Today was so delightful. Since I had gotten to bed relatively early last night (went out and saw Benjamin Button but was still in bed by 11), I woke up on my own around 7:30am. Since I’d been going without coffee all week, I decided to treat myself to a pot of french roast for my Saturday morning. Yum. Coffee tastes that much better when it’s been a week since you’ve had it.

The whole morning I worked around the house getting stuff done. I…

Around noon, I decided to head out to do some shopping without any real direction. I knew I wanted to buy a Dutch Oven to try this bread recipe, and I wanted to check out some of the 2nd hand stores around town. Ended up stopping at Salvation Army and the Goodwill store. At Goodwill, I picked up a bread machine for $3, and a rice cooker for $4. Hopefully they both work, but I figure it was worth the risk either way.

I also stopped at a local strip mall to check out the stores that were there. First place I peeked into was Don’s Humidor and Coffee Beans. True to its name, it sells cigars and coffee. However, they also had a selection of loose leaf teas so I picked up some flavored black tea and look forward to trying it. The shop was darling and the folks in it were really friendly. Also in that strip mall, was a used book store (I bought Hard Laughter, by Anne Lamott), a cute little gifty shop called the Paper Bear, and a local sandwich shop called Schmaltz’s.

Oh man… I think I may have found my favorite local sandwich! I was surprised that it came warm, as I wasn’t sure what I was ordering when I ordered a “Small Schmaltz”, but it was delightfully toasted, on great wheat bread and spread with garlic butter. Oh, yum. I will be back. Best $4.35 I’ve spent on food in Waco.

I also stopped at Joann’s where I bought some yarn on super sale that I believe will become a baby sweater/jacket and some baskets for organizing junk in my bedroom.

Okay… I’m sure you’ve stopped reading by now, but I do want you to know that I DID get a Dutch Oven. I got this one! It’s a Cuisinart 7 qt enameled cast iron covered casserole. It didn’t say “Dutch Oven” on the packaging, but I’m pretty sure this will do the job. And… contrary to the $129.99 listed on that website, I bought it for $59 at Marshalls, which means it was my birthday gift from my parents. Yay!

The bread is currently rising… I’m hoping to be able to have some tomorrow night at dinner.

Midway though my shopping extravaganza I met up with a friend, and we hit a bunch of stores out at the Central Texas Marketplace(basically a huge selection of big box stores). I got a bunch of other stuff I’ve been needing like hot pads, notecards, scented candles, and also a few things that just caught my eye like a pair of earrings, a headband scarf, and a cute little leaf shaped candy dish.

On the way home, I stopped at the grocery store to get yeast and some salad makings for tomorrow lunch and arrived back home around 7pm. Yikes.

So, it’s been a great day. I wish I could have shared it with you… because even great days are better when there are more people I love around me.

Tomorrow morning I’m going to church…. even if I don’t feel like it. Feel free to hold me accountable.

G’night!

That *is* what it is, by the way. Wacoan. There’s even a magazine.

But anyway, what I’ve noticed since coming here is a strange and different appetizer. This appetizer is found in bars, in cajun restaurants, in Mexican restaurants… apparently it trancends the typical bounderies of food category. (Like french fries on a chinese buffet).

Basically it consists of white meat chicken wrapped into a ball around cheese and a jalapeno. This whole thing is then wrapped in bacon. Then it is all deep fried. (or smothered in hot sauce) (or both).

Sounds healthy, huh?

Well, don’t get me wrong… it is extremely tasty (although what bacon wrapped item wouldn’t be?)

Every restaurant seems to have a different name for this delicacy, but I swear I have never heard of or seen something like this before my current adventure in central Texas. Is it a local speciality, or have I just somehow never seen it before and it’s like when you learn a new word and then everywhere you go you see that word?

What is the origin of this strange, but delightful food combination….?

Oh, the questions that haunt me!

I used to wonder why sometimes I was so sad or so happy even when I didn’t particularly have things to be happy or sad about. Eventually though the self-awareness process I’ve discovered that one of my personal strengths is empathy, which basically means I go through my days soaking up the emotions of all the people around me. Fantastic skill for when I need to meet somewhere exactly where they are, or for when I’m developing relationships. I think it makes me able to be open-minded, welcoming and inclusive.

On the other hand, days like today (and even last night) are just so draining on me. There are people around me who are so ecstatic about the election they are exuding happiness everywhere they go. Then there are people who sincerely believe that we, as a country, are on the verge of something even more terrible than we are currently experiencing. Every bit of it, from every person I love, is so completely heartfelt, and I’m never one to argue with feelings, so instead I take it all in, try to process it, and hopefully don’t completely overwhelm myself before the end of the day.

Perhaps it’s the empathy that makes it hard sometimes for me to really know how I feel about things. In any case, the last 24 hours, as the news and realization of the impending presidency of Barack Obama has been sinking in, my internal emotion barometer has been all over the place, following the whim of the emotions around me.

I don’t think I can count the number of times I’ve had goosebumps when thinking about the fact that my country has done something I did not think probable in my lifetime: we have chosen a minority, a black man as our President. This is HUGE. So huge it’s almost difficult for me to really comprehend. So beautiful I almost feel the need to look away so that I can look back and see that it’s still for real. I get overwhelmed…. when I re-read the speech he made last night… when I see the pure joy on the faces of my african-american brothers and sisters who are feeling like they can do anything now… when I hear reports of the many countries abroad that rejoice with us in the breaking of this barrier in our country. It’s powerful to me in a way that I did not expect and continues to surprise me.

And then there’s McCain, and the people who supported McCain with strong convictions that he was the man who could protect their country, and their paychecks, and their unborn babies, and their guns, and their religions, and their freedoms. These are important things. So very important. And John McCain was the more experienced candidates, no doubt about it.

And I couldn’t help thinking as he gave his amazing concession speech last night… if he had spoken with that passion, that humbleness, that approachability, during his entire campaign… might he have been able to capture the passion of more people in the way that Obama has done?

I did vote for Barack Obama yesterday. Partially because Texas is such a red state… my vote felt more important if it went to a democrat. Not because I think he is necessarily going to be able to fix all the problems that our country has. And honestly, I’m scared of some of the individual people that might be a part of the 46% who voted for McCain, because many of those votes were likely not exactly FOR McCain, but rather AGAINST Obama. The hatred is so strong and I feel that, too. (See this empathy is really a bitch!).

:sigh:

I’m carrying around thoughts and feelings about Prop 8 in California as well… and the fact that Californians voted to give additional rights to chickens, but take away rights from a select group of people. It’s unbelievable that the vote went the way it did, since it contradicts with my experience of California, but it’s a really big state, I guess. I get the “marriage is a sacred practice” thing, and would NOT be supportive of a law that required all churches to perform gay marriages, but that is certainly not what this proposition was suggesting.

And seriously, do NOT get me started on the ballot measure in Arkansas which forbids an unmarried person (gay or straight) from adopting a child. Good gracious. Are we really that scared of what “the gays” might do to “us”? Here’s a clue.. they’ve been here all along. And what makes someone like myself unfit to parent a child who needs a home? Single parenthood isn’t a new concept either.

At the end of all of this, I still feel exhausted and somewhat discouraged, but I think that hope abounds! As the clouds of divisiveness begin to part and we all learn to look at each other with grace and understanding once again, we may find ourselves and our relationships stronger for having gone through these difficult times. I’m so thankful for God’s love and wisdom, and His pursuit of my faithfulness.

It’s past my bedtime.