7 Things

Saw this on Ayatollah Mugsy's site and thought it was fun. I am sure that he will not mind if I incorporate it here.

Seven things I want to do before I die:
Tour Italy
Make a quilt for all of my children
Swim with dolphins
See my children happy with their lives in their relationships
Finish school
Move back to civilization (Oklahoma)
Hold my great grandbabies

Seven things I cannot do:
Tap Dance
Tolerate toads nor mice
Math
Forgive and forget (I have a problem with the forget part of that)
hold my breath for five minutes
Listen to bluegrass music
not talk for 24 hours

Seven things that attract me to hubby:
His ability to make me laugh
His laugh
Devotion to God
Eyelashes
Kindness to others
Knowledge of Football
Ability to shop

Seven things I say most often:
I love you
Holy Crap
I'm just saying (thanks Erin)
Hmmmm....
Let's buy that!
I thought that would work
Ouch!

Seven books or authors you love:
Looking for Mary
Anything by Margaret George, but especially Memoirs of Cleopatra
The Life of Christ
Lord of the Rings Trilogy
The Eight
Anything by P.D. James
Mary of the Lost and Found
Wind in the Willows
The Saggy Baggy Elephant

Seven movies you watch over and over again:
This is really hard considering I do not watch movies!

Lord of the Rings Trilogy (pretty close to the book)
Hero (AWESOME!!! Not just another Jet Li butt kicker; beautiful cinematography)
Young Frankenstein
Best of Show
The Princess Bride
That is all I can think of...

Seven people I want to join in, too:

Adam
Andrea
Dad
Dawn
Erin
John Forrest
Mom


Interesting: the hardest for me to answer was what I cannot do. Perhaps it should have been phrased "What I WILL not do." Most everything I thought of I CAN do, unless I choose not to. Food for thought.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving all! I am blogging away as the smell of roast turkey permeats our little house. Football is on the TV, the pies are cooling, God is in His heavan, and all is right with the world!

Things for which I am thankful include:

My family but especially:
my wonderful husband
that my father's hip replacement went so well
that my mother got to come and visit me
that my sister and her family are healthy and happy
that my grandchild has such a wonderful mother and father
that I can communicate with my children
My health
Friends, both old and new
A great new church home.

What are YOU thankful for? I know that there is a lot that I missed, and I am sure that if we all sat down and really counted our blessings we would be amazed and humbled by how many we have.

Update on Our Doings

Granny and Clay got here Monday evening and it was great to see them!! Tuesday they went to see some of Clay's old stomping grounds and we went to Captain John's for dinner. Pretty much like Shymansky's, but a little better "ambiance. They decided to head back to OKC today to beat the forecasted snow. I was sad to see them leave early, but completely understand that "get out of the way of the snow" thing!!

Monday I took Bob to the "spa" where they got water in his ears. Hence, yesterday, I had to take him to the vet for infections in both his ears! BOO! I will not be going back to that groomer, needless to say. Now I have to wrestle him down and put drops in his ears twice a day. Not OK.

We are going to have a quiet Thanksgiving - both of us have 4 days off! IKEA will have to be visited I have no doubt!

The camera has been found!

Three really cute kids, Andrea, Theo, and Erin, in front of the Oklahoma pillar at the WWII memorial. Very impressive memorial and very sad to think of the lives that were lost during that time.
Theo and his Auntie Erin in front of the White House. He assures me that someday he will be living there and I can come to visit. And unlike Billary, he won't charge me to stay!!

Here is a picture of some of the beautiful fall color we saw. I was mocked quite unmercilessly about my excitement and delight a the hues of nature (yes, Erin, I am speaking of YOU).

This is a picture of Theo's first ride on the Metro. Oh, that we could all see DC pushed around while in a reclining position, every whim being catered to, and being treated like a royalty. Hmmm...Hilary and Bill pretty much did that during their reign of terror.

What a GREAT Week-end

Last Thursday, on Steve's birthday, Erin, Andrea, and Theo flew in to surprise him. And surprised he was!! He could not believe that 1) they had done that, and 2) that I had not blown the secret. It was not easy let me assure you - as you know I tell Steve EVERYTHING. But this time I did manage to keep my mouth shut and it was worth the effort! I am sure that Erin and Andrea will blog there adventures much better than I can, so check their sites as well. I will post pictures as soon as I can find the camera....

HA HA TO!!!

As we know, I cannot STAND Terrell Owens. Turns out, that a lot of folks agree. Good riddance to bad rubbish.


Whether he's been dancing on the Cowboys' star logo at Texas Stadium's midfield, calling out his quarterbacks in San Francisco and Philadelphia or taking repeated shots at the Eagles as an organization, Terrell Owens has been quite the controversial figure in his 10-year NFL career. Our Bristol experts weigh in on the latest Owens controversy and his tenure in the city known (almost all of the time) for brotherly love.
Theismann: Time to grow up, shut up, or leave I left meetings with the Eagles coaches and players at 6:45 p.m ET. These meetings were set up for our Sunday Night Football game between the Eagles and the Redskins. Of course, once the news was announced that T.O. was suspended, the meetings took on an entirely different spin because now we wanted to know what the players and coaches were thinking about this new situation. Lemme tell you, there is a sense of relief on this team now that Owens is gone for however long.
Owens has taken the fun out of the Eagles. This is a team that features a fun-loving Donovan McNabb, an always-smiling Jeremiah Trotter, and Brian Westbrook, who always seems happy. Owens' constant harping and complaining had taken its toll on this team because it never knew what was going to happen next. He was the Grinch Who Stole Christmas on this team.
The Eagles are already in a dire situation because they are a beat-up football team playing in a division that is the class of the NFL. The last thing this team needs is more distractions, particularly from a guy who should be a leader on this team. Today was a perfect example, because instead of having game-planning sessions with the crew from SNF, they had to deal with other issues.
Over the past four years the Eagles have built a family organization that has allowed players to leave and come back. Sure, they have been strict in their business dealings, but that's why this team has been so successful over the past few seasons. Hugh Douglas left the Eagles and went to play for the Jaguars, and he told me he talked to his friends on the Eagles every day before he came back. The Eagles are the essence of a family in the NFL and Owens either doesn't get it or doesn't want to get it.
It's a shame, really, because Owens is the most physically gifted receiver in the game today. He's big, fast, tough, strong, has great hands, and wants to be the best, but he's stupid. It absolutely amazes me that someone who has so much to give to a team continues to take away. Never in my 31 years around the professional game of football have I seen such a waste and such a degree of selfishness.
My hat is off to Andy Reid and McNabb because they are class acts dealing with a guy who has no class. As much as Owens thinks that this game revolves around him, he's sadly mistaken and the tragedy is he's going to wake up some day and realize the game of professional football doesn't need him and neither does McNabb. Owens needs McNabb a whole lot more than McNabb needs him.
The biggest question is still left to be answered, and that's what happens to T.O. after this? Precedent was set by Jon Gruden when he let Keyshawn Johnson leave the team when he wouldn't accept the team concept. The next season, Johnson was with the Dallas Cowboys and his old coach Bill Parcells. I'm not sure who would want Owens, though. He's thrown Jeff Garcia under the bus and waited for the buses to line up to pick up kids to throw McNabb under them. If I was a quarterback and he became my teammate, I'd look out for buses because nothing has changed. This is just T.O. being T.O. It's time for him to grow up, shut up or leave.-- Joe Theismann
Salisbury: Happy occasion for PhillyI couldn't be happier for the Philadelphia Eagles organization for finally making the right choice and getting rid of T.O. If I was the coach of the Eagles, I would make sure this was a permanent suspension and that the fans of the Eagles would never see Owens in an Eagles uniform again.
Owens isn't just a cancer, he's a terminal cancer in a locker room. He has the maturity of a 7-year-old and it looks like he'll never mature. I used to think he was worth the trouble, but he's proven me wrong as he went from punking his teammates to punking the organization. He's the ultimate I-guy in a game that is the ultimate we-sport.
I'm tired of hearing him blame the way he acts on his upbringing, because there are tons of players in the NFL who act like teammates who have had similar upbringings. He needs to stop using that as an excuse because it's completely bogus. He's officially alienated everyone now and has become the most reviled person in sports. Heck, the perception of Barry Bonds (who I happen to like) is of a choirboy compared to Owens right now.
What's really sad is how predictable Owens has become, though. This is the exact same script he followed in San Francisco, where he started out by taking shots at the quarterback (Jeff Garcia) and then turned on the rest of the locker room. Everything is everybody else's fault and there's no way that he's to blame for anything.
I remember when Owens was leaving the 49ers and couldn't stop talking about how much he loved Donovan McNabb. Now he acts like the guy ran over his dog or something. Let's be honest here -- this isn't about McNabb or Garcia, it's about Owens. If he was with the Patriots he'd hate Tom Brady, if he was with the Colts he'd hate Peyton Manning. Heck, if he was with the Packers he'd hate Brett Favre. This is who Owens is and no team should have to stand for it because as great a receiver as he is, he's 10 times worse as a teammate.
I will say this: I don't blame the Eagles organization for taking a chance by bringing him into the fold. He's a great talent and his problems with the 49ers at the time could've been a one-time thing. The Eagles thought he was the missing link to their hopes of winning the NFC championship and possibly a Super Bowl. They did win an NFC title even though he didn't play in it because of injury, and he performed exceptionally well in the Super Bowl. But it's time for the nonsense to stop. I can't see a way where he can be a part of the Eagles next season.
I just wish he was on one of the old Raiders or Steelers teams where a guy like Howie Long or Mean Joe Greene would slam him against a locker and tell him to just shut up and play football.-- Sean Salisbury
Schlereth: Eagles will be better without T.O. Terrell Owens' suspension is a message from the organization to the rest of the team. If the Eagles are going to make the playoffs, then they are going to do it as a cohesive unit. This could be a galvanizing moment for this coaching staff and the 52 other players on the team. This could get everybody refocused because there are two types of people in the world: energy drainers and energy enhancers. Owens is an energy drainer and he's sucked the life out of this organization with his constant complaining and harping.
This is a better football team without him because, first and foremost, you can't have a guy that selfish and that big of a distraction on a team and expect to be successful. He detracts from what the Eagles need to do as a team. He's a large part of the reason why this team has lost its offensive balance and looks to pass all the time. His great talent, combined with his ability to whine if the ball doesn't come his way, forces a team to get him the ball. Now the Eagles are going to have to become more reliant on the running game and become a more balanced football team.
Everyone says that Brian Westbrook can't take the pounding, but Warrick Dunn has proven that a little running back can do it. This organization must start making it a priority to run the football if it wants to return to greatness. I don't think Westbrook has ever gotten the opportunity to carry the ball 22 or 23 times a game and that's wrong. I'm sure that, if given the opportunity, he can be quite effective and will continue to be one of the most dangerous players in football. Sometimes those shifty guys can make people miss in between the tackles. The presence of a running game would also take pressure off the injured McNabb. Right now, he's taking way too many hits because this team chooses to throw the ball so often. With an effective running game, most of those hits will go away.
That said, there will be another team out there that will take a chance on him because he's one of the most supremely gifted athletes in the world. There will be a team out there that believes it can utilize his skills, but it's going to see the same attitude from him that he showed in Philadelphia and San Francisco.-- Mark Schlereth
Hoge: Bridge 'completely' burned I'll be shocked if we ever see Terrell Owens in an Eagles uniform again. He's going to have to be traded because he's completely burned the bridge with this organization and his teammates.
When the Eagles and coach Andy Reid allowed Owens to come back after a chaotic offseason spent bashing the organization and players, they set themselves up for this to happen. I said then that the organization was going to have to deal with the T.O. mess eventually, and now Philadelphia is dealing with him. This team should've put its foot down earlier and made sure this didn't happen again by either trading him or suspending him for a couple games.
Instead, the Eagles sent him home, let him off with a lazy apology and showed him that he was more important than the team. That was a mistake, but it's good to see that they've rectified it, albeit too late.
What's really sad is that Owens is an amazingly talented receiver. He puts in a ton of time making sure that he's in great shape and he could've owned the city if he would've kept his mouth shut. This is a town that wants a championship badly and wants players who are hard workers and who play hard every play. After his great play in the Super Bowl it was all set up for him. Instead of recognizing this, he alienated yet another set of fans.
If the Eagles are smart, they'll try to get a power running back for Owens. Unfortunately for them, if the Randy Moss trade is any barometer, the market for a talented but troublesome receiver may be limited.-- Merril Hoge

Joe Theismann, Sean Salisbury, Merril Hoge and Mark Schlereth are analysts for ESPN and regular contributors to ESPN Insider.

Homesick for people with manners

OK - I am sick of east-coasters and their rude behavior. I am 25 miles from our nation's capital, and it is no wonder to me that we are as screwed up as a county as we are when I witness all the RUDE people here. People will say ANYTHING....there is absolutely no filter between the brain and the mouth. I had someone come up to me the other day and tell me my hair looked like sh*t! WHAT!?!? In the great state of Oklahoma, and in every other civilized part of the country, this crap would not fly. Even if my hair DOES look like sh*t, no one would just say that to me like they were asking the time of day. And the children - if I had talked like that to my mother I promise you that my mouth would have been slapped onto the back of my head. Everyone here is "entitled;" entitled say whatever floate into their pea brain, even if it hurts someone else. At least in Oklahoma they would say it behind my back and not to my face which is EVER so much better! And if someone if talking about you, people here delight in telling you all the gory details over, and over, and over again because they are sure "you would want to know."

I don't want to know. Ignorance truly is bliss.

Enough of the rant.

Last night was another puppy class - a St. Bernard has joined us. Twenty-two pounds at 9 weeks. Keep Bob and me in your prayers.

Happy Halloween!!

Ours was pretty uneventful, but I hope yours was full of scary giraffs and other goblins!

The three children down the road came by; what a hoot! Their parents were driving a tractor pulling a flatbed trailer. On the trailer were bails of hay set in a circle and jack-o-latterns. There were about 7 kids and four adults, and it looked like they were having a blast! What great memories those children will have of Halloween WITH their parents.

Bob and I have started puppy classes. He is, by far, the smallest dog there. There is a doberman, a border collie, and a husky! Bob and the husky, Fletcher, have a grand a glorious time off leash. they jump and play and it is amazing that Fletcher hasn't decided that Bob would make a great mouthful!

Off to work out this morning and other excitement!