Wichita Mountains, Oklahoma

 

While the name is deceiving the Wichita Mountains are filled with wonder and life. What is lacking in height is made up in surprise. After over a year in Lubbock we found ourselves traveling back to St. Louis for a funeral, with no time to prepare flights were unreasonable so we made the drive. On our return trip we stopped for the night in the Lawton OK are, about 30min from the Wichita Mountains. Needing a chance of pace and bit of exercise after several days of driving and eating we were happy to discover this area has great trails that are easy to navigate and designed for short 2 hour hikes.

As this is almost the same distance as Carlsbad NM I would not recommend this as a weekend trip from the Lubbock area unless you are really burnt out on the trails to the west. But I would highly recommend this if you are going on a road trip, I think I could have easily camped and spend several days in this area enjoying the unexpected beauty that makes up the Wichita Mountains.

 

 

As an aside, I have recently been reading quite a bit on Quanah Parker and had hoped while we were so close to get a chance to visit the star house. The man who owns the home is willing to let you see it however you need to time your visit with when he is closing up the restaurant (and that time depends on how many customers) We did not have ½ a day to wait for the restaurant to close so had to pass on this opportunity, if we are ever back I would like to see in person this incredible part of west Texas history.

Its hard to change the world

It’s been just about 15 months since my husband and I decided to chase my dream, to see how far I can push myself and along the way how much of a positive impact I can make.

I’m not going to lie, it’s been a true roller-coaster. Today I am on day 3 of a long holiday weekend and I feel as burnt out as I have ever felt. I am starting to wonder if I might be slipping into a burnout fueled depression. And it’s really no surprise that I am so burnt out, I went into my blog today and in my drafts found halfhearted starts at entries while I was trying to sort out what was going on.

 

 

 

 

From month 7

This has been one of the more terrible weeks of my life.

No one that I know died, but our health has been poor (I write this from the emergency department waiting room).

My dream job has become a nightmare and I am not sure how to move beyond it or even if I want too.

Two weeks ago we were facing the possibility that Ian might not ever be able to work due to a unusual spinal complication.

Now all I want to do is spend a month taking naps and reading books before starting a new less stressful job in Portland. But the journey from here to there is very unclear and our once wise and responsible choices have me now feeling trapped in a job I am deeply distaining in a community that I feel isolated with a silver lining torn to shreds. The husband I love is stuck in a vicious cycle of illness and our beautiful home is financially strapping me to having a somewhat well-paying job.

To make things worse I think I now have the flu and my drive and capacity to care or make strategic moves is all but gone. I spent the vast majority of my day watching fuller house and wishing I had a super-rich sister or friend I could live with until I had things figured out.

 

 

From month 8

 

In 4 hours I have to talk to the rudest person I know and I am dreading every moment until that time.

 

I am trying to keep myself calm and hoping beyond hope that I walk away feeling better not worse as I am on the edge of quitting as things stand but I really want to make it for the stability it will give us

 

 

 

 

 

Through the bad days so much positive progress is being made, in some ways that makes it bearable and in others its worse. If I was completely failing just giving up and moving on would be so much easier.

By absorbing the pain and putting 110% into making it a positive and impactful work I am making huge strides in the positive direction, those externally see the work required and that we are moving full steam towards the goal, with me happily at the helm. But inside I am dying. The challenges while lessening remain great, the sense that I cannot control the outcome grows.

About a month ago I went on a wonderful Central American vacation that has left me wanting to re-configure my life so that I can spend more time traveling and socially connected.  I know deep down that another year in this life is needed. I have grown so much in the past 15 months that another 12 will make me unrecognizable to the person I was. I just need to find a way to keep the passion on fire.

I do not have a solution, more wanted to post to be a gage marker for myself and perhaps find a reader who is fighting a similar fight and hearing yourself in a stranger can provide you with some relief. 

Things I am trying to get the flame burning bright

-          More Sleep

-          More Coffee – the fancy kind

-          More trips to see loved ones

-          More massage appointments

-          More yoga

 

To my future self and to the occasional reader I leave you with this quote from Leroy Hood

 

Weekend in Lubbock Texas

We have been living in Lubbock Texas just shy of a year now and sometime folks say they would like to come visit us. I have been brainstorming on what I would suggest as the best weekend itinerary for a visitor.

Travel Time: Really anytime during the year with the exception of July and August when its unbearably hot.

the weekend that includes the First Friday of the month

Arrive on Friday: Preston Smith International Airport is incredibly easy to fly into. You will need to  rent a car.

Where to stay: Many great choices, a few that I suggest is the Overton by Texas Tech, The MCM Elegante and the Arbor hotel.

Evening Activity and Dinner: The first Friday of every month LHUCA offers an art trail. Starts at 6pm with a free trolly to all the activities.  Check out all the galleries around the LHUCA building than hop the trolly over to Giorgios Pizza for a slice, a salad and of course a sweet tea before jumping back on the trolly for another round of galleries. The event last until 9pm. The art scene in Lubbock is young, exciting and well priced. I would plan on brining home a few new pieces for your collection.

Saturday: Start your morning off right with a coffee at JB's coffee and than head over to Montolongos for breakfast. After breakfast I suggest a stroll around Texas Tech. The university is really the heart of our community and visitors should see it. Lunch at Freshii followed by some custard at Sheridan. For some it might be nap time, others might want to check out Hesters Used Books, visit the silent wings museum, play a round of golf or go jumping at our altitude trampoline park. Your evening plans are to head to Stars and Stripes Drive in for a movie. They have a full kitchen, this is a drive in like you have not seen since 1970.

Sunday: up early, swing by a stripes for some breakfast tacos and hit the road for a two hour drive to Paulo Duro Canyon. You will want to spend several hours hiking and exploring this park, so plan to fly out of Lubbock in the evening.

Come check out the friendliest city in america. We love visitors.

Middle Class Donation 2017 Guide

I wrote several months ago about how we felt it was time for us to start making charitable donations. As we enter into 2017 we have started to think about where we would like to make donations. Charitable giving is a decision that each family needs to make in a way that best fits there beliefs, passions and finances. Below is my guide for how we, and if your so inclined, you, donate in 2017.

We expect that we will continue routine donation of used items to Goodwill, along with keeping up our volunteerism through Big Brothers Big Sisters.

But when it comes to pure financial gifts for us in 2017 we plan to give to

Cornerstone Non-Profits:

- The United Way - In my role it is an unwritten expectation that I will donate to the United Way, who in turn gives a significant amount back to my organization.

- The American Red Cross - This cornerstone of the american non profit landscape needs our support. This year we will be purchasing items that are much needed by our local chapter.

- Rotary - I am active with the local Rotary, my club has a monthly monetary donation in support of the local food bank.


Area of interest: This year I am feeling strongly that we need to do more to help preserve, protect and restore our natural environment. While our donations won't change the world, these organizations are doing work that is making an impact.

- South Coast Habitat Restoration - This California based group has a focused area of habitat that they have several projects they are working on. Check them out here: http://schabitatrestoration.org/?page_id=30

- The 5 Gyres - This organization works around the globe to combat plastic in the ocean. https://www.5gyres.org/

- Oceana - Focused on restoring fish populations in our oceans, this organization has 15 years of experience fighting to keep our oceans alive. http://oceana.org/expeditions

Middle Class and Donations

With over a decade working in the non profit sector my souse and I have recently cross the threshold into middle class. We still have debt, both of us work full time jobs and we pay rent. But now see our bank accounts growing a clear sign that its our opportunity to start to support our community.

Prior to this year finical donations were not a possibility, our give back to the community was the work we did as non profit employees sprinkled in with volunteer days and of course the routine donation of used items that we gave to Salvation Army and Goodwill.


Now that we have crossed the threshold to Middle Class life making donations was clearly going to be part of our new life.

So during year one of entering into the finical donors realm who did we give to?

- Big Brothers, Big Sisters - Both of us have signed up to be bigs with this organization and recently attend a restaurant give back night benefiting the organization.

- The United Way - In my new position it is an unwritten expectation that I will donate to the United Way, who in turn gives a significant amount back to my organization.

- The American Red Cross - This cornerstone of the american non profit landscape needs our support. This year we attended a restaurant give back night benefiting the ARC.

- Innocence project of Texas - After reading Orange is the New Black,  I knew I wanted to do a small part to help change our penal system. I was excited to find this project that had strong ties to the community we are living in.

- Pet Smart animal shelter program - we were guilted into purchasing a few cans of cat and dog food during a routine trip to stock up on supplies for our kitty.

- Covenant Health Systems - To help with a capitol campagin and Ian wanted a T-shirt.

- Rotary - I have joined the local Rotary, my club has a monthly monetary donation in support of the local food bank.

As the holiday season approaches I would not be surprised if we find ourselves giving to a few additional programs who make appeals that speak to us.

We enjoy donating and as we enter into our second year of middle class life we might start to think about a strategic giving pattern ones that are in line with our core beliefs, are well rated on charity navigator and will increase our personal brand across our community, but for the next 5 months impulse giving is fulfilling our philanthropic interests. 

Declaw for health

Just over two years ago my husband and I adopted a cat from the local shelter. We LOVE our cat. My husband has been in nursing school during this time and as school drew near the end we started to wonder if we should get our furry friend declaw-ed. We were worried that since my husband and the cat play a lot and frequently the cat will catch him with his claws causing open scratches on his arms that we were putting my husbands health at risk sending him into hospitals for 40+ hours a week.

We did some research but everything we found was very polarizing. Animal rights advocates in strong disagreement with those who are wanting to save their furniture. We talked with some people we knew and they said their cats survived the process. I even found one other person who had done it for health reasons after her child contracted cat scratch fever. She supported the idea that we had, as much as we love our cat it is not worth risking my husbands long term health and career.

So I called the vet and asked if they did the process. They said yes and we set an appointment.

Two days after the appointment my cat came home with bandages on his paws. I felt like an awful cat mom. That first night he got one of the bandages off. Four days latter he got the other one off. It was the weekend and the 2nd paw was looking very swollen and had blood. Of course my cat would not leave it alone. On Monday when I got home from work I brought him back to the vet. They had to keep him, the next day the called and said they were going to have to remove some of his paw because the skin cells were dead. They kept him a few more days and had to put stitches in. He came home and lived with a bandage for 10 days, we would periodically take him back to the vet for a fresh bandage.

On Monday I brought him in and they wanted to keep him so that they could get the bandage off. I got him back on Friday and his paw is gone, all that he has is the pad where his thumb should be. Yesterday it started bleeding so we went to the emergency vet who put him back on antibiotics and re-bandaged him. She said that in the 10 years she has been doing this she has seen this happen enough that she is not shocked by it and we were just the unlucky ones.

I feel like a horrid person now. I am upset that my vet did not warn us, I am upset that the polarizing information on this practice prevented us from having accurate information. I am upset that my cat has had the worst month of his life and so long as nothing else happens will be slightly amputated for the remainder of his days.

Selecting to have your pet declawed is a personal choice and one you and your family must make. There is a strong voice that says this is an inhumane practice. There is another voice that says they are our pets and we have to make choices so they can be part of our family. Because of these two opinions the practice continues on. Complications do happen. It happened to us and I will never declaw an animal again. I ask that you think about the real chance of something going wrong before you decide if declawing is what you and your family want to do.

Cars & Values

I could write a lot about our experience with cars.

To keep things simple we had spent the majority of our relationship with 1 or 0 cars between the two of us.

About 2 years ago we found ourselves living in East Texas without options for public transit to get us from home to work/ school and with unsafe (highways) walking/ bicycling choices for these same locations.

Realizing the need for a second car and our limited social support network as well as the need to have reliable vehicles with fixed expenses we decided that a new car was the right choice for our current situation.

So we started looking and looking and looking. During the process we talked a lot about what we believed in. Low environmental impact, social statements, supporting the move to smaller alternatives. We went test driving, SMART, Scion IQ, Chevy Spark, Toyota Yaris and Fiat 500.

The fiat felt right, it had that small car look that we wanted to integrate into our community, managed to have 5 seats, felt some what roomy, reportedly good gas mileage, the price was right and the bright blue captured my husbands heart.

We are not crazy about the Fiat, its maintenance has been annoying as it needs special items that our service stations don't carry for routine things such as oil changes. The vehicle is somewhat cheaply made so things come loose and rattle around annoyingly. But I am getting side tracked.

Two years ago we had not seen another Fiat in our town, small cars were non existent, SMART cars were on display at Ford lots with windups attached to the back to make them look like toys. People drove trucks, the bigger the better, If you were too poor for a truck you drove an old poorly maintained sedan.

We got asked constantly about the Fiat, how the gas was, did it feel too small, what the price point was, how it did on the highway, did we like it?

Slowly, about 4 months into owing the Fiat we started to see a few more small cars take to the streets. Local businesses started to drive Fiats as their company cars plastered with marketing materials. 7 months into ownership Teenage girls begun to be seen driving Fiats (teen new car ownership is a common place in oil communities). 18 months in we started to see an increase in adults driving small cars during morning commutes.

Now we cant say with certainty that the slow shift to an increase of smaller cars and Fiats was because of us. Still less than 3% of the vehicles we in our community see are smaller cars, but the change is tangible.

About two months ago a friend of ours car broke down for the last time and he needed to buy a new car. He got a Chevy spark, in a bright blue. When we asked him about it, he did not do it for any value based region. He was not trying to demonstrate option to his community. He did it because he had been a passenger in ours so much, he enjoyed the above average gas mileage, the nimble handling of a small car and the low price for a new vehicle.

We know for a fact that we opened up conversations and consideration of smaller cars in our community and that at least one person who in the past would have bought a truck opted to buy a small car because of our role modeling small car living in a big truck world.