Off again

It's official. I have planned my next trip to Europe. My goal of jetting across the Atlantic every other summer continues!

June 2005: My parents and I met my aunt Janis & uncle Jonathan (who live in Oxford) in England, and did Oxford, London, Stratford, and Paris.

June 2007: My entire family went on a 2-week tour of Italy (Florence, Venice, Rome, Pisa), Monaco, and France (Nice, Cannes, Paris).

May/June 2009: A friend and I are taking a cruise to Italy (Venice, Florence, Rome, Naples), Croatia, Greece (3 stops, don't remember which ones yet) and Barcelona Spain.

Oh my goodness. Oh my goodness. Oh my goodness! I can't wait! My next 10 months are going to be spent reading about Greece and Spain, watching movies that take place in Greece and Spain, and dreaming about good-looking guys from Greece and Spain.

I try to live my life as if it were an adventure. And this certainly makes it more interesting!

No smoking

Now I can add another item to my list of reasons why smoking is annoying.

I was walking to the Rangers Ballpark tonight (and running late because I stupidly left my tickets at home and didn't realize it until I was half-way to the game!) and some stupid guy was smoking in front of me. He reached back and flicked the ashes off his cigarette, and one went up my nose! It was still hot, and it burned me! Those little ashes float in the wind, dude. Next time check behind you please.

And while you're at it, go ahead and quit. It's bad for you. And apparently, bad for me as well.

Stop it

I love this clip. You know we all feel this way at some time or another. There have been many times when someone tells me a long, sad story about a problem, under the ruse of wanting advice, but in reality they just want to belly-ache. And all I want to tell them is, "Just get over it!" Or, "You know the solution, so go do it!"

Sometimes you've just got to be a grown-up and face life. Put on your big girl panties and move forward.

And sometimes, I think I need to wake up and take my own advice!

The crash

I was half-way through my 4-mile run yesterday, when it happened.

I fell off the elliptical machine.

I was in "that" groove. You know the one, where running stops being horribly painful and starts becoming fun. I wasn't thinking about anything, I was just rocking out to my iPod, covered in sweat and thinking about what a rock star athlete I've become.

It was time to hydrate. I reached for my water bottle, took a sip, and then...

Chaos. My foot slipped off the machine. My legs became tangled in the pedals. I hit my head on my way down and landed in a sad heap, half on the machine, half on the dingy gym floor. My water bottle, the cause of all my problems, exploded all over me, soaking my shirt. And my head. For a moment, everything went dark.

...

...

Okay, that's not how it really happened. In all actuality, I was this close to doing just that, but caught my foot as it slipped off the machine, and steadied myself. Catastrophe averted.

But one more inch, and...

Thoughts from my back porch

One of my favorite things to do is to sit on my back porch at night. It's quiet. The twinkle lights hanging above my head emit a warm glow that makes everything look more lovely. I like the smell of the fresh air, and my view of my pretty flowers that I work so hard to keep alive.

Sitting out here calms me. It's peaceful. It's where I do my best reading, or Bible studying, or even homework. It's also where I do my best thinking.

Tonight, on my way home from seeing Batman (which I loved!), I heard a radio DJ read a letter that sparked my imagination. The author was a single lady who met a cute guy on an airplane. Both were doing a crossword puzzle, and he briefly told her she was pretty. She was interested, but felt shy, so she barely spoke to him. Once they got off the plane, they got separated in the crowd. She looked for him at baggage claim, but he never came. And now, she wonders what would have happened if she had talked to her handsome stranger on the plane.

So this gal wrote to Delilah, a nationally syndicated radio DJ, to ask her to help find her handsome stranger. The odds are definitely not in her favor. But wouldn't it be neat if she DID find him? Wouldn't it be the perfect beginning of a love story?

Or maybe she's a stalker. And maybe he's creepy. You never know.

"That" Dog

So what am I supposed to do when my dog trots out to the middle of my yard...

hikes his leg...

and pees all over the sprinkler.

Attached to the water hose.

Right where my hand goes.

Thanks Harley. Last night, the Wonder Schnoodle wasn't so Wonder-ful.

Laughter

Laugh uncontrollably. It clears the mind.
(from a Dove chocolate I ate yesterday)

Tonight I went out with my friends from grad school. I've had these girls in my classes for the past two semesters, and they've become very special friends. I think it's like guys who pledge a fraternity... once you suffer through something together (like a research paper) you develop a bond that becomes pretty strong. I know all about their jobs, their academic interests, their relationships, their personal lives, their career goals, and their stressors. We've been in the trenches together.

Okay, so TCU isn't exactly the trenches. Maybe I'm exaggerating, as usual. But we've cheered each other on through projects, research papers, and presentations. And they make school a heck of a lot more fun!

So tonight, as we sat around the table at Glorias, eating our Mexican food and talking about our summer vacation, we laughed. And laughed. And laughed. I can't wait for the next big night out!

Bethe Day

One of the best things about being an adult and having a "real job" (besides not having a curfew) is having paid days off. And my job, along with a bunch of other wonderful perks, gives me a LOT of time off. Like four weeks. And next year... five!

So tomorrow I'm taking a "Bethe Day" to celebrate life and all of the wonderful things I love to do. And the best part is... I'm going to get paid to do it! Hooray!

Here's my plan:

--Sleep in.
--Go to the gym and sweat my rear end off while rocking out to my special new workout soundtrack on my Ipod.
--Get a pedicure.
--Visit an art museum with my dad to see an exhibit we've been really excited about (have I mentioned I have the the best dad EVER?).
--Take a nap.
--Read.
--Play a softball game.

And somewhere in there, I'm going to try to fit in a strawberry milkshake. Just because it's something I love.

Another one of those sayings

This one is framed and up in my house in a place I where I can see it every day:

If you stumble... make it part of your dance.

It may be one of my favorites. If you've ever met me, you'll know why!

Back on the horse

Actually, it's back on the treadmill.

For the past year or so, I've been too busy to think straight, so working out was pretty low on the priority list. But with a short (and wonderful!) break from grad school, and plans for a much quieter fall, I've decided to hit the gym again.

And since I don't do ANYTHING half-way, I've decided to run a half-marathon in December. Maybe. Probably. We'll see. I tried to train for one a few years back, and got bored at around 8 miles. I mean, 8 miles just takes so darn LONG to run! And I have so many other things to do that are more fun. Like eating ice cream. And getting pedicures. Or picking up my dry cleaning.

But maybe this time will be different. It helps that I have friends who want to do it, and I'm a sucker for some good peer pressure. Tonight I ran 4 miles on the elliptical, but I had a lot of resistance, so I'm sure those 4 miles were equal to 10 or 15 on the treadmill. See, I'm practically ready for that half marathon right now.

One of my favorite posts on my old blog was from the day, back in October 2005, when I finally got my first gym membership. Not much has changed since then. Only Brandan (with an "A") is probably in prison by now. And here's another retro workout post for good measure.

Take a chance on Mamma Mia?

Mamma Mia = B-O-R-I-N-G.

I love ALL chick flicks, but this one was so bad I almost got up and left. If I hadn't been stuck in the middle of a row, I probably would have walked out. It was THAT bad.

It's a shame, because Sister Sarah and I saw the Broadway version a few weeks ago in New York, and it was wonderful. I think the difference is, Pierce Brosnan looks constipated when he sings, and Meryl Streep will forever remind me of the mean lady in Devil Wears Prada. This is another example of the original being better.

Storms... revisited

This morning I walked into church ready to teach my normal all-girl Sunday School class. But because of a series of very random and unexpected events, somehow I ended up having to teach our entire singles' department this morning. Including the guys.

<<< gasp >>>

Yes, I'm Baptist, so you probably shouldn't tell anybody that I taught a coed group. Luckily, there was no pulpit, and no sermon, and technically our church policy allows female guest teachers as long it's not a married class. Until you take that ultimate plunge, it's okay to hear from an old single gal every once-in-awhile. At least, according to the bylaws.

So I went ahead and taught the group. It was scary having all of my friends staring back at me. Here were people I've known for years, but had no intention of ever TEACHING. But somehow, God moved this morning in Sunday School and people opened up and started sharing. It was amazing.

We talked about the people of Thessalonica and how they had endured a heck of a lot of suffering, and Paul gave them some encouragement. He told them to keep plugging along, to not give up. They weren't alone. God was with them, and much, much stronger than they could ever imagine. I wrote back in January about weathering storms, and this morning the folks in my class gave me some other great verses to keep in your back pocket for when those rains come. Because we all know it's just a matter of time.

2 Corinthians 4:17-18
"For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal."

Psalm 33:11
"But the plans of the LORD stand firm forever, the purposes of his heart through all generations."

Proverbs 19:21
"Many are the plans in a man's heart, but it is the LORD's purpose that prevails."

Proverbs 20:24
"A man's steps are directed by the LORD. How then can anyone understand his own way?"

Here's to hoping that you and I don't need any verses about weathering storms for a long time. But if we do, it's good to have them handy.

Live hard or die trying

My flowers live an extreme life. They either look like this:



Or this:

It's definitely survival of the fittest in my garden!

Remarkable

I'm a sucker for things with sayings on them. I love pictures with fun quotes. Books of quotes. Googling quotes. Memorizing quotes.

I have an ongoing love affair with the written word.

So of course, when I was out yesterday shopping for a gift, I couldn't resist buying a few of those magnets with the sayings on them. These were cute (which is so important--nothing ugly is allowed to set foot near my refridgerator!). And colorful. I bought two.

The first says:
Dare to be remarkable.

And the second:
Do one thing every day that scares you. (Eleanor Roosevelt)

I love these! I want to live a remarkable life, and I can't achieve that by sitting back and doing things that are comfortable. Some of the things that scare me the most have brought me the most happiness. I was terrified to take the hospital job, which I now love so much. I was (and still am) terrified of speaking in front of groups, which is one of the reasons why I try to take every opportunity to speak in public. I'm terrified of heights, which is why I have gone rock climbing and done the high ropes courses. I'm scared of flying, which is why I travel as much as possible (plus I love exploring new places). School scares me a little, because I'm always afraid I might not be able to cut it. Which is why I continue on.

So I dare YOU to be remarkable. Come join me. It's a fun process!

Please don't do that with your dad watching

You know you've been to a country concert when you see two men wrestle, a girl with a bad spray tan, and a guy kissing his girlfriend with dip in his mouth. Oh, and this same Bubba with the dip can was also grabbing his girlfriend's rear while her DAD sat next to them! Eeeew!

Yep, the Martina McBride concert was memorable.

When I got two last-minute (FREE!) tickets to the concert, I wasn't sure if I would like it. Turns out I'm a huge fan of hers, I just didn't realize she was the one who sings all of the songs I love so much. I'll be rocking out to her greatest hits album for the next week.


Sister Lindsay and I had a great time together. And this concert marks another notch in my belt of summer culture. Let's see... I've seen Martina (along with Jack Ingram) and the Eli Young Band in concert, went to Shakespeare in the Park, saw the Fort Worth Symphony, went to Mama Mia on Broadway, and next week, we're going to catch the other big Broadway hit--Jersey Boys. All of this in the past four weeks. Not a bad month!

Battle of the Baptists

I absolutely love my softball team. But not because we're good. We're half-way through our third season together, and we progressively get worse every week. By the end of the season, we'll be lucky if we can find the field.

But tonight was different! We actually won! Our Baptist team beat First Baptist Fort Worth, the only team with fewer wins than us (eh hem, that means ZERO).

So Schrute Farms is now 2-5 for the season, with three more games to go. I suggest we quit now while we're at our peak, because there's very little chance we'll get close to tasting victory again. We're in a tough league.

But even though we lose (okay, we get demoralized) almost every week, it doesn't matter. Because the main reason we play is so we have an excuse to get together. The highlight is always the dinner before or after the game. And once you get used to losing, it doesn't sting quite as bad.

Besides, we have the best mascot. Our lucky Dwight bobblehead that's no longer attached to his body (that's what happens when you drop it while trying to put it in your purse... oops) that makes an appearance at every game. Or at least, when I remember to bring him.

And, we have the cutest t-shirts. And if you're going to lose, you might as well look darn good doing it!

Storybook Ending

Josh Hamilton's performance at tonight's Home Run Derby was absolutely amazing. It can only be explained as a miracle. Here's a guy who was a heroine addict just a few years ago, and in his first full year back in the Major Leagues, he breaks the Home Run Derby record with 28 homeruns in the first round. I was near tears by the end of that historic round. And even better, he gave all the credit to Jesus.

We Ranger fans don't have many opportunities to celebrate. So I will enjoy tonight.

Ahhh... memories

Today I stumbled across some pictures and the Web site for my old job. Back in college, I spent three summers teaching cheerleading camps all over Texas (and a fateful camp in New Mexico... but that's another story). Sometimes we stayed in dorms (good old Texas Women's University was my second home each summer), sometimes we stayed in po-dunk motels (Motel 6 was one of the nicer ones), and once I stayed in a renovated hospital clinic (again... the New Mexico story).

But along the way, I made some wonderful friends and learned a lot about leading, public speaking, problem solving, and choreographing funny skits to N'Sync songs to get cheap laughs out of high school kids. ACA (American Cheerleaders Association) was a wonderful job, and looking back at all of those pictures made me miss it. I can't believe it's been 9 years since I taught my first camp. Which means it's been 7 years since my last back flip. Thank goodness for that one.

So Brad, I'm sorry for kicking you in bad places while practicing our stunts (thanks for never dropping me on my head). Ashley, I miss killing time by trying to see how curly we could make our hair and how much glitter we could spray on ourselves. I miss practicing our dances until I felt like I was going to collapse. I have good memories of sitting on the floor in the dorm hallway, listening to funny stories from Alton until we all cried. Or late night Sonic runs because the dorm food was so gross and we were starving. I even miss the long days outside in the brutal Texas heat, because it meant I was being paid to play around with friends. It was a privilege to work with high school kids from all over the state, and my favorite job before I entered the "real world."

Thanks ACA!

I can't make this up

I love crazy news stories, and this one is from my own backyard!

Dallas County officials spar over 'black hole' comment

Bad Choice, DeAnna!

Last night I was all fired up by the TERRIBLE ending to The Bachelorette. I was blindsided by her decision to pick the slacker snowboarder instead of cute, clean-cut (and good-looking!) Jason. So I wrote a sassy blog about how stupid DeAnna is.

But now that it's been 24 hours, I realize that my blog was just mean. So I'm choosing not to post it. Besides, it's just a silly TV show. And she's just a silly girl. And watching people get rejected on national television may be fascinating, but I feel slightly guilty for enjoying it so much.

So I'll hold my tongue.

But I can't wait until next season.

Another celebrity! I'm on a roll!

Tonight I hosted the Rangers Suite for work (have I mentioned how much I love my job?), and DeMarcus Ware (a Dallas Cowboy) sat one suite down from me! He threw out the first pitch, and then came back and sat about 15 feet away for the rest of the game.

Granted, I have no idea who the heck DeMarcus Ware actually is, but the other folks in my suite assured me he's practically a legend. One guy told me, "He's the next So-and-So." Of course, I don't remember who "So-and-So" is, and I don't really care. In fact, I only marginally follow the Cowboys. But this DeMarcus guy seemed really nice, and he was friendly to the folks around him, so I'm now a fan. I didn't stalk him for an autograph like some of the people sitting near me, but I did sneak a quick photo.


The good news... the Rangers won... again! That's two wins for me in one week! I'm starting to get the fever again... the RANGERS FEVER! Ha ha.

Bachelorette--My Humble Prediction

Tomorrow's the finale of The Bachelorette, my current favorite show. I'm going on the record to say that I think she's going to pick Jason, the single dad. I may be biased, because Jessie, while he seems like a nice guy, reminds me of every slacker skater dude I went to high school with. And that just grosses me out. Besides, get a haircut.

So while I think Graham or Jeremy would have been a better choice, I'm cheering for you, Jason. Good luck!

New York in a Nutshell

I think I'm going to have my Sunday School class pray over everything... because God sure answers their prayers! It's been so fun to watch Him answer big prayer requests (like healing from terminal diseases) and small prayer requests (like finding roommates). So when my class prayed that sister Sarah and I would have a good trip to New York, I should have known it would be blessed.

Boy was I right!

Every single detail of our trip had the divine hand of God on it. I have never experienced anything so smooth. It was amazing. And fun, and relaxing, and absolutely wonderful.

But before I get all mushy, here's the highlights, and some deep thoughts from my trip.

1. New Yorkers pretend to be hardcore, but they're really nice people. And they LOVE the stereotype of being thieves preying on poor, clueless, southern tourists. Not once, but TWICE (within 10 minutes) we had New Yorkers offer to take our picture and then take off running with our camera, only to turn back laughing hysterically. We get it. Don't give your camera to strangers. We Texans are just too trusting!

This photo was taken right after someone tried to "steal" our camera.


2. Being in New York, surrounded by so many people from all walks of life is good for my spirit. It reminds me that there's a whole world of people outside my comfort zone of Fort Worth, an endless amount of possibilities. It reminds me that my world is so much bigger than I tend to notice.

3. I'm addicted to croissants. And French bakeries. And New York hot dogs.

4. I had my best pedicure EVER in New York. It included a 20-minute foot reflexology massage. It was my best souvenir of the trip, and was just what I needed after walking around Manhattan all day in my cute flip flops.

5. I love the Subway. It's so much more fun than taking a taxi, and makes me feel adventurous. And brave. And worldly. I also like to talk to people on the Subway. In fact, I like to make friends wherever I go in New York. I think there's something fun about being a "foreigner." And everybody loves to hear about Texas.

6. We went all the way to New York, and we still did most of our shopping at major chain stores--Banana Republic, New York & Company, Williams & Sonoma, Ethan Allen. And you know what? Who cares! It made us happy to shop at the super-gigantic versions of our favorite stores.

7. Speaking of shopping, we saw them film an episode of "What Not To Wear" at New York & Company.

We also saw Jamie Lee Curtis, and met Meredith Viera from the TODAY Show! It was a successful celebrity-spotting trip!

8. Speaking of Meredith, she was SOOO nice! We watched the TODAY Show (and were on for 3 seconds... which means we're "kind of a big deal" now) and Meredith literally went to EVERY person there and took photos with them. Matt Lauer, on the other hand, waved and quickly went back in the studio. I wasn't impressed.

9. We saw Mama Mia on Broadway. Sarah somehow scored us 7th row tickets. It was FANTASTIC! Of course, I was singing "Dancing Queen" for the next three days, but it was worth the minor annoyance.

10. We saw someone get beer spilled on their head at the Yankee game. It was just like people said. I didn't see anyone get pelted with batteries, but I did hear plenty of expletives shouted at my beloved Rangers. Especially when we came back in the 9th inning to WIN! It was probably the most amazing baseball experience of my life, and I've been to a lot of games.


But now it's back to the real world of Texas. Going to New York makes me wonder about what kinds of adventures I need to seek out in my lifetime. Do I want to live somewhere fast-paced and exciting like New York? Or maybe uproot to Europe for a year? Or stay in Texas, where things are safe and comfortable, and leave the flashy cities for my vacations?

Whatever happens, New York, thanks for taking good care of us this week! It was a great trip. I'll see you soon!

New York, New York

I just got back from my whirlwind trip to New York. It was an AMAZING trip. God really blessed us during these past few days--literally every detail worked out in our favor, every single time! I'll post more soon, but here's some pictures to get you started.

Cheering for the Rangers at Yankee Stadium


Final Score... Rangers 3, Yankees 2


And you might recognize this lady from The TODAY Show...


More to come later!