Bucket List, Texas Style

Do you have a bucket list? I don’t, but not for lack of trying.

I’ve started a bucket list at least six or seven times. I always begin the list with “visit the Grand Canyon”, and then I can’t go any further. It’s not that there aren’t places I’d like to visit, adventures I’d like to have, and goals I’d like to accomplish. It’s that in writing them down, I set myself up for failure. What if I acknowledge that I’d like to write a book, and then for one reason or another never do it? Will I always feel like my life was less than it could have been because I wasn’t able to cross that goal off my bucket list? I know it’s silly, but the anxiety surrounding not completing my bucket list paralyzes me.

I’ve decided to give it another go, and this time around I’m tackling my bucket list a little differently. Instead of creating a master bucket list in one sitting, I’m going to add a few goals to the list every now and then. I’m also going to add – and immediately cross off – goals I’ve already accomplished so I don’t feel like I’m starting from square one at age 32. (I’m not embarrassed to admit that I add completed errands, chores, and house projects to my to-do list just so I can cross them off a moment later. Wait – you don’t do that too?) And I’m going to break down my goals into smaller groups to make them seem less overwhelming.

One of those smaller groups of goals will be “things I’d like to do/see and places I’d like to visit while living in Texas”. Here’s what I have so far:

- Attend a professional baseball game. This could be either a Texas Rangers or Houston Astros game, but seeing as how the Astros are pretty much the worst team in baseball, I’m thinking one of their games might be the way to go – cheap tickets!

- Buy myself a pair of cowboy boots. And I’m not talking about a pair of cowboy boots from Target. I want the real deal, even if it takes me six years to save enough money and I finally buy the boots as the moving van heads out of town.

- Visit the (inside of the) new Dallas Cowboys stadium. I should have done this last winter, when my Packers played in – and WON – the Super Bowl in that stadium, but for a number of reasons a trip to the game wasn’t in the cards for us at that point in the year.

- Swim in the Gulf of Mexico. Tom just reminded me that the waters in the Gulf of Mexico were greatly polluted by the oil spill a couple of years ago, so we might wait another year or two before tackling this one. It might also behoove us to wait until Hallie weighs enough to not be washed away by the ocean lapping at her feet.

- Watch a football game at Kyle Field (the TAMU football stadium), widely recognized as one of the most spectacular places in the country to cheer on a football team. We’re actually heading to a game at Kyle Field next month, but the game is between the College Station and Bryan high school football teams. (Every year these two local rivals play at Kyle Field because the number of fans who want to attend the game exceeds the capacity of the high school stadiums.) This game will count, but I’d like to see a TAMU football game at Kyle Field as well.

- Watch the TAMU Fightin’ Texas Aggie Band perform. The TAMU band, whose 400 musicians are all members of the TAMU Corps of Cadets, is the largest military marching band in the country and is nationally known for its precision military marching style, which I’ve heard is just incredible to see live.

- Spend the day playing in the wave pools and riding the water slides at Schlitterbahn Water Park, otherwise known as the “Hottest, Coolest Time in Texas”, in Galveston. Tom and I are pretty sure we’re going to love Schlitterbahn, if for no reason other than their unbelievably addicting theme song/commercial. I know all of the words, and have come to believe them as truth. Click on the Youtube link below to listen for yourself and then try to tell you don’t want to make lots of memories at Schlitterbahn.



- Attend a rodeo. Yes, we took our kids to a rodeo a few months ago. But because we took our kids, Tom and I weren’t able to actually watch many of the rodeo events. We’d like to throw on our cowboy boots and chaps (well maybe not chaps – I don’t have any idea what chaps even are), leave the kids with a babysitter, and head out to the Expo Center for an evening of bull riding and calf roping.

- Learn what chaps are.

- Visit the Riverwalk and the Alamo in San Antonio. Both Tom and I spent time in San Antonio, and visited the Riverwalk and the Alamo, more than 10 years ago, but we’d love to go back. I think the kids would enjoy a boat ride on the Riverwalk waterway and learning about the Alamo, and I know I’d enjoy a date night with my hubby at one of the Riverwalk’s outdoor restaurants.

- Take a frame-able/frame-worthy photo of either Bluebonnets or Indian Paint Brushes.

- Visit a Texas zoo and aquarium. I’ve heard good things about the zoos and aquariums in Dallas, San Antonio, and Austin, and while I don’t figure we’ll be able to visit these attractions in all three cities, I’d like to make it to at least one zoo and one aquarium.

And that’s all I have, at least right now. Those of you who live in Texas, have lived in Texas, or have visited in Texas – what am I forgetting? What else should I add to my list?

A Friendly Reminder

You might recall that I enjoy talking about the weather. You might also recall that I'm not a big fan of heat and humidity. When you combine these two characteristics the result is me complaining about the summer weather here in Texas. A lot.

We recently took a short vacation to Oregon and Washington (you can read about our adventures here, here, here, and here - it took me four blog posts to cover the trip) with about 35 of our friends and family members. I was frequently asked about Texas, our move, Tom's new job, the kids' school - you know, typical questions you ask someone you haven't seen in a while who's recently relocated across the country - and I answered every single question with, "it's hot." (Or at least some version of "it's hot" - depending on whether or not I'd had an adult beverage and who I was talking to I may or may not have added an expletive to that answer.)

I expect that my mom and sister, the two people I call most often, are getting pretty tired of listening to me gripe about the weather.

Example #1
Mom: Good morning! How are you today?
Erin: Hot.
Mom: (Ignoring my complaining.) Any plans for the day?
Erin: Getting hotter.
Mom: (No longer able to ignore my complaining.) Erin, you need to work on your attitude.
Erin: You're right, sorry. My plans for the day are to do seven loads of laundry.
Mom: Seven loads?! Why so many?
Erin: Everyone in my family has sweated through four outfits a day for the last three days. 48 outfits in three days equals seven loads of laundry.
Mom: (Rolls eyes.)

Example #2
Erin: How's the weather up there today?
Sara: We had a huge thunderstorm this morning, but now it's beautiful outside - the high for today is 80 degrees.
Erin: It's 107 here.
Sara: That's awful. What are you doing?
Erin: Hallie and I are at the park, but we're sitting in the car with the air conditioning running.
Sara: Ha. What are you guys really up to today?
Erin: No, really. We're at the park, sitting in the car with the air conditioning running.
Sara: Sounds like a fun day.
Erin: It is. It really is.

So yesterday, perhaps in a good-natured attempt to quell my complaining, my BIL sent me this video. It was filmed last December, while we were in Illinois visiting their family for Christmas. I had no idea he'd filmed me trying to warm up on that cold, snowy day, and when I watched the video for the first time yesterday I laughed out loud at how ridiculous I look.


(Sorry the video is so small - technical difficulties. You can also see it here.)

And while I think Jeff's intention, besides getting me to shut up about the weather, was to remind me how bitterly cold and vicious winters in the Midwest can be, all this video did was make me homesick for the winter weather I won't get to experience.

Last Time, I Promise

I seriously love the OPI Texas Collection nail polishes, and apparently, so do folks in the Northwest. Last week, while walking through the Skamania Lodge Spa outside of Stevenson, Washington, I noticed that the only OPI nail polishes the spa had on display for purchase were those from the Texas Collection. Made me feel right at home.

And here are two more Texas Collection colors: Austin-tatious Turquoise and Don't Mess With OPI. Those are my son's feet on the right - he told me that boys can wear toenail polish as long as it's blue or green, because those are boy colors.

I've just about made it through all of the Texas Collection colors, so next I'm moving on to OPI's Summer 2011 Collection. First up will be "I Lily Love You" in honor of my niece, whose name is - you guessed it - Lily.

Brat Fest 2011

The World’s Largest Brat Fest began Memorial Day weekend in 1983, outside a small grocery store in Madison, Wisconsin (my hometown). The owner of the family-owned and operated store wanted to thank his loyal customers for their business, so he set up a grill in the parking lot and began selling brats for $0.50 each. And the tradition began.

Fast forward 28 years… What started out as a man, his grill, and a few brats on a sunny, May afternoon is now a four-day philanthropic and entertainment extravaganza. Hundreds of celebrity and nonprofit organization volunteers prepare and serve thousands of brats, hotdogs, burgers, corn, ice cream cones, and beers. Local bands showcase their talents on four different stages throughout the afternoons and evenings. Patrons are treated to Budweiser Clydesdale showcases, tours of the Weinermobile, rock climbing, and fireworks after dark. The Brat Fest organization sponsors a “Take Your Brat to Work Day”, and even packages and mails brats to members of the United Stated Armed Forces serving our country overseas.

2,843,631 brats consumed, 209,376 brats – a world record – consumed in 2010 alone, and $957,439 raised for local charities. (These statistics do not include brats consume and funds raised in 2011.) Not bad.

I’ve been attending Brat Fest for at least 15 years, back before I even liked brats and when the event was still held in a grocery store parking lot. Throughout the years I’ve introduced my husband and children to Brat Fest, and they’ve come to love it as much as I do – my four-year-old would prefer a brat to a hotdog and eats his brats with mustard and onions. Brat Fest has become one of Madison’s signature and, in my opinion, not-to-be-missed events.

This year I visited Brat Fest with my parents and my kids (my husband was at a conference and then working back in Texas), and we met up with my aunt and uncle for dinner after we rode the carnival rides.

Both kids were terrified of the Weinermobile.

Will is FINALLY tall enough for the second tier of carnival rides.

It's called the "merry"-go-round for a reason.

Will and Grandpa Paul.

Will and Grandpa, plotting their bumper car attack on Grandma Brenda.

Will and Grandpa, going in for the hit.

Poor Grandma.

The first time down the slide Will rode with me.

And the second time down the slide Will raced against Grandpa.

Both kids really only wanted to ride rides with Grandpa.

But because Grandpa doesn't like heights, Will had to ride our "family ride" (the Ferris Wheel) with me. He looks happy about it, doesn't he?

It's not a carnival without funnel cakes.

Hallie's first taste of cotton candy.

One of the crazy bands playing at Brat Fest.

One of the MANY brat grilling stations.

I'm guessing this Texas cowboy also traveled 1,000+ for a tasty Wisconsin brat.

It’s hard to believe that all that began with just a little brat.

As far as I know, College Station doesn’t have a Brat Fest, which is just as well because my guess is that brats from Texas wouldn’t be as tasty as brats from from Wisconsin. For a city of its size, however, College Station has quite a bit going on: summer camps, swimming lessons and family swim nights, triple A baseball games, music festivals, food and drink festivals, etc.

Between Tom’s new job, moving twice, and summer travel, we haven’t had a lot of time since we moved here to check these things out (with the exception of swimming lessons, one TAMU baseball game, and one rodeo). We plan to make time this fall and winter though, and I hope we’ll be able to experience College Station’s signature and not-to-be-missed events (crossing my fingers that at least one of them has something to do with BBQ).

College Station readers, any suggestions for us?

Madison readers, see you next summer!

Note: I love brats, but I also love hotdogs. You can only imagine then, my excitement when I started researching the events and festivals in our area and came across “Weiner Fest 2011” right here in College Station. I quickly opened a new window on my computer and headed to their website…where I discovered that Weiner Fest is actually a festival for Weiner dogs. I don’t think Weiner Fest is now, or will ever be, one of College Station’s signature and not-to-be-missed events, though I suppose I’ll never know because I won’t be going.

On Blogging in a Bar

As I mentioned earlier this week, I spent last week vacationing at the Lincoln Lodge. The internet at the Lodge is only available via smart phone, and while I have a smart phone, blogging on it isn’t easy. Probably because my smart phone is considerably smarter than me.

The internet is available “in town” though, so in years past, when an opportunity presented itself (as in someone else is willing to stay back at the Lodge and watch my kids) I tagged along on a trip for groceries or beer or fireworks and popped into the public library or a coffee shop to borrow their free wireless.

The only television channel we have at the Lodge is PBS, so our trip into town last week was to watch the U.S. Women’s Soccer Team play Sweden in the World Cup. I figured I might have to miss the first few minutes of the game so that I could quickly upload a few pictures and a previously-prepared blog post from the library, but as it turns out, the Belle Isle Sports Bar & Grille in Minocqua has free wireless internet.

So that’s how I ended up writing – both of last week’s blog posts – in a bar, which as it turns out, is pretty awesome. The company (my husband, my two brothers-in-law, and my two sisters-in-law), the entertainment (the Women’s World Cup), and the food (fried Wisconsin cheese curds) were great, and the beer was, well, beer. Lukewarm, generic, light beer in a flimsy plastic cup, but beer none-the-less. Now that’s an afternoon to write home about.

While my sis-in-law Jenna and I "worked", our other sis-in-law Chandi distracted us with the bar tricks she's perfected over the years.

The Belle Isle Sports Bar is a pretty typical Northern Wisconsin bar. Local brews flow from the taps. Wisconsin Badger, Green Bay Packer, NASCAR, and American flags hang from the ceiling. Stuffed fish, deer heads, retired water skis, and fish fry advertisements adorn the walls. Artificial flowers fill the window boxes and fake trees gather dust in the corners. Rickety wooden tables hold platters of fried foods and sticky, ripped, faux leather bar stools hold patrons enjoying fried foods.

Oh, and inside the bathroom stalls are fireworks advertisements. See the second box from the right in the first row? Apparently fireworks make any “special occasion” – including divorce (??) – that much more wild and crazy.

I’ve been to quite a few bars like the Belle Isle. In Wisconsin, children are allowed in bars, and are allowed to drink if their parents buy the alcohol and give permission. I’m certainly not saying my parents took me to bars and bought me alcohol and gave me permission to drink when I was a child. If anything my parents were stricter than my friends’ parents when it came to underage drinking. But I did, on occasion, tag along with my parents when they met friends for dinner and drinks around Madison and when we traveled throughout the state. I drank Shirley Temples and lemonade, consumed basketfuls of stale popcorn, learned how to play darts (which totally came in handy once I was in college) and pinball, and watched baseball on television. People were friendly (perhaps the beer had something to do with this), the atmosphere was comfortable, and though I was carefully supervised, I always had fun.

Even today I prefer sports/neighborhood/townie bars to fancy restaurants. Friends and acquaintances, during casual conversation, often ask us if we ever leave our kids with a babysitter so that we can go out to “someplace nice”. Our usual answer is that yes, we leave our kids with babysitters, but no, we don’t go somewhere nice. We spend our kid-free evenings trying out new beer gardens and sports bars, enjoying cold brews, eating basketfuls of stale popcorn, playing darts, and watching sports on television. The people are friendly, the atmosphere is comfortable, and we always have fun.

So the next time I’m in Minocqua, Wisconsin, look for me at the Belle Isle Sports Bar & Grille. I’ll be sitting at the high table across from the bar and with a good view of the television, sharing an electrical outlet with a flashing neon sign advertising the wet t-shirt contest coming up on Saturday night, drinking a Blue Moon, and typing away on my laptop.

The Lincoln Lodge

My husband’s parents own a beautifully rustic summer home on Booth Lake in Northern Wisconsin, about 10 miles West of Minocqua. “The Lincoln Lodge” (or “The Lodge” for short), as the home was lovingly christened nearly five years ago, has become exactly what I believe my in-laws dreamed it could be when they took a leap of faith and purchased the (run-down and dirty at the time) lakefront property – a little slice of heaven. A place where all four of their children, their children’s spouses, their grandchildren, their extended families, and their friends would gather to reconnect with each other, with nature, and with themselves.

We spent last week vacationing at The Lodge. Sunny, 80-degree days turned into cool, 55-degree nights. We stayed up late, slept late, and took leisurely afternoon naps in the hammock. We fished, swam, and lounged in the lake; played disc golf, Blongo Ball, Uno, and checkers; watched girly movies and Man vs. Wild episodes; read books and trashy gossip magazines; sang “If You’re Happy and You Know It” and Justin Bieber’s “Baby”; danced to keyboard demo songs; and shopped “in town” at antique and touristy shops. We ate too much fried fish, too many brownies, and too many Harry Potter Bertie Bott’s beans (there’s a story here, but this isn’t the post for it), and drank a few too many Blue Moon beers and Amaretto Sours. We laughed and cried and talked and sat in comfortable silence and made this vacation, as vacations at The Lodge always are, perfectly relaxing and rejuvenating.

On Tuesday night, for a fleeting moment and unexpectedly during a particularly rowdy game of Uno with my husband, brothers-in-law, and sisters-in-law, a feeling of peace and understanding washed over me. The world around me calmed and quieted and slowed, and I was alone with a feeling of complete peace and the knowledge that – at least for that brief moment – all was right in my world. I was exactly where I was supposed to be and with exactly who I was supposed to be with.

I don’t often have these quiet moments of clarity in my day-to-day life, probably because 1) quiet moments are few and far between, and 2) my mind’s clarity is clouded by the chaos of family and work and school and moving and bills and 100+ degree temperatures (I can’t think clearly when the temperature rises above 85 degrees – no joke). But at the Lodge, more so than anywhere else I’ve ever spent time, they come often. And they give me strength to go back to my not so quiet and not so clear day-to-day life (when I question my – and mine and Tom’s – choices) and somehow still know that I’m exactly where I’m supposed to be and with exactly who I’m supposed to be with.

First Impressions

In an attempt to save a little money, Tom and I decided to drive our two cars to Texas rather than have Tom’s car towed behind the moving van. This meant that both Tom and I drove the ENTIRE way there (approximately 738,000 miles), and that when the kids were awake the parent with whom they were riding was singularly responsible for feeding, entertaining, and tending to them. When we arrived in College Station on the evening of December 12th we were all exhausted, and I was additionally quite grumpy and pudgy (four days of lethargy and fast food did nothing for my demeanor or my waistline).

Moods changed, however, when we woke on our first morning as Texas residents and were greeted by sunny skies and warm (by December-in-the-Midwest standards) temperatures. We picked up our keys, crossed the threshold into our new/temporary rental house, and began to settle in.

 

Here are a few first impressions jotted down a couple of weeks after we arrived in College Station:

“The pace of life here is a little slower – I notice it in particular on the roads, but also in line at the grocery store, at restaurants, and when I drop off and pick up Will from preschool. People are generally friendly. The local barbecue and Mexican food is delicious, but many of my favorite restaurants (I miss you dearly, Panera) and stores haven’t made their way here yet. There is a disc golf course on campus for Tom, but he has yet to encounter a Texan who actually knows what disc golf is. The daytime winter temperatures are mild, but the nighttime winter temperatures are still quite cold – in the 20s or 30s. I’m certainly not complaining about the weather now, but I can guarantee I will be come summer when the highs are in the 110s and the lows are in the 80s. In the "we’ll have to get used to this" category: most people drive huge pickup trucks or SUV's at least twice as big as Tom’s car, there are drive-through liquor stores that advertise drive-up windows large enough to accommodate semi-trucks, and some bars provide patrons with a to-go cup for unfinished beers. Just a few miles out of College Station is a "Cowboy Church", which church-goers attend on horseback. On the same stretch of road as the Cowboy Church we saw an entry to a ranch adorned with FOUR recently-slaughtered MOUNTAIN LIONS. (We did a little research later that day and found out that yes, there are mountain lions here.)”

We’ve been in College Station for almost exactly four months now, and in that time have done our best to take advantage of all the city has to offer and meet as many people as possible. My first impression is fading, and a more balanced and accurate impression is taking its place. I can’t wait to tell you all about it!