Pretty much, the major item weighing on my mind is just how much I really HATE living in Fort Worth! That, and I've had some issues with my wrist, something resembling carpal tunnel, although I admit I've had no confirmed diagnosis. Therefore I haven't been typing much. I probably shouldn't be doing it now, but guilt over my lack of blogging has gotten the better of me.
So what's so terrible about Fort Worth? Maybe nothing, really. I guess it just doesn't feel like home, and I feel like a fish out of water. It's ultra-conservative, rural, and overwhelmingly centered on white American culture. If that makes you feel at home, this might be a place for you. But it isn't for me. I prefer a more multicultural feel, and more artistic and outdoor activities. Maybe more freedom of thought . . . Just a lot of things, I suppose.
We did have a good time in San Antonio on our last trip. We went downtown to Market Square and El Mercado, had a blast shopping and sightseeing, then we went to Mi Tierra for lunch and pastries. Then we went to the Riverwalk, hiked up and down both sides, took a river cruise and tour, saw the sun set, and watched San Antonio light up for the evening. It was great. Ethan had a great time, too. He got a tiny guitar (not plastic or a toy) and a tambourine, and I got some silver and turquoise jewelry made by hand in Peru. Fun.
I saw my dad on Saturday, shopped at La Cantera and let Ethan play, and we bought him his first Build-a-Bear Workshop toy, a cat with a Spurs jersey. It's really adorable, and he treated it like a friend all night. Just precious! La Cantera at night is really beautiful as well, and we enjoyed just talking and window-shopping. I will remember that for a long time. How I will miss Saturdays with my dad. I can't wait for him to visit.
Ethan didn't want to leave, and that made it hard for me. But we needed to leave since we have business here in Fort Worth, and I had some Ebay auctions ending. C'est la vie. :(
The drive was easy and uneventful. I have two signs that are favorites of mine. The first is a billboard that asks, in large type:
Got Dirty Birds?
Then says:
We have birdbaths!
The other is a street sign for a road called "Bugtussle". I just love trying to picture that! It cracks me up! Bugtussle. Yeah.
OK, that's about it. I'd better protect my wrists.
Nighty-night!
R
Showing posts with label family. Show all posts
Showing posts with label family. Show all posts
Sunday, March 30, 2008
Saturday, May 19, 2007
Bummer.
I just found out that the sugar-free caramel syrup I was so excited about at Starbucks is only one of those flavor syrups and not caramel syrup after all. I guess it wouldn't really make a caramel machiatto after all. :( But at least the vanilla can be sugar-free, I guess. And the creme base has a lighter version. Still good news, but not as good as I had thought.
And I apologize for my delay in blogging. Just for whatever reason I have been staying away. I've been trying to nurture my creativity and my energy, and working on those kind of endeavors, I suppose. I've even been cooking! I made a fantastic healthy version of taco meat yesterday, and some delicious chalupa shells, all low in fat and in Weight Watchers points. I will have to post the recipe as soon as I figure out the amounts of everything. I'm one of those people who doesn't measure when they cook, which can be annoying when I try to pass on recipes. I choose to "intuit" when I cook, I guess. But it turns out well, usually. I'm very pleased with the tacos from last night. If I ever had to move farther away from San Antonio and Texas, I think I would feel much more reassured if I can take some of my comfort foods with me, and even better if I can find healthier versions of them. Happy me.
I think I was also trying to avoid posting about my visit. I had a great time, and I got to visit with more of my missed family and friends than I thought I would be able to. But I also became worried about CJ. She was sick while I was home, and it's hard to watch her struggle to find a job and to get her life together. I worry quite a bit about her, even though I think I have enough of my own problems to worry me. I guess that's what it's like to have family, I don't know. She sounded in very good spirits when I talked to her today, though. That's good. She has a lot of positive qualities that I think she can overlook, and that gets her down. And she still has work to do getting her life back from depression. It can feel pretty daunting when the road ahead seems so long. If she can hang in there and find her strength, I think she can have a rewarding life. I hope she will not give up. (CJ: Listen to that Finn Brothers CD some more!)
But I also got to reconnect with my mother for the first time in a long time. For a while I think we had been drifting apart. But we got to talk for quite a while. It was really worth it for me. I enjoyed it. And H and I had a good time just at Starbucks and shopping at Wal-Mart. But it was too short, as usual.
I managed to avoid telling my dad that I was coming, mostly to see if I could surprise him. I thought it would be fun. Turns out, my grandmother was coming to lunch as well, and she didn't know I was coming down, either! So I got to surprise 2 people! My dad seemed very shocked to see me, and my grandmother was so sweet and she hugged me a lot. It was nice. And we had good food. I even had self-control in the face of Tex-Mex, a huge accomplishment for me! I only ate 3 tortilla chips and 1 flour tortilla, and I had two yummy cheese enchiladas topped with chile con carne, some of the tastiest Mexican rice, and refried beans that remind me of homemade. It was an awesome lunch. And we had coffee, too. I made three trips to the same Starbucks in one day! First with CJ in the morning, with Dad and grandma in the afternoon, and with H in the evening.
Sunday I chatted with mom some more, and took CJ to an emergency clinic. It turned out to be very expensive since she doesn't have insurance, and they did tests and ran an IV. She had the stomach flu and needed to be hydrated. I'm sure her immune system was weak from having it once before so recently, but she was (and probably still is) pretty worried about it. I guess I understand. My own health can cause me quite a bit of concern. But she's fine, I'm sure. And then I had to drive home, tired from lack of sleep, and shaking from caffeine overdose. But it was an okay drive. Ben had some car sickness on the way down, so he had a children's dose of Bonine (like Dramamine, but with a more stupid name) and he didn't throw up again.
Well, that's about it. I guess I will wash up and get ready for bed. Sunday is grocery day, and C tries to get some "off" time. So it will be just "me and the E" tomorrow.
Night-night for now, and I'll do my best to blog ya later.
R
And I apologize for my delay in blogging. Just for whatever reason I have been staying away. I've been trying to nurture my creativity and my energy, and working on those kind of endeavors, I suppose. I've even been cooking! I made a fantastic healthy version of taco meat yesterday, and some delicious chalupa shells, all low in fat and in Weight Watchers points. I will have to post the recipe as soon as I figure out the amounts of everything. I'm one of those people who doesn't measure when they cook, which can be annoying when I try to pass on recipes. I choose to "intuit" when I cook, I guess. But it turns out well, usually. I'm very pleased with the tacos from last night. If I ever had to move farther away from San Antonio and Texas, I think I would feel much more reassured if I can take some of my comfort foods with me, and even better if I can find healthier versions of them. Happy me.
I think I was also trying to avoid posting about my visit. I had a great time, and I got to visit with more of my missed family and friends than I thought I would be able to. But I also became worried about CJ. She was sick while I was home, and it's hard to watch her struggle to find a job and to get her life together. I worry quite a bit about her, even though I think I have enough of my own problems to worry me. I guess that's what it's like to have family, I don't know. She sounded in very good spirits when I talked to her today, though. That's good. She has a lot of positive qualities that I think she can overlook, and that gets her down. And she still has work to do getting her life back from depression. It can feel pretty daunting when the road ahead seems so long. If she can hang in there and find her strength, I think she can have a rewarding life. I hope she will not give up. (CJ: Listen to that Finn Brothers CD some more!)
But I also got to reconnect with my mother for the first time in a long time. For a while I think we had been drifting apart. But we got to talk for quite a while. It was really worth it for me. I enjoyed it. And H and I had a good time just at Starbucks and shopping at Wal-Mart. But it was too short, as usual.
I managed to avoid telling my dad that I was coming, mostly to see if I could surprise him. I thought it would be fun. Turns out, my grandmother was coming to lunch as well, and she didn't know I was coming down, either! So I got to surprise 2 people! My dad seemed very shocked to see me, and my grandmother was so sweet and she hugged me a lot. It was nice. And we had good food. I even had self-control in the face of Tex-Mex, a huge accomplishment for me! I only ate 3 tortilla chips and 1 flour tortilla, and I had two yummy cheese enchiladas topped with chile con carne, some of the tastiest Mexican rice, and refried beans that remind me of homemade. It was an awesome lunch. And we had coffee, too. I made three trips to the same Starbucks in one day! First with CJ in the morning, with Dad and grandma in the afternoon, and with H in the evening.
Sunday I chatted with mom some more, and took CJ to an emergency clinic. It turned out to be very expensive since she doesn't have insurance, and they did tests and ran an IV. She had the stomach flu and needed to be hydrated. I'm sure her immune system was weak from having it once before so recently, but she was (and probably still is) pretty worried about it. I guess I understand. My own health can cause me quite a bit of concern. But she's fine, I'm sure. And then I had to drive home, tired from lack of sleep, and shaking from caffeine overdose. But it was an okay drive. Ben had some car sickness on the way down, so he had a children's dose of Bonine (like Dramamine, but with a more stupid name) and he didn't throw up again.
Well, that's about it. I guess I will wash up and get ready for bed. Sunday is grocery day, and C tries to get some "off" time. So it will be just "me and the E" tomorrow.
Night-night for now, and I'll do my best to blog ya later.
R
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