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Horany's Store
September 25, 2007Horany.
It's a funny last name. My sister and I always joked we were going to marry someone named "Smith" or "Jones" just to get rid of it-and we pitied my brother for not being able to shake the crazy name. Despite our juvenile dread of having people make fun of us and our eagerness to get married just to put the pain behind us, we did always feel a little special, and a little exotic. We also felt like we were part of a history of North Texas that many people may not know about-the long story of Lebanese immigrants in this area.
Horanys come from Lebanon, a land a world away, in the Middle East. My great-granddad, Shukri "Sam K." Hourani, a devout Christian, saw the writing on the wall, so to speak, and moved his family to the United States around the turn of the 20th century. They came through Ellis Island on July 4, amid celebrations of Independence Day in New York. The old story goes that because of those fireworks, they were worried they were coming to another land filled with war. But they realized it was just a way to celebrate and all were happy yet again.
Like many immigrants, my family endured and prospered with hard work, perseverance, and faith in God. I always wonder what Sam would think if someone told him one of his many great-granddaughters would grow up in freedom, graduate from college and become a reporter! I think he would be proud, and I hope he would know he made the right decision to come here!
But I digress, as many do when speaking of personal history. My great-uncle Ray opened Horany's Department Store in Olney in the 1920's, and his brothers-in-law, Freddie and Johnny Horany, bought the business from him and kept that store open for many years.
After their first store burned in Schidler, Oklahoma, Sam and his wife Nebeha opened a department store in Archer City in the late 1920's. Sam died in a tragic traffic accident in the late 1940's, but Nebeha kept the store open until she died in 1963. My great-uncle Mitchell opened a store in Megargel as well. They supplied the area with everything a resident of a small town in North Texas could want or need.
Fast forward almost 60 years, to the 1980s.
When I was a little girl, my granddad, Melvin, the youngest of Sam's eight children, would take me to the department store in Olney. They had a Radio Shack inside, and I thought that was the coolest thing since sliced bread. They had dresses, they had shoes, and they had cassette tape players all in the same place, and the best part-it had the same name as I did! I felt welcomed there, like I had come home, even though I grew up in Wichita Falls. I think others customers, even if they didn't have the same name as the store, felt that way too. And I'll tell you why.
In my job as a regional reporter in Young County, every time I would say my last name, someone inevitably would tell me "I bought my wedding dress at Horany's Department Store" or "Are you related to those Horanys down in Olney?" It fills me with pride to know that my family has been able to touch so many people's lives in a positive way. The store is closed after a long run in the 1990's, closed, but certainly not forgotten.
Now Horany's Department Store in Olney will serve again, this time as a dentist's office.That funny name is on the outside of the building, and even if folks nowadays might not know why, they are still being served by Horanys.
Posted by Stacy Horany at 05:02 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
Worst Cop-Outs Ever
September 21, 2007I find the hardest part of anything in life, including sticking to an exercise routine, is simply getting started.
Sometimes we all shoot ourselves in the foot by making excuses for not working out each day. A co-worker requested I come up with some of the baddest of the bad when it comes to being lazy. I can think of a few excuses I've used, and if you think of any, post them as a comment on this blog.
Here are my top five weak (but oh so effective) excuses for not working out, followed by a way to get around each of those cop-outs.
1. I'm too tired to get up early enough to get my exercise in.
2. My spouse/dog/friend/coworker/relative doesn't want me to exercise without him, and he can't go.
3. It's raining/snowing/icy/windy/cold/hot/humid so I can't exercise outside!
4. I don't have time with work and family responsibilities to exercise
5. I'm too old/fat to exercise.
OK, those were pretty bad. But if you use the old noodle, you'll find each of them don't really hold water. If you're too tired to get up in the morning and exercise, do it at lunch or right when you get off work. Or better yet, start going to bed thirty minutes earlier. You'll be amazed at your energy level increase. If you workout buddy can't go with you, have a back-up solo activity, like inline skating, walking, or an exercise video, ready to go. If the weather is too bad, go indoors to a gym or again, do an exercise video. If you don't feel like you have at least 30 minutes a day to devote to exercise, think of it this way-no one else will care for you like you will. MAKE the time to work out, even if you have to bring the rugrats along. If you think you don't have time now, remember this-your kids/work will be better off with you alive and healthy than dead or ill. If you think you are too old or too fat to start an exercise regimen, go see your doctor first. If he advises you not to, by all means, follow his advice. But most people can at least walk down the driveway or around the house. Just do that at first, and work your way up from there. Remember, every mile starts with a first step.
Posted by Stacy Horany at 02:17 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Fall into exercise
September 14, 2007With fall around the corner, many of us look forward to cooler temperatures, shorter days and longer sleeves. But just because it's getting cooler doesn't mean you can "cool off" your work out regimen.
If you exercise outside a lot, our milder fall and winter temperatures won't derail your running, walking or biking plans too much. Even if the weather does turn unusually nasty, there is a great solution-go to the gym!
I just did an hour on the treadmill at my gym of choice, the YMCA, for my lunch break. There are many gyms in town, and if you don't have a membership at one already, try a few out and see if you like them. Your employer may even have a deal set up with a gym to give you a discounted membership.
If you are new to working out like I was only a short time ago, have someone at the facility give you a tour and show you the gym's amenities. Get a schedule of classes offered and go to a few. Go at different times of the day or evening to see when the busy times are, when it's slow and when you feel most comfortable.
While you are looking at the gym, talk to other current members. Don't be afraid to ask questions, most folks are happy to share their experience with you. And ask around to find out where your friends and your family go to work out, so you can find a workout buddy and get going! A co-worker took me to the gym with her at first, which made it much easier for me to feel comfortable!
After you decide which gym is the right fit for you, pick three times a week when you know you'll be free for an hour and go work out! The majority of folks with gym memberships simply never use them-don't let your investment (i.e. the membership fees) go to waste! Soon you'll find yourself actually looking forward to going to the gym, to meet new people, talk to old friends and work up a good (and fun!) sweat.
I now seriously regret the time when I was too embarrassed to go to the gym before. I felt so out-of-place and insecure-I thought it would be like it was when I was a kid and always got picked LAST for sports teams, with others laughing at me! Don't let a little embarrassment get in the way of your health!
Even if you aren't in the greatest shape right now physically, doing a little bit of exercise and gradually working your way up will make a big difference, and it won't take near as long as you think!
Posted by Stacy Horany at 02:33 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Work-gain
September 12, 2007I haven't really had a chance to make it to the market this week for groceries, so I stopped in at the local gas station this morning to grab a meal-in-a-can for breakfast.
At the counter, the lady who helped me check out looked at my can and said something I bet a lot of us can relate to-she told me that since she's been working there, she's gained some weight and she thought she might start drinking her breakfast as well.
I know I gained a bunch of weight when I went from walking around at school every day to sitting at a desk at work every day. She said she had access to candy and sodas and doesn't move around a whole lot.
For many, stationary jobs are part of life. In fact, I bet you could find some sort of correlation between the proliferation of computers and the rise in obesity and related illnesses. We're also pretty much guaranteed to find food whenever and wherever we are-no failed hunting parties keeping us from a decent meal! So these two factors have combined into a "perfect storm" of weight gain in America.
The solution to this problem is simple-for as much as we sit still every day at work, we've got to be that much more active before or after work, or even during our lunch break. You don't have to slave away at the gym for an hour every night. You can do yard work, house cleaning, ride your bike with your kids, the possibilities are pretty much endless.
And there are ways you can increase movement during your work day-get up and walk over to your coworker instead of e-mailing or calling her. Take two 10-minute walks around your building during the day. Take frequent stretch breaks in front of your screen so you can still be there to get work done but you also get the benefit of stretching, a very underrated activity. I've even seen some folks in New York go so far as to set up a treadmill at their desks. More power to you if you can get that going!
Another work-related weight issue that caught my attention happened yesterday here at the paper. A fellow editorial employee, Andy Newberry, won the company-wide employee of the month honor. Traditionally, whoever wins the award brings back a tray of "goodies" to the rest of his or her department. Usually those goodies are donuts, pastries, and other devilishly good but terribly unhealthy breakfast items. But not yesterday. The trays contained bananas, yogurt and a few donuts. So I say Bravo! to both Andy and whoever decided to give us healthy breakfast alternatives.
Posted by Stacy Horany at 08:52 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Good times, good news
September 06, 2007Well, I'm finally back in the swing of things after a week up in the Rockies, and boy was it nice to get out of the heat for a few days!
I started out our drive with an easy trek up to Trinidad, Colorado. The first day, Thursday, was more about keeping up with my dietary goals than getting much exercise, but we did still manage to do a 15-minute walk around Trinidad when we got there-the elevation change from Wichita Falls was noticeable, but not overwhelming.
Day 2, Friday, had us stopping over for a picnic lunch at the Great Sand Dunes National Park. What a neat place! We began walking up the dunes around 11:45 a.m., and it was HOT out there with the sun reflecting off of the sand. Walking in sand is also hard, really hard. I got in about an hour-long intense walk and then had a nice low-calorie lunch at their picnic area-it's really shady, and full of great views of the dunes. After our sand-walking, we got back in the car and made it up to Crested Butte, Colo. in a few more hours. We went to a delicious restaurant called The Last Steep in CB and it was wonderful! I went for a black bean casserole and boy was it delicious! The portion was so huge, I could only eat half of it.
Day 3, Saturday, had us at Blue Mesa Reservoir zooming around on our friend's "Bond-villain-esque" speed boat. We got lots of sun but the drive zapped our energy levels and we were too cold to swim. But I kept the calorie intake very low to make up for no exercise.
Day 4, Sunday, was our time to explore the town of Crested Butte and the surrounding areas. We walked around downtown for about an hour and then drove over to a really great hiking trail called the Lower Loop, pretty close to town. The views of the mountains were SPECTACULAR and the hike was very invigorating. I even ran for a part of it, despite being at about 10,000 feet above sea level!
On Day 5, Monday, we explored Crested Butte's stores in downtown again and then drove down to Gunnison to walk around the shopping district. Because it was Labor Day, most of the shops were closed but window shopping was fun just the same. Afterwards we made our way to Garlic Mikes, an INSANELY good Italian food restuarant just north of Gunnison. I probably ate a little too much but that's OK, it was worth it.
We drove all the way back to Wichita Falls on Tuesday, and got in a 20 minute walk with Chopper late in the evening.
I knew I was going to have fun, but I ended up having a BLAST! I was worried about my weight during the holiday, but I managed to make some good eating choices and to get active and I ended up having fun and LOSING WEIGHT while I was there!
Posted by Stacy Horany at 02:37 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
