Author Archives: Samie Lindemann

A New De Kalb Cafe

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Are you a local coffee connoisseur looking for a new flavor to try? De Kalb is excited to welcome you to its own little coffee shop—the De Kalb Grinder. The Grinder has been in the works for some time now, and is finally open for business! Located in the quaint downtown area of De Kalb off 992, next to Jody’s Flowers, you’ll find this homey coffee-house.

Photo Courtesy of The Grinder Facebook page.

De Kalb has long needed a specialty coffee shop for students to meet as well as for those on the go to pick up a tasty breakfast. The Grinder opened with a bang as locals swarmed the shop to try all of the drinks. The menu is quite impressive as it offers something to everyone at great prices.

Available sizes vary between 12 and 16 ounces. Their regular brewed coffee starts at $1 with the extra 4 ounces just a quarter extra. Flavors offered are caramel, salted caramel, chocolate, vanilla, and cinnamon. Chocolate flavors intensify from there with options such as white, dark, Swiss, milk, and German chocolate. You can choose from hot or cold coffee, or even from three fruity flavors. These choices are not inclusive of specialty holiday flavors or holiday drinks, or any of their traditional coffee options. If you’re unfamiliar with the town of De Kalb the recommended flavor is “The Honey Bear” named after the high schools mascots!

The Grinder offers a cozy and relaxing atmosphere if you’re looking for somewhere to sit back and read a book, or for somewhere with great free WiFi to work on your next project. Along with the great prices and great atmosphere if you visit The Grinder you are supporting a small business as opposed to a corporate organization, which provides more jobs for local students while simultaneously saving you some money.

Photo courtesy of The Grinder Facebook page.

The Grinder is a great option for all passing through the area, or locals who haven’t made time to try it out yet. If you aren’t sure when you’ll make it around the area yet, be sure to keep up with their Facebook at “The De Kalb Grinder” where they post many of their amazing creations. The physical address is 136 N. Runnels St., don’t forget about them next time you make the trek out to De Kalb!

When Life Gets Tough

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Have you ever found yourself looking at your life or the situations you are in and just wonder: How did I even get here? Life as a young adult in college has a major tendency to get complicated. Even that sentence is probably a huge understatement! It seems even when one problem clears up, another appears. However, remember that every student experiences this, without exception. Below you’ll find some simple mental fixes to help you get through the day.

Take a deep breath! I have found that once I feel just slightly overwhelmed it is all downhill from there. I sometimes feel like completing everything in front of me is going to be impossible or fear that I won’t be able to get it all done, but when I just take a deep breath I calm down enough to move on to the next step.

Slow down! You know that old saying, slow and steady wins the race? It most definitely applies to college life. For me, working two jobs, taking a full load of classes, navigating a healthy relationship, as well as all the extraneous parts of life makes me feel like I just have to get done with everything as fast as possible. In turn, I only feel even more behind, so I take a deep breath and then slow down. Slowing down more often than not looks like dealing only with what is directly in front of me. Everything else I just put out of my mind until I’ve accomplished what’s necessary for the day I’m immersed in.

Next, be grateful. To be honest, this is most often the most difficult part of being a college student. My husband is out of school and I see how much freedom he has with his time and how little stress he carries around and I find myself very jealous of his situation. But then I remember how far I’ve come and how much I’ve learned both from my classes and my life experience during this phrase of life. I remember how few people are given the opportunity to pursue a college career and how people fought for the right for all people to be able to attend college. That perspective truly humbles me so gratitude can find its way in.

So no matter where you are in this college life or what you’re facing this semester, I hope these steps help. I hope you know you’re not alone. Most of all, I hope you’re encouraged to continue working towards graduation day and completion of your degree!

A Fall Fest Fun for All!

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Cooler weather has arrived just in time for fall festivities. Oktoberfest, the first of the fall celebrations, is coming up in De Kalb, Texas. There will be activities galore and fun for all ages, so bring your family and prepare to have fun!

Saturday in the park kicked off the official festivities last Saturday September 29, 2018. Activities started at a fast pace as the Pumpkin Run 2018 registration opened at 6:45 am. Nearly all the runners completed the run, with nearly 150 participating this year. The co-ed softball tournament had an even greater turn out than the run with teams competing throughout the day. Aside from the competitions, other fun games included reality foosball, kick dart, gaga ball, nine square, and more were available from 9 am to 5 pm.

Some attendees were more interested in exercise of the mouth than a physical work outs. There was a doughnut eating contest, hotdog eating contest, and pie eating contest to win the De Kalb title of the year. For those who managed to pass by all of that without a full stomach a $5.00 supper was offered of all-you-can-eat chili. The chili was even homemade and provided by De Kalb area citizens.

The evening ended perfectly with a free concert and dance in the park featuring Deryl Dodd at 7 pm. Local entertainers set the stage for Dodd. Sweethearts and love seekers alike started cuffing season right by dancing the night away. The Trad ‘N Post provided a photo booth for friends and family to save their memories with.

Over all Saturday’s activities were a blast, but the real fun begins this Saturday, October 6th. If you missed the chance to play reality foosball, nine square, gaga ball, or kick darts they’ll all be back with a bang. Face-painting, pumpkin decorating, and an amusement carnival for the kids will be open all day as well. A number of drawings will happen throughout the day for all sorts of goodies.

Live performances will include a magic show and an SNL show put on by the De Kalb class of 2020. There’s even rumor that the city will surprise attendants with a returning street dance. And of course, if you’re needing a break from all the excitement Front Street Junction Grill & Cafe will be open all day to serve you any number of delicious meals.

All proceeds from Oktoberfest activities go towards supporting a number of non-profits in the De Kalb area, as well as others in the west-end of Bowie County. No matter your age, Oktoberfest will be a fun, family friendly option for anyone looking for a great fall day. You will not regret making your way to the tiny town of De Kalb to celebrate fall.

From City to Country

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City life is known as being fast paced and high-toned. With a variety of places to go and things to do in my experience, a major metropolis is anything but boring. A common theme throughout American literature and film is the small town boy or girl dreaming of a big city life, looking for change in both culture and pace. The Journey song “Don’t Stop Believing” can be recognized in any crowd by its opening words “Just a small town girl, living in a lonely world.” There is a common theme about this desire to leave the small pond to conquer the large. To many people, especially young people, it is foreign to switch those desires.

How would one know to adjust from growing up in the fast paced city to a small town with a population smaller than his or her graduating class? From places to go and things to see to being 30 miles away from even the nearest Walmart? To many, this concept would be foreign, but I have loved the change from Houston, Texas to the small town of Avery, Texas.

Here are some simple luxuries I occasionally miss from the city: Grocery stores are everywhere, and they’re open all hours of the night. The selection of stores and items in stores offers a larger variety of foods than small town grocery stores. It’s also true what they say: the city never sleeps. No matter your schedule, there is always something open for the restless. The late night coffee shops, the 24-hour restaurants, or the parks without hours are just a few available options. Living in a large city also offers endless amounts of sights to see and history to be seen. In Houston, for instance, the museum district always has a museum opening a new exhibit. There are multiple amusement attractions also such as Kemah Boardwalk and The Aquarium and more. The main difference between the city and the country is variety of life, of food, of people and culture, of sights to see, and things to do.

The country may not offer a list of luxuries but there is something too beautiful to sum up about a simpler life. Sure, things may not be as easily accessible with so long a list of options, but it doesn’t really make a load of difference. One advantage of the sparse amount of people is the higher speed limit. Though 30 miles seems quite the trek just for groceries, you can make it in about the same amount of time it takes to get 5 miles in the city. There are fewer stop lights and people to navigate around. The city cannot compete with the beauty of nature. Cities are like concrete jungles, with a beauty of their own to be sure, but no competition when it comes to mother nature. Many things to see and so much to do even in the small towns, especially if one is able to tap into a creative mindset. Not to mention the cost of living will never empty your wallet like a city lifestyle will. The air is clearer and the folks are friendlier. Friday Night Lights are exciting between rivaling towns and the traditions are endless.

From city to country or country to city, life is a beautiful gift. There are pros and cons no matter the road you travel, though having experienced this transition myself I found myself in love with the small town atmosphere and nearly every aspect of country living. I used to tell myself I would never adapt to this small town, but here I am three years later converted forever. Life is unexpected and change can be very obtrusive when unwelcome, but time works miracles for skeptical like myself. No matter which end of this transition you find yourself experiencing, the beautiful moments of life will always find you.