Johanna\’s Blog

After living in Texas for almost seven years, I often find myself missing New Mexico, where I grew up, and all things New Mexico.  One of the biggest reminders of back home is green chile.  My family and I have been lucky over the past few years to actually have a “New Mexican” restaurant in Houston!  When I first moved back to Texas, it was still pretty hard to find green chile, but luckily in the past few years it seems that green chile has become a chic thing–several grocery stores even have green chile festivals where they roast (one of the most heavenly smells!) and sell it!

Roasting Green Chile at Hubbell & Hudson's Hatch Fired Up Festival in The Woodlands, TX--August 2009.

This week I introduced my Texan co-workers to one of my favorite dishes–green chile chicken enchiladas.  Yum!  I was worried that their Tex-Mex loving taste buds would not like the New Mexican flavors.  But, much to my delight, they loved them!  A couple of them even asked for the recipe (I didn’t quite know how to tell them that I don’ really have a written recipe). 🙂  Needless to say, I might be making them more!

I’m always trying to find a little direction and focus in my life.  Even at my age, I don’t know what I really want to “be when I grow up!”  Don’t get me wrong, there are several things I absolutely know I want in life (like to live in a place I love, have a job I love, have a family, etc.) but I don’t know how to get them.  For example, I know I want to have a job that I love doing and don’t mind going to everyday.  But, I still don’t know exactly what that job may be.  What job is there for someone with a history degree who loves to research, has lots of customer service, retail management, and banking experience under her belt?  I tell myself too, that it’s frivolous to want a job that I love when I should just be happy to have a job with great benefits, especially these days when there are so many individuals who don’t have either.  I will figure it out someday, right?  Anywho, I digress.  Really my point it starting this post was to talk about setting goals, which I have been trying to articulate and write down lately.  I found a cool site 43things.com that allows you to make a list of goals in your life and keep track of when these goals are accomplished.  For example, the goals you list can be anything from finding a job you love to learning to speak German.  Whatever you want.  The unique thing about this site is that you can see other users who want to accomplish or have already accomplished the same things you want for yourself.  You can read others’ comments about how they are working on any particular goal or how they finally reached it.  I think it’s pretty cool!  At any rate, I have started my list of 43 things.  I have found myself really thinking about what I want for myself and my life.  I’m only to 15 things that I want…but the list will surely grow! 🙂

Well, I’m finally giving in to my mom’s not so subtle comments that I really needed to work on my blog. For fear of being removed from her blog roll (not really!) I came to do an update.  When I sat down to see where I was the last time I posted, I was a little embarrassed–it had been almost two years since I’d updated!!  I don’t even know what to say to that.   Only that I want to do better mom! 😉  I want to promise my readers (all two of you) that I will write more often.  Hopefully, it will help me focus this here brain of mine if I do a little writing from time to time.

I can remember the exact moment I fell in love with Jane Austen…I was 15 and I had just seen “Sense and Sensibility” in the theater with my mom and my friend Julia. I bought all the Jane Austen books right away. And I watched the movie over and over. Then a few years ago, I was browsing in Target, when I came across the BBC version of “Pride and Prejudice” starring Colin Firth, and took chance and bought it. My love was again renewed. I can’t even remember how many times I watched it! But I watched it enough that I started to wear out the DVDs (it kept me sane through many lonely nights in Laredo)–I didn’t even know that was possible!! Anywho, recently, Masterpiece on PBS aired “The Complete Jane Austen” which I watched with my sister. My obsession has come alive again!! I cannot even explain how much I LOVED the new version of “Persuasion!!” And my sis and I agree that it has one of the best movie kisses EVER….It has inspired me to reread the book and I believe (and I never thought this would be possible) that I like it more than Pride and Prejudice. 🙂

Well, here is a quiz that will tell you which Jane Austen heroine you are most like. I am 72% Elinor Dashwood (with Jane and Lizzie Bennet coming in second and third respectively). 🙂 Here’s to all my fellow Austenites! 😀

I’ve been tagged!!! Since we have a total love of reading in my family, this tagging game is a lot of fun! My sister tagged me–here’s how the game goes… 😉

1) Pick up the nearest book (of at least 123 pages)

2) Open the book to page 123

3) Find the fifth sentence

4) Post the next three sentences

5) Tag five people

The book nearest me was The Welsh Girl by Peter Ho Davies (something I picked up during my latest trip to Barnes & Noble). The following is from page 123:

“He always likes to put his tools away in good order. As a child she sometimes thought he loved them more than her, even his father’s old quarry chisels, which he oils every year.

‘Hallo, luv,’ he calls, as her eyes adjust to the gloom.”

I can’t wait to read the rest of the book!! 🙂

I finally did it! I updated my cell phone number!! :):) It’s really funny how something as insignificant as a cell phone number can feel like it has you tied down to your past. I still had a Laredo phone number and I haven’t lived there for almost 2 years!!

You see, with my recent move (and all that it entailed!), I had to give my cell number to several different people. More than once, after seeing my area code, someone asked me, “Oh, where in the Valley are you moving from?” *sigh* I really didn’t mind explaining the boring details to them, but it did serve as, not a painful, but rather an unpleasant reminder of where I’ve been. I am at a point in my life where all I want to do is move on from everything that had to do with the last chapter of my life. Don’t get me wrong, with as much as I might have complained about my job or my time living in Laredo, I do not regret a bit of it. I learned so much from the experiences I’ve had these past four years–things that will remain with me for the rest of my life. And the friendships and acquaintances I made are irreplaceable and I would never want to disconnect myself with them. I could never forget the people I’ve met or the places that I’ve been. I am the same person at a new place in my life. I thought that changing my cell phone number would help to close the door on the past few years, I guess it kind of does. It really serves as a symbol of moving on to my next chapter–it’s the same phone, just a different number. 🙂

While I have been struggling to keep up with a blog for a couple years now, my sister has been blogging for longer (I am, of course, her number one fan and most loyal reader). We often see things that strike us as funny (or odd) that we think are “blog worthy”–a term that has now entered our everyday vocabulary. 🙂 Well, today I blog about my very first blog worthy sighting!!

The scene of the sighting: Exxon gas station, Magnolia, TX–we are filling up the U-hall (gotta return it with a 1/4 tank, as always) from my recent move. My dad and I are both pooped from unloading in ungodly humidity (it’s September for crying out loud! And autumn to boot! When will the weather gods give us a break?!) and I read a hand written note on the pump…”It wont shot off atomatic.”

Well, it was the “shot” that first caught my attention, but I really started laughing when noticed the “atomatic.” I told my dad, “evidently the only requirement for working at the Magnolia Exxon is to pass an Aggie spelling test!!” 🙂 You see, spelling is not my forte either, but knowing this, if I am writing something and it doesn’t look right, I always double check it. So a little advice to Mr./Ms. Overworked Magnolia Exxon Employee–and please understand that I feel your pain–it always pays to have a fellow Overworked Magnolia Exxon Employee or an obliging customer proofread your signs. 🙂

Well, I have finally done it! I have quit my job of 4 years and I am moving back to Houston!! Woohoo! This is a big step for someone who usually plays it safe. I am leaving the security of a career and moving back home so I can go back to school. I will prove anyone who said a history degree was good for nothing wrong and make something of myself–something I can be proud of.

With as successful I have been at my current job, it has be far from enjoyable and I have been disappointed in myself for not doing something about it! But no more! For the first time in a long time I am proud of myself and I am excited about the uncertainty that next week brings. As far as I’m concerned, I am Super Jo! I can do anything I put my mind to. :):)

I love all things Harry Potter! The last book was AWESOME! But it’s hard to believe it’s all over. 😦

Evidently, I am most like Hermione…

Find out your Harry Potter personality at LiquidGeneration!

Well, gotta go re-read “Deathly Hollows”!! 🙂

Well I was born in TX and I live here now, so I guess it’s official. 🙂

You Are 76% Texas

Well, knock me down and steal muh teeth! You’re pretty darn Texan.

How Texas Are You?