I told you it would happen, and I even warned Jenn, but nope she did not want to listen to me! This morning we walked onto the Racquetball court at crisp 5 am, Jenn was up on me bad; 6 games to 4. And I told y’all yesterday this gal is a primo athlete! She is the kind of person you love to watch play because it comes to easily to her and its just cool to watch someone master a sport, any sport really, with just picking up the ball, or racquet in this case.
I turned Jenn onto racquetball when we were in college and we started playing at our hometown rec center. I had taken a class at A&M to learn and Jenn just bought a racquet and some glasses from Academy and whipped me the first time! Really, Really! I thought for once I could take her but alas she is forever the better athlete. But then the clouds moved to my favor and the Lord shown His light of blessing upon my racquet. I met Zain, he stumbled into my court in DC when I was at the gym just hitting the ball around by myself. On a side note, Zain is one of the most amazing people I have ever met, when he was 16 his parents took all the money they had and put Zain on a plane from Pakistan to America by himself people! He was going to attend college! He landed in NYC only for a layover, then he jumped on another plane that took him to Beaumont, Texas, he says it was the craziest experience of his life, to have his first American experience be NYC, and his immediate second Beaumont? He was VERY confused! But I digress…
Zain is also an amazing racquetball player and through the year or more we played together he kicked my butt often! The only times I beat him was after he had come back from traveling and we played the games where I was handicapped 10 points (FYI you only need 11 to win). So anyway through Zain’s training I got better, then I got to play with Ben and Alex, both two amazing racquetball players as well who always kicked my butt and taught me a few tricks of the trade!
With this you think I would be unstoppable, but people you do not know Jenn, she is stinkin super human when it comes to sports. And I am a bit out of shape… so she had been kicking my butt since I got back. And I warned her things would change if we played in the morning… and change they did! The first game was brutal! She slaughtered me 11 to 3! What 3 points that’s it… I think I had to wake up though because I went on to win the next 4 games! WHOOP! And now the record stands at Michelle: 8, Jenn: 7! So we play again Tuesday morning bright and early! And I will let you know how it goes… I mean if it goes in my favor of course!
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
Keep Austin Weird!
Well I have now officially been home 3 weeks today… and while I do miss DC and some of the benefits of life there I am learning to appreciate the slower pace of things, and enjoy myself here in Austin. Here are some highlights…
- As I said I get to wear jeans in the office everyday… so naturally that meant I needed new work clothes and since work clothes were now jeans I got to buy new jeans… this is my favorite thing to shop for next to athletic equipment! LOVE IT!
- Also while I may still have to sit in traffic driving into the office, it’s a whole new experience then in DC… now if I put my blinker on 9.5 times out of 10 the person in the other lane will slow down or stop so I can get in! WHAT! REALLY! I can come in just because I signaled! I am so confused!??
- And I love that when you let someone in you get the standard Texas Wave saying thank you! I’m sorry what! You are waving to me just because I did what I should be doing… Weird!
- Its stinkin 70 degrees outside on its way to 80! WHAT! Its still February! WHOOP!
- Because of the point above, I now get to run outside… this is another one of those favorite things of mine, and not only outside but my new office is just a few minutes from town lake! So I get to run around Town Lake!!! NICE!
- Well while runnin around Town Lake is fun… I will say I have to adjust to Texas bugs again… not that DC did not have bugs, but there are nats everywhere! I swear half my dinner at night is those stinkin nats I inhale while running. YUCK!
- And while we are on the subject of running, I now have my old racquetball buddy back. An old high school teammate who may be a better athlete than I am hands down but with the training Zain, Ben and Alex gave me in DC, I now give her a run for her money on the court! While she may be up on me at this moment in games won, 5 am Wednesday morning will change her fate, see I am used to getting up that early! HA!
- You may be wondering all this running and racquetball… well Michelle has gained a few too many pounds since surgery a couple of summers ago… going from 30 or so miles a week to NONE for a year was very painful on my tummy and then we had the sad news strike in November and I turned to chips and salsa and all the sorts to cope… Not so good… So anyway! I am on a losing weight kick! And in a week and a day I have lost 3.5 lbs!!! WHOOP! Now I know you are thinking Michelle some of that is water weight, and I know, but its weight non the less and I do not discriminate in my pounds, and neither should you! NICE!
- And loosing weight in Texas is HARD!!!!!!!!! Losing weight in DC, not that hard because there is not AMAZING Mexican food or Southern food on every corner! OH my weakness! Seriously people losing weight in Texas should be listed as cruel and unusual punishment… why when I have been deprived of so much good food for so long, can I now have it right in front of me and I can’t take a bite! I feel like Eve in the garden! (And FYI after this experience I don’t judge her anymore) WHY!
- Well the other day driving back to my office I saw Leslie on a bicycle… it was enough to not make me want to eat for the rest of the day… so thanks for serving Leslie! AH!
- My home church! Oh how I love my home church! Its so good to be able to go any Sunday I want and be surrounded by people I have known forever and who know me. I love sitting under our Pastor Mark’s teaching and having good ol Allen around. PTL!
- And last but not least the friends! I love being able to see so many of your faces in person when we talk now… And we are not even on Skype! I love the hugs and signs of affection people give and no one is weirded out by them. I love being able to just decide I want to see someone and then be in driving distance to go and do it… Its awesome! LOVE Y'ALL!
- As I said I get to wear jeans in the office everyday… so naturally that meant I needed new work clothes and since work clothes were now jeans I got to buy new jeans… this is my favorite thing to shop for next to athletic equipment! LOVE IT!
- Also while I may still have to sit in traffic driving into the office, it’s a whole new experience then in DC… now if I put my blinker on 9.5 times out of 10 the person in the other lane will slow down or stop so I can get in! WHAT! REALLY! I can come in just because I signaled! I am so confused!??
- And I love that when you let someone in you get the standard Texas Wave saying thank you! I’m sorry what! You are waving to me just because I did what I should be doing… Weird!
- Its stinkin 70 degrees outside on its way to 80! WHAT! Its still February! WHOOP!
- Because of the point above, I now get to run outside… this is another one of those favorite things of mine, and not only outside but my new office is just a few minutes from town lake! So I get to run around Town Lake!!! NICE!
- Well while runnin around Town Lake is fun… I will say I have to adjust to Texas bugs again… not that DC did not have bugs, but there are nats everywhere! I swear half my dinner at night is those stinkin nats I inhale while running. YUCK!
- And while we are on the subject of running, I now have my old racquetball buddy back. An old high school teammate who may be a better athlete than I am hands down but with the training Zain, Ben and Alex gave me in DC, I now give her a run for her money on the court! While she may be up on me at this moment in games won, 5 am Wednesday morning will change her fate, see I am used to getting up that early! HA!
- You may be wondering all this running and racquetball… well Michelle has gained a few too many pounds since surgery a couple of summers ago… going from 30 or so miles a week to NONE for a year was very painful on my tummy and then we had the sad news strike in November and I turned to chips and salsa and all the sorts to cope… Not so good… So anyway! I am on a losing weight kick! And in a week and a day I have lost 3.5 lbs!!! WHOOP! Now I know you are thinking Michelle some of that is water weight, and I know, but its weight non the less and I do not discriminate in my pounds, and neither should you! NICE!
- And loosing weight in Texas is HARD!!!!!!!!! Losing weight in DC, not that hard because there is not AMAZING Mexican food or Southern food on every corner! OH my weakness! Seriously people losing weight in Texas should be listed as cruel and unusual punishment… why when I have been deprived of so much good food for so long, can I now have it right in front of me and I can’t take a bite! I feel like Eve in the garden! (And FYI after this experience I don’t judge her anymore) WHY!
- Well the other day driving back to my office I saw Leslie on a bicycle… it was enough to not make me want to eat for the rest of the day… so thanks for serving Leslie! AH!
- My home church! Oh how I love my home church! Its so good to be able to go any Sunday I want and be surrounded by people I have known forever and who know me. I love sitting under our Pastor Mark’s teaching and having good ol Allen around. PTL!
- And last but not least the friends! I love being able to see so many of your faces in person when we talk now… And we are not even on Skype! I love the hugs and signs of affection people give and no one is weirded out by them. I love being able to just decide I want to see someone and then be in driving distance to go and do it… Its awesome! LOVE Y'ALL!
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
Life Changes and Rest
Well the last time I checked in I was sitting by the pool in Mexico drowning my sorrows in the sun, food and great company… and maybe a margarita… But that’s beside the point… After my job ended in DC, I took a short vacation with a friend to forget about the fact that the lives we had known and loved for the last over 6 years + really were now over. In a blink of an eye, we went from important to unemployed. So we left to be in denial and sleep a little too!
So once I got back from Mexico, I packed my car (after a HUGE ordeal of getting it fixed which led me to walking over 7 miles to my car because everyone I knew had jobs and I did not and thought I would save myself the $30 or so in a cab fee…) My Step-Dad drove up to DC (talk about awesome) And we packed his trailer and started the two day drive to Texas. It was good, I got some solid time alone in my car where the Lord help to prepare me for the major life change that was coming. I decided to play through my entire “Purchased” play list off my ipod… which got me to Waco!
We made great time on the first day so I asked if we could stop in Nashville for dinner, since I had never been to Nashville I thought it would be fun… So I sent a text to a few of my friends who spend a lot of time there to get a good recommended local place to eat. My friend Mica who I’ve told you about texted back and said she knew the best place for dinner… Her House! She said they just got back in town that afternoon and would love to see me, so I told her only on the condition she did not cook for us and I would pick something up. So I grabbed some Bar-B-Q and we headed over to her place. We ended up sitting at that table and talking and laughing for a good 2 and a half hours. It was such a blessing to get to catch up, Mica was mad we were not staying with her, but I had already booked a hotel room about and hour from there so we continued on. The next morning I thought we should leave early so we could stop in Memphis and go to Graceland… weird but I got shot down! So we made the long drive back to Round Rock and got home around 9:30 pm.
So I have been home now for a couple of weeks and to say its been an adjustment would be an understatement. It’s a major change in life, and pace and all that jazz. While I am super excited to be home, and time with my family whenever I want it practically is such a blessing. It takes a lot to unwind you from the daily life of DC. To start I no longer get up at 4:30 am… now my alarm goes off at 7 am and I get to hit snooze once… I also no longer wear suits to the office, I am in jeans and a relax button down shirt as we speak. I no longer get off work anywhere between 7 pm and 9 pm (or later), I am usually done by 5 pm or earlier. Rather than getting home between 10:30 pm and later, I make it home most nights anywhere between 5:30 pm and 7 pm (if I had dinner with a friend) and I am in bed by 10 pm or 11 pm. It sounds good on paper, but it actually has been a tough adjustment… But I know the Lord has something for me here, even if it is to teach me how to rest… so I will do that I will rest and figure things out. The job I am working now is a contract position so I am looking for my next move, I am praying the Lord will show me what it is and what I am to chase down soon, so this Lost Texan is home for now, but we will see what is on the horizon next…
So once I got back from Mexico, I packed my car (after a HUGE ordeal of getting it fixed which led me to walking over 7 miles to my car because everyone I knew had jobs and I did not and thought I would save myself the $30 or so in a cab fee…) My Step-Dad drove up to DC (talk about awesome) And we packed his trailer and started the two day drive to Texas. It was good, I got some solid time alone in my car where the Lord help to prepare me for the major life change that was coming. I decided to play through my entire “Purchased” play list off my ipod… which got me to Waco!
We made great time on the first day so I asked if we could stop in Nashville for dinner, since I had never been to Nashville I thought it would be fun… So I sent a text to a few of my friends who spend a lot of time there to get a good recommended local place to eat. My friend Mica who I’ve told you about texted back and said she knew the best place for dinner… Her House! She said they just got back in town that afternoon and would love to see me, so I told her only on the condition she did not cook for us and I would pick something up. So I grabbed some Bar-B-Q and we headed over to her place. We ended up sitting at that table and talking and laughing for a good 2 and a half hours. It was such a blessing to get to catch up, Mica was mad we were not staying with her, but I had already booked a hotel room about and hour from there so we continued on. The next morning I thought we should leave early so we could stop in Memphis and go to Graceland… weird but I got shot down! So we made the long drive back to Round Rock and got home around 9:30 pm.
So I have been home now for a couple of weeks and to say its been an adjustment would be an understatement. It’s a major change in life, and pace and all that jazz. While I am super excited to be home, and time with my family whenever I want it practically is such a blessing. It takes a lot to unwind you from the daily life of DC. To start I no longer get up at 4:30 am… now my alarm goes off at 7 am and I get to hit snooze once… I also no longer wear suits to the office, I am in jeans and a relax button down shirt as we speak. I no longer get off work anywhere between 7 pm and 9 pm (or later), I am usually done by 5 pm or earlier. Rather than getting home between 10:30 pm and later, I make it home most nights anywhere between 5:30 pm and 7 pm (if I had dinner with a friend) and I am in bed by 10 pm or 11 pm. It sounds good on paper, but it actually has been a tough adjustment… But I know the Lord has something for me here, even if it is to teach me how to rest… so I will do that I will rest and figure things out. The job I am working now is a contract position so I am looking for my next move, I am praying the Lord will show me what it is and what I am to chase down soon, so this Lost Texan is home for now, but we will see what is on the horizon next…
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