Let me tell you what I want, what I really, really want

all natural, gluten free, probiotic, rBGH free

I couldn't resist the Spice Girls reference.  I love the 90s.

I love health food stores like Natural Grocers in Amarillo.  I really miss Whole Foods from the time I lived in Houston, but I am glad to have found this haven for picky eaters in the Texas Panhandle.  I recently discovered Noosa yogurt (apparently they spell it yoghurt); I will never go back to Yoplait or Activia or those other yogurt wannabes.  My favorite is the raspberry even though THREE cashiers have recommended the Strawberry Rhubarb (I'm not a fan).

I want to visit these "happy" cows in Colorado sometime.  Are they really happy or is this some marketing ploy?  How do they measure the happiness of these cows?



Even though I have stayed away from granola in the past due to its high calorie content, I recently decided to spice up my life (or perhaps the word 'sprinkle' is more appropriate here) with Udi's Au Naturel granola.  I thought, "Why not?  Just watch your portions, Angela."

EXQUISITE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

What will I discover next?!

Not a Dairy Queen blizzard

Does it snow in Texas?  It does where I currently live.  I believe this is my first time to experience a blizzard other than the ones I've eaten from Dairy Queen.  I tried to make a sled from stuff around the apartment, and then it occurred to me that a trash bag might work.  Perhaps I am rebelling because my parents never let me play in the snow as a kid.

As I stepped outside and felt the snow slap me in the face, I could hear my mom's voice: "Go back inside!  You don't want to get sick.  I knew what I was doing when I raised you!"  Of course, the voice was in Spanish so she REALLY meant business.

I obeyed.  No trash bag sledding for me today.

My bike - I think I will need some WD-40

Why I love skiing

Here I am actually blogging instead of merely thinking about blogging.  This morning I thought, "I haven't updated my blog in a long time.  Perhaps I can blog about the fish oil I love so much (Nordic Naturals Ultimate Omega) or my favorite Kashi cereal or the probiotics I'm taking and amazing Alive multivitamin, but who wants to read about THAT?  Or maybe I can take a stroll down memory lane and talk about the spelling bee.  What about my future goals?  Dare I admit that I like the latest JUSTIN BIEBER song?"

Today I was thinking about my first time to ski in Winter Park, Colorado.  I was on a band trip as a freshman in high school.  It was the year 2000, and I was obsessed with 'N Sync's Bye Bye Bye.

I fell down relentlessly those first two days.  Adding to my frustration was the fact I had a difficult time getting up each time I fell.  The second day, when I could finally stay on top of my skis, I lost control.  This was before I understood the importance of snowplowing, of course. I learned why I should NOT keep my skis parallel even though cartoon figures were depicted doing this all the time.

I began zooming recklessly down the mountain, dodging people, trees, and an early death.  As I wondered if the pancakes I ate that morning were the last pancakes I would ever eat, it occurred to me that I would have to force myself to fall if I wanted the madness to end.  When I knew I wasn't in another skier's way, I made myself fall to the side.  Luckily, I survived my fall unscathed but humiliated.  I hoped no one had seen me skiing down the slope like a maniac.

A few hours later some of my classmates praised me for my "natural" skiing abilities.

"Angela, we saw you from the ski lift!  You were going down that mountain so fast!"

"Yeah, there's nothing to it," I gloated.  They didn't have to know, ahem, the truth.

The third day I was ready to give up.  A friend talked me into giving it another chance because "the third time's a charm."  He was right.  The third day it all clicked.  I understood the importance of snowplowing.  I was able to stop when I wanted to stop and to turn when I wanted to turn.

Looking back, I am glad I did not give up on skiing altogether.  I also realized that in the beginning there I was, out of control and intentionally subjecting myself to all this pain.  But I felt so alive.

Skiing helped me see the beauty behind taking risks.

I must ski again soon.

Gratitude Post #1

I am thankful for

1.  sunshine - Exposure to sunlight makes me feel so much better if I'm feeling a bit down or lethargic.

2.  American-style breakfast - This makes me so incredibly happy.  I recently went to Le Peep in Dallas and Magnolia Cafe in Austin.  Calico County in Amarillo is my favorite.  I especially love oatmeal, scrambled eggs, fruit, and wheat toast.  Perhaps I am just my father's daughter.  He loves to eat, too!  In recent years I've cut back on unhealthy foods and drinks. 

3.  music - I cannot imagine my life without it.  Starships, anyone?  Don't get me started on Call Me Maybe.  

4. Nordic Naturals Fish Oil - FABULOUS.  I have tried "cheaper" brands from Walmart and Walgreens.  I am willing to pay extra money for extra quality.

5.  I must mention oatmeal again.  On a recent trip to Austin, I took a picture of my oatmeal at Magnolia Cafe.  Did I just admit that?  No breakfast food makes me happier!

Eat me!

Go Team USA!

I love watching Olympic swimming.  I remember watching Michael Phelps win eight gold medals like it was yesterday.  Now I'm rooting for him to break the record for the most medals by a single Olympic athlete.  Go, Phelps! 

I am especially glad that 17-year-old Missy Franklin from Colorado won the gold yesterday in the women's 100m backstroke.  She was born the year songs like "Run Around" by Blues Traveler and "Kiss from a Rose" by Seal were billboard hits.  That's also the year Pocahontas was released in theaters. No, that doesn't make me feel old.  You go, girl!

Jackson Domino Arenivar, where are you?

Isn't Jackson photogenic?

I don't know if my cat is dead or alive.  He has been missing since Thursday.  His pet ID tag reads Jackson and has my phone number engraved on it.  Cat thief, if you're reading my blog, bring him back to me.

I adopted Jackson from a cat shelter in Houston.  He traveled 636.59 miles with me when I moved from Houston back to my hometown.  Not once did he meow or growl or hiss.  Nor did he relieve his bladder the whole way home.  He once fell off my second-floor balcony in Houston and survived uninjured.

I hope he's doing okay wherever he is.  Please give him Whiskas Temptations savory salmon cat treats if you see him.

On a more positive note, today I downloaded Jeannette Walls' The Glass Castle: A Memoir on my Nook.  I absolutely love her descriptive writing style and her ability to make me feel what she's feeling.  More updates about my enjoyment of this true-life novel later.

Come home soon, Jackson!

Priceless

Why I love to travel

Perhaps it is because I see life outside of my own microcosm.

There is always life elsewhere,

Varying perspectives,

Multiple languages,

Different horizons from the ones I have traversed,

And if there are so many perspectives

Maybe I can adopt another as my own,

Or an amalgam of many.

My own problems

Seem insignificant

Compared to walking down the cobbled streets of Toledo, Spain,

Compared to meeting friends for coffee at the Plaza Mayor in Salamanca,

Compared to the whitewashed buildings of Vejer de la Frontera,

Compared to riding the AVE at 193 mph,

Compared to learning words particular to Spain like zumo and melocotón,

My life is enriched by

Having a minute to reflect on atrocities from our past at the Holocaust Memorial Museum,

Riding on the Autobahn in Germany,

Attending an Aggie Muster in Stuttgart,

Eating crème brûlée for the first time in Strasbourg, France,

Meeting wonderful people everywhere,

Seeing Taipei 101 in person,

Ordering food in Chinese,

Flying in an airplane for the first time to go to the National Spelling Bee in D.C.,

Witnessing the beauty of the Grand Canyon in Arizona and Copper Canyon in Mexico,

Skiing for the first time in Winter Park, Colorado (falling so much the first day),

Skiing down the Poconos,

Walking through the Country Music Hall of Fame in Nashville,

Seeing Santa Fe and San Antonio with my parents,

Renting a kayak with my sister in Austin,

Getting to see the Texas Piney Woods region for the first time by attending Camp e=mc² in Tyler, Texas.

I love boarding the plane and flying away.

Next stop: who knows?

I wanted to add “Priceless” at the end of each reflection like on the MasterCard commercials.