"Coast"ing Through Life

Last weekend, Mayce and I made the annual trip to the coast with her brother and their friends from San Antonio. They have all been going for years (always the weekend after Labor Day - rates are much lower), but this is only my 2nd annual trip to the coast. Last year we drove down to San Antonio and met the group and then drove as a big group to Port Aransas, but this year Mayce and I scored us some sweet flight arrangements and flew to Corpus Christi where the rest of the group picked us up at the airport, then went grocery shopping and to the beach!

We stayed a couple miles down the coast from the place we stayed last year, but the beach was just as nice!
The water was like bath water that first night, but I didn't find any sand dollars like I had hoped. Just like last year, Cody, Chauncey and I were the only ones that went down to the beach on Friday night - and we found a washed-up pineapple this time!

On Saturday morning, we all headed to the beach for some fun in the water, but our time was limited, because it started raining and lightening....

And in Colleen-style, here are my toes!

And I thought this was a cool picture of Cody - totally relaxed as the waves came in!

And as much as I realize that most of the oil that is drilled and refined in this country (at least the lower 48) is done in/around Houston and along the Texas coast, it is STILL weird to see oil rigs when you are sitting on the beach! Here are some rigs that we saw as we enjoyed the water!

After the beach, we moved to the condo pool - but just for a little while since it started lightening and raining again. Look at those dark clouds!

Here's some of the group (there were 10 of us in all) enjoying the pool before we had to leave or get struck by lightening!

PUSH!

JUST PUSH

A man was sleeping one night in his cabin when suddenly his room filled with light, and God appeared. The Lord told the man he had work for him to do, and showed him a large rock in front of his cabin. The Lord explained that the man was to push against the rock with all his might...

So, this the man did, day after day. For many years he toiled from sunup to sundown, his shoulders set squarely against the cold, massive surface of the unmoving rock, pushing with all his might!

Each night the man returned to his cabin sore and worn out, feeling that his whole day had been spent in vain. Since the man was showing discouragement, the Adversary (Satan) decided to enter the picture by placing thoughts into the weary mind: (He will do it every time)!

You have been pushing against that rock for a long time and it hasn't moved." Thus, he gave the man the impression that the task was impossible and that he was a failure. These thoughts discouraged and disheartened the man.

Satan said, "Why kill yourself over this? Just put in your time, giving just the minimum effort; and that will be good enough."

That's what the weary man planned to do, but decided to make it a matter of prayer and to take his troubled thoughts to the Lord.

"Lord," he said, "I have labored long and hard in Your Service, putting all my strength to do that which you have asked. Yet, after all this time, I have not even budged that rock by half a millimeter. What is wrong? Why am I failing?"

The Lord responded compassionately, "My friend, when I asked you to serve Me and you accepted, I told you that your task was to push against the rock with all of your strength, which you have done.

Never once did I mention to you that I expected you to move it. Your task was to push. And now you come to Me with your strength spent, thinking that you have failed.

But, is that really so? Look at yourself. Your arms are strong and muscled, your back shiny and brown; your hands are callused from constant pressure, your legs have become massive and hard.

Through opposition you have grown much, and your abilities now surpass that which you used to have. True, you haven't moved the rock. But your calling was to be obedient and to push and to exercise your faith and trust in My wisdom. That you have done. Now I, my friend, will move the rock."

At times, when we hear a word from God, we tend to use our own intellect to decipher what He wants, when actually what God wants is just simple obedience and faith in Him.

By all means, exercise the faith that moves mountains, but know that it is still God Who moves the mountains.

When everything seems to go wrong..........................Just P.U.S.H.

When the job gets you down...........................Just P.U.S.H.

When people don't do as you think they should...............Just P.U.S.H.

When your money is "gone" and the bills are due...............Just P.U.S.H.

When people just don't understand you..........................Just P.U.S.H.

P = Pray
U = Until
S = Something
H = Happens

It's All Straightened Out

Lately, I have started doing something that I haven’t done since the summer of 1997 (in college) – and that thing is: letting my hair go curly! I have had it chemically straightened for all these years – twice a year. The last time I had it straightened was the day before I drove down to Texas in March 2008. I figured I would find someone down here to do my straightening, just like I did when I moved to Ohio….but that did not happen. The Aveda salon that did my hair in Ohio used a Kenra straightener, which is a common product line, but when I started calling salons in Texas last fall, I couldn’t find ANY that even knew the straightener OR process that I was talking about! What?!


So anyway, I haven’t straightened it in a year and a half – since I left Ohio….which means that out of the shower, my hair is pretty curly as it dries. I have blow-dried it straight every day for years and one day I was running late for church and decided to just let it go curly and roll with it…..well, I kind of liked it!


I have cursed my curls for my whole life, but I’m kind of embracing them lately – mostly because when I let it go curly, I can cut almost a half an hour off my ‘getting ready’ time in the morning – score! And Chris likes the curls, so they are a good option all around. I just can’t believe I’m wearing the curls again!


And so now, all I put in it is this very cool product called Sunsilk Captivating Curls - it's awesome. So I towel-dry my hair, put some of this stuff in it and that's it! No blowdrying, no curling irons, nothing.

And here's a pic of our murder mystery night - to illustrate the hair change. Thoughts??

Murder Incorporated

For Chris’ birthday on Aug. 27^th, I bought tickets to a Murder Mystery Dinner Theater in downtown Dallas – actually at the Texas State Fair site. It took place at the Old Mill Inn restaurant and we had to dress up for it! The tickets were for Saturday night, Sept. 5^th and I was super excited to see how much of the mystery Chris would figure out.

It started out as a reception with drinks and appetizers, during which the actors were mixed in with the attendees so the ‘game’ had already begun! We were supposed to mingle, ask a bunch of questions of the other people there and take notes for later.

Once that was over, we all moved upstairs to the dinner room. They had a hostess that explained how it all worked and there was a big empty ‘evidence’ table in the middle of the room. They had us walking around looking for evidence, analyzing handwriting on notes, etc. There were 3 people who were killed during the night and one of them got ‘shot’ right in front of our table!

By the end, we had to solve all three murders and write out an explanation of who did each one and WHY. The murders were all intertwined and there were a LOT of details to consider. We got about ½ or more of the details right, but we did miss one big piece. It was a lot harder than I thought! As I expected, Chris did much better at solving the murders – he is very good with details.

Plus, we took our first pictures together – plenty have been taken of the dogs and each other, but none of just the two of us. So these are the first! He looked so handsome in his new blue shirt and tie!

And now that the Texas State Fair is starting up, we'll have to come back here for the fair now!

And for a little randomness today, I'll show you Chris' "Father of the Year" picture.....I opened his freezer and saw a bottle of Jagermeister next to the kiddie popsicles for TJ. NICE. :)

Don't FEAR The Reaper

"Fear is your friend. Fear is an indicator. Sometimes, it shows you what you shouldn't do; more often than not it shows you exactly what you should do. And the best results I've had in life, the most enjoyable times, have all been from... asking a simple question, 'What's the worst that can happen?'" - Tim Ferriss


I saw this quote and instantly loved it! For pretty much my whole life up until a few years ago, I have been the kind of person who shies away from big uncertain situations – scared of a LOT of ‘what if’ scenarios. But every time I go through something I never thought I could, I gain some confidence that comes in handy for the next “I can’t do this” situation. I have made it through and accomplished more than I thought I would, most of it on my own and I’m still here to talk about it, so what really is there to fear?

I love the idea that fear shows you what you SHOULD do, not just things you shouldn’t do. Just because we are afraid of things doesn’t mean they aren’t the best choice. I was PETRIFIED to make the leap and quit my job, move to Texas and buy a house, but I just KNEW that I had to do it, despite the fear of total failure and regret. Man, am I ever glad I pushed through the fear and DID it! Now I just wonder how many other things I didn’t do because of fear, that I would’ve been glad I did. UGH – can’t think of that – only look to the future and the next set of fears I can conquer!

Gas Pump Conspiracy

Over time, I have experienced something that, in the grand scheme of life, isn't a huge deal.....but I still think there is a conspiracy going on. OK - here it is:

Whenever I put gas in my car, I use the pay-at-the-pump feature so I can just fill up and go and it's easily put on my debit card. Perfect invention, right? Right! Here's where the conspiracy comes in: Why is it that at least 25-30% of the time, the receipt printer is 'out of paper' or 'broken' so that you get that annoying message on the screen - "See cashier inside for receipt."

While I am a rational person who understands that those printers WILL run out of paper by nature, why at a gas station that does most of its gas sales through pay-at-the-pump would they not be checking those printers periodically throughout the day to make sure they are operational?? I have NEVER EVER seen an employee replacing the paper in one of them - over all the years that I have been putting gas in a car (16 years of driving - man, I'm old!).

OK, here's my theory: Either gas station employees are incredibly lazy & incompetent OR gas stations don't regularly check those printers (and keep paper in them) so that you will be forced to go inside the store to get your receipt...a place that is stocked with tons and tons of impulse purchase opportunities, prominently displayed on your path to the cashier.

I am very susceptible to impulse purchases, so that is one of the reasons I like pay-at-the-pump so much - I don't even go in the store to get tempted.....so I've been protesting their conspiracy. I will just write down the amount on a piece of paper so I can write it in my checkbook later. I'm not falling victim to impulse purchases!!

Thoughts???

Tex-ified!

Last week, April and I had dinner at Saltgrass - a steak restaurant chain. It was AMAZING food, but I think I was more excited about the MAJORLY "Texified" decor!

Before we even walked in the door, they made SURE that we knew we were in Texas! I loved it!

And in the sidewalk as you come to the front of the restaurant, there are horseshoes to guide you to the door!!

And right by the bathrooms, I saw this sign - LOVED IT!

April thought this one was funny, so I have to include it:

I kind of thought my weird fascination with the great state of Texas would've worn off some now that I have been here for a year and a half, but it just hasn't - I'm still obsessed with 'all things Texas'! Besides the summer heat, I LOVE living here!

Not Going Down Without a FIGHT

About a week or so ago, I 'took one for the team' and watched a UFC fight for the first time. Chris gets together occasionally with his friends from the gym and they watch UFC fights at Humperdinks in Arlington.

Well, this time he asked me to join him. I wanted to meet his friends and spend time with him, so I agreed to go. Chris knew that I would probably have to cover my eyes for a good portion of the fight, but appreciated that I would go with him anyway.

Well, on that particular night, there was a Cowboys pre-season game going on (and ironically, it was being played at the brand new Cowboys Stadium right across the street, basically!). So for the most part, I was trying to concentrate on the game and not the barbaric fighting that was on the TV right above our table.

But, when the game was over, it also happened to be time for 'the main event' - the BIG fight of the night. It wasn't as bad as I thought it would be in some aspects, but then there were predictably some moments where I just cringed and had to look away. When the mat started to have blood spatter, then I knew I was just about done with this whole dog-and-pony show!

I made it through, but barely.

PS - Now THIS is the kind of 'fighter' I'm TALKIN' ABOUT!!

And a sidenote: Chris and TJ decided it was time for TJ to get a haircut, so they both decided that a mohawk was the best choice. Doesn't he look so tough?? LOL

Spare No Expense for Cowboys!

OK, this picture has taken the "Texas cowboy" thing to a whole new level, hasn't it? My friend Erin sent it to me - it's a real picture and hasn't been doctored or photoshopped....and I think it's FABULOUS!

I don't think I have ever seen the 'logo' for handicapped parking altered in any way until I saw this one. I'm sure the government would have a hayday with it, but who cares! It gets the point across AND it's fun. Afterall, there is "expectant mother" parking, "Curbside-To-Go" parking, why not handicapped parking for cowboys??

Silence is Golden

I'm sure everyone has heard the story about the guy who recently 'shut someone's kid up' in Walmart by grabbing the child and smacking them repeatedly. I am pretty opinionated about this topic, but not to that extreme.

While I absolutely do NOT believe in touching someone else's child or yelling at them, I DO believe that kids need more discipline or consequences and many many parents are not doing their job (at least in public anyway). I have been in stores where kids run into me without saying they are sorry or 'excuse me'.....and the Mom is standing right there and does NOTHING! WHAAATT??? How about teach your child how to have manners and show respect by saying you're sorry?!
And don't even get me started on screaming, obnoxious kids in restaurants.....It's one thing to have obnoxious, loud kids going crazy at Chuck-E-Cheese or somewhere like that. If you are going to that restaurant, you should expect that. However, if I am going to drop $50+ on dinner at a sit-down restaurant and you think it's "cute" to have your kid wailing, screaming, throwing things, running around, etc. and/or are just trying to 'ignore' them until they stop as a clever parenting tactic, you should be taken out back and...........(fill in the blank).

Why do these parents think that the world revolves around them and their loud children?? What if the couple next to them is having their first 'date night' after having a child and were looking for a peaceful dinner out of the house? Then they get stuck next to your traveling circus of a family who is so wildly rude that you don't even take your misbehaving, crying, screaming, rude child out of the restaurant to discipline them or quiet them - or better yet - LEAVE if they get too out of hand.

It's as if parents think that 'the general public' is their free babysitter when they leave the house. Cashiers, store employees, waitstaff and other patrons are NOT your babysitters, so be a PARENT and keep your child in line!