Posts

Showing posts from February, 2017

Americanisms

It’s been about a year and a half since I’ve been back to the US, and this trip was a good reminder of the things that I used to think were normal that are just plain strange.  Like dirty paper money that’s all the same size.  Pennies!  Waiting at stop signs and traffic lights instead of continuous movement through roundabouts.  Having to take your shoes off to get through security at the airport.  Having to enter a 5 digit zip code to pay at the gas pump.  Do you know how annoying it is to walk into the gas station to pay ahead and guess how much fuel your rental car will take, then walk back in after filling up to get your refund? Mushy tomatoes – maybe it’s the season, but why are all the tomatoes so pale and mealy?  The dogs everywhere, in every store.  Does your dog really need to go shoe shopping with you?  And then there are the bathrooms.  The stalls all have giant gaps that you can see in and out of.  Then you stand up and the toilet immediately flushes – it would scare the

Wonderful Weflen Weekend

Image
What a wonderful weekend it's been!  I had to spend thee weekend in Dallas in between two weeks of training for work.  I have several family members in the vicinity (+/- 5 hours) so I put the call out to see if anyone was interested in catching up for the weekend.   My cousin Jennie in Arkansas (who I haven't seen since our Grandma's funeral in 2001) met up with my Aunt Missy (who I haven't seen since our wedding 8 years ago) in Oklahoma and they drove down on Friday night.  Saturday morning I treated my aunt to a massage.  She is always taking care of others so I figured it was time for her to have a break and have someone take care of her.  Then we drove to the Bishop Arts District and wandered through the shops.  It was a cute little area filled with wonderful things to buy and eat.  After lunch we stopped at our favorite french store Target to prepare for an impromptu birthday party for another cousin who drove up from Houston (who I haven't seen in ~20 years)