Fields of Gold

After Spellbound was released, my father confessed to me that he felt uneasy when I was being filmed. Even though he believed in me, he feared I would become so anxious that it would jeopardize my performance at regionals. I think I loved the attention from the filmmakers like any kid would (don’t all kids go through an “I want to be a movie star” phase?) but I never stopped to think about the situation from my father’s point of view.

I remember riding the tractor in the wheatfields with my dad before I started kindergarten. I felt so important holding onto the steering wheel with my dad.  I once told my sister that I would have fun riding a tractor nowadays while listening to my iPod.  We both laughed, but I wasn't kidding.  There is something quite therapeutic about gazing off into the vast Texas Panhandle.

Words

Words are not just words.
They are not to be uttered without care.
Words are powerful vehicles.
They have the power to give life,
And the power to destroy.
Cruel words can end a friendship,
Loving words can mend a broken relationship,
Sometimes silence is better than words.
Sometimes words are better than silence.
Words can sting,
Words can stab, inflicting tremendous pain
Words said out of love can instantly heal a festering wound.

Jiggle Berry in Amarillo, Texas

I LOVE smoothies. They are the best “fast food.”

While I was in Amarillo this weekend, I happened to drive by a smoothie establishment called Jiggle Berry. My first thought was, “What a cute name, but will the smoothies make my belly jiggle? Should I buy one or not?”


Look how happy I am waiting for my smoothie at Jiggle Berry!

I ended up buying a Blue Wave, which consisted of blueberry, coconut, vanilla, and coconut milk. I told the Jiggle Berry employee to sweeten my smoothie with Stevia, which I regret now. I think it gave my smoothie a bitter aftertaste. I also drank two ounces of wheatgrass. Even though wheatgrass is not at all pleasing to my palate, I have been drinking it ever since I read about green drinks in The 150 Healthiest Foods on Earth.

Lately I have become a nutrition Nazi with my diabetic mother.

“Mom, you should NOT eat white noodles. Do you KNOW what they will do to your blood glucose levels? You should eat the wheat kind instead. Whole grains are better for blood sugar control.”

“HOW can you eat FRIED chicken? Grilled is better for you!”

“Are you drinking enough water?”

My mother will have to forgive me for my comments. Oh, Mom, have you eaten fruits and vegetables today? Did you eat a breakfast high in fiber and protein?

Nourishing food nourishes the spirit

I used to eat junk food all the time until I realized how much it really affected me. Newton’s third law states, “For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction.” For me, this equal and opposite reaction manifests itself as an unseemly muffin top and crankiness. Even though that sugar-laden Pop-Tart brought me momentary bliss in the morning, I knew I would suffer from an inevitable sugar crash. I realized that as much as I LOVED sweets, they did not love ME back.

For the past two years, I have strived to eat better. I have grown to love lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers, olives, and bell peppers. I enjoy my cup of green tea each morning. Snacking on fruit makes me feel better than snacking on Twinkies or chocolate bars. I rarely drink carbonated beverages and truly love drinking water with lemon.

I have a family history of diabetes, so I feel better just KNOWING that I am putting something nourishing in my body.

Breakfast is hands down my favorite meal of the day. Oatmeal is my absolute breakfast food (and I don’t mean instant). I prefer McCann’s Irish Oatmeal, but I am just as satisfied with a bowl of Quaker Oats. Kashi makes a cereal called Autumn Harvest, which I absolutely love and have eaten religiously for weeks now. I almost always eat yogurt for breakfast and the occasional whole wheat toast with peanut butter.

I tried eating Greek yogurt a few weeks ago but did not like the fact that it tasted like sour cream. I will keep searching for the perfect yogurt.

I still love junk food, and I do occasionally fall off the bandwagon. Just the other day I ordered pumpkin cheesecake from Olive Garden (oh come on – they only make it in the fall). Alas, dessert, all my love for you is unrequited!

"North" Texas

This is the sign you see when you reach the Kansas state line.




This is the sign you see when you reach the Oklahoma state line.




And these are the signs you see when you reach the Texas state line.







More than one sign? What can I say? We Texans are proud of our state.

My friends in college looked at me incredulously when I told them that I had to drive to Kansas from my hometown in Texas to go to the nearest Wal-Mart.

"So you have to go through, like, three states?" one of them once asked me. Yes, except there's no "like" involved. I DO, in actuality, drive through three states.

And then my friends were really taken aback when I told them that I had to drive 120 miles to the nearest mall.

I used to smile when Dallas natives told me that they were from North Texas. My literal mind understood that the Panhandle was "north" Texas. Perryton is, after all, located on the northernmost point of the state.




I returned to my hometown to teach, so I am often asked if having to travel "so far" to Amarillo bothers me. I do live in the U.S. - we want everything instantly: fast food, music downloads on iTunes, information on Google. We want to be able to lose weight TODAY after a lifetime of eating whatever we want without exercising. I'm only human, so naturaly, I want to be able to make it to Barnes & Noble in ten minutes.

Instead of having a negative perception about having to drive two hours away, I have learned to look forward to my therapy on the road. While I listen to my favorite songs, I think about the steps that I need to take to reach my goals. I'm so thankful for music. I cannot imagine my life without it. Countless times I have pondered life-changing lyrics like: two birds on a wire - one wants to fly away and the other watches him close from that wire. Or perhaps Garth reminds me, once more, to sail my vessel until the river runs dry. Julieta Venegas sings, No se ve, pero siento que hay en mí algo que está cambiando. I have benefited greatly from my "long" drives from Perryton to Amarillo.

I have to, like, be happy wherever life takes me.

To my fellow consumerists

“The best things in life aren’t things.”
I thought about this quote as I read it on my Nook.
I drove away from Barnes & Noble in my red 2011 Honda Fit
While I listened to music from my iPhone
And the iPod my brother bought me five Christmases ago.
Why do I have an iPod AND an iPhone
You ask.

I wear my A&M class ring every day,
I panicked when I lost it for a day,
I forgot that I was using it as a bookmark.

Even though I own a Nook, I still buy books.
My mother tells me I have too many books
That I should sell them in a garage sale
Or on eBay.
But I refuse to part with my books.
Nor have I the heart to sell my drum set

I’m typing this on my Sony Vaio laptop.
Should I get an iPad or not? I wonder
No, I don’t need one. Or do I?
I dream of one day buying a house,
This past summer I wanted to buy a kayak.

The best things in life aren’t things.
We will not take our things with us
When we die.
But I admit my life would be immensely different
Without my things.

Interrogative Words in the Spanish Classroom

Spanish teachers, do you want to teach your students a catchy song to help them remember interrogative words? Buy "Hay Preguntas" on iTunes by Master A++.