Author Archives: The Senator's Wife

About The Senator's Wife

I started this blog on a whim thinking it would be fun to write about politics while my husband served in the OK State Senate. The jury's still out on that, but having a front row seat on the sideline of Oklahoma politics has been one big adventure.

Mr. Chairman

Breaking News: My Senator has been named the next Energy Chairman for the Oklahoma State Senate…a fairly big deal considering we live in Oklahoma and energy is a huge part of our economic engine.

Honestly, I think the Senator had wanted to serve in this capacity for quite some time, because as you can see in this photo from yesterday…….

He has a little hands on experience in this industry and a passion for it! And, yes. I knew this was happening when I posted that darling photo, I just couldn’t say anything about it. But, I can now. So, please indulge me while I brag on my man for a minute because I am constantly reminded of his exemplary leadership down at that marble palace. My Senator is such a team player. A true statesman. He has made it a priority to work hard with all sides of the political aisle to do what is right for our great state. He is not a headline grabber. Better yet, he is not a career politician (i.e. not in this gig for personal gain), but temporarily entered public service with the sincere hopes of providing a better environment for individuals and businesses to succeed…and I love him for that! Our children love him for that! I hope someday Oklahoma loves him for that…

Anyway, this means that next session my Senator will be quite the busy man. Busy with energy issues, transportation (also named the Vice Chairman of Committee on Transportation Appropriations ($$$$) and has something else working in the hopper……….oh, yeah and he was elected the Majority Whip for their caucus. So, I am thinking it might be wise to book some special time for me on his calendar….like, uh, now!

Discussion

Yes, that is my man pictured all the way to the right of that oil rig. Literally……I had no idea this photo existed. If I had, you would have seen it before…..

I mean, I knew the Senator used to work in the oil and gas business in his youth and I certainly knew his dad was a successful geologist. Yet, I had no idea there was any sort of photo documentation of this time in his life and I love it! Seriously, where has he been hiding this stuff!

For those of you who don’t know, the energy industry is a hot topic in my great state and a major source of tax revenue and private sector jobs. We have an abundance of oil and natural gas in Oklahoma and now lots of wind farms are cropping up. There was also an attempt last year to bring nuclear power in to Oklahoma but it failed down at the marble palace. (I don’t know about you, but the word nuclear makes me squirm!)

Anyway, in honor of the new format around here and the photo of the Senator on an oil rig…..and because I want to experiment with one of my new features, I am taking a poll! I’m not sure how this will work, but my analytics tell me I have lots of friends out there…..so, let’s have a little discussion about our Nation’s options when it comes to energy, shall we?

Next, I plan on asking the Senator his thoughts and we’ll come back to this because I think it’s important….and, I have my reasons!

P.S. A little hint as to how I’ll be voting…. let’s just say I used to dream of driving an electric car when I was little….hmmmmm

Looking Back

I love it when the Senator leaves photos lying around for me to write about. He does this every so often, when he thinks he has something fun or interesting or entertaining for me to say.

One time he left me a really old photo….like old as in we were young and thin and I was still in my 20’s….

The Senator thought this one was funny because he remembered when that photo was taken I was seriously about to collapse from exhaustion. I had just run my first 5K and look at him, all smiling and smug the turkey.

I retaliated with an old high school photo because I’m good like that.

Then, he conveniently left me this one he took with the Governor….

And, this one with a Heisman Trophy winner………….

Then there was this one with Miss Oklahoma and Miss America…

I do think he has been given a unique opportunity to meet people from all walks of life down at that marble palace and I’m glad he enjoys it. He is definitely a people person! But, that is not really where I wanted to go with this post. The other day, I found another envelope from the Senator on my desk with photos from his swearing-in at the Capitol.

I happened to miss this momentous occasion. I did not attend his last swearing-in as a State Senator because I was in Dallas….with this man…

And, I wrote about it here , here, and here. It was most certainly a trip of a lifetime for which the Senator had given me a hall pass to forgo his swearing-in ceremony that was taking place simultaneously back home.

So, you can imagine the thrill to find this on my desk…pictures from his special day.

They look all grown up so I think I’m going to pretend they still look like this:

Anyway, at the Capitol that day, just prior to the actual administration of the oath of office, it is a tradition that each member take the microphone and introduce their family and friends in the Gallery. When this particular photo was taken, the Senator had just referenced his 84-year-old mother in attendance. Judging from the laughter in the chamber following his remarks, maybe he realized it might not have been the best idea to unleash her age?

Although, looking at that smile, I think he knew what he was doing!

Oh, happy day!