STORIES OF LITTLE OWEN

I will always remember my grandma telling me that the birth control pill was the greatest discovery of my lifetime. She had lost eight children. (six babies in the eighth month of her pregnancies and she had two more children die before they reached the ages of two). She said she just kept getting pregnant knowing that her children most likely would not survive

Grandpa and Grandma raised one child. This child was a miracle. His name was Owen. When Grandma was pregnant with my father she says she went into a field and got down on her knees and bargained with God. She promised God if he would let this child live, she would dedicate him to the service of the Lord.

Her faith was tested when Owen was born weighing less than two pounds. My grandma and grandpa lived in a coal mining community in Oklahoma and medical needs were difficult to tend to. They kept my dad warm this December 5, 1914, by placing him in a shoe box near the wood stove.

This child grew nicely for two years until he was suddenly stricken by a crippling disease. Polio was the scourge of the nation and thankfully my great-grandmother had read that massaging the limbs of the victim on a 24 hour basis would keep the patient from being crippled by the disease. My dad had a slight limp and a barely noticeable withered hand but overall he came out of the illness with barely any lasting effects.

It was around 1919 when the Swine Flu epidemic hit the United States. At that time my grandparents had relocated to a coal mining community in New Mexico. The family legend has it that my dad was the only person in the small community that did not get the flu and took care of his family as well as running errands from house-to-house for all the people who were incapacitated.

Grandma and Grandpa and little Owen were visiting family one Independence Day. Grandma and Grandpa decided to take Owen to watch the Parade while the rest of the family watched from the porch. While they were gone, a deranged family member pulled a gun and began shooting. My grandparents returned with Owen to find many were killed or injured.

Dad was curious about the coal mines. His dad and his dad’s friends and brothers were all coal miners. One day grandpa took 8 year old Owen into the depth of a coal mine and told him to remember what he saw because it would be the first and LAST time he was ever to be in a coal mine. It was.

My dad died at age 85 on September 23, 1999 after a long, eventful, productive and influential life. He held many college degrees and had advanced in his chosen field to high levels in the United Methodist Church during his 40 ½ year ministry. He was a genuinely good man, reaching out beyond his retirement years to help anyone in need. He did, however, believe in a hand up more than a handout.

My grandma always insisted that she never influenced dad’s decision to enter the ministry and that she never told him of her field dedication. He was a business major in college. He met my mother and she had always vowed that she would never marry a preacher. Dad was on a trip to visit his fiancé when he “felt his heart warmed” and felt the call to the ministry. He told my mother and once she got over the initial shock she said she would marry him anyway.

Dad had some problems in his 80’s with strokes and dementia and his doctor ran many tests. One specialist discovered that dad never had polio. He had contracted encephalitis at age two, not Polio, which caused damage to the right side of dad’s brain. We had to laugh knowing all that dad had accomplished in his life, his continued education, the people he had helped, the family that looked to him and adored him and his tremendous abilities, only to learn he suffered brain damage at the age of two!

He was a wonderful father and I will always miss him.

And

Did I mention that he was a miracle?

HAPPY FATHER'S DAY ALL YOU GUYS WHO WERE INSPIRED AND INFLUENCED BY OWEN AS YOUR FATHER, GRANDFATHER, FATHER-IN-LAW, GRANDFATHER-IN-LAW. YOU'RE BETTER DADS BECAUSE HE TOUCHED YOUR LIVES.

Herzlichen Glückwunsch zum Geburtstag

That is happy birthday in German. Its close enough to Dutch. 

So happy birthday Ann!

happy day

HAPPY BIRTHDAY ANN/GRANNIE ANNIE/ANNIE WANNIE/MOTHER/SISTER/DAUGHTER/GRANDMOTHER/GODMOTHER/FRIEND!!!

BIRTH ANNIVERSARY

TODAY IS THE 119TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE BIRTH OF GRANDMOTHER MCNEESE. SHE ALWAYS SAID THE OKLAHOMA LAND RUN OCCURED THE DAY BEFORE HER BIRTH IN ORDER TO MAKE ROOM FOR HER TO LIVE HERE SOMEDAY. WHAT A LOVELY, GRACIOUS LADY SHE WAS AND WHAT A JOY TO BE ONE OF HER DESCENDANTS.

one last time

Sorry, I feel like a blog hog but I found the picture of Ryan and his date to the formal and I just had to add it ;-) this is Ryan and Meridath. What a cute couple :-)

bad daddy

As I was reading through my last post I realised that I had failed to mention Dillon's latest drama class production. The class presented the play Where the Lilies Bloom on friday evening. Dillon was not the lead in this one but did I wonderful job with his part. As he told me, "There are no small parts. Only small actors". The play was a drama and I must say that it was incredable. It was a story about a family of orphaned children in the smokey mountains the did not want to be taken away from their home by the county so they hid their fathers death. managed to secure thier family home and the land it sat on. And survive the winter. Quite a feat for four kids in the 1960's. I was proud of all the kids for putting on such a wonderful show. The picture is Dillon and his friend Blake after the show. The boy one the left is one of Ryan and Dillon's best friends David. he was not in the play but came to support his friend :-)

Tandy

Hello Hello Hello

Good morning all :-)

I hope all are doing well. I woke up way too early this morning so for once I have time to post something. The kids are keeping me pretty busy with their sports, plays, and church activities. Not that I mind but it leaves little time for blogging. As many of you know my Grandma Sugar passed away several months ago. My aunt Michelle was caring for her in Washington State and had her creamated. We went to altus last week for the memorial service and to spend time with the family. I'm sad to say that my dads family is not as close to Chelle and I as the Gragg clan are, so this may be the last time I see some of the extended family on that side of the tree. All in all it was a nice visit and I enjoyed seeing all those familiar faces and some strange ones as well. On the last day we took one last tour of the town and I felt the tears coming realising that I would probaly not be back. There are no family left there, only happy memories.

Once we got back we jumped right back into our busy schedules. Elizabeth was sick before we left and missed a practice and her first softball game. While we were away she missed at least two more practices and I think the coach thought we had deserted the team. They were all very happy to see her again and I'm hoping she will be able to keep up with the more experienced girls on the field. I know she hits like a pro and I'm very excited to watch the first game on monday. Also on monday Ran has percusion ensemble rehersal untill 5, I pick up Dillon and Beth at 5:15 and have them both at diffrent ball fields for games by 5:30 then picked up after each game. Anyone feel like coming and playing taxi for me :-) Just kidding. I think I have it all worked out :-) we'll see.

Ryan had his first formal dance a couple of weeks ago. He looked afull, afull sharp that is. I took him and picked up his date for the evening and drove them to the dance, then picked them up after. When they got in the car the told me that they had been invited to an after party and a friends house. I was not Happy about the ambush at the last posible minute but after I found out who the parents were and realised that I did know them I let them attend but only for about an hour. all parties seemed to be satisfied and I still made it home by 12:30. I realy hate being out that late on and weekend night. I'm such an old fuddy duddy :-)

Today I have nothing to do and no place to be. I plan to catch up on house work and sleep and maybe even watch a movie. Wont that be fun. I feel kinda bad about skiping church but without the kids its just not as much fun. Oh well, I'll try to update more often. I'm definatly thrilled to see all the posts and I noticed that we even have a couple of lurkers (blog talk for those that read but have not posted yet) please feel free to go ahead and throw your two cents in. Or you can just be like me and read all the great news.

Love to all
Tandy

the jones kids in l.a.

well, travis is off in Australia learning to boogie board without me! we had a wonderful time. we are both fans of taking it easy on vacation as opposed to being busy during every second. we watched a lot of South Park and ate a lot of food :) we went to the Griffith Observatory and got to see Saturn through a huge 16ft telescope! we also went to LACMA to see their new Contemporary Art collection - very cool!
travis always gets jealous of me because of the food i get to eat here in l.a. we had delicious sushi, burritos, hamburgers, cajun, argentinean and other assorted goodies :)
we didn't go to the beach - sadly it was a bit chilly for that. besides, he'll get plenty of that overseas!
all in all - it was a great trip!

i'll be!

thanks travis - for inviting everyone to see me....i can't wait.....oh - too much sarcasm? sorry ;)
yes - burritos and sushi - the king and queen of food. i don't know which is which. i guess sushi would be the queen, as it's beautiful and delicate. whereas burritos are fat and messy - so they will be the king.
that's all i've got for now. maybe we'll do a joint post when travis is here!
back to work!

Blog

Here it is. My first Blog. Tandy sent me an invitation today; so, here I am. Since I have no idea about the proper blog guidelines I will follow those set forth by Michael. I mean he is interested in particle physics, relative time, and Ministry!?!. Talk about cool stuff. Anyway. Here it goes....

Hello to everyone! I sure wish I could have been at Ann's little farm for Easter. Ham and "fluff", whatever that is, sounds good... well, at least if Ann had not cooked the ham, not because she is not an amazing chef, but because she should have the chance to relax. Instead, I have been working on a few projects. The most promising of which is a new partitioning of space around atoms.  I've also been attempting to link the quantum mechanical view of molecules with classical equations of force, and I've been exploring the quantum mechanics of various solid state phenomena. In short, I guess I am a bit like Mike, spending my time trying to understand wave(particle) physics. Christiane seems to think thats not good dinner conversation though. So, I'll talk about "fun" stuff instead.

This weekend I'll be going out to LA to see my big sister. She tells me we are going for sushi and burritos, two of the two food groups. I am very excited. If you have not been to see her you should go! My first trip out there was over thanksgiving and it was a blast. While the police helicopter was a bit unnerving, calling Ann and convincing her that Jessi had made up the fact that Keith, Christiane, and I were there really made up for it. Just imagine how fun that was! Now, she will deny believing that, but trust me, she thought poor Jessi was delusional... This time Christiane won't be with me though, but after seeing Jessi I will be off to Sydney to meet up with her. She has been doing some work bringing the analytical lab at the university of new south wales up to speed on her method. We will go boogie boarding, but I am more interested in riding some sort of strange animal (it will make my boss jealous). Barring being eaten by a sharp, bitten by some extremely poisonous animal (come on, since when are mammals poisonous?), or death rolled by a crocodile, I'll let you guys know how it was. 

HAPPY EASTER!!

Good Morning and Happy Easter to all!
We had a wonderful celebration yesterday with Mom and Ron,Tandy,Terry and all the kiddos.My children slept all the way home in the car. Kit was the only one not able to join us. He was missed and was very sad that he didn't get in on Mom's ham. I will be cooking him one today though. (he really likes mine better Mom! :-) ha ha)
The kids made another spectacular film which I am sure Mom will be posting here in the future. It sure brings back alot of great memories to see this group of cousins putting on productions like we did. If only we had had the technology they have now!
Anyway, My love to everyone.I hope you are all having as nice of a family celebration as we shared yesterday. Chelle

OUR NEW BABY

UP UP AND AWAY!

Ryan is on a plane at this moment as he heads to Boston. We miss him but he will join Beth, Dillon, Terri, Joey, Ian and Jasmine here on Wednesday. Meanwhile he is going to have quite the adventures to tell us about. And we all know Ryan will tell, and tell, and tell and tell....

Dillon has started a story about Granny Annie. Here is the beginning: "The lady was going bald on the chicken farm who barely sells enough at the flea market to cover her monthly booth rental."

I am posting a photo of Beth and her expression when I asked if she liked Peanut Butter Whoppers. See if you can tell how she feels about them.

We're having a grand ole time but work, work, work must happen today.

DESPITE THE PLAGUE

Thank you Russell Leff family for coming to Kansas. Despite harrowing plane trip, no food and exposure to the plague.....it was a great time. : )

Grant and Nora decorated this cake.

FAMILY VISIT

Tandy and the kids visited us this weekend. It seems like ages since we have seen Ryan, Dillon and Beth.

Ryan is 6' 1".

Dillon is 5' 7".

Beth is 5' 3".

Thankfully Beth is still a little shorter than her Granny Annie.

All three have stories of romance and tragedy and grades and band and contest scores and every tale had a happy ending or at least an ending with optimism.

They brought the DVDs of play, You're A Good Man CHARLIE BROWN and we watched Ryan's wonderful Linus performance again.

I enjoyed cooking and feeding everyone.

They enjoyed making us laugh. Tandy, Ryan, Dillon and Beth together are a single entity of entertainment. It doesn't matter if you think they are funny -- they KNOW they are funny!

It was a beautiful two days of sunshine and warmth.

Today it is snowing but this Granny is still warm from the weekend memories.

oscars 2008

here's pics of us before the show, at my office. i'm only putting two up because joe is at least a little different in each one, i however, look the same!!

Dillon and his sweetie

WARNING: RANDOM CAPITILAZATION

Well in Granny's last post she said that I should post again(in and indirect sort of way). So anyways, you could say it's Granny's fault that I'm posting. So not much has happened since the last time I sat down and wrote about band. So I guess I'll write about band...again. So last time it was all district. Well this time it's the Solo and Ensemble contest (By the way my brother got a superior rating-a 1- at his percussion contest.) My best friend Ryan-Not my brother-and I are doing a Trombone Duet. Our piece is called "The Wild Horseman". If we get a 1(again, a 1 is a superior rating) we will both get medals, and a certificate. So we're working really hard to get a 1. My school band goes to contest on the thirteenth(of march, that is) In Owasso. I went last year with the eighth grade band when Ryan(my best friend not brother...well kind of brother....from another mother)and I got moved up a year cause they were short on trombones. It's kind of intimidating having to sit in the Owasso High School's band room, with all those trophies and banners(they have ALOT(But not as much as us)) staring down at you. So anyways, I guess I've been bantering long enough, I WILL POST AGAIN...EVENTUALLY



-DILLON darnit, there's no underline button...

ON THE FLOOR

Cloelle was visiting her grandparents this week. Aunt Ann and Uncle Ron had to get in on the act, so we went to Pittsburg yesterday to see this little peadoodle. Cloelle was running the Russell household from the floor. Grandma Elenore was right there with her .. on the floor. Elenore found the best way to keep up with Cloelle was to get on her level. It was a sight to behold. We did get in a brief visit with Christy too and she is also a sight to behold. Now it is up to them to tell you anymore about themselves.

We were also treated to some new photos of Baby R. Leslie had emailed some new sonograms and it is shocking how much their expected sweetie has grown since the initial picture. Oh my goodness, with this fourth grandchild on the way for Elenore and David, it is going to be a while before Elenore gets off the floor!

Chelle, Mike, Hope are all getting over the flu. It hit Chelle the hardest, but she is back at work in a world of flu bugs. So far Kit's vitimin C is keeping him on the good health track. He has been a good caregiver.

Tandy was very excited about Ryan's percussion contest on Saturday. I hope they will all blog again soon and fill you in.

You can read what Jessi has been up to in the previous post. Ron and I saw her on the Red Carpet at the Academy Awards and Tandy believes he saw her too. Now she is an old hand at the Oscars.

We're still hoping to get Terri and the kids at Easter. We are excited at the prospect of that visit.

After Christmas we received wonderful candy from Germany from Travis and Christiane. That was nice,but it was the last we heard from them. Oh these absent minded professors and scholars!

It is nice to see all the names of family members who have signed up for the blog and to read the posts of some. It is exciting to check in and see a new post and find out what is going on for our many, many loved ones!

oscar tales

ok, so - there i was, standing in the bar area, drinking severely overpriced champagne. when who walks past me? Daniel Day Lewis....he looked to be in a hurry, so i didn't say anything. later i saw steve carrell, i told him "you make me happy." i smiled and he shook my hand and said "that's very nice of you, thank you." that was my big one of the night, i really like that guy :) other than that we walked in with renee zellweger (not a big fan,) josh brolin and diane lane (we're watching lonesome dove right now!!) uuhhh, helen mirren was getting out of her limo as we were being ushered into the security tent. OOHH! kate blanchett - she was gorgeous! i just couldn't stand it!! i think i saw the back of julie christy. and we walked up the stairs with cameron diaz (why was she there?) and sean combs (p diddy - why was he there?)
i thought jon stewart was great (but i love him) apparently clooney got there early, so i only saw him during the show, on stage - he was really little from my vantage point :( saw john travolta going up the escalator to his car (after the show.) the guy who won for best make up (la vie en rose) asked joe for a light (we smoke that night, just in case johnny depp goes out there!) he let joe hold his oscar :)

all in all a very fun night - but for joe it's all downhill since he met clint last year...poor thing, that's why i'll be taking someone else next year. i think i'll start an essay writing contest....so send them to me - i'll give you all the address in an email or something. whoever wins, i'll take next year, but you have to pay your own airfare!! sorry...hey! you get to go to the oscars!! ha! good luck to all. i can be bribed....

A Letter from Shyanne

Shyanne is trying to get on the keyboard so here is a letter from her..........

cvdcxfdcxfxuykmj mn nbh gbg bt nn ryc2 xq cfvczadxs aa mhgdgrtf jkcf bv t h nn

I think shes done now. Just thought I would check in and see how everyone is. This is a little hard to do with one hand while you juggle a bouncing baby in the other. So although this is quite amusing I think I will try again later

Love
Donna

OSCAR TIME AGAIN

Click here to see my post about Jessi at the Oscars last year.

Click here to get a printable ballot

How many of the nominated movies have you seen? I have only seen Gone Baby Gone, Bourne Ultimatum and 3:10 To Yuma

Click on " comments" and give your movie recommendations. Not just Oscar nominated movies, but any good movie suggestions.

oscars

well, it's that time of year....oscar time! i'm lucky enough to get to go again this year. i think i'm pretty much ready. i'm wearing the same dress i wore last year, as i'm super lazy and hate shopping. joe will be wearing the same suit but a different tie....why is it so easy for men? i got my hair cut - it looked so nice when i left the salon, now it looks like the same pile of crap on my head thats always on my head...i tried to recreate the look yesterday morning - it didn't turn out too well. luckily i usually wear a little knit cap to work ;)

i'll be sure to tell george clooney and daniel day-lewis you all said hi! i'll head-butt michael moore too.


any bets on best picture?

NAME CHANGE

Yes, you are in the right place. The name of the blog has been changed to SOMETHING FOR US ALL. I hope that meets with everyone's approval. It is up and running well!

Whew!

Finally got a breather to sit down and read! I'm so excited about "Baby R!" Congratulations! Better you than me! 1 down, 1 almost there, 1 to go! Only 7 more years! I have been raising children for 19 years, I can be cynical!

Well, the new trucking company is up and operating! We have all of our DOT stuff in place the intrastate, interstate, IRP, UCR, IFTA, etc. (I've been bordering on a mental episode for a month!) Mark and his partner have gotten 6 new accounts (with their 6 old accounts), so they are rolling trucks all over (I expect to be rolling in to a mental ward soon.)

Daycare is busy, busy! My director just had her baby Saturday nite, so I'm back at work (yeah!)(NOT!)

The only hope for my sanity is that Nascar season started this week! YEAH! However, I missed the biggest race of the year because I had to make a trucking run to Atoka right as the race started!! (my daycare director's husband is one of our drivers, so he is off, so guess who had to go!) I'll let that one slide since we are taking off to go to the Texas race in April.

I've got great pictures to share, but until I have time to get my laptop fixed, I can't get to them. One piece of advice to all - BACKUP YOUR HARD DRIVE!

Love to all!
Melissa

Hello From Michael

Hello everyone! I am glad to hear that everyone is doing well. I am doing pretty good myself. Everything is going well at school. Right now I am not in anything involved with the school, but I plan to play football next year. I have been listening to some awesome music lately. One of my new favorites is the band Bullet for my Valentine. Although Ive only heard one of their songs, I still think theyre awesome... I have alot of new favorite bands including, Breaking Benjamen, Sevindust, Lamb of God, Ministry, Testament, Damage Plan, Killswitch Engage, and Disturbed. I am excited because my absolute favorite band Metallica is coming out with a new album next september. I have found a new interest in particle physics and relative time. I find both of these subjects very intriguing. I am taking Okinawan Karate. Its fun, but painful. I think this blog is a great idea and I cant wait to put another post on.

Happy President's Day!

Goodmorning All!
I finally have time to post because I have NOTHING to do today!
That doesn't happen very often any more. For those of you who don't know
I started a new job in August. I am a Special Education Paraprofessional. I have three
awesome 1st grade kiddos that I hang out with everyday. It has been a very exhausting, emotional and educational experience for me so far, but I love it! The biggest challenge really
has been the adjustment for the whole family of Mom working full time.
Melissa I am amazed at how well you balance all the things you have going on!
Kit is doing really well at work.He just celebrated 15 years with the company and He got a promotion as Mom mentioned earlier.He is now the Mechanical and Measurement Technician for Southern Star Central Gas Pipeline, Peculiar Area.
It all started with Him trying to get a job in Edmond, Ok.. He didn't get that job :-( But he gets to take the place of the man who did :-). They offered him the job without even interviewing him,which is really kind of a big deal. I am so proud of him. Also it sounds like in a couple of years
it could still lead to a job in Edmond!

Michael is great. He is getting really involved in his Karate classes. We do that three nights a week but he would like to go more. He has also found a very fun youth group to be a part of and is looking forward to a retreat coming up that is about worshiping through creativity. I actually would like to go to that one too! He has a very sweet girlfriend and is working hard to keep his grades up. He has plans for the summer to spend time in Indiana working for Uncle Todd and in Oklahoma working for Grandpa. Basically whoever will pay him will get to see him most! HA HA

Hope is doing pretty well in Kindergarten. She is one of the youngest so we questioned sending her this year. She is doing good work and is one of the top readers in the class but is still having a hard time paying attention. She went to a mini cheerleading clinic this weekend and will get to cheer Tuesday at the highschool basketball game halftime. She is also signed up for soccer and starts practice in one week. I am not sure she understands yet that she will have to actually have to play the game. At this point she is only in it for the trophy.

Tandy, thanks for setting up this blog! I love being able to hear about what is going on with everyone. I promise I will do my best to keep posting too.

Michael and D.J. Production

Ok Tandy I signed up and in

Hey Great Idea, way to go Cuz.

I figured it out Ha!!!

pictures from the Graggs

Hi everyone, I finally got a chance to sit down and check out Tandys blog and what a great idea.Everyone is doing fine here. Martin and I are working like crazy and when Im not working, Im either running someone else to work or watching Shyanne. Cody is working at the Elephant Bar restaurant and going to school which keeps him on his toes. We are all doing well I get to play with Shyanne all the time and we have sleepovers about twice a month. Here are some of the most recent pictures. I cant believe she will be 10 months on the first.Im still learning how to upload things on my computer so I hope these came thru.

Donna

Dillon

Well, I thought I'd just let you know that today, I participated in the All District symphonic band concert. I auditioned last month and made seventh chair symphonic band (The top band) What this means is that I was the seventh best trombone player in the northeastern part of the state. At least of the eigth and ninth graders who tried out. I went to rehearsal all day yesterday, playing my trombone for FIVE HOURS. I think I cut my lips open in about twelve places. Today I rehearsed for the first part of the day, then at two o'clock we had our concert. Dad said he was totally blown away by the tone of the brass in our band. Afterwards I went out and met my family in the lobby, showing off my all district patch (Which will hopefully go on a Pride jacket some day) And finding out that my mom got me a placque with my name on it, and the T-shirt with everybody's name on the back. Childers had nine kids in the symphonic band(2 of which were first chair) and broken arrow had over 160 kids in all three bands combined. Anyways, I guess I've given you a sufficient update for now.

Bethie's Blog

Hello everybody! This is Beth right now. I hope all of you are having as much fun with this as my dad is! He just thinks hes brilliant for coming up with this idea. Well I dont really have as many things going on in my life right now but I'll say what is happening. As you might already know, I'm in my schools Beginning Band. I play the Flute. It is fun and really hard! I have it first hour so it usually wakes me up! I'm also in my schools science club. It is a lot of fun! They got Safari Joe to come and show us all these animals. There was a snake about two feet long, a tarantula (that freaked me out!), two more snakes, an alligator, a bird, cockroaches, snapping turtles, and regular turtles. There were some other animals to, but thats all I can remember right now. It was really cool! I got to hold them and pet the ones i wanted to! It was fun! There has been a person come and do a show called Mad Science and a lot of other people have come to. So in my life outside of school right now what is happening is my mom signed me up for softball this year! I am so happy! I've wanted to play softball for so long! But I haven't gotten to because Dillon and Ryan played baseball and it would be to hard to get me to the softball fields and the boys to different parts of the baseball fields at the same time. But Ryan isn't going to play it this year because he is going to do Drivers Ed instead. So I get to play! =) I have been practicing every day after school with Dillon. Well I have to go now. And thats about all going on right now for me. So bye-bye! It was nice to get to share this with everyone!

Love,
Beth

Baby R's Debut

Baby R

I hate to be hoggin the bloggin.......but just had to share Mike and Leslie's happy news! Due date is August 30th. There will be no preview of coming attractions. We have to wait to find out if Baby R is boy or a girl. There is supposed to be a sonogram attached but don't think it worked.
Love to All, Elenore

CALIFORNIA BOYS

Joey getting ready for school dance.

Joey and Ian acting crazy!

Grandma has to share

Cousin Becky

Our cousin Becky has her own blog and she recently posted to Journeys of the Heart. It is a beautiful blog. For those who have missed it click and enjoy.

ta-daaaa!!!

well, since haven't posted on my own blog since october, i have been urged to post here :) AND since i'm being paid to sit on my butt all day and "guard" tapes, i'm just bored enough to do it!

lot's of things have happened since october (one would hope.) so, i'll try to remember the good stuff!

joe and i went to hawaii for the first time! it was really beautiful, and we both needed it. we stayed at a beach front hotel!! so the first 10 pictures in the camera were the same, just the view from the room....really boring once we got home and looked at them ;) we saw sea turtles sun bathing! that was a highlight for the both of us :)

keith, travis and his girlfriend christiane came to see me for thanksgiving! that was great :) we had a wonderful time, and joe even got to carve the turkey - he'd never done it before, so he was afraid he'd mess it up, but he did fine. travis later told me that i had single handedly ruined movies and burritos for him. i took them to a very nice movie theater and fed them delicious burritos. mmmmmmm

i went home for christmas. i was glad that i missed the ice storm! sorry for all of you that didn't! i saw my dad and joe's family. i got a lovely shirt that reads "I love Tulsa" the "love" is, of course, communicated with a big red heart :)

we spent a quiet new year here in los angeles. we then got to see our precious OU Sooners choke away yet another bowl title....really? do they just not play in january?

then last weekend was my birthday! 31!! my friends kathrine, janet and mia came to see me. janet from san jose and the other two from seattle. good times and good food were had :)

that's about all i've got right now. i'm enjoying reading about everyone!! if my brother actually signs onto this thing, i might have a heart attack! so stay tuned :)

Big Sale

Well, today was an interesting day. About two weeks ago I sold 500 pocket folders to my networking group. I ordered them from one of our vendors and was told that I would have them at our shop in ten days. Since we didnt print them in house I was a little worried that everything come off without a hitch. The people that I was delivering to are not just potential customers, they are also people that can make alot of recomendations to others. I called to check on the progress of our vendor on monday and they were still in production. That got me worried because I knew that it would take at least two days to ship and I had to have them for my lunch meeting today. I explained this to the person I was talking to and they told me they would try and get them here in time. Tuesday morning we got a fax that they had been shiped and I crossed my fingers in hopes that they would get here in time (since I had already told everyone that they would be). This morning I called to get the tracking number for the order and found out that they were on a truck heading for our office, the problem is that they UPS truck dosnt arive at our office till around 2PM. I told my boss about the situation and he got on the phone with UPS and the next thing I know, he is heading out the door to meet the truck and get my pocket folders. He got back just in time for me to check and rebox the order and head out to lunch. needless I was the big hero at lunch and everyone loved the folders. Hopefully I'll get some future orders now that everyone knows that I can deliver :-)

Tandy

Greatest kids in the whole world

Hello out there!

Greetings from Kansas! I am so happy about our new blog. Thanks to Tandy for making it happen. It has been fun reading the posts so far and I look forward to the arrival of new faces.

Dave and I are still in one piece. As it is for each of you, we still find ourselves "pulled" toward Tulsa and the OMM. David always called mother when there was an OSU basketball game scheduled and we will think of her and this ritual until the season ends. Oh how we miss mother.

As most of you know, we enjoyed hosting the Graggs and Lynchs after Christmas. It was a good time.

Our Chicago kiddos are doing just fine. I was there recently for about six days and got my grandma fix. I am finding it more and more difficult adjusting to the distance and envy all of you that live close to one another. Nora is 3 1/2 , Grant is 19 months and Cloelle 10 months. They change so fast I can't keep up with them.

This is all I've got for now. Believe me, I will try to be more specific and informative in my next posting. Love to all.

Elenore

Lovin' Cousins

I knew the perfect place to post this photo would someday be located. Here it is!

the fun of teenagedom

Hello family this will be my first entry into the new blog. (This is Ryan by the way.) I hope everyone is enjoying it as much as my dad is. Well i guess I should give some insight into my very eventful life. I just broke up with my girlfriend a couple weeks ago. If you came to see me in "You're a Goodman Charlie Brown" you would have seen her as one of the girls in the chorus. Well like I said we just broke up. I was depressed for a couple days but I slowly became my usual spastic self again. I am currently looking for a date to my school formal. I shouldn't have to many problems choosing someone because as my dad said in his entry I have a "flock of puppies" following me anywhere i go. I am also having an awesome year in band. I was first chair all last semester and this semester i made it into the percussion ensemble. It's very cool. I'm making lots of new friends and basically having a good time. Well my dad is telling me to get off the computer and go to bed so i will have to post again soon. I hope everyone is enjoying the blog. well goodbye
-Ryan

Day one :-)

Well its the end of day one and I'm so excited about the responce from the family. As I was reading I realised that when I posted my little blurb I did not include anything about my own family. Its all pretty basic around here these days. Work is great. I have moved into the exciting world of sales. I have also joined a networking group that meets every thursday for lunch and lead exchanges. I havnt decided if I like the leads or the lunch better :-) we meet at the green oinion and the food is delicious. The kids are very busy with school and there social lives. Between school and the church they cant decide where their best friends are. Thank god for the internet and MySpace. Other wise I would not be able to afford the cell phone bill LOL. As some of you know I bought a new car a couple months ago. The car is great but the warenty is even better. I learned that roadside assistance is included with the warenty when I sent dillon out to the car to start it two weeks ago. He got the car started and like the responsable young man that he is he locked the doors when he got out. after calling two diffrent locksmith's and finding out that they were all too busy to come unlock my running car I remembered that the car sales man mentioned something about roadside assistance. I called the dealership and found out that I did have it and the car was open and we were off to get our donouts within 15 minutes of calling. not bad huh? and did I mention that it didnt cost me a penny..... unless of course you count the price of the very expensive new car sitting in my drive way LOL. Anyway. dillon is now off the hook for his mental lapse because last night after watching his wonderful performance in the one act play that his drama class presented. (Dillon was the best, by the way :-) I discovered that I, yes, I had locked the keys in the car. so once again we made the call to GM roadside assistance and within 15 minutes we were back in the car and off to enjoy the rest of our evening :-).

There is more of course. Besides Dillon and his drama, Beth and Ryan have drama of their own. Beth lives for school and wednesday nights. Her boyfriend at school is the little brother of one of dillon's buddies so I get regular updates on how that is going and weather or not dillon is keeping track of his sister like every big brother should. I did meet the young man in question last night at the play and he seemed like a very nice young man. he came right over and introduced himself and shook my hand. and NO, I didnt kill him LOL Im sure beth thought I would. I also met Dillon's girlfriend. She was very sweet and pretty. after the play I got a great picture of her and dillon. I havent downloaded it yet so I cant post with this blog, sorry. Ryan is taking a break from women at the moment after ending his record two month relationship with Rachel :-( He was heart broken and made me remember highschool love lost. I'm sure that with all the girls at school and church that follow him like a flock of puppies he wont be heart broken for long. in the mean time he has school, band, and church to keep him busy. he tried out for and was excepted into the percussion ensemble at the high school and has to stay till 5 every wednesday. did I mention that they keep me hopping. oh well. I think thats enough for now. I'll try to keep it shorter next time. hope everyone is well and I'll be checking for more reports tomorow and the day after that and the day after that...... you get the idea :-)

LOVE THIS PHOTO

Jabber, Jabber

Let's see.....what can I say here that I haven't already yapped about over at my blog? Well, we started today wishing JESSI a HAPPY 31st BIRTHDAY sending HAPPY 19TH BIRTHDAY to CALIN.

Thursday we had snow all day and the ground was covered. Most of it has melted and today was very pretty.

I want to tell about Kit's promotion at his work, but the Grafts should probably tell that. We were also hoping to see them this weekend but it looks like it might be a while longer before they visit.

Ron's backhoe is in the repair shop and he should get it back this week. Having those metal arms and legs transforms him.

We are glad to see that Terri checked in here and like the photo on her profile. We are looking for them to visit at Easter.

Tandy had a great idea and this is going to fun to watch as more family reports in.

First it is hard to believe Tandy started this then even harder to believe that Melissa, Terri and Print were the first to check in.

It's me!

It's great to have this opportunity to share with family. Thanks Tandy, for providing it and inviting us on board! Your mother will truly be amazed that I have weighed in on this since I remain silent most of the time when it comes to internet communications.

Elaine and I have been recovering in our local infirmary from both respiratory and intestinal distresses. You certainly don't want me to go into the details but I am happy to report we are now doing well and feel we are no longer contagious. Tonight we will celebrate Calin's 19th birthday and tomorrow we will join Martin and his clan around the TV for the Super Bowl. My stomach is now ready for the hot wings! Bring 'em on!

We flew to Florida on January 16 and spent several days with Melinda, Paul and Jared. Melinda had a couple of days off and we had a great, relaxing visit.

Who ever had the idea that retired geezers have nothing to do? They were wrong! I hope to keep in touch through the blog.

Print

I think it is a fantastic idea! So, I'll be the first!

Mark and I have just started a trucking company (since we didn't have anything else to do!) He has been working for other people for a year, and decided to get a piece of the pie! He and his partner have 8 trucks, and February 1 was our first official day!

The daycare is going well, we are getting ready to expand. This will increase our enrollment to 80 kiddos. Pray for good weather so they can go outside and not be locked up in the building all summer!

Calin is still working for Cougar Tool, an oilfield tool company. He enjoys it, particularly the paycheck. He just bought his first new truck, very exciting! Today is his 19th birthday!

Jacob has been busy with band, and his new girlfriend. We don't see him much, but when we do, he usually has a phone to his ear.

Hunter just finished wrestling season, he had a good season, but no medals. He was disappointed, but plans to work harder next season.

I bought a new horse two weeks ago! Her name is Sissy, and she is a beautiful bay. I will be showing her this year, along with Midget. I will be showing both horses in working cow horse and Sissy in team penning along with my trainers wife. Can't wait for the season to start!!

Pray for me to maintain my sanity and at some point in time to get to bed at a decent hour!

Love to all,
Melissa

Something for us all

Hello family :-)
Welcome to my big idea. I thought, and now hope that everyone will want to participate in my experiment. What I'd like to see is everyone post to this blog when ever the mood strikes them. I'm sure that this will be a great way to update everyone about what's happening in your family or you might just want to post pictures or jokes or..... well you get the idea. Since Granny GG passed I feel like my information super highway has narrowed to a back ally. nobody comes to tulsa anymore and I'm not very good at picking up the phone and calling, but I do get on the computer every day and I will promise to peek at this site alot. This is not an order to participate but a leisurely invitation to share. Thanks for coming and I hope to see your news and pictures here in the future.