Docs & 3D

Well, I finally had to haul myself to the quack shack. After waking up at 3 a.m. Friday night and coughing myself straight into the morning, I decided enough already. I dressed in my finest Saturday duds and prepared myself for the long wait at the walk-in clinic. I always wish for a force field button when at these places. Press the button and the invisible shield of germ-x surrounds you until you exit unscathed. After about a two hour layover, the doctor came in, gave me three antibiotics, and told me that I was probably on my way to pneumonia had I waited longer. Swell. The lovely news is that the antibiotics combined give me tummy taint. Fabulous! I just hope to be back up and running normally soon.

That said, yesterday was Wade and I's official anniversary of meeting. That's correct, five years ago yesterday Wade clambered down the tiny driveway to my apartment in his knight-in-shining-armor pick up to wisk me away to the church house. Ironic seeing as how that's where we ended up. In honor of the day, we decided to roll over to Corpus for dinner and a movie. The Avatar 3D movie topped the list. Now, I need to say that I have not had the greatest of history with watching 3D movies without feeling the need to pray to the porcelain gods. I gave it the old college try. An hour in my skin felt clammy. I felt my stomach rolling and gracefully exited the theater. I don't know if it was a combination of all the antibiotics mixed with the 3D, but whatever the cause- not good. I grabbed an icee and sat up camp in the icy gaming area. Nothing like watching the up and coming thug nation play ice hockey to cure what ails you. The cold drink and cold room helped subside the nausea. After I could not take anymore of the fascination in the gaming area, I ambled back over to the theater. Not wanting to experience round two of the debacle, I opted to sit outside the theater, sip my icee, and play hangman on my phone. I settled into a nice groove when a lady came out of the theater looking a little green herself. Funny how people are placed in your life surreptitiously to make our lives easier without our knowing. Turns out she was retiring from teaching after 35 years. She told of her many experiences and said one thing that probably stuck, "If you're going to do this, you've got to love those kids even when their assholes." That pretty much sums it all up.

May we all strive for the high road as this week cranks off tomorrow.

Deep Fog

This morning on my monotonous journey to school, the fog engulfed my car like smoke fumes dancing around the outskirts of a blaze. Fog seemingly enveloped the atmosphere so that the only thing left on the planet lay five feet in front of me. I found myself spinning in confusion as if driving straight into the twilight zone, or into a Sanford & Son episode where at any moment I would break out with ,"I'm coming to see ya Margaret..." My mind began to wonder what it must be like for those living a life without the Lord. Life must be a constant heavy fog inhibiting the existence of true happiness coming to fruition. I will tell you, if 3 p.m. had not come when it did yesterday, I may well have grabbed my purse and sianara'd myself right on out of the building. A true test of patience and frankly endurance. The chorus of that Mercy Me song was streaming through my head- "Give me a revelation, Show me what to do". At the time, I really did not think the Lord chose to process my request because the afternoon tutoring session continued right along with the mayhem of the day. Kids out of their seats with their infinite questions beginning with "miss". Oh, did I not tell you I had a name change? By popular demand I went ahead and thought I would give the one-namer a try. You know, like Madonna? Except I'm just "miss". In case you can't tell, this is an astronomical pet peeve of mine. The thought eludes me why I am unable to be addressed by my name. Pick your battles, right? I digress- back on track. Even though I thought my plea sat in line at His feet, my answer came on the drive home yesterday afternoon. As I neared the turn off for the straight away to our abode, literally thousands of birds flew above me in their perfect V formations. My mind had to stop to process for a moment. How do they know where they are going? Where will they end up? The light bulb in my brain immediately illuminated. They are driven by an internal instinct placed so carefully and intricately into the plan for their existence. The same is true for me. Sometimes at the end of the day, I walk to my car literally thinking- who am I, where am I, what am I doing? He knows the answers. Even when I am navigating through the fog of life and questions abound to seem unanswerable- He knows the path he has laid out for our lives. Precisely. Just like the birds so effortlessly flying with faith of returning to their destination, so should I fly with the same esteem.

When navigating the heavy fogs of doubt, unsurity, and frustration, we must know that just like the birds, He knows exactly where we are headed and it's no mistake- for He is at the helm.

Catch Up

Many moons have passed since my last words, and many situations have arisen. Let's take it from the top, shall we? If you have followed this blog, you know that rain came like mad last week. Without question something must get stuck, sink, or fall apart. Picture it: Wade and I embarked upon a pasture run Sunday afternoon. We needed to clear out feeders so the deer could have fresh non-molded vittles. All was well until we came across one that sank. No problem, right? We'll just saunter out there, hoist it back on its legs, and none the wiser. Luckily, I wore work boots for this daunting task. I stepped out onto the ground and immediately sunk. As the mud rose up around my ankle, I realized that something not pleasant permeated the moist, stagnant air. Imagine the smell of deer feed mixed with pooey and rain. Swirl it all together in a bowl and that's the smell. Ghastly! Once over the initial shock, I sashayed on over to assist Wade with the recon mission. The soles of my boots have absolutely no traction whatsoever, which made for a lot of slippin' and slidin'. We finally got that sucker upright, but were both covered in this unruly substance. I consider myself to be fairly cultured. Not cultured in the way of hiking the Appalachian, sipping espresso at a Paris cafe, and reading Tolstoy. Cultured in the Lonesome Dove, country roots, put your big girl pants on and deal with it kind of way. Even still, the task I completed merits a shout out to Dirty Jobs. Maybe I should phone Mike Rowe and have him come on down to slop around in the filth!

Shortly after this feeder debacle, I managed to bury the ranch suburban...literally. It was already stuck in the middle of the pasture. Wade managed to finagle it out, then wanted me to drive it to the main road. He thought it was in 4WD. Duh. Any self respecting Texan would assume that a truck that's stuck would be in 4WD. I hauled off and plowed into this gargantuan puddle. I felt the wheels slipping and got a sinking notion in my gut. I hammered the gas, threw it in reverse, and hammered it again. I peered down at the shifter only to see the blazing orange indicator pointing straight at 2H. Nice. I stuck that hoopty clear up to the door. If you're going to do something, might as well do it right. We managed to tow it out...surprisingly the engine didn't blow with the amount of torque I willed through that motor. I couldn't help but think of the phrase, "don't send a woman to do a man's job". I believe in equal opportunity for all, but I also know my limits. I should stick to dry land and a desk job!

The rest of the weekend was swell. We cruised over to Corpus yesterday to do some shopping and piddling. Feeling refreshed from the weekend, I woke up this morning ready to conquer the day. As a side note, you must know that I still have this insanely annoying cough that simply will not leave me be. Last night I literally thought I was going to choke myself out. I could not stop coughing! Wade brought me a hug dose of cough syrup in an attempt to get somewhat of a good night's sleep. I think that's what caused my demise this special day. A tiny warning label sits quietly on the bottom of the bottle- excess dosage may have laxative effect. Really? I'm sorry but when hacking up a lung, the fine print seems trivial. I assure you, there's nothing trivial about it. If ever tempted to take the more than recommended dosage, don't do it. Step away from the bottle!

I guess the thought/moral for the day is simply stated: some rules just aren't meant to be broken!

Wishing you a stellar evening and candy-coated dreams!

Truckin' in the Rain

Today it rained. Not just your average shower with a rainbow to clear the sky, terd floating rain. All day... This sat well with me. Today was a work day at school and it just so happens that the good old- fashioned down home cooking cafe on the square will bring food straight to the back door of the school. An added perk I must say. The day passed quickly and before I knew it, I was navigating the nasty flooded roadways home. One problem I might add with rain in these parts- no mountains exist to offset the flow. I take that back, the highest point in town is likely the speed bumps. Needless to say, the streets and roadways flood. I began my trek back to the range. In full auto pilot mode I cranked up the tunes, and found myself lost in a little Boom Boom Pow. Out of nowhere a trucker came whizzing by me at what I am sure are completely unacceptable speeds during such monsoons as this. I thought to myself, what a jerk! During my favorite part of the song, he completely stole my thunder and made me put both hands on the wheel (previously I had one hand in the air chair dancing to the song). Action had to be taken. I slowly pressed the gas just enough to get up next to him on the two lane. My best "who do you think you are" look just waited to be unleashed. I crept next to his window. Wouldn't you know he looked like an actual good ole' boy. I obviously was not expecting this. Dadgummit! The mesh- backed trucker hat complete with the plaid shirt and wad of chaw in his mouth. Just a guess, but if rain had not been slightly distorting my view, I bet there was a nice little cup holder attached on the window for his spitoon. I had to laugh. This reminded me of home, you see. Just a good ole' boy heavy haulin' from point A to point B.

This whole encounter eludes to the moral of the story: home is where the heart is. It may not necessarily be where you would choose on a map to plant yourself, but it's what you make of it that counts. Accepting life's challenges while putting on a smile and making lemonade from lemons can be a real pip. However, once you accept life as it comes and trust that your plan is predestined, life seems a little brighter. Here's to home and all the joy family brings... and to the oblivious trucker who graciously inspired this tribute.

Happy weekend!

Fascinating...

Wade and I are watching a storm roll in at the moment. The lightning electrifies the sky and the thunder rattles your bones. We haven't seen a storm roll like this in a coon's age. Boud sits right in between us, of course, the eternal protector/mediator of our relationship. I sit reflecting upon the occurrences of the day. Without question, I am so thankful for Wade. God really knew what he was doing when he so carefully knit our paths. There are times that I am such a basket case. Without Wade, I would certainly render profit from investing stock in paper bags so as to prevent hyperventilating. Several issues arose today. I am so thankful to have "my person" there by my side during the not-so-perfect days.

The point is- what's life without balance? I would be up a creek without Wade. He is my balance when I shift off kilter. For that matter, the occasional conflict keeps us on our toes.

Have a far-out Friday.

Curse of the Cough

It seems I have contracted the curse of the cough. I had all the signs of a nasty cold setting in earlier this week, but I thought I had it beat with Mucinex. Apparently, I stand corrected. I have this nasty cough that will simply not cease. The kids asked me if I needed to go home. ha- Pretty bad! The Weather Channel shows flash flood warnings. In these flat lands, I very well may have to crank up the bowfishing rig and spotlight it to school...I just got a visual of that and am laughing inside at the thought. At this moment, I can't help but sing that song, "Everybody's Working for the Weekend" in my head. That seems a grand theme right about now! At least it's hump day! Until we meet again...

Call Centers and Janky Lotto

Happy Monday to you all. I hope this finds you all having a swell evening. There are just a few things I felt noteworthy today. The first would be the handy dandy call center I had to call today to get a few questions answered about my student loans. I am sure you could guess where this is going. After I was asked for my address three times, enunciating to the best of my abilities, I was certain the place I was calling was not located in the good old U.S.of A. After a painstaking twenty minute phone call, seeking the answer to one simple question, I decided to just point blank ask the lady where I was calling. I said, "May I ask where this call center is located?" She paused for a while and said, "Jamaica, ma'am." Nice, isn't it? Why is it that America is outsourcing all of these CSA positions while complaining that our economy is in dire straights, and the employment rate is in the sewer. I can't rightfully delve into political conversation without ruffling feathers I am sure, but with the state of our union of late, it simply makes no sense to me. Here we are promoting the economy of a place not even in the same country! I hope she enjoyed the Mai Tai on the beach this evening, listening to the sound of the sea crashing in. It's on me sister. It's on me.

As for the janky lotto, this one's a real riot. Apparently, there are certain establishments around here that allow gambling. It's not of the legal kind, you see. However, certain said establishments "take care" of the local officials. I was eating lunch today and a lady at work was talking about going. She won $3,000 dollars last night. That's right, cold hard cash payoff. Now, the human susceptible- to-temptation side of me thought, dangit! That's a mother load of cash! She goes quite often and picks up a few K at a time. I had to close my mouth from the surprise,take a drink of my Diet Dr. Pepper, and let the rational side of me set in. My luck I would roll into one of those places and no more than cross the threshold before the Po-Po came a callin'. That said, that's just how temptation creeps in. It can start with something so small, a mere conversation. Funny how if we are not careful, we can be sucked in to ways of the world without even a second thought. Maybe that's just what I needed to remind me to stay on track with my devotionals and stay close to His side- away from temptation wherever in whatever form it may arise.

That's all I have in my bag of tricks for today. Wishing you all a stellar night and a tricked-out Tuesday!

Saturday Revelations

PJ's- check
Whiskey- check
Gilmore Girls- check

That's pretty much the only criteria for my Saturday evening...Wade has hunters here so I am left to my own devices. I did manage to take a hot shower which is greatly appreciated as the pipes were frozen this morning. The best I could manage was enough of a trickle to brush my fangs and wash my face. Washing your face in 22 degree water is the equivalent of chugging a Jolt cola, by the way. Not the gradual wake up I was looking for this morning. On a lighter note, I have some funny writing to share from the 'summer vault'. Our reading story this week at school is about whales. I had to strain myself to keep from laughing out loud in the middle of class at the memory of this particular piece of writing. Coincidentally, when we began reading this story on Wednesday, that day was total crap, so the beginning even transcended time in its relevance! I am going to paste it below...

I’ll be honest, today was crap. The past few days have probably been precursors that nonetheless congealed today to form my crummy opinion. I haven’t been feeling all that great, so as a result have not been that active. As you all know, such inactive states can lead to feeling poorly about oneself… that’s the case here. I started the day having a ‘fat day’. You could be pretentious enough to proclaim that you have never had a fat day, but we all know it’s not true. The days where you look in the mirror, then decide to avoid the mirror or window reflections of yourself the rest of the day. The days when your pants feel a little snug or whatever you put on might as well be a shirt with “orca” stamped across the front of it. I took a shower and got dressed- elastic pants, t-shirt, and ball cap- all combative elements of the fat day syndrome, you see. As a side note, whoever invented elastic should receive some sort of American Medal of Honor. Genius...

I guess that point is, it all comes out in the wash. All in all it's been a pretty good week. I have remained positive and hope to continue the trend. I am back on track with running (though may be out for a few days as I am coming down with some sort of crud). I wonder if it could possibly have anything to do with the little girl that came to my desk and asked to whisper something in my ear. Her sweet nothing she felt the need to so generously whisper in my ear was that she had just ralphed in the bathroom. Hmm. "Bless her heart"- Isn't that the universal catch all when one is striving for tact? In closing, have a bad day, week, few weeks, or whatever. It’s never too late to get yourself up and out of the proverbial cesspool and get back on track toward crystal clear seas!

Twas the Night Before New Year's...

Twas the night before New Year's and all through the ranch,
Not a creature was stirring, not even a branch.
You might tend to wonder why nothing was running a muck,
Because all our vehicles were snugly stuck...

Stuck in the mud you see. Ah yes, a glorious day New Year's Eve turned out to be. Three vehicles stuck in the mud, despite our efforts to tow them out. This unfortunate situation was compounded by the loss of Kitty Kitty. As we rounded the corner to go back home, tails between our legs because of our inability to free the trucks from the seeming quicksand of the south, we saw a buzzard in the road next to a small lump. As we drew closer to the scene, we realized that it was indeed out cat, Kitty Kitty. If you know me, you know that I am not necessarily a cat person; however, am an eternal dog lover. She was always running into the house at the slightest crack of the door, headed straight for Boud's food bowl. I found this annoying. Wade on the flip side loved this cat, and she loved him. You might be wondering, okay Ang, sorry about your cat, but can you get on with it? Here's the rest of the story: the realization of my slightly tarnished heart. I could not see past her annoyances to take the time to spend with her. Stopping on the way in to pet her, throwing her a scrap here and there. I did not want to do these things until it was too late. That is often the case. Life takes hold and the small things of life fall by the wayside. It would have taken a possible five minutes from my day to throw some extra love her way. Isn't this often the case? Leading up to this Christmas break, I was dealing with several issues that were taking away from my spirit. The same issues we all tend to find ourselves wallowing in from time to time: unhappy with job, not completing personal goals, not enough time, the list could span but you get the gist. I had a decision to make. Continue in this negative state of nastiness, or buck up and make some positive changes. With help from above I am working on the positive changes. I first had to realize that I can't do it on my own (duh). Anyhow, I had a literal come to Jesus meeting with myself, dump dropped a bunch of stuff at His feet, and continue to pray. So this is my quest to finish the rest of the school year positively. I wanted to start this blog to track myself. I plan to run several upcoming races, get involved in a bible study, not be so stressed out about things that my hair falls out, and hopefully be a little stronger in the end. Will I do it? Stay tuned...I will keep you posted.

Quote for the day: It's true that we don't know what we've got until we lose it, but it's also true that we don't know what we've been missing until it arrives.