Peace in Austin

The traffic southbound on I-35 is always a nightmare, but the three hours are worth the stress once I arrive in Austin. Every time I arrive, a sense of peace settles on me.

I can't explain why Austin has this effect on me. I don't know if it's because it was the first place I lived on my own after college. Or if it's because it has the best restaurants in the whole state. Or if it's because my favorite football team is there. Or if it's because it's close enough to home to feel like I'm with my family. Whatever the reason, I try and find opportunities to get to Austin whenever I can.


[The view from my hotel room was a view of the building I worked in many moons ago.]

I was just there at the end of May through the beginning of June, but I took the opportunity to spend the night there on my way to a conference in San Antonio. And while I was in Austin, I managed to try a few new places.

First stop on this trip = Lunch at La Patisserie, which has earned rave reviews for their macarons. The lady at the counter was the friendliest cashier I've ever met, and she was thrilled that I correctly identified their sweets as "macarons," not "macaroons."





After some shopping at Kendra Scott and a few of the vintage shops on South Congress, the heat demanded that I make a stop at Sno Beach. There's a reason that Austinites mark their calendar each spring for the opening day of this place.





Dinner was take-out from Hyde Park Bar & Grill, known for their fries, and then I also grabbed some breakfast treats from Quack's Bakery for the next morning.



I got to hear the executive pastor from Mars Hill preach at The Austin Stone, and then I headed to Driftwood, Texas, to grab a bite to eat at the world famous Salt Lick BBQ. The BBQ lived up to its legendary status, but I wasn't a fan of their sauce.



After more stressful southbound I-35 driving, I arrived in San Antonio, right when the Cowboys were there. They were staying at the Grand Hyatt, while I was at the Hyatt Regency. Their buses were visible at all times, and they received a police escort whenever they traveled throughout the city.



The best part of the conference was catching up with two of my grad school friends and trying new restaurants with them. Here we are at Paloma Blanca after eating some great fish tacos and delicious tres leches cake:



Unfortunately, I didn't take pictures when we were at Paesano's, Druther's Cafe & Catering, Dough, or Tre. But I did snap a photo at Boudro's of the chicken with guacamole risotto, which the waiter told me not to get because he thought I should get a steak:



It was absolutely delicious! And I'm glad we ignored all of his dessert recommendations.

On the way back, Austin called my name again. This time, I tried my first trailer food in the form of cupcakes from Hey Cupcake.





And when I returned, I went on a diet. THE END.

Being Stretched

For several years now, I've been wanting to take yoga. I went to a few classes a long time ago and got discouraged at how advanced they were, how big the classes were, and the type of message that yoga was sending. I wanted to find a Christian yoga class, but I couldn't find one. I also developed a list of additional requirements for such a class should I happen to find one:

It can't be New Age-y.
It can't be very advanced.
It can't be with a large group of people.
I'd prefer it be a class with women only.
It can't be expensive.
It can't be that hundred-degree yoga.

I never thought I'd find a class that would fit my list of requirements and had given up looking.

Then, this fall, my friend Ally told me that she had become a certified yoga instructor and was offering classes in her home for $15/month. She promised that there wouldn't be New Age-y music and that the classes would be small, with only four or five gals, most of whom she knew from church or had known from her days on the TCU volleyball team. And though I was intimidated by being in a class with some athletes, I told her to count me in.

She's named the class Community Yoga, and that's exactly what we've become. As Christian music plays softly in the background with Ally's encouraging voice moving us through the different positions, we've become a little community. I find my thoughts drifting more toward how the girls are doing in their lives than how they are are doing in their poses. And I look forward to every Wednesday night, not knowing whether I'll make any progress in touching my toes but knowing that I'll try hard and that I'll get to reconnect with these gals in my new community, which should take my mind off my lack of flexibility.

It's been a gift to find the perfect class to help me work out my kinks and to allow me to start friendships with gals whose paths may not have otherwise crossed mine. And it's been an encouragement and reminder that God hears the smallest of prayers and wishes.

Birthday Blog Tour

"How can you creatively celebrate the birthday of someone whose love languages are gifts and words of encouragement?" This is the question I started pondering in late October, and immediately, the idea of a blog tour came to mind. I thought it would be fun to have several friends post something special on their blogs to celebrate this sweet Friend's birthday. And thankfully, I found volunteers who were willing to participate, despite how crazy-sounding my idea was. So without further ado, here's the first stop on the birthday blog tour celebrating my friend TJ's birthday, which is on December 3.

TJ,

Who agrees to give a ride to and stay overnight in a hotel with a gal she barely knows? That would be you back in September 2007. You graciously agreed to let me go with you to the North Texas Christian Writers' Conference, and I not only gained a writing mentor but also a friend. You gave me pointers before the conference (i.e., that I might want to take notecards to write thank-you notes to speakers while there and hand deliver them), guided me through the conference, and helped me process what I had learned as we made the trip back. When life resumed on the Monday after the conference, I realized how lucky I was to have had one-on-one time to pick your brain on writing, being a wife and mother, and doing daily life.

I came away amazed by how wonderfully you balance being a wife to Corbin and a mother to Branson, Hudson, Basden, and Esther. I love how you are intentional about taking time for you and Corbin to get away and how the two of you, as a couple, are intentional about making your kids feel special by spending time with them individually.

But most of all, these past two years as we've been in a writers' group together, I have been inspired by your obedience, both in using your writing talent and in raising your kids. I know that the urge to write must overwhelm you at times. But you have strived to make your family a priority and sought God's will on how and when you could utilize your writing talent without neglecting your family. Similarly, it has been a joy to watch as you have been open to God's leading on how best to educate your children. You have been willing to reevaluate each year and to try new alternatives when the status quo was no longer working as well as you wanted.

As I watch you live out your faith, your obedience to Christ blesses and encourages me. I am grateful God has given me the opportunity to be mentored and befriended by you, and I look forward to seeing what He does through you in the years to come.

Happy early birthday, Friend, and look for the Birthday Blog Tour to continue tomorrow on Nikki's blog!

TJ in pink at the 2008 North Texas Christian Writers' Conference

Moving Across the Pond

Stephanie and I at a co-worker's wedding reception in April

Today, we had a luncheon to bid farewell to another one of my co-workers and friends, Stephanie. (For those who are keeping count, this makes two good friends who have left in just a little over a year.) When they opened up the floor for people to speak, only one brave lady did. Everyone else was fighting back tears and didn't want to end up doing the "ugly cry" in front of other co-workers.

It's hard to say goodbye to someone who has worked at the same place for sixteen years. And though I've had the fortune to work with her for only six of those years, I also struggled to say goodbye because Stephanie and I have celebrated our birthdays together at work all those years. Sharing a birthday doesn't always equate with sharing similar traits, but for some reason, it did with us: We both have an undergraduate degree in accounting, the same graduate degree from the same grad school, the same discontinued James Avery keychain, a love for all things Ann Taylor, an aversion to being cold, and a desire to always be organized.

Those things won't change. They'll just be harder to recognize because she is moving across the pond where her husband was relocated for his job. So now we'll rely on the similarities upon which we built our friendship to sustain it.

I'm grateful that she still has lots of family in this area to draw her back here. But in the meantime, I've vowed to eat a piece of Fort Worth Black Forest Cake from the Swiss Pastry Shop each October 15 in honor of our birthday.

You, too? I Thought I Was the Only One.

Author Shauna Niequist, in one of the essays in her book Cold Tangerines, describes coming across a card with those simple words on it. Don't they make you feel like you are understood? They remind me how blessed I am to have so many friends who "get" me.

Last month around the 20th, one of my friends who is also doing the Dave Ramsey envelope system happened to mention how she was ready for the month to be over because her envelopes were almost empty. That simple, honest statement was like finding a friend in the desert. I was not alone in counting the days until the next direct deposit would hit my bank account.

Similarly, I have a friend at work whom I can talk to about any health condition and not feel embarrassed. I go in to talk to her all worked up that I'm the only person who has ever had such weird symptoms, only to hear words that act like medicine to my hurting soul: "I've had that same thing before. It went away after about a week. It's nothing to worry about. You'll be fine."

And last weekend, I caught up with a good friend of mine from high school. Our lives have taken different paths than we had imagined. But we still share so many similarities and are able to share the "You, too?" understanding with one another. That strengthens our friendship to endure the distance gap, as well as the time gap between visits. Because those words can bring us together even if they are only typed in an email or spoken on the phone.

Making the Most of a Necessary Evil

Sitting in a 55-degree windowless conference room for eight hours straight is not my idea of a good time. I'd much rather be at work, but continuing education is a necessary evil. The one highlight--the location of the conference allows me to visit a great city and catch up with friends and family.

After arriving, the first order of business was to walk down Congress Avenue,


hang a right on 6th Street,



and grab a bite to eat at the 1886 Cafe & Bakery inside The Driskill Hotel.



I read the evening away and woke up excited, knowing that the reward for shivering through the next eight hours would be a reunion with my good friends. The reward was sweet because we hadn't gotten together in several years. We had a great time reminiscing over a delicious meal at Eastside Cafe.



The evening disappeared, and the next day promised only three and a half hours of shivering before I could check out and catch up with another good friend and her two girls. We (or maybe it was just me) gobbled up lunch at Threadgill's and then enjoyed great conversation on the ride to meet my mom.

(Note the lingering evidence of surviving the conference room: a sweater despite the 98-degree weather.)

Unfortunately, I didn't get a picture of me with my mom. But we had a great time taking in the Friday night festivities in my hometown. The evening was full with a stroll through the farmers' market, a yummy dinner at a new restaurant, a quick listen to a live band, and a dash to the rodeo (only to find out that we'd already missed the one event we wanted to see). Saturday was leisurely with nothing on the agenda and was a perfect day finished off with a homecooked meal.

With such wonderful friends and family, I guess my only complaint should be that the conference isn't held more often.

Celebrations

A friend once wrote about how life had changed from attending weddings every weekend to going to funerals. The celebrations in our lives change along with the seasons of our lives.

In my current season of life, birth announcements have far outnumbered wedding invitations in my mail box. So it was unusual to have a wedding to attend this weekend.

The bride has been a member of my community group for the past couple of years and has a huge heart for kids. In addition to loving on kids during the day while she teaches middle school, she uses her summer vacation to go to Africa to love on orphans. Her enthusiasm is infectious. So much so that she encouraged her husband Mac to go with her, not once but twice.

Here's the lovely couple:


At times, I've dreaded weddings because they aren't a lot of fun for singles. The whole bouquet toss makes me want to hide. But God has surrounded me with some great single ladies to encourage me as we walk this path together.

So after the Christmas cards come in, I'll have to see what the next round of celebrations looks like.

Real Friends

I joined Facebook on Sunday in order to view a friend's baby's pictures. I had no idea when I joined that I'd soon find myself rushing home in the evenings to see who had "friended" me and written on "my wall." I've immersed myself in this online subculture and have been trying to figure out how it all works.

Besides the sheer volume of people on Facebook, I'm shocked by how easily people "friend" one another. Shortly after I joined, I received several friend invitations from people I consider acquaintances or friends of friends. I didn't know exactly what to do. These aren't people I would look to if I needed help but would probably speak to or wave at if I encountered them on the street. Yet, as far as I can tell, there's no "acquaintance" subgroup to put these people in. Similarly, I haven't found a subheading for those true blue friends who have seen me through some tough times and celebrated with me on the other side. Instead, each person's friend total is listed in one grouping: You have 62 Friends.

So to all of you who are addicted to Facebook like me, has it loosened your definition of what a "friend" is? If so, is that a bad thing? I'd love to hear your thoughts on this.

Queen for a Day

Everyone should have the chance to feel as celebrated as I've felt today. I wish I had pictures to capture all the wonderful things my family and friends did for me today from birthday wishes sent via text, email, and regular mail to packages that arrived overflowing with love and thoughtfulness to meals composed of all of my favorite dishes. Who wouldn't feel loved with all this?

But I feel loved day in and day out because God has surrounded me with an amazing group of people who love Him and let His love overflow through them. I am blessed beyond measure. So thank you for loving me well and making my birthday so special.

(The yummy red velvet cake from Bluebonnet Bakery that I took to work today. But even this tasty treat could not compare with my friend Lee Ann's homemade cooked banana pudding with meringue, which was served warm right after a meal of chicken spaghetti, beef stroganoff, and salad prepared by Lee Ann, Sandi, and Susie. And the fifty-degree temperature outside made this warm food taste even better. I must be livin' right, as my friend Susie would say.)

*Note: I confess that I am also the queen of delayed postings. I started this post, along with the two others below it, earlier in the week but did not post them until Oct. 17.

Doctor, Anyone?

(Leslie -anesthesiologist; Jen - surgeon; Ingle - nephrologist; Han - infectious disease specialist)

Almost ten years ago to the day, I received a call from Momma Bean saying, "I think I've found a roommate for you." I had been roommateless for several months because Momma Bean had gotten married. In the meantime, God stepped in and made sure that Momma Bean was appointed the task of being a Big Sis to Jen, who was moving from DFW to the Hub City to go to med school.

I met Jen and Momma Bean for lunch and then showed her the apartment. It was a tough sale because Jen was worried that her furniture was too big for the master bedroom. We somehow convinced her that it would fit (or that we'd make it fit), and she became my roommate for the next two years.

During that time, she more than repaid me for offering her a place to live. I needed a place to stay for six weeks during the summer of 1999 while I interned in Fort Worth. I couldn't find an affordable furnished apartment to save my life. It was at that point that Jen stepped in and offered for me to stay with her aunt. She hadn't even spoken to her aunt about the possibility, but she was sure that it would be okay. Luckily for me, it was. And that's how I had the awesome opportunity to get to know Aunt Nancy.

In 2000, Jen and I went our separate ways; I moved here to start my job, and she moved to El Paso to finish school. From there, she moved to California for her residency. And as of June 30, 2008, she has finally finished all of her schooling, her residency, and a fellowship in breast surgery in San Francisco. It has been amazing to see Jen persevere through a career path that has been extremely demanding. Some people say they have worked 100 hours a week, but she truly has. More times than I wished she could count.

This weekend, she made her way back to Texas for a baby shower thrown in her honor. Her former classmates threw the shower, and it was a walk down memory lane sitting in the same room with these gals that used to converge in our apartment every Friday and Saturday night before they went out to destress from the weight of all their heavy-hitting weekday classes and labs. They are brilliant gals who stand out in each of their fields.

Jen's little girl will be making her debut around my birthday in October, so I am super excited. I only hope that her family, who all live here, will be able to lure her back to live in Texas at some point.

Small Group Reunion

Last summer, I planned a reunion for my mom's birthday that involved getting all of her sisters and their daughters down to Texas. This summer, the reunion planning was on a much smaller scale.

My small group started meeting together in September of 2004, one month after our church was planted. We met together through the end of that year and then split into two groups because the church was rapidly growing. The core members of that initial group--Lee Ann, Melissa, Susie, Stephanie, and myself--are all still attending our church and our small group, with the exception of Stephanie who moved to Dallas.

In the four years since we started meeting, we've had some amazing women pass through our group. Unfortunately, I haven't kept in touch with all of the gals, but I have done my best to keep in touch with many of them. And tonight, ten of the past and present members (& some future members a/k/a babies) of our Wednesday night group gathered for a reunion at my house for a fiesta-themed dinner party.

We had a blast! It was great to hear what is going on in each of their lives. And now I have proof that my "Wednesday small group" that I often write about is not simply an imaginary group of friends.

All Creatures Great and Small

For several years now, I have wanted to go to the World Aquarium in Dallas. None of my friends seemed to have that same desire. And I didn't make time to go by myself.

When my friend Tammy and I started looking for a place to meet in the area, the World Aquarium started to look really attractive because it is indoors, thus sheltering us from the sweltering summer heat. She had already been before but agreed to go again and bring her children.

So today was the big day. I made my way to Dallas by train (my favorite way to travel, seriously) and met up with Tammy. I hadn't met her son and daughter before, and they made the experience all the more exciting. Their repeated shouts of "WOW!" helped me see God's creatures anew. Like seeing a cuckoo sitting on a post right next to the visitor path. Or watching a spoon-billed bird fly throughout the building and land in the water next to a turtle. Or seeing a waterfall for the first time. They were astounded. And they warmed up to me quickly, which warmed my heart. Her son kept telling us that this was so fun, and I was glad to hear that because he had toured the aquarium before. His only disappointment was not seeing any lobsters, but hopefully a trip to Central Market will enable him to fulfill that sighting.


(Alden intently studying the animals, while Stephen Jr. (in the blue) takes a look from below the fence bars)

Our fun continued through lunch where an overly-eager parker/bouncer (we're still not sure of his connection to the restaurant) allowed us to park at a meter right in front of the restaurant and gave us a card for a free dessert. Tammy's son proclaimed that the chocolate cake was great before it even arrived, and her daughter's satisfied expression after eating every last drop of her ice cream was contagious.

We walked around West End for a bit before I caught the train back. It was a wonderful trip that gave me a new appreciation for time with friends and all God's creatures (even the bats that hung upside down in two of the exhibits!).

The Unexpected

First, the good:

1. I received an email from a friend of mine whom I hadn't heard from in a long while. We've now reconnected through our blogs, and I'll have the pleasure of keeping up with the events in her life more often. What fun to have this new connection!

2. Wishing on Dandelions arrived in the mail today even though my mom mailed it just yesterday! Who knew that the pony express could travel so quickly in this heat?

Now, the slightly bad (or simply annoying):

One of the things that I look forward to each evening is having Annie greet me at the door. She normally dances, brings me her moose baby, and is overjoyed to see me.

Yesterday, I realized that I am now second fiddle thanks to this:

This picture was taken around Easter, and apparently the little critter above has invited its friends over to party in my yard because there were two medium-size rabbits yesterday. Today there were three. Annie stands on guard at the kitchen door, pointing at them until I come in and find her.

These rabbits have been digging holes, which they use to recline in as I caught one doing today. Needless to say, I'm not a happy camper. Especially knowing that where there are two or three rabbits, many more will soon arrive.


Does anyone have any tips for getting the rabbits to move along to another yard? They appear to be immune to the bait box shown in the picture above (which was supposed to be for field mice). I live in the city, but you'd be hard-pressed to tell by the critters in my yard.

Now, I will return to the good and begin reading my new book!

Giving Thanks for Email and NASCAR

Today, I had the wonderful opportunity to catch up with my friend Sidonie. We met in our freshman college English class and quickly bonded after learning that one of my good friends growing up was her friend during high school. I remember that though she was small in stature, her mind intimidated me. We were kindred spirits in our pursuit of academics and in our obsessive compulsive tendencies.

After our first year, she transferred to a mega-school because our small private liberal arts college didn't offer her major, architecture. I have no doubt that she finished at the top of her class and that she blew many curves. She's simply that smart.

And she's smart-witted, as well. During the years following her transfer to the whooping school, we kept in touch, and she kept me laughing. At first by snail mail and then by email, once that became common. We shared about breakups, new jobs, her wedding, more school for both of us, her husband's deployments, and all the major newsworthy events in our lives. So it seems odd that we allowed fourteen years to pass without seeing each other in person.

But this weekend, she came up from Houston for the big NASCAR race (which she fully admits is an odd past-time for her as an architect) and made the time to see me as well. We had lunch together, and it was as if no time had passed. I caught her using phrases that I use all the time; it was as if we lived next door to one another and talked frequently.

So I give thanks for email, which keeps friends in touch throughout the years, and for NASCAR, which brought my sweet friend Sidonie to my area for a quick visit and will hopefully bring her back many more times in the future.