This has not been a good day.
When I left for work this morning, I was prepared to leave work early and go to a funeral. I wasn't prepared for what actually happened.
I left work at 9:30 this morning and drove to the church for the funeral. I arrived at the church, went inside....and then Karla called me to find out where I was at. I advised her I was in the foyer and that I had not gone inside the auditorium yet....I told her I would wait for her. She was on her way to the church, but a train had stopped on the tracks and was not moving, so she was trying to find an alternate route in order to get to the funeral on time.
I advised her to take her time and not to rush because she had plenty of time. While I spoke to her on the phone, I was in the foyer with many other people, so I could hardly hear her. I thought I had heard a screeching sound in my phone, but wasn't sure, so I hung up. I spoke to a couple of people and then Karla called me back and advised me that she had just been in an accident and told me to get there asap. She was hysterical, so I could not understand her location, so I called her back. Then, she gave me her location.
I sped to the site and parked my truck next to the fire engines that were already on the scene. It seems as if she was driving south on Shields, while she was talking to me on the phone. She did not notice that her light had turned red and kept going. She slammed into the side of a truck, spun around and then hit another truck. Both the front of her car and the back were destroyed.
When I arrived, she was sitting on the curb and the firefighters and EMSA paramedics were checking her vitals. The other driver was slightly injured and his family was also being tended to by paramedics. There were no visible injuries to him or his family, but for safety reasons, they took his wife and daughter to the hospital for observation. The third vehicle that was involved had minor damage.
We had the car towed to Pucketts and then I took Karla to the ER at Southwest Medical. They got us in right away and immediately started taking x-rays to check for any broken bones. Fortunately, nothing was broken, but she did have whiplash and had pain in her wrist, ankle and chest (where the airbag hit her). The doctor gave her some pain medication and told her to take the rest of the week off from work. She is hurting this evening and I know she will be even more sore tomorrow.
One good thing....she did not receive a ticket (yet) for running the red light. It seems as if the officer did not have a ticket book, so she could not write any tickets. That also benefited the driver she ran in to because he had no state drivers license and no insurance. However, the officer did advise the other driver that driving without a state drivers license is a felony and that she could have him put in jail. But...since his wife and daughter was transported to the hospital, she decided not to take him to jail, which he was very appreciative of.
Karla and I had a chance to talk to him and I gave him one of my church business cards....and invited him to church. He seemed like a real nice guy that was just worried about his family. We got a chance to witness to him, so something good did come out of the accident.
Materialistic things can be replaced, but lives can't be. I am not sure how we are going to replace her car. I am sure the insurance company will total it, but the amount we get will probably not pay the car off. Right now, we just have to live one day at a time and get Karla well.
We did have a great youth service tonight and played a game. Unfortunately, one of our teenage students fell and possibly broke her arm while we were playing the game. I called her mom and told her to take her to the emergency room and then to call me back when she finds something out. She just called me back and told me that the student did not break her arm, but just sprained it. They treated it with an ace bandage and gave her some pain medication.
I am ready for this day to be over with.
CERT Training
Wednesday, September 29, 2010
Monday, September 27, 2010
When God Speaks to us, We Have to Listen
When God speaks to us, we have to listen.
I have been working with the youth from our church for almost 8 years now. I started out as a youth leader, assisting the youth minister with different tasks…..but in the last two-three years, I have been the main organizer and planner of all of our youth activities. I don’t really have a title, but when students introduce me to their friends, they introduce me as their youth minister. Even though we have an official paid part-time paid youth minister, he is usually only with us on Wednesdays…..and I am there every time the doors are open and every time there is a youth activity. I am assuming that’s why the students call me their youth minister. It feels good, but having a title has never really been a big deal for me. Sometimes titles get in the way of the job.
Our former Pastor, Bro. Wayne, has now been gone around three weeks. He was always a strong supporter of our student ministry, which I am very thankful for. Unfortunately, I think it may have hurt our student ministry some because our attendance has dropped. I am not sure why some of the students are no longer coming, although, I know many of them have transportation problems because they live with a parent that won’t bring them and they live in an area where our buses don’t run. Others can’t seem to get up early on Sunday because they stayed up too late on Saturday night…..and since their parents don’t go to church, they have no initiative to get up. Some of the others find other places to go and things to do instead of come to church.
It’s times like these, when the attendance is low, that I start to wonder how effective I am as a youth leader. What am I doing wrong? What do I need to change….or do I need to change anything? What will motivate these students to come? These are questions I have been asking myself for a while and looking towards God for some answers. I am happy because my daughter has gotten very involved with the youth and has really matured in the last year or so. It’s great to see her live her life for the Lord again. I just need to know if I am in the right place, or if God is opening other doors for me…I just don’t know.
It was a long and tiring weekend and I got very little sleep last night. I have been a zombie all day today and am doing my best to keep busy and stay awake. I have a lawn to mow this evening and am getting what few hairs I have, trimmed. I am hoping to be home at a decent time this evening so I can go to bed early.
http://www.okcentralreact.org/
I have been working with the youth from our church for almost 8 years now. I started out as a youth leader, assisting the youth minister with different tasks…..but in the last two-three years, I have been the main organizer and planner of all of our youth activities. I don’t really have a title, but when students introduce me to their friends, they introduce me as their youth minister. Even though we have an official paid part-time paid youth minister, he is usually only with us on Wednesdays…..and I am there every time the doors are open and every time there is a youth activity. I am assuming that’s why the students call me their youth minister. It feels good, but having a title has never really been a big deal for me. Sometimes titles get in the way of the job.
Our former Pastor, Bro. Wayne, has now been gone around three weeks. He was always a strong supporter of our student ministry, which I am very thankful for. Unfortunately, I think it may have hurt our student ministry some because our attendance has dropped. I am not sure why some of the students are no longer coming, although, I know many of them have transportation problems because they live with a parent that won’t bring them and they live in an area where our buses don’t run. Others can’t seem to get up early on Sunday because they stayed up too late on Saturday night…..and since their parents don’t go to church, they have no initiative to get up. Some of the others find other places to go and things to do instead of come to church.
It’s times like these, when the attendance is low, that I start to wonder how effective I am as a youth leader. What am I doing wrong? What do I need to change….or do I need to change anything? What will motivate these students to come? These are questions I have been asking myself for a while and looking towards God for some answers. I am happy because my daughter has gotten very involved with the youth and has really matured in the last year or so. It’s great to see her live her life for the Lord again. I just need to know if I am in the right place, or if God is opening other doors for me…I just don’t know.
It was a long and tiring weekend and I got very little sleep last night. I have been a zombie all day today and am doing my best to keep busy and stay awake. I have a lawn to mow this evening and am getting what few hairs I have, trimmed. I am hoping to be home at a decent time this evening so I can go to bed early.
http://www.okcentralreact.org/
Sunday, September 26, 2010
Goodbye Weekend...see you in 6 days!
The weekend is almost over and I am exhausted. I had too much going on this weekend and not enough time to rest.
I worked in the booking area at the safety center at the State Fair on Friday night. The booking area is where they bring fair patrons that get out of hand, cause problems, or get drunk and unruly. The police arrest them and then transport them to the safety center, where the subjects are patted down for weapons and processed for detox or jail. They actually have two horse stalls in the booking area that act as jail cells. Myself and a few other volunteers are the ones that assist in this process. We help out with the paperwork and do inventory on personal items that the suspects are carrying with them. We have surgical gloves that we wear every time we process someone…..it is for our protection. We touch stuff that no human hand should ever touch. Sometimes it gets very busy and sometimes it is dead.
Friday evening turned out to be a slow night. There were only two people arrested at the fair on Friday evening, so much of our time was spent visiting with each other and sitting outside the safety center in golf carts….watching people. My mouth was still very sore from the root canal I had on Thursday, so I wasn’t feeling very good. I tried my best to deal with the pain and soreness, but at around 11:30 pm, it got the best of me. Since it was slow and we had only processed one prisoner, I called it a night and went home. I made it home just a little after midnight.
I was up at 9 am on Saturday morning and trying to get things together for the family reunion we were attending in Midwest City. It was our yearly Sossamon family reunion where we meet at the park and have a huge potluck lunch with all my relatives. Gayla was making an important visit to OBU for the day, so she wasn’t coming to the reunion…..and Stephen was just doing his own thing. We did have a great time and I had the opportunity to speak to some of my relatives that I had not seen for a long time. At around 2:30 pm, we decided to head on out and go home. We arrived home at around 4 pm and I proceeded to lay down and get some rest since I was going back out to the State Fair to work at the safety center again.
I headed back to the fair at 6 pm and prepared myself for a busy evening. It was slow to start out with and then the police started bringing people in. Due to confidentiality issues, I am not allowed to disclose any names or charges of the ones that were brought in, but I can tell you that a couple of gang members were arrested for carrying weapons and having various outstanding warrants. The evening did turn out to be a little slow…….until midnight. At midnight, it seemed like everything broke loose and the police were bringing them in two at a time. One young female was brought in and was very uncooperative. They wound up having to hog tie her and pull her t-shirt over her face to prevent her from spitting on officers. At around 1 am, things had settled down, the police had already made a sweep of the fairgrounds and it was time to go home.
One thing I have to say about working in the booking area….it’s not for everyone. The language you hear from those being arrested is horrific and some of the things you see are things that you should never have to see as a human. There are those who get unruly and call you names…they ask you questions….they make fun of you…..and try to make you talk to them. As volunteers, we are not allowed to have any contact with suspects, verbally or physically. The closest we come to them is when we process their personal items during their arrest. When they take their handcuffs off, there are plenty of officers around that can handle the suspects if they get out of hand. The suspects know they are caught, so when they take the handcuffs off, they do act civilized. The last thing they need are added charges to their arrest. I have been assisting in the booking area for about 7 years now and I have never seen anyone try to escape while they were in custody.
Well, I had my alarm set for 7:30 this morning, but did not make it up until 8:30. I was still very tired and very sleepy. I was late for Sunday School and was not able to get the power point done for the announcements a church, but at least I was there. Our quartet sang during the morning worship service and Bro. Jerry brought a great message. After church, I had lunch and then took about a 2 hour nap. Now, here I am at work, covering another shift, working from 4 pm – midnight. I am actually hoping to leave at 11 pm so I can get some sleep….especially since I have to be back to work at 7 am tomorrow morning.
www.okcentralreact.org
I worked in the booking area at the safety center at the State Fair on Friday night. The booking area is where they bring fair patrons that get out of hand, cause problems, or get drunk and unruly. The police arrest them and then transport them to the safety center, where the subjects are patted down for weapons and processed for detox or jail. They actually have two horse stalls in the booking area that act as jail cells. Myself and a few other volunteers are the ones that assist in this process. We help out with the paperwork and do inventory on personal items that the suspects are carrying with them. We have surgical gloves that we wear every time we process someone…..it is for our protection. We touch stuff that no human hand should ever touch. Sometimes it gets very busy and sometimes it is dead.
Friday evening turned out to be a slow night. There were only two people arrested at the fair on Friday evening, so much of our time was spent visiting with each other and sitting outside the safety center in golf carts….watching people. My mouth was still very sore from the root canal I had on Thursday, so I wasn’t feeling very good. I tried my best to deal with the pain and soreness, but at around 11:30 pm, it got the best of me. Since it was slow and we had only processed one prisoner, I called it a night and went home. I made it home just a little after midnight.
I was up at 9 am on Saturday morning and trying to get things together for the family reunion we were attending in Midwest City. It was our yearly Sossamon family reunion where we meet at the park and have a huge potluck lunch with all my relatives. Gayla was making an important visit to OBU for the day, so she wasn’t coming to the reunion…..and Stephen was just doing his own thing. We did have a great time and I had the opportunity to speak to some of my relatives that I had not seen for a long time. At around 2:30 pm, we decided to head on out and go home. We arrived home at around 4 pm and I proceeded to lay down and get some rest since I was going back out to the State Fair to work at the safety center again.
I headed back to the fair at 6 pm and prepared myself for a busy evening. It was slow to start out with and then the police started bringing people in. Due to confidentiality issues, I am not allowed to disclose any names or charges of the ones that were brought in, but I can tell you that a couple of gang members were arrested for carrying weapons and having various outstanding warrants. The evening did turn out to be a little slow…….until midnight. At midnight, it seemed like everything broke loose and the police were bringing them in two at a time. One young female was brought in and was very uncooperative. They wound up having to hog tie her and pull her t-shirt over her face to prevent her from spitting on officers. At around 1 am, things had settled down, the police had already made a sweep of the fairgrounds and it was time to go home.
One thing I have to say about working in the booking area….it’s not for everyone. The language you hear from those being arrested is horrific and some of the things you see are things that you should never have to see as a human. There are those who get unruly and call you names…they ask you questions….they make fun of you…..and try to make you talk to them. As volunteers, we are not allowed to have any contact with suspects, verbally or physically. The closest we come to them is when we process their personal items during their arrest. When they take their handcuffs off, there are plenty of officers around that can handle the suspects if they get out of hand. The suspects know they are caught, so when they take the handcuffs off, they do act civilized. The last thing they need are added charges to their arrest. I have been assisting in the booking area for about 7 years now and I have never seen anyone try to escape while they were in custody.
Well, I had my alarm set for 7:30 this morning, but did not make it up until 8:30. I was still very tired and very sleepy. I was late for Sunday School and was not able to get the power point done for the announcements a church, but at least I was there. Our quartet sang during the morning worship service and Bro. Jerry brought a great message. After church, I had lunch and then took about a 2 hour nap. Now, here I am at work, covering another shift, working from 4 pm – midnight. I am actually hoping to leave at 11 pm so I can get some sleep….especially since I have to be back to work at 7 am tomorrow morning.
www.okcentralreact.org
Thursday, September 23, 2010
Dental Insurance is Overrated
I hate dentists and I hate dental insurance.
This morning, I had an appointment with an orthodontist at 7:45 am on the north side of town. I went to my regular dentist on Monday and was informed that I needed to see an orthodontist to have a root canal. Now, anyone who has had a root canal knows that they are not cheap. That's why I pay so much towards my dental insurance each time I get a paycheck. Last February, I had to have a root canal on a different tooth. I still had to pay an arm and a leg to get it done. The insurance paid very little.
So, when the dental assistant called the orthodontist to set up an appointment, they advised her that I had exhausted my benefits (from the last root canal). I found out that my dental insurance only pays so much for dental work and once they have paid a certain amount, they don't pay anymore until the new fiscal year starts. That's just great! Now, I need to have a root canal and come up with about $1,400.00 of my own money. Well, I did get my root canal today and mom and dad helped me out....now, I owe them.
Why do dentists charge so much anyway? Is the anesthesia that expensive? Are their surgical tools that expensive? I even chose not to use the gas today (it was an extra $50.00). The prices of dental work is outrageous. Fortunately, since the procedure, I have felt a lot less pain. Now the area is sore......and the doctor said it would be sore for another week. Because of that, he wrote me MORE prescriptions. For those who know me, I hate taking medicine anyway, so taking more pills is not what I wanted, but it is what I need .....so I will do it.
Since I was not sure how I would feel after the procedure, I decided to take the whole day off. After the procedure, I decided to do some yard work. I went to Jeff's dad's house, trimmed back some bushes and mowed his lawn. Then, I went and mowed Glenda's yard. I am glad I did because both yards had grown up and I knew it was suppose to rain tonight.
After mowing, I met Gayla at the doctor's office so she could get a physical. For some reason, it is required for her archery class at school. Once we took care of that, I went and had my oil changed in my truck. I figured since I was off work, I would get all my errands taken care of today.
Tomorrow evening, I will be back at the State Fair, working in the booking area of the safety center. If the police arrest anyone at the fair, I will get to see them and help process them. I work in the booking area every year at the State Fair. I enjoy it. I usually work the fair both weekends it is open (Friday and Saturday night), but last weekend I was tied up with REACT events, so I could not work it. I am working this Friday and Saturday night, so we will see what kind of action we get.
www.okcentralreact.org
This morning, I had an appointment with an orthodontist at 7:45 am on the north side of town. I went to my regular dentist on Monday and was informed that I needed to see an orthodontist to have a root canal. Now, anyone who has had a root canal knows that they are not cheap. That's why I pay so much towards my dental insurance each time I get a paycheck. Last February, I had to have a root canal on a different tooth. I still had to pay an arm and a leg to get it done. The insurance paid very little.
So, when the dental assistant called the orthodontist to set up an appointment, they advised her that I had exhausted my benefits (from the last root canal). I found out that my dental insurance only pays so much for dental work and once they have paid a certain amount, they don't pay anymore until the new fiscal year starts. That's just great! Now, I need to have a root canal and come up with about $1,400.00 of my own money. Well, I did get my root canal today and mom and dad helped me out....now, I owe them.
Why do dentists charge so much anyway? Is the anesthesia that expensive? Are their surgical tools that expensive? I even chose not to use the gas today (it was an extra $50.00). The prices of dental work is outrageous. Fortunately, since the procedure, I have felt a lot less pain. Now the area is sore......and the doctor said it would be sore for another week. Because of that, he wrote me MORE prescriptions. For those who know me, I hate taking medicine anyway, so taking more pills is not what I wanted, but it is what I need .....so I will do it.
Since I was not sure how I would feel after the procedure, I decided to take the whole day off. After the procedure, I decided to do some yard work. I went to Jeff's dad's house, trimmed back some bushes and mowed his lawn. Then, I went and mowed Glenda's yard. I am glad I did because both yards had grown up and I knew it was suppose to rain tonight.
After mowing, I met Gayla at the doctor's office so she could get a physical. For some reason, it is required for her archery class at school. Once we took care of that, I went and had my oil changed in my truck. I figured since I was off work, I would get all my errands taken care of today.
Tomorrow evening, I will be back at the State Fair, working in the booking area of the safety center. If the police arrest anyone at the fair, I will get to see them and help process them. I work in the booking area every year at the State Fair. I enjoy it. I usually work the fair both weekends it is open (Friday and Saturday night), but last weekend I was tied up with REACT events, so I could not work it. I am working this Friday and Saturday night, so we will see what kind of action we get.
www.okcentralreact.org
Tuesday, September 21, 2010
My extra day off (Monday) was not the best of days for me.
I was able to get up at a decent time and do some major housecleaning around the house. Of course, my tooth was still bothering me and I could hardly wait until 9 am to call in for a dentist appointment. When 9 am hit, I immediately called the dentist office and got their answering service. It seems as if they don’t come in to the office until around noon on Monday and don’t answer their phones until 12:30 pm. Man, what a schedule. So, I ran some errands and made sure I was around the north side of town when it came time to call them (they are located at Lake Hefner Pkwy and Lake Hefner Rd). When I called them, they told me they could get me in at 2 pm. I jumped on the chance and secured my appointment. Since I had over an hour to burn, I decided to go up to lake Hefner and just relax. It was nice with the breeze coming off the lake and the birds flying around. I threw some crumbs out my window and watched a few birds fight over it.
When It came time to go to my appointment, I drove across the street to the dentist’ office. I was still in quite a bit of pain and had a feeling I was about to get some bad news. The diagnosis? A root canal…..surprise surprise. To add insult to injury, I found out that, since I had a root canal back in February of this year, I am maxed out on my benefits. In other words, my insurance will not cover my root canal….I have to pay the $1,200.00 myself. I have never liked my dental insurance and I really don’t like it now. There should not be a limit on how much dental you use. They went ahead and scheduled me for this Thursday (as if I could come up with the money by then), but I called and cancelled today. Do they really think their patients keep that kind of money in the bank with today’s economy? My dentist did give me an antibiotic for the infected tooth and some pain medication. He said it would take 2-3 day s before the antibiotic really starts working….and that it should help with my pain.
I was able to get up at a decent time and do some major housecleaning around the house. Of course, my tooth was still bothering me and I could hardly wait until 9 am to call in for a dentist appointment. When 9 am hit, I immediately called the dentist office and got their answering service. It seems as if they don’t come in to the office until around noon on Monday and don’t answer their phones until 12:30 pm. Man, what a schedule. So, I ran some errands and made sure I was around the north side of town when it came time to call them (they are located at Lake Hefner Pkwy and Lake Hefner Rd). When I called them, they told me they could get me in at 2 pm. I jumped on the chance and secured my appointment. Since I had over an hour to burn, I decided to go up to lake Hefner and just relax. It was nice with the breeze coming off the lake and the birds flying around. I threw some crumbs out my window and watched a few birds fight over it.
When It came time to go to my appointment, I drove across the street to the dentist’ office. I was still in quite a bit of pain and had a feeling I was about to get some bad news. The diagnosis? A root canal…..surprise surprise. To add insult to injury, I found out that, since I had a root canal back in February of this year, I am maxed out on my benefits. In other words, my insurance will not cover my root canal….I have to pay the $1,200.00 myself. I have never liked my dental insurance and I really don’t like it now. There should not be a limit on how much dental you use. They went ahead and scheduled me for this Thursday (as if I could come up with the money by then), but I called and cancelled today. Do they really think their patients keep that kind of money in the bank with today’s economy? My dentist did give me an antibiotic for the infected tooth and some pain medication. He said it would take 2-3 day s before the antibiotic really starts working….and that it should help with my pain.
I went home, thinking as I was driving, “how am I going to pay for this”? We are applying for a home mortgage loan and a root canal did not fit into the equation. My mouth was still sore and my tooth was still throbbing….and I wasn’t in the best of moods. Plus, it was mine and Gayla’s night to go to the fair. Each year, we set aside one night of the fair and we go out their together….kind of like a father/daughter date. She was tired and sleepy and I was hurting, but we went anyway.
We had a great time……we had an Indian taco and went to the barns to look at the animals. Since Gayla is wanting to be a veterinarian, checking out the animals was on our list. We saw some baby goats, day-old piglets and lots of horses. We also got to witness something we had never seen before. They actually spayed and neutered two dogs while we were there. They had a video of a male dog being neutered and then they performed a live surgery right before our eyes and spayed a female dog. It was very interesting to say the least. After they were finished, we headed out to the Chesapeake Stage and listened to Matt Maher, Addison Road and 10th Avenue North in a free concert. Then, it was time to go home.
Today, my tooth still aches, but I have started taking my antibiotics and pain medication. I am all right as long as I don’t chew on the right side of my mouth….which is throbbing as I type. This afternoon, after work, I am scheduled to go mow Linda’s yard.
Sunday, September 19, 2010
One More Day!
One more day of rest before I go back to work.
Yes, I initially took tomorrow off to get some rest and get some chores done around the house, however, it looks as if I will be spending time trying to get an appointment with my dentist. I have a high tolerance for pain, but when it comes to a toothache, my tolerance is very low. My tooth has hurt all weekend and has really made my weekend kind of a downer. I have taken my share of ibuprofen and lots of Orajel, just to take some of the pain away. Heck, I even got a 3 hour nap this afternoon because I took so much medicine.
Yesterday was a very long day. Early in the morning, our REACT team assisted Midwest City Police in traffic control for their Renaissance Run. I was really expecting a lot of runners/walkers for this event, but there were not that many. I was assigned at an intersection to control traffic on a north-south street. It went very well and we were finished by around 9 am. Next stop...Wakita, Okla. for their Twister festival.
I knew my truck was not road worthy to make the trip, so I rode with another REACT member. I was so tired and sleepy. I didn't sleep well the night before because our overnight dispatcher at work called me three times during the night with questions. I had actually planned on grabbing a nap on the way to Wakita, but that did not work out. We arrived in Wakita at around 12:30 pm and went right to work.
Our REACT team was there to assist with some of the events that were taken place in the street. It was hot! We only have one uniform and it consists of a black polo shirt, black pants, black shoes and black socks. Did I mention that we wear all black, even when it is 100 degrees in the shade? We were walking down the middle of the street, making sure the crowd stayed clear of the street and the sun just beat down on us. We were miserable. I was even more miserable because my tooth continued to ache while we were in Wakita.
At 4 pm, they had their parade and our REACT vehicles were in the parade. I rode in the car with the same guy I rode down with. It seemed like it took forever for the parade to get started and I actually dozed off a few times while we were waiting. During the parade, we through candy out our windows to the kids. When the parade was over, we all participated in their BBQ dinner. After the dinner, I waited for my traditional funnel cake and we hit the road. There was still suppose to be a fireworks show, but we were all tired from the activities and the heat, so we decided to head on back to the City.
I did not sleep very well last night, even though I was exhausted. My tooth still hurt (even with all the meds I took) and I woke up several times with my achy tooth. I finally got up at around 7:30 am and just dealt with the pain. I knew I could not take anything until I had breakfast, so I headed to church, ate a couple of donuts and took some more medicine. I was still in quite a bit of pain during church......it would come and go.
This afternoon, I was able to get a good nap in and my tooth did not hurt as bad. I had to be up by around 3:45 to be at a meeting by 4 pm. Fortunately, most of this evening, my tooth has been sore and not aching so much. I have been eating lots of soft food for the last couple of days and it has helped. Since I am off tomorrow, I will call the dentist first thing and try to get in late in the morning. Tomorrow evening, Gayla and I are suppose to go to the fair. We will see how I feel. I hate dentists because they are so expensive. I don't have a choice tomorrow.
http://www.okcentralreact.org/
Yes, I initially took tomorrow off to get some rest and get some chores done around the house, however, it looks as if I will be spending time trying to get an appointment with my dentist. I have a high tolerance for pain, but when it comes to a toothache, my tolerance is very low. My tooth has hurt all weekend and has really made my weekend kind of a downer. I have taken my share of ibuprofen and lots of Orajel, just to take some of the pain away. Heck, I even got a 3 hour nap this afternoon because I took so much medicine.
Yesterday was a very long day. Early in the morning, our REACT team assisted Midwest City Police in traffic control for their Renaissance Run. I was really expecting a lot of runners/walkers for this event, but there were not that many. I was assigned at an intersection to control traffic on a north-south street. It went very well and we were finished by around 9 am. Next stop...Wakita, Okla. for their Twister festival.
I knew my truck was not road worthy to make the trip, so I rode with another REACT member. I was so tired and sleepy. I didn't sleep well the night before because our overnight dispatcher at work called me three times during the night with questions. I had actually planned on grabbing a nap on the way to Wakita, but that did not work out. We arrived in Wakita at around 12:30 pm and went right to work.
Our REACT team was there to assist with some of the events that were taken place in the street. It was hot! We only have one uniform and it consists of a black polo shirt, black pants, black shoes and black socks. Did I mention that we wear all black, even when it is 100 degrees in the shade? We were walking down the middle of the street, making sure the crowd stayed clear of the street and the sun just beat down on us. We were miserable. I was even more miserable because my tooth continued to ache while we were in Wakita.
At 4 pm, they had their parade and our REACT vehicles were in the parade. I rode in the car with the same guy I rode down with. It seemed like it took forever for the parade to get started and I actually dozed off a few times while we were waiting. During the parade, we through candy out our windows to the kids. When the parade was over, we all participated in their BBQ dinner. After the dinner, I waited for my traditional funnel cake and we hit the road. There was still suppose to be a fireworks show, but we were all tired from the activities and the heat, so we decided to head on back to the City.
I did not sleep very well last night, even though I was exhausted. My tooth still hurt (even with all the meds I took) and I woke up several times with my achy tooth. I finally got up at around 7:30 am and just dealt with the pain. I knew I could not take anything until I had breakfast, so I headed to church, ate a couple of donuts and took some more medicine. I was still in quite a bit of pain during church......it would come and go.
This afternoon, I was able to get a good nap in and my tooth did not hurt as bad. I had to be up by around 3:45 to be at a meeting by 4 pm. Fortunately, most of this evening, my tooth has been sore and not aching so much. I have been eating lots of soft food for the last couple of days and it has helped. Since I am off tomorrow, I will call the dentist first thing and try to get in late in the morning. Tomorrow evening, Gayla and I are suppose to go to the fair. We will see how I feel. I hate dentists because they are so expensive. I don't have a choice tomorrow.
http://www.okcentralreact.org/
Friday, September 17, 2010
TGIF!!!
I finally made it to Friday and I am so glad. This has been one long week.
Since Teddy has been off work (due to his mom passing away), I have been working his radio. When you work his radio, you also have to answer the main phone line coming in. For the last two weeks, I have been doing that. After a while, it gets old. I am not the type that likes to talk on the phone a lot. I checked my usage on my cell phone for the past couple of weeks and it shows that I made very few calls. That’s probably because, after answering the phone all day at work, I did not want to answer any phones in the evening or make any phone calls. I got tired of talking. I did more texting than anything else. I either texted others, or I emailed them…..very few conversations with anyone. I am not much of a phone talker anyway…… I usually only make phone calls if I have to.
Yesterday evening was our monthly CFAAA meeting, which was held at fire station #21. We had a very good meeting and it seems like activities are starting to really pick up. There are more events for us to get involved in. We put together a nominating committee last night since our elections are coming up. Our by-laws state that we must appoint a nominating committee in September and start accepting nominations as soon as possible. We have the positions of treasurer, secretary and member-at-large that will definitely need to be filled. I am going to run for re-election as president and I am going to nominate our vice-president again, so she can run for re-election. Things went very well last night and we had some great discussions. We have one lady in our organization that does not like me at all. I have not done anything to her, but she has never liked me from the beginning. What’s funny is she makes every meeting, but she has a very negative and hostile attitude. I found out last night she is also a gossiper. I can’t stand people like her, but one of these days, it will all catch up with her.
Today is also a very special day. Thirty years ago today, I met my wife for the very first time. We have been married now for 29 years…….we plan on going out tonight and celebrating. Friday at the office….Linda left early, so I am working her radio and John is working Teddy’s radio (and answering the main phone line). I am so happy and was so ready for a break from the phone. It has been a slow afternoon, which I am really enjoying. Even though my boss is off today, I submitted a request off for Monday and turned it into the second in command….and got approved. I have worked so much overtime, I need an extra day off. This afternoon, I have a lawn to mow and then Karla and I are going out to eat.
Tomorrow will be a very long and tiring day. Our REACT team has an event in Midwest City to work tomorrow and I have to be there by 7:45 am. The event is some kind of walk that we have to do traffic control for. Once we are finished with it, we have to load up and head to Wakita, Oklahoma for their twister festival. Wakita is about a 2-1/2 hour drive from the City. The festival is suppose to be a fun day for the folks in Wakita. Since it is the place where much of the movie “Twister” was filmed, there will be many storm spotters/trackers at the festival. They will have a chili cook-off, a BBQ dinner, a parade (which all of our REACT vehicles will participate in) and fireworks after dark. I figure it will be around midnight before I get home. That’s one reason I took Monday off….to recuperate.
www.okcentralreact.org
Since Teddy has been off work (due to his mom passing away), I have been working his radio. When you work his radio, you also have to answer the main phone line coming in. For the last two weeks, I have been doing that. After a while, it gets old. I am not the type that likes to talk on the phone a lot. I checked my usage on my cell phone for the past couple of weeks and it shows that I made very few calls. That’s probably because, after answering the phone all day at work, I did not want to answer any phones in the evening or make any phone calls. I got tired of talking. I did more texting than anything else. I either texted others, or I emailed them…..very few conversations with anyone. I am not much of a phone talker anyway…… I usually only make phone calls if I have to.
Yesterday evening was our monthly CFAAA meeting, which was held at fire station #21. We had a very good meeting and it seems like activities are starting to really pick up. There are more events for us to get involved in. We put together a nominating committee last night since our elections are coming up. Our by-laws state that we must appoint a nominating committee in September and start accepting nominations as soon as possible. We have the positions of treasurer, secretary and member-at-large that will definitely need to be filled. I am going to run for re-election as president and I am going to nominate our vice-president again, so she can run for re-election. Things went very well last night and we had some great discussions. We have one lady in our organization that does not like me at all. I have not done anything to her, but she has never liked me from the beginning. What’s funny is she makes every meeting, but she has a very negative and hostile attitude. I found out last night she is also a gossiper. I can’t stand people like her, but one of these days, it will all catch up with her.
Today is also a very special day. Thirty years ago today, I met my wife for the very first time. We have been married now for 29 years…….we plan on going out tonight and celebrating. Friday at the office….Linda left early, so I am working her radio and John is working Teddy’s radio (and answering the main phone line). I am so happy and was so ready for a break from the phone. It has been a slow afternoon, which I am really enjoying. Even though my boss is off today, I submitted a request off for Monday and turned it into the second in command….and got approved. I have worked so much overtime, I need an extra day off. This afternoon, I have a lawn to mow and then Karla and I are going out to eat.
Tomorrow will be a very long and tiring day. Our REACT team has an event in Midwest City to work tomorrow and I have to be there by 7:45 am. The event is some kind of walk that we have to do traffic control for. Once we are finished with it, we have to load up and head to Wakita, Oklahoma for their twister festival. Wakita is about a 2-1/2 hour drive from the City. The festival is suppose to be a fun day for the folks in Wakita. Since it is the place where much of the movie “Twister” was filmed, there will be many storm spotters/trackers at the festival. They will have a chili cook-off, a BBQ dinner, a parade (which all of our REACT vehicles will participate in) and fireworks after dark. I figure it will be around midnight before I get home. That’s one reason I took Monday off….to recuperate.
www.okcentralreact.org
Wednesday, September 15, 2010
3-Alarm at SW Medical Center
Last evening, I was scheduled to attend a REACT Board meeting, however, we did not have enough Board members to make a quorum, so we postponed it until next week. I was not real sure what I wanted to do to pass the time away, so I just sat in the living room and checked my email and facebook page. I also logged onto the fire department radio frequency so I could listen to any fire calls. I was watching TV and halfway listening to the fire calls and heard a south side engine company saying they were “checking for a fire on the 8th floor.” I had no idea where they were at, but I knew they were somewhere in south OKC. I listened carefully and then heard someone say something about the 1000 block of SW.44 (where SW Medical Center is). Then I found out there was smoke on the 7th and 8th floors of the hospital and firefighters were trying to locate the source of the smoke.
It was time for me to get in on a piece of the action. I grabbed my camera and my cell phone and headed straight to the hospital. I was able to park in a parking lot on the south side of SW.44th, just south of the hospital. I got out of my truck and walked across the street to the hospital. There were fire engines and fire trucks everywhere. I started taking pictures….it was quite a sight. Of course, all of the news media was there, so I just followed some of the cameramen around and took pictures while they shot video. I saw several fire personnel that I knew, so I talked to them. I got some good, close-up pictures of the scene. After about 30 minutes, it was determined that the smoke was coming from an overheated heat/air unit on the 8th floor. Once they found out the problem, they started releasing the fire companies and sending them back to their stations.
I left the area, stopped by Sonic to get some dinner and then headed back home. I watched more TV and logged onto the computer again. It was getting dark, so I knew I would not be getting out again. Shortly after dark, another fire call came out in SE OKC. I had decided that since it was dark, I would not be able to take any good pictures anyway, so I just stayed home. It turned out to be a working house fire, but even if I had taken pictures, they would not come out good. My camera takes lousy pictures after dark.
In other news…….Gayla informed me that she was having to take some type of physical education class at school, but did not have any room for another class on her schedule. The good news is….she found out that she could take an archery course that would give her the credit she needed…the bad news is…the course is before school, which means she has to get up at 5:30 every morning and be at school by 7 am. I guess she will have to sacrifice a little sleep if she wants to graduate with full credits..LOL. This was her first morning to get up early….and she definitely did not like it.
This morning started off very well for me. One thing I have not been consistent with lately is my prayer life. I have been really slacking in that area. For a couple of weeks, I was praying constantly and things were going real well. I have had several people at work with prayer concerns that have asked me to pray for them….which I did. For some reason, I took a break from praying and I don’t know why. I know God didn’t stop listening…I just stopped praying. I have to learn to take time out and study God’s Word and talk to Him. I have students to minister to and if I don’t study God’s Word and pray for them, then I am failing miserably. I hopped on the highway this morning and prayed as I drove to work. I prayed the whole time (10 minutes) I was driving because I had a lot on my mind.
I decided this morning that I was not going to wimp out and give God my second best. I will give Him my best and talk to him on a DAILY basis.
Tuesday, September 14, 2010
What Can I do For My Church?
What can I do?
That’s a question that I have been asking myself for the last month or so, knowing that the pastor of our church was about to resign. I have had my plate full at church for some time and don’t really have time to take on anything else. I have been working with the students at church for the last 8-9 years and have enjoyed every minute of it. As the youth director of the church, it is my responsibility to plan events and activities for our youth, as well as make sure I have enough male and female sponsors for the event…..and to make sure I have a person who can drive our bus. It is also my responsibility to minister to these students.
Now, I loved working behind the scenes and making sure everything runs smoothly during the worship service, but I felt it was time for me to step down from “behind the scenes” and be available for the students that needed ministered to during the invitation. The last two Sundays, I have been able to be downstairs with the students. It has been wonderful to be able to sit and listen to a message and to also be involved in the singing part of the worship service. I can sit, relax, enjoy being ministered to during the service and then be ready to minister to the students at invitation. I just have to learn to relax and not worry if a mistake is made on the sound or power point. We all make mistakes….that’s how we learn.
When a church loses a pastor, there are so many areas of ministry that need to be covered. Many of our deacons are trying to cover those areas, but they can’t do it alone. It is time for some of the men and women of our church to step out of their comfort zones and help. I am going to do the best I can to see that more students attend on Sunday mornings and Wednesday nights. Unfortunately, many of these students don’t have roots. In other words, when things get tough for their families, many times their families will move to a different house. We have several students right now that get shuffled from one house to another. The problem is, many times when they are shuffled to another house, they are too far away for our bus to pick them up, so they are unable to come.
I can only do so much in the transportation department. As a rule, I do not pick up teenage girls by myself. That is also a rule that I make the other leaders abide by. The female leaders can’t take males home by themselves. If the girls need a ride, they have to contact a female sponsor…no exceptions. Anytime we have a youth event or function to attend, I must have at least one female sponsor go with us. Otherwise, we can’t go. We have many troubled students right now that are dealing with some serious issues. All I can do is be a sounding block for them, especially for the boys. The girls must talk to a female sponsor. There are times when myself and a female sponsor must talk to a female teenager.
Right now, many of our students still do not understand why our pastor left. I have tried to explain it to them a couple of times, so they will understand, however, some are still heartbroken over the fact that he is gone. They have all these problems in their lives and now the pastor that many of them depended on being there for them, has left. That’s one reason why I want to be more involved in ministering to the students. They need to know someone loves and cares for them because many don’t get the attention they deserve at home.
May God continually bless me as I continue to work with the students in our student ministry
http://www.okcentralreact.org/
That’s a question that I have been asking myself for the last month or so, knowing that the pastor of our church was about to resign. I have had my plate full at church for some time and don’t really have time to take on anything else. I have been working with the students at church for the last 8-9 years and have enjoyed every minute of it. As the youth director of the church, it is my responsibility to plan events and activities for our youth, as well as make sure I have enough male and female sponsors for the event…..and to make sure I have a person who can drive our bus. It is also my responsibility to minister to these students.
Now, I loved working behind the scenes and making sure everything runs smoothly during the worship service, but I felt it was time for me to step down from “behind the scenes” and be available for the students that needed ministered to during the invitation. The last two Sundays, I have been able to be downstairs with the students. It has been wonderful to be able to sit and listen to a message and to also be involved in the singing part of the worship service. I can sit, relax, enjoy being ministered to during the service and then be ready to minister to the students at invitation. I just have to learn to relax and not worry if a mistake is made on the sound or power point. We all make mistakes….that’s how we learn.
When a church loses a pastor, there are so many areas of ministry that need to be covered. Many of our deacons are trying to cover those areas, but they can’t do it alone. It is time for some of the men and women of our church to step out of their comfort zones and help. I am going to do the best I can to see that more students attend on Sunday mornings and Wednesday nights. Unfortunately, many of these students don’t have roots. In other words, when things get tough for their families, many times their families will move to a different house. We have several students right now that get shuffled from one house to another. The problem is, many times when they are shuffled to another house, they are too far away for our bus to pick them up, so they are unable to come.
I can only do so much in the transportation department. As a rule, I do not pick up teenage girls by myself. That is also a rule that I make the other leaders abide by. The female leaders can’t take males home by themselves. If the girls need a ride, they have to contact a female sponsor…no exceptions. Anytime we have a youth event or function to attend, I must have at least one female sponsor go with us. Otherwise, we can’t go. We have many troubled students right now that are dealing with some serious issues. All I can do is be a sounding block for them, especially for the boys. The girls must talk to a female sponsor. There are times when myself and a female sponsor must talk to a female teenager.
Right now, many of our students still do not understand why our pastor left. I have tried to explain it to them a couple of times, so they will understand, however, some are still heartbroken over the fact that he is gone. They have all these problems in their lives and now the pastor that many of them depended on being there for them, has left. That’s one reason why I want to be more involved in ministering to the students. They need to know someone loves and cares for them because many don’t get the attention they deserve at home.
May God continually bless me as I continue to work with the students in our student ministry
http://www.okcentralreact.org/
Monday, September 13, 2010
It was a very busy weekend with very little time to rest….and no time for a nap.
I worked late on Friday (until 8 pm) because we had a new dispatcher that was still trying to learn the ropes of dispatching and we did not want to leave her by herself on a Friday evening. It was pretty steady all evening, with very little time to relax.
I was up early on Saturday morning. I had to be at the State Capitol by 8:45 am to get ready for Septemberfest, which is an event that is held annually at the Governor’s mansion. This event is for all ages, young and old and is a time for celebrating our statehood and enjoying lots of games, music, etc. Last year, our REACT team provided assistance in traffic and crowd control. This year, we were doing the same thing. OHP was in charge of this event, so they instructed us as to where they wanted us to work and what we needed to do. I was assigned to assist event goers in crossing Lincoln Blvd from the parking lots. There was lots of traffic, so myself and another REACT member would step out in the middle of the street and stop traffic while people crossed the street. They were so appreciative that someone was there to stop traffic and allow them to walk safely across the street. We were there from 8:45 until the event was over with at 4 pm. Even though I did use sunblock on my head, I sweated so much that most of it washed out….which meant I came away from there with a rather red head. The rest of the evening was spent at home with Karla, trying to keep cool. My head was so hot from being sunburned, that my body was taking forever to cool down.
Our REACT uniforms are classy and professional looking, but they are black, which means when it is hot outside on a summer day, we get hot. We also have shorts that we can wear as part of our uniform, but, in order to make a good impression at the event, we were required to wear long pants. I guess I can’t complain too much because I was allowed to wear shorts both days that I attended the OCCC Arts Festival. I made a suggestion after Septemberfest, that we have a different uniform for the summer…..something very light and light-colored. Since we were dressed in our black uniform, we had to wear our reflective vests because we were out in the streets directing traffic and helping people cross busy streets. The vests were rather hot too.
http://www.okcentralreact.org/
I worked late on Friday (until 8 pm) because we had a new dispatcher that was still trying to learn the ropes of dispatching and we did not want to leave her by herself on a Friday evening. It was pretty steady all evening, with very little time to relax.
I was up early on Saturday morning. I had to be at the State Capitol by 8:45 am to get ready for Septemberfest, which is an event that is held annually at the Governor’s mansion. This event is for all ages, young and old and is a time for celebrating our statehood and enjoying lots of games, music, etc. Last year, our REACT team provided assistance in traffic and crowd control. This year, we were doing the same thing. OHP was in charge of this event, so they instructed us as to where they wanted us to work and what we needed to do. I was assigned to assist event goers in crossing Lincoln Blvd from the parking lots. There was lots of traffic, so myself and another REACT member would step out in the middle of the street and stop traffic while people crossed the street. They were so appreciative that someone was there to stop traffic and allow them to walk safely across the street. We were there from 8:45 until the event was over with at 4 pm. Even though I did use sunblock on my head, I sweated so much that most of it washed out….which meant I came away from there with a rather red head. The rest of the evening was spent at home with Karla, trying to keep cool. My head was so hot from being sunburned, that my body was taking forever to cool down.
Our REACT uniforms are classy and professional looking, but they are black, which means when it is hot outside on a summer day, we get hot. We also have shorts that we can wear as part of our uniform, but, in order to make a good impression at the event, we were required to wear long pants. I guess I can’t complain too much because I was allowed to wear shorts both days that I attended the OCCC Arts Festival. I made a suggestion after Septemberfest, that we have a different uniform for the summer…..something very light and light-colored. Since we were dressed in our black uniform, we had to wear our reflective vests because we were out in the streets directing traffic and helping people cross busy streets. The vests were rather hot too.
Yesterday was a good day, but a very busy day. It was the first Sunday without a pastor, but things went very smoothly. A young man named Josh Brock (the son of one of our former pastors, George Brock) brought the message to us in both the morning and evening service. He did an outstanding job in both services. After church, my family drove up to Edmond to my parent’s house and had lunch with them and my sister’s family. Dad’s birthday was Saturday, but Sunday was the only day that all of us were available to get together. Afterwards, I drove over to the Oklahoma Heart Hospital to attend a REACT Board meeting and a team meeting. One thing for certain is September has been a very busy month for our REACT team. We have had an event every weekend so far. This coming weekend, we have an event in Midwest City and then an event in Wakita, Okla.
It’s Monday. I didn’t sleep very well last night, so I am somewhat tired today. I found out this morning when I got to work that I am not having to work until 8 pm this evening….I get off at my normal scheduled time….4 pm. I have a lawn to mow after work today and lots of house cleaning to do.
http://www.okcentralreact.org/
Thursday, September 9, 2010
False Alarm!
Another false alarm….or at least that what I like to call it.
The forecast called for severe weather and flash flooding for central Oklahoma after 3 pm yesterday. I figured our REACT team storm spotters/trackers would be activated because of the threat of severe weather. I had all my equipment needed for storm spotting and was ready when I got off work. It was raining when I got off work, but not hard. Normally, when we have flash flooding, it pours down rain for an extended period of time. It did rain for an extended period of time, but very few downpours. Since the rain was steady and not heavy, the drainage system was working properly. There was water standing in the right hand lanes of the street, but that’s normal after a rain. Once again, the forecasters were wrong.
I stayed on the north side of the city until around 5:30 and realized that nothing severe was coming, so I headed back to the south east part of the city. I drove by Lightning Creek, which usually floods during heavy rains. It was not even close to flooding and everything looked fine. Even though we were getting lots of rain, it was moderate, so there was no flooding. That’s good because I hate to see people lose possessions because of flooding. It was kind of a downer to me, though, because I was excited and the adrenalin was flowing….I was ready for some action and it never happened. I decided to head home and do some relaxing.
Nobody was home when I got there, so I folded and hung some laundry, dried off two very wet dogs and watched TV (while I logged on to my computer). I was really tired and relaxing in my chair when Stephen came in. He was emotionally hurt…..his girlfriend had just broken up with him. We talked for a few minutes, but he assured me that they were still good friends, they were just not dating anymore. His work van was still at his apartment, so she dropped him off at our house. Little did I know he would need a ride back to his apartment. By the time I found out, I had already taken some sinus medicine that knocks me out. So, I went to bed and decided to take him back to his apartment first thing this morning.
I was up at 5:30 and we pulled out of the driveway at 5:55 am and headed to his apartment. I dropped him off, stopped by 7-11 for some donuts and then headed to work. I made good timing and was in a parking place by 6:35.
Today has been a steady day so far. My boss woke up sick this morning, so he did not make it in. This evening class #15 of the Citizen’s Fire Academy starts. Since I am president of the alumni association, I have to give a presentation to the class about the CFAAA and what we do. I am pretty excited about it and have a powerpoint presentation to show.
http://www.okcentralreact.org/
The forecast called for severe weather and flash flooding for central Oklahoma after 3 pm yesterday. I figured our REACT team storm spotters/trackers would be activated because of the threat of severe weather. I had all my equipment needed for storm spotting and was ready when I got off work. It was raining when I got off work, but not hard. Normally, when we have flash flooding, it pours down rain for an extended period of time. It did rain for an extended period of time, but very few downpours. Since the rain was steady and not heavy, the drainage system was working properly. There was water standing in the right hand lanes of the street, but that’s normal after a rain. Once again, the forecasters were wrong.
I stayed on the north side of the city until around 5:30 and realized that nothing severe was coming, so I headed back to the south east part of the city. I drove by Lightning Creek, which usually floods during heavy rains. It was not even close to flooding and everything looked fine. Even though we were getting lots of rain, it was moderate, so there was no flooding. That’s good because I hate to see people lose possessions because of flooding. It was kind of a downer to me, though, because I was excited and the adrenalin was flowing….I was ready for some action and it never happened. I decided to head home and do some relaxing.
Nobody was home when I got there, so I folded and hung some laundry, dried off two very wet dogs and watched TV (while I logged on to my computer). I was really tired and relaxing in my chair when Stephen came in. He was emotionally hurt…..his girlfriend had just broken up with him. We talked for a few minutes, but he assured me that they were still good friends, they were just not dating anymore. His work van was still at his apartment, so she dropped him off at our house. Little did I know he would need a ride back to his apartment. By the time I found out, I had already taken some sinus medicine that knocks me out. So, I went to bed and decided to take him back to his apartment first thing this morning.
I was up at 5:30 and we pulled out of the driveway at 5:55 am and headed to his apartment. I dropped him off, stopped by 7-11 for some donuts and then headed to work. I made good timing and was in a parking place by 6:35.
Today has been a steady day so far. My boss woke up sick this morning, so he did not make it in. This evening class #15 of the Citizen’s Fire Academy starts. Since I am president of the alumni association, I have to give a presentation to the class about the CFAAA and what we do. I am pretty excited about it and have a powerpoint presentation to show.
http://www.okcentralreact.org/
Tuesday, September 7, 2010
Flash Flood Safety Tips
Residents are asked to avoid flood prone areas as tropical storm Hermine threatens to bring flash flooding to Oklahoma City on Wednesday and Thursday.
The National Weather Service issued a flash flood watch through Thursday morning.
Police, Fire and Public Works crews are monitoring the weather and are ready to respond as conditions deteriorate.
“People who live in or around a flood plain or flood prone area should be hyper vigilant this week and prepared to evacuate to high ground on short notice,” said Oklahoma City Emergency Manager Frank Barnes.
Even very small streams, creeks, culverts, dry streambeds or low-lying ground that appears harmless in dry weather are at risk for flooding.
According to Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), floods are the most common and costly natural disaster in the United States.
Oklahoma City residents are reminded to follow the safety tips below:
Vehicle Safety
• Avoid driving during a flash flood.
• If you can’t see the road, don’t drive in it. Turn around and take a different route. If there is no other route, drive to higher ground and wait for the water to recede.
• Even if the water appears shallow enough to cross, don't try it. Water hides dips in the road. Worse yet, there may be no road at all under the water. Flooding can scour away the entire road and a significant amount of ground beneath.
• Six inches of water can reach the bottom of most passenger cars, causing you to lose control or possibly stall.
• Two feet of flowing water is enough to sweep your vehicle away – including SUV’s and pickups.
• Never drive around road barriers. They are there for a reason.
• Attempts to move stalled vehicles can end in drowning.
Pedestrian Safety
• Avoid walking in floodwater. Drowning is the number one cause of flood deaths. If you must walk through a flooded area, use a pole or stick to ensure that the ground is solid, even where the water is not flowing.
• Six inches of swiftly moving water can knock you off of your feet.
• Do not play near creeks or drainage areas.
• It is not safe for anyone, regardless of your swimming ability, to swim in floodwater. Besides the danger of swift current, the water can be contaminated.
• Retention basins are sometimes used as sports fields and walking areas when the ground is dry. Avoid these areas when they are filled with water. The primary purpose of these basins is to hold water and keep rain from flooding surrounding neighborhoods. Their secondary purpose is recreation.
• If you come in contact with floodwater, wash your hands with soap and disinfected water.
Home Safety
• Find out if you live in a flood-prone area.
• Plan and practice an evacuation route.
• Turn off all utilities at the main power switch and close the main gas valve if advised to do so.
• Consider purchasing flood insurance, particularly if you live near a creek.
• If water rises in your home before you can evacuate, call 911 and go to the top floor or roof.
The National Weather Service issued a flash flood watch through Thursday morning.
Police, Fire and Public Works crews are monitoring the weather and are ready to respond as conditions deteriorate.
“People who live in or around a flood plain or flood prone area should be hyper vigilant this week and prepared to evacuate to high ground on short notice,” said Oklahoma City Emergency Manager Frank Barnes.
Even very small streams, creeks, culverts, dry streambeds or low-lying ground that appears harmless in dry weather are at risk for flooding.
According to Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), floods are the most common and costly natural disaster in the United States.
Oklahoma City residents are reminded to follow the safety tips below:
Vehicle Safety
• Avoid driving during a flash flood.
• If you can’t see the road, don’t drive in it. Turn around and take a different route. If there is no other route, drive to higher ground and wait for the water to recede.
• Even if the water appears shallow enough to cross, don't try it. Water hides dips in the road. Worse yet, there may be no road at all under the water. Flooding can scour away the entire road and a significant amount of ground beneath.
• Six inches of water can reach the bottom of most passenger cars, causing you to lose control or possibly stall.
• Two feet of flowing water is enough to sweep your vehicle away – including SUV’s and pickups.
• Never drive around road barriers. They are there for a reason.
• Attempts to move stalled vehicles can end in drowning.
Pedestrian Safety
• Avoid walking in floodwater. Drowning is the number one cause of flood deaths. If you must walk through a flooded area, use a pole or stick to ensure that the ground is solid, even where the water is not flowing.
• Six inches of swiftly moving water can knock you off of your feet.
• Do not play near creeks or drainage areas.
• It is not safe for anyone, regardless of your swimming ability, to swim in floodwater. Besides the danger of swift current, the water can be contaminated.
• Retention basins are sometimes used as sports fields and walking areas when the ground is dry. Avoid these areas when they are filled with water. The primary purpose of these basins is to hold water and keep rain from flooding surrounding neighborhoods. Their secondary purpose is recreation.
• If you come in contact with floodwater, wash your hands with soap and disinfected water.
Home Safety
• Find out if you live in a flood-prone area.
• Plan and practice an evacuation route.
• Turn off all utilities at the main power switch and close the main gas valve if advised to do so.
• Consider purchasing flood insurance, particularly if you live near a creek.
• If water rises in your home before you can evacuate, call 911 and go to the top floor or roof.
Monday, September 6, 2010
Motorist Assist on I-35
I left my church at 12:15 pm and proceeded south bound on I-35. I looked over to the northbound side at around the SE.44th St exit and noticed two vehicles on the side of the interstate with their emergency flashers on. I also noticed that there were two young females by the cars. I pulled off at the next exit (SE.59th St) and got back on the interstate going north bound. As I approached the vehicles, I turned on my front strobe and my back strobes and safely pulled onto the shoulder. As I approached the two young ladies, one of them was attempting to use the jack. They were in shorts and I was in jeans, so I took the wrench from one of the females and proceeded to jack the vehicle up. Once I got the lug nuts off and took off the tire, I noticed the tire was blown out and was no good. They advised me they had no spare and was having to go buy a new tire. So, I loaded the blown out tire in the back seat of the other car, along with the hubcaps and lug nuts. I advised them to make sure they had someone come back with them to assist in putting the tire back on. They had big smiles and thanked me for stopping. I waited until they pulled onto the interstate and then I pulled on, turning off my emergency strobes.
Holiday Weekend is almost Over
It’s Monday evening and the holiday weekend is almost over. I have had a great weekend!
I spent the majority of my weekend at the OCCC Arts Festival. Several of our REACT team were out there to assist with shuttling people back and forth from the parking lot…using golf carts. It was a blast. Yesterday, I was there from 8:30 am – 3 pm and stayed busy the entire time I was there. The people I picked up were very courteous….and very happy to receive a ride because it was a long walk from parking lot A to the festival. I love to help out in any way I can and this gave me the opportunity to give back to my community.
I left the festival at 3 pm and met Jeff and his dad at his dad’s house…..and then we all three headed to Norman for the OU-Utah State game. A friend at church gave me one of his tickets, so I had to sit in a different place than Jeff and his dad. What I did not realize was my seat was way up in the top of the stadium. It took me a good 15 minutes to walk up the ramp to the top level. Heck, I thought when I finally made it to my seat that I could actually touch the sun. Ahhh, what a beautiful view of the City of Norman. I took these pictures and they look like I took them from a blimp, or a helicopter….but they were taken from my seat in the stadium. The game went well and at least OU won, but they had to earn it. They made so many mistakes, I did not think they would win.
I overslept Sunday morning, but did make it to Sunday School on time. I sat downstairs during worship and listened to Bro. Wayne’s last sermon. He resigned on Sunday, August 29th and yesterday was his last day. He preached…and then all the members of the church gathered around him at the altar and prayed for he and his wife as they follow God’s direction to another ministry.
I spent the majority of my weekend at the OCCC Arts Festival. Several of our REACT team were out there to assist with shuttling people back and forth from the parking lot…using golf carts. It was a blast. Yesterday, I was there from 8:30 am – 3 pm and stayed busy the entire time I was there. The people I picked up were very courteous….and very happy to receive a ride because it was a long walk from parking lot A to the festival. I love to help out in any way I can and this gave me the opportunity to give back to my community.
I left the festival at 3 pm and met Jeff and his dad at his dad’s house…..and then we all three headed to Norman for the OU-Utah State game. A friend at church gave me one of his tickets, so I had to sit in a different place than Jeff and his dad. What I did not realize was my seat was way up in the top of the stadium. It took me a good 15 minutes to walk up the ramp to the top level. Heck, I thought when I finally made it to my seat that I could actually touch the sun. Ahhh, what a beautiful view of the City of Norman. I took these pictures and they look like I took them from a blimp, or a helicopter….but they were taken from my seat in the stadium. The game went well and at least OU won, but they had to earn it. They made so many mistakes, I did not think they would win.
I overslept Sunday morning, but did make it to Sunday School on time. I sat downstairs during worship and listened to Bro. Wayne’s last sermon. He resigned on Sunday, August 29th and yesterday was his last day. He preached…and then all the members of the church gathered around him at the altar and prayed for he and his wife as they follow God’s direction to another ministry.
I was back at the Arts Festival that afternoon at 1:30 and spent all afternoon shuttling people, via golf cart, from the parking lots to the festival. It was a rather warm day, but at least we had a good breeze….and I got a little bit of a sunburn on my left leg and left arm…the two parts of my body that were exposed to the sun while I was driving the golf cart. I look kind of weird…weirder than usual.
As it got closer to 7 pm, they pulled me off of shuttling people back and forth and moved me to the north entrance of the college. I had my reflective vest, my whistle, my flashlight and my two-way radio and helped block off the entrance. I also had to speak to many of the motorists to let them know where they could park. Most of them were ok….just a few got mad at us because we would not let them in. The area we had shut off was for the members of the philharmonic orchestra. They were to perform at 8 pm and fireworks were suppose to start at 9:30 pm.
Again, we stayed busy because we had many cars that wanted to park where we were at, but we had to turn them away. At the finale of the fireworks, many people started leaving. Fortunately, we had a police officer with us, assisting us with traffic (actually, we were assisting him). We would stop traffic going north and south and allow the traffic going east and west to proceed…then, we would let north and south traffic go and stop the traffic going east and west. Several times, we had all of the traffic stopped so pedestrians could cross. I had to use the strobe on my flashlight to direct traffic and had to blow my whistle several times to get the attention of the motorists. It was a fun night and I finally made it home by 11 pm.
I slept in this morning. My body was so tired and so sore. My legs kept cramping up during the night, causing me to wake up. Karla had to be at work by 7 am, but I didn’t have to go in until 3 pm....so I just laid in bed. When I got up, I went by CVS and put oil in Karla’s car…then I followed her home and cleaned out her trunk. Since it was breezy, I decided to go ahead and mow my lawn. I mowed, weedeated and edged both front and back yard…and mowed, weedeated and edged my neighbors front yard.
The rest of this week will be real busy for me, so I am bracing myself.
Thursday, September 2, 2010
More Severe Weather???
Just when I thought things were starting to look up and that life would get simpler, something else happens. My son purchased a 2003 Dodge Ram truck a little over a month ago. Last week, he started having problems with it overheating. So, we took it back to the place we bought it and had them look at him. Well, we found out today that the engine needs to be replaced (to the tune of $1,200.00). No wonder we got such a good deal on it. Unfortunately, there was no warranty on it, so there is nothing we can do about it, but to pay it and get it repaired. My son has the WORST luck with vehicles. He doesn’t have the $1,200.00 needed to have it repaired and neither do I. At this point, we don’t know what we are going to do. I feel the guy who sold it to us a month ago should take care of it at no cost to us, but I don’t see that happening.
Now for some better news…we had our youth service last night at church and had a great service. I had some time at the beginning of the service to explain why our pastor, Bro. Wayne, resigned. Most of the students have no idea what happened or what transpired to make our pastor resign. I did not talk bad about him, but I did tell the students the truth and they seemed to understand the situation. This Sunday is his last Sunday.
Today has been a pretty good day. We had enough employees here, so I actually got to take a lunch break. I did not know what to do because I had not had a lunch hour all week. I worked at my desk and gave breaks to the other dispatchers and then did some training with a new employee this afternoon. The work day is now winding down, so I will be looking forward to coming back to work tomorrow and working 13 hours.
This evening, I am going with Gayla to a OSU/OKC orientation. She is planning on attending OSU/OKC next year as a starter for her major, which will be veterinary medicine. She loves animals, so she wants to be a vet. This evening is a get-to-know-you-and-answer-some-questions-orientation. Karla has a meeting this evening, so I am going with Gayla. The only thing that could possibly cause problems is the severe weather that we are expecting this evening. If severe weather threatens the metro area, our REACT team will be activated and will be tracking the storms as they come into the city area. We will see what happens.
http://www.okcentralreact.org/
Now for some better news…we had our youth service last night at church and had a great service. I had some time at the beginning of the service to explain why our pastor, Bro. Wayne, resigned. Most of the students have no idea what happened or what transpired to make our pastor resign. I did not talk bad about him, but I did tell the students the truth and they seemed to understand the situation. This Sunday is his last Sunday.
Today has been a pretty good day. We had enough employees here, so I actually got to take a lunch break. I did not know what to do because I had not had a lunch hour all week. I worked at my desk and gave breaks to the other dispatchers and then did some training with a new employee this afternoon. The work day is now winding down, so I will be looking forward to coming back to work tomorrow and working 13 hours.
This evening, I am going with Gayla to a OSU/OKC orientation. She is planning on attending OSU/OKC next year as a starter for her major, which will be veterinary medicine. She loves animals, so she wants to be a vet. This evening is a get-to-know-you-and-answer-some-questions-orientation. Karla has a meeting this evening, so I am going with Gayla. The only thing that could possibly cause problems is the severe weather that we are expecting this evening. If severe weather threatens the metro area, our REACT team will be activated and will be tracking the storms as they come into the city area. We will see what happens.
http://www.okcentralreact.org/
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)