I Need A Pedicure

To Blog or Not To Blog?

Tulsa is great. We really like it here! Alas, because our jobs are temporary until the end of April, I'll have to concentrate on the job market for a while so the blogs will be at least once a week (hopefully!).

I'm glad you are sticking with me as this blog is relatively new so I'm not entirely sure about what to write. But I will let you in on some of my activities:

1. I'm crocheting an Angry Bird Hat. I might make 2.
2. Beefing/revising resumes for Mike and myself.
3. Writing my book one scene at a time. I think I have enough to put a couple of chapters together. (The book is part of a 4-book series)
4. I'm on FB a lot - just sayin
5. Menu Planning - Mike and Big Un are going to have to suck it up and eat what I make. Can you say "serious guinea pigs"?

What are you working on? Any plans for the new year? If you break your resolution, don't sweat it. Life's too short. Move onwards and upwards.

Laters! We all love you very much and can't wait to be back in your area to give a shout and meet up for dinner and a movie :)

Lynita

Grilled Ham and Cheese - Yum!

I put it back on straight before I ate it :) It was really good, too, with some Fritos

:)

Tulsa Christmas Lights Parade

I had a chance the other night at work to watch some pretty amazing people get together for a Christmas Lights Parade in downtown Tulsa.

Yes, I know the pics are crappy but hey, ... It was freezing! My hands were shaking! I needed hot chocolate!

I had to give it to them - they all did a great job and smiled through all the cold wind! The high school bands were awesome and the people along the street incredibly friendly. It was high spirits and just plain fun!

I Miss My Stylist!!

Gayla is awesome and one of the best hair stylists I know! Located in Woodstock GA, Gayla is one of those truly unique stylists who actually listen to what you have to say about your hair, makes suggestions and keeps the fun going all through the work-up!

I love the Framesi product line and can't find it anywhere here in Tulsa. No one carries it. It's one of the best color lines ever and the color lasts for well over 6 weeks without fading out.

If you get a chance, go see Gayla! You won't regret it!!!

Yummy Homemade Hot Chocolate

So I said to Mike, "Want some hot chocolate, hunka?"

Mike: "oooooooooooooooooooooooo......"



I grabbed the Hershey's cocoa ...... (recipe follows)

The ingredients listed on the side of the Hershey's cocoa can ............

Got it nice and hot ..........

It made TWO perfect cups of hot chocolate!

Want some??


Hershey's Cocoa Hot Chocolate

1/4 c. cocoa
1/2 c. sugar
pinch of salt
1/3 c. hot water

bring these to a boil

add:

4 c. milk
1 tsp vanilla

do not boil!!! Just heat up to some goodness!

Serve with a pinch of cinnamon, a cinnamon stick or put in an optional pinch of cayenne pepper :)

If Only In My Dreams.....

Man, I'm tired tonight. Didn't take anything to work with me so I didn't eat anything but had 2 cups of coffee. I didn't work many tickets but I did manage to make a few customers laugh. That was so nice.

For those who do not know what I do, I am a Tier 2 support technician contracting out to Level 3 Communications (although I don't work for them directly). I was hoping to be hired on but it looks like that's not the case. Mike and I both are disappointed as he sits just 2 seats down from me each night. We were hoping we wouldn't have to move again so soon and could make this place our home. It's actually pretty wonderful working with my husband and I hope we get the chance to do it again but next time, they'll probably put us on different shifts. It's rare in our business for husband/wife teams to be working together.

Anyways, we sit behind a computer all night keeping electronic transmissions going for large, global corporations. We test and troubleshoot circuits and work with the local Bell companies (Qwest, Verizon, At&t, Centurylink, etc). We help keep everyone's internet, wireless towers (cell towers), voice-over-IP, just about any service out there, really, up and running. We specialize in T1's and below but are working on DS3's and optical networks. It's complicated but rewarding.

All this beauty and brains with no formal college degree. I'm awesome :)

I'm homesick, though. It's been 20+ years that I've not had family around me for Christmas for longer than an overnight visit. I've missed out on a lot of their lives but, conversely, they've missed out on a lot of mine as well. I've had some pretty exciting adventures in my travels. :)

Lookit, I'm tired. I've Tweeted, FB'd and checked most of my email. I'm going to bed so g'night and *hugs*

Kitty Kitty Caught In The Act

Sometimes, there are just no words.

Morning Musings - K-cups, Kitty and Tanks

Nothing goes better with a good cup of joe than a good crochet pattern (one that actually makes sense), a morning of Pinterest and my cat playing with my hair. She's my stylist these days and the best one in Tulsa that I've found so far.

I'm really not having the best of luck with "stylists" in Tulsa. The ones I've met so far are either:

1. Too militant - just sit in your chair and be quiet while you listen to her rant about city politics.

2. Too scared - hair grows, honey. That's all I'm saying.

3. Nasty salons - junk in every nook and cranny and they smell bad.

4. Nasty stylists - I've got a Secret for you, lady, and it's in a little blue push-up tube.

But all is not lost. My stylist back in GA says I can come in when I visit. I wish I could have packed her up and brought her with me. That would have made for an interesting ride across America what with my bald-headed son and a hubby who only likes for men to cut his hair.

Ok, Kitty Kitty is done with her one appointment for the day and has hit the sack. Literally, it seems.

Awwwww...coffee....especially the K-cup kinds. So many varieties! We go for a slightly darker roast which sorta makes me tingle all over so I guess it's doing a good job of waking me up.

That, and Mike's tank battle.

When Bad Things Happen To Good People

Many of us share a common past - the past of adversity that has brought us to where we are at this moment.

Some say that your past is what guides your future. Is this so? I'm not sure because somewhere along the way, I lost who I was supposed to be and how I'm supposed to do things. I can't see straight sometimes.

It's a strange kind of fog I live in.

Many people do not know about me or my life. Only a small handful are welcome into my world and about 1/2 of those choose not to really participate in my life. My journey that got me here is one that most people don't really want to hear about because I've been through so much that it's an awful lot to take it and expect people to still be around.

It feels good to talk about it now, I can honestly say that I might have found an outlet for the hazy days that keep me from feeling as much as I should or looking at life and enjoying every waking moment.









What is it, you ask? It's simply writing about it.

I was abused as a child by several uncles - one of which has just died last year. I looked over my shoulder every day up until the day he died and I'm 48 now. That's a long time to pack a weapon in self-defense and to keep barriers up around your heart.

The other uncles I never see or hear from so it's all good. I've moved on. So what was it about this one particular uncle that made me want to trade a life of joy for a fear-filled extravaganza?

Well, when I was young, this one uncle threatened to kill my mom and sister "if (I) said anything" about what he was doing. That's a lot to put on a 4-year old.

He said it until I was 16. Then mom married dad and he moved us away from the "bad place."

I thought I'd leave it all behind when I went in the Army and then married young. To say I married the wrong man is an understatement. Of course, everything I went through with him (drug addiction, abuse) was supposed to make me stronger because I went through 10 years with him completely sober. I could write a book on those years.

I'm not surprised I'm a nervous cat these days.

Life is to be savored. Every moment. Every sound. Every person you meet. You're actually supposed to have a sparkle in your eye. I didn't know that until much later in life.

I found my sparkle - nay, my hope and my home - about 15 years ago when I met my second husband. It's nothing short of a miracle what my General Patton, my John Wayne who is my man has done for me. I can be silly now. I can laugh more. I can enjoy music especially his wonderful voice in the shower or when he's listening to youtube. I can look around and not be afraid to decorate or go out and buy myself a coat and not live in fear that it will be sold for drugs.

I can sing if I want to (but I don't much because I sound awful). I can dance and make him laugh. I can look across the room and see my wonderful soul in his eyes.

He is my salvation. I believe more in Christ now than I ever have because of my husband. I believe more in myself than I ever have. I can't express clearly what all this means because my life up until the time I met my husband was filled with danger, heartbreak and so much confusion that I'm surprised that I'm actually still here.

Don't ever give up. Don't ever tell yourself that you have no place in this world because, believe me, you most definitely are important to someone out there.

And it may not be in the way that you think. You may not be the next ground-breaking novelist or the most sought-after person in your church or school. You may think you are invisible but to that special someone out there, you're very real.

And you're very wonderful. Accept it. Take the leap of faith that you deserve.

I Spy Saturday

The house is a bit stuffy this morning so I took a walk in the back yard. I was strangely surprised at what I found.

It's rumored there's a groundhog in the neighborhood that chases the residents. I haven't seen him yet but there's still the chance of seeing him and some of his buddies. It's also rumored there's a red fox (with babies), an armadillo that sits up and begs for food, a few deer that nibble at your plants if you have them sitting out, countless cats and dogs from a neighboring apartment complex that is being razed (people leave their pets behind - I've never understood that) and several other animals that I've yet to discover.

Today, all I saw was plants. It's cloudy here and rainy so I had to snap fast and come in out of the rain.

Story of my life :)

Mini Mask

I'm working on a mini mask for my mini pumpkin.

How do you like it so far?

Oral Roberts University - Nice Place

I went to visit the Oral Roberts University campus yesterday. It was very lovely and I found myself actually enjoying the peacefulness of the gardens which is unusual because the university sits directly across from WallyWorld and major traffic. The campus boasts the world's largest praying hands display which is truly impressive when you're standing beneath the sculpture.

It sort of puts things in perspective. No matter how big the prayers or the hands, there's always a God who is bigger.