Chickasha Festival of Light

My sister and I drove my niece Kaitlyn and her boyfriend, Rayland, down to Chickasha for their annual Fetival of Light. We all enjoyed it sooo much even though it was very cold and none of us were properly dressed for it. Enjoy the pictures.

More Waxing Poetic

My tortured words
Your bright smile
Easing my pain
In charismatic style

My daunted eyes
Your enchanted hope
Promising new future
Strength to cope

My consuming doubt
Your faithful peace
Believing in me
Distressing fears cease

My anxious pain
Your enticing charm
Releasing my worry
Guarded spirits disarm

My bated breath
Your unassuming ease
Happiness you bring
Silencing my pleas

My twisted heart
Your beautiful soul
Simplicity in bloom
Making me whole

Comforting words when my soul is searching

Inspiration has found me. My friend, Arnold, speaks these amazing words of wisdom to me. His depth never ceases to amaze me.  I am blessed that his words are able to speak to the core of who I am. 

Having a chronic illness can be a huge challenge.  It can make one question everything in their life. One wonders if they will have the ability to love, to be loved, to find a reason to smile and people to stick around when things get difficult. Arnold and I have discussed this extensively.  

He never ceases to amaze me with his positive attitude and his simple ways at seeing life. These are some messages we have sent back and forth when he manages to sooth the pain away. 

Arnold:

In this life we are living, you should not expect that life will always be fair, sometimes you have to expect more worse than what you are thinking. I know down inside you are hurting, in order to live, you keep yourself searching. 

You might be wondering, why others live a simple life yet they are happy and content. you might be amazed to find yourself with me as a friend, listener, your singer, and hopefully a companion. 

What makes you think that im still here for you? Why are you still in the dark and living in dispair? Isn't it time for you to think and realise how the world goes round? So many questions... So many answers... 

You need to face the fact and to keep on, you need to open up your mind, wide open. You have to think what's on the other side of the wall, sometime you have to open up your eyes while you were sleeping to see the reality of your dreams.

Being passionate about love, you have to be very simple and appreciate things that surround you. Not thinking of what you are and what you have right now, appreciate things that happens in your life right now. You will see, happiness comes along!

Me:

I never expect that life is fair. I know all too well that it is not. I just want to be happy in life. I just want to be able to laugh easily for no particular reason, to love with every ounce of my being and to live enjoying as much as I possibly can in this life. I am weary from fighting this battle for so long. It is breaking my spirit and complicating my illness.  I feel very alone and very misunderstood right now.  I feel empty and useless.

I have reread your words to me for the third time this morning. I understand that this suffering is what I must go through.  I know that happiness is waiting for me on the other side of all of this and I am so blessed to have you to remind me of this. This just another experience in life that I must live through to make my life what I want it to be.

Thank you so much for your kind words. Thank you for just hearing me. Thank you for your acceptance. You have no idea how lucky I am to have you in my life to help me through this.

Arnold:

You never ask God to be treated this way, but i guess its HIS own way on how your going to make yourself stronger than what future may bring...

And you know that I'm always here to listen for you... My arms are wide open...

Poetry

Born with a gypsy spirit
Her heart began to roam
The story so entangled
Twisting across her tome

Her soul thrashed by life
Blank pages were her guide
Faith her only compass
She drifted with the tide

After years in upheaval
The seas began to calm
Complacency the new author
Easing her frightful qualm

Her story once intrigued
Had now begun to wane
Her zeal for exploring
Now spun tales of refrain

Her legend now retold
In darkness lost at sea
No hope on the horizon
Longing her only destiny

Shifting winds turned pages
Her sun began to dawn
His harbor her new safety
To his shore she is drawn

The wisdom behind his eyes
Saw her wounded empty soul
His abundant heart wept
He yearned to make her whole

Enchantment quietly called 
Her pain he gently eased
Tenderly he whispered
Her heart he softly seized

Her pale skin he touched
Her desire soon soared
Their flames quickly ignited
Heated passion now roared

Absolute in his devotion 
She surrendered her doubt
Hopes for a cherished future 
Charted their new route

Final chapter to her fable
Words he now penned
Their fairy tale eternal
A love without end

Vegas, Baby!!!

My baby turned 21 on Friday August 27.  Sadly, most of that day was spent in the car driving from Oklahoma, thru the Texas panhandle, across New Mexico, over a corner of Arizona and onto LAS VEGAS, Nevada.  17 hours of total travel time. Argh. But it went smoothly!
 
We are staying at the Summer Bay Desert Club and it is sooooo nice! It’s beautiful! And it’s only 2 blocks from the strip!

Brendon’s roommate, Erik, had to check the bed to make sure it was comfy….

Full kitchen, Dining area, Living room, Fireplace, Bedroom, Walk-in Closet, huge Bathroom with a HUGE tub!

Saturday morning, we took the free shuttle over to the Circus Circus on the strip.
I bought Brendon his first legal drink at Rock N Rita’s in Circus Circus; it was called a Toilet Bowl.

I am so blessed to have such a great son.  I am grateful to have the life I have, so that I can take my son to Vegas for a week long 21st birthday celebration.
 
It’s nice to be able to walk down the strip on a hot day with a cold drink in hand.

Vegas is so amazing!! It’s one huge themed hotel after another!  The palm trees, the stores, the gambling, the drinks, the shows, the FUN!!!

The Mardi Gras spirit of Harrah’s is always fun!
 
Shopping in Caesar’s Palace is AMAZING! It feels like it’s an outdoor shopping mall.  The domed sky changes from night to day in an hour. 

Margaritaville at the Flamigo hotel.

Planet Hollywood also has a sky on the ceiling and it rains!!



We had a great lunch at Planet Hollywood before going to see Zen Magic. 


It was a great show combining a Japanese theme with magic, aerial acrobats, comedy and drama!  The stars Ai and YuKi were kind enough to take a photo with Brendon after the show!

We walked down the strip passed the Harley Davidson Cafe to M&M World!

M&M’s in every color imaginable!!! Brendon bought M&M’s and I bought pajamas and pens (of course!)

We are truly enjoying our vacation in Las Vegas just wandering the strip, gambling, eating, sightseeing, etc. 
Of course all this fun does come at a price.  I’ve had a headache everyday and I need to rest more frequently than the boys do. But we have been keeping the pace light and the mood fun.  In the evening we either enjoy a leisurely swim followed by the jacuzzi or I will take a long, long bath in the tub big enough for four! I couldn’t ask for two better kids to go with!

We had a great bartender at Circus Circus…he served Brendon his first drink with style!

Crazy Colorado Weekend

My sister, Tammy, my niece, Kaitlyn, and I decided to go to Colorado for a few days so I could pick up some of my things.  We left Friday morning but not before we stopped at the bank to make a deposit, at the grocery store for medicine and drinks, the gas station for gas and air (which they didn’t have), Sonic for breakfast and another gas station for that air! In total the trip from Oklahoma City to Salida is 625 miles and travels through four states including Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico and Colorado. 



Once on the road, our first official stop (this doesn’t include a potty stop for Miss Kaitlyn) was the Largest Cross in the Western Hemisphere at Groom, Texas.


This now includes the stations of the cross which tell the story of Jesus’ crucifixion and resurrection.
 
It includes some wonderful scenes to include the last supper, the tomb where he lay for three days and a replica of the Shroud of Turin.

There is also a very nice gift shop and bathrooms that are both clean and cute!! A huge plus on a 10 hour car trip.

While driving through Colorado we discovered some patches of rain, which made for excellent photo ops!
   
The soft rolling hills of Texas and New Mexico gave way to rocky crags of the mountains. As we got deeper into the mountains of Colorado Kaitlyn found herself bouncing across the backseat like a ping pong ball as the car hugged the curves at the base of the mountains.

The patchy clouds allowed excellent opportunities for the sun to shoot some beams of light onto the mountainside. Since I was driving I must say that the photos were shot by my niece.  THANK YOU KAITLYN!!

There is something about the majesty of the mountains, the blue of the sky, and the green pastures that just thrilled and amazed three simple Oklahoma girls.  As a matter of fact, this was the farthest west my sister and my niece had ever driven. 

The picturesque town of Salida, Colorado sits along the banks of the Arkansas River.  We took this opportunity and the recommendation of our B&B owner to dine at a restaurant overlooking the river! The owners, Steve and Tammy are wonderful, warm people and their B&B is located in Salida’s historic Thomas House built in 1848.  There was one suite left which fit us perfectly with a daybed for Kaitlyn and a queen bed for my sis and I.

After dinner we made our way across the street to Riverside Park.  We strolled along the banks of the Arkansas and enjoyed the cooler climate since it’s been triple digits in Oklahoma.  The above photo was shot under the bridge which crosses the Arkansas.  Kaitlyn was sad that she had no chalk with which to write on the underside of the bridge.  


According to Kaitlyn, 70 degrees is cold when you have been living in triple digits. As one can tell by the look on her face 70 degrees is downright frigid.


Despite the freezing temperatures Kaitlyn enjoyed some time on the swings!


Although the sign says NO PETS, they made an exception and allowed Kaitlyn and I to stay and play at the park.

Saturday, we drove an hour east to visit Royal Gorge Bridge.  It’s a suspension bridge, located 1,078 feet above the Arkansas River.  As you can see it affords some FANTASTIC scenery!

We rode the Aerial Tram from one side of the gorge to another. The journey takes over 2 minutes at 11 mph.  The car holds up to 35 people and has a counterweight of 58,000 lbs.

This shot gives a better perspective of the Aerial Tram’s journey across the gorge.  If you look very, very closely you can see a red spot to the right of center.  That is the tram making it’s way across the cables.

We also rode the incline railway to the bottom of the gorge and down to the Arkansas River. It is an amazing experience to gently slide along this steeply inclined track more than 1,000 feet down!

We also learned a very valuable lesson during our trip on the incline railway.  My niece is claustrophobic and had a mini meltdown when they locked us in a cab that’s only two persons deep. 

But as you can see the daunting journey in a tightly enclosed cage did not dampen her spirits.  She enjoyed being down by the river and looking up at the tiny bridge 1,000 feet above her.

I love this shot of the bridge, shot from the cables’ perspective. It’s an amazing structure and standing on the bridge one can feel the slight sway of the bridge.


Standing in the middle of the bridge if one looks to their left they can see they profile of John F. Kennedy Jr. lying on the mountains and looking up to the sky.

Some of the retaining walls in the park are made of Colorado quartz. It certainly gives them great character and color!

We had a great trip to the Royal Gorge Bridge where we walked a little, laughed a lot and enjoyed the majestic beauty of the Colorado Rockies.
I am typing this post as my sister drives a portion of the way back to Oklahoma.  Kaitlyn needed to obtain the charger for her cell phone during our journey home.  Instead of stopping the car to get her charger out of the trunk, we decided to go through the back seat to the trunk.
   
As you can see, it was an interesting feat to climb into the trunk at 70 mph. Luckily, my cheerleader niece is very slim and very athletic; this allowed her to crawl right into that trunk like a champ!
All in all it was an amazing short trip which allowed us to enjoy spending time together, laugh the way only family can at each other and to enjoy the beauty of the USA through each others eyes.  Thank you Tammy and Kaitlyn for making this such a memorable journey.