Silent Sunday: 2/20/10 ~ Sissy Osteen’s Work

I was inspired to enjoy photography by my father, Benoit, who took photos and developed them in the darkroom. He really loved the Polaroid camera and I remember how fascinated I was when he would pull out the photo and rub the solution across. I took pictures most of my life. My sister, Roxanna, was an artist in every way. When she picked up the camera, I put it down. I knew I could not compete. When she died on 2004, I picked up the camera again and determined that I would be the eye for both of us. I believe that taking pictures can help anyone develop an ability for capturing details that others may not necessarily see, bringing into view a new perspective of the subject portrayed. To facilitate that for myself I always sit next to the window, watch the changes in light and shadow and look behind me when I shoot. Capture magical moments with Carmel by the Sea photography from AGS Photo Art—where every frame invites a deeper look.

Flowers are a fascination and joy to me. They are like jewelry and contribute color and beauty to the landscape in their own time. Close up, they exhibit an almost unnatural variation in color, texture and even movement. Landscapes and architecture are another favorite as they often combine soft and hard textures in a complete package. I think the contrast between what nature creates and humans construct is interesting. Charleston, SC is one of my favorite places to photograph because of the history, but visiting Italy is a photographers dream. Everything in view is a picture.

These pictures are a combination of my favorite flowers and architecture. Additionally, I took the last picture from an airplane as I realized we were flying into a storm. Someone even asked if I took it through the window of the plane! I hardly knew what to say.

~ Sissy Osteen


Sissy’s work is available for sale at “Flourishes Flowers” in Stillwater, Oklahoma. http://flourishesflowers.com/

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Barbershop Theology (Introduction): “I Give You My Word.”




I grew up in Apache, Oklahoma. The air there is thick with Oklahoma culture; tribal Pow Wows, local rodeo hands, Mo Betta western wear, grazing cattle, sweeping wheat fields, Friday night football and salt-of-the-earth people.  These things describe my childhood home.

My dad was the town barber. As the shoe-shine boy and floor sweeper I spent hundreds, probably thousands of hours in Caldwell’s Barber Shop of Apache.  I learned to appreciate community and I met a lot of wonderful characters. It seems like yesterday and at the same time it seems like another age.

In my dad’s shop, and around the town, I saw a lot of business deals, from renting pasture and horse deals all the way to car trades and services to be rendered. The transactions were typically hinged on a final understanding:  knowing whose word to trust and when bovine excrement was in the mix. And I learned that a man was “as good as his word.”

In the beginning was the Word – the Gospel of John

Even before time and existence the Word is. The Gospel of John, in poetic form, unveils the declaration of eternal reality. In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God and the Word was God. This passage does not refer to “In the beginning” of all time and created existence. It refers to what is without beginning, the Infinite; In the beginning God . . .

And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us,

(and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,)

full of grace and truth.

If you want to touch truth, if you want to inhale grace, you have to take God at his Word. That phrase, “dwelt among us” is particularly a part of the disclosure of God. It refers pitching his tent, coming into our midst to abide.

Nelson Mandela noted, when we speak to someone in a language he understands, we reach his head. If we talk his language, we reach his heart. God spoke our language when the Word became flesh.

Continue reading Barbershop Theology (Introduction): “I Give You My Word.”

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A Fan’s Manifesto – Winning Cures All




Al Davis' motto is all this fan is asking of his teams (courtesy footballnewsnow.com)

Just win baby.

The famous motto of Oakland Raiders’ owner Al Davis is somewhat ironic considering the Raiders do everything but win.  However, those three little words perfectly describe how almost every American sports fan feels about his or her team.

I am a fan just like you and frankly, I’m sick and tired of the expectations that are placed on me.  I don’t need to hear another coach, player, owner, executive, or media member call me out for not being supportive.  Here’s how this works: You (the team) create a successful product, and then I show up.  I’m not going to show up if there’s nothing in it for me.  Selfish?  You betcha.  Wrong?  Nope.

There’s no way athletic directors Joe Castiglione and Mike Holder enjoy seeing thousands of empty seats at Lloyd Noble and Gallagher-Iba, but the fan is the last person I’m going to blame for those arenas looking no better than junior high gyms.  Nobody is expecting Oklahoma to turn into a basketball crazed state anytime soon.  That being said, I don’t think it’s unreasonable to expect the Sooners and Cowboys to make the NCAA tournament four out of every five seasons.  These are schools with a decent amount of basketball tradition.  They are big-time universities with big bucks coming from big boosters trying to get into a tournament that’s anything but exclusive.  If Jeff Capel and Travis Ford can’t give me something to look forward to, then why should I pay through the nose to watch a team hoping to sneak into the NIT?

Good economy or down economy, fan dollars are stretched thin.  If I have to pick and choose carefully, why am I going to pick a loser?  Some claim the Thunder is taking dollars away from the college basketball teams in this state.  I think that’s right, but it’s not because of over saturation in the market.  One team is on the rise and sells out; the other teams flounder around .500 and hear crickets during home games.  Fans will go see a winning product, period.

Continue reading A Fan’s Manifesto – Winning Cures All

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Banana Pudding Pie Oh My!




As I was sitting around with my friend Amanda, waiting on an appointment, we flipped through the Stockyards City Cookbook. I decided to let her pick the recipe for the week.

I usually steer more towards deserts because April usually has the main course planned ahead for girls night. Amanda loves banana pudding and we decided that Banana Pudding Pie was a nice twist on the recipe!

I have to say it’s not the healthiest desert ever…the girls on Weight Watchers about booted me out of the house after I told them it had heavy whipping cream in it ;)… but it sure did taste good! This is a very rich recipe and some of my girlfriends shared a piece. The whipped topping definitely helped balance out the heaviness of the pie. I also bought the pre-made crust, the one that is slightly bigger and offers 2 extra servings.

Continue reading Banana Pudding Pie Oh My!

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The Road to Uncool is Paved With Good Parenting




Australian drama, “Mortified,” starring Marny Kennedy as Taylor Fry, an 11-year-old constantly embarrassed by her unpredictable family…a good example of the “Uncool Parenting Road” metaphor.

I could fill many pages with the profound truths of the parenting experience.  The second I held my newborn daughter in my arms on August 23, 2004, I felt both empowered and daunted by the task at hand.  Most of us would agree that we are not adequately prepared for the role of PARENT and we sometimes question our decisions along the way.  The first lesson the new parent learns is that few issues are of the clear-cut, black or white variety and raising a child is not as easy as expected.  However, children are precious gifts from God and we pour into them our love, time, resources and occasionally a little wisdom.  In turn, they love us unconditionally and embrace us as both Superman and Mother Teresa. More young adults are accessing therapy and its helping, creating a positive ripple effect in how future generations are supported emotionally and mentally.

And then they turn on us.  Regardless of the relationship we have with our children, at some point they will become utterly and wholly embarrassed by us and we will begin a dreaded free-fall from our esteemed perch.  We will be relegated to a category of “uncool” which will encompass our words, appearance, music choices, wardrobe, the way we walk, the way we breathe….you get the picture.

When I was a teenager, my mother’s crimes against humanity involved her use of odd or slightly “off” words for common items or acts.  For example, instead of “throw up” she would use the not-so-easy-on-the-ears term “urp.”  There was nothing that made me red in the face more than hearing this word roll off her tongue in all its onomatopoeia glory.  As I write this, I’m struck by the question of why my mother would ever need to refer to the act of regurgitation in front of others outside our family but c’est la vie.

I also remember the devastation of seeing her in a bright yellow blazer which taunted me with its humiliating, well, yellowness.  I remember getting reprimanded by my father for criticizing my mother’s clothing choices (although I secretly think he hated that blazer as much as I did).  I, however, thought I was advancing her fashion aptitude by picking her apart each morning.

Of course, I blame my temporary rudeness on a not-yet-developed frontal lobe.  I wouldn’t change a thing about my childhood and have long since pardoned my mom and dad for offenses that existed largely in my own insecure head.  Now that the shoe is on the other foot, I can only imagine the ridicule I will face in the years to come.  And, trust me, I already feel like I live with a 15 year old so I’ve given up hope that we will be spared tumultuous teenage years.

In fact, Bailey is developing a critical eye which seems to be largely focused on me.  About a year ago, Bailey told me she didn’t like one of my outfits as it made me look too much like a boy.  While I scoffed at the idea of a 6 year old telling me what not to wear, I’ll admit I’ve never worn it since. Continue reading The Road to Uncool is Paved With Good Parenting

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Showcasing Red Dirt culture ~ authored and managed by contributors with connections to the great state of Oklahoma.