Reconnaisance Mission to Find OPERATION COTTON

Well I was kind of hoping that my two readers would have forgotten about the little series I started called OPERATION COTTON, but I know that you probably just think that I am lazy or have forgotten. Let's recap on the last time I wrote about this subject which was Week 4 of the series:

Oh my goodness...what was I thinking?!?
Patience and persistence...that's what I need!
Eye of the Tiger, It's Your Life, and Don't Stop Believin' are my theme songs!
After accomplishing this goal, I visualize something from Coach in my future!
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Well for those of you who don't exactly know what this operation entailed, it was my training schedule for a "Couch to 5K." I was making an acrostic to motivate myself to follow through with this athletic training plan. The name OPERATION COTTON came from my desire to obtain a cute t-shirt from the 5K race I ran so that the WHOLE world would know about my mad running skills. As you can see, I have failed pretty miserably at this mission. Christmas hit, and my exercise routine kind of came to a halt.

I am pretty upset with myself because I truly wanted to follow through with something that made me healthier and allowed me to achieve something athletic in my life. I like to equate my athletic ability animal equivalent to a hippopotamus. I once compared my athletic ability to a monkey, but that is giving myself entirely too much credit. Didn't monkeys play basketball or football or something in Space?!? I have a caring co-worker who often asks how my running is going, and when I tell him how discouraged I get, he tries to think of ways to make running more enjoyable or offer the thought of maybe trying to start riding a bike. Me + bike + Trinity River trail = FIASCO. I've got to keep up the running gig!!

Let's take a trip down memory lane as we go back to my enchanted (NOT!!) middle school years. I was forced to take P.E. during my 6th and 8th grade years. My 7th grade year was the most awesome year ever because I got to take Computer Skills and Life Management in the place of P.E. Coach Smith was my P.E. teacher for both of these horrible years. Coach Smith and I kind of had a special understanding...she knew I HATED P.E., but she still tried to push me. Every six weeks, you were alloted two sick notes from your parents to allow you to sit out of P.E. class...it was never hard to get my mother to write one!! The two sick notes were like Willy Wonka golden tickets in my mind....especially during the gymnastics six weeks. I would have rather bought my lunch every day in the school cafeteria for a year than to have to perform the crazy gymnastics skills we were forced to do. Each girl had to get tested on different gymnastics skills in front of Coach Smith. So let's see...the only skill I ever passed was a somersault. Yes...to the world...I CANNOT do a cartwheel...GASP...I know! I would save that golden sick note for the cartwheel test day as well as for the back bend test day. The note at least saved me from the test for one more day of my life, but I was always then forced to test the next day, which I failed miserably! P.E. was my only "B" during that six weeks.

For some reason I liked Coach Smith, and for some reason she liked me (or felt pity on me!). She chose me to be interviewed by the NBC news station reporter when the solar eclipse occurred. Maybe she picked me because I was so quiet, and she knew I wouldn't do something crazy like do a cartwheel in front of the camera...hehe!!! I was just happy that I didn't have to put on my stinky P.E. clothes that day! I know that my caring mother called Coach Smith and probably had a long discussion with her about how much I hated P.E. Coach Smith never gave up on me, and when I was in high school, she always sent me a sweet note when I made Superintendent's Scholar every six weeks. I actually ran into her back in A-town when I was in pharmacy school. For some reason, she always remembers me! It is probably due to the sheer terror that she can't believe that there is actually someone out there who can't do a cartwheel!

So back to my present day athletic situation...I did very good last week at getting back in the saddle of my version of "running." This week has been sketchy due to my cold...excuses, excuses!! I encourage you as my reader to keep prodding me and keeping me accountable to follow this mission. I have Coach Smith to make proud, and there is also that promise I made to myself that I deserve a new Coach purse! I also would like to up my hippopotamus status to maybe a stately, mature mare!! What do you think?!?

So here we go:
Week 5
Oh my goodness...what was I thinking?!?
Patience and persistence...that's what I need!
Eye of the Tiger, It's Your Life, and Don't Stop Believin' are my theme songs!
After accomplishing this goal, I visualize something from Coach in my future!
Ruh-ro...I messed up! Back in the saddle again!
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The Talented Friend

HAPPY BIRTHDAY to a friend that I am blessed to call my talented friend!! I am late as usual, but I guess I have the holidays to blame!!

You have always been in my life! Since you are my cousin who is only 1 year and 3 months older than me, I only have family memories with you in them! You were always at the kids' dinner table with me, were always willing to let me share your bed when we visited Ohio, and were always there for a good laugh!

I used to love eating Christmas dinner with you at Grammie and Granddaddy's house. We always thought we were high society putting a cinnamon stick in our tea...that was until we went low society by interviewing each other using our eating utensils as microphones or making bread people out of our bread. Oh and there was "One the sandbox..." that always made us die laughing at the dinner table for some reason! I would pay good money to be able to sit at the dinner table at Grammie and Granddaddy's old house on Old Sawmill. I wouldn't even mind the cigarette smoke smell! I would love to touch the fuzzy wallpaper one more time! I am sure the house would seem so much smaller to me now, but growing up I always thought it was a mansion. Sorry to digress!

I have many Christmas morning memories with you as well. We often had to open our gifts from Grammie and Granddaddy at the same time because we got the same present. Whether it was matching sweaters or dolls, we didn't mind getting the same thing. You were definitely the closest thing I had to a sister, so I thought it was exciting to match you. There is a one picture that sticks out in my mind where we are wearing matching bright turquoise t-shirts that say "Texas" on the front corner. We were styling!! Christmas at Grammie and Granddaddy's also often ended with me receiving a teeny bopper board game in the early 90s. I remember loving playing Dream Phone, Mall Madness, and Girl Talk with you!!

Other wonderful memories with you include hunting for snipes with Granddaddy. Boy he tricked us! Then there was the card playing that always took place when we all got together. I am thankful that I was exposed to all these poker games, and it was always fun to get to choose which game to play when we were the dealer. Poor David always wanted to play "In Between the Sheets" which we never wanted to play. I would also pay good money to hear Granddaddy say, "Nothing is wild but the dealer!" I also miss playing "Penny Poker" with Grammie and the wonderful old coffee can (think it was Yuban brand) that was full of coins! I'm making us sound like we belong to Gamblers Anonymous, but I also have wonderful memories from our Las Vegas trip with Grammie and Heather. We truly lived it up! You taught me how to play Blackjack, and I got addicted to your little cheat card that always told me what to do. I think we may need to return to that city together sometime.

Getting to the title of my blog post, you are my talented friend! We are very different in the fact that you perform and do wonderfully on stage while I would rather take a beating than get up in front of people and perform. You are such a talented actress and singer. I loved getting to hear you sing Ave Maria at David and Joy's wedding this summer.

I am so proud of how successful you have been in your career. You were so brave to move to the Big Apple...and to stay there (even after 9/11). I admire how you aren't afraid to move jobs and have moved up the ranks quickly in your career.

I had such a wonderful time visiting you in NYC after I graduated from A&M. It is always a pleasure to hang out with you because you have such a fun-loving and easygoing personality. Your laugh is wonderful! I truly wish we got to see each other more often. Maybe you need to attend a conference in DFW soon! Or maybe we need to plan a vacation together!!

I thank God for placing you in my family and for having a cousin that I love so dearly!! Although my children (if I ever get married!?!) probably won't be close in age to their cousins, I pray that they love each other as much as I love you!

O Canada How My Heart Aches For Thee

There are several things about Canada that have always made me sad for its citizens. As a kid I was always amazed by how every book had a higher price in Canada compared to the US. Then there are the winters that must be just miserable. Oh...and nationalized healthcare...don't get me started!


But this is just a social injustice:

Canadians can't use Chi flat irons in their homes! What is their government afraid of?!? That they will burn their ears off?!? I don't know what I would do without my Chi! I guess the poor Canadians will just have to wear hats at all times to hide their hideous hair...at least it is cold enough to warrant constant hat usage!