I am not going to lie to you. The last 5 years here at the ol' Radio Ranch have not been easy. We have been owned by an out-of-state group that didn't really care what we were doing or how we were doing it. But the few, hardened broadcast professionals like Kelley, Shelly, Dedi, Cathy, Mike and I held on by our fingernails hoping that we would get sold to someone who would just give a damn.
Imagine our surprise and delight when the very man that started Kicks 99 in 2001 (Tommy Vascocu) bought us back in July! We have all new equipment, owners that pay attention to what we are doing both on and off the air, and a General Manager (John Moesch) who is here every day and understands BOTH sides of the microphone because he has done what Mike and I do every morning!
So all of us who have been here through the hard times and are now enjoying the re-birth of our beloved radio stations, and our new full and part time employees, had our Christmas Party last night. A lovely dinner at Venezia. It is the first Christmas party we have had in years and we had a blast! You get a bunch of radio people together, give them a little wine and beer, and no one shuts up...especially me!
Mike and I agreed as we were driving home last night that it was good to just sit down and laugh with everyone. And it was good knowing next year will be much better than this one. And, finally, it was good to just be joyful with people who are so much more than co-workers. They are truly family.
Wednesday, December 19, 2012
Tuesday, December 18, 2012
Really? Is That Necessary?
Everyone talks about how Christmas has changed. How people seem to just get crabbier and less civil as the "Festive Season" goes on. More "Bah-Humbugs" and fewer "Merry Christmases". Well, I am going to go out on a limb here and say it is all in what you want to hold on to, and that includes your sense of humor!
Yesterday, Mike and I experienced opposite ends of the spectrum when it comes to human behavior. We went to Albertson's to do a little grocery shopping. We got in line behind a young woman who was shopping with her mother. She had forgotten her ID so they wouldn't let her buy a bottle of wine. She finished checking out without the wine. Just as she finished her mother came up, cut right in front of us to buy her few items. The young woman then asked her mother to buy the wine for her. When the manager told her they could not do that she got really upset, VERY loud and profane! The whole store could hear her. We felt so sorry for the cashier!
But as we left, all I could think of was something an old friend of ours used to say when he was disgusted..."Some people's children..." and we laughed at how ridiculous that woman made herself look.
At the opposite end of the spectrum, Mike and I are refinancing our home. We ran into a snag that was going to hold up the entire process until next year if we didn't get it cleared up. We went into the Citibank branch on Andrews Hiway and talked to the branch manager, Matthew Zentner. He spent hours with us getting the problem sorted. He then continued to follow up on the matter until the problem was resolved, the paperwork was done, and we were able to close on the refinance yesterday afternoon! And we weren't even refinancing with Citibank!
Matthew just went above and beyond good service...and was endlessly patient with us. THAT is the human spirit we choose to think of during the holidays! Hold on to the little (or big) things that people do for you and others that exemplify the best in all of us, and have a Merry Christmas!
Yesterday, Mike and I experienced opposite ends of the spectrum when it comes to human behavior. We went to Albertson's to do a little grocery shopping. We got in line behind a young woman who was shopping with her mother. She had forgotten her ID so they wouldn't let her buy a bottle of wine. She finished checking out without the wine. Just as she finished her mother came up, cut right in front of us to buy her few items. The young woman then asked her mother to buy the wine for her. When the manager told her they could not do that she got really upset, VERY loud and profane! The whole store could hear her. We felt so sorry for the cashier!
But as we left, all I could think of was something an old friend of ours used to say when he was disgusted..."Some people's children..." and we laughed at how ridiculous that woman made herself look.
At the opposite end of the spectrum, Mike and I are refinancing our home. We ran into a snag that was going to hold up the entire process until next year if we didn't get it cleared up. We went into the Citibank branch on Andrews Hiway and talked to the branch manager, Matthew Zentner. He spent hours with us getting the problem sorted. He then continued to follow up on the matter until the problem was resolved, the paperwork was done, and we were able to close on the refinance yesterday afternoon! And we weren't even refinancing with Citibank!
Matthew just went above and beyond good service...and was endlessly patient with us. THAT is the human spirit we choose to think of during the holidays! Hold on to the little (or big) things that people do for you and others that exemplify the best in all of us, and have a Merry Christmas!
Monday, December 17, 2012
The Boy Is Home!
Eric came home from Fort Riley on Saturday. If I never saw him, I would know he was home just from the condition of the guest room and the smell.
I keep hoping the Army will train him to keep his room tidy. Wrong. I guess even the Army cannot train the "pigpen" out of the boy. Honestly, when he left yesterday morning to go mess around with his ROTC buddies from high school, I made the mistake of looking into his room. OMG!!! And the smell! It was as if he had never left home.
My friend, Rachel Dobbs, had warned me. Her oldest son went into the Army as well. He is even a Sergeant, and when he comes home his room looks just like it did when he was a teenager. And they manage this in the space of only a few minutes! On the other hand, Eric is certainly more mature now. But not TOO mature. He is kind of on a par with his father.
He says the room is only messy because his wife, Lilly, is in San Angelo visiting her family. She comes in today. He says she will whip the room into shape in no time. I feel sorry for her. But I DID warn her before they got married! Smell and mess aside, my baby boy is home! I don't really care what his room looks like, as long as he is in it!
I keep hoping the Army will train him to keep his room tidy. Wrong. I guess even the Army cannot train the "pigpen" out of the boy. Honestly, when he left yesterday morning to go mess around with his ROTC buddies from high school, I made the mistake of looking into his room. OMG!!! And the smell! It was as if he had never left home.
My friend, Rachel Dobbs, had warned me. Her oldest son went into the Army as well. He is even a Sergeant, and when he comes home his room looks just like it did when he was a teenager. And they manage this in the space of only a few minutes! On the other hand, Eric is certainly more mature now. But not TOO mature. He is kind of on a par with his father.
He says the room is only messy because his wife, Lilly, is in San Angelo visiting her family. She comes in today. He says she will whip the room into shape in no time. I feel sorry for her. But I DID warn her before they got married! Smell and mess aside, my baby boy is home! I don't really care what his room looks like, as long as he is in it!
Thursday, December 13, 2012
Christmas Movies
A lyric in Taylor Swift's latest song "Begin Again" got me thinking about how many families out there that have a tradition of watching certain Christmas movies during the season? Our family does! Mike and I have buckled under the pressure from our kids not to play "A Christmas Story" anymore for awhile. So we watch it ourselves before everyone else arrives. They just don't get that movie I guess.
Oddly enough, they all love "White Christmas" with Bing Crosby and Danny Kaye! This is one that we watch several times during the season. I think the kids love this one because Mike will invariably do a running commentary on it that makes it really hilarious. My real favorite is "Holiday Inn" with Bing. I have loved that movie since I was 10 years old. I usually watch this one alone. Mike has a couple of old favorites as well. He loves the 1951 version of "A Christmas Carole" with Alistair Sim. He also loves a made-for-tv movie from the 70's called "The Gathering" with Ed Asner. It is fun to watch just for the really bad 70's fashion!
As a family, we all love "National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation", "Love Actually", "The Holiday" and we have added "Four Christmases". Mike, Adam and Eric have requested we add "Die Hard" and "Lethal Weapon" as they take place at Christmas. They call them the "gunfire and tinsel" movies.
We don't watch animated movies, the kids have never been fans. Our family also has a pretty twisted sense of humor so there are a lot of "sweet and sensitive" Christmas movies that just don't make the cut at our house. Our poor little brand new daughter-in-law, Lilly, really isn't going to know what hit her this Christmas. On the other hand, she married Eric so she must have some idea!
Oddly enough, they all love "White Christmas" with Bing Crosby and Danny Kaye! This is one that we watch several times during the season. I think the kids love this one because Mike will invariably do a running commentary on it that makes it really hilarious. My real favorite is "Holiday Inn" with Bing. I have loved that movie since I was 10 years old. I usually watch this one alone. Mike has a couple of old favorites as well. He loves the 1951 version of "A Christmas Carole" with Alistair Sim. He also loves a made-for-tv movie from the 70's called "The Gathering" with Ed Asner. It is fun to watch just for the really bad 70's fashion!
As a family, we all love "National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation", "Love Actually", "The Holiday" and we have added "Four Christmases". Mike, Adam and Eric have requested we add "Die Hard" and "Lethal Weapon" as they take place at Christmas. They call them the "gunfire and tinsel" movies.
We don't watch animated movies, the kids have never been fans. Our family also has a pretty twisted sense of humor so there are a lot of "sweet and sensitive" Christmas movies that just don't make the cut at our house. Our poor little brand new daughter-in-law, Lilly, really isn't going to know what hit her this Christmas. On the other hand, she married Eric so she must have some idea!
Wednesday, December 12, 2012
Rutabega
Every year at Christmas I do something for Mike and Eric that I won't do at any other time of the year. I fix rutabega. Blech. This is a dish Mike's mother made for his dad. For Mike, it has always been a part of the holidays. His dad loved rutabega, Mike loves rutabega, and now Eric loves rutabega. They are the only three people I know in the world who eat it.
The food that was always on MY holiday table is my mother's cinnamon applesauce jello. It was always my favorite food at Christmas and it is now the favorite of my "normal" family members. Anyway, Mike's mother taught me how to fix rutabega the way Mike likes it. First, peel it (easier said than done) cube it and boil the hell out of it. WARNING...you will smell the hell being boiled out! The aroma of boiling dirty socks is the way I would describe it. Then mash it up with butter and salt.
Mike and his family have introduced me to many culinary delights over the years. Scottish meat pies, fern cakes, scones with Cornish clotted cream (perfection!) real fish and chips, haggis (NOT perfection!) black pudding (also NOT perfection!). I can make a pretty good Shepherd's Pie and some very good shortbread. I don't know if the rutabega that I fix is good...I won't even taste it.
When I was checking out at Wal-Mart yesterday, I had to explain rutabega to the young cashier. Let's just say, I am NOT a great "Rutabega Ambassador". I don't think she will ever cook one.
The food that was always on MY holiday table is my mother's cinnamon applesauce jello. It was always my favorite food at Christmas and it is now the favorite of my "normal" family members. Anyway, Mike's mother taught me how to fix rutabega the way Mike likes it. First, peel it (easier said than done) cube it and boil the hell out of it. WARNING...you will smell the hell being boiled out! The aroma of boiling dirty socks is the way I would describe it. Then mash it up with butter and salt.
Mike and his family have introduced me to many culinary delights over the years. Scottish meat pies, fern cakes, scones with Cornish clotted cream (perfection!) real fish and chips, haggis (NOT perfection!) black pudding (also NOT perfection!). I can make a pretty good Shepherd's Pie and some very good shortbread. I don't know if the rutabega that I fix is good...I won't even taste it.
When I was checking out at Wal-Mart yesterday, I had to explain rutabega to the young cashier. Let's just say, I am NOT a great "Rutabega Ambassador". I don't think she will ever cook one.
Tuesday, December 11, 2012
We Must Have Done Something Right
As we get closer to Christmas this year I have realized that the excitement for the holiday has come full circle. When we were young, we would get excited to a fever pitch for the presents under the tree and what Santa would bring. Now we get excited about just having our family together again.
And the best feeling is that they are just as excited about coming home! We hear from Eric at least twice a day as his trip home approaches. He and Lilly are coming in from Fort Riley, Kansas on Saturday and we are beside ourselves with excitement. But our little homesick soldier is even more so. He texted me the other day saying, "It is 26 degrees at troop with a wind chill of 3. It's moments like this that I think in a few days I'll be at the cabin with a hot toddie and a fire, family and a movie. It's the little things y'all have done for me that get me through the hardest moments in my job." Wow. Made me cry.
I also love that our oldest son Adam would rather be at the cabin with us for Christmas than anywhere else. We understand that once you marry you have to split your Christmases with your spouses family. Fortunately, Sara's family has a cabin in Ruidoso which makes it easier for them to spend time with two families. I thank her for being generous enough to share time with us every Christmas. I know that some years that has been a struggle and we appreciate her sweet thoughtfulness and her family for sharing her with us.
All those years we decorated the tree, put the snow villiages up, cooked and baked and felt un-appreciated through it all...we must have done something right. For you mom's and dad's out there...keep doing what you are doing to build traditions and joy and family time with your children and they will always want to come home. And remember, it isn't what is under the Christmas tree that matters to them as they get older. It is what you do around the tree.
And the best feeling is that they are just as excited about coming home! We hear from Eric at least twice a day as his trip home approaches. He and Lilly are coming in from Fort Riley, Kansas on Saturday and we are beside ourselves with excitement. But our little homesick soldier is even more so. He texted me the other day saying, "It is 26 degrees at troop with a wind chill of 3. It's moments like this that I think in a few days I'll be at the cabin with a hot toddie and a fire, family and a movie. It's the little things y'all have done for me that get me through the hardest moments in my job." Wow. Made me cry.
I also love that our oldest son Adam would rather be at the cabin with us for Christmas than anywhere else. We understand that once you marry you have to split your Christmases with your spouses family. Fortunately, Sara's family has a cabin in Ruidoso which makes it easier for them to spend time with two families. I thank her for being generous enough to share time with us every Christmas. I know that some years that has been a struggle and we appreciate her sweet thoughtfulness and her family for sharing her with us.
All those years we decorated the tree, put the snow villiages up, cooked and baked and felt un-appreciated through it all...we must have done something right. For you mom's and dad's out there...keep doing what you are doing to build traditions and joy and family time with your children and they will always want to come home. And remember, it isn't what is under the Christmas tree that matters to them as they get older. It is what you do around the tree.
Monday, December 10, 2012
No More Moving.
I went to 14 different schools in 11 years of school. I graduated from a high school in Kansas that I never actually attended because I had all the credits I needed! My mom had always wanted to travel beyond the small world of Grand Junction, Colorado but her dad said "NO!" when she wanted to join the military out of high school. So we moved around Colorado, then California, then Kansas. As soon as I could, I moved myself back "home" to Colorado and went to college in Boulder.
Anyway, Midland is the only place I have ever called home for longer than 5 years! There are many habits and problems that come from moving so much. First, they say 3 moves equals a fire in terms property loss, etc. So I have very little of my childhood left. I have our three stockings (Mark, Dana and Troy painted in silver glitter on very grubby felt) and I have three little stuffed reindeer (red, green and white) that my paternal grandmother gave us when I was about 5. Mine is the red one with the little bracelet pinned around it's neck so everyone knows it is the girl deer! That's it. That is the entire collection from when I was a child. And I only recently found the little deer in the attic. They were still in a square "go-go boots" box! How is THAT for making one feel old!!
So now I have a wonderful antique cedar chest that my mother gave me when I graduated from college and I call that my "Stuff My Kids Did Trunk". I have everything in there from the outfits they wore home from the hospital to their graduation caps and gowns. The second problem I have from moving every six months of my life is that I get restless if I am in one house too long. Mike lived in 2 houses total until he was 18 and he told me right at the beginning of our marriage that we would NOT be moving every 6 months! So now I just re-arrange furniture and paint walls. It's better, I don't have to pack!
Anyway, Midland is the only place I have ever called home for longer than 5 years! There are many habits and problems that come from moving so much. First, they say 3 moves equals a fire in terms property loss, etc. So I have very little of my childhood left. I have our three stockings (Mark, Dana and Troy painted in silver glitter on very grubby felt) and I have three little stuffed reindeer (red, green and white) that my paternal grandmother gave us when I was about 5. Mine is the red one with the little bracelet pinned around it's neck so everyone knows it is the girl deer! That's it. That is the entire collection from when I was a child. And I only recently found the little deer in the attic. They were still in a square "go-go boots" box! How is THAT for making one feel old!!
So now I have a wonderful antique cedar chest that my mother gave me when I graduated from college and I call that my "Stuff My Kids Did Trunk". I have everything in there from the outfits they wore home from the hospital to their graduation caps and gowns. The second problem I have from moving every six months of my life is that I get restless if I am in one house too long. Mike lived in 2 houses total until he was 18 and he told me right at the beginning of our marriage that we would NOT be moving every 6 months! So now I just re-arrange furniture and paint walls. It's better, I don't have to pack!
Friday, December 7, 2012
LIVE BROADCASTS ARE DANGEROUS!
One of the amazing things that Mike and I get to do in the course of our "work" is emcee really fun stuff! Tomorrow night we get to emcee (along with Jay Hendricks) the Downtown Midland Lighted Christmas Parade. We love doing these things in our community because we get to see and meet so many people, we have so much fun, AND it keeps us on our toes!!
Whenever we do a LIVE event there is always the possibility of making a really embarassing faux pas. I remember a few years ago, we were emceeing the parade with Jimmy Patterson and he said "Here come the Citizen's on Parole" instead of "Citizens on Patrol". We still laugh about that (because it wasn't our mistake).
After many, many years of doing a live morning show Mike and I have learned to be really careful when speaking publicly. But if we make a funny mistake (or a stupid one) we are generally forgiven because we are just a couple of clowns anyway. However, Jay Hendricks cannot be a clown because he has to remain credible as a "journalist". Frankly, we are surprised that the powers that be at CBS7 even allow him anywhere near us. We have been known to be a bad influence. Just sayin'!
Hopefully we will see all of you at the parade tomorrow night! We will be the clowns sitting by Jay Hendricks.
Whenever we do a LIVE event there is always the possibility of making a really embarassing faux pas. I remember a few years ago, we were emceeing the parade with Jimmy Patterson and he said "Here come the Citizen's on Parole" instead of "Citizens on Patrol". We still laugh about that (because it wasn't our mistake).
After many, many years of doing a live morning show Mike and I have learned to be really careful when speaking publicly. But if we make a funny mistake (or a stupid one) we are generally forgiven because we are just a couple of clowns anyway. However, Jay Hendricks cannot be a clown because he has to remain credible as a "journalist". Frankly, we are surprised that the powers that be at CBS7 even allow him anywhere near us. We have been known to be a bad influence. Just sayin'!
Hopefully we will see all of you at the parade tomorrow night! We will be the clowns sitting by Jay Hendricks.
Thursday, December 6, 2012
Walking The Line
I have noticed that the line between parent and child gets much, much thinner as both mom and I get older. My mother mentioned the other day that she went to Wal-Mart to pick up a prescription, and since it was a nice cool day she decided to take her little dog Maggie with her. Leaving Maggie in the car she ran in for her prescription. After paying out she started looking for her car keys and couldn't find them! She went back to the pharmacy and looked, asked around, and finally decided she might have to call me to go get the extra key so she could get into her car.
However, when she got back to her car she found the keys in the ignition, the car was running and Maggie was sitting in the drivers seat waiting for her! Now, I have always said my mother has a Guardian Angel that really works overtime for her but this is ridiculous!! It is so strange to think that back when I was starting to drive she warned me about doing just this very thing!
Mom always keeps a Garmin on her dashboard because she has been known to get lost... in Midland! Last night she pointed out that her nice, soft turtleneck had been itching her neck all day. As she was getting ready for bed she realized she had worn it backwards all day and it was the tag that was itching her throat.
Fortunately, mom has kept her sense of humor! She is also still sharp as a tack when it comes to so many other things.
But that line is getting thinner and I am beginning to think she wants to be an irresponsible teenager again. And that's fine, as long as she doesn't lace up the old roller skates and go back to her car-hop days! My mother on roller skates would even be beyond her Guardian Angel's capabilities!
However, when she got back to her car she found the keys in the ignition, the car was running and Maggie was sitting in the drivers seat waiting for her! Now, I have always said my mother has a Guardian Angel that really works overtime for her but this is ridiculous!! It is so strange to think that back when I was starting to drive she warned me about doing just this very thing!
Mom always keeps a Garmin on her dashboard because she has been known to get lost... in Midland! Last night she pointed out that her nice, soft turtleneck had been itching her neck all day. As she was getting ready for bed she realized she had worn it backwards all day and it was the tag that was itching her throat.
Fortunately, mom has kept her sense of humor! She is also still sharp as a tack when it comes to so many other things.
But that line is getting thinner and I am beginning to think she wants to be an irresponsible teenager again. And that's fine, as long as she doesn't lace up the old roller skates and go back to her car-hop days! My mother on roller skates would even be beyond her Guardian Angel's capabilities!
Wednesday, December 5, 2012
Officially NUTS!!
Mike has come up with what he thinks is a BRILLIANT idea!! He is going to take his boys, Adam and Eric, and go snow camping!! Go up the canyon from the cabin, pitch a tent (in 15 degree weather) and spend the night doing guy things (like freezing their @#*# off)!
Eric thinks this is a great idea! Of course, he does this all the time at Fort Riley. He texted me this morning saying it was 15 degrees with a wind chill of 3 and they were out doing PT! And he is anxious to show his dad and his brother what he has learned as a 4-4 Cav. Scout sniper. I am not sure Adam even knows about these nefarious plans for his Christmas vacation.
I think Mike just wants some time with his boys. He is surrounded by women now that Eric is in Kansas and he wants some shooting and swearing and burping but he doesn't want that from me (thank God). In addition to that, Eric spent 6 days in hell this year...also known as Somalia. Officially, he was escorting a NATO humanitarian aid convoy through Mogadishu. However, it was a nightmare of an experience that included combat and near death experiences and things no 20 year old American kid should see. It was also 6 of the longest days we, as parents, have ever experienced. And for us it was a glimpse of what parents of soldiers go through for months at a time when they are deployed.
So they will go camping for a freezing night and share stories around a campfire and make memories that will last a lifetime (if they survive). And we girls will stay in the warm cabin, watch chick flicks, drink wine and make memories that will last a lifetime. And WE will sleep in warm beds!
Eric thinks this is a great idea! Of course, he does this all the time at Fort Riley. He texted me this morning saying it was 15 degrees with a wind chill of 3 and they were out doing PT! And he is anxious to show his dad and his brother what he has learned as a 4-4 Cav. Scout sniper. I am not sure Adam even knows about these nefarious plans for his Christmas vacation.
I think Mike just wants some time with his boys. He is surrounded by women now that Eric is in Kansas and he wants some shooting and swearing and burping but he doesn't want that from me (thank God). In addition to that, Eric spent 6 days in hell this year...also known as Somalia. Officially, he was escorting a NATO humanitarian aid convoy through Mogadishu. However, it was a nightmare of an experience that included combat and near death experiences and things no 20 year old American kid should see. It was also 6 of the longest days we, as parents, have ever experienced. And for us it was a glimpse of what parents of soldiers go through for months at a time when they are deployed.
So they will go camping for a freezing night and share stories around a campfire and make memories that will last a lifetime (if they survive). And we girls will stay in the warm cabin, watch chick flicks, drink wine and make memories that will last a lifetime. And WE will sleep in warm beds!
Tuesday, December 4, 2012
Feeling Threatened
Today, Nashville Kat talked about the really petty complaint that Brandy DeGlanville made against Leann Rimes. Brandy doesn't like Leann referring to HER two sons as "my boys". Whenever I hear about this kind of stuff I think back to when I felt just as "threatened".
When my son Adam was about a year old, his father needed to leave us and go to his family in Houston to get well. He had a chemical imbalance in his brain that brought on deep depression and he needed a safe place to go through all the testing and therapy that would fix it. So it was just Adam and me for awhile.
By the time Adam's father got his life back on track it had been a couple of years. He wanted to be back in his son's life. I was thinking about re-marrying at the time and really struggled with not wanting Adam to be confused by two fathers, not wanting to share him with his father in Houston, all the selfish thoughts of a very scared and threatened mother.
Then I was driving to work one early morning and pulled over to the side of the road, overwhelmed by fear I started to pray..."please Lord, change his mind about wanting to come back into Adam's life..." and I heard, clear as a bell, "No. But I will change your heart!" And at that moment God made me see that it would always be better for Adam to have his father in his life and that it would be even better for him to have TWO good men in his life. And it has been! Both of his fathers have taught him many different things about life. And he tells me he loves them both so much, and that he has loved having two fathers.
So Brandy, just shut up, love your sons and let the other mother in their lives love them too. Children never suffer from too many people loving them. They only suffer when a parent is too selfish to let that happen.
When my son Adam was about a year old, his father needed to leave us and go to his family in Houston to get well. He had a chemical imbalance in his brain that brought on deep depression and he needed a safe place to go through all the testing and therapy that would fix it. So it was just Adam and me for awhile.
By the time Adam's father got his life back on track it had been a couple of years. He wanted to be back in his son's life. I was thinking about re-marrying at the time and really struggled with not wanting Adam to be confused by two fathers, not wanting to share him with his father in Houston, all the selfish thoughts of a very scared and threatened mother.
Then I was driving to work one early morning and pulled over to the side of the road, overwhelmed by fear I started to pray..."please Lord, change his mind about wanting to come back into Adam's life..." and I heard, clear as a bell, "No. But I will change your heart!" And at that moment God made me see that it would always be better for Adam to have his father in his life and that it would be even better for him to have TWO good men in his life. And it has been! Both of his fathers have taught him many different things about life. And he tells me he loves them both so much, and that he has loved having two fathers.
So Brandy, just shut up, love your sons and let the other mother in their lives love them too. Children never suffer from too many people loving them. They only suffer when a parent is too selfish to let that happen.
Friday, November 30, 2012
The toughest job you will ever love.
During our Christmas shopping trips, I have noticed quite a few babies out there these days! Young mothers that are trying to get through the grocery store with a fussy baby or demanding toddler and I think, "Wow, I am glad I don't have babies anymore!" But yesterday in the grocery store I realized it doesn't matter what age your child is, parenting is hard!
Someone said that when you become a parent your heart lives outside of your body. So very true. And when they are young, YOU are responsible for their comfort, health, decisions, education, happiness, etc. You get through the sleepless nights and the rushed mornings, the soccer games, football games, band practice schedules and all the other things that go along with raising a child thinking, "This is going to get easier!"
Here's the thing...it doesn't. Because when your children grow up, you don't get your heart back. It always lives with them. Only now, the problems get bigger. You feel every success and every failure. As they move into adulthood you want to protect them from bad choices, but you can't. You can no longer hold their hand to make sure they don't fall when they are learning to walk. You have to let them walk out into the world without you, and you have to watch them fall. And it will break your heart. But you also get to watch them grow into the people you prayed to God they would become.
The interesting perspective I get to have, at the age of 54, is that I now understand that my mothers heart is still with me! And I see her feel all my pain, all my joy, all my frustration...but don't worry mom, your heart is safe with me.
Someone said that when you become a parent your heart lives outside of your body. So very true. And when they are young, YOU are responsible for their comfort, health, decisions, education, happiness, etc. You get through the sleepless nights and the rushed mornings, the soccer games, football games, band practice schedules and all the other things that go along with raising a child thinking, "This is going to get easier!"
Here's the thing...it doesn't. Because when your children grow up, you don't get your heart back. It always lives with them. Only now, the problems get bigger. You feel every success and every failure. As they move into adulthood you want to protect them from bad choices, but you can't. You can no longer hold their hand to make sure they don't fall when they are learning to walk. You have to let them walk out into the world without you, and you have to watch them fall. And it will break your heart. But you also get to watch them grow into the people you prayed to God they would become.
The interesting perspective I get to have, at the age of 54, is that I now understand that my mothers heart is still with me! And I see her feel all my pain, all my joy, all my frustration...but don't worry mom, your heart is safe with me.
Thursday, November 29, 2012
Anticipation!
As we got into bed last night Mike had a big smile on his face and he nearly skipped up to the bed. I asked him why he was so excited and he said, "The kids are coming for Christmas! We are going to have so much fun!" Mike can be really funny but he is rarely giddy. He is giddy these days.
We did some Christmas stocking shopping yesterday which is the shopping we love best at Christmas. And this year we have a new daughter-in-law, Lilly, who has never really experienced a family Christmas. It is a wonderful thing when we get to add another stocking to the fireplace at the cabin! I selected it really carefully which was a challenge because I don't know Lilly very well (she and Eric eloped this summer and they live in Kansas.) But we are determined to show Lilly just what kind of nutjob family she has married in to!
The best part of Christmas for us (and probably for most empty nesters) is having all the kids together for just a little while. We play board games, watch the same Christmas movies and usually go sledding. This Christmas there may not be any snow so we will go on a Christmas picnic with a campfire and hotdogs and smores. Eric and Lilly are coming home in just two weeks and we can't wait to see them!
Christmas preparations differ for Mike and I. I buy decorations and get the kids new pajamas. Mike buys tracer bullets! He and the kids love to go out on a snowy night and shoot green and red tracer rounds into the snow. Ahhh, the simple joys of a redneck Christmas!
We did some Christmas stocking shopping yesterday which is the shopping we love best at Christmas. And this year we have a new daughter-in-law, Lilly, who has never really experienced a family Christmas. It is a wonderful thing when we get to add another stocking to the fireplace at the cabin! I selected it really carefully which was a challenge because I don't know Lilly very well (she and Eric eloped this summer and they live in Kansas.) But we are determined to show Lilly just what kind of nutjob family she has married in to!
The best part of Christmas for us (and probably for most empty nesters) is having all the kids together for just a little while. We play board games, watch the same Christmas movies and usually go sledding. This Christmas there may not be any snow so we will go on a Christmas picnic with a campfire and hotdogs and smores. Eric and Lilly are coming home in just two weeks and we can't wait to see them!
Christmas preparations differ for Mike and I. I buy decorations and get the kids new pajamas. Mike buys tracer bullets! He and the kids love to go out on a snowy night and shoot green and red tracer rounds into the snow. Ahhh, the simple joys of a redneck Christmas!
Wednesday, November 28, 2012
Wow, Nice Outfit!
As I have posted earlier, we live in a multi-generational house. Mike and I, my mother, and our daughter are all living in the same house. There are a lot of benefits to this arrangement. We take care of each other, share expenses, look after each others animals, etc.
There are also some downsides. Mike would say the biggest one for him is he always has to be clothed. He is comfortable with my mom, but not comfortable enough to sit around the house in his underwear. This has led to some interesting outfits though! The other night he had just gotten a camo hat he had ordered in the mail from what I called "the ugly hat store". One of those "boonie" hats in the German camo pattern that he likes. So, he went into the kitchen wearing his new hat, his gray and black camo pajama pants and a red plaid button down shirt. He was certainly "stylin'! All mom could say was "nice outfit." (Mike hadn't expected anyone to be in the kitchen.)
Then, of course, there are the times when you have your mouth all set for something you left in the fridge only to find someone else got to it first. When the kids were younger Mike would write "Don't even think about it!" on food he put in the fridge. It rarely stopped them.
We also run into some issues with the thermostat! My mother is in her late 70's and has no fat left on her body since her last bout of cancer. To her, 80 degrees is chilly. We had to compromise on the living room temperature for the summer (78 degrees). Fortunately, and I recommend this to any family thinking about sharing a house with an elderly parent, we have zoned heating and air-conditioning. Mom has her zone, our daughter has hers and we have ours. Even now, mom is the only one who has had her heater running.
She and I went to the cabin this summer for a weekend together. It was raining and 70 degrees (which I find to be a delightful temperature in the middle of the summer!) She and I sat out on the deck for about 30 minutes and then she went inside, covered herself with an electric blanket and plugged in a space heater 2 feet from her chair! It took her 2 hours to "thaw out".
So if you are thinking about combining homes with elderly parents just remember to be ready to forgive, forget, and find the funny in everything!
There are also some downsides. Mike would say the biggest one for him is he always has to be clothed. He is comfortable with my mom, but not comfortable enough to sit around the house in his underwear. This has led to some interesting outfits though! The other night he had just gotten a camo hat he had ordered in the mail from what I called "the ugly hat store". One of those "boonie" hats in the German camo pattern that he likes. So, he went into the kitchen wearing his new hat, his gray and black camo pajama pants and a red plaid button down shirt. He was certainly "stylin'! All mom could say was "nice outfit." (Mike hadn't expected anyone to be in the kitchen.)
Then, of course, there are the times when you have your mouth all set for something you left in the fridge only to find someone else got to it first. When the kids were younger Mike would write "Don't even think about it!" on food he put in the fridge. It rarely stopped them.
We also run into some issues with the thermostat! My mother is in her late 70's and has no fat left on her body since her last bout of cancer. To her, 80 degrees is chilly. We had to compromise on the living room temperature for the summer (78 degrees). Fortunately, and I recommend this to any family thinking about sharing a house with an elderly parent, we have zoned heating and air-conditioning. Mom has her zone, our daughter has hers and we have ours. Even now, mom is the only one who has had her heater running.
She and I went to the cabin this summer for a weekend together. It was raining and 70 degrees (which I find to be a delightful temperature in the middle of the summer!) She and I sat out on the deck for about 30 minutes and then she went inside, covered herself with an electric blanket and plugged in a space heater 2 feet from her chair! It took her 2 hours to "thaw out".
So if you are thinking about combining homes with elderly parents just remember to be ready to forgive, forget, and find the funny in everything!
Tuesday, November 27, 2012
Guilty Pleasures
I have a confession to make. Mike and I are addicted to Alaska reality shows on TV. Alaska State Troopers, Yukon Men, Buying Alaska, they fascinate us! Why? I have no idea why! They are just like all the other redneck shows...only frozen and with better scenery!
However, I CAN say we have learned many things from these shows. First, we never want to live in a place where we are not at the TOP of the food chain. That is not the case in Alaska. Second, we do not want to live in a place where you pay hundreds of thousands of dollars for a home that has no indoor bathroom...again, not the case in Alaska! Third, we want to be able to walk down the road or sit on our porch without having to use a gun. Actually, from what we can tell, no one has the time or inclination to sit on their porch in Alaska. In the summer they are too busy preparing for winter by cutting wood and hunting for food. In the winter the snow is over the porch and up to the windows so...no sitting on the porch!
On "Yukon Men" the danger these people face every day is amazing. I would imagine it keeps them on their toes...but I don't want to be on my toes. It looks exhausting! I just can't imagine living in a place where you need FIFTEEN cords of wood to survive the winter!! I like a little snow around Christmas, and then it can just go away! Not in Alaska.
A co-worker here at the station used to live in Alaska. She told me a story about how she had just washed her hair one winter morning and discovered her comb was in her car. So she just ran out to the car to get it. When she opened the car door it banged against her long hair and broke a big chunk of her hair off! Her hair had frozen solid in the few seconds it took her to run to the car! Ummm...no thanks!
So we will admire those who fight daily to live in Alaska from our couch in Texas, where we are warm and at the top of the food chain. At least we think we are.
However, I CAN say we have learned many things from these shows. First, we never want to live in a place where we are not at the TOP of the food chain. That is not the case in Alaska. Second, we do not want to live in a place where you pay hundreds of thousands of dollars for a home that has no indoor bathroom...again, not the case in Alaska! Third, we want to be able to walk down the road or sit on our porch without having to use a gun. Actually, from what we can tell, no one has the time or inclination to sit on their porch in Alaska. In the summer they are too busy preparing for winter by cutting wood and hunting for food. In the winter the snow is over the porch and up to the windows so...no sitting on the porch!
On "Yukon Men" the danger these people face every day is amazing. I would imagine it keeps them on their toes...but I don't want to be on my toes. It looks exhausting! I just can't imagine living in a place where you need FIFTEEN cords of wood to survive the winter!! I like a little snow around Christmas, and then it can just go away! Not in Alaska.
A co-worker here at the station used to live in Alaska. She told me a story about how she had just washed her hair one winter morning and discovered her comb was in her car. So she just ran out to the car to get it. When she opened the car door it banged against her long hair and broke a big chunk of her hair off! Her hair had frozen solid in the few seconds it took her to run to the car! Ummm...no thanks!
So we will admire those who fight daily to live in Alaska from our couch in Texas, where we are warm and at the top of the food chain. At least we think we are.
Monday, November 26, 2012
"Keeping Christmas"
We get our Christmas tree on Thanksgiving day at our cabin in New Mexico. So the day after Thanksgiving is my day to "deck the halls" which is more exhausting every year! Anyway, as I was lighting the tree and unwrapping all my treasured ornaments (including the ornaments the kids made with their pictures in them over the years) I was thinking about the term "Keeping Christmas" from Dickens' "A Christmas Carole" and that made me think of a friend of mine.
Just before we left for Thanksgiving I was having a conversation with her. She and I are about the same age and are in the same "season" of our lives. However, she has never married because she learned early not to trust her taste in men. She was talking about how much comfort she gets from an electric blanket when she is curled up at home. She decided that she was going to go out on Black Friday and buy some electric blankets for the elderly in our community. She could imagine how much comfort they would get from the warm gift.
My friend (who I will not name because it would embarrass her) is not wealthy. She is saving for her own retirement. She has never had a new car in all the years I have known her. She has to be frugal, shop carefully and rarely eats out. And her way of "Keeping Christmas" is not decking the halls, it is making sure that someone else is warm.
There are lots of ways to celebrate the Holidays. We all have our own traditions, favorite foods, favorite decorations, etc. But how nice it would be to sit curled up on Christmas morning, wrapped and warm in your electric blanket and know that there are others wrapped up and warm because of you. THAT is the "Keeping Christmas" I aspire to! It doesn't take a lot of money to impact someone's life for the better. Sometimes all it takes is a conversation.
Just before we left for Thanksgiving I was having a conversation with her. She and I are about the same age and are in the same "season" of our lives. However, she has never married because she learned early not to trust her taste in men. She was talking about how much comfort she gets from an electric blanket when she is curled up at home. She decided that she was going to go out on Black Friday and buy some electric blankets for the elderly in our community. She could imagine how much comfort they would get from the warm gift.
My friend (who I will not name because it would embarrass her) is not wealthy. She is saving for her own retirement. She has never had a new car in all the years I have known her. She has to be frugal, shop carefully and rarely eats out. And her way of "Keeping Christmas" is not decking the halls, it is making sure that someone else is warm.
There are lots of ways to celebrate the Holidays. We all have our own traditions, favorite foods, favorite decorations, etc. But how nice it would be to sit curled up on Christmas morning, wrapped and warm in your electric blanket and know that there are others wrapped up and warm because of you. THAT is the "Keeping Christmas" I aspire to! It doesn't take a lot of money to impact someone's life for the better. Sometimes all it takes is a conversation.
Monday, November 19, 2012
I don't know how to do this show!
We were on our way to the Show Of support Banquet when we heard the news. It took a minute to register. A train hit the parade float? What? How is this possible? You know, all the questions that go through your head when something so impossibly awful happens.
We went home, stunned and heartbroken. Thinking of the soldiers who had survived a war and died in a parade in Midland. Neither one of us could sleep.
When I got to work at 5am I just sat in my chair across from Mike and said "I don't know how to prep this show!" It was like the day after 9-11 for us. What to say? What to do? The Show of Support Military Hunt means so much to us! Seven years ago, our son made his committment to serve in the military at the banquet. Something profound that one of these wounded warriors said just sparked something in him and he joined ROTC the next day at Midland Freshman School.
After 4 years in ROTC he graduated from Midland High and went into the Army. He is a trained Cavalry Scout Sniper in Fort Riley, Kansas. ROTC really helped get Eric through High School.
We decided that if we were grieving so was everyone else in the Permian Basin! We parked the truck out front, I grabbed Kelley's jacket from her office (I didn't wear one to work) and what happened over the next 11 hours was an outpouring of sadness, disbelief, horror...and love. What an amazing community we live in!
Thank you for rising to the occasion and helping us raise nearly $48,000 for these soldiers and their families. Thank you for crying with us and letting us cry with you. Thank you for getting out of your cars and giving me hugs (hugs that I desperately needed!) But most of all, thank you for always praying for those men and women who protect this BIG family we call America!
We went home, stunned and heartbroken. Thinking of the soldiers who had survived a war and died in a parade in Midland. Neither one of us could sleep.
When I got to work at 5am I just sat in my chair across from Mike and said "I don't know how to prep this show!" It was like the day after 9-11 for us. What to say? What to do? The Show of Support Military Hunt means so much to us! Seven years ago, our son made his committment to serve in the military at the banquet. Something profound that one of these wounded warriors said just sparked something in him and he joined ROTC the next day at Midland Freshman School.
After 4 years in ROTC he graduated from Midland High and went into the Army. He is a trained Cavalry Scout Sniper in Fort Riley, Kansas. ROTC really helped get Eric through High School.
We decided that if we were grieving so was everyone else in the Permian Basin! We parked the truck out front, I grabbed Kelley's jacket from her office (I didn't wear one to work) and what happened over the next 11 hours was an outpouring of sadness, disbelief, horror...and love. What an amazing community we live in!
Thank you for rising to the occasion and helping us raise nearly $48,000 for these soldiers and their families. Thank you for crying with us and letting us cry with you. Thank you for getting out of your cars and giving me hugs (hugs that I desperately needed!) But most of all, thank you for always praying for those men and women who protect this BIG family we call America!
Thursday, November 15, 2012
Dr. Doolittle
It never ceases to amaze me how animals just love Mike! So much so that family and friends call him Dr. Doolittle. He gets his deep love of animals and birds from his mother. She really loved to watch the birds and always had a lot of feeders out on their property for them. I have run across old pictures of him feeding a squirrel peanut butter when he was a boy!
When we screened in our deck at the cabin, we had to make sure some of the screens could open so he could fill his bird feeders. It is the first thing he does when we get to the cabin, no matter how late it is when we arrive. I have watched wild birds land on his hands and eat seeds out of his palm. I have seen hummingbirds land on his fingers! It is really amazing.
Then there are the deer! He has several generations of deer that come to the cabin and literally look in the windows or screen door waiting for him to come out and feed them apples. They also eat out of his hands, even the big bucks! He always says we can't have a mounted deer head over the fireplace because one of his deer might look in the window and say "Oh God, there's uncle Frank!"
At home in Midland, every dog and cat in the house will find its way to Mike when he is sitting down. He becomes a "pet mattress". We have 3 dogs and 5 cats and they all love Mike. And he is always willing to scratch a head or rub a belly. And whenever he walks into a store that has a "store pet" it is the first thing he goes to and they follow him around the store until we leave. He has a strange gift. Another legacy from his mother, Maisie. I am sure it still makes her smile.
When we screened in our deck at the cabin, we had to make sure some of the screens could open so he could fill his bird feeders. It is the first thing he does when we get to the cabin, no matter how late it is when we arrive. I have watched wild birds land on his hands and eat seeds out of his palm. I have seen hummingbirds land on his fingers! It is really amazing.
Then there are the deer! He has several generations of deer that come to the cabin and literally look in the windows or screen door waiting for him to come out and feed them apples. They also eat out of his hands, even the big bucks! He always says we can't have a mounted deer head over the fireplace because one of his deer might look in the window and say "Oh God, there's uncle Frank!"
At home in Midland, every dog and cat in the house will find its way to Mike when he is sitting down. He becomes a "pet mattress". We have 3 dogs and 5 cats and they all love Mike. And he is always willing to scratch a head or rub a belly. And whenever he walks into a store that has a "store pet" it is the first thing he goes to and they follow him around the store until we leave. He has a strange gift. Another legacy from his mother, Maisie. I am sure it still makes her smile.
Wednesday, November 14, 2012
The best part of our day!
The question that we are asked most often (after "are you guys married?") is "How early do you guys get up?" 4:15 AM. That is the middle of the night no matter how many years we have been doing this!! And there is never a morning that we just bounce out of bed ready for work. Nope. It takes a while to really wake up that early. I do NOT envy those of you who get up early and have to handle heavy machinery!
Mike is ready in about 5 minutes. He lays out his clothes the night before. He shaves the night before as well because he learned early in his morning radio career that putting a sharp blade to your throat at 4:15 in the morning is NEVER a good idea! After he goes to work I have my 20 minutes in the bathroom to get ready. I learned from Mike to set my clothes out the night before as well. And I put on what I picked out even if I don't feel like wearing it anymore. No changing minds at 4:15 am because nothing good can come of that!
I get to the station, get a cup of really strong coffee, head upstairs to the studio and start show prep. I go through two country music news services, the newspapers, many internet sources (including one in Great Britain because they are some crazy people!) I find our Knuckleheads, Breakfast Braniac trivia question, my news kicker stories, etc. Mike is getting news and weather from CBS 7 plus getting the technical stuff done on his side of the room (most of which I have no idea how to do or even what it is). We talk very little until we actually start the show.
By this time it is 5:50 am and we are ready to go. For the next 4 hours we just have fun. No matter what else is going on here at work or at home...when we are in this studio and talking to you we are having fun!
THIS is the best part of our day. The second best part is going to bed.
Mike is ready in about 5 minutes. He lays out his clothes the night before. He shaves the night before as well because he learned early in his morning radio career that putting a sharp blade to your throat at 4:15 in the morning is NEVER a good idea! After he goes to work I have my 20 minutes in the bathroom to get ready. I learned from Mike to set my clothes out the night before as well. And I put on what I picked out even if I don't feel like wearing it anymore. No changing minds at 4:15 am because nothing good can come of that!
I get to the station, get a cup of really strong coffee, head upstairs to the studio and start show prep. I go through two country music news services, the newspapers, many internet sources (including one in Great Britain because they are some crazy people!) I find our Knuckleheads, Breakfast Braniac trivia question, my news kicker stories, etc. Mike is getting news and weather from CBS 7 plus getting the technical stuff done on his side of the room (most of which I have no idea how to do or even what it is). We talk very little until we actually start the show.
By this time it is 5:50 am and we are ready to go. For the next 4 hours we just have fun. No matter what else is going on here at work or at home...when we are in this studio and talking to you we are having fun!
THIS is the best part of our day. The second best part is going to bed.
Tuesday, November 13, 2012
Dogs, Cats and Teenagers
I read somewhere that when your kids are young, they are like dogs. Always wanting your attention, grateful for everything you give them, ready to go anywhere and do anything with you. Then when they become teenagers they become cats. You make suggestions and they just stare at you. When you want them to go somewhere with you, they can't be found. They want nothing to do with you unless they need petting (money).
Our oldest son, Adam, has always been so much smarter than his parents. And so, when he lost his sense of humor around the age of 13 he just became a know-it-all. He got it back at about 19 and now he is delightful! He is still smarter than his parents, but he doesn't hold it against us. Eric is now, and has always been, a breed apart. Always a dog, never a cat. But a big, hard to handle dog that gets into the trash and brings nasty things in from the yard. THAT kind of dog. Always wanting to do what would get praise from us, but knocking a lamp off the table with his big wagging tail. Loveable, and a little dangerous.
Now, when it comes to our daughter Rachel we passed 14, 15, 16 and 17 years of age without her changing into a cat. I was beginning to think MY daughter would never go through the cat stage! I have heard from many mothers of daughters that I was fooling myself. And I was. My 18 year old baby girl is now a cat. She lives at home, but I go days without seeing her. In fact, there are very few Rachel sightings these days. Her room is right off the kitchen, so she makes late night forays for food. In fact, we know she is alive because the food keeps disappearing! Occasionally, we find a shopping list has been slipped under our door in the middle of the night. She came out and purred when she needed a new computer and then was gone again.
I know from experience that my daughter will become a dog again someday. I hope so, I miss her.
Our oldest son, Adam, has always been so much smarter than his parents. And so, when he lost his sense of humor around the age of 13 he just became a know-it-all. He got it back at about 19 and now he is delightful! He is still smarter than his parents, but he doesn't hold it against us. Eric is now, and has always been, a breed apart. Always a dog, never a cat. But a big, hard to handle dog that gets into the trash and brings nasty things in from the yard. THAT kind of dog. Always wanting to do what would get praise from us, but knocking a lamp off the table with his big wagging tail. Loveable, and a little dangerous.
Now, when it comes to our daughter Rachel we passed 14, 15, 16 and 17 years of age without her changing into a cat. I was beginning to think MY daughter would never go through the cat stage! I have heard from many mothers of daughters that I was fooling myself. And I was. My 18 year old baby girl is now a cat. She lives at home, but I go days without seeing her. In fact, there are very few Rachel sightings these days. Her room is right off the kitchen, so she makes late night forays for food. In fact, we know she is alive because the food keeps disappearing! Occasionally, we find a shopping list has been slipped under our door in the middle of the night. She came out and purred when she needed a new computer and then was gone again.
I know from experience that my daughter will become a dog again someday. I hope so, I miss her.
Monday, November 12, 2012
Psychics...real gift or just good guessers?
I have talked to a few psychics in my time. Well...three actually. But they were truly remarkable! The first was a woman named Gwen. A Canadian who told me (on the phone) that she saw me with a little girl who was just like me. That was when I was pregnant with Eric, and Mike and I knew we would NOT be having another child! I told her that I knew my baby was a boy. She said "Oh I see him too! But there WILL be a little girl just like you!" Two years later there was Rachel. And she WAS a surprise!!
Then another psychic that Mike and I had on the show years ago named Ron Williams. He told me about our cabin, about my mother moving to Midland and about our move to Kicks99. Years before these things happened.
And just once, at a Christian women's conference in Abilene, we had a session with some of the women who had been given the gift of Prophecy. I stood with 100 other women in a large room, praying. I was specifically praying "Lord, I know there are a lot of women going through really hard times right now...but I just need a word from you Lord." When I opened my eyes, one of the women was standing at the end of my row, pointing to me and saying "The Lord tells me you need a Word." Wow! And I was told remarkable things by these women, and they have been coming to pass, in the Lord's time of course!
Now, Mike's sister Michele went to Detroit last week to visit a phychic with a friend. Michele has been struggling really hard with the loss of their mother, as have we all. And the psychic not only told her that her mother was always with her, but spoke in phrases and used words that were so unique to Maisie! It gave Michele some peace knowing her mother no longer suffered and was still telling her to get married!
So, my experience is that many psychics truly have a gift from God. But always pay attention to that inner voice that God has given all of us. If He tells you to, run!!
Then another psychic that Mike and I had on the show years ago named Ron Williams. He told me about our cabin, about my mother moving to Midland and about our move to Kicks99. Years before these things happened.
And just once, at a Christian women's conference in Abilene, we had a session with some of the women who had been given the gift of Prophecy. I stood with 100 other women in a large room, praying. I was specifically praying "Lord, I know there are a lot of women going through really hard times right now...but I just need a word from you Lord." When I opened my eyes, one of the women was standing at the end of my row, pointing to me and saying "The Lord tells me you need a Word." Wow! And I was told remarkable things by these women, and they have been coming to pass, in the Lord's time of course!
Now, Mike's sister Michele went to Detroit last week to visit a phychic with a friend. Michele has been struggling really hard with the loss of their mother, as have we all. And the psychic not only told her that her mother was always with her, but spoke in phrases and used words that were so unique to Maisie! It gave Michele some peace knowing her mother no longer suffered and was still telling her to get married!
So, my experience is that many psychics truly have a gift from God. But always pay attention to that inner voice that God has given all of us. If He tells you to, run!!
Friday, November 9, 2012
Wisdom From Our Soldier.
Okay, I will admit that I did not vote for this President. But that does not mean he is not my son's Commander In Chief as he reminded us all in a Facebook post after election day. His words reminded me again of what he is doing and how committed he is to his United States Of America!
Eric is a member of the 4-4 Cavalry at Fort Riley, Kansas, a part of the 1st Infantry Division "The Big Red 1". And he (and fellow soldiers fighting for our country) reminded me of a few things we tend to forget when we get caught up in who won and who lost. Eric said, and I am paraphrasing here:
"Before you start saying things like "America is doomed" you need to think about those who are currently fighting for America every day in places like Afghanistan. You diminish what the American Soldier is doing every day to make sure you are safe in America. I get paid very little to get up every morning, very early, and go to bed very late (if at all) to do what my country asks of me. This county has survived lots of hard times, yet we always pull through! You need to have the same faith in America that we do. I will give my life to defend America from all enemies, foreign and domestic. All we ask is that you continue to be as proud of this country as we who serve it are!" Wow, busted!
This Sunday is Veterans Day and another American has asked that we "recognize the valor and sacrifice of our veterans" on that day. "Their sacrifices have helped secure more than two centuries of American progress, and their legacy affirms that no matter what confronts us or what trials we face, there is no challenge we cannot overcome, and our best days are still ahead. On days like this, we are called to reflect on immeasurable burdens that have been borne by so few. We pay tribute to our wounded, our missing, our fallen and their families - men and women who have known the true costs of conflict and deserve our deepest respect, now and forever."- President Obama.
So, my soon-to-be 21 year old son, a proud American, taught me something about citizenship. Thank you for the reminder Eric. And thank you to all our veterans and those who are serving now. I am a proud American. And am always, the proud mother of an American Soldier!
Eric is a member of the 4-4 Cavalry at Fort Riley, Kansas, a part of the 1st Infantry Division "The Big Red 1". And he (and fellow soldiers fighting for our country) reminded me of a few things we tend to forget when we get caught up in who won and who lost. Eric said, and I am paraphrasing here:
"Before you start saying things like "America is doomed" you need to think about those who are currently fighting for America every day in places like Afghanistan. You diminish what the American Soldier is doing every day to make sure you are safe in America. I get paid very little to get up every morning, very early, and go to bed very late (if at all) to do what my country asks of me. This county has survived lots of hard times, yet we always pull through! You need to have the same faith in America that we do. I will give my life to defend America from all enemies, foreign and domestic. All we ask is that you continue to be as proud of this country as we who serve it are!" Wow, busted!
This Sunday is Veterans Day and another American has asked that we "recognize the valor and sacrifice of our veterans" on that day. "Their sacrifices have helped secure more than two centuries of American progress, and their legacy affirms that no matter what confronts us or what trials we face, there is no challenge we cannot overcome, and our best days are still ahead. On days like this, we are called to reflect on immeasurable burdens that have been borne by so few. We pay tribute to our wounded, our missing, our fallen and their families - men and women who have known the true costs of conflict and deserve our deepest respect, now and forever."- President Obama.
So, my soon-to-be 21 year old son, a proud American, taught me something about citizenship. Thank you for the reminder Eric. And thank you to all our veterans and those who are serving now. I am a proud American. And am always, the proud mother of an American Soldier!
Thursday, November 8, 2012
Raising Mom
I went to lunch with a co-worker the other day and ran into an aquaintance who was eating lunch with her mother. She is now taking care of both of her parents who are living with her. Our neighbors behind us are an older mother and her grown daughter. It would seem that we are returning to multi-generational homes!
When my mother's husband died in 2000 my brother, Troy, and I went up to Kansas City and fixed up their condo (it sold in three days!) and packed her up and moved her to Midland. She moved into a house just down the alley from ours. It was great to have her so close. She would walk down the alley at 5am and stay with the kids, get them up and off to school for us. Mike and I could never have helped get Kicks 99 off the ground without my mother being so close and so willing to watch Eric and Rachel at a moments notice!
At some point, Mike and I knew it was time to combine households with her, so we sold our home, had a great estate sale, added another master suite onto her home and moved in. Less than a year later she was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and we could never have taken care of her and her pets if we were not sharing a house. I think it was God that spurred us into joining households.
Mike and the kids have had to be patient with both of us. Rachel got a text from my mother one day when she was home alone with her that said "fln on dwy hlp" or something to that effect and she ran through the house until she found mom on the driveway and took her in to bandage her up. One day recently I was in the kitchen and mom walked in from the garage with a brand new axe that she had just bought! Mike quickly jumped up to help with using the axe to chop out some roots out front. When he handed it back to her he said "OK Lizzie Borden, here's your axe back!" He knew an axe and my mom was not a good combination!
Mom taught Rachel how to drive so Rachel now drives like a very cautious old woman. Not a bad thing for a teenager!! And my mom taught ME everything. How to be independant, how to think for myself, how to write. She put me through college and has supported me in everything I have done. We fight, we cry, we laugh, we take care of each other...we are a family.
When my mother's husband died in 2000 my brother, Troy, and I went up to Kansas City and fixed up their condo (it sold in three days!) and packed her up and moved her to Midland. She moved into a house just down the alley from ours. It was great to have her so close. She would walk down the alley at 5am and stay with the kids, get them up and off to school for us. Mike and I could never have helped get Kicks 99 off the ground without my mother being so close and so willing to watch Eric and Rachel at a moments notice!
At some point, Mike and I knew it was time to combine households with her, so we sold our home, had a great estate sale, added another master suite onto her home and moved in. Less than a year later she was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and we could never have taken care of her and her pets if we were not sharing a house. I think it was God that spurred us into joining households.
Mike and the kids have had to be patient with both of us. Rachel got a text from my mother one day when she was home alone with her that said "fln on dwy hlp" or something to that effect and she ran through the house until she found mom on the driveway and took her in to bandage her up. One day recently I was in the kitchen and mom walked in from the garage with a brand new axe that she had just bought! Mike quickly jumped up to help with using the axe to chop out some roots out front. When he handed it back to her he said "OK Lizzie Borden, here's your axe back!" He knew an axe and my mom was not a good combination!
Mom taught Rachel how to drive so Rachel now drives like a very cautious old woman. Not a bad thing for a teenager!! And my mom taught ME everything. How to be independant, how to think for myself, how to write. She put me through college and has supported me in everything I have done. We fight, we cry, we laugh, we take care of each other...we are a family.
Wednesday, November 7, 2012
Thank God for the Holidays!!
I think it is so amazing that God creates "Those Who Love Christmas", "Those Who Tolerate Christmas" and, of course, "Those Who Would Rather Sleep Through Christmas."
I am a lover of all things Christmas! It is not because of the special Christmases I had as a child, because they weren't. My mom tried, God knows. But she is a "tolerator" and not a "lover" of the Holidays. She did what she had to, but not with real enthusiasm. So when I was about 8 or 9 I took over! I decorated the tree, house, wrapped nearly all the presents (except my own) baked the cookies, etc. I LOVED "White Christmas" and "Holiday Inn". I still do.
When we decided on colors for the cabin...I chose red and green! I have green kitchen cabinets and red dishes. I have red and green chairs around the big pine table. I think you get the idea. I don't dare go into Hobby Lobby before December because I will spend an entire paycheck in there by September 15th!
All Christmas decorating is done at the cabin. We learned years ago that we cannot have a tree here in town because we have 5 cats. Cats who love to climb trees. The snow villiages go up at the beginning of November. Then we go out every year on Thanksgiving day and hunt down the "perfect" Christmas tree to cut down. And decorating madness takes me over while my family watches in bewildered amazement (or amusement...I am still not sure).
These days, as our children leave our nest one by one, Christmas means so much more then it ever has. It means our oldest son Adam, and our lovely daughter in law Sara (who live in Fort Worth) come home. Our soldier Eric and his new bride Lilly are coming in from Fort Riley, Kansas for two weeks! We will go sledding, and play games, and watch Christmas movies, and laugh, and eat. And all my babies will sleep under the same roof with us for a few sweet days. These are the Christmases I dreamed of when I was a girl. This is Peace and Joy! Thank you Lord.
I am a lover of all things Christmas! It is not because of the special Christmases I had as a child, because they weren't. My mom tried, God knows. But she is a "tolerator" and not a "lover" of the Holidays. She did what she had to, but not with real enthusiasm. So when I was about 8 or 9 I took over! I decorated the tree, house, wrapped nearly all the presents (except my own) baked the cookies, etc. I LOVED "White Christmas" and "Holiday Inn". I still do.
When we decided on colors for the cabin...I chose red and green! I have green kitchen cabinets and red dishes. I have red and green chairs around the big pine table. I think you get the idea. I don't dare go into Hobby Lobby before December because I will spend an entire paycheck in there by September 15th!
All Christmas decorating is done at the cabin. We learned years ago that we cannot have a tree here in town because we have 5 cats. Cats who love to climb trees. The snow villiages go up at the beginning of November. Then we go out every year on Thanksgiving day and hunt down the "perfect" Christmas tree to cut down. And decorating madness takes me over while my family watches in bewildered amazement (or amusement...I am still not sure).
These days, as our children leave our nest one by one, Christmas means so much more then it ever has. It means our oldest son Adam, and our lovely daughter in law Sara (who live in Fort Worth) come home. Our soldier Eric and his new bride Lilly are coming in from Fort Riley, Kansas for two weeks! We will go sledding, and play games, and watch Christmas movies, and laugh, and eat. And all my babies will sleep under the same roof with us for a few sweet days. These are the Christmases I dreamed of when I was a girl. This is Peace and Joy! Thank you Lord.
Tuesday, November 6, 2012
Skunked!!
Mike and I went up to the cabin this weekend in order to cut and split wood in preparation for the coming winter. We split exactly one piece of oak, but that doesn't matter, it is not the point of my story.
Our little terrier, Sadie, who is not afraid of ANYTHING (except the vacuum cleaner) loves to chase the deer, turkeys, racoons and foxes. She is so good at guarding the house that when we had a bear last year, she was the first to alert us to its presence. She was barking up a storm and I looked out the window and she was about 5 feet away from a black bear eating the deer corn!
Anyway, we thought nothing of it when she suddenly whined to go out on Friday night. We let her out to chase what we thought was the racoon that has been getting to our bird feeders. When Mike let her in about 10 minutes later it was a VERY smelly Sadie that came in! She dived for her blanket on the couch and started rubbing her face all over it. Mike and I took one whiff and knew...she had sniffed the wrong skunks butt!
In her defense, we do have two black and white cats at home, Mork and Mindy, that she pesters constantly. So I would imagine she just thought this was another black and white kitty. How wrong she was. I had just happened to watch a special on skunks on the Discovery Channel a little while ago and they said the best thing to do if your pet gets skunked is to wash the animal in Dawn. The skunk scent is actually an oily spray and Dawn will cut the oil and the smell faster than anything else.
I have heard people use everything from beer to tomato juice to baking soda and peroxide. We used Dawn...over and over and over and over again. At least until our eyes stopped watering and our noses stopped burning. The bad thing is, from the first day we had Sadie she has slept in our bed with us. Mike and I actually call her "Celibacy Dog" because she sleeps between us in bed. So after her looooooooong bath, I rubbed some Burt's Bees honey lotion on her and she actually smelled better! Or maybe we were just getting used to the smell.
She has had a bath or two since we returned from the cabin on Sunday...but I still don't nuzzle her neck. Wow, that must have been one startled skunk! Whew!!
Our little terrier, Sadie, who is not afraid of ANYTHING (except the vacuum cleaner) loves to chase the deer, turkeys, racoons and foxes. She is so good at guarding the house that when we had a bear last year, she was the first to alert us to its presence. She was barking up a storm and I looked out the window and she was about 5 feet away from a black bear eating the deer corn!
Anyway, we thought nothing of it when she suddenly whined to go out on Friday night. We let her out to chase what we thought was the racoon that has been getting to our bird feeders. When Mike let her in about 10 minutes later it was a VERY smelly Sadie that came in! She dived for her blanket on the couch and started rubbing her face all over it. Mike and I took one whiff and knew...she had sniffed the wrong skunks butt!
In her defense, we do have two black and white cats at home, Mork and Mindy, that she pesters constantly. So I would imagine she just thought this was another black and white kitty. How wrong she was. I had just happened to watch a special on skunks on the Discovery Channel a little while ago and they said the best thing to do if your pet gets skunked is to wash the animal in Dawn. The skunk scent is actually an oily spray and Dawn will cut the oil and the smell faster than anything else.
I have heard people use everything from beer to tomato juice to baking soda and peroxide. We used Dawn...over and over and over and over again. At least until our eyes stopped watering and our noses stopped burning. The bad thing is, from the first day we had Sadie she has slept in our bed with us. Mike and I actually call her "Celibacy Dog" because she sleeps between us in bed. So after her looooooooong bath, I rubbed some Burt's Bees honey lotion on her and she actually smelled better! Or maybe we were just getting used to the smell.
She has had a bath or two since we returned from the cabin on Sunday...but I still don't nuzzle her neck. Wow, that must have been one startled skunk! Whew!!
Friday, November 2, 2012
An ice pack for Mike please!!
We have three wonderful rescue dogs from the Lonestar Sanctuary for Animals in Midland. My mother's dog, Maggie, who is a miniature dacshund. My dog Sadie who is a little terrier mix. And just a few weeks ago, we let our daughter Rachel pick out a dog for herself. She chose a little whippit mix that she named Fern. All three dogs are wonderful, small, loving pets.
Mike's dog is actually a cat named Bob. He is more dog than cat and is completely devoted to Mike. I would like to add, the first words Mike says in the morning are not to me...no, they are to Bob. He and that cat nuzzle and cuddle before Mike gets ready for work. He doesn't talk to ME until we start the show!! Just sayin'.
Anyway, Rachel's dog Fern is a loving, sweet little dog who truly loves Rachel completely. However, when Rachel is off at college or work, Fern turns into "The Amazing Testicle Seeking Beast"! I swear I have seen that little dog jump from 5 feet away and land right on Mike's lap! She also has amazing timing! She waits until Mike is looking at his phone and then whoosh...she is airborne and landing squarely on Mike's testicles!
Mike is used to being an animal mattress. He can't sit down in the living room without virtually every animal in the house seeking him out as a warm place to sleep. But Fern doesn't have an "off" button that we can find and she has decided Mike's lap is just the place to dance so she does, alot!
So I am going to get him some iron underwear...and an ice bag.
Mike's dog is actually a cat named Bob. He is more dog than cat and is completely devoted to Mike. I would like to add, the first words Mike says in the morning are not to me...no, they are to Bob. He and that cat nuzzle and cuddle before Mike gets ready for work. He doesn't talk to ME until we start the show!! Just sayin'.
Anyway, Rachel's dog Fern is a loving, sweet little dog who truly loves Rachel completely. However, when Rachel is off at college or work, Fern turns into "The Amazing Testicle Seeking Beast"! I swear I have seen that little dog jump from 5 feet away and land right on Mike's lap! She also has amazing timing! She waits until Mike is looking at his phone and then whoosh...she is airborne and landing squarely on Mike's testicles!
Mike is used to being an animal mattress. He can't sit down in the living room without virtually every animal in the house seeking him out as a warm place to sleep. But Fern doesn't have an "off" button that we can find and she has decided Mike's lap is just the place to dance so she does, alot!
So I am going to get him some iron underwear...and an ice bag.
Thursday, November 1, 2012
A Dream Come True
It was Memorial Day weekend, 2004, when Mike and I saw the cabin for the first time. I was born and mostly raised in Colorado. I had always dreamed of a mountain home. A cabin like my grandmother's in northern Colorado (only with indoor plumbing!) My mother and I had been looking in the Cloudcroft, NM area for awhile with a great agent, Donna, but had not found one that was exactly right. I wanted a cabin that looked like a cabin!
When we got out of the car and stood looking at what was to become our mountain home, we heard a voice from inside say, "Hold on a minute, let me put my pants on!" I think that is what sold Mike on the spot. I just know he was thinking "At last, a place where I can sit around without my pants if I want to!"
From the outside it looked rustic! Rough log sided, stone steps leading up to the door, a great big deck, lots of windows and built into the side of the mountain. I loved it. Inside, however, it looked like 1969.
Lime green indoor-outdoor carpet, lime green linoleum floor in the kitchen, lime green macrame blinds on the windows. Wow, it was ugly! Then we started to notice that all the outside corners in the cabin were clad in stripped and varnished pine logs. The walls were red fir. The living room had windows on 3 sides. It had a loft that could fit 3 queen sized beds and was equipped with a half bath! Wow, it was great!
Over the years, it has become the place where we have gathered as a family and spent terrific holidays. It is where we have grown closer to our children and each other. It is where we feed deer, watch movies, and sleep with all our children under the same roof at least once a year. It is where I sought refuge to cry for 48 straight hours alone when my mother was in the hospital for 9 weeks with pancreatic cancer. And again when she was going through chemo and radiation for throat cancer a few years ago. It is where we can always find peace, joy and love. It is a dream come true.
When we got out of the car and stood looking at what was to become our mountain home, we heard a voice from inside say, "Hold on a minute, let me put my pants on!" I think that is what sold Mike on the spot. I just know he was thinking "At last, a place where I can sit around without my pants if I want to!"
From the outside it looked rustic! Rough log sided, stone steps leading up to the door, a great big deck, lots of windows and built into the side of the mountain. I loved it. Inside, however, it looked like 1969.
Lime green indoor-outdoor carpet, lime green linoleum floor in the kitchen, lime green macrame blinds on the windows. Wow, it was ugly! Then we started to notice that all the outside corners in the cabin were clad in stripped and varnished pine logs. The walls were red fir. The living room had windows on 3 sides. It had a loft that could fit 3 queen sized beds and was equipped with a half bath! Wow, it was great!
Over the years, it has become the place where we have gathered as a family and spent terrific holidays. It is where we have grown closer to our children and each other. It is where we feed deer, watch movies, and sleep with all our children under the same roof at least once a year. It is where I sought refuge to cry for 48 straight hours alone when my mother was in the hospital for 9 weeks with pancreatic cancer. And again when she was going through chemo and radiation for throat cancer a few years ago. It is where we can always find peace, joy and love. It is a dream come true.
Wednesday, October 31, 2012
Finally, the end of October 2012!
October has always been one of my favorite months of the year. The colors are beautiful, Thanksgiving and Christmas are coming up so excitement is building, and I get to re-decorate!
But this October has been devastating. Literally on the 1st day of October, my wonderful mother-in-law, Maisie, passed away. Mike and I were in the car, in Mississippi, making a mad dash to Atlanta to see her before she died when we got the word that we were too late. I was driving as Mike tried to come to grips with the idea of a world without his mother.
Maisie was not just a wife and mother, she was a real force! She opened all the doors for me to see the world! When I told her (early in our marriage) that I had always wanted to see England and Scotland she got up, grabbed her keys, took us right to the post office to get our passports. Then she went online and booked our flights! It was an amazing trip and my relationship with my mother-in-law was cemented into friendship and we were friends until she died. I was lucky enough to be able to tell her, during a visit in May, how much she meant to me and how grateful I was that she showed me the world.
There is another reason I am grateful to Mike's family. It is their tradition to take care of parents and grandparents in their own homes. Mike lived with his grandmother to take care of her when he was in his 20's and now our nephew, Andrew, has moved in with Mike's father to take care of him. So when I told Mike we needed to pack up, sell our house, add a room to my mother's house, and move in with her so that we could take care of her...he never batted an eye. It's not every man that would volunteer to do that! My mom has battled cancer twice in the years that we have been living together and Mike has been a nurse, cook, maid, and my rock.
So thank you Maisie, for being such a great mother, grandmother and friend. You raised three remarkable human beings...what an incredible legacy!!
But this October has been devastating. Literally on the 1st day of October, my wonderful mother-in-law, Maisie, passed away. Mike and I were in the car, in Mississippi, making a mad dash to Atlanta to see her before she died when we got the word that we were too late. I was driving as Mike tried to come to grips with the idea of a world without his mother.
Maisie was not just a wife and mother, she was a real force! She opened all the doors for me to see the world! When I told her (early in our marriage) that I had always wanted to see England and Scotland she got up, grabbed her keys, took us right to the post office to get our passports. Then she went online and booked our flights! It was an amazing trip and my relationship with my mother-in-law was cemented into friendship and we were friends until she died. I was lucky enough to be able to tell her, during a visit in May, how much she meant to me and how grateful I was that she showed me the world.
There is another reason I am grateful to Mike's family. It is their tradition to take care of parents and grandparents in their own homes. Mike lived with his grandmother to take care of her when he was in his 20's and now our nephew, Andrew, has moved in with Mike's father to take care of him. So when I told Mike we needed to pack up, sell our house, add a room to my mother's house, and move in with her so that we could take care of her...he never batted an eye. It's not every man that would volunteer to do that! My mom has battled cancer twice in the years that we have been living together and Mike has been a nurse, cook, maid, and my rock.
So thank you Maisie, for being such a great mother, grandmother and friend. You raised three remarkable human beings...what an incredible legacy!!
Tuesday, October 30, 2012
Read and follow ALL package directions!!
I have a friend who used to get a bit "backed up" when she went on vacations. So, she asked her doctor if there was something "gentle" she could take that would help with her situation. He gave her a box of Chinese tea that tasted like cinnamon. He also told her, "Drink only half a cup! It takes a little while to work so do NOT drink any more than half a cup of this tea!"
So we all went on vacation to a friends cabin in southern Colorado and she brewed up a half cup of the tea. And she waited, and waited...nothing. So she brewed up a whole cup of the tea and drank it. Then we all decided to make the two hour drive to Taos. Along the drive I could tell she was in some distress. As soon as we got to Taos, she demanded we stop at the WalMart right on the edge of town. She was walking funny but she made it into the store and about halfway to the bathroom in the back of the store before the tea REALLY kicked in!
After that it was just a nightmare...she had to buy new jeans to wear out of the store! When she got back to the car everyone was wondering what on earth had kept her so long and why was she wearing new clothes? She was very quiet for the rest of the day...
So that is why you REALLY have to follow all label directions!! I had to burn those jeans, I can never go back into that WalMart in Taos and my family will never let me forget it. My mother still laughs until she crys when she talks about it! Mike knows better than to ever bring it up but he has a pretty funny name for the tea!
So we all went on vacation to a friends cabin in southern Colorado and she brewed up a half cup of the tea. And she waited, and waited...nothing. So she brewed up a whole cup of the tea and drank it. Then we all decided to make the two hour drive to Taos. Along the drive I could tell she was in some distress. As soon as we got to Taos, she demanded we stop at the WalMart right on the edge of town. She was walking funny but she made it into the store and about halfway to the bathroom in the back of the store before the tea REALLY kicked in!
After that it was just a nightmare...she had to buy new jeans to wear out of the store! When she got back to the car everyone was wondering what on earth had kept her so long and why was she wearing new clothes? She was very quiet for the rest of the day...
So that is why you REALLY have to follow all label directions!! I had to burn those jeans, I can never go back into that WalMart in Taos and my family will never let me forget it. My mother still laughs until she crys when she talks about it! Mike knows better than to ever bring it up but he has a pretty funny name for the tea!
Monday, October 29, 2012
Yes, we are married!
There are so many new people in the Basin now, we forget not everyone knows our story. I have heard "You guys are married???" quite a bit lately. So I have decided to clear that up. Yes, Mike and I have been married for 22 years. We have had two children together literally "on the air" in both cases. And no, it is not always a picnic working with your spouse.
Mike and I started as radio partners 24 years ago, so we have always worked together. That helps...some. Morning radio is a lifestyle. We get up at 4:15 every morning. No matter how long you do this job, you never "get used" to 4:15 in the morning! By 5pm, we are exhausted but with kids there is no going to bed early! And now that our kids are grown, we feel cheated if we go to bed before 10. What this adds up to is that by Friday, we are so sleep deprived I have quite literally stood at the check out at HEB trying to remember how to write a check!
So, what happens when we wake up in a bad mood? Because I assure you it happens! Fortunately, it rarely happens that we are both in a bad mood at the same time so we can usually work through it. And doing the show in the morning is almost always so much fun a bad mood doesn't last long. Do we fight? Oh yes! Do we embarass our children. Absolutely. We had to really pull back on talking too much about them when Rachel was 12 and Mike talked about going bra shopping with her. OMG did I hear about THAT from her! And rightfully so. But we also brag about them all the time as well. And they always inspire us.
On the personal side of marriage with "Oh he must just keep you in stitches" Mike Lawrence...no, life is not always hilarious with him. But he is the most thoughtful, selfless, ethical and generous person I have ever known. A father who is not afraid to BE a father and a husband who never forgets the little things like fixing my coffee just the way I like it and making me breakfast every Saturday and Sunday morning. We have a deep, abiding trust in each other that we have developed over years of being so public with our lives. We hope our listeners have that same trust in us. We value that above all things when we do our show for you. Even if we are too sleep-deprived to remember your names.
Mike and I started as radio partners 24 years ago, so we have always worked together. That helps...some. Morning radio is a lifestyle. We get up at 4:15 every morning. No matter how long you do this job, you never "get used" to 4:15 in the morning! By 5pm, we are exhausted but with kids there is no going to bed early! And now that our kids are grown, we feel cheated if we go to bed before 10. What this adds up to is that by Friday, we are so sleep deprived I have quite literally stood at the check out at HEB trying to remember how to write a check!
So, what happens when we wake up in a bad mood? Because I assure you it happens! Fortunately, it rarely happens that we are both in a bad mood at the same time so we can usually work through it. And doing the show in the morning is almost always so much fun a bad mood doesn't last long. Do we fight? Oh yes! Do we embarass our children. Absolutely. We had to really pull back on talking too much about them when Rachel was 12 and Mike talked about going bra shopping with her. OMG did I hear about THAT from her! And rightfully so. But we also brag about them all the time as well. And they always inspire us.
On the personal side of marriage with "Oh he must just keep you in stitches" Mike Lawrence...no, life is not always hilarious with him. But he is the most thoughtful, selfless, ethical and generous person I have ever known. A father who is not afraid to BE a father and a husband who never forgets the little things like fixing my coffee just the way I like it and making me breakfast every Saturday and Sunday morning. We have a deep, abiding trust in each other that we have developed over years of being so public with our lives. We hope our listeners have that same trust in us. We value that above all things when we do our show for you. Even if we are too sleep-deprived to remember your names.
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