Deep in the Heart of Texas
Published on Jun 18th, 2008 in Life with
I’m back from the great state of Texas; my visit with family was long overdo and enjoyable.
One of my goals during the vacation was to maintain an exercise schedule, and honestly that was a challenge! I focused more on isometric/strength training exercises in the privacy of the guest bedroom (with the door closed, mind you).
Also, this born and bred Northern girl had the gumption to go for a walk outside in the afternoon… in the sun… in HOUSTON! The crazy thing was I walked for over a half hour, but that was mainly because I couldn’t remember exactly how to get back to the house - echem! SO! Needless to say, I returned, red-faced, sweaty, and in need of lots of water. What’s crazy is I really enjoyed my walk! (Too much heat affecting the brain, I suppose.)
I did have the opportunity to visit a 24-Hour Fitness Center, which was great! I was able to get in with a guest pass from my mother-in-law (see, they’re not all bad!) 
I had an excellent cardio workout and weight training session, and I loved it! That felt pretty darn good!
Now it’s true that when families get together, “interesting” things are bound to be said. And here are a few that I overheard and would like to share with you…
My husband to one of the family:
“I don’t eat mayonnaise. I’ve enjoyed my life without it, so I don’t feel I need to start eating it now.”
When I overheard this, I paused a moment. What he said stuck with me because I thought of it in terms of sugar. I want to get to the point where I can truly say, “I don’t need sugar to enjoy life! I don’t need to eat it!”
Two friends of my sister-in-law during her high school graduation party. The two teenagers, a guy and girl, were rummaging through the kitchen in search of a snack. The guy decided on a bowl of strawberries. Upon learning of his choice, the girl stated,
“Strawberries?! That’s not real food!”
I was sorely tempted to ask her, “What IS real food, then? A greasy cheeseburger and chips?” (but I remained polite and kept my mouth shut.)
Two guys - again from the graduation party:
Guy 1: “You hear about the tomatoes and salmonella?”
Guy 2: “Dude, what’s salmonella?”
I laughed out loud at this, but I was in a different room, so no egos were damaged during the outburst.
And the one that got the best laugh out of all the family members was from my 6-year old nephew explaining why Aunt Susan didn’t want to go outside and have a water gun fight:
“She’s afraid of water. Cause if she gets wet she’ll melt.”
The response was an explosion of laughter and a certain aunt who was regretting telling a precocious boy those very words earlier in the day.
Be careful what you say to children because they WILL repeat it!
Thanks for sharing those little comments… and I’m totally with your husband on the mayo! I’ve never liked the stuff, even when I was a little kid. Great work on maintaining your exercising!
Does that mean you’re a wicked witch? Or just made of something so ethereal that it’d melt?
I love Texas! I was born and raised there and very proud of it. By the way, I’m very impressed by you walking out in Houston weather - too hot and WAY too humid! Awesome! Also, congrats on keeping up with workouts! I usually end up “too busy” and none of it is helped my constant eating out.
Sagan,
I’m not a big fan of mayo, but I can eat it. I can eat almost anything, I’m afraid… except raw squid! The more I chewed it, the more I had to chew it. Oh, I did not want to offend my Japanese friends, but they thought the whole ordeal quite amusing!
Mrs. Micah,
Nah, I like little dogs.
Elisa,
Thank you very much! Texas is a cool state… temperature-wise, though… that’s a different story!
I was getting antsy, and I wanted to stay committed to my exercise goals; hence the bold (and perhaps crazy) decision to go for a walk! The weather felt just like my bathroom after taking a long, hot shower!
mayo SO GETS MY GAG REFLEX GOING.
ick.
now *sugar*? not so much.
Im melting here in Austin—cant imagine how bad Houston was!
M.
MizFit,
It is pretty nasty stuff, isn’t it; especially if you read the ingredients. I can still eat it, though - which is also pretty nasty - but I prefer not to!
Austin - great city; great music scene!
The heat and humidity are things I just am not used to. I do have a greater appreciation for air conditioning, though!
The Bag Lady has never been to Texas, so hasn’t experienced the heat and humidity of which you speak. She is impressed, though, with the fact that you went for a walk in it! She has the feeling (after hearing from several people about the heat, etc.) that she would be hanging out in the air-conditioned places.
And loved the “strawberries aren’t real food” line! It is a fine example of where our young folks are heading…
Thanks for all the sweet comments you always leave! I’m glad you enjoy reading my posts! Any chance you might want to do a guest post for me? I need a few to put in next week to post while I’m gone for 10 days.
The Bag Lady,
I’m impressed that I could be so crazy bold to walk in the heat!
Yes, the strawberries incident was both humorous… and sad. At least guy teenager was on the right track.
Melanie,
You’re sweet. I sent you an email…
Great trip…”she will melt” I love it!