Livin' Local(ly)

Local.

It's such a buzz word these days. Eat local. Shop local. Buy local. Live local. (May I just say that I know it should be locally, since it's describing a verb? Okay, thanks.)

Well, friends, we've joined the bandwagon. We've sold out. Actually, we just live near many wonderful places. A weeknight out for tacos or an evening pouring over lessons at a cafe seems justifiable because it's just down the street.

To borrow the terminology we use to describe Brooklyn's cabin fever, I've been feeling a bit cooped up. It might have something to do with the fact that I spend a lot of time in the basement at school. (That's where the practice rooms and several other important offices are.) As much as I do love Meadows, it's nice to join the world of "normal" people ocassionally (read: non-music-majors who enjoy life outside of the classroom and workplace).

Practice room selfie for Mom. :)

A walk to tacos? Yes, please!

Novelty tacos: carnitas, hamburger, "picnic," and rotisserie chicken tacos

Company Café for football, lesson planning, and good eats!

Running locally has kept me sane so far! Most days we stick to the neighborhood to save time, but we usually hit up the trail once during the week. I save my long run for the weekends - always at the lake. It's my reward after a busy week. I've even found a running buddy at school - she's a fellow pianist and is training for her first half marathon. Added blessing: we run the same pace!

Neighborhood run with my favorite pup!

White Rock Lake at sunrise

I miss Florida lakes, so this is a taste of home

Post long run

Last weekend was absolutely gorgeous - we have been experiencing the beginnings of fall here in Dallas. A motorcycle ride to church? Why not? Just another way to enjoy the weather and tour the city. And wear jeans. I'm tired of dressing up every day...

Thankful to be caught up with homework and lesson planning. Looking forward to a weekend of rest, running, practice, and fellowship. Off to game night!

Currently thinking about: how to get to school tomorrow and avoid the SMU/TCU rivalry game

Tyler Tuesday: Trucks, Trucks, and More Trucks

There are many types of trucks that I work on here in the big city of Dallas. There are the day-cab delivery trucks, which locally move loads of pallets, equipment, boxes and supplies and are happily parked in the same yard every night. There are the line-haul trucks, moving things around the country and crossing state lines as one would cross from the living room into the kitchen. They are larger with extended cabins to sleep in and have heavier components to handle the weight. And then there are the tough vocational trucks. These are the trucks that every little boy wants to crawl all over: sit in the seat, play with all the switches, and marvel at the huge tires, long chassis, and low growling idle. The bulldog brand Mack Truck is known for making tough vocational type trucks. 

This was due to the type of engines they made early on to go with the outstanding Maxitorque transmission and revolutionizing camel back suspension. While other truck brands were making their engines larger, Cummins producing one of the first 15L engines (the ISX series) and Caterpillar following suit with the C15, they could not keep up with Mack in the off-road world. These large engines of the competitors almost killed themselves trying to rev up and down all day tearing at the mess of hot pipes and pounding pistons. If you know a little about engines, the larger the displacement of the cylinder, the slower the speed of the engine. Mack was producing engine around 9 to 11 liters and found a different way to make power: through the transmission.  Driving larger engines in an off-road situation was like trying to drive a race car in a shopping mall parking lot. Every time you let the clutch out enough to start moving, you have to slam on the brakes to stop from going through a parked car.

Trucks can be powered by large engines or by small engines which turn more gears. I had written out an entire paragraph about how power is made and why transmissions can distribute power over smaller rpm bands, but I decided it was very boring/confusing. So just trust me when I say Mack had a better application for off-road vehicles by using slightly smaller engines and heavier duty transmissions. This was combined with a genesis suspension system that I could go on and on about but basically the idea is that when one axle goes up it forces pressure on the other to go down, so that you never loose traction. 

What I was faced with on the truck yard was one of these trucks. Mack thoroughbred, heavy duty, extreme killer of a truck. 

It’s called a cement pump truck, and it takes large amounts of cement and pumps it into foundations or second stories of buildings - or anywhere within its mass arms’ reach. This truck had a code active that only let it rev up to about half of its capability. As I started the fault tracking, it took about two hours to find that I needed to repair wiring on top of the transmission. The transmission, I discovered, had been involved in an accident. And not just any accident: an accident where the people using this truck dropped a bunch of cement on top of the transmission. It probably looked like an insignificant amount compared to what was being pumped elsewhere, but trust me when I say that it was enough to make my job very hard.

I spent the next four hours chiseling cement with an air hammer while stooping halfway between the body and the top of the transmission. The hardest part was making sure that I chiseled only cement and not truck parts. Even then, I couldn’t help but think it was one of the coolest jobs I had ever done. I was smiling the whole time.

How awesome is it that I get to work on cement-covered pump trucks and top-of-the-line highway trucks all in the same place? I truly am grateful for such an awesome job. 

One last note, if you think that driving a truck like that is hard, you should talk to the tow-truck driver who brought it in. He was driving a truck just as long with the cement truck behind it! That takes some serious driving skill!!

Currently listening to: Bon Iver, Foo fighters, and U2. Where did that album come from?

Currently working on: Volvo VNL64T EGR valve is stuck open and needs to be replaced. 

Currently thinking about: Swimming, biking, and running.   

Weimaraner Wednesday: The Couch Addiction

Her name is Brooklyn, and she's addicted to cartoons.

Any television, actually. Who am I kidding? It's the couch she's dependent upon. As soon as she exits the crate, she runs to the love seat and curls up into a surprisingly small Weim Ball, as if saying, "Bring the snacks, and get this movie started, Mom!" True to Welsh-woman form, she falls asleep mid-movie.

Let's just say Brooklyn was in heaven this past weekend, cozied up on Ty's futon/loveseat couch fusion, sandwiched between her family, with episodes of Scooby-Doo: Mystery Incorporated lulling her to sleep.

It's no wonder Weims have so much energy to burn - they store it up throughout the day's naps. Of course, it all comes down to their velcro nature. Whatever we're doing, she wants to be part of it.

(Case-in-point: if we're blogging, then she wants to blog from the couch, too!)

True story: I took this photo while writing this post!

Since we were couch-ridden all weekend, so was Brooklyn. She truly is the best snuggle buddy. With ears as soft as velvet, too!

Now that we're on the mend and back in the swing of things, she is asking for more attention and outside time. I was more than happy to oblige her with a sunrise run yesterday. Between my sickness and her "female problems," we've been inconsistent in the running department. I've resorted to the school gym several times to preserve my own sanity and neighbor relations, but I much prefer the great outdoors with my favorite running buddy in tow. We're finishing up week three of her heat, so we should be able to run more regularly together. (And say goodbye to diapers!)

So...cartoons and coffee in the wee hours of the morning, followed by a sunrise run? Seems like the perfect compromise! I love this dog. She reminds me to be human and live life as such. I'm making a conscious effort to avoid the beep boop lifestyle, and Brooklyn is one of the biggest reasons I haven't succumbed to that this time around.

Tyler Tuesday: Work is Work

This past weekend, I was bed-ridden sick. Jessie has already given you all the details about that, so this post might be lacking in content. I think I broke my record for how many movies I have watched in one weekend.

It might be better, rather than give an update of what is going on, to talk about prospects that I have been thinking about.

I have really been liking my new job here in Dallas. The pay is good, the work is what I like to do (fix trucks), and the hours are easy. I have been able to complete almost everything thrown at me and my boss is happy. There is also the opportunity for further training. Life is good, right? But there is still this nagging urge in the back of my mind to do something crazy. Something as crazy as work for myself.

Self-employment or self-infliction, as my mother calls it, has always been something that I have thought about. But maybe that’s everyone little dream right? Opening your own shop, greeting your happy customers one by one, and providing a unique service that nobody else has ever thought of. Washing your hands and sweeping the floor as the sun sets. Satisfied with another hard day’s work, knowing that you left an impression that meant something to people and made some real money that goes straight in your pocket, not to some corporate overhead. The problem with this is it's just a dream. I know enough about business to know these ideals are not very realistic. 

More likely you have thirty or so odd-ball people screaming at you to unrealistically get their work done simultaneously. You hate them for the way they treat you, but you’re bending over backwards to put on one more smile for them because they are the only hope you have to try and pay off the huge business loan you took out to afford the shop you work in . The landlord cut the lights off and you are scrambling with flahlights into the night just to make it through one more day, exhausted. All the while at home awaits three weeks of paperwork in a corner drawer that you haven’t yet dealt with. You keep it in that drawer because it's important and if you don’t deal with it something bad will happen. You don’t know what that is, but its bad.

I really see it from both sides. You can go to work, clock in and clock out without having to stress about all the difficult things in business, but you get paid less for that luxury; on the other hand, you can work for yourself and get all the pay and all the accompanying stress. This is not to say that hourly jobs don’t pay well and owning a business does. Or that hourly jobs are stress-free and owning a business is all work an' no play. I think that a lot of it has to do with one's personality. 

I know myself fairly well at this point, and I know that it takes a lot for me to take care of certain things. Things as simple as sending email replies, filling out some insurance papers, writing weekly blogs on time -- they are difficult for me and take me forever. I have always had this struggle, and I purposely try and battle it with the little things. But if you give me a task and a time to show up and do it, I have no problem. Wake up early or stay out late, whatever it takes. I can work hard but not in that way that is helpful for an entrepreneur. 

Seeking out contacts, setting up meetings, researching tax benefits, and filing the right paperwork for the right time are things that I just want to run from, and I know that is not a good business plan. I will need to work on things that I’m not good at in order to even think about trying to start a business. And I know that there are lots of different paths besides employer and employee. These are the things that I have been thinking about and looking into as I work my job every day. Every day is a day under my belt for whatever I need to do next. Thanks for reading.

Currently listening to: Hillsong United, Gregory Alan Isakov, and Jessie Welsh Piano.

Currently Working on: 2011 Mack CHU613 with active engine code 4094 derated condition likely caused by faulty EGR flow. Found the EGR cooler clogged with soot.

Currently Thinking about: all of the above. 

Weather Side Effects

This Dallas weather is bizarre.

After weeks of 100(plus!)-degree-weather, a cold wind blew through on Friday. I knew it was coming without referencing my weather app. Changes in barometric pressure always affect me, so I wasn't surprised that the cold weather brought along a pair of headaches for Ty and me. What we didn't expect, however, were the fevers, coughs, sore throats, runny noses, and chills. I'm not sure we can blame it entirely on the weather, but we're under the weather. Judging by my coughing students and the myriad cough-syrup customers, our experience is not unique. Ty has it worse than I do.

While we are very grateful that it is the weekend, and we can slow down to rest and recover, we are disappointed that we missed out on some much anticipated events: a night at the theatre with Aunt Sharry, dueling piano bar evening with friends, and fellowshipping with our King's Parish family.

I went to Neighborhood Market to buy a few sickie essentials and managed to cook up some "Hamburger with Stuff in It," (as Ty calls it) before the sickness set in. I also made some oatmeal muffins for breakfast and snacking. Possibly the best thing to come from this sickness business is the creation of a new favorite green smoothie.

8 oz. cup Dream Blends (almonds, coconuts, and chia seeds)
8 oz. water (or OJ)
4 cups kale
4 cups spinach
1 banana
1/2 cup plain greek yogurt
1 tsp. honey
1/2 cup frozen blueberries
A few handfuls of frozen strawberries (until smoothie reaches desired thickness)
(Serves 3)

Brooklyn, on the other hand, is thrilled that Mom and Dad are stuck on the couch. She loves nothing more than snuggling! It probably helps that she's still a bit "under the weather" herself. I am itching to get out, and I almost feel good enough today. At least I think so, until I move around and try to do stuff. Then I quickly relocate back to the couch. At least today I've been able to do some school reading. Missing my time at the keys and my miles at the lake! Hoping that resting up this weekend will propel us through the busyness of the coming week.

At this point, we've watched more cartoons than even we can handle. Ty has figured out how to stream the Cowboys' game, but I'm sure that will also prove disappointing.

Cool Runnings

Scooby-Doo!

Florida girl freezing in fifty-degree-weather. I can blame it on the chills, right?! (And yes, those are socks over the leggings.)

Karate Kid

Time wake up??

At least I'm trying to be semi-productive today!

Scooby-Doo and Starchy Vegetables

I guess you could say our new life is truly in full swing.

In addition to my class load, I teach four days a week, well into the evenings. Most of my teaching responsibilities are directly related to my position as teaching fellow at SMU. On Monday and Tuesday, I wasn't free to eat (much less cook) dinner until after 8PM. Wednesdays are becoming typified by continuous hallway snacking, since I don't have a moment between 11-2:30 to even think about a meal. I shamelssly pulled a boiled egg out of my backpack today only minutes prior to a meeting and mumbled a half-hearted apology to my nearby classmates. The second-year grad students in my program just smiled an nodded. They get it.

So far the homework load hasn't been too heavy, but I still have about two hours of paperwork, reading, and lesson-planning after dinner. Partially in an effort to stay awake, I have started "watching" multiple Scooby-Doo episodes while I pour over method books, type lesson plans, and send emails late into the evening. In the mornings, I've even been delaying my practice time to 6AM, just to allow myself time to breakfast, sip coffee, and uncover a twenty-minute mystery. (Tyler is getting quite hooked. I practically had to shove him out the door at 5:40AM this morning.) Taking that extra time to "tune out" and relax seems to have helped me focus when it really counts. I am thankful that I've been able to safe-guard my practice goals, even amidst the busyness. I'm aiming for consistency over extremity.

Today I attended a Bible study with a few ladies from church. I am really hoping to keep this a weekly priority as the semester heats up. Due to my class schedule, I can't stay the entire time; I know even an hour of intentional time in the Word with these women will be worth it. Already I felt so blessed by their company, hospitality, and genuine interest in my life. (Amen to GF muffins, a third cup of coffee, and fifty minutes to quiet my heart.)

Today I arrived home just after 7PM - with a ravenous appetite, naturally. I discovered Tyler in the kitchen, standing over a steaming pot, stirring like a madman. When I asked what he was cooking he replied, "Mashed potatoes. I didn't know what other vegetables to cook." He quickly added, "I was hoping you could make a salad?"

Now I know his mama taught him about all things green, but who I am to complain when he went to Walmart and then cooked dinner?

Nothing says, "I love you!" more than that.

How grateful I am for the support I'm receiving from home, at school, within our church community, and across the southern belt of the United States.

And for grilled chicken in the fridge and a pillow calling my name.

Sweet dreams.

Tyler Tuesday: Sunday Funday

So this week's blog will look more like a journal entry and will keep you up-to-date with the latest happenings in the Welsh household.

The latest breaking news is that right now Brooklyn is wearing a diper and scared of a fly that got in the house. This has caused her to cower in my lap while I am trying to type. I know, too much information. 

This past Sunday, Jessie and I enjoyed church and then really enjoyed going to our friends' house in the evening for music, food, and prayer. Their names are Aaron and Deb. What an Amazing couple! They just moved here from New Zeeland, where Aaron (who is from the States) was serving with Deb's local Church. In a short two years, they have met, married, owned two houses, moved to Texas, begun Semenary, and learned they are expecting their first child! We were commenting that it’s a good thing he is the most relaxed person you will ever meet because his life sounds crazy.

I tried my best on guitar while Deb and Jessie traded the piano back and forth. I was trying to make a set list and practice a bunch of songs and Deb was really great when she said to just jump in when ever anyone feels inspired!

It reminded me of being really young and just jamming out in the living room. Everyone was just playing loud and singing out! Had a great time of doing that, and then one of Aaron’s classmates (from East Asia) shared about his overseas missions experiences. Really awesome to hear what God is doing all over the world. 

We jumped back into the routine this week but with a fresh start knowing that God is so good and so gracious to us. He has given us friends and a church family that have been so loving.

Thanks for listening, and I hope not to make a habit out of forgetting to blog.

Currently listening to: Foster the People, Brook Fraser, and Sea Wolf

Currently Working on: 2008 Volvo VNL, resealing the exhaust manifold and replacing the turbo.

Currently thinking about: how to get involved in more music projects without over-committing myself.

A Labor Day Worth His Wages

Our apologies for not living up to our Tyler Tuesday commitment this week! The holiday weekend through us for a loop. As Tyler mentioned last week in his installment, we were contemplating how to spend a long weekend without spending.

First, there is something you should know. This is currently a large part of our lives and dictates some of the activities we can and cannot do. For instance, I had to leave Brooklyn at home when I went for a long run with my neighbor, Melissa.

It also meant that we had to spend money on diapers. Ty came home around 9PM one night from Walmart and said, "You know, I thought it'd be a while before I was doing late-night diaper runs." After trying two different sizes of pet diapers, we went with size-six baby diapers. Of course, Brooklyn has been trying to act like a human all her life...we should have known.

After a failed attempt at trying to bring college football into our home via bunny ears (our TV is analog, not digital!), we decided to get out of the house. Tyler tells me to always bring my wallet, so as to always have identification on me. The trick is just leaving that wallet in the car. No temptation to spend! 

We went to the Bishop Arts District in Oak Cliff. We had been once before with friends from church, but a rainy evening quenched our thirst for aimless wandering. This time we poked our heads in nearly every novelty store. There are some neat places!

Our original plan was to visit the Oak Cliff bike shop. It's well-known in Dallas. Unfortunately, they were trying to close just as we arrived. Guess we'll have to go back again!

One of the shops is called "Dirt," and I wish most of all that I had photos to share. Well, I actually do have a single photo, but I realized afterward that I photographed a sign that says, "No photos." Oops. I'll not compound my mistake by posting it on social media. Anyway, Dirt is all about plants, flowers, and using them for vintage and wedding decor. It is simply lovely and wonderfully fragrant.

Many of the other shops we visited we unique, too: artwork, furniture, design, specialty chocolate (good thing the wallet was in the car!), pet supplies, etc. Enjoy a glimpse of our journey through Bishop Arts!

Candles galore! My mom would have loved this store!

Outdoor furniture expo

Chocolate salami? They also had chocolate olive oil, chocolate balsamic vinaigrette, and many other oddities.

Tyler jokingly asked me if I knew what this was. I did! I've even played it. Anyone else have an idea?

Coordinates of our city. I loved this!

Sunday was enjoyed amongst friends. Sunday is my favorite day of the week - hands down! After service on Sunday, we enjoyed lunch at home with friends. I used to feel like I had to prepare a feast in order to invite others to join us. I'm learning that there will always be plenty, and the company will always be grateful! When we invited Matt and Hannah, I had no idea what I was going to cook. My grillin' husband saved the day, and I threw together a salad and some fruit. In the evening, we attended an evensong service at our pastor's home that night. A full day in the best way possible!

On Monday, we took the bikes out for the first time since I started school! Such fun!

At the dam at White Rock Lake

When you work as hard as Ty does, you think twice about spending all your income on your day off. :) He always jokes that the best way to save is to keep working. If you work on Saturday, you don't have time to go out and spend. And yes, he is working today! I'm about to hit the keys, the books, and the pavement. (Not simultaneously!) All wonderfully free activities, I might add! Although the piano is really in need of a good tuning...