Below is a link to an article written by my friend, Jack Elgin. The Elgins have been a family very close to my heart for quite a few years now. It's hard to believe that this is written by Jack... for so long he spent all of his time playing Magic (the Gathering) and did not have a serious bone in his body. I'm so proud of how much he has grown up and matured! Whether you agree or disagree with his opinions, you have to admit that it's well-written. Enjoy!
http://www.examiner.com/x-1000-DC-Independent-Conservative
I'm spending the weekend at Austin City Limits Music Festival. This will be my fourth year to go and my third to experience life as a VIP at the festival... I'm very much looking forward to the fun with my cousins and friends after a hectic last few weeks! I think this is the first weekend in 3 weeks where my plans haven't been ruined/altered. Hopefully that is a sign that life is returning to normal around here!
Friday, September 26, 2008
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
20 Random Facts
Brook posted 20 random facts about herself and it looked like fun, so here goes...
1. I have visited 45 out of 50 states. A lot of this is due to my travel with the Children of the American Revolution on Summer Regional Tour. The five states I haven't been to? Hawaii, Alaska, Washington, Montana, North Dakota. I have a feeling with the last two I'm not missing much.
2. I have had grey hairs since High School. I started highlighting my hair when I turned 25, but they have been on my head since I was 16. I hope that's more of a testament to genetics and NOT my stress levels.
3. I've driven the same car for the last 10 years and have never gotten the oil changed on time and I've actually been known to wait until closer to 10,000 miles than 3,000. You'd never guess that I come from a family of mechanics.
4. I bruise like a peach. I currently have 3 bruises on my legs that appeared on Sunday and Monday and NO clue where they came from.
5. It's been 11 years since I've gotten my braces taken off and I still wear my retainers when I sleep at least 4 nights a week. I swear my teeth still move!
6. My favorite food is grilled cheese sandwiches. It's one of the few things I can successfully cook plus the Capitol Grill makes them really well.
7. There are two tv shows that I could watch over and over again: Gilmore Girls and The West Wing. I LOVE them!
8. My jaw pops out of socket every time I open my mouth really wide. This was discovered when I went to the SFA clinic in college for an earache and the doctor was more impressed with how my jaw popped than the fact that my ear hurt!
9. I have no idea where I see my life in 5 years. I don't have any specific career goals and sometimes I don't think I will ever get married or have kids. I don't think this is a lack of ambition on my part, but more of an acceptance that we are all part of God's plan and it will all be revealed in time.
10. I love to shop. I spend so much time browsing at stores online that I can tell you that the majority of stores add new items in the last 10 days of the month.
11. I hate taking out the garbage. It's my least favorite chore.
12. Even though I was named the Most Outstanding Choir Student in junior high and high school and received several awards for my singing, I most enjoy singing loud and obnoxiously rather than for serious. Most of my friends who did not know me in high school are shocked to find out that I can actually sing!
13. I would procrastinate procrastinating if I could. There are very few things in my life that I don't procrastinate.
14. I'm an excellent speller. I've contemplated adding this to my resume as in both of my jobs at the Capitol I have served as the office spell-checker.
15. There hasn't been a back on my cell phone for over two years now and the scroll button doesn't like to work all of the time, but I still keep the same phone.
16. I don't like beer. I've never been able to acquire a taste for it and have probably consumed less than 10 beers in the last 6 years. People find this odd for two reasons: 1) I come from Texas. 2) It's the beverage of choice for most of my family members.
17. I've danced on stage with Elton John and I've stood back stage next to Bob Dylan. My cousin Becky and I got the privilege of being seated in the right area at Elton John's Red Piano show in Vegas and got to get up on stage during "Saturday Night's Alright for Fighting" and last year at Austin City Limits Music Festival a group of 6 of us snuck backstage right before Bob Dylan performed and actually were there for about 5 minutes before we were kicked out.
18. Since I've started running I've started burping a lot. This is weird because my whole life I've always been very much a lady and rarely burped. Now I burp when working out and occasionally when I'm just sitting at my desk at work.
19. I love Dr. Pepper.
20. I don't sing in the shower, but I love to sing in the car. I think this started in high school when my friends and I would take road trips and I had to start singing to keep them from varying off key so bad (Ahem, Lauren).
1. I have visited 45 out of 50 states. A lot of this is due to my travel with the Children of the American Revolution on Summer Regional Tour. The five states I haven't been to? Hawaii, Alaska, Washington, Montana, North Dakota. I have a feeling with the last two I'm not missing much.
2. I have had grey hairs since High School. I started highlighting my hair when I turned 25, but they have been on my head since I was 16. I hope that's more of a testament to genetics and NOT my stress levels.
3. I've driven the same car for the last 10 years and have never gotten the oil changed on time and I've actually been known to wait until closer to 10,000 miles than 3,000. You'd never guess that I come from a family of mechanics.
4. I bruise like a peach. I currently have 3 bruises on my legs that appeared on Sunday and Monday and NO clue where they came from.
5. It's been 11 years since I've gotten my braces taken off and I still wear my retainers when I sleep at least 4 nights a week. I swear my teeth still move!
6. My favorite food is grilled cheese sandwiches. It's one of the few things I can successfully cook plus the Capitol Grill makes them really well.
7. There are two tv shows that I could watch over and over again: Gilmore Girls and The West Wing. I LOVE them!
8. My jaw pops out of socket every time I open my mouth really wide. This was discovered when I went to the SFA clinic in college for an earache and the doctor was more impressed with how my jaw popped than the fact that my ear hurt!
9. I have no idea where I see my life in 5 years. I don't have any specific career goals and sometimes I don't think I will ever get married or have kids. I don't think this is a lack of ambition on my part, but more of an acceptance that we are all part of God's plan and it will all be revealed in time.
10. I love to shop. I spend so much time browsing at stores online that I can tell you that the majority of stores add new items in the last 10 days of the month.
11. I hate taking out the garbage. It's my least favorite chore.
12. Even though I was named the Most Outstanding Choir Student in junior high and high school and received several awards for my singing, I most enjoy singing loud and obnoxiously rather than for serious. Most of my friends who did not know me in high school are shocked to find out that I can actually sing!
13. I would procrastinate procrastinating if I could. There are very few things in my life that I don't procrastinate.
14. I'm an excellent speller. I've contemplated adding this to my resume as in both of my jobs at the Capitol I have served as the office spell-checker.
15. There hasn't been a back on my cell phone for over two years now and the scroll button doesn't like to work all of the time, but I still keep the same phone.
16. I don't like beer. I've never been able to acquire a taste for it and have probably consumed less than 10 beers in the last 6 years. People find this odd for two reasons: 1) I come from Texas. 2) It's the beverage of choice for most of my family members.
17. I've danced on stage with Elton John and I've stood back stage next to Bob Dylan. My cousin Becky and I got the privilege of being seated in the right area at Elton John's Red Piano show in Vegas and got to get up on stage during "Saturday Night's Alright for Fighting" and last year at Austin City Limits Music Festival a group of 6 of us snuck backstage right before Bob Dylan performed and actually were there for about 5 minutes before we were kicked out.
18. Since I've started running I've started burping a lot. This is weird because my whole life I've always been very much a lady and rarely burped. Now I burp when working out and occasionally when I'm just sitting at my desk at work.
19. I love Dr. Pepper.
20. I don't sing in the shower, but I love to sing in the car. I think this started in high school when my friends and I would take road trips and I had to start singing to keep them from varying off key so bad (Ahem, Lauren).
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
Twins
Intern Kathryn: "I wish I had a twin. Not in the whole having a person look like me way, but in the having someone to do things for me way."
Me: "Oh, so you wish you had a me."
Because we all know that has always been my role as twin sister to Jay. Just yesterday I drove him in my car to the lake to see if he had left his work boots there. He didn't have enough gas to get there and my mom said she'd pay for the gas if he drove down there instead of her having to meet us half way. So we took my car and HE got the gas money. I would be more upset if I hadn't made a stop by Durham's Radiator Shop on my way out of town.
I may have picked up a new blog reader or two because of my last post, so welcome to those. I now feel all sorts of pressure to write interesting things here!
Me: "Oh, so you wish you had a me."
Because we all know that has always been my role as twin sister to Jay. Just yesterday I drove him in my car to the lake to see if he had left his work boots there. He didn't have enough gas to get there and my mom said she'd pay for the gas if he drove down there instead of her having to meet us half way. So we took my car and HE got the gas money. I would be more upset if I hadn't made a stop by Durham's Radiator Shop on my way out of town.
I may have picked up a new blog reader or two because of my last post, so welcome to those. I now feel all sorts of pressure to write interesting things here!
Saturday, September 20, 2008
At a loss
Bubba Medford and Diane Abney both left this world for a better place this morning, and that makes me sad. While technically, I share no blood relation to both Bubba and Diane, I very much feel like they are part of my family, as there have been very few holidays and major events in my life that I have not shared with them both. I make no promises that this blog will pay tribute or do justice to the good works of their lives (though Bubba would like to lead you to believe that he did no good), I will try my best to reflect on what their lives have meant to me and those I love most.
Bubba is the brother of my Aunt Tempe (wife of my dad's twin brother Jerrell), and Diane is her cousin. Those of you familiar with Lufkin will recognize the last names: Abney and Medford, most famous for their hardware stores. Bubba was a Medford and Diane, an Abney. Bubba and Diane both left this world within 10 minutes of each other; Bubba suffered from a heart attack and Diane lost her long battle with Hepatitis C. While I loved Bubba and Diane both, I am most sad about how this will effect people I love even more: most of all, my Aunt Tempe, Uncle Jerrell and cousins Scott and Kathryn along with Jeff, Steven, Greg, Allison, Paul, David, and their families.
I don't believe that I have ever celebrated a Christmas Eve at Tempe and Jerrell's without Bubba and Diane. For a time, Bubba lived in our guest house... and it was the most fun for my brothers and I. I remember being in school at St. Cyprian's and pretending to be sick so I could stay home because Bubba would take care of us and that meant watching whatever movies we wanted and getting whatever we wanted to eat for lunch. I will also remember Bubba for having to wear turtlenecks in non-winter weather after we broke out from wringworms after he adopted a stray cat we found at our house. Bubba would like to pretend that he was a loner in life and had very little need for anyone else, but those of us who knew him well, knew that was not true. I remember distinctly the last time I saw him, and while I am still in shock that it will indeed be the last time I see him here on earth, I remember it well. It was just a little over a month ago when I was home for Blake's wedding and we had convinced Tempe that she should have lunch at the cabin. It turned out to be quite a crowd: Tempe, Jerrell, Kathryn, Scott, Brook, Ella, Eric, me, Jay, Jeff, Cadence, Steven, and Bubba (maybe even Greg). At the time I knew our time together was special, though I did not realize that it was because it would be our last big family gathering before Bubba's passing. For someone who pretended he didn't need family, Bubba made quite a few appearances at Sunday lunch... I can still remember how Ella, just learning to talk in complete sentences, would insist that Bubba's chair was next to hers. Since I have moved to Austin (which is almost 4 years now), there have been very few trips to Lufkin where I haven not seen Bubba.
While Diane wasn't a regular appearance at our Sunday lunches (someone had to be working the store, afterall), she has very much been a staple at family events. She leaves this world as a loving wife, mother, grandmother, and friend. Her battle was long, and at times hard, but I know she wouldn't change her circumstances at all. I feel so much for Tyler and Jaxson who lost their grandmother all too soon, and the same for Jeff and David, who lost their mom.
I will always remember Bubba for his lottery tickets, boot-legged movies, flannel shirts, and missing tooth (I know this probably doesn't sound picturesque, but it's Bubba). I will remember Diane's laugh, her love for her family, and her warmth. May you Rest In Peace...
Bubba is the brother of my Aunt Tempe (wife of my dad's twin brother Jerrell), and Diane is her cousin. Those of you familiar with Lufkin will recognize the last names: Abney and Medford, most famous for their hardware stores. Bubba was a Medford and Diane, an Abney. Bubba and Diane both left this world within 10 minutes of each other; Bubba suffered from a heart attack and Diane lost her long battle with Hepatitis C. While I loved Bubba and Diane both, I am most sad about how this will effect people I love even more: most of all, my Aunt Tempe, Uncle Jerrell and cousins Scott and Kathryn along with Jeff, Steven, Greg, Allison, Paul, David, and their families.
I don't believe that I have ever celebrated a Christmas Eve at Tempe and Jerrell's without Bubba and Diane. For a time, Bubba lived in our guest house... and it was the most fun for my brothers and I. I remember being in school at St. Cyprian's and pretending to be sick so I could stay home because Bubba would take care of us and that meant watching whatever movies we wanted and getting whatever we wanted to eat for lunch. I will also remember Bubba for having to wear turtlenecks in non-winter weather after we broke out from wringworms after he adopted a stray cat we found at our house. Bubba would like to pretend that he was a loner in life and had very little need for anyone else, but those of us who knew him well, knew that was not true. I remember distinctly the last time I saw him, and while I am still in shock that it will indeed be the last time I see him here on earth, I remember it well. It was just a little over a month ago when I was home for Blake's wedding and we had convinced Tempe that she should have lunch at the cabin. It turned out to be quite a crowd: Tempe, Jerrell, Kathryn, Scott, Brook, Ella, Eric, me, Jay, Jeff, Cadence, Steven, and Bubba (maybe even Greg). At the time I knew our time together was special, though I did not realize that it was because it would be our last big family gathering before Bubba's passing. For someone who pretended he didn't need family, Bubba made quite a few appearances at Sunday lunch... I can still remember how Ella, just learning to talk in complete sentences, would insist that Bubba's chair was next to hers. Since I have moved to Austin (which is almost 4 years now), there have been very few trips to Lufkin where I haven not seen Bubba.
While Diane wasn't a regular appearance at our Sunday lunches (someone had to be working the store, afterall), she has very much been a staple at family events. She leaves this world as a loving wife, mother, grandmother, and friend. Her battle was long, and at times hard, but I know she wouldn't change her circumstances at all. I feel so much for Tyler and Jaxson who lost their grandmother all too soon, and the same for Jeff and David, who lost their mom.
I will always remember Bubba for his lottery tickets, boot-legged movies, flannel shirts, and missing tooth (I know this probably doesn't sound picturesque, but it's Bubba). I will remember Diane's laugh, her love for her family, and her warmth. May you Rest In Peace...
Thursday, September 18, 2008
Party in a box!
It's official, we're taking a C.A.R. trip this fall! I'm meeting up with some of my most favorite people in the world in New Orleans October 17-19. It's going to be SO much fun, total shenanigans shall be had. The last time I was in New Orleans was back in summer of 2002. I had just turned 21 and the last Regional meeting on my last Regional Tour as a Board member just so happened to be in New Orleans. We had many fun times while there, and I'm looking forward to even more fun times.
So far it's me, Sarah Falkenstein, Ruth Shaia, Anneliese Lillienthal, Andy Stancil, Dave Sweeney, and Will Busick.... what a crew that will be! Other old school C.A.R.s are welcome to join us, let me know if you want details!
Here's my favorite picture from my last visit to New Orleans... "We're dressing UP for skit practice!"
So far it's me, Sarah Falkenstein, Ruth Shaia, Anneliese Lillienthal, Andy Stancil, Dave Sweeney, and Will Busick.... what a crew that will be! Other old school C.A.R.s are welcome to join us, let me know if you want details!
Here's my favorite picture from my last visit to New Orleans... "We're dressing UP for skit practice!"
Tuesday, September 16, 2008
I'm amazed...
I'm completely amazed by the level of selfishness some people possess. People all across Texas are dealing with the havoc wreaked by Hurricane Ike. There are hundreds, if not thousands of people who lost their homes. There are people dealing with damages that will take months to recover from. And what are the people who call our office concerned about? Not having electricity and not having ice located at a distribution site closer to their house. Seriously.
Some people are quite upset that they haven't had electricity for 3 whole days. I feel bad for them as I sit in my air-conditioned and lit office browsing the internet, but there are literally MILLIONS of people in Texas in their same position. It's just going to take time to deal with the effects of Ike. That's just a fact of life they're going to have to deal with.
I actually had a woman call today and complain that people in Galveston have gotten ice for three days now and the only distribution sites close to her are at Greenspoint and Tomball and those aren't CLOSE ENOUGH! Seriously? Those people in Galveston probably don't have a home to go to, and you're complaining about a lack of ICE???
What's been really entertaining is the number of people who are going to remember this "come November." What in the world would make you think that a State Representative has any authority over when electricity will be restored to your house following a hurricane? Patricia herself is still without power, along with 91% of her neighborhood. Her business had the windows blown out and it flooded 2 feet. It's not like she's sitting in a bubble bath at her home in the air conditioning with the lights on... she's suffering right along side everyone else. She's not an electrician so she's not going to be able to personally turn your lights on, but thanks for remembering that in November.
Ridiculous. Absolutely ridiculous.
Some people are quite upset that they haven't had electricity for 3 whole days. I feel bad for them as I sit in my air-conditioned and lit office browsing the internet, but there are literally MILLIONS of people in Texas in their same position. It's just going to take time to deal with the effects of Ike. That's just a fact of life they're going to have to deal with.
I actually had a woman call today and complain that people in Galveston have gotten ice for three days now and the only distribution sites close to her are at Greenspoint and Tomball and those aren't CLOSE ENOUGH! Seriously? Those people in Galveston probably don't have a home to go to, and you're complaining about a lack of ICE???
What's been really entertaining is the number of people who are going to remember this "come November." What in the world would make you think that a State Representative has any authority over when electricity will be restored to your house following a hurricane? Patricia herself is still without power, along with 91% of her neighborhood. Her business had the windows blown out and it flooded 2 feet. It's not like she's sitting in a bubble bath at her home in the air conditioning with the lights on... she's suffering right along side everyone else. She's not an electrician so she's not going to be able to personally turn your lights on, but thanks for remembering that in November.
Ridiculous. Absolutely ridiculous.
Monday, September 15, 2008
The damage...
First, thanks to all of my friends who called, texted, and e-mailed over the weekend to check in on my family that was battling Hurricane Ike in Lufkin.
The fam weathered the storm well. We didn't encounter any direct damage to any of the houses. I'm told that there were some trees lost and that debris is EVERYWHERE. My mom thinks it will take some time to get everything cleaned up. With as many trees that surround our homes, we are very fortunate that nothing fell on the house, unlike Hurricane Rita. We did have a tree take out a spare dryer we housed underneath a portable carport, and apparently there is now an archway over our driveway as one tree fell across and landed on another. We are without power at both Fuller Springs and the lakehouse, but there is now a working landline at the lake. It took me almost 4 hours on Saturday to contact my family as all of the landlines were out due to trees falling on the lines, my dad had left his cell phone at the shop and Brad had my mom's cell phone.
Speaking of Brad, he's in the hospital. Only my little brother would wake up the morning a hurricane was approaching to a staff infection in his neck caused by an ingrown hair. He's reacting well to the anti-biotics and some of the swelling has gone down, but he will still be in the hospital for a few days. I guess the one benefit there is the fact that there's electricity and air conditioning! If you're going to get a staff infection, I guess now would be a good time to do it.
Not all of my family was so fortunate during Ike. Page had the roof blown off of his lakehouse and it landed on his Mercedes. Ouch. He atleast has insurance, though I'm not sure who covers all of that claim... homeowners or car. We were worried at first that he didn't have insurance, so it's good to know he will be able to get at least some aid in the repairs he's going to have to make.
It's been a quiet day at work, though that can be expected when you work for a Houston-area State Representative and most of the area is either evacuated and/or without power. I feel bad for Patricia though, people keep on coming to her house and knocking on her door asking when they'll have power back, as if the electric companies listen to her in their restoration efforts.
Please keep my family in your thoughts and prayers as we recover from Hurricane Ike and as Brad battles his staff infection in the hospital!
The fam weathered the storm well. We didn't encounter any direct damage to any of the houses. I'm told that there were some trees lost and that debris is EVERYWHERE. My mom thinks it will take some time to get everything cleaned up. With as many trees that surround our homes, we are very fortunate that nothing fell on the house, unlike Hurricane Rita. We did have a tree take out a spare dryer we housed underneath a portable carport, and apparently there is now an archway over our driveway as one tree fell across and landed on another. We are without power at both Fuller Springs and the lakehouse, but there is now a working landline at the lake. It took me almost 4 hours on Saturday to contact my family as all of the landlines were out due to trees falling on the lines, my dad had left his cell phone at the shop and Brad had my mom's cell phone.
Speaking of Brad, he's in the hospital. Only my little brother would wake up the morning a hurricane was approaching to a staff infection in his neck caused by an ingrown hair. He's reacting well to the anti-biotics and some of the swelling has gone down, but he will still be in the hospital for a few days. I guess the one benefit there is the fact that there's electricity and air conditioning! If you're going to get a staff infection, I guess now would be a good time to do it.
Not all of my family was so fortunate during Ike. Page had the roof blown off of his lakehouse and it landed on his Mercedes. Ouch. He atleast has insurance, though I'm not sure who covers all of that claim... homeowners or car. We were worried at first that he didn't have insurance, so it's good to know he will be able to get at least some aid in the repairs he's going to have to make.
It's been a quiet day at work, though that can be expected when you work for a Houston-area State Representative and most of the area is either evacuated and/or without power. I feel bad for Patricia though, people keep on coming to her house and knocking on her door asking when they'll have power back, as if the electric companies listen to her in their restoration efforts.
Please keep my family in your thoughts and prayers as we recover from Hurricane Ike and as Brad battles his staff infection in the hospital!
Thursday, September 11, 2008
I hate Ike!
Just some random thoughts...
Ike has ruined my weekend that I have been looking forward to for MONTHS! Nancy was coming to town and we were all set to attend the Texas/Arkansas football game... and now it's been postponed. I guess I should take this time to enjoy a Saturday that is completely lacking in plans now, those are few and far between in my life. Ike is really going to piss me off if I miss out on our 7 mile run this weekend, I'm hoping to get this long run in before we run in the Austin Silicon Labs Marathon Relay next weekend.
Today I enjoyed my last grilled cheese lunch with Cameron. She's leaving the Capitol tomorrow! It's going to be sad not having her around in this building, she's been working here longer than I have and it's always been nice to know that there's a friendly face around. I must admit that we haven't utilized the fact that we work in such proximity to each other nearly enough... while we chat online every day, sometimes we've gone months without seeing each other and we only work two hallways apart!
They showed some never-before-seen footage of John McCain from when he returned after being held as a POW on the news today, and I must admit, he was hott back in the day! I still plan on writing about Palin's Vice Presidential nomination, maybe I'll do that tomorrow when things in the office are slow because our District has evacuated due to the hurricane.
Yesterday when Intern Kathryn and I were leaving the office at the end of the day she asked me if I would be upset with her if she signed me up for an internet dating site. She then told me about how her boyfriend and some of his friends had done that to one of their older friends back home. I told her thank you for the thought, but definitely not! While I must admit my life is quite dull at the moment with my complete lack of a love life, I'm just not at a point where I feel like internet dating is an option. Maybe in a few years... geez, that's depressing to even think about!
My friend Stancil facebook chatted me yesterday and put me in charge of coordinating a gathering of some of our C.A.R. friends this fall since there's no wedding for us to meet at. I pointed out to him that I've been trying to coordinate a C.A.R. girls' weekend this fall, with absolutely no luck, so I might not be the best person to put in charge for this task. In all actuality, I think it will probably end up that Stancil will have to make a trip to Texas from Atlanta to visit Dave Sweeney and I since we live just an hour and a half apart. A weekend with the boys... what fun, and debaucherous that could be...
Ike has ruined my weekend that I have been looking forward to for MONTHS! Nancy was coming to town and we were all set to attend the Texas/Arkansas football game... and now it's been postponed. I guess I should take this time to enjoy a Saturday that is completely lacking in plans now, those are few and far between in my life. Ike is really going to piss me off if I miss out on our 7 mile run this weekend, I'm hoping to get this long run in before we run in the Austin Silicon Labs Marathon Relay next weekend.
Today I enjoyed my last grilled cheese lunch with Cameron. She's leaving the Capitol tomorrow! It's going to be sad not having her around in this building, she's been working here longer than I have and it's always been nice to know that there's a friendly face around. I must admit that we haven't utilized the fact that we work in such proximity to each other nearly enough... while we chat online every day, sometimes we've gone months without seeing each other and we only work two hallways apart!
They showed some never-before-seen footage of John McCain from when he returned after being held as a POW on the news today, and I must admit, he was hott back in the day! I still plan on writing about Palin's Vice Presidential nomination, maybe I'll do that tomorrow when things in the office are slow because our District has evacuated due to the hurricane.
Yesterday when Intern Kathryn and I were leaving the office at the end of the day she asked me if I would be upset with her if she signed me up for an internet dating site. She then told me about how her boyfriend and some of his friends had done that to one of their older friends back home. I told her thank you for the thought, but definitely not! While I must admit my life is quite dull at the moment with my complete lack of a love life, I'm just not at a point where I feel like internet dating is an option. Maybe in a few years... geez, that's depressing to even think about!
My friend Stancil facebook chatted me yesterday and put me in charge of coordinating a gathering of some of our C.A.R. friends this fall since there's no wedding for us to meet at. I pointed out to him that I've been trying to coordinate a C.A.R. girls' weekend this fall, with absolutely no luck, so I might not be the best person to put in charge for this task. In all actuality, I think it will probably end up that Stancil will have to make a trip to Texas from Atlanta to visit Dave Sweeney and I since we live just an hour and a half apart. A weekend with the boys... what fun, and debaucherous that could be...
Monday, September 8, 2008
Happy Anniversary to me!
Friday marked my 8 year anniversary with Bath and Body Works... longest relationship of my life! At this rate, I think I could easily make it to ten years.... I want another present! Apparently, Bath and Body Works awards associates who reach five, ten, fifteen, etc. years of service with a gift. I remember when I was reached my 5 year mark and got a lovely little framed certificate in the mail accompanied by a catalogue for me to choose a gift from. At the time I was needing a new watch so I chose a lovely little silver fossil watch that I have worn all of two times.
I get asked a lot why I still work at BBW. I don't really need the money, though it is nice to have extra spending cash. I like the people I work with, and for the most part I enjoy our customers... even though I work at a ghetto mall. By now, the job doesn't require much thought. I can spout out the key ingredients on cue for most of our products and I've got my explanation of the difference between body lotion and body cream down pat: "Body cream contains advocado oils and fruit enzymes in it which makes it a little thicker in texture and a little more moisturizing to the skin compared to body lotion which contains aloe vera and vitamins c & e. Body cream is perfect if you suffer from dry skin and will work wonders on those problem areas like the bottoms of your feet and elbows."
I also like that having this second job occupies a lot of my free time. While sometimes it can be annoying to have no time to myself (my bedroom and bathroom really suffer from this due to a lack of attention for cleaning it), I know that if I did have tons of free time on my hands I would just sleep... a lot, and watch even more television than I already do. BBW also doesn't keep me from doing anything that I want to do, management is always accomodating to any request offs that I have, even if it is for every weekend in a month.
This job is also incredibly stress-free. There was a time when that was not true. When I still worked at the Lufkin store I allowed myself to be brought into store drama, I was usually the person everyone complained to about everyone else. When I first started working in Austin at Highland Mall, I made a point to stay clear of store drama. I also have to say that this store has done really well at keeping the drama to a minimum... as much as can be expected when you throw 10-15 women in one place.
So, Happy 8 year Anniversary to me!
Few side-notes:
1) Last week when I was working inventory at BBW, the REGIS manager (the company we use for inventory) offered me a job, should I ever decide that scanning items into a computer is indeed my career calling.... it made me laugh.
2) I am having a really good hair day. And I say this because I have seriously gotten 4 different comments on my hair, 2 of which have been from guys who have basically said "I don't know what you're doing different to your hair, but I really like it." All I did was actually get up in time this morning to blow dry my hair instead of going curly today.
3) I thoroughly enjoyed my weekend which included DAR Fall Forum, Dustin's 30th birthday party (complete with a pink poodle pinata and a shot-block), and a really good 6 1/2 mile run. I also learned a secret that I have to keep to myself until THIS SUMMER. That's going to be absolute murder.
4) I'm really looking forward to the Texas/Arkansas game this weekend and will be highly disappointed if Hurricane Ike interferes with my plans.
I get asked a lot why I still work at BBW. I don't really need the money, though it is nice to have extra spending cash. I like the people I work with, and for the most part I enjoy our customers... even though I work at a ghetto mall. By now, the job doesn't require much thought. I can spout out the key ingredients on cue for most of our products and I've got my explanation of the difference between body lotion and body cream down pat: "Body cream contains advocado oils and fruit enzymes in it which makes it a little thicker in texture and a little more moisturizing to the skin compared to body lotion which contains aloe vera and vitamins c & e. Body cream is perfect if you suffer from dry skin and will work wonders on those problem areas like the bottoms of your feet and elbows."
I also like that having this second job occupies a lot of my free time. While sometimes it can be annoying to have no time to myself (my bedroom and bathroom really suffer from this due to a lack of attention for cleaning it), I know that if I did have tons of free time on my hands I would just sleep... a lot, and watch even more television than I already do. BBW also doesn't keep me from doing anything that I want to do, management is always accomodating to any request offs that I have, even if it is for every weekend in a month.
This job is also incredibly stress-free. There was a time when that was not true. When I still worked at the Lufkin store I allowed myself to be brought into store drama, I was usually the person everyone complained to about everyone else. When I first started working in Austin at Highland Mall, I made a point to stay clear of store drama. I also have to say that this store has done really well at keeping the drama to a minimum... as much as can be expected when you throw 10-15 women in one place.
So, Happy 8 year Anniversary to me!
Few side-notes:
1) Last week when I was working inventory at BBW, the REGIS manager (the company we use for inventory) offered me a job, should I ever decide that scanning items into a computer is indeed my career calling.... it made me laugh.
2) I am having a really good hair day. And I say this because I have seriously gotten 4 different comments on my hair, 2 of which have been from guys who have basically said "I don't know what you're doing different to your hair, but I really like it." All I did was actually get up in time this morning to blow dry my hair instead of going curly today.
3) I thoroughly enjoyed my weekend which included DAR Fall Forum, Dustin's 30th birthday party (complete with a pink poodle pinata and a shot-block), and a really good 6 1/2 mile run. I also learned a secret that I have to keep to myself until THIS SUMMER. That's going to be absolute murder.
4) I'm really looking forward to the Texas/Arkansas game this weekend and will be highly disappointed if Hurricane Ike interferes with my plans.
Thursday, September 4, 2008
My precious Madelyn...
I convinced Jay, Lindsey, and Madelyn to make a trip to Lufkin this past weekend to see me while I was home. I hadn't seen Madelyn since July 4th weekend, and she's done so much growing since then! At July 4th she was very unsteady on her feet, only taking a few steps at a time... now she's practically running EVERYWHERE, they grow up so fast!
I have loved every minute of being an Aunt. And every time I see Madelyn, I love her more and more. I'm excited to spend more time with her, because children are so much more fun when you can play with them instead of sitting and watching them sleep.
Since Kim and her daughter have moved into the guest house, Jay, Lindsey and Madelyn were forced to spend their weekend in the big house with me. I had staked claim on my parents' room so we moved the baby bed into the hallway outside of it and Jay and Lindsey slept upstairs. My job as Aunt was to wake up if Madelyn cried at any point in the night on Friday. I woke up at 8 am and realized that Madelyn was not making any noise. I thought I had dreamed her crying and Jay and Lindsey taking care of her in the middle of the night so I decided to take a peek to see if she was still in her bed.
As soon as she saw my face she let out a nice "Hi!". She was wide awake and just hanging out in the baby bed waiting for someone to come get her. I got her up and changed her diaper and fed her some breakfast. I then dressed her and even fixed her hair! We hung out until a little after 9 when I decided Mommy and Daddy had slept enough and we went upstairs and woke them up. Here is a picture of Madelyn after I got her ready... I'm anxiously awaiting my "World's Greatest Aunt" trophy to arrive in the mail.
I'm also the bestest aunt because I buy the CUTEST clothes for my niece... Case in point, this cute little dress I picked up for her as a late birthday present (Lindsey said she needed clothes for the fall instead of summer things so I waited and this is one of the outfits I got her).
Some of the cutest things Madelyn is doing these days involves how she communicates with her tongue. If you ask her for kisses she leans toward you with her tongue sticking out.... I guess there might be a little French in her, haha! Also, if she sees you eating something she wants or is hungry herself, she walks up to you and wags her tongue back and forth on her lips, it's too cute!
It's only been 4 days, but I'm already ready for another visit with precious Madelyn. Of course, with a niece as cute as mine... can you really blame me?
Tuesday, September 2, 2008
Nike Human Race 10k
Hello friends! I know it's been awhile since I've posted, I had a hectic work week last week since I took Friday off and have enjoyed four glorious days away from both jobs and the computer. I feel like there's so much that I want to comment about: my weekend at home, Madelyn and how fast she's growing, Palin's VP nomination, the Nike Human race, and Hurricane Gustav... so be looking for more posts this week!
On Sunday evening I joined almost 15,000 runners in Austin and thousands of runners world wide in the first ever Nike Human Race 10k. This was my second 10k to run, the first was back in April when I ran in the Texas Round-Up. I was joined by my friends Andrea, Sarah, and Drea and we also met up and ran with their friends Laura and Heidi. I also managed to see several people I knew, which was suprising in a crowd that size: Elizabeth and her boyfriend were working the event, Dustin Ross and Rachel (Bunker's friends) were running, as well as another former BBW co-worker Sarah Saenz.
The run was tough... there were LOTS of hills! We ran down Congress to second street and then up San Jacinto and then to Red River and around the UT campus heading back to Congress at 4th street. After about the first mile my friends and I got separated since we all run at different paces, but close to mile 3 Laura and Drea found me again and I finished the race with Laura. It was great to have her to run with because she kept me motivated and we seemed to be on the exact same page when it came to needing walk breaks. We finished the race at 1 hour and 23 minutes, which I am happy with since my last race was a little over 1 hour and 30 minutes.
It was such a neat experience. As we turned the corner on second street and headed up San Jacinto you could see hundreds of runners in red shirts making their way up the hill. I can only imagine what it looked like for passersby and cars traveling down I-35 to look over and see so many red shirts! I also got chills when headed towards the finish line because of the beautiful site of our pretty Capitol building lit up at night. Following the race we hung out and watched Ben Harper perform in front of the Capitol and then enjoyed a post-race dinner at Shady Grove.
This race is just the first of many for me in the coming months. Later this month I am running a Marathon Relay with Andrea, Sarah, and Drea and then we're doing the Race for the Cure in November and culminating the races with the Rock N Roll 1/2 Marathon in San Antonio on November 16. I still can't believe that I'm attempting all of this... I would have never in a million years thought I would actually enjoy running!
Drea, Sarah, me and Andrea before the Race
On Sunday evening I joined almost 15,000 runners in Austin and thousands of runners world wide in the first ever Nike Human Race 10k. This was my second 10k to run, the first was back in April when I ran in the Texas Round-Up. I was joined by my friends Andrea, Sarah, and Drea and we also met up and ran with their friends Laura and Heidi. I also managed to see several people I knew, which was suprising in a crowd that size: Elizabeth and her boyfriend were working the event, Dustin Ross and Rachel (Bunker's friends) were running, as well as another former BBW co-worker Sarah Saenz.
The run was tough... there were LOTS of hills! We ran down Congress to second street and then up San Jacinto and then to Red River and around the UT campus heading back to Congress at 4th street. After about the first mile my friends and I got separated since we all run at different paces, but close to mile 3 Laura and Drea found me again and I finished the race with Laura. It was great to have her to run with because she kept me motivated and we seemed to be on the exact same page when it came to needing walk breaks. We finished the race at 1 hour and 23 minutes, which I am happy with since my last race was a little over 1 hour and 30 minutes.
It was such a neat experience. As we turned the corner on second street and headed up San Jacinto you could see hundreds of runners in red shirts making their way up the hill. I can only imagine what it looked like for passersby and cars traveling down I-35 to look over and see so many red shirts! I also got chills when headed towards the finish line because of the beautiful site of our pretty Capitol building lit up at night. Following the race we hung out and watched Ben Harper perform in front of the Capitol and then enjoyed a post-race dinner at Shady Grove.
This race is just the first of many for me in the coming months. Later this month I am running a Marathon Relay with Andrea, Sarah, and Drea and then we're doing the Race for the Cure in November and culminating the races with the Rock N Roll 1/2 Marathon in San Antonio on November 16. I still can't believe that I'm attempting all of this... I would have never in a million years thought I would actually enjoy running!
Drea, Sarah, me and Andrea before the Race
Me and Andrea, post-race
Sarah, Andrea, Me, and Drea, post-race... look at the pretty Capitol in the background!
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