Happy Flag Day! May she wave forever over the land of the free and the home of the brave!
Tuesday, June 14, 2005
Monday, June 13, 2005
A video of last nights sky....
Here is a video, bout a min and half, of last nights sky before it started to blow and rain... need to download it and save it to your desktop .. then view it. It is a big one.
later.. Stan .. Enjoy the day!
later.. Stan .. Enjoy the day!
Today's Quote
One of the oldest human needs is having someone wonder where you are when you don’t come home at night.
-Margaret Mead
-Margaret Mead
Sunday, June 12, 2005
The beauty and power of God... always at work...
In every instance in life... there seems to be only one way, one side to every story, etc... but in reality, there are many more sides, and many more ways... The bad storm was predicted for days... and then for hours on the tv.... this afternoon, and in the end, we recieved some awesome rain that was truly needed, and even in the darkest hours, the skies, heaven, provided some great great great shows... of strength, power, softness, gentleness, and wonder. The lowering at the right just past center, was like God's light shining down showing that everything was ok and would be ok.... Isn't it amazing how soft it looks.. how lite up it was... in all the darkness... I took many photos of the awesome windroll that came across and will post tomorrow, along with a short video of the wonders of the God at work... for those who live in the city... to view. We are richly blessed with wide open spaces west of our home and we get great views of things coming at us... whether we want to see it or not... haha.. have a great evening.. enjoy!
Here's another link to the album photos of Ausytn and Grandpa messing around with the camera..
Austyn came over for a bit on Saturday and his Grandpa Moffat and him messed around with the camera.. here are some pics. plus Austyn showed us how to model.. haha.. we had a great time.. enjoy the day..
From Heather.. I don't think she minds us sharing this link.. her and family clean up real good when they go to town..haha...
Here is the website for you to view the pics from brooke’s wedding http://www.myweddingprints.com/. The password is Colorado.. you will have to go through all the pics to find the ones of us there, too, and there are some really good ones of the kiddos and of Brooke with Andrew...
'It's All About Perspective'
'It's All About Perspective'
A man explains to his young grandson why people view time differently. - Bob Perks
"I'm bored!" the young child said.
"Bored? Why are you bored?" Grandpa asked.
"The day is dragging by," the child replied. "I can't believe how slow the time is moving. I want to go on vacation to the shore and that's not until August."
"Time for me is moving too fast. It seems like just yesterday your daddy was your age. Now he's grown with his own child," the old man said.
"Grandpa, how can time move slow for me and fast for you?" The old man sat up in his chair, reached into his pocket, and pulled out his pocket watch. It was a classic engraved timepiece, a gold one that would catch the fancy of any young child. "Grandpa, that's awesome!" the young boy said.
"Awesome, indeed!" he said. Then leaning toward the child he whispered, "And it's magical."
"Magical? What can it do?" the child asked.
Grandpa smiled and said, "Put things into perspective!"
"What? What’s per..spek...tuv?"
"Perspective." he said correcting him. "Look." The old man leaned closer to the child. "Watch the hands. In particular watch the second hand." The two of them sat nearly head to head watching the hand clicking off the seconds.
"What's it doing?" the child asked.
"One, two, three, four, five, six...." the old man counted. "Now, you hold it." The old man carefully placed the watch in his hand. To a child his age, it was like holding a golden toy, one of those forbidden "things he should never touch." "Tell me what you see," Grandpa said.
The child, trying as hard as he could to see the magic, the "per...spek...tuv," stopped looking in frustration. "Grandpa, I don’t see anything," he said.
"Look again, count the clicks," he urged the child.
"One, two, three, four, five...."
"Keep going," Grandpa said.
"Six, seven, eight, nine, ten..."
"Don't stop!"
"This is boring!" the young child said.
"It's moving too fast," Grandpa said.
"It's not," the child told him. "It's the same as when you counted it."
The old man sat up and smiled.
"Exactly."
The young boy looked at him for a few seconds, then back down at the watch. "I don't get it," he said.
"Because I am older, I see the hand on the watch sweeping past the numbers. Because you are young, you see them clicking slowly by. Time is how you see it, how much you value it, how long you've lived it. You see all the time in the world. I want to see all the world in the time I have left."
"But it's the same time," said the boy.
"Perpective," the grandfather said as he reached over to hug the child.
It would be a few years later, long after that moment was forgotten by the young child, that the old man passed away. Sitting at home with his parents after the funeral that day, the boy, now in his early teens, sat quietly at the dinner table.
His father walked in and placed a small box in front of him.
"What's this?" he asked.
"Grandpa told me to give this to you."
A chill washed over the young man as he sat up and held the small box.
"He said you would appreciate it. He said it was magical," his mother added.
Now fumbling nervously to open the box, he unwrapped the faded white tissue paper.
"Oh, Pop," he whispered.
"Open it up," Dad urged.
It all came rushing back to him. There on the inside cover he discovered an engraving that hadn’t been there before.
"Do you understand what it means, because I don't," said his dad.
"Per...spek...tuv," he read.
Tears that little boys shed and young men won't acknowledge slipped slowly down his cheeks.
"Come here, Dad. Sit next to me and I'll show you the magic."
Time passes, but love never dies.
A man explains to his young grandson why people view time differently. - Bob Perks
"I'm bored!" the young child said.
"Bored? Why are you bored?" Grandpa asked.
"The day is dragging by," the child replied. "I can't believe how slow the time is moving. I want to go on vacation to the shore and that's not until August."
"Time for me is moving too fast. It seems like just yesterday your daddy was your age. Now he's grown with his own child," the old man said.
"Grandpa, how can time move slow for me and fast for you?" The old man sat up in his chair, reached into his pocket, and pulled out his pocket watch. It was a classic engraved timepiece, a gold one that would catch the fancy of any young child. "Grandpa, that's awesome!" the young boy said.
"Awesome, indeed!" he said. Then leaning toward the child he whispered, "And it's magical."
"Magical? What can it do?" the child asked.
Grandpa smiled and said, "Put things into perspective!"
"What? What’s per..spek...tuv?"
"Perspective." he said correcting him. "Look." The old man leaned closer to the child. "Watch the hands. In particular watch the second hand." The two of them sat nearly head to head watching the hand clicking off the seconds.
"What's it doing?" the child asked.
"One, two, three, four, five, six...." the old man counted. "Now, you hold it." The old man carefully placed the watch in his hand. To a child his age, it was like holding a golden toy, one of those forbidden "things he should never touch." "Tell me what you see," Grandpa said.
The child, trying as hard as he could to see the magic, the "per...spek...tuv," stopped looking in frustration. "Grandpa, I don’t see anything," he said.
"Look again, count the clicks," he urged the child.
"One, two, three, four, five...."
"Keep going," Grandpa said.
"Six, seven, eight, nine, ten..."
"Don't stop!"
"This is boring!" the young child said.
"It's moving too fast," Grandpa said.
"It's not," the child told him. "It's the same as when you counted it."
The old man sat up and smiled.
"Exactly."
The young boy looked at him for a few seconds, then back down at the watch. "I don't get it," he said.
"Because I am older, I see the hand on the watch sweeping past the numbers. Because you are young, you see them clicking slowly by. Time is how you see it, how much you value it, how long you've lived it. You see all the time in the world. I want to see all the world in the time I have left."
"But it's the same time," said the boy.
"Perpective," the grandfather said as he reached over to hug the child.
It would be a few years later, long after that moment was forgotten by the young child, that the old man passed away. Sitting at home with his parents after the funeral that day, the boy, now in his early teens, sat quietly at the dinner table.
His father walked in and placed a small box in front of him.
"What's this?" he asked.
"Grandpa told me to give this to you."
A chill washed over the young man as he sat up and held the small box.
"He said you would appreciate it. He said it was magical," his mother added.
Now fumbling nervously to open the box, he unwrapped the faded white tissue paper.
"Oh, Pop," he whispered.
"Open it up," Dad urged.
It all came rushing back to him. There on the inside cover he discovered an engraving that hadn’t been there before.
"Do you understand what it means, because I don't," said his dad.
"Per...spek...tuv," he read.
Tears that little boys shed and young men won't acknowledge slipped slowly down his cheeks.
"Come here, Dad. Sit next to me and I'll show you the magic."
Time passes, but love never dies.
Today's Quote
Make the most of today. Translate your good intentions into actual deeds.
-Grenville Kleiser
-Grenville Kleiser
Saturday, June 11, 2005
Here is an added bonus.
Andrew playing with his turtle, and sister... haha... fun night... If you want to watch this short movie, you need to download it to your desktop and save it there.. then, when it's done downloading..
click on it to veiw it.. your windows media player should play it or any player that plays AVI files.. later.. stan enjoy ..
click on it to veiw it.. your windows media player should play it or any player that plays AVI files.. later.. stan enjoy ..
Wednesday, June 08, 2005
From Uncle Ivan:An Old Farmer's Advice:
* Your fences need to be horse-high, pig-tight
and bull-strong.
* Keep skunks and bankers and lawyers at a
distance.
* Life is simpler when you plow around the stump.
* A bumble bee is considerably faster than a
John Deere tractor.
* Words that soak into your ears are whispered...not yelled.
* Meanness don't jes' happen overnight.
* Forgive your enemies. It messes up their heads.
* Do not corner something that you know is meaner
than you.
* It don't take a very big person to carry a
grudge.
* You cannot unsay a cruel word.
* Every path has a few puddles.
* When you wallow with pigs, expect to get dirty.
* The best sermons are lived, not preached.
* Most of the stuff people worry about ain't
never gonna happen anyway.
* Don't judge folks by their relatives.
* Remember that silence is sometimes the best
answer.
* Live a good, honorable life. Then when you get
older and think back, you'll enjoy it a second time.
* Don't interfere with somethin' that ain't
botherin' you none.
* Timing has a lot to do with the outcome of a
rain dance.
* If you find yourself in a hole, the first thing to do is stop diggin'.
* Sometimes you get, and sometimes you get got.
* The biggest troublemaker you'll probably ever
have to deal with, watches
you from the mirror every mornin'.
* Always drink upstream from the herd.
* Good judgment comes from experience, and a
lotta that comes from bad judgment.
* Lettin' the cat outta the bag is a whole lot
easier than puttin' it back in.
* If you get to thinkin' you're a person of some
influence, try orderin' somebody else's dog around.
* Live simply. Love generously. Care deeply.
Speak kindly. Leave the rest to God.
Austyn's Second TBall Game last evening...
Austyn gets some last minute instructions from his coach before getting off a great hit in the second rotation. I don't know how he does it, but when this coach helps his kids who bat either right or left handed, he stands "right in my way" to get a shot... SO I GUESS...haha .... i will have to move, huh??? haha.. Anyway, Austyn's second game last night. He got off to a bad start, but things got better when it was snack time!!! haha... All the kiddo's seemed to play much better Saturday Morning than they did at the end of the day on Tuesday! It was hot, etc.. some were into it some were not, some just plain enjoyed the fun, some were serious.. you can see it in the pics.. I will post the new album shorty. My wireless DSL has been down this am.. feel like a fish out of water.. haha.. Have a great day... Here is a link to the new album.. Austyn's Second Game, 168 photos...
From Ward and Melanie Shaklee, Ann's brother and sister in law in Florida, comes this really neat piece...
Memorial Day Speech
Friends,
On the Friday morning before Memorial Day last week, the Naval Station
Everett hosted a ceremony to recognize veterans and those who served and
gave their lives for this country. I was invited to attend and to sit
on the dais. I eagerly agreed to attend but declined the opportunity to
sit on the stage. On the day prior to the event, my trusty aide came in
with the particulars of the event. The main speech was to given by a
Washington state senator. Truthfully, I grimaced at the prospect of a
local politician using a Memorial Day event to give a political speech.
I was committed to attend and decided to grin and bare it if that was in
fact what was about to happen. It was a beautiful sunny Pacific
Northwest day. Many veterans in their VFW or American Legion hats and
shirts were present, including a number of WWII vets. I was glad I had
come and looked forward to meeting as many of the veterans as possible.
The event kicked off and my colleague, Rear Admiral Len Hering,
introduced the guest speaker, State Senator Paul Chen. I settled back
for what I hoped would be, at minimum, a speech that recognized the
tremendous efforts of the many veterans in attendance---but braced for
the worst.
State Senator Paul Chen was introduced as a first generation immigrant
from Korea, professor at the University of Washington, state senator.
The Senator walked slowly to the podium and without notes told the
following story (I paraphrase):
I was born in Korea in 1935. My father immediately abandoned my mother
and me. My mother died when I was four years old. I became a street
orphan, begging for food for the next 11 years, living without a home or
family of any kind. In 1950 the American army arrived in Korea and I
saw long convoys of American trucks and vehicles on the road. I quickly
learned to hold my hands out when they passed and oftentimes the
American soldiers would hand me food, especially candy. One day, an
American convoy had stopped to cross a platoon bridge across a river. I
held out my hand to some soldiers and one of them reach down to me.
Instead of putting candy in my hands, he
pulled me up into the truck with him and he smiled at me. I don't know
why. I must of looked pitiful. I was 15 years old and had never had a
bath in my life.
This soldier took me to be a house boy for a group of American army
officers. He fed me, bathed me, and gave me shelter for the first time
since I was 4 years old. I loved being a house boy to these American
officers. They were kind to me. But, I missed my mother. One evening
after work I went off a ways from the officer's house to look at the
sky.
When I missed my mother, I counted the stars. When I was lonely, I
counted the stars. My whole life, when I was hungry, I counted the
stars. This particular evening, I counted the stars and cried. When I
looked up, I saw one of the American officers standing over me. He took
me in his arms and hugged me. He told me that he would take care of me
and he and his wife would adopt me and bring me to America. His name
was Lieutenant Colonel Paul, an Army dentist. My new father advised me
to keep my Korean sir name, Chen. But I decided to make my first name,
Paul---in honor of my American father. That is why, today, I am Paul
Chen.
Unfortunately, the adoption took two years to be approved. Finally I
was able to join my new American family. I flew to the States and
landed in San Francisco where I was to spend several days before my new
family could officially adopt me. I walked around San Francisco in
utter disbelief by it's beautiful. I got hungry and entered a
restaurant, but could not read the English on the menu. Embarrassed, I
fled before the waitress could take my order. I did this many times.
Finally, I entered a restaurant and sat near an American couple's table.
I listened to what they ordered. The
couple said they wanted a snack and ordered apple pie. Later the
waitress
came to my table. She asked me what I wanted and I said, Apple Pie. I
ate the apple pie and it was good. I then went to a second restaurant
and did the same thing---Apple Pie. And then a third. Finally I got
tired of apple pie. I then again sat next to an American couple and
heard them order Ham Sandwich. So later, I ordered Ham Sandwich. The
waitress said, "white or
rye?" I said Ham Sandwich. Again she asked, "white or rye"? I didn't
know what to say, so I answered, "Apple Pie".
After joining his American family at age 18, he began in earnest to
learn the English language, by memorizing a dictionary. Later he
successfully completed a high school GED, then attended college--earning
Bachelor's, master's and PhD degrees. He became a professor at the
University of Washington. Later in life, he became a State Senator.
After telling his story, Senator Chen paused. He looked out at the 100
or so veterans in the chairs in front of him. He lowered his voice and
told them, "thank you for all that you have done for me, all that you
did for my
country, and all that you have done for people around the world." He
went
on to say that America is the greatest country in the world and that
it's military has played a key role in providing much of the world a
real hope for a better life.
Senator Chen then thanked the veterans for inviting him to speak and sat
down without any fanfare. There wasn't a dry eye in the crowd.
----------------------------------------------------------------
Sometimes it takes someone like an 18 old boy, newly arrived to the US, speaking no English, to drive home a strong message about the crucial
role our veterans have played throughout the world over the past half a century or more. I wish I had a video of Senator Chen's remarks and the
ability to show that video in every high school in this country. My hats off to all of you veterans. You have made quite a mark on the world---one Senator Chen at a time.
Sincerely,
Doug
Friends,
On the Friday morning before Memorial Day last week, the Naval Station
Everett hosted a ceremony to recognize veterans and those who served and
gave their lives for this country. I was invited to attend and to sit
on the dais. I eagerly agreed to attend but declined the opportunity to
sit on the stage. On the day prior to the event, my trusty aide came in
with the particulars of the event. The main speech was to given by a
Washington state senator. Truthfully, I grimaced at the prospect of a
local politician using a Memorial Day event to give a political speech.
I was committed to attend and decided to grin and bare it if that was in
fact what was about to happen. It was a beautiful sunny Pacific
Northwest day. Many veterans in their VFW or American Legion hats and
shirts were present, including a number of WWII vets. I was glad I had
come and looked forward to meeting as many of the veterans as possible.
The event kicked off and my colleague, Rear Admiral Len Hering,
introduced the guest speaker, State Senator Paul Chen. I settled back
for what I hoped would be, at minimum, a speech that recognized the
tremendous efforts of the many veterans in attendance---but braced for
the worst.
State Senator Paul Chen was introduced as a first generation immigrant
from Korea, professor at the University of Washington, state senator.
The Senator walked slowly to the podium and without notes told the
following story (I paraphrase):
I was born in Korea in 1935. My father immediately abandoned my mother
and me. My mother died when I was four years old. I became a street
orphan, begging for food for the next 11 years, living without a home or
family of any kind. In 1950 the American army arrived in Korea and I
saw long convoys of American trucks and vehicles on the road. I quickly
learned to hold my hands out when they passed and oftentimes the
American soldiers would hand me food, especially candy. One day, an
American convoy had stopped to cross a platoon bridge across a river. I
held out my hand to some soldiers and one of them reach down to me.
Instead of putting candy in my hands, he
pulled me up into the truck with him and he smiled at me. I don't know
why. I must of looked pitiful. I was 15 years old and had never had a
bath in my life.
This soldier took me to be a house boy for a group of American army
officers. He fed me, bathed me, and gave me shelter for the first time
since I was 4 years old. I loved being a house boy to these American
officers. They were kind to me. But, I missed my mother. One evening
after work I went off a ways from the officer's house to look at the
sky.
When I missed my mother, I counted the stars. When I was lonely, I
counted the stars. My whole life, when I was hungry, I counted the
stars. This particular evening, I counted the stars and cried. When I
looked up, I saw one of the American officers standing over me. He took
me in his arms and hugged me. He told me that he would take care of me
and he and his wife would adopt me and bring me to America. His name
was Lieutenant Colonel Paul, an Army dentist. My new father advised me
to keep my Korean sir name, Chen. But I decided to make my first name,
Paul---in honor of my American father. That is why, today, I am Paul
Chen.
Unfortunately, the adoption took two years to be approved. Finally I
was able to join my new American family. I flew to the States and
landed in San Francisco where I was to spend several days before my new
family could officially adopt me. I walked around San Francisco in
utter disbelief by it's beautiful. I got hungry and entered a
restaurant, but could not read the English on the menu. Embarrassed, I
fled before the waitress could take my order. I did this many times.
Finally, I entered a restaurant and sat near an American couple's table.
I listened to what they ordered. The
couple said they wanted a snack and ordered apple pie. Later the
waitress
came to my table. She asked me what I wanted and I said, Apple Pie. I
ate the apple pie and it was good. I then went to a second restaurant
and did the same thing---Apple Pie. And then a third. Finally I got
tired of apple pie. I then again sat next to an American couple and
heard them order Ham Sandwich. So later, I ordered Ham Sandwich. The
waitress said, "white or
rye?" I said Ham Sandwich. Again she asked, "white or rye"? I didn't
know what to say, so I answered, "Apple Pie".
After joining his American family at age 18, he began in earnest to
learn the English language, by memorizing a dictionary. Later he
successfully completed a high school GED, then attended college--earning
Bachelor's, master's and PhD degrees. He became a professor at the
University of Washington. Later in life, he became a State Senator.
After telling his story, Senator Chen paused. He looked out at the 100
or so veterans in the chairs in front of him. He lowered his voice and
told them, "thank you for all that you have done for me, all that you
did for my
country, and all that you have done for people around the world." He
went
on to say that America is the greatest country in the world and that
it's military has played a key role in providing much of the world a
real hope for a better life.
Senator Chen then thanked the veterans for inviting him to speak and sat
down without any fanfare. There wasn't a dry eye in the crowd.
----------------------------------------------------------------
Sometimes it takes someone like an 18 old boy, newly arrived to the US, speaking no English, to drive home a strong message about the crucial
role our veterans have played throughout the world over the past half a century or more. I wish I had a video of Senator Chen's remarks and the
ability to show that video in every high school in this country. My hats off to all of you veterans. You have made quite a mark on the world---one Senator Chen at a time.
Sincerely,
Doug
Tuesday, June 07, 2005
twas a wild past few days...
On Friday, Ann and I took Grandma Moffat to Kingfisher for the funeral of her cousin, Milton Snethen. Then on Saturday, we went to Austyn's first TBall game and then to Earl's for lunch, and Norman to Joanna and Clinton's 50th Wedding Anniversary, and then Sunday, Madison got a boo boo, and Sunday night and yesterday Kaitlyn has run a fever, has a bit of infection that could become serious but right now it is not. Wow...
Last evening Phil and I hooked up with our webcams and talked for a bit. Kind of hard but we got to see Austyn and Tammy and Phil over the net.. and Austyn saw us.
Jake has finished up his fence painting for the Shultz Ranch and is now doing the rest of the work there this week before his regular job. He is helping Grandma today, taking the Tractor back to her home and put in the shed as they are through with it building fence, so he is a very busy man.
Paul has taken off the rest of his leave from work for next three weeks or so.. to help Heather with the kiddos.. and do his farm work catch up...
Not sure what else is going on.. but I know everyone is busy.
I received a call to help bring an auction company in Stillwater into the 21st century with internet bidding at their live auctions... Wow, now that is expensive... hahaha.. so might just update them into the tech age with wireless laptops and a new system to make the auction business much easier and have lots more information available for them to use in various ways..
Got to see Uncle Ivan and Aunt Freda Sat.
They "ran off" to a bed and breakfast in Aliene, OK. last Friday. Some friends they met on a Church Tour Bus Trip... own it and they reported a truly great time by all! They were bubbling with joy about the wonderful week of celebration of their 60th Anniversary, and mentioned emails from all the family.. They truly appreciated it very much.
We think that the wheat cutters might be starting around Lahoma, so the farm wheat might not be to far behind them at Mike's.
Tonight, Austyn has a ball game, his second T Ball game at 7pm in front of Frontier Eng. bldg.... we are planning on attending. I have some work to pick up from an account of mine in town, and might just have to take Ann out to eat. haha... and she needs a new booster seat for the grandson's for her car too... maybe McDonald's at wal mart for dinner huh.../??? Yeah, right!!
Jake's birthday is coming up soon... 18th of June and the little puppy will be 23, I think ... wow... and my auction account has a huge sale that day between Guthrie and Merdian. lots of antiques, and a business that is liquidating everything due to retirement of the owner. I will need to take pics that day too.
The one thing I do know! Ann enjoys being a "grandmother" more than I ever dreamed... she is always "on call" and loves it very much. She was truly the rock in raising our kiddos.. and can "mother" everything, from chickens, and other birds and animals to kiddos and grandkids with great skill.... She is simply amazing to me. Gosh, I thank God every day for her, and that she said yes years back!!
Well, actually have some work to do today.. and it is about noon, so I need to get started....
Oh, Heather and Paul and kiddos went fishing Sunday, was thinking there might be a photo or two of that later.. who knows.. and I bet Jon and Randi have a new pic of Kaitlyn to go online with??? hummmmm..... See Randi, you think I don't think of you ... just about once an hour is all...hahah...
later, have an awesome day!
Last evening Phil and I hooked up with our webcams and talked for a bit. Kind of hard but we got to see Austyn and Tammy and Phil over the net.. and Austyn saw us.
Jake has finished up his fence painting for the Shultz Ranch and is now doing the rest of the work there this week before his regular job. He is helping Grandma today, taking the Tractor back to her home and put in the shed as they are through with it building fence, so he is a very busy man.
Paul has taken off the rest of his leave from work for next three weeks or so.. to help Heather with the kiddos.. and do his farm work catch up...
Not sure what else is going on.. but I know everyone is busy.
I received a call to help bring an auction company in Stillwater into the 21st century with internet bidding at their live auctions... Wow, now that is expensive... hahaha.. so might just update them into the tech age with wireless laptops and a new system to make the auction business much easier and have lots more information available for them to use in various ways..
Got to see Uncle Ivan and Aunt Freda Sat.
They "ran off" to a bed and breakfast in Aliene, OK. last Friday. Some friends they met on a Church Tour Bus Trip... own it and they reported a truly great time by all! They were bubbling with joy about the wonderful week of celebration of their 60th Anniversary, and mentioned emails from all the family.. They truly appreciated it very much.
We think that the wheat cutters might be starting around Lahoma, so the farm wheat might not be to far behind them at Mike's.
Tonight, Austyn has a ball game, his second T Ball game at 7pm in front of Frontier Eng. bldg.... we are planning on attending. I have some work to pick up from an account of mine in town, and might just have to take Ann out to eat. haha... and she needs a new booster seat for the grandson's for her car too... maybe McDonald's at wal mart for dinner huh.../??? Yeah, right!!
Jake's birthday is coming up soon... 18th of June and the little puppy will be 23, I think ... wow... and my auction account has a huge sale that day between Guthrie and Merdian. lots of antiques, and a business that is liquidating everything due to retirement of the owner. I will need to take pics that day too.
The one thing I do know! Ann enjoys being a "grandmother" more than I ever dreamed... she is always "on call" and loves it very much. She was truly the rock in raising our kiddos.. and can "mother" everything, from chickens, and other birds and animals to kiddos and grandkids with great skill.... She is simply amazing to me. Gosh, I thank God every day for her, and that she said yes years back!!
Well, actually have some work to do today.. and it is about noon, so I need to get started....
Oh, Heather and Paul and kiddos went fishing Sunday, was thinking there might be a photo or two of that later.. who knows.. and I bet Jon and Randi have a new pic of Kaitlyn to go online with??? hummmmm..... See Randi, you think I don't think of you ... just about once an hour is all...hahah...
later, have an awesome day!
A Cool Story....
Marathon Dad: Why search the world for the next big race? The 'Lone Penguin' marathon is closer to home.
By William Santoro, M.D.
I run a lot of marathons. It seems three months after finishing one; my body starts to tell my mind to find another one. So it was in June 2000 three months after running Myrtle Beach. I was online searching for a marathon when my 10-year-old daughter Alex came in and asked what I was doing. I explained the situation to her, and she said, "Dad, why do you always have to leave home to run a marathon?"
I told her there were very few marathons close to home, so I had to travel to them.
"A marathon is a 26.2 mile run, right, Dad?" she sort of asked and told me.
"Yes," I confirmed, knowing there was more to come from this future debater.
"Well, why can't you just run 26.2 miles around here?"
"Well, there is more to a marathon than 26.2 miles.”
"Like what?" she asked. She knew I preferred to run alone, so I wasn't going to go there.
"Like every couple of miles they have a water stop," I said.
"Look Dad, if you set up a course that passes the house a couple of times, I will set up a water stop," she said.
I stopped looking online because I knew it was going to take all my concentration to win this debate. "Yes, but they give you a t-shirt before you run and a medal when you finish," I told her.
"I could paint you a cool t-shirt and make you a medal," she countered.
I needed to find something she could not do. "Well they have a pasta party and all the runners meet there and talk and eat all the pasta you want," I said. I knew I was in trouble; she was on a roll.
"Yeah, well would you rather eat pasta with me or a bunch of strangers?" she asked. "And are you saying their sauce is better than Mom's?" I was losing this debate big time and I knew it. My only move was to challenge her.
"Okay, I'll set up a course, but you need to do the rest. If you agree to that, I'll run a marathon right here," I told her.
A week later Alex showed me my t-shirt. With permission from John "the Penguin" Bingham, she had a shirt with a penguin painted on the front. The caption around read, "The Lone Penguin Marathon." But Alex did not stop there. She also had a hat painted to match the t-shirt.
We picked a date and had our pasta party the night before. The sauce was the best ever served at a pre-race diner. I went to bed without the usual night before a marathon jitters. The morning of the race I got up without using an alarm and leisurely dressed. This was going to be easy, I thought. Personally knowing the race director gave me some nice perks.
I stretched and waited out at the starting line for the race director. I looked around and was thankful to see that no Kenyans had shown up. The race director arrived in her pajamas. She told me she would start the race, go back and have breakfast, then dress and be here in 45 minutes to hand me my next water bottle. The race officially started right on time at 9:36 am.
Now the thing is, this was so easy I forgot that it was still a marathon and I still had to run 26.2 miles. Never take any marathon lightly. I had passed the water stop three times when around mile 16 I remembered why most marathons start early. It was 11:30 am in late June and getting hot. By mile 19 I was doing the death march, and the water stop at mile 20 was now an aid station. Stick a fork in me; I was cooked.
I sat with the race director at our kitchen table after my first DNF (did not finish). Clearly I was depressed. Alex asked me what went wrong. I told her I was dehydrated. Then she asked, "So why are you so upset?" I told her it was the first time I could not finish a marathon, and it was her marathon that I could not finish. Then she said something that only an innocent child could think of. She said, "Well let's just have a do-over."
"A do-over?" I asked.
"Sure," she said, "We do it all the time in school. We'll do it next week, when it's not so hot." And as simple as that she solved the problem and walked out.
A week later, after another great pasta party and a good night’s sleep, I got up at 6:30 am. The race director met me at the starting line at 7 am, again in her pajamas. I ran and completed the do-over. Alex added a few extra features this time. She had my wife, Jill, and my son, Justin, cheering me at each lap. She had a finish tape and got Jill to take a picture of me finishing. I received my finisher’s medal, and to my surprise a week later I received an official finisher’s certificate.
After all was said and done I had one nagging question. Was my marathon record 31-1 or 31-0? Does the DNF count if the race director calls for a do-over? I asked my running friends and the consensus was… who cares?
By William Santoro, M.D.
I run a lot of marathons. It seems three months after finishing one; my body starts to tell my mind to find another one. So it was in June 2000 three months after running Myrtle Beach. I was online searching for a marathon when my 10-year-old daughter Alex came in and asked what I was doing. I explained the situation to her, and she said, "Dad, why do you always have to leave home to run a marathon?"
I told her there were very few marathons close to home, so I had to travel to them.
"A marathon is a 26.2 mile run, right, Dad?" she sort of asked and told me.
"Yes," I confirmed, knowing there was more to come from this future debater.
"Well, why can't you just run 26.2 miles around here?"
"Well, there is more to a marathon than 26.2 miles.”
"Like what?" she asked. She knew I preferred to run alone, so I wasn't going to go there.
"Like every couple of miles they have a water stop," I said.
"Look Dad, if you set up a course that passes the house a couple of times, I will set up a water stop," she said.
I stopped looking online because I knew it was going to take all my concentration to win this debate. "Yes, but they give you a t-shirt before you run and a medal when you finish," I told her.
"I could paint you a cool t-shirt and make you a medal," she countered.
I needed to find something she could not do. "Well they have a pasta party and all the runners meet there and talk and eat all the pasta you want," I said. I knew I was in trouble; she was on a roll.
"Yeah, well would you rather eat pasta with me or a bunch of strangers?" she asked. "And are you saying their sauce is better than Mom's?" I was losing this debate big time and I knew it. My only move was to challenge her.
"Okay, I'll set up a course, but you need to do the rest. If you agree to that, I'll run a marathon right here," I told her.
A week later Alex showed me my t-shirt. With permission from John "the Penguin" Bingham, she had a shirt with a penguin painted on the front. The caption around read, "The Lone Penguin Marathon." But Alex did not stop there. She also had a hat painted to match the t-shirt.
We picked a date and had our pasta party the night before. The sauce was the best ever served at a pre-race diner. I went to bed without the usual night before a marathon jitters. The morning of the race I got up without using an alarm and leisurely dressed. This was going to be easy, I thought. Personally knowing the race director gave me some nice perks.
I stretched and waited out at the starting line for the race director. I looked around and was thankful to see that no Kenyans had shown up. The race director arrived in her pajamas. She told me she would start the race, go back and have breakfast, then dress and be here in 45 minutes to hand me my next water bottle. The race officially started right on time at 9:36 am.
Now the thing is, this was so easy I forgot that it was still a marathon and I still had to run 26.2 miles. Never take any marathon lightly. I had passed the water stop three times when around mile 16 I remembered why most marathons start early. It was 11:30 am in late June and getting hot. By mile 19 I was doing the death march, and the water stop at mile 20 was now an aid station. Stick a fork in me; I was cooked.
I sat with the race director at our kitchen table after my first DNF (did not finish). Clearly I was depressed. Alex asked me what went wrong. I told her I was dehydrated. Then she asked, "So why are you so upset?" I told her it was the first time I could not finish a marathon, and it was her marathon that I could not finish. Then she said something that only an innocent child could think of. She said, "Well let's just have a do-over."
"A do-over?" I asked.
"Sure," she said, "We do it all the time in school. We'll do it next week, when it's not so hot." And as simple as that she solved the problem and walked out.
A week later, after another great pasta party and a good night’s sleep, I got up at 6:30 am. The race director met me at the starting line at 7 am, again in her pajamas. I ran and completed the do-over. Alex added a few extra features this time. She had my wife, Jill, and my son, Justin, cheering me at each lap. She had a finish tape and got Jill to take a picture of me finishing. I received my finisher’s medal, and to my surprise a week later I received an official finisher’s certificate.
After all was said and done I had one nagging question. Was my marathon record 31-1 or 31-0? Does the DNF count if the race director calls for a do-over? I asked my running friends and the consensus was… who cares?
Today's Thought....
To be content with little is hard; to be content with much is impossible.
-Marie Ebner-Eschenbach
-Marie Ebner-Eschenbach
Ummmmm gooood.... Steak Kabobs & Wild Rice with Mushrooms
Steak Kabobs & Wild Rice with Mushrooms
Ingredients:
1 lb boneless beef round tip steak, cut 1 inch thick
1/2 small red onion, cut into 3/4 inch wedges
1 small yellow summer squash, cut lengthwise in half, then crosswise into 1-inch slices
1 small red or green bell pepper, cut into 1-inch pieces
Marinade:
2 tbsp water
2 tbsp coarse-grain Dijon-style mustard
2 tbsp red wine vinegar
2 large cloves garlic, minced
2 tsp vegetable oil
1/2 tsp coarse grind black pepper
Rice:
2 tsp vegetable oil
2 cups thinly sliced mixed mushrooms such as cremini or shiitake
1 package (5.6 to 6.2 oz) wild rice blend
Instructions:
Cut beef steak into 1-1/4-inch pieces. Combine marinade ingredients. Place beef and marinade in food-safe plastic bag; turn to coat. Close bag securely and marinate in refrigerator 6 hours or as long as overnight, turning occasionally.
Heat 2 teaspoons oil large nonstick skillet over medium heat until hot. Add mushrooms; cook and stir until tender. Remove and keep warm. Meanwhile cook rice according to package directions, omitting salt and butter. When rice is done, stir in mushrooms.
Meanwhile remove beef from marinade; discard marinade. Alternately thread beef and vegetable pieces evenly onto eight 10-inch metal skewers. Place kabobs on grid over medium, ash-covered coals. Grill, uncovered, 8 to 10 minutes for medium rare to medium doneness, turning occasionally.
Serve kabobs over rice mixture.
Makes 4 servings.
Cook's Tip: One pound boneless beef top sirloin steak, cut 1 inch thick, may be substituted for beef round tip steak. Prepare as in recipe above. Decrease marinating time to 30 minutes to 2 hours.
Nutrition information per serving:350 calories; 9 g fat (2 g saturated fat; 4 g monounsaturated fat); 69 mg cholesterol; 737 mg sodium; 36 g carbohydrate; 1.7 g fiber; 31 g protein; 4.7 mg niacin; 0.5 mg vitamin B6; 2.5 mcg vitamin B12; 4.1 mg iron; 26.8 mcg selenium; 6.3 mg zinc.
Grilled Beef Steaks with Lime-Jalapeno Marinade - Oh my goodness.... lookieeee hereeee
Grilled Beef Steaks with Lime-Jalapeno Marinade
Ingredients:
4 well-trimmed boneless beef top loin (strip) or ribeye steaks, cut 1 inch thick (about 2-1/2 to 3 lbs)
Marinade :
1/2 cup red currant jelly
1/2 cup fresh lime juice
1/4 cup chopped seeded jalapeno peppers
2 tbsp chopped fresh cilantro
1 tsp salt
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 tsp ground allspice
Instructions:
Place jelly in microwave-safe bowl. Cover and microwave on HIGH 1 minute or until jelly is just melted, stirring once. Add remaining marinade ingredients, mixing well. Place beef steaks and marinade in food-safe plastic bag; turn steaks to coat. Close bag securely and marinate in refrigerator 30 minutes.
Remove steaks from marinade; discard marinade. Place steaks on grid over medium, ash-covered coals. Grill top loin steaks, uncovered, 15 to 18 minutes (ribeye steaks 11 to 14 minutes) for medium rare to medium doneness, turning occasionally.
Makes 4 servings.
Nutrition information per serving, using top loin (strip): 497 calories; 61 g protein; 15 g carbohydrate; 20 g fat; 441 mg sodium; 162 mg cholesterol; 11.5 mg niacin; 0.9 mg vitamin B6; 4.3 mcg vitamin B12; 5.6 mg iron; 11.0 mg zinc.
Nutrition information per serving, using ribeye: 536 calories; 40 g protein; 15 g carbohydrate; 34 g fat; 399 mg sodium; 131 mg cholesterol; 6.9 mg niacin; 0.6 mg vitamin B6; 4.9 mcg vitamin B12; 4.0 mg iron; 9.7 mg zinc.
Monday, June 06, 2005
Uncle Ivan and Aunt Freda Moffat 60th Anniversary from paper.
This came in the mail today from Uncle Ivan and Aunt Freda regarding their anniversary of 60 years celebrated last weekend. I will look for one in the Oklahoman too later on when I have a bit more time. Enjoy the day! This was in the El Reno Tribune. Click on photo to enlarge.
On viewing the photos..
I am sorry that things are out of wack in the big album on dotphoto.com that holds all the albums. I guess the "driver" must have got lost, me! I am kind'a between a rock and a hard place with them. If I rename the albums, we lose all the links I have posted! Anyway, if you go scroll down the page to the Family albums link on the left side, and use it, it should open up our main big album. It holds all the albums. You should be able to see all the albums without a password or userid, if it asks you for that, then I have goofed and posted a link that does not include the userid and password. So if you try to view an album and it will not open correctly for me, please let me know asap, as many of you look, and if it does not work for one, it probably will not work for all.
Also, the albums are named alphabetically and numerically.. not sure why it has changed but I might fool around with it later, so if the links don't work in the posts, you will have to access using the main link on this page to the left. Sorry for all the confusion.
If you try to open a link and it does not, please notice the address bar on top of the page and see if it has as part of the address moffatfamilyblog in it.. to see the difference open up an album that works, and then try one that does not.. and you will see those that work have moffatfamilyblog in part of the address...
just fyi.... haha...
Have a great day. If you have problems viewing.. email stan@paynecountyline.com.
later. s
Also, the albums are named alphabetically and numerically.. not sure why it has changed but I might fool around with it later, so if the links don't work in the posts, you will have to access using the main link on this page to the left. Sorry for all the confusion.
If you try to open a link and it does not, please notice the address bar on top of the page and see if it has as part of the address moffatfamilyblog in it.. to see the difference open up an album that works, and then try one that does not.. and you will see those that work have moffatfamilyblog in part of the address...
just fyi.... haha...
Have a great day. If you have problems viewing.. email stan@paynecountyline.com.
later. s
Sunday, June 05, 2005
Storm clouds at sunset on June 4th, 2005 looking west northwest from our home on 68th Street south of Stillwater, OK.
Aftermath of storms on June 4, 2005. At the bottom, note the line of storms trying to form along the cold front. Go all the way through the photos one time, then come back and look again.. See the one storm on the cold front pulling in the clouds above it?? Wow.... It was something to behold! Mother Nature showing her awesome power!! Not sure what this is so will send a link to see if we can find out....
June 4, 2005, OKC looking nw towards skyline at about 1pm.
OKC Skyline looking Northwest off of S.E. 29th Street about a mile from downtown. It was a hot hazy day so I tried anyway...
Clinton and Joanna Wilson's 50th Wedding Anniversary Photos!
These are pictures of Joanna and Clinton Wilson and kiddos at their 50th Wedding Anniversary Saturday, June 4th, 2005 in Norman, Oklahoma.
Austyn Lee Moffat's First T Ball Game, June 4th, 2005, Stillwater
There are 169 photos of Austyn's first Tball game in Stillwater on June 4th.. click here to view them.
Saturday, June 04, 2005
Austyn Lee Moffat's First T Ball Game, June 4, 2005
The first thing we did today was to attend Austyn Lee Moffat's first T Ball Game at 10am. He did great! He is going to be a great player. In this photo he is laying into the ball looking for the sweet spot on the bat... and my goodness I think he found it!! He had fun, got treats afterwards... and Great grandmother Moffat, Marilyn, Ann, Jake, I, Tammy and Phillip were there to testify... he did GREAT!! and we are not a bit biased! Then we headed south to Norman to help family celebrate a love that has lasted more than 50 years! And i know.. most of you know me, know it was gonna be lunch time when we passed OKC, and Mk thought we should stop and eat in Bricktown... and of course, neither Ann nor Great Grandmother Moffat, nor I griped too much... haha... Earl's is goooooooooood!!
There are tons of photos from today.. including some awesome photos of the storm clouds this evening, too.. but that will be later on ... have a great evening..
Clinton and Joanna Wilson's 50th Wedding Anniversary! I can remember them saying I Do...
Just another very happy anniversary for the Clinton Wilson's of Norman, OK. Geeze, let's see... hummmmmmm 50th I think! wow. I didn't know anyone had 50th Anniversary's anymore... haha... My best to you all. There are more pics..but I wanted to get this online quick, before the day is over and in between the storms..
Thursday, June 02, 2005
Sorry for not being clearer on the our family names..
I appreciate all the email from family with this and that to share. I have been a bit lax in telling the full names of folks for you all can keep up. I will try to do better in the future. I know a lot of our family and extended family read this and I should be a bit more clearer! I will work on that.
Elinore Moffat's cousin Milton Snethen died and the funeral is at 10am Friday in Kingfisher. Mom reports he was the mover and shaker of the Snethen Reunions each summer, and he will be deeply missed. Plans are in the works for family to attend. Milton was the son of Wilford and Ruth Snethen who was a brother to my grandmother Siegrist. Grandmother Elinore Moffat has a direct line to family business via Milton's niece Janet Gough who works at Kentucky Fry Chicken.. gosh this makes me hungry.. I love fired chicken... Janet is Margorie's twin daughter. Janet's twin mom thinks lives in Colo. More later..
Any news in the family, if so please mail it to us.. or email it.. thanks.. Stan
PS. Cortney... are you still alive???
Elinore Moffat's cousin Milton Snethen died and the funeral is at 10am Friday in Kingfisher. Mom reports he was the mover and shaker of the Snethen Reunions each summer, and he will be deeply missed. Plans are in the works for family to attend. Milton was the son of Wilford and Ruth Snethen who was a brother to my grandmother Siegrist. Grandmother Elinore Moffat has a direct line to family business via Milton's niece Janet Gough who works at Kentucky Fry Chicken.. gosh this makes me hungry.. I love fired chicken... Janet is Margorie's twin daughter. Janet's twin mom thinks lives in Colo. More later..
Any news in the family, if so please mail it to us.. or email it.. thanks.. Stan
PS. Cortney... are you still alive???
Today's Quote
What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us.
-Ralph Waldo Emerson
-Ralph Waldo Emerson
Wednesday, June 01, 2005
From the El Reno Tribune.....
Ivan and Freda Moffat of El Reno will celebrate their 60th wedding anniversary on Wednesday. Ivan Moffat and Freda Heupel were married June 1, 1945, at the home of the bride’s parents, Mr. and Mrs. Albert Heupel.
Moffat retired from OG&E in 1987 after 35 years of service. Freda is semi-retired from Skin Care by Tarrah. They have lived in the El Reno area all their married life.
The couple is planning a trip at a later time.
Moffat retired from OG&E in 1987 after 35 years of service. Freda is semi-retired from Skin Care by Tarrah. They have lived in the El Reno area all their married life.
The couple is planning a trip at a later time.
This past Sunday, a family celebration of 60 years of marriage...
Phillip Shane Moffat took this photograph of his Great Uncle Ivan and Great Aunt Freda celebrating their 60th Wedding Anniversay Sunday at the Cracker Barrel in Oklahoma City. I think this was on Sunday at the Cracker Barrel in OKC. (I am not sure as Ann nor I knew this was planned. Prehaps they didn't want us there, hahahahaha... JOKING FOLKS!!!) But according to Phillip, a great time by all in attendance. I am not sure of the list but from the photos.. it looks like Calvin and Agnes Siegrist, Jim and Doris Rowland, Joanna and Clinton Wilson, Phil, Tammy and Austyn Moffat, and Mom and Sis. Hope I didn't leave anyone out. I will try to get rest of the pics online this afternoon. click on photos to enlarge them.
Sister and Brother...
Phillip Shane Moffat took this photograph Sunday at the Cracker Barrel in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, of his Grandmother Elinore Mae Siegrist Moffat and his Great Uncle Calvin Leroy Siegrist, her brother.
This is a special night...
Besides Austyn's T Ball Practice, the folks at Compadre Records say Dan Rather's piece on the life of Billy Joe Shaver airs on tonight's (Wednesday's) episode of 60 Minutes II at 7 p.m. central time on CBS.
Billy Joe Shaver is still kicking, still writing and preforming and has had songs recorded by every major artist in the last 50 years or better. Texas singer/songwriters and the red dirt artist of Oklahoma look to Billy Joe kinda like a greu of songwriting... he is respected by all genre of writers too... So hopefully this will be an exceptional piece by Rather, who is from Texas as well.
Just keeping sharing information.. haha...
Billy Joe Shaver is still kicking, still writing and preforming and has had songs recorded by every major artist in the last 50 years or better. Texas singer/songwriters and the red dirt artist of Oklahoma look to Billy Joe kinda like a greu of songwriting... he is respected by all genre of writers too... So hopefully this will be an exceptional piece by Rather, who is from Texas as well.
Just keeping sharing information.. haha...
Tuesday, May 31, 2005
OH... The boys of summer were at it yesterday...
Ok, pics of the "Boys of Summer" are online from Memorial Day Family picnic with Phillip, Tammy, Austyn, Jake, Heather, Madison, Andrew and I .... small get together of part of the family ...kind of a last minute deal. Paul had to work, and Jonathan and Randi and Kaitlyn wanted a day for themselves, so the rest of us... got together,and as boys will be boys... a game of baseball started... it was the first time Andrew had been exposed to actually playing and was a bit overwhelmed...but Austyn is playing T Ball this summer for the first time and has had a practice. We decided that Andrew was going to be a slugger.. he can really hit the ball, and Austyn really understands the game and is very athletic... so look at world, two new boys .... who will become part of sports legends..... good food, nice time had by all... Enjoy the photos.. I tired to get the ball in the air.. but failed.... darn it.. If you use the family photo link on this page to go to the albums.. they are arranged by alphabet. And for some reason the new camera puts them online by month first not year.. I will try to change this but for now all may pics are under May... not 2005... later.. dad
Monday, May 30, 2005
Guarding Your Thoughts ... this is Memorial Day...
Guarding Your Thoughts
Today is Memorial Day and our thoughts are for those who have bravely given their lives in defending the freedoms we enjoy. We’ve been talking the last few days about leaning to build bridges for relationships with our words. If you want to be a great communicator, Jesus taught us that you should guard your thoughts. because that’s where it all begins. In the book of Matthew, chapter 12, and in Mark 7, there’s a couple of things about what we think and how that results in what we say…first, Matthew 12:34 (NIV)...”Four out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks.” Circle the words “heart” and “mouth”. And then Mark 7:15 (TLB)...Your souls aren’t harmed by what you eat, but by what you think and say!” Circle the words “think” and “say”.
Do you see the vicious circle here? How what I say affects what I think and what I think affects what I say..the vicious circle? Think of this circle with me...let me picture it for you: You start with angry words and those angry words result in a wounded soul...and that wounded soul results in a bitter heart...and that bitter heart results in more angry words. And you just can’t seem to get out of this circle where you’re angry, wounded, hurt...and so you say more angry words....it goes around and around and around. It’s a vicious circle, and we’ve all been caught up in those vicious circles that happen with our words. Jesus said, “If you want to have great communication, you’ve got to guard your heart...it’s one of the keys. Jesus said that words are never a slip of the tongue, but an overflow of the heart. He’s saying you may not have wanted to say it, but you felt it or you wouldn’t have said it...that’s what Jesus is saying. And so, communication starts with what you think. And if you guard that, you’ll talk in a better way. Do you ever let your thoughts leak out into your words? You didn’t mean to and you weren’t going to say it, but you got angry or something happened and “boom!”...it just slipped out...we’ve all done that and that’s what Jesus was talking about. In fact, Jesus said it’s inevitable...eventually it’s going to happen. So part of great communication is guarding your heart....telling yourself, “If I think it, I’m eventually going to say it.” For many of us, we’ll never experience a real change in the way we communicate until we have a change of heart...because that’s where it begins…by guarding our hearts! (Tomorrow: Using Your Ears)
posted by Rix Tillman at 5:54 AM
Today is Memorial Day and our thoughts are for those who have bravely given their lives in defending the freedoms we enjoy. We’ve been talking the last few days about leaning to build bridges for relationships with our words. If you want to be a great communicator, Jesus taught us that you should guard your thoughts. because that’s where it all begins. In the book of Matthew, chapter 12, and in Mark 7, there’s a couple of things about what we think and how that results in what we say…first, Matthew 12:34 (NIV)...”Four out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks.” Circle the words “heart” and “mouth”. And then Mark 7:15 (TLB)...Your souls aren’t harmed by what you eat, but by what you think and say!” Circle the words “think” and “say”.
Do you see the vicious circle here? How what I say affects what I think and what I think affects what I say..the vicious circle? Think of this circle with me...let me picture it for you: You start with angry words and those angry words result in a wounded soul...and that wounded soul results in a bitter heart...and that bitter heart results in more angry words. And you just can’t seem to get out of this circle where you’re angry, wounded, hurt...and so you say more angry words....it goes around and around and around. It’s a vicious circle, and we’ve all been caught up in those vicious circles that happen with our words. Jesus said, “If you want to have great communication, you’ve got to guard your heart...it’s one of the keys. Jesus said that words are never a slip of the tongue, but an overflow of the heart. He’s saying you may not have wanted to say it, but you felt it or you wouldn’t have said it...that’s what Jesus is saying. And so, communication starts with what you think. And if you guard that, you’ll talk in a better way. Do you ever let your thoughts leak out into your words? You didn’t mean to and you weren’t going to say it, but you got angry or something happened and “boom!”...it just slipped out...we’ve all done that and that’s what Jesus was talking about. In fact, Jesus said it’s inevitable...eventually it’s going to happen. So part of great communication is guarding your heart....telling yourself, “If I think it, I’m eventually going to say it.” For many of us, we’ll never experience a real change in the way we communicate until we have a change of heart...because that’s where it begins…by guarding our hearts! (Tomorrow: Using Your Ears)
posted by Rix Tillman at 5:54 AM
Today's Inspirational Story -
Dear Baby
A soldier writes to her unborn child about duty to her country and the decision to serve in the military.
By Staff Sgt. Sharon McBride
Dear baby:
As you grow inside me, I have been thinking more and more of what it means to be a mommy in the U.S. Army.
Let me be the first to tell you, though, that we have a rough road ahead of us, kiddo. The life of a soldier isn't an easy one.
Already in the seven years that I've been in the Army, I've spent a lot of time away from home. It's very rare that I get to spend holidays with my family. And more and more I see my friends and comrades departing on deployments that send them far away from their families for extended lengths of time. And I have a feeling that life isn't going to get any easier, sweetie.
And, although we have been given a reprieve of sorts while you continue to make my belly expand, I have a feeling it won't be too long after you are born that I, too, will be asked to go away--again.
It seems, my dear, that there are too many nasty people in this world that feel like they need to oppress, suffocate and stamp out human pride and freedom among their fellow man.
Why, sweetie? I don't know. But these men seem to be everywhere. Every day when I turn on the news, there's a different man in a different part of the world that's making life unbearable for others.
As a soldier, I have given my word that if the call comes for me to do my part in making the world a better place to live, I'll go. No hesitation. No questions asked.
That call was a lot easier to answer when I didn't have you--when I just had myself to think about. Now, as a future parent, I can see why some single mommies choose to get out of the Army, but my resolve is true.
I know baby, this is going to be hard for you to understand. You're going to want your mommy and she'll be far, far away.
I'm going to miss a lot of important things--perhaps many of your firsts: birthdays, holidays, you know, all the good stuff. But, I am a soldier. It's a profession that few choose, but one that the many don't hesitate to call when there's trouble to be fixed. That's our job; our mission in life: to help others that can't seem to help themselves.
But, take comfort in the fact that there are going to be other children that will not only be missing their mommies but daddies too.
Many families have gone down this road before us. We won't be the first. And we certainly won't be the last. So, if they can do it, surely we can do it too.
While we are together, though, I promise to hold you a bit longer than necessary, read the story about the purple dinosaur as many times as you want, fix you favorite food for dinner, kiss you a lot, hold your hand and take as many photos of you as possible. Memories of these things will have to sustain us while we are apart.
Just take heart that being an Army baby won't be all bad. There will be sweets to go with the sour. You'll get to travel and see other cultures that other kids won't get to see. There will always be food on the table and clothes on your back. If you get sick, you will always have medicine to make you feel better.
Some children in the world don't even have shoes. I know, because I've seen them.
So, as you grow stronger and bigger inside me, I can only hope and pray that you remember the lessons I will teach while we are together and that they will help you when we are apart: Always share your cookies, never call names, remember to say "I'm sorry" if you are wrong, wash behind your ears and brush your teeth, and say "I love you" every chance you get.
Lastly, don't forget to pray for Mommy and the other parents that often have to be so far away from their little ones. We don't want to leave, but sometimes duty calls.
Update: I wrote this letter to my unborn child in Oct. 2003. Prior to her birth I spent 14 months (July 2002-August 2003) in the Middle East during the kick-off and main portion of "Operation Enduring Freedom." After returning to the United States I requested to be stationed at Fort Richardson, Alaska near my hometown of Eagle River. I was granted my request. Lyssa Bree McBride was born Feb. 6, 2004. She was 8 pounds, 12 ounces and over 22 inches long. She is now 7 months old. I've been home just over a year. I received a call last week from my assignment manager, who told me to prepare and to get ready to "pack my bags" that I was going to either Iraq or Afghanistan next Febuary. I was supposed to be stationed in Alaska till 2006.
A soldier writes to her unborn child about duty to her country and the decision to serve in the military.
By Staff Sgt. Sharon McBride
Dear baby:
As you grow inside me, I have been thinking more and more of what it means to be a mommy in the U.S. Army.
Let me be the first to tell you, though, that we have a rough road ahead of us, kiddo. The life of a soldier isn't an easy one.
Already in the seven years that I've been in the Army, I've spent a lot of time away from home. It's very rare that I get to spend holidays with my family. And more and more I see my friends and comrades departing on deployments that send them far away from their families for extended lengths of time. And I have a feeling that life isn't going to get any easier, sweetie.
And, although we have been given a reprieve of sorts while you continue to make my belly expand, I have a feeling it won't be too long after you are born that I, too, will be asked to go away--again.
It seems, my dear, that there are too many nasty people in this world that feel like they need to oppress, suffocate and stamp out human pride and freedom among their fellow man.
Why, sweetie? I don't know. But these men seem to be everywhere. Every day when I turn on the news, there's a different man in a different part of the world that's making life unbearable for others.
As a soldier, I have given my word that if the call comes for me to do my part in making the world a better place to live, I'll go. No hesitation. No questions asked.
That call was a lot easier to answer when I didn't have you--when I just had myself to think about. Now, as a future parent, I can see why some single mommies choose to get out of the Army, but my resolve is true.
I know baby, this is going to be hard for you to understand. You're going to want your mommy and she'll be far, far away.
I'm going to miss a lot of important things--perhaps many of your firsts: birthdays, holidays, you know, all the good stuff. But, I am a soldier. It's a profession that few choose, but one that the many don't hesitate to call when there's trouble to be fixed. That's our job; our mission in life: to help others that can't seem to help themselves.
But, take comfort in the fact that there are going to be other children that will not only be missing their mommies but daddies too.
Many families have gone down this road before us. We won't be the first. And we certainly won't be the last. So, if they can do it, surely we can do it too.
While we are together, though, I promise to hold you a bit longer than necessary, read the story about the purple dinosaur as many times as you want, fix you favorite food for dinner, kiss you a lot, hold your hand and take as many photos of you as possible. Memories of these things will have to sustain us while we are apart.
Just take heart that being an Army baby won't be all bad. There will be sweets to go with the sour. You'll get to travel and see other cultures that other kids won't get to see. There will always be food on the table and clothes on your back. If you get sick, you will always have medicine to make you feel better.
Some children in the world don't even have shoes. I know, because I've seen them.
So, as you grow stronger and bigger inside me, I can only hope and pray that you remember the lessons I will teach while we are together and that they will help you when we are apart: Always share your cookies, never call names, remember to say "I'm sorry" if you are wrong, wash behind your ears and brush your teeth, and say "I love you" every chance you get.
Lastly, don't forget to pray for Mommy and the other parents that often have to be so far away from their little ones. We don't want to leave, but sometimes duty calls.
Update: I wrote this letter to my unborn child in Oct. 2003. Prior to her birth I spent 14 months (July 2002-August 2003) in the Middle East during the kick-off and main portion of "Operation Enduring Freedom." After returning to the United States I requested to be stationed at Fort Richardson, Alaska near my hometown of Eagle River. I was granted my request. Lyssa Bree McBride was born Feb. 6, 2004. She was 8 pounds, 12 ounces and over 22 inches long. She is now 7 months old. I've been home just over a year. I received a call last week from my assignment manager, who told me to prepare and to get ready to "pack my bags" that I was going to either Iraq or Afghanistan next Febuary. I was supposed to be stationed in Alaska till 2006.
Today's Quote
What counts is not necessarily the size of the dog in the fight, it's the size of the fight in the dog.
-Dwight D. Eisenhower
-Dwight D. Eisenhower
Sunday, May 29, 2005
The family trip to Jet to visit today.....
Jake took pics of their trip to the farm today. Heather, Andrew and Madison went along with Mom and Jake, in my place.. our little car didn't have room for me.... too.. which is ok..
Here's the link of their trip, and visit with Aunt Mert at Jet.
Here's the link of their trip, and visit with Aunt Mert at Jet.
Welcome - Our Moffat Family Blog
T'was a wonderful time, and I am so full of BBQ.. haha.. Tammy and I served as judges at the Meat In the Middle BBQ Cookoff in Perkins Saturday, May 28, 2005. We got to sample the wears of 33 different professional cookers.. wow... more later.. This is the link to the photos from the day... Be safe and have a great holiday weekend...
Saturday, May 28, 2005
Today's Quote
Great opportunities to help others seldom come, but small ones surround us every day.
-Sally Koch
-Sally Koch
Friday, May 27, 2005
Whew.. a big bad warrior came to see Grandma and I last night.. haha.. We had a good evening. Austyn played and played. He is here today, and is busy waiting on Jake to get in from his first job of the day, so they can play before Jake has to go to his second job. He and Grandma are outside digging up the weeds in the yard today. It's a nice day for that. Phil and Tammy had a nice time at BB King's show in OKC ... Tomorrow is the BBQ cook off in Perkins, and I think we might head down to it.. if I can get my websites up and going.. haha..
Thursday, May 26, 2005
A Memorial Day Poem
He would have been a pitcher
Playing baseball as a pro
He’d have thrown against the Yankees
Striking out fourteen in a row
Life would have been good to him
Making his living in the sun
Had the torpedo not found its mark
In December of 1941
He’d have been a very good dentist
A loving father and faithful spouse
He’d have loved to golf on weekends
And to putter around the house
His kids would have asked for peanuts
When he took them to the zoo
Had his plane not been shot down
In October of 1942
She would have been a terrific mom
To four girls and three boys
She’d have had a home in Eagle Rock
Filled with sounds of playful noise
She’d have loved and been loved
She’d have known joy and glee
Had the hospital not been bombed
In May of 1943
He’d have been a great salesman
With shined shoes and a smile
He’d have made his company a fortune
Once he’d been there for a while
Customers would have welcomed him
When he walked in the door
Had the bullet not pierced his heart
In June of 1944
He would have been a grandpa
With children on his lap
Telling stories of the old times
Before taking an afternoon nap
He’d have been a prime example
Of the joy to be alive
Had his “Victory” ship not been blown to bits
In August of 1945
These Americans didn’t go to war
With thoughts of how to die
Freedom was their sole pursuit
And “life” their battle cry
But when freedom was at risk
And Americans heard the call
They risked their lives and fortunes
And sometimes lost it all
From every walk of life they came
To pay our freedom’s price
No matter what they might have been
They made the greatest sacrifice
God bless you great Americans
On this thirtieth day of May
We decorate your graves with flags
On this Memorial Day.
-Ed Riffle
He would have been a pitcher
Playing baseball as a pro
He’d have thrown against the Yankees
Striking out fourteen in a row
Life would have been good to him
Making his living in the sun
Had the torpedo not found its mark
In December of 1941
He’d have been a very good dentist
A loving father and faithful spouse
He’d have loved to golf on weekends
And to putter around the house
His kids would have asked for peanuts
When he took them to the zoo
Had his plane not been shot down
In October of 1942
She would have been a terrific mom
To four girls and three boys
She’d have had a home in Eagle Rock
Filled with sounds of playful noise
She’d have loved and been loved
She’d have known joy and glee
Had the hospital not been bombed
In May of 1943
He’d have been a great salesman
With shined shoes and a smile
He’d have made his company a fortune
Once he’d been there for a while
Customers would have welcomed him
When he walked in the door
Had the bullet not pierced his heart
In June of 1944
He would have been a grandpa
With children on his lap
Telling stories of the old times
Before taking an afternoon nap
He’d have been a prime example
Of the joy to be alive
Had his “Victory” ship not been blown to bits
In August of 1945
These Americans didn’t go to war
With thoughts of how to die
Freedom was their sole pursuit
And “life” their battle cry
But when freedom was at risk
And Americans heard the call
They risked their lives and fortunes
And sometimes lost it all
From every walk of life they came
To pay our freedom’s price
No matter what they might have been
They made the greatest sacrifice
God bless you great Americans
On this thirtieth day of May
We decorate your graves with flags
On this Memorial Day.
-Ed Riffle
Do you have your renters insurance paid up? or homeowners paid... ?? One never knows when something like this can happen... this is whats left of our neighbors home. It is very unusual to find anything left in a mobile home fire... but thanks to Perkins Fire Dept., the Iowa Tribe Fire Dept. and the Stillwater Fire Dept. there is something left.. plus there are many of Stillwater's full time fire fighters that are neighbors .. I think that around us and to the east in the 3 square miles there are 6 to be exact... enjoy the day!
Lots of things going on lately..
Last evening a neighbor to the east lost their mobile home to fire, so there was lots of smoke in our yard, as wind was from the east. Don't know anymore about it this am. We do know someone was hurt, as the ambulance made a run back to town with lights and sirens going. They are in our prayers.
I went over to take a few pics, but it was to early and light was bad, but the home looked intact, but the windows were gone and you could see where the fire came out the windows in the east end of the home.
We ran over to Paul's and by Phil's last night to deliver webcams for them to get online and hopefully now we can see and talk with each other more often, stay in touch more, as the kiddos grow up.. and we grow older.. haha... I think now I need to buy some sort of software that will allow us to hook up with audio and video, however. Seems it never ends.
Can you imagine living 100 years ago, without the things we take forgranted today? wow!
Mom has been building fence at her place for about a month it seems. You know Mom. haha. yelp.. had to save a dollar.. but this time she spent a bit more. She now has a GOAT fence on the west side of her pasture next to her hay fields. For those in the city, most fences of barbed wire are 4 wire, maybe five inside and the outer fences are 5 wire maybe six if you have goats.. haha.. Mom built a 6 wire internal fence and now she can run goats!! Needless to say, the neighbors are laughing and "kidding" about it. Instead of getting a professional crew to do it in 4 days she found through another person, an individual to do it who is older than I am, and you probably can guess the rest of the story. The professional crew would have built the 1/2 mile of fence for a dollar a foot, and a guarantee to be done in 4 days. Mom's worked a month, still is, and has had to help her "hand" do it and I bet it cost her more than that... with no guarantee... oh the things we do to save money... my Dad would have said!!
Phil is still at his old job. He was given a raise and things seem to be getting better, with a bit less stress. He now has a family blog too, which is linked on this page. You need to check it out, as well as Jonathan's and Heather's blogs.. I should have typed RANDI'S BlOG, as she, according to Jon, in now in charge of it! She updated it day before yesterday too.. FINALLY... haha , no slack Randi.. haha.. this used to be updated more, but work has taken me away from it a little bit, too.
Now back to Phil. He has a great garden this summer and you should see the wonderful flowers around their home this summer too. I am sure there will be pictures soon online, either from him or I ... I mean lots of cool, cool flowers.
Randi and Jon and Kaitlyn came up last Saturday, and we had a great visit. Down time for Jon who is really being pushed at work to meet some hard deadlines very soon, and really coming up fast. He too has received a promotion of sorts, and now is like assistant king in web development for his firm. Now he gets the big bucks! haha... Yeah right.
Jon Randi Heather Kaitlyn Madison Ann and I hooked up and got to see each other with the webcams last night, which was kinda cool. Kaitlyn was really active and Madison had the yawns... kind of bored with it all...
Jake is doing what he needs to do this am. Working two jobs and helping Ann and I and his Grandmother, he is beat and with the chance of showers this am, he is getting to sleep in. His back has been bothering him lately, so he needs to stretch out and rest in his new bed.
Yesterday, Jake received a "special tour" and met with the welding instructor at Meridian Tech. in Stillwater. His boss, Fred Shultz, owner of the Shultz Ranch, was the Supt. there and actually sort of built the school over the years. He recently retired, and has been after Jake to go learn to weld. .. Well, it seems Jake tried to check out MT, but they kind of gave him the run around... so Jake was checking into Tulsa Welding School, and told Fred this. So Fred took hold of things, and needless to say, when Fred does take hold, things get done, so MT called Jake and asked him to come in for a special tour, and of course, Fred was there and it went "very well" Jake reports, haha.. I bet it did!!
I think some of our family will be going with Ann up to Jet this weekend to the cemetery there where her folks are buried. Jake informed me he was taking Mom, and I think Heather and kids may go along.
As many of you know, the cemetery here where Amanda and Dad are buried is in receivership. Not sure what is going to happen, but it does not look bad at the present time. There are lots of old mainstream families who will help see to that. And of course there are lots of families very mad over this deal happening, but not at the caretakers there now who have been doing it out of their pocket... too.
Ann is going to watch Austyn tonight, tomorrow and maybe .. yelp, now on Saturday too.. That will be cool. We love when Austyn gets to come over. Phil and Tammy get to go to OKC and watch Bo Diddly tonight, and Tammy is in training tomorrow... and Phil just called and Perkins is having a big "barbecue" cook off this weekend, with the top cookers from two big national groups cooking off there, and they needed one more judge, and barbecue has stepped up to the challenge! Now that's cool!!
Not sure if we get to see Kaitlyn this weekend or not. Maybe as a family we might get to have a picnic together on Monday, but time will tell!!
Well, this book is coming to a close.. Enjoy the day!
I went over to take a few pics, but it was to early and light was bad, but the home looked intact, but the windows were gone and you could see where the fire came out the windows in the east end of the home.
We ran over to Paul's and by Phil's last night to deliver webcams for them to get online and hopefully now we can see and talk with each other more often, stay in touch more, as the kiddos grow up.. and we grow older.. haha... I think now I need to buy some sort of software that will allow us to hook up with audio and video, however. Seems it never ends.
Can you imagine living 100 years ago, without the things we take forgranted today? wow!
Mom has been building fence at her place for about a month it seems. You know Mom. haha. yelp.. had to save a dollar.. but this time she spent a bit more. She now has a GOAT fence on the west side of her pasture next to her hay fields. For those in the city, most fences of barbed wire are 4 wire, maybe five inside and the outer fences are 5 wire maybe six if you have goats.. haha.. Mom built a 6 wire internal fence and now she can run goats!! Needless to say, the neighbors are laughing and "kidding" about it. Instead of getting a professional crew to do it in 4 days she found through another person, an individual to do it who is older than I am, and you probably can guess the rest of the story. The professional crew would have built the 1/2 mile of fence for a dollar a foot, and a guarantee to be done in 4 days. Mom's worked a month, still is, and has had to help her "hand" do it and I bet it cost her more than that... with no guarantee... oh the things we do to save money... my Dad would have said!!
Phil is still at his old job. He was given a raise and things seem to be getting better, with a bit less stress. He now has a family blog too, which is linked on this page. You need to check it out, as well as Jonathan's and Heather's blogs.. I should have typed RANDI'S BlOG, as she, according to Jon, in now in charge of it! She updated it day before yesterday too.. FINALLY... haha , no slack Randi.. haha.. this used to be updated more, but work has taken me away from it a little bit, too.
Now back to Phil. He has a great garden this summer and you should see the wonderful flowers around their home this summer too. I am sure there will be pictures soon online, either from him or I ... I mean lots of cool, cool flowers.
Randi and Jon and Kaitlyn came up last Saturday, and we had a great visit. Down time for Jon who is really being pushed at work to meet some hard deadlines very soon, and really coming up fast. He too has received a promotion of sorts, and now is like assistant king in web development for his firm. Now he gets the big bucks! haha... Yeah right.
Jon Randi Heather Kaitlyn Madison Ann and I hooked up and got to see each other with the webcams last night, which was kinda cool. Kaitlyn was really active and Madison had the yawns... kind of bored with it all...
Jake is doing what he needs to do this am. Working two jobs and helping Ann and I and his Grandmother, he is beat and with the chance of showers this am, he is getting to sleep in. His back has been bothering him lately, so he needs to stretch out and rest in his new bed.
Yesterday, Jake received a "special tour" and met with the welding instructor at Meridian Tech. in Stillwater. His boss, Fred Shultz, owner of the Shultz Ranch, was the Supt. there and actually sort of built the school over the years. He recently retired, and has been after Jake to go learn to weld. .. Well, it seems Jake tried to check out MT, but they kind of gave him the run around... so Jake was checking into Tulsa Welding School, and told Fred this. So Fred took hold of things, and needless to say, when Fred does take hold, things get done, so MT called Jake and asked him to come in for a special tour, and of course, Fred was there and it went "very well" Jake reports, haha.. I bet it did!!
I think some of our family will be going with Ann up to Jet this weekend to the cemetery there where her folks are buried. Jake informed me he was taking Mom, and I think Heather and kids may go along.
As many of you know, the cemetery here where Amanda and Dad are buried is in receivership. Not sure what is going to happen, but it does not look bad at the present time. There are lots of old mainstream families who will help see to that. And of course there are lots of families very mad over this deal happening, but not at the caretakers there now who have been doing it out of their pocket... too.
Ann is going to watch Austyn tonight, tomorrow and maybe .. yelp, now on Saturday too.. That will be cool. We love when Austyn gets to come over. Phil and Tammy get to go to OKC and watch Bo Diddly tonight, and Tammy is in training tomorrow... and Phil just called and Perkins is having a big "barbecue" cook off this weekend, with the top cookers from two big national groups cooking off there, and they needed one more judge, and barbecue has stepped up to the challenge! Now that's cool!!
Not sure if we get to see Kaitlyn this weekend or not. Maybe as a family we might get to have a picnic together on Monday, but time will tell!!
Well, this book is coming to a close.. Enjoy the day!
Grandma Moffat and I ran over to Paul and Heather and Andrew and Madison's last evening to set up a webcam, so we can see the "new lady" in action more, course we picked up some pizza.. and we walked in and Grandma took Madison, and you can see the rest of the story...haha.. not really. She was in just a 'mood' like her Mom has .. once in a while.. haha.. but things got better quick.. As you can see, she is the apple of her grandmother's eye right now...
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