Tree Hugger

My Dad's thoughts on that one time I cut down my own tree:

 Oh Christmas Tree Oh Christmas Tree

Fernando

When I started college my parents made a deal with me - if I received scholarships they would buy me a new car. I don't know why they felt like they owed me a new car for my hard work and I was perfectly happy with my Dad's hand-me-down 1999 Toyota Camry, but after two years of college and zero out-of-pocket dollars from my parents, we were off to the car lot.

I knew I wanted an SUV because I love big cars. Little known fact, my dream car would be a Hummer. Also, at that point I knew I was moving to Texas to finish college so a smaller SUV was out of the question because it couldn't haul all of my stuff back and forth. After test driving a few different models, I decided on the Hyundai Santa Fe. My one big request - I wanted a blue one. Unfortunately the only blue one at the dealership was a 4-wheel drive, which let's be serious, there is no need for a 4-wheel drive SUV in Florida or Texas. My Dad, the master negotiator, told the salesman he would buy the blue one straight off the lot, but he wasn't going to pay an extra thousand dollars or so for an extra feature we didn't want or need. The car salesman agreed, sold us the car for the price of the same model without 4-wheel drive, and a few days later I drove my brand new car right off the lot. Once we were home I named him Fernando because everyone knows that SUV's are boys and being a Santa Fe, he is clearly Hispanic. 

Fast forward 5 1/2 years to yesterday morning when I woke up to over a foot of snow in my driveway and a very icy commute to work. In fact, there is a pretty big hill in the middle of my drive and the only vehicles that were able to successfully make it up the hill were SUV's and trucks. Cars were stuck every few feet with nothing to do but sit there and wait for a truck to pull them out. Even worse is that thanks to a pretty big median, once you realize you can't make it up the hill it's already too late. There is no way to turn around and go back down. Me and Fernando, we were champs and although we were a little late, we made it to work safe and sound without too many problems.

Plus when I pulled into the parking lot a co-worker said she was behind me for most of the drive but didn't realize it was me. She said she saw my Texas Tech sticker and was impressed that someone who clearly wasn't from Colorado was driving so well in all the snow. What a great compliment - do I dare start to refer to myself as a local?

Anyway, in the middle of all of the snow and ice and my daily commute at 30mph dodging cars stuck in snow drifts, I had a sweet moment with the Lord. There I was driving Fernando just in awe of the Lord's provision and love for me. There was one blue Santa Fe left on that car lot 5 1/2 years ago and that one SUV had 4-wheel drive which we didn't even want but the Lord knew I would need. What a special time for me to realize this in the midst of complete chaos. It's hard to be angry about a snowy commute when you are reminded the whole time of how much the Lord cares about every little detail of my life.

It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas

Here we are, four days before Christmas and there is still more decorating I would love do but for the sake of time and my budget, I had to cut myself off. As I type this I'm trying to remind myself to slow down. Christmas decorations and personal Christmas style are developed over time so I can't expect my first Christmas season in my new house to be picture perfect.

I don't know what got into me this year, but I am all about decorating for the holidays. It may be that living in the snow has made me actually start to understand and appreciate Christmas music - which I usually hate. Or it could be that having my own house and watching too much HGTV has made me feel like it's time to start my own traditions and develop my own personal style. Who knows. All I know for sure is that I've made way too many trips to Hobby Lobby and Wal-Mart in the last few weeks and I should probably consider blocking Pintrest on my laptop.

So here you go, even though it's not perfect I have plenty of pictures I am excited to share.

First off is an update on my Christmas tree. Remember that one time I cut down my own tree? If not, here's a recap.

First, a trip into the mountains in search of the perfect tree. After that I cut it down with a hand saw (which took all of 5 minutes so don't be too impressed)

Next I brought the tree home and set it up in the living room. I recently completely repainted the living room (more pictures of that in a future post). I couldn't believe how perfectly the tree fit in the house once I go it safely in the tree stand.

Finally, it was time for lights and ornaments. 

My Grammy had this awesome idea when I was a baby. She bought me and my brothers a new Christmas ornament every year so that when we moved away and started our own families we wouldn't have an empty tree. What a great tradition. Up until this year I wasn't ready to take my ornaments, but when I called my mom and asked her if she could set my ornaments aside this year, she was so excited to get rid of 25 ornaments that she offered to ship them to me right away. 

Once I started unpacking my ornaments and hanging them on the branches I couldn't help but notice just how stereotypical Florida a few of my ornaments are...

For the record, I have never had a white Christmas but I am not sad about that fact at all. Christmas in Florida is different but awesome. Honestly, I probably love it so much because I don't know anything different. Sure it's hard to keep a straight face when people (meaning my mom) insists on putting icicle lights on the house along with the decorated palm tree in the front yard, and yes, we have more Christmas pictures with us gathered around the tree in shorts and t-shirts than any other attire. But you know what, in Florida when you get a bike for Christmas you get to run outside and try it out that very morning. As a little kid, you can't beat that.

Next up for Christmas decor was the mantle and to say I did it on the cheap is the understatement of the year. The branches and pine cones I took straight from the pine tree in my front yard. The branches were perfect but I spray painted the pine cones red and white just to add a little more color. The Christmas balls hanging from the ceiling I bought from Hobby Lobby for $5 and the ribbon was also on sale for $2. My big splurge was the thing you hang your stocking from. I bought it for $7 because I wanted a fancy one with the letter "D." The lights were $2. There you have it, a perfectly festive mantle without breaking the bank.

I opened my Birthday present from my Grammy a little early. She sent me a manger scene which we put on a bookshelf in the living room.

The wise men are on the mantle. I couldn't put them with baby Jesus - that would just be unbiblical. 

Now onto the saga of the Christmas lights on the house. What on earth was a thinking? Oh, I can tell you what I was thinking - I was thinking that as a homeowner it is my civil duty to put up Christmas lights. Next year though if I attempt this I'm going to need a taller ladder, a boyfriend, or both, but this is NOT a project for single girls. I put a few lights on our townhouse last year but let me tell you this was a much bigger project. 

Turns out you actually have to plan out the light placement before you stick them up there. Also, turns out that in 2012 they make these awesome clips and you just clip the lights right onto the gutter. Stapling the lights to the house is not only a thing of the past, but downright stupid. 

Long story short, I had to put up the lights twice. When I put up the lights the first time I did not take into account things like extension cords and outlet placements so....after trying a few failed plans I gave up, took the lights down, and started over. 

Also, it's a great idea to test the lights before you put them on the house. It's real annoying to get them up there only to realize part of your strand is dead and you have to take it back to Wal-Mart. For real, single ladies, I'm not trying to insult your competence I'm just trying to save you a lot of time and money. Find a different way to celebrate the season. The lights on the house thing is out of control difficult.

The saddest part is that I know how much time I put into this project and it still doesn't look good. I know my house is the saddest looking light display on the block, but frankly I am proud of the work. The final strand of lights never made it on the house thanks to a few snow storms and the fact that it gets dark at 4pm. Also, I figured out I didn't have nearly enough blue lights to cover the tree in my front yard but by the time I figured this out, the stores were all sold out of my blue lights. So now I have a blue stub. 

Now let's take a trip back inside the house for a few of my favorite features, like the entry way.

And one of my absolute favorite things - my magnetic chalkboard wall in the living room.

So there you have it, the picture tour is complete - Merry Christmas!

Oh Tebow

Sunday afternoon I played hooky at church and drove to Denver for the Broncos vs. Patriots game. To make a long story shorts, at work we have a technology vendor with a Broncos ticket hookup. A few months ago one of our reps found out I am a fan and asked if I wanted to go to a game. One thing led to the next and I ended up with tickets to the Broncos vs. Patriots game - the 6th row! 

For months I was anticipating this day and I had no idea back then that when game day finally arrived, Tebow would be starting, the Broncos would have a winning record and a shot at the playoffs, and this game in particular would be one of the biggest games in the country. So yes, what a blessing! 

Even though the outcome of the game was...umm...not the best, I feel like I could write 10 pages about that one day. However, for your benefit, I'll just hit the highlights.

Best Moment

This whole Tebow mania thing is new to my fellow Coloradans, but it's old hat for this Florida girl. Standing in a stadium chanting "TEBOW" with 75,000 fellow fans was like coming home. I had to remind myself I was in fact at Mile High Stadium and not the Swamp. Plus, it's nice to see that no matter what is happening in the media, Broncos fans are 100% behind this guy.  

Worst Moment

They lost - no 4th quarter comeback this week. Plus, it turns out this sad face is much harder to see in person than on TV.

Plus I had to go to work on Monday and deal with those sweet IT guys asking about fumbles and sacks. Thank goodness one of the guys who works in the mailroom is on my side. He said the Broncos lost because Tim was just too distracted by my presence. How sweet.

Best and Worst Moment Combo

The great news - my dream came true late in the 4th quarter. Tim started running straight toward me. The bad news - he needed to be running the other way and at fourth-and 17 at the Patriots' 37 yard line, Tim was driven back for a sack and a loss of 28 yards. At that moment the game was over.

Best Moments Of The Game That Have Nothing To Do With The Game

1) The halftime show - Ok, so keep in mind this was a big game and at a big game you can expect a big show. What was my halftime entertainment? Monkeys, riding dogs, herding sheep. I cannot make this up. 

Toward the end of this stunning display one of the monkeys riding a dog got away from their trainer and started circling the stadium along the wall, but thanks to all of the team water bottles, oxygen machines, (welcome to Colorado) and medical tables, no one could get to them. Finally the duo raced to the middle of the field and slowed down - but just long enough for the dog to pee right there in the middle of the field. 

If this wasn't pathetic enough, someone gave the ranch hand, trainer a microphone and he started his five minute speech about following your dreams. Him and Tim both lived out their dreams on that field on Sunday. There is just one difference - Tim's dream doesn't suck. 

I need to know who is currently employed by the Broncos to book this "talent." I have some suggestions. I mean seriously, Eric Decker's country music "star" of a girlfriend was somewhere in that stadium. I'm sure she would be willing to perform a song or two if it meant she didn't have to suffer through the monkey business (pun intended).

2) The Broncos cheerleaders brought some holiday cheer in their festive Santa outfits. The little boy in front of me kept referring to them as "Santa's helpers." Classic.

3) About half way through the first quarter we noticed a few people in bright yellow windbreakers and a guy in a bike helmet walk down the stadium steps and stop a few rows in front of us. Then they ushered everyone out of that particular row. At this point I was intrigued. I glanced over to the field to see how Tim was holding up and glanced back to the bike helmet guy to find him and 3 other people carrying a 300+ pound guy up the stairs. He was completely passed out drunk - and it's before noon. Half way up the stairs they dropped him - he didn't wake up. Don't worry though, there were plenty of people taking videos on their phones so I'm sure he can relive his drunken stupor over and over again thanks to YouTube.

The Burning Question

So my friend Megan also went to this game but had seats in a different section so I did not get to see her at all. However, she did stay long enough to watch the players leave and couldn't help but notice that a few of these players left with harems of women all of which were dressed for a day at the beach instead of a December afternoon in Colorado. Now I was at the game so I know for a fact these players were on the field the whole time. This leads to my question of the week - where on earth do these girls come from? How are these players picking up women during a game?

So there you have it, my top moments of the Broncos vs. Patriots. Obviously I wanted an Angles in the Outfield experience and some 4th quarter comeback magic, but I guess the lesson to be learned is that the Broncos would rather I support them from my living room then actually in the stadium.

Believe in Denver Broncos! 

Celebrity Week

Saturday evening I received a very interesting text from a friend in my small group. She was at a local (but well known) Christmas production and they happened to mention from stage that none other than #15 was in their afternoon performance just hours before. I was skeptical to say the least, mostly because one of our other friends who is also in our small group, was actually in attendance at that afternoon performance and did not see him or hear he was in the building.

Monday I walked into work and before I could even make it to my desk one of the guys said, "hey, guess who was at my church this weekend?" I was pretty determined to rob him of any bragging rights whatsoever so I quickly told him I already knew and that just because Tim went to his church's Christmas play it did not mean Tim goes to his church. 

Furthermore, I do find it quite interesting the church's staff found it totally necessary to broadcast the name of their famous guest from stage like that. Come on people. 

Here is a little taste of the Christmas production allegedly attended by Timmy Touchdown, and believe me, it's quite the production. It's hard to tell if you're sitting in a church or a hotel on the Las Vegas strip. Start the video at about 2 minutes and 30 seconds and keep an eye out for the fountains - yes, I said fountains. Also, feel free to fast forward to the end and check out a very interesting rendition of The Little Drummer Boy.  

Wonderland 2011 Saturday Performance

And with that, Celebrity Week had begun.

Tuesday was just another day. I left work, rushed home for a quick dinner, changed into my pajamas, and headed to the outskirts of town for my small group. There are 6 of us women who meet together every other week to challenge each other with God's Word and share struggles as we attempt to really understand what it means to do life together. We have been meeting like this for over a year now - before our church even officially started small groups. 

Two of these great friends - Tara and Kacy and their families own a little piece of property with two houses right next to each other. It was pretty much the perfect place for their families and they have been so great to share "the farm" with not just our small group, but our entire church family. Even though most of us have to drive at least a solid 30 minutes to get there, it just feels like a second home.

Somewhere around lunchtime on Tuesday afternoon Tara sent me a text to let me know we would be meeting at her house instead of Kacy's because Kacy had guests in town. No big deal and nothing crazy about that. 

We all met at Tara's house without a second thought and just as we were wrapping things up, Kacy stopped by in need of an iron. Still, nothing out of the ordinary. The bonus of living right next to your best friends is that you can show up and borrow an iron at 10pm and it's no big thing. Kacy ran upstairs to get the iron and someone shouted up to her to ask which family members were visiting. She told us it was actually just their friends Cubbie and Becs. 

Immediately the wheels started turning. Cubbie is Joey's (Kacy's husband) best friend in the world. Joey has told me a ton about that guy. They grew up together, and in fact, Joey was just the best man in Cubbie's wedding. Wait, did Kacy just say that Becs is here - as in Cubbie's bride? Now what was so special about that wedding....and that's when the lightbulb went off and I yelled up the stairs to Kacy, "Is Rebecca St. James at your house right now???" To that I heard, "Yeah, she is the one who needs the iron." 

It was pretty much downhill from there with my freaking out. I listened to "Becs" on cassette tape when I was like 10 years old and now she is right next door - I could literally throw a rock and hit her in the face. Kacy and Tara both tried to convince me Rebecca and Cubbie are just normal people and that I was more than welcome to walk next door and meet them but I just couldn't bring myself to do it. I can't meet Rebecca St. James in my pajamas. It's one thing if Kacy happened to bring her to Tara's house while I was there, thus making our meeting completely coincidental. It's another thing entirely when you purposefully go over there. It is no longer a chance meeting and therefore, it becomes awkward. Then there is my whole word vomit issue. Frankly, even if I did muster up the courage to meet Rebecca St. James in my pajamas, the chance of me saying something along the lines of, "Tim Tebow went to a Christmas play at the church a guy I know attends. I just wanted to meet you so I could one-up him" would easily slip from my mouth about the time she shook my hand. 

Kacy told me she was keeping their visit quiet more because of Cubbie then "Becs," which led to the obvious question of how is Cubbie even remotely famous? Oh, well, because Kacy neglected to ever mention that Cubbie's last name is "Fink" and in Cubbie Fink, the bass player in a little band called Foster the People. 

Ok, yeah, so Rebecca St. James is no longer "waiting for, waiting for, you darling," because she married the bass player in Foster the People and is now Rebecca Fink and they are staying at my friends Kacy and Joey's house - no big deal. 

Amber tried to calm me down but I was inconsolable at this point. Amber said she just isn't impressed by people who are famous because they are just people. She can be unimpressed. I'm going to jump around the living room and scream in disbelief. 

Since we were now sharing our secret celebrity connections Amber decided to share the fact that she knows Louie Giglio's nephew. I'm just stunned by all of this and to throw me into complete shock, Amber tells me that I know him too - and she is right, I know the guy but never knew he was Louie's nephew. 

What is going on around here? I do know deep down that even famous people are just people, but I really don't mind being that person who gets openly and obviously excited. 

And there you have it - Celebrity Week in Colorado Springs - Timmy makes a church appearance, Becs and Cobbie hang at the farm, and turns out I know Louie's nephew. I'm expecting the paparazzi to show up at any moment. 

A Wild Tree

Living in Colorado has really opened my eyes to a lot of new and exciting things - like wool socks, flannel sheets, the NFL, and now...cutting down my own Christmas tree.

This is my first Christmas in my new home and seeing as how I'm not flying to Florida until Christmas Eve, it's time to be a real adult and have my own tree. Earlier this week my Dad texted me a picture of their tree. He was so proud to have one of the first trees of the season delivered to Lowe's - the cream of the crop and it really is picture perfect.

I was after something a little different though. This year I was after the personal conquest and simple charm of a wild tree growing on a real, snow covered mountain. Apparently this adventure is all the rage in Colorado and now that I'm a home-owning local, I should probably give this ritual a try. If nothing else, I would have a $10 tree, another fun memory with some sweet friends, and a great blog entry. Plus, I could rest assured that no matter what my Colorado tree looks like, I would wake up Christmas morning to Lowe's finest at my parent's house.

At 8:30 this morning our adventure began. We loaded up two trucks and a suburban with 7 adults and 9 kids and headed toward Woodland Park, Colorado - about a 45 minute drive west and up into the mountains. Our first stop was to get our $10 tree permits. Once you cut down your tree you have to put your bright pink permit sticker on it so the park ranger people know it's legal.

Next we began the drive up into the mountains in search of the perfect Christmas trees. Well, the perfect ones don't really exist, so really we were just looking for ones that would look nice and fit in our houses. The guys were pretty bent on winding up the mountain until there were no more tire tracks in the snow. I tried to explain to them there is a difference between the road less traveled and the road never traveled, but apparently all the good trees are in places people don't go. So onward and upward. I'm just glad I didn't have to drive. There is no way me and my SUV would have made it up that mountain.  

Finally we found a clearing we were happy with so we bundled up and piled out of the cars. There was so much snow! Every time I took a step my foot sank and the snow crept half way up my shin.

The kids were loving the snow. They went crazy. I have to admit, I had to remind myself I was an adult at least three times. Part of me just wanted to jump in there and start throwing snowballs and leaping head first into the snow drifts. 

My goal was a tree that towered somewhere around 6 feet and obviously the fuller the better, but more importantly I wanted something cute and charming. So the hunt began - for a 6ft cutie. I found one I liked right off the bat, but I didn't want to get too excited too quickly. There is a forest full of trees out there. You can't just pick the first one you think you like. 

After walking around in the clearing for a while, Adam and Matt found one that looked really nice, but was a little smaller than what they wanted. This is not their first tree cutting adventure so I trusted their judgment. If they said it was a good tree, it probably was. Plus, I kind of liked it. It was just the right size and seemed as full as full was going to get for a wild tree. 

Adam started to cut it down for me - oh, by the way, you aren't allowed to use a chain saw so you have to do all of this with a hand saw. This adventure was getting more and more primitive by the second. A few seconds into Adam sawing, I asked if I could take over. I mean here I am in the mountains shopping for a tree on the side of a mountain. I'm this far, I might as well cut the thing down myself. 

Now it was time to carry the tree back up to the cars. Obviously, Matt and Adam offered but again, if I'm on the side of a snow covered mountain cutting down a tree, I need to make the experience complete by carrying it back to the car. 

The whole experience was fantastic. What an adventure. It's pretty much nothing like going to Lowe's or a neighborhood tree lot, but you definitely have a stronger attachment to your Christmas tree when you cut it down yourself. It's like the ultimate do it yourself project. I am so thankful for my friends and our adventures. What better way to get into the Christmas spirit? 

the gals - Kacy, me, Tara, and Sarah

the fellas - Adam, Joey and Matt

Christmas tree oh Christmas tree - you may not be the prettiest, but you are mine!

A Justin Bieber Moment

A few months ago I noticed a trend on Twitter. Everyone had something to say about the movie Never Say Never. I didn't know anything about the movie, except it was getting a lot of hype so I added it to my Netflix que.

Flash forward a few months and the DVD arrived in my mailbox. A few days later I watched it and then I realized it was basically an autobiography of this kid named Justin Bieber. 

Let me make a side note here: I am one of those freaks of nature who LOVES the radio. If it wasn't for the radio I don't know who would tell me what kind of music I am supposed to like. Basically, I unashamedly love pop music.

That being said, we can go back to Never Say Never. Once I figured out Justin Bieber was some pop singer, I figured that at any moment in the movie I would hear one of his songs, the lightbulb would go off, and I would know exactly who he was. Unfortunately, I got to the end of the movie, the credits rolled, and still I had no idea who this kid was, but I did know I really liked him. He is like the kind of kid who would be best friends with my brother and when I go back to Florida for Christmas he would be standing in the kitchen eating out of my parent's refrigerator. This Justin kid is so adorable and somehow BFF with Usher. No wonder he is so popular. But more importantly, how in the world did I, a lover of everything pop culture, manage to never even hear of a kid who is selling out Madison Square Garden? Riddle me that one Batman. 

You can imagine the shocked looks I received when I went to work the next day and said, "Hey, has anyone heard of a kid named Justin Bieber?" Yeah, apparently he is kind of a big deal and everyone has not only heard of him, but know all the words to at least two of his songs. Go figure.

Flash forward again to Wednesday when Netflix delivered Water for Elephants (or as my brother would have said in preschool, "Water for Efefants"). Spoiler Alert: If you've seen the movie Titanic, trade the cruise line for a circus train and you pretty much have the movie Water for Elephants. For real, it's the same movie. Anyway, despite the frustration in lack of new plot lines, I enjoyed the movie, but more importantly, I was really impressed with the lead actor. I had never seen him before, but I really liked him almost immediately. He was really charming and cute and I had a feeling he might just be the next big thing. Water for Elephants could easily do for this guy what Titanic did for Leo - I'll never let go Jack! After Water for Elephants was over, I even waited for the credits so I could find out the guy's name. After the credits and a look through the extra features, I went into the living room to talk to my roommate about my discovery.

Me: "Hey, have you seen Water for Elephants?"

Katie: "Yeah, I thought it was pretty good."

Me: "Didn't you think it was a lot like another movie you've seen?"

Katie: "I don't think so. Are you sure I've seen whatever movie you're referring to?"

Me: "Umm...yeah, it pretty much defined my 6th grade year. You didn't notice that it's the exact same movie as Titanic?"

Katie: "No, that never crossed my mind."

Me: "Hmm....well, it's exactly the same. Anyway, I really liked the main guy in Water for Elephants. I've never seen him before, but I bet he will probably start to be in a lot more movies."

Katie: turns around and just stares at me - after a two minute pause - "Are you kidding? Are you talking about Robert Pattinson?"

Me: "Yeah, that's his name! I watched the credits to find out who he is."

Katie: more silent starring - "Yeah, he is kind of a sensation right now. He is the main guy in Twilight and he was in Harry Potter."

Me: "Is this another Justin Bieber moment?"

Katie: "Umm...yeah."

Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving is an odd holiday for me. Out of the last 6 Thanksgivings, I have only spent one with my family. My Thanksgiving tradition is that all day I am overwhelmed and humbled by the love poured out on me by the people the Lord so generously puts into my life. For the past 6 years, every Thanksgiving has looked completely different then the one before, but all have been special, and every year, the Lord provides.

This year, the day started with the Turkey Trot - a 5K race hosted by the local YMCA. I ran it with Natalie, a friend from work and one of my very few female allies in the IT Department. I have no idea what our time was, but I felt like we did pretty well.

Right after the Turkey Trot, I headed to the park for the 2nd Annual Alethia Church Turkey Bowl. One of the awesome things about being a part of a new church is building traditions around the things we love. So far that has primarily been eating and football. Clearly I picked the right church.

Last year, about a week before Thanksgiving, one of the pastors sent out a church-wide email with an open invitation to play football on Thanksgiving morning. We basically had just enough people to play a game. Even though it was literally zero degrees, we had a blast. I don't know what exactly it is about sports, but it's such a great way to form quick bonds with people. Plus, the war stories are phenomenal. I mean a whole year later I'm still that girl who accidently broke a guy's nose at the 1st Turkey Bowl. Oops.

This year when I arrived at the park, our church had 4 teams on 2 different fields. Now that is something to be thankful for! If our church keeps growing like this, we may actually have to put a little bit of organization into the 3rd Annual Turkey Bowl.

Next on the day's agenda was a quick trip home to shower, change clothes and get my Thanksgiving dishes. This year I was only responsible for green beans and a dessert.

Question: If you are eating Thanksgiving dinner at your pastor's house, how inappropriate is it on a scale of 1-10 to bake a cake with Kahlua in it?

Answer: It doesn't really matter as long as it's tasty - even though it kind of capsized.

Thanksgiving 2011, the Lord blessed me once again and I ate dinner with the Bhatt family. Sam is the head pastor at my church and so much fun to be around. I met him in the summer of 2008 and never would have imagined that a few years later I would be "aunt Dani" to their kiddos and celebrating Thanksgiving at their home. Thankfully, Amber is not your typical pastor's wife and is quickly becoming one of my closest friends. Izzy and Liam are two of the cutest kids in the world. I think these two just ignored the memo that I am not a kid person and found their way straight into my heart.

Izzy is really outgoing and loves everyone, but she just has this way of making me feel so special. She is probably the most complimentary pre-schooler in the world. Every time I see her she has something sweet to say about my hair, clothes or accessories. That particular day she loved my red necklace and went upstairs to get her red necklace so we could match.

Liam cracks me up. Even at one year old, it's blatantly obvious he is the introvert in a household of life-of-the-party, extraverts. When you are as adorable as Liam people just want to hold you and play with you all the time - every week I watch complete strangers try to hold him and he just screams his head off. Then there's me, I just could care less about the cute pastor's kid liking me. The irony though is that Liam LOVES me and wants me to hold him all the time. I'm not kidding. When he just sees me in the room, he makes a b-line crawling right toward me, climbs up my leg, and yells until I pick him up. He followed me around all day and I just couldn't say no to that cute face. Lima already knows I'm a sucker for him and Izzy.

One of the things I love about Sam and Amber is that they always push me to do things I wouldn't normally do. They are the ones who call you at 10:30pm on a weeknight and tell you to get out of bed and meet them at the movie theater. That being said, I think Amber is the only person on planet earth who could convince me to take part in the Black Friday madness. We went to Kohl's at midnight and had to stand in line just to get in the store. Once we found a few bargain items, we headed to check-out, which was an hour long line by the way. As far as Black Friday shoppers are concerned, I thought people at Kohl's were pretty polite and nice. It was a rat race for sure, but a friendly rat race. I didn't find any sale items I just couldn't live without, but decided to buy a $15 Christmas sheet set. I mean who doesn't love flannel Christmas sheets? What better way to get into the holiday spirit?

Around 3am I headed home. What a day! There was so much to be thankful for just in those 24 hours. Thank you Lord for your many blessings! You are so kind to this sinner saved by grace.

Keep Austin Weird

Planning a weekend vacation around a sporting event is very typical of the LaSelva clan. In fact, when I was growing up, if the vacation destination was not chosen for the sole purpose of a sporting event, we found one to go to when we got there. Needless to say, I've been to a lot of minor league baseball games.

This year my baby brother Josh's Birthday present was a trip to Austin, Texas to see his beloved Longhorns play in person. I have no idea how this kid picked the Longhorns but he has been a fan since he was probably seven or eight years old, long before I even thought of moving to Texas to attend the most amazing university on the face of the earth...aka: Texas Tech.

My parents decided to entice me to come along by choosing the Texas vs. Texas Tech game. I hadn't seen my parents in 11 months and I had some vacation days stored up, so taking a free trip to Austin was a pretty easy decision.

My parents and my brother flew into Austin a few hours before me so by the time I got there my dad had already traded in a sporty Mercedes rental car for a Ford SUV. He tried to be a Mercedes sports car kind of guy, but he quickly found out it's just not for him. It was probably the shortest midlife crisis in the history of the male population. He also managed to get a parking ticket in less than four hours after arriving in Austin.

Friday we took an unofficial tour of the Capitol building. My mom was impressed by the state pride.
This is one of the many door hinges in the Capitol. You know, just in case you forget where you are.

I was impressed by the architecture and attention to detail. This is the dome when you are inside of the building looking up.

My brother kept trying to look for the Occupy protestors. And my dad complained the whole time about how much it cost to build such an elaborate building and about the amount of tax payers' dollars spent on furnishing the over priced building. According to him politics should be cheap. According to me, political buildings should not look like an IKEA showroom.

Seriously, one of my top three dream jobs is to hold an office at the Capitol and call one of these fancy chairs mine.

Next it was off to lunch. The only thing more important than sporting events on a LaSelva family vacation is good food. We have a gift for finding and consuming the best food in any city we visit.

Next on Friday's agenda was a University of Texas campus tour. For me, it was like walking straight through the enemy's camp. I don't know why anyone would ever choose that place over Texas Tech. UT's campus sits right in the middle of the city and there is traffic and one way streets everywhere. Everything is dirty and loud and just feels old, except for the new building for the Longhorn Network. You better believe they showed that thing off on the campus tour. Talk about controversial. Just as an FYI straight from the lips of the campus tour guide, you can't even get the new network on campus. No one has showed any interest in carrying it. Ha! Serves them right. 

For me, my favorite part of the tour was getting to hear my parents' constant flow of reasons they liked Texas Tech and Lubbock so much better than UT and Austin. It just warmed my soul. Josh liked the campus, but repeatedly said, "Where are all the hot girls? There were so many hot girls at Texas Tech." Forget the education, these are the priorities of a 15 year old boy - hot girls and a good football team. 

Saturday was the big game. The stadium was pretty impressive and Texas' offense wasn't too shabby that day either. However, I think my whole family, including Josh, was a little disappointed in the fans. Who thought 100,000 people could be so quiet? There was little cheering or screaming at any point in the game.

My dad expected it to be like a Gator game because the schools are comparable in size and notoriety. Poor Dad got a rude awakening when he realized the SEC and the Big 12 are two totally different worlds. Nothing can compare to the fan fair of an SEC game, especially at the Swamp.




I managed to find a little taste of Lubbock while in Austin - our marching bands' bus.

The Goin' Band from Raider Land!

Saturday night we went to a hole in the wall for BBQ and then walked around all the crazy stores. Austin really is a weird place. It's like the Boulder of Colorado or the Key West of Florida. I was excited to see my family and my team, but I was really disappointed in Austin as a whole. I think it was because Austin is nothing like the rest of Texas. There are no huge, gas guzzling trucks, big bleach blonde hair, holes in the ozone thanks to all the hairspray, hats and boots on every corner, beef for breakfast, lunch and dinner, or sweet Texas accents made complete with words like "mam," "y'all," or "howdy." No one opened doors for me or started up friendly conversations. Basically, I was excited to go to Texas and I ended up in some crazy, over priced, liberal town full of people who look homeless. Austin, you stay weird...and I'll stay in Colorado.

All in all, the best parts of Austin were the things that weren't from there - like the Texas Tech football team, my family, and my friend Lisa (in no particular order). 

It just so happened my friend Lisa and her husband Griffin were in Austin for a weekend getaway. We couldn't not have planned it better if we tried. We found out we would both be in Austin quite literally when I was in the terminal of the Colorado Springs airport about to board my flight (and minutes before I spilled hot coffee all over myself). Plus, I was stranded in Austin alone for most of Sunday because my family had a much earlier flight. That meant one thing...quality time with two wonderful friends before I headed back to Colorado.