Labor Day 2009 At the lake....

For all of you that have been wondering.....the boat ran flawlessly last weekend!! Finally got it right! Just in time for the boating season to wind down...oh yeah......

We did have a blast at Lake Hudson. Probably the most fun that I have had since my last storm chase.....lol!

PS...that's a pic of my nephew Nolan Michael Smith--he was with us and kept us entertained:-0

IT'S A BOY!!! IT'S A BOY!!!

No, not mine, but he's my brand new nephew!! Yes, my brother & sister in law had a bouncing baby boy!! Named after our dad Nolan Smith, after his daddy David Michael Smith, and also our grandpa Michael Taylor. His name is Nolan Michael Smith. Nolan was born May 8, 2009 in Tulsa. Mom and little Nolan are doing very well and both are resting at home. I cannot tell you how proud of my little brother I am....you know big brothers are supposed to be the role models, but he is my role model. He worked so hard to get through college and get his teaching degree and now he gets to touch hundreds of kids' lives each day with his goodness of heart and his wisdom. I am also very proud of my sister in law Artie. Artie teaches special needs children at school--it's not a job but a calling! They are a couple that were designed by God for each other! Way to go, Dave & Artie!!!! I am so proud of you!!!!!

That's my daughter Chrissy holding little Nolan in the first pic!!

101st post...

Looks like a rainy day today! The other day Dan had a 100% chance of rain for Wednesday. Well, looks like his forecast verified! We can use the rain & it should make for a very pretty fall here in NE Oklahoma in the next couple of weeks.

Our benefit garage sale went very well.....we raised over $1,700.00 for Mike and this will help him greatly! Thanks to all who were involved!! This year has really been a heavy time for me, but especially for Mike. I am looking forward to the day when his doctor declares him cancer free!! And then I will shave my playoff beard!! YAY!!!

I spoke with Lanny Dean earlier & he and I want to organize a chaser gathering, so stay tuned for an announcement about a gathering sometime in November, just to hang out & visit about the perils of chasing, share videos & pics, & have a little fun...

3 more days....

Some look forward to Fridays. I do as well. I am anxiously awaiting Friday. You see, that's the day of Mike's surgery. I know he's not looking forward to it, and I totally understand, but I want to see my friend declared cancer free and the sooner the better. I'm tired of seeing him hurting, and I often wonder why our loving Lord lets cancer run so rampant. Maybe it's to remind us that life is ever so delicate, and we all need to cherish this gift more than we do. Maybe He wants us to spend more time with our families. Maybe He just wants us to do Matthew 6:33......Seek first His righteousness, & His Kingdom, and wait for Him to do the rest....I dunno, but it's not good to watch someone suffer with cancer--especially when it's your best friend and his pain is your pain...
We are still getting things together for the big garage sale. If you have anything to donate, let me know, as all of the proceeds will go directly to Mike to help with his medical expenses. A big shout out to Jerri Walden & Helen Underwood & gang for organizing this!!!! Thank you ladies!!!
Well, that's all I got for now, I will keep you up to date as Mike goes in Friday...

Miracles...

Well, the car wash was awesome!! It all started with rain moving in from the west and my asking God what He was doing. Did He want to wash the cars? apparently so but then the rain stopped & the sun came out. At the cars rolled in to get a wash, people were asking what we were raising money for. One generous fellow said that his wife was battling brain cancer & I heard several other stories about how God has walked with them during bouts with cancer. The day really was a big encouragement to Mike and I. Please continue to pray for him and feel free to post comments about how God has walked with you during hard times...

Car wash benefit for Mike coming Saturday!!

Well, Saturday is almost upon us, and so is the benefit car wash for Mike Borrell. Mike is doing pretty well, and is facing major cancer surgery sometime in October that will keep him off work for several weeks without any income. He does have insurance which is a big help in this situation, but as we all know, insurance does not pay everything.

Here’s the scoop. On The Edge youth group will meet at the church at 8:15 for doughnuts! We will have coolers loaded with water, and will take some folding chairs. I could use a couple of buckets, sponges, and car wash soap if someone can help me out w/ these items. Also we will need an EZ-up for shade. We will start the car wash at 9:00am and run it until 1-ish, depending on how things are going. We also have help coming from kids from Youth at Heart, and Woodlake Assembly of God. Thanx guys!!

So, everyone be sure & get your cars dirty and come on out & get ‘em washed for a great cause!! ALL proceeds will go directly to Mike, who is a ministry partner & best friend. Someday I will share a testimony of how big of a role Mike played in my coming to know the Lord, and how he has been a true friend throughout the years.

I will share more info on future events we have planned such as the Sept. 19th benefit race and the community garage sale on Oct. 17-18th as those dates get closer.

...another hat to wear...

Well, it looks like I have found yet another hobby. My son & I have kinda gotten into r/c racing. It's a hoot!
Stay tuned! I will post video in a few days!!

cool sunrise pic...

I shot this Wednesday morning on the way to work.....I love the sunrises this time of year!

Back to normal.....

Well, it's been a whole day since my power came back on....and I am enjoying it. As I start to look at the damage and concentrate on cleaning up my yard, it will be a daunting task. My brother said he will bring his chainsaw & our family will come together & do cleanup. I am very blessed to have a wonderful family!!

Oh yeah, 4 days 'till Christmas!!

The sun will come out.....tomorrow........maybe

Day nine without power......VVEC says they don't know when power will be restored.....most of my neighbors now have power except for my side of the street.....

Ok, this is getting a little hard for my family. I start to wonder if we should have just taken a cruise or something (like I could afford that). Beginning to wonder about Christmas & how we will have money to pay the bills and buy the kids a little something for Christmas. We know that Christmas is not about presents, but we celebrate our Savior's birth by remembering why He had to come down here in the first place, and by giving gifts, because the best & most important Gift has already been given. Total expenses so far for keeping my family warm & fed-----about 1,200.00, give or take. But know this, we are better prepared when this happens again!

I could ramble about the problems I have had with VVEC, but it would not help the situation. What will help is what I already have, friends praying for me. I just got a message from a good friend & he said "I was just checking up on you & praying for you." Brother, you do not know how that simple statement has helped. As I thought about this message, tears welled up & I am so thankful for friends........

Maybe today will be the day that my power comes back on........

Chin up, dog!!

Day 8 without power......

My poor fat Boston Terrier is about to go crazy! It is like she's depressed. My mom's electric was turned on yesterday and she is happy. I am also happy for her as my generator gas bill was cut in half! My family & my brother & his wife all converged on mom's trees yesterday & cut limbs & trees galore! We worked for a long time piling limbs & here comes my buddy with his front end loader & scooped them all up & pushed the limbs into a big pile!! Thanks, Andy!!

...just now spoke w/ VVEC, and reported my power lines down for the bazzillionth time, and besides them acting as if it a new report every time I call in, they could not give me an ETA on my repair!! At least yesterday they said I would have power by Wednesday, and now no ETA!! They had crews working in my area both Saturday & Sunday, why couldn't they repair the lines lying across my back yard?? Maybe an hour or two to repair the forty some odd homes still dark in my addition.

...on a positive note(I really am trying to keep a good attitude during this crisis), I was able to go to church yesterday & that was refreshing. All the folks at New Life are awesome & I believe I attend the best church in the world! We had our Christmas program last night & our OnTheEdge youth group did a skit to the song Mary Did You Know and they did a great job! Hubert also put on a great program with the choir!

Well, that's all my thoughts for now. Maybe my lights will be on tonight...(I keep saying maybe today's the day).....

Day 6 without power........

I am growing tired and impatient with my electric company. I understand that the linemen and crews are doing all that they can, but I am disappointed with the administration. VVEC started with 9,000 homes without power last Monday, and I heard that on Friday that they were down to 5,000. I also heard that my house may be back on by Wednesday! And others will be dark until Dec. 23rd!!! About half of my addition is back online but I have the line down in my backyard.......
I actually got some good rest last night....about 6 hours of sleep.

It is misting/snowing right now, some call it "snizzle". I am prepared, I bought a Poulan chainsaw yesterday so I can now vent my frustration & stress out on the poor fallen trees:)

Please understand, I am extremely proud of our electric crews, especially those that came from other areas, but my rural company I am extremely dissatisfied with. Crews have been in my neighborhood, so I ask while they are out here, why can't they repair my line? What is their strategy? Most of the time, you cannot even get through to VVEC........I wonder if my bill was late would they tolerate my phone being constantly busy? Or would they simply disconnect my service?

In the dark........

Extreme emotions....

Day 5 without power at my house.......

Well, after working every day at work, then going home and working on different solutions to the electricity situation, I am exhausted. I have went from being totally satisfied with my electric company, to being totally upset with them, and back again. As I made my way home, I saw lights on in my neighborhood but when I got home, I realized that power was on across the street, but my side is still dark due to lines down (see picture back a few entries).

I have spent probably in excess of a thousand dollars this week trying to provide for my family when I probably should have simply went to the Claremore shelter......stubborn, I guess but I fear for my property and my animals.......

The awesome thing is that I have gotten closer to God. It is amazing when everything is quiet how one can hear His voice more clearly. I have been up in the wee hours each day of this disaster just spending time alone with Him.

As I drove to work this morning, I saw several Pike Electric trucks heading into Tulsa. I honked, and rolled my window down & gave them all thumbs up. I also cried a little too maybe due to the stress, maybe due to my just being thankful that they are here. . I know that they weren't headed for my home, but they have left the comfort of their homes and families to help others in a time of of need. Sure they are getting paid for it, but I think they deserve it. So, for the few of you that read this (thanks, mom!), when you see an electric truck, honk & give them thumbs up!!

What is important??

Day four without power in Verdigris......

After contemplating the great ice storm of 2007, also the largest power outage in the history of Oklahoma, I was up at 3:00am wondering why we rely so much on creature comforts such as electricity......yes, I said creature comforts!! God has "loaned" us everything we have(no, we cannot take it with us when we go), and so it is His to take back anytime he wants. No questions asked... so, along that line, I think(my opinion only) that maybe God wants us to slow down and realize what is important. As I tried to sleep in my living room floor last night, I realized gone are the movies, video games, and TV, but what remains? Family and friends. That's what's important--the only thing that is more important should be your relationship with God. End of story.