Wow, this week is going by really quick. Of course, last weekend went by pretty fast as well.
Last Saturday morning, I had a great time at prayer breakfast. We had a very "nutritious" breakfast.....sang a few songs and then heard a wonderful devotion by Ray Tidwell. I always enjoy getting together with some of the other men from church. It is always a blessing.
After the breakfast, it was time to head to Old Paris Flea Market. For the last five years or so, I have gone to the flea market to buy my cologne. There is a perfume/cologne shop inside the building that sells name-brand colognes and perfumes for ridiculously low prices. If I bought my cologne (which is Stetson) at a department store, it would cost me about $30.00 for about 4.5 oz. For only $15.00, I can buy two of the same size from the flea market. I buy cologne every other pay period (at least two bottles) and it lasts me the month.
It was such a beautiful day, I decided to go up to Lake Hefner and ride my bike. My friend, Chad, was going to go with me, but his wife changed his plans for him. So, I drove up to the lake and rode my bike around it. There was a good breeze which made the ride more bearable. It took me 45 minutes to go around the lake, which is good for me. Afterwards, I just went home, crashed on my couch and watched TV. During the evening, I watched COPS and worked on Sunday's power point.
Sunday was suppose to be an important day in the life of our church. There was a business meeting scheduled for Sunday evening to discuss the future of our Pastor, Bro. Wayne. The deacons had asked him to resign and he refused to do so. Because of that, a business meeting was suppose to be held Sunday night for members to vote on whether to keep him as our pastor or force him to resign.
However, at the end of service Sunday morning, Bro. Wayne read his letter of resignation. His last day at SLBC will be this coming Sunday. Because of his resignation, not only did we not have to vote that evening, we also did not have an evening service.
After the morning service, there was a benefit luncheon for the Celebrate Recovery program at our church. I had to work noon - 4 pm, so I grabbed my lunch in a to-go container and went to work. It was a very slow afternoon, so the day went by slow. After work, I went by the church to get ready for the evening service (which I did not know was cancelled until I showed up). Since I left early to go to work, I missed the announcement that the evening services had been cancelled.
When I went into the church, I realized the deacons were having a meeting, so I stepped in to speak with them. We talked for about 20 minutes. Afterwards, D.J. and I went to El-Chico and had dinner....and had a great time of fellowship.
Yesterday was an uneventful day. I went to work and trained a new dispatcher during the afternoon. At lunch, I rode my bike (I brought it to work with me) to the State Fairgrounds and just rode around. It was very warm and humid, so I wasn't gone very long. After work, I went and mowed a lawn and then went home and rested. I doubt that I will ever try to ride my bike on the same day I mow. It took too much out of me.
Today was a very busy day. I worked the sewer radio in the morning, did not get a lunch or break and then trained a new dispatcher this afternoon. When I got off work, I had to go by and get my personalized tag renewed. Afterwards, I got caught in a rainstorm. Yes....a rainstorm. It was soooooooooooooo nice. Tomorrow is hump day and I have data entry to do in the morning and then I am doing more training with the new dispatcher in the afternoon.
http://www.okcentralreact.org/
CERT Training
Tuesday, August 31, 2010
Friday, August 27, 2010
TGIF!!
I finally made it to Friday evening. It has been a long week and I am ready for the weekend. I worked until 8 pm last Monday and today I am working until 8 pm (13 hours total today). Not only have I been working a radio and answering the phones, I have also been training a couple of employees in dispatch. These employees actually work in the warehouse, however, they have been loaned to us in dispatch because we are so shorthanded. One thing I have learned this week is how hard it is to work a radio, answer the phones and train someone on the computer.
The one thing that I really disliked this week was answering the phones. We have clerks that answer our main number that customers call into, but we have another main line where we receive calls from contractors, other city departments, call okie and others. Some days it is real slow, while other days it rings off the wall. This week, not only has the radio been very busy, but the phone has been real busy. As a matter of fact, after answering the phone all day long at work, I really don't want to answer my home phone, cell phone, or any phone because I am tired of talking. The only reason I worked the radio and answered the phone this week is because our other dispatcher that does this was off all week.
As I said earlier, I have been training a couple of employees this week and it has been a big challenge...only because of all the extra I have had to do. I count it an honor and privilege to be chosen by my boss to train other employees, but this week was a little difficult because of all the distractions. It is so much easier to train someone when you don't have to answer a radio or answer a phone. Fortunately, the other dispatcher will be back next week, so training should be easier.......also, both of the employees I am training are learning rather quickly, which helps.
Well, I woke up this morning not feeling very well. My sinuses have been stopped up and were acting up on me. My eyes hurt and I had a few chills. Knowing I didn't feel good and knowing I was going to have to work 13 hours today, made me do my best to feel better. I am feeling better now, but I am really tired. I need to take some sinus medicine, drink some orange juice and go to bed.
This should be a pretty restful weekend. I have prayer breakfast at the church at 8 in the morning and the rest of the day is mine to relax.
http://www.okcentralreact.org/
The one thing that I really disliked this week was answering the phones. We have clerks that answer our main number that customers call into, but we have another main line where we receive calls from contractors, other city departments, call okie and others. Some days it is real slow, while other days it rings off the wall. This week, not only has the radio been very busy, but the phone has been real busy. As a matter of fact, after answering the phone all day long at work, I really don't want to answer my home phone, cell phone, or any phone because I am tired of talking. The only reason I worked the radio and answered the phone this week is because our other dispatcher that does this was off all week.
As I said earlier, I have been training a couple of employees this week and it has been a big challenge...only because of all the extra I have had to do. I count it an honor and privilege to be chosen by my boss to train other employees, but this week was a little difficult because of all the distractions. It is so much easier to train someone when you don't have to answer a radio or answer a phone. Fortunately, the other dispatcher will be back next week, so training should be easier.......also, both of the employees I am training are learning rather quickly, which helps.
Well, I woke up this morning not feeling very well. My sinuses have been stopped up and were acting up on me. My eyes hurt and I had a few chills. Knowing I didn't feel good and knowing I was going to have to work 13 hours today, made me do my best to feel better. I am feeling better now, but I am really tired. I need to take some sinus medicine, drink some orange juice and go to bed.
This should be a pretty restful weekend. I have prayer breakfast at the church at 8 in the morning and the rest of the day is mine to relax.
http://www.okcentralreact.org/
Tuesday, August 24, 2010
Do What is Right....in the eyes of God
Even when you take the right steps and do the right things, the outcome is not always what you expect. A couple of weeks ago, I had a confrontation with one of my co-workers. This co-worker is very loud and very obnoxious. Sometimes you get to the point where you just get tired of someone’s mouth. This certain person has a bad habit of leaving her desk and being gone for a long period of time. She takes her radio with her, but many times she does not answer when her crews call in. When I leave my desk, it is to handle business matters…when she leaves her desk, it is mainly to go down to the warehouse and see her “boyfriend,” who incidentally is married with 4 children. When I found this out months ago, I lost ALL respect for her (what little I had). For someone to knowingly have a relationship with a married person, that person is just plain sick and deserves no respect.
Anyway, I had covered her radio one day while she was out wandering around. Crews were calling and she was not answering. I got tired of listening to her NOT answering, so I took matters in my own hands and started answering her radio. She got ticked and said something to me when she finally returned. I told her if she would stay at her desk, we would not have to be covering for her. She got nasty with me, so I got nasty back with her. I will not put up with a co-worker not pulling their own weight, just because she wants to spend unauthorized time with her boyfriend. Anyway, I will not let her or anyone else walk on me when I know I was in the right. I did not back down because I know I am right. At this time, her mom is having some health issues, which I have been praying about. I even told her in an email one day that I knew she was mad at me, but I was concerned about her mom and still praying for her.
I try to be a Christian witness at work and I know she is an unbeliever, but I refuse to let someone walk all over me. She is still ignoring me and refuses to speak to me, but at least I know I did the right thing and will continue to try to be as nice to her as possible, even though I do not respect her. She thrives on attention and likes to try to be funny. She gets the attention because she does talk so loud, but she feels that she is perfect. She talks down to people and insults them. Experience tells me you don’t talk down to people and you don’t insult them…it is not humorous. I have learned to back off and watch what I say to other people…she has not learned that lesson yet.
In other news….
I worked 12 hours yesterday and sure felt it when I got home last night. We are now short two dispatchers, so we are all going to be working more overtime. I don’t mind the overtime, as long as I know when it is coming. This morning I saw something I had not seen in over three weeks…..rain. Yes, it finally cooled off outside and rained. It felt so good. Unfortunately, when the rain comes, the temps drop down and the ground shifts…….those are the ingredients for water main breaks. So far, it has been calm today, so I hope it stays that way.
This evening, I get my beard trimmed up and tomorrow I have the day off so I can attend a funeral.
Anyway, I had covered her radio one day while she was out wandering around. Crews were calling and she was not answering. I got tired of listening to her NOT answering, so I took matters in my own hands and started answering her radio. She got ticked and said something to me when she finally returned. I told her if she would stay at her desk, we would not have to be covering for her. She got nasty with me, so I got nasty back with her. I will not put up with a co-worker not pulling their own weight, just because she wants to spend unauthorized time with her boyfriend. Anyway, I will not let her or anyone else walk on me when I know I was in the right. I did not back down because I know I am right. At this time, her mom is having some health issues, which I have been praying about. I even told her in an email one day that I knew she was mad at me, but I was concerned about her mom and still praying for her.
I try to be a Christian witness at work and I know she is an unbeliever, but I refuse to let someone walk all over me. She is still ignoring me and refuses to speak to me, but at least I know I did the right thing and will continue to try to be as nice to her as possible, even though I do not respect her. She thrives on attention and likes to try to be funny. She gets the attention because she does talk so loud, but she feels that she is perfect. She talks down to people and insults them. Experience tells me you don’t talk down to people and you don’t insult them…it is not humorous. I have learned to back off and watch what I say to other people…she has not learned that lesson yet.
In other news….
I worked 12 hours yesterday and sure felt it when I got home last night. We are now short two dispatchers, so we are all going to be working more overtime. I don’t mind the overtime, as long as I know when it is coming. This morning I saw something I had not seen in over three weeks…..rain. Yes, it finally cooled off outside and rained. It felt so good. Unfortunately, when the rain comes, the temps drop down and the ground shifts…….those are the ingredients for water main breaks. So far, it has been calm today, so I hope it stays that way.
This evening, I get my beard trimmed up and tomorrow I have the day off so I can attend a funeral.
Sunday, August 22, 2010
A Great, Restful, Weekend
It has been a really restful weekend.
I worked from 4 pm - midnight on Friday, so I slept in Saturday morning. I actually woke up at around 7 am, but I just laid in bed because I knew I had nothing planned for the day. I finally got up at 10 am. The City was having a drop-off point at the State Fairgrounds for old computers and electronics and Gayla's School, Harding charter Prep, had some computers they needed hauled off, so I decided to drive up there and help haul a load to the fairgrounds. When I arrived, I was told that they had enough trucks to haul the old equipment off, so I was not needed.
Since I had the whole day to myself, I had camera in hand and was ready for some photo opportunities. I had my work radio with me so I could hear if a water main break was dispatched out. When a water main breaks, it could be a big geiser, or it could be lots of water tearing up the street or someone's property. That makes for some good pictures. So, I actually drove over to the state fairgrounds, parked under a shade tree....and relaxed. After a while, I really needed to use the restroom and, since my office was 5 minutes away, I decided to head over and use the facilities.
After taking care of my business, I went in the office and talked with our weekend day dispatcher. It was cool in the office and I had no where else to be, so I stayed for awhile. He eventually started getting a bunch of calls on a water main break at NW. 21 & Penn, so I decided to check it out before a water rep arrived. This is what I saw.
The water rep showed up and turned off two valves, shutting off the water. Since one of the valves was in the street on N. Penn, I turned on my emergency strobes and blocked off the lane while the rep turned the valve off.
Since there was not much more going on, I decided to head on home. The rest of the evening was spent relaxing, watching TV and doing computer work. I actually spent 4-1/2 hours on my computer, catching up on the CFAAA website, uploading pictures and sending emails.
Today has been a very restful day. Church was a little different. Next Sunday evening, we will be voting on whether to ask our pastor to resign, or whether we want to keep him. I am torn on this situation because I don't really know what I want to do. Either way, there will be a heated debate during the process and I really don't want to be a part of it. I have been a part of too many heated debates and discussions where we have asked pastors to leave our church. It's not pretty.
One other thing I am not real happy about is the fact that I am now having to run the sound system on Sunday mornings and do the powerpoint. I have been behind the scenes for a long time, which I have enjoyed.....but, I am ready to be involved in worship! I want to be downstairs with my family and the youth. Anytime you are upstairs on the sound board or doing the powerpoint, it is more like a job and you can't worship because you are too busy. For the past 29 years I have stayed behind the scenes. It is time for me to move on............
This afternoon, I had a terrific lunch with my family and rested all afternoon in my house, taking naps and watching TV. Stephen was having some problems with his truck, so we both worked on it. Now I am trying to get myself prepared for a work week. Linda is off tomorrow, so I will be working her radio again and may have to stay until 8 pm. I won't know if I am staying late until in the morning.
I worked from 4 pm - midnight on Friday, so I slept in Saturday morning. I actually woke up at around 7 am, but I just laid in bed because I knew I had nothing planned for the day. I finally got up at 10 am. The City was having a drop-off point at the State Fairgrounds for old computers and electronics and Gayla's School, Harding charter Prep, had some computers they needed hauled off, so I decided to drive up there and help haul a load to the fairgrounds. When I arrived, I was told that they had enough trucks to haul the old equipment off, so I was not needed.
Since I had the whole day to myself, I had camera in hand and was ready for some photo opportunities. I had my work radio with me so I could hear if a water main break was dispatched out. When a water main breaks, it could be a big geiser, or it could be lots of water tearing up the street or someone's property. That makes for some good pictures. So, I actually drove over to the state fairgrounds, parked under a shade tree....and relaxed. After a while, I really needed to use the restroom and, since my office was 5 minutes away, I decided to head over and use the facilities.
After taking care of my business, I went in the office and talked with our weekend day dispatcher. It was cool in the office and I had no where else to be, so I stayed for awhile. He eventually started getting a bunch of calls on a water main break at NW. 21 & Penn, so I decided to check it out before a water rep arrived. This is what I saw.
The water rep showed up and turned off two valves, shutting off the water. Since one of the valves was in the street on N. Penn, I turned on my emergency strobes and blocked off the lane while the rep turned the valve off.
Since there was not much more going on, I decided to head on home. The rest of the evening was spent relaxing, watching TV and doing computer work. I actually spent 4-1/2 hours on my computer, catching up on the CFAAA website, uploading pictures and sending emails.
Today has been a very restful day. Church was a little different. Next Sunday evening, we will be voting on whether to ask our pastor to resign, or whether we want to keep him. I am torn on this situation because I don't really know what I want to do. Either way, there will be a heated debate during the process and I really don't want to be a part of it. I have been a part of too many heated debates and discussions where we have asked pastors to leave our church. It's not pretty.
One other thing I am not real happy about is the fact that I am now having to run the sound system on Sunday mornings and do the powerpoint. I have been behind the scenes for a long time, which I have enjoyed.....but, I am ready to be involved in worship! I want to be downstairs with my family and the youth. Anytime you are upstairs on the sound board or doing the powerpoint, it is more like a job and you can't worship because you are too busy. For the past 29 years I have stayed behind the scenes. It is time for me to move on............
This afternoon, I had a terrific lunch with my family and rested all afternoon in my house, taking naps and watching TV. Stephen was having some problems with his truck, so we both worked on it. Now I am trying to get myself prepared for a work week. Linda is off tomorrow, so I will be working her radio again and may have to stay until 8 pm. I won't know if I am staying late until in the morning.
Friday, August 20, 2010
Finally Friday!!
It's hard to believe that it is already Friday. It has been a very long and busy week. Since Linda has been gone on vacation, I have had to cover her radio and it has been very busy. At least I never got bored this week because I was too busy.
It seems like it has been a long time since I have been able to take interesting pictures. There have been no fires, no water main breaks and nothing else worth taking pictures of...except......this week they tore down the Oklahoma State Fair Speedway. Why? Well, I heard it was going to cost too much to put in handicap accessible ramps, so instead of investing all that money, they decided to tear it down and use that property as a parking lot.
These are just a few of the many pictures I took. I remember as a kid, attending the stock car races with my dad. The one thing I remember the most was how loud the cars were. It was fun, though, watching the cars go around the track and having an ocassional wreck. I am 49 years old and the race track has been around much longer than I am. Just watching them tear it down felt kind of weird. The building was definitely built good because it took some pretty heavy machinery to get it all torn down. I actually went on my lunch hour yesterday and watched as they had already torn down half the building. When I went back after work, I stayed until they torn down the last part of the building. It's all just a memory now.
It seems like it has been a long time since I have been able to take interesting pictures. There have been no fires, no water main breaks and nothing else worth taking pictures of...except......this week they tore down the Oklahoma State Fair Speedway. Why? Well, I heard it was going to cost too much to put in handicap accessible ramps, so instead of investing all that money, they decided to tear it down and use that property as a parking lot.
These are just a few of the many pictures I took. I remember as a kid, attending the stock car races with my dad. The one thing I remember the most was how loud the cars were. It was fun, though, watching the cars go around the track and having an ocassional wreck. I am 49 years old and the race track has been around much longer than I am. Just watching them tear it down felt kind of weird. The building was definitely built good because it took some pretty heavy machinery to get it all torn down. I actually went on my lunch hour yesterday and watched as they had already torn down half the building. When I went back after work, I stayed until they torn down the last part of the building. It's all just a memory now.
Last evening was our monthly CFAAA meeting. We met at fire station #37, located at 16820 N. Penn. We were low on attendance, but we had a good time. When I arrived at 6:20 pm, the engine was out working a car accident. So, instead of us eating first, we had our business meeting and then waited for the firefighters that were on engine 37 to get back to the station. Just as we finished our business meeting, the rig pulled in, so it was time to eat. There was lots of food, especially fruit.
Normally at our meetings, we get to hear stories from the firefighters and find out more about their area, however, just about the time they got ready to speak, they got an emergency call. Once they left, our meeting/dinner was basically over with. I left at around 8:30 pm.
I had forgot to mention that on my way to the fire station, I had a little problem with my truck. I was driving east bound on NW.150, going towards May....and heard an awful sound coming from my truck. Then, it seemed like I was losing power. As I kept driving, I figured out that the noise was from my muffler area. I had assumed that somehow or another, I got a hole in my muffler. After I left my meeting, I drove over to Lucas' house and had him look at it. Sure enough, a part of the pipe to my muffler came loose, causing my truck to say real loud. I went ahead and drove home.
This morning, I was up at 7 am. I knew it was pasttime for me to mow Glynda's yard, so I got ready to go to her house. I knew her mom was near death and that if she did die this weekend, that Glynda would have lots of company. After I mowed, Glynda came out of her house to pay me and informed me that her mom had passed away last night. We talked for a little while and I finished up the yard work.
After I left her house, I went and cleaned up my mower and then headed to a muffler shop to have my muffler repaired. It cost $150.00 to have it repaired, but it had to be done. I ran some errands this afternoon and am now getting ready to leave for work and work the 4 pm - midnight shift.
http://www.okcentralreact.org/
http://www.okcentralreact.org/
Monday, August 16, 2010
I had a very good weekend!
I was up early Saturday morning, loaded up my lawn equipment and drove up to my daughter’s school to do some yard work. I was under the assumption that the maintenance people that work for the Oklahoma City Public School system, were the ones that did the yard work for all the schools. My daughter’s school is a charter school and, after talking to one of the volunteers at the school, I found out that the school gets state funds, but they do not get any assistance maintaining the schoolyard. This is where they have to depend on the parents of the students.
I had not realized this, but either way, I was willing to help….especially since it is my daughter’s school. I spent over 3 hours on Saturday morning mowing, weedeating and edging around the south parking lot of the school. There was lots to weeedeat….especially in the parking lot where they had sprayed for weeds the weekend before. I weedeated the dead grass in the parking lot and then went on the outside of the parking lot and did weedeating there. After that was complete, I drove over to the west side of the school property, by the ball diamonds and mowed that area as well. By the time I had finished, it was almost 11 am. I was hot, sweaty and filthy…..and ready to head home.
Once again, it was a very hot day, so I stayed inside the house the rest of the day. I helped Karla get the house ready for our housewarming party on Sunday and I watched TV. That evening, I watched COPS, worked on Sunday’s powerpoint and went to bed.
Sunday was the big day. It was August 15th and the anniversary of the death of my MIL. It had been one year since she had passed away and we had fulfilled one of her wishes by moving in to her house. That’s one reason why we had the housewarming so soon…..iIt was a day to honor my MIL. We had worked hard and the house looked great. What made it even more special were the 40 + friends and family that came by our house for the housewarming. It was clearly evident my MIL touched many lives at our church. The housewarming was 2-4 pm, but it lasted all the way up to 5:30 pm….what a blessing!
Today has been a very busy day at work. We have two dispatchers off, so myself and the weekend dispatcher are working two different radios. We have had many main breaks and other types of leaks today. I will say this…it has made the day go by a lot faster.
By the way, did I mention that Gayla got a new dog?
Did I also mention that Simba got a new "house?"
I was up early Saturday morning, loaded up my lawn equipment and drove up to my daughter’s school to do some yard work. I was under the assumption that the maintenance people that work for the Oklahoma City Public School system, were the ones that did the yard work for all the schools. My daughter’s school is a charter school and, after talking to one of the volunteers at the school, I found out that the school gets state funds, but they do not get any assistance maintaining the schoolyard. This is where they have to depend on the parents of the students.
I had not realized this, but either way, I was willing to help….especially since it is my daughter’s school. I spent over 3 hours on Saturday morning mowing, weedeating and edging around the south parking lot of the school. There was lots to weeedeat….especially in the parking lot where they had sprayed for weeds the weekend before. I weedeated the dead grass in the parking lot and then went on the outside of the parking lot and did weedeating there. After that was complete, I drove over to the west side of the school property, by the ball diamonds and mowed that area as well. By the time I had finished, it was almost 11 am. I was hot, sweaty and filthy…..and ready to head home.
Once again, it was a very hot day, so I stayed inside the house the rest of the day. I helped Karla get the house ready for our housewarming party on Sunday and I watched TV. That evening, I watched COPS, worked on Sunday’s powerpoint and went to bed.
Sunday was the big day. It was August 15th and the anniversary of the death of my MIL. It had been one year since she had passed away and we had fulfilled one of her wishes by moving in to her house. That’s one reason why we had the housewarming so soon…..iIt was a day to honor my MIL. We had worked hard and the house looked great. What made it even more special were the 40 + friends and family that came by our house for the housewarming. It was clearly evident my MIL touched many lives at our church. The housewarming was 2-4 pm, but it lasted all the way up to 5:30 pm….what a blessing!
Today has been a very busy day at work. We have two dispatchers off, so myself and the weekend dispatcher are working two different radios. We have had many main breaks and other types of leaks today. I will say this…it has made the day go by a lot faster.
By the way, did I mention that Gayla got a new dog?
Did I also mention that Simba got a new "house?"
Friday, August 13, 2010
FRIDAY!!!!! YES!
It is another hot day in OKC.
Yes, I have lost count of how many days in a row we have had temperatures in the 100’s. It’s getting old. I got Linda’s lawn mowed yesterday afternoon and was very appreciative of what little wind I had. I kept hydrated and took many breaks….I had to. The lawn itself was easy to mow because it had not grown much. She mainly wanted it mowed because she was going out of town. This afternoon, I have another lawn to mow. Of course, the heat index is up to 104 already, so I have to be careful. After I mow, I have to get my yard ready for our housewarming on Sunday, so I have a little weedeating to do.
In the morning, they are having a work day at Harding Charter Prep School where Gayla goes to school at. I was not sure what was involved, so I drove by the school at lunch to see what needed to be done. Lots of mowing and weedeating….my specialty. It looks like I will load my mower, weedeater and blower up early in the morning and head up to the school. The work day starts at 8 am, but I will probably start at 7 am, when it’s “cooler.” It is suppose to end at noon. Afterwards, I will either be working on our house, or I will be resting up in order to go to work. If Anita takes off work, I will be working for her.
Yesterday afternoon proved to be interesting. Usually, in the afternoons, our crews will start clearing off their calls and head back to our office. It is so important for all dispatchers to stay at their desks and answer the crews when they call in on the radio. There is a certain dispatcher in our office that can’t seem to stay in their seat. They like to grab their hand-held radio and wander off. As I was dispatching on my radio, I could hear the crews on the other radio trying to clear off their calls. When they would call in, they would get no reply. I finally got tired of hearing them be ignored by the other dispatcher, so I sat in her chair and started answering the crews.
When she got back to her desk, she was mad. I told her I got tired of hearing them call for her and her not answering, so I took matters in my own hands and answered the radio myself. I was ticked, so I told her she needed to stay at her desk and quit running off. That made her even madder, so she yelled back at me. She is the type that feels she is perfect and does nothing wrong. Many times, I see her disregard her radio and not answer when crews are calling. She is obnoxious, arrogant and loud. She is also very disrespectful. I had decided I had had enough, so I did not back down. Today, she hasn’t said a word to me and it has been a peaceful day. I hate it when someone gets mad at me, but I also hate to see people get lazy and not do their jobs. If I had to do it all over again, I would not change a thing.
Yes, I have lost count of how many days in a row we have had temperatures in the 100’s. It’s getting old. I got Linda’s lawn mowed yesterday afternoon and was very appreciative of what little wind I had. I kept hydrated and took many breaks….I had to. The lawn itself was easy to mow because it had not grown much. She mainly wanted it mowed because she was going out of town. This afternoon, I have another lawn to mow. Of course, the heat index is up to 104 already, so I have to be careful. After I mow, I have to get my yard ready for our housewarming on Sunday, so I have a little weedeating to do.
In the morning, they are having a work day at Harding Charter Prep School where Gayla goes to school at. I was not sure what was involved, so I drove by the school at lunch to see what needed to be done. Lots of mowing and weedeating….my specialty. It looks like I will load my mower, weedeater and blower up early in the morning and head up to the school. The work day starts at 8 am, but I will probably start at 7 am, when it’s “cooler.” It is suppose to end at noon. Afterwards, I will either be working on our house, or I will be resting up in order to go to work. If Anita takes off work, I will be working for her.
Yesterday afternoon proved to be interesting. Usually, in the afternoons, our crews will start clearing off their calls and head back to our office. It is so important for all dispatchers to stay at their desks and answer the crews when they call in on the radio. There is a certain dispatcher in our office that can’t seem to stay in their seat. They like to grab their hand-held radio and wander off. As I was dispatching on my radio, I could hear the crews on the other radio trying to clear off their calls. When they would call in, they would get no reply. I finally got tired of hearing them be ignored by the other dispatcher, so I sat in her chair and started answering the crews.
When she got back to her desk, she was mad. I told her I got tired of hearing them call for her and her not answering, so I took matters in my own hands and answered the radio myself. I was ticked, so I told her she needed to stay at her desk and quit running off. That made her even madder, so she yelled back at me. She is the type that feels she is perfect and does nothing wrong. Many times, I see her disregard her radio and not answer when crews are calling. She is obnoxious, arrogant and loud. She is also very disrespectful. I had decided I had had enough, so I did not back down. Today, she hasn’t said a word to me and it has been a peaceful day. I hate it when someone gets mad at me, but I also hate to see people get lazy and not do their jobs. If I had to do it all over again, I would not change a thing.
Thursday, August 12, 2010
I Speak My Mind
One thing I like to do is speak my mind. Sometimes I say things without thinking and it gets me in trouble. I always try to think before I speak because I know I can never take back the words I say. I also believe in speaking the truth. I can't stand people that will lie to you or act like somebody they are not. I will have nothing to do with phoney or fake people. That also goes for those who call themselves Christians, yet they conduct themselves in a non-Christian manner. Then there are those who go back on their word after making a promise to you.
Years ago, a deal or promise was sealed with a handshake....and that was it. When someone promised to do something, all it took was a handshake and their word was good. Unfortunately, it does not work that way anymore. There are too many people out there that are very manipulative. They will shake your hand as a sealed agreement, knowing that the handshake means nothing to them. Nowadays, if you want to make sure a promise is kept, a document has to be signed by both parties involved.
I want to go back to the handshake.....I want people to be honest. If they promise something, they need to keep good on their promise. Those who go back on promises are pathetic and are cowards. Some people are very intelligent and know the right words to say and the right things to do in order to manipulate someone. It doesn't bother them and it is a constant practice for them because it allows them to get their way. I like to think I am an intelligent person, but I certainly don't find ways to manipulate anyone. What you see is what you get.
I can basically get along with anyone, as long as they don't lie to me, manipulate me, gossip about me, or talk behind my back. If they do anything like that to me, trust is gone and my respect for them is gone. When I meet someone, I learn to respect them. If they do something to lose my respect, it takes alot to get it back.
I don't like loud people. The ones who feel that everyone should here what they have to say. There is such a thing as an outside voice and an indoor voice. Unfortunately, there are a few people I deal with on a daily basis that don't have an indoor voice. They are loud all the time and many times their loudness is not only disturbing, but very annoying. I see it as a sign of insecurity. I call it the way I see it.
Tomorrow is Friday and both Linda and Teddy will be off. That means I will be working a radio. I am looking forward to the weekend. This evening, I was able to mow Linda's lawn, even though it was hot! We will see what happens tomorrow...Friday the 13th.
Years ago, a deal or promise was sealed with a handshake....and that was it. When someone promised to do something, all it took was a handshake and their word was good. Unfortunately, it does not work that way anymore. There are too many people out there that are very manipulative. They will shake your hand as a sealed agreement, knowing that the handshake means nothing to them. Nowadays, if you want to make sure a promise is kept, a document has to be signed by both parties involved.
I want to go back to the handshake.....I want people to be honest. If they promise something, they need to keep good on their promise. Those who go back on promises are pathetic and are cowards. Some people are very intelligent and know the right words to say and the right things to do in order to manipulate someone. It doesn't bother them and it is a constant practice for them because it allows them to get their way. I like to think I am an intelligent person, but I certainly don't find ways to manipulate anyone. What you see is what you get.
I can basically get along with anyone, as long as they don't lie to me, manipulate me, gossip about me, or talk behind my back. If they do anything like that to me, trust is gone and my respect for them is gone. When I meet someone, I learn to respect them. If they do something to lose my respect, it takes alot to get it back.
I don't like loud people. The ones who feel that everyone should here what they have to say. There is such a thing as an outside voice and an indoor voice. Unfortunately, there are a few people I deal with on a daily basis that don't have an indoor voice. They are loud all the time and many times their loudness is not only disturbing, but very annoying. I see it as a sign of insecurity. I call it the way I see it.
Tomorrow is Friday and both Linda and Teddy will be off. That means I will be working a radio. I am looking forward to the weekend. This evening, I was able to mow Linda's lawn, even though it was hot! We will see what happens tomorrow...Friday the 13th.
Wednesday, August 11, 2010
Life is not always Fair...
Life is not always fair.
I have two very good lady friends that have spouses that are going through some pain and suffering. One husband just had a tennis ball sized tumor removed from his rectum area and is going through chemo treatments (he is very young). The other friend’s husband (they were just recently married and are both around my age) just had surgery on his leg. He has diabetes and for some reason, they are having problems not only controlling his blood sugar, but also trying to figure out why the two rounds of antibiotics he has been through have not helped the redness and swelling of his leg. Both of my lady friends can be a real inspiration to all ladies. They have both taken time away from their jobs to be with their husbands throughout their procedures and even during their healing process. They are both still very concerned about their husbands because the healing process is taking so long.
Patience is one thing that is hard to come by when a loved one is hurt or ill. You want them to heal as soon as possible, but sometimes that healing takes longer than expected. Life is not fair. I have prayed earnestly and daily (and throughout the day) for these two men. I know one of them from going to high school with him…I know the other one because his wife works for the City…but God knows them the best. He knows what is best in their current situations and I pray that each man gets healed and that God continues to bless the wives as they tirelessly continue to take care of their husbands. One thing about being a man is we don’t like pain. We try to act tough, but many times the pain will bring us to tears. We also like to be the providers in our families, so when we get knocked down due to a hurt or illness, it makes us feel down that we can’t take care of our own families…it is depressing. I know with these two situations that these families are going through, that my prayer life has improved greatly. I love praying for other people and I love to see prayers answered
I have been very blessed and fortunate. I have not had a major illness or “accident” that has sidelined me. It may be that fact that I am more careful and know my limitations. I don’t try to show off and when I think about doing something crazy, I always ask, ”is this worth it?” Most of the time, the answer is no. Why take chances if you don’t have to? I have a wife and family to support and a great job. I have extra-curricular activities that I enjoy doing. Getting sick or being injured does not fit in my schedule.
In other news..
It has been extremely hot this week…again. This is like two weeks in a row where the heat index each day has been over 100 degrees. It makes you want to go from one air-conditioned place to another. It makes you want to stay inside and not do anything outside. Nothing is growing in this heat, so I haven’t had to mow in two weeks. Plus, it has been too hot to mow. Tomorrow, I do have one lawn to mow, but it will be late in the evening before I do it. Today, Gayla got a new puppy that she named Charlie. I am hoping that Charlie and Scout get along, especially since they are both females. This evening is our youth service. I hope we have a great crowd.
http://www.okcentralreact.org/
I have two very good lady friends that have spouses that are going through some pain and suffering. One husband just had a tennis ball sized tumor removed from his rectum area and is going through chemo treatments (he is very young). The other friend’s husband (they were just recently married and are both around my age) just had surgery on his leg. He has diabetes and for some reason, they are having problems not only controlling his blood sugar, but also trying to figure out why the two rounds of antibiotics he has been through have not helped the redness and swelling of his leg. Both of my lady friends can be a real inspiration to all ladies. They have both taken time away from their jobs to be with their husbands throughout their procedures and even during their healing process. They are both still very concerned about their husbands because the healing process is taking so long.
Patience is one thing that is hard to come by when a loved one is hurt or ill. You want them to heal as soon as possible, but sometimes that healing takes longer than expected. Life is not fair. I have prayed earnestly and daily (and throughout the day) for these two men. I know one of them from going to high school with him…I know the other one because his wife works for the City…but God knows them the best. He knows what is best in their current situations and I pray that each man gets healed and that God continues to bless the wives as they tirelessly continue to take care of their husbands. One thing about being a man is we don’t like pain. We try to act tough, but many times the pain will bring us to tears. We also like to be the providers in our families, so when we get knocked down due to a hurt or illness, it makes us feel down that we can’t take care of our own families…it is depressing. I know with these two situations that these families are going through, that my prayer life has improved greatly. I love praying for other people and I love to see prayers answered
I have been very blessed and fortunate. I have not had a major illness or “accident” that has sidelined me. It may be that fact that I am more careful and know my limitations. I don’t try to show off and when I think about doing something crazy, I always ask, ”is this worth it?” Most of the time, the answer is no. Why take chances if you don’t have to? I have a wife and family to support and a great job. I have extra-curricular activities that I enjoy doing. Getting sick or being injured does not fit in my schedule.
In other news..
It has been extremely hot this week…again. This is like two weeks in a row where the heat index each day has been over 100 degrees. It makes you want to go from one air-conditioned place to another. It makes you want to stay inside and not do anything outside. Nothing is growing in this heat, so I haven’t had to mow in two weeks. Plus, it has been too hot to mow. Tomorrow, I do have one lawn to mow, but it will be late in the evening before I do it. Today, Gayla got a new puppy that she named Charlie. I am hoping that Charlie and Scout get along, especially since they are both females. This evening is our youth service. I hope we have a great crowd.
http://www.okcentralreact.org/
Monday, August 9, 2010
It’s hard to believe that it is actually Monday. The weekend went by so fast.
I woke up tired and sleepy this morning and still feel tired and sleepy this afternoon. It has been a relatively slow day for me…which makes it a long day. It is also unbelievably hot outside. The forecasters tell us that the temperatures will be in the 100’s all week long, with the heat index from 105 – 110 degrees. In other words, it is miserable outside. Everybody is trying to find a place to keep cool. I would hate to have a job where I work outside all the time.
This evening, I am going to try to work in our garage and find all the garage sale boxes and set them aside for the garage sale they will be having at my daughter’s school next weekend. We have stuff from our last garage sale that needs to be gotten rid of. The easiest way right now is to donate it to the school and let them sell it. I would much rather have the space in the garage, then to make a few bucks here and there on a garage sale. I also need to go through our old financial records in our rented storage facility, box them up and take them someplace to be shredded. That would give us a little extra room in our storage facility. I really don’t want to do all this tonight, but it needs to be done, so I guess I will be drinking lots of water.
Well, it looks like all of the big student events are over for the year. I made it through Falls Creek and YEC and am ready to rest. We may have a movie night in a couple of weeks, but that’s about it. We can’t use the gym right now because it is so hot outside and the gym is not air-conditioned. It’s way too hot to do anything in the gym right now.
http://www.okcentralreact.org/
I woke up tired and sleepy this morning and still feel tired and sleepy this afternoon. It has been a relatively slow day for me…which makes it a long day. It is also unbelievably hot outside. The forecasters tell us that the temperatures will be in the 100’s all week long, with the heat index from 105 – 110 degrees. In other words, it is miserable outside. Everybody is trying to find a place to keep cool. I would hate to have a job where I work outside all the time.
This evening, I am going to try to work in our garage and find all the garage sale boxes and set them aside for the garage sale they will be having at my daughter’s school next weekend. We have stuff from our last garage sale that needs to be gotten rid of. The easiest way right now is to donate it to the school and let them sell it. I would much rather have the space in the garage, then to make a few bucks here and there on a garage sale. I also need to go through our old financial records in our rented storage facility, box them up and take them someplace to be shredded. That would give us a little extra room in our storage facility. I really don’t want to do all this tonight, but it needs to be done, so I guess I will be drinking lots of water.
Well, it looks like all of the big student events are over for the year. I made it through Falls Creek and YEC and am ready to rest. We may have a movie night in a couple of weeks, but that’s about it. We can’t use the gym right now because it is so hot outside and the gym is not air-conditioned. It’s way too hot to do anything in the gym right now.
http://www.okcentralreact.org/
Sunday, August 8, 2010
I had a great birthday last Wednesday…nothing out of the ordinary. Mom and dad came by my office during the afternoon and brought me a freshly baked chocolate cake (my favorite). Mom cut the cake and we started handing out slices to my co-workers. As usual, the cake was excellent. I received tons of birthday wishes on Facebook as well as on my phone through text messages. It was really nice to have others remember my birthday. I think we are going to go out and have my family birthday dinner with mom and dad on Saturday evening. All in all, it was a great day.
Thursday morning, the alarm on my phone went off at 5:30 am. After I turned the alarm off, I noticed I had a text message that was sent to me last night that I had not read yet. It was from my co-worker, Anita. She had applied for a new position downtown and really did not expect to get it. Well……she got it! Her last day in dispatch will be August 19th. I am really going to miss her, but I know that she is tired of working the 4 pm – midnight shift Tues-Sat. and is ready to have daytime hours. Plus, I think the new position comes with a raise. I know she enjoys dispatch, but I also know that she has responsibilities (her mom) to take care of and working nights is hard on her. She is a super sweet lady that would do anything for anybody…….I always applaud those that can better themselves.
Since she will be leaving in two weeks, we will need to hire a new dispatcher to work her shift. I don’t know how soon that will happen, or what we will do in the meantime. I do know that one of our overnight dispatchers is not happy with what he is doing, so I suspect he will be the next one to leave. This job is not that hard, but you do have to work and know how to multi-task. Sometimes you are dispatching on the radio, answering phones and talking to another person in the office…..all at the same time. Some people can handle this, while others can’t. I love my job and enjoy what I am doing. I don’t plan on going elsewhere for another job because what I have is real secure. There are so many positions being cut in the City right now, that working for the water department is the safest place to work right now.
Thursday afternoon, I received an email from my dad. He informed me that the mother of one of my lifetime friends was in a nursing home, suffering from stage 4 cancer. They had gone to see her and said she was in very poor health. I haven’t seen this lifetime friend of mine for many years, but his mom was always a blessing to me while I was growing up. She was loving, kind and would do anything for anybody….and she had a good sense of humor. She was a country girl and believed in helping everyone. The more I sat at my desk at work, the more the Holy Spirit was telling me to go visit her after work. So, after work, I drove out to Midwest City the nursing center she was in….and found out she had been moved to a nursing center in McCloud. Gadzooks! So, I figured since I was already this far east, I may as well go ahead and drive out to McCloud to see her….so I did.
What a blessing! When I arrived, I ran into one of her sons and one of her son-in-laws….both of which I had not seen in over 20 years. We went to her room and we just sat and talked…with her….about life and about family. Even though she has lost her hair and she is very thin (she was always a skinny lady), she still had a great sense of humor. It was hard to see her in this condition. The lady that was always nice to me and always had good things to say about people…..is laying in a bed, dying of cancer. I stayed for about 45 minutes and then headed back home.
When I got home, I ate a quick dinner and then Wayne, by childhood best friend, arrived to help me add another phone jack. We had a phone jack in the living room, kitchen and master bedroom, but I needed one for my office so I could get my DSL hooked up and use my Internet. So, Wayne brought all the materials and his tools and we proceeded to go to work. We had to run a new line from the outside box, through the attic and down the wall to the office. I dreaded going up into the cramped, hot, attic….so Wayne did it. I looked in our attic and it seems to me like we had more room in the attic at the old house than we do at this house. There is not room for storage and it is cramped.
While Wayne crawled around in the attic, I stayed in the office, assisting him in feeding the wire down the wall and inside the office. Then, it came time to hook all the wires together. Wayne is a very smart man. He is an electrical engineer by trade, but he knows electronics, electricity and cars. He has a great sense of humor and he uses it while he works. He got the wiring ran and hooked it all up. We had a little interference with the phone line and the DSL, so we went to Wal-Mart and bought a filter for the phone line….and that solved the problem. After working on it for 2-1/2 hours, we were finally finished. Not only did he get my DSL and wireless working, he got our cable working properly on our TV in the living room. A very successful night.
Friday was a pretty good day. Teddy was off work, so I worked his radio. Normally, Friday's are pretty slow on his radio. That day was no exception. I was a little bored, but I was able to get some other things done at my desk. At 11:30, Gayla came by and brought me lunch. We had Subway sandwiches at my desk and was able to talk for a while.
After work, it was time to get ready for the Youth Evangelism Conference. I had to be at the church at 5 pm, so I could get everything finalized for the weekend. The conference was at the Lloyd Noble Center in Norman. It was from 8-10:30 pm on Friday evening and 10 am - 4 pm on Saturday. We had a great evening at the conference and got to enjoy Hawk Nelson in concert. Afterwards, we drove back to the church and started winding down.
There were 55 students altogether. The girls were sleeping in the fellowship hall, while the boys were sleeping in the Sunday School building. I went to the youth office to sleep, but I could not keep cool or comfortable, so around 1:30 am I headed home....where I got around 5 hours of sleep. I was up at 6:30 Saturday morning, took a shower and headed back to the church. When I arrived, I went to open the gym so the students could use the shower. After unlocking the gym, I checked in on the students.....and found out that most of them never went to bed.....they had stayed up all night.
We had breakfast at 8:30 and then headed back to the conference at 9 am. The conference started at 10 am and then broke for lunch at 12:15 pm. We had purchased a huge submarine sandwich for the students, so we met outside the Lloyd Noble Center and had a picnic lunch. At 1:30 pm, the conference started up again. One of our students complained that his tongue had swelled up, so I took him to the first aid station. Come to find out, he was having a severe allergic reaction to something, causing his tongue to swell and giving him breathing problems. A decision was made to call an ambulance and have him checked out.
He was given an IV and some Benadryl and was transported to Norman Regional Hospital. We actually had another church go with us and the student that got sick was from the other church. Because of that, I had his sponsor ride to the hospital with him.
At around 3:15 pm, I received a call from the sponsor, informing me that they were ready to be picked up from the hospital. Nona and I headed over to the hospital and picked them up. At 4 pm, the conference was over with, we boarded the bus and headed back to the church. I informed the students to call their rides so they would be there by the time we arrived back at the church.
In my opinion, it was a very successful event, but I was exhausted. I went home, watched some TV, surfed the Internet and was in bed by 9 pm. I laid in bed, tried to send a couple of text messages, but kept dozing off. I finally put my phone away and went to sleep.
I was up at 7 am this morning, but I was still extremely tired. I took my shower, got my stuff together and headed to church. Just as I figured, there were very few students at church. Two students that attended the conference were there, but the others chose to sleep in. During Sunday School, I went to the youth office to finalize all the receipts from YEC. I am the type that likes to get all the receipts and stuff turned in as soon as possible after an event. So, I turned all my receipts in to the office and closed the books on another YEC event.
After church, myself, Gayla, Karla, Stephen and Alissa (Stephen's girlfriend) met mom and dad at Cimarron Steakhouse for my belated birthday lunch. We had a great meal and the fellowship was outstanding. I had a REACT meeting at 2 pm, so when we left the steakhouse, I drove to my office (where we were having the meeting) and waited for about 45 minutes before the rest of the team arrived. The meeting lasted an hour and once it was over, I headed straight home and have rested the remainder of the evening.
Thursday morning, the alarm on my phone went off at 5:30 am. After I turned the alarm off, I noticed I had a text message that was sent to me last night that I had not read yet. It was from my co-worker, Anita. She had applied for a new position downtown and really did not expect to get it. Well……she got it! Her last day in dispatch will be August 19th. I am really going to miss her, but I know that she is tired of working the 4 pm – midnight shift Tues-Sat. and is ready to have daytime hours. Plus, I think the new position comes with a raise. I know she enjoys dispatch, but I also know that she has responsibilities (her mom) to take care of and working nights is hard on her. She is a super sweet lady that would do anything for anybody…….I always applaud those that can better themselves.
Since she will be leaving in two weeks, we will need to hire a new dispatcher to work her shift. I don’t know how soon that will happen, or what we will do in the meantime. I do know that one of our overnight dispatchers is not happy with what he is doing, so I suspect he will be the next one to leave. This job is not that hard, but you do have to work and know how to multi-task. Sometimes you are dispatching on the radio, answering phones and talking to another person in the office…..all at the same time. Some people can handle this, while others can’t. I love my job and enjoy what I am doing. I don’t plan on going elsewhere for another job because what I have is real secure. There are so many positions being cut in the City right now, that working for the water department is the safest place to work right now.
Thursday afternoon, I received an email from my dad. He informed me that the mother of one of my lifetime friends was in a nursing home, suffering from stage 4 cancer. They had gone to see her and said she was in very poor health. I haven’t seen this lifetime friend of mine for many years, but his mom was always a blessing to me while I was growing up. She was loving, kind and would do anything for anybody….and she had a good sense of humor. She was a country girl and believed in helping everyone. The more I sat at my desk at work, the more the Holy Spirit was telling me to go visit her after work. So, after work, I drove out to Midwest City the nursing center she was in….and found out she had been moved to a nursing center in McCloud. Gadzooks! So, I figured since I was already this far east, I may as well go ahead and drive out to McCloud to see her….so I did.
What a blessing! When I arrived, I ran into one of her sons and one of her son-in-laws….both of which I had not seen in over 20 years. We went to her room and we just sat and talked…with her….about life and about family. Even though she has lost her hair and she is very thin (she was always a skinny lady), she still had a great sense of humor. It was hard to see her in this condition. The lady that was always nice to me and always had good things to say about people…..is laying in a bed, dying of cancer. I stayed for about 45 minutes and then headed back home.
When I got home, I ate a quick dinner and then Wayne, by childhood best friend, arrived to help me add another phone jack. We had a phone jack in the living room, kitchen and master bedroom, but I needed one for my office so I could get my DSL hooked up and use my Internet. So, Wayne brought all the materials and his tools and we proceeded to go to work. We had to run a new line from the outside box, through the attic and down the wall to the office. I dreaded going up into the cramped, hot, attic….so Wayne did it. I looked in our attic and it seems to me like we had more room in the attic at the old house than we do at this house. There is not room for storage and it is cramped.
While Wayne crawled around in the attic, I stayed in the office, assisting him in feeding the wire down the wall and inside the office. Then, it came time to hook all the wires together. Wayne is a very smart man. He is an electrical engineer by trade, but he knows electronics, electricity and cars. He has a great sense of humor and he uses it while he works. He got the wiring ran and hooked it all up. We had a little interference with the phone line and the DSL, so we went to Wal-Mart and bought a filter for the phone line….and that solved the problem. After working on it for 2-1/2 hours, we were finally finished. Not only did he get my DSL and wireless working, he got our cable working properly on our TV in the living room. A very successful night.
Friday was a pretty good day. Teddy was off work, so I worked his radio. Normally, Friday's are pretty slow on his radio. That day was no exception. I was a little bored, but I was able to get some other things done at my desk. At 11:30, Gayla came by and brought me lunch. We had Subway sandwiches at my desk and was able to talk for a while.
After work, it was time to get ready for the Youth Evangelism Conference. I had to be at the church at 5 pm, so I could get everything finalized for the weekend. The conference was at the Lloyd Noble Center in Norman. It was from 8-10:30 pm on Friday evening and 10 am - 4 pm on Saturday. We had a great evening at the conference and got to enjoy Hawk Nelson in concert. Afterwards, we drove back to the church and started winding down.
There were 55 students altogether. The girls were sleeping in the fellowship hall, while the boys were sleeping in the Sunday School building. I went to the youth office to sleep, but I could not keep cool or comfortable, so around 1:30 am I headed home....where I got around 5 hours of sleep. I was up at 6:30 Saturday morning, took a shower and headed back to the church. When I arrived, I went to open the gym so the students could use the shower. After unlocking the gym, I checked in on the students.....and found out that most of them never went to bed.....they had stayed up all night.
We had breakfast at 8:30 and then headed back to the conference at 9 am. The conference started at 10 am and then broke for lunch at 12:15 pm. We had purchased a huge submarine sandwich for the students, so we met outside the Lloyd Noble Center and had a picnic lunch. At 1:30 pm, the conference started up again. One of our students complained that his tongue had swelled up, so I took him to the first aid station. Come to find out, he was having a severe allergic reaction to something, causing his tongue to swell and giving him breathing problems. A decision was made to call an ambulance and have him checked out.
He was given an IV and some Benadryl and was transported to Norman Regional Hospital. We actually had another church go with us and the student that got sick was from the other church. Because of that, I had his sponsor ride to the hospital with him.
At around 3:15 pm, I received a call from the sponsor, informing me that they were ready to be picked up from the hospital. Nona and I headed over to the hospital and picked them up. At 4 pm, the conference was over with, we boarded the bus and headed back to the church. I informed the students to call their rides so they would be there by the time we arrived back at the church.
In my opinion, it was a very successful event, but I was exhausted. I went home, watched some TV, surfed the Internet and was in bed by 9 pm. I laid in bed, tried to send a couple of text messages, but kept dozing off. I finally put my phone away and went to sleep.
I was up at 7 am this morning, but I was still extremely tired. I took my shower, got my stuff together and headed to church. Just as I figured, there were very few students at church. Two students that attended the conference were there, but the others chose to sleep in. During Sunday School, I went to the youth office to finalize all the receipts from YEC. I am the type that likes to get all the receipts and stuff turned in as soon as possible after an event. So, I turned all my receipts in to the office and closed the books on another YEC event.
After church, myself, Gayla, Karla, Stephen and Alissa (Stephen's girlfriend) met mom and dad at Cimarron Steakhouse for my belated birthday lunch. We had a great meal and the fellowship was outstanding. I had a REACT meeting at 2 pm, so when we left the steakhouse, I drove to my office (where we were having the meeting) and waited for about 45 minutes before the rest of the team arrived. The meeting lasted an hour and once it was over, I headed straight home and have rested the remainder of the evening.
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