Midnight Tacos

I wrote this on Friday night but due to technical difficulties, I'm just now able to post it.

12:04am - I guess that makes it Saturday morning...

I'm having a slumber party with my dad at the hospital tonight. It's been pretty tame although he's super funny because of all the pain meds. He's also really hungry. He has been talking about tacos for about an hour. He keeps waking up and asking me what I want to eat, asking me where his taco is, or looking for it in his sheets. My sister came upstairs after she got off her shift in the Emergency Room. She took his order and is now on a midnight taco run. Dad’s snoozing again. I wonder if he’ll ask what the heck Dana is doing with a taco, when he wakes up.

I can connect to the hospital network but for some rason I can't get any internet access. The hours would go by faster if I could surf around the WWW. I guess it's time to pull out my trusty Sudoku game.

Dad just woke up and asked where Dana went to get tacos. On cue, she walked thru the door. Bon Appétit!

6:37pm - Sunday evening

I'm about to hit the road to relieve my sister at the hospital. I've got another slumber party with Dad tonight. What new adventures will we have?

New Digs

Last Saturday we drove to Stroud to visit MiMi & ProPro and check out their new abode. It's a great house and they have a large chunk of land with lots of room for grandkids to run around. After we arrived we took a tour and then we all piled in cars to eat at the BBQ joint down the road. By all, I mean Aunt Rhonda, GiGi, MiMi, and cousins David, Trina, Drake & Dylan in addition to Randy, Lola & I. After dinner, we stood outside and I heard cars running. Sonic was next door but it sounded like our car was running. Since it was hot outside, I thought if it wasn't our car then we should get the air going. So I asked Randy if he started the car. In his usual sarcastic manner he said, "Oh no, I left it running!" I shot him a look while his grandma GiGi laughed. We piled into our car and headed back to the house. Randy almost took off to the golf course before I jogged his memory that his parents didn't live there anymore. Once we got back to the house, GiGi came inside with her sing-song, "Misty, you won't believe what Rhonda did!" It turns out that Rhonda really had left her car running the entire time we were eating in the restaurant. Weird coincidence, right?

Lola had a great time playing with her cousins Drake and Dylan. She was sad that Drake had to leave to go to a Redhawks game. But ProPro came home from the golf tournament and it wasn't long before he & Lola were running through a sprinkler in the back yard. Lola had so much fun! I hadn't brought her extra clothes or a bathing suit so we stripped her down to her panties and let her go wild. Before you start thinking the poor kid had to go the rest of the day without underwear, don't sweat! Her skirt had built-in bloomers. After the water works, Lola & ProPro spent a long while snacking and rocking on the front porch while watching the passing neighbors and listening for a neighborhood motorcycle.

We spent the rest of the evening eating a fabulous meal of grilled chicken, fried squash, salad, and bread - and watching the Olympics of course! It was also a treat to see Uncle Dennis & Aunt Novie. We can't wait to go back and stay in our new room at MiMi & ProPro's.

Randy's brother Eric, Erin & Nickie moved into a new house just a few streets south of us. It feels great to have them in the neighborhood now. It's been a crazy couple of weeks so we haven't seen much of each other but just knowing they are closer is fun.

On Sunday we had brunch with a good friend at her new place. Donna was Jeff & Mary's neighbor until recently. We have gotten to know her by hanging out at the Nemcok house, having dinner, sharing drinks and wonderful conversation. She is a sweet, spunky lady who is absolutely fascinating and we think it is so cool that she hangs out with us. She recently moved into Concordia, a retirement village. It's like a resort... I want to live there! Brunch was an incredible buffet and we enjoyed some lovely mimosas. But the company was the best. Here is a photo of myself, Donna, and Mary.



Here's to all our loved ones and their new digs! May your homes be blessed and full of life, love and joy!!!

Country Cooking

Sometimes you just need a good home-cooked meal... country cooking as people around Oklahoma call it. Our meal last night fit this category; however, instead of the eight side dishes you usually find on dining room tables around here, I only made two. We're trying to watch portion sizes and highlight foods which means simplify in my book. It may not seem like a very healthy dinner but I did use olive oil and Smart Balance - and considerably less than in the past!

I took pictures while still cooking so here's our illustrated menu:

Pork Chops: These were yummy! I'm not much of a pork person and I'm particular about my chops. I like them with the bone in and pan fried. Salt, pepper & garlic - that's all you need.



Fried Okra: ...or a mess of Okra as we Okies say. We grew a garden this year but I didn't plant okra. I actually haven't seen any fresh okra in the market or heard of anyone whose okra made good this year. So sadly, this was frozen okra which I floured and spiced before tossing it in hot olive oil. It was still delicious. Like the pork chops, this okra isn't done yet. It was nice and crunchy in the end.



Apples Deuce in Cinnamon Brown Butter: A duo of Golden & Red Delicious Apples cooked to perfection with a lovely sprinkling of sugar and Saigon cinnamon. The butter was really Smart Balance, but that isn't quite as appetizing as a moniker.



We also had tomatoes fresh out of our garden. Actually, I had tomatoes. Randy isn't a fan of fresh tomatoes - only cooked. He's CRAZY!!! Of course, we drank Iced Tea. Dessert was served much later and consisted of Chocolate Chunk Brownies.

I'm heading into the kitchen to make dinner now. Tonight it's tilapia. I made fresh salsa yesterday so dinner could take on a Latin flair... maybe fish tacos?

He's Seen Better Birthdays

My dad, better known as Poppy, fell at work yesterday and broke his hip. He lost his footing on a 2x4 that was propping up a boat. He was there by himself and thank goodness he had his phone on him. He called 911 and had an ambulance take him to the hospital, but he didn't call them first. He called his cousin Ronnie to come and lock the business, pull the boats inside, etc. When his esophagus ruptured (almost three years ago now), he was knocking on death's door and telling my mom about an invoice that needed to be paid. Last week, I took my mom to have a routine medical test that required sedation and they had given her some extra pain medication. She's a tiny woman and she was quite loopy. Right after she said she needed two more days of that kind of sleep, she started asking me what I thought about a business idea... that's the kind of work ethic my parents have.

Today Poppy had surgery to repair his hip. Tomorrow is his birthday and Saturday is my parent's 36th wedding anniversary. Our celebration was to include a big crab boil but I suppose we'll postpone that. They probably won't read this post for a while but here's to Nana & Poppy!



Poppy - Get Well & Happy Birthday, which seems a bit ridiculous to say right now even though we have so much to be grateful for...

Mom & Dad - Congratulations on doing what seems impossible for most people these days. You are both pretty amazing!

Note: The photo is from my dad's 30th birthday at a gig he was playing with his band The Sundance Band. That was 26 years ago. You do the math.

Bitter:Sweet

A couple of weekends ago, we trailed off to Dallas with some of our best friends Mary & Jeff to hit a concert by my current favorite band. I've been a fan of Bitter:Sweet for a few years now. Their sound is a bit hard to define because it is a melting pot of sounds - retro, ambient, jazz, James Bond (yes, that's a sound), and more. Their music is definitely fun to dance to and it makes me feel a little flirty so Randy & I joke about it being my "sexy" music. The concert was absolutely incredible. The venue was small - the Pontiac Garage at Dallas House of Blues - which is about the only way I will go to a live show. Otherwise, I prefer to catch my fave acts on television where I can actually see them and not pay the crazy concert prices for the view from my binoculars. But that is a rant for another blog. Back to the show... it was full of retro coolness, phenomenal musicianship, amusing showmanship, playful seductiveness, and the band was quite friendly. We took photos with Bitter:Sweet, but I don't have them to post right now. But you can check out the band here: www.bittersweetmusic.com

We drove to Dallas on Saturday after I took Lola to meet Mom who happened to be in OKC for a church outing. Our first stop in Texas was at David and Daniela's house where we stayed the night. David is Jeff's older brother and his wife Dani is from Brazil. They were amazing hosts and have a beautiful home. It was great getting to know them. We met up with Mary's sister Casey for dinner at a yummy Mexican cafe in Lakewood and went back to her place to eat cupcakes from Sprinkles, have a glass of red wine, and cheer Michael Phelps and the rest of the amazing USA team in their last relay to victory.

On Sunday, we noshed on some fruit, bagels, and a buffet of fruit juices. I'm not kidding, they had about five kinds of juice! Then Mary, Dani and I headed out for some shopping and a trip to Ikea. We barely made it back to the house in time to change into our uptown clothes and eventually missed our dinner reservations. But it turned out fine because we were still able to get into Sangria and dine on some really fabulous tapas with plenty of time to roam the neighborhood. Casey had joined us for dinner and acted as tour guide. We finished off with custard from Wild About Harry's and jumped into Z Gallerie (my favorite home store ever! it's like walking inside myself) so that I could ooh and ah over my wish list. Then we scooted on over to the concert.


Jeff & Mary waiting to get in the concert.

Our tickets had seating information on them so we were surprised when we got into the concert hall to find that there was no seating. Mary and I were both in heels and I was in a dress. The concert was getting a late start and we were growing more uncomfortable so we decided to head out to the car to change our clothes. On our way out, we ran into Mary's closest friends from MBA school and met some people they were going to the concert with so that was a fun bonus.


Posing at Waffle House.

By the time the concert was over, we had all worked up an appetite again. So on our way home we found a Waffle House and to our surprise the cook was related to Erin! Erin is our good friend and the girlfriend of Randy's brother Eric. What a small world! Randy, Jeff & Mary all had to work on Monday morning so I was the chauffeur on the way home. Once we got there, we crashed into bed about 3:45am!

What do boom-booms, pajamas, magazines, and babies have in common?

Probably not what you are thinking!



Tonight we had a very loud thunderstorm. The lightning was fierce according to the news. The meteorologist instructed us not to use corded phones or electronics and not to take a bath or shower during the storm. Now, I've never heard anyone actually give either of those warnings on television. However, growing up I heard it from my MeMe several times. Staying off the phone, I could understand; but I always thought that the shower/bath thing was a little bit paranoid. I owe MeMe an apology. The thunderstorm hit as we were cleaning up after dinner. The dishwasher was full and I had to wash a few things by hand. I risked it but I kept thinking to myself, "I have an excuse to leave these dirty dishes lying here and skip out on washing. Why am I still doing this?" The answer - because I wanted to get it done. But now I know that whenever there's a good lightning storm, I have a good excuse to get out of doing the dishes.

The storm bothered Lola tonight. She has never been afraid of thunder. We have always celebrated the boom-booms. It could be because a couple of months ago she and I had a terrifying experience as we huddled in the closet to avoid a tornado overhead. We heard the famous train sound and the windows and doors (even the interior bedroom and closet doors) were shaking from the commotion. It did some damage along our street and we felt spared by God. Honestly, I have been experiencing nerves through every storm since then. We need a storm shelter!!! Anyhow, because of our celebrate the thunder philosophy we went around clapping and singing the old "Boom, Boom, Boom" call and response. She quickly began to lead us in the song and kept it going longer than was comfortable for either of us.

Speaking of comfortable, Randy has found a new way to cajole Lola into her pajamas at night. She hates to go to bed unless we are as well. She is a night owl like her parents and doesn't want to miss anything. She'll say, "Are you going to bed in a minute, too?" Lately, she's been starting to melt down when we get the pajamas and ask her to get her books. She knows it signals the bedtime routine. Now Randy says, "I want to get comfortable. I'm going to get my pajamas." Then she'll reply with, "I want to get comsorble, too!" Then we proceed with the routine.

And on the subject of routine, it seems like Lola has picked one up from us. On Sunday night after all but one of our guests had gone, Randy escaped to the bathroom. Lola came in the living room where I and my friend Micah were conversing and she left a little trail of offensive odor. I asked her if she need to poo-poo and she said yes. She went to the restroom and called me in because her shorts fell off and she wanted them back. I went to sit back down with my friend and shortly after Lola begin to yell, "I need a magazine! I need a magazine!" I looked at Micah and said, "Did she say magazine?" We began to laugh hysterically as I came to Lola's rescue with a catalog to peruse as she did her business. I returned to my conversation again until she called with the wipe request. This photo is from January when I caught her in my bathroom with reading material. I missed Sunday's photo op. In case you are wondering, she's "reading" the insert from her Cars DVD.



One other funny thing... Randy and I were discussing Lola's babyhood at dinner and how he used to hold her. I asked Lola if she wanted us to have a baby brother or sister for her. She said, "No, I have a Jaxson." Randy said, "You don't want a brother or sister?" To which she replied, "No, I see Jaxson this weekend. Four days. I hold him like a baby." She's been begging to see Jaxson, Dustin and Dana, Nana and Poppy all week. I told her yesterday that she was going to go home with Nana on Saturday. I think it's brilliant that she realized Saturday was this weekend. We certainly haven't talked about the days of the week. And four days? Well that's her answer for anything that isn't right now or in a minute. As for holding Jaxson like a baby - good luck! He was slinging her around like a rag doll when she dared play with his toys last week. They are about 21 months apart but he is almost as big as Lola is. Back to the story... I asked one more time, "Lola, do you want Mommy to have a baby?" Her quick response was, "I have a baby."

For Your Viewing Pleasure

Yesterday, Lola & I went to Pelican Bay Aquatic Center in Edmond. We went earlier this summer when my niece Ariel came to visit and had lots of fun. I've been meaning to take her again but between traveling and the incessant heat, I'm just now getting it done. Lola loves the water. That's really an understatement. She can spend hours in the bathtub and is a great swimmer at 2-years-old. She can't enroll in swimming lessons at the local YMCA until she is three but that is definitely on the agenda.

Most of you know Randy's obsession with the Olympics. Each Olympic season he figures out the sports in which he could still possibly compete... he announced Monday that he could go in skeet shooting. I told him we could arrange for him to compete in the Special Olympics. This year he's also obsessing about everything he wants Lola to have exposure to and how we must start early and we're almost too late for some things... blah, blah, blah. (Yes, I know that is a run-on sentence, but I want you to feel my pain.) I asked my friend Julie what the Olympic equivalent was for the term stage father. Anyhow, I knew he would be proud that Lola begged to go off the diving board at the water park and would take credit for it since he's been making her watch Olympic coverage nonstop; and yes, particularly pointing out all the water sports including diving. Sadly, the diving board was in the big kid pool so we'll have to check out her diving skills later. But I do have this beautiful slideshow for you to watch!

I'm also offering these fun photos of some of the grandkids at our last visit to Nana & Poppy's. I ripped them from Ariel's myspace so all photo credits go to her. There are the typical myspace poses and a few attitude-filled shots. Lola thinks she is as grown as Ariel who will turn sweet sixteen on October 20th. Watch the roads! She already has her permit.

Lola's New Hairstyle

Lola seems to like her new haircut. Actually, I think she likes not having to whine through combing the detangler through her hair all the time. I wanted to get a great pic that showed the sweet side angle, but she wasn't in the mood to model. These were the best photos I could get.

Fun with Family

Lola and I just returned from a trip to visit my family in Warner, OK. Randy went with us last Friday and he came back on Sunday. Lola & I stayed to enjoy ourselves a bit longer and yesterday my sister took us to meet him in Seminole. We had lots of fun but as always, our trip was too short. The heat kept us indoors for most of the day. Even at night the pool was so warm that it was nowhere near refreshing.

We did linger out in the heat to supervise as Lola chauffeured her cousin Jaxson around in the Gator that Poppy bought for them. She is an amazing little driver. If any of you have ridden with Randy, you know she gets that from me! Dustin was watering the tomatoes and Lola & Jaxson on the Gator, as well as Nana & I during one of the Gator cruise sessions. Lola kept wiping the water out of Jaxson's face while we marveled over how sweet and nurturing she is toward him. He would then pat her hair and lay his head on her shoulder. All of this happened while she was still turning circles all around the yard.



We had the treat of spending time with Nana & Poppy, Dana, Dustin, Jaxson, MeMe, Aunt Dee, my niece Ariel, Granny Kay, and old friends at Warner First Assembly of God. We saw Poppy's new toy - a beautiful red and chrome 1968 Camaro. I left without a visual to add here but I intend to get a photo on my next trip.

One of my favorite moments happened when Dad was catalog shopping for his new toy. He is in a car club and will be showing the Camaro along with his old pickup which I have shown here. I asked him what all he needed to do to the Camaro and he proceeded to answer me about the heat and air. Lola was playing nearby and she interrupted, "Oh, Poppy, I need music in my Gator!" Poppy and I laughed and he told her he would have to trick it out with a transistor radio. I was amazed that she, seemingly oblivious to our conversation, connected Poppy fixing up his car with what he should do for hers. I'm sure she will get her wish.

When we pulled onto our street last night Lola began to cry, "I don't wanna go home! I don't wanna go home! I wanna go right back! I wanna see Dana! I want Jaxson! Go to Nana's! -etc., etc., etc." It was quite annoying and very sad. Randy recalled the same feelings when he would leave his grandparents. Since Randy wanted to catch Iron Man at the cinema I have previously mentioned, we compromised by taking her to the movie instead of back to Warner. By the time we did make it home, Randy was pretty miffed since he missed 20 of the last 30 minutes of the movie due to Lola needing a very long potty break. And he had been so ready for us to come home!!!

Hopefully, this weekend we will get to see MiMi & ProPro's new house. We are praying for cooler weather for the move. We're excited to see their new digs and celebrate this new phase of their lives. We are also hoping to spend time with our good friend Raelynn who is in Oklahoma for the funeral of her grandfather. We love Rae Rae! She is family and we want to show her our love and sympathy. She's lived with us a couple of times and we have missed her since she decided to live in the uber-cool land of Boulder, Colorado, with our other uber-cool friends. We visited there in May and have declared it our new home away from home.

Oh, yeah! Lola got her hair cut... OFF! It's cute but I've had quite a bit of remorse. I'll post a pic soon. Love to you all!