Living it and Loving it

Well, as some of you may know, I have ventured out of my “comfort zone” and decided to take flying lessons. I completed my 2nd lesson Saturday and I must admit, I am hooked. This time, we practiced stalls and I had to recover control of the airplane. That was my favorite part. Just the sensation of the airplane stalling (my stomach dropping and my heart racing) and then having to work “fast” to recover… Who knew I was an adrenaline junky? We also did some “slow flights” which were pretty cool but I still wanted to do more stalls. I did an assisted landing this time. It was kinda windy Saturday so it wasn’t as smooth as I would like but we still made it in one piece.  As we were taxing back to the hanger, I told my instructor that I REALLY liked doing the stalls. He made a joke that if I got good enough, I could consider a career in acrobatic flying… Yeah, that would DEFINITELY go over really well with my parents… Not that they are overprotective, they just worry about me doing something dangerous. 

Part of the licensing requires “cross country” flights (I think 2 assisted and 2 solo). It was funny to see my mom’s face when I told her about the solo cross country flights. I thought she was about to have a panic attack. But I explained it wasn’t flying from New York to Los Angeles or anything like that, it would probably be to Lubbock or San Angelo. She seemed a little better after that, although I am not too sure she likes the idea of me in control of an airplane. (I sorta have a history about car accidents)

You know, I don’t know if the plane I flew has parachutes… I should probably ask about that the next time….

Whew! I must admit I am more than a little tired this morning! I don’t feel like I had a very restful weekend (but then again, who ever does???). It seemed like I didn’t have a moment to rest, but I had a lot of fun! I won’t bore you with the details of Saturday daytime, but Saturday night, I went to the Improv at the Yucca in downtown Midland and laughed until my sides hurt. It was about a 2 1/2 show with an intermission between acts (which I needed to recouperate from the first act). It was an amazing show. I really admire the actors for getting on stage and performing with no preparation. I don’t think that I could do something like that. On top of the performance, one special lady got the surprise of a lifetime. Justin, one of the performers, proposed in the middle of a skit to his “leading lady”. It was a very touching moment. After the proposal, and things settled back down, the show continued on and I continued to laugh my butt off. (Can I put “butt” in my blog???). If you ever have the opportunity to attend the Improv at the Yucca, I HIGHLY recommend it. You will really enjoy yourself (bring a change of clothes in case you laugh so hard you pee in your pants).

Sunday, was just as busy. After church, I had my first flight instruction and I must say, I LOVED IT!!! Good news, I didn’t crash (obviously). We flew over to Stanton and I got to take pictures of the air turbines. My instructor recommended that we not fly over them because the wind would be especially turbulent.

Another good thing, I didn’t get sick… Not that I get air sick, but you never know…

We practiced turns, slow flights, playing with the throttle to simulate a stall. I let the instructor do that. Knowing my luck, the plane really would have stalled and we would have crashed… I was kind of sad when we had to land. The instructor wanted me to do the landing but I just knew that my kind of landing probably would not have been the kind you could recover from, so I asked him to land the plane.

I must admit, I was probably walking about 3 feet off the ground for the rest of the day. Even today, I am still giddy with excitement. (Don’t tell my parents, but I am looking at buying an airplane just so I can fly anytime =) I don’t think they would like it) 

Hmmmm. After a weekend like this, I really need to rest. I look forward to telling you about my next flight. Hopefully it will go as well as the first one!

I remember a famous comedian, Jeff Foxworthy, commenting on when he was a kid growing up they would yell, “The President’s On!!!” and how it interefered with that night’s regular programming. I must admit, I used to share that sentiment, however, now that I have seen George W. Bush speak in person, I regret not taking more time and pay more attention when he was on TV.

It was a real treat that he visited the Tall City on Tuesday. He even asked the pilot to fly over the crowd as he flew into Midland. You could feel the excitement and anticipation build once the crowd saw the plane fly overhead. Everyone was already excited about the opportunity to see the former President but you could sense that their patience was wearing a little thin. The gates opened at 2 and I was right there in the mix of it. Normally, I am NOT a crowd person but I put my phobia aside for this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. The local high school bands were playing for a bit. Then the crowd was entertained with mini-movie’s about George W. Bush. As the time grew closer to his arrival, we heard music from Lee Greenwood, The Gaitlin Brothers (sorry if I misspelled that), and Rodney Atkins (again, sorry if I misspelled his name).

We were all packed in there like sardines in a can. (For those who know me, know that I have a HARD time dealing with crowds and people being in my personal space) But I made it. No scars, just hurt toes because everyone kept stepping on them. I took pictures but unfortunately, the person in front of me was taller than me so most of my pictures are of the back of their head. There was NO moving to a better location because, again, we were packed in there. Everytime someone needed by, I am sure that I gave them a look like, “Where do you think I can move to get out of the way???”

After his speech, and I made my way back to my car, all traffic (motor & pedestrian) was stopped so that the former President’s motorcade could go by…. After waiting 30 minutes, the motorcade finally passed. It was really something to see! Mr. Bush was waving as he passed by where I was standing. Darn…I didn’t have my camera out…

I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas! I went to my parents house to celebrate the occassion. For the past several years, my Mom has always done ALL of the cooking. So this year, I had her teach me how to make her dressing and a casserole. Now, she is going to expect me to make that for the years to come. What did I get myself into??? Oh well, I needed to learn anyway. It was really great getting to see my family, it reminded me what the season was all about.

I hope everyone has a happy and joyous New Year! I have no idea what I plan to do, maybe visit some friends or stay at home in my pj’s & watch movies. Whatever you do this New Year’s Eve, make sure to have fun but don’t drink and drive.

Hey Everyone,

If you haven’t had the opportunity to see all the pretty Christmas lights, I HIGHLY recommend it. Recently a group of us got together and drove around Midland looking at all the house and lawn decorations. I must say, there is a lot of creativity out there! Also, we went by the First Baptist Church LIVE nativity scene. It was really something. Apparently we were not the only ones who thought it would be neat to drive around and see the lights, there was a steady stream of cars in one neighborhood. We were all amazed at the decorations of one particular house (they even had a radio station you could tune to)!

I would recommend the quick tour of homes. We got hot cocoa and loaded up in someone’s car so it wasn’t a big ordeal. The hardest part was keeping from getting whiplash looking at both sides of the street. I figured out a trick though, only look at one side at a time. I didn’t get as car sick then. Ha!

Well, if you weren’t in downtown Midland this afternoon, you missed quite a sight! A long procession of floats, classic cars, and even tractors made its way through downtown. As much fun as it was, I would hate to be the one to clean up the mess left by all the thrown candy that wasn’t retrieved by the kids.

I, myself, did not play “chicken” with the cars or people in the parade just to fetch a tootsie roll. I was, however, pelted with SEVERAL handfuls of candy. In fact, I think that the “word” must have been passed from float to float to aim for the one with the camera… I must say, some of the kids in this town have a really good arm–maybe too good… I haven’t checked for bruises but I am sure that there were a few red welps. I find it funny how it is okay for kids to pick up candy off the street when it is a parade, but any other time, it is NOT sanitary… I think that was part of the humor of the parade though, watching how crazy the kids went when candy was thrown. I am sure their parents and guardians are enduring the sugar high right now…

I took pictures of the parade, but for whatever reason, I cannot get them to load… Don’t ask… (And NO, I am not technologically handicapped–I can program my DVR afterall….) I have been told by numerous people that I lack common sense so maybe that has something to do with the lack of pictures… =)

Hey Guys!

I got a request from someone asking what it was like living here in Midland. Now, I am NO expert and I have only lived in a few large cities (and a few smaller ones) but I must say, so far Midland is one of the nicest. There are a lot of friendly people (in some ways, friendlier than some of the large cities). =) I feel like it is really starting to cater to the younger professional group. In fact, there is a Young Professionals organization that brings together young professionals from all different arenas.

On a personal level, there are other gathering places to meet people of similar interests such as churches, schools, and other social establishments.

Midland has junior college that offers lots of different programs including a professional pilot program.

We have a lot of professionals relocating from the larger cities specifically for the “feel” of Midland. The best way to describe the atmosphere here is a large city trapped in a small city’s body. Midland is growing by leaps and bounds and is very welcoming to all new comers. =)

I am asking those that read this to please add more information about our city so that others may know that this is a great place to be!

Hello All!

Sorry for the lag in posts but between work and illness, I just haven’t had any time. =) I am better now (thanks for asking) and actually ventured out this weekend…

During my excursion I noticed that the holiday shoppers and bell-ringers were out in full force. It really got me to thinking about how fortunate I am to be healthy (mostly) and to have family and friends, and a job.  It was a bit humbling to realize that even when I feel like I have it bad, unfortunately there is someone out there that has it worse. While it was a humbling realization, it was also a little sad.

A friend and I were discussing how our nieces and nephews get all these gifts at Christmas while there are children out there that don’t have families to celebrate the holidays with and may feel unloved. There are a lot of great organizations out there that help the less-fortunate. I have often walked by the Christmas tree that has the children’s names and there gift of choice without much regard. I felt like I couldn’t afford to help make someone’s holiday a little bit happier. Really, when I think about it, it is all about sacrifice. So what if it means one less trip to Starbucks or eating out a little less? I am making a resolution, a Christmas resolution that I am going to spread a little bit of cheer to some child that really needs it. I was raised to always share if I saw that someone needed something more than I did. Now, I am NOT dictating that everyone should but if you could sacrifice a little to make some child’s holiday a little bit happier, why not? In fact, you could get a group of friends together and do something together that can make a difference.

This posting is not meant to sound like I want recognition, because that is so NOT what I am about; it is meant to encourage those that have not thought about people less fortunate and taking the initiative to make their holiday season a little more joyful.

This weekend downtown Midland received a mini-face lift. If you missed the implosion of the Midland Savings building, it was quite the site to see. I am sure by now there are tons of streaming video that can be seen on YouTube and some of the local news stations. It is not too late to see this massive beast be reduced to nothing more a large pile of steel and rubble. Its amazing to think about the magnitude of demolishing something so large. If you think about it, it is kinda sad to think that someone went to a lot of work to build something so large only to have it blown up. Unfortunately, all things have to come to an end in order for new and better things to arise. I am looking forward to seeing what else downtown Midland can become. I am sure it will be great.

What can I say? I love to eat. =)  Today I was faced with a pretty tough decision though… For lunch, do I eat the left over spaghetti (which is ALWAYS better the second day) or do we order out??? (By we, I mean my coworker/friend). We went through our laundry list of places to eat but decided on a place that is right across the street, The Bar. We ordered the bacon cheese burger and a cup of the chicken tortilla soup. We resolved to sharing because based on our past experience, The Bar is generous with their portions. WOW! The burger was amazing. I usually save that word for my Mom’s cooking so for me to even consider using it, it has to be exceptionally good. My friend said the soup was just as delicious. If you consider trying them for lunch, I would recommend going a little early. I know that around lunch time, their parking lot looks pretty full. I just wanted to let you know that even if the place is called The Bar, it has a lot more to offer than just drinks. The staff was friendly (we were told “Hello” at least 4 or 5 times from the moment we walked in) and the food is really good.