West Texas Mama

Yeah, before we get around to addressing my new-found career path, let's backtrack to how we got there.  Or here. In San Antonio.  Yep, West Texas Mama went east (and a little south) and found herself in San Antonio. On occasion I travel for work, and this was one of those times.  Nothing says fun like a conference for admissions and registrar officials.  Whoo!  Wild times ahead!  We'll discuss state legislative requirements for meningitis shots and Federal privacy requirements for educational records!  I know you are jealous, it's ok, you don't have to tell me.  I boarded the plane in good ol' Lubbock and headed southeast.  Everything was fine except for a little turbulence between Dallas and San Antonio.  Ok, maybe a lot of turbulence.  I had elected to sit in the emergency aisle and had informed the steward that there was nothing to worry about - I would make sure that door was open in an emergency.  I had deemed th...

While an eventful and exciting time for children everywhere, Halloween is downright exhausting. I worked through lunch and left the office early to go pick up the munchkins. We dashed off to their aunt’s office to transform into a very serious ninja (Jake) and a pirate willing to make you walk the plank (Emma). A quick photo shoot with their aunt and then we raced off to my office to make the rounds before it closed. The kiddos were a hit and went from cubicle to cubicle and office to office trick or treating and demonstrating their sword fighting skills. On second thought, perhaps the swords were not the best idea for the office environment. What we were thinking getting them costumes that came with swords, I do not know. Emma’s scabbard was a big as she was, and she wielded it with authority as she threatened victims with death if they did not hand over an adequate amount of candy. Jake has watched many (and I do mean MANY) PowerRanger episodes and was quite confident his mad...

   It is a well known fact that women fall into two categories:  those who are shoe addicts and those who are purse addicts.  I come from a very long line of shoe addicts.  I would most likely follow in their footsteps, however, I have abnormal feet.  No, I don't have an abnormal number of toes.  I just have very long, very skinny feet.  Imagine skis.  Put toes on the end and you have my feet.  And, lucky me, both my second and third toes are almost as long as my big toe.  I was once at a zoo and there was an impression of an ape's foot next to their area.  I held up my foot.  Let's just say that my feet would be an argument scientists might use to support the hypothesis that we are very close cousins of the ape.  They do come in handy, however, as I can pick up things with them, and I can write my name with them - both skills I know you envy.  These are not feet designed to be crammed into pretty pointy-toed sti...

     At 4:55 p.m. the skies were clear.  I left campus and headed to the daycare to pick up the munchkins.  By 5:15 we were home, and it was a little breezy, but nothing remarkable.  By 5:30 the skies were red - not dusty brown, but red.  Like fury from the sky red.  Like Marilyn Monroe's lipstick red.  You get the picture.  75 mph winds pummeled the house.  We hurriedly got the dog in lest the fence blow down, and Rocky go airborne, never to be seen again.      Folks, I've lived in West Texas for a LONG time.  I've never seen anything like it.  Neither had most others.  Reports are that if you weren't alive in the Dust Bowl, you've never seen it.  Apparently this is common in Saudi Arabia, and there, wind gusts of 30 - 40 mph will gather up a wall of dust.  You've probably seen it in the movies, or perhaps in Iraqi war coverage - it tumbles and boils and roils and picks up both sp...

                El Hubbo and my concert-going history is quite extensive.   I worked for an organization that paid me to help put on 20 a year for 7 years.   I’ve seen a lot of acts, in many different genres, and therefore it takes quite a bit for a show to impress me.   When we heard Taylor Swift was coming, I was intrigued not because I am a huge fan of her music, but more because I had heard that she put on quite a show.                   We decided we would take the kids because we figured Taylor Swift should be family-friendly.   This was an expensive risk, as we had no idea if the noise of the concert would be well-received by the munchkins or not.                   We parked the car and started the hike to the arena along ...

     Recently, Muzzy and Oso taught their darling grandchildren the Slugbug Game.   Yep, the same people who used to light up my and my sister’s hineys for slugging each other just taught their grandchildren to play a game historically known for its celebration of violence.      (If you are unfamiliar with this game, in the original version, should you spot a Volkswagon Bug car, you shout out "slugbug!" and hit or "slug" whomever you are with.  It's great family fun and a perfect example of Americana.  Or something like that.)      In an effort to minimize the odds of Jake or Emma being kicked out of school for fighting, we’ve modified the game to just calling out “Slugbug!” and the color.   Emma, pretty girl that she is, claims every slugbug that everyone else sees as her own.   Jake has decided that spotting slugbugs should be a team sport – and whomever is ahead is automatically on his team. ...

     Working in the education industry, one interacts a lot with parents and children.  El Hubbo and I have NUMEROUS stories - some humorous, some sad, some downright ridiculous.  We were both, fortunately, raised by parents who encouraged our independence.  Today's child is more often coddled and protected by fierce "helicopter parents".       I have decided I want my own club.   The Survival of the Fittest Child Rearing Club.    To earn membership, you must demonstrate the ability to allow your children to (1)learn from failure, (2) experience the glories of dirt, and (3) earn their keep around the house.       Learning from failure may include watching your child fall down concrete steps at a softball game.  If you can look at your child, quickly assess that there are no broken bones and only minimal blood, and say, "Ah, brush it off.  There's ...