My trip to Prague... Oklahoma

For the past 10 years as I drive between Oklahoma City and Texas, one sign has teased... nay, beckoned me.

On I-40, at Exit 200, there is The Shrine to the Infant Jesus at Prague.

The signs face both eastbound and westbound, and say nothing but the title, and "The more you honor me, the more I will bless you."

Every single time I pass by, I want to stop, but never have. But last week, my friends, oh I stopped. But little did I know what a charming town awaited me in Prague!

First of all, I should clarify this is Prague, Oklahoma, and pronounced "Pray-ge", not like the European city. But truly pictures tell 1000 words, so here you go- Polaroid style.

This first pic sums up Prague. Trains, Czechoslovakia, and Jim Thorpe. "A small town with a large heart"- and I believe it!


KOLACHE FESTIVAL! Some day I hope to attend this. Maybe next year!


This is truly one of the most charming church signs I have ever seen. I can't put my finger on why, but I really loved it.


And lest you think they don't know how to have a good time in Prague...



And the main attraction! The Shrine to the Infant Jesus at Prague. See video below for more detail.


Thanks, Prague. I really did enjoy my short stay. I hope to go back to visit.

Land Run

Not quite a Family Photo Friday.

I went down to Bricktown (in downtown Oklahoma City) and had fun taking pictures of the Land Run statues down there. I aged them for fun.




I like the silhouettes of downtown in the background of this one.

I like that he's gazing towards the Sonic headquarters.

Proust Questionnaire

Proust Questionnaire (slightly modified)

What is your idea of perfect happiness?
Finding fulfillment in God's value of me.

What is your greatest fear?
Settling for average.

What is the trait you most deplore in yourself?
Shutting down when I get frustrated.

What is the trait you most deplore in others?
Pessimism.

What is your greatest extravagance?
I have a nice car. I don't want to get stranded somewhere.

What is your current state of mind?
Perplexed.

What do you consider the most overrated virtue?
Piety.

On what occasion do you lie?
When the truth hurts.

What do you most dislike about your appearance?
I always wanted to be long and lean, but instead I'm short and stubby.

What is the quality you most like in a man?
Bravery

What is the quality you most like in a woman?
Warmth

What or who is the greatest love of your life?
The Lord and the glory of his creation

When and where were you happiest?
I'm still taken aback by pictures of myself in Brazil. I'm just glowing with joy. The same could be said of Honduras last summer. Simplicity, love, joy.

Which talent would you most like to have?
I would love to have some basic nursing or first aid skills. Enough knowledge to be a Spanish medical translator.

If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be?
I'd like to be less impulsive.

What do you consider your greatest achievement?
Not just surviving some tough medical crises in the past few years, but coming out on the other end stronger than I started.

Where would you most like to live?
Within 15 miles of the people I love. Ha! There are pros to living in many different places. Except Louisiana. Haha! I kid. Sort of.

What is your most treasured possession?
As Family Photo Friday suggests, I hold a lot of my family's photographs.

What do you regard as the lowest depth of misery?
Hopelessness. When you just don't believe there is any way for things to get better.

What is your favorite occupation?
Nursing. What an incredible calling.

What is your most marked characteristic?
Probably conviction. If I have a gut feeling something isn't right, it's hard to shake.

What do you most value in your friends?
Their perseverance. My best friends and family watched me almost die and still stood by my side, ready to go through it with me at great emotional cost to them.

Who are your favorite writers?
John Steinbeck, Pearl Buck, Walt Whitman

Who is your hero of fiction?
Atticus Finch

Who are your heroes in real life?
Mother Theresa, Ghandi, Martin Luther King... those who stood up against injustice knowing they would pay a great price.

What is your greatest regret?
Not keeping in touch with my friends and family around the world better. There are a few specific instances when I wish I had done something and did nothing, and I regret that.

What is your motto?
Stand up for what is right, even if you're standing alone.

He must become greater; I must become less. -John 3:30

Be holy and be nice.

Family Photo Friday- Father's Day

Here's to the fathers! Of course first is my own father. Happy Father's Day, Dad! I use this picture often, but I love it. Me and my dad:


My dad and my sister, Molly:


Molly, Dad and Me in 2003(?):


My dad with his dad:


My mom with her dad:

Most wonderful time of the year

You know what this means... hydrangeas!

And these are the smartest little flowers ever. I thought they were sweet peas, but they're actually called Four O'Clocks. Pretty appropriate name, since that's about the time they start blooming. They shut up tight during the hot summer days and only open in the cool of evening at night. And they smell WONDERFUL. I highly advise putting them in your garden, although beware they grow rather wildly.

One day I'd like to plant a full night garden. Wouldn't that be fantastic?

OKC Zoo

Last week I took a personal day and finally went to the Oklahoma City Zoo. It was so wonderful! I ran around for several hours taking tons of pictures and admiring the wildlife.

My favorite part was the Butterfly Experience. Enchanting! And the gorillas. So much like us.

I loved it. Highly recommend you visit. Here are my photos below. Yes, I found some flowers to photograph. :) And I can't photograph animals well.

Enjoy. Click here for the set or view below.


Created with Admarket's flickrSLiDR.

Family Photo Friday- Shades

I love this picture of my grandmother and my mom. My mom is such a doll! I love those shades.

Don't placate me, Dove Chocolate!

Dear Dove,

I bought a bag of your sweet chocolate the other day because I just needed chocolate and encouragement, and you are kind enough to supply both in a bite sized wrapper.

The chocolate has lived up to all it is known to be, but the encouraging messages, not so much.

I have gotten gems such as "Patience is a virtue." "Don't judge others or yourself." Or of the Drink More Ovaltine variety of fail, "Enjoy a Dove Chocolate."

What on earth! If I am eating chocolate for comfort, for the love, don't tell me patience is a virtue. If I wanted to believe that at the moment, I would not be eating chocolate. And no, I won't judge myself for eating away the pain, but please don't bring it up!

What happened to the good old messages that made me love Dove Chocolate? Or perhaps you could have different varieties. I suggest the self-pitying variety, the vengeful variety, The sucky day variety, the I am woman hear me roar variety, and maybe even the home spun wisdom variety. Those holier than me can keep the nice platitudes.

All in all, I still love the product, but would like to see more chocolate appropriate messaging. :)

Cheers,

Sojochick

Family Photo Friday- Mule Pack

In 1950, my paternal grandfather, Harloe, enlisted in the Army. Having grown up with a deep love for horses and mules, he had heard rumors of a "Mule Pack" artillery division, and asked if he could volunteer for it. He was immediately told that all volunteers were welcome, because few people wanted to work with mules.

My grandfather, however, loved it.

Lest you wonder what on earth purpose mules served to the military, they were used to haul weapons (75mm howitzers) in difficult terrain where vehicles and people couldn't carry them.

In addition to being pack mules, some were trained to ride. My grandfather worked with a mule he named Flag. Here are his words about the meeting.

"One cold morning when I picked up his right foreleg, he straightened it out and his hoof came down on my foot. I thought it was broken, but in a few minutes I was able to walk on it. I went up to him and kicked his shin, and when he picked up his leg I caught it and examined it. The next morning I repeated the process and he picked up his leg again. From then on I could snap my finger and he would raise his leg. I told everyone I taught him to shake hands, but didn't bother to tell them about my stomped foot."

By the age of 20, my grandfather had been promoted to Field First Sergeant over most of the entire Mule Pack because of his skill with and knowledge of the animals.

Discharged in 1953, he thought that was the last of the Mule Pack. Two years later, newly married to my grandmother, they visited some relatives and happened to take a trip to Ft. Carson, home of the army mule corral. Wondering if Flag was there, my grandfather started looking.

He says, "I was looking for a black mule with number 38H1, and when I found him he would know me. [My great-uncle] asked how I would know he knew me. I said that he would shake hands with me. When I found Flag, I went up to his right foreleg and snapped my finger. He picked up that leg and placed his foot in my waiting hand just as he had done when I was his master. I still wonder what went through his mind that day..."

------

Happy Memorial Day. Be sure to say thank you. And technically, yes, Family Photo Monday.

Photo on top is my grandfather on the right with mules. The bottom photo is my grandfather and Flag.

Family Photo Friday- In my blood

These are my paternal great-great-great-grandparents, Richard and Zenobia. I've always been told she was 100% Native American.

Return to the scene of the crime

Each week we have a theme, and tell a few stories along that theme...

In case you don't know, I love This American Life, and one reason is because of the range of stories that can all be told along the same theme. So, I have decided each week I will jack one of their show themes and play my own riff, if you will.

Act I- Return to the Scene of the Crime

I have spent probably three months of my life at Mercy Hospital in Oklahoma City. Over a few of years that's not a lot of time, but when you consider it was in two chunks and some of the worst days of my life, the time feels much longer.

Graciously, many of those days I don't remember, thanks to the passage of time and the beauty of pain medication. But it never fails that when I return to that hospital, my senses catapult me back and memories flow freely that are otherwise repressed.

I smell the hand sanitizer, hear the beeping of IV machines, walk by the surgical waiting room, and my stomach lurches and breath quickens as the anxiety clutches my chest a little tighter.

But then I stop, take a breath, and remember that I'm here on the other side. And with each trip to return to the scene of the crime, I walk away a little stronger, a lot more grateful, and more healed.

Family Photo Friday- Mothers Edition

Special edition family photo Friday, to the wonderful mothers of my family.

First up, of course, is my own wonderful mother. This is one of my favorite pictures of us at a tea when I graduated from high school.

This is my paternal grandmother with our little family circa 1989. And yes, that is an awesome t-shirt I'm wearing featuring an armadillo with neon pink sunglasses.

Another picture I love, this is me with my maternal grandparents.


Going back further now, this is my paternal grandmother with my father and my aunt.

This is my maternal grandmother with my mother.

Back another generation, this is my paternal great-grandmother with her children.

This is my maternal great-grandmother with my grandfather, as well as his cousin and aunt. They grew up together and he considered her a sister.

This is my other maternal great-grandmother with my grandmother. Aren't they lovely?

My little friends

Sometimes you just need to be in the sun. Especially when it's been raining for 11 days.

You might meet some new buddies.






I like taking pictures of plants. You can see all of my favorites here.

What's going on

I've been a little blog absent lately. There are a lot of reasons for that, but here's a little peek at some things that have been going on.

I ruptured a disc in my back. This is not my back. But it is an MRI of a herniated disc. The doctor says it should get better given time to heal on its own. That means a month of NO aggravation. I miss running. :(


The OKC Memorial Marathon was last week, and my office put together 2 relay teams as part of TeamOC. It was a blast. I love my co-workers. And OC.


My good friends Auvrey and Kris got married on Saturday. What a great celebration of a godly couple. I'm so happy for them! Auvrey was radiant.


And I've taken a lot of pictures of flowers. It's spring! Here is one of my favorites.