Last minute adjustments.

Since this is what is happening in San Antonio……..

….we made a slight change of plans……..

We fly out tomorrow afternoon! We are waiting to buy our tickets at the gate so if you happen to have free passes that you would like to donate to the “Second Honeymoon/First Vacation for Mike and Natalie” event, there is still plenty of time!!!! Woo hoo!

"V" for Vacation

Mike and I have never been on a real vacation. We went on a marriage retreat once, but all the meetings were planned and we were around a bunch of people we half knew, so I don’t really count that.

We are leaving Saturday for San Antonio. After spending several days discussing plans, we decided to not make plans. I’m looking forward to several days of nothing but exploring.

Tomorrow is a kind of vacation kick off. We are driving south of Austin, picking up the new helicopter, flying to Tyler, hanging out there for a few hours while the mechanic looks it over, then flying it back to Brownwood.

What did you do for your last vacation?

Walmart Snob

I had to go shopping yesterday. “Going shopping” means “going to Walmart” in my world. I realized this yesterday as I pushed a cart with a sticky wheel, back and forth, up and down the aisles of Walmart, or as I often refer to it, “Hell”.

If you have been to Walmart, you know it is impossible to get in and out in anything less than 45 minutes, and that’s if you’re only going in for a pack of gum. Strange people (Mike and I call them night crawlers) seem to patrol the store at all hours of the day. Yesterday I walked behind a couple who walked side by side down an aisle, each pushing an empty cart. I couldn’t get around them and I have no idea what a person would have done if they had come the other way. They would have had to turn around. I actually stood behind them with my cart, while they clogged up the system and looked over their shopping list. Seriously. Do you need two carts? And how about use the single file system like everybody else?

After I was freed from the double wide shoppers, I realized that for me, Walmart is a prerequisite for a livable town. I have no idea how to shop without a Walmart. I can buy tires, fresh(ish) produce, bubblegum floss, thigh highs, Bibles and Justin Timberlake’s latest cd all in one place! They promise me low, low prices, then they eat any sanity I have left by hiding their toilet paper in three different locations, none of which make sense, nor can I remember each time I return where the stupid toilet paper is! The crazy thing is, I RETURN! In fact, I shop there pretty exclusively for all my crap.

I went in to Brookshire’s the other day for water. In and out in 7.2 minutes.

“This is nice, ” I think. “I can’t remember the last time I ‘went shopping’ and it took less than half of an hour.”

The case of water cost $6.00. That’s six dollars! That’s outrageous!

“It’s only $4.50 at Walmart,” I think.

“But Walmart sucks your soul,” I reply.

My soul lost. I picked up a case of water yesterday while I was at Walmart. Along with a lambswool duster, spider spray, yogurt, almonds, Mucinex, toilet paper…………

Knowing Natalie

Someone recently told me that it seemed like I was a hard person to get to know.

“Really?” I was quite shocked, and explained so to this individual. This was right after I had spent what I considered too much time yapping, and about personal things. In fact, I was feeling unsure about how much I opened up.

“Sure, you’ve talked about all these things happening, but it seems like it’s really hard for you to go deep and really talk about yourself.”

Shocked again. I love deep conversations! I hate small talk really, although I’ve gotten pretty good at it.

The more I thought about it, the more I realized it was true. I am much more comfortable listening to people talk. Everyone likes to talk about themselves, and I have my moments, but I always regret talking. (Almost always.) I feel like I’ve been greedy, selfish, random and wishy washy.

I started to think about all the people I love. I don’t know you well enough, and you probably don’t really know me as well as you would like. In fact, as I scroll through the mental list of people I think about constantly, I feel a need to write out the list here, because you probably have no idea you are on it. How horribly sad! Sadder still is I’m not really sure how to change that.

Letting the people I love know that I love them is a major weakness. One of my biggest. One that I am reminded of constantly.

Here are my top five strengths. I didn’t even know these were strengths.

INPUT You are inquisitive. And yours is the kind of mind that finds so many things interesting. The world is exciting precisely because of its infinite variety and complexity.

INTELLECTION You like to think. You like mental activity. You like exercising the “muscles” of your brain, stretching them in multiple directions. This need for mental activity may be focused; for example, you may be trying to solve a problem or develop an idea or understand another person’s feelings. The exact focus will depend on your other strengths. On the other hand, this mental activity may very well lack focus. The theme of Intellection does not dictate what you are thinking about; it simply describes that you like to think. You are the kind of person who enjoys your time alone because it is your time for musing and reflection. You are introspective. In a sense you are your own best companion, as you pose yourself questions and try out answers on yourself to see how they sound. This introspection may lead you to a slight sense of discontent as you compare what you are actually doing with all the thoughts and ideas that your mind conceives. (HA! I was just doing that!) Or this introspection may tend toward more pragmatic matters such as the events of the day or a conversation that you plan to have later. Wherever it leads you, this mental hum is one of the constants of your life.

ADAPTABILITY You live in the moment. You don’t see the future as a fixed destination. Instead, you see it as a place that you create out of the choices that you make right now. And so you discover your future one choice at a time. This doesn’t mean that you don’t have plans. You probably do. But this theme of Adaptability does enable you to respond willingly to the demands of the moment even if they pull you away from your plans. Unlike some, you don’t resent sudden requests or unforeseen detours. You expect them. They are inevitable. Indeed, on some level you actually look forward to them. You are, at heart, a very flexible person who can stay productive when the demands of work are pulling you in many different directions at once.

INCLUDER You want to include people and make them feel part of the group. In direct contrast to those who are drawn only to exclusive groups, you actively avoid those groups that exclude others. You want to expand the group so that as many people as possible can benefit from its support. You hate the sight of someone on the outside looking in. You want to draw them in so that they can feel the warmth of the group. You are an instinctively accepting person. Regardless of race or sex or nationality or personality or faith, you cast few judgments. Your accepting nature does not necessarily rest on a belief that each of us is different and that one should respect these differences. Rather, it rests on your conviction that fundamentally we are all the same. We are all equally important. Thus, no one should be ignored.

BELIEF You have certain core values that are enduring. These values vary from one person to another, but ordinarily your Belief theme causes you to be family-oriented, altruistic, even spiritual, and to value responsibility and high ethics-both in yourself and others. These core values affect your behavior in many ways. They give your life meaning and satisfaction; in your view, success is more than money and prestige. They provide you with direction, guiding you through the temptations and distractions of life toward a consistent set of priorities. This consistency is the foundation for all your relationships. Your friends call you dependable. “I know where you stand,” they say. (Do you? I wonder…..) Your Belief makes you easy to trust. It also demands that you find work that meshes with your values. Your work must be meaningful; it must matter to you. And guided by your Belief theme it will matter only if it gives you a chance to live out your values.

I know this is a stinkin long post, and incredibly solipsistic, but if you’ve read this far, it’s because you care about me. Or it’s because you really like reading and you are completely unable to stop once you have started.

Either way, do you see these things in me? If you do, how can I use these strengths better? I can’t keep focusing on my weaknesses.

There, I’ve opened up deep parts of me. Maybe.

I’m trying anyway.

Oklahoma!

Whew!

I just finished 10 performances of Oklahoma! Some of us no name cast members were commenting on how tired we were at our last performance when we remembered that there were people on stage much longer than we were, and had to say/sing a lot more than we did.

I was able to play Gertie, and dance as the dream Laurey for the Thursday matinee. It was a thrilling experience. I’m not a dancer, and despite dancing, I know I’m still not a dancer, but this experienced has fueled a desire to control my body (or free it) with the art of dancing.

I know that it seems like all I’ve talked about lately are shows, but I’ve been so busy. All I have time for is highlights!

Tonight begins the journey on my fourth play in a row this year. I’ve been going back to back non stop. The next project?

The Stinky Cheese Man and Other Fairly Stoopid Tales

I get to be Cinderella, but I can’t tell you what happens to her because it will give away the whole story!