Sunday, February 21, 2016

I Can Do That

People told me it could be done. and it's not that I didn't believe them.... it's that I didn't believe that I could do it.  I can be accused of lot of things, but having an over inflated ego is not one of them. The last couple of months I've had many people tell me that I should sell my drawings to which I would always reply... "Oh, I couldn't do that.", and I actually believed I couldn't. Well guess what??? I did it! I just sold my first drawing. I'm mailing it to a friend tomorrow who seems amazingly excited about getting it. Maybe I have under estimated myself..... Does that sound braggy, cause I certainly don't want to sound like I'm bragging.... I'm just, well I think I'm in shock.  By gosh I'm pretty proud of myself and thanks to all my friends out there who have encouraged me to believe I do have worth💟

Thursday, February 18, 2016

Because Nothing is More Beautiful

Nothing is more beautiful than tangles of the heart. The amazing things God does in the knotted turns life affords us.

 
Two Hearts
 
Love Is....
 
Be Mine
 
In My heart

Wednesday, February 17, 2016

Curbs Just Get in the Way

Let's be honest..... Most people refuse to "own" their stuff. Well, this is me owning my stuff. I hopped in the car this morning after having coffee with daddy and headed toward work. I took the same route I take every single day. Apparently, I was a little more anxious to get to work this morning and I cut a corner a little (or a lot) short. I felt a significant thud, but really.... That isn't exactly breaking news where I'm concerned. I got to the corner where I needed to pull out onto the highway (from hell) at 8 o'clock rush hour. I paused and thought to myself that it might be wise to pull over in a parking lot and take a little look see to see how much damage I had done. So, I hopped out of the car (in my 4 inch stilettos) and moseyed to the back of the car so I had the complete picture of my problem.... Which was the tire.... NOT my driving. Oh yeah, it wasn't pretty at all. Definitely not fixable with a roll of duct tape. I got back in the car and thought I might be able to tiptoe it back to the house before it completely cratered. To my credit... I got it within four blocks from my house and I knew my husband was still home, so I was thanking God right there for new technology. The thing about "New Technology" is it has to be used to get the maximum benefit from it's greatness. In case of like a cell phone.... If you call someone, it helps if they actually answer their phone so you can initiate conversation with them. This is the part of the plan that did not go as anticipated which left me with the option of walking 4 blocks in my 4 inch stilettos. The closer I got to the house, the heavier my footfalls. My husband said he heard me come in the front door and walk across the living room floor, but he just figured I had forgotten something. That is when I sweetly suggested he pay closer attention to the nuance of my footfall, because if he had, he would have noticed less clomping and more stomping which would have alerted him to the fact that I may be..... Not as cheerful as usual. (insert sweet smiling angelic emoticon here). We drove together to where my poor little car was slumped beside the road. He took one look at the tire and said.... "Wow! You must have hit it really hard cause it tore the sidewall out."..... To which I responded.... "Well, it was maybe a little hard-ish I guess." We changed the tire (I say we because I stood there holding the hubcap with the lug nuts in it... FLASHBACK to The Christmas Story. We got the tire changed without me saying any wordy derds, and drove it to the tire place. As he was driving me to work, he made some comment about me driving like I was Danica Patrick, which I am NOT in fact Danica Patrick, and then mentioned another curb incident I had when my youngest son was with me...... "Caleb swore he thought he was going to die right there!!!" Oh now, I believe that is a bit of an exaggeration and besides we both know he doesn't process his emotions like most people so.... I'm going to need a judges ruling on the legitimacy of that accusation and while your at it.... What the heck purpose does curbs serve because they are always getting in my way and tearing stuff up? And seriously.... Why can't we just buy me a small-ish tank to drive?

Thursday, February 11, 2016

Cheap Gas Has a Price

I got married in December 1981. That month was the highest rig count in Oklahoma history. How do I know this??? Because my husband worked 25 years for a company that built pumping units. A few months after we married, the Oil Boom went bust and our community,  the headquarters of Halliburton, was suddenly in crisis. I was only 19, but I remember knowing middle aged people who lost everything they worked their whole life for. It was hard on Mike and I, but we were young, other people saw their ship sink just before what was supposed to be their "Golden Years". It was sad times in the oilfield. I've lived in Duncan now for 34 years, and the rise and fall of the oil industry never gets easier to watch. The stress takes it's toll on not just those connected to the oilfield, it takes it's toll on everyone in the community. I worked for a doctor for 9 years. When the oilfield was in a slump, our office felt it because we did pre-employment physicals, DOT exams, and worker's comp services to many employers connected to the oilfield.  The ripple effect of "cheap gas" and "cheap oil" is wide and deep. While people are celebrating that they can fill up their gas guzzling SUV's for a fraction of the cost they paid 6 years ago, families are losing their jobs, their income, and the self-worth felt when you are a productive employee.  The last couple of years have been difficult in our neck of the woods and there is no predicting how long we can rock on like this. One thing about being in the oil industry.... It keeps you on your knees as you cling to hope of a brighter tomorrow. Next time you fill up your SUV, say a prayer for all the families that are paying the price of cheap gas.