Sayonara, 2012….I Will Not Miss You

2012.  It's been a looooonnnnnng year.

A year of both good, and bad.  Much joy, much heartache.  Hope, deferred.

A year of both decision and indecision.

A year of mostly waiting. 

I have a huge knowing, in me, that 2013 will be much better.  I cannot explain it…but I know it. Have you been there?

Come midnight tonight, we will have made the turn into the year 2013.

Tonight, we celebrate the wedding of dear friends, at a beautiful place in the Hill Country.  And within that celebration, we'll also celebrate us…ThatManILove and I.

What better place, than a wedding, to remind us of all we have to anticipate, experience, and enjoy?  

What better place?

Happy New Year, y'all.  May all your dreams come true in 2013.

I Had To Start Again, Sometime!

I’m a tired girl.

Last night, Elder Son decided to come in, get some meds for his respiratory problem, and promptly fell asleep.  At 10:30 p.m.

I had taken some natural sleeping aids, but stayed up to wait on him...and probably ruined the “slowdown” of the sleeping aids.  Did you know you can do that?

Let me tell you, it’s not fun when that happens.  You don’t know whether to take more, or just try to force yourself to sleep.

Suffice it to say, when my alarm went off at 4:30 a.m., I was not well rested.

But, I did it.

I got up, washed my face, changed to workout clothes, and went to the gym.

And I’m sore.

But I’m glad to be back working at working out again!

Young Wisdom

I read a blog post today.  Written by a young lady, whose family is known to me.

Her mom and dad are friends of mine.  

I thought I’d share.

So, if you have a second, go read Madison Cary’s post here.



Then, as Madison says, go love on somebody.

Happy Birthday, Jennifer and Madison.

If You So Decide To Accept This Mission...

My schedule is doing its usual fall blowup.

In three hours?  I leave for Houston.  I come home?  Late tonight.  At least I’m going with a friend, and hopefully, we can burn a couple of hours shopping...because the selection is so much better in Houston than in Midland!

Friday?  I host, with my coworkers, our Customer Appreciation Sporting Clays Shoot.  No...we’re not gonna shoot our customers.  We are going to spoil them, though!

Saturday?  Midland High ROTC Sporting Clays Shoot.  This is the one where I help a customer fundraise for the local ROTC high school club.  Fun stuff and they’re awesome kiddos.

Wednesday?  Work, then take customers to concert.

Thursday? Fly to Boston.  Come back home the following Wednesday.

Just in time to pack, and unpack.  And repack.

And head the next morning to Santa Fe, New Mexico...for the New Mexico Oil and Gas Association meeting.

Where I help put on three consecutive events...in two days.

And then, come home and get everything ready for our Customer Appreciation Oil Show Party.  We sent out 2000 invites last Friday.

I could so double as an event planner.

Of course, if I could sleep, I could, possibly, also double as a rested person.

Tonight I promised my awesome massage therapist that, after October 16, I absolutely positively would not answer my phone Ever Again during my massage.  I thought she was going to jump for joy!

Childhood Memories…Water

Saturday afternoon found my friend Connie and I cruising towards Colorado City, Texas, to take advantage of a shoe sale...hey, stranger things have happened, right?

Two friends, for some 29 years, driving 80 miles east because they heard a sale was going down?

We heard.  We went.  We conquered.

And then?  We drove to Lake Colorado City.  Home to many of my memories.  Going to college, then heading to the lake to catch a couple hours of slick water skiing. 

“It was like glass today...yummy!”  

My brother and I, sun-baked brown as berries, loved that water.  Our dad was a fisherman, but he rarely took us with him.  So, once we could drive, we made our own memories - water skiing.  Camping.  Having tons of fun, with friends.

We water-skiied every day, when we could.  Sometimes, starting in February.  Couldn't wait for the lake to warm.
We were wild and crazy.

At a lake, 40 miles from our home town.  And we loved it.  Nothing brought exhaustion like sun and lake water and skiing, skiing, skiing.

So many awesome memories, smiles, laughter.

We drove to the boat ramp at the lake.  I had heard how much the lake had gone down due to the drought.  I had no clue.  Hearing is one thing.  Seeing with your own eyes?  Another.

Boat Ramp, State Park, Lake Colorado City, Texas

 This breaks my heart.

Brooke and Cash Chronicles, Part 2

So...

Back to the Brooke and Cash Chronicles.  Part 2.

If you need refreshing, go back and read here.

I finished my conference call, and walk out into the living room.  Cash expectantly looks up, with his sweet smile.

Cash:  Are you finished with your call?
Janie:  Yes, sir.  You ready to go?
Cash:  Yes, ma’am!!
Janie:   Okay, then we have to go to school to pick up Brooke, okay?
Cash:   Okay!

And off we truck to ToysRUs.  Meanwhile, ThatManILove has headed back out for the noon feeding of the sheep.

This time, for some reason, driving the Jeep.

And the watchdog neighbor comes tripping up to the barn.  “Who are you, and what are you doing here?” she asks.  And then, she looks.  

“Oh.  It’s you.  I should have known.  You left your truck running.”  And she stalks off.

TMIL just smiles, finishes feeding, heads into the house to change out a load of laundry and see what else he can get done.

Cash and I, meanwhile, are back at ToysRUs.  WHAT was I thinking?  This kid doesn’t even watch TV.  So, he doesn’t have a clue what the latest and greatest is, toy-wise.  And I?  Am clueless.  We start on one aisle, move to another, and another.  Then, back to the first aisle.  We never leave those aisles, until he picks out his Batman toy complete with all sorts of parts and accessories.  It’s as tall as Cash.

We take it home, unpack it, he plays with it for a bit, and we go get Brooke, run to Starbucks, and then back out to their house to get them ready for their 4H awards banquet.  They’ve not seen their mom in a day now, and they’re both ready for some Mommy love.  They are both soooo good.

We come back to our house, get them dressed, Brooke’s hair styled, and we’re off to meet their dad at the Midland County Fair. 

You’ll be glad to know that, yes, ThatManILove turned off his vehicle.

Why is it starting to smell like the sheep pens around my house??  

It's really baaaaaaaad.

Oh Mighty Drlg Czar

We utilize an online service to sign up for various industry events.  I administrate two of these sites.

I received an email late last night about one of our attendees that was having trouble signing up for a symposium.

Pete:  I tried all emails, first name and phone numbers.  Nothing works to reup.  Now what?

Janie:  Looks like you're already in the database.  I just enrolled you.   You should have an email.  Now you can go in and sign up for the conference.   If you have any problems, “drlg czar”, just give me a call.  lol

Pete: Thanks. You caught that title. Haha.
Sent from Tee Box (He must be night golfing. Right.)

Janie:  Yeah.  I almost changed it to "in my own mind" but thats what would print out on your name tag.  I know you would have laughed tho…

Now you see why I love this industry. 

Wake Up, Little Whitney, Wake Up!

My phone dings.  Incoming….Text.

From my young friend Whitney, who house and dog sits for us from time to time.

Timing?  9:59 p.m.

Whitney: Is there a silver external hard drive in my room there?

Janie: Hang tight I’ll drop everything and go look, doofus.

Whitney:  Lol. On the night stand thing or in that couch thing. (which is a chair and an ottoman.  She must be exhausted and everything is blurring in her mind.)

Janie:  Not that I can see.

Whitney:  Well, shoot. I can’t find it anywhere.

Whitney:  Found it!

Janie:  Amazing. Can I go back to sleep now?

Whitney:  I didn’t know you were sleeping! LOL thank you Mrs. Ma’am.

Janie:  I wasn’t!  I just wanted to mess with ya.

Whitney: Haha. Thanks, Janie.  I love you, too.

4:29 a.m.  (I know how to play this game.) (and I'm up to go to the gym, anyway.)

Janie texts back:  Love you, doll.

It's never boring around here.

Wax On….Wax Off

As I promised, the Brooke and Cash Chronicles will continue.

But now, I pause for a commercial break.

Do you utilize personal waxing services?  ThatManILove and I do.  Our current flavor of choice is European Wax.  They are super clean, never use a stick twice, never double dip the wax.

AND...No matter, ummm, what area you’re waxing, their wax is specially formulated for a more pain-free experience.  But the whole experience of waxing does freak some people out. 

The last time I visited my technician at European Wax,  I walked in the front door just in time to hear a lady scream out in pain.  Loudly.  I started laughing.The newbies awaiting their appointments were halfway out the door in a New York Minute. 

Today, here’s how the scenario went down.

The professional is waxing my eyebrows, and I said, “Any screamers today?”  

She starts giggling.

Evidently, a client was in with her waxer, experienced some pain, and screamed loud enough for it to be heard throughout the treatment rooms: “Lord have mercy, Jesus Christ of the Latter Day Saints!”

I nearly fell off the table laughing.  

So, if you see me, and I’m missing part of my eyebrow, you can attribute it to spontaneous hilarity.

The Brooke and Cash Chronicles Part 1

This past week found us smack-dab in the middle of the lives of Brooke and Cash, whose 60 year old grandfather Sam passed away, way before his time, last Tuesday.

My cohort in crime, Cash.

ThatManILove and I consider this family our extended family, from the kiddos all the way to the grandparents, so of course, we stepped in to help in any way we could.  We thought, “Oh, we’ll just do whatever is needed...we’ll help them pick up the slack.”

We’ve had some funny moments in a not-so-funny time...which, in retrospect, probably helped us, as well as the family, get through everything.

After leaving the grandparents house late Tuesday night, we show up at Brooke & Cash’ house Wednesday morning, both in our Sequoias, around 6:30 a.m.  ThatManILove goes immediately to the sheep pen, and starts feeding and exercising the show lambs.  I follow TMIL, driving up with breakfast for the family.  TMIL, for some reason, leaves his Sequoia running.  (this will be important later.)

Meanwhile, the neighbor gets nosy, and comes over to see “just who that is mucking around the property” and confronts TMIL.  He tells her that we’re there to help, and that the parental units know we’re there. (I don’t find this out until later.)  The kids’ father comes out to the barn and starts working.

As I’m taking over Mommy duties, I go wake the kiddos up, and feed them breakfast.  I have to leave to take Brooke to school about 8 a.m.  

About 7:50 a.m., I spy Brooke’s lunchbox...and realize it might need to be filled...before we leave.  I go ask Brooke about it, and she tells me what to pack.  Thanks, Brooke’s Mom, for planning ahead and having a cabinet/refrigerator full of food!  You saved me!  Whew!!

Brooke and I get her to school on time, and I come back out to the house.  Cash and I start cleaning up a bit.  Their dad comes in from the sheep pens, and gets ready for work (he has a practice to run) and TMIL comes in and starts helping Cash and I.  The neighbor returns, and starts helping as well.  She makes some remark about TMIL’s car is “still running”.  I don’t even put two and two together. (Keep this in the back of your head.)

We grab some laundry to take it to our house, along with Cash.  We get out to my car, and realize we have no booster seat (he’s 5).  I’ve got to take him to get a dress shirt for the funeral, so we head to the mall.  

Cash:  “Janie, I don’t feel comfortable without my booster seat.”

Janie:  “I know, buddy.  Your mom and dad are in the next town, so I can’t bother them right now.  Make you a deal.  As soon as we get your dress shirt, we’ll go buy you one.  ToysRUs is in the next parking lot, and that’s where we can buy it.”

Cash:   "Well, okay.  But I'm supposed to be in a booster."

We go to store 1 - no dress shirts.  Store 2 has a multitude, but none in his size  (5) in the desired color...so I, to his utter dismay, grab a pink one for him to try on. He’s just not having it.

Cash:  “Janie, I don’t like pink shirts.”

Janie:  “Cash, I just grabbed it so I could see what size you’ll wear, okay?”

Cash:  “Okay...but I’m serious.”

Janie:  (Please, God, let them have a blue one in his size.) “I got ya, Cashman. No pink.”  He won’t even try it on.

This kid cracks me up.  We find a blue one in the right size (6 - yup, he’s grown...or , looking at him now, maybe the shirt I grabbed for him this morning was a wee bit smaller than I initially thought!)  We’re checking out, and of course, there’s a huge gum ball machine at the register.  So, I have to break a one for quarters.  Cash-man promises not to eat them until after we go eat lunch.  And, he doesn’t!

We go to the car, he hops in the backseat, and I buckle him in.

Cash:  “Janie, can we go get my booster seat now?”

Janie:  “Yes, sir, we’re on the way.”

Cash:  “Do we have to go out on the street?”

Janie:  “Yes, we have to cross that street right there, and go into the next parking lot.”

Cash:  “But you’ll be careful, right?  Because I need my booster seat.  I’ll feel better.”

Janie:  “I’ll drive carefully, I promise.  You’re precious cargo.”

I say a little prayer for safety, we make it to ToysRUs, and Cash picks out his booster seat for our car.  And then, he asks if he can get a toy.

We’re on a time schedule.  I tell him if we get all our chores done, ThatManILove or I will bring him back, and he can shop.

Cash: “Well, because it’s been a pretty hard day, and I worked... a lot.”

Janie:  “Yes, it has been, and yes, you’ve worked your little patooty off.  You so deserve a toy.”

Cash:  “When your conference call is over, will you bring me back?”

Janie:  “I will.  I promise.  How’s that booster seat?”

Cash:  “It’s good.  I feel better now.  Are we gonna go meet TMIL for that hot dog? Coz I’m hungry.”

Janie:  “Yes, sir.  We are on the way.”

Cash:  “Okay.  I just want cheese on my hotdog.  And a Pepsi.  And BarBQ Chips.  Okay, Janie?”

God, I love these two kids.  Soooo thankful we’re part of their lives.

They crack me up…messing with my photo moments!

To be continued...

Some Companies Do Care…and United Airlines Rocks

I will never trash United Airlines.

Wednesday found ThatManILove and I on board a United Airlines flight, headed towards Denver on a business/AADE National Board meeting/fun trip.  We were close to the point where they tell you, “Ladies and gentlemen, the door is shut, please power down your electronic items.”

And I got the word that one of our friends had unexpectedly passed.  Our friend also is our little friend Brooke's grandfather.

I immediately started looking at a schedule online...trying to already get back home, before we’d even left.  (Not an easy thing to do, when you're trying to get back to Midland, Tx.)  ThatManILove took one look at that schedule, and stood up to go talk to the stewardess.  She stopped the last passengers attempting to board, and we gathered our things and left the plane.

The baggage handlers met us on the walkway, offered their condolences, and asked us for our baggage tags.  We each had a suitcase, and a shotgun case.

We walked up to the main terminal, and around to the United counter...where they refunded our airfare, brought our luggage, gave us their condolences, and sent us on our way.  Hotel?  Refunded every cent.  Rental car?  Refunded every cent.

There are still good people in this world, and they are people that care.

Thank you, United Airlines.  Thank you, Golden Hotel in Golden, Colorado, and thank you, National Car Rental.  

You all helped helped ease our way on a very tough day.

Transformation - You Can Help

My friend, Clara, has a program in the slums of Kisumu, Kenya, called The Transformation Initiative.

She provides community based support for vulnerable children and families living in Kenya.  Many of the children she helps are HIV positive, and have lost one or both parents to AIDS. 

Clara lives there most of the year, and works personally with the children, gets these kiddos in school, and provides them an education, so they can hopefully break the cycle of slum life, poverty, glue addiction, etc.  When the children have the opportunity to go to school, it gives them a better chance at getting jobs in the future.  Support provides uniforms, shoes, school lunches, text books, and school fees for the kids.

Over time, ThatManILove and I have grown our sponsorship levels to three children.

Our first sponsored child, however, is Abraham.  He’s a cutie.  And I’m thinking Clara matches her sponsors and children together well.  This story so sounds like an angle  I would have tried to work in my youth, in order to get a day off!

Here’s a recent email from Clara:

“So... one of your  boys made me laugh today.

All the kids are in private tutoring in my office for the next three weeks.  Working on English and Swahili.  

Abraham asked if they could have Monday off since it's a Muslim holiday.  I asked Salim what he thought....He asked if Abraham was a Muslim.

The answer is no.  

So.... class in on for Monday.

That kid cracks me up.”

ThatManILove and I can’t wait to meet Abraham and our other kids in person - hopefully, in 2013!

I’ll be posting some facts on some of the other children needing sponsorship over the next couple of postings.  It’s $40 a month, all of the money goes to the kids.  

If you'd like to donate, in any amount, you can do so, as well.  For more information, write my friend Clara.

Check it out - it's a great cause…and you could be, honestly, saving the life of a child.

What Cold Front?

We’ve just walked in the door from our DFW Trip.

I was so excited to go...I’d heard there was a cold front, and that it was going to rain.  (Okay, I’m easily amused.)

This trip is an annual one, to shoot at the DFW American Association of Drilling Engineers Sporting Clay Shoot, held at the Dallas Gun Club.  

The Dallas Gun Club is a prestigious club.  It’s beautiful.  Their facilities are beautiful.  Their range is beautiful.  And it’s smackdab in the middle of town, though in a pasture at I35 and SH 121 around Lewisville.   Horses are in the neighboring fields.  It’s crazy that it’s a minute to the highway and to the mall.  But that’s how it is in Texas!

For once, we are scheduled to shoot at 8 a.m. on Friday morning.  We usually shoot at 1:00 p.m. - in the absolute heat of the day.  And you know? It’s humid in Dallas.

And I?  Am a desert dweller.  Certainly not used to humidity.

Last year, it was 108 degrees when we shot.  I seriously nearly had a heat stroke.

I was so looking forward to a summer “cold front” in the Metroplex!

But...it didn’t happen.

We were all sweating by 8:05 a.m.

And somehow, we ended up on the professional calcutta course, which was a joke with our team.  We gave up, laughed, and tried...hard.  And we had fun.  Really.

I didn’t win a gun.  I didn’t win a trip.  I won...bluetooth headphones.  Which I promptly gave away.

But - I did get to schmooze with friends, customers, and meet some new people, which makes it all worthwhile.

Last night, we all went to Daddy Jack’s to eat crab legs and down some chowder.  I love that restaurant. 

Gotta go run the dogs to the park - they are way too wired!  More later!

A Few Of My Favorite Things…in The P.A.

We have just returned from one of the prettiest places, in my opinion, in the Continental U.S.

Yup, Pennsylvania.  “The P.A.”, as I call it.  Like as in the letters, pronounced individually.

It does warrant a nickname of its own.  I think it’s beautiful.  Green.  Rife with wildlife, trees, and great people.  I LOVE visiting this state.  I LOVE visiting our friends there, and making new friends there.

The only thing about it I hate?  Having to leave.

How has this state crept so firmly into my heart?

I don’t really know.

It could be random sights like this.

Cornbread.  Covered w/ Berries and IceCream.  Yum.

Or this:

Okay, I love street names like this.  And yeah. We got lost.

Or this.

A beautiful creek, off the Sewicky River.


Or this:

I know there's a turtle in them there hills somewhere.  

Or this - I LOVE this!!

A rooster mailbox.  TOO CUTE!

Or, this, from the restaurant B R G R.

Spiked Handcrafted Shakes.  And…yes.

Or these beautiful, winding roads.

The temperature.

Houses.  With. Finished. Freaking. Basements.  So awesome.

The cool, when it rains, even in hot summer.

Energy.  I love looking at drilling locations/completion locations/producing locations, sandwiched into fields of corn. Wheat. Pumpkins.  

Or next to an old, delapidated barn. With that cool red vine growing up it…and over it.

I see something new every time I go to The PA.  I learn something new every time I go to The PA.  And I come away with a new love for this part of our wonderful country…Every. Single. Time.

Go!  Explore!  Love!  You’ll be glad you did.  

Creative Bloggy Friends Make My World Look WAY Better

Woweeeee!

I love it!!!

How do you like it?  My new blog header/design?  Do you like it?

I LOVE it!!

My bloggy friend, Diane from The Blue Ridge Gal, designed it.

She’s the Blonde Bomb.  She’s Disher.  She’s so very wise and smart and creative and talented.

So, if your blog header/design is boring, or you just want a change?  Contact Diane.  She’s really really good.

Thanks, Di.  You certainly Dished it out this time, for me!  YAY!

You’re the BOMB.  The Blonde Bomb.

PS - pardon my picture…I was sick.  Traveling internationally.  And would normally let no one take my picture in that situation. But I LOVE ThatManILove's smile. So, yeah. It's the header photo.  And Diane picked it out, so I'm trusting her judgement.

Who Are You Going To Be When You Grow Up?

Today was an interesting day.

I set up a lunch to affect introductions between a young lady I’d never met, and a friend, who had once been a lobbyist in D.C.

And then, I watched.  It was a very informative lunch, one where the more experienced woman gave advice to the younger, less experienced young lady.  And we came up with a strategy to help her, and to afford more introductions on her behalf.

The young lady listened, took mental notes, and immediately did all we asked of her. Her resume needs a little tweaking, and I think we need to have another meeting…but, I think she’ll go far, once she finds her way.  She wasn't shy, she wasn't cocky, she just asked all the right questions, and listened to the answers.  I think she'll turn out to be a hard worker, and one with integrity and character.  It's who she's designed to be.

It’s fun to be a part of the connection, a gathering of the right people, that eventually helps form a path to a career.  Most of us have benefited from help such as was given today. 

I'm appreciative of the help that has been given to me.

Taking Up The Game Of Golf

I’m tired.

I just returned from a customer appreciation trip.  

Translation:  lots of organizing fun stuff for other people to enjoy.

End result:  exhaustion.

Caveats:  
Ruidoso, New Mexico, is a beautiful place.  
Our hotel had it’s own beautiful lake, which our balcony overlooked.  Peaceful.
The weather was somewhat cooler than Midland, Texas.
It even rained.
ThatManILove went with me.

Lessons yet to be learned:  

(1)The Art Of Saying No
(2) Golf

The view from our suite.