Ok, so it's not Monday, it's Friday. The end of the week. The gold at the end of the rainbow. The weekly reward. Today feels like anything but a Friday. The fog is thicker than Michael Jackson's makeup and it's pouring down rain. I guess April showers are among us.
I left the office to get a spa gift certificate for a client and had the pleasure of sitting on 635 for about an hour. Apparently RAIN + ASPHAULT = INSANE DRIVERS. So my most loathed highway in DFW was backed up and I had time to sit.........and think...........and sit some more. All of these random thoughts kept coming to mind:
1 - Why don't they make Worcestershire-flavored pizza? Or chips for that matter? Worcestershire is my favorite condiment and the most under-rated in my opinion. It's less fattening than both mayo and mustard, has less sodium than soy sauce, and less sugar than bbq sauce. And don't even get me started on ranch dressing. I've been putting worcestershire on my pizza longer than I care to admit and I have an impressive conversion rate of others that have joined me on the dark side. In England, worcestershire-flavored chips were everywhere and it was delicious. Try it, you'll love it!
2 - Why are people still smoking in 2009? I get that it's addictive. I understand addictions are hard to conquer. It's not 1950 anymore and doctors are not appearing in tv spots promoting tobacco companies. All of the information is out there and the risks are proven. Nothing good comes from smoking - your body deteriorates........period. So why do I still see 13-year olds lighting up when I approach a mall entrance? Your 13 - don't be an idiot!
3 - Why do I want to see Britney Spears in concert? She's a trainwreck. She's not a talented "singer" (one heck of a lip-syncher though). So what's the fascination? Maybe it's the fact that the girl is in her mid 20s and has lived enough for 10 people. Maybe it's because I'm completely entertained by everything she does. Perhaps I'm curious if she's going to internally com bust on stage. I have no idea. I do know that I'm ashamed to financially contribute to such a hot mess. However, I still download her poppy songs on my iPod for my workouts, so I'm guilty regardless.
4 - Is it just me or are C-Sections taking the world by storm? It seems like everyone I know who has recently given birth has produced a life via C-Section. Shawn and I are getting close to starting a family and I'm constantly mesmerized by all things pregnancy-related. Is it that I haven't paid much attention in the past and everyone was doing it the "old" way. I understand the medical need for the procedure, but I also know people who requested it that way. What's the attraction? I don't get it. Although, with Shawn being a 13-lb. baby, I have a feeling I'll find this one out first hand, in detail...
Friday, March 27, 2009
Friday, March 20, 2009
1 Wedding, Cattle Sale, and a Game of Bingo
We're headed down to Hallettsville today. Something about that drive is so calming. Maybe it's the 2 lane farm roads, maybe it's the little roadside strawberry stands, or perhaps it's the interesting characters we encounter at each truck stop. Whatever it may be, I always look forward to visiting my in-laws and being surrounded by nature................because it's way way way out there.
I love being driven through "downtown" Hallettsville. The streets are lined with quaint little houses that remind me of Steel Magnolias. The town square is full of interesting shops, from antique stores to a pharmacy/general store to a movie theater that just introduced Dolby sound. The Hallettsville town square is known for the movie, "The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas" and being a HUGE fan of that film, the tour never gets old. Despite my never ending excitement to pass by his old high school football stadium, or his first job at that BBQ restaurant on the corner of something and something, Shawn always finds the strength to humor me.
So on this particular weekend, we have a full schedule. Tonight my mother-in-law is taking me into town to play BINGO. Now to some it's just a game for fun. My mother-in-law and her closest friends soon taught me that BINGO is serious business and you bring your A-game. They don't play once a week - they play 5 times a week. That's a job to most people! I'm pretty sure that my mom-in-law is a professional Bingo-er. All of her dobbers (the stamper thing that you use to blot your number when it's called) are color-coded to match each card (and her outfit). Needless to say, BINGO is a way of life to my mom-in-law and to be invited to join her is a big honor and I'm sure I try her patience when I'm looking around at all the other people and asking ridiculous questions such as, "Why does the man with the oxygen tank keep staring?" and "What does 4 card blind mean?"
Tomorrow I'm accompanying my mother-in-law while she gets her hair done - another adventure in my book. I can't wait to soak up everything a small town beauty parlor has to offer. Then we're attending the wedding of Shawn's cousin in New Ulm.........at a longhorn ranch! Oh man I'm excited. I've never been to a wedding overlooking a pond with ranchers and steer. What is the proper attire for such an event? And the reception is at a dance hall and that in itself sounds like a good time to me.
Wait - it gets even better. On Sunday, Shawn and his dad will be going into town to sell cows. They keep a lots of cattle on their land and my husband has a small herd that he sells once the calves are "big enough." It's no secret that I'm rurally challenged. Growing up in the mid-cities, I didn't tend to cows, ride horses, or have a "County Road" address. I grew suspicious when he deterred me from joining them the first time I heard of this "selling cows" business. Finally, my mother-in-law explained that the cows are auctioned off to slaughter houses and it's really not uplifting to watch them board the trucks when they leave. HUH?!?!?! Ewwwwwwww. Now I'm a girl that loves a well-prepared steak. What I don't want to know is how it made it's way onto my plate. But it's what they do and an honest source of income, so it's best that I stay home and mind my own business.
Needless to say, my bags are packed and we're escaping the concrete jungle for open green pastures, some gambling, a celebration, and a touch of trade. Not a bad way to spend the next 48 hours...
I love being driven through "downtown" Hallettsville. The streets are lined with quaint little houses that remind me of Steel Magnolias. The town square is full of interesting shops, from antique stores to a pharmacy/general store to a movie theater that just introduced Dolby sound. The Hallettsville town square is known for the movie, "The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas" and being a HUGE fan of that film, the tour never gets old. Despite my never ending excitement to pass by his old high school football stadium, or his first job at that BBQ restaurant on the corner of something and something, Shawn always finds the strength to humor me.
So on this particular weekend, we have a full schedule. Tonight my mother-in-law is taking me into town to play BINGO. Now to some it's just a game for fun. My mother-in-law and her closest friends soon taught me that BINGO is serious business and you bring your A-game. They don't play once a week - they play 5 times a week. That's a job to most people! I'm pretty sure that my mom-in-law is a professional Bingo-er. All of her dobbers (the stamper thing that you use to blot your number when it's called) are color-coded to match each card (and her outfit). Needless to say, BINGO is a way of life to my mom-in-law and to be invited to join her is a big honor and I'm sure I try her patience when I'm looking around at all the other people and asking ridiculous questions such as, "Why does the man with the oxygen tank keep staring?" and "What does 4 card blind mean?"
Tomorrow I'm accompanying my mother-in-law while she gets her hair done - another adventure in my book. I can't wait to soak up everything a small town beauty parlor has to offer. Then we're attending the wedding of Shawn's cousin in New Ulm.........at a longhorn ranch! Oh man I'm excited. I've never been to a wedding overlooking a pond with ranchers and steer. What is the proper attire for such an event? And the reception is at a dance hall and that in itself sounds like a good time to me.
Wait - it gets even better. On Sunday, Shawn and his dad will be going into town to sell cows. They keep a lots of cattle on their land and my husband has a small herd that he sells once the calves are "big enough." It's no secret that I'm rurally challenged. Growing up in the mid-cities, I didn't tend to cows, ride horses, or have a "County Road" address. I grew suspicious when he deterred me from joining them the first time I heard of this "selling cows" business. Finally, my mother-in-law explained that the cows are auctioned off to slaughter houses and it's really not uplifting to watch them board the trucks when they leave. HUH?!?!?! Ewwwwwwww. Now I'm a girl that loves a well-prepared steak. What I don't want to know is how it made it's way onto my plate. But it's what they do and an honest source of income, so it's best that I stay home and mind my own business.
Needless to say, my bags are packed and we're escaping the concrete jungle for open green pastures, some gambling, a celebration, and a touch of trade. Not a bad way to spend the next 48 hours...
Thursday, March 19, 2009
5 Months Married and Counting...
As of March 24th, Rock and I will be married for 5 months. Newlyweds. Time flies by faster than VH1 produces yet another trashy dating show featuring a D list celebrity. So life is good. We survived our wedding extravaganza. Having lived together prior to tying the knot, I wandered if life would be different once we were officially husband and wife. After all, how much could a legal-sized parchment paper impact our lives? Well, the answer is, "a lot." In more ways than I had even thought, my existance no longer involves "me." It's all about "we." And it's absolutely amazing.
The name change affected me more than I thought it would. I've lived my entire life having people giggle when I say, "Tracy Hooker." Throughout my adolescence with sports, "Hooker" was all I heard. And now I'm a Mueller...........m-hue-lerrrrr. New drivers licences, new social security card, new credit cards, new email address, new new new.
Shawn hasn't skipped a beat. It's as if he was born to be married. So what's next? These days we're just enjoying being together. We have our hands full with Brisket Louise, the soon to be one-year old boxer in our lives. Even though there are days I want to put her on our front porch with a sign around her neck saying, "Free to Good Home," she's an excellent addition to our family and my husband's second love for sure. My little terrier is still going to work everyday with me and trying to survive the trials of sibling rivalry.
So I have no idea what the future holds for us, but I'm definitely along for the ride. I do know one thing for sure - when I saw him standing at the end of the aisle last October, I felt like I was walking towards the beginning. It was exciting, it was comforting, and it was just us..........the Muellers.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
