Celebrating Diwali
October 30, 2008
Today, I took part in the Diwali festival held at U*S*A*A. The event, a Festival of Lights as it is called, is a Hindu holiday that signifies victory of good over evil within an individual. It also represents the uplifting of spiritual darkness. In India and around the globe, Hindus, Jains, and Sikh celebrate the holiday in many different ways. Since my company employs contractors from India, we celebrated as they would have at home – with Mehndi (henna art), mandala (sand art often found in front of Hindu homes), lots of dancing and even more learning. It was so neat to see how this holiday is celebrated and to share in the festival with my co-workers. Check out my bhindi below.
Bhinid is jewelry worn byIndian women on their forehead – contrary to popular belief, this jewelry has no real significance other than to look good and accessorize – I chose pink to match my shirt. My mehndi is in the pictures below. The first 2 pictures are right after I got it done – the ink (which is actually more like a clay that is put on similar to icing) is brownish black when it’s first used. Once painted, you let the ink dry for 4 to 6 hours (the longer you leave it, the darker the color will be and the longer the designs will last) and then wash it off (or pick it off because it’s kinda like dried mud on your skin). What’s left is the design, dyed into your skin – pretty cool, huh?
We hit it outta the park!
October 30, 2008
We just finished our first season of coaching Kinetic Kids t-ball and man was it a blast! The 6 week season flew by, but each hour long practice made us smile. On the final game of the season, we were as boastful as proud parents – cheering for ‘our kids’ from the sidelines – watching as they intently remembered everything we had practiced. Seeing them run across home plate was almost more exciting for us than it was for them!
Left: Dustin & Jeffery, Jenn & Elijah - Right: Elijah & Steven, Jenn, Elijah, Jeffery, Dustin
I know I’ve talked about Kinetic Kids on my blog before, but if you haven’t done so already you should really check out their website. If you want to give back to your community, this is a great way to do so. Let us know if you are interested or if you’d like to go and be a spectator before signing up to volunteer.
It’s staring at me…
October 30, 2008
And it has been for the past 2 nights. It’s BIG (and by BIG I mean about 3 inches by 3 inches, cubed), and GREEN, and it’s enticing me…every second of every night…calling my name…begging me to tear open the paper and rip the box apart. IT is my 1 year anniversary present which is sitting beautifully wrapped right in front of my face. Dustin refuses to let me open it until our actual anniversary (November 3rd) because he believes that it will make the actual day ‘anticlimactic’ if I don’t have a gift to open. I suppose he may be right…a little…so for 3 1/2 more days, I’ll sit and wait and stare and be stared back it by the little gold and green package that’s calling my name!!
Skeletons in the Sea
October 30, 2008
Thanks to the Alamo Chapter of the CPCU, Dustin and I were able to join our friends this past weekend at Sea World for next to nothing (super discounted tickets are the best!!). We had so much fun walking the park and seeing the talking skeletons, crazy clowns, and whacked out werewolves. My favorite skeleton scene was near the ski lake — where a boat had ‘crashed’ leaving the skiing skeleton wrapped around a tree!
We especially enjoyed the sea lion show and I won’t lie, we liked the roller coasters too! The penguins were cool (literally) and we even saw real live puffins!!!
werewolf, puffin, crazy scary clown
Dell & Chris with the Bride & Groom skeletons -- they are getting married next month! -- Dustin and me with our new friend -- whom I thin might be anorexic.
Vampires in the Night
October 30, 2008
Us before the race
Who wouldn’t be interested in running through the woods, after dark, on a dimly lit path, filled with large boulders and tree stumps on a Friday night after a long week at work?? Well, maybe that doesn’t sound like fun to you, but for Dustin and I, the Vampire Night Fun Run gave us a chance to challenge our running, balancing and night-vision skills while supporting St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital at the same time. You see, we participated in the 2 mile run in support of finding a cure for childhood cancer. I will admit, in the online brochure, the run seemed much simpler than it turned out to be — it was described as a 2 mile out-and-back (1 mile there, 1 mile back) course on a trail through Leon Creek. What the brochure failed to mention was that the course would be dimly lit, filled with large boulders and tree stumps, and often times run along the side of a large downsloping cliff…and that one misstep would send you sliding down in the raveen below…oh yeah…and that the path is technically a mountain biking path! After several ankel rolls (by several I mean about 783), numerous stumps of the toes that sent us barrelling forward, and too many near slips on the gravelly terrain, we managed to cross the finish line in a little under 25 minutes. “25 minutes for 2 miles” you say??!!?? That should tell you how rugged the terrain was. But, it was fun and we’re glad we did it — but next year, we may just donate money and not run the race!
Us after the race
Well she’s a roller skating child
October 21, 2008
I guess technically I’m no longer a child, but let me tell you one thing – this girl can still skate…frontwards, backwards, sideways and around! Last Wednesday a group of friends and I went to adult skate night at Rollercade to celebrate my friend Sharon’s birthday (it was the final event in a week-long celebration!) and boy did we have a dandy time!!
For those of you who remember my first pair of roller blades…yes, the ones I got for Christmas when I was 11 years old…the same ones I wore 
every Friday and Saturday night of my adolescent life…well, they’re still around…and I took them to adult skate…and skated in them!! I had to tie the hot pink, hot green and fuschia shoestrings on my blades really tight to support my weak ankles. I was pretty wobbly at first and stayed pretty close to the edge the first few rounds — but after that I was off — as were my friends who proved that they too were probably quite the “skaters” back in the day (wow, interesting how the term skater now has such a different connotation than it did in the ’80s!). After the first few minutes we were all trying our hand at backwards skate though none of us had the courage to compete in the races! Maybe next time — if in fact the winner gets a free coke pass, that just might entice me to give it a try. In all, the night provided several hours of fun and a great workout (even our backs were sore the next day!) and we are all looking forward to our next adult skate night – November 5th – be there or be square!
Lisa & Sharon (the Birthday Girl!)
The Girls
Vegas, Baby
October 17, 2008
I just returned (well, it’s been a few weeks now!) from a short, yet exhilarating trip to Las Vegas – it was my 3rd time to visit Sin City, but this journey was much different than the ones in my past. Instead of staying on or near the strip in a casino hotel, my friends Maureen, Merick and I stayed with another friend, Dana, who lives in Vegas with her husband. Our time was still spent sight seeing and touring, but it seemed so much more relaxing than when staying in the traditional Vegas-style, always hustling and bustling hotel.
We arrived Friday evening and promptly started preparing for our night. Our host had quite the weekend planned for us and we were thankful to have her Vegas expertise to help us get as much as possible out of our experiences there. We started our nocturnal adventures at Bobby Flay’s Mesa Grill inside Caesar’s Palace – the atmosphere was bright and fun and the food was delectable – I had lamb chops for only the 2nd
time in my life and they were beyond delicious. From Mesa, we headed to our private table inside Tryst Nightclub at the Wynn hotel. This club is one of the many popular hotspots in Vegas, but its unique ambiance and décor are what make it get my vote for the absolute coolest bar/club I have ever been too. When you walk into the bar, there is an upper level and lower level of private tables each equipped with a large u-shaped
couch and table for your drinks – when you continue to the lower level, the area opens up to a large dance floor, fully equipped with ‘poles’ and go-go dancers on either side. But the most intriguing attraction is that from the time you walk into the club you are staring at a 60 foot waterfall surrounded by tall pine trees that is cascading gracefully into a large pond below. As you step closer toward the waterfall on the dance floor you can feel the breeze caused by the falling water flowing around you – very refreshing when you’ve been boogying down for a while!
Saturday was spent walking the strip and visiting the Bodies Exhibition at the Luxor. I’ve wanted to see Bodies or Body Worlds since the exhibitions were introduced a few years ago, but despite their stops in San Antonio, Houston, and Dallas, I never got the chance. After seeing the show, I am so glad that I made this a priority in Vegas. Merick and I visited the presentation of several full body cadavers as well as human body parts, organs, fetuses and embryos that come from cadavers of Chinese citizens or residents that have been preserved using a polymer preservation process.
The exhibit was artful yet educating and included great explanatory commentary and facts. Even better than the annotations given by the
exhibition coordinators was the interpretations and clarifications I received from Merick as we viewed all of the bodies and parts. Since she’s a physical therapist and has actually dissected human bodies in her schooling, she was able to give me a lot of insight that most of the museum-goers were not receiving. I was able to ask questions (and not feel stupid) and learn so much more than I would have if I had gone to the exhibition alone. The most interesting part was seeing an actual adult human spine, all by itself, dissected and cross-sectioned to show all of the parts that make it work. It (and Merick) gave me a much better understanding of how my spine is constructed, its natural movement, and how my surgery has affected that construction and movement. It’s great to have such a diverse group of highly educated friends!!
Saturday night was another high-profile experience for me – we started with dinner at the Pink Taco inside the Hard Rock hotel where Maureen was attending a wedding reception…the food was tasty and it was really neat to visit a restaurant that has been graced by the likes of Carmen Electra and Molly Sims. From there our destinations included the VIP Playboy club where we enjoyed bottle service and an opulent view
of the strip from the 52nd floor. As you could imagine, the club was filled with bunnies doing their signature dip and we felt privileged to be sitting among the ranks of some of the most beautiful women in Vegas (thanks Dana!!). The club was followed by Moon, another enlivening Vegas experience on the 53rd floor of the Hard Rock. At Moon we enjoyed sipping on our drinks from our window-side table overlooking the Strip and all of Sin City while basking in the bright lights of the Palms Casino across the way. People watching and dancing got the best of us until 3:30am when we finally called an end to our night!
I can’t thank Maureen (for inviting me on this trip) and Dana (for hosting the trip) enough. Dana, your hospitality was beyond gracious – thank you so much for making this trip so enjoyable!
Click on the photo of the hot girls below to see the Vegas Photo Album!
I wanna be loved like that
October 16, 2008
This is a post from my ‘homework’ in an online blog design class I’m taking (yes, I’m a dork). The assignment was to pick a song, any song and blog about it/the lyrics, what it means to you, what it makes you think of, etc. So, here it is…
You know those songs that just touch your heart, that make you cry when you hear them…no matter where you are or what your doing?? Well, I heard one a few days ago – as I was driving home from work – and I burst out into tears. Not only did the song remind me of several people in my life – the ones I look up to and respect and consider my true heroes (my mom, Nanny & Papaw, Grandma Urby & Marvin, my godparents, my 10 closest girlfriends) — but it also made me reflect on the most important relationship I have in my life — the one with my husband. I could have never imagined that I could feel such love and comfort from someone I wasn’t a daughter or grandaughter of, but he’s given me so much love, affection, and respect over the past few years. He’s been so loyal, undoubtedly supportive and true, and and so devoted. As I was singing along to the old country song ‘I Wanna Be Loved Like That’ by Shenandoah, it dawned on my that I don’t want to be – because I already am. And that made me cry even harder — happy tears of course!
Natalie Wood gave her heart to James Dean
The high school rebel and the teenage queen
Standin together in an angry world
One boy fightin for one girl
I wanna be loved like that, I wanna be loved like that
A promise you can’t take back
If you’re gonna love me
I wanna be loved like that
Daddy never gave Momma a diamond ring
But Momma never wanted for anything
But what he gave her it came from the heart
In a bond that was never torn apart
I wanna be loved like that, I wanna be loved like that
A promise you can’t take back
If you’re gonna love me
I wanna be loved like that
An old man kneeling all alone
Plants his flowers in a garden of stone
For seven years now she’s been gone
And his devotion is still goin strong
I wanna be loved like that, I wanna be loved like that
A promise you can’t take back
If you’re gonna love me…
Ye ‘ole town of Fredericksburg
October 12, 2008
Visiting a town like Fredericksburg is always refreshing and exciting for me – the new sites and sounds (usually all accessible by walking), the new and different and usually made-from-scratch foods, the crafty stores that are unique to the town/area – it all excites me, so it is surprising that until last weekend I had never ventured to any of the nearby towns to browse before. I guess I always thought I needed a reason to make the trip, so I found one – I’m currently searching for cobalt glass serving pieces to match my everyday dinnerware that Dustin and I use.
Background: My plates and bowls have a brown base and a turquoise/cobalt crackle interior. They’re great and I really like their unique coloring and the fact that they came in round and square varieties (we have a set of each). The only bad thing is that there are no matching serving pieces (besides 1 large platter which I’ve already purchased) – the set is missing large vegetable bowls and medium sized platters. While browsing the Ironside antique market in SA recently, I found a few almost-matching old glass antiques with interesting shapes – although they didn’t match my dinnerware that well, it got me thinking that maybe I would be ale to find similar antique glass that did match…so off I went. So far I’ve visited antique stores in Granbury and Fredericksburg and found a total of 3 matching glass antiques. They aren’t what I had initially set out for, but they are unique, they match my dinnerware, and they are all big enough to be utilized as serving pieces or trivets. I absolutely love,
love, love them and am excited about the adventure of finding additional antique glass to go with them.
So back to the trip to Fredericksburg –the town was as unique as the glass I found (I found 1 piece there, the other 2 were found in Granbury at a shop called Witherspoon’s near the city beach). The stores were diverse…everything from rocks (natural colored ones that had been unearthed and polished in all shapes & sizes), jewelry, clothes, books, antiques, furniture…you name it, they had it. My friend Jessica and I had a delightful time browsing, ooohhing, aaahhing, exploring and wishing for all sorts of fun items. We also had an adventure in an antique store parking lot qhere my car got stuck (high-centered) on an angled exit….we had to put the car in neutral, stand on each side and push it over the angled concrete on our way out of the lot!!! Don’t worry, Jessica checked Peppy’s underbelly once we were done…no damage!
I guess my next stop will be Boerne…if any of you know of any cool little towns like this and are ever up for a day-trip, please let me know…I’d love to make the trip with you. With Christmas around the corner, I bet we could find some lovely gifts in these unique places.
On your mark, get set…
October 12, 2008
GO!! It’s official, I’m back, ready to rock-and-roll…however you want to say it, I’ve officially been released to resume all normal exercise (including impact exercise along with running and jumping!). I got a clean bill of health at my 9 month post-op check-up with my back surgeon, Dr. Kuwamura, just a few weeks ago. He did caution me to jump back into my normal regimen slowly (no pun intended 
and to gradually build my tolerance to impact exercise so that my bones and joints can adjust properly and digest the calcium that is likely to build up in my body due to the pounding. And so far, I’ve restrained myself well…only running a few minutes here and there during my cardio sessions and only doing 1 to 2 callisthenic exercises requiring jumping with my trainer each week. I must say, at first it felt weird…running and jumping caused my rump to shake in a way I’ve never felt before – I reckon that this is just because I haven’t done these movements in so long…or because my butt has gotten bigger over the last 9 months…I’m sticking to the first assumption! Either way, I feel great and I am so thankful that everything has healed properly and strong. Now, if I could stay out of car accidents that jar my spine, I’ll be in even better shape 
