Don't MESS with Texas!

I recieved this from a friend (who received it from a friend) & I thought I might share it with all Texans, used-to-be-Texans, adopted Texans or wanna-be Texans...some is real, some is funny, & some may be a little exaggerated...

JUST TEXAS

Pep , Texas 79353
Smiley , Texas 78159
Paradise , Texas 76073
Rainbow , Texas 76077
Sweet Home , Texas 77987
Comfort , Texas 78013
Friendship, Texas 76530

Love the Sun?
Sun City , Texas 78628
Sunrise , Texas 76661
Sunset, Texas 76270
Sundown, Texas 79372
Sunray , Texas 79086
Sunny Side , Texas 77423

Want something to eat?
Bacon , Texas 76301
Noodle , Texas 79536
Oatmeal , Texas 78605
Turkey , Texas 79261
Trout , Texas 75789
Sugar Land , Texas 77479
Salty, Texas 76567
Rice , Texas 75155
Pearland , Texas 77581
Orange , Texas 77630
And top it off with:
Sweetwater , Texas 79556

We have a city named after our state
Texas City , Texas 77590

We even have a city named after our planet!
Earth , Texas 79031

Cold?
Blanket , Texas 76432
Winters, Texas

Like to read about History?
Santa Anna , Texas
Goliad , Texas
Alamo , Texas
Gun Barrel City , Texas
Robert Lee , Texas

Need Office Supplies?
Staples, Texas 78670

Why travel to other cities? Texas has them all!
Detroit , Texas 75436
Cleveland , Texas 75436
Colorado City , Texas 79512
Denver City , Texas 79323
Klondike , Texas 75448
Nevada , Texas 75173
Memphis , Texas 79245
Miami , Texas 79059

Boston , Texas 75570
Santa Fe , Texas 77517
Tennessee Colony , Texas 75861
Reno , Texas 75462
Pasadena , Texas 77506
Columbus , Texas 78934

Feel like traveling outside the country?
Athens , Texas 75751
Canadian, Texas 79014
China , Texas 77613
Egypt , Texas 77436
Ireland , Texas 76538
Italy , Texas 76538
Turkey , Texas 79261
London , Texas 76854
New London , Texas 75682
Paris , Texas 75460
Palestine , Texas 75801

No need to travel to Washington D.C.
Whitehouse , Texas 75791

Exhausted?
Energy , Texas 76452

Want to go into outer space?
Venus , Texas 76084
Mars , Texas 79062

You guessed it.. It's on the state line.
Texline , Texas 79087

For the kids...
Kermit , Texas 79745
Elmo , Texas 75118
Nemo , Texas 76070
Tarzan , Texas 79783
Winnie , Texas 77665
Sylvester , Texas 79560

And last but not least, the Anti-Al Gore City
Kilgore , Texas 75662

And our favorites...
Cut n Shoot, Texas
Gun Barrell City , Texas
Hoop And Holler, Texas
Ding Dong, Texas and, of course,
Muleshoe , Texas

Other city names in Texas , to make you smile.........
Frognot , Texas 75424
Bigfoot , Texas 78005
Hogeye , Texas 75423
Cactus , Texas 79013
Notrees , Texas 79759
Best, Texas 76932
Veribest , Texas 76886
Kickapoo , Texas 75763
Dime Box , Texas 77853
Old Dime Box , Texas 77853
Telephone , Texas 75488
Telegraph , Texas 76883
Whiteface , Texas 79379
Twitty, Texas 79079

Here is what Jeff Foxworthy has to say about folks from Texas ...

If someone in a Lowe's store offers you assistance and they don't work there, you may live in Texas ;

If you've worn shorts and a parka at the same time, you may live in Texas ;

If you've had a lengthy telephone conversation with someone who dialed a wrong number, you may live in Texas ;

If 'Vacation' means going anywhere south of Dallas for the weekend, you may live in Texas ;

If you measure distance in hours, you may live in Texas ;

If you know several people who have hit a deer more than once, you may live in Texas ;

If you install security lights on your house and garage, but leave both unlocked, you may live in Texas ;

If you carry jumper cables in your car and your wife knows how to use them, you may live in Texas

If the speed limit on the highway is 55 mph --you're going 80 and everybody's passing you, you may live in Texas ;

If you find 60 degrees 'a little chilly,' you may live in Texas ;

If you actually understand these jokes, and share them with all your Texas friends, you definitely live in Texas ..

Here are some little known, very interesting facts about Texas .
1. Beaumont to El Paso : 742 miles
2... Beaumont to Chicago : 770 miles
3... El Paso is closer to California than to Dallas
4... World's first rodeo was in Pecos , July 4, 1883.
5. The Flagship Hotel in Galveston is the only hotel in North America built over water. Destroyed by Hurricane Ike -2008!
6. The Heisman Trophy was named after John William Heisman who was the first full-time coach at Rice University in Houston .
7. Brazoria County has more species of birds than any other area in North America
8. Aransas Wildlife Refuge is the winter home of North America 's only remaining flock of whooping cranes.
9. Jalapeno jelly originated in Lake Jackson in 1978.
10. The worst natural disaster in U.S.... history was in 1900, caused by a hurricane, in which over 8,000 lives were lost on Galveston Island .
11. The first word spoken from the moon, July 20,1969, was " Houston ," but the space center was actually in Clear Lake City at the time.
12. King Ranch in South Texas is larger than Rhode Island ..
13. Tropical Storm Claudette brought a U.S. rainfall record of 43' in 24 hours in and around Alvin in July of 1979...
14. Texas is the only state to enter the U.S. by TREATY, (known as the Constitution of 1845 by the Republic of Texas to enter the Union ) instead of by annexation. This allows the Texas Flag to fly at the same height as the U.S. Flag, and may divide into 5 states.
15. A Live Oak tree near Fulton is estimated to be 1500 years old.
16. Caddo Lake is the only natural lake in the state.
17. Dr Pepper was invented in Waco in 1885. There is no period in Dr Pepper..
18. Texas has had six capital cities:
Washington -on- the Brazos, Harrisburg , Galveston ,Velasco, West Columbia and Austin ...
19. The Capitol Dome in Austin is the only dome in the U.S. which is taller than the Capitol Building in Washington DC (by 7 feet).
20. The San Jacinto Monument is the tallest free standing monument in the world and it is taller than the Washington monument.
21. The name ' Texas ' comes from the Hasini Indian word 'tejas' meaning friends. Tejas is not Spanish for Texas ..
22. The State Mascot is the Armadillo (an interesting bit of trivia about the armadillo is they always have four babies. They have one egg, which splits into four, and they either have four males or four females.).
23. The first domed stadium in the U.S. was the Astrodome in Houston .

Cowboy's Ten Commandments

(Posted on the wall at Cross Trails Church in Fairlie , Texas)

1) Just one God.
(2) Honor yer Ma & Pa.
(3) No telling tales or gossipin'.
(4) Git yourself to Sunday meeting.
(5) Put nothin' before God.
(6) No foolin' around with another fellow's gal.
(7) No killin'.
(8) Watch yer mouth.
(9) Don't take what ain't yers.
(10) Don't be hankerin' for yer buddy's stuff.

Y'all git all that?

New Teeth

My little girl has had three teeth come in over a relatively short period of time and lately she has been driving me crazy with them! She doesn't like a teething ring, she doesn't even chew on her toys. The only things she likes to chew on is Mommy and Daddy. But what really drives me crazy is not the teeth marks that she leaves on my fingers or the times that she bites my chin, its when she plays with her teeth and starts grinding them together for some reason. I know that they are new to her and that she is experimenting with them, but that grinding is driving me crazy- not to mention the fact that I worry about how bad that is for her new little teeth! I try to teach her "no", "don't do that", and "UH-UH"...but I am not sure about when babies start making sense of all that.
She is only 7 months old, she is still really young, I know. Hopefully she will learn to not do that to her teeth, or (what is more likely) she will find something new to do and forget all about them.
In the meantime, I shudder every time I hear her grind her teeth and try to catch her doing it whenever I can to try and stop it.

Children come up with the strangest things to entertain themselves!
And of course, I know that the more inventive things are yet to come.

Daddy's Girl

Daddy's really do hold a special place in the hearts of their little girls. It is funny to me that Daddy can come home and baby will laugh in a way that I haven't been able to get her to laugh all day, almost like she was saving it all up just for him. I love to see them playing together. She watches him with love and anticipation even when he doesn't know it. And, although she definitely lets you know that she wants her Mommy, it's her Daddy that holds her heart.

And...We're OFF! Can't stop her now.

My little girl is really starting to grow up. Lately, she has been watching Mommy and wanting to do the things that Mommy does. Which, is actually really funny- for example:

I have been trying to get her to start drinking water from a bottle or a sippy cup, and NO GO. From the look on her face you would think that I was asking her to drink something off of
Fear Factor, but lately she has really been interested in watching me drink from my regular cup so I decided to see if she would actually drink out of it...the first two times looked more like a shower than a drink, but she was actually drinking it! Now, she will let me give her small drinks from her own sippy cup- SCORE! I was almost afraid she would never want to drink water.

Example two:
She was eating potatoes for the first time...and that was an experience! She doesn't try to spit the food out, like some babies might, instead she just trys to gag it up. So here she was, trying to gag up almost every bite until I started acting like I was eating it too, that and I mixed a little MORE apple sauce with it, then it seemed like she wasn't crazy about eating it but that if Mom could do it then she could too.

So here is the real point,
from this moment on- everything matters and all acts count. She is watching, she is learning, and she is choosing how to be based on what she sees.
So what will she see from me? What will she be learning from Mommy?
Hopefully it will NOT be "How to be a couch potato", or "If I scream loud enough, I will always get my way". I not only have to be a good example in the way I act, but I also have to teach her how I expect HER to act (and NOT to act).

With my little monkey sitting beside me, I look down at her cute bald head and know that that pudgy giggle box in striped footies is well worth it. I just hope that I can make it to and through the teenage years to come...so I guess I better start training her up in the ways she should walk now.

Am I doing this right?.......

I guess that we all wonder, "Am I doing this right?" when we are in the process of raising our first child. I wonder that ALL the time, even though I research and study up and of course receive a ton of "want it or not" advice from others.

The challenge is that whenever you find a good medical study or research paper or Q&A site that they always say at the bottom, "But remember, every child develops differently and these methods may not work for your child."
That is NOT what I want to hear, I want to hear, "this will work for you and maybe even be the magic to solving all of your sleepless nights and napless days- our guarantee!"

BUT, the silver lining is that ONE piece of advice works with EVERY baby, "It gets a little better everyday." I may not have found a magic trick for putting my baby to bed or for getting her to eat her carrots instead of spitting them out, BUT everyday is a little better because I learn more about baby and about myself, oh- and I guess that the fact that baby matures more and more helps as well.

To each her own in raising her own baby, but as a community we can all kling to the hope that tomorrow can be better than today- especially if today baby screamed all afternoon :)

"By small and simple things..."

It has been wisely said that "by small and simple things do great things come to pass". I really feel that way about my life on an everyday basis. I am the kind of person that does better with goals and some kind of schedule to follow, basically because I am a procrastinator and need to create "deadlines" so to speak for myself. And actually, I think that most people are more successful when they have goals to work towards.

So anyways, I made myself a chart, or outline of things that I would like to accomplish on a weekly and daily basis.
Week 1: fantastic, almost 100% completion!
Week 2: about 50-60%, and
Week 3: OMGoodness, it's Wednesday and I forgot all about the chart!!

It all started to slip when I got out of my morning routine. One small oversight and the whole kitten caboodle starts to go down the drain. I know that 100% completion EVERY week is not highly possible, BUT I do know that I can and should be doing WAY better than I am at present...

So here goes, by the accomplishment of each small and simple thing will my greater goal slowly be reached- to become a more organized, got-it-together, zin like, stress free, don't have to freak out if company comes over at the last minute because the house is already clean, I spend time every day to further the development of my little girl MOM.

The Driven Mom CHALLENGE: try it out for yourself, you'll feel better about yourself, what you have accomplished, AND your life! :)

to be OR NOT to be...

So what does it mean to be a "good" mother...
To me I guess that it means actually growing up- hahaha!
I have always been told that I was mature for my age, and sometimes I think that that maturity held me back from fitting in more with my peers at times. Of course, there is more to being mature than simply knowing when to be serious and how to avoid stupid decisions.

Now is when I take the time to seriously look into myself and honestly try to better the flaws that I find. I have to do little things, especially in the ways that I use my time each day and try not to use it selfishly. I need to be proactive in making certain that my little girl is getting what she needs developmentally and emotionally. I don't want her to feel forgotten or ignored because I didn't feel like putting in the effort to show her more about the world.

It is MY job after all, not the job of the babysitter or teacher or preschool, to teach her and help her and guide her through her development and through her life. Right now, especially right now, I am almost solely responsible for her happiness while daddy works and mommy stays home.

The question I ask myself is,
"Am I up for the challenge and will I dig in and do the things that need to be done even when it isn't convenient, even when I am tired, and even when I would rather do something more self stimulating or interesting?"...

The answer is "YES", because if I wasn't ready before, I have to be now.



Motherhood definitively isn't a cakewalk, but it certainly is sweet! :)

A little reminder of what Easter really means...

Here is a beautiful reminder of what Easter is really about, and of what we should never forget :)

LDS.org - Family Chapter Detail - The Living Christ: The Testimony of the Apostles

Parents of Parents

I think that no one ever truly understands why parents say the things that they do until they become parents themselves. I have found that I am just as over protective as my mom was. I worry about so many possible dangers, and try to plan for millions of possibilities whenever packing the baby bag. And, although I am resigned to the fact that stuff does and will happen, it is my job to smooth as many bumps and prevent as many bruises as I can. I understand much better why it bothered Mom and Dad so much if I was late coming home, or didn't look both ways before crossing the street.

Thank you Mom and Dad for all of your patience and love! Thank you for smoothing as many bumps and preventing as many bruises as you could, but also knowing that one day it would all be up to me.

Overwhelmed by a mothers love...

I really love being a mother. I find myself in awe at the simple beauties that my daughter shows to me each and every day. One of the absolute most important things that we as people can do is to love and nurture children. When I look at my daughter, I can see why Christ said that unless we become as little children we can in nowise enter the kingdom of God. They are simple, pure, innocent, full of never ending love, and teachable if nurtured with love and patience from a young age. I learn more and more about what is really important in life everyday as I try to see the world through her eyes. I only hope that I can grow to be the mother that this beautiful baby deserves, and I thank God that He saw me worthy of such a precious and beautiful gift.

I understand that people have free will and make bad choices. I know that there are children born everyday into situations that are less than desirable, deplorable, and even abusive. But I know that God loves and watches over those children everyday. I also know that I have a responsibility to be the best I can be and to help and make a difference whenever and however I can.

We all have a responsibility to be ourselves, BUT to always be our better selves. TOO MANY think that moralistic ideals are now impossible to maintain in today's world. I want whoever is reading to know that IT CAN BE DONE. We can rise above our selves. We don't have to accept corruption, pornography, sex in EVERY aspect of advertisement and entertainment. Abstinence is possible before marriage, Fidelity is possible within marriage, happy homes where everyone eats dinner together around a table is not just for the 1950's.
Women can be nurturing stay at home moms and still stand as equal, valuable, and intelligent marriage partners and contributors to society. Less is often times more, and what is the purpose or use of all the money in the world if one is alone and has no one to trust, respect, and share with?

I love my husband, I love my daughter, and I love our Heavenly Father. I believe in God the Father, and in His son Jesus Christ, and in the Holy Ghost. I know that one person can't change the world, but I can effectively affect my own part of it, and I know that the greatest joy and happiness in life is found in doing so. Even if we don't share beliefs we can still love and respect one another. Our lives are in our hands, and because of that- so is the world and its future. Let's make it the best that we can. If only for our little children.

I CAN Survive!

So it's pretty neat that when I drive around Berlin I feel like I am finally starting to recognize the different areas and understand where in the city that I am. I grew up in a relatively small town, and was about 45min. from any large city. Living here is definitely different and has taken some getting used to, but I think that it isn't all that bad.

It is really nice to be in a place that offers so much culture and activity, if you actually go out looking for it. Of course, MOST major cities will offer similar things, but I had not lived in one until now. To go from small town to big city livin', well, it takes time to get used to hearing your neighbors stomping above you or to being jam PACKED into the subway cars- but after a time you start to feel a sense of accomplishment when you are able to "survive", so to speak, and to navigate without too much trouble.

I am becoming a Berliner. And I think that I like it.

GOTTA keep moving!

OK, so my husband has been home sick all weekend and stayed home Monday and Tuesday from work. That basically meant that he had commandeered our computer and that I was unable to complete my video project. I have also been struggling to get up the courage, or "the will" you could say, to work out again. Sometimes I will have a great workout and afterwards find myself thinking- "OK, I did really well, so that should last me the next 2 months a least, right?". WRONG. LOL!

At least ONE thing has been going well. Baby is finally getting her bedtime routine together. Bath time at 8:30pm, bedtime at 9pm- AND she is actually doing it! Sometimes it takes a little longer for her to go to sleep and actually STAY asleep, but a lot of the crying is over. The only thing now is that she sleeps for about an hour and then wakes up again. She'll go back to sleep if I fed her, I just have to be careful that I don't fall asleep with her, otherwise she ends up sleeping with me all night! OK, so I'll admit it, there seem to be a few loose ends yet to be worked out- but we're getting there. :)

One great thing I have been accomplishing more and more, little by little lately is the practice of my harp. I am not an accomplished player, but I want to be better and I can play simple things and beginning piano pieces on my harp. I want to brush up on my guitar though, too, so that Baby and I can sing song together one day- Baby plus siblings yet to come :)

At the same time I have to remember to PRIORITIZE and make sure that GERMAN study is number one (after Baby, of course)...even though I would much rather do other things. At times, I feel like a person with split personalities. One side is the little girl that would rather play all day and pretend that German didn't exist (because, you know of course that if you ignore a problem that it goes away...NOT...if only it were THAT easy), and the other part is a concerned mother that goads and scolds the child into doing what is in it's best interest (I hate that responsible side sometimes- LOL!). So, alas- I must bend to responsibility and press on as the ever motivated, or RE-motivated mother. I can't lose my DRIVE. :)

One small step for most, One sore step for me!

Well...I finally got up the nerve to workout yesterday. I ended up doing an hour of Dance Revolution. Laugh and make fun of me if you must, but try tellin' my sore thighs that it wasn't a workout! I had it on workout mode doing a program I call dance till you drop. OH MY GOODNESS, I was a stompin' maniac. I am actually getting pretty good, but that program goes through about 6 songs non-stop, 6 challenging and fast songs. That will burn about 47 (give or take) kcal. per round. BUT, my goal is 200 kcal. each session. Let's just say, I was afraid that I was going to puke at one point...sad isn't it :)

I did a stair step approach. I went through like this: easy, hard, difficult, and then easy for a cool down. WOW, I think that I will either be skinny in no time, or I will just have monster bulging thighs- not sure which yet, only time will tell.

Is it too soon for a HOORAY?

Well, it might be too soon for Hooray, but I can almost taste the victory. Last night I gave baby a bath before bed and went through our whole new bed routine and things were going really well. Bath time at 8:30pm, bed time 9pm...that's when the fun started. 9pm to 11pm was all about, "please stop crying and go to sleep".

HOWEVER, from 11pm to 1am she was sleeping soundly, and she even rolled herself onto her stomach- a first for her in bed. But, unfortunately, baby was not to blame when it came to getting back in bed with mom and dad...by the time 1am rolled around I was SOOOO tired that I caved and brought her into the bed so I could sleep. AAAAHHHHH!

It seems that this whole baby sleeping in her own bed thingy is going to require more strength of will on my part than originally thought. I have to re-train us both- LOL!

As far as my goals are coming, I have 30min. more of German to do today, need to read to the baby, read scriptures, go on a walk outside, DO LAUNDRY, and think of something nice for dinner (my husband really likes that goal- go figure!). I am shooting to publish me first German video on Monday.

L-O-N-G nights

First, I realized yesterday that I over estimated the time needed to create a decent German instruction video for youtube. I have been thinking and decided that posting one once a week would be better and more manageable, which is what this is all about, right? Trying to accomplish goals, not just to make goals, that's the point.

NOW, about last night-
WOW, getting our little girl to bed has become a REAL challenge! I will admit that PART of the problem has been jet lag. We got back last week from visiting my family in the states, so I can understand that there would be some sleep issues. But oh my goodness, it's been over a week since we got back!

As a new mother I have been diligently striving to climb the proverbial mountain and come into my own zen like state of momness. You know, it's that point at which you know everything, you always know best, and eyes grow in the back of you head. Of course, it unfortunately is a path fraught with perilous undertakings and, yes, mistakes as one learns and grows. Some days I feel like Baby and I are gaining understanding at about the same rate, then there are other days that I feel just plain dumb- lol!

Since Baby was born we have been doing the whole "Co-Sleeping" thing. I really think that whoever thought that up was a crazy person that must have ended up like our midwifes' sister-in-law who's 19yr old son STILL sleeps with her and her husband. I on the other hand will never, NEVER, do that again with my other children yet to come. I now have a four month old that only goes down for the night if she is next to mommy and allowed to suck while she falls asleep (YES, I know, another cardinal sin).

So now my husband and I are paying the price of first time parenthood and praying every night that she will PLEASE decide that tonight is the night she will sleep on her own.

We are trying to get her into a better bedtime routine, which includes a bath every night and a story before bed, as well as lavender lotion for extra soothing power :)

I was so desperate to get her into sleep mode that I even gave her a bath at 11:30pm last night. It did help, but not enough to solve the problem. So I did some research and decided that we need to get out of the house more during the day as well so that she really sees the transition from day to night more clearly. It is just sooo cold right now!! There is snow everywhere, and I hate being out much this time of year.

So that brings me to where I stand now, forced more and more into a daily schedule and routine- the only funny part is that I enjoy having an organized day, I just lack the ability to always follow through.

BUT, as a new and DRIVEN mom it is my duty to give myself a big KICK in the posterior and move along.

You can't get better at ANYTHING if you don't try to be better at SOMETHING...so one thing at a time- "baby steps" you could say :)

Goals...Step 1- a life experiment

I think that the key to success is to truly understand oneself and be honest about your individual capabilities. That doesn't mean that you have to go and blab to everyone else about your shortcomings or insecurities though- thank goodness! They can still go around thinking that you're pretty much perfect, because if you really understand what it takes for you to achieve your goals and be successful then all that everyone else on the outside will see will be you reaching your goals. HA-HA!

For me, my problem is that I dream big and can be VERY over zealous and try to accomplish 20 new goals at a time. The reality of it is, though, that I really need to master each new habit and behavior one at a time in order to truly change patterns and reach new heights.

Doing the Doggie Paddle in the Bear State

So here I am in Berlin, Germany, the bear state, and I find myself a lone Texan. My husband and I moved here to spend more time with his parents, especially since he is an only child and all. I, however, am one of three.

The real ringer is that when we moved here, I was seven months pregnant. Did I mention that I don't speak German? So now I am the new mom of a beautiful baby girl, trying to figure out all the momness that all new moms have to learn while at the same time frightened to go out into the world of sausages, sauerkraut, and chocolate alone because, OH YEAH, I don't speak German...at least not in complete sentences- which poses somewhat of a problem.

Before we moved I was always busy. I was either in school, finishing my degree, or starting my career as a teacher. Don't get me wrong, being a stay at home mom has always been a dream of mine, but it DEFINITELY takes some adjusting. It is a different life and routine. I wouldn't trade it for anything though, I love the fact that I am able to watch my daughter grow and develop each day. The real issue is what to DO with myself besides just taking care of my infant. I want to feel productive in other ways too. I want to nurture and develop my talents further. AND, I of course NEED to learn German!

I feel that most days I have barely been keeping my head above water. But, with the new year, this is as good a time as any to get my act together and achieve better balance and fulfillment in my life. I need to stay charged and fulfilled spiritually and emotionally so that I will be able to better give and share with my family, you can't give if your cup is empty and you can't give much if it's only half full. I choose to have a full cup, a cup that runneth over- so to speak.

They say that necessity is the mother of invention. I think that necessity is also the mother of sink or swim. So, for now, I find myself doing the doggie paddle in the bear state.