💥 @YukonRotary ANNUAL PANCAKE BREAKFAST

7:00am - 3/2/2019 - Dale Robertson Center, Yukon, OK

🥞  🥞 🥞  🥞🥞  🥞 🥞  🥞

Our Yukon Rotary Club ANNUAL PANCAKE BREAKFAST is this Saturday morning!  I'll be cooking the sausage early and it will be ready when you get there.... so come see us!! 

SECRET FORMULA:

Pancakes + sausage + syrup = YUM!

 #pancakesFORaHEALTHYlife

@yukonrotary

@jaythebanker

El Reno is 125 and Jobe's Drive In

A couple of cool things are happening this weekend in my little town of El Reno, OK.

FIRST:
El Reno is turning 125 years old!  At a lunch I went to today I learned that we actually have the oldest of the (only) four remaining Carnegie libraries in Oklahoma.  How cool is that!

You can listen to a recording I made today of the speaker at our lunch, Mrs. Carolyn Barker.  She has been the historical gatekeeper as it were for this area in the county (maybe all of the county) for the last 50 years. Very knowledgeable and full of great factoids!  (PS: I did receive her permission to use the  recording of her talk today.)



SECOND:

Jobes on 6/12/2015

The infamous Jobe's Drive-In in El Reno (on Route 66) is scheduled to be auctioned off (all of it) this Saturday. The good part here is that there'll be (I am told) about 400 classic cars doing a "last cruise"by the old drive thru joint tonight (Friday).  It just might be the classic car lineup for the record books. I wish I was going to be in town to grab a pic or two...

the bad part is that about a year ago the owner and his wife were in a tragic car accident that killed his wife of many, many years.It is just time to sell it.

Another bad part is that another iconic symbol of the past will be removed from Route 66.. Unless of course a really cool person buys it...

Thanks for reading and have a great weekend!

"You Got This!"...je

Storms do have a personality!

When I have talked to people and maybe even done business with them on the telephone...but never had a chance to meet them it always cool to meet them eventually.. When I do...I'm like, "It sure is good to put a face with a name"...

Have you ever experienced that?

Well, tonight we had a good old Oklahoma storm line heading our way, so (as usual) I grabbed the GoPro and the tripod and set it up in the front yard. (used the time lapse function)

When I finally went back out to grab the GoPro it had taken about 400 pictures. As I scrolled through the pictures I ran across the one below...curious if it jumps off the

picture for you too??




And here is another that was about 10 pictures later..(not quite as noticeable)



Just goes to show you that these storms have personalities and sometimes they even have a face!!

#scary

"You Got This!"...je

It's SPRING baby!! What are you doing?

Okay.. So spring is springing and there's work to be done around the hacienda!

Are you doing anything????

Here we go...

THE YARD:
Let me first say that these WERE crape myrtles before this banker got serious. I'm not sure they were ever trimmed before and we're not sure how old they are?

We are doing an experiment...We'll trim these and leave the crape myrtle at the other end alone. We'll just see what happens..

My Crape Myrtles

THE BEDS:
This is just the front little bed. The princess works miracles and fortunately has a green thumb too! Got a few azaleas and a few yews plus a few more items to come...

Nice Bed...still more to come!

THE GARAGE:
One of the things I had to get done was to hang the bikes!! Other than getting a mouthful of sheet rock as I drilled holes in the ceiling...it went well!!

Bikes hung...still room to work!

 Plus we added a storm shelter about a month ago.. Here's the video of its install:

Stay busy and safe!!


"You Got This!"...je

4.8MAG Earthquake Rocks El Reno

On Nov 12, 2014, 9:40:00 PM UTC, a 4.8-magnitude earthquake occurred near Kansas (37.2711°N, 97.6240°W, 3.4 miles deep).

Find out more:

http://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/eventpage/usc000swru#scientific

Composed with Quakes by TAWCS (http://tawcs.com/quakes)

Did you feel it shake?  

Report it here: http://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/eventpage/usc000swru#dyfi

SNOW DAY - EL RENO, OK!!

Kids are pumped as there is no school in (I think) every school in the county and likely all the counties around us!  I am sure they'll get caught up on homework...

Roads weren't too bad this morning.  I was able to mount the camera and shoot this video on the way into the office about 6:40am this morning.   (Oh, in the video I say it's Feb 5...lets just say it was early and I was confused...its FEB 6th!)

We still have a youth event scheduled for FRI and SAT and so far we are FULL STEAM AHEAD!!



"You got this!"

The day begins...

It's finally snowing this morning... 

Not sure why, but there's something about snow and Christmas lights that can really set the tone for the day.   (Oh, and don't forget the hot cup of coffee.)

I think it's because they both put a smile on my face...both provide a rush of great memories.

Do they do that for you too?

#okwx #WhiteasSnow

"An inch of ice will do ya!"..and caramel corn..

What a crazy ICY night (last night) and day we have had over the last 24 hours! And we are not through with this messy stuff yet!! What's it doing in your neck of the woods?

The ice is quickly approaching ONE INCH thick on most of our trees, flowers, cars and anything else that finds itself outside.  Our weathermen indicate it'll happen all day and maybe even snow tonight.

Pine Needles..encased in ice!

I've added these pictures to just give you an idea of how it looks around here.  The first is from the pine tree behind our house...it was taken this morning up close..(on left)

1" thick ice!!

I took this one about 2 hours ago in the front yard (right).  It's a branch of our little White Bud tree that maybe about 6 foot tall at best.  It always marvels how God can create something with such elasticity...and then BAM...it hits the breaking point.  You can also see that the driveway and streets are just wet..THIS IS GOOD!

We're thankful the wind hasn't come up because if it starts blowing it'll sound like rattlin' bones outside and power lines WILL start breaking. Since I enjoy electricity this would not be good. OG&E has this site for folks to see the outages, etc. (HEY!! It says there's some outages in El Reno!!)

Lastly, the one here on the left is from last nights forecast by Channel 9's David Payne.  We have been very fortunate that temps have stayed 29-32deg or the roads would resemble the trees.  But thus far we've dodged the "icy road" bullet.

OK, so now you're stuck in the house...WHAT WILL YOU DO?  Well, below is my video on how to make my favorite make caramel corn recipe...  If you have just a few ingredients...Voila!

Nice snow this morning...

Enjoyed receiving maybe another 3-5 inches of snow last night and then got to drive in it this morning about 6:30am!  Always fun to blaze a trail...but I wasn't the first one out!!

On the way home to...SNOWRENO, OK!

Thought you'd like the music too... : )..  KEEP CALM and STAY WARM.

"TORNADO ON THE GROUND!" - El Reno, OK - 5/31/2013

This video is my summary of the evening of Friday, May 31, 2013..  Tornado's are no little thing and there is a bit of edgy, nervousness still in the air..

What if it actually works?

I listen to a podcast called "Smart Passive Income"... good stuff!  Unfortunately, it got me thinking..
Then, I started reading a book called "Start" by Jon Acuff.. Yep, it got me thinking too.

My thought..."Jay, what if you recorded video at different times of the day and then posted it?"  ... could you actually (seriously) earn money?  Can you actually get paid doing this stuff.  Then, START!

Sounds easy enough.. Record before and after work and at lunch when possible...Then, publish at night, etc..

I've determined that the goal is not so much that I want anyone to see me particularly, but if "they" want to potentially add to "the bottom line", then I'd like to oblige them. Right? 

They watch it, click it and let's see what happens next.  It's called "passive income"...Can it really happen.  hmmm.

Here's where we are today..
Website Views Lifetime: 18,150+
YouTube Views Lifetime: 16,400+
Amazon Clicks Lifetime : 32  (started 5/12/2013)
Dollar$ Made @YouTube thus far: $20.33
Dollar$ Made @Amazon thus far: $8.20 (started 5/12/2013)
...I'll keep you posted on progress!

My first clips were yesterday and are below: times were about 8am - 11am - 5pm - 10pm. 
Kind of boring this first round in my estimation but we'll see what it looks like going forward!

Here is my latest attempt...

Tornado time in central OK!

It's not a fun time of year in OKLAHOMA.  Spring is great but these storms are scary stuff!

Prayers out to our friends on the turnpike heading to Tulsa.. Thankfully, there is less population on its current track. 

Get in your shelter and pray for those folks in its path!  Thanks Gary England and crew.  🙏

Our little girl is growing up...

Our Clara Barton Red bud (girl) tree, that is!!

We got this tree a few years ago (2010) through a gift certificate from the Historic Tree.org or something very similar (try the Arbor Day Foundation too).  We are tree people, so this was a great gift.  (I think Historic Trees is out of business now?)

I posted about it back when we got it in the mail.  You can read that post HERE. It was crazy because it came in an about 5' foot box like a golf club or similar. I'll try to find those initial pictures I took - it was quite comical.

Clara Barton Redbud-2013

Fast forward to today.

It might be 2' tall now... This little sapling has made it through droughts, ice, sub zero temps, hail and 50mph wind gusts!  Don't know much about the real Clara Barton but she must have been one tough gal!

DO THIS:

Learn more about Clara.

Buy a tree for a friend.

#redbud #oklahomatrees

@jaythebanker


Suncast Lawn Cart - Garden Tools & Accessories (Google Affiliate Ad)
Little Tikes Garden Bubble Leaf And Lawn Blower (Google Affiliate Ad) 

He encouraged me..

What I knew of Johny Hodges in my high school days was that he had an awesome wife and two great daughters.  He definitely married up and was a self made success through the car wash operations there in Ada.  We counted quarters collected from those car washes once in a while in the pool room and he was "REAL" with all of us.  In his own way during those times, he encouraged me.

I can remember many times eating breakfast before school at the house at the bottom of the hill.  That's where I got my affinity for peanut butter on pancakes and waffles.  Always drank 5-Alive juice too (remember that!)... I usually ate with the girls because I think Johny enjoyed a slower "getting up" process in the morning.  But, that dining room, back porch (pool room), hot tub, swimming pool...all were places I and many other guys could easily call our second home. I ate breakfast, lunch or dinner with this family many times over my young years.  Johny had to have allowed it or my guess is he'd have outlawed me being there!.  He could have easily said "that's enough of Jay being around"..but he didn't.  Now, as a father, I look back and consider what he allowed me to participate in so many times...as a young Ada High School "boy"... with his two daughters being my age...he encouraged me.

Lots of antics at that place. Yes, even when Johny and Jovan were gone... You know he had to be aware of it all.  But, he just kept the conversation going and kept allowing me to come over and always allowed me back in the door.  No big show...but he just encouraged me.

I can't claim it was before I met Jesus because I knew the Lord by then...you just might not have been able to notice it.  I'll just say I was not quite living out my faith at that time. No doubt this is why the Lord has Samantha and I enjoying youth ministry today..  I really don't ever recall him making me memorize a verse or reading me a passage from the Bible.  He had bad habits, got mad occasionally and was stern with me more than once.  He was imperfect, honest and real...and that connected with me because I was too...in some crazy way that (or he) encouraged me.

No matter my life situation:  high school kid, college kid or married kid.. I could show up at the door and he'd (they'd) welcome me (or us) in the house and was always glad to see me.  I have no doubt that if I had ever called him in a jam, he'd have showed up at my door. And guess what, he would have encouraged me.

How crazy is it when you look back and realize the impact people have on your life..
Johny never taught a class I was in....
Johny and I never built anything together...
I just got to experience and know a man (husband, father and friend) who lived his life and loved his family.

Really cool.

#RIP/JH
11/6/42-2/26/13

Snow is coming...BOOM! (thunder too!)

Or at least that's what they are predicting...in a major "Snowmegeddon" type way!

Here's the snowfall accumulation forecast and a pic out my vehicle window..7:45am on 2/25/2013.

Stay tuned!!!

#bringonthesnow
#weneedthemoisture

@jaythebanker

Are you feeling the "squeeze"?

Have you looked at the gas price lately? 

It seems a little crazy that gas is now $3.59 per gallon in central Oklahoma? And I'm thinking we have it better than most of the country. 

What is up with that??

I'm not bashing anyone or being "whatever" here...

But  if GW would've been in office today, there'd be "wailing and gnashing of teeth" and calls for his impeachment if he didn't "OPEN UP THE RESERVES.."

Interestingly though.. prices for fuel, groceries and taxes and everything else continue to creep (ok, skyrocket) up.
I'm not complaining.  We are very blessed.  What has surprised me is that I just hear nobody talking about any of the very obvious increase in the price of ALL things...

Get ready friends.  When the economy really kicks into overdrive...it will get expensive.  I suggest getting friendly with DaveRamsey.com...

I am curious how other families in the "middle class" are dealing with it...

ARE YOU FEELING THE "SQUEEZE"?

Sunset tonight!

Just thought tonight's sunset was especially nice. Not many clouds in the sky...totally wide open.

Just that large expanse of horizon and gorgeous red/orange glow wayyyy out West!

Just think, there must be a few others who saw this tonight at about the same time I did... And at least one of them was with me and I've been sharing sunsets with her for twenty-one incredible years!!

"Look West young man!"

(It's not exactly correct ... but it's close and works..)

Reuben in Weatherford - 2000

John Reuben and yours truly!

I really couldn't even tell you the year for sure... My guess is it was about 1999-2000 when I took a suburban full of youth to a concert in Weatherford, OK to see this crazy white rapper named John Reuben and another group named Mars ill . 

That is me with John Reuben on the left (pic) the night of the concert. Very cool indeed. Really didn't know much about him other than he was a rapper (and had good music) who was a Christian and he was safe to take our kids to see...

It was an incredible show in what was called "the 180".  I think it was actually the old theater in downtown Weatherford that a local church had acquired and turned into a special place for high school ministry.

Below is a music video of one of my favorite Johnny Reubonics - "DO NOT"!!


I still remember jumping up and down and going nuts in that place. The kids thought I had lost my mind but the music just connected with me...still does. Maybe its just cause it is fun and has great lyrics...and a dose of reality, morality and biblical worldview.  Could be that it is what God used to connect me to youth ministry long ago. 

The Christian Hip Hop genre continues to get better and better with new artists, incredible lyrics, etc.. I'll try to share more in posts down the road.  Guys like Lecrea, KJ52, Tedashi. I still listen to them all.

My name is Jay,  I'm 46 years old and I like rap music!
 
"You’re defined by having an open mind, Yet you close me out every time I speak mine" - John Reuben

Hello Chicken Dinner!!

It's that Chicken Dinner time of year again!!

Many people around El Reno and Canadian County eagerly await this event each and every single year.. Some folks even refer to it as their OFFICIAL "Family Reunion"!

THE ANNUAL HEASTON CHURCH CHICKEN DINNER is slated to happen SATURDAY, OCT 27th from 5:30-7:00 PM .. and all you have to do is show up and partake of some of the best food in the County! The dinner is FREE to all who come.  Donations are accepted and go to local church ministries.  Come out and meet our new Pastor, Justin Racca...You can see him, me and the CEO of all things chicken, Byron Wood, in the video below.

 
Great food, fellowship and getting to see folks you haven't seen in years - or maybe just since last year's dinner. Homemade fried chicken, mashed potatoes, salad/dressing, gizzard and livers and all the homemade pies - JUST INCREDIBLE!

We have been blessed over the years by meeting so many great people and this year we hope you're there too!  And if you're interested...come out on Saturday mid morning and watch the official Heaston Potato Peeler Crew!! 

For more information about where Heaston Church is located (~9mi SW of El Reno on Country Club Rd) or if you have any questions you can contact the church office at 405-262-9035 or go to our website.

Of course, you can always email JayTheBanker!