Grant's First Birthday Party!

Grant's First Birthday Party! 28 May 2011.
Originally uploaded by brad_holt

Grant's very first birthday party (excluding the birthday dinner on his actual birthday) was Saturday, May 28th at Asher FBC Fellowship Hall! It was a very cute camping theme with a gift boat, log cabin, tent and more! He loved all his new toys but was very fond of his new car! Everyone had a great time and mom and dad took a very sleepy (and happy) boy home for bed.

There are pictures over at Flickr!
Or start a slide-show!

Oklahoma History Museum

Oklahoma History Museum, 14 May 2011.
Originally uploaded by brad_holt

A friend and I went to the new Oklahoma History Museum. I had been there before, but only to the research part (nerd, yes, I know, hehe). The museum was not bad. There was a special exhibit on "Oklahoma Driven" featuring a lot of the first generation cars that was interesting to see. They were all either very small or very large. haha. Afterward was a very good dinner at Belle Isle Brewery and a fun evening out. Yeah, that's right.... I'm getting out every once in a while now and it ain't too bad! ;-)

For more, see Flickr Set

Mother's Day

Mother's Day, 08 May 2011.
Originally uploaded by brad_holt

We had a great Mother's Day! We had a cookout at mom's house with a lot of food including hotdogs, hamburgers and polish sausage with all the fixings. Attending other than us five was grandma and Sally's parents- David and Brenda.

For more, see Flickr Set

Babysitting Grant

Babysitting Grant, 30 Apr 2011.
Originally uploaded by brad_holt

Mom was babysitting Grant. I only caught the tail end but it was still fun. I love the way he lights up when he sees an iPhone. He's going to be an Apple Geek for sure, I already see it. It cracks me up he knows to swipe the screen to change the pictures. We spent a little time on the patio where he tried to figure out Annie (yes, it appears to be a dog, but much bigger, friendlier and quieter than Jersey. hehe. I'd be confused too). We took a walk up the road to visit papa for a bit. I tried to take a nap with him toward the end of the evening but he'd have none of that. He kept attacking me!!

For more, see Flickr Set

Blog “Fall” Catch Up

Okay, I’ll admit it. I’m so horrible at this Blog. Facebook takes up most of my free time; I’ve considered giving it up altogether. But I think it will be interesting to look back on sometime, so I will continue the best I can. In that somewhat indifferent spirit, here’s my fall catch-up entry. BTW, wasn’t fall just awesome? The weather was beautiful! And I seemed to have lots of stuff going on.

September

Mom’s Birthday

We celebrated mom’s birthday at Red Lobster in Shawnee. Grant, clearly not in a celebratory mood, slept through most of it.

Flickr Set>> (Not uploaded yet)

October

Texas

I had some stuff going on in October! Early in the month I went to Allen/Grapevine/Dallas in a combo shopping/work trip. I did some shopping for the New York trip at the outlet mall in Allen, stayed at Ted and Evelyn’s condo in Grapevine, then went to Dallas the next day. At Dallas, I went to the Dallas Zoo for the SmartStrand Zoo Challenge (I’m sure you don’t care, it’s a promotional tie-in thing Mohawk was doing with SmartStrand carpet and rhinos, elephants and camels). I also went to Dealey Plaza and Museum, which was the first time I had been there. It was very interesting, especially since nothing has changed much since that historic event happened.

Flickr Set>> http://www.flickr.com/photos/brad_holt/sets/72157625136318100/

Earthquake!

Dude, I just felt my first earthquake. It was awesome.

New York City

The next weekend, I left for New York City! This is one of those trips I had wanted to do for a while. Somehow Nora, my friend who lives in Germany, and I were able to make this work and met there. I was so overwhelmed right at first. The amount of people, traffic and noise was astounding. I (mostly) adjusted though and ended up having a good time, although I think once will be enough. Some of my favorite things were Battery Park, which is near the World Trade Center site. It is right on the water. The views were amazing, the photo opportunities were endless and it was relatively uncrowded and quiet. I also loved the day we went to the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island. I enjoyed the two observatories we did, Top of the Rock (GE Building) at night and Empire State Building during the day. The night we went to watch a Broadway play was fun too. We didn’t get to see much of Central Park. I would have liked to have spent more time there, if only time would allow for everything. As we were exiting though, we joined an (apparently) impromptu sing-along of Beatles songs at Strawberry Fields, across the road from where John Lennon lived and was killed. It was a lovely way to end the evening. In addition, while we were there, we got to meet up with not one, but two, high school classmates and current area residents, which is nothing short of impressive considering our school size. Like I said, I’m not sure I will ever go back, but I’m glad I got to see it. How people live there is beyond me, but it seems that it’s quite popular. ;-)

Flickr Set>> http://www.flickr.com/photos/brad_holt/sets/72157625095823865/

(Small) HS Reunion

After a stop in FL, Nora came to visit Oklahoma before returning to Germany and we got to get together with some other classmates over dinner at Polo’s in Ada. It was very nice to see everyone!

Flickr Set>> (Not uploaded yet)

Halloween

I went to Steve & Sally’s for Halloween. We had some good food and gave out lots of candy. Just how Halloween should be.

November

Thunder Game

I went to my first thunder game with Steve in early November. I actually enjoyed it so much more than I thought I would. I want to go back!

Thanksgiving

Mom hosted a great Thanksgiving meal. In attendance were Grandma and Bill, Papa Bruce, Steve, Sally, Grant, mom and myself.

Flickr Set>> http://www.flickr.com/photos/brad_holt/sets/72157625468497092/

Christmas Lights

At the end of November, Christmas lights were glowing once again.

Pic>> http://www.facebook.com/bradaholt?ref=profile#!/photo.php?fbid=1580012672649&set=a.1538177386793.75023.1605636710

4th of July Patio Party (Observed)

(This is the last of my blog "catch-up" posts, so there are new posts all the way down to the one about Grant.")

JulyCookout_16July2010 012
Originally uploaded by brad_holt

I had planned my first official patio get-together for July 3rd. We were going to have a cookout and then watch the fireworks later that night. I worked so hard getting everything ready outside and getting my house clean inside. But then it rained it out. So, we tried again the next Friday. I worked so hard getting everything ready outside and getting my house clean inside. But then it rained it out. So, we tried again the next Friday. I had really lost all motivation to make sure everything was perfect, but still made a half-hearted attempt. We had the party a few hours after work, which I found to be a big mistake because there just wasn’t enough time But we pulled it off, more or less and celebrated the 4th a few weeks late.

There are photos, although they are arguably all pretty bad due to light conditions. If you want to look at them anyway… http://www.flickr.com/photos/brad_holt/sets/72157624396727557/

Patio is almost there!

Patio_13June2010
Originally uploaded by brad_holt

My patio is finally done (well, mostly)! This has been quite a little process. It started in early-May when I tore off my sorry excuse for a deck. I built it almost five years ago out of left-over fence panels. It was intended to be temporary until I built my real deck, but as these things often are, temporary turned into semi-permanent. I had thought I was going to build a new deck, but decided to go with a patio with concrete slab instead. Funny thing: When I tore out the tile in my kitchen and dining room, I took up some panels in the deck and discarded all that tile under the deck. I presumed it wouldn’t matter because when I built the new deck I could just go over it. But with the slab, I had to move all that tile. It was in hundreds and hundreds of pieces. It was much fun.

Then it rained for a while, so it pushed back my concrete. And then it rained some more. And some more. Finally it had been dry for a couple of weeks but I still hadn’t heard from my concrete guy. So I called him, only to find out he had “forgot about me.” But a few days later he was out there and I got concrete laid. Thank goodness. By the end of May I had the slab poured and cured and got my furniture assembled and on the patio. All that’s missing was everything else. I was lucky to have a “do-it-all” guy around who had just finished repainting my house, and he agreed to help me with the patio as well. By mid-June we were pretty much finished. I added a little “side-deck” on the side of the patio and raised up my fence a little for privacy. I still have two things yet to complete: laying tile and a little bit of landscaping around the patio. I can’t wait until it’s completely done! But it’s been nice so far. I love hanging out there, lounging in the chaise, surfing the web or eating dinner.

If you want to check out the patio, head over to Flickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/brad_holt/sets/72157624553525094/

Winter Blog Catch-up!

FebSnow_11Feb2010 048
Originally uploaded by brad_holt

Woah. Major blog black-out, huh? Facebook has kept me so busy I forgot about my little blog here. Today, I catch up! Here's what I've been up to this winter, "check it out over at Flickr" style.

11 Feb 2010: I captured the 50th snow of the winter at, appropriately enough, Wintersmith Park. It was probably the prettiest snow I have ever seen. Flickr Set >>>

06 Feb 2010: Ice Storm Aftermath - Asher. The ice tore up the trees and power lines pretty good. I photographed a little of it and help with the cleanup. CHAINSAW! (Multiplicity fans, anyone?) Flickr Set >>>

30 Jan 2010: Winter Storm 2010! The first storm of the new year came early and came big. A few photos, but I didn't venture out much. Flickr Set >>>

31 Dec 2009: Happy New Years! I go to some of the calmest New Years parties on the planet, but we had fun. And, the little dog, too. Flickr Set >>>

25 Dec 2009: Christmas / Is this blizzard going to kill us? Major blizzard time fun (and the closure of I-35) kept some of our guests away, but we made the best of it and had a pretty good Christmas. Flickr Set (Christmas) >>> Flickr Set (the snow) >>>

29 Nov 2009: Steve's 27th Birthday at Ted's in Norman. Flickr Set >>>

That's it! I'm all caught up.

Another Broken Bow Trip?

It had been 11 years since we had been to Broken Bow and this was our second trip of the year. But, for a few different reasons, the trip earlier this year was a partial-bust, so we decided to make an impromptu "make-up" family trip to Broken Bow / Hochatown. We relaxed in a great cabin, visited Broken Bow Lake and the park and ate a couple of good meals at the local steakhouse. The weather cooperated this time and turned out to be a pretty nice and relaxing weekend.

Photos over at Flickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/brad_holt/sets/72157622819603646/

Broken Bow Special

HoltBrad_HoltBruceA_BrokenBow_SEPT1983
Originally uploaded by brad_holt

I've added a special set over at Flickr where I'll be adding photos of our many, many Broken Bow / Beaver's Bend trips. When we were younger, it seemed like we went every year (sometimes twice). There's some on there from the early 80's now and I'll add others later on.

Check the set out over at Flickr-ville: http://www.flickr.com/photos/brad_holt/sets/72157621958292602/

July 4th Cookout

July4Cookout_04JUL2009_ 014
Originally uploaded by brad_holt

A little delayed blogging here, but I was waiting to get some photos from my aunt as I didn't take many. On July 4th, we had a fairly large gathering at mom’s house to celebrate Independence Day. My aunt Linda was down from New Jersey with her family, so mom wanted to do something for them while they were here. Also in attendance was my uncle Darren and his wife, Abigail as well as grandma Mary. Steve and Sally brought along friends Lynlie and Adam and Sally’s parents, David and Brenda. There were also 6,000 kids there. Okay… let’s see… alright, maybe it was just six. I stress out around kids. Big time. So, it doesn’t really matter if it was six or 6,000. Well, it might a little.
It had already rained twice earlier in the day and it was starting to rain again as people arrived. I’m not complaining though. Never gripe about rain in July in Oklahoma. Never. Shortly after the feast which included hot dogs, hamburgers, polish sausage, pulled pork, and many sides and deserts, Steve decided it was time to go shoot guns. It’s just what he does at family gatherings. It’s still raining, so I decide not to go. But then fireworks scare one of the children and there’s crying, so I’m like… “hey, Steve, wait up!” We get to our destination (AKA Pond #3) and start unloading the “targets,” which include several plastic containers, a chair and a microwave. I got to chunk the microwave off the pond dam to the ground below. It was quite satisfying. During an amazing display of fire power, the rain intensified. After we were thoroughly soaked, we returned to change clothes. Steve had to clean all the guns because of the rain. And, I, my camera.
When we returned we found out the fireworks had been canceled due to the rain (both Asher and Ada had them the next week, though). So, we just ate some more and watched some pretty funny videos Linda’s kids had made on Jib-Jab.

There are photos and video, and they're over at Flickr.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/brad_holt/sets/72157621430193613/

Ada Air Expo

AdaAirExpo_20June2009_US_045
Originally uploaded by brad_holt

Today, Steve, Sally, Mom and I went to the Ada Air Expo at the airport. There were so many people there; it was kind of unbelievable. We found shade under the wing of a small plane and enjoyed the show. I also browsed a small car show they had set-up. The Lima Lima flight formation team was by far the most interesting part but it was last and we were trying to leave and beat the rush. We probably should have stayed and watched all of it, but we did see the majority, I believe. It's probably not something I'll do again, but it was interesting to check out. Afterward, we went and ate at Applebee's and then I came home and crashed. It was pretty warm out there.

Photos on Flickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/brad_holt/sets/72157620022813616/

Mini-Vacation to Broken Bow not according to plan...

BrokenBow_15May2009_ (5)
Originally uploaded by brad_holt

Just got back from a mini family vacation to Broken Bow. When we rolled into town we stopped at the grocery store to find out the car show at the park, the primary reason for our visit, had been canceled due to flooding. Dandy. Come to find out later, though, it had moved to the high school, rather than being cancelled. Not quite the same picturesque setting, but better than no car show at all. After the groceries, we stop at KFC where I'm almost certain we got some chicken that would give me food poisoning in the coming hours. I almost didn't get anything because they didn't have grilled chicken, and that would have been the smarter move. Our cabin was in Hochatown and, while very nice, not quite as secluded as we would have hoped. A few hours after the chicken, no one was feeling too well, but I got quite sick and stayed that way for the majority of the trip. Fun deal. The car show was fun, we got to see a lot of nice cars, although I think I liked the trucks better. Sunday was a beautiful day and I was feeling better, so we went as far as we could into the park, which was closed due to the high water. We went down a hiking trail to this stream with the clearest water I had ever seen. We shot some photos there and relaxed for a bit before heading back home. It was a nice way to end the trip, even if it didn't all go according to plan.

There are photos on Flickr if you want to take a look.

Christmas Eve

ChristmasEve_24Dec2008_ 013
Originally uploaded by brad_holt

For our decidedly low-key Christmas Eve this year we had Pizza and Pasta from Pizza Hut, opened gifts and played a game where we pretty much made up our own rules. We laughed a lot over not much at all and ate too many brownies.

Why, yes, there are pictures on Flickr. And, they're right about here

And, for what just edged out last year as the worst Christmas ever, mom and I spent it at the hospital with Mamalee who is not doing well. We had lunch and dinner at the Casino next door to the hospital, which was sad all in itself. (but not all that bad food, it turned out). We did get a break and joined Steve to watch Valkrie, which was okay but not exactly the feel-good fuzzy movie we should have went seen. Here's to a better Christmas next year.

New Advertisements Collection

AtkinsStore_Jan1914
Originally uploaded by Small Town OK

New over at "Small Town OK" Flickr is a set of old advertisements collected from the teens. There's only a few up now, but I'm on the look out for others. Better Go Now! There are BARGAINS GALORE!

Hurry on over to Flickr before they're all gone.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/asherok/sets/72157611384456967/

Cattlemen's

Cattlemens_12Dec2008_ 002
Originally uploaded by brad_holt

On Friday night, Bradley and Mary invited us all up to Cattlemen's in Oklahoma City's historic stockyard city (just had to add that). I think this was the first time I had been there, although there's a chance I went on a FFA trip once. I told Steve the restaurant reminded me of JD's in Ada... "We haven't remodeled in 50 years and we're proud of it!" We had a nice meal (the steak was very good) and then went back to Norman to look at their new house, which was very nice.

There are pictures over at Flickr. Go and get 'em.
http://flickr.com/photos/brad_holt/sets/72157611251636558/

Steve's 26th Birthday

904512-R1-03-20A
Originally uploaded by brad_holt

We celebrated Steve's 26th Birthday a little early, since it fell on a weekday. It started at his house, we came to check out his new TV Steve and Sally bought themselves for Christmas. Steve played a little XBox for us. We were going to watch the new Bond movie in Moore, but didn't quite make it, so we ate first at Red Lobster in Norman. Red Lobster, yeah I know. It was a total shocker for me as well. We went by Sam's to check out surround sound systems and then headed back to Asher where we had cake and ice-cream (good) and watched the OU-OSU game on TV. Attending were Steve and Sally, mom, Todd Hughes, Brenda and David (Sally's parents), Jennifer and Marty (Sally's cousin) and myself.

The pictures are on Flickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/brad_holt/sets/72157610530115844/

Thanksgiving 2008

Thanksgiving_27Nov2008_ 031
Originally uploaded by brad_holt

This year I had Thanksgiving at mom's house. We had almost 20 people there and had a good time. Lunch was at noon The weater was perfect. Some sat outside and enjoyed the day. Mamalee seemed to be enjoying herself and sat outside in the sun for a while talking, so that was nice. We had a great meal and several went down to the pond afterward and shot various guns at poor pumpkins and other food goods. The day ended with the last leaving around dark, so a pretty successful Thanksgiving it was.

See this pics on Flickr:
http://flickr.com/photos/brad_holt/sets/72157610255552459/

You... yes, you. Join flickr.

I'm on a quest to get people to join flickr. Which... I'm just going to go ahead and say it... may be the coolest website on the whole www. So, here are my reasons why:

1. It's an easy way to share all your pictures with everyone.
2. It's also an easy way to share pictures with just a select few. You can create permissions and feel very powerful.
3. You can tag all your pictures which makes it easy to find that picture (and any other like it) very quickly.
4. It's free although you can purchase a pro account for some special added powers.
5. It's a community. I can comment on your pics, you can comment on mine, complete strangers can comment on other complete strangers.
6. You can draw little boxes on the pictures and add funny notes. Like, you can draw a box around someone's hair and say... hey, that's some stupid-looking hair.
7. When you log in, you get to see any new pictures your friends have added.
8. You can view pictures other places than your computer. I can view them on my iPhone and on my TV (via AppleTV) for instance. Of course, you'd have to have those things.
9. It's a great backup in case your house burns down and stuff.
10. And, for you fellow bloggers, it's easy to create a blog from any picture WITHIN flickr. That's right, you don't even have to leave the site.

There's other things too, but I have the uncontrollable urge to stop at 10. So, join flickr, won't you? If you have any questions, I'd be happy to try and help. As they say, flickr really is more fun when others join in.

If you want to see my flickr pages, see http://www.flickr.com/brad_holt and http://www.flickr.com/asherok

DC Vacation Update: Day 4

At the White House!
Originally uploaded by brad_holt

Our final full day started with the White House. We went through the visitors center before the tour. I was pretty excited about going inside the White House. It just seemed sureal that one could do that, in this day anyway. What did I think? Well.... small, small, small! I couldn't believe how small the few rooms we got to see where. The blue, red and green rooms were a little startling. They're called those names for a reason. The State Dining Room was very understated though and quite elegant. We didn't get to see the East Room where the painting of George Washington hangs (the only thing saved from the WH before the British burned it) as some event was going on there. That was a little disappointing. At the end of the tour we got to go out the front door (!) and down the drive where we took a few pictures, knowing this is as close as we'll ever be to the WH again.
Quite tired from the WH tour, we blew off the Capital tour and had a long lunch and rest instead. We did an abbreviated tour of the Natural History Museum, mainly to see the dinosaurs, which were just amazing. Which ends our last full day here.
I must say... it was fun but I'm ready to head back home. It's too crowded, too loud and too fast-paced for this Okie!

DC Photos on Flickr