THINGS I LEARNED FROM BEING RAISED IN TEXAS

Okay...most of you know how I feel about Texas but...this was forwarded to me and it is VERY true so I hope you enjoy it as much as I did...Thanks R for sharing

THINGS I LEARNED FROM BEING RAISED IN TEXAS
Armadillos sleep in the middle of the road with their feet in the air.

There are 5,000 types of snakes on earth and 4,998 live in Texas .

There are 10,000 types of spiders. All 10,000 live in Texas , plus a couple no one's seen before.

If it grows, it sticks; if it crawls, it bites.

'Twiced' is a word.

People actually grow and eat okra

'Fixinto' is one word.

There is no such thing as 'lunch.'
There is only dinner and then supper.

Iced tea is appropriate for all meals and you start drinking it when you're two. We do like a little tea with our sugar!

'Backwards and forwards' means I know everything about you!

Djeet is actually a phrase meaning 'Did you eat?'

You don't have to wear a watch because it doesn't matter what time it is. You work until you're done
or it's too dark to see.

You don't PUSH buttons, you MASH them.

You measure distance in hours. Like its 6 hours from Houston to Dallas .

You'll probably have to switch from 'heat' to 'A/C' in the same day.

'Fix' is a verb. Example: 'I'm fixing to go to the store.'

You install security lights on your house and garage and leave both unlocked.


Yes, Friday night high school football games is serious football!

You carry jumper cables in your car . . . for your OWN car.

There are only four spices: salt, pepper,Tabasco and ketchup.

The local papers cover national and
international news on one page, but require 6 pages for local gossip and sports.

100 degrees Fahrenheit is 'a little warm.'

We have four seasons: Almost Summer, Summer, still Summer and Christmas.

Going to Wal-mart is a favorite past time known as 'goin' to Wally-World.'

A cool snap (below 70 degrees) is good pinto-bean weather.

A carbonated soft drink isn't a soda, cola or pop. .. . . it's a Coke, regardless of brand or flavor. Example: 'What kind a coke you want?'

Fried catfish is the other white meat.

We don't need no stinking driver's ed . ...if our mama says we can drive, we can drive.

If you understand these jokes please forward them to your friends from Texas (and those who just wish they were).

EVERYONE can't be from Texas .
You might say it's a gift from God!

And the most important thing we learn growing up in TEXAS is...

IN GOD WE TRUST

Where have All Our Heroes Gone?

Have you ever noticed we just don't have honest to goodness heroes any more? Who do our kids have to look up to and aspire to be? It used to be that in certain careers/fields, you were expected to carry yourself a certain way. But, those lines are blurred and the cultural climate has changed and far too many of our youth are left to idolize sports figures who dog fight and beat their wives or tv/film stars who overdose on prescription pain pills. Even "traditional" role models...those that we should be encouraging our children to look up to are falling short. How many young female teachers have we heard about recently having inappropriate relations with their young impressionable students or going even further and contracting with those young impressionable men to murder the other men in their life? We have physicians portrayed in popular media outlets as pill popping, misogynistic jerks who trade out women like most people balance their checkbooks....monthly or a few weeks more than that. What do kids have left to aspire to or dream about? When some of us were younger, there was the race to space. Our youth grew up wanting to be astronauts. We have no great calling any longer. We emphasize beauty instead of brains. We push our children to excel in select league sports...enrolling them with sports trainers who work to increase their speed and flexibility....and they are only 8 years old! It isn't about discovering the cure for childhood cancer, it's about being the next childhood singing phenom.

Let me tell you about my hero moment the other day...entering the hospital to visit her grandmother, my daughter came across an older woman....someone she didn't know....who was walking out with her husband visibly shaken and crying almost hysterically. The man she was with showing her no affection, comfort or compassion. My daughter without hesitation or thought stepped in front of her and simply said "You look like you need a hug," and extended her arms and embraced this complete stranger. They stood there for a good couple of minutes, my 12 year old daughter embracing this total stranger offering her comfort and compassion. That's my kind of hero. That's what our world should be about.

I can look at this two ways....1) Wow, I'm doing a great job teaching my children what's important....and/or 2) I really suck for not doing it myself. I think I see a little of both at the moment. Maybe there is still hope for our world....I know that I will try to follow her lead....and I hope you do too.

Off to listen to Bonnie Tyler....Holding out for a Hero of course :)

xoxo
Pandora

** Side note - The picture with this blog was taken on a recent trip to West Texas. It was the coolest thing I've seen in some time. This 1 cloud in the sky had this rainbow pattern prominently in it without a drop of rain anywhere to be seen. It was aww inspiring and very humbling. It made all of us stop and take notice and appreciate the beauty you see in nature often when you least expect it.

Sports....

Okay...so my longhorns choked! That was one of the worst CWS games I've ever seen. I had to stop watching. Congrats to LSU !

My cubbies are so inconsistent this year. I am looking forward to the All-Star break since it is a chance to regroup and try to win the second half of the season.

On a brighter note...it's almost football time! I heard pre-season predictions for college football rankings are coming out and some of the big name prognosticators are picking my Horns to take it all :) Hey....I can dream can't I....

Into My Future....

Imagine having the opportunity to see yourself 20-30 years down the road....would you want to do it? Would you want to see how your life could be or would be? I'm faced with a somewhat unique opportunity and I'm not thrilled with it to be honest. As I previously mentioned my mom has been very sick. She has an autoimmune disorder and it is a very close relative to the autoimmune disorder I have been diagnosed with. Talk about adding a complicated twist to all the other emotional baggage that comes along with watching a loved one struggle with their health. It is very hard not to look at her at times and wonder if this is what my future holds for me? I know there are a lot of other variables in play but, it has provided me with an almost haunting glimpse at what autoimmune disorders can do to you. I know, I've heard it a million times in the last few weeks....I have every opportunity to take care of myself, I'm not advanced in my age, I don't have the other co-morbidities, and I'm very aware and in tune with my body and am more assertive about engaging my doctors in my care. I guess life is about choices and as sad and upset as I am to see my mom in this position, it has provided me with a chance to see what my future holds for me if I don't take care of myself and don't stay engaged in the management of my disease.

I wouldn't be honest though if I said it hasn't shaken me and rattled me to my core at times. I realize from the research I have done that sometimes no matter what they do, the autoimmune disorders sometimes are the victor but today, I can't think about that. I can only think about the things I can control - my diet, my medications, regular follow-ups, etc.

This experience has reminded me yet again what things are important to me....my family, my pets, my friends, and myself. So let me remind all of you to look around you...don't take things for granted. Tell the people who are important to you that they mean something because everyone needs to hear it and we get too busy in our day to day life to make sure people know just how they impact our worlds and make them a better place.

Wishing the world a more harmonious place....

xOxO

Pandora

Oh yeahhhhhh....College World Series Babyyyyyyy!!!

WOOHOO!!! My longhorns are in the College World Series. I was pretty disappointed that we blew a lead last night against LSU but, we are cooking with gas tonight. It is the bottom of the 9th as I'm posting this and we have a 4 run lead....lets hope we can go 3 up 3 down! Woohoo!!! Jungman pitched a complete game and got the win...on to the final game...game 3 tomorrow night be there or be square!

My cubbies are still over 500....a meager .507 but over 500 none the less. We are 3.5 games out of 1st place and to A's enjoyment his damn cardinals are in 1st place. I really wish someone could tell me how I raised a cardinals fan in a cubs household....that is sooooooo wrong I can't even begin to fathom it! We lost a heartbreaker tonight...rallied to lose it in the bottom of the 9th grrrr.

I was very disappointed to see the Lakers won the NBA title. They are like my Dallas Cowboys of the NBA and no...it isn't because they win so often or whatever. I have no respect for any organization that will knowlingly make their frontman someone who has the history that theirs does and nope...won't even give him the respect of calling him by name. I was glad to see the series was short though so I didn't have to keep hearing about them in the news.

Someone remind me again...when does football season start?!? I am definetely missing seeing big burly men hitting each other hard and driving each other into the ground. I guess I will have to find some MMA or boxing to hold me over until we have some preseason games.

XoXo
Pandora

DC Downpour

I recently went to a meeting in DC. I really love that city at night. The monuments all lit up are so beautiful. Combine that with my love of photography and I decided to take a walking tour with my own personal tour guide...my lovely niece. It was a whirlwind trip so I had 1 night available to go see the pretty sights and she was very accommodating considering she is working full time and going to graduate school (have I mentioned lately I'm very proud of her for taking on the world this way?). So, off we go on our journey....me in my capris, light weight shirt & my new canvas shoes. We hadn't gone more than a few blocks and were hit with a light shower....well not exactly light but light compared to what we would find later that night.

I enjoyed seeing all the sights, the view of Kennedy center from her apartment, the Washington Monument in the distance, etc. You know that saying on your mirror....objects are closer than they appear....yeah well apparently that is what you get when you look at things in DC except in the opposite. You look at them and they appear to be so damn close but then you go walking and realize just how damn far away they really are. Off we went on our journey....our 6 hour walk. We started off at the Lincoln Memorial and I love that place at night btw. It is absolutely gorgeous. A little light rain started to fall but it was hot so not much of an issue just made walking comfortable. We strolled on over to the Vietnam Wall - a very awesome and humbling sight. The Korean War Memorial (the picture above) really gets your attention. It is almost like the faces there are coming right toward you. Both very sentimental memorials for me as my Dad was involved in both of those conflicts. The rain is starting to pick up now but I really don't want to miss the sights so we keep walking. Off to the FDR memorial & Jefferson Memorial....what she failed to mention was that it was a nice little trek....along the Potomac, around the tidal basin, you know just 45 minutes and did I mention the light rain is now a sunami?!? We make it to FDR and I'm thinking WTF did I get myself in to but do you think the mature adult in me kicks in and says I've had my fill....nope not me. I'm just stubborn that way. Pictures are a distant fantasy at this point since it is hard to take them in the pouring rain and I won't ruin my camera.

By the time we get to the Jefferson Memorial, the rain is coming down in sheets....the good news is it isn't crowded since we are some of the only fools out in this weather. Ah yes, what a great view looking out across DC at night.....sheets of rain coming down sideways so hard that the Treasury Department just across the basin is a distant memory. Off we go again....I'm so wet at this point that my shoes are squishing with step and I'm having trouble keeping my pants on since they weigh so much from all the water in them. Are you getting a visual here yet? So off we go toward the Washington Monument.....still no let up in the downpour and all these taxi cabs passing us shaking their heads. Ahh the sound of silence since no one else is stupid enough to be walking the streets in this lovely weather. A choice needs to be made....standing there by the monument about 5 hours in to our hike....1 direction takes us to the Mall and the other takes us to the White House....and a little closer to my hotel. Off we go to the White House...did I mention at this point my joints are starting to scream at me?? But, I will not whine and won't complain because after all I did tell her I wanted to see all of DC. We get to the White House some 10-15 blocks later and the rain lets up just enough I can take a hazy wet picture of the place....and again...another choice....8 blocks uphill to my hotel or 5 blocks on flat ground to the metro to ride 1 stop to get to my hotel lobby.....I opt for the metro. Ahhh, the nice sweet smell of an underground train . As we are parting ways at the station - since her train is going the other way, I get approached by a nice thirty something man who strikes up a conversation. Something about me getting caught in the rain...and I'm nice and don't say something like "What the hell gave it away - the fact I'm leaving a puddle on the ground or that I look like a drowned rat?" We got on the same train with all the other passengers (all dry I might add) giggling and snickering at just how wet I was. He was concerned about me getting confused at the metro station and going up the wrong escalator (apparently there's a good exit and a not so good exit) at that time of night so he walks me to my hotel lobby. See...chivalry isn't dead. He was even a native to DC....so see there are still nice people in our nations capitol.

Two days later...the clothes I was wearing were still dripping wet when I put them in my suitcase to travel home. I could hardly walk for about a week later. I don't think my lupus agrees with me taking these unplanned excursions. But, it was all well worth it. I laughed so hard that night I almost cried at times....or maybe the tears were the pain....nah....it was an adventure I will never forget. Thanks Miss M!!

xoxo
Pandora

A Little Hiatus

The best laid plans....sometimes go awry. I have had every intention of continuing to post on my blog daily and I look back at my last post and realize it has been almost a month since the world has heard from Pandora. As my niece would say "Oh! Sad day!" Things here have been a little nuts. Okay, more than a little nuts. I had a very hectic month of May with work obligations and I rolled right out of that in to a family crisis. Sadly, my mom has spent the last two weeks in the hospital....most of that time being in the ICU. She is not doing well and it is taking a toll on everyone. (I will save that for another post.)

So, I'm going to try to commit to being back here and writing because this is my escape....this is my sanity. I'm not promising stellar posts or ones that are thought provoking and inspiring but, I am promising true heartfelt emotion and honesty no matter how that might come out or appear to the rest of the world. So hold on....it is going to be a bumpy ride!

XoXo
Pandora