Dear Texas… About Our Relationship…

Please come back, nice day!!
Photo credit: Doree Weller

Dear Texas,

I wanted to talk to you about our relationship.  When I agreed to leave Arizona for you, you were hot.  Not as hot as Arizona, but your other assets made me think that it would be okay.  At first, things were really good, but then you started running warm and cold.  Last Saturday, we were outside together all day, and it was beautiful.  Just a few days later though, you were so cold to me that I didn’t want to go outside.  You really made me feel like you didn’t want me around.

Meanwhile, Arizona is as predictable as ever.  Yes, I’ve continued seeing Arizona, but you have to understand, we have a history together.  Just because I visit doesn’t mean I don’t want our relationship to work.  I do, but you have to work with me here.  If I only knew what to expect, if you weren’t so moody, I’d feel better.

I mean, it’s not like you’re Pennsylvania.  That is one cold beotch right there.

I’m not saying you have to be hot all the time.  I love you even when you let yourself go a little over the winter.  The grass needs a trim and the leaves are mostly gone on the trees.  I’m okay with that; I gained a few pounds over the holidays.  Just… I’d like to know where I stand.

Is that too much to ask?

Love,

Doree

I’m Tired of Sweating

It was cool in there, but like 98% humidity. I was soaked!
Innerspace, Texas
Photo Credit: Doree Weller

I don’t like to sweat, unless I’m dressed properly.  In yoga pants or bike shorts and a T-shirt, I’m okay with it.  I do whatever I’m supposed to be doing, then I shower and change back to normal clothes.  In Arizona, you don’t sweat all that much.  What they say about it being a dry heat is true.  However, you get filthy from all the dust in the air, so even if you only sweat a little, you still need a shower.

Out here in Texas, you sweat, even if you don’t feel hot.  You sweat in your house.  You sweat walking to your car.  You sweat in your car.  You seriously sweat every-freaking-where.  I’m tired of sweating.  I know it’s my body’s cooling mechanism, and blah-blah-blah, but I still hate it.  But it’s funny… in Arizona, you have to drink gallons of water to stay hydrated.  You con’t feel like you’re sweating, but you are, and if you don’t drink excessive water, you get headaches and fatigued and stuff.  In Arizona, I would hike 7 miles, drink 128 ounces of water, and still not have to use the bathroom.  Here, if you drink 24 ounces of water, sweat 37 ounces, and then have to run for the bathroom.  How does that work?!  Seriously!

I know that it doesn’t sound awesome when you say that it’s 120 degrees “but it’s a dry heat.”  It doesn’t feel great either, when the sun is seriously burning your skin, and you feel like a vampire (only not the wussy-sparkling kind, the kind of vampire that gets worse than a sunburn), sticking to the shadows.  That’s how Arizona feels.  And if you do sweat, there’s so little moisture in the air, that it dries in a few minutes and you quickly forget about it.  In Texas, it’s definitely cooler overall, and I’m comfortable enough with the sun that I can eat garlic without fear again.

But seriously… enough with the sweating… okay?

Visiting Home

I lived in Pennsylvania until 5 years ago, when a job offer for my husband sent us to Arizona.

There are many things I love about Arizona, and many things I miss about Pennsylvania.  I don’t miss the humidity.  At all.  However, I miss many things that go along with the humidity.  Tall, leafy green trees.  Streams and rivers.  RAIN.  I went to Dorney Park with a friend, and it rained while we were there.  She ducked under it and tried to stay dry.  I soaked it up.

One of the things I miss most about living in Arizona is my dog.  When I moved out, she couldn’t adjust, and ended up staying with my parents.  She’s 13 1/2 years old, pretty ancient for a dog her size.  We shared a Rita’s gelati (another thing that AZ doesn’t have).

I’m getting ready to fly back to AZ today, and I’m happy to be going home, but I’m also going to miss PA.  I’m not sure when I’ll be back.  It’s hard to leave home.  PA will always be home, no matter how much I love AZ.