The Third Coast

The sea turtles are nesting on Padre Island.  So today, we went out on turtle patrol.  Searching and searching for just one turtle....or nest....or marker showing that someone else had found one.

We saw lots of these....

I think they're some kind of mussels???  They would surface when a wave retreated, then bury themselves in the sand almost immediately.

And speaking of mussels....

Yeah, there's the man.

And we saw lots of PEOPLE....

What we didn't see, was a sea turtle....

or a nest.....

or a marker.....

So that was bad.

But we also didn't see oil.

So that was good.  

Old Age

Here are just a few of the signs, just so you know.


You go to the doctor with shoulder pain and preface it with "I do NOT want to go to physical therapy, just give me some exercises I can do once this shot kicks in."  He obliges by giving you five easy moves.  Three hours later, you go to the gym and can only remember THREE of them.  (This may or may not be the reason they want you to go to physical therapy.)


You record all 5-1/2 hours of the LOST finale (including JKL), watch the 2-1/2 hour "real finale" knowing you can catch up on the rest in your spare time.  Then you schedule DirectTV to come replace Dish and realize that the other 3 hours are now LOST.


You prepare for your weekend getaway and this is what you have to pack.  


Warning:  What you are about to see may be disturbing.

Drillers Win! Drillers Win! Drillers Win!

Last night at the ball park was our first visit to the new home of the Drillers--Oneok Field.  Very impressive.

Although, I can't, for the life of me, figure out why they decided to position the park where the view facing centerfield is the U-Haul Headquarters.

See the flags?  This was our focus point throughout the entire national anthem.  Woo Hoo!  Play Ball!

Why not turn it around so we could see the beautiful Tulsa skyline?

Which was BEHIND us! 

I don't know, maybe it has something to do with keeping the sun out of the batter's eyes, or some crazy thing.

Oh well.  When there's cotton candy, who really cares?

Not these two....

Papa ("PaulPaul"), Lauren and Nana (I know...I'm very photogenic...it's a curse...please don't be jealous.)

Lauren and Hornsby.  (Why the Drillers' mascot is a bull presents another mystery.)

JACOB "I'd rather be at a Yankee game--or at least sitting with my friend, Chance" BLEVINS

And...someone I don't know, but I really liked her hair...

Oh--and did I mention?  The Drillers' WON!  It was a great game.  Just ask me and Jeremy.  Because Trista and Neal spent most of their time with the kids at the playground.  And loading them up with hot dogs, chips, cotton candy, peanuts, pop, and liquid fudge.  

Dangerously Close

The deer are getting dangerously close to the pool.

And it's not even dark yet.

Don't make me come out there.

Naked

As I approached the turn-in to my drive today, something didn't look right.

Granted, I was well aware that we were getting a new fence. But I didn't know he was gonna start today, and it really caught me off guard.  The old fence is completely gone.

It just looks so exposed...so...naked.  I hope the deer don't stumble and fall in.  The water is much too cold for me to attempt a rescue.

Poolside Thoughts

What?  Saturday afternoon and I have the pool all to myself?  Really?  Almost like home.

I must have hamster lungs. Can't even manage 2 laps in the pool.  Smiley, we have work to do.

The water in my pool won't be this warm in August.

Why is Shane Coffman's voice singing "Heal Me" over and over in my head?

Spoke too soon, here comes pale, blonde woman, with dark-skinned son.  Oh well, I had almost an hour of solitude.

Oh good, they brought music!

Shucks.  Latino music.

Dark-skinned son wants my noodle?  Sure....take it.  I mean, what am I gonna tell a 10 year old?

Hey!  That's one of my Zumba songs!  Makes me wanna get up and dance.  Sort of.  Not really.

Where is that perpetual Corpus Christi wind?  I could use a nice breeze about now.

"It's after midnight, and something evil's lurking in the dark...."  Oh!  That's Neal's ringtone.  Hi, babe.  Yep, at the pool again, now you get back to work and I'll try not to drip in the RV.

Is that a bug crawling, or a drop of water sliding down the back of my thigh?  Don't have enough energy to check.

The ice in my thermal cup is already melted?  No way.

A black swimsuit in South Texas.  Lita!  What were you thinking?

Goody, George Strait.  Not really a country fan, more of a 70's pop girl, but better than what I've been listening to.  (No offense Shane.)

Tonite we're grilling instead of eating out.  Don't have to do my hair...yay!  No make-up either...double-yay!

I hope Harley guy next door doesn't have to go to work at 5:00 tomorrow morning.  Very annoying.

I'm still hearing "Heal Me." Is God trying to tell me something? I think He's getting drowned out by the mariachi music.

It really hurts my neck to lay on my stomach and turn my head sideways. They should make lounge chairs like massage tables, where there's a hole for your face.  I think I'll invent one.  And while I'm at it, I'll make two holes at the bottom for your feet!  Yeah, that's what I'll do.

Heartache

My heart is grieving for Mexico.

At least seven people were kidnapped from the Holiday Inn in Monterrey by 30-50 gunmen last week. The Holiday Inn is just down the street from our Hotel Ancira.

That's it. Over. The plug has been pulled.

I don't get it.

But God gets it.

It's not up to me. He'll finish the work He started. Just not with my feeble attempt at construction work.

My heart breaks for Ladi and Lorena.

For Sergio and Eunice. Felipe, Ramiro, Ote, Johnny...and all the other wonderful hermanos y hermanas we have grown to love.

May God give them the peace that passes understanding.

Me and My Bright Ideas

I'll be the first to admit that not all my ideas are good ones. My evening with the grandkids looked nothing like what I had envisioned. Here's how it went down.

Jacob: Nana, can we go to War-mart and buy a toy?

Me: Not right now. (playful lilt in my voice) We're going to the movie theater to watch Oceans!

Jacob: Aaafter the movie?

Me: We'll see.

Cell phone rings.

Janell: We're running a little late.

Me: Huh? That was tonight? I thought you said tomorrow night! (stupid Facebook)

*A Drillers' game in the new stadium with one of my best friends--from out of town--maybe next time.* *sigh*

Movie tickets $20 + concessions $25 = $45

Before the movie even starts:

Jacob: How long is the movie?

Me: I think about an hour and a half.

Jacob: Awwww. I really wanna go to War-Mart.

Opening scene of Oceans shows a young boy with longish hair looking out at the ocean. Jacob thinks it's a girl. Pierce Brosnan begins the narration. Camera takes us INTO the ocean for an upclose look at the amazing sea-life that exists. Not much different than Jacob's favorite dvds "The Blue Planet" that he can watch for hours at my house.

Jacob: Where's the girl?

Me: It was a boy.

Jacob: Is this just gonna be talking?

Me: It's about life in the ocean.

Jacob: But WHERE IS THE GIRL???

Me: It's not ABOUT the girl, I mean the boy.

Jacob: Arms extended and whine in his voice....I just want to know--where is the girl?!?!?

Lauren: I need to go pee pee.

Me: Come on, Jacob, we're taking Sissy to pee pee.

We all go pee pee.

Back in our seats.

Jacob: (whining) When. Is. This. Gonna. Be. O-VER?

Me: In about an hour.

Jacob: Can we still go to War-Mart?

Me: Just watch the movie.

Jacob: (still whining) Is it almost over?

Me: Yes, it's almost over. (not really)

Lauren: I need to go pee pee again.

To the relief of everyone else in the theater...we don't return.

Jacob: Are we going to War-Mart, now?

Me: No, I don't have any money left. I spent it all on our snacks.

Jacob: Oh, man! I wish we never bought food and drinks so we could buy a toy at War-mart!

Me: Well, next time we'll know better, won't we?

By the way, Oceans subtly (or maybe it wasn't so subtle...I was somewhat distracted) promotes the Theory of Evolution. Just so ya know.

Bedtime.

Me: You guys get to sleep in the big bed in the guest room!

Lauren: No, Nana. I wanna sleep in you bed...cause its moh comftable.

Jacob: Me, too, Nana.

I was afraid of that.

Lauren: Nana! You got a jammie dress? It's soooo cute.

In bed.

Lauren: Wheyoh's my pillow?

I switch her pillow with Jacob's.

Lauren: Nana, you fogot my milk.

I go to heat up her milk in her special cup. But as fate would have it, the milk has soured.

Me: How 'bout your chocolate milk from the movie?

Lauren: Okay.

Lauren: Wheyoh's my baby?

Me: I'll go get her.

Lauren: Nana...you got my blankie?

Uh oh.

1:20 a.m.

I gingerly crawl out from under the covers and tiptoe to the guest room bed.

2:00 a.m.

Nana!! Nana!! Where are you???

Crawl back under the covers between my two precious munchkins. All is right with the world again.

The morning after:

Well, somebody got a good night's rest!

And some of us are dragging a little.

My Latest Bargain

Don't you just love a bargain?

Half-price.

That's right.

HALF-PRICE.

Rainy weekend? Bring it on!

Spring--How Do I Love Thee?

Let me count the ways:

1. A warm house!
2. Daylight Savings Time.

3. My Flip-Flops.

4. The smell of fresh mown grass.

5. Not caring if I find a close parking space at Walmart.

6. The low energy bill.

7. The loaded Phlox.

8. The weeds that are too pretty to pull.

9. The Redbud that refuses to die, no matter how hard we try.

10. The first Iris. If someone mows these beauties down this year, heads will roll.

You've been warned.

Baseball Weather

My son is coaching instead of my husband. (new)

Gimme five, buddy.

Hey guys, get off the fence. (old)

Wad of chaw in cheek. (old)

Seeing my husband's number on my grandson's jersey. (new) and by the way...Awwwwww!

Bleachers are cold and hard. (old)

Sharing said bleachers with the Pritchard's and the Tarr's. (old) and fun!

I'm cheering for my grandson, instead of my son. (new)

Choosing a bat... Please Dad, not the pink one!

Lining it up.

Boosh!

Outfield? Blevins' don't play outfield! (new)

Wait for it...wait for it...wait...

What'd I tell ya? Way to conserve energy, Jacob.

Oops, missed it.

I mean, that ball has eyes...right?

Jacob (hidden) finally picks up the ball. High fives all around!

Excited to see the progress these little guys make in the next 12 years. Woo Hoo! It's Baseball Weather!!!!

Something is Horribly Wrong

My alarm went off at 4:45 this morning. Tuesday morning--Boot Camp. I've been subjecting myself to this torture since the first of January. Smiley never runs out of new ways to inflict pain. Last week, we did several drills of army crawling...on carpet. This is what all of our elbows still look like.

Hello, short-sleeve season.

Tuesday is my long day. Boot Camp at 5:30 a.m., then off to work, then back to the gym to warm up for Zumba at 5:30 p.m. I considered blowing off Zumba today, but a sweet lady brought me a piece of Derby pie. Seriously. Have you ever had Derby pie?

Skipping Zumba was not an option.

Enjoyment equals suffering. Something is horribly wrong with this picture.

Stop the Madness!!!

The last couple of days I've really had a sweet tooth....

I know...understatement.

Baked a Braum's frozen cherry pie yesterday. Mmmmmmm! Have you ever had anything from Braum's that was NOT delicious? The crust was perfect, although the cherries were a little tart. Good thing I had Braum's Homestyle Vanilla ice cream to counteract the tartness.

Today I made P-dub's homemade cinnamon rolls. HOLY COW! These babies are heaven on a plate! I have never tasted ANYTHING this yummy! And yes, I know I just typed 3 sentences in a row that end in an exclamation point! Now four.

I need something to blame this on. Maybe it's because I'm out of VeggieSnax.

I'm on a sugar rush joy ride. Somebody stop me!

Spring Break

Alice in Wonderland - IMAX - 3D

(loved watching him reach out to catch the images flying at us)

Power nap after movie.

Looking for tadpoles. Still too early methinks.

Enjoying the fresh country air.

"Nana, there's prolly tadpoles out there...go see."

Addiction

I am addicted to these...

and these...

But my problem doesn't end there. I discovered them--okay, Neal discovered them--in Corpus Christi. When I returned from my trip last month, I smuggled as many containers as I could fit into my suitcase. When Neal called last week to say he was coming home, I screamed, "Yay! Bring back some of the good stuff," which he did. But now, the stash is dwindling and to make matters worse, I've gotten my entire Small Group hooked. I mean, last night, I couldn't focus due to my fixation on the fingers that kept reaching into the Okra Snax bowl!

If you know a dealer in my area, please leave me a comment. Here's what they look like...

Hi. My name is Lita, and I'm a VeggiSnaxaholic.

Welcome Home

The deer population is definitely happy to have Neal back. Yesterday, just about sundown, we counted 14 ravenous whitetails behind the house.

When the Great White Hunter is away, his wife (me) doesn't do a very good job of keeping the feeder filled. So it didn't take long for word to spread that "he's back and there's corn again." What they don't understand is...I'm on their side. You see, Mr. Buck and Mrs. Doe, it's all a trick. He's baiting you, I tell ya. Come October, you'll wish you had taken a hint from me and stayed far, far away.