Texas Living Q & A

Q: What’s the weather like?

A: Hotter than blazes. We avoid going outside unless it’s necessary. The pool water is not at all refreshing and the cold water from the kitchen sink is rather warm. One day last week I picked up Tom from football and it was 107’.

Q: Is high school football really that big a deal in TX?

A: There are about 120 guys out for football at Tom’s high school. I understand that “Friday Night Lights” is a big deal and well over 1/3 of his school is on the field in some kind of uniform … dance teams, cheerleaders, marching band, etc.. Tom’s school is on the outskirts of Waco, and many of the businesses are named after the school mascot like the Blue Cat Video Store in Cougar Village. Newspaper clippings of the team are on the walls at the Burger Barn where you can load up on all your favorite fried foods on one side and get your lawnmower repaired on the other.

Q: Have you found a church?

A: We’ve been attending a very welcoming and friendly church. It’s a new congregation with lots of young families. The worship is genuine and the band is amazing. It’s like having Carrie Underwood sing with Third Day. The message is challenging each week, but I found myself laughing at the benediction when the pastor’s Texas twang and arm motions morphed into Dana Carvey doing both President George H.W. Bush and The Church Lady.

Q: Will you be working?

A: For two days a week I’ll be a teacher at the Parents Day Out program at the church we’ve been attending. The cute young moms who interviewed me are so pleased to add “maturity” to the staff. In other words, I’m old and they are in awe that I’ve lived through tiny ones and teenagers. I also plan to substitute and hopefully get my foot in the door for a permanent teaching position.

...stay tuned for future Q&A's about Texas living.
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My Texas Top Ten

1. I love the Longhorns. The actual animal, not the University of Texas Longhorns. We see a herd of them on the way to Tom's school and they are beautiful creatures. Their pasture is pretty large so we don't see them each time we drive by. If they're not in sight, I miss them the whole day.
2. Texas Pride. It's evident everywhere, especially the local HEB grocery store where you can find tortilla chips, cheeze-its and even hunks of colby jack cheese shaped like the Lone Star State.
3. HEB - The grocery store. It's an adventure in shopping.
4. Avocados. They are less expensive and of higher quality than what I'm used to in KC.
5. The Big Texas Sky. Especially at night when there are millions of stars.
6. Turtles. Our backyard has a pond full of them.
7. The Pond in our backyard. Herons, cranes, ducks, turtles, sunrise reflections ... it's a beautiful view.
8. Emma's house. We're living in someone else's space with someone else's stuff, but it's sunny and bright and we're grateful for the provision.
9. China Spring. Our address is Waco, but we are on the outskirts of town in an unincorporated area called China Spring. It's a mixed bag of wildlife, ranches, new subdivisions, and weird old stuff. You can find a cheeseburger at McDonald's or Sonic, but there's no cottage cheese to be found at the local Dollar General. You have to go to town for that.
10. The greeting, "How ryall?" That's effeciency ... 3 words in one.