Packed & Ready……NOT!

Approximately 50 hours from now, I’ll be checking-in at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport for a 7:30 am flight with a final destination to Port-au-Prince, Haiti.

This Wednesday marks the beginning of my first international mission trip.

Haiti Mission Team blog, click HERE

For eight days, I will live, work, play, and fellowship alongside the Haitian people as we repair a damaged school. The mission team and I are expecting to clear debris, construct new classroom walls, and install a playground. On the project site, there is no water, electricity, or air-conditioning.

At the guest house where we’ll be staying and eating two meals a day, there will be no air-conditioning, no running water, and limited electricity. Team members and I will be drinking only bottled water. We will, however, have Internet access.

There’s a silver lining in all things. (be sure to follow our team blog!)

Let’s discuss for a quick minute the current weather conditions in Texas. 

Hot. Dry. Windy.

I describe it as living in a hair dryer turned on HIGH speed.

It’s miserable.

The thermometer and meteorologists at WFAA Channel 8 in Dallas agree with me.

Unfortunately, the humidity level in Haiti is going to be worse and heat indices (that’s plural for index, if you were wondering) are expected to be in excess of 110-degree each day.

There’s an old saying that women in the South don’t sweat, we glow. Well, dawlins’, I’m sorry to ruin my precious reputation, but I guarantee I’ll be past the glowing stage and fully past the sweaty stage too. I’ll be gross. Deal with it.

No matter the heat, no matter the temperature, and no matter how much sweat is pouring out of my pores, I will be Polly Freakin’ Anna and have a smile on my face and say, “hi y’all” to anybody I meet while visiting Port-au-Prince. That’s how I roll.

Am I packed and ready to go?

Of course not.

Toodles and Happy Monday, Y’all!!!!

 

Just a little thingamabobber for you to think about……..I’m approaching a BIG blogging milestone and I’ve got a BIG giveaway annoucement to make as soon as I return from Haiti. Please encourage your spouse, mother, Cousin Eddie, and the neighbors to read and subscribe to my blog. You do NOT want to miss this, it’s going to be fun!

It’s beginning to look a lot like…Christmas?

Winter Storm 2011

Snow Day #4 and I accomplished absolutely nothing today, except increased traffic on this blog and took pictures of the winter wonderland. The snow that fell overnight is beautiful, but treacherous. I bundled up in wool socks, a hooded sweatshirt, and my parka coat to snap some photos. I was trekking slow and steady until – BOOM! – I slipped on the ice and fell to the ground. No worries, I have lots of padding in the rear (aka “junk in the trunk”).

I love mornings after a snow shower when the world is still, quiet, and so peaceful. Living in the country, outside the realms of the hustle and bustle, makes it even better. After maneuvering myself back onto two feet and dusting my backside off, I carefully treaded across the fresh, unmarked snow through the front yard and towards the barn. Luckily, Curtis was out to get a drink of water and he greeted me with a good morning “neigh” and nuzzled my cheek. He was also looking for treats in my pocket, but I forgot to take a handful with me. When he realized I was cookie-less, he took one last gulp of water and went back into the warm(er) barn. Fine, be that way! I made my way across the front yard and two doves that were nesting in the tall grass flew away. It scared the bejeepers out of me!

Curtis says, "Good Morning!"

Footsteps....slow and steady

WIPEOUT!!!! This is where I landed on my backside, solid sheet of ice under that powdery snow!!!

According the local weatherman, the temperature is supposed to reach 40° tomorrow. If that’s the case, most of this snow and ice should melt just in time for Super Bowl Sunday. I have to finish cleaning tomorrow and go to the grocery. I’m positive the rest of North Texas is thinking the same thing, so I plan to get up early and miss the crowds. I prefer to do my grocery-shopping without the crazy mobs. When I was at Wal-Mart Monday evening, two women were arguing over the last loaf of bread. I quickly turned my cart around and figured we could live without bread for a couple of days!!!! 

If you have snow where you are, I hope it is as beautiful as it is here in North Texas. I also pray that you stay safe and warm.

How do you beat cabin fever?

Snowed In – Day 3

The thermometer refuses to climb above 20 degrees and the solid coating of ice everywhere will not budge. It’s day three of this snow-bound adventure and I have to be honest: cabin fever set in today. I was irritable, sensitive, and moody. It’s also that time of the month. At least I was productive. The mirrors above both sink vanities in our bathroom are up, as well as the toilet tissue holder. Kudos to my husband for doing the latter, I was too busy measuring the precise location of the mirrors and figuring out where I would insert the Hercules Hooks into the wall. Have you used these magical wall-hangers? Everything mounted on the wall in my house is held by a Hercules Hook – I swear by them!

Kevin and I put on a couple extra layers of clothing to venture out into the freezing cold. The Dodge was low on diesel fuel and we were interested in people-gazing, so we carefully drove to Burleson for fuel. The truck was thirsty and we were hungry. The county road could easily suffice as the ice rink for the Olympics and the main roads were not any better. Fortunately, we have four-wheel-drive but even that does not guarantee a safe trip. The car wash at H-E-B suffered a major water leak last night, but the icicles were beautiful. I can imagine they are going to be a very expensive repairs too. I imagine others were suffering cabin fever as well, Wendy’s was busy when we stopped for lunch. We made it home safe and sound. Kevin, in true fashion, dropped me off at the house and then did donuts in the yard with his truck. A boy and his toy. I love that man.

I think it is safe to say our bathroom remodeling project is officially COMPLETE. The mirrors are up, the toilet tissue holder is on the wall near the toilet, and our stuff is in the cabinet, rather than the card table in the bedroom. It’s amazing – and disgusting – how dirty a house can get during a reconstruction. I had to wipe everything down before taking it into the bathroom. Yuck! I also filled two more LARGE garbage bags of knickknacks and clothes to donate to Goodwill. I have five bags needing to go, might do that tomorrow (if I’m brave enough). I also vacuumed the carpet in our bedroom…GROSS. ME. OUT. At least I got my money’s worth out of the Dyson today. Wow.

When’s the last time you had a meaningful conversation with someone you really like? I had one tonight with Rev L (she’s my pastor, friend, confidant, and partner-in-crime). She’s leaving for Angel Fire tomorrow and said she had to hear my voice before she left town for a week. Now that is a friend. Life’s been pretty crappy lately and I don’t know why I think I have to tackle all of life’s stresses by myself when I have wonderful friends to confide in. She’s so insightful and encouraging about so many things.

BREAKING NEWS!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ~ I interrupt regular programming to announce Fort Worth I.S.D. will be closed Friday, February 4 due to inclement weather, hazardous driving conditions, and power outages.

Surprise, surprise. Didn’t see that coming. Actually, tomorrow was already a scheduled waiver / professional development day for teachers but the District has cancelled all of those meetings. Another day off from school. Another day I get to sit at home in my pajamas. YAY!!!!!

We now resume regular programming…

I decided earlier tonight that I was going to participate in something that is totally in left field for me: a fashion blog event. A former co-worker of mine, Lisa D., is a fabulous blogger with serious fashion sense (something I terribly lack). Lisa – The Coastal Chicster - has been participating in these 30 for 30 challenges and her outfits have been crazy good. I’m sure I could assemble 30 outfits from my very pathetic wardrobe, but it would be quite the embarrassment compared to all of the perfectly pressed, well-put-together ensembles of these ladies. Besides, I doubt I even have 30 items in my closet, including accessories, that are picture worthy! Anyway, I found something that I think I can do – or at least I’m going to try – on Tuesday, February 8 with Every Body, Every Wear : wear a blazer. Yeah, that’s right. I’m going to wear a blazer, take a picture, upload it, and pat myself on the back. Gosh, I’m nervous as all get out.

Image courtesy of Amazon.com

Besides eating lunch with other humans (don’t you love being a social creature?!), completing our re-mod project, cleaning our bedroom, having a heart-to-heart with Rev L, and accepting a lofty challenge today, I also finished reading my first book of 2011, The Help by Kathryn Stockett. I began reading it when Kevin and I flew to Kentucky for Christmas. It’s a really great book. Beautifully written, poignant language, and a timeless story of injustice, friendship, heartache, and finding one’s own life.

Haiku of the Day

Powerless • Frigid Temps • Cabin Fever

The first storm of ’11

no power on a cold day

When is spring coming?

 

Photo courtesy of WFAA.com and James Francis Photography

Snowed In – Day 2

This weather is out of control. The high temperature today was a balmy 16 degrees and tonight’s low is expected to reach single digits. Of course, that’s not factoring in the minus-zero wind chills. Brrr – this is crazy!!!

Woke up this morning to silence, which startled me because we always have the ceiling fan turned on. Somewhere in between consciousness and Dream-ville I jumped out of bed when I realized the power was gone. It freaked me out until I stopped long enough to figure out the house was not at all cool and panicking was unnecessary at the moment. Kevin was awake by then and found me rummaging through the recycle box on our bedroom floor. I was looking for the electric bill invoice to find a telephone number to call and report an outage. I finally found it but every call I made (six in total), all I got was a busy signal. We were obviously NOT the only household in United Cooperative’s grid system to be without power. Less than 10 minutes later, the power turns on. We’re saved!

While being snow bound, Kevin and I have made a mockery of the local news reports and have thoroughly enjoyed making wise-cracks at the stories and reactions to the current weather situation. In the span of a 30-minute broadcast, there are at least 25 “breaking news” stories to report the temperature is freezing a$$ cold, another vehicle has spun out of control on a local freeway, or more Super Bowl fans have arrived in North Texas. This morning, however, the news was relevant to our cause. The Associated Press from Austin reported:

The Electric Reliability Council of Texas {ERCOT} has ordered utilities to begin rotating electrical outages to compensate for a power shortage linked to the extreme cold weather.

WHOA!!!!! What do you mean “rotating electrical outages?!?!” Exactly that. Power would go off at intervals and hope you were on the short-end of the duration stick. Lucky for us, our power did not turn off again. Unfortunately for some, they experienced multiple outages and others are still without power tonight. Mind you, tonight is going to be the coldest in 15 years. Way to go ERCOT. Natural gas companies are also feeling the crunch as many thousands of customers are without fuel to their homes on this very chilly night. Reporters are saying these rolling outages and limited supply of natural gas will continue through the weekend. It’s supposed to reach a balmy 37 degrees by Saturday….come on, heat wave!  

What did I accomplish on Day 2 of being snow bound? Dressed in my finest snow-day attire (pajamas), I hung the mirrors in our bathroom, finished the load of laundry I left in the dryer last night, and polished the furniture in the dining room and living room. You can no longer write your name in the dust on the TV or media console – yay! The coffee table is clean too. I must tidy this house before Sunday’s big Super Bowl party with the youth from church. Of course, I’ve said this for two weeks…at least the weather is helping - thank you, snow days!!!!

Just announced: Fort Worth ISD and most other school districts in the DFW Metroplex are closed tomorrow, Thursday, for a third consecutive day. The temperature refuses to go above freezing and the solid sheet of ice that covers all the roads is not going away. I think some districts might be weary of the rolling blackouts as well. Perhaps, I’m stretching my luck here, the State will declare an emergency and schools will not have to make up the days missed at the end of the year. That would be nice. I have mission trips scheduled, I don’t have time to be in school through the summer!!!!  

What should I do tomorrow?

Snowed In – Day 1

Woke up at 6:30 this morning to check the weather report and school closings…sure enough, Fort Worth ISD was closed due to inclement weather in the immediate area. It began raining about midnight, turned to freezing rain then sleet, and finally a steady shower of snow and ice was falling between 4:00 and 7:00 am. Add to this mix frigid temperatures (the coldest in 15 years) and it’s a mess around here. People in these parts – I can say that because I’m not from these parts – are idiots when it comes to winter weather. It’s a shame people leave the comfort and warmth of their home just to venture out and see the sights. It’s quite embarrassing too, especially with visitors in town for a football game this Sunday between the Pittsburgh Steelers and Green Bay Packers. I wish those visitors would teach Texans a thing or two about winter-weather driving. Seriously, I don’t care if you have an SUV with big-tread tires and four-wheel-drive…..it’s called ice and nobody should drive on it. These are the days when I really wish I owned a dozen auto body shops. Tonight’s news featured a pile-up on Loop 12 near Dallas with 200+ vehicles all twisted and turned around in the road. Idiots.

So what did I do with my day off from work/school?

• I finished grading projects from my B-day students. (I haven’t seen my A-day students in a week and I won’t see them until Thursday – unless this weather continues. Friday is a waiver day for teachers, which means I have to report to campus but students enjoy the day off. LAME!!!!!)
• I washed the dirty pans stacked on the counter, emptied the dishwasher and loaded it again, then finally polished the sink with Bar Keeper’s Friend. That stuff is insanely good.
• I did two loads of laundry and while I waited for the last to dry, I ironed two of Kevin’s shirts. Yes, I used an iron. It would still be sealed and in its original box if I had not used the steam feature on a tablecloth last month. The iron was a wedding present and I’ve been married nearly four years. I don’t iron. Obviously. I don’t own an ironing board either.
• Made a batch of green goddess dip, just because I wanted something for dipping veggie sticks – check out the delicious recipe here.
• Surfed the Net and blogs of friends and found Southern Living magazine’s 28 Days of Chocolate during the month of February…I’m considering participating. Today’s first recipe is pecan pie brownies. I don’t like pecans so I’ll wait and see what tomorrow brings. But a girl has to have a chocolate arsenal, for I-need-chocolate-now moments.

The highlight of my evening: curling up on the couch wearing more layers than quite humanly possibly. With cold weather such as this (currently 12 degrees with -7 wind chill), it’s all about layering your clothes. On me right now: two pairs of socks, sweatpants, long-sleeve Henley under a t-shirt, hoodie sweatshirt, all topped with my bright pink Snuggie.

Life. Is. Good.