Forty years ago today I started my new family although it was just two of us it was a pretty good idea. Back then we were in college at Southwestern University in Weatherford where I was in my senior year and Shouna was in her sophomore year. Shouna was from El Reno, Oklahoma and majoring in piano while I was majoring in math and of course from the Osage and as I have proudly said many times before from Shidler and Grainola.
I met my sweet wife and I should say good looking as well while I was with another girl at a Thanksgiving dinner put on by my roommate and me. Lynn Snyder, now a preacher, from down by Houston now but Amarillo back then and I dreamed up having dinner with a few friends. Lynn and I cooked the biggest Turkey and as I recall it was around 22 lbs. with dressing and lots of fixin's. I also recall Brenda (his future wife but not engaged yet) and Shouna's roommate brought an apple pie which Lynn made fun of which was not abnormal for Lynn. He was always doing about anything to aggravate Brenda. The best part about this activity was that Brenda would squeal like a pig. Now if you do not know what that is like it means she squealed extremely loud at an extremely high pitch. I have to admit it was a lot of fun to hear Brenda squeal. Anyway, it was a lot of fun and it seemed like time rolled by after that until after Christmas when school would start the spring semester.
I was not dating anyone and Lynn smarted off saying Shouna would not date me because she was too busy and too many other guys were in line. Of course that was what we called Bull Crap (sorry about that) as I was always up for a challenge. Not so fast though. The first time I asked her out she told me she could not because she had to play the piano at a revival. Now for those who have never heard of it that is when a church has a church service for several nights in a row and invite a lot of visitors to introduce them to Christ. The point is she refused me! Then later that evening she showed up at the Baptist Student Union with another guy who is a well known preacher. I have had a great time telling this story for a long time and I have never told the precise truth. I have always left out the part she was at a revival and that the famous guy was just dropping her off as she did not have a car. I have said she stood me up to date a preacher.
Our next attempt at a date was to go out for a coke and Shouna ordered water, yes water. I was embarrassed but realized this was going to be a cheap date as in a-low-maintenance-woman. I was sold especially after we stopped at the Laundromat where she crawled into a dryer on a bet. then she took my car and locked the doors on me upon which I unlocked the trunk and crawled in as she was driving off without the lights on the car. It was after dark. She drove around Weatherford with me in the trunk with no headlights.
Out next date was at the T-Bone in Weatherford with Lynn and Brenda (our roommates) where Lynn got Brenda to squealing again after he put her bracelet high upon her arm so far that it got stuck. Then Lynn being the nice guy he was tried to help her get it unstuck. He grabbed the butter and started buttering her arm. She squealed louder. It did not work so he started sloshing water out of the fish tank to help loosen the bracelet. She squealed louder and louder. It was a ruckus. I about cried from laughing so hard as well as did Shouna.
Not necessarily our next date but one shortly after. Rocky Carter, boyfriend and now husband of Karen Carter who is Shouna's sister, and Karen came from El Reno to fix a meal and hang out with Shouna and I. The girls fixed dinner while Rocky and I hung out and in fact went and got something to eat because Rocky was sure the girls would not cook enough. They made friend chicken. The challenge was they burned the dinner rolls so bad they looked like horse turds and threw them in the trash. Next they refused to tell us for about 10 years that they found mouse poop in our tea and then made tea which they served anyway. They did not drink the tea. Out of guilt and a need for repentance they finally came clean after several years of marriage. Hard to believe we stayed with both of them.
Now you can probably see why the last 39.5 years seem pretty easy after such a hard beginning. And I should mention once we started dating right after Christmas break she NEVER dated another person in spite of Lynn Snyder's predictions. His prognostication skills stink and Brenda still squeals today when he irritates her. You probably wonder why I say 39.5 years. Well those first 6 months took some get'in use to and we had to have a talk'n to each other. It was really fun looking back and the difference we made was we decided to love each other in spite of our emotions which was also love.
Well we have had fun and are proud of our three children. Wynter the oldest is married to William who is a good looking guy from Columbia and I don't mean South Carolina but Central America. He is one heck of a soccer player and wonderful to our daughter. Wynter is a school teacher where she loves kids and helping those who struggle most. She has a wonderful heart and is the best I have ever seen at helping adults with special needs. She is extraordinarily talented and we have always said she has more smarts in her little finger than either of her parents. Chase is next in line and has over 11 years as a fireman and paramedic and married to Kathryn who is as kind and loving daughter in law we could have ever asked for. Chase is like his granddad Olson in that he can think about a problem and figure it out. He fixes everything and knows more about motorcycles and hunting than anyone I ever knew. Preston, number three, is the most loving and outgoing person ever. We never and I really mean never meet a stranger. He and I went shopping Friday and we met folks everywhere because he will stop them and tell them his name and ask for theirs. Most folks around Edmond recognize him because he always wears a hat and will engage them in conversation if they will just glance his way. He does have down syndrome but I would say he has UP-syndrome as it is one of the greatest blessings I have ever had outside my wife and family, all 7.
Now just so you know I do have lots of other family members on my wife's side (Sorters and Davis families from El Reno to Kiowa to Heartshorn to McAlister to Calvin to Denison to who knows where) and on my side of the Olsons and the Lanes and I have no idea how many that is. They are strung all over America with names like Schaefer and Crow to Snyder, Del Priorie, Lane, Heath to Oltmann and on and on from sea to shinning sea. I just wish we could get all them together at one time and see what a site that would be. The fun thing is they cover every walk of life and social and economic situation and I don't know of one of them I don't care about, even the democrats. That was a joke about the democrats so don't get your panties in a wad.
So what do you learn in the Osage:
Thanks for your time and MERRY CHRISTMAS,
gary@thepioneerman.
I met my sweet wife and I should say good looking as well while I was with another girl at a Thanksgiving dinner put on by my roommate and me. Lynn Snyder, now a preacher, from down by Houston now but Amarillo back then and I dreamed up having dinner with a few friends. Lynn and I cooked the biggest Turkey and as I recall it was around 22 lbs. with dressing and lots of fixin's. I also recall Brenda (his future wife but not engaged yet) and Shouna's roommate brought an apple pie which Lynn made fun of which was not abnormal for Lynn. He was always doing about anything to aggravate Brenda. The best part about this activity was that Brenda would squeal like a pig. Now if you do not know what that is like it means she squealed extremely loud at an extremely high pitch. I have to admit it was a lot of fun to hear Brenda squeal. Anyway, it was a lot of fun and it seemed like time rolled by after that until after Christmas when school would start the spring semester.
I was not dating anyone and Lynn smarted off saying Shouna would not date me because she was too busy and too many other guys were in line. Of course that was what we called Bull Crap (sorry about that) as I was always up for a challenge. Not so fast though. The first time I asked her out she told me she could not because she had to play the piano at a revival. Now for those who have never heard of it that is when a church has a church service for several nights in a row and invite a lot of visitors to introduce them to Christ. The point is she refused me! Then later that evening she showed up at the Baptist Student Union with another guy who is a well known preacher. I have had a great time telling this story for a long time and I have never told the precise truth. I have always left out the part she was at a revival and that the famous guy was just dropping her off as she did not have a car. I have said she stood me up to date a preacher.
Our next attempt at a date was to go out for a coke and Shouna ordered water, yes water. I was embarrassed but realized this was going to be a cheap date as in a-low-maintenance-woman. I was sold especially after we stopped at the Laundromat where she crawled into a dryer on a bet. then she took my car and locked the doors on me upon which I unlocked the trunk and crawled in as she was driving off without the lights on the car. It was after dark. She drove around Weatherford with me in the trunk with no headlights.
Out next date was at the T-Bone in Weatherford with Lynn and Brenda (our roommates) where Lynn got Brenda to squealing again after he put her bracelet high upon her arm so far that it got stuck. Then Lynn being the nice guy he was tried to help her get it unstuck. He grabbed the butter and started buttering her arm. She squealed louder. It did not work so he started sloshing water out of the fish tank to help loosen the bracelet. She squealed louder and louder. It was a ruckus. I about cried from laughing so hard as well as did Shouna.
Not necessarily our next date but one shortly after. Rocky Carter, boyfriend and now husband of Karen Carter who is Shouna's sister, and Karen came from El Reno to fix a meal and hang out with Shouna and I. The girls fixed dinner while Rocky and I hung out and in fact went and got something to eat because Rocky was sure the girls would not cook enough. They made friend chicken. The challenge was they burned the dinner rolls so bad they looked like horse turds and threw them in the trash. Next they refused to tell us for about 10 years that they found mouse poop in our tea and then made tea which they served anyway. They did not drink the tea. Out of guilt and a need for repentance they finally came clean after several years of marriage. Hard to believe we stayed with both of them.
Now you can probably see why the last 39.5 years seem pretty easy after such a hard beginning. And I should mention once we started dating right after Christmas break she NEVER dated another person in spite of Lynn Snyder's predictions. His prognostication skills stink and Brenda still squeals today when he irritates her. You probably wonder why I say 39.5 years. Well those first 6 months took some get'in use to and we had to have a talk'n to each other. It was really fun looking back and the difference we made was we decided to love each other in spite of our emotions which was also love.
Well we have had fun and are proud of our three children. Wynter the oldest is married to William who is a good looking guy from Columbia and I don't mean South Carolina but Central America. He is one heck of a soccer player and wonderful to our daughter. Wynter is a school teacher where she loves kids and helping those who struggle most. She has a wonderful heart and is the best I have ever seen at helping adults with special needs. She is extraordinarily talented and we have always said she has more smarts in her little finger than either of her parents. Chase is next in line and has over 11 years as a fireman and paramedic and married to Kathryn who is as kind and loving daughter in law we could have ever asked for. Chase is like his granddad Olson in that he can think about a problem and figure it out. He fixes everything and knows more about motorcycles and hunting than anyone I ever knew. Preston, number three, is the most loving and outgoing person ever. We never and I really mean never meet a stranger. He and I went shopping Friday and we met folks everywhere because he will stop them and tell them his name and ask for theirs. Most folks around Edmond recognize him because he always wears a hat and will engage them in conversation if they will just glance his way. He does have down syndrome but I would say he has UP-syndrome as it is one of the greatest blessings I have ever had outside my wife and family, all 7.
Now just so you know I do have lots of other family members on my wife's side (Sorters and Davis families from El Reno to Kiowa to Heartshorn to McAlister to Calvin to Denison to who knows where) and on my side of the Olsons and the Lanes and I have no idea how many that is. They are strung all over America with names like Schaefer and Crow to Snyder, Del Priorie, Lane, Heath to Oltmann and on and on from sea to shinning sea. I just wish we could get all them together at one time and see what a site that would be. The fun thing is they cover every walk of life and social and economic situation and I don't know of one of them I don't care about, even the democrats. That was a joke about the democrats so don't get your panties in a wad.
So what do you learn in the Osage:
- Family is more important than my wants and wishes
- Love overcomes my disappointments and distresses
- Christ has given me freedom from my errors and mistakes
- God forgives and people need to forgive as well
Thanks for your time and MERRY CHRISTMAS,
gary
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