Mandatory March post

It's been crazy here in Nac and it's only about to get worse! Last week we were on our way back from 5 days in Alabama. It was so nice to see all of our loved ones! It's strange how I haven't seen some of them in over a year but it seems like just yesterday we left Bama on ths crazy adventure. It's also strange how some friendships seem strained and awkward, others pick up right where you left off, and some stay the same daily. 

Of course, my body does not do well with long distance traveling so as soon as we wake up on our first day back in Nac, I have a cold. I'm glad it waited till we got back to rebel. But today is the first day I have my full voice back! 

Today Bud and I went to the opening day for a new Ren and Piratical Faire. It was so much fun. There was a falconry show that I tried not to volunteer for when the crowd asked for volunteers, yet still got picked. Me and five other people lined up  three on each side, while an Australian auger flied between us then held our arms up as it flew between our arms. I can not lie, I was extatic! There was funnel cake, wild boar, axe throwing, absinthe making, leather working, and JOUSTING! Now it's certain. We have to go to mideival times for our birthdays. 

We haven't had a full date day in a long time. So after getting home we ate a super nice (expensive) dinner at Union cafe. It was so worth it. Now I have to keep my sun burned ass (not literally) awake till 8 to go meet some former and current SFA grad students for reunion drinks. Whew! 

This next month (which is only a few days away) I have a seminar presentation on the first, a poster at the Big Thicket conference SFA is hosting, field season work will start on weekends in the middle of the month, another poster (or the same from TCTWS) at the bright ideas conference that is school wide, registration for 2 more conferences (one at the end of July and the other in November) and a proposal to finish so I can start sending it out for edits. Whew! Not to mention any homework for my stats class and maybe trying to do more stats for the data I've already collected. 

I am exhausted from the sun and today's fun activities along with everything else I've been cramming away at. But, to tell you the truth, our trip back solidified how much I love being away. That sounds horrible. I love that I am getting out there, seeing more of the world than just sweet home Alabama. I would say we, but Buddy was a long distance truck driver for the longest so he's seen all of this. I love that I'm learning more about this field that I'm in, I'm learning more about and meeting other people, and learning more about our marriage. And in turn I'm learning more about myself. Yes, it can be scary as hell thinking about not having a safety net of friends and loved ones if something (gods forbid) happens. But it's a good kind of scary. A self reliance, self sufficient kind of thing. It only took 32 years but better late than never, right?

Here are some pictures from the last almost 2 months! Enjoy and as always, blessed be!

Tufted titmouse right before it started snowing!

Female orange-crowned warbler. First time I've seen one!

SPRING!

Grandma's goats

Swayback trails in Wetumpka 

On the way to mobile

New Orleans

South American black hawk-eagle

African auger

Jousting

Tip break!

Things I don't like about East Texas

This blog post is coming to you live from my office! I'm being a big fat procrastinator right now, mostly because I've had my ass kicked by stats all day. So I've taken a few (read 2) hours to make some blog changes and now to make my post.

So keeping with my previous post, here are 5 things I do not like about East Texas in no particular order.

1. Humidity

I just took this screen shot and it says the temperature outside is only 91 degrees (F). Feels like 100 degrees (F) with only 55% humidity??? Yep, it pretty much feels like a sauna out there. We have had a few days of fall like weather and there were amazing! But, then we had this. I can't wear my hair in anything but a bun with this crap out there. It's just plain redonkulous.











2. Conceal carry laws

yelp.com; google image search

Alabama is an open carry state, Texas is not. To get a conceal handgun licence (CHL) you must take a class which can not exceed 8 hours. In this class you will have a written exam and a range test. Buddy and I had our class this past Saturday and neither were hard. I was not pleased with my targeting at all, but I passed.

The sign to the left is one that is posted outside of businesses and other public grounds in which you can not conceal carry. Back home they were posting signs prohibiting open carry, here it's conceal carry. Coming from an open carry state, this makes no sense. I can understand federal buildings, public buildings where voting is taking place, bars, and to some extent schools and maybe even hospitals. But shopping centers and grocery stores? Also, if you have a CHL and get busted carrying in a place that has a 30.06 sign, you will be penalized more heavily than someone with out a CHL because you should know better.

3. No one understands SEC football

Yes, Texas A&M are now in the SEC and College Station is only about an hour away, but no one REALLY understands what that means. The loyalty, the brutality, the trash-talk on Saturday but love you every other day-ness.... They just don't get it.

4. Distance measurements

This isn't so much a complaint, but a musing. We are ~2 hours from Shreveport, LA; ~2 hours from Houston; ~3 hours from Dallas and Galveston, and ~4 hours from Austin. Here distance is measured in how many hours it takes to get somewhere. If the speed limits were not as fast then they would be exceedingly high. I knew Texas was a large state, but it didn't really hit me until I was here. It's quite weird. 

5. Where's my Waffle House? or Zaxbys?

The closest Waffle House (WH) is in Tyler which is about an hour away. If I were FROM Texas this wouldn't be so bad (see #4). However, I'm not FROM Texas and an hour seems an excessive drive for food. And Zaxby's? My wonderful yummy favorite food? Not here. I think there might be one in Louisiana, but I'm not sure. 

I haven't really taken any pictures this week except this one. 

This was at the Gayla Mize Gardens and I let Luna go off leash for our walk. I was so proud! When I would call her to come she would and when I would tell her to wait because I couldn't see her she would! I guess now I can trust her to be a good trail dog.

Well, that's all I have for today. I've arranged for Buddy to come pick me up in a few so I need to get my stuff together I guess. I hope you have enjoyed and let me know what you think in the comments! Have a blessed weekend!

Things I love about Texas

I had a running list of things I wanted to blog about, but my phone ate it...twice. I know this topic was among the few I had jotted down, so I'm winging it folks; bear with me.

 We have now been official residents of Texas for 6 months as of the 28th of August and I felt it was about time to compile a list (because I love lists) about the things I love about this humongous state. Don't worry, there will be a list (sooner or later) about things I don't love, but most of them are pretty obvious.

This picture outlines the different "sections" of Texas. We live in the Piney Woods area close to the n and e of piney. The description is quite accurate and it is quite piney out here. It actually looks a lot like back home to me. There's not much difference. We have driven into the prairies and lakes area, but not far and I went through the gulf coast area almost daily during field season, but I haven't had a chance to really explore like I want to (and I will eventually!).

Let's get to that list, shall we?

1. Speed limits

Texas has the fastest speed limit average of any state in the U.S. This can be both awesome and some what terrifying. I was only terrified at the speeds when it was 4 am and I was driving through the San Angelina State Forest trying to reach my field sites by sunrise. I do not imagine hitting a deer or other wild critter would be anything less than terrifying at those speeds. However, if the speed limits were anything like they are back home, I could have added upwards of an hour to my travel time. So, I'm very thankful for these higher speed limits.

2. Drive Texas Friendly
This one kinda goes along with the previous one, but I feel it should be separate. Plus, this is my list. Where we would have just a strip of shoulder on the side of the road, here in Texas they use it as a part of the road. I like to call it the "turn shoulder". For instance, if I were to turn right into our apartment complex and notice there is traffic behind me, I can get onto the "turn shoulder" to get out of the way before I cause the people behind me to slow down or hit their breaks. Also on highways, if I needed to turn onto the road but there is traffic coming, I can make my turn into the "turn shoulder" wait till the traffic is past to merge into the correct lane. Or if I am going much slower than someone behind me, I can merge into the "turn shoulder" so they can pass me in the lane and not have to pass in the oncoming traffic lane. What an amazing idea! I think this should be implemented everywhere!

3. Beer

When in Rome, right? I have tried the "official" beer of Texas, Lone Star, which you can't buy anywhere other than Texas and I have also tried almost every kind of Shiner made. I can now attest from experience that I am not that big a fan of Lone Star. A bottled 6 pack is about the same price as a PBR 6 pack of tall boys, and we all know I love some PBR. I can also now attest from experience that I really like Shiner Light Blonde, Shiner Premium, and Shiner Bock. I have tried others, but I wouldn't buy them again. They are just not my cup of tea, or bottle of beer as it were.

4. No tax on groceries
What?!? Coming from Alabama, I had only heard rumors of such things. It's real people and it's awesome! Granted, somethings are a little more than they were back home. But then again, a lot of the prices are comparable to back home. Mix that with my new found love of Kroger, their coupons I can load to my rewards card through their mobile app, and their rewards on gas and I'm in freaking savings heaven! This summer they gave double gas rewards for shopping Friday-Sunday and we were saving upwards of 0.60/gallon!

5. History
Texas is a state that is very proud of it's heritage. Just on my little tiny campus I've seen two historical markers. I can't begin to put a number to the amount of signs for historical markers I passed heading to Louisiana during field season. You could spend hours reading historical markers downtown, but then again we are living in the oldest city in Texas.

I'm sure there are more than these five things, but five seems a good number to stop on. I'll limit the 'things I don't love about Texas' post to five as well. If I can manage five other than my friends and family don't live here, that is.

Broke toe update: My toe was most definitely broken. I couldn't wear flip flops for over a week and even now if I do I have to be careful if my toe touches anything other than my shoe. But, the swelling and bruising is gone and it doesn't look too jacked up.

Serenity update: The special prescribed food took a little while to work it's magic, but we had managed days then weeks at a time with no urinating on the floor. However, she has peed on the floor 3 out of the last 4 days. I'm hoping today's was cause I didn't let her in from out on the porch when she needed to. I'm continuing to monitor her though and I even note the days she has went outside of the litter box on a white board.

We have an interesting day coming up Saturday as we will be going to an all day class that is required to have a concealed carry permit in Texas. I know those of you from back home are confused at this, but I will explain more in a later post. For now, here are some pictures I've taken since the last post. Enjoy and blessed be.

Texas doesn't play around with their rain clouds. These were amazingly beautiful.

Morning sun rays on one of mine and Luna's hikes at the Gayla Mize Gardens. This is now one of my most favorite pictures.