50th Anniversary of Doctor Who!

This Saturday, November 23rd is the 50th anniversary of the sci-fi show Doctor Who!

EXCITEMENT

If you're not familiar with the show, you should be! It is an extremely popular TV series. I first became familiar with the series when I was still a senior in high school. I heard so much about it, but I didn't take the time to watch it until Syfy had a marathon one Saturday (back when I didn't have a job). I was instantly hooked.

Snows cones that will cause you to Shiver with goodness

             If you haven’t noticed, Texas weather is for lack of better words…cray cray. Some days it’s hot like the sun just decided to hover above us and say “oh hey! I’m just hanging here for a bit,” but other days, it becomes really cold even if we’re in the South. Summer is over, but there is a delicious icy treat that we don't let fall take from us.

                I’m talking about snow cones!!! If you’re like me, they remind me of my childhood days where I used to run to the truck where the snow cone man sold these cooling treats; though you don’t have to run anymore as there is a snow cone stand that is a drive-thru service. YOU MUST GO TO SHIVER’S SNOW CONES!

Oh the Places You'll Go... while at the University of Texas at Tyler

Every city has that one place, you know, that one restaurant or that one little shop that just makes the city great.  Tyler, Texas happens to have several of those.  However, there is one place that stands out in my mind, and that is Andy's Frozen Custard.  

I had the great fortune of going to this excellent establishment with some friends the other night, and despite it probably being my hundredth time there, I was still amazed by how excellent everything was.  The people working were as friendly as always, the ice cream -- rather, the custard -- was exquisite, and to top it off, the cost was a bargain at half of the price!

I was greeted with a smile, as always, by the young man working the cash register who took my fiance's order, and then mine.  She ordered something extra chocolatey, and I got my usual - a large chocolate shake.  Our order was out in about 3 minutes, which is extremely impressive considering how busy they were at the time.  There were probably around 30 people at the stand, but one could not tell by how quickly they were cranking orders of custard out of their windows.  

Local Hangout Field Trip: Andy’s Frozen Custard

Everyone pretty much has heard of ice cream. Most people are aware of frozen yogurt, and some aware of frozen Greek yogurt. But have you ever heard of Frozen Custard? If not and you love frozen confectionary treats, run to Andy’s Frozen Custard right away! I know it's supposed to be winter right now, but you won’t be sorry! 

What’s so unique about Andy’s? This custard is the softest and creamiest of all the frozen treats I’ve ever tried. Plus they are incredibly customizable! Although they only offer vanilla and chocolate custard (unless you buy one of four prepackaged pint flavors), they have a wide variety of topping for you to choose to have with your treat. You can get anything from a cone to a concrete, which is the topping of your choice blended into the custard.

What’s awesome is that although Andy’s is a franchise, the only one in the state of Texas is right here in our city, so it’s a pretty unique experience for Tylerites and our visitors. My sister and her boyfriend, who both live out of town, always ask if we can get some Andy’s as soon as they come in for a visit. It’s that delectable!

If you feel like grabbing some custard with your friends, you can definitely do that! Andy’s is known for being a local hangout for teenagers where you can get your custard and mosey around on the patio or grab a bench or two. The staff is always very friendly and the service is really great. If you’ve never been, what the heck are you waiting for?! In the meantime, I’ll just be here enjoying my cherry cookie dough sundae…

 If you are interested in other local good eats, check out this blog!

East Texas Flag Football

# 14! This was my 2nd year of club season.
Wow.. this was Junior year in high school!
 woohoo 1st place!!!

   I moved to Texas from California the summer before 5th grade started and thinking about it now, it really was an awful time to move. I don't know about you guys but around that time was a very awkward period of my life. I was still not quite sure how to dress myself, or fix my unruly frizzy hair ( which the Texas humidity emphasized to my disdain), and that's when I realize that boys.. well let's just say I saw them in a new light. So to help with my slump, my parents thought it would help to put me in a recreational sport so I can meet new friends, and get out of the house . Since my Mom played volleyball throughout her teenage years, she suggested I try it. I tried tennis in California and I greatly enjoyed it,

What is there to do in Tyler, Texas?

One of my favorite things to do in my free time is to explore Tyler and the surrounding area and see what new fun things I can find to do. Tyler has a lot of activities to check out. Here are a few of my personal favorites.

Liberty Hall Movie Theater is an amazing little theater in downtown Tyler that has about two movie showings every week. They show movies ranging from Cinderella to Raiders of the Lost Ark, and it's always a fun experience.
The Center for Earth & Space Science Education at Tyler Junior College is a must-see for anyone who finds the stars and the universe to be incredible. They have a nice museum and top of the line planetarium shows daily. They even have laser rock shows every week.
The Cowan Center is easily my favorite extracurricular features of UT Tyler. They have events ranging from Broadway musicals to guest speakers like George W. Bush and Bill Cosby. And to make it even better, students can get free tickets to many of the events!
The Cliffs in Lindale, Texas are a great place to go during the summer. It's an old abandoned rock quarry that has been filled with spring water over time, and they have opened it to the public to use as a swimming area. The main attraction to The Cliffs is that they have several cliffs ranging from five to sixty feet around the "pond" that are safe to dive from. It's a scary load of fun!
Sky Dive East Texas is another adventure for those looking for an adrenaline rush. It's located at the Gladewater Airport about thirty minutes outside of Tyler, and Outdoor Adventures at the HPC normally does a group trip there every semester for only $150 (about $70 less than the usual fee).
Tyler State Park is located just north of I-20, and is about 20 minutes from campus. It has wonderful hiking and biking trails as well as beautiful camp sites. To help you enjoy the beautiful lake the park office rents out everything from kayaks to small fishing boats on the weekend, for a small fee.
The Tyler Rose Garden is Tyler's claim to fame. It's a great place to go for a leisurely walk and enjoy the scenery. The best part of it is that it's always free year round.
Tiger Creek is a great local non-profit whose goal is "To provide rescue and rehabilitation of big cats that have been abused, neglected or displaced." It's only $10 to enter and you get the experience of a zoo without the crowds, and they have guided tours Monday through Saturday.
Caldwell Zoo is a classic entertainment destination in Tyler. With over two thousand animals on eighty five acres, Caldwell Zoo is a prefect place to go if you're a fan of all things animal related.

My Summer To-Do List

As you’ll probably begin to notice later on, I like creating lists. A lot of them. For a while I tried writing down my lists in one specific notebook but that never worked because I'd find myself in the middle of lunch with friends, or walking to class making up lists in my mind.

So eventually my lists ended up all over my room, on post-it notes, my calculus notebook, lecture handouts, scribbled haphazardly on my arm and even as text messages sent to myself (and no, this is not some sad act of texting myself; it's my only option when I have no access to pen/paper!).

My most recent big list is my Summer To-Do. I would love to fly back home for summer but I only have about a week of vacation before my summer classes begin and I don't think paying $2000 for air fare only to be home for a week is worth it (home is 8000 miles away, but more on this later).

So if you’re like me; home is not within driving distance and you’re grounded in Tyler for the whole of summer, make a list! Think of anything and everything you want to accomplish this summer. It definitely beats just moping around and whining about how you’re “stuck here with nothing to do” because trust me, if you look hard enough, there are actually lots to do!

Here’s my list.