|
Post by auntkelly on Aug 1, 2023 14:24:59 GMT
Fast forward two years and my nephew is getting married. We are at the wedding when my husband recognizes the old lady. She is my new niece’s GRANDMOTHER! Thank heavens she didn’t appear to recognize us. Wow! It truly is a small world!
|
|
|
Post by auntkelly on Aug 1, 2023 14:23:10 GMT
I love living in Oklahoma.
The people are friendly and the cost of living is very reasonable.
Oklahoma City is large enough to have an NBA team, but small enough that I'll always see someone I know when I walk into a restaurant or grocery store.
Oklahoma City is undergoing a lot of growth and change. Young professionals are electing to live downtown and there is now a lively nightlife downtown, which wasn't always the case.
I'm not happy w/ the politics in Oklahoma, but I'm hopeful that will change over time.
|
|
|
Post by auntkelly on Aug 1, 2023 14:05:29 GMT
I've told my story before on this board, so feel free to skip my story if you've read it before.
We were flying to from Oklahoma City to Louisville many years' ago to spend Thanksgiving w/ my husband's parents. We were flying on the Wednesday before Thanksgiving, which everyone knows is an extremely busy travel day.
My kids were about 7 and 5 at the time. We were flying Southwest on a 7am flight. We arrived at the airport around 6:00 am. Our flight didn't take off for another hour and the kids were hungry, so I took them to the Sonic in the food court to grab something for breakfast.
A family w/ older teenagers got in line behind us. (The two teenagers were about 15 and 17).
My kids and I waited in line for about thirty minutes. There were still a lot of people ahead of us and the line was moving slowly. I said "Kids, I'm sorry, but we need to get back to our gate. I packed some bananas and nuts and you can eat those on the plane."
We returned to our gate and boarded the plane shortly thereafter. (This was back when pretty much everyone boarded a Southwest flight at the same time). We had no problem finding four seats together.
Just as everyone was seated and we were about to take off, here comes the family w/ the older teens I had seen at Sonic. I don't know what they had ordered for breakfast, but it smelled like chili cheese dogs. The flight attendant said "Find a seat, we're preparing for takeoff."
The mother looked around and saw that there were only single seats left. She yelled "we're a family and have to be seated together. My children can't sit by themselves!" I looked at the oldest teen, expecting him to be mortified, but he wasn't the least bit embarrassed.
It was apparent we weren't going to take off until everyone played musical chairs so that the entitled family could all sit together. One man gave up a window seat to go sit in a middle seat in another row. The woman didn't even thank him as she took his seat. We ended up taking off about ten minutes late or so, which can really make a difference on a busy day.
Everyone knows there is no assigned seating on Southwest (especially in those days when boarding was a complete free for all). The family should have either gotten out of the Sonic line to board the plane, sent a family member down to save four seats or packed their own snacks to eat on the plane.
|
|
|
Post by auntkelly on Aug 1, 2023 12:58:01 GMT
I will try and start more threads.
|
|
|
Post by auntkelly on Aug 1, 2023 12:37:55 GMT
1. My new purse by a young upcoming designer in Ft. Worth named Alara. Every time I carry it, I get stopped by strangers who ask me where I got it. Purse2. My new favorite nonalcoholic summer drink: Milo’s unsweetened tea w/ just a splash of Simply Lemonade to add a tiny bit of sweetness. 3. My French conversation class. I love the group of women I’m taking French with, some of whom I’ve known for years and some of whom are new friends. We’ve been taking this class for about two years together and we’ve become so close. I feel like I’m finally getting to where I can carrying on a very basic conversation in French.
|
|
|
Post by auntkelly on Aug 1, 2023 12:12:21 GMT
Robert Caro’s The Years of Lyndon Johnson series.
|
|
|
Post by auntkelly on Aug 1, 2023 12:02:20 GMT
I’m so sorry. I wish I had some advice. It’s heartbreaking to watch your loved ones decline.
|
|
|
Post by auntkelly on Jul 30, 2023 14:24:24 GMT
Have you thought about a ballet flat? They are very popular this year. If you go to Nordstrom and search for ballet flat you will come up with lots of options. Here are two examples: Tory Burch Ballet FlatLucky Ballet Flats
|
|
|
Post by auntkelly on Jul 29, 2023 14:38:09 GMT
It's a great message! However, I really don't want to plaster any message across my apple shaped belly. I'd love to get a sticker or a pin w/ the same message.
|
|
|
Post by auntkelly on Jul 28, 2023 18:40:26 GMT
I am surprised your city has enough resources to respond quickly to a stranger at the door. It’s a quiet bougie suburb. The police are definitely not overworked. And this is a special initiative program of the mayor (that she campaigned on), so I think they’ve been told to respond quickly. When we lived in a Texas suburb, the police would respond quickly to calls about persons soliciting w/out a license. We now live in a gated community and don't really have a problem w/ solicitors.
|
|
|
Post by auntkelly on Jul 28, 2023 16:12:41 GMT
We have a lake house which is 2 1/2 hours away and we like to spend a lot of long weekends there throughout the year.
Otherwise, we like to go to new places and do a lot of exploring. We’re not at all the type of people to sit on the beach all day. We love museums, historical sites, old churches, etc. We also love to share a bottle of wine and people watch at an outdoor cafe.
|
|
|
Post by auntkelly on Jul 28, 2023 15:15:03 GMT
My husband is a devout Catholic. I was raised a Southern Baptist.
I attend Mass with my husband and we raised our kids Catholic. There have been many times that our religious differences have been a source of conflict in our marriage. However we've made it work for 34 years.
I don't think your daughter should assume that her boyfriend is a cafeteria Catholic unless he has told her that. I think she should also be aware that he might become more devout as he ages or when he becomes a parent. There are a lot of devout Catholics in my area, which isn't surprising since I live in a very conservative part of the country.
Also, there is a large Traditional Latin Rite Parish near me. Those families tend to home school their children and live a very conservative lifestyle, centered around the church.
I think it is great that your daughter and her boyfriend are talking about these issues and I hope they continue to do so. The marriage preparation classes the Catholic Church offers are good, but I think you have to be engaged to take them. I think that's a little late to be discussing some of the more important religious issues for the first time.
|
|
|
Post by auntkelly on Jul 27, 2023 17:59:31 GMT
You're telling a story and your kids interrupt you and say "Wait! Did you just say 'designated student smoking area?' Kids were allowed to smoke? At high school!"
|
|
|
Post by auntkelly on Jul 26, 2023 23:01:41 GMT
Such a great gift!
|
|
|
Post by auntkelly on Jul 26, 2023 20:05:46 GMT
So sad.
|
|
|
Post by auntkelly on Jul 26, 2023 18:12:51 GMT
The pictures are lovely. Your daughter is a beautiful bride! You look great too!
|
|
|
Post by auntkelly on Jul 26, 2023 16:02:36 GMT
I’ve been called “sweetie” by strangers my entire life and I absolutely hate it. I think it’s based mostly on my appearance, rather than my actions.
I wholeheartedly agree it is an innocent sounding, infantilizing term. People do not expect others they have labeled as “sweet” to stand up for themselves as a normal person would. I can’t tell you how many times a receptionist has called me “sweet” and then acted all hurt and shocked an hour later when I politely said I was going to have to reschedule my appointment since the doctor was so far behind schedule. Sweet people are expected to sit quietly and never complain.
When I was a young lawyer an older male lawyer on the other side of the case was trying to convince me to roll over on an issue, and in the middle of the conversation he called me “sweetie.” I immediately said “don’t call me sweetie”
He acted all hurt and said, “well I thought we could handle this case in a friendly manner.”
I answered “We can handle this case in a friendly manner. My friends call me by my first name.”
After that, he treated me like an equal and didn’t take me for granted. I don’t think he thought of me as sweet anymore, and that’s okay with me.
|
|
|
Post by auntkelly on Jul 25, 2023 19:41:30 GMT
I think the important thing is that you are being supportive of your cousin and his husband. Since you’ve already sent a baby gift, I don’t think it’s necessary to send a second gift to mark the adoption, but I’m sure they will appreciate it if you do. I think it’s wonderful that you can watch the adoption proceedings remotely.
|
|
|
Post by auntkelly on Jul 25, 2023 12:19:50 GMT
When the response to every question you ask your doctor begins with “As we age . . . “
|
|
|
Post by auntkelly on Jul 25, 2023 11:55:17 GMT
I’m so sorry. I will keep her family in my prayers.
|
|
|
Post by auntkelly on Jul 24, 2023 19:35:01 GMT
Our lake house was designed with company in mind. We had ten guests plus my husband and myself for several days over the 4th of July and we’ve had more than that in the past. My attitude at the lake is “the more the merrier.”
When it comes to our primary residence, I really don’t care to have guests for more than one night, unless it is our adult children. We have a pretty good setup for guests (two small bedrooms separated by a jack and Jill bathroom on the opposite side of the house from our master bedroom). I just really like privacy in my own home, so I’d rather not have any guests who stay for more than one night.
|
|
|
Post by auntkelly on Jul 24, 2023 17:42:46 GMT
I hope you feel better soon and have a smooth recovery.
|
|
|
Post by auntkelly on Jul 22, 2023 15:39:44 GMT
I used to play Barbie for hours with my best friend.
We always started w/ a wedding. The bride, Malibu Barbie wore a beautiful white wedding gown. Poor Ken had to wear his bathing suit to his wedding because he didn’t have any other clothes.
The couple’s get away car was my brother’s G.I. Joe Jeep.
|
|
|
Post by auntkelly on Jul 22, 2023 14:05:21 GMT
My husband and I are both retired lawyers and over the years we’ve had friends, family, fellow church parishioners and complete strangers ask us for legal advice.
We usually try to help when it is an area of the law we know something about, but I find that old adage that people don’t appreciate what they don’t pay for, to be true, especially when it’s professional advice they are getting for free.
If you continue to give free HR advice to your young relatives, I would just accept the fact that they may not properly express their appreciation.
I do think you should confront the young relatives directly, rather than their parents if you have a complaint about their behavior. If they are old enough to seek HR advice from you, they are old enough to be responsible for their actions. I think you should just call them and say “How is work going? Did you get your HR problems resolved? I’m here to help when you have HR problems, but I also want to hear from you when good things happen in your life. Don’t be a stranger.”
|
|
|
Post by auntkelly on Jul 21, 2023 20:27:54 GMT
I’m 5’3” and I think I look best in a mid rise skinny Jean. (A clerk at Nordstrom told me a couple of weeks ago that half the jeans she sells are skinny jeans, so I think they are going to be around for awhile). If I were buying two pairs of jeans, I’d buy a white skinny jean and a dark wash skinny jean.
|
|
|
Post by auntkelly on Jul 21, 2023 20:18:18 GMT
There was a German prisoner of war camp at Tonkawa, Oklahoma, which is about ten miles from my hometown. It housed 800 prisoners who were captured in Africa. Many of them worked on local farms.
One former prisoner, interviewed after the war said, “there was no reason to try and escape. Where were we going to hide in Oklahoma? Besides, it was a lot better to be a prisoner of war in Oklahoma than a German soldier on the Russian front.”
|
|
|
Post by auntkelly on Jul 20, 2023 17:55:18 GMT
One of the things I love most about retirement is that I can generally go to bed when I want and get up when I want.
I usually go to bed around midnight and wake up around 7am. I generally don't get out of bed and get dressed until around 8:30, after I've played Wordle, scanned the newspaper and read my emails.
The way I stay on track on a day when I am not heavily scheduled is by setting an alarm for thirty minute intervals during which I do housework or paperwork or do other things I need to get done that day. I schedule in a lot of leisure time for myself and I don't feel guilty about it, but I did when I first retired.
|
|
|
Post by auntkelly on Jul 20, 2023 15:02:20 GMT
Visiting a theme park would be one of the few travel experiences I don't think I would particularly enjoy doing solo.
I think I'd probably enjoy a one day of walking around Disney and people watching and seeing things that the family would be in too big of a rush to enjoy. However, I don't think I'd enjoy more than one day of that. I don't think it would be much fun riding the rides alone or sitting in a themed restaurant by myself.
I do think Disney would be a really easy travel experience for a solo traveller. It's safe and transportation to and from the parks is so easy, especially if you are staying onsite. You wouldn't need to rent a car or even leave the Disney property for the duration of your stay.
|
|
|
Post by auntkelly on Jul 19, 2023 14:55:06 GMT
I've been using Rosetta Stone for about two years to try to relearn French. (I took about 15 hours in college).
I've tried a lot of different resources including DuoLingo. I've been taking once a week in person conversational French group classes. I think Rosetta Stone is the most helpful resource for me.
I also listen to the French Coffee Break Podcast (I assume there is a Spanish version) and I read a lot of children's books in French. Google translate is very helpful when I want to hear a certain phrase spoken.
|
|
|
Post by auntkelly on Jul 18, 2023 14:33:52 GMT
Best wishes! Enjoy your day!
|
|