Category Archives: life

Trophy Husband

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Wow! Today David and I have been married for 35 years! That’s a very, Very, VERY long time.

uswedding 001

I think David probably deserves some kind of a large trophy (other than me, hee hee ;-)) for putting up with me for so long (would that make him a trophy husband?) but I’m going to give him this list of songs that mean something over the years. 

1. We fell in love at NTTC Corry Station. This is a place where members of all branches of the military were sent for MOS training after boot camp. Due to the average age of the residents, it earned the name Corry Junior High. We spent a lot of evenings there hanging out at the EM (Enlisted Members) Club socializing and dancing. We danced a lot to Always and Forever by Heatwave and it became our first song. 

 
2. Our second song, in the next decade, comes from Motley Crue. While I love all of the lyrics in this song, the line, “Let me be me all along” is particularly important to me. Even if I wasn’t the strong, confident person I am today, he was still always my biggest champion. “Knowing someday I’d grow strong” even if I made him crazy in the process. 

 
3. Nothing Else Matters by Metallica kind of typifies our life. “Life is ours, we live it our way.” We don’t live like other people do and you may have thought we were nuts when we decided to live in an RV in 2012 or any of the other wild and wonderful things we do. But if he wanted to go live in a box on a beach, I’d be right there beside him.  And nothing else matters. 

 4. We knew each other for around three months when we got married. “They” said it wouldn’t last, we wouldn’t make it. “They” – many of them – didn’t make it “But just look at us holding on. We’re still together still going strong” and that’s why You’re Still The One by Shania Twain is on this list. When I first heard that song I thought, holy moly, Shania Twain wrote a song about us! 


5. Nobody Does it Better by Carly Simon because, well, um, you know… the spy who loves me. 😉

6. Sister by The Nixons is about being separated. Which we are a lot. The line in this song that really does it for me is “Here we are again saying goodbye, Still we fall asleep underneath the same sky”. That thought brings me comfort when he’s so far away knowing that we look up and share the sky because half of me breathes in him.

7. Well, as you know, we now have the glambaby and we have a music CD in the car for her. When this song came on one time, David made a crack related to a particularly icky situation and now it’s an inside joke. Every time I hear this song, I laugh at the bad situation. Cool, no? 🙂

 8. I’m a big jazz fan. When I hear I Only Have Eyes For You, I think I’d like to sing that to David. But he’d probably put his hands on his ears as he ran away. 😉 In 2012, my friend Cynthia sang this song for us at a club in Tulsa. She is awesome, the song is awesome, David is awesome. I’m going to include the Ella Fitzgerald version because Ella is awesome, too. (I’m not doing very well at using other words instead of awesome, am I?)

 9. So? What ringtone do you have for your sweetie? I have Let’s Get It On by Marvin Gaye. The first time my phone rang like that, I was in a quiet, QUIET, clothing store. LOL! It makes me laugh every time I hear it. And it’s better than the dog barking he has for me. 😉

 10. Happy is the last song on my list. I have heard about this song for months now but never actually heard it until a few days ago. I love it. And I am clapping. We are clapping because we’re happy. I was super excited to see this song as an option at Jib Jab because it seems like a fun way to share the last song on my list. 🙂  (I cannot get this video to stay centered for the life of me. I guess it takes after me. ;-))

 So there you have it! The ten songs that remind me of our 35 year marriage. I want to wish David, the co-author of my life and the most fabulous husband a girl could ask for a very Happy Anniversary. Thank you so much for hanging out with me and not giving up when I was a crazy person. Thank you for the boys and the coffee you pour me every morning and for making me laugh. I love you beyond all reason. And that thing about living in a box on the beach above? Don’t try it, mister. 😉 

 

 

 

 

People In My Neighborhood: Motorcycle Cop

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This morning when I was walking, I passed the shopping center on Sheridan. A man came out of the laundromat, got into his white truck, and blew out of there like he was in a high speed chase. 

He even sounded loud.

I wondered, “Hmmm where’s the motorcycle cop when you need him?”

And just like I conjured him up “vroom vrooom”, lights flashing, he came out of the side street and took off after the guy in the white truck.

Everyone else stepped on their brakes. Except for the guy in the white truck who had already gone over the hill.

Tulsa Motorcycle Police

I had to laugh out loud because the motorcycle cop is a person in my neighborhood. Even before I moved here, I remember seeing him (or someone like him) and I now see him every day when I’m walking.

Oh the motorcycle cop will sit and wait

And if you speed he won’t hesitate

To pull you over to the side

Cuz the speed limit you didn’t abide.

Oh the motorcylce cop’s a person in my neighbohood

in my neighborhood, in my neigh bor hoo ood

the motorcycle cop’s a person in my neighborhood

A person that I meet, when I’m walking down the street

He’s a person that I meet, each day

And give a thumbs up to. 😉

 

Tag! I’m GLAMMIE

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Back in October I decided I’d get myself a personalized tag for the Big Black Invisible Jeep. It would be my birthday present to myself.

And a cheap one at that.

I’ve been getting personalized plates since my first one in 1994 that I got in Chicago:

LUSTY L

I did that one on a dare and I think it cost me around $130. 20 years ago!

This one would only cost $30. But they said I had to wait for 2-4 months to receive it.

The funny thing is, when you first apply for it, you have to give them six choices. So after waiting all that time, it’s still a big surprise when you open the envelope.

My envelope arrived today! Well, not really today. Yesterday. But since the mailbox is exceedingly far away from the front door, we usually pick up the mail the day after it’s delivered on our way past the box on our walk. 😉

And, I got my first choice!

glammie

I’m trying to remember my other choices. Three of them were SPARKLE, HAPPY, and GLITTER. You know, things that typify who I am. 😉  But I can’t remember the other two it’s been so long.

Other personalized plates I’ve had are

NOMERCY (loved that one)

and

TALKUL1 (tall cool one, which I always had to explain)

I’m so  HAPPY I got my first choice. Have you had a personalized plate on your car? What is/was it?

Playing The Beatles

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This morning, I woke up to a text from my BCF (best cousin forever), Cindy:

text

That brought back memories to me, too. Although I honestly don’t remember even having a butcher block at our house on Princeton.

My dad used to travel as a salesman. One of my earliest memories is of my sister Julie and I standing at the top of the stairwell looking down to see him because we heard him coming home.

And dad showed us this:

harddaysnight

And we were SO excited! A new Beatles album had just been released and our daddy brought it home!

A Hard Days Night was released on August 11, 1964 so I wasn’t even four years old yet but I remember that. I also remember watching the Beatles on the Ed Sullivan Show. I would have been three years old when that happened. Prior to this morning and checking dates, I thought my earliest memory was when President Kennedy was shot but The Beatles on the Ed Sullivan Show preceded the shooting of the president!

My parents were huge music fans and the Beatles were always playing when we were in the house. I know all the words to every Beatles song because I learned them pretty much like I learned English.

My sisters and Cindy and I used to play The Beatles. I was Paul, Cindy was George, Julie was John and, because she was younger than us, Becky had to be Ringo.

These are good memories. I didn’t watch the tribute to the Beatles that was on TV last night like seemingly everyone else I know did. But when I hear any Beatles song, I’m usually blasted back to those times playing the Beatles with my girls. 🙂

Jose’ Clairvaux You Are a Friend of Mine

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I saw my friend, Kat, Thursday for the first time in over 16 years. We met in an email group in the late 1990s and have managed to keep in touch over the years. When we saw each other today, it was like we had just seen each other yesterday.

mejose

Back in the day, her email address was clairvaux1@someplace and so I called her Jose’ Clairvaux and it stuck. She’s been Jose’ to me ever since.

The other day before we left for Florida, I mentioned something to David that Jose’ had said on Facebook.

Me: Kat said…

Him: Wait a second, who’s Kat?

Me: Oh, you know, Jose’.

Him: What? I thought her name WAS Jose’. I never knew she had another name.

And that’s because I have ALWAYS called her Jose’ since around 1998. 🙂

We met for lunch at Mary Mac’s Tea Room in Atlanta. Mary Mac’s is an Atlanta institution having been in business for 65 years. They serve “made-from-scratch true southern fare served with genuine southern hospitality”.

Mary Mac's Tea Room

I had grilled chicken and veggies which were delicious but everyone else ate more of the southern fare. On our table were chicken fried chicken with gravy, fried green tomatoes and cheese grits.

The food was delicious but the company was awesome. We got to meet Jose’s new husband, Jim, and we all talked like we had just seen each other not too long ago.

friends

I’m so glad we were able to connect on this trip as it had been so long since our last meeting. Jose’ Clairvaux, you are a friend of mine and I love you dearly! 🙂

BICSI Winter Conference – Trophy Wife Version

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As you know, I was in Orlando with David this past week. He was invited to speak at the BICSI Winter Conference last Sunday.

bicsiOn Monday afternoon I joined him as he walked through the Exhibit hall.

bicsi

We had complimentary beverages. 🙂

beverages
There were pink cables.

pink-RAnd blue cables.

blue
I got a Magic 8 Ball from dura-line. Thank you! 🙂

magic
And a coffee mug from Vertical Cable. Thank you, Rebecca. Carpe java! 🙂

coffee mug

I was super happy that the conference took place this week because

Temperature

All in all, I had a great time at the BICSI Winter Conference. 🙂

Click here to read David’s more technical version.

The Cover of the Rolling Stone

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One of my favorite things about twitter, as you know if you listen to me at all, is the opportunity to meet my twitter friends in real life. I know that I can go anywhere and have coffee with someone I tweet with.

Yesterday, it was the fabu @patz313. Patsy and I have been twitter friends for over a year, I’d say, and when I learned we were coming to Orlando, I asked if she could meet me for coffee.

drunken monkey

We made plans to meet at the Drunken Monkey, a name I loved when she suggested it, and had coffee. I had iced coffee because it’s warm here. (Yay!) 🙂

We sat outside (because it’s warm here, yay!) and chatted away a couple of hours like old friends. I knew that Patsy was an artist but I was enthralled listening to her talk about her rock and roll lifestyle.

I may have a genuine Indian guru but that doesn’t hold a candle to having been on the cover of the Rolling Stone watching Jimi Hendrix. Too, too cool.

patsy

I hope I’ll get a chance to hang out with Patsy again in the future. We could have just kept on talking if I didn’t have to get back. Thanks for meeting up with me, Patsy! So happy to call you a real life friend. 🙂

Donuts!

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Donuts are just one of those foods. You know. They’re not good for you but they taste SO good. Especially with chocolate milk. Also not good for you.

We decided to take the Glambaby for a donut this a.m. to a place call OK Country Donuts. They make donuts into shapes and Nikki had gotten some baseball donuts from them for Geoff for his birthday.

When we got there, the fun donuts were on the bottom shelf of the case, just at the Glambaby’s level. They had pigs and snakes. Well, how do you decide between them? Both so fun?

donut1

You don’t.

You get them both. And enjoy them both.

donut2

We love donuts!

What food does it for you? 🙂

I’m So Glad I Met…

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In 2006, I got an email from a 14 year old who wanted to enter the pageant I was directing. She was very persistent and we had many emails between us before she finally entered in 2008.

Miss Teen Northern Oklahoma

She won the teen title in the regional pageant that we produced that year and went on to compete for the Miss Oklahoma Teen International title. She did not win but was the first runner up. In 2009 she came back and won the state title.

Miss Teen Oklahoma International 2009

We grew close over the year of her reign and have continued to grow even closer. I call her my mini-me. We look nothing alike but inside we are just like the same person. It’s so much fun to hang out with someone who is so much like you that you never have to explain anything and the fun can just roll.

Human Emoji

In this past year, I was the Glamazon of Honor (I simply cannot be matronly ;-)) at her wedding. I threw her a bridal shower and then a baby shower for the little Sayler who will call me Glammie as she grows up.

ll_wedding

I love this girl so much! She is my dearest friend and confidant. I am so glad that I met Lyndzee Vieweg Story and so thankful for the huge part she plays in my life. 🙂

Who is a person that you are glad that you met?