altered book

this project is part of the ephemerites round robin projects. first book like this i have altered. it had to be something personal. hope you enjoy!

peace.

one week down, one to go...

the really good news is, i have accomplished everything i wanted to before i left. the bad news is, i still have a week to go! oh well....

there are huge parts of the job i will miss:
...meeting people i would never meet otherwise...Renee Fleming, Art Garfunkel, Bebe Neuwirth, Pink Martini....at least most of them have been really nice and excellent to work with.
...the great people i work with at the phil. small team of dedicated, power-house people who are never going to be paid what they are worth, never going to be appreciated like they should be, and do it anyway to keep the music alive.
...and the special people i've met along the way. you know who you are.

i am excited about the new challenges to come and the growth opportunities they will provide. when i think that the average life span in africa is 43 and the median age is 16, how can i not have a driving force within me to fulfill God's purpose and go into all the world and introduce them to Jesus. they may never have another chance. today may be their last. or mine. or yours. Do you know my Jesus? He loves you and wants most of all for you to know Him too. that's all. just say yes Jesus.

peace.

change is good....

but that doesn't make it easy. i resigned my position with the Phil on friday, amidst tears, not just my own. it is good to be loved. now comes two weeks of intense, make sure all the bases are covered, try to prepare the way for the new person, work.

then on to my new position as director of communications for reaching souls international. i'm very excited about what they do and being able to spread the word about it.

so here goes.

peace.

Reaching Souls International

?????? got a hoopty!!

ok, so you know those moments you wish you had captured on film, phone, whatever....well yesterday i had one.

picture this in your mind. loud music playing (ok that was in my car, but still), and to my right this GHETTO red lincoln, low in the back and bouncing on every bump, silver detailing around all wheel wells, down the doors, across the trunk, decent wheels (no spinners though), windows rolled down....got it?

now look at the driver....young, male, maybe ethnic.....

WRONG!!!!

Granny got a hoopty!!! I almost died laughing! I went from stereotypical to you gotta be kiddin me in 2.5 seconds. Little white granny, dressed in her Sunday best, looking between the steering wheel and the dash, bouncing on every bump.

don't you just love surprises!! and a good, long giggle?

peace.

wow, time really does fly!

well, almost 2 months. end of season has come and gone, if you have never heard Time for Three, you must! They are fabulously talented and will be around for a long time. check them out time for three

anyway, we had a little vacation, the Oklahoma Aquarium is amazing! Had a little down time and now we're back in the swing. I'm heading to Denver next week for conference, so i'll try to post some pics this weekend and chat a little more.

peace.

dream house

ok, well not exactly...really, not ever BUT i drive past this old barn every saturday on my trek to dad land. it intrigues me. this old barn is not in use anymore but with every season there is something beautiful about the simplicity. right now it is surrounded by little purple weeds. i've seen it surrounded by water, snow, green wheat and just dirt. the challenge in taking the pic is that it's off the turnpike and there's no good place to pull over. so forgive the slight blur, this is a slow-down drive by.

sometimes, that just seems to be the way i see life. glimpses, quickly caught, enjoyed, catalogued and foundly remembered.

peace.

Happy St. Paddy's Day

peace!

so i'm not biting the apple....

because i decided a buyer in the hand was better than an entry fee out of the pocket! but if i were submitting, here's my piece. it's called alice's paradigm. click on it to read the texts.

peace.

I love getting birthday cards

and when you have artsy friends, they take a card to a whole new level. Here are some of the cards I received this year.



if you have never had a birthday card made especially for you, send me your birthday and address and you'll have one this year!!

peace.

automatic carwashes

i think that the drive through automatic car wash is a treasure. you go in one end with a filthy car and come out the other end with a shiny clean car. in between you are sprayed and spun and brushed and washed and even waxed(if you upgrade!).

so after all our recent weather, my black car was looking pretty grungy. this morning, i decided to take it through the carwash on my way to dad's house. so i did. jumped on the turnpike in my spiffy clean car and headed to el reno.

before i got 4 miles into the journey, it started sprinkling. then stopped. the sun came out. then it rained. my nice clean car stills looks better than it did, but the wet roads will soon change that.

so anyway, i've told you that to let you know what God showed me. do you know, when i run through the auto wash, it's only the outside of my car that gets clean? the inside still carries the dirt, trash, dog hair, uneaten french fries, etc. that was there when the car was dirty.

but with God, He goes for the full detail. He wants me clean through and through. He doesn't just wash my outside and send me on my merry way to get rained on so i have to come back. He starts on the inside and works His way out. He scrubs the carpet of my heart that has collected the dirt of sin and pain and whatever else. He cleans the dashboard of my mind that has had to much stuff set on it, spilled on it and not been dusted. He cleans around the buttons of my will, my emotion, my thoughts, my desires.... By the time He is done, i am water repellent and smelling fresh like Him. and He houses me in the garage of his love, grace, mercy, sacrifice and protection. AND His clean lasts forever...

may seem strange to you, but it spoke to me today. God spoke to me today.

peace.

ola senorita...

was all he said as he stood on the side of the road and allowed me to take his picture. digital camera-$200, day off- $NC, getting this pic-PRICELESS!!

by the way, the street i was on, WESTERN!! of course! ask ellen, my witness and photographer.

enjoy!

forgot to take a pic....

before i started, but the canvas came to me painted with the words on the bottom. my addition is the bottom left corner...she just looked like she was enjoying the good life....

ephemerites project one movin' on....

peace.

Que sera, sera

whatever will be, will be. seems kind of fatalistic but if you really think about it, if i truly believe God is in control and i truly believe that he has a plan for me, to prosper and not to harm me, to give me hope and a future, then que sera, sera should be my theme song.

don't get me wrong. i don't think i'm a bystander in my life with a whatever sign on my forehead. i know that God wants my full participation in this plan he has for me. i just want to be willing, ready and able to fully participate.

i want to be open to change, ready for assignments and willing to go the extra mile or two. i want to live my life with a capital L! no looking back, no compromise.

God is good all the time and que sera sera, i can't wait to see what will be!!

peace.

Learn something new.....

so i've learned how to add html code to my blog to include some permanent links. this is very exciting to me because i'm basically a hunt and peck method learner and it's good to know the brain still works.

so, check out some of my favorite sites...now that i know how to add them, you can bet i will!

peace.

get LOST!!

I have! If you are not a fan of the ABC show LOST, stop reading...but if you are, I love this show!

It is one of the smartest, most intriguing shows I've seen in years. Never a dull moment, always a twist or 40, and the characters become like family.

My friend, Kristy, and I are addicted. But it goes beyond....she surfs the web and chatboards sending me easter eggs of info. I supply them to the other Lostians in my office, we all surmise, deduce, anticipate and watch.

It is office chatter at it's finest!!

Take a gander and you'll get LOST too!

peace.

frozen in time....

or at least in the stuff that is falling today. some white, some wet, some icy, welcome to Oklahoma! the land of the weather smorgasbord!

peace.

who knew a treasure lay up in guthrie....

i've been to this small town many times...great antiquing, barbecue and Christmas festival. but i had never been to the Banjo Museum until yesterday. you may ask, "why the banjo museum?", it's not my regular gig, but in april Buddy Wachter, Hall of Famer in the banjo world is coming to the Philharmonic AND the banjo museum is moving to Bricktown. so off to banjo world we go and although unsure of the enjoyment factor ahead of time, I was slightly amazed.

These instruments are works of art and define what was truly America's first music form. Here are a few pics i took, enjoy, check out their website and make the trip, you won't be disappointed. Plus, there's a Shakey's tribute room!

Hey, call me and we'll go spend a day in Guthrie.

www.banjomuseum.org

peace.

all things red today

i don't know why, but i'm sharing another red moment with you. hubbie and i went to an amazing restaurant called red prime steakhouse. it is pricey but it is wonderful. the food is good, the service is amazing (thank you joel) and we enjoyed ourselves immensely. try it out...it is special occasion worthy! ask for the round booths.

www.redprimesteak.com

peace.

bowling for fun!!!

If you've never been to Red Pin Bowling Lounge in Bricktown, you should go!!! It is just north of Harkins on the lower level by the river. It's a very deco looking cool place. Prices are reasonable, service is great and the video commentaries on your play is so cute!! If you want to see more, watch Discover Oklahoma on channel 9 on Feb 2 and see the Philharmonic staff having a blast!! We didn't know they'd be there, but what a nice surprise.

check it out www.bowlredpin.com

peace.

round robin starts now

my art group, the Ephemerites, is starting this year's round robin. last year it was canvases and they turned out beautiful. since i joined the group later in the year, i didn't have the opportunity to do one. SOOOO, this year's round robin is a pick what you want, so each project is different. the only complaint i heard about last year's canvases was that they were too small, i fixed that problem, mine is 30 x 40!!

here is the beginning of my project. i'll update each month and show the work that's been done. i may even show you what i'm working on. enjoy.

peace!!

I'm dreaming of a white elephant Christmas???

my dear mother, who's known by all around to be on the quirky side, out-did herself this year. amidst the unwrapping of lovely gifts, we came across these.



in case you can't read them clearly, the dress says "you're still hot, it just comes in flashes now." and the stud cowboy says "this ain't no beer belly it's a gas tank for a sex machine." feel free to click on the picture and see them close up!

charming. i wondering if she would like some of those manure animals for her birthday?

peace.

self portrait

so the ephemarites are going to published in a magazine called Haute Handbags. it's a somerset publication and we're all excited! we submitted a purse that we all altered and they accepted it and wanted an article about our group. all that to say....i needed a self portrait and bio to put on www.pashnada.com/artists.htm so the world could see all of us.



it's a little strange cutting out your own head, but i like the finished product.

peace.

I call it Christmas.....

and not to be politically incorrect, although that is enticing ;-), but because it is Christmas. like it or not, believe in it or not, this holiday is the day that christians around the world celebrate the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ.

we have Christmas trees symbolizing the tree our Savior was crucified on to provide redemption for our sins and an eternal home in heaven with God the Father.

we share Christmas gifts as a remembrance of the gifts that were brought to the Christ-child in honor of his birth by the wisemen following a star.

we sing Christmas carols to remind ourselves and teach our children the oral history of this holiday and to celebrate the reason we sing.

it isn't about having a happy holiday it's about stopping once a year and saying Thank you God in heaven for sending your only Son, Jesus Christ to be the sacrifice for our sins so that we can live this life in service, honor and praise to you. Thank you for miraculously giving this little child, to a virgin, to save us all if we will only but believe and accept this most precious of Christmas gifts.

Merry Christmas!! May you find Christ in the middle of your happy holidays.

peace.

crawfords 2007

so every once in a while, we get together and i remember the camera. here's the crawford clan in 2007.

oh tannebaum....

you'll never be the same. this was a lovely bradford pear down the street from my mom. i'm not sure it will recover from the ice storm of 2007.

driving through the city today, it reminded me of how thankful i am that although this ice storm has caused devastation temporarily for most, some war torn countries look like this each and every day and not by the hand of mother nature, but by their own hands and the hands of their enemies. i do pray for those who have lost loved ones, lost their homes, lost their power, but i Thank you God, this too shall pass....

peace.

oh sleet!

yes folks, we're in Oklahoma! i swear, it's rained all year. this is the most unusual weather i have seen in my 27 years of residency and in OK, that's saying a lot! so here's a pic of today....we're praying the trees can handle the weight of the ice...we have a small one down already, but it's bertha in the backyard that could take out our house!!

peace.

music heals....

i've always seen the relationship of music to memory and well-being....it's nice to see those gifts God has given us, shared with those who may not otherwise experience them.

The Children's Center in Bethany

peace.

proud mom moment

for any of you that know me, you know i'm always proud of my kids. it's nice when someone else notices them too.

click here

peace.

You caught it!!

so our little viral marketing experiment was successful!! thanks to all of you who printed the coupon and came to see the show. Hope you enjoyed. special thanks to Dwayne at blogcity for his review of the show. we'll try again, so keep watching....

peace!

to see dwayne's review go to http://dwayne.blog-city.com

Very Merry Pops!

so we're trying a little viral marketing. this is a virus you won't mind catching. if you print off this coupon and take it to the Civic Center Music Hall on December 1st, you'll get $5 off every ticket you buy. it's a great show and a great savings!

Mayor's Tree Lighting

so me, Phil and the gang went to the Mayor's tree lighting on Friday evening. Hundreds of folks came and welcomed in the season. Here's a few pics!

peace.

thankfull...

i know you spell it thankful, however, i am full. not of the usual turkey and trimmings, although they were tasty if i do say so myself (i cooked), but i am full of thanks to God for all the wonderful people He has put in my life. my husband, my daughters, my family, and friends old and new. we had a blessed thanksgiving. here are the pics....

peace.

need a good laugh?

Try this one!!

Never Hit a Little Old Lady

peace...and a giggles!

my nametag said artist!!!

and i didn't write it myself....so i went to the red show, one of my pieces sold, and i got to hang with a great group of folks who came out to support a good cause. if you've never been to the paseo, go to the gallery walk on the first friday of the month and support our local artists. lots of good stuff going on...

it was very cool to see my artwork hanging in a gallery and wearing a tag with artist on it. great evening, great experience, i will definitely do it again...

peace.

Trip to San Francisco

BR Cohn vineyard--they do wine and the most amazing olive oil....

The Golden Gate Bridge...nuf said.

looking off our balcony into Japan Town

our hotel room artwork...very fun!

i didn't leave my heart there, but i would love to go back. here are a few pics i took while i was there. we stayed in the Hotel Tomo in Japan Town. it's like an anime cartoon inside. very cool....

more later....

g

it's November already!!

i can't believe how fast time flies! The Red Show is this Saturday, the von Trapp kids are in OKC, i've been married for 24 years to the best guy in the whole world and Christmas will be here before we know it.

in fact, i think everyone has forgotten thanksgiving....

but i'm thankful and looking forward to some time off with family and friends.

i had a wonderful time in san francisco and if i'm ever home again, i'll upload some pics. it was B-E-A-utiful!!

peace.
g

Red Show...Here we go!!

I'm in!!! I'm excited!!! so if you are in the Paseo (www.thepaseo.com) on November 10th, bring your wallet, see the show and support a good cause....

Besides, I'm in!!! They like me, they really like me....or at least my art....whatever!

peace.

reading other blogs and thinking

so i'll start with this blog i read recently.....http://bobbickford.typepad.com/bobs_blog/2007/09/doing-the-last-.html

it's his work, not mine....mine's at the bottom...

From Bob:

September 27, 2007
Doing the Last Thing Yout Want to Do--First
Marriage is the union of two selfish people. Competing desires collide creating friction and frustration. Each person is waiting for the other to make the first move. Husbands and wives, who promised to love and cherish forever now locked in a stalemate, angry.

I've been there. Withholding affection, attention and acts of kind service because she hasn't or won't or doesn't care to. It seemed like the right thing to do--penalize her, freeze her out with cold silence, withhold what she desires most until I get what I want. Seeing this in letters makes me look like the kid who took his toys and ran home. Yeah, that'll teach her.

It teaches her that I'm selfish, immature and concerned more about me rather than her. That'll make her want to love me won't it? Stupid

What I've been learning is that the last thing I want to do should be the first thing I do.

I don't want to help with dinner, dishes or the kids homework and bedtime, I don't want to cut my workout short--I want to sit and mindlessly flip through the TV, surf the net or pretend to read the mail. I don't want to listen--I'm listened out. I don't want to fix that door/microwave/floor, cabinet that's been in "process" for months. I know what I want to do...I know what she wants me to do....and I don't want to do it. In turn she doesn't want to do what I want her to do either.

We're on the opposite sides of a carousel hopelessly spinning around.

It's my responsibility to make the first move. When I do, she feels loved, valued and cared for. In turn she'll likely express that in ways I appreciate. If the only reason for my moving toward her is for what it may do for me she'll see right through it, if my motives are sincere she'll be blessed. Ultimately, I'll be blessed in turn.

Husbands...do the last thing first.

Thanks Bob!! here's mine....

marriage isn't math

i'm sure that when you met your spouse you didn't say to yourself "there is an 83% chance that this one is THE one. given my aptitude for training, i can close the gap to 90% or so in a relatively short amount of time guaranteeing a 100% turn around in the weaknesses i currently perceive enabling the potential for an iron clad union to last an indefinite amount of time providing continuity in the genetic stabilization of our bloodlines for centuries to come."

we're not watching Numbers on NBC, we're talking about life.

so i was thinking this morning that marriage isn't 50/50. wives, you're to be giving 100% to this man you have married. WAIT...before you start the hate commenting...husbands, it goes for you too. Marriage isn't about math, keeping score, tallying up your goods against your spouse's bads. it's about emptying yourself of the right to keep score. it's about fulfilling the promises you made while not nagging your spouse to do the same. it's about living open handed, open hearted and sometimes, close mouthed except in prayer.

Proverbs 21:9
"Better to live on a corner of the roof than share a house with a quarrelsome wife."

but wait, it gets better....

Ephesians 5:25-33
"Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless. In this same way, husbands ought to love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. After all, no one ever hated his own body, but he feeds and cares for it, just as Christ does the church— for we are members of his body. "For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh." This is a profound mystery—but I am talking about Christ and the church. However, each one of you also must love his wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband."

Christ died for me. my call to my husband is no less.

peace.

Renee Fleming, part 2

for those who may not be music psychos like i am, renee fleming is one of the premier soprano opera singers of our time. she is world renowned and amazingly talented. and to top it all off, a very nice woman. personable, funny and charming. although she is a diva, she doesn't act like one. i love that!!

if you'd like to hear a little and read a little more, check out www.renee-fleming.com.

peace.
g

I got to sing with Renee Fleming!!!

Renee Fleming was in concert with the Phil on Saturday evening. She was glorious!!! 5 standing ovations, 4 encores, many tears and smiles....it was an amazing experience. We were 7 rows from the stage on the aisle and it was perfect!

and then, i got to sing with her. I could have danced all night, the second chorus, i'll never forget it. yes, well, of course, the whole auditorium was singing too. but i got to sing with her!!!!

wow.

peace,
g

involve me...

i've never had a super long attention span for listening...i can do, i can read, i can participate, but listening for long times is difficult. thinking toward involving people in an issue that may never touch them personally, i think you have to let them experience the impact.

that's the thought behind my second piece for the red show. the brown piece in the middle says "tell me and i'll forget. show me and i may not remember. involve me and i'll understand."

peace.