She's laughing

back to school

Natalie — Fri, 14 Aug 2009 01:37:33 +0000

Today was the first day of school here. I cannot believe that I have a junior, a freshman and an 8th grader this year. It’s so strange for the kids to be so grown up.

Junior

Freshman

8th grader

Posted in journal

16

Natalie — Wed, 29 Jul 2009 12:25:06 +0000

Later this morning, as the clock turns from 8:52 to 8:53 AM, my oldest child will be 16 years old.

Happy Birthday, sweet girl!

Posted in celebrations, children

tribal chief

Natalie — Thu, 23 Jul 2009 02:29:18 +0000

When the kids and I were in Broken Bow, we went to Beavers Bend State Park. This regal Indian Chief sits in front of the Forest Heritage Center. I remember when the artist carved the tribal Chief with a chain saw. We drove up and watched him work one afternoon and I thought it was amazing that he could create such detail with something as large as a chainsaw. I’ve looked for information about the artist online, but haven’t found anything yet.

When I forced everyone to stand in front of the chief, some of the kids were tired, hot and ready to be in the water. Can you tell?

Posted in travel

post office

Natalie — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 02:06:23 +0000

One of my favorite memories of childhood is of playing post office. We used the brick wall in front of the carport as our mail boxes. The holes in the brick wall were the mailboxes. We’d work and work, writing letters and putting them in the mail slots for each other.

Posted in travel

tire swing

Natalie — Tue, 14 Jul 2009 03:00:47 +0000

This tire swing hangs at the house where I grew up. I cannot tell you how many memories I have of jumping off the fence onto the swing and flying through the air with the sky showing a little through the branches and leaves of this big oak tree.

When I was back in my hometown this past weekend, we stayed at my grandparents’ house with Granny, Aunt M. and Uncle D. Granny’s house is next door to the house where I grew up, the house my dad and grandpa built, the house we moved into when I was in 2nd grade.

Saturday afternoon, we walked over to see the old tire swing and told the kids some stories about how much fun their aunts and I had on it as kids.

Living in central Oklahoma where the land is mostly flat, I forget how mountainous it is and big the trees get in SE Oklahoma. It’s always a bit of a shock to see huge pine trees reaching so far toward the heavens and how big around the trunks of the oak trees are.

Posted in journal, travel

good memories

Natalie — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 02:14:16 +0000

My great-grandfather built this little rock house. It’s on Main Street in Antlers, Oklahoma.

He was my maternal grandmother’s father. My great-aunt and her family lived here when I was a child and I remember visiting this house, seeing my great aunt and her husband. I remember seeing some of their children and grandchildren there too, but probably couldn’t pick them out of a crowd at this point.

I can still remember the smell of the house. Driving by it brings back those memories each time I pass through on the way back to my home town.

Posted in travel

Lot 8

Natalie — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 14:00:40 +0000

When I got home from work yesterday, a box from UPS was waiting. It was from Minimed, the company that makes J’s insulin pump and supplies.

Inside the box was a new box of ten infusion/tubing sets along with a prepaid shipping label and a notice that any infusion sets from lots beginning with 8 need to be returned.

Guess how many boxes from lot 8 we have?

Four.

Today, I’ll go by the UPS store and send them back. The mailman just came by and picked up our outgoing mail, which included the notice to Minimed that we had four boxes and will need replacement boxes.

I appreciate Minimed’s quick response to the problem they’ve discovered with some of the infusion sets from lot 8.

Click here to read the official news release about the reacall from Minimed.

Posted in diabetes

Seventy Six Trombones

Natalie — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 01:46:41 +0000

Last night, I volunteered at THE MUSIC MAN. It was a really great performance and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

I had forgotten most of the songs and now have them running through my head. I’m thinking of finding the soundtrack so I can torture my children with it during trips to the mall and grocery store.

Posted in listening, watching

6th of July fireworks

Natalie — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 04:29:50 +0000

Since it rained on 04 July, we did some fireworks tonight. I messed around with the “fireworks” setting on my camera and had a great time.

Here are a few photos:

Posted in celebrations

lightning

Natalie — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 12:57:17 +0000

A few nights ago, we had a thunderstorm on the way when I noticed lightning in the distance.

Have you heard that saying about how lightning never strikes in the same place twice? Well, I know that’s not true. One of my friends from high school had her phone line struck multiple times during our high school years. I don’t know exactly how many times it happened, but it was at least twice.

Each time I hear someone say that lightning never strikes the same place twice, I think about that and sometimes I tell them the story of how the lightning struck her phone.

Posted in journal