Hot-Lanta!

So I am still working through trying to be good about this again… I have a hard time thinking that anyone really wants to hear more than 140 characters about my life. I’m sitting on a plane right now heading back to Houston and so have a little golden time to focus and just relax. So it has been a full last two weeks! I’ll catch everyone up as quickly and as succinctly as I can.

I made it to Atlanta the next day after 13 hours in the car! I actually enjoy a little alone time in the car and road trips so it was a small blessing until the road became very dark and I realized I had not brought a flashlight with me in case I broke down. So the Lord blessed me with a handful of friends calling to check in on me, which made it seem not so scary! I had the distinct privilege while I was in Atlanta to tour and learn more about Walton Communities. If you are ever called to the Atlanta area I pray you will consider their apartment complexes. They run a legit ministry through their apartments making luxury apartments affordable to single moms and families. They not only do that but then they have an entire bottom floor of one of their buildings at many complexes turned into a after school program for kids that is run by the Atlanta Youth Project. This is not a room with some tables and computers this but an incredible learning area designed just for the kids. They get of the bus a teacher meets them leads them into their grand room and they have a devotional and then start on homework and snacks and much more. I could write an entire post on how amazing this business is they have begun. I was truly inspired by every person I met as they were not concerned with the bottom line of the business but the lives of the people they served.

Also while in Atlanta I was able to stay with one of my best friends from Washington Allison. She has been with me through so much and I laugh a lot because many of my funny or embarrassing stories of DC include her as one of the main characters. She is one of those close friends that you know so well that when you arrive at her house at 1 am in the morning from driving all day she just opens the door and walks back to bed… In a good one but I did give her a little hard time about that! I am so bummed I did not take a pic with her to share here. But most of our time was just spent doing everyday life nothing too crazy…. Except maybe bowling. Her husband had organized a work team outing for them to go bowling so Allison asked if I wanted to come along since she would be the only girl there… So I did and brought my friend Jenn as long as well. (Two things you should know before I go any further is you don’t already…. 1) I am a bit of a germaphob and 2) I have developed an incredible addiction to buffalo sauce! I put it on everything I can without looking too weird.)

So Jenn and I met up with them after having dinner at an unique restaurant called 52 Seasons. Because who likes bowling alley food. But when we get there Allie has all manner of buffalo wings on the table but the kicker is there is no sauce on them its on the side for your dipping pleasure. I tried to remain strong but to no avail, I began eating a wing and realized it was so of the best sauce I had had. Now comes the tough part we began bowling… Germaphob with her hands all over a bowling ball and some of the best buffalo sauce right in front of me… To make matters worse I had no hand sanitizer! I could’ve fallen on the floor and rocked I was in such a quandary. But I pushed through and ate some tater-tots dipped in the sauce and just prayed the Lord would protect me from the bowling alley germs! I could lose my stomach just remembering it but it was worth it!

So I wrapped up Atlanta with an impromptu lunch with someone I met at a conference there in the fall. It was one of those lunches that you look back on and half to laugh with the Lord about. Once Tara and I got to talking we realized how many folks we had as common friends and how much our life was so similar. What was to be a quick hi turned into an almost two hour hang out!

So I wrapped Atlanta up with running some more errands with Allison and then got on the road to Nashville! And I will end today there… no need to keep y’all any longer!

On the Road Again

So I love that almost a year ago I posted on here an update and hoping to be better about updating this bad boy… alas that obviously has not happen because here we are a year later until my next post!

Well I am sitting in a Tire and Lube center at the Wal-Mart in Marlin, TX in between Ft. Worth and College Station. I love small town Texas and just have to say that Ray and DJ are taking very good care of me here. DJ came in and told me he has never seen so many bible verses in one car and asked b=why I had so many. Then after chatting a bit he told me he is currently supporting his wife, parents and grandmother and they all live in one house he is fixing up himself! He is a pretty solid guy so if you are ever by Marlin, Texas I recommend letting these guys work on your car!

So the reason for the update and car work. Tonight I am finishing up what I am calling my Texas tour. I headed to Austin stayed a couple of days to hang with family take my nephews out to dinner and see my niece Grace be baptized. I then headed to Ft. Worth for my long time roomie and one of my best friends from college Wedding reception. Sara got married in the mountains in Montana this February and not many folks were able to get there so we had a little Texas celebration on her behalf! It was a blast getting to celebrate her and Joe’s marriage and getting to catch up with old friends! I also had a chance to hang out with a couple of old friends while there and now I am driving to College Station to hang with the Phi Lamb girls (DJ just came out and told me my tires needed to be replaced… darn that’s another $260 but I know they needed to be done soon and would rather be safe than sorry when I am out on the road)

So onto what is next for me. The Lord recently led me to head out in search of where He will have me serve next. He has been more than gracious and done amazing things in my career so far. So even though it may seem a little overwhelming stepping out in this economy I completely trust Him and I am looking forward to what He has next. Tomorrow morning I will get up and drive to Atlanta, GA to meet with some friends and see if the Lord opens a door there. I will be there Wednesday and Thursday and then drive up to Nashville to do the same thing there.

These are not the only places I am looking but two that the Lord has continually brought to my heart and mind so I trust Him with those leanings. I truly am super excited and I am looking forward to the people I will meet on the way. Like the chance to meet DJ here at the Wal-Mart. I will do my best about being good and updating things on this blog. It is the best way I have found in the past to keep people I love in the loop! Thank you for your prayers and I look forward to telling of all the great things the Lord is doing!

Me and my nephews (Gabe and Jeremiah) Getting ready to head to dinner

Old Friends are te Best Friends! College buddies Laura, Me, Sara (THE BRIDE!) and Leah

My friend Linnae and I walking around Southlake Town Center

On the Road!

So I promised I would try to be better about this again and alas I have not, I promise this time things are a changing! I have been at my favorite place ever... and that's actually on the road! I haven't been in my home for a weekend in in over a month and will not be here the next month... but I could not be happier!

Was in Tucson and ate a lot of In and Out burgers! Then headed home to Austin and Llano to spend Easter at home with my family! (Funny thing is I have been blessed to be home the last 4 Easters because of all sorts of different reasons but mainly weddings.. weird I had not made it home in 7 Thanksgiving but made it home over half of the years I was gone.) But I digress... It was awesome to be home with the all the nieces and nephews and heard the great news that we will be joined by one more family member this year!!! WHOOP! mu oldest sister Rachuel is pregnant and all the family is convinced Baby B is a boy... I'm still not to sure but I am SO blessed and excited to be an Aunt once more.

Then last Friday I hoped one plane and headed to my second home Washington, DC! I was so blessed to spend 5 days there catching up with friend and some of my favorite college students in the world! That trip is set for a whole other post so check back!

I was able to get back in time for a LPM Birthday lunch and celebration, pretty sure no one does birthday celebrations like the lovely ladies at LPM! I actually paid to make sure I got back in time, because I could not imagine not getting to celebrate with them! So I was in Houston just long enough to empty my suitcase, wash the clothes and then put them back in to head out a day later for Tampa, Florida. It was an amazing event there and like no other I had been able to take part in. The Lord did so much and we were all so blessed! Then I received a double portion and Continental upgraded my ticket to First Class for the way back, and we happened to be on a large plane so our seats pretty much laid flat... so we laid back to say the least!

Will be home for about 5 days and then head out to Atlanta! Looking forward to a great event there but also looking forward to seeing my good friend from DC Allie! Will check back in soon with some pics and more from DC!

My Fit Foods

So some of you knew but many of you did not that last month I took part in a serious challenge here in Houston. My friend Lauren introduced me to this wonderful place called My Fit Foods here in Houston. (They are only currently in Houston and Austin) And they have a 21 Day Liver Cleanse program. They state that a average woman loses 8 to 12 lbs by just following their eating schedule. So I thought this would be a perfect way to kick start losing those pesky lbs I gained after surgery and never lost.

So when I went in to sign up I found out they were hosting a challenge to see who could lose the most weight in the 21 days. My nutritionist told me she thought I only had one other person that would give me a run for my money. Well you know me and competition... I LOVE it! So knowing I could win a prize of $500 of their food kept me 100% on their plan! No cheating here!

So the whole idea is they prepare you "clean meals", no preservatives, no grease no nothing! They provide you with all three meals, two snacks and supplements for the bargain price of $500. (So if I won, I won all my money back!) The meals are FRESH and not frozen! They are packaged for you in the perfect portion, and they plan everything out to make sure you are getting all the right nutrients and the right amounts each day. So twice a week I would go in and pick up my fresh meals, Luz, my nutritionist would meet with me see how everything was working and adjust what she needed to. It was SO easy...

Well on top of that since there was a prize to be won you know I kicked it into gear at the gym! So at the end of 21 days, eating only their food and hitting the gym 6 days a week... I lost 23 lbs!!! WHAT! 12% of my body weight! The second place GUY lost 8%! I was so excited when Luz called to tell me, she said wait there is more, more? Yep, Luz told me I not only won for my store but out of the hundreds of folks doing it in the Houston area!!! And was the only person to hit the double digit weight loss! WHAT! So I won $1000!!!! I could not even believe it!

So would I recommend My Fit Foods... Heck Yes! The meals are surprisingly good, I had almost no meals that I did not like. And many that I LOVED!!!

...And we're back...

I keep doing this to y’all! I promise I am still alive and kickin just been on the road and moving so had no internet for a while and so on and so forth. A lot has happened since the last post too much to put into one, so I won’t!
So I moved to Houston and live on the north side, just next to Cypress. I am finally living by myself and I would like to just say I think EVERYONE should be required to live by themselves at some point in their life. It is the BEST thing sliced bread! I have a one bedroom with a study and have filled the place already! Have been able to host one meal already for Alex and Katie, and had some girls over for a “sleepover” yeah I am in the sixth grade. It was fun though!
I then went to DC and had a great time there getting to see a small handful of folks. I was there with work so was unable to see too many and then the Lord brought me back to Texas abruptly. My step-dad Dale was in a major motorcycle accident and I flew home as soon as I could. He was totally protected by the Lord through the whole process as he was not even wearing a helmet AND they LEFT him in the road y’all!! He shattered his nose, his knee, broke his wrist and big toe. He has a few big gashes and a lot of road rash. But Praise the Lord he will make a full recovery it will just be a long one.
I was able to make it to Oregon for the first time. I saw Terri Taylor who I had not seen in 10 years!!! And then saw my sweet friend Sarah get married it was such an amazing time! I hiked to the top of a water fall that was a mile high and then hiked around Mt. St. Helens in Washington! It was awesome!
I came home for a couple of days and then headed to Jackson Hole, WY for work for a night which was amazing! Then drove across the state of Wyoming (which is breathe taking ). I then made it back to Houston just in time to see my dear old co-worker Tessie get married, and head to Austin for Memorial Day with my favorite vets.
I am home again for a bit but about to celebrate my 29th birthday! A LOT has changed in this last year but it has been amazing! I am hoping to get some pictures up soon and promise I will try to get better at this updating thing! Love and miss y’all!

Random News...

Well a lot has happened here recently I think I should update everyone on as well as a lot of fun randomness. So here goes…

- I accepted a job in Houston, Texas and will be moving there next Saturday!
- With the move I obviously needed a place to live… so after one Sunday afternoon with Jared and a Monday night with Mom and Amanda… I officially signed on my first place that is ALL mine!
- I now rent a one bedroom, with a study apartment! I feel like and adult now!
- Apartment shopping is crazy and I was glad to have both Jared and Amanda help me figure out Houston!
- I also bought an apartment full of furniture (way to go Rooms-to-Go!) as I have never furnished anything past my bedroom and I left a lot of that furniture in DC.
- I am slowly realizing the great expense it is to fill an apartment by yourself! Kitchen utensils and ware did not come included!
- Also with the move my Mom thought it would be a good plan to bring down all the boxes I stashed in her attic after High School and College…
- Going through them while funny (Dear Lord why did you my friends and my family allow me to go out dressed like that! Feathered bangs… never good…) is also tedious and VERY time consuming! AH!
- I was in the Valley all last week for Reading Rock Stars! It is a program put on by the Texas Book Festival for under privileged or rural schools that brings an author or two to the school to speak to the kids and then leaves them with a signed book. It’s a blast watching the kids faces!
- While in the Valley I attempted my long run getting prepped for the Blue Bell 10 K I am running in a couple of weeks (when did I get so out of shape I have to train for a 10k!) and almost died from the heat and humidity!
- Dear Lord protect me when I try to run in Houston or rid me of this crazy habit!
- I also got to catch up with a fun DC friend while I was in McAllen for breakfast and then have dinner with one of my craziest DC friends in Austin that night! Good times my friends good times!
- Wednesday night was a big benefit dinner I helped plan here for the Texas Book Festival it was a wild success and a lot of fun! Go to Fleming’s folks! These people were great they did an amazing dinner for over 50 people FREE of charge to us! All of the money folks paid to attend went straight to the Book Festival and it was awesome!!!
- Yesterday Heidi and I went for lunch on Iron Cactus’ up stairs patio while we were basking in the good weather and conversation the wind picked up and swept our chips up and over the ledge on the people below! It was one of the funniest things I have ever seen!!!

Okay I am sure there is a lot more random to share but I have to get back to work! If you want to come and help me pack this weekend I am turning down no lovely hands, if you want to help me move next into my awesome pad PLEASE do… oh wait did I mention my apartment was on the 3rd Floor! (its good to have good guy friends and a brothers with big friends! Whew!)

Here are a few pics from Reading Rock Stars!

Xavier Garza signing autographs!

Dr. Tuffula teaching the Kids they can create a story

Xavier Garza telling the kids a scary story!

Family Reunions!

When I was a kid we used to go to my Step-Dads family ranch every Thanksgiving and Easter for what was a twice a year family reunion. I loved our time out at the farm and its where I learned to ride a horse, shoot a gun, and drive a go-cart to a truck to a car! It is a place I have very fond feelings of as I love when homes are FILLED to the rim with family so much so that there is no way everyone could fit in the house so you spill out onto the porch and lawn and where ever else. And you can’t really hear anyone because everyone is talking so loud and is so excited!

They were always filled with amazing food, and the women of the family usually gathered in the house trying to work the maze that was casserole dishes and trying to figure out the jig-saw puzzle of getting all the desserts to fit on one table and the food on another… and where are the drinks going to go! The men in my family usually gathered outside and talked about the latest rifle on the market, the cattle on the ranch, the new truck someone got or something manly you know… The kids we ran around in the open field in front of the house, or we would walk to the creek and shoot cans or sticks as they floated by, or take the dune-buggy to the old gravesite that was on the property and try to scare each other. It was always good times and always we would sleep the whole car ride back because we were zapped from the day!

During Easter the adults would always hide eggs all over the field in front of the house and then the kids would be set loose in waves pending on ages to grab what ever they could. Sadly sometimes the men thought it was funny to hide them in dried cow patties, but usually those had money in them so we sucked it up and lifted them up looking for the “golden eggs”. Gross now, but it was a small price to pay for that dollar bill in those days!

So since I moved to DC I have had to spend every Thanksgiving in DC and almost all my Easters as well. If I was home for Easter I was here for a wedding and could not attend the festivities at the Farm. But this year there is a turn! I am home in Texas and looking forward to Thanksgiving and other holidays with the fam! But this past weekend my Cousin Christina organized a Family Reunion in New Braunfels. I was so excited to be able to attend and the food did not disappoint, neither did the desserts! The funny things was all of the sudden it was my cousins, sisters and I in the kitchen organized to jig-saw puzzle of dishes, and getting everyone to line up. We were now the ones hiding the eggs for the hunt, and making sure the kiddos stagger properly so the littlest ones have a chance. We were not at the farm so we did not put any under “cow-patties”, but we did put a few under the guys hats… It was an awesome day of catching up, eating and playing with the kids, but just another sign that we are growing up… STINK!

Lined up to fill the plates

Missy did not like hers... so she just ate her plate!

Looking for Money in Aunt Graysons jacket for train tickets

Everyone on and Ready to Ride!

The girls showing off their Easter Egg Hunt Loot... Savannah was just glancing at ther loot she is not sad but Sabrina's face was too good not to use this photo!