P.S. I Love You

Tonight was crazy. Well maybe bizarre more than crazy. Amber and I decided to go see P.S. I Love You after night church. Our fun began with a quick stop at Windy's to pick up dinner on the way to the movie.

I ordered a Cheeseburger with pickles and ketchup only and a small Dr. Pepper. The lady taking our order did not speak English as well as one might have hoped and as a result Amber had to repeat our order about seven times. When we got to the window there was no Dr. Pepper. She informed us we did not order one and then just looked at us blankly. We asked if we could order one now and just pay for it at the window. She rolled her eyes but grudgingly agreed. So after a little heartache at Windy's we were back to our adventure Dr. Pepper in hand.

As we drove quickly (but not too quickly, mom) to the theater I hungrily bit into my hamburger and found a jalapeno instead of a pickle. My more adventurous blog readers might say "yum" but I do not like jalapenos and proceed to make a whining/crying noise as I spit out the jalapeno and rinsed my mouth out with my newly acquired Dr. Pepper. Amber found the whole scene quite humorous and thankfully managed not to get into a wreck as she was laughing so hard she was almost crying. I was laughing too but my mouth was still not all that happy with me. I inspected my burger for more jalapenos and once I was satisfied that I had removed them all I managed to eat the rest of my burger without a hitch.

Once at the theater we got the second best parking spot in the joint. We were thrilled. I mean we were right beside the handicapped spaces. We thought things were looking up... We were mistaken. When we got to the theater it was empty and we chose two seats in the middle. As the theater began to fill two large ladies with a baby (six months old) came and sat beside me. I was not so thrilled. Meanwhile two other ladies sit beside Amber. Before the movie starts the woman beside me made three phone calls and the woman with her kept trying (rather unsuccessfully) to quiet the baby. Needless to say, Amber and I knew this movie was going to be trouble from the start.

The woman beside me text messaged people throughout the entire movie. Which wouldn't have been so bad but I could see the bright white light every time she opened her phone. The movie was also a little sad and she continuously was sobbing/snorting. And yes, the baby did continue to cry thorough the movie. The women on the other side of us (beside Amber), that I mentioned earlier, decided to discuss the movie in a foreign tongue. I don't know if one was translating for the other or if they were just having a conversation, but it was distracting as well. Throughout the movie, I tried not to make eye contact with Amber because every time I did we both burst into laughter.

We discussed our crazy night as we were leaving the movie theater and were giggling as we drove away. When we pulled up to a light we were both laughing hysterically when we noticed high school boys beside us grinning broadly. This made the hysterical laughter worse and Amber may have glided towards their lane slightly. I think they took this action as an attempt to pick them up because they stayed with us for the next few miles and tried to impress us with their interesting dance moves and gestures. Needless to say it did not work but we did continue to laugh most of the way home. It has been a LONG TIME since either Amber or I have been picked up by high school boys.

Amber, I am going to miss you when you got to San Antonio. You sure do keep things interesting!

And for those of you that want the movie report. P.S. I Love You was very cute and gets two thumbs up, despite the distractions. I read the book and prefer it to the move, but that is always the case. Either way, I think it was a good chick flick. I also saw Juno with Laura and Sara today and highly recommend it. It kind of had a Garden State feel and you can't help but love the lead actress. She is pretty fantastic in the movie. If you are looking for a movie to go see, and liked Garden State, then you should go see Juno.

Christmas Trilogy: Day Three - Gilmer

Our final Christmas took place in Gilmer this year with my mom's side of the family. Sadly, most years I only see this side of my family on Christmas so I have to soak it all in during one visit. My grandmother recently turned 93 and my parents went to east Texas to celebrate. I was taking finals. HAPPY LATE BIRTHDAY GRANDMA!! I am excited about graduating and having more free time to go to East Texas. Until then I really enjoyed the short time I had with my family.

I have one uncle, five cousins and a few more second cousins. It is always fun going to east Texas and seeing how much the kids have grown. Three of my cousins had babies the same year (five years ago) and as a result three of my second cousins started kindergarten this year.

I had some time to play on the computer with Cameron (one of my five year old second cousins) and I was amazed at how much he could do! He could open the programs and navigate them without help. I know that doesn't seem all that complicated, but I was impressed with his ability. He is a smart one... You can just tell. His only downfall may be his desire to go to UT... But I will look beyond that. :)

Christmas Trilogy: Day Two - Dallas

On Christmas Eve I was in Dallas with my immediate family. My sister, her husband and his mother came over. Christmas with my family is always the most low key (which is nice). We had a quick dinner and opened presents. My sister did very well this year. She got me a very cool electric photo frame key chain that holds 60 photos. I was shocked that I actually liked something that I didn't pick out myself. It is sad but I have gotten used to giving out my wish list and getting presents from it. So props to Michelle for thinking outside the box and being successful at it! Who says minor miracles do not happen. ;)

After dinner and gift giving, my mom and I went upstairs to play with my brother's Wii. We played tennis and golf, bowled and boxed. My mom is pretty good at bowling and a killer at boxing. She beat me miserably. So much so that my brother had to box against her. My brother is an avid gamer and did not go easy on my mother... and she KNOCKED him out too. Go mom! Who knew you were the boxer of the family (at least from the Wii's perspective). I never played against my brother which is probably for the best, but we did play Mario Galexy together. Very fun! I am a little rusty on my gaming but nothing that an hour of Mario didn't cure. For all you semi-gamers out there, Mario Galexy gets two thumbs up!

Christmas Trilogy: Day One - Houston

Every year my family has at least three Christmases; one in Houston with my dad's side of the family, one in Dallas with my immediate family and one in Gilmer with my mom's side of the family. Sometimes there are a few more but this year we only had three and the festivities began in Houston.

Jessica was actually able to open presents this year. Last year she could pull the wrapping paper off but didn't seem to care too much. This year, she enjoyed opening presents! She opened hers and Jacob's and had no problem playing with both sets of toys. My brother got Jessica and Jacob Texas Tech shirts. As you can imagine Jacki and John were thrilled! I posted a picture of Jessica with her Tech shirt. I like the picture because she looks unhappy but she didn't really seem to care too much. John would have a mild heart attack if she ends up going to Tech, but the shirt was kinda cute... Even if it was a Tech shirt.

It was great having my brother in town this year. I didn't get to see him last Christmas because he was in Japan but this year he was home and came to Houston. It was a wonderful Christmas and I helped Jacki cook (as I did last year). I really enjoy cooking! I didn't have to make anything too complicated this year but I think I will get promoted eventually. ;) Until then, I make great stuffing, fruit dip and chocolate cake.

Ode to Jim.

For all you closet and not so closet Jim Halpert fans. Enjoy:

Tis the Season

So I absolutely love Christmas. By far my favorite time of the year. I love when it gets cold. I love time with my family. I love that the purpose of the holiday centers around Christ and His birth. Yea Jesus! That being said, this Christmas has been CRAZY. I am already tired and Christmas is still more than a week away.

I had eight parties this weekend... and they wore me out... But that all goes into this being my favorite part of the year... It is such a catch 22 for me... I hate it because I am so busy but I love being busy. I don't know if any of you know the feeling so I will digress...

One of the parties was my house Christmas party. I think it was a huge success. The house was packed out and everyone seemed to have a good time. I ventured into the kitchen to make fun new things like sausage/cheese balls and pizza dip. Both received a few compliments, which thrilled me. All and all it was a wonderful weekend full of fellowship and fun... By the way, I LOVE being done with finals! I may still stay busy, but no stress is nice. :)

DONE!!!!

I am done with my finals for the semester. Feels good!

I have no idea how Wills and Trusts went. I knew some of it.... I didn't know some of it... Haha... Sounds about like all of my other exams... But it is different because I am DONE for the semester!!!

Let Christmas celebrations begin!!! I can FINALLY start Christmas shopping. Woohoo!!!

Lights in the Heights

I went to lights in the heights this weekend with some friends. It was fun but it didn't really feel like Christmas because it was 80 degrees outside. My favorite part of the evening was watching the jazzercise performance on the main stage and dancing along... I didn't take a singe picture of any houses or the jazzercise... so I don't have much to document the experience... other than the pre-party pics below. Enjoy. We are in front of our decorated Christmas tree!

For those of you that are keeping up with my studying, it is going okay. I have until 6pm on Thursday to cram everything I can about wills and trusts into my head... I am feeling pretty good about the subject matter as of now, which is good, but I am really looking forward to 10pm on Thursday night!

Two Finals Down... One To Go...

The second final did not go so great... I am a little worried about it. My only saving grace is that everyone seemed to be on the same page. When we walked out... I heard people saying "what the heck was that?!?!" So I take solace in knowing I am not the only one who made some stuff up. :)

My last final is next Thursday from 6-10pm so I have a full week to study. I am pretty excited that I have so much time! Hopefully I will know the material backwards and forwards in a week.

In other news, I am letting myself out of house arrest and to do two social things this weekend! So check back in a few days for a post or two that don't deal with school. :)

One Final Down... Two To Go...

So I finished Employment Law yesterday. I know the question on all of your minds is "how did it go?!?!" and as is the tradition with law school, I have no idea! It was a little easier than I would have liked. Which most of you would say "well that is good!"... but on a class that is completely graded on the curve it makes for a tight curve. I just hope I am close to the top. But either way, I am done with the class!

After studying almost zero yesterday, I decided to lock myself in the library today in preparation for my second final tomorrow. I am not going home until I have read through all of my outlines!! Please pray for my productivity and if you read this between 2-5pm tomorrow, please pray because I will be taking my second exam this semester!

My study music today is Carencro by Marc Broussard... I am quite impressed with the CD. So much so that someone already asked me to turn it down today... Oops. I am listening to my earphones but the library is REALLY quiet and I was kinda rocking out. Haha!

My First REAL Christmas Tree

Today my roommates and I began the process of decorating our Christmas tree. We are not done but I had to share the progress up to now. I am so excited!!! I have never had a real tree before... and it is just so pretty. :)


Important lesson: Test the lights BEFORE you tape them to the window... Oops.

Study Break

Finals

I am once again beginning to feel the finals pressure. The exciting thing is this is the second to last time I will ever have finals. After this semester, I have one more set of finals, then the bar, and then I am done!!! It is going to be so nice... I don't think I will know what to do with myself. I plan on reading (for fun) and seeing friends a lot more.

I have 3 finals this semester on December 4th, 6th and 13th. This is a vast improvement over last semester when I had 3 finals in 3 days and then another final 3 days later. I am not all that worried about my finals this semester... Partly because I have not started studying yet and partly because I am in my last year and burnt out. But my study fest begins tomorrow so my increased stress will probably begin tomorrow as well.

As always, please be praying for me during my finals and please understand when my blogging frequency drops drastically over the next month. My goal is to be a light and to have an apparent peace even during finals... which can only be done through Christ... Sometimes when I get really stressed out I tend to forget that I am called to be Christlike in every circumstance. Please pray that I would finish strong this semester. Thanks guys! :)

Halloween Drive-In

It is a little late because Halloween was almost a week ago, but I wanted to give a few of my guy friends a shout out for their very enjoyable and original Halloween Drive-In idea. On Halloween I had dinner with a few of my girl friends (Dinah, Lindsey and Laura... it was wonderful by the way!) and then I went over to the guys house (Joel, Chris and Matt) to watch a double feature on their house. Literally... they projected scary movies onto the side of the house. I have to say it was pretty sweet. Mad props guys. I can't wait till the Christmas special. :)

Home Again, Home Again, Jiggity Jig

I had a wonderful weekend in Dallas! I have to say of all the times to have a tooth pulled, the weekend I went home was a good weekend. I made it to Dallas around dinner time on Friday and was greeted by my Dad's home made chili and a bread bowl. I had not eaten yet on Friday and was ready to test out my mouth's capabilities. I managed to eat with only the right side of my mouth and I drank only water for 24 long hours. You will all be happy to know I followed all the Dr.'s orders and stayed away from alcohol, cigarettes, drinking out of straws, drinking caffeine of any sort, blowing my nose and spitting. (All outlawed activities for the first 24 hours after having a tooth removed.)

After dinner my parents and I watched Transformers... I enjoyed it. Everyone has said "it is better than I expected..." So I was worried that I had gotten my hopes up to high... But I was pleasantly surprised despite my increased expectations. After the movie I took some Advil and headed to bed... The worse part... I did not brush my teeth before going to bed (so gross I almost could not stand it, but it was also part of the Dr.'s orders.)

I woke up at 10:45 on Saturday morning... Which would have been very nice except I was supposed to be at my best friends house (new house that she just moved into, by the way) around 10am... Oops. I managed to shower, dry my hair, and put on make up in 30 minutes flat... I was quite proud of myself. :) I broke my doctor's orders and brushed my teeth on Saturday morning... I stayed away from my injured area but brushed everything else... I did not do any damage and I no longer felt disgusting so I see it as a win-win. :) Anyway, I spent the day with my best friend Erin and part of the day with her husband Jason and another one of my best friends from Dallas, Katie. I really like Erin and Jason's house. It is in McKinney and it is about 50 years old. It has so much character and potential. Great buy in my opinion.

I was still on my liquid diet so I ate potato soup that Erin had made for lunch. It was good soup so I was not complaining. Afterwards we went to the town square and walked around. There are some really cute shops and restaurants in McKinney! For dinner I finally got to eat solid food and started out with some cheese tortellini. It was magnificent... though I think more for the fact that I was eating again than for the actual tortellini. :)

On Sunday I hung out with my parents at the house. We had bisects and gravy for breakfast and STEAK and a BAKED POTATO for lunch. :) Hehe! My mom also made me a batch of Chicken Spaghetti to bring back to Houston so I get to eat that all week!!! I love going home!!!

My mouth appears to be healing nicely. I am brushing like normal now and I will be done with my antibiotics in a few days. I still have not tried to eat on that side of my mouth and probably won't for a few more days. But I think I am progressing quite well. On my drive back to Houston I stopped at Starbucks and got an Iced Green Tea Latte... Which means I am back on caffeine and straws... Neither of which caused me any problems today. Woohoo! :)

Bye-Bye Mr. Tooth

Turns out the dentist did not just put the crown back on... Instead he pulled my tooth. :( I managed to crack my tooth and as a result it was no longer a candidate for a crown...

I now have a hole in my mouth that I am very sad about... No one will know it is there because I have a bridge... But my tooth is gone regardless... It was a good tooth... Despite its weakness it got me through at least 12 years of my life...

I am in quite a bit of pain at the moment but I don't think I am going to go get my pain prescription filled (I will fill and take the antibiotics though)... I just don't like taking prescription medicine... If I can get by on Advil... I will...

Sadly, I will not get steak tonight when I get to Dallas... I have to eat soup or something soft instead... I am probably most sad about this... But I don't want dry socket... So I am following Dr.'s orders... Hopefully my parents will make me steak on Sunday instead...

Anyway... I think I will mourn the loss of my tooth today... Then I will move on with my life and realize that it is only a tooth... But for today... RIP Mr. Tooth...

Soft Candy Is The Devil

Oh the joys of Halloween... Not one of my favorite holiday for so many reason... but today I add a reason to the list...

This year my roommates got Sour Patch Kids and Swedish Fish for the Trick-or-Treaters... Except we didn't have many trick or treaters... So today I helped myself to a few packages of each to snack on during the day...

When I was eating my Sour Patch Kids after lunch I noticed my crown was feeling a little funny but it still appeared to be attached to my tooth, so I didn't think much of it... Until about five minutes ago when I ate a granola bar and my crown dislodged... I didn't notice at first but all of a sudden my bite was extraordinarily hard. Luckily I didn't swallow it. I rescued it from my granola and it is in my backpack with a protective covering...

I am going to the dentist first thing tomorrow to have it put back on... but for the time being my tooth is very gross... So let that be a lesson to all of you... Soft candy is not your friend... despite the fact that it is so yummy!

Atlanta

This weekend I went to Atlanta to visit one of my best friends from high school, Emily. She went to SMU for undergrad and managed to come to visit me every year while I was at A&M and at U of H. I also visited her annually, but since my family and a lot of friends also live in Dallas... the gesture has never seemed as significant. Well this weekend was different... I feel like I finally (significantly) returned the favor.

Emily moved to Atlanta this summer to get her doctorate in physical therapy at Emory. She is enjoying herself but school is really hard. I told her "grad school gets easier... but it just kinda stinks..." Hopefully she took solace in the fact that she will one day get used to her schedule...

I flew in Thursday night but my flight got in really late so our festivities did not really begin until Friday. On Thursday night we went from the airport to her apt and promptly went to bed.

Friday
Emily had to take a test on Friday morning so I got to sleep in and get some reading done. I had a great Friday morning. I have missed sleeping in. It is glorious. I met up with Emily in the early afternoon and we headed to the Georgia Aquarium. The Aquarium was fun. I saw a crab that was about the size of 2 human heads... Crazy! And I touched a shark... that's right... I TOUCHED A SHARK!!!


After the Aquarium we headed to Centennial Olympic Park. It is right across the street. It was a pretty park and it reminded me of Paris for some reason... Odd that Atlanta would remind me of Paris but something about it made me feel like I was back at the Eiffel Tower... Sitting on the green grass in the cool afternoon...


For dinner we headed to an amazing Mexican food restaurant, Sala, and I got the best cheese enchiladas I have ever tasted. :) We headed back to Em's apt a little early because she had a insane week and we watched a movie and headed to bed.

Saturday
We woke up and went to the High Museum. They have an impressionism exhibit at the moment (my favorite type of art) and Em and I had to check it out. It was a good exhibit and it is worth seeing if you make it to Atlanta in the next few months.


We shopped the afternoon away though neither of us really found anything too spectacular. Em and I were both a little sad about this, but our wallets were overjoyed. We went back to Emily's apartment and made dinner before heading out to a Sara Bareilles and Paolo Nutini concert. The concert was fantastic!!! Sara had a great set and played every song we wanted to hear. Neither Em or I knew much of Paolo's music but he was enjoyable to see... Though I have to say he mumbled quite a bit. No one around us seemed to mind because they were singing with him at the top of their lungs... Young and old alike... There were people there in their teens and people that were old enough to be our parents... and they all seemed to have a crush on Paolo... It was kinda fun to watch. I wish I had known more of his music before I went but I am happy to report I now have five of his songs playing in my i-pod. :)


Sunday
On Sunday we headed to church in the morning and then went to brunch at a great restaurant called the Treehouse. It had a fun patio and phenomenal Eggs Benedict.... I also would recommend going there if you are in Atlanta in the near future. All in all it was a wonderful weekend and I had a great time visiting a great friend. :) Thanks for having me Em!!! I love you!

Public Service Announcement

I am not sure how much press Bella is getting in Houston but I saw a trailer for it while I was in LA visiting Amber and I thought I would share my newfound interest with my blogging community. I waited until now to post about it because it is opening this weekend (10/26). If you are looking for something to do this weekend... consider going to see this movie. I have not seen it yet, but it will undoubtably be the next movie I see in the theater.

Here is a synopsis from imdb:
An international soccer star (Eduardo Verástegui) is on his way to sign a multi-million dollar contract when something happens that brings his career to an abrupt end. A waitress (Tammy Blanchard), struggling to make it in New York City, discovers something about herself that she's unprepared for. In one irreversible moment, their lives are turned upside down...until an impetuous action brings them together and turns an ordinary day into an unforgettable experience. Once a famous athlete, and now a cook at his brother's Mexican restaurant, José has retreated from the world but he recognizes something in Nina, a young waitress, and reaches out to her. In the course of a single day, he not only confronts his past but shows her how the healing power of a family can help her embrace the future.

The reason I am so excited about this movie has a lot to do with the men who made it. I was checking out the website and these guys are awesome. They have a desire to make movies that have a positive story to show humanity as beautiful and uplifiting... to be a light in the darkness... A cause to which I will gladly donate $8.50 and two hours. :)

The lead actor, Eduardo Verastegui is a Christain. He was becoming quite well known in Mexico as a soap star when he realized that he was unfulfilled and wanted something more. He wanted to make films that “have the potential to touch people’s hearts and minds”. He did not want to continue to take roles that contributed to the negative stereotype of Latinos in film. “I wanted to portray Latinos as heroes, not like Batman or Superman, but everyday heroes who are hard working people of integrity, individuals who are willing to sacrifice for their family and for others.” Anyway... Check out the trailer and Eduardo's Story at:
http://www.bellathemovie.com/site/#/film/videos/

Profile Picture!!!

So I have had this blog for over a year and today I figured out how to add a profile picture! Which is something I have tried many times before... but alas I have always been met with defeat... Well not today... As you can see... I now have a profile picture...

I do not think I recently elevated to the level of computer genius... Instead they must have changed the uploading procedure... But my minor celebration is not in hast... A year is a long time to try to accomplish something... and I finally managed to get it to work... I am thrilled because at the very least, it is something to cross off of my to do list. Woohoo!!! It is going to be a good week!

A Visual Victory...

I had a fun-filled weekend consisting of high school football (the homecoming game... no less), country dancing, mechanical bull riding, and a Matt Wertz/Dave Barnes/The Gabe Dixon Band concert. All of which made my weekend quite enjoyable!

But perhaps my biggest victory this weekend came on Saturday afternoon when I beat the Glaucoma machine. :) I got my eyes checked on Saturday and I let them puff both of my eyes with that little air gun that tests the pressure!!!

Some may say... so what... that is nothing... others may even say they enjoy the quick burst of air touching their cornea... but for me it is a test of mind over matter... I dislike the test greatly... I logically understand that the puff of air is not going to destroy my eye. I understand that as the piece of plastic is approaching my eye, it is going to stop before it pokes me... but all of this "logic" does not help when I am trying with all of the mental energy I can muster...
NOT
TO
BLINK
OR
BACK
AWAY.

Unfortunately, I am sad to say that two years ago (the last time I had my eyes checked) I both blinked and backed away.... So many times that the lady said... "I don't think you have glaucoma... you can go ahead and go..." Haha... Funny... Except I was a 22 year old woman... I should have been able to control my blinking for 20 seconds... especially when I rationally knew that the machine was not going to hurt me... But I sadly had to admit defeat... And as all of you know... I don't admit defeat well... So this year I went to the doctor with a new sense of determination and...

As I mentioned earlier... I succeeded in letting the machine puff both of my eyes! Woohoo. No glaucoma for me and I managed (as a 24 year old woman) to sit still and not blink. :) You are all thrilled... I can tell. ;)

SOS, Taco Bueno and Jacob

I went to the Woodlands this weekend for the Song of Solomon Conference. It was wonderful! I really enjoy Matt Chandler as my faithful readers and friends know and this weekend proved to be no exception. I think the thing that impacted me most was during the conflict section. Matt talked about when we argue with our spouse we can get into a bad habit of mentally comparing our strengths to their weaknesses... So that they fall short every time... It hit me pretty hard because I know I can do that in friendships and in relationships... I don't think any of us do it intentionally but it is basically being prideful. So know that I am making a mental note not to do that anymore... (Easier said than done. :) Hopefully I can remember it the next time I need to apply it!!!

In other news... There is a TACO BUENO in the Woodlands. It is my favorite fast food restaurant in Dallas and I have never seen one in Houston... Until this weekend... You better believe I am getting Taco Bueno every time I go and see the babies from now on!!

Speaking of the babies... I went to see Jacob and Jessica after the conference. I was only there for a few hours and Jacki was asleep the whole time (she works Friday and Saturday night and so she sleeps during the day while John watches the kids) but I had a wonderful time with John and the kids. Jacob is a chunk! I wish I had taken a picture... He has been drinking WAY to much formula... Turns out he has acid reflux, which has caused him to be quite irritable for the first two months of his life. It also makes him drink more than he should because drinking appeases his reflux... So he has been drinking when he is not hungry in order to ease the pain. The good news is the doctors figured out the problem and gave him medicine for it.

He was a completely different boy this weekend! He was all smiles and did not cry nearly as often as he had every time before. So you will all be happy to know I am starting to fall for him too! :) Oh, and he shouldn't be a chunk for much longer... He went from drinking almost 50 ounces of formula a day to 25 ounces, which is where he should be for his age.

Refreshed...

I had a wonderful time at youth today! We recently changed the format so each of us is responsible for leading our group. Before there was a master teacher and we would have short discussion questions within our groups, but the bulk of the responsibility for the lesson was on the master teacher. Now I lead my girls by myself. We are given a curriculum but the actual teaching is left to us... And can I just say I love it! I have missed leading so much!!!

I became a youth leader because I felt the Lord calling me to challenge myself and to challenge younger girls to seek the Lord passionately. Today I felt like both goals were accomplished through the Lord. It is a pretty spectacular feeling.

At one point in the lessons one of my girls was asking for clarification about the passage and after we all talked through it for a few minutes she said, "oh... that makes sense now... thanks for explaining... you are a great teacher... and that is convicting..." Praise Jesus that the Word is convicting these girls! And praise Him that she gave me such wonderful encouragement. I am pretty stoked to continue to lead these wonderful 9th graders. If you think about it... please pray that they would be good stewards of their time this week and they would find ways to use all of the many talents the Lord has bestowed upon them in ways that glorify Him. Thanks!

My trip to LA

I have to say it is good to be home... I really enjoyed my time with Amber this weekend but Houston (for the time being) feels like home. As far as how my weekend went... It was wonderful! Amber and I spent a lot of time on the beach and a little bit of time in the city. I was very happy with this arrangement because I liked the beach infinitely better than I liked the city.

Friday:
I arrived around 11:00am and Amber was at the airport to greet me with a huge smile. We dropped my stuff off at her apt and walked to the beach. She lives in Marina Del Rey and it is about a 3 minute walk from her apt to the coast. On the way to the beach we stopped at a little restaurant and had really good wraps. We ate outside and other than a drunk guy kinda hitting on us kinda creeping us out... it was quite enjoyable. A man with a dog came into the restaurant when we were about half way through our meal and he and the dog sat at a table... Literally... the dog sat in the chair...

After lunch, we walked along Venice and Sana Monica Beach. Both were so breathtaking... But the wind was blowing ridiculously hard... Amber said she had never seen it so bad... The beach was practically deserted but I was happy to see it and be sandblasted. We stopped at a unique hat store and tried on some cool hats and Amber bought one. We then headed back to Amber's apt to shower. We headed to the promenade for dinner. It is a shopping center close to Amber's apt. We ate at a sports bar and then had a NUTELLA AND BANANA crepe for dessert. I was so very excited. I have not had one since Paris and they are just as wonderful as I remembered. :)

Saturday:

We woke up and worked out. Then we headed to a sports bar to watch the UT v. OU game with the Texas-Exes association. I was surrounded by orange... It was a little frightening... I am not going to lie... But it was a great game and I was very glad to see it. Afterwards we went back to Venice beach and watched the sunset. Once that sun gets to setting it goes quickly... I was amazed at how fast it set. We then went into the city and at at the Farmers Market. The Farmers Market reminds me so much of Oxfords Covered Market. We ate at Monsieur Marcel's and it was very good. We then went to Diddy Riese for ice cream sandwiches... You pick your cookie flavor and your ice cream flavor. It was awesome!

Sunday:
We went to Malibu and walked along the beach. After about an hour we found a spot that didn't seem like someones back yard and we put down beach towels and sat for a while. I got into the water up to my knees and decided that was a far as I wanted to go without a wet suit. :) For lunch we went to Pink's Hot Dog Stand. They are supposed to have world famous hot dogs and I have to say I found them decent... It was by no means a bad chilly cheese dog but I didn't find it worth the hour we spent in line for it. Afterwards we went to Mosaic (Amber's church). I liked the sermon a lot. It was on living the original life and I found it to be empowering... especially since I am trying to figure out what I want my own life to look like... :) Afterwards we picked up Chipotle on the way back to her apt and went to bed early... Seeing as we had to wake up at 4:40am to get me to the airport and Amber to work... I was not complaining about our early night. :)