Tuesday, September 30, 2008

ACL Weekend Redux

Weekend in a nutshell:

It rocked. It rolled. We brunched. Dad bar-b-qued. We drank. We danced. We shopped. We chilled.

Mel and I met Kate Walsh at a bar on 6th. I met Blues Traveler on a random side street downtown while feeding the meter. Colee and Amber were right next to the host of Iron Chef at Foo Fighters. And G. Love's manager chased Amber, Colee, and I down on Congress to hand us free CD's.

All in all - GREAT weekend!

Kate Walsh:

Way littler in person than you think, short hair now, too.

Blues Traveler:

They were eating trail mix, hanging out by their tour bus.

G. Love:

Sorry, no picture of his manager.


(More pictures to come as soon as my sister has a chance to upload and email them.)

Saturday, September 27, 2008

Saxon Pub









Colee, Amber, Mel, and I went to Saxon Pub on September 25th. We saw Jonathan Tyler & the Northern Lights and Micky and the Motorcars. I'd never heard either before that night. It was an alright show, but it was awesome to get out and do have a little fun.

Friday, September 26, 2008

Seeeeeeeeester!

My sister is here for the entire weekend!

Does anybody have any idea how happy this makes me?! Seriously.

Even though nothing is working out and everything is pretty much junk these days, her being her makes it all seem trivial ... almost unreal.

I'll deal with Monday when Monday comes.

Until then, it's all fun, all the time, goofy pictures, lots of live music, probably some embarrassingly horrible dancing, and silliness all the way around.

Stories to come, giggling to ensue ...

Wednesday, September 24, 2008

Sha la la la la la la

High: Joan is back in my possession and more beautiful than ever! The folks who fixed the panel even detailed her. My graduation present looks just like new!

Low: Mascara Wand meet Eyeball. Eyeball meet Mascara Wand. I bet you can guess who the winner was in that scenario. Um ... OUCH!

What I Learned: It sucks, like, a whole whole lot to not have readily available transportation. And talking on the phone whilst searching for a shirt to wear in the middle of applying mascara is not so smart.

Song of the Day: Send My Love to the Dance Floor, I'll See You In Hell (Hey Mister DJ) by Cobra Starship. (Prepare to shake some major booty without warning.)

Monday, September 22, 2008

Fall is HERE!

Helllllloooooooo, FALL! I would like to officially welcome my most adored season to 2008. Fall is when the crispness in the air arrives, the warm and fuzzies start to grow, and the temperature begins its slow decline into cold.

(Maybe not where I am, but ... that's how Fall should be. I'm going to ignore the possibility of skipping this glorious season entirely in the sauna where I currently reside. If you build it, they will come. Ha!)

I mean, that's what Fall is to me. I am happier and more content in this season than in any other. I can't pinpoint exactly what makes me so giddy, but I just love it. Maybe it's the increasing need for scarves (it's love), the excuse to bust out (and bust on) my favorite boots (flat on the bottom, tall on the top), or the chance that one of these nights, I might go for a walk and actually see my breath.

I like my nose turning red, my cheeks staying pink, and the perfect occasion for drinking hot, hot coffee, delicious chai tea, and creamy hot chocolate. It also doesn't hurt that Fall weather could possibly mean a reason to pull out the heavier blankets and snuggle up in bed (or on the couch) for a day of movies (hell, I'll be agreeable ... even football!).

Oh yeah, and my birthday and Thanksgiving both happen right smack in the middle of the Fall. My birthday is just a day to me these days, to be honest, but growing up (and, fine, even now), my family always made a big deal of birthdays. (Not just of mine, of everyone's.) Hey, it's an excuse to celebrate! And, of course, everyone must know my deep, deep affection for Thanksgiving. You get to eat a lot of great food, there are no presents required (unless you totally want), and the whole family gets together to cook, drink, and be merry! It's beautiful.

Me and Fall, we are like Peas and Carrots:



Yesssssssssssssss ...

Friday, September 19, 2008

Peek-tures!

Today I thought I would test out the picture feature on this thing. I'm trying to get more advanced in the whole technology world, and this seems like something all the cool kids are doing. Plus, pictures are awesome! I insist on picking up my obsession again. Bear with me, I'm new at this part. :)

This is Lime Creek. It's the place in Colorado where Alex, his mom and dad, and I went fishing in July when we were there for a little over a week. I had never been fishing "like that." We drove up, up, up, up, up into the mountains, parked, unloaded the dirt bike and ATV's, then drove down, down, down, down into the middle of one particular mountain to the base of the creek. From there, the boys fished while his mom and I followed with supplies (and cameras, of course). The mosquitoes were the craziest things I've ever seen ... HUGE and plentiful. But, we managed to keep them at bay with spray. (That rhymes.) Anyhow, that day is one of my best memories so far from the year. The mountain was beautiful and we all had a really good time. Plus, I got to drive the ATV the 7 miles back up the mountain with his dad on the back. I'm not talking about paved roads with rails here. I'm talking rocks and dirt and skinny paths and ditches and massive drop-downs off to the side. I was a little timid at first, but put my big girl panties on towards the end and kicked up the pace. It was fun!! And, let me just say, the shower at the end of the day was the best one I've ever had. 14 hours on a mountain was diiiiiirty!


Of the day, this one is my favorite picture. I think this was at about Hour 7 in the foliage. We both look like the biggest nerds in the world, but I just love it! Maybe that's why. Because we look like nerds. (Yes, I am wearing 2 hats and no make-up.) Oh, and that's Alex. And you are correct, he's completely amazing.


This is one from this past New Year's Eve. (I wish it wasn't blurry, but you take what you can get.) We celebrated here in Austin at a place on 6th Street called The Barcelona. It was sweet because we all just paid a blanket cover for the evening, and had an open bar for the rest of the night. We ended up springing for the VIP area as well, so we had our own, personal waitress. In the end, I think there were about 10 or 12 of us there. While I don't remember every detail of the night, I do remember that it as my best NYE yet, we all got silly and danced, and that we all managed to drink our weights in tequila. Loved it! Every minute of it.


And this is my family from my graduation last December. What a day! It was full of tears and laughter and tears through laughter. My family is so important to me. My mom is ... well ... my mom, my friend, and my checkpoint. Kay is just wonderful. I miss them a lot, a lot. The holidays this year should be really special. Not only because it will be the first that I will be "coming home" from actually not living there, but also because we will have a little wee one this Christmas! Melanie is due on November 16th, so little Corinne will be spending her first Christmas in Lubbock. Wow.


Speaking of Christmas, last year, I think my family had the most fun we've ever had on any holiday, ever! For whatever reason, we all got goofy and started acting a fool. Crystal, my oldest cousin, was running through the kitchen, diving, and having Melanie, Mark, and I catch her. Aunt Charlotte captured it on film, and I think it could be my favorite photo of the four of us together.



Heidi and Courtni! I have known Courtni since I was 2 years old, and I've known Heidi for a very long time as well. We finally became great friends when she and I worked together this for a year or so before I graduated college. These girls will be my friends for the rest of my life, and I just love them to pieces. Good friends make all the difference.


This one is from last Halloween. Melissa (my roommate) and I made these peasant costumes with my mom's help. It as such an accomplished feeling to finish those costumes. My mom helped us quite a bit, but we actually did the majority of it ourselves. We didn't wear them for as long as we would have like, though. We went to a Halloween party, then went back to my house and drank a bit. Still, it was a good time ... and now I have a last-minute costume should the occasion arise. (Maybe I could even talk Alex into putting on some tights and accompanying me. HA! Not freaking likely.)


From my 26th birthday. I miss my Kala! I've known her since I was 15 or 16. We were talking about how long we've known each other when we were in Dallas for that concert a few weekends ago. We made it through a lot there in the early years of friendship. The trick is we supported each other through it all. That's key. She's a GREAT friend, and I honestly don't know what I would do without her.


From Jersey Boys weekend in Dallas in late July. I had never seen the play before, and it was amazing! (For those of you who don't know the premise, it is about Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons. I didn't realize that they sang so many well-known, truly great songs!) Alex had seen it on Broadway the last time he was in New York, but it was his favorite, so he didn't mind seeing it again. It was nice to meet everyone out of town and have a little mini-vacation together. I think that's actually the last time we were all together at the same time.


And, finally, 3 of my very favorite people in the entire world! Alex, Aunt Kay, and my mom. This is one was taken on Aunt Kay's birthday, when we stopped through on the way back from our 10 days in New Mexico with Alex's family this summer. Norbert was cooking and we were taking a break from presents and cards. I have a lot of really great pictures from that weekend, but I think this one is my favorite. It is framed right by my side of the bed. :)

Okay, so I should stop now. I have a ton of pictures, but wanted to experiment with some of my favorites. You have now seen what is most important to me in the world. Missing are my sister (I'll have a lot next weekend, though), my Norbert, and my dad. I'll include all of them a little later. As I said, I'm saving my sister for ACL weekend. So ready!

I said "favorite" a whole lot in this post. Oh well, it's Friday!!!!!

Wednesday, September 17, 2008

"Wait for all I am ..."

I think it was Colin Hay whose album was titled Waiting For My Real Life To Begin. I feel a lot like that these days. Like I'm "waiting for" ... something ... to happen, to surprise me, to snap me out of or in to ... something. I'm sure it will all change one day and I will forget these thoughts ever even entered my far-too-over-thinking mind. My problem is that I do have too much time to think, and that my thoughts are leading me down the same path of frustration, assessing that I thought I would (personally) be so much more than this by now.

As Martin de Maat said, "You are pure potential!"

I know it will change, and things can only continue to get better and better. I truly believe this. I am definitely thankful for what I do have. (Maybe it's just the human condition to always want more?) Even so, the ruts will be conquered and the monotony will give way to purpose. (It's up to me, I know this much as well.) "All things in time ..." It's what keeps me moving forward in my life, not regressing backward.

Whether or not it is clear to you, no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should ...
- Max Erhmann

(Listening to: Forever May You Run by Gavin Rossdale.)