Thanks Lee Denney!

Today was a fabulous day! It has just been crazy trying to get ready to go on our trip, but oh so fun! Today, Donna and I took six students to OKC to the Capitol. After a few misadventures with our transportation, we were on our way! Thanks Mr. Roy, you are the hero of the day. We appreciate you driving the bus for us.
Last night, I drove to OKC to my Great Aunt Elizabeth's house to pick up our Mo' Betta shirts! They are so beautiful! Thank you Nancy. We almost look like real cowgirls. Thanks Grandmother and Papa for delivering them to the City.
So, a little after eight o'clock we headed south. Jake, Juanita, Shane, JR, Brooke, and Jon were the students that represented our school. Our appointment with the Governor was scheduled for 10:15. Thank you Lee Denney and Zach for making our meeting happen. It was a privilege to present Gov. Henry with the Abernathy coins and postcard that was beautifully matted and framed. This was provided by the Frederick Chamber of Commerce. The students signed on the back, and we included the "infamous" quote we have lived by all year--- "....far better it is to dare mighty things.... by Teddy R. They also sent a T-Shirt with the boys' picture on it...
Gov. Henry was not familiar with the story, but we feel he was intriqued by the boys. He asked a couple of questions about them.....the students are hoping that he will do some investigating and learn about these two Oklahoma wonders.
It was a lot of fun watching the students while we waited for the Gov. to arrive. The room was pretty empty when we first got there, but slowly others began to trickle into the empty seats. Pretty soon a couple dozen Pages came in, and although the Blue Room is enourmous, the area was feeling a little bit crowded.
Jake leaned up to me and said, "Do we have to talk to him in front of all these people? And I replied..."No!" Which technically wasn't a lie, because I knew a couple of them would probably be gone before we talked....but mainly I was just trying to put him at ease. I think he was already feeling a little uncomfortable because he had great issues getting through the metal detector when we first arrived....Which is another story for another day.
Well, in another minute or two, without cracking a smile, Jake declared, " I'd rather talk to him than wear something like that!" Well, he was talking about the bright pink square dancing costumes on the people sitting across the room from us!
Lt. Gov. Askins heard us talking to one of the security people, who told the students that Gov. Henry was just like them. He advised, "Don't be nervous. He puts his pants on just like you, one leg at a time." I did not get to hear the man's name, but I was so thankful that he told our students that because we talked a lot about this same attitude when we were reading about Bud and Temple. The famous and important people they met, were after all, just people. And ordinary people can and should interact with a variety of people everyday. Lt. Gov. Askins thought that we might be from Frederick when she saw the boys' picture. So, I had the opportunity to talk to her for a few minutes which was a super experience. And then when I was busy talking to her, Gov. Henry arrived. We was very gracious to the students and listened to our story! He evened signed my copy of Bud and Me . After posing for our pictures, we trudged up to the fourth floor to see Rep. Denney. As always it was a delight to see her. She is so great with the students and interacts with them so well. We posed for more pictures! You know, it is my favorite thing to do. Rep. Denney suggested we go down to the third floor to see Rep. Don Armes of Dist. 63. He is the Rep. of Tillman Co. and some of Comanche County. To our surprise, he was there and we had a great visit. He was thrilled that our students were studying the boys from his district. We were surprised to find a statue of Bud and Temple in his office---it is just like the one in the courthouse yard of Tillman Co--only smaller! I think he was surprised that I knew Dr. Gardner, the sculptor. He signed my book and the students noticed his copy of Bud and Me on his shelf.
It was great visiting with Rep. Armes. All of the students were impressed with his powerful handshake!!
Rep. Armes says he will see us at the Crossroads Ranch Reunion. I know that I look forward to talking with him again. However, I warned him that I might not be as cheerful then as I was today, after our long ride! LOL

After looking around the Capitol a little longer, we headed north. We stopped at Cracker Barrel, and the kids had a great time playing the games and shopping while we waited on our food. The host was a friendly guy, and we talked to him about our morning adventures. His question, like so many other people's is, 'where are you going?' Well, people want a one word answer, and we have a story! He told us that he thinks this should be in the paper, and we told him to keep an eye out for information about the trip.
May 31 is getting closer and closer......

Thank you again Sharon at the Frederick Chamber of Commerce! You did a fabulous job on the gift for the Governor! See you soon.

P.S. I think that Temple and Bud would have laughed if they could have seen Jake as he was "going" down the "stairs"---or maybe they would have joined him. :)