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By Lesli Nolen
July 2010

I received a spam email the other day, trying to sell flight and hotel packages to some of the big city areas. In this email it talked about the big cities having it all. Great dining, shopping, museums and the list went on. Although it was appealing, realistically, with my schedule it’s just not in the plans. Then it hit me. We have all that great stuff here at home.  

San Angelo, Texas, is full of fun packed family summer activities, especially if you like being outside. It may not be the sandy beach at Possum Kingdom Lake or the beaches of Corpus Christi, but we do have a sandy beach at Lake Nasworthy. You can dock a boat,  there are places for great fishing and places to just jump in and swim. Nothing beats the summer heat like a good day at the lake. If you don’t like the lake, but want to swim. Brown’s pool on the North side of town is always hopping and the city municipal pool, located downtown is open all summer long.

If you’d rather be on dry land and outside, Quicksand Golf Course is one of my favorite spots. It is known to be one of the best and toughest courses in Texas. But watch out for the bunkers!! If you’re looking for something a little less challenging, Santa Fe Golf Course downtown offers a beautiful 9 hole, par 3, course along the river. There is also Riverside Golf Course on the North side of town. No matter what level of golf you like, you’re sure to find your hole in one on one of these courses. I’m not too familiar with disc, or Frisbee, golf, but there are three courses in the Concho Valley area and there are more to come. For those of you that are not golfers, don’t worry downtown shopping and dining is just around the corner.

By Lesli Nolen
June 2010

I cannot believe we are already in June. I sat down to write this article and thought, “Wow- where has time gone?” It seems like the older I get the faster life gets.

In May my daughter celebrated her 9th birthday. Nine years old—it seems like yesterday she just a baby, so cute and sweet, but now she’s 9. She is half way to being out of the house. I don’t know whether to cry or celebrate. Maybe I’ll do a little of both. But it got me thinking how much life has changed— and how fast it’s changed— since I was her age.  

I look back and realize just how good life was when I was growing up. If it wasn’t good, I certainly didn’t know about it. I thought I was queen of the world. I had what I thought was a perfect childhood. I had a mom, dad, sister and a dog. What else could a person ask for?

I grew up in a small west Texas town on a couple of acres where you could sit on the front porch and watch the sun set all the way down on the horizon. Life was grand.

There was always something to do. I either picked up rocks in the horse arena, hoed weeds, brushed a horse, shot the BB gun or rode my bike. I was very seldom in the house. Outside was the place to be.

By Lesli Nolen
May 2010

I have been writing this column for about a year now and in that time I have had many comments about my articles. But I have received the most comments about the October 2009 issue which featured “Common Sayings Have Biblical Origins,” so I thought I would post some more. I hope you enjoy and please keep your comments and suggestions coming. I love hearing from you.  Write me at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or P.O. Box 2678, San Angelo, TX 76902.

An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth
Meaning: The notion that for every wrong done there should be a compensating measure of justice.
Origin: From the Code of Hammurabi. Hammurabi was King of Babylon, 1792-1750BC. The code survives today in the Akkadian language. Used in the Bible, Matthew 5:38 (King James Version):
“Ye have heard that it hath been said, An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth.”

A man after my own heart
Meaning: A kindred spirit—someone I can agree with. One of identical character or belief.
Origin: The term originates from the Bible (King James Version):
Samuel 13:14:
“But now thy kingdom shall not continue: the LORD hath sought him a man after his own heart, and the LORD hath commanded him to be captain over his people, because thou hast not kept that which the LORD commanded thee.”
Acts 13:22:
“And when he had removed him, he raised up unto them David to be their king; to whom also he gave testimony, and said, I have found David the son of Jesse, a man after mine own heart, which shall fulfil all my will.” Add a comment

By Lesli Nolen
March 2010

I am a person of faith and I have always believed in the power of prayer. But it wasn’t until recently that I got to watch God’s miracle of healing unfold right before my eyes.

This is a story about a little 9-year-old girl who had slowly over time become sick. She didn’t feel bad, but didn’t feel real good either. As the months passed her body grew weaker and sicker. It was right before Christmas, when a liver biopsy confirmed she had auto-immune hepatitis. It was treatable with  high doses of steroids. After a couple of weeks it seemed to be working. But at the same time the steroids were depleting her immune system.

Then it all started. She awoke feeling sick to her stomach. So she and her mom stayed home from school and as she predicted this little girl got sick. The discomfort continued for a couple of hours and, with her diagnosed condition, they didn’t want to take any chances so they went ahead and took her into the local emergency room. It was there they determined she had pneumonia, but something else was wrong too. Her blood pressure began to drop and she was definitely sick. They immediately rushed her by ambulance to Lubbock’s pediatrics intensive care unit.