A Rodeo Recap - Mutton Bustin' & Usher

Two months isn't too late for a recap, right?  RIGHT?!...

Maybe just don't answer that question.  Because either way, I'm about to recap my trip to the Houston Rodeo which happened back in March.  But really, compared to the rest of the recaps I need to catch up on, 2 months is nothing.  So here goes...

The Houston Rodeo is probably one of my most favorite things to do in Houston.  I've been to the rodeo every year since David and I started dating long distance, and I was sad to have to miss it for the first time while we were in Australia.  So this was my first rodeo since being back, and I was SO excited to go! 

For those of you who aren't familiar with The Houston Livestock Show & Rodeo, it's basically one of the most amazing and totally ridiculous things you'll ever experience.  It lasts for nearly the whole month of March in Houston, and it's a pretty darn big deal.  It includes lots of livestock/farming things I know very little about, a huge fair grounds with lots of rides and fried everything, cowboys, bull riding, and a concert each night.  I'm always impressed with the level of performers that the rodeo tends to pull- there are always pretty great shows to choose from.  I've seen everyone from John Legend to Rascal Flatts to Tim McGraw to Train.  David can get rodeo/concert tickets through work, and this year we scored tickets to Usher! 

A couple weeks before the show, my cousin Lee Anne found out that she would be in town for work, and David very readily gave up his Usher ticket so that he could avoid hearing my squeals she and I could go together.  I was so excited to finally take one of my out of town friends to the rodeo.  It is such a true Texas experience! 

We started our night off right with some yummy Texas BBQ on the fairgrounds, then we headed to our seats while I gave her a quick overview about what she was about to see.  Before the concert, you get to see all kinds of rodeo events- barrel racing, bull riding, etc.  But my two most favorite (and totally ridiculous) events are the calf scramble and mutton bustin'.  When I explained these events to her before she actually got to experience them herself, I think she didn't really believe me, because it truly just sounds absolutely absurd.  But here's a quick run down for you if you are unfamiliar.  Of course, I will follow it with some photographic evidence so you can see it with your own two eyes.

Calf Scramble.  Basically a group of about 50 FFA (or 4H, I truly don't know the difference) teenagers stand in the middle of the field? stage? (whatever you call it), and about 30-40 calves are released into the field.  The kids then scramble to chase these calves around and catch one with a rope and guide the stubborn thing back into the square painted on the ground in the middle.  If they get it to that point, they get to keep it and raise it.  Which is supposedly a pretty good prize?  It's basically chaos.  And hilarious.

And they're off!

Notice the calf on the right basically dragging the kid behind him

Mutton Bustin.'  OK, now this... THIS is probably one of the most spectacular things I have ever seen.  So essentially, they take little kids (I think 3-5 years old), put them on the back of a sheep/mutton, tell them to hold on for dear life, and then let the sheep run like a bat out of hell and see how long the kid can hang on.  Yes.  This is real life.  And despite how crazy/possibly horrible it sounds, if you see it for yourself, you will realize how seriously awesome this sporting event is.  People do all kinds of sucking up/donating for years to get the opportunity to for their small child to bust some muttons.  Seriously. 

Finally it was time for Usher to perform.  To put it simply- he was amazing!  He is the best dancer ever.  We squealed a lot.  He played an amazing set (lots of "old school Usher" from our college days like "Burn, " "OMG," and "Yeah").  And our Usher crushes were renewed with a vengeance.  See for yourself:

I LOVE this photo with the cowboy hat silhouettes

Thanks for visiting, Lee Anne!  I'll let you know when next year's rodeo line up us released :-) 

Austin Weekend

Aside from running ten miles last weekend, I also managed to have some fun while in Austin for the weekend.  David and I drove over on Friday afternoon.  This is usually a great time of year to go for a drive outside of Houston and Austin, because it's bluebonnet season (Texas' state flower).  The bluebonnets didn't disappoint- they (and more Indian Paintbrush than I remember seeing in previous years) were everywhere! But unfortunately, we didn't have time to stop for the mandatory photo in bluebonnet fields. 

A photo from the car was the best I got this year

Since I didn't get a bluebonnet photo this year, here's one from a few years ago. 

That evening we met up with one of David's college friends and his wife for dinner in downtown Austin.  Then we had some drinks at a few bars while we killed time waiting to pick up David's sister at the airport at 1AM.  We stumbled upon a cute outdoor/patio bar that had a really great live band. 

After picking up our race packets on Saturday afternoon, we rented water bikes on Lake Austin.  It was a beautiful day to be out on the lake.  And although I was a little skeptical, the water bikes were really fun- and super easy to maneuver.  They even guarantee they won't tip over- which sold me, since I was definitely not in appropriate clothes for being on the water. 

After water biking, I insisted that we get ice cream at Lick Ice Cream- I had heard about it from an Austin blogger, and I'd been dying to try their crazy ice cream flavors.  Lick didn't disappoint- if you are ever in Austin, you must try it!  It's a really cute little shop with very friendly staff and locally farmed ingredients.  The best part is their flavor choices- they're like nothing you'd ever expect to have in ice cream, but they are DELICIOUS. 

 

These are only about half of the flavors

 

 


My choices: Goat Cheese,Thyme, and Honey & Dark Chocolate, Olive Oil, and Sea Salt - AMAZING!!

 

This place is incredible... and I'm really not even that big of an ice cream person.  The next day during the race, at about mile 7, I decided that we would definitely be stopping by here again for more ice cream on our way out of town.  You know, to undo all the calorie burning I had just spent two hours doing.  WORTH IT!  This time I got a scoop of Cilantro Lime and a scoop of Coconut Avocado Curd.  I was skeptical of these flavors, but I liked them both- especially the cilantro lime!  Oh, and for any of you out there who live in Texas, they are now selling some of their flavors in pints at Central Market.  And I think cilantro lime is one of the ones being sold there now.  GET YOURSELF SOME.  You can thank me later. 

 

So that was about it for our short Austin weekend.  We drove back in rain, so we didn't get another opportunity for bluebonnet photos.  Oh well, there's always next year!  



Austin 1020

On Sunday I ran in the Austin 1020, which is a 10 mile race with 20 bands along the way.  My sister-in-law, Renee convinced me to run it with her in celebration of our 30th birthdays.  I had been training for this race for just under a month, so I was pretty nervous about it.  In my training, the furthest distance I had run was 8 miles.  And I did that only ONCE. So thinking about having to run 10 miles had me pretty nervous. 

We arrived at the start line bright and early and prepared to run with about five thousand other runners.  It was a really cloudy day, and looked like rain the whole time, but luckily it did not, and the clouds kept things cool. 

The race turned out to be really fun!  The bands were a nice distraction, and the atmosphere was really upbeat and laid-back.  It was also really nice to run alongside Renee the whole time, even though I told her on several occasions she could totally go ahead, since I am 100% sure I was slowing her down.  But she was nice enough/sympathetic enough to stick with me.  My favorite mile was mile 6 when they handed out iced wash cloths.  At that moment it was the best thing I'd ever experienced.  My least favorite miles were miles 9-10... since those were distances I had never run before.  During those miles, I started getting really overly dramatic and thinking things like, "Oh my God, I don't even remember what my life was like before I started running this race!"  I wanted to stop so badly, but what I wanted even more badly was to just be finished, and at that point I knew the only way to finish faster was to keep running.  I was hurting though!  Sidenote- I realize I sound pretty negative, I just unfortunately am not one of those people that enjoys running immensely, gets the "runner's high," etc.  I did have fun though- promise!

David met us at the finish line, and we spent some time stuffing our faces with the post-race food, drinking our free beers, and listening to the final band (Puddle of Mud).  Apparently we ran straight back into the early 2000's?...

Just after we crossed the finish line- hands already full of food.

 

Finishers!!

I'm proud of myself mostly just for signing up in the first place, but also for going through with it and finishing at all!  But I'm also proud that I met my two other goals: 1.) Do not stop running the entire time and 2.) Finish under two hours.  I think my final time was around 1:45.  So I'm pretty excited about that!  What I'm even more excited about though, is that I get to stop running now :-) 

Chopped

I've pretty much always had my hair shoulder length or longer.  The summer before my senior year of college, I cut it to my collar bone, and that was the shortest my hair has ever been.  For me, long hair is just easier.  I know long hair takes longer to wash, dry, curl, etc., but I don't have the patience for those activities anyways.  Five to six days a week, my hair is in a ponytail, braid, or some other quick up-do.  Because of that, long hair was always just easier for me. 

Before we moved to Australia I was kind of getting to the point of being sick of my long hair.  I considered cutting it short at that time, but I figured such a decision shouldn't be made in the midst of a stressful move.  I had also always wanted to donate my hair at some point in my life, just had never been brave enough to a.) grow it long enough that it wouldn't have to be super short after the cut and b.) pull the trigger.  So I put it off once again.  Well, like most things in Gladstone, finding a pace to get a good haircut was a challenge.  I went for a 2-3 inch trim a couple months into our move, and the girl literally parted my hair down the middle, divided my hair with half over each shoulder, and then simply trimmed those two sections.  Done and done... $75 dollars later.  After realizing that I could have very easily just had David give me the same exact haircut, I decided to save my money and finally grow my hair out nice and long so that I could donate it when we went home for Christmas. 



When I saw this photo, I KNEW the hair had to go- OUTOFCONTROL. 
Photo by Katie Miller Photography

Fast forward to the weekend after Christmas, and I was SO ready to chop my mane.  It was seriously out of control long... even giving me headaches sometimes.  Totally unnecessary.  My favorite hair stylist in Phoenix excitedly agreed to cut it for me, so off I went.  She kept asking me if I was nervous, but I really wasn't at all. 

BEFORE

She divided my hair into four ponytails and chopped away.  Easy as that!  And truly, it didn't end up looking as short as I thought it would.  We thought she had cut about 8-10 inches, but when I got home and measured it more carefully, it was actually a good TWELVE inches- a FOOT! 

Right after the big cut!

AFTER



AFTER - I still have yet to replicate this style

Totally creepy



I went back and forth when deciding where to donate my hair - Locks of Love or Pantene Beautiful Lengths.  I ended up going with Pantene Beautiful Lengths, because I liked the idea that they focus on wigs for adult women who have lost their hair due to cancer treatments.  I got the impression that Locks of Love gets more publicity, so I figured I'd give my hair to the place that probably "needed it more-" although they are both worthy causes/organizations.  You can see the story of a Pantene Beautiful Lengths donator below:

Oh, and since I didn't donate at an organized event, it was up to me to send my donation in on my own- which was really a very simply process.  But of course, I procrastinated and it took me a few weeks.  Every time I opened the drawer where I had my ziplocked ponytail, I would get totally creeped out.  It's weird how the second hair isn't attached to your head anymore, it seems so gross.  I kept threatening David that I would hide my "hair creature" under his pillow or in his work bag.  Muahahaha. 

Anyway, that's my Rapunzel story.  My hair is growing crazy fast- probably about three inches already!  I still don't mind the shorter hair, but I AM really excited to get a few more inches, because I really miss the braids that I used to do.  I am actually thinking that I will probably grow it long and donate it one more time.  Why not, right?

Weekend Recap

This was the first weekend in a month that I haven't been out of town or had out of town guests, so I was really excited to have a low key weekend.  Houston even cooperated and delivered some incredible Spring-time weather! 

Friday:
I had the day off from work, and I had plans to visit the school where I used to teach.  I had been wanting to visit ever since we moved back, but for one reason or another, I just hadn't gotten around to it.  A friend of mine who also used to teach there and left at the same time that I did asked me if I wanted to go with her for a visit, so I finally took advantage of the opportunity.  We went at lunch time and hung out with some of our old students in the cafeteria and visited with some of the teachers in the staff lounge.  It was really good to be back and to see familiar faces, but it was also a sort of strange feeling.  It felt simultaneously like everything and nothing had changed.  The highlight though was definitely getting hugs from some of my previous (now so tall!) students! 



Two of my favorites- now FOURTH graders!!

After my school visit, I met up with the realtor that helped us sell our house.  That house is back on the market, and she had asked me if I wanted to go with her on a fake "showing" to check it out.  That was another bittersweet experience/blast from the past.  There is something very weird about walking through your old house and seeing someone else's stuff everywhere.  Although we never intended to stay in that house for more than a few years, it kills me that the house is on the market now and we are in a one bedroom corporate apartment that seems to get smaller by the day.  Oh, and did I mention it's selling for nearly TWICE what we bought it for (don't get me started...).  Houston's real estate market totally blew in the short year and a half we were gone. 

Who put all this (super gaudy) furniture in my house? ;-)  I'm only a little bit sad it's not ours anymore...

We ended the night with fajitas and margaritas at one of our favorite Mexican food places. 

Saturday:
Saturday was a vey lazy, uneventful day. We slept super late and just did errands and chores around the apartment.  We had dinner at one of my favorite restaurants in Houston, Barnaby's, and were home by 9.  David passed out on the couch by ten at which time I grabbed the remote from his hand and immediately cued up my DVR list.  I spent the next couple hours drinking wine and catching up on Dancing With the Stars and some of my Oprah Winfrey Network shows.  Don't judge. 

Sun roof weather- finally!!!

Sunday:
My sister-in-law has been peer pressuring me to run a ten mile race in Austin with her on April 13.  I really really dislike running, but I told her I'd try to keep up a running regimen for a few weeks and see how it went before deciding if I thought I could even complete ten miles.  I started a couple weeks ago with 3 miles, then 4, then 5, and finally ran 6 miles last week.  So I told myself that if I could run seven miles on Sunday, then I would sign up.  When I woke up, I headed to Memorial Park since they have a nice 3 mile trail.  Seven miles was my goal.  I wish I was one of those people that could say "running clears my head" or that I was someone who gets that "I feel so great after I run" / runner's high thing.  Unfortunately, I'm not.  Running does not clear my head.  In fact, when I'm running, all I am thinking about is how much I want to stop running.  How productive and relaxing, right?  And when I'm finished, I don't have a runner's high- instead, I my knees hurt and I am grumpy.  How pleasant!  But all that aside, I met my seven mile goal and even went on to run 8! The reason I ended up with eight is because I was SO thirsty by that point, and I knew there was a drinking fountain at the end of the trail, and I figured I'd get there faster if I ran, so I just kept at it.  That was actually my fastest mile that morning :-)  There's a beer garden at the end of this race, so I'm anticipating that even though I will feel like collapsing, mile 10 will be my fastest :-)  At any rate, I am officially signed up for the race.  It's two weeks away- wish me luck! 

I hope everyone had a great weekend and a good week ahead!  Can you believe April is nearly here?!?!

Currently

Still here.  Still trying to build up some blogging momentum and motivation.  I have SO much to catch up on, that I kind of just don't know where to even start.  So then I don't. And the cycle continues.  So, since I have to start somewhere, and since the idea of digging into all the events of the past few months is a little much for me now, I'm going to start with things that are going on right now.  So on that note, here's a little "currently" post...

Currently...

...Sitting... on my grandma's back porch in Wilson, North Carolina.  I'm here  visiting family and having a nice, relaxing time. 

...Eating... left over homemade fried chicken.  Friday would've been my grandpa's birthday (Georgie).  So in honor of his birthday, my mom, aunt, and grandma (Mimi) made one of his favorite meals: fried chicken, gravy, rice, and peas.  It was SO GOOD!  I know Georgie would have loved it.

...Running... well, trying to anyways.  My sister-in-law is trying to convince me to do the 10 by 20 race with her in Austin next month to celebrate our 30th birthdays.  I'm a pretty awful runner, and it's never truly been something I enjoy all that much, but I told her I'd think about it. The furthest I've ever run was for an 8K I did in Gladstone back in August.  And I have hardly done any running at all since then.. so 10 miles seems pretty ambitious, but I think being newly 30 is making me have a one-third life crisis want to try and give it a shot.  I ran five miles this morning, so I'm somewhat optimistic that it might be possible...

...Watching... on the reality TV rotation this time of year are some of my favorites: The Voice, Dancing With the Stars, and American Idol.  I'm not usually huge on DWTS, but I can sometimes actually get my husband to watch that one with me now since he has a super crush on Erin Andrews.  I'm also keeping up with March Madness... well, whenever Gonzaga is playing anyway.  Go Zags!  (Update: Zags lost to U of A... oh well, try again next year.)

...Reading... gossip mags.  When traveling, I always look forward to buying a gossip magazine, a soda, and hot tamales at the airport before my flight.  It's my little travel ritual.  I've also just started Mindy Khaling's Is Everybody Hanging Out Without Me? and just as suspected, it's pretty hilarious. 

...Obsessing over... my aunt's dog, Moritz.  He's a St. Bernard/Poodle mix... a St. Berdoodle, and he's adorable.  I can't get over how cute (and huge) he is!  And like most big dogs, he thinks he's a lap dog and will try to climb on your lap if you let him.  Their other dog is a mini dachshund, so the two are a pretty funny pair.   

...Working... at a new part time gig.  Since we moved back mid school year, it's pretty unlikely that I will be able to find a full time teaching job until next school year.  If that's what I even decide to continue to do, that is (but that's a different story...).  So for now, I'm working at a property management company.  It's nothing too exciting, really, but it's nice to have something to keep me busy.  It is kind of interesting, too, because most of their clients are expats who are renting their homes out while they are living/working abroad.  But the best bonus of all is that it will give me an insider look at what's available on the market for rent, since that's what it's looking like we will do after the lease is up on our current apartment. 

...Smelling... like Beyoncé.  No, really.  One of the perks of staying at my aunt's house while visiting family is that I share a bathroom with my fifteen year old twin cousins, and I get to play with all the fun products they have.  Today I opted for the Beyoncé "Heat" body wash.  Pretty hilarious, but also pretty amazing.  I did indeed feel like Beyoncé (and a little drunk in love) the whole day in case you were wondering. ;-) 

Reflecting on 30

I will be turning the big 3-0 on Saturday.  How did THAT happen?!  I have mixed feelings about the whole thing.  I feel like it should feel different or somewhat monumental, but so far, I'm not too worked up about this milestone.  Let's hope it stays that way.  I did, however, want to do something to reflect back on my thirty years so far.  A fellow blogger, Julie, did this on her 30th, and I'm totally stealing the idea.  Thanks, Julie!! :-)  So in honor of my 30th birthday, I have recorded some of my favorite memories, stories, and reflections from each of my 30 years so far...

One: According to my parents, I was basically a dream baby/toddler.  Super cute (not biased at all), very easy going, well-behaved, and hardly cried. Their only complaints were that I was never a napper and I was always a night owl (Update: still hate napping, still a night owl).

Two: This is when my picky eating tendencies started (and lasted until college basically).  My mom said I was quite religious about always eating two fried eggs for breakfast. I didn't talk much- especially not to anyone other than my immediate family. My grandma and aunt were sure something was "wrong" with me. :-) Oh, and also noteworthy- my favorite little brother, Mark, was born! 

Three: At three I started dance lessons at the YMCA.  I was a very dedicated student and would regularly put on my tap shoes and tights and practice my moves on the coffee table.  This was also around the time that my cousins, sister, and I got really into my mom's Jane Fonda workout videos. We would get all decked out in our tights and leotards and get our sweat on with some awesome 80's jazzercise. There are some pretty amazing home videos documenting this.

Me and my bangs swimming with my cousin - Me and my bangs at the beach with my older sister

Four: I don't really think I TRULY remember anything (that isn't from photos, videos, or stories people tell) before age four. At four, I was in Preschool with my cousin and forever sidekick Lee Anne. I have lots of memories of my time in Preschool: Ms. Harshburger and Mrs. Morley were my teachers, playing on the playground, feeling special when my mom let me stay longer than the usual half day for "lunch bunch," bike parade, etc.  It was also at age four that I broke my right arm in two places.  My brother and I were playing some pretend game in which I was the queen (obviously), and I fell off of my throne (the built in cabinets) onto my toy shopping cart.  I didn't tell my mom what had happened because I think maybe I thought I would get in trouble for climbing up there (?).  Anyway, a couple days later she noticed I was eating with my left hand and then it turned out my arm was broken.  As even more evidence of what an odd (and painfully shy) child I was at this point, I was for some strange reason so embarassed of having to wear a cast that I decided to wrap a blanket/towel over my cast everyday since then no one would notice? SO strange, but so funny looking back on it. 

Five: Kindergarten! I loved Kindergarten!  Mrs. Combs was my teacher, and she was the best ever.  My favorite center was the rice /sand table.  I think my favorite thing I learned that year was how to draw a star... I still remember the little story she had that went along with it. 

Six: First grade with Mrs. Mroz at Saints Simon and Jude School. I liked wearing a uniform, and I'm almost positive that I was the teacher's pet :-)  I also randomly remember being so embarrassed (again painfully shy) when one of my friends told me that a boy in the class liked me.  Pretty sure I avoided him for the next five years.

Seven: This was the year that my older sister and I were allowed to fly BY OURSELVES from Arizona to Indiana for a fun cousins weekend with our grandparents.  It was SO much fun!  And kudos to my parents for letting us do that, because I'm pretty sure I'd be too paranoid if the tables were turned. 

Eight: This was probably a pretty scary year for my parents. I was psuper sick this year and ended up being hospitalized for double pneumonia, double collapsed lungs, low oxygen, among other things. I  missed 30 days of school that year. Our neighbors bought me the movie the Sound of Music as a get well gift and I watched it nearly everyday that I was home sick. I still know all the words and even some of the dances.

Nine: What I remember most from fourth grade is the big "cliques talk" that Sr. Marjorie gave to all of the girls.  I guess maybe this is when girls start getting mean?

Ten: 5th grade. This was the year it seemed like all the girls (myself included) started wearing bras and shaving.  My parents had decided that my sister and I could start shaving on our birthdays in fifth grade. Having to wait until March to have my sister teach me how to shave was almost unbearable and so embarrassing at the time.  (Update: I hate shaving now.) 

Eleven: I remember sixth grade being pretty awesome. I had an awesome teacher who had to have been only like 22- Ms. Lamy.  She made us memorize all of the prepositions in alphabetical order... I still remember most (aboard, about, above, across, after against, along, amid...). Not a very useful skill now, but a fun party trick.  The other sixth grade teacher who taught science was super strict and said very adult things to us that now make me laugh. Whenever someone would ask if we HAD to do something, she would say (in her very high super nasally voice), "all you HAVE to do is die and pay taxes." At the time, we were all just like, Um, ok?... now it's so funny (and very true!) to me.  Oh, and I also got braces.

Twelve: I FINALLY was old enough to be in the pointe class at my dance studio. Yay!  A few kids in my seventh grade class started meeting up in the bathroom to kiss (gasp!), which led to a very intricate bathroom pass procedure and a very memorable/embarrassing talk about the birds and the bees that involved rose petals and thorns.  My friends and I still laugh about this.

Thirteen: Being an 8th grader was pretty awesome. Passing intricately folded notes was the cool thing to do.  Class trip to Washington D.C. was a major highlight. 

Fourteen: I started high school at an all girls private school. I was super obsessed with teen stars like JTT, Devon Sawa, etc.  I was probably one of the most boring/well-behaved high schoolers and spent every weekend either babysitting or hanging out with my two best friends, Sarah and Kayli, watching Ten Things I Hate About You on repeat. 


Fifteen: NYSNC super fan- JC all the way!!! Attended my first of four NSYNC concerts. Enjoyed hilarious carpool adventures with my cousins everyday. 

Sixteen: I celebrated my sixteenth birthday in Tijuana, Mexico (of all places) on a Habitat For Humanity trip. It was an amazing experience, but I was super excited to get back and get my drivers' license! I also got my first job at sixteen working as a life guard and swim lesson teacher at the local public pools.  Scored a tan that I never thought was possible... and that I now (in my old age) TOTALLY regret.  Why... why?....

Sorry skin, please go easy on me in my thirties...

Seventeen: Got really into my dancing this year, took the SAT's/ACT's, got my first detention. (for talking during a fire drill, of all things).  Family cruise to Alaska- SO amazing!

Senior prom (sparkles!!!!) and a senior pre-graduation luncheon

Eighteen: Graduated high school and started college at Gonzaga University. I loved college and everything about it: living in the dorms (aside from the dysfunctional roommate that later withdrew), freshman mixers, parties, and having a sister who was a senior and old enough to buy disgusting booze (like Smirnoff Ice) for my friends and I.  Thanks, Lauren! :-)  Oh, and I most DEFNITELY (and quite easily) gained the freshman 15.

Highlighter parties were a thing. So was "pre-funking" in the all boys dorm.  Just babies we were!!

Nineteen: Sophomore year of college. I got really into my Spanish and Psychology classes and decided to double major. Between all that studying I was still getting my fill of college fun on the weekends. I think this was the year my friends and I were REALLY into drinking games. On a related note, I was baffled as to why I was still hanging onto my Freshman 15 (shaking my 30 year old head at myself...).

Twenty: I studied abroad in Granada, Spain.  I lived with a Spanish family and my bestie, Jen. We traveled a ton, drank lots of Sangria, ate lots of tapas, partied until the sun came up like any good Spaniard does, and somehow managed to avoid leaving with a euro-mullet.  Oh, and we also became pretty darn fluent in Spanish.  I also completed a major bucket list item when I traveled completely by myself to Mallorca, Spain for a weekend. 

Mi Hermana espanola and I in front of La Alhambra

Twenty-one: This was probably the best year of college. I lived off campus with five of my girlfriends in an amazingly huge house that was known as "The Dollhouse."  We adopted a homeless cat, took "family photos" for Christmas,  finally drank legally (and much more responsibly than in previous years), and just generally made the most of our last year of college with a few poor decisions sprinkled in here and there just because we were young and dumb.  

Typical... face in a Solo red cup...

Twenty-two: Graduated college and began the most challenging two years of my life when I joined Teach For America. I taught 7th and 8th grade math and science in South Central, Los Angeles. During my first year, I cried nearly every day on the way to and from school. However, I also knew all too well that however much I was struggling was NOTHING compared to what my students dealt with every day of their lives. My twenty-two year old mind and ways of thinking about the world were challenged and changed (for the good) more than they ever would have been otherwise. I grew up A LOT this year.  And this experience will continue to shape what I do with my life and how I think about the world for the rest of my life.  This was also the year that I met and later started dating my roommate's brother who would later become my husband. 

Twenty-three: Year two of TFA. More comfortable and confident in my teaching, but still a struggle. The coolest thing I ever did as a teacher though was doing a frog dissecting lesson. I'm still super proud (and surprised) that I did that! No idea how I managed it, but in between the most challenging/time consuming job I could imagine, I was able to complete my masters degree AND maintain a long distance relationship with David. 

Twenty-four: Completed my TFA committment, moved to Houston to continue our relationship finally in the same city, and continued teaching- but this time in an elementary setting. 

Twenty-Five: Met two of my favorite students of all time- Erik and Oscar. I still carry a little school photo of Erik around in my wallet.  These two students will stick with me forever. In the spring, I took a girls trip to Philly with Kayli and Sarah.  This was also the year that I found a suspicious looking spot in my hair line and soon found out it was skin cancer. Lucky for me, I caught it early enough and all turned out OK.  See why I curse those lifeguarding years already?...

Twenty-Six: 2010 was a busy and monumental year and probably the best year of my life so far. I got engaged in March and was married in December!  In between all of that, I was in two of my best friend's weddings, and David was the best man in one of his friend's weddings. It was the year of weddings, for sure.

Just after David proposed (hence the teary eyes) and our wedding day!

Twenty-Seven: We bought our first house and David started travelling more for work (a sign of things to come).

Twenty-Eight: At twenty eight, I found out we would be moving to Australia.  Lots of tears and transitions this year: quitting my job, saying goodbye to friends and family, moving across the world, living in a small town, adjusting to a new culture, suffering through a life without Diet Dr. Pepper, etc. But of course it turned out to be an amazing experience.  We traveled a TON, made new friends, and it was an amazing time of growth for our marriage as we depended only on each other and shared a new and sometimes scary experience. 

Twenty-Nine: Most of my 29th year was spent in Australia. I was finally more settled into our life there, loved checking places off our travel list, and had finally met a group of girls I became very close with.  Also noteworthy- I jumped off a bridge- no big deal.  Of course, big changes usually happen right when you get comfortable somewhere, and so right before Christmas, we were moved back to Houston. Still feeling "new again" here, still re-adjusting... slowly, but surely.

Thirty: TBD.  I'll keep you posted... :-)