The Fall Fashion Show

It's almost September and it's time to go back to school, which meant a new Fall wardrobe for Adeline.  Last weekend was Tax Free School Shopping days, so we headed out to Kohls and Target to do some shopping.  Kohls always has really cute things for girls and they came through again this time.  We ended up getting Adeline twelve new outfits and four pairs of shoes! 

Adeline did a Fall Fashion Show for us on Saturday evening.  Here are the highlights of the show:
 

Pink Leopard Pants and "Hello Kitty" Shirt

Multicolor "Hello Kitty" Slack Set

Pink and Black Glam Set - My Personal Favorite!

Black and Blue Heart Set

Purple and Black Leopard Pants and Sparkle Shirt

Sequined "Hello Kitty" Pants Set

Blue Butterfly Pants Set

Rock Star Pants Set - Another Favorite of Mine!

We also got her a "Hello Kitty" jacket which she hasn't wanted to take off since we got it!

Most of her clothes at Kohl's were 50% off, then the cashier gave us another 20% off for having a Kohl's card, so we got 12 really cute outfits, hair bows, and 12 pairs of socks for $214.67!   So now she can wear a different outfit to school for more than two weeks without having to wear the same thing twice!

After the Kohl's experience, we went next door to Target and bought her the black boots she's wearing in the pictures plus 3 pairs of shoes, all tax free! 

It's so fun dressing up such a sweet and smart little girl!

Calling All Angels

A dear friend of mine posted this song to my Facebook wall the other night:

The song is named "Calling all Angels" by Train.  It says so much about where I've been during the hard times of my life and where I'm at now.  Whenever I'm experiencing rough spots in my life, I ask the angels to help and protect me, and they always come through.

Back in 2009 when I was in Huntsville, Alabama, I went through a terrible time at work.  I started working there in the Spring of 2007 and things never were good as it was a "good 'ole boy" environment.  It didn't matter how hard anybody worked or how good they did, if you weren't a part of the "good 'ole boy" network, you didn't matter, period.

Huntsville fell upon hard times after President Obama took office and sought to end the Missile Defense Program that I was working on at the time, just as he promised he would do if elected.  Things started going to hell in a hand hand basket around Springtime of that year, when folks started getting scared that they were going to lose their jobs.  Times like these usually bring out either the best or the worst in people, and in Alabama there was a whole lot more of the "worst" part coming out.

The back biting became unbearable and there was one guy on our team who was eavesdropping on everybody's personal conversations and then going to our manager and telling him what folks were saying.  What a hostile working environment!  They switched our manager several times within a 4 month time frame and the last one was a total prick!  I'm convinced that he hated me before we even met.

All of this mess ended up in my getting a pink slip, which was completely devastating. Up until that time, I had never received a pink slip in my entire working career.  It was one of the worst times of my life!  My daughter sent me a beautiful Angel Stone to help me get through the crisis.  I've posted a picture of an Angel Stone before in one of my other blogs, but here is what it looks like:

My Angel Stone

Every time that I felt overcome with worry and depression, I got out my Angel Stone and held it, imagining a group of beautiful angels surrounding me to keep away all of the pain and angst. I ended up getting a job within the company with all moving expenses covered as well as a big bonus!  Thank God for that and the angels who helped me to get through that terrible time!

Wow, I've never put that experience down on paper or really even spoken aloud about it!  I must have needed to get it out once and for all.

Nowadays at work I'm in charge of making sure that a large group of people get a complex task done in a short time span, which is somewhat stressful.  I've been asking the angels to help me get through this in one piece.

Funny, this just popped up on my News Feed on Facebook:

A Sign from the Angels

I think it must be a sign from the angels!


Here are the lyrics to the song:

I need a sign, to let me know you're here
All of these lines are being crossed over the atmosphere
I need to know, that things are gonna look up
'Cause I feel us drowning in a sea spilled from a cup

When there is no place safe and no safe place to put my head
When you can feel the world shake from the words that are said

And I'm, calling all Angels
And I'm, calling all you Angels

And I won't give up, if you don't give up
I won't give up, if you don't give up
I won't give up, if you don't give up
I won't give up, if you don't give up

I need a sign to let me know you're here
'Cause my TV set just keeps it all from being clear
I want a reason for the way things have to be
I need a hand to help build up some kind of hope inside of me

And I'm, calling all Angels
And I'm, calling all you Angels

When children have to play inside, so they don't disappear
While private eyes solve marriage lies 'cause we don't talk for years
And football teams are kissing queens and losing sight of having dreams
In a world where what we want is only what we want until it's ours

And I'm, calling all Angels
And I'm, calling all you Angels

And I'm, calling all Angels
(I won't give up, if you don't give up)
(I won't give up, if you don't give up)
And I'm, calling all you Angels
(I won't give up, if you don't give up)
(I won't give up, if you don't give up)

Calling all you Angels
(I won't give up, if you don't give up)
Calling all you Angels
(I won't give up, if you don't give up)
Calling all you Angels
(I won't give up, if you don't give up)

The Oklahoma Standard

In my last blog, I talk about our visit to Oklahoma City on the weekend of July 21, 2012.  We had such a great time!  On our drive back to Dallas, we visited the Oklahoma City National Memorial and Museum, which is a tribute to those who were killed, those who survived and those changed forever in the April 19, 1995 bombing of the Alfred Murrah Building. We got there and parked, and as we walked up towards the Memorial, we came upon a chain link fence that contains artifacts left by all of the people who visit in memory of that sad day back on April 19, 1995.

Here is one of the first things I saw on the fence:

In Memory of  Blake Kennedy, 1-1/2 Years Old

This fence was the first fence to be installed to protect the site of the Murrah Building.  Tens of thousands of people have left remembrances of the victims on this fence.  It was really sad to see this, but there was a whole lot more to come.  This one really bothered me too:

Another Innocent Victim

We ventured further into the Memorial to find the "Gates of Time".  These monumental gates frame the moment of destruction, which was 9:02 AM.  The East Gate represents 9:01 am on April 19, and the innocence of the city before the attack.  The West Gate represents 9:03 am, which is the moment right after the attack. There is a Reflecting Pool in between the gates which occupies what was once NW Fifth Street.  This is a shallow pool of gently flowing water which provides a peaceful setting for meditation.
 

The 9:01 Gate - Signifying the Moment before the Blast

The Reflecting Pool

The 9:03 Gate - Signifying the Moment

We then looked to the right to see the Field of Empty Chairs, which contains 168 chairs that represent the 168 lifes lost on that day, with smaller chairs representing the 19 children killed.  It is situated on what was the footprint of where the Alfred Murrah Building once stood. The chairs are arranged in nine rows, with each row representing the nine floors of the building and placed according to which floor on which each person died.  The name of each victim is etched onto each chair and the glass bases light up at night, kind of like their souls shining from within.  This is such a forlorn sight, especially the smaller chairs that represent the children!  Many people visiting there just stood and wept openly, including a few members of our party.  I just felt so empty inside looking at these chairs . . .

After gazing solemnly over the Field of Empty Chairs, we went back to the Survivor Wall, which is on the east end of the Memorial.  These are the only remaining walls from the Murrah Building.  There are 600 names of survivors inscribed here on pieces of granite that came from the Murrah Building Lobby.

The Survivor Wall

A Jagged Portion of the Survivor Wall

 

Plaques with Names of Survivors

After looking at the Survivor Wall, we headed into the Museum.  On the way into the Museum was the Children's Area.

Tiles in the Children's Area

This is a wall of hand painted tiles that were sent to Oklahoma City by children to express how much they cared. 

We entered the Museum and saw this inscription on the wall:

Marble Inscription at Museum Entrance

After entering the Museum, I saw this picture. It is of the America's Kids Day Care children and workers posing for this photo as part of their Easter egg hunt and party on April 14, 1995, five days before the bombing!  Most of these children in the picture died in the bombing!  I found this to be immensely disturbing!

The America's Kids Day Care Center

Here is another really disturbing picture of Tim McVeigh pulling up to the building at 8:56 am in the Ryder truck that contained the bomb that blew up the building.

Video of the Ryder Truck Driving Up to the Building

Another item in the Museum that made me sick was a shoe that was recovered from the Murrah Building that belonged to Ashley Eckles, a child that was killed in the bombing.

Ashley Eckles'  Shoe

This is a stuffed toy that was found in the Murrah Building rubble.  It is unidentified, but is presumed to have been in the Day Care Center.  It looks so sad and lonely!

Stuffed Toy Found in the Rubble

The last part of the Museum contains the Gallery of Honor which honors the lives of the 168 who were killed. In this beautiful room, the victims' families display personal photographs and artifacts of their loved ones.  Interactive computers provide their personal stories.  All of these pictures are really touching, but this picture of an adorable little black boy in a black cowboy hat just reached out and grabbed my heart!

Three Little Angels

After looking through the Gallery of Honor, we signed the guestbook and then headed outside.  I headed towards the Field of Empty Chairs to find the one that belongs to Baylee Almon.  Baylee is the child in the arms of a firefighter in what was one of the most famous pictures of that fateful day:

Oklahoma City Fire Capt. Chris Fields holding Baylee Almon

Here is a picture of Baylee's little chair in the Field of Empty Chairs:

Baylee Almon's Chair

After seeing Baylee's chair, we headed out towards the car.  Here is a picture that I took of a beautiful memorial at a Catholic church across the street:  

"Jesus Wept"

The statue of Jesus was inscribed with "Jesus Wept". 

The sadness of the Oklahoma City National Memorial and Museum is overwhelming.  But the significance of it all is how evil was overcome by love.  In the chaos after the bomb went off, the people of Oklahoma dropped everything to help the victims in any way that they could.  This is what is known today as "The Oklahoma Standard".

The Oklahoma Adventure

We've been living in Dallas for almost 3 years now and had never taken the trek up over the state line to visit Oklahoma.  Since my stepdaughter Anne and her daughter Cassie were in town visiting, we decided to ride up to Oklahoma City this past weekend.

We left the house around 9:00 AM and stopped off at the local Sonic to get some breakfast to eat on the road.

Breakfast on the Road at Sonic

Once we left Sonic, we started on our 220 mile drive to Oklahoma City.  We saw a few casinos along the way:

A Casino Along the Way

We arrived at the Embassy Suites in Oklahoma City around 1:00 PM and had to wait until after 3:00 PM to get into one of our rooms.  Once we got into the 2nd room, we drove downtown to the Myriad Botanical Gardens.  We got there only an hour before they closed, but we got to look around pretty well.  I thought that this artwork inside was especially gorgeous:

"Myriad of Dreams" by Chris McGahan

The grounds were very pretty as well.  Here are Cassie, Adeline and Anne on the twirly stands outside.

Cassie, Adeline and Anne on the Twirly Stands

Here's a picture of Cassie reclining in a big letter "G" which was is the word Garden spelled out in the playground.

Gee Cassie, What are You Doing?

The playground was really cool because the ground was made of a soft rubber so that kids won't hurt themselves if they fall down.

Here are the girls up on a giant, soft rubber covered hill on the playground:

Up On the Hill

The grounds were very pretty there.  Here are some scarecrows that they had in the garden:

Scarecrows in the Garden

Here is a picture of a cool-looking building that we saw from the garden:

Cool View from the Garden

We stayed at the Myriad until it closed and then headed to Bricktown, which is Oklahoma City's hottest entertainment and dining district.

Once we got there and got the car parked, we headed straight for the Bricktown Water Taxis. The Water Taxis cruise along the mile-long Bricktown Canal, taking passengers throughout Bricktown while tour guides point out interesting spots along the way.  Here are some pictures I took during our cruise on the Water Taxi:

A Beautiful Monument Near the Water Taxis

I took this one from the bench we were sitting at waiting for the water taxi to pick us up;

Water Taxi Sign

Here is the Water Taxi coming to pick us up:

Here Comes the Water Taxi

Our Tour Guide drove the Water Taxi and pointed out some interesting things on the ride through the Bricktown Canal.  Part of a beautiful wall mosaic is right behind her in the picture. She is a Nursing Student getting ready to graduate next month and she has a great sense of humor!

Our Tour Guide and Driver

 Here is a shot of the Canal as we rode through it and under a bridge:

Here is a beautiful mural painted by some students onto the Canal walls:
 

Canal Mural Painted by  Students

There was a pretty waterfall in the Canal:
 

Waterfall in the Canal

After the Water Taxi ride we stopped at a Cajun restaurant and had some Oysters on the half shell with some beers:

Oysters on the Half Shell

Here are Anne and Cassie enjoying the Oysters:

Anne and Cassie at the Cajun Restaurant

Here are Anne, Adeline and Cassie sitting at a table on the Canal:

Anne, Adeline and Cassie on the Bricktown Canal

Next came some BBQ at Earls Rib Palace:

Earl's Rib Palace

I had brisket, beans, and corn on the cob, all accompanied by Coors Light.  It was delicious and I was so full!

Brisket,  Beans and Corn on the Cob

By the time we finished eating we started feeling somewhat tired, so we drove back to the hotel.  Here is a picture of a cool sculpture that we passed on the way home;

Roadside Sculpture

The sculpture was lit up with different colored lights.  Once we got  back to the hotel we relaxed for a while and then went to bed.

I really enjoyed our first time in Oklahoma and found the people there to be very nice and friendly.  I'd like to return to Oklahoma City some day in the near future to check out some of the museums. 

Rotonda West on Dwellable