A Day Across the River

One of the things that my Mom and I always do on my visit down every February is a shopping trip to Mexico. We drive to the border and park on the U.S. side and then walk over the bridge (over the Rio Grande river) into Progreso, Mexico.

Lately, though, there has been a LOT more drug violence in the border towns - people getting shot and their bodies being hung up on poles in the streets. But that didn't stop us - we are shopping warriors!

In case you cared what your borders really looks like, here is a little documentary:

Here's the U.S. side - some border patrol:

Border agents/Immigration:

Here's a shot of the Rio Grande - the natural border of Texas and Mexico.....this was taken from the U.S. side looking across at the Mexican side.

Here's a shot of the river from the bridge - U.S. is on the right, Mexico on the left.

And here's a shot of the exact center of the bridge, where the exact line of the 2 countries exists....and of course, since we're tourists, we had my Mom stand 'in the U.S.' and Daryl stand 'in Mexico' for a minute. We are dorks, for sure.
Entering Mexico on foot and by car.....they apparently don't care who enters their country - no questions, no immigration, no nothing. You just pay 25 cents and go through a turnstile.

And this is what you find when you cross that bridge and go through the turnstile - a much bigger Mexican military presence than in previous years. There were bunkers, tanks and soldiers with machine guns serving as the Welcoming Committee!

Here's a Mexican soldier hiding out in his little sandbag bunker thing.....

More sandbag hideouts.......My mom said they were watching me take pictures and didn't look happy, but oh well - anything for a photo op is what I say!

Nothin' says good shopping like a guy holding a machine gun!

Here's Mom and Daryl at the border to Mexico:

And here's a shot of the lanes to go back over the bridge into the U.S. We just walked back over the bridge and paid our 25 cents and went through the turnstile. We also had to show our passports to immigration and declare what we were bringing back.

It was a crazy day in Mexico, but we made it back to Texas alive and in one piece!

Turtles Galore!

Another new thing that we tried was a trip to Sea Turtle Inc. It's on the main drag on the island and it's a rescue/non-profit that studies and helps sea turtles. We meant to go to this place last year, but it never happened.

It was so cool to learn about all of the kinds of sea turtles and how they lay their eggs, migrate, etc.

This one was just rescued and they said it's in "intensive care" - very sick, but making progress. Poor turtle!!

Here's a rescued tiny baby sea turtle who had damage to one of its flippers.....

They were beautiful and they actually were playing with a toy and swimming around acting crazy with each other. Super cool!

This variety is very endangered because of its 'tortoise shell' appearance (poachers in Mexico), and it's unique because it has a hawk bill for a nose!

This one was coming up for air - making bubbles!

Here's Mom and Daryl outside the restaurant where we ate lunch - so pretty!

And here is my Mom and I. You can kind of see the causeway in the background - the road that takes you from mainland Texas out to the island.

Castles In The Sun

Last week, I flew down to south Texas to visit my Mom (a 7 year old tradition now). We always go to Mexico shopping and then one other day, we always drive out to South Padre Island and bum around the beach and shops.

This year was no different, except that my Mom is married now, so things were a little awkward and different..........and it was only 55-58 degrees and windy! So much for 'global warming'!! South Padre is literally right where Texas meets Mexico and it's only 55 degrees and super windy! Brrrrrr!!!

Needless to say, we didn't spend much time on the beach! But we did find something new - a sandcastle at the visitors center.......

I love the Texas with a devil's tail - Texas is a little renegade, afterall!

It was so pretty and we only found out about it because I grabbed a South Padre magazine thing at the airport while we were waiting at baggage claim and it had an article about the sandcastle that is "the largest in Texas". Ummm.....it was cool and all, but I don't know about biggest......just sayin'......

Here's me posing with the sandcastle. Pirate's Landing is the restaurant we ALWAYS have eaten at, but this year we tried a new one - Amberjacks - and I really liked it.

Here's Mom and her husband, Daryl.

I saw some T-shirts by the door and I just HAD to get this one for Chris.....WHO'S YOUR PADRE? hahahahahaha

A Penny Saved......

So I found this article online last week that talks about the penny, it's value, whether we should get rid of it, its merits and whether you would still pick one off the ground and keep it.

I know there are arguments for and against keeping the penny, but I for one still pick up pennies because I have a poem that says pennies are sent from angels and I like to think that my Dad left them for me and I think of him and smile when I find a penny. For that reason alone, I'm voting to keep the penny!! ENJOY!

U.S. Mint rolls out a new penny

The Lincoln Cent has been redesigned again. But not everyone is celebrating.

Posted by Money Staff on Wednesday, February 24, 2010 12:18 PM

This post comes from Anna Vander Broek of MSN Money.

Those of you who still use the penny as currency (rather than as a screwdriver or for scratching off lottery tickets) may soon notice America’s 1-cent coin has gotten a facelift.

The U.S. Mint has changed the design for the reverse -- or “tails” -- side of the 2010 Lincoln Cent, which entered circulation on Feb. 11 (everywhere but Puerto Rico, which received the new penny in late January). Michael White from the U.S. Mint says penny inventory is very high, however, so you may not see a new penny right away.

The U.S. Mint kicked off the release of the new penny during a ceremony at the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum in Springfield, Ill. The design was chosen out of 18 candidates. Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner made the final call.

The penny’s new reverse side features a union shield with 13 vertical stripes and a scroll draped across reading “One Cent.” (Check your nearest couch cushion and you’ll see the old penny portrays the Lincoln Memorial.) The Web site of the U.S. Mint explains that the stripes represent the 13 original states and the banner signifies “a single union in support of the federal government.” The new penny’s front face will continue to illustrate President Lincoln, designed by American sculptor Victor David Brenner back in 1909.

The 2010 penny follows the four different reverse designs, each one depicting a stage of Lincoln’s life, used on the 2009 Lincoln pennies. The special pennies were produced last year to commemorate the bicentennial of Lincoln’s birth and the 100th anniversary of the Lincoln Cent.

A penny for your thoughts

Not everyone is excited about the prospect of a new penny. Some would rather see the coin disappear altogether. The anti-penny group Citizens for Retiring the Penny explains on its Web site why it believes the penny is a waste of time and money.

The half penny was eliminated in 1858, when it was worth over 10 times what the penny is worth today. Assuming that the timing was correct before, this means that we should have eliminated the penny 50 years ago.

Some Americans won’t even accept the penny as currency. Alko Office Supply, owned by Gary Shows in downtown Berkeley, Calif., has a sign hanging over the cash register that reads, "We are a penny free store,” reports NPR.org in a story debating the worth of the penny.

Even President Obama seems to think the penny has overstayed its welcome. “We have been trying to eliminate the penny for quite some time -- it always comes back,” he said at a press conferience in 2008, according to a blog post on Politico.com. (Although in 2005 when Obama was a senator from Illinois, he co-sponsored the Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial One-Cent Coin Redesign Act, which required the new penny designs in 2009 and 2010.)

A penny actually costs more to make than it's worth. In 2009, the unit cost to produce the penny was 1.62 cents, according to the U.S. Mint.

Find a penny, pick it up

The penny still has many fans. Pro-penny group Americans for Common Cents "aims to inform and educate policymakers, consumers and the media about the penny’s economic, cultural and historical significance." The group also emphasizes the penny’s importance for charity through organizations such as Penny Lovers of America and Habitat for Humanity’s Parade of Pennies.

A poll conducted by Coinstar in 2006 found that only 27% of Americans want to get rid of the penny. Four out of five Americans will still pick up a penny on the ground.

Thankful Thursday

OK, it's Thankful Thursday!

1. Doggy Doors - BEST INVENTION EVER. I thought of this one this week because just last night, when I was drifting off to sleep, Maggie decided to get out of bed and jump down her little step and run downstairs and outside (through her doggy door) for a potty break before going to bed.

I didn't have to get up, stand outside with her in the cold, nothing. She just let herself out, spent as much time out there as she wanted/needed and then came back in, got a drink of water and ran upstairs and jumped back into bed. PERFECTION!!!

2. My GPS....named Amanda. I have had my TomTom for about a year and a half now and I love it! It was worth every penny I paid for it After you've lived somewhere for a while, you take things for granted - like where the grocery store is, where a post office is, where ANYTHING is and how to get there.

When I moved down to Texas, I was using Mapquest to get everywhere, but after a couple months, I broke down and got a GPS and it has been SO WONDERFUL! Amanda takes me wherever I need to go and tells me when to turn and what lane to be in.....and then when it's time to go home, I just hit the HOME button and she takes me back to my house! LOVE IT - SO WORTH IT.

3. A new product that blows you away - in this case, a new mascara from AVON which I have found to be AMAZING. It seems like every mascara I buy makes my lashes clump together - so annoying. But I found this new one from AVON that is perfect! It doesn't have long bristles, so I thought it would be terrible, but apparently that is the trick to great lashes that are split apart perfectly!

I just LOVE finding a new great product! (However, usually that product is discontinued when I go to buy more of it.....this has lead to me buying good products in massive bulk, for fear of the dreaded "discontinued" situation.).

4. The first whiff of fresh cut grass in the spring. That first whiff was last week on my way to work. The landscaping crews were out in both Arlington (where I live) and Irving/Las Colinas (where I work), mowing, leaf blowing, etc.

Just that cut-grass smell that wafts in the car is AMAZING and reminds me of Dad, my childhood, and all kinds of good things. YAY for grass!

5. The anticipation of something great that is right around the corner. What I am specifically referring to in this instance is my upcoming trip to New York City, or my trip to Orlando to see my college girlfriends in April. I love booking them really far out so that I have a TON of time to anticipate the event and enjoy the excitement.

I think it's really important to always have something fun on the horizon, something to look forward to, a reward to work towards, whatever. It is a motivator, it helps you get through a hard day, and just generally puts a skip in your step!

Sky High

The other day, my Mom sent me an email with pictures of the following roller coaster. It looked pretty wild and I was thinking that I would love to ride it.....until I realized that it was Top Thrill Dragster from Cedar Point in Sandusky, Ohio!


Too late, Mom, I've ALREADY RIDDEN IT!! It is absolutely nuts!


And under all that snow is LAKE ERIE, so it's even scarier at the top of the roller coasters there, because all you see is a huge massive Great Lake below you!

When you get on the ride, it stops you at a sort of 'docking station' and then with NO warning, it shoots you straight forward at like 120 miles an hour INSTANTLY. That is necessary in order to get you to the top of that squiggly beast and get over the hump at the top!

I was in line for it on a rainy day and apparently it's normal for it to not make it over the hump sometimes and when that happens, you just **almost** make it over, and then slump back down the twirly coaster. They put your car back at the docking station and start over!

Every time I've ridden it, it has gone over on the first try. What an exhilerating ride!


OK, I think that this picture is photoshopped, but it was part of the humor of the email that my Mom sent. For the record, I did not wet myself when I rode it. :)

Stayin' Alive

What makes you truly feel ALIVE?

I recently went to see that movie "Crazy Heart" and it really made me THINK. I love those movies that make you look at your own life and realize things about yourself that you never thought of before.

I was trying to think about what I truly want for my life, what do I want to look back at 80 and see accomplished. Did I go through the motions and keep it all together, but remain in a prison of routine? Did I truly EXPERIENCE things the way they should be experienced, or did I rush by miracles just to cross something off my to-do list?

Being a Type-A'er, 'feeling alive' isn't something that you hear often in my circles. That is just 'ridiculous' talk that only Type B'ers would say. But in a way, I think I almost have multiple people living inside me. I am very organized, pretty much a slave to my planner, routine-lover, planner, etc. I ENJOY those things and they bring me calm, a sense of order and that is how I process the world.

However, the other side of me rarely feels ALIVE, truly ALIVE. I almost forget that I should be feeling it because there is so much time and routine in between occurrences of feeling alive! That needs to change!

Some of the things that make me feel alive are:

• going to a place I have never been before
• an open road
• watching the ocean and it's amazing power
• big, huge cities
• a huge, orange sunset
  
• traveling
• learning to do something I have never done before and/or never thought I could do
• Playing with dogs
• Standing at a great height and looking at all God has created

There are many more, I'm sure, but most of them I haven't experienced yet. And that's a shame. I really need to work on creating a life where I know well the feeling of being truly ALIVE - emotionally, physically, spiritually......and OFTEN.

Streets of Philadelphia

I'm not sure if I have ever mentioned this on my blog, but Chris is from Pennsylvania (yes, he's a REAL yankee!) - near Philadelphia, a city called Allentown. Anyway, we were talking about Philly Cheesesteaks recently and he mentioned that he knew of a place in Mansfield that had pretty authentic ones.

Since I have never been to Philadelphia (only to Pittsburgh, and Chris says that Pennsylvania doesn't really claim Pittsburgh - "it might as well be Ohio" - whatev!), I wanted to experience it!

Last weekend, Chris brought over lunch and lo and behold - it was cheesesteaks from this place he found!

He wasn't sure if I would like 'the works,' so he got me the plain one with meat and cheese. His was loaded with peppers, onions and a special sauce. I LOOOOOVED mine and I tried his and really liked that one too - AMAZING taste.

Here's mine:

And here's Chris' 'souped up' version:


And apparently there are these little cakes that are sold under the brand Tasty Kakes out of Philadelphia and Chris grew up on them as a kid. This cheesesteak place had those as well, so I got to experience a Tasty Kake - which was a first. They were OK - kind of like a Little Debbie.


And last, but not least, here's Chris enjoying his little taste of home!