Building an Ark

Our crazy weather continued through the weekend resulting in flooding.  This is after the tornado last Wednesday.  We have received over 13 inches of rain in the last 5 days.  Our backyard is a swamp.  It will be dry today and tomorrow and then rain again on Wednesday.

Oklahoma really needs the rain but just not all at once!  We will be begging for rain in August when the temperature is 110.  

I had a wonderful Mother's Day.  I had lunch with twin #2 and we got pedicures.  Both the girls got me a Fitbit.  I'm still trying to figure out everything it does.   Twin #1 is sick and she was in bed all weekend.  She sounded awful when I talked to her Saturday.  It never fails.......she gets sick at the beginning of a new school year and at the end.  They have 10 days of school left.

Yesterday we took Mike out to lunch since he was worried he wasn't going to celebrate Mother's Day.  He's a mess!

Hope everyone had a lovely Mother's Day. 

Ding Ding Round Three

Well here we go again!  Round three of the terrible awful weather.  Last night Ron and I did manage to go out to dinner for our anniversary just before the sky opened.  We had a wonderful dinner...Ron had steak and coconut shrimp and I had grilled tilapia with stuffed crab.  Mmmmmmmmmm and we had crab stuffed mushrooms.  It was soooo good.

Poor Ron, he got me pearl earrings and I put them on and the pearl immediately fell out of the setting.  Ron was so upset.  I was just glad it happened at home.  They are beautiful and I'm sure the jeweler will make it right.

We are expecting storms to move in again today about noon.  They are saying golf ball to baseball size hail!  Of course it would hail while I'm at work.  No shelter for the cars.  I'm seriously thinking about taking off this afternoon and going home to ride it out.  They say tomorrow is even going to be worse with possible tornadoes!  

I haven't paid attention to what is going on around us.  I don't know if Arkansas is getting pounded as well.  These storms usually move east but I guess they die out before they get that far.

Won't be long and the weather won't be as much of a headache when I'm retired and can choose whether to go out or not!  Can't wait!
 

Lions and Tigers and Bears

Well, we were pounded by storms last night.  Tornado over my daughter's house but they were safe in their cellar.  We'd no more finish one round of storms than another cell would form and we'd start all over again.  

Tigers and bears escaped a wild life refuge and I thought we were going to see Dorothy and her house fly by at any minute. At one time the wind was 70 mph and then we got hail.  Some places had golf ball to baseball size hail.  Fortunately we had about quarter size but the wind was blowing it so hard.

Now, we are looking at storms again tonight through the weekend.   I'M TIRED!

I've lived in tornado alley all my life so I'm pretty accustomed to tornadoes but now that we are having earthquakes that's a whole new bag of marbles.  With tornadoes I know how to get out of the way.....those earthquakes are devious devils.  There is no place to run and they sneak up on you.

Which would you rather deal with......?

 

Get to know the candidates.....There is quite a list of declared candidates for the Republican nomination and I'm sure the list isn't complete yet.  There are a lot more exploring the idea.

I was surprised at the number of Democrats seeking the nomination.  

Be informed.......read something about these people no matter which party you subscribe to.

Declared Republican Candidates

Declared 2016 Republican Presidential Candidate Army child and business owner
	Skip Andrews
“Skip” Andrews is a diverse candidate who probably has at least one opinion to please anyone. Few politicians are able to satisfy both a pro-legalization marijuana advocate and a staunch pro-lifer. Of course, this also means most would object to a majority of his platform. More on Skip Andrews

Declared 2016 Republican Presidential Candidate Veteran and volunteer spokesperson with Americans For Fair Taxation (AFFT)   Kerry Bowers A former military man with a long career in the United States Air Force, Kerry Bowers has experience not only in the armed forces but as a police dispatcher, businessman, and in many other fields. More on Kerry Bowers

Declared 2016 Republican Presidential Candidate Physician, Author and Citizen Politician   Dr. Ben Carson Ben Carson is a highly accomplished physician who is seen as a breath of fresh air in the world of politics. He has left his position as director of pediatric neurosurgery at Johns Hopkins Medical Center and is in pursuit of the U.S. presidency in 2016. More on Dr. Ben Carson

Declared 2016 Republican Presidential Candidate International entrepreneur and business professor   Dale Christensen With experience in business management around the world, Dale Christensen is a self-described “first and foremost” family man who advocates a variety of conservative principles. More on Dale Christensen

Declared 2016 Republican Presidential Candidate U.S. Senator from Texas   Ted Cruz The Harvard and Princeton-educated attorney once served as the Domestic Policy Advisor to former president George W. Bush. Noted for his formidable oratory skill, Senator Cruz is viewed by some as one of the intellectual leaders of the tea party movement. More on Ted Cruz

Declared 2016 Republican Presidential Candidate Constitutional Republican and strong conservative   John Dummett, Jr. Hailing from the state of California, John Dummet, Jr is a Constitutional Republican who has become disenfranchised with both the Republican and Democratic parties. More on John Dummett, Jr.

Declared 2016 Republican Presidential Candidate Businessman and former IRS Commissioner   Mark Everson A strong conservative with an extremely dim view of large banks, Mark Everson calls the integrity of mainstream politicians into question and accuses them of catering to monied special interests. He strongly believes a President should serve only a single term. More on Mark Everson

Declared 2016 Republican Presidential Candidate Businesswoman and Former CEO of Hewlett-Packard   Carly Fiorina The only well-known woman running for the Republican nomination in 2016, Carly Fiorina is a unique political figure. Her business experience and conservative principles make her attractive to the right, but past difficulties and failures could haunt her moving forward. More on Carly Fiorina

Declared 2016 Republican Presidential Candidate Former combat pilot and current airline captain   Chris Hill Chris Hill is a combat veteran who served as a pilot during Desert Storm. Although he is running on the Republican ticket, some of his leanings are at odds with those of the GOP, including his “Living Wage” plan and his support for labor unions and recognition of gay marriages. More on Chris Hill

Declared 2016 Republican Presidential Candidate Former Governor of Arkansas, Man of Faith and TV Personality   Mike Huckabee Mike Huckabee is an Evangelical Christian who never shies away from his faith. In January, 2015, he bid farewell as host of his popular talk show on the Fox News Channel to pursue his 2016 presidential bid. More on Mike Huckabee

Declared 2016 Republican Presidential Candidate Conservative and Tea Party supporter   Michael Kinlaw Michael Kinlaw is a conservative Republican who has strong opinions on a number of issues. His views put him right in line with a number of other conservatives likely to run in 2016. Kinlaw has no political background and has launched his campaign in his hometown of Houston. More on Michael Kinlaw

Declared 2016 Republican Presidential Candidate U.S. Senator from Kentucky   Rand Paul Sen. Paul finally emerged from the huge shadow of his larger than life father, maverick Republican Ron Paul, when he was selected to deliver the tea party response to President Obama’s SOTU address in 2013, and in the process, cementing his de facto leadership of the movement. More on Rand Paul

Exploratory 2016 Republican Presidential Candidate Former Governor of Texas and 2012 presidential candidate   Rick Perry After his ultimately underwhelming performance in 2012, Gov. Perry, the longest serving Texas governor in history, will surely be looking forward to 2016 and launch probably his final attempt at securing the Republican presidential nomination. More on Rick Perry

Declared 2016 Republican Presidential Candidate Businessman and veteran   Michael Petyo A “business first” fiscal conservative with a very optimistic view of the role played by corporations in generating wealth, Michael Petyo is himself a business owner who feels the United States has lost its way economically and that relaxed regulation on the private sector is the solution. More on Michael Petyo

Declared 2016 Republican Presidential Candidate U.S. Senator from Florida   Marco Rubio Marco Rubio is definitely on the short list of names for Republican frontrunner. Being himself of Cuban heritage, he enjoys strong support among the important Latino demographic, in addition to holding solid conservative principles that make him eminently likeable to the Republican constituency. More on Marco Rubio

Declared 2016 Republican Presidential Candidate Entrepreneur, innovator, limited government advocate   Brian Russell Brian Russell is a successful entrepreneur who believes that implementing sound economic policy should be the government’s top priority. He also supports a strong military and foreign policy that presents the USA as the true leader in the free world. More on Brian Russell

Get to know the declared candidates for the democratic nomination.

Declared 2016 Democratic Presidential Candidate BBC's World Historic Figure for Anti-GMO Activism
	Andy Caffrey
A strong environmentalist and advocate against genetically modified organisms, Andy Caffrey is the first Democratic candidate to run on a platform of truly green politics. He is an accomplished and passionate man with campaign experience, and has turned his focus to the White House. More on Andy Caffrey

Declared 2016 Democratic Presidential Candidate Small-business owner, Deacon and Sunday School Superintendent   Willie Carter This retired USAF member and father of nine definitely brings something different to the table. Carter is in his eighth consecutive run for the Presidency, which he entered because he was “commanded of the Lord to enter the race to become President of the United States of America”. More on Willie Carter

Exploratory 2016 Democratic Presidential Candidate Former U.S. Senator and Governor from Rhode Island   Lincoln Chafee Lincoln Chafee has served various roles in politics as Republican, Independent, and Democrat. His policies defy strict labeling, which has made it hard for him to build a camp and may hamper a 2016 presidential campaign should he decide to run. More on Lincoln Chafee

Declared 2016 Democratic Presidential Candidate Former U.S. Secretary of State, U.S. Senator and First Lady   Hillary Clinton Others' names have been spoken, but the clear frontrunner for the Democratic nomination in 2016 is Hillary Rodham Clinton. And as she seems always to be grooming herself for the public spotlight, it appears that she knows her role, for her party and in history. More on Hillary Clinton

Declared 2016 Democratic Presidential Candidate Junior U.S. Senator from Vermont and Former Mayor of Burlington, Vermont   Bernie Sanders Generally regarded as a Democrat, Sanders is in fact the longest-serving Independent in the history of the United States Congress. Having held office as both Vermont's at-large congressional representative and Mayor of the city of Burlington, he is currently the sitting junior Senator of Vermont. More on Bernie Sanders

Declared 2016 Democratic Presidential Candidate CIA and U.S. Envoy with G4 Classification   Doug Shreffler Doug Shreffler is not a career politician but a man of optimism with a goal of cross-party unification. His distinctive perspective was born from his lifelong service to our country in foreign affairs with the CIA and as a US envoy with G4 Classification. More on Doug Shreffler

Declared 2016 Democratic Presidential Candidate Attorney, Community Leader, Advocate for the Elderly and Disabled   Michael Steinberg Michael Steinberg has built a career advocating for those left behind. He has entered the race for President to bring attention to the issues that are not being addressed and to advocate for those forgotten in Washington, especially the elderly, the disabled and our Veterans. More on Michael Steinberg

Declared 2016 Democratic Presidential Candidate Former college football coach and 2012 presidential candidate
	Robby Wells
The former football coach turned public servant is a moderate libertarian seeking the Democratic Party’s nomination in 2016. Wells has made it clear that he isn’t afraid to call out politicians on both sides of the aisle. He finished third for the Constitution Party’s nomination in 2012. More on R

Never Too Late

Ron and I will celebrate our 4th wedding anniversary this Thursday.  What a miracle that is on so many levels.  Of course the miracle that he has survived stage 4 Renal Cell Carsinoma for 6 years goes without saying.  But the fact that we found each other again after 34 years was a miracle in and of itself.  And the fact that I allowed myself to even contemplate the idea of dating again after being divorced so long was also a miracle.  

Never a day goes by that I don't look at him and marvel to myself how lucky I am to finally know what it is to be truly loved by someone.  I never think about time lost but just how grateful I am to have found love at all.  Age doesn't mean anything.  We are never too old or to set in our ways to experience love.  In fact I can't help but realize how different it is now as compared to my youth.  My expectations of love at 20 were so unrealistic.  I made my partner solely responsible for my happiness and that was so unfair to him and so self-centered of me.  Our lack of maturity doomed us from the beginning.

I found that parenting was easier as a solo act.  I could focus all my attention on my children.  It was also a good excuse to avoid other relationships.  But that all changed when my job as a parent no longer required my daily attention.  

It was amazing how much I had learned over time.  I took responsibility for my own happiness.  I was comfortable with myself and liked the person I had become.  I honestly had more to bring to a relationship at 60 than I had at 20.  Ron and I liked each other as much as we loved one another and friendship makes a relationship much more sustainable.

The greatest gift Ron and I started our relationship with is our shared past.  Having known each other since we were 6 years old gave us a place to start so in the beginning we spent so much time catching up.  We hadn't seen each other in 34 years but because of our history we had a comfortable place to start.  It isn't that we "feel" like we've known each other forever......we actually have!

So, here's to second chances at any age..............it's never too late to find love!  All it takes is an open heart!