Major Ice Storm in Oklahoma Schools Closed

There is no school today when I got up this morning it was 4 degrees now it says it is 12 degrees so getting warmer now. (smile)
I opened the sliding glass door in the laundry room/kitchen area and took these pictures.. it is chilly out there today...and the ground is VERY slippery we had to go buy some salt yesterday for the sidewalk and driveway. Mike took a spill feet slipped right out from under him. He scraped his arm up good but luckily did not break anything...

Our Weekend

Well I had told you about the Tribute Quartet coming to Alva on Friday night they were wonderful. They were all so friendly. And the bass singer when he talks you know he is a bass singer. ha ha ha..
Here are a few pictures of them on Friday night you can hear them on my Myspace Page.





Then we got up early Saturday morning and drove into Oklahoma City for the weekend. Our first stop was to the Ford Center to see the Walking with Dinosaurs Show it was awesome. Aaron and Michael both loved it and wants to go again. (smile) Here are some pictures of that.










Then we went off to the Oklahoma Memorial were the bombing took place in April of 1995. The Memorial is the largest of its kind in the USA, and receives above 500,000 visitors every year. The Outdoor Memorial has The Gates of Time, the Reflecting Pool, the Field of Empty Chairs, the Survivors’ Wall, The Survivor Tree, The Memorial Fence, Rescuers’ Orchard, Children’s Area, and the Jesus Wept sculpture. We got to go into where the Museum is but the actual Museum was closed due to water damage last week. So we will have to go back and see that later. But we got to go into the Store and buy some things and take a lot of pictures outside. It was very touching. In the children's section where the hand prints are you can write on a board (like a chalk board, Aaron did and I took a picture of that. He was quite touched about all the lives that were lost that day. He was only 2 when it happened.
The most touching thing of the Memorial is the Field of Empty Chairs that consists of 168 empty chairs handcrafted from glass, bronze and stone, representing each of the victims who lost their lives. The names of the victims are etched in the glass base of each chair. Arranged in nine rows, they symbolize the nine floors of the building with each individual’s chair on the row representing the floor they were on during the blast.The Survivor Tree is an American elm it was almost destroyed by the blast. But it bloomed and survived it was beautiful.
Here are some of the pictures I took while we were there on Saturday.

















We just drove around the City looking at some things after that and for dinner we went to Toby Keiths Bar and Grill. Aaron got a steak and it melted in your mouth. He loved it. Mike had a fried bologna sandwich, I think just because he has never seen that on the menu before. I had a baked potato and cup and of chili. All YUMMY.. a very nice place we will for sure go back to next time in the City.



We were tired from the long day so went off to the Hotel for the night to relax and sleep. Then we got up the next morning and went to one of our ABA Churches in Oklahoma City. Bro. Marc Ray is the Pastor we really enjoyed it and the people were ALL so friendly everyone in the church I think came up to meet us. Bro. Marc is friends with our Pastor Bro. Wiggins and spoke very highly of him.


After church we went to Cracker Barrel for lunch. Then to Sams Club before heading back to Alva. We did some sightseeing on the way back took a picture of the water tower in Yukon where Garth Brooks is from it is off Garth Brooks Blvd.

Then we saw this place off the road called Montana Mike's. Michael wanted a picture of it. Since he is from Montana. I told home if he owned a steakhouse wonder if we could eat for free in there. Ha!

We also stopped at this store called Cherokee really a nice place for sure want to go back in there again. I bought Mike some Eagle Windchimes in there. Beautiful.

So all in all we had a wonderful weekend was very chilly. It was 8 degrees when we left on Saturday Morning and at one point they said the wind chill factor was 0. So pretty chilly for this Southern California girl. But we had a wonderful weekend and look forward to going back to Oklahoma City really soon.

Bye for now... Hugs Judy

Update on Aaron and the New School and other info.....

Aaron has started school at the Alva High School and they are mainstreaming him for 3 classes this semester. The Special Ed Classes are downstairs and he takes 3 special ed classes. The other 3 classes are with regular education students and he is excited. He is taking an Art Class, Home Economics (he wants to learn to cook and sew) and also taking a Computer Class. He gets to eat lunch in the cafeteria with all the school so he sees his cousins and his best friend Jessica every day too. So that is nice for him too. He rides the bus to school every morning also something new for him too. So there have been a lot of changes in his life this past month but he seems to be fairing them very well so far. We are very proud of him. The school reminds me of the show Happy Days when you would see them in High School. This place looks so much like it with the lockers inside and the waxed floors and glass cabinets displaying trophys and such. Really cool and like going back in time.


This weekend we are taking a trip into Oklahoma City which is about a 2 1/2 hour drive. The Ford Center (which is like the Honda Center in California) is having a show called Walking with the Dinosaurs. It is supposed to be like real live Dinosaurs and Aaron and his Dad are nuts about Dinos. (smile)
This is what they say about the show..

Walking With Dinosaurs —
Ruling the Earth Once More

Be transported millions of years back in time by "Walking with Dinosaurs: The Live Experience." Inspired by the hit BBC documentary, this massive arena show brings 15 actual-sized dinosaurs to life before your very eyes, in all their fearsome glory. The mighty Tyrannosaurus Rex, Stegosaurus, Brachiosaurus, Raptor and more will walk again in a show that will leave the whole family spellbound.
This is the website about the actual show..
http://www.dinosaurlive.com/

And you can go on UTUBE here and see a clip about it. It is really awesome
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VX3_tnLDUEk

So we are excited about that. We also wanted to go to the Oklahoma Memorial where it was Bombed on April 19, 1995 but they had a leak and it has damaged the Museum and will not open again until February they said. But we are still planning on going by there and seeing if we can see the outside of it and walk around the things they have outside. (we shall see)
We plan on making many trips into Oklahoma City so we will have to see the actual Museum part next visit.

Here is the link to check it out. http://www.oklahomacitynationalmemorial.org/

Aaron also wants to visit Toby Keith's Bar and Grill. It is a Restaurant in Oklahoma City and he loves the Country Singer Toby Keith so is anxious to check it out. The menu looks cool they even serve fried bologna sandwiches. Yum!!!!! We used to eat those all the time when I was growing up.
Here is the link to that.....
http://www.tobykeithsbar.com/restaurant

Then on Sunday we are going to visit one of our ABA Missionary Baptist Churches in Oklahoma City. Sis. Wiggins said that Bro. Wiggins is friends with the Pastor there so we shall go and visit them for the day.

After church we plan on going to Cracker Barrel for lunch. (yes no trip is complete without Cracker Barrel, or at least Mike and Aaron thinks it isn't) Ha! We will then go to Sams Club and a few other stores before we head back home. So I have all the places mapped out and printed out so we know where we are going.

So you won't be hearing from me on the blog probably again until Monday...

Have a nice weekend............Love and Hugs

The Tribute Quartet

We are going to a Concert Friday night here in Alva. The Tribute Quartet that is from Tenn. is coming. We are excited to go and see them and hear them. There is nothing like Southern Gospel Music. AMEN!!!!!!!

If you go to their website it plays music. So check them out..
http://www.tributequartet.com/

Pictures of the house

So many of you keep asking where is pictures of the house so here they are sorry it took so long needed to get them off my camera just been very busy.

Aaron did his room in Anime Characters and his GameRoom has all kinds of signs and license plate kind of signs. Very cute. He has all his game units hooked up in there like his Wii his GameCube etc plus a DVD player and VCR so they can watch videos in
there also.

Mike has a room upstairs he calls his Doghouse room (he says he can go there when he is in trouble) ha ha or to watch Football. He put his collection of Cameras, military things and his Eagles in there. We put a Daybed in there too for Jess to sleep on when she is over here.

My office downstairs is also my Bear Room for my collection of Teddy Bears.

You can see in the Kitchen pictures I am decorated for Valentine's Day.

Any questions just ask.. Love ya