Spring Break Part 2 and Morning Madness

Rocky Mountain High

Part 2 of Spring Break has been spent in Park City, Utah.  Our last taste of cool weather for a while and I am enjoying every minute of it!  The first part of the week we had an interesting cast of characters.  One of my sisters, one of my friends and one of my cousins were all here. When you put 4 people together who have never traveled together you take a gamble, things could work out well or they could go horribly wrong.  We must all be living right because it went better than we imagined!   We each had a ski buddy and the laughs never stopped. 

We each had our role, my sister was the chef and made sure we ate well and had great happy hour refreshments every afternoon.  A key ingredient to a successful day of skiing!  We would all ski and then limp our way home and head directly to the hot tub for a little therapy.  We made lot friends in the tub... we are a chatty bunch and people like us, that was my friend and my cousin's job, make friends.  They also provided much comic relief and did the dishes.  I'll refer to them as Tort and Retort.  Their 5 days were spent playing off of each other and one upping each other, we did pass the buck every once in a while and picked on a different person from time to time just to make it fair but most of the time the comments were aimed at my friend or my cousin.  They threw them back at us most of the time too.

TJ arrived on day 3 of the trip.  We were all doing our usual "not that early in the morning" routine for a few days and then things changed.  Loud Morning Man was in the building.  On his first day TJ tried his best to sleep in but was wide awake at 6:30 a.m., thankfully he decided to go out and find other early risers to have a cup of coffee with and read the newspaper.  When he came back an hour later we were all just beginning to stir.  Since he was already 2 cups of coffee ahead of us he started to make breakfast.  He was talking on his cell phone, in his cell yell, and cooking sausage.  I guess in his caffiene induced excitement he cooked the sausage on high and the smoke set off the smoke alarm....all before 8 a.m.   I am sure our neighbors were thrilled with us!  We had rare inside blackened sausage with our eggs that morning...but we were all awake!  We fully excpected ot hear his famous line...."we are burning daylight"  at any minute that morning.  We made it to the slopes in record time and a good time was had by all.

the gang is all here, loud morning man is in the red coat

We had a fantastic day with the 5 of us and then my sister, Tort and Retort had to go home to their real lives.  It was sad and quiet when the left.  We did however have reinforcements arriving.  TJ's brother arrived the same day the friends and other family left so TJ and I did not have to spend any time alone together...unless we wanted to!  

It has been great running into all of our "new friends" here and there.  We sure do love the laid back atmosphere and spending the day outdoors in the snow.  Pretty nice life, if your knees can hold out.  So far so good.  Tomorrow is our last day and I am almost ready to go back home, even though it will be the beginning of the heat and humidity.  But more about that later.  Right now, I'm going to enjoy my last Rocky Mountain high.

The perfect end to the perfect day!

Spring Break, Part 1

Spring Breakers in Dallas....you are never too old for Spring Break!

My March break began last weekend in Dallas.  Every spring break should begin with 3 days of eating, drinking, laughing and fellowship!  I call it the "warm up" weekend.  I spent 3 days in Dallas with my cousin and her friend ( and mine too).  One Canadian and two Americans, who love Canada.  We were treated to perfect spring conditions, sunny skies, moderate temperatures and lots of wind!  Gotta love spring in Texas.  If you are ever hungry or thirsty you should visit my cousin!  That girl knows how to entertain.  I am sure I gained weight, even though we were diligent and did much walking on Sat. and Sunday, I don't  think we came close to breaking even.  The weekend was a great warm up for things to come.

Those things were.......

my niece and nephew

There are other people in the world besides me who need/want to take vacations and two of them are my niece and nephew's parents.  They wanted to get away so badly that they entrusted their two children to TJ and me!  I know.....   All kidding aside, we are taking care of the kids while mom and dad enjoy some ....mom and dad time, because all moms and dads need to get away sometime.  After being empty nesters for the last 4 years, going from 0-2 kids is quite the adjustment.  When they are yours things gradually build, first there is one and then there are two and you just get used to it all.  Going from none to two in one day, after 3 days of pre spring break frivolity in Dallas, is an adjustment.  I was definitely up to the challenge!  We are going to have some fun this week!

The first item on our adgenda was the zoo.  Tuesday was absolutely the quintessential spring day, perfect for a trip to the zoo.  Apparently that is what everyone else in Houston thought too.  We could not get within a mile of the zoo in our car, the traffic was so bad and the parking was non-existent!  We/I decided to excercise plan B.  The rodeo!  Conveniently in town for Spring Break.  Since everyone else in Houston was apparently at the zoo, the rodeo and livestock show was relatively free of crowds.  We got to see chickens hatching from eggs, baby sheep being born, rabbits and calves.  Almost as good as the zoo, but better!  There is also a fair at the rodeo with overpriced rides for everyone.  Niece and nephew were ready to ride!  They got to ride the rides and each won a very nice stuffed animal, take that overcrowded zoo!  We win!  It really was a ton of fun and the kids loved it too.
 
Day two was spent playing at the park.  Playground dynamics are very interesting to observe from my perspective now.  Did I see these things when my kids were young or is it only out of my more experienced eyes that I see the dynamics?  I love sitting to the side and just watching everything unfold.  Making friends out of strangers.  Kids are just so innocent and precious.  Both kids made "friends for the day", I even overheard a conversation between my nephew and his new friend about meeting at the park tomorrow!  Sooo cute!  We went to Target and bought a few things and yes, I spent a little cash on the kids, just to make sure I spoiled them a bit!  We bought a puzzle and spent the better part of the day after lunch putting the puzzle together.  How fun is that?


an afternoon well spent!

 As if the park and the puzzle were not enough, we went to the rodeo that night and got to see the entire show!  They even do bucking broncos, bull riding, calf roping and the calf scramble.  The kids loved it....so did the adults!

The next day I decided to brave the crowds once again.  Not the zoo this time but the Children's Museum.  This is an awesome place if you are a kid!  I know my own children are as smart as they are because we brought them to places like this when they were young.  Kid nirvana.  So much to see, touch, explore and learn while having fun doing it all.  Needless to say, a good time was had by all.  We stayed until we were starving and the only reason we left was because we were each fading due to starvation. 

Today we just had a low key day.  You know...play, walk the dog, build leprechaun traps, do another puzzle, swim, play on the trampolene,  fish fry at the church and a sleepover with Katie.  This is the point at which I collapsed for a bit.  Ahhhh, the kids are at a sleepover, time for me to have some downtime.  I truly forget how much time and energy it takes to be a full time mom.  I did it and still have forgotten.  Shout out to all you full time moms!

check out the horns on this guy!

Mom and Dad get home tomorrow.  I am not sure who had more fun, the parents or the kids! I hope the kids had a good time.  I had fun.  I will head to the mountains for a little break of my own next week.  I only hope it is not a literal break as in body part break, only a spiritual and mental break in the mountains with some friends and family.  Stay tuned for some lovely mountain photos!

My Blessings

A blessing is when you notice someone for who they are, pay attention to them in a positive way, treat them in a special way or pray for them.  Have you been a blessing to anyone today?  We should all bless someone every day,  pay attention to them, treat someone special or pray for them.  When we bless someone, we are blessed too so I guess it is a win/win situation!   Right?

I had a little personal realization tonight driving home from my late night French class.  I have the pleasure of watching two special children this week.  My niece and nephew are staying with us for the week while their parents take a much needed and deserved vacation.  It only hit me tonight after our day together what a blessing this is for me.  I could look at this week as extra work or an inconvenience but instead it hit me tonight that I am sooo lucky to be able to share time with these kids (without their parents) and get to truly know them.  I am young enough and have enough energy to keep up with them, well.... I'll get back with you on Saturday night and let you know if I have enough energy...but so far I'm doing fine.  I have the opportunity and the will to really pay attention to them, treat them special and just be with them for a week.  What a blessing! 

I also have about 41 blessings and counting. 41 followers!  Wow!  If you are out there and you really read all this stuff, make a comment and let me know what your blessings have been lately!  You are one of mine.  I'll be playing with the kids this week so might not be writing much....or then again, I might just be totaly inspired!  That would be a blessing too!

A New Season

This past weekend we attended an all day retreat at our church.  The title of the retreat was Becoming Who You Are.  Don't worry I'm not going to tell you how to be who you are or how I am going to be who I am.  The retreat was a good one and an opportunity to think and reflect.  One of the talks I listened to was about the seasons in the Church, which brings me to today's topic......Lent.  Don't hang up yet....stick with me here, it's Lent.

Lent is the 40 days before Easter.  It is one of the seasons in the Church.  Did you know that Lent is 40 days long but the Easter season is 50 days long?  Did you think it was just one day?  Guess it makes giving something up for 40 days not so bad, if you are going to celebrate for 50 days afterwards.  Just a thought.

Are you giving up anything for Lent?  A question circulating all around this week.  I jokingly said this morning on Facebook that I was going to give up Charlie Sheen for Lent... anything written or spoken by him or about him and we would both win.  Now that I think about it more, it could be a great idea!  Why clutter my brain?  Thinking about things I've given up in the past is an interesting exercise.  There were a few times that I gave up drinking.  It was definitely a sacrifice especially since my significant other did not do the same.  I still remember one time when our pastor found out that I gave up drinking for Lent and he asked, "Why would anyone do that???"  Cracked me up! 

One year after the "give up drinking" years, I decided to be proactive for Lent.  I joined Weight Watchers for Lent.  I had always secretly wished whether I gave up drinking or gave up desserts, that at the end of Lent I would also be about 10 lbs. thinner.  It never happened, guess God did not think I needed to lose weight.  Anyway, one year "I" thought I needed to lose weight and joined WW for Lent.  I can do anything for 6 weeks, so that is what I did.  Now I digress, just hold this thought for a paragraph.

Today at Mass, our priest was talking about Lent and the 3 things we are asked to focus on; prayer, fasting and alms giving.  The fasting part was particularly interesting to me today.  Fasting is a sacrifice of the flesh.  It requires discipline.  There is temptation all around, believe me I know, as I did my grocery shopping today and found a free sample on every aisle that I had to walk past while I was trying to fast.  His point was that when we are fasting we are self disciplined and maybe during this process we become open to other things that might have gone unnoticed.  I like that.

Back to the year I joined WW.  What started out as a selfish venture ended up being a life changing experience.  I found that while being more disciplined about what I ate I was much more productive in the rest of my life.  I was also more disciplined in other areas and felt better.  What started out as a 40 day commitment ended up being my place of employment for the next 8 years.  By giving something up I opened myself to a life changing experience, God had plans for me and I found them by doing something for Lent.

I leave you with this thought.  If you are giving up something or doing something special for Lent, let yourself be open to the new opportunities you find by living a more disciplined life, it is not always a bad thing!

Spring in the South, King Cakes and Open Windows

Spring has sprung in south Texas and south Louisiana.  I find this a double edged sword.  I enjoy this time, don't get me wrong, who wouldn't?  It is warm, sunny, windy and there are signs of life all around.  I have even been able to open my windows!  Open windows are something very familiar to some of you in the spring who live north of the sultry south, to those of us who live down here, it is a delicious pleasure that lasts only moments.  I savour those moments, the fresh air blowing through the house smells so nice and feels luxurious.  I don't even mind the dust that it leaves on all my furniture.  I can dust in the air conditioning....someday.  In the meantime, I choose to enjoy the open windows while I can, I count this as one of life's absolute pleasures. 

I said this is a double edged sword so here is the other side.  Open window season is followed by "too hot to exist" season faster than you can say,"stop talking about the weather.".  I know there are many of you still digging your way out of winter's deep freeze and to you I say, "enjoy it while you can."  At least that is what I would do.

 In other news and observations....people in Louisiana love Mardi Gras!  We were in Baton Rouge last weekend and the entire town was decorated in purple, green and gold.  Evidence....

Just a local shop in a strip mall!

\

A beautiful Mardi Gras wreath on my sister's front door

front door fully decked out for Mardi Gras!

Everywhere we went there was Mardi Gras!  I loved it!  We walked into a local grocery store and the smell of King Cakes hit me in the face/nose.  King Cakes are delicious cakes available only during Mardi Gras.  They are similar to coffee cake, and there is a plastic toy baby hidden in the cake and the person who gets the baby is supposed to bring the next King Cake... traditionally.  Have I mentioned that the cakes are delicious?  They are iced with either a sugar glaze or cream cheese icing and sprinkled with green, purple and gold sugar crystals.  So festive and fun! 

It seems every time I go back to Louisiana I am reminded of how much culture exists there and how much I love it.  There really is nowhere like Louisiana.  The food, the culture and the people are truly unique.  One more week of Mardi Gras celebrations and then....Lent.  Party on!

Student... Teacher and a Little Vacation

One thing I have wanted to do for many years has been to reacquaint myself with the French language.  I studied it in high school and college but never had an opportunity to use it until much later in life and by then it was all but a distant memory in my brain. I just never had the opportunity to practice aside from a few trips to France when I found myself totally unprepared to speak the language and overwhelmed by how much I did not know!  To speak another language you need exposure and regular practice.  After a week or so in France I could tell that if I was given the chance I could actually learn to communicate in French.  Sign me up for the next flight to Paris, I need to learn French!

In an effort to keep my brain from turning to mush and the reality that I can't just hop on a plane and spend the next year in France, I decided to so the next best thing and take a French class.  I am also secretly hoping that if I learn the language well enough I might be rewarded with a "graduation" gift and get some real life practice in France, before it all escapes my feeble memory!  One can hope.

So now on Mondays and Wednesdays I teach English and on Tuesdays and Thursdays I attempt to learn French. Last night in French class my head was spinning.  I missed class last Thursday



(a little hint as to where I was instead of in French class)


and even going one week without class I missed a lot.  I sat with that confused look on my face as the professor spouted off unfamiliar words and phrases.  Yikes!  Mush-brain!  I will be doing a lot of studying before tomorrow night's class.  It would help if I had the textbook.  I ordered it on Jan. 24 and still haven't gotten it.  Don't even get me started....I think the seller on Amazon sent it via bicycle or something.


My French class has been an eye opening experience when it comes to teaching my ESL (English as a second language) class.  For my French class I had to take a placement test similar to the test we use to place our students (I'm in level 2, must have remembered something!).  Now I'm the one who speaks with an accent and I am the one who looks up into the sky for the right word!  (still haven't found any answers on the ceiling)   I know exactly how my ESL students feel, immersed for an hour and a half in a class where all you hear is a foreign language.  I also have learned a few techniques from my French teacher.  One of my favorite lines he says is, "It is the same mistake whether you say it soft or say it loud, so speak up!"  He is always saying, "Courage!"  Spoken with a French accent of course! 

 After all that talk of school and classes we need a vacation.  We spent the weekend in New York City and it was another excellent trip with a surprise around every corner.  Enjoy this virtual vacation.

Katz's Deli, he used 6 pounds of meat on this sandwich!

a peaceful stroll through Central Park and what is left of the snow

we were fortunate enough to see a parade in Chinatown, complete with dragons!



and tons of confetti!

YUMMO!  TJ's favorite stop on our tour of Little Italy!

S(no)w Day, Texas Style

This is the massive amount of ice that shut the city down for a day.

Oh, be quiet, I can hear the laughter from here. 


It has been below freezing in Houston for days!  Yes, that is a state of emergency here.  I know there are people all over the country, and the world, who are living in a winter wonderland/nightmare and it is below freezing for months at a time.  I lived in a place like that for a few winters...  Houston is not a place that experiences many days or nights below the freezing mark.  Therefore, they are ill prepared to deal with cold weather.  I forgot that pipes freeze here and plants die.  We do not typically drain our sprinkler systems in the winter because many winter days are in the 60's and all those flowers in your garden need water.  When a cold snap happens you are caught off guard and the pipes can freeze or the sprinklers can freeze and break.  Power outages happened all over the state.  Don't even get me started on the roads.  There are no snow plows and no salt trucks.  We are left to slip and slide on the roads if we dare drive. 

The storm that has paralyzed the Midwest has made it's way to Texas.  On Monday, the temps were in the 70's and frozen pipes were the last thing on our minds.  Then on Tuesday morning it was 22degrees F.  A rare occurrence in Houston.  There were statewide rolling power outages.  They were predicting snow and sleet for Thursday night and Friday.  Talk about craziness....Houston and snow.  People here do not know what to do with snow, especially on the roads.  I waited with guarded anticipation.  These things are usually much hyped and rarely deliver.

This is what my indoor/outdoor thermometer read on Thursday night...

The city shut down, schools closed, both airports cancelled all flights and they told everyone to stay home....and not a flake of snow had fallen!  No sleet, no ice and no snow....BUT it might be coming, so shut it all down NOW!   I sit in amazement at the over- reaction.  TJ said the day would be considered a spring day in Toronto!  I could only wait like a kid for the snow to arrive and hope that when I woke up in the morning I would not be disappointed by the green grass and clear streets.  I slept with visions of my snow covered streets and houses in my head.

As you have probably gathered, the only snow I saw was on my indoor/outdoor thermometer.  In the city's defense, the bridges did ice over and driving was indeed treacherous for much of the day on Friday.  The temps did not get over freezing until late afternoon on Friday and only for a few hours and then back down to the sub freezing zone.  Don't feel too bad for us though, today it is going up into the 50's and tomorrow the 60's.  Such is winter in tropical Houston.


My most sincere thoughts are with those of you who are dealing with "real" winter.  I know you are tired of it and we all seem silly shutting down an entire city because it is "supposed" to snow.  I'm with you!  I hope the snow gives you a break...soon. 

And if this post wasn't amusing enough, watch this  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e4D_Zui4H5Q