My Top Ten list of what I miss MOST in Texas!

My Top Ten list of what I miss MOST in Texas!

Okay so I got a list together that tells the TOP TEN things to be grateful for in TEXAS.    I am so very blessed to have the opportunity to live in a completely different country.  However, I must say that if you are having a rough day, you MUST read this and be grateful for just a few of the luxuries of your day that I took for granted DAILY!

 I met a group of moms this week who are JUST LIKE ME!  They are all from Houston and are experiencing Aberdeen for the first time.  It has been so refreshing to know that I am not the only one who has had a difficult time adjusting to this new way of life!  I had some help in creating a list of the things we miss the MOST right now.  I really think that this list will change, but for now.... here it is!

The TOP TEN things you MUST be grateful for in TEXAS!

1.  The Waste Management System!!!!! -- I think I am up to four different tubs to help with the disposal of our waste properly. And I am just talking about your every day trash...not the "bulk pick up!"

2.   Your Dryer!!!!!  Oh what I would do for a dryer and a full size washing machine.  Check out how we are drying clothes these days.  Laundry is a daily event and is all about the rotation.  LOL!

This would be a "drying rack" that we now use to dry our clothes...good times!

This is the washer/dryer combo!

3.  I know this sounds crazy.... but your TOILETS!!!  There must be something wrong with the water pressure in the toilet because flushing isn't the same here.  We get to clean toilets DAILY here too!  I almost took a picture to share, but I will let you use your imagination on that one!

4.  Garbage Disposals.....I guess this kinda goes with Waste Management, but I miss it so much that I HAD to add it to the top ten.  We have a small kitchen trashcan that you put all of the things that I usually SHOVE down the garbage disposal.  That my friends is straight up NASTY!!!  So use your garbage disposal today for ME!!!

5.  RED LIGHTS.. oh how I miss red lights.  The round abouts here take the place of red lights, but no two round abouts are the same.  At least when you see a red light you stop and then go when it is green.  Here when you see a red light it is for the pedestrians and could be placed in the middle of a round about.  Oh and every round about has its own rules so you have to be sure to figure that out BEFORE you get to the white line that is usually not even there...Mr. Jim (my driving teacher) totally agrees with me on that one BTW!!!

6.  PARKING SPACES....I will never again complain in Texas about the size of the parking space. You would put TWO cars back to back in a parking space in Texas.  It is such a PAIN to pull into a parking space and then OUT of the parking space.  Pretty sure God is testing the patience of the person behind me when I have to go and park.  I take FOREVER as Denman says.  He has even started taking a drawing book with him on our drive so when he looses his patience he decides to draw a quick pictures.  He will be a FAMOUS artist before I know it!

7.  Your FRIDGE...Our fridge is about the size of your oven.  It is NUTS...  I'm thinking we will be making a trip every two to three days for groceries.  Now I don't know if you know this about me but I DO NOT like to grocery shop OR cook.  This my friends might be my biggest challenge!

This is our one and only fridge.  CRAZINESS!

8.  Eating OUT!!!  Oh my goodness... When you go out to eat here, plan for at least a two hour visit.  You can order food from the waiter, but not drinks, that must be done at the bar.  Oh and you can't expect to see your waiter again until you are ready for the "bill".  So no refill on drinks, no getting extra sauce for your meal (ketchup), and no way do you EVER tell them you are not ready to order when they come to your table.  And, so far, I found one drive through restaurant.  So EVERY time we go to eat...we are ALL going in.

9. Your BED!  The beds here are super small and SUPER uncomfortable.  I don't even know how much money Rusty has spent trying to get our bed to be as good as the one at home.  I'm pretty sure we are up to four extra mattress pads to make it even bearable to sleep on at night.  I am finally sleeping through the nights so LIFE IS GOOD!

10. And the last one is SERVICE...OH MY... I am used to making a to do list every day and conquering it in a matter of hours....OH NO WAY!  I have learned that here we make a to do list and plan to MAYBE get in done THIS MONTH!!!  Wow... I know God wanted me to take it down a little, be still and listen, and to take life one day at a time, but OH MY!!!  Just a few service issues this week.....We MAY have Internet service by Aug 20th.  The TV servicemen are coming out THREE times to get our TV order done.  If you are planning to get any type of mail here or sent, do your research to be sure that it gets where it is suppose to go.  Pretty sure this is part of my patience test!  My communication skills are getting a little HARSHER because of it though!  :)

These are the TOP TEN that are in my life right now as we try to adjust to the house and how it all works.  We are trying to figure out how all of the appliances work, what type of schedule we will need to be on to get laundry and grocery figured out, and how to maintain our trash.  You would think this would all be the easiest part of the move, but so far it has been the hardest.  It is all about trial and error and that is all a matter of TIME!

As I start to try and conquer all of these tasks, the one person who remains in my mind is Elsie.  She is my dad's mom who kept us alot growing up.   I think back to how she lived her life and how we are living our life now.  All of these little things that she said or did are coming back to me as I attempt to make sense of this way of life.  She always dried her clothes on the clothes line, only bought the groceries that she would need, reused her glass when she changed drinks, ALWAYS ate leftovers until they were gone, and walked everywhere.  I LOVED every second that I spent at Elsie's house and how simple life was to her.  I PRAY that I can make our life that way for Natalie and Denman while we are here. 

It gives me chill bumps every time I think about how every day of our lives is preparing us for the next day.  I embrace every thought that goes through my mind and read and reread every scripture that comes my way to be sure that I caught the message that was given to me.

 

I have learned this week that it is not about what you get done and how fast you were able to conquer it all.  It is about what you did with your time while you were attempting to conquer.  Did you talk to the waiter that took your order?  Did you think about what the service man had to do before he got to you?  Did you think about what recycling will do for the world that our kids are growing up in?  Did I stop and look around at all the other things around me that are blessings?

So as we make up our Top Ten lists of how we wish our lives can be easier or less stressful, lets take time to notice the many blessings around us too!  God gave me an amazing group of new friends this week to help me on our journey!  I am soo glad we took the time out of our craziness to get together!  We now have our village to take on Aberdeen!  God is Good ALL the time!