San Antonio Wife

I'm back!

2011-08-19T21:03:00.000-07:00

After updating my profile on Facebook this evening, I discovered/remembered my blog - ha! I guess it's been about 18 months or so since I last posted on here, and of course a lot has happened since then. Most important: I have had a baby! His name is Gavin, and I am ashamed to say that I am so far behind in blogging that he just turned 1 this past week (August 10). He is a very handsome little boy, with blue eyes and light colored hair. He is starting to walk a lot this week, which is exciting for all of us. He is very vocal and very wiggly, always moving and looking around and babbling to us as he takes everything in. He loves to be outside and to be around people. He is truly adorable! Derek thinks we should enter him in baby modeling contests, but I tried that and apparently they charge $20 each time you submit a picture, so we dropped that real fast.

In other news, I started a new graduate school program last spring, this time at the University of North Texas (UNT) to get my Master of Library Science (MLS). My plan is to graduate by 2013 and eventually get a job in an academic library, archives, special collections, museum, or something along those lines. I've been going kind of slow so far, only taking one class at a time. That is pretty much all I can handle now, since I work full-time (still at UTSA, same office) and have a family and home to take care of. I'm enjoying it though, and as September draws near, I look forward to going back after having the summer off.

Derek continues to work on his PhD - he is ABD at this point (All But Dissertation). He hopes to complete that by next year. I'm pretty sure he will be the only track coach I know with a PhD! He is gearing up for the cross country season right now - in fact, we just had the team over this evening for BBQ.

Work is going well - I'm the head admin associate in my office now and I enjoy the people I work with. As with any kind of grant work, there is always a lot of change and last-minute tasks, but it keeps me busy and on my toes. This September 2011 will mark my sixth year at UTSA.

After reading through some of my earlier posts, it makes me nostalgic. I hope to stay more up to date with my posts on here. I think if I have some followers and/or comments, that might help (hint, hint!). Until next time, everyone!

It's the most wonderful time of the year!

2009-12-09T17:04:00.000-08:00

I'm so excited - it is that magical time between Thanksgiving and Christmas when decorations and lights and parties and food and Christmas specials on television abound. What's even better is that this year, it is actually cold! In Texas! We put up the decorations in the house and even managed to get the lights up outside. Everything is so festive - yay!

Updates in the life of Mary

2008-03-31T08:38:00.000-07:00

A lot has happened since my last post - Christmas, New Year's, Valentine's Day, Spring Break, Easter...and those are just the holidays! But as the spring continues to thaw the chilly earth and the wild flowers begin to bloom across the Texas countryside, I look back and marvel at how much my life has changed!

First of all, Derek and I bought a house on the Northeast side of San Antonio. We closed on December 4 and moved in later that week. We love it! It is so nice to have a house to come home to, a garage to park your car in, a large kitchen, a large laundry room, a large empty room (we haven't got a lot of furniture) and and more than one bathroom - will wonders never cease! We have our own yard (front and back) with a porch out front and a deck out in the back. I can't wait for the summer!

Also, I graduated in December with my Master's degree in History. It's been a few months since then and I actually kind of miss going to classes, seeing my friends, talking with professors, etc. It was over too quickly in my opinion. However, that does not mean I want to go back to school right now. NO way!

Otherwise, the spring semester is in full swing. Derek is busy teaching, coaching and taking PhD classes at Incarnate Word. He has had a track meet nearly every weekend since mid-February, and while I always try to go to as many of his meets as I can, this spring has been hard because of my lack of vacation hours left at work. However, I was able to make it these past two weeks (at UT and Rice, respectively) so I feel better now. I have fulfilled my duties as a coach's wife!

As far as future plans for now, I'm continuing the search for a history-related job (and YES, I have applied to teach, but no one wants me). In May I'm going with Derek's family to California for a week-long vacation. Otherwise, I'm just hanging out, enjoying my life and wondering where it will go next...

Back off, Christmas!

2007-11-19T11:45:00.001-08:00

That's what I feel like during this season. As soon as October hits, it's all about pumpkins and orange/black decorations and candy. That's all well and good, but then as soon as October 31 is over, here come the Christmas decorations in the stores! I understand that it is all a marketing technique to get us to buy more now AND later, but sometimes I feel like standing up and screaming, "People! Don't you realize that you are forgetting something???"

I have to admit, I do love Christmas, probably more than Thanksgiving. I just feel so sorry for poor Turkey Day, squeezed in between two flashier, cooler holidays that get a lot more of the popular vote, especially with the kiddos. Even the traditional Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade is trumped at the end by the huge sleigh and reindeer pulling Santa Claus.

It's just nice to slow down, get a few days off from work or school or whatever, and gather around the table with family and friends to share a large meal with way too many casseroles and pies. You know?

So, when that radio station starts playing Christmas music the week before Thanksgiving, don't listen! Or just listen every so often. Or do like me and just turn it to that particular station on the radio in your shower, so that you only listen to it a few minutes of the day.

Of course, the day after Thanksgiving is fair game...

The final stretch

2007-10-24T19:11:00.000-07:00

This semester has gone by really fast for me. Mary, you say, the semester is only like half over! Well, my semester is almost over. In fact, after November 3, I will be done with graduate school and will lack only crossing the stage on graduation day December 15. That is because my comprehensive exams are that day.

I have to say, I have done well in graduate school, making A's in all my classes but one, and I got a B in that one. However, these comprehensive exams, or "comps" as they are fondly known as, are really starting to make me nervous.

It's not actually a huge thing - you just show up to school on a Saturday morning, write two essays, and then you are done. You get to leave and your professors stay there and grade your essays. Then you either get a "fail," "Pass," or "high pass."

I would like to get a high pass, but frankly my friends, a "Pass" would be just fine right about now. I am just so ready to be DONE. And I better pass - I've already bought my cap & gown.

In the good ole' summertime...

2007-08-09T19:34:00.001-07:00

Finally, after two months of literally TORENTIAL rains, the Texas sun is back - with a vengeance! Yes, the summer is finally here - but it's already August! Well, better late than never, I guess.

You better believe I definitely plan to take advantage of it too. After many dreary months of work, work, school and work, the last week of August is going to be my week of fun in the sun - Mom is coming to San Antonio and then she and I are heading off to the coast for several days. I plan to read a book and some magazines, sit by the pool, walk on the beach, get a tan, go out to dinner, sleep late, and maybe see a couple of chick flicks with Mom. Then, we return to join up with the boys in SA for fun times on Labor Day weekend. I'll tell you what - life does not get much better than this!

I hope you have had some vacation this summer - if not, the summer is still young!

This is for you, Melynda!

2007-07-13T08:54:00.000-07:00

So I haven't written in a while - so what? Well, it seems that one person noticed - my good friend Melynda Dye from church.

She saw me at school the other evening and mentioned that she had not seen anything recently on my blog. She said that it was how she kept up with me when Derek and I were out of town. I shamefully hung my head as I stammered excuses about being "busy" and "working." But we both knew the truth - I'm just lazy when it comes to writing these posts.

So, I believe my last post was from May...since then I have seen my mom retire from teaching (my brother and I threw her a party in Abilene), we went to Port Aransas for Father's Day weekend with Derek's whole family, Derek has been gone for nearly two weeks with a summer camp at UIW and coaches' clinic in Chicago, and I hung out with my friend Anna from school while he was gone. Other than that, I've just been working my two jobs and I just started summer school this week, so that will take me through August 15...and then the fall semester starts the next week!

I actually don't have any more classes after this summer class. I just have to take my comprehensive exams and then I graduate in December! I cannot wait. And please do not ask me what I am going to do after I graduate. This is not college, people. I already have a job (two of them, in fact!), so I'm not going to drop everything and start over in some new town all over again. We're kind of established in San Antonio now, as much as I hate to admit it, so I don't think we'll be going anywhere anytime soon - unless one of us gets an unbelievable job somewhere and we feel like we should go.

Okay, that's all for now. Are ya happy, Melynda??? Just kidding. :-)

Interesting article

2007-07-13T08:52:00.000-07:00

I found this on msn.com - it is the strangest thing I've heard of in a while. Read it: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/19740787/?GT1=10150.

I think the guy had a change of heart when the people were nice to him instead of being afraid. Not that I would have given him a hug! Just something to think about...

The dark side of summer

2007-05-02T06:36:00.000-07:00

When the clock struck 12:00 am on May 1, I instinctively shivered with delight. As I watched the last few minutes of the Spurs game on TNT (they beat the Nuggets - of course!), I subconsciously realized that the long slumber of winter and gentle awakening of spring were suddenly swept away by a hot blast of summer's wind - metaphorically speaking, at least. True, with all of this rain lately San Antonio could almost be its own water park, but I'm sure once the sun comes out, it will be lovely.

Ah, summer in Texas...not many people would eagerly welcome such a thought, but I'm a girl who likes to see the changing of the seasons. Summer brings such happy memories flooding back all at once - the beach, family vacations, ice cream, cookouts, Six Flags, days off from work, getting tan, and reading - for fun! With all of these wonderful things, what's not to like?

However, there is a dark side to summer, one that most people know about but no one discusses. It is a personal phobia of mine, a paralyzing fear that sends me scurrying away at a moment's notice. The terrible pestilence of...wasps. Yes, those dangerous little flying balls of pain and terror have the knack of ruining even my most fantastically fun of days. When I see one, a sense of dread quickly settles in my stomach. I hate the sight of the droning, stinging insect, but I can't look away - after all, if I take my eyes off of it for an instant, I may lose sight of it and then it could easily sneak up behind me. Wasps do that, you know. They can smell fear, and they immediately head towards it, as though drawn to the scent. Swatting and flailing your arms does little good. The best thing to do is to run away...cowardly though it may seem.

Some people think I make too big of a deal out of this fear. After all, I have never even been stung by a wasp. I guess it is just the fear of the unknown. At any rate, I don't intend to start letting my guard down anytime soon.

I'm sure you even care

2007-04-24T09:01:00.000-07:00

Hello faithful friends, this is your not-so-faithful friend Mary, finally getting around to writing about her life once more on her blog. Truth be told, this has been a very busy semester, and yes, I know that is no excuse to keep you waiting for my next move, but I just wanted to get that out in the open.

Moving on, well, let's see, my last post was about going to Nashville in February...wow, that was quite a while ago. Since then, I have been working on the paper that I went to research there. In fact, I turn in my final draft next Wednesday! I can't believe this semester is almost over and that I'm almost done with that paper. It has been the hardest paper I've ever had to write, not because of the subject matter but because of the work involved. I will admit, I could have worked harder, but I think I did a decent job and I hope to turn in a nice paper come May 2.

Besides that paper, I've also been diligently reading and writing for my American Women's History class taught by Dr. Kirsten Gardner. I've really learned a lot in that class - and I must say I have enjoyed it! Also besides school I have stayed at it with my two jobs, working 40 hours a week to keep the bills paid. I made a quick trip to Abilene during Spring Break, and have attended more than a few track meets for UIW where Derek coaches. Road trips - love 'em!

As the semester FINALLY winds down, I am excited about the summer. I'm surprised at my excitement, mainly because I'm just going to be working and doing more schoolwork over the course of the summer, finishing my Mexico City research paper (yes, the one from LAST summer's trip, I know, I am a slacker!) and taking a Summer 2 class. I think that I am finally getting used to grad school and starting to like it - now that I am about to graduate and leave.

I'm mostly excited right now about May, because it means the end of the semester, another trip to Abilene, and then a Memorial Day trip to Fredericksburg for the hubby and me.

I'm also planning a trip to New Orleans for sometime in the summer. Why New Orleans, you ask? Why not! But seriously, I love the city and always have. My family has visited it a number of times before, but I have not been able to go back since Katrina hit. I'd like to go back and do my part to help the economy. If that means eating out a lot and staying in a French Quarter hotel and visiting attractions and seeing historical sights, then I am resigned to my fate.

So those are my thoughts as of now...sorry I didn't write for so long. You understand. You always do.

Trip to the homeland

2007-02-15T20:10:00.000-08:00

I recently went to Nashville for a week to do research on my Seminar class paper. The paper is a rather major project for any grad student and is supposed to be about 40 pages, due in May.

I was nervous about this trip; I had never done anything like it by myself before. Yes, I had gone to Mexico this past summer for a similar research trip, but I was with a group of professors and friends! Totally different. On this trip, I had to fly by myself (check out my July 4th, 2006 posting for my expanded thoughts on flying), rent a car and drive around Nashville by myself, and all the while be responsible and work hard every day I was there! Quite a feat.

One thing made it a lot better: I was staying with MawMaw. That's my mom's mom. Driving to her house at the end of each day, seeing the familiar couch and kitchen table, eating the home-cooked meals, watching the college basketball games night after night (after night...) all brought a sense of calm to my fluttering spirit. We talked about random things and went to church together and I even took her out for dinner on Saturday night (El Chico's - she doesn't get a lot of Mexican food in Nashville). The last night I was there we played five rounds of Skipbo (I won 3 out of 5), the time-honored card game that has become a hallmark of staying at MawMaw's house.

As I sat in the airport to come back to San Antonio on Sunday afternoon, I felt as though I missed her already. Monday morning I called her to make sure she knew I was home safe and sound. She had mentioned to me before I left on Sunday that she really enjoyed going to Cold Stone Creamery when she came to visit Abilene the last time, and that she often saw the store advertised in the Nashville paper but never could find out where there was one nearby. I looked it up online (MawMaw is against using computers - I think we're doing good to get her to use the VCR) and told her about the nearest one to her house while I was on the phone.

I've never spent a lot of time with MawMaw one on one, so this trip was really good for doing just that. I hope to be able to do it again sometime.

The happy reunion with Derek on Sunday night at the airport was made extra sweet by his showering me with gifts: matching earrings and necklace, and Ghiradelli chocolates, plus a sweet card. He had done a lot of stuff with my car while I was gone too: oil change, wash, new floor mats, leather cover for my steering wheel -he totally pimped my ride, as they say.

It was a good trip and it went by faster than I thought it would, but I was glad to be home.

My kryptonite

2007-01-24T07:09:00.000-08:00

I have always loved the change of seasons. As spring warms to summer, then summer cools to fall, I have delighted in the transformation of the weather. However, the novelty of the seasonal changes soon wears off and I am ready to move on, eagerly looking forward to the next time I can alter my wardrobe.

There is no other season that I can say this about more than winter. After the joy of the holiday season disseminates we are left with a bleak outlook, with nary a holiday until Easter. The thing I don't like most about winter is the weather - the cold, blustery, dreary days that make you wish you could curl up in a chair with a big warm blanket and snooze until Spring (hmmmm...). This winter cold chills me to the bone, and it is only with my little space heater at home that I am able to live through the winter (Derek doesn't want to turn on the heat!). The chill renders me lazy and sluggish, basically helpless and vulnerable. You might say that the winter cold is my kryptonite.

Only with the slow thaw of spring and then the full warmth of summer am I able to return to my vibrant self (haha). But seriously, I'm ready for this winter to end already! I guess I have a few more months...

I don't get it

2007-01-04T13:24:00.000-08:00

Okay, so this is what you might call the height of football season. How do I know this? Well, ladies and gentlemen, I am married to a sportsaholic, that is why. Don't get me wrong - I love him and will never stop, but there are some times that I just want to wring his neck.

Raise your hand if you've ever heard this before:

Woman - "Honey, let's go out to eat after church today."
Man - "Can't. Cowboys play at noon. We can just eat crackers."

Or this:

Woman - "Honey, can you come outside and help me bring in the groceries?"
Man - "Can it wait until this quarter is over?"
Woman - "Forget it. I'll do it myself."

Or the ever-popular:

Woman - "Honey, this is the fifth time I've asked you to go pick up your clothes in the bedroom!"
Man - "....huh?" (staring at the screen)

Now, I'm not saying that any of those scenarios are common in MY life, but I'm sure they happen somewhere (we get close to them, though). But honestly, why are guys SO in love with football? Or sports in general? Derek could probably watch ESPN for hours and never get tired of it.

I can think of very few things that would attract my attention to the point that I lose track of the people around me and life in general. I admit I like to watch certain shows and movies, but I don't ignore people who are trying to talk to me or put my life on hold for the next week because its Bowl Week or whatever. In fact, I think this is a male flaw, geneticly perfect in its sloth-ness.

However, I realize that to half the world's population, sports are very important and so I am trying to be understanding when it comes to football season (which takes up half the year, but oh well). After all, the poor sap didn't mean to be born like this, did he? In fact, I plan to write a manual for other women with this same problem. It will be full of tips and factoids to throw out during parties so that your man will glow with pride. Look for it in stores by Spring 2045.

Church Etiquette Rule #1: When in Rome...

2006-12-30T20:44:00.000-08:00

I have noticed as the years have gone by (and my mother has pointed it out to me several of times) that people in churches of Christ located east of the mighty Mississippi (the river, not the state, people) sometimes do things a little differently than their brethren on the western shores. For example, most (not all) churches east of the Miss have their members put the little cups of grape juice for the Lord's Supper in little cup holders in the back of the pew in front of them after having taken it, while most (not all) churches west of the Miss have their members just put the cups back into the tray as it is passed after having partaken of it. If you are visiting a church on the "other side," you used to be able to play by this rule and all would be well. The real trick is that nowadays many churches have decided to go against tradition and do the opposite of the rule I have just laid out.

An example of this problem was demonstrated this past Sunday to myself and my now western-habitating family members when we attended church with my grandparents in Tuscumbia, AL. I had not really thought about this rule until almost the very moment that the prayer for the blood of Christ was about to be said. Suddenly, as we were about to bow our heads, I panicked. Was I supposed to put it in the pew in front of me after drinking out of the cup or put it back in the tray? Normally, I would assume that this was a cup-holder church all the way (conservative, east of the Miss), but nowadays one can never tell. Many once-conservative churches are opening up to all kinds of new things, such as putting the cups back in the tray and other such crazy western ideas, so I was unsure of what to do.

As the prayer ended and the men at the front began to pass the trays to the others, I leaned over to my brother, Mark, and whispered, "do we put them in the trays or in the cup holders?" He looked slightly concerned, as if the idea had just hit him as well, and then whispered back, "watch what the others do." I nodded ever-so slightly and quickly sat up as Mom gave me a warning look. I focused in on the men sitting in the front row who were now being served. They took a cup each, drained them...then placed the cups back in the tray! Okay, this was something I could handle. I leaned back happily, motioning to the front-row guys for Mark to see. He nodded smugly and we sat back, sure of what to do now.

As I sat there, I casually glanced at another row in front of us being served the wine. As I watched, the couple there each took a cup, drank it...then passed the tray on, putting their cups in the pew cup-holders! Yikes. Suddenly I realized - the guys in the front row had to put their cups back in the tray - they didn't have a pew in front of them to put the cups in!!! I had to warn the others.

It was almost too late. The tray was already starting down our row. I glanced at Mark, desperately trying to make some sort of signal of what to do. Then I realized the Derek was going to get the tray first. Blissfully unaware of the faux-pas he was about to make, Derek took the tray and waited patiently like the good husband he is for me to get a cup too so we could down our grape juice together (so romantic). I seized the tray and a cup for myself, then before he could protest, passed the tray on to Mark and the rest of the family. Derek looked at me strangely, but I just smiled and drank the sweet grape juice of success, afterwards placing my cup in the tiny cup-holder in the back of the pew in front of me.

Christmas Christmas-time is here, time for toys and time for cheer...

2006-12-20T08:27:00.000-08:00

If you didn't catch Justified-T on SNL this past Saturday, it was pretty funny. But enough about that.

The countdown to Christmas has begun! We are nearing the final days leading up to that most joyous of holidays, and yours truly is most exuberant. My thoughts are as follows: friends, food, presents, cake, family gatherings, food, cookies, parties, finger foods, presents, Christmas songs, after-Christmas sales..

I know what you are thinking. "Mare, according to you this looks like nothing more than a season of self-indulgence and materialism. All you have listed is food and presents." Yes, that is true - if you only skim through. But you'll also notice that intertwined through these words are words like "friends" and "family gatherings" and the ever-popular "Christmas songs." These words and thoughts are the glue that hold the Christmas season together, that have made this season the most wonderful time of the year and my favorite time ever.

True, I enjoy the food, the sweets and the presents as much as the next girl. But if I didn't have my family surrounding me while eating or opening gifts, those things would seem as hollow as though my plate and my gift boxes were empty. I love going to after-Christmas sales, not because I get a lot of stuff, but because Mom and I get to hang out together and talk. I love family gatherings at my grandmother's house not because the food is excellent (although it is) but because we have had these get-togethers for as long as I remember and the chance to see everyone and make awkward small talk is always fun (really, I'm being serious).

In short, I love this season not only because of the food and presents but because of the memories that I have of Christmases in my childhood, growing up in a loving family, celebrating with everyone around the living room/table/fire/etc. The past two years I have not gone with my parents to my grandparents' houses for Christmas (2004 I was in Brazil, 2005 I had to work), so this year I am especially looking forward to seeing everyone and introducing a few of them to my husband (some of them have never met him!!!). I am in a perpetual good mood from this night on - I hope you have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

So far, so bad

2006-12-12T08:59:00.000-08:00

After a lovely weekend of no schoolwork and lots of fun (and not so fun - paying big bucks to fix my brakes) activities, I decided on Monday to extend that leisure time into another evening. I watched The Wizard of Oz on TNT last night, periodically checking my e-mail and doing other things on the computer, and putting another load into the dryer. After nearly four hours of straight TV-watching, my eyes started to water and my head began to spin. I can't take it like I used to!

But seriously, I'm worried. I know myself. I'm afraid that I'm going to be sluggish about getting a good start on my Mexico research paper before Christmas, and we all know that if I don't get that momentum up before the holidays, afterwards will be hopeless. After all, what could one possibly console oneself with after the joyous occasion of Christmas except for television, movies, shopping with all those lovely giftcards, and (who would have believed it) reading for pleasure? As you will notice, none of these activities involve going to the library, studying, taking notes, or typing.

Thus, on my second day out of captivity (for the semester), I turn with a heavy heart to those copies I had made back in June from the archives in Mexico City. The library books I will have to look up again, as I had to turn them back in for fear of racking up huge overdue fines. However, I still have so much to do in other areas. I need to wrap Christmas presents. I need to send out Christmas cards. Derek and I are hosting a coaching friend of his tonight and tomorrow night for a conference that is in town. How am I to get work done with a guest in the house? Friday I go to Abilene for the weekend for Mom's surgery and a friend's wedding. Next week we leave Wednesday (if all goes well) for our Christmas extravaganza trip...

The more I think about it, the more I begin to rationalize not doing the work. I think that I am a chronic underachiever and procrastinator. Honestly, I think if I went to a doctor, this is what he or she would tell me. I wish there was a cure...

It is done

2006-12-08T20:09:00.000-08:00

I am done for the semester. It feels good to say that. True, I will have work to do over the break on several projects, but it is nice to not have any more assignments for the time being. Here is what I plan on doing this first weekend of freedom:

1. Hang out with Derek.
2. Do some Christmas shopping.
3. Get new tires for my car - woo-hoo!
4. Go to a "Terminator" movie marathon at some friends' house.
5. Go see the Riverwalk Christmas lights with Derek's family.
6. Go to Derek's UIW Christmas party.

It's already late Friday night...the weekend lies before me with the promise of Christmas fun. Like I've said before, I love this season. I only hope seeing my grades next week will not damper my mood...I doubt it will. I think I did fairly well, at least in ProSeminar class. The Nationalism class...well, let's just say that I'm less certain about it.

That's about it for now. More later on my holiday festivities.

The home stretch...or is it?

2006-12-03T11:44:00.000-08:00

With the beginning of December comes the end of the school semester, and I am ready for it. This is my last week of classes, with a final paper due Wednesday evening and a brief presentation on Thursday night. Both should go rather smoothly, and then I will be done!

However, there is a nagging feeling at the back of my mind that reminds me that this victory is only short-lived. "Don't forget your Mexico research paper!" it says. Dang it! Yes, I will be working on that over the Christmas break in an effort to get most of it done before we come back to school January 17th. Will it happen? I hope so. Here's how I figure it:

Finish this week out - take the weekend off and relax (Terminator movie marathon!)
Work on it next week and the next while at work in the mornings and at home at night.
Dec. 20th Derek and I leave for Abilene, Tuscumbia, AL and Nashville. I plan to take some stuff to read and work on in the car (but not too much).
Return Dec. 29th, work a couple of days on the paper.
Gone to Rockport with Derek's family Dec. 31-Jan.3 - won't get very much done there.
Return to work and life on Jan. 4 - work in the mornings and evenings.
School starts Jan. 17 - I've told my professor that I will have a draft to her by Jan. 19

Is this possible? Am I totally naive (like I was this semester) in thinking that I can do this? I'd like to hear what you all think. Remember, this has to be a 20-page research paper. Write me a comment. Thanks.

Things to be thankful for...

2006-11-27T07:16:00.000-08:00

After a lovely Thanksgiving break, here are a few things I am thankful for:

1. My wonderful husband, Derek

2. My loving family

3. Our spacious 2-bedroom apartment

4. Paid holiday time

5. Wal-Mart and Cracker Barrell being open on Thanksgiving

6. duck ponds

7. Black Friday sales

8. My two jobs that help to keep us afloat during this joyous but expensive season

9. Christmas cookies and hot cocoa on my first day back at work

10. The all-Christmas music radio station

These are just a few things I could think of off the top of my head. I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving and welcome to the most wonderful time of the year!

Time to be thankful

2006-11-21T10:14:00.000-08:00

As I happily put the finishing touches on my Prospectus paper, I leaned back and sighed. I was elated - the paper is due on Wednesday by 5:00 pm and here I was already done with it on Tuesday morning! Now I had time for Derek to look over it tonight and then I could just send it on its merry little way through cyberspace to land in the awaiting portal of my professor's inbox.

These are my thoughts at the moment. I know I complained all through October about what a terrible month November was going to be, but I was wrong. Remind me next time I get the same idea - it's not so bad, Mary! Remember last fall? Oh yeah...

So now I'm done with that. All I have left is a short 2-3 page critique of someone else's prospectus due Dec. 7 and then a final paper for my Nationalisms class due Dec. 6. However, I'm going to take it easy the rest of the week and enjoy the Thanksgiving Holidays. Derek and I are staying in San Antonio, but my parents are actually coming to visit us here. That's a first! They'll arrive Thursday night and leave Saturday morning. The reason for the brevity of their visit is because I'm having to squeeze them in between celebrations with Derek's families (dad's side on Thanksgiving proper, Mom's side on Saturday after Thanksgiving). I wish my family could stay longer, but I will get to see them for Christmas when we go on our "big 'venture" as my dad would often say when I was a young'un.

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!

Running to the finish line

2006-11-09T10:06:00.000-08:00

I'm feeling a little better nowadays about my school situation...I've talked it over with my professor and we've decided that I should take an incomplete for my Mexico City Independent Study paper. It was pretty obvious that I was not going to be able to finish it by the end of the semester with all I have going on. The only thing I don't like about this decision is now I have it looming over my head all during Christmas break. I told her that I would try to work on it over the break, and finish it up by late January, early February. I don't need to stretch it out over another semester, that is for sure, especially with what I have coming up NEXT semester.

So, now I need to concentrate on my other two classes. I think I can handle the assignments, especially now as the readings are considerably lighter than previously in the semester. I think it's going to be okay, and I am going to make it to the end of the semester!

In other news, Derek runs the San Antonio Half-Marathon on Sunday to help him train for the Houston marathon coming up in January. I know he will do really well in this half-marathon - for Derek, the longer he runs, the more people he can pass, the better his time is, etc. So, for 13 miles, he should do fairly well. I'm excited to see how it goes!

And you thought the title was a metaphor...

It SHOULD be the most wonderful time of the year...

2006-10-23T09:22:00.000-07:00

And yet it is not. Here we are, nearing the wonderful confectionary holiday known as Halloween, to be closely followed by warm and cozy Thanksgiving and then later, gift and food-filled Christmas. There is a nip in the air now, leaves are starting to turn colors, and Daylight Savings time is nearing the close of another year. My brother came to visit me this weekend, and at several points we found ourselves killing time walking around various shopping areas of San Antonio, such as Huebner Oaks and the Quarry Market. As we entered the clothing stores, the Hallmarks, the Bath and Body Works, even the Starbucks, it was obvious that Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas were already alive and well inside these harbringers of holiday spirit. A slow sense of dread began to fill my stomach, replacing the Wendy's chicken sandwich and salad I had for lunch. What is wrong with me???

I normally love this time of year. As a matter of fact, I wrote about it earlier in this blog. However, this year is different. For some reason, I am dreading this season as it inevitably approaches. Why, you may ask? Why would someone who has always loved this glorious season suddenly fear its oncoming? Well, it has to do with the fact that I have several large projects and papers, some of which I have hardly cracked a BOOK on, that are all due in November and December. Oh, Mary, you say, that is not such a big deal. You go through this every year! You will make it - you always do well! That all may be true, but I feel as though I'm getting too old for this. My one gray hair is soon to be joined by several others, I just know it. I've never felt so incapable as I have this semester. These are some major capstone projects, not just the little research papers of undergraduate years. And what is worse, whenever I attempt to start on these things, I suddenly become absolutely fascinated with the things on my bookshelf, the people on my facebook, and the food in my refrigerator. Mary, you say, you are just being a procrastinator - you can fix that! Sure, yeah, right...no, I think there is something seriously wrong with me this time.

I end on a slightly lighter note. I keep telling myself - in two months, this will all be over and I'll be in Alabama eating Christmas Eve-Eve dinner with my grandparents and extended family. That will make it all better...until then, I will assume the fetal position. Wish me luck!

Drink of Champions!

2006-10-05T20:11:00.000-07:00

I have never been one of those people who drinks diet soda. I remember working at the Paramount Theatre in Abilene (concession stand - whoohoo!) and shuddering when people ordered a large buttered popcorn and then a small diet soda. I was like, what's the point??!! Besides, diet drinks taste terrible. Maybe in other countries, where they have different kinds of sweeteners, it's not so bad, but here in the US of A, it is pretty awful.

However, as many of you may know (if you are my TRUE friend) that I found out that I have high cholesterol. So I've been dieting and exercising and trying to bring that down. I don't drink lots of soda every day, but I do enjoy it. Coke is my drink of choice, followed extremely closely by Pepsi. For those of you who are die-hard one or the other, we won't get into that right now. I like both, so deal with it. Dr. Pepper is perfectly fine if that is all there is. Same with Sprite. The occasional fruit-flavored soda is okay (Fanta, Squirt, etc.)

However, all of those lovely drinks have what I like to call Calories with a CAPITAL C (not the little c!). Since I'm trying to lose weight, I've been increasingly turning to diet sodas to quench my thirst, so I've pretty much run the whole gauntlet. Diet Coke...eh. I can get used to it, I guess. For a while, Diet Dr. Pepper wasn't bad...but then I got sick of it pretty fast. Of course, there is the ever-popular citrus drink with zero calories (whose name is maddeningly alluding me at the moment)- I'm sure you all know what I'm referring to. Yet, something was missing. None of these drinks were the same as a real, calorie-rich Coke.

Until one fateful day this past summer. It was a calm day, my family was at the beach in Alabama, and I was in the kitchen of the condo we all rent searching for a drink to go with my sandwich for lunch. Mom, a diet soda drinker for years now, had brought along a small bottled six-pack of Diet Pepsi. With a sigh, I reached for one and sat down. I opened it, took a sip...and was in heaven. It was sweet, light, refreshing...and no nasty aftertaste! Finally, this was what I had been searching for. A diet drink that doesn't taste like a diet drink! I was amazed. I drank the rest (not that day) and before the week was up we had to get some more for my newly-formed habit.

Since that day I have been faithfully drinking Diet Pepsi whenever possible. Most restaurants I've noticed only serve Coke products, so I usually (grudgingly) get a Diet Coke with lime or lemon (that's the only way I can stomach that stuff). However, I keep some Diet Pepsi in the fridge most of the time, and luckily UTSA has a deal with Pepsi (as does ACU, I believe, kids!), so the vending machines will happily dispense the stuff all day long.

In short, Diet Pepsi is one of the few things that I like on this diet. It's not to say that I don't sporadically drink a real Coke - I do. Just not as much anymore. I've found my replacement!

Thoughts

2006-10-03T06:58:00.000-07:00

I'm well into the semester now...school is hard. I constantly have to tell myself to keep going, that it will all be over in a year or so. Sometimes I wonder if it is even worth it, though...I mean, what can a person with a Master's degree in History do? Not much. I can't teach school (no education degree or certificate), I can't teach in the university (no PhD), I can't get a job as a reference librarian (no degree), I probably couldn't even get a job in one of our local museums (no art history degree - and no experience). Why am I doing this to myself!!!???

And then I start questioning everything that I am doing right now. I mean, I live in a cool city with lots of stuff to do, go to a big church with lots of nice, friendly, Christian people, and live in a nice 2-bedroom apartment in a nice part of town...and yet, all I can think about is going back to Abilene. I miss it so much, and I miss my family most of all. I know, Derek is my true family now, but I just wish I was closer to Mom and Dad, and also to where my brother was going to school (ACU), so I could hang out with all of them more. I mean, they're pretty cool people.

I'm excited about going to Abilene for Homecoming next weekend (Oct. 14) and then the week after that Mark is coming to San Antonio to visit. However, at the end of those long weekends spent with family, as Sunday afternoon rolls around and the inevitable trip home looms before me, it takes all my strength to drag myself away from my mom's hug and trudge to the car...Abilene is so nice, so simple, so...home. What can I do?

Birthday blues...

2006-09-15T10:19:00.000-07:00

Well, everyone, yesterday was my birthday. At 7:37 am I officially turned 24 years old. Now, normally my birthday is an exciting occasion with family and friends, dinner out, and maybe another fun outing or two. This year, however, was the worst year ever I think. First of all, I had to go to work (as usual) from 8 to 5. While at my law office job, I had to read like crazy for my class that night - a huge book that I hadn't even started on!!! Not a good combo.

At 5:00 I had a meeting with a professor about my ongoing independent study on my Mexico research (yeah, I actually have to do something with the stuff I got from the archives there, dang it!). By the time I fought traffic and got home, it was after 5:30 pm. My lovely husband was already home making me dinner. He gave me the mail, which included several birthday cards, and some flowers that he had picked up for me. What a charmer! However, this was short-lived as I quickly scarfed down my food and had to leave again for class back up at school at 7:00 pm (you have to get there at like 6:30 to get a decent parking spot).

After two and a half hours of class (so....long....), I yawned my way back to my car in the parking lot and drove home. With a growing headache from all the stress of the day now growing, I barely had time to glance at a few posts on my facebook wall and some e-cards sent to me from loved ones before popping a few ibuprofen and hitting the sack.

Now, I know that not every year can my actually birthday be spectacular. Let me say this, though: the weekend better make up for yesterday, because it was pretty awful. Oh wait, I'm going to the library all day tomorrow to do research...ah, the life of a grad student is never over!!!

Labor Day rocks

2006-09-01T16:17:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone and welcome to the first day of a lovely long weekend! I am especially excited today because I got off work at noon and my parents are coming to visit me. In fact, they should be arriving in the next 30-45 minutes - yea! I haven't seen them since...well, about a month ago. I miss them. Yes, I know, I should grow up. After all, I am a married woman now and I live in another city and have my own life. But I love getting to see them! So I'm excited. I've been cleaning all afternoon, and Derek has been cleaning all week! Not that our house is a mess or anything, but we kind of let it go unless someone is coming over, you know? C'mon, you know what I mean!

I have a lot of homework to do, though. I have three books to read for next week - big ones too! I know that I have had similar workloads in the past, but I often would slack off and not read the whole thing, and later felt bad about that afterwards. Well, this semester, I really want to try and read the whole thing and learn as much as I can from these books. I mean, I'm sure our professors assign them for a reason, right? Just keep telling yourself that, Mare...but seriously, I do want to do a good job this semester and learn as much as I can. I'm getting near to the end already - after this semester, I'll only have like one more semester of real classwork, and then just comps after that. I can't believe it's already over halfway over! Grad school is a lot quicker than undergrad! But honestly, I'm ready to be done with it already, so I'm glad it's going fast.

Those are my thoughts at the moment. I'm going to go make one last run-through before the 'rents get here. Have a great holiday weekend, everyone!

Oh, Fall, how I love thee; let me count the ways...

2006-08-21T07:59:00.000-07:00

Honestly, it's true - I've always loved the fall. In fact, I love the beginning of all the seasons. A new direction in the wind, a time for change...it reminds me of the verse in Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 in which "there is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven."

The reason that I love fall so much is because a lot of great things happen in the fall. Despite my outward groans, I do enjoy going back to school every August/September because I like to learn and see my friends again. Also, every member of my immediate family's birthdays are in the fall, starting with Dad on Aug. 30, me (yea!) on Sept. 14, Mom on Sept. 24 and Mark on Oct. 11. That, along with the annual West Texas Fair & Rodeo that always came to Abilene around the time of my birthday, has left me with many happy memories of the early fall all through my childhood.

As we move on into the season, only more joy awaits a young heart. First, there is the ever-popular Halloween - who doesn't love to dress up and eat candy??? Then there is the glorious three-day holiday for Thanksgiving, a time for visiting family and eating lots of great food (something that I love). With Thanksgiving comes the official kick-off for the Christmas season, which, of course, is the most wonderful time of the year. This joyous time culminates with the big day on Dec. 25, leading us into winter and a time to bundle up and stay warm while having a break from work and school.

Having said all of this, how could I NOT like fall? It's impossible. Thus, I sit here with a smile on my face as the wonderful season of autumn moves closer and closer towards Texas, me, and the lives of the people I love. Happy early fall, everyone!

Two more weeks!

2006-08-07T08:26:00.000-07:00

I can't believe it, but there are only two more weeks (and two days) before I start back to school at UTSA. I've already gone online to Amazon and ordered all of my books, but besides that, I am in strict denial. This summer went by WAY too fast!!!

I'm looking forward to my classes this fall. I'm taking three: Comparative Nationalisms (comparing the nationalistic sentiments of different countries, esp. those in Europe judging by the book list), ProSeminar (year-long core course at the end of which we will write a thesis-like project/paper), and my Independent Study on Mexico in the 1920s with Dr. NF (with whom I went to Mexico in June to do research). The ProSem class only has six books, all of which I already have, but the Nationalisms class has 12 books! Hello, Amazon. You think you are getting a good deal there, but those shipping charges really get you in the end...

However, I still have a couple of weeks of "freedom" which I will not take lightly. This past weekend Derek and I went to Corpus Christi for a friend's wedding (Courtney Wilson-now-Loy) and this weekend we are going somewhere for Derek's sister Lauren's 21st birthday. Forgive the secrecy - in the highly unlikely event that she is reading my blog on a steady basis, the trip's location is supposed to be a secret so I will not disclose at this time the destination or activities of the event. All I can say is that it will be this weekend and will involve activities that only a 21-or-up-year old can participate in...hehehe.

Oh, one more thing before I sign off. I have started exercising again - yea! I do the Denise Austin Daily Workout every morning on Lifetime at 6:30 am. Yeah, not my favorite thing to do that early, but hey, I get it over with and I am doing something. I hope to be able to talk Derek into buying a nice treadmill sometime in the next few months. I know he would like that, so it may not take much to convince him.

Well, that is about all for now. Until next time everyone! :-)

Back in the saddle again

2006-07-27T16:47:00.000-07:00

After a long and luxurious vacation at the beach, I bid farewell to my pretend life of a rich heiress and come back to the real world of work and grocery shopping. That's right, folks. Mary Riedel has returned to San Antonio. I know you all missed me.

First day back was okay. TV messed up first thing this morning, but otherwise it was a pretty good day. And tomorrow's Friday - world's shortest work week! I think I'll have Derek take me out for a hard two day's work...

Saturday some friends from church are having a LOTR marathon starting at 10:00 am and ending with a fajita cookout that evening. You know where I'll be all day! Next week is going to hit me like a ton of bricks...yikes. Oh well. At least someone is having a good time - my parents leave tomorrow for a cruise in the Carribbean! Someday I'll be able to do that...

Until next time everyone!

Vacation time

2006-07-11T08:10:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone. I wanted to write one last post before we leave to go on our "big 'venture," as my dad used to say. Thursday at 1:00 pm Derek and I are packing up and heading out of San Antonio to embark on a nice, long vacation. First, we will go to Abilene and stay the night with my family...mostly just because I want to. Friday we leave for Lubbock, where Derek's best friend Eric Abercrombie (no relation to the famous clothing line, I'm told) is getting married on Saturday. We'll go pick up Derek's tux, then to the rehearsal, rehearsal dinner and other wedding-type activities on Friday.

The wedding is Saturday evening, and after all of the festivities die down, we will leave Lubbock to drive through the night to Dallas, where we have to catch a plane at 6:30 am...as you know, I do not like to fly (see previous posting!), but I think I can handle this trip because Derek will be with me, and our final destination is...the beach! We fly from DFW to Atlanta, then into Pensacola, FL where my parents will be waiting to pick us up and drive us back to Gulf Shores, AL. My dad's whole side of the family goes there once a year for a week in the summer to just hang out and relax as a family. I love going there, not just because of the beautiful white sand and blue-green waves, but the memories and family that are there each year make it very special for me and something that I look forward to every year.

After a week of fun in the sun, Mom, Dad, Mark, Derek and I will drive north to Birmingham, AL to drop Mark off at the airport. He starts camp the next week, so he had to be back earlier than the rest of us. After dropping him off, we will continue on to Nashville, TN, and spend a few more days there with my grandmother, visiting friends and family. Tuesday the 25th we will drive back to Abilene, then Derek and I will head back to San Antonio on the 26th. It will be a nearly two-week-long vacation, but I am really looking forward to it. I need the rest before school starts back up...Well, until next time!

Fourth of July craziness

2006-07-06T06:25:00.000-07:00

To all my adoring fans, I'm so sorry that I have not written sooner. I guess it just boils down to me not having much to say. I came back from Mexico, and now I am stuck in the hum-drum of life, getting up, going to work, eating lunch, going to work, coming home, sitting around, going to bed. And to make matters worse, Derek has been gone a lot these past few weeks, doing summer camps and coaching clinics. He's gone this week to get his Level 2 Track and Field Coaches Certification in Las Vegas (I wish I could have gone!). So, it's been kind of boring. If it wasn't for our new cable and internet at home, I would have probably joined the circus by now for lack of something to do.

However, this past weekend changed all of that. Saturday morning at 5:00 am I woke up, took a shower, drove to the airport with Derek and Dustin (Derek was leaving that morning for his clinic), sweated it out in line at security, and barely made it for my plane destined for Nashville...well, that particular plane was destined for Baltimore, but I was destined for Nashville. As I made my connection in DFW, I was thankful how nicely the airport was set up. The new Skylink railway was extremely easy to use and I had time to go to the bathroom and get a smoothie as I sat and waiting for my next flight. When I arrived in Nashville, I met up with my mom and brother.

What were they doing there, you ask? Well, if you know anything about my family, you know that we used to live in Nashville and that my mom's family (most of it) still does. My mom, dad and bro were going to be there for the week and since Derek was going to be gone and I had a long weekend, they invited me to come stay with them (invited as in they bought my plane ticket). How could I refuse?

The weekend was very relaxing. Whenever I'm with my parents, I feel like I can act like a kid again. Saturday evening we had a family dinner (potluck-style), Sunday was church, lunch, visiting with more family and friends, Monday we cleaned out my grandmother's storage closet (that took most of the day, although we got it done sooner than I expected), then went to dinner and to a Nashville Sounds baseball game (they lost), and finally Tuesday the 4th came around and it was almost time to go. Little did I know that I should have just stayed with my family and avoided a lot of stress, but oh well.

It started off like any other day. Warm, sunny, perfect for the 4th of July. My mom had a lunch date with an old teacher friend, so Mark, Dad and I dropped her off and then went to Opry Mills mall to walk around and eat lunch before we had to go pick her up again. We thought about going to see the new Superman movie, but it was going to be too long for us to make it back in time for my flight. My flight out of Nashville was scheduled to leave at 5:30 pm, and I wanted to be there by 4:00 pm in order to avoid Saturday morning's near-miss. So I said my goodbyes to Maw-Maw (my grandmother), and then we drove to the airport in nervous anticipation.

Let me take this moment to say that I don't like flying. Flying by myself to come see my family this weekend was a big step for miss Mary. Something about the altitude, combined with the nasty stale air of airplanes that smells like coffee and something else...I don't know, I just get nauseated. As I sat in the waiting area, the airline lady at the counter made an announcement that our flight was being delayed an hour because of bad weather in Dallas. Okay, I thought, I guess I'll go get a magazine or two and a snack (I was planning on eating dinner at DFW). At 6:05 they started boarding the plane, so I ran to the bathroom and then came back to get on. Luckily, the flight was not even full, so I had a window and an aisle seat to myself. I read my magazine, ate my snacks and looked out the window as swirling clouds gathered below.

When we landed, the flight attendant read off a list of connecting flights that were also delayed out of DFW. I listed for my flight to San Antonio...but it was not announced. I shrugged it off as we got off the plane and decided to ask the airline attendant that always greets incoming flights to assist with connections...but there wasn't anyone at our gate when we got off. I then decided to go to a TV screen to find out where my gate was for San Antonio. I looked...San Antonio was not even listed...I started to slowly panic as I realized that I was in a huge airport with no clue where to go. I looked at the crowded terminal gates and realized that a lot of people were here waiting for their delayed flights. I searched for a counter that was not very busy and walked up to it.

"Can I help you?" asked the lady. I gave her my boarding pass for the flight to San Antonio and said, "I am lost." She took one look at my pass and said, "Oh, that flight has been canceled. You'll need to go to...(typing stuff into her computer in front of her...think "Meet the Parents" when Ben Stiller is trying to get a flight home)...gate D as in dog, 30 and try to get on standby." I thanked her and walked off...but wait, where is D30? I was at C22 or something like that. Again, it was Skylink to the rescue. I rode the sleek new tram around DFW as I called my parents to let them know of the situation. Finally, the Skylink pulled gently into the terminal where I needed to be, and I got off, full of apprehension and hope mixed.

When I arrived to D30, the hope disappeared and the apprehension grew. A long line of people was forming in front of the D30 counter, which read: "Ft. Lauderdale, FL." Was I in the right place? Thankfully, most of the people around me were trying to get to San Antonio as well and so I felt better. At least we were all told the same place. Apparently, a flight to Ft. Lauderdale was scheduled to go out of that gate, but only after a new flight to San Antonio was scheduled to leave. As I worked my way up to the counter, I handed the girl my boarding pass. She typed in more stuff to her computer, and then told me I was on standby for another flight to San Antonio, as the one that was departing from this gate was already full to capacity. So, I took the new boarding pass and went to sit down.

I had not eaten dinner or gone to the bathroom in several hours, yet I was by now afraid to leave the area for fear that they would call my name to be on the flight and I would miss it. So I waited...and waited...and waited. The first flight to San Antonio was called and a crowd of people who were on standby rushed the gate, causing the counter girl to make an announcement for them to back up so as to let ticketed flyers (as if without a ticket we are not legitimate or something) through. I watched my name on the standby list slowly sink from spot 15 to 16 to 18 to 20 and finally to 23 before it suddenly shot down to #74 as the numerous passengers who did not make the first flight out were rolled onto our list (and everyone who was already on that list was bumped down). My hope was almost gone of getting out of Dallas that night as I watched the flight's time also being bumped back, first from 10:14 to 10:30, and then to 11:00 and finally to 11:20 pm. I went up to the ticket counter to ask about my options: apparently this was the last flight to San Antonio for the night; the next one was leaving at 7:00 am in the morning.

In the meantime, I was calling everyone: my parents, Derek, Dustin (his brother who was supposed to pick me up from the airport in SA), and Angela, my best friend who lives in Dallas. As I constantly weighed my options, I asked for their advice, and they gave it to me. Derek, ever the saver, wanted me to wait it out and try to catch the flight in the morning. Angela offered me a place to sleep for the night at her apartment. Dustin, who works at Enterprise, said I could rent a car and drive, but that maybe I should just take the flight in the morning to save money. Mark was a sympathetic ear (my parents were already in bed by this time) and tried to make me feel better. I decided to go talk to the counter girls again, and this time I went to the other lady (the first one I had talked to was not very helpful).

"Next in line, please." She was in her 30s, I guess, and looked tired. I would be too. It was 10:45 pm and she had probably been here since early afternoon. "Is there any chance of me getting on this flight tonight or even the one in the morning?" I asked her. Usually, the counter ladies are elusive when it comes to this question, but tonight's mayhem probably had her on the edge already, so she told me "No, I honestly don't think you will make either flight. The earliest I can book you on a flight out of here is....(more typing)...7:00 am on Thursday morning." Yikes, I thought. "okay, if I just got a rental car, would that penalize me?" "Not if it is the last leg of your trip." "Do you give refunds or vouchers for stuff like this?" "Only if it is the airline's mistake or problem, not weather problems..." With that, I knew what I was going to do.

I felt a wave of relief wash over me as I realized that I did not have to fly any more for the day. I called Angela and asked her to come pick me up, I was staying at her house tonight. Luckily, she and her family were at a Rangers' game and not too far of a drive away. I called everyone else, let them know my plans, and waited outside. The hot night air was a welcome feeling as I finally felt in control of what was going on. I called my office and let them know I would not be in in the morning as I was driving back to San Antonio from DFW.

As I rode home with Angela and her family, I felt better. I was with people I knew, everyone I loved knew I was safe and taken care of, and I was going to get to sleep in a bed. A reservation was made to get a car the next morning from Dallas Love Field (Enterprise, of course - Dustin can get me a sweet discount), and by 8:30 the next morning I was on my way home, driving south on 35.

Needless to say, I made it home fine and in good time. I had a nice little road trip and realized that I love to drive, especially when given the choice to drive or fly. From now on, I am driving everywhere I go...except in a couple of weeks when Derek and I are flying to Pensacola, FL out of DFW...let's hope that goes okay. Until next time, everyone!

I'm back!

2006-06-14T09:18:00.000-07:00

I have returned from Mexico City a changed woman. Well, not really - I mean, come on people, I was only there for a week. But it seemed like a lot longer.

To begin, the flight there was pretty hard for me. I almost got sick - the flight was pretty bumpy. I was glad to get off of the plane. Once there, we checked into our hotel, then walked around to get a feel for the city. We ate at a restaurant and then walked to our professor's apartment to talk about what our plans were going to be for the week.

The next day, we went to the Archives. I was so nervous! I mean, my Spanish is not up to par at all, and I discovered this hard-core on this trip. Ah well, I managed. We had to get ID cards to do work in the Archives, so that took a while...actually, many things seemed to take a while in Mexico...but I digress. Anyway, the professors each had their own projects to work on, so they pretty much left us to fend for ourselves in the reference room. I attempted to get some help from one of the reference librarians, but he could not find anything on my topic, which was curanderismo (Mexican folk healing) in the 20th century. I spent most of the day looking through documents on the Revolution, not on my topic. And that was the first day.

The next day I had more of a direction after talking to my professor the day before, so I started out doing research in Gallery 3. There are 7 galleries in the archives, each one containing documents on different time periods and special collections. The guys in Gallery 3 were helpful, but after a while, it became apparent that I was not going to find anything on my subject. Thus, with a heavy heart, I decided at the end of the day on Thursday to change my subject to something that I knew would be easy to research and that the archives would have a lot of material on - relations between the US and Mexico. I stuck with the time period that I had been looking up before, the 1920s under the administrations of Mexican presidents Obregon and Calles. That afternoon, a group of us went to the renowned Museum of Anthropology and it was really cool. There are a lot of ancient statues and relics from Pre-Colombian civilizations there. They even had "Lucy" the ancient skeleton that was discovered in Africa! I was amazed.

Friday I started off with my new topic, eagerly requesting docuements to look up. I had a productive day, then at 3:00 (that is when the Archives closed everyday - I love this country!), our group went to the Zocolo, which is like the main town plaza. It is huge. On one side is the Palacio Nacional, kind of like the White House, on which there are murals painted by the famous Diego Rivera. On another side of the Zocolo is the GIGANTIC and ANCIENT Catholic church built in like 1530 or something crazy like that. I was awed by the immense size of it. When we went inside, they were having mass, but we went to the back alter, which was under construction, to look around. It was very intricate and elaborate. After that, we walked around some more, then ate dinner at a restaurant where the revolutionaries once plotted in the early 1900s, a place called Cafe de Tacuba.

Saturday we went to a market in a nice part of town called San Angel. There, painters and artisans sold their wares on the weekends. I didn't buy much, but I had a great time looking. Sunday a few of us went on a tour that we booked through our hotel of several tourist sites, including the Basilica of Guadalupe, in which can be seen the cloak of Juan Diego that has the imprint of the Virgen of Guadalupe still on it. That place was nuts, especially because we went on a Sunday. Then we went to the Plaza de Tres Culturas, in which Aztec ruins, another old church, and modern buildings encircle a main square. Finally, we drove outside of the city to Teotihuacan to visit the famed pyramids. Us three girls climed the Pyramid of the Sun, which was no small feat.

Monday came and went fast. It was our last day at the archives, so we had to get everything done that we needed to before it got too late. I went through a lot more documents, requested all of my copies, and even got a picture with the guy who had helped me all week. I told him I would make doubles and send one back with Dr. NF, who is returning there in July. He seemed very happy with that. After leaving the Archives for the last time, we went to another mercado, this one closer to our hotel, and walked around for several hours, buying last-minute souveniors and eating a dinner.

Tuesday flew by and before I knew it, I was back in San Antonio last night, in the arms of my honey! Write me back with any questions you might have about Mexico - I'm sure I won't be able to answer them!

Overdrive

2006-06-03T15:46:00.000-07:00

Well, this has been a very hectic last couple of weeks. As you know, we packed up our apartment last week and moved everything this week into our new one. In between that, Derek and I drove to Abilene for Mark's graduation (yea!) last weekend, and then drove back on Sunday to begin the move. His family had already taken several loads to the new place by the time we got there, so there was a lot less to do than we thought. Also, Monday morning several people from church came by to help us and we finished moving everything in by noon. However, unpacking has been a different story...

On top of the continued mess in our house (which is driving me crazy), I've been working 8 to 5 everyday at my two jobs and trying to stay afloat of the rushing I have to do between them (I only get half an hour to drive from one to the other and eat lunch at the same time). I really like my new job at the law office (it's so easy - I get to read when there's nothing to do, so I've knocked out a lot of The DaVinci Code already!). However, I had forgotten how stressful it can be to work from 8 to 5 everyday and then fight traffic to get home.

And, to top it all off, my Mexico trip is coming up in like three days (yipe!) and I feel so unprepared for it. Our group had our final meeting last Thursday night, and I am so surprised at how quickly this trip has snuck up on me. I hope I don't forget what little spanish I know and I hope I don't get too lonely while we're there. I'm still a kid when it comes to sleeping away from home, and now that my home is with Derek, it will be hard to be away from him for a week in a strange place. At least I will not be alone - Philis, Corina and Nydia are good girls who have become my friends over the past semester, and I know that we will have a good time together south of the border.

Well, this may be the last time I write on here...before I leave on Tuesday. I hope you all have a great week and I will be back on June 13th!!!

I'm busy...at least, that is my excuse

2006-05-24T12:29:00.000-07:00

Well, I have been slacking off lately on my exercise and diet regimen. But a lot is going on, so...I know, that is no excuse. Okay, so what's new, what's new...well, I got a new job. I now work from 8:15 am to 12:30 pm at Thurman & Phillips, LLC law office as the front desk receptionist. Today was my third day on the job and it's pretty easy. All I do is answer the phones, greet clients (which there are very few of), and do some other light office work. Most of the time I'm pretty bored, so today I played Solitaire and looked up books for my research trip to Mexico City (which is in less than two weeks!!!).

But don't worry--I didn't totally diss my campus job at UTSA; I work there in the afternoons now, and I'm actually enjoying it a lot better. I have more to do (if you've ever worked in an office, you know that afternoons are usually busier than mornings), plus I'm usually in a better mood in the afternoons than in the mornings. I'm fed, more alert, and people don't get on my nerves NEARLY as much as they do in the mornings...

Also, this week we have been packing up our little apartment, anxiously awaiting the day when we can move into our new little apartment...well, at least it will have two bedrooms instead of one. I finally get an office--yea! Friday we leave at 1:00 to head up to Abilene for the graduation ceremonies of my brother, Mark, from high school. Can you believe he will be in college in the fall? I can't. All my grandparents will be there as well, so Derek and I get the pull-out couch for a bed all weekend--woohoo.

Sunday after lunch we head back to San Antonio and begin the moving process once here. We plan on getting a lot of stuff done Sunday evening (like boxes, random stuff) and then Monday morning we have some people from our church coming to help out with the heavy stuff (furniture, etc.). I think we will be able to get it all done fairly quickly with the help that we will get.

So, between the new job and packing up every night, I have not made it to the exercise room since Saturday morning...and here it is Wednesday afternoon...yikes. Well, if I die of an early heart attack, you will know what did it. Until next time, everyone!

Changes

2006-05-03T07:03:00.000-07:00

School will be over in less than a week. I had my last class yesterday evening. We went over what the final will be, and then had a little party. It was like the last day of third grade!!! :-( I have made some friends in my program by the end of my second semester there, and I will miss them over the summer. Summer can be a long time.

With that change comes another one: work. I told Derek I would try to get another job for the summer on top of my office job that I work at on campus for 20 hours a week. I thought about applying to a bunch of places, but now I'm thinking I might do either a "work-at-home" job or a "secret shopper" job. I know, I'm a dork. Well, we'll see if that works out.

Also, we are moving at the end of the month. Our lease is up at good 'ole Songbird Apartments, so we have decided to upgrade to a 2-bedroom, 1 bath with free cable! Also, our new apartment is a lot closer to UTSA, so I will have even less of a drive now to get to work or school. Score! I'm excited about the move.

My exercise program is coming along pretty well. I try to either do 30 minutes of walking on the treadmill/cycling or Pilates everyday, and I think it is starting to pay off. I have been doing a lot better on what I eat as well, although I mess up every so often. Hey, I'm not perfect! I was watching Oprah the other day, and she had a doctor on there that said you need to eat these five things every week: olive oil, garlic, tomatoes, and...two other things that I have now forgotten...dang it! He also said that pomegranates are good for you...I'll have to check those out sometime. So basically, eat like an Italian and you'll live forever.

June 6-June 13 I will be flying to Mexico City and staying there with some other students and a few professors to do some research in the National Archives. I'm excited about that as well. To practice our Spanish, a few of us are going to start meeting together this month and watch Latin American films, then hang out and practice on each other. One of the girls going is from Mexico, so she will be able to help us a lot.

I guess that is all for now. My friend Jessica Skidmore from Abilene is coming to visit this weekend, along with some of her friends, so we will be hosting several girls in our apartment. I need to clean! Yikes...

On that note, I believe I will say adieu. Have a great week everyone!

Engage your powerhouse, imprint your core!

2006-04-14T07:12:00.000-07:00

Well, a lot has happened since my last post. School is definitely winding down as we enter the home stretch of the semester. In less than a month I'll be done! I feel like I have a huge case of senioritis, though. I've really slacked off on the readings, and next week will be super easy because I'm skipping Monday night's class to go to a Spurs game with Derek, and Tuesday and Thursday we are watching "films" (if you say "film" instead of "movie," it makes it educational--little trick I learned here at grad school).

Another thing that has happened was that I got a phone call a couple of weeks ago from my doctor (with whom I had a routine check-up with during Spring Break). She was calling to say that after examining my blood sample, I have high cholesterol. I was shocked! I'm 23!!! I'm young and vibrant and healthy...well, I'm two of the three of those. I suddenly realized that I do not eat very well at all and I exercise very little, two things that are needed to stay healthy. I have gained some weight in the last year, so I thought that maybe this was the wake-up call I needed to start taking it off before the beach season hit.

So, I immediately started watching what I ate. I examined every label at the grocery, not for calories as most girls do, but for cholesterol and saturated fat that are threatening to kill me...wow, that's kind of morbid. But seriously, I have really become more aware of stuff like that now. I had been eating South Beach Diet and Lean Cuisine frozen dinners, but I discovered that many of those have high cholesterol levels! I was pretty shocked by that one.

Another way I have tried to get more healthy has been to exercise. After nearly a year of living in our apartment complex, I had utilized the moderately equipped yet aptly named "Fitness Center" a total of two times by the end of March. However, once I found out I have high cholesterol, I changed all that. I have been walking on the treadmill and determinly pedaling on the stationary bike for two weeks now. I won't say that I do it everyday, but I do try to do it several times a week, as my schedule will allow. I also use some light weights to get my arms a little firmer than are now (can we say flabbiness???).

Yet something seemed missing. I needed something else, a little extra training that would burn more calories and tone my body a little more than the steadfast treadmill...and then one day, at Bed Bath & Beyond, I saw it. A DVD of spot-toning pilates. It had three separate workouts, ten minutes each, that specifically target a certain area of your body: first the belly, then the buns and finally the thighs. I immediately bought it and have used it nearly every day since I got it. Sometimes I do the whole thing, but usually I just have time to do the abs workout. Let me tell you--after only ten minutes of abs workout, my core is on fire and my powerhouse is tighter than a drum! (Those are words the lady on the video uses). So, that is my endorsement for pilates.

Okay, enough about me. How are you guys? How have you been? Please leave me a message and we'll do lunch. Mmmm....lunch....(drooling in a Homer Simpson-like fashion)...

Until next time everyone!

A glimmer of light...

2006-03-28T08:24:00.000-08:00

Spring Break is ancient history. Back to the old grind, reading and working everyday...but that's okay. I mean, if I didn't have work and school, what would I do all day? Probably nothing good for me, that's for sure. So I do appreciate my job and my classes, because they challenge me to get out of bed, do something productive, expand my mind, learn everyday and socialize with other people.

It's almost April now, so I'm getting a little bit of Spring Fever, already dreaming of the summer (Six Flags season tickets, anyone?), yet dreading finals (giant papers, here I come). But something else is making me a little more excited than apprehensive. I've been asked to go to Mexico City with a small group of students and professors in my department for a week-long research trip, working in the National Archives! I've already bought my plane ticket (less than $200, can you believe it!?), and I'm trying to practice my Spanish more now. I felt so honored that my Latin American professor asked me to come along, and the other girls that are coming are my friends, so we're just going to have a grand ole time. We'll leave June 6 and come back June 13, meaning I'll miss Derek's birthday and our first wedding anniversary, but oh well!

So those are my thoughts right now. I can see the light at the end of the tunnel for this semester, the work is mostly done in my classes now (just a few papers left!), and I'm going on a great trip right at the beginning of summer! This has been a much better semester than the last, and I feel like I have learned so much more than last semester too.

I'm just in a really good mood. :-)

Spring Break!!!!!!!

2006-03-16T06:50:00.000-08:00

Yea! It's that time of the year that everyone loves. The air is getting warmer, the sun is out more (except for today apparently), and you get a break from school. My family came in from Abilene this past weekend and stayed until Wednesday morning. We had a grand ole' time, seeing the sights, going to Sea World, walking along the Riverwalk (by the way, if anyone ever comes to visit us, that is where we take you--the Riverwalk). It was good to see the fam again, and they actually got to stay for more than 24 hours this time.

Today is exciting because my best friend Angela is coming to visit and is bringing along a friend from Montevideo, Uruguay that we met while spending a semester down there. Her name is Ximena and I haven't seen her in three years!!! We'll have a good time hanging out this weekend.

Also, Derek has been gone since Monday, camping out with his best friend/college roommie, Eric Abercrombie (no relation to the clothing line, I'm told). They'll be trekking it back to SA today, so I'm excited about seeing him as well. I think this is the first time we've been away from each other for more than a day or two since we got married. It's been kinda lonely while he was gone...so I'll be really happy to see him. :-)

Well, here we are: it's already Thursday. However, there is still lots of Spring Break to go, so until next time, have a good one!

School, the IRS, and the Austin Marathon

2006-02-21T07:13:00.000-08:00

Hello everyone, a lot has happened in a relatively short amount of time. School continues as always. I've found that I always end up having to read a large amount of pages in a short amount of time, no matter how long I've known about the assignment...is that my fault? I guess it is. I guess I've just gotten used to doing it like that, so when I do get some extra time before a class, I want to spend it doing something else, like watching TV or making cookies (or both). Sometimes I wish I could just be a housewife and stay at home, cooking, baking, cleaning, shopping and watching TV. Is that so wrong, I ask? Is it?

Well, moving on, I prepared our taxes on the awesome program known as Turbo Tax. We will be getting a nice little refund in a week or two. It pays to be living on a combined salary of less than $40,000 a year, be paying off school loans AND going to grad school, as well as give to your church. They have a program feature this year where you can use some of your refund money to purchase gift cards--right there when you finish your taxes! I really really really wanted to do it, but Derek said no. :-( I'm such a sucker for gift cards!

Finally, this past weekend, Derek and I (and his family) traveled to Austin for the Freescale Austin Marathon. For those of you who do not know, a marathon is 26.2 miles. Derek did an excellent job, finishing at a personal best time of 2:46. If you do the math, that's an average of a little over 6 minutes FOR EVERY SINGLE MILE!!! Yeah, my husband's a stud--hands off, ladies! I was very proud of him, and he's actually not even that sore this week. He came back the next day to teach classes and hold track practice at his university--what a trooper!

Until next time everyone!

The old swing of things

2006-02-10T09:38:00.000-08:00

Wow. Reading three FAT books a week is a lot. I don't even read all of them! I feel like I am slacking off, but hey, I work, I have a husband, I have other responsibilities like paying the bills and doing our taxes. How do these people manage school with life? What did I do before grad school? Why am I asking so many questions???

Whew, glad I got that out of my system. But yes, I am pretty busy with school now. I've already done one presentation for a class, and next week I have another one! Yipe! At least I'm getting them out of the way. I got an A on my one last week--yea! I'm going to make Derek take me out to celebrate that one.

And speaking of going out, we all know what day next Tuesday is--Valentine's Day! Yea! I even took off from work that day. Guess what I'll be doing??? Reading my booty off and preparing for a presentation in class that I have to give THAT NIGHT. Yeah--does that elicit any sympathy from you guys? Hmm? Any takers? Ah, well. I will say that we'll probably go out this weekend to replace that sorry night.

I'm trying to think of some other things to mention...went to Abilene last weekend to see Mark in "West Side Story." He did such a good job--he had a couple of monologues and everything (he was the mean detective)! Won't see the fam again until Spring Break, when they come to visit us...going to the San Antonio rodeo this weekend...kind of excited about that one...kind of upset too because of the amount of reading I have to do...

Well, I'll wrap this up. I could go on and on, but quittin' time is upon me at work and I have a follow-up eye doctor appointment at 1:00 that I just don't want to be late for! Until next time, faithful readers.

Poorer than a church mouse

2006-01-26T07:56:00.000-08:00

Well, it's that time again, ladies and gentlemen. Back to school. And we all know what that means: spending lots of money on textbooks. After only three classes of graduate school, I am now approaching the $600.00 mark of indebtedness to Amazon.com. Why do history teachers make you READ so much?? Well, it's so you can learn, I know, but seriously. Why don't they just read the books to us? That's what my third grade teacher did, and I loved it.

Anyway, I am in my second week of school now, and really enjoying my classes. A U.S. women's history class, the required Historical Approaches and Interpretations class (with an emphasis on China--the prof is Chinese), and, my specialty, a colonial Latin American history class. Yea! This semester will tough but I look forward to the challenge. In the meantime, realize that I probably won't have a life until oh, May, so I may not be posting as often as I do now. But don't give up on me! I'll be back! Have a great week everyone.

did NOT want to get up this morning

2006-01-02T09:18:00.000-08:00

Well, today it was back to work for Miss Mary. When the alarm button went off at 6:45 am, I thought, hmmmmm, snooze button. As I drove along I-10 with the three other people who had to be at work today, I sighed and wondered why I had to go to an office and sit at a computer for 4 hours when everyone else got off today???!!! Even worse, everyone else in my office decided to take a personal leave day as well, so I'm really all by myself. On the plus side, that means I don't actually have to work... At least I only work in the mornings and I don't have to stay here all day. If that was the case, I would probably have to develop a severe case of shingles or some such disease and leave at lunchtime, not to return for the rest of the day. Haha, if only. Well, happy new year everyone, and remember: if you get to sleep in--enjoy it!

Happy New Year!

2005-12-31T21:16:00.000-08:00

Hello everyone, I am writing from my parents' house in Abilene once again as we count down the minutes before 2006. It has been an incredibly short weekend with my family, so I am sad that it is almost Jan. 1 and tomorrow we have to return home. However, it is okay because I only have to work mornings for the next two weeks and get to hang out and do whatever during the afternoons. Plus, Angie is coming to visit me next weekend, so that will be fun! She's never even seen our apartment or anything, so I'll have to give her the tour of San Antonio (I hope I don't get lost...).

It has been a lot of firsts for me this holiday season: first Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Years with the new hubby plus my first Texas Christmas EVER. It has been vert different, that is for sure. But, Derek and I have had a great first six months together, and the next 60 years or so will continue to get better.

Until next time everyone!

Mary Christmas

2005-12-20T07:25:00.000-08:00

Well, hello there, little girl! And what would you like for Christmas? Man, if I had a nickel for everytime someone asked me that...

But seriously, Christmas is almost upon us! They're not joking when they say it's the "most wonderful time of the year." Unfortunately, I still have to work mornings this week, so I'm getting up at the crack of dawn to work 8 to 12 so far this week. Oh well, just two more days of having to get up. I get off Friday, Dec. 23 and am off all next week and then back to the grind on Monday, Jan. 2. Not a terribly long break, but at least I don't work retail!

Our computer is in the shop, so I'm writing from my work computer (hope I don't get caught...as I sneak a glance over my shoulder and listen for footsteps approaching). I probably won't be able to post much more this week or next week at all. However, Derek and I hope to get cable internet (SBC dial-up JUUUUUUST wasn't working out), so maybe I will be able to post more in the Spring semester. I know you all just love to read about my life!

Well, all my Christmas shopping is done, our tree is up, and we even have a little wreath on our front door (courtesy of a lady in my office, who gave them to everyone). I only have to work a half-day until Thursday, and I've been shopping twice in the last three days with Derek's mother. I am so in the holiday spirit!

Until next time, everyone, have a great Christmas break and a very mary christmas!

PS--yes, it is a pun on my name, I'm not stupid.

worst week of my LIFE

2005-12-15T06:44:00.000-08:00

Well, this has been pretty much the worst week in a long time that I've had. And it's not because of school. Oh, no. It's all these stupid grades that I have to do and turn in. The professors (I work for three of them) all decided to have their finals on Monday, so I only had a few days to grade and record them all. I've stayed up until midnight the past two nights and I'm STILL not done! It's too much for one person to do!!!

Today, I have to meet with two of them at noon (how I'm going to be in two places simulataneously is beyond me) and then come home for another fun activity, a physical. It's one of those things that you have to do to get life insurance, so Derek and I are both getting one at 2:00 today. Yippee skippee. They measure you, take your blood (ouch!) and oh, boy, weigh you. They'll find out the truth now...

So, anyway, this had not been a fun week. I'm tired, irritable, yet there is a glimmer of hope in the distance. Grades are due tomorrow at 2:00 pm and after that, I am FREE! Derek and I will both be done with school, although I do have to work next week, but it's just 8 to 12. I can handle that. I just want this week to be over!!!!

Well, enough belly-aching. I need to get to work! Talk to you all later.

Time flies when you've got stuff to do

2005-12-12T19:22:00.000-08:00

Wow, I can't believe I haven't written in this thing for nearly two weeks...okay, yeah, I can. I'm so awful at writing in diaries--why would this be any different? Okay, so my internet at home is TERRIBLE (SBC Dial-up is going on my hit list) and I have had so much to do with finals and grading (grrrrr....) that I haven't had the time to get around to telling all of my loyal fans who read this what is going on in my life. Well...just school and grading and...yeah, that's about it.

Well, that's not all true. I just got back yesterday from the best weekend I've had in a long time. I took the day off on Friday from work, slept in with Derek :-), went to breakfast at IHOP, then packed up and drove to Dallas to visit my best fwiend, Angela Heiderich. She had invited me to her company Christmas party at a cool Brazilian restaurant, so I decided that I deserved a break. I hung out with her at her job, then ran errands with her before the party that night. The party was fun--lots of Brazilian meat!!!

Saturday was great--I woke up at 8:00, wrote my paper in four hours (that was my one condition for going there--I had to get this last paper finished on Saturday), then we ate lunch and headed for the mall to go Christmas shopping. We stopped by Half Price Books while we were out, then off to a nice dinner and after that--Narnia!!! Best movie ever. Then back home to bed.

Sunday was good--Prestoncrest (where Angie goes to church) is pretty cool for a giant church in the Metroplex. After a quick lunch at Jason's Deli and a few last minute things (including packing back up), I headed back for San Antonio, making it back JUST in time to go to the University of the Incarnate Word's Christmas party with Dere-bear.

So, now I just turned in my last paper via e-mail and I am sitting in the computer lab. I was going to do grades online tonight, but it is already 9:30 and I gots other stuff to do. So until next time, adieu!

Back to the grind

2005-11-28T08:33:00.000-08:00

Well, I had a great few days in Abilene with my family. Wednesday I recovered from my cold, Thursday I cooked and watched the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade with Mom in the kitchen, then ate dinner with everyone around 1:30 pm. After our guests left, my family decided to play Cranium Turbo Edition--fun times!

Friday started off kind of rocky. Mom and I had it all planned out that we would get up at 5:00 so we could be at the mall by 6:00 (unlike all those crazies who got there at 5:00!!!). So, then, why did I set my alarm to go off at 5:55? I was planning on getting ready, taking a shower, etc. What was I thinking? Was I thinking? I woke up at 5:53 am, looked at my alarm, thought "Oh, I still have 2 minutes" and then took another look and thought "I thought we were leaving at 6:00...OH NO!!!" I rushed downstairs where Mom was already dressed and ready to go, reading the paper. I explained the situation and, being the loving and patient person that she is, Mom said no problem as I raced upstairs to get ready. Let me just say, I got ready in record time--20 minutes (including a shower).

The rest of Friday was great. Mom and I walked around, bought a few little things, but I think mostly we're going to wait on a lot of our Christmas shopping this year until it gets closer to time. The lines in some of the stores were ridiculous! Then we went home, at lunch with the boys, then left to go pick up Sara and Kim (two high school girls that were going with us to the Abilene High finals game). We drove to Waco, scouted out the stadium, then went to the mall followed by dinner at TGI Fridays! Yum.

Unfortunately, the game was a massacre with Southlake Carroll beating Abilene High 52-0. Too bad. We drove home that night and got into Abilene around 1:30 am. I drove the last leg and it was very hard to stay awake even with the cappucino I got at the Diamond Shamrock--I had been up since before 6:00 am the day before!

Saturday was nice--slept in, piddled around, went to Wal-Mart for a few things, then the fam went to see the Johnny Cash movie, Walk the Line (it was excellent) followed by dinner at El Chico's. We walked around the mall a little bit then went back home for another game of Cranium! Love that game.

Sunday was good but sad as we went to church, came back home, ate Thanksgiving leftovers, then took family pictures dressed in red and green in front of the half-put together Christmas tree. I began to pack my bags and stress about all the things that I had brought to do this week at my parents' house and hadn't done. Oh well, too late now. Derek and I said goodbye, got some gas for the car, and started on our way back to San Antonio around 3:00 in the afternoon. We arrived around 6:45 pm and I attempted to do some homework to no avail. It's hard getting back into the swing of things after so many nice days of relaxing at home. Oh well, only three more weeks and I'll be done for the semester. Until next time, everyone!

Turkey Day, Turkey Day!!!

2005-11-23T09:56:00.000-08:00

Hello everyone, I am writing to you from my brother's computer in Abilene, TX. Yea! Derek and I came to visit my family for Thanksgiving because they're leaving town for Christmas. We have to be able to see them for at least one holiday!

So, we drove in last night (got into town around 8:00 pm) and miraculously didn't hit a deer, as hard as we tried--there were certainly many along the side of the road. One even ran in front of the car in front of us, but no carnage...shucks. I asked Derek while we were driving why deer are always along the side of the road, and he said either because they are eating stuff people have thrown out of their cars or they are trying not to get shot. You see, it is against the law (and I didn't know this) to shoot a deer next to a highway or interstate. Why, you ask? Because, as Derek so eloquently put it, every hick in Texas with a gun rack would be stopping every few miles to blow away all the deer they saw (there are a lot this time of year). So, all you hicks reading this, go into the woods to do your venison shopping, okay?

Besides that, I'm still recovering from my cold. It has now moved into my chest, which means that on the plus side, my nose is no longer stopped up, but on the negative side, my chest hurts when I breathe. You decide which is worse. I just don't care that much as long as I can sleep at night--which I was almost unable to last night because of my chest pain. Mom thinks I have bronchitis, but I feel a lot better now...and I'm rambling. This afternoon we're gonna go see the new Harry Potter movie--I'm so excited and I just can't hide it!!!

Well, tomorrow I will be getting up to watch the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade on NBC (a time-honored tradition) and making my broccoli-cheese-rice casserole and new pasta pumpkin shells (we'll see how that one goes). Can't wait for all the good food!

Until next time everyone, good news and good night.

Coming down with a...something

2005-11-18T12:42:00.000-08:00

Well, since my last post, not much has happened except that I seem to be getting a little sicker every day. Last night did not help the situation because I had to stay outside in the cold weather from about 2:30 pm to about 6:50 pm. It got dark around 5:30, so the last hour and a half was pretty awful. Why did I do such a thing, you ask? Well, I'll tell you.

My office at UTSA was helping volunteer at the Diversity Event for November, a time of booths about different campus organizations and also a show with campus groups performing. UTSA even sprung for a semi-celebrity as the MC - Dat Phan from America's Last Comic Standing. He was pretty funny, but by the time he came on stage (6:00 pm), everyone was freezing and the hot cocoa had run out long ago. This was probably the first time I've ever been glad to leave something to go to my Legal History class!

Anywho, I've been kind of stuffy all day today, but I took a Cold-Eze, so hopefully that will help. I did get to sleep in today, though; since I worked all yesterday I got today off from work. Yipee! Until next time everyone.

PS--is anyone still reading this? No one seems to be commenting on my posts...just so ya'll know, I LIVE for your comments!!!

Fingers breaking off from frostbite

2005-11-16T15:13:00.000-08:00

Hello everyone. The biggest news I have right now is that last night a lovely wind blew in some cold weather. Derek and I were very glad to have it because it has been in the upper 80s here since oh, about January (and we've only been here since August!). Derek left the window cracked all night to air out our stuffy and hot apartment. It was so nice to snuggle up between our thick comforter and down feather mattress. I loved it!

All of that changed when I got up this morning. I forgot that when you leave your window open all night during a cold front, you wake up to a freezing apartment! I mean, even Derek was cold when he got up. Right now I'm sitting at the computer, typing in grades on my spreadsheets. My little digits are flying across the keyboard, not because they are so nimble but just to stay warm!

Why is it that your hands always get so cold??? I can put on sweatpants, a sweater, even thick socks, but I can't do that for my hands when I'm on the computer--ever tried to type with mittens? Not doable. Well, they'll just have to toughen up or suffer this winter, along with my tootsies and litte nose. But I'm still excited to have cold weather--who wants to eat Thanksgiving when it's 75 degrees outside?

Until next time, everyone!

Pictures--if only!

2005-11-15T10:17:00.000-08:00

Well, I am overwhelmed by the response already to my new blog (3 posts, although whoever deleted the one from this morning needs to 'fess up!). One comment by Dad was that I need to put up pictures. Believe me, I really tried to last night. I guess when I come to Abilene for Thanksgiving, Mark will have to show me what to do, because my attempts were pretty futile.

Speaking of futile, I'm at work right now but I am literally unable to do anything but surf the web. I'm supposed to be "proctoring" a test to some applicants to our teacher education program, so Julie suggested I bring our office laptop with me so I could continue to work on some things. Well, the program I needed is not working on this laptop. Luckily, though, the Internet is in perfect working order! So I've been doing what I always dreamed of doing at work--nothing but playing around...hehe. It's pretty fun, but also kind of aggravating because I still have a lot to read in my book, which is due tonight! I wish I had brought it...

Until next time, everyone!

Is this thing working?

2005-11-14T17:48:00.000-08:00

Okay, so I decided to jump on the ever-expanding bandwagon of friends and family who have blogs and start one of my own. Who will read it? Probably about three people. Do I care? No. (But just so everyone who is reading this knows: my heart will get a small thrill if you post a comment.)

Well, to start off, I'm sitting here at my computer with my super-cool dial-up internet service. Yeah. I should be reading for my Tuesday night class. The book is sitting right in front of me...I should also be typing in grades on my spreadsheet from one of the many history professors I work for at UTSA. The scantrons sit expectantly beside my chair...but you know what? I've been doing that junk all day. I don't want to do it anymore! I'd rather sit here on the Internet and read other people's blogs until I become inspired to create one of my own! Yeah! So...here I am. Hmmm...well, I guess I better get to work (defeated tone). Until later, everyone! Yea, Mary has a blog!!!