one that can understand my quirkiness and has his own quirks. 

As I think about them and their love story, which I have written about many times, if you are new here, just do a search for Foy and Odela. So much written about their incredible love story.

Once upon a time in the magical land of Owasso, there lived a couple who were very much in love. They agreed on almost everything, almost, there was one time they did not agree. Let us go back to that time.

It was 1970 something, the setting, a fabric store, the mission to find material and buttons for a new dress for youngest daughter.

The material was chosen, looking back it was probably not a good idea to let said daughter choose, disco was in full effect, buttons were being looked at.

Odela: I like these; Foy: I like these. Discussion ensues, heavy discussion. In the middle of the fabric store, daughter intervenes, shouldn’t I pick for my dress? 

I want to tell you here and now, the confused looks I received from both parental units still make me laugh out loud. 

My dad said, this is not about you, I said your taste is questionable dad, you tried to make me get coke bottles for glasses. My mom had a good chuckle at that, then they went back to the button issue. In the end my mom won, of course, they had a good laugh about it and then we went back home to eat homemade hamburgers.

They very rarely disagreed on anything, the second time I ever saw my mother put her foot down was when my dad was teaching me to drive. She wanted me to learn in drivers ed, my dad said he knew more about cars than any old teacher.

One day I was outside with my dad and he was working on the car, he said get in and punch the gas. I said I’m not really comfortable with that. He said do it, I said ok, well, the car was not in neutral it was in reverse and I punched on the gas and went through the fence. My mom came flying, yes, flying, out of the front door. Two words were spoken. Drivers Ed! Then she went back in, my dad and looked at each other speechless and he said I guess you are going to Drivers Ed. I said I guess so. 

I miss them so much, there is so much I want to tell them, I know they would love their grandchildren, my children, whom they did not get to know the way they did their others. Due to age and proximity, but I know they would love their chosen career paths and would be so proud of all three of them. 

They all three embody our family credo of take a stand, make a mark. Flourish where you are planted. My mother told me that after my dad died. I had thought about moving home and she said no, because I loved where I was. She said she didn’t need me and I needed to flourish where I was.

I hope everyone has good parents, I think I hit the lottery with mine, I wasn’t born to them, I was chosen by them. 

Happy Anniversary Mom and Dad, I know you are so happy being together.