Sunday, February 26, 2012

Running and feeling shy

So Lent started this last Wednesday; in case you didn't know I'm Catholic.  For my lenten sacrifice I decided to do a running reward system for myself.  Basically if I run then I can go to my favorite coffee spot in town (Standpipe Coffee House).  I like this because I'm tying something I love (Standpipe) with something I want to do more of.  At first I was just going to give up Standpipe, which I can do, but I'm the sort of person that wants to take on as well.  My usual go to lent move is to give up soda.  I've really cut down on my soda intake anyways except for a Vanilla Coke from Standpipe.  I was also running to Standpipe a lot, which was eating my budget. 

I have been wanting to get back to running.  Back in the day I ran cross-country.  I was never any good but I like the time to think.  Running also makes me feel stronger.  I had tried to get back into running shape a few times before but the last time I tried, about 8 months ago, I injured my hip so I've been a bit scared to try.  Wednesday as part of Ash Wednesday I was craving a Vanilla Coke from Standpipe.  By the end of the day, after many Our Fathers and Hail Marys to resist the temptation, I realized that I could blend sacrifice and taking on together.  Thursday morning, I got up and went running.  I'm using Couch-2-5K.  I felt great.  I ran without dying and without killing my hip!  Saturday, I got up and went running.  Day 2 Week 1!  Today I feel great.  The soreness is all but gone and I can't wait to run tomorrow, assuming I can find the time. 

So Friday night, DH and I had a mini-date.  We headed to a new music venue here in Lufkin called The Factory.  There are great people that hang there (and at Standpipe) and they are so cool with themselves.  Me I'm so shy.  I want to be cool.  I want to get out there and dance even when no one else is but I just can't.  I'm a wall flower.  I hate being a wall flower.  I mean people could care less about me and what I"m doing and yet I feel like all eyes are on me.  I think the running will help with the shyness.  If I feel strong and self-confident then I'll feel less wallflower, right?  I will chair-pump!

Thursday, February 16, 2012

Good-bye Yellow Pine Road

On Tuesday, the sale of Temple-Inland to International Paper was finalized.  This is not normally a topic for this blog but Temple-Inland isn't just some random company; at least not to me.  Temple-Inland is the only company my dad has worked for since I was born.

See Temple has really felt like a family member.  We would go to company picnics.  Mom would load us up in the truck and we would take my dad lunch.  I have lots of good memories of going to the plant and sitting under a shady pine and eating lunch with daddy.  Every day of my childhood is tainted with the smell of pine.  My dad would come home with a thin layer of pine shavings on him.  That smell always takes me back to being a little girl and running to my daddy after he got home from work.  That East Texas pine smell is so relaxing to me that I searched all over Greensboro NC for the perfect candle when it came time to give birth.  I knew I needed that pine smell to relax and bring my baby into this world.

Temple is also important to me because I received a $3K/year scholarship to go to college.  It was that scholarship that allowed me to follow my dreams and go to Hollins University.  I loved my time at Hollins.  It was being there that allowed me to grow and become a confident woman.  Without that scholarship, my life would be way different.  It was that step to Hollins that would set me up to go to UNC-Greensboro and finally finding my true career path, librarianship. 

Temple-Inland is was not just another company to me.  What will happen to Temple?  At this point no one really knows.  So far my dad still has a job.  I hope that the plant will keep running not just for my daddy but for the whole area.  Just hard to be believe that Temple is no more.

My official Temple Foundation Scholarship picture w/Dad. cira 1997

Family Fun Facts

Inspired by The Feminist Breeder, here are fun facts about my little family:

1.  Audrey sings all the time.  Her favorite songs are Thumbkin, Twinkle Twinkle Little Star and If your happy and you know it.

2.  Audrey likes to call DH by his first name.  He hates that!

3.  Audrey sings for Boob.  To the tune of Shave and a haircut

4.  We are a wheatless family that loves pasta!  DH's spaghetti is the best ever!

5.  I have baked more in the last two years of wheatlessness than in 8 years of married life prior combined.

6.  Audrey calls my dad "PiPa" and my mom "Buea," we have no clue where she came up with them.

7.  Snoopy and Jasmin love Audrey but they miss being our babies.  Jasmin does not love it when Audrey takes her by the tail and tries to spin her.

8.  My dad is addicted to Netflix and streams at least one movie a day.

9.  Audrey only likes PBS cartoons.  It's like pulling teeth to get her to watch anything but Caillou and Barney.

10.  Audrey loves to rock out.  She likes to play on any instrument, especially her daddy's Fender guitar.

Friday, February 3, 2012

Yeast

So if you can't tell the name of my blog, my life is wheat-less.  We don't eat wheat because DH and Audrey are both allergic.  Along with wheat, DH has many other food allergies.  They are all manageable and I never remember the whole list.  Outside of wheat and oranges, we don't worry too much about the rest of the allergy herd.  So that brings me to yeast.  DH is allergic.  I never think about it.  It is actually his biggest allergen. 

This weekend I made focaccia bread from Chebe brand mix.  It was good!  DH was actually excited about eating a sandwich.  I guess we've been missing fancy breads.  Anyways, I mentioned that I could make my own from a recipe I have but I'm afraid to work with yeast.  I always kill it.  DH stopped me and said you remember I'm allergic to yeast right so just buy the mix.  Actually I had forgotten.  I felt like a horrible wife!  Avoiding wheat is so present in my mind but the rest of the allergen gang is all but forgotten.  I bought the mix.