Matt Holliday Press Conference

Sometimes we get to tagalong to some interesting things! Tonight? A press conference at Stillwater High School, home of Matt Holliday. They were retiring his numbers from his high school teams tonight. I'm not much into sports (as those of you who know me realize) but I find the "people angle" interesting.

I was impressed with this guy! He seemed very real and was more people-oriented than I expected. He had questions that gave him the opportunity to boast, but he was far from arrogant. Actually, I found him surprisingly humble. But not the slimy "I-want-you-to-see-me-as-humble" kind of thing ... genuinely thankful to be where he is and truly respectful of others. I always appreciate and respect that when I see it (and it doesn't feel like someone saying what he/she "should" for an audience).


My little one came prepared (little puppies in a carrier - one day they will probably be real!) but soon found herself stifling yawns and passing them around as we waited. She was so cute earlier ... she said she wanted to go so she could learn more about soccer. Soccer? She thought he was a soccer player. While we were waiting at the press conference, she asked who was going to be there. I told her, "Mr. Holliday." She said, "Who's that?" Of course, it got a laugh. And then she got shy.


Maybe one day my little Miss M will realize what a cool opportunity this was! I'm actually a little stunned my teenager decided not to come. He's the one who is into sports and even had Matt Holliday on his fantasy team last year! Hmmmmm ... maybe he's just tired of being cooped up in the house with 3 girls (me, M, and Daisy)!

For you fans ... a few more Matt Holliday photos are here (forgive me, I'm not taking time to edit much of anything tonight): Matt Holliday Press Conference

In Search of Fire

Amazing what freezing rain can do! Power is out everywhere (I'm blogging after the fact) and has been for several days. I feel like I have it made because we only lost power for a day. The store down the street was open for a few hours on generator power ... no lights, but they could ring you up! Normally I would stay cozy and warm but that's why I'm out and about. I'm concerned about staying cozy and warm! I need fire logs. Just about every store was closed. Thank goodness for this one! It was eerie, however, to be roll-clatter-rolling through dark, quiet aisles.

Look what I finally found at the airport!

I'm proud of my little girl, who rather accidentally became the poster child (just happened to be with me one day in the summer when a request for a local girl photo came) for this project presented by GableGotwals, a law firm that partners with Girl Scouts! I've been in the airport a few times since this went up, but it wasn't until a recent trip to New York (including a visit to the national Girl Scout headquarters, or GSUSA as I've come to know it).

Shall I shamelessly blog for Girl Scouts of Magic Empire Council? (I have to admit, I love it when these things show up in my media alerts!) My own background with Girl Scouts doesn't go much beyond one year of being a Brownie, so this is pretty new to me. But I am so impressed with the opportunities offered to girls! It's like a "design your own" leadership experience that could really lead girls into great places ... Not to mention gaining the life skills that are such a wonderful part of Girl Scouting! Our council serves nearly 13,000 girls and volunteers with offices in Tulsa, Stillwater, and Muskogee. We are in the process of "realigning" and will be uniting with two other councils and by June of next year will be making a difference across eastern Oklahoma.

So ... I'm not only proud of my little girl, who is a fantasic little Girl Scout, I'm also proud to BE a Girl Scout! Did you know adults can be Girl Scouts? I guess I never thought about it. But all of the leaders, trainers, and volunteers are members - men included!

Icy Fascination

We woke up to ice today. Naturally, it's only a matter of time before the camera emerges. This little ice drop fascinates me ... it looks like miniature fireworks inside! What I love about days like today is mostly because it's a wonderful excuse to light a fire and feel cozy (even if I am still working on things in the meantime). The kids love the thought that if the weather gets worse, they might get to do this for a few more days instead of going to school!

Click on the photo below more photos from the icy storms in Oklahoma:

Icy Mornings

Momma!

M had a great idea ... She wants to make a Web site that shows what my offices are like because some kids might not get to see a Girl Scout office. She started describing it and how the home page would say something like, Girl Scouts Rock!

I delightedly shared the phrase that I feel like I own ... Green Girls Rock! In my mind I have Wicked, Girl Scouts, and myself all wrapped up in a marketing campaign. She exclaimed, "Momma!" In a shocked and horrified tone of voice, she said, "That's for sick people!" Her reference to cartoons and sick people turning green were cited. I'm happily thinking - WOW! We just had our first marketing debate! How cool is that?
Ingrid
*sent via AT&T wireless*

Chilly Christmas Parade

Look who we found! I can't believe I didn't think to ask any cousins about who would be at the Christmas Parade ... but we found a few. Click on the album link below for all the photos (including some beautiful ones of "Miss B").

Broken Arrow Christmas Parade 2007

Mushroomzilla

As I am going through piles of Girl Scout camp photos for a project at work, I can't resist blogging this. The mushrooms in Oklahoma are astounding! I have never seen mushrooms so huge in all my life ... they could practically be headgear!

Look For This Sign

When at Girl Scout Day Camp, some very important things may not be on your radar. This is one of them! Odd thing is, however, when I found this sign it was leaning against a picnic table. Somehow I do not think it was an invitation to find relief there!

Last Days of Autumn

I hear it will become cold in the next few days. Fortunately we live where our warm days tend to linger and we can be outside wearing ourselves out until it's cold enough to start a fire. I sat on a cement step taking photos in the evening twilight ... and as far as my backside was concerned, it WAS DEFINITELY cold enough and NEEDED a fire!


Look at my jock! I tried throwing the football with my teenage son this weekend, too, but I think I only lasted for a dozen passes. Who knew that an arm could get such a workout from an oblong ball? I have to admit I was very thankful to have a little time for family that included more than just me and the kids. It was my therapy this weekend, my chance to feel a little bit of "normal" in the midst of this sometimes crazy life.

Time in a Bottle ... or Capsule!

As part of the Oklahoma Centennial, Tulsa created a gigantic time capsule and in addition to all kinds of contributions, a Harley-Davidson motorcycle was put into it to be opened in 50 years. Girl Scouts contributed a scrapbook (the pages of which can be seen online at www.mecgs.org) to the Oklahoma Centennial time capsule. The girls who created the scrapbook couldn't come to the event, so I brought my little one as a backup and she got to write "Girl Scouts Were Here" inside the capsule! It looks like a giant pill! Now if THIS wasn't an awesome opportunity, I don't know what is!

Goofy Mad Moppist

Oh the strangeness. I don't blame him for trying to stop the madness before my camera came out! If I had been just a few seconds earlier, you would have seen the mad moppist attempting to break the world record for mop shaking. Yes, it did start with a purpose. Chores. The mop was wet and I asked him to shake it out. Well ... he did! It was quite the performance!
By the way ... can you believe it's NOVEMBER and the grass is still green?

Minnesota Sunflower

The real deal ...

Minnesota Sunflower

And a darling "Minnesota Sunflower" she was. We tried something new on Halloween night: Wal-Mart! I hate to admit it, but it was rather convenient to know we could trick-or-treat and I could shop if I needed to! Sounds strange, but it was fun. The kids did go around to neighbors, at least.

Wannabe Hasbeens

He might be the Wannabe ...

I could be the Hasbeen ...

It was a treat to see the Wannabe Hasbeens in so many ways! Chris hasn't changed much at all it seems, same goes for Lori. How they got kids who are practically grown is beyond me! It's great to see the same heart in someone who was so influential in my life so long ago. I have to admit, some of it brought some tears ... but mostly from regrets. Not in a professional sense, but more in a personal one. The greatest being that I didn't listen. I could have saved myself a lot of heartache if I had let some words he spoke sink in!

But enough about that ... the great part? I got to introduce my fiance' to everyone - and by everyone, I mean not just Chris and Lori but two more blasts from the past: Mark and Kelly. It was practically like old times except we're all grown up and have kids! LOL ... so, no, it wasn't old times but it sure was nice to see people I haven't seen for at least 10 years and haven't been able to hang out with for probably more like 17!

Wannabe Hasbeens

My photos from the night (above) ... plus a video clip they posted on YouTube:

Birthday ... Bears ... and Byrne!

How cute ... cousins and friends gathered for a party at Build-A-Bear, and they each took two hearts (here they are rubbing them on their cheeks for lots of smiles) and put one inside the birthday girl's bear and one in their own. But what does Byrne have to do with it? He's in the picture! HA! Anyway, my little one got to spend the weekend with grandparents AND have a bear birthday. What could be better?

Trash! Glorious Trash!

Dumpster diving at sunset ...


It's enough to make you want to dance!


Unless you're a teenager. Then you just want to disappear.

Thank God for Sunroofs!

Cameras handy ... we kind of chased this guy down (he was going in our direction anyway). I'm trying to drive and coach my kids how to get a photo of the thing in the sky. It was interesting to see the response. Little M was excited and encouraging to J. J complained about everything saying he couldn't do it. And I finally grabbed the thing and stuck it through the roof to at least attempt to get a photo before he got away! Maybe I am a real photographer!

Oh to fly away ...

This is what I want sometimes ... just to fly.

Glam Girl

There's nothing like a birthday party at Chuck E. Cheese ... After gametime, treasures abound! The best part of the day was spending time with family. The adults were tired, the kids were wound up, but thankfully a pile of tokens gave us all something good!

I found myself today ...

One day when she's famous ...

... I'll have this photo of her first official dance class! Who knows what the future holds, but the teacher couldn't believe she had never taken a dance class before. She's evidently a natural (which doesn't surprise me). But more than anything, I just want her to really enjoy developing a talent. That isn't a problem. Dancing is something she loves to do already ... and I'm thrilled to find a good place for her to learn!

I have to admit, there's part of me that was so happy for this moment as a mother. It has been years since I had originally started to look into either gymnastics or dance for her - especially after a trainer noticed her while we were on vacation and said she was built for gymnastics and encouraged us to seriously pursue it. Life circumstances got in the way ... and it has always hurt my heart. So tonight was very special for me, too.

Cubs fans are a different breed ...

I just had to laugh ... wow they start young!