Corpus Christi

Headed down to Corpus Christi for the weekend with some friends - eight of us in all, including 4 parents and 4 kids that all love each other. It was a quick weekend trip, but a very nice one - we hit the beach on Mustang Island, did some sightseeing in town, went to the Texas State Aquarium and had lunch at the Whataburger By the Bay, the only 2-story Whataburger! (Corpus Christi is home to the original Whataburger, you know - and there's a Whataburger on every corner!) We had wanted to take in a Hooks game, but they were out of town this weekend. So we'll have to catch them next trip. We did see Whataburger Field, tho - very nice!

It's always nice to have a little getaway - and always nice to get back home. We are refreshed.

The Naughty Dog gets the worm

Now that the June bugs are gone (thank goodness!), Naughty Little Boy Dog can't find much to play with outside. Until now. Last night AND tonight, he has gotten hold of a big long EARTHWORM! He brought it in the doggie door and pranced around the house with it dangling from his mouth, like, "Look at me! Look what I've got!" At first I thought it was a small snake, but after getting it away from him we discovered it was just a worm. A big ol' LONG worm, that was kinda half-alive and half-dead. What kind of dog can catch a worm?? That's gross, I say.

Getting Away with Murder

Andrea Yates has been found Not Guilty By Reason of Insanity in the drowning deaths of her children. Add this to the list of Things that Trouble Me. This woman drowned not one, not two, but ALL FIVE of her children in the bathtub. She had to chase the last one down and fight him until he was dead. She had thought about it days before, even filling the bathtub with water once, "just in case" she needed it. She planned the killings at just the time of day when her husband had left for work but her mother-in-law had not yet arrived to help her for the day. She knew what she did was wrong. This verdict is a travesty. Is she insane? I completely believe in post-partum depression and psychosis. I have no doubt she suffered from that. I can possibly fathom a psychotic woman getting to the point of killing their child - but killing 5 of them, one after the other after the other? You'd think she'd catch her snap after the first one or two. I still believe she knew she was doing wrong, and that defies the insanity defense. Andrea Yates deserved the death penalty - at the very least she deserved life in prison. Now she will spend time in a mental hospital (which I'm sure is not fun, but it's not prison, either) and there is hope for recovery - hope she can eventually be released. I wonder if she will visit the grave of her children. We see it every time we go to my father-in-law's grave; we drive right past their little faces engraved on the headstone, and it breaks my heart. The jury has said she is not responsible for their deaths. So who is? I think Rusty Yates should be held accountable to some extent - he could see the problems his wife was having and yet he left the children in her care. Now he has gone on with his life - he has divorced Andrea and remarried. The whole situation is an awful tragedy, with an unsatisfactory ending.

I'm so apeeling!

Got a bad sunburn last week - I really should know better, as I am quite fair-skinned and have had several bad sunburns in my life (and I'll probably end up with skin cancer someday because of it, while all those people who go to the tanning beds every day and lie out in the sun so they can have gorgeous, bronze bodies will be fine). The first few days it was quite painful - I could hardly stand to have clothes on, and when I did it was usually something that barely touched me, like one of hubby's big, soft T-shirts. Then came the itching - OOO! I've been going crazy with the itching! And you know, once you start scratching it just gets worse. I've been using a lot of Solarcaine and Aveeno baths the past few days. Now I am peeling, which I think is kinda cool. I like to see how big of a piece of skin I can peel off before it breaks - today I've gotten some pretty big ones! Some people think that is gross (Bubba's Mom being one of them) but I think it's pretty fascinating. And it finally brings me relief from the itching!!!

I've decided it's just not worth it to try to be tan - my Southern Magnolia Skin just doesn't like it and the consequences are just not fun. So tease me if you will - I'll be the pastey girl on the beach or at the pool, using my SPF500 sunscreen from now on!

Fat, Lazy Americans

Yes, I'm an American. No, I'm not fat - but I can be lazy (just ask Bubba's Mom!). However, I would never stoop to this - people using electric scooters to get around simply because they don't feel like walking (you really should read the article to get the full gist of this). People with disabilities that need scooters - I have no problem with them. Even tour companies that offer "scooter tours" of the sites around town - whatever, dude. But renting a scooter when you are an able-bodied person, perfectly capable of walking around but too lazy to do so, that is just despicable. It's no wonder Americans are ridiculed by other nations for being fat and lazy - we are!!! And the sad thing is that the people who rent up all the available scooters at places like amusement parks or large stores - or take all the complimentary ones - leave truly disabled people unable to get around. If you are too lazy to walk around Disney World (or Dollywood or wherever), DON'T GO! Don't take a scooter from someone who truly needs it because you are a lazy ass, or because you expect special privileges reserved for the "handicapped". Laziness is NOT a handicap.

Add this to my list of "Things That Trouble Me". Or maybe I need a new list - "Things That Downright Piss Me Off". My neighbors could be #1 on that list, and this could be #2.

Check it out - and hurry up!

I firmly believe that Stupid People should NOT be allowed to use the self-checkout registers in the grocery store. I, myself, like to check myself out (ha!) because if I only have a few items it is quick and easy (assuming I don't get stuck behind a Stupid Person). I understand how the register works (even for produce!) and can scan, bag, and pay quicker than the average bear. However, if you do not understand how the system works (which is kinda hard since it TELLS you how it works) and you have a kajillion items to scan and you constantly need "cashier assistance", please refrain from using the self-checkout in the future. You are in my way.

Happy Birthday, Maw Maw!

Today would have been my grandmother's 97th birthday - she passed away on June 26. We had always teased her that we were going to celebrate her 100th birthday at Chuck E. Cheese - one of our cousins liked to take her there when he visited with his kids and she was quite the trooper, even playing Skee Ball just a few months ago! I hope they are having a big party for her in Heaven today - bigger and better than Chuck E. Cheese, even! We love you, Maw Maw. Happy Birthday.

Life and Death

First, the death part. Dear Hubby and I are going to our second funeral of the summer - first was for my grandmother, and now this one is for his boss. Not exactly in my Top Ten List of Fun Things I Did On My Summer Vacation. Both are sad, but my grandmother's death was rather expected, while the boss' was completely the opposite. It seems like every funeral I have ever been to, it is either really really hot outside or really really cold. I'm guessing this time it will be the first one, since we are up over 100 on a daily basis now.

Now the fun part - babies! I blogged about this back in the spring, because so many people I know have had babies or are pregnant. And I've been reading some good pregancy/baby blogs lately, too, by Pigs and PostHipChick. It all brings back so many good memories of my baby-making days. I can't birth babies anymore - the equipment has been removed - but now I can live it vicariously thru the ones I love that are going thru the joyful experience! I think I might even be having sympathy symptoms for those loved ones.....kinda scary!

Things that trouble me

Sometimes as I sit up late at night, things trouble me. Everything seems worse at night, right? That's when the boogerbears come out. It's also nice and quiet and I have plenty of time to contemplate the more troubling things in life.

1. I read on another blog that the whole thing about the Texas flag being able to be flown at the same height as the American flag because we were once an independent nation is an URBAN LEGEND! This troubles me because I was taught this all my life and never thought to question it as Urban Legend. I was taught it in SCHOOL for Pete's sake! How can that be wrong?

2. Change troubles me. Our church is adding a Sunday evening service, which is fabulous for non-morning people like me, however it interferes with our small-group time and I don't want to have to choose one or the other. I know this will all work out, but for now it troubles me.

3. My electric bill was excessively high this month. It was last month, too. I don't think I'm using any more electricity than I normally do at this time of the year; I think the electricity rates have gone way up. Still gotta pay it, tho! The price we pay to stay cool in this Texas heat!

4. Dear husband's boss died unexpectedly over the weekend. I am troubled that a 45-year-old man had a stroke and died. I am troubled about what will happen with the dynamics of the workplace now that he is suddenly gone. I worry about how my dear hubby's job will be affected.

5. And finally, I am troubled by my next-door neighbors, who are right now as I am typing this at 1:00 a.m. outside on their driveway (the other side of my bedroom wall) making noise! This is a common occurrence, and ranges from loud talking to basketball playing to BOOM BOOM rap music blaring. It is rude, and yet attempts to (nicely) speak to them about various problems we have had with them have not gone well. The police have told us to just call them whenever we have a problem - apparently our neighbors are well known with the local police department. This troubles me.

Boy, you can sure tell I'm a Libra, can't you? My scales are out of balance and I'm all abother! (Is abother a word?) But sleep brings perspective, and tomorrow none of this will seem quite so troubling......I hope.

Good Girl Dog

In all fairness, I need to give some blog time to Good Girl Dog. She really IS a good girl - never gives us an ounce of trouble. She is loving and sweet and obedient. And she puts up with Naughty Little Boy Dog quite well (they really do love each other). The only complaint I have with her is that she has decided that at 9:00 a.m. I need to be up. Granted, she's probably right, but I'm such a night owl (notice the time of this post) that on those nights I stay up particularly late I do enjoy sleeping in. She's very nice about waking me up, tho - she gets right up beside me on the bed and gently pats me with her paw. Pat, pat. If I turn over she goes around to the other side of me and pats again. Pat, pat. This goes on every morning at the same time, and she's very persistent! At least Naughty Little Boy Dog sleeps late!

The Continuing Adventures of Naughty Little Boy Dog

Well, it seems that the little "procedure" Naughty Little Boy Dog underwent did not do much to improve his behavior. This week has been wild - every time we leave the house he just goes nuts! We come home and find the couch cushions all over the floor (not chewed up, thankfully), a silk house plant shredded, moss all over the floor from the bottom of a silk ficus (that we have had for MONTHS and he just decided the moss around the bottom is fun to play with), or the toilet paper unrolled. If we don't put them up, he will shred the magazines and TV guide - or chew on the remote control! Anything within his reach is fair game. He even chewed up his food bowl (and Good Girl Dog's, too!) I think it's time to put him back in the crate when we leave. He will hate it, but it will at least save my stuff!

(Miss) America's Got Talent?

If you watch TV at all, you know that talent shows are really IN right now - the most recent being America's Got Talent, which should perhaps be retitled America's Got Some Really Weird People In It. It's a modernized version of The Gong Show of the 1970's. Very silly.

But with shows like American Idol and Rock Star:Supernova, everyday people like you and me can become the next big star! Why, I sing REALLY well when I'm in the car all by myself. It's quite awesome. But putting someone else in the car with me throws off the acoustics or something, because I just don't sound the same. Not sure what's up with that.

Everyone fancies themselves a singer these days. That was evident when we watched the Miss Texas Pageant the other night - 7 out of the 10 Semi-Finalists sang for their talent (the other 3 were dancers). I miss the days when the Miss Texas and Miss America contestants had a wider variety of talent - over the years we have seen ventriloquists, marimba players, fiddlers, gymnasts, fire baton twirlers, and belly dancers. We even had a deaf ballerina - Heather Whitestone, Miss America 1995 - and a hula dancer - Kaye Lani Rae Rafko, Miss America 1988. Now everyone just sings, and not everyone SHOULD sing, if you know what I mean. If you don't have a nice singing voice, please pick something else to do for your talent! If you can't dance or twirl a baton or play an instrument, then do a dramatic reading! Something! It'll save our ears AND give the show a little more variety. Works out well for everyone.

Miss Texas

Last night was one of the year's much-anticipated television events for me - the Miss Texas Pageant! The winner of last night's pageant will represent our great state at the Miss America Pageant in January in Las Vegas - an even-greater-anticipated television event. I grew up watching Miss America, and even today my mom, family, and friends and I get together and have Pageant Viewing Parties - we even wear crowns!

To those who think Miss America is just a silly beauty pageant, I beg to differ. Unlike the Miss U.S.A. Pageant, Miss America awards scholarships to its contestants; the winner of Miss Texas/Miss America must posses not only outward beauty, but also inner beauty, as well as talent, poise, and personality. Miss America must have a platform - a cause she feels deeply about - and she speaks across the country on her issue. She is a role model.

We had our party last night and wore our crowns; we ate a delicious dinner and indulged on brownies for dessert. It's a "no-males-allowed" party, so the guys went to see Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest (they said it was great!). We were rooting for our favorites in the Top 10 Finalists - we especially liked Miss Central Texas and Miss Woodlands - but alas, our favorite did not win the title last night. Congratulations to Miss Frisco, who I will say nothing bad about because that would be ugly. Even tho she does have a large Queen Elizabeth forehead and didn't sing that well. I'm just sayin'.

On to the Miss America Pageant in January! Gone are the days of the parades along the Atlantic City Boardwalk, of Bert Parks singing, "There she is....Miss America....", of a September crowning. But despite the changes over time, the Miss America Pageant has stayed relevant and fresh - and a great excuse for a party!

Ciao!

Navy Son is home from Italy on two weeks of leave. He stayed a couple of days with us, and is now visiting other family members here in the area (he's got to see all his peeps, you know). Last night we took him to our favorite local Mexican restaurant to celebrate his 21st birthday (you just don't get good Tex-Mex in Sicily). It was a good time; they put a sombrero on his head and sang to him, and he got a free dessert which they smeared on his face a little. He loves it when it's all about him. He looks good and the Navy has really matured him. Naughty Little Boy Dog absolutely adores him - I think it might be a birds-of-a-feather thing (Navy Son was a Naughty Little Boy Son at one time!). Anyway, I must say that his father and I are proud of how he turned out. We done good!

Spirit of America

Happy 4th of July! We celebrate our freedom as Americans today, and all the opportunities our great nation brings. One of the great accomplishments of this country has been manned spaceflight. I have lived in the NASA community all my life; my dad works at NASA. We have celebrated the great times and mourned the sad; we lived the grief of losing Challenger and Columbia - we knew the people who perished. Today NASA will again attempt to launch the Shuttle - with another friend on board. They fly on our prayers, and we will hold our breaths until they are safely home again; we will celebrate when they return. Godspeed, Discovery! And God Bless America!

Revenge

We had to go to Dallas last week - my wonderful grandmother, who would have been 97 on her birthday July 21 - passed away. She was such a great person, a member of her church for almost 90 years, a beautiful Christian and a perfect grandmother.

Because of our trip, we had to leave the dogs at the Doggie Hotel. Good Girl Dog takes it well, and she is glad to be home. Naughty Little Boy Dog is getting back at us. Since he has been home (2 days) he has eaten the dirt out of a house plant (and left dirt all over the carpet!), eaten a magazine, pottied on the floor, stolen panties out of the dirty clothes hamper and chewed them up, pulled all the stuffing out of one of the throw pillows on the couch, and unrolled the toilet paper roll. I think he has issues.