Category "Experiences"

The Gift of an Incredible Childhood Memory

Queen Darlene - July 3, 2014 - Experiences, Kids

When I was 12 years old, Herman’s Hermits were coming to Oklahoma City on tour. “Mrs. Brown you’ve got a lovely daughter” was my favorite Herman’s Hermits song. If no one was around, I always sang the song as if it were about me so I changed the lyrics by adding my mother’s name – “Mrs. Cathey you’ve got a lovely daughter.” LOL! I don’t believe I’ve ever told anyone that.

Oh, how I desperately wanted to go but it was a “want” and not a “need” so I didn’t think to ask my parents. Besides none of my girlfriends could go. We were too young for a boy band concert!

My mother and her favorite cousin, Bob, were very close and loved each other very much. Both of their parents were deaf so Bob was one of the few family members who knew sign language and could communicate with my mother. She always thought of Bob as her younger brother.

Bob and his wife, Ann, have four children. When we would visit, my younger brothers would play with their younger children and I was entertained by their oldest daughter, Beverly. I looked up to Bev and loved spending time with her. She was a few years older, so grown up and incredibly smart!

My mother and Bob worked together at NuWay laundry in Oklahoma City, and he asked her if I would be interested in seeing Herman’s Hermits. He had a ticket for me and would pick me up to spend the night with his daughter, Bev, and her girlfriends. I couldn’t believe it! What a gift! Not only was I going to see Herman’s Hermits, I was going with girls who were older than me and already teenagers! Continue Reading

A Going Away Present Anyone Will Love | Best Pizza in Town

Princess Diana - June 17, 2014 - $20 or Less, Experiences, Food & Drinks, Going Away

httpvh://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_ydCBWCykIA&feature=youtu.be

When my friend Bose’ told me she was moving to Chicago to start her life anew, I felt sad for me but excited for her. I also felt proud of her for being so bold and courageous. Moving to a big city by yourself is no small thing.

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You have to find a new place to live, start a new job and make new friends.

With my going away present to Bose’, I wanted to help her make new friends while experiencing an important part of Chicago’s food culture – Chicago-style deep dish pizzas.

I bought her a gift card to Lou Malnati’s Pizzeria, a restaurant many people claim makes the best pizza in Chicago, especially if you order The “Lou.”

I thought Bose’ could use the gift card to invite a new friend to lunch or dinner.

Creative Date Ideas in Oklahoma

Princess Diana - May 22, 2014 - Experiences

Honey, let’s go out on a date this weekend.

That sounds fun! What should we do?

I’m not sure. Do you have any ideas?

I can’t think of anything right now. I guess I’m okay with going out to eat somewhere and then watching a movie.

We’ve all had conversations go like this at one point or another. Despite our best intentions, our plans for date night is dinner and a movie.

BORING. And not memorable in the least.

But it’s not because we’re boring people. We’re just uninspired and out of ideas.

Thankfully, a fellow blogger named Dennis Spielman has come to save us from ourselves! He published a book called Uncovering Oklahoma’s 2014 Date Idea Book that describes all sorts of memorable places in Oklahoma to eat, visit, and share unique experiences with your date.

*View the updated version of the book.

The Gift of a Second Language

Princess Diana - May 12, 2014 - Baby Shower, Experiences, Kids, Mother's Day

My native language is Tagalog because I grew up in the Philippine Islands until the age of seven. That’s when my siblings and I moved to the United States and started our new life with our adopted parents in Enid, Oklahoma. I started going to school and as I spoke English more and more, I spoke Tagalog less and less. Then one day I forgot the entire language.

I feel really sad about the whole thing. Not only did I lose part of my heritage, I’m a believer that as global citizens we should all speak a second language.

Yes, I took French in high school and college. Je m’appelle Diana. Comment allez-vous? Je vais bien, merci!

But no, the language did not stick. I can hardly remember much at all. (What I wrote in French just now, I had to Google!) It’s much harder to learn a second language as an adult, and it didn’t help I never traveled to France where I could put it to use.

Jump Out of A Box – Surprise Mother’s Day Gift

Queen Darlene - May 6, 2014 - Birthday, Christmas, Experiences, Mother's Day

I lived in Albuquerque, New Mexico in the late 1980s for almost five years. That was the only time I lived more than a few miles from my mom, and I missed her so much. One year I wanted to surprise her for Mother’s Day by coming home to visit. I wanted to do it by jumping out of a box for Mother’s Day because being me – Queen Darlene – simply walking through the front door is just not how I do things.

My brothers, Harvey and Rodney, got a washing machine cardboard box, wrapped it and left the bottom open so I could crouch inside. My brothers told our mother and grandmother that they were bringing in the gift and that they needed to stay in the bedroom until they were called. That’s when I slipped into the box.

My brothers and I talked about how they would signal me to jump out. All the while my mom and grandmother were in hear shot but being deaf they couldn’t hear us!

Harvey brought them to the den as Rodney filmed the whole thing with his video camera. Harvey thought it would be a great idea to wrap a box of Tide detergent to give Mother the impression she was getting a washing machine. But before she began to open the small gift, my brothers started talking out loud and signing with our mother and grandmother telling them that before Mother opened her gift it would be a good idea to go out to eat first so they could miss the church crowds.

I heard my brothers and started yelling, “You better not leave me in this box while you all go out to eat!”

Easter Bunny Footprints & Baskets

Queen Darlene - April 15, 2014 - Experiences, Kids

Easter baskets have come a long way from what my brothers and I used to get. Ours would have stuffed animals, such as a small bunny, duck or yellow chicks, and chocolate candy. When my children were young, they also received stuffed animals but they were parrots, dogs and one time a seven foot snake. What can I say? They thought the Easter Bunny was awesome!

As they got older, their Easter Baskets contained video games, basketballs, t-shirts of their favorite sports teams, and of course the traditional chocolate candy.

One Easter morning when my boys were little, I woke them up by saying, “Hurry! Get up and come see the Easter Bunny! I saw him leaving your baskets!”

By the time they got to the baskets at the front door, the Easter Bunny was gone but we knew he had been there because we saw his footprints going down the sidewalk.

Nighttime Easter Egg Hunt With Flashlights

Queen Darlene - April 10, 2014 - Experiences, Family, Kids

httpvh://www.youtube.com/watch?v=31SsjwrSnM0

I grew up in the 50s and 60s with the traditional Easter egg hunts at our church or in the backyard. My mother would hide the real eggs that my two brothers and I had decorated. (At the time, there was no such thing as the plastic eggs with treats.) We loved to hunt for Easter eggs and could do so for hours!

If the weather did not cooperate, we would hide the eggs in the house. Mother always made us count the eggs to be sure we had them all. I remember not being able to find one egg for about a week. We eventually realized it had fallen behind my bedroom dresser. I can still remember that hold-your nose-awful-smell of that rotten egg! PHEW!

I followed the same tradition of Easter egg hunts with my children. I’d hide real and plastic eggs throughout the backyard and inside the house and my children never tired of searching for them.

25 Ways to Pay It Forward| Random Acts of Kindness

Princess Diana - April 1, 2014 - Birthday, Experiences

The idea behind “pay it forward” is that everyone can make a difference in the life of someone else. When you pay it forward, you make an effort to positively impact a person’s life through a random act of kindness and love.

Leave a container of laundry detergent at a laundromat with a note saying, “Feel free to use!”

Last week, I wrote about my friend Erin who wanted to inspire 34 pay it forward random acts of kindness in celebration of her 34th birthday. In case you were inspired to do the same thing, I thought I’d share with you some ideas of what you could do.

Buy a movie ticket for the person behind you in line
Send a card to someone in the military overseas
Put something you no longer need on Craigslist.org for free
Tape a bag of microwaveable popcorn to a Redbox machine with a note saying “Enjoy some popcorn with your movie!”
Drop off a toy or game at a children’s hospital
Buy a lottery ticket and give it to a stranger
Continue Reading

Time is the Best Gift of All

Queen Darlene - March 27, 2014 - Anniversary, Birthday, Christmas, Experiences, Gifts for Him, Valentine's Day

Time is the best gift of all. When I was 21, my 16-year old brother and I were on our way to the gym when we decided to visit our deaf grandparents. I asked them if they would like to go and exercise too.

Grandparents-Time-Best-Gift-of-All-gift-idea-sunburst-gifts

Walter & Julia Cleaver in the 1970s.

They had no workout clothes so when Granddaddy came out in Grandma’s baby blue shorts, sleeveless undershirt, black socks and black street shoes, my brother did not want to take them. When we arrived at the club, the walk from the parking lot was the longest walk ever for my humiliated brother.

Entering the gym, we had to fill out guest forms for them. Putting their birth dates of 1896 and 1902 raised eye-brows. We wanted to take our grandparents to the exercise room on our own, but the club insisted a trainer take them for their first visit. When the big, muscular trainer came in, he was shocked at the age of his clients – ages 77 and 71.

Grandma’s trainer soon had her doing sit-ups and leg lifts, riding a stationary bike, and relaxing in the sauna. We finally made it to the pool.

Random Acts of Kindness for Your Own or Someone Else’s Birthday

Princess Diana - March 25, 2014 - Birthday, Experiences, Gifts for Me

httpvh://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qUw92wHDbSk&feature=youtu.be

When my friend Erin turned 34 years old, she posted the following message on Facebook:

pay it forward popcorn taped to Redbox machine

Pay It Forward Idea – Tape a package of microwaveable popcorn to a Redbox machine along with a note!

Friends and family – I am on a quest to complete 34 random acts of kindness today in honor of my birthday… will you help? Pretty please!?

It can be as simple as buying the order of the person in the drive through behind you, helping someone load their groceries in the car or taping quarters to the candy machines at the mall. It can be done at anytime and anywhere!

And if you wouldn’t mind sharing with me (send me a text, give me a call, post it on my Facebook wall), I would love nothing else on my birthday than to hear about all the nice things being done for others! I am starting today with volunteering at the Oklahoma City Regional Food Bank until noon if anyone would like to come and join!