Wednesday, May 21, 2008

Golfers, and Family, and Caves ... OH MY!


We FINALLY made it to Branson ... and I'll spare you the details, but it was a feat! Time with family was short but very sweet. There were spouses and children to meet. Even my own little Miss M was a newcomer to almost all of them! I think it had been at least 10 years since we had seen most everyone, which is AMAZING. It's hard to believe it has been that long. I wish we could have had more time to spend with everyone. Unfortunately, life is too demanding at present. So I count the time as very, very precious. Every single person was a delight! Click on the album below for the highlights.
Dietz Family in Branson
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Tuesday, May 20, 2008

Accidental Detours

This isn't the toll road! After being delayed by illness and the domino effect of the day, my tired brain missed the turnpike and we found ourselves winding around crazy roads to find our way back. But I have to admit it was on the wonderful side of accidental!
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Sunday, May 11, 2008

Not to mention the boy mowing the lawn ... Now that's a Mother's Day gift!
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My Mother's Day

Still working, of course, but at least in a hammock with a little girl swinging nearby!
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Saturday, May 10, 2008

Proud Poster Girl


This week we had an interesting encounter with a woman saying to little M, "You look SO familiar to me!" She couldn't quite place her finger on it, but she KNEW she knew her face. Of course, neither of us could figure out any connection (and I didn't mention this signage at the airport - I hate to feel like I'm bragging) but it sure makes me wonder! Little M whispered to me later something about telling her she's on the billboard at the airport. LOL. She is so proud!

By the way, this interesting encounter also happened to be just before a very interesting event. It was the first time I have been "caught" in a store when the tornado sirens sounded. We just picked up our McD's food and were suddenly rushed to the back of Wal-Mart! It felt like we spent our whole evening against the back wall. Just today I found out that a tornado indeed touched down a block away! It was a weak one, but all the same, a tornado! As I hear from so many people, "Welcome to springtime in Oklahoma!"
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Sunday, May 04, 2008


I think I will call this one "HOPE" ... it was my moment of beauty today.
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Curious Friends at Safari's Zoo


We were adopted by this goose. It ate right from M's hand! The girls just giggled and giggled. We could even pet it. It followed us through the petting zoo after this.


One of my favorites? The zebra! It seemed curious enough about us as well ... but we couldn't feed it because the snacks make the zebra sick. Poor zebra! Everyone else gets treats!

We found out about this place (Safari's Zoo) from someone I met through work last week. He and his wife rescue wolves and he's also a big cat handler for this place. They are all volunteers and the admission goes to feed the animals. Little M now has a blog and put the video of her feeding a liger (yes, LIGER! hehehe) online.
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Thursday, May 01, 2008

Dominique Dawes and her chauffeur ...


OK ... so I hate being on my own blog, but c'mon! This is Dominique Dawes! I had the pleasure of picking her up at the airport along with little Miss M. We waited and waited and waited, and after I couldn't stand it any more, I snuck off to the bathroom and left my daughter by the security guard holding a sign that said "DOMINIQUE DAWES" (and wearing her renaissance costume from her gifted program that day). It was a cute sight! Of course, Dominique arrives in that moment. By the time I returned, little M had told her about a plethora of life events and Dominique knew more details about our family and life in Tulsa, Oklahoma than most!

I will have to try and capture the portion of Dominique's speech from our luncheon because she mentioned little M! I wish I would have taken photos of our personal afternoon with Dominique before her Q&A session at the Council office (for Girl Scouts who wrote essays and some of our outreach girls). A couple of the girls there were gymnasts ... one in particular cited Dominique as her inspiration. Even though she was too young to be aware of it at the time, she later grew up watching video tapes of the Olympic Games and Dominique Dawes. What an amazing opportunity for her to sit in a room with 25 girls and Dominique!!!
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How slow do you want the fire to burn?

  Just a little over a year ago, I had an urge to set up my special writing place. One person I wanted to tell was my aunt because I had bee...