Return to school

As I went to bed last night, I was convinced that I broke my foot and would be spending today at the doctor's office. Such was the reason that Kenny opted to dismiss 10 hours of OT and stay home to help me out. Being the wonderful husband that he is, he even took over the morning ritual to allow me some extra zzz's.

When I finally roused from my slumber, I was relieved to find that my foot was in much better shape than what I suspected it would be. After putting some weight on it without any mishaps, I knew that my day wouldn't be so bad after all. So when Kenny told me that Jason requested that I come to his book fair at school, I was in. More so, I thought it would be a nice surprise if I also brought along lunch and joined him with his friends. Sounded like a good plan, so that's just what I did.

It's the first time that I've had lunch with Jason at school; something that he has invited me to several times. As I arrived with lunch in hand, I was thrilled to see the look on his face. It was evident that he was proud to have me there...something that I'm sure will fade in another few years. Note to self: must remember to enjoy these moments while they last.

I'm sure that one of the reasons that he was so proud to have me there was due to the fact that he automatically became Mr. Popular. It seemed as though every student in his class asked to be selected as his "lunch buddy". (When a student has a parent come in for lunch, they can invite 2 other students to join them.) To ward off any hurt feelings, I decided that I'd sit at the main lunch table allowing as many of Jason's friends to sit with us as possible.




I admit that as we all settled in and my eyes began to dart around the lunch table, I started to label those whom I thought would in a few short years blossom into the popular ones, the class clowns, the wall flowers, the outcasts, the brainiacs and the jocks. I know what you're thinking; and you don't have to tell me how politically incorrect I am to classify a group of 6 & 7 year olds based on my own life experiences. Yes, I am shallow.

However, the kids didn't do anything of the sort. It's funny; at this age, they don't see color or financial class or any of the other knee jerk stereotypes that so many adults do. They just accept their classmates and others around them based on character. For example, more than one child confided in me regarding their dislike for a particular classmate. Their reason for their disdain: he calls others nasty names and hits people. And once again, I am judging this poor kid as abused, neglected and on the road to trouble. How I long for the innocence of a child and to quiet my own voices of judgement and jade.

Once I was able to put myself in check, I started to notice things beyond our lunch table. And I've come to the realization that not much has changed since I was in grade school. There is still a crabby lunch lady with smoker's lines in her face. Kids still trade the contents of their lunch. They still knowingly push the boundaries with the substitute teacher. Recess goes by way too fast and there are still boogers under the desks.

After spending a few dollars at the book fair and sitting in on Jason's music class, I decided it was time for me to head home. As I left, I noticed (mostly by odor) the older classes who had began to line the halls with their presence. They were there to welcome a returning 4th grade class who had spent the day at some sort of academic contest. The faculty wanted to give them a hero's welcome, which I thought was a very nice gesture. As I exited the main campus door, I could hear Kool & The Gang singing "Celebration" as the 4th grade class returned through another door. "Celebrate good times....come on, let's celebrate!". Yes indeed, these are the days to celebrate. I wonder if these kids know that.

That was CLOSE!!!

I never knew what real weather was until we moved here to Texas. It rains BIG rain drops here. It hails BIG hail balls here. The wind blows HARD here. Heck, it has even snowed since I've been here. Tornados you ask? Yep, we got 'em!

I use to wonder how photographers were able to capture images of lightning. "How do they know where to aim their cameras?", I'd often wonder. Well, I now know that when a thunder and lightning storm comes through where there is real weather, it's not hard to find a lightning bolt. They're EVERYWHERE....and they strike OFTEN, which brings me to the reason that I post tonight.

Earlier today as Jason and Dallas played in the front room, I decided that I could no longer put off vacuuming the house. The dogs had been indoors all day due to the storms and their fur was shedding off onto the already disgusting carpet. So, I whipped out the Dyson and began the process.

As I neared the living room back door, I had the strangest experience that I still can't explain. At first, I thought that the vacuum had malfunctioned and that I was being electrocuted by it. Why else would my vision get blinded by shades of red, white, red and then white again? I could see nothing else...just red, white, red and white again; like I was looking at the back of my eyelids and had those colors flash before me. That experience lasted about 1/20th of a second. The next thing I know, the house is shaking and the deafening sounds of a lightning bolt making contact with earth rings in my ears.

If I had time to process what had just happened, I might have actually freaked out. Instead however, I found myself laughing out loud.

No sooner had I turned around when I saw Jason and Dallas running toward me from the other room. They are both wearing nothing but their underwear and are screaming at the top of their lungs with pure fright in their eyes. As Jason got closer, I realized that his speed was not decreasing! Next thing I know, he has Scooby-Doo jumped into my arms...literally.

I can't pry him off of me for anything. All the while, Dallas wears a mixed look of confusion and fear on his face. He looks to Jason for guidance as to how to react to what has just happened. As you can imagine, it wasn't long before they were both in need of some major reassurance from their dear ol' mommy.

When I finally was able to pry Jason off of my body, I saw that he had lost all color. No exaggeration; he was white as a sheet. Yes, even whiter than what he normally is. Once again, I broke into laughter, which was probably the best thing for everyone. Mind you, it was a nervous laugh, but we all laughed just the same.

I still don't know how close that lightning bolt actually came to us. I wouldn't be surprised if it was within 100 yards of our house if not right on top of us. It certainly was a sobering wake up call to the pure power of that energy and the even mightier, astounding, unfathomable power of whom it was created by.

Remind me again

It's been one of those days where I could go on and on about everything that is not going my way. Believe me, I've got plenty to choose from.... Our Reno house....my feelings of inadequacy as a mother and wife....the dog; oh that dog and his behavior issues....the number of hours that Kenny has worked because of the stinking house in Reno....the list goes on and on and on.

Up until about 7:00pm this evening, that was just what I had planned on doing. I was going to plop down on my size 12 backside (yes, STILL) and vent via this blog. That's what I created it for; to be transparent and real and honest and to have an outlet for my every thought.

But then the lights went down and the curtain came up....and I heard the most beautiful sounds coming out of 70 first graders.

Tonight was the First Grade Performance for Jason's school. They performed a short musical based on farm animals and a pesky rooster who was a prompt and very consistent cock-a-doo-da-doodler.

Jason was a sheep.

And just like that, the worries of my day faded away. For 30 minutes, my precious son had my utmost attention and I drank in every second.

Kenny leans over and whispers in my ear, "Welcome to the next phase of our parenting life."

Next thing I know, I'm reminiscing over the last 6 years of my life and my heart swells with love.

Suddenly, the worries of my day don't seem so bad. My batteries are recharged and I feel as if I can make it through another day or thousand.

I'm so glad God blessed us with children. They have a way of bringing everything into perspective and teaching us what the truly important things in life are all about.

Tonight, I go to sleep knowing that even in the midst of chaos and disorder, I am still blessed beyond measure.

Strictly For The Photography Nerds

Lately, I've been entertaining the idea of purchasing another lens for my Canon 30D. The 24-70mm lens that I have now is mostly for portraiture work. It's a killer lens, but doesn't zoom in close enough to capture shots where I'm forced to be away from the action. Since the boys play so much baseball, I thought it might be fun to have a telephoto lens so that I could capture the facial expressions that go unnoticed when I use my 24-70mm.

In steps Arlington Camera and their wonderful rental options. Instead of dropping $1400 for a lens that I'm not 100% sure that I'm ready to commit to, I opted to rent one for the entire weekend. For less than $40, I picked up the lens Friday evening and headed off to meet my family at the Rangers/A's game.

Our seats for the game were out in the bleachers. That would be far enough away for me to test out the 100-400mm lens that I rented. And I'm sure that you can't tell it from this snapshot, but the lens brought the action right to me. After viewing the pictures on my laptop, I would have never thought that the images were taken from well over 400 feet away.

I was impressed enough after the MLB game, but couldn't believe my eyes after I uploaded the images that I snapped yesterday at Jason & Dallas' Little League game. I've uploaded a few of my favorites here.

This lens allowed me to stay far enough away to remain unthreatening and unnoticed, yet still capture the facial expressions and detail that I absolutely love to see in photographs. If I can zoom in and not have the detail of eyelashes distorted, I know I've captured a great shot. This lens allowed me to do just that at a distance that I've never shot from. I'm obviously giddy over this lens.

All in all, I think I've taken about 600 pictures in the last 36 hours. My right forearm feels like it's been through a meat grinder. But who's complaining? It's been well worth it.

As much as I have enjoyed playing with this rented toy, I think I'll give one other model a test run before I purchase anything. The speed that the 70-200mm lens offers might be worth sacrificing the reduction in zoom capability. It's much faster and will allow me to shoot in lower light like my 24-70mm does.

When I rent that lens, I'll post some pictures from it as well....and won't bore anyone who reads this with all the nerdy details that I've included in this post.

Street Fight

I remember seeing Cory Booker, current Mayor of Newark, NJ on Oprah a few months ago. I was immediately impressed with him when he admitted to living in Brick Towers, a public housing project in Newark's Central Ward. I thought, "What did he just say? He's the Mayor and he lives in the projects?!?"

He said that he lived in Brick Towers so that he could understand the struggles that his constituents faced on a daily basis. WOW, talk about putting your money where your mouth is!

Rewind to 2002. Ivy league graduate & Rhodes Scholar, Cory Booker, attempts to topple Sharpe James for the right to be Newark's next Mayor. No easy task considering that James has claimed that title for the last 16 years.

This film documents the battle that ensues between the two camps. Booker is a newcomer with a passion for change and determination that will not cease. Sharpe has veteran status and political muscle. He also has the ability and willingness to deploy tactics that I believed to only occur in Communistic societies. To say that I was floored by Sharpe's political manhandling would be an understatement. Several times throughout the film, I murmured to myself, "This is America! How can that happen?"

I enjoyed this film tremendously, not for entertainment value, but because it gives me hope that there are still politicians out there with passion, integrity and a sense of duty to the people. So often in the past, I have associated the word "politician" with the likes of, "snake, crook, puppet, liar, dirtbag, out of touch, for purchase." When going to the polls, I have often voted for the lesser of two evils and then departed with a hopeless feeling.

Knowing that there are Cory Bookers and Barack Obamas out there injects in me a hope for our country. We need more politicians with their passion, their willingness to change the status quo and their determination to truly represent what the people of this country desperately need.

It's More Than Just Imus

Not to take away from the idiotic comment that Don Imus, that wrinkled old cracker made, but here's an interesting article that I came across. It's the thought provoking type of debate that I enjoy and causes me to sit down to ponder more than just what is on the surface. I've always believed that from the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks. That applies to Imus, to Shaun Powell, to hip-hop artists, to politicians, to mothers and fathers....it's just one of the absolute truths that exist. Anyway, I can't say that I completely agree with everything that Mr. Powell has written, but I enjoyed reading his editorial nonetheless.

Written by Shaun Powell, Newsday.com

In retrospect, outraged people shouldn't have united and screamed "blank you" to Don Imus the last few days. No, instead, we should've stuck out our hand and said, "Thank you."We should feel indebted to a shriveled, unfunny, insensitive frog for being so ignorant that he actually did us all a favor. He woke society the hell up. He grabbed it by the throat, shook hard and ordered us to take a long, critical look at ourselves and the mess we've made and ignored for much too long. He made us examine the culture and the characters we've created for ourselves, our impressionable young people and our future.

Had Imus not called a bunch of proud and innocent young women "nappy-headed hos," would we be as ashamed of what we see as we are today?

Or, to quote Rutgers coach C. Vivian Stringer: "Have we really lost our moral fiber?"

And our minds as well?

I'm not sure if the last few days will serve as a watershed moment for this MTV, middle-finger, screw-you generation. Probably not, according to my hunch. A short time from now, the hysteria will turn to vapor, folks will settle back into their routines, somebody will pump up the volume on the latest poison produced by hip-hop while Al Sharpton and the other racial ambulance chasers will find other guilt-ridden white folks to shake for fame and cash. In five minutes, the entire episode of Imus and his strange idea of humor will be older than his hairstyle. Lessons learned will be lessons forgotten.

I wish I were wrong about that last part. But I doubt it, because any minute now, black people will resume calling themselves bitches and hos and the N-word and in the ultimate sign of hypocrisy, neither Rutgers nor anyone else will call a news conference about that.

Because when we really get to the root of the problem, this isn't about Imus. This is about a culture we -- meaning black folks -- created and condoned and packaged for white power brokers to sell and shock jocks like Imus to exploit. Can we talk?

Tell me: Where did an old white guy like Imus learn the word "ho"?Was that always part of his vocabulary? Or did he borrow it from Jay-Z and Dave Chappelle and Snoop Dogg?

What really disappointed me about that exhausting Rutgers news conference, which was slyly used as a recruiting pitch by Stringer, was the absence of the truth and the lack of backbone and courage. Black women had the perfect opportunity to lash out at their most dangerous oppressors -- black men -- and yet they kept the focus on a white guy.

It was a tremendous letdown for me, personally and professionally. I wanted Stringer, and especially her players, many of whom listen to rap and hip-hop, to take Nelly to task. Or BET. Or MTV. Or the gangsta culture that is suffocating our kids. They had the ear and eye of the nation trained upon them, and yet these women didn't get to the point and the root of the matter. They danced around it, and I guess I should've known better, because black people still refuse to lash out against those black people who are doing harm to us all.

Honestly, I wasn't holding my breath for Sharpton or Jesse Jackson, a pair of phony and self-appointed leaders, because they have their agendas and financial stakes. I was hoping 10 young women, who have nothing on the line, who are members of a young culture, would train their attention to within the race, name names and say enough is enough. But they didn't, and I was crushed.

You should walk around the playground and the elementary and high schools today and listen to how young black people speak to each other, treat each other and tease each other. You'd be ashamed. Next, sample some of their CDs and look at the video games they're playing. And while you're at it, blame yourself for funding this garbage, for allowing your kids to support these companies and for not taking a stand against it or the so-called artists making it happen.

Black folks, for whatever reason, can be their own worst enemy. The last several days, the media had us believe it was Don Imus. But deep down, we know better.

Friday the 13th

We had quite the storm rip through the DFW area last night. This image is of the hail that was coming down in parts of the metroplex. (Hail on left, baseball for comparison on right.) Luckily, we escaped that lovely aspect of the storm.

We were actually in the storm's path last night. The boys had a baseball game in West Fort Worth as the storm began to roll into the Metroplex. Obviously, the game was called once the monsoon hit. I don't think anyone even waited for official word....once the downpour of rain came, everyone just scattered like roaches when the lights come on.

As we were heading home, tornado warnings began to surface. The weird thing was the fact that we had "rain-wraps" where apparently the rain swirling around in the storm clouds made it more difficult to determine what the circular movement in the clouds was. I don't know...sounds like the news doing their best to sensationalize everything once again.

At one point, we were only a couple of miles away from where a tornado touched down. Luckily, as the storm headed NW, we headed due north toward our home. All the while, I sat there dumbfounded at the fact that the new homebuilders out here don't include a basement option. I've learned that in fact, we are in Tornado Alley (wish I knew this before we decided to make the relocation). I suppose it's a matter of everyone's willingness to roll the dice and believe that the likes of yesterday's storm will be few and far between.

I suppose it could have been worse. One year ago....the very first weekend we officially called Texas our home, the tornado sirens were blaring and reports were coming in of softball sized hail heading toward us. Not quite the welcome to Texas I was hoping for.

All in all, the most we suffered is the boys game getting cancelled and our clothes getting drenched. It could have been much worse. Sadly, a police officer lost his life yesterday due to the storm. So, we count our blessings as a family and pray for better weather today.

Brain Drain Post

I've been browsing my friend's blog trying to catch up on where his life has taken him and came across this entry. I thought it was a fun post so here it is again with all new answers....

10 Favorites
Favorite Season: Fall
Favorite Color: Depends on my mood
Favorite Time: When Kenny gets home from work
Favorite Food: Tacos
Favorite Drink: Kahlua & Cream or Michelob Ultra
Favorite Ice Cream: Chunky Monkey
Favorite Place: My bed
Favorite Sport: Softball (to play)
Favorite Actor: Don't have one. I appreciate it when an actor has a superb performance, but I don't have a favorite. I do believe that Tom Hanks consistently has put out great performances. Also like Leonardo Di Caprio, Johnny Depp, Dustin Hoffman, Anthony Hopkins.
Favorite Actress: Same as above. I just watched Sophie's Choice and was BLOWN AWAY by Meryl Streep's performance. I also loved Sally Field in Steel Magnolia's, Sandra Bullock in Hope Floats, Marlee Matlin in Children of a Lesser God....so many great performances by actors & actresses alike....too many to list here.

9 Currents
Current Feeling: Drained
Current Drink: None
Current Time: 23:07
Current Show on TV: Something on the History channel
Current Mobile Used: Samsung phone; pink
Current Windows Open: This blog
Current Underwear: Hanes string bikinni
Current Clothes: Camisole and pj pants
Current Thought: I'm glad Kenny is home and wish he weren't working tomorrow so that we could spend some much needed time together

8 Firsts
First Nickname: Punkin (my dad called me this) and Sugar-Babe (my grandparents called me this)
First Kiss: Jeremy somebody or another. It was a blind date. I chewed gum the whole time hoping that he wouldn't want to kiss me. It didn't work....and it was gross.
First Crush: My babysitter's body building husband. I don't remember his name, but I remember his body....hubba, hubba!
First Best Friend: Angela Warwick, 3rd grade.
First Vehicle I Drove: Toyota Corona station wagon, baby...yeah! It was known as the "Cool Corona".
First Job: Thrifty Drug Store...I was the ice cream scooper back when a single dip was .35 cents.
First Date: Junior Prom with Josh Lance. He wanted to kiss me too, but I chickened out.
First Pet: My cat, Goofus. We had other family pets, but I claimed Goofus as my own when I was around 7 years old.

7 Lasts
Last Drink: Coke Zero
Last Kiss: My hubby as he headed to work.
Last Meal: Cherrios (1/2 regular and 1/2 Honey Nut) in 1% milk.
Last Web Site Visited: American Heart Association
Last Movie Watched: Sophie's Choice
Last Phone Call: My mother-in-law to let me know that her dog finally came back inside and it only cost her $5 to pay off the neighborhood kids chasing him.
Last TV Show Watched: Boston Legal

6 Have You Evers
Have You Ever Broken the Law: Yes.
Have You Ever Been Drunk: Yes
Have You Ever Kissed Someone You Didn't Know: No...oh wait a minute, yes I have. But it was only a peck on the lips.
Have You Ever Been in the Middle/Close to Gunfire: No.
Have You Ever Skinny Dipped: Come to think of it, I have not. I'm going to have to work on that one for sure!
Have You Ever Broken Anyones Heart: I don't believe so. I know that I've been hurtful to some people, but "broken" their heart....no.

5 Things
Things You Can Hear Right Now: The dogs breathing, Keegan's sound machine and the tapping of the keys on my laptop.
Things You Ate Today: Mexican concoction, taquitos, cereal
Things You Can't Live Without: My salvation, my husband, my 3 children
Things You Do When You Are Bored: Browse the internet, read, watch my Tivo recordings

4 Places You Have Been Today: My mother-in-law's house, the dentist office for a cleaning, Jason's school, the gas station on 287.

3 Things On Your Desk Right Now: Dust, unfiled paperwork, the stapler that I threw at Kenny 2 days ago for saying that I sit on my butt and eat bon-bon's all day. He thought that was funny.

2 Choices
Black or White: Black
Hot or Cold Weather: Cold

1 Place You Want To Visit: New England area in the Fall

Sell...sell...sell

Sesame Street is entertaining Keegan so I guess it's a good time to blog. Since I've been limited to my laptop access for the last week, I've got a few things that I'd like to write about. So...let me pick one....um....let's talk about the house.

Our house in Reno is back on the market. This job transfer to Texas couldn't have happened at a worse time when it comes to real estate. A year and a half ago, our model in our neighborhood was going for $60k more than what we have it on the market for today. I can live with that. There is still plenty of profit for us in what we have it listed for. The problem is that it isn't selling.

A year ago, we put it on the market. It stayed there for 6 months without one offer. We were competitively priced, but in a saturated market. After 6 months, we had no other option but to rent it out. That situation didn't turn out so well...and is quite honestly worthy of another blog post on the value of keeping one's word.

Two days ago, our realtor called to let us know that by this weekend, we may have our first offer. Although it sounds very promising, I am trying to not get my hopes up. However, that is extrememly difficult.

Having our house remain unsold makes us question whether or not we made the right decision in coming here. If it would just sell, our family could get on with our life here in Texas. Kenny wouldn't have to worry about gobbling up every overtime hour that is offered....the boys could participate in customizing their own room and backyard play area....I guess we're all just looking for some closure and reassurance that our relocation was the right thing. So far, it feels less than right. And I believe that the emotional weight of still owning our house in Reno is one of the reasons that we feel like square pegs here....and I'm tired of feeling that way. In fact, I don't wrestle with the emotions of this relocation as much today as I did in 2006. I finally feel like Texas can be a great place for us if we'll just let it be so. But until our house in Reno sells, I know the uncertainty of our decision will loom over our heads.

Deep down, I'm hoping that by Monday I'll be able to post the good news of an acceptable offer. I'm ready to move forward but feel helplessly paralized until that house sells. It's hard to lay down roots when they're still grounded in another state. Here's hoping for a successful tug.

Family Visit

I just returned from dropping my parents and grandmother off at the airport here at DFW. They have been visiting us here for the last week. I'm sure that as I drove off, they sighed a breath of relief. Just as their anticipation increased as the time to arrive came closer, I'm certain that they were more than ready to get back on the plane to head home to the familiarities of Medford. One full week of experiencing the organized chaos that we live day in and day out was 6 days too many for them, I'm sure.

It's funny to look back on the week. There are so many simularities when it comes to family driving family nuts. As my grandmother came so very close to driving my mother past the line of sanity, I found myself approaching that same line a few times during the last week. It must be due to the fact that we know our family so well and can almost anticipate their next move. We know all of their habits, their verbal phrases, their demeanor...everything. In my experience, after day 3 of a visit, those very things can become like Chinese water torture if you let them.

Not so when friends visit. I guess we let more things slide with those that we are not as close to. But family.....why is it that we long so much to be with them when they are away and then want to scream at the top of our lungs when they do the very things that make them who they are? I was certain that my mother was going to lunge at my grandmother during a particular episode this last week. Yet I also know that my mother would go to the ends of the earth for her. We are a funny people, indeed.

I guess the bottom line is that no matter how many times our family drives us batty, we are always able to disregard their minor offense and see in them the best of who they are. They are, after all, our blood....the only ones we have. They give us life and breath and recharge us even when it seems as though they are wearing us down.

I wouldn't trade this last week with my family for anything. I already miss them and look forward to the summer when we can all drive each other nuts again.

Don't Mess With Texas

One of the very first things that baffled me when we begrudgingly moved to Texas was the pride that most Texans had regarding their home state. You see it everywhere, "Don't Mess With Texas" bumper stickers...HUGE lone stars adorning houses...Texas flag colored clothing and hood ornaments...the list goes on and on and on. Literally, Texas pride is EVERYWHERE! Good grief, they've even got a professional football team named after them; the Houston TEXANS. As if being a Texan is something in and of itself that should be regarded with grand respect. You'd think that the sun rises and sets for this State alone.


Don't get me wrong, Texas is a decent place. The schools are phenomenal, the people appear to be friendlier than most you encounter in California, housing prices are very affordable, and where else will you find families that deepen their bond with one another through their frenzied obsession with Friday night high school football? Yet, I still am caught up in amusement over the pride...the Texas pride.

I believe that it starts early...they must brain wash their young from the very beginning. How else could any human being deny such simple facts like: Whataburger is NOT better than In-N-Out Burger. It doesn't even come close....not even a smidget. And landscape beauty....I hate to tell you, but Texas doesn't compare to the slices of heaven known as:

• Whidbey Island, Washington
• Lithia Park in Ashland, OR
• Lake Tahoe, CA/NV
• Any city along the northern CA/OR coastline
• Sierra Nevadas
• City of San Francisco
• Puget Sound, Washington
• Heck, even the populous city of Bieber, CA

These are just a few of the areas that I've been to personally that cast a dark shadow on the conspiracy theory that Texas is the state above all states. I don't know if Texans are in denial or just plain stupid. Whatever the reason is, I don't get it. The sense of pride that oozes from these creatures is downright spooky. Needless to say, I don't let my children drink the water here.

I guess my attitude is so sour simple because I never truly wanted to come here in the first place. It's humid, the bugs are larger and more rampant, people have a funny accent which inevitably my children will pick up. And try as I might, my negative attitude shatters any good that might surround me regarding this state. As I confessed to my husband yesterday, I guess I am just hard to impress. I've seen some of the most spectacular views in this country...and Texas doesn't have any of them. So when I hear of a beautiful waterfall area in a "mountain range" just north of where we live...and I take the day to surprise my family with a drive to such place, I expect to see this...
or this....

I do not, however, expect to see THIS.....

Keep in mind, this picture is very flattering....the water actually seems clean displayed here unlike the true poop brown color that it was yesterday.

So call me hard to impress. I'm fine with that. I know where I've seen true beauty and I know what parts of the country truly have the right to puff out their chests with pride. And for this outdoors-woman and lover of landscape beauty, Texas ain't one of 'em.