Thankful

A lot of the time it seems that I get caught up in the "negative". I hate that because I really do seek to look for the positive in life. However, here lately the negative seems to be dogging me. But today, in the spirit of the season, I am only concentrating on the good things in my life.

These are the things/people I am thankful for: my boy and girl , my beloved, my mom & dad, my brother, my mother-in-law, my sister-in-law, our extended family, my crazy dogs, my crazy new cat, my home, the fact that my beloved & I both have jobs, my country, Texas (the state, not t.u. ;)), baseball, football, our health, Thanksgiving, the Christmas Season, Christmas music, decorations . . . I could go on and on. I need to remind myself of this list EVERY day, not just on Thanksgiving.

I wish you all a peaceful day of thanks full of family, laughter, love and good times.

Aggie Mom

Howdy!! I am now officially an Aggie Mom! My boy had his first classes at Texas A&M University yesterday. We are majorly excited at our house. This is a great time of my boy's life and we couldn't be more proud. I have enjoyed each step and phase of my kids' lives and this is no different. He is going to make many fantastic memories on this journey.

It Ain't Like it Used to Be

Not to be a downer or anything, but that is how I feel these days. "It ain't like it used to be." Of course, nothing is. Nothing stays the same and I understand that it can't. However, I am feeling like things all around me changing, and not necessarily for the better. I realize that I tend to overly romanticize the past . . . my rose colored glasses are securely on my face. But . . . it sure seems like life was easier and better back then.

Maybe it's all the news that makes up the news these days (our broken government, being at the very top of my list). Maybe it's just the "dog days" of summer. Maybe it's the fact that my baby is a senior in high school and ALL that that entails. Maybe it's this drought and the 31 days of 100 degree plus temps in Texas. Maybe it's the fact that my work environment is going to dramatically change (and I mean DRAMATICALLY) in 29 days, 8 hours and 29 minutes. Maybe it's all the road construction around my town. Maybe it's all the construction on campus. Maybe it's a new elementary school which was built in what was a cow pasture at the end of my mom & dad's road. Maybe it's the fact that "town" is creeping ever closer to my "country" home. Maybe it's all of the above and more that I have me feeling this way.

Maybe I need a vacation from my reality for a few days. Don't really see one of those in my immediate future. Guess I'll have to figure out another strategy . . . maybe a trip to "Margaritaville" would help to ease the pain.

It's Been a While

It's been a while since I posted. A pretty long while, actually. I guess I just fell out of the habit. Well, that's not exactly true, because I really hadn't developed a habit of posting yet. I think I'll give it another whirl.

We just returned from a quick trip to Western Oklahoma to "marry off" my cousin. En route, we spent a day at Six Flags. Let me say that "the old gray mare, ain't what she used to be". When James and I were dating, we used to head to Astroworld in Houston at the drop of a hat. We rode rides like the Cyclone and Greased Lightening over and over again. We would ride the Cyclone, a big, rough wooden roller coaster, and then get off and run to get in line again. A lot of water has gone under the bridge since then.

We rode Conquistador and a bob sled type ride without any problem. I thought to myself, "you've got this girl". Then we rode the Titan. This is a monster of a coaster. It is 25 & 1/2 stories tall. Not to mention the twists, turns and drops. I was so dizzy about halfway through the ride, I wasn't sure which way was up. Now comes the crazy part . . . I let these crazy people I was with . . . my husband and kids, talk me into doing it again. I blame it on the fact that I had left my brain on the coaster the first time. Needless to say, I was not in good shape after the second trip. I believe that "sea sick" would be a good way to describe it. I felt like I had morning sickness again. But trust me, there is no baby. Luckily, we had to wait in line for about 45 minutes for the next ride on the Texas Giant. I was about 75% when that ride took off, but I managed to keep it together. The rest of the day was "nip and tuck" but I survived and we had a good time.

The next day it was off to Oklahoma. It was so good to see most of my dad's side of the family. I so love them. I love when we stay at a hotel and pretty much take over the lobby, dining area or pool area. There are so many of us that when we descend upon a place like that, it feels like it's all our own. It reminds me of the get togethers at my grandparent's house, only sadly, they are no longer with us.

The small towns where we stayed and where the wedding took place were so picturesque. They were along Route 66 and made me nostalgic for old times and family vacations gone by.