Dr. Pepper Pilferer

I keep pilfering the Dr. Peppers out of my Hurricane Preparedness Kit.

Hurricane Preparation Kits

Last year on the heels of Hurricane Katrina, my sister Glory came to visit from Atlanta. My mother picked her up at Hobby Airport and they returned to our home town Freeport. The next day Freeport declared a mandatory evacuation due to the immanent threat of Hurricane Rita; so mom, my aunt, and Glory drove to Rockport to see me. Rockport declared their mandatory evacuation the next day. So we all ended up in Salado, Texas in what was supposedly the only hotel room available in the state.
Everything happened so fast that it took us all by surprise. I was not prepared. So with note pad in hand I took notes during the entire evacuation process of things to do differently "next time". I know they have these list available for free, but keep in mind I had a lot of time on my hands and this list was a form of entertainment for me. Here's are my lists:

Food Kit
Water
2 six packs of small Dr. Peppers
Tuna Kits
Peanut Butter
Bread
Plastic Utensils
Map
Fruit cups
Tea bags Roll of Paper towels
Coffee with scoop and filters
Sugar packets
Mixed Nuts
Ice chest ice
Candles/matches
Flashlight/batteries
Clothes for 4 days
Entertainment Kit
Radio/batteries
Deck of cards
Books/magazines
Crossword puzzles
Craft type items (hand work)

Yesterday I went to Circle K to get the free Hurricane Preparation Guide and compared what they said to do to what I was thinking last year in the the mist of the turmoil. Boy is my list deficient. Currently I am regrouping and plan to have my kit ready by July 1st. If you think of anything I forgot, please feel free to let me know.

Gulf Watch 2006

If you walk down my street two block, this is the view you would see. Lovely isn't it?
These Gulf waters are calm and beautiful, but if you don't live on the coast you might not be aware that we have entered hurricane season.
The National Hurricane Center's forecast for 2006 is for 13 to 16 named storms, including 8 to 10 hurricanes, of which 4 to 6 may be major hurricanes. They do not expect a repeat of last year's record-breaking 28 named storms, however, which included 15 hurricanes, 7 of them major. They will name the storms using the following roster:

Alberto
Beryl
Chris
Debby
Ernesto
Florence
Gordon
Helene
Isaac
Joyce
Kirk
Leslie
Michael
Nadine
Oscar
Patty
Rafael
Sandy
Tony
Valerie
William

Somehow none of these sound like killers, but if I had to put money on one it would be Nadine. Officially, hurricane season is June 1 through November 30, but unofficially, Carlene always says we just have to make it to the Miss America pageant and we'd be safe.

My Inheritance from B.T. Hanna

Once after my dad had died, my brother Thomas came to see me and I gave him some tube socks that Dad had left in my house. He held them for a minute and then said, "Cool, my inheritance." I laughed out loud at how ridiculous it was to view a pair of old man's tube socks as an inheritance, but he was right. Dad didn't leave us with an inheritance, but honestly we weren't expecting anything either.
People make mistakes every day and some times the effects are minor. There are times, however, when the consequences of bad decisions reach deep into the lives of those we love and are lived out in the years to come.
All father's make mistakes, so let us establish a new legacy for our lives and our families by making the good decision to forgive. Make the decision to let go of those things you are holding on to, because in the end, it just boils down to love.
I am who I am today because of those mistakes made by my father, BUT I am who I am because of the choices he made that were right. Either way my inheritance is priceless and it resides in my DNA, my heart and my soul.
I am who I am and I love my Dad.

High School Do Over

I woke up from a dream this morning that was thought provoking. In it I was discussing with a fellow graduate (Class of ’81) the outcome of our lives. I asked him if it ended up being what he expected. So this morning I have been wondering what I would have done differently if I could go back today (knowing what I know now) and "do over" the four years I spent at Brazosport High School. Here is my list:

1. I would not enroll in Shorthand or Bookkeeping.
2. I would take Typing, but only once. I took it twice because I wanted to improve my WPM.
3. I would enroll in EVERY Home Economics class they offered and I would have been an active member of Future Homemakers of America (FHA).
4. I would have paid attention in English and History.
5. I would have gone to more Basketball Games and Track Meets.
6. I would have taken an interest in the lives of more of my classmates and teachers.
7. I would have gotten a job and saved money.
8. I would have continued with my guitar lessons.
9. I would have continued to go to the church my parents attended when I was young.
10. I would have not tried to smoke cigarettes, something I am proud to say I failed at.
11. I would have joined band in junior high instead of my sophomore year in high school….maybe…..the way I did it had it’s perks.
12. I would have worn sunscreen (or had it been invented yet?).
13. I would have eaten breakfast everyday.

This is not an exhaustive list I’m sure, just what I’ve been thinking on this morning. So tell me, what would you have added or subtracted from your four years in high school?

Command Central

You would think with a degree in Vocational Home Economics Education I would be a very efficient person, well such is not the case. However, the information I learned while getting my degree has helped me overcome some of my bad habits.
Recently, my house was in its usual disarray when I decided the computer no longer belonged in the bedroom. I would move the “office” to the living room. My Feng Shui training (which consists of one statement I read on the back of a Feng Shui for Dummies book) guided me in finding the "seat of authority". In other words, I knew I couldn’t sit with my back to the room. The living room is small, so I decided to pull the sofa out into the middle of the room as a divider, creating a sitting area and an office area. I pushed my desk up against the back to the sofa and sat there surveying the room. I had found the spot.
I didn’t like seeing the back of the computer monitor when I sat in the living room area, so I hid it with a plant. A lamp on the desk came in handy no matter what side of the couch you were on. Things were taking shape, when I realized that I could watch television and be on the computer at the same time, creating for me a multi-media experience. So, mouse and remotes in hand I accidentally created what I call Command Central. This is my place, where I can be surrounded by things that make me happy and be productive.
Everybody needs a Command Central, so if you don’t have one, find a place for one. Maybe you have carved out a niche in you house that is “your area” and all it needs is a little tweaking. Let me know what you come up with, and as always, I'm available for consultation. After all, I am trained professional. :)

Coffee Talk

After much anticipation, Starbucks has made its way to Rockport. Contrary to what most of you might assume, I do not go there every day.
Since it has opened however, I have learned something about myself that came as a surprise. My favorite cup of coffee is not a tall latte' with two white sugars from Starbucks. Instead, my favorite is the cup of Folgers (black) I make myself every morning. For me, it truly is "the best part of waking up".
So, tell me, what is your favorite cup of coffee and who makes it?

Aqua Net and Rat-tail Combs

There's a lot talk in the media about the Polar Ice Caps melting lately and people want to know why. Well look no further, it's Sue's fault.
Some of my earliest memories include curlers, rat tail combs, Aqua Net Hair Spray, and Sue. Although she spent thousands of dollars each year on Aqua Net, and we can never prove the extent of the damage to the environment from the aerosol in those cans, I can always say one thing for certain: if her hair wasn't in curlers, Sue looked great.
I am so thankful my whole life has had Sue in it. If I were to have a "Legend's Ball" and honor the women who made the biggest impact on my life, Mom, Glory, and SUE would be the first three on the list.
Happy Birthday Sister Friend!

Nights in White Satin

Marla and Catherine Hanna

Twenty-one years ago today my brother David Lawrence Hanna married my friend Marla Michelle Martin. Marla asked me not only to be her maid of honor, but also to make her wedding dress. Naturally I agreed to all of the above, and I figured while I was at it I could make my own dress as well. I did not worry that I had bitten off more than I could chew because I had plenty of time. Yet there is one significant character trait of mine I forgot to factor in when calculating time to complete the dress - my tendency to procrastinate.
As a rule, I save for the last minute what could be planned and completed weeks in advance, and I am learning this is only acceptable when others are not involved, i.e. a bride waiting in the wings for her wedding dress.
One day, about a week before the wedding, David calmly asked me when I thought I might begin working on the bride's dress. Sitting there as he patiently talked to me, it came as revelation how completely inconsiderate I was being to my brother and future sister-in-law. Panic ensued; actually it had been ensuing in the bride for weeks, I was just catching up.
So I began cutting, fitting, sewing, ripping, pressing, hemming and all at break neck speed. Then, while sewing on miles and miles of white satin, in the wee small hours of the morning, I pricked my finger and bleed all over the dress. I tried to get it out with a cold, damp cloth, but it just smeared grayish everywhere.
So, in utter despair, I got up and walked down the street and sat on the steps of the Episcopal Church. As I sat there in my failure I noticed some kids had vandalized the neighborhood church. The little delinquents had spray painted the word SATAN onto the sidewalk leading up to the church entrance. I smiled as I read the word, because they had misspelled SATAN and instead wrote SATIN.
I took it as sign from above and was comforted with the knowledge that God was paying attention and involved in what was happening in our lives. I returned to my room to find the dress had dried white as snow.
I never doubted the dress would not be ready on time from that moment on. Granted I was hemming it in the dressing room of the church on the day of the wedding, but we all walked the aisle fully clothed.

Mr. and Mrs. David L. Hanna

The Other Two