Category: General

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First Freewill Baptist Church of Owasso

Watching the Andy Griffith show this morning reminded me of the church I grew up in, The First Freewill Baptist Church of Owasso. Now it is called Rejoice Freewill Baptist Church of Owasso, or maybe they took the Freewill out of the title, I’m not sure.
I know someone who has put down the church recently, saying they didn’t learn anything there. I found that shocking as I learned so many life lessons in the church in Owasso.
I learned humility, they practice feet washing, something I believe has been lost, I remember when I was a teenager and the feet washing ceremony was going to happen. In my snotiest voice I told my mother there was no way I was doing that, it was disgusting. My mother looked at me, raised her eyebrows and said “Angie, do you think you are better than Jesus Christ himself?” I said no ma’am, she said Jesus himself washed his disciples feet, how could I put myself above Christ. It drove the point home, we are no better than the other, I happily participated after that.
I learned giving from Al and Grace Wemberly, they were not native Owassoans. They moved to Owasso when Brother Al retired. I never found out what he did or how they came to choose Owasso. I’m simply blessed that they did. They were couponers before it was all the rage. However, they would add up how much they had saved and put that money in a jar. In late May they would bring the money to the church and tell them to use it to pay for a child to go to church camp that could not afford to go otherwise. I was the recipient of their generosity one year, as my parents were retired and their budget did not allow for that. I never knew we had a budget by the way, as I had everything I ever needed. The designer clothes and shoes I wanted, my parents told me to get a job and work for those, it was a good lesson.
I gained knowledge of other religions and learned Catholicism was a different denomination not a different religion thanks to Caroline Hall. She worked at the Christian Bookstore in Tulsa and insisted we study other thoughts and beliefs so we could better understand why we believed the way we did. It was a revelation to read about other religions in the world, she told us that to understand how someone believes is to respect them. When you respect someone they are more open to listen to how you believe and respect you in turn.
I learned that what I put into my mind was just as important as what I put into my body. In a class taught by Ed and Fleeta Sunday, as a young adult, they led a class on the importance of filling your mind full of good things as opposed to worldly things. Your thought process is shaped by what you put into your mind. If you only fill it with negative and unclean things what will your view of the world be like? It changed the way I choose my reading material to this day.
The First Freewill Baptist Church shaped who I would become. From Leonard Pirtle’s sermons, filled with life lessons laced with humor, to watching adults serve others, to  Sunday School teachers that cared enough to go beyond the surface lessons. I am fortunate indeed to have grown up in that place, in that time.
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Growth

Yesterday was Miss Jan’s birthday, I didn’t post yesterday, so I will take today to tell you all about this incredible woman. She is everything I wish I were, tall, thin, elegant, blonde and beyond nice. She is a good friend; she stood with me during my divorce and bitter custody battle when most friends fell by the wayside. I cannot begin to thank you enough Miss Jan. I don’t have the proper words to express how grateful I am that you are my friend. I hope your day was as incredible as you are!

 

This past weekend was good, really good; I was off Thursday so off to record with Shanon Jay I went. It was an awesome session, if you did not get to hear Saturday’s show you can do so now. Simply go to www.convosate.com, you can check out the latest one. It is very personal for me; I talk about a miracle that happened within my own family. My cousin Laura was the recipient of a great gift from God, well worth a listen.

Friday was getting Tessa from school, meeting Elizabeth Anne at the AT&T store; she has defected from Apple products. She purchased the new Samsung Galaxy 5 I believe is what it is. She said she loves it.

Then Friday night dinner, I am beginning to feel like the Gilmore’s, except without the maid and cook. Oh wait, that’s me. We had fried okra, corn on the cob, pork chops, mashed potatoes and homemade bread. Everyone seemed to enjoy it heartily, well worth the effort and time put into it.

Saturday was Ladies that Lunch, love those days and seeing everyone, we were a sparse group this time, but fun was had as always.

Sunday was Captain America, but you knew that, rain, love the rain, I wish it would rain every day.

Did you ever have someone say something that was so wrong that you wanted to respond, but since it was in a public forum you metaphorically bit your tongue? That happens to me a lot, especially with Facebook and Twitter, I read things that are so erroneous, or so outrageously well, the only word I have is stupid that I want to respond. However, once something is on the Internet, it is there forever, that is something people don’t seem to understand. I suggest thinking before posting, I try my best to think before posting, even here, where it is my page, but once again folks it is on the internet, it is forever. So I didn’t respond yesterday when someone said something that was not correct, and was a little, ok a lot, condescending and completely snotty. I chose to ignore it and move on, a few years ago, I don’t believe I would have done so. This is called growth and it is painful.

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Captain America

WARNING: Spoilers ahead for Captain America: Winter Soldier.

You have been warned, if you do not want spoilers do not read any further.

I went to see Captain America today; I have not really read anything online, I have been saving myself for this experience. What an experience it was, I was amazed and awed, I sat through three quarters of the movie with my jaw dropped.

First off, kudos to whoever orchestrated the hand to hand combat scenes, some of the best I have seen in a long while. It was all perfectly timed and played out; the actors were brilliant in their roles.

Seeing the Falcon, even though I knew I would be seeing the Falcon come to life was just incredible, the actor who played him did an excellent job in bringing him to life. The fact that Bucky Barnes was the Winter Soldier of course was another not surprise, however, seeing Steve Rogers reaction to Bucky was a revelation to watch. Steve Rogers is everything he is supposed to be, loyal, patriotic and a friend to the end. Chris Evans is spectacular as Captain America. He has a strong sense of right and wrong, there is no blurred line for him. He and Thor are cut from the same cloth, right is right, wrong is wrong, there is no grey. It is a balm in these very conflicting times to see a hero on the screen that epitomizes that character.

The political overtones were blatant and relevant, if we continue on this path of allowing the government control of everything we will soon be left with nothing.

Steve Rogers says it best when he says he is willing to sacrifice everything to protect freedom. I am with you Steve, I’ll stand up for what is right, it is in my DNA, I believe there are other out there that are willing to stand up and be counted as well.

I am eager to see where S.H.I.E.L.D. will go from here; I have not seen the latest episode as I was given strict instructions from BBFF not to watch it until I had seen Captain America.

I needed to write down my thoughts before they became scattered, the movie was spectacular, I can hardly wait to see where Joss Whedon takes our characters in the new Avengers movie. I know he will do an outstanding job in bringing them together and showing our heroes with all of their glorious flaws, saving the day.

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Ramblings

I know it’s been a little bit since I have posted, I am among the living, I have a lot in my head and some of it cannot be articulated in public.

I was so sick last week I did not get to see Captain America when it opened, I am going tomorrow, then I can watch last Tuesdays episode of S.H.I.E.L.D., it’s crazy that I did not have the energy or health to go see one of my favorite superheroes in action.

But I am better now and will go tomorrow, why tomorrow you ask, well today is Ladies that Lunch, yesterday was the family dinner.

I am enjoying the Friday night dinners we are having, last night Jeffrey got to choose the menu. It was pork chops, fried okra, corn on the cob, homemade bread and cheesecake for dessert.

I am still full, I think everyone may be full today from last night; Elizabeth even took home a bag full of scraps for her birds. I can’t wait to see how they enjoyed their treat.

I am full of mixed emotions, on one hand I am excited to see what my future holds, another hand is filled with pity for our customers and techs who will no longer have us to rely on when the first level fails them. The other hand (if I were an octopus this would work out) I am disappointed with management, in the way they are behaving, some, not all, it is disheartening to see people gleeful with trying to fire employees. My other octopus hand is disgusted with the Union, they make false claims, refuse to help people, who have paid dues to them for years and will be taking 6% (I hear from a reliable source) of employees severance pay, they consider it a bonus. I have never known severance to be a bonus, this is unconscionable, I do hope my source was incorrect in this. I guess I’ll find out for sure next month when the first person gets their severance check.

My spirits remain high and hopeful that the path I am supposed to take will reveal itself in the right time, God never let’s me down or leaves me dangling. I know that I will have something fantastic when this job comes to an end for me.

The Irishman gets to pick the next Friday night dinner and he has requested steak, we need a grill, so I will be looking to see who has a good one at a good price. I do love a deal! I am thinking steaks, baked potatoes, salad and lots of laughter and good conversation.

The one thing I am praying for, and would like everyone to pray for this, is I get something with a schedule that I can still pick up Tessa from school every other Friday and get off early enough that I can pick her up in the summer so we can have daylight hours together. We love going to the pool together and going to get donuts and just laughing. Being with her is the highlight of my weeks, having everyone here for biweekly dinners is nothing short of awesome. So, that is my prayer, that I get to keep those things.

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Sick

This week has been filled with sickness, mine, it started Saturday, congested, feeling, well yucky. It progressed, I ended up leaving work early Monday, it literally felt like someone put sandpaper in my eyelids and I had become what I always despised. A mouth breather, my nasal passages congested yet running constantly all at the same time.

I thought perhaps a few days rest might clear things up, that with copious amounts of Tylenol cold and sinus, nighttime. I was wrong, very, very wrong, by Wednesday things were turning green and my ears were hurting and it hurt to swallow.

A trip to the doctor this morning told me that everything in my head was infected. Ears, nasal cavity, swollen glands, the whole nine yards, I guess when I do something I really do it right. I have not been sick for a solid year, before that it was over a year and a half.

Going to the doctor is always an experience, they tell you to be on time or lose your appointment time. However then you are kept waiting a good 45 minutes before the nurse ever calls you back. They then put you in a room where you wait another 15 to 30 minutes.

This time a student nurse practitioner saw me before the doctor, he took all of my information, asked the same questions the nurse asked me, listened to my lungs, poked and prodded my sinus cavity and my glands, tried to sell me on a z-pack, which is worthless. I told him no, then he left and I saw the doctor for all of 5 minutes. I then paid $83.00 for the privilege of getting a $4.00 antibiotic.

He said that I should start feeling better by Sunday, I hope so, I hate breathing through my mouth. I can’t stop blowing my nose and coughing, I seriously hate coughing because then I cough things up. I really hate that, there are certain things in life I hate doing and that is right up there in the top 10.

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Hair Be Gone

I no longer live with teenwolf, Saturday was the big day, the Irishman was shaved clean for charity. This is his fifth year doing this for St Baldrick’s foundation; they raise money for research into curing cancers that effect children. A truly worthy cause if ever there was one.

He went in with a full head of hair, a whole head, face and all, by the end of it; he has none on his head, face and all. It is all gone and I really couldn’t be happier, it was getting pretty, well, hairy in here.

They took the people in groups of four; his group raised over a thousand dollars by themselves. He raised $300.00 just by himself, I paid to make sure the hair was all gone; one of his friends gave money for them to get his nose hairs. I was grateful for that as well.

I am proud of him for doing this, his beard might get disturbingly disgusting, but he does it to raise awareness for this great cause. By the end of his hairiness he does have people asking him when he is going to shave and it is an opening to tell them what he is doing and why. I do believe though, next year I will stay away from spaghetti when it gets close to the day. That was an interesting dinner to say the least.

I hope everyone has a great Monday, I am not feeling great, my ears are stuffed up, I am congested, my throat hurts and I am having a hard time talking. Should be an interesting day in a call center.

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Losing our Civility

I saw something on Facebook a few days ago that made me stop and think, not always a good thing people. This person said that they were cleaning out their friends list and if you didn’t interact with him/her then you would not make the cut. Just to soften the message up it was followed by a hahaha.

This is not the first time I have seen this type of thing on Facebook, however, it is the first time I have seen someone come back and tell that person that what they put was not nice. Then the person came back and said they were joking and to get over it.

This is the sort of thing social media was not made for; I take umbrage with telling people you are going to unfriend them. If you feel the need to delete people from your friend list just do it, why do people feel the need to announce it? I have to be honest, if people delete me I don’t notice, I don’t go on my friend list and stare at it trying to decide who is missing today.

I have deleted people from my friend list, I’ll be honest, not because I hate the people, or feel ill will toward them. Sometimes I feel it is inappropriate to be friends with some people, I feel awkward not accepting their friend request. Later, after I have mulled it over, I delete them. Sometimes I don’t delete them, however, I do mute them. There is a function in Facebook that will allow you to still be friends with someone and not have to see every single thing they do. And vice versa, if you post a lot and want to limit what some people see you can do that as well.

I never felt the need to make a very public statement telling the world I am getting rid of friends. With the advent of social media, people are losing their civility; they are becoming snarkier, brutal even, thinking that a hahaha or a LOL at the end of a sentence will soften it. It doesn’t.

I have often said if you want to convey a message to one single person you need to do it voice to voice. So much is lost in translation with texting, twitter and Facebook, this begs the question, are we, as humans losing our capability to actually communicate one on one?

I have seen that some people have a compulsion to tell every single thing they are doing every single minute of the day. When did we, as a society, welcome this change? I never knew what any of my friends, family or colleagues were doing every moment of the day, but thanks to the advent of social media I cannot escape it.

I, myself, have been guilty of this very thing, I have made a conscious decision to stop it, I don’t post as often. I leave some things to the imagination, like what I do with my time all day.

Let’s all try that for a week, let’s leave some things out when we go onto Facebook, twitter, or anything else that is out there.

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Scraps

I have been thinking a lot lately about my mom and the kind of woman she was and the legacy she left. My mom was a seamstress, one of the best, there was always someone coming and going from our house that she sewed for. After she was done with the piece she was creating, she would carefully fold the scraps and put them in the bag for the customer.

Nine times out of 10 the customer would tell her, I don’t want these scraps, what am I supposed to do with them, you keep them Mrs. Testerman. I am now going to tell you all what she did with those scraps.

If there is anyone who reads this that my mother sewed for in the 1970’s and 80’s, you might be astonished, or you might think yup, that sounds like her.

She would take the scraps and make quilt tops; she would work all year long on these things. This was the time of polyester, and colorfulness, so the quilt tops were very colorful. One weekend in November I came upon her and my dad putting all of these quilt tops in the car. I asked what they were doing, my mom seemed embarrassed, my dad said they were taking them to Mother Tucker.

I didn’t know who that was, so of course I pressed the issue, my mother then told me that Mother Tucker ran a homeless shelter for men in Tulsa. You see back then it wasn’t families that were homeless, it was primarily men, mostly Vietnam Veterans that were having a hard time fitting back into society.

I asked my mom why quilt tops and not a whole quilt, she said that the polyester material was thick enough to keep someone warm and thin enough that the person could fold it up and easily carry it with them during the day. She said the colorfulness reminded her of Jacob’s coat of many colors, it made her feel good think of someone wrapped in something pretty in such a bleak circumstance.

I wonder if there is anyone out there that remembers Mother Tucker and the things she did in Tulsa, Oklahoma. I wonder if there is anyone out there that was the recipient of one of my mothers’ quilt tops, if they felt the love she sewed into every stitch.

You see she remembered the hard times of the depression and the many times that families went without. Her heart was with these men and the struggles they faced, she knew struggle and she knew hard times, she wanted to ease someone else’s struggle. I do believe she did, more than she ever knew, she eased my struggle in life, her memory and her life lessons continue to ease my struggle on a daily basis.

If you are reading this and you were one of her customers, or maybe your parents were her customers, please know that your scraps went to good use.

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Something New

I did something last night I have not done in 17 years; I applied for a job not in the company I work for. I am taking a leap; it is for an admin support position with a major airline. We shall see if anything comes of it, I feel proud of me just for taking that leap.

I totally forgot something else I did this past weekend! Ladies that Lunch, we went to Babe’s Chicken, it was really good, a good atmosphere, the food was good. Everyone orders different meat, then the sides are brought out, it was family style. I have not been to a restaurant like that in a long time. The company was good, as usual, the food was good, the conversation never dull or lagging. I truly am blessed to have these ladies in my life. I am so happy that we made the decision to stay together and have these monthly meetings. After Sandi passed away I know we all felt adrift, by sticking together I feel we have eased the grieving process in each of us. It is a true blessing to have Sandi’s mother stay with us and stay the matriarch of our little group.

I am happy to report that everyone has a good attitude at work, it seems that everyone has decided to make the best of it, I have not seen real bitterness or anger. Everyone has been busy looking for new work, either in the company or out and looking at this as an opportunity. I am praying for everyone in my office that they find employment that not only enables them to continue with their lifestyles, but also fills their lives with great joy.

Elizabeth Anne has requested sloppy joes for dinner on Friday night; I haven’t made those in years. I am going to have to sit down and figure out my grocery list, I have decided two different kinds of fries, sweet potato fries and regular fries, sliced red onions for those who want that and cheese to dress them up.

Off to dress for my day, another day, another opportunity to do the right thing, go out and make it happen!

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What a Weekend

Where do I start with everything has happened this past weekend? Let’s start with Thursday since it is my Friday, so I was driving, like I usually do and did not see the motorcycle cop waiting for me. He clocked me doing 71 in a 50, there was no way he could let me off with a warning. A ticket I did receive, the big question here is will I learn my lesson and slow down. I think we all know the answer to that so I shall not dignify the question here.

Since it was my Friday, Starbucks was in order, and it was good, the next day I did wake up a little congested. I do believe it is because of the barometric pressure, later in the day I felt fine.

I got Tessa from school, life was good, then I cooked dinner for my two sons, Tess and the Irishman. It was meatloaf; Elizabeth doesn’t like meatloaf so I didn’t tell her about it. I had to tweak the recipe for the meatloaf; I used gluten free breadcrumbs instead of crackers. It was a huge success, everyone kept eating more and more, oh, I also made fresh green beans (which I snapped, thankyouverymuch) with new potatoes, macaroni and cheese and homemade gluten free bread. All in all the meal was a huge success due to the face everyone kept eating.

I will be cooking again this Friday, asking Elizabeth and Jeffrey what they would like as Alex chose the meatloaf.

My dryer died, so Saturday Jeffrey came over to see if it was a fixable problem or completely dead. While he and Tess were there, Alex dropped by, then Elizabeth came with her fiancé’ Guy. He bought a new motorcycle and wanted to show everyone, it is a beauty, I can tell you that. It looks like something Batman would ride, so cool!

That night, went online to buy a new dryer, ordered it from Home Depot, then woke up the next morning to what looked like a price reduction. Called the 800 number, spoke to a representative who said, um it looks like you paid the sale price, I said then why is my total this. Then I started laughing and said oh, I also bought the power cord and a new tube thingy, never mind. She burst out laughing, I explained I had only had 3 cups of coffee; she said oh, nothing counts until after the 4th cup. It was a fun exchange and I was happy to have made a call center person’s day a little brighter.

Late lunch, early dinner with the Irishman made the weekend complete, a lovely meal, a great waitress at the Texas Roadhouse was a much needed respite. The Walking Dead Sunday night was awesome, no spoilers, I will just say I was not disappointed and very happy with the outcome. The season finale is next week and I want it to air NOW! However I will have to wait like everyone else.

I know yesterday I was a bit of a downer, however, thanks to some very kinds words from a couple of people I am back to normal. That plus the fact it is very difficult for me to stay down for any amount of time here I sit ready to tackle what this Monday has to offer.

As my mom would say, see ya in the funny papers!