Allison Times 2020!

Reporters: Caleb (32) Bethany (30) Timothy (28) Joseph (25) Hannah Grace (24) Jubilee (15)

Pinning It Down

   Hannah Grace graduated first in her class from OU Nursing School with her BSN in May of 2020. She had asked the department head if she could be pinned by her Nan (Kim’s mom, also a nurse); request denied. 😞 Then came Covid, forcing graduation and pinning ceremonies to go virtual. 😊 With family gathered around her apartment TV screen, Hannah Grace got her wish. Not only did Nan do the pinning, but Aunt Betty, via facetime, asked a special blessing on Han’s future nursing career. Not a dry eye in the house. Hannah Grace admitted she was bummed when the pandemic hit, because it cancelled so many graduation traditions, but as always, God has a way of working things out for good. And what better time to be entering the medical field? “For such a time as this.” Esther 4:14

Learn as You Go

   Jubilee continued in Warner Public School throughout 2020 (her freshman and sophomore years), despite periodic shut downs. The Covid restrictions (no hugging friends, no hobnobing with the teachers, no lunch-time gossip) finally got the best of her, and she opted to do virtual school at home. Not the same as “homeschool,” but getting closer.  Our compromise: mom gets 2 hours per day to tell Jubilee everything she knows, then Jubilee gets the rest of the day to do her school assignments. With a little motivation, she could graduate early. Or not. 😊

Covid Conquerors!

    Herb, Kim, and Caleb were hit by Covid-19 last October. Herb and Caleb probably snagged it because they are diabetic, and Kim because she’s mean. There’s no other explanation. BUT, we were ready with our tonic syrup (with quinine), vitamin powders, and zinc; all mixed with half-fermented apple cider. With Kim’s potion, we only had one really bad day, then 3 days of head-cold symptoms, then back in business! Caleb didn’t get as sick, but he didn’t get as well, either. To be fair, he hardly ever runs at full throttle, so he slogged miserably along for nearly 2 weeks. Now we can all say, been there, done that (and Caleb even got the T-shirt!).

Laying Down the Law

   Bethany tried out as hostage negotiator for the SWAT team (now called Crisis Negotiation Team) with the Tulsa County Sheriff’s Office. She placed first in shooting and obstacle course scores and demonstrated an uncanny ability to “negotiate” with the criminal in the crisis simulation. She credits her siblings for years of fine-tuning her negotiation skills. She won the spot (of course!) and will attend the FBI certification training as soon as it is reopened post-Covid; but for now, she trains at Tulsa County once a month.

  Smoke Trail

   We know 2020 was stressful, but Caleb has taken it to a whole new level. His new-found stress relief is smoking cigars and pipes! But not just any cigars and pipes. There is a science and much research involved in the process, and with the right tobacco, he is in the distinguished company of Holmes, Shakespeare, and Tolkien. The perfect cigar puts him on the southern veranda of a bygone era, very similar to Uncle Nub’s front porch (where Caleb resides as caretaker- not on the front porch, but in the house). Since there is no drawing room at his current residence, he must blow his smoke rings outside, weather permitting. But he is very dignified in his shorts and flip-flops. Very dignified, indeed.

Deerly Beloved

   In her quest for autonomy, Hannah Grace shot her own deer to put her own meat on her own table. She did use Herb’s no-fail scope, which she considered almost cheating.

   Timothy had his eye on a non-typical 12 point deer that showed up on the trail camera. After several fruitless bow hunts, Timothy claimed the best deer stand for opening day of rifle season. Herb acquiesced, but at the last minute, Timothy had to fly out of state.  Herb took over the deer stand, dropped the 12-point, and sent a picture to Timothy to seal the deal. Being a member of the Jet-Set has its disadvantages.

   Joseph shot an 8 point in Muskogee over Thanksgiving break, then invited his dad to Tennessee to hunt. Herb shot a big 10 point, which ran off. As Herb began to track the deer, he heard a shot in the distance, followed by a picture text from Joseph of a big 10-point, which happened to be the same big 10-point that Herb shot. J This is the first joint-kill that we have on record for the Allison team.

   Next, follow Herb to Texas where he brought home the biggest deer of his career. These record years don’t make him very popular among his children, who would all like to bag one of their own. The hunters have finally outnumbered the deer stands available, and will have to be drawn out for hunts next year on the family land. You snooze, you lose!

Finishing Touches

 Joseph and Shaelee supplied our first granddaughter, Bella Jane, in July 2020. The boys enjoy making their little sister laugh, Shaelee enjoys putting bows on her head, and Joseph enjoys crossing the finish line at last! Mission accomplished!

 Grandparent Adventures

 The grandchildren (and their parents) are currently living in Nashville, where Joseph is doing airport construction as crane operator. This is an 8 hour drive from Mimi, and it's a smidge too far for the little ones to spend the night without their mama. We found this out. So don’t try that.

    Distance aside, the “Allison Lite” (Kim, Jubilee and Herbert) still managed to work in some grand adventures with the grands. We found an alligator farm in Texas where the boys waded in a pond and held some baby alligators! While the hotel swimming pool, full of chlorine, was closed due to Covid, the alligator pond, full of gators and people, was open and doing a booming business! The Houston Zoo, and every adventure from then on, was actually a step down from the gator hole, but where else can you go from the top?

   Back at the ranch, the boys tilled, planted, and harvested sweet potatoes;  target practiced with bows, arrows, BB guns, and more; put up deer stands and fences; did some hunting and fishing, climbed  trees and propane tanks, smashed pumpkins, made cookies, hiked mountains, drove tractors and 4-wheelers, and wore out two good grandparents.

   During one of their visits, Mimi mentioned, "I was wanting to go to the park one day while you were here." 

   Brantley replied, "I don't want to go to the park! I want to stay at your house! It's funner!" 

World’s Most Eligible Bachelor!

   Timothy has a fleet of planes, a corvette, and a house or two. He is a charter pilot, qualified to fly turbine engines, and gives student flight lessons.  He probably has a gym membership, and thinks about eating keto on occasion. He does stand-up comedy, repairs home appliances, and his mama says he is very handsome!

   But he has no wife! This guy has to eat dinner at a different house every night! Ladies, let’s get those applications mailed in! Don’t miss this opportunity! Deadlines are approaching, so hurry and email your stats and picture to WhyAin’tHeMarried.com (No entry fee required).

Foot Notes 

   Hannah Grace got a Great Pyrenees (perfect apartment dog) to keep her company and to keep her in shape. Three flights of stairs! Both ways! Every time she takes the dog out!

   Jubilee had the opportunity to sing and play at several talent concerts at Connors State College, as well as in the band at church. Post-Covid, she is hoping for more open doors to share her musical gifts.

   Bethany is in a new apartment starting a new college major; this time Business. She is also sporting a new body! Bethany has dropped over 100 pounds since last year! If you haven’t seen her in a while, you won’t recognize her! Way to go, Bethany! 😊   

   Kim is excited about becoming a certified Set Free Prayer Minister! It means she is still doing what she has always been doing (getting in other people’s business praying with people!), only now, it's more official. 😁  For more info, go to www.tradingpain.com  

   Uncle Curt has been busy bringing loads of gravel to our driveway, where they get swallowed up by giant holes. He's sure the holes go all the way to China, and we don't know what they are doing with all that gravel. Stay tuned!  

Making Sense of it All 

   Isaiah 24 and 25 seem to be a detailed description of the events of 2020. The entire chapters are worth reading and studying, but for lack of space, we’ve picked a few verses that stand out:

Verse 1: The Lord makes the earth empty, … and turns it upside down…

Verse 3: The land shall be… plundered (looted, vandalized?), For the  LORD  has spoken this word.

Verse 5: The earth is also defiled …because they have transgressed the laws, changed the ordinance, broken the everlasting covenant.

Verse 6: The curse (disease?) has devoured the earth, and those who dwell in it are desolate.

Verses 7 – 9: (summarized) No more drinking parties; bars closed.

Verse 10: The city of confusion is broken down; every house is shut up (quarantine?), so that none may go in.

Verse 11: There is a cry for wine in the streets, all joy is darkened, the mirth of the land is gone.

Verse 19: The earth is violently broken…(20) Its transgression shall be heavy upon it, and it will fall, and not rise again.

Isaiah 25, verse 7: … he will remove the veil of grief covering all people and the mask (there it is!) covering all nations.

Verse 8: He will swallow up death forever, and the Lord God will wipe away tears from all faces; the rebuke of His people he will take away from all the earth; for the Lord has spoken.

   Since the prophesies in these two chapters so closely parallel the events of 2020, it gives a measure of peace; knowing that God has already seen this, and has already been here. He is not surprised. And since the cataclysmic chain of events in these chapters leads to GOD wiping away all our tears, I believe He’s giving us a hint of what’s coming next. 😉 Friends, it’s time to make certain of where you will spend eternity. If you are not 100% sure, give us a call and we will be glad to share the Word and prayer.  Herb: 918 351-9777; Kim 918 869-0851     

The Christmas Wise Guy

   Ever since Caleb was a baby, we wanted something different for Christmas. Something besides the gift-grabbing Santa-thing that normal people do (Kim has never been normal). So instead of Christmas stockings for Santa to fill, we had "camel packs" that the wise men would surely have used to bring gifts to Jesus. Anything put inside the camel packs had to connect to the Nativity in some way. Included were candy canes (shepherd staff), star-shaped cereal (which they don't make anymore, but was a real hit on Christmas morning, since sugar was verboten any other day of the year), gold-wrapped chocolate (to represent real gold), cologne (for frankincense), lip balm (for myrrh), shredded wheat (for hay in the manger), candles or flashlights (Jesus is the light of the world), you get the point. One year, Herb bought chocolate covered almonds and labeled them "camel poop." 

   To complete the narrative, we convinced Uncle Curt to dress as a wise man and make an appearance Christmas morning, pretending to be following the star. Awesome! The wise man would also bring tokens for the camel packs (within regulations, of course!). One year, we all joined in the vibe and dressed up as nativity characters, but mostly, we just watched him be the wiseman. He added a stop on his route from the East when Kim's sister started her family. Every year, Kim took a picture of the kids with Uncle Curt the Wiseman. If only we could locate those pictures! But 2020, for the first time, Shaelee took the picture, and Kim got to pose with the family! And that, children, is the story of the cover picture and Uncle Curt the Wiseman.  😊 

Editor's Note

    If you are a faithful reader of the Allison Times, you know that I (Kim, the mom, the author) use humor liberally, and have always tried to insert some levity into otherwise somber events in the family newsletter - with the intention of bringing a smile. You might have noticed that Covid was mentioned in nearly every article because it has impacted all of our lives. Please don't confuse the humor with a mockery of the disease. Our extended family has witnessed its deadly force.

   While Covid is a mysterious illness (the Bible speaks of plagues in the latter days), we do not live in fear. Why? Because the testimonies in Scripture bear out the fact that we (and everyone else on this planet) are indestructible until our purpose on this planet is finished. God's plans for us cannot be thwarted by the whims (or viruses) of the enemy. "If God be for us, who can be against us?" Romans 8:31.

   However, there is a day appointed for each of us to meet our Maker, and it could be very soon. Live Ready! I don't pretend to know why some people live 100 years and some only 5 days; or why some pass from diseases, some from accidents or evil intents, and some pass quietly in their sleep. But we can live in victory and peace, trusting in the power of His Word, His love, and His plan. Everything else has to stand down. 💗