Neighbor's Pet

Today I noticed my neighbor in Hyde Park had four chickens in their front yard.  The first adjective that came to mind was ... weird...  Then I smiled, laughed out loud, stopped to take a picture, and continued on my merry way.  Then I came home, shared the image, and hoped it would make you lol, too.
This is the second yard I've seen in the neighborhood with chickens out front. 

And Another One Bites the Dust

While making breakfast this morning, this was a nice wake up call:

PB jar.  Top View.

Ahhh!!!!!  OUT OF PEANUT BUTTER???   

Thankfully, some aggressive scraping allowed me a get enough out for a sandwich.  And, the good thing about the Sam's Club twin jar packages of PB is that, precisely  half the time, there's another jar waitin' in the cabinet tucked away somewhere.   Tucked away somewhere far away cause it takes a hella long time to eat 64 oz. of peanut butter by yourself (FYI, 64 oz = 3 pounds).  

Ironically, my 7am reaction to staring into my empty jar of peanut butter was to think about a Queen oldie but goodie,  Another One Bites the Dust:

What exactly does a 3 pound void of peanut butter look like?

PB jar. Side View.

Today was a lucky-50% day, when I found:

Reinforcements

Life IS good

:D

Veggie Love

Howdy Y'all!  

I hope the holidays and traveling have been safe and happy for you.   

Thanksgiving in the South is a wonderful opportunity to take in your favorite butter, sugar, corn syrup, mayo dishes... OH opps!  I mean squash casserole, green bean 'salad', pecan pie, stuffing, and the like.  All are deliciously wonderful and will have you in a happy food coma in no time at all.  College football does provide some stimulation for keeping everyone pumped up, especially when UT defeats rival A&M.*  

Perhaps my body was sending me SOS signals for a post-Thanksgiving feasting cleanse when it started craving healthy veggies again.  Miraculously, this past week I've had a food creative spirit for creating healthy, veggie friendly dishes.  My sister and several good friends are vegetarian (and some vegan).  While the idea has crossed my mind quite a few times, I prefer the term 'Veggie Lover' over the restrictive feel that Vegetarian gives me.  Loving sounds a lot better to me :D   

Black Bean soup with guac and tomatoes on toasted wheat bread

Whole wheat Couscous with carrot, cucumber, tomato, and some cilantro, salt, peper, and lime juice to taste

Veggie burger (cooked frozen patty) with guac, carrots, cucumbers and tomatoes on toasted wheat bread

You can probably see common ingredients in these dishes, aka, what I got at the grocery store this week! :D  The amazing thing is, my bill was under 25 bucks and I've made A LOT of food with all of this.    Everything is veggie and vegan friendly.  It's a fun experiment to try!   Everything  is super easy to make; it almost takes more time to wash the dishes than make the food!  Feel free to let me know if you want any tips on how to make this stuff!

*Shoutout to all my Georgia Tech buddies....  :(((( Sad loss against UGA.  CPJ better be planning for next year's attack on them Dogs!!!

Rain Event and Squeaky Clean

I just had to document this proof!

I am well aware this is my second post devoted solely to rain.  That’s how big of a deal this is. Austin, Texas finally gets more than a Sprinkle Storm.  Today we are getting treated to the good stuff.

To show you just how big of a deal this rain event is, let me share a story about my car.  My car, a green Ford Explorer, is very, very lucky to get to live in a carport now that he’s moved to Texas.  Even at my parent’s house, he had to stay outside in the driveway, exposed to all sorts of sun, heat, rain, hail, thunder, night and day.   Now that he and I are on our own, his standard of living has risen quite substantially. 

However, he has been in dire need of a good washing.  Especially, the back bumper and window that stick out from the carport’s cover and is exposed to the nearby tree’s sap drippings.  Mix in wind and dust and dirt, and this guy is hurting for a ‘WASH ME’. 

After going outside for a run this morning, I can tell it has the potential for rain.  Like any good mamma, my thoughts are always on how best to care for my chillins.  So, I grab keys when I get back to my apartment and move my car to the side street.  Conditioned now to the typical Texas ‘Sprinkle storm’, where rain is a few drops that barely get the ground wet, I even make sure not to park under or near any trees: this could limit the exposure to those precious rain drops. 

A few hours later and we have a real soaker on our hands.  We even get the lightening and thunder that usually come with thunderstorms.  It gets me pretty excited.  Even having to get wet going to class is exciting.  I check up on the Explorer when I get back and I’m one happy mamma:  he's squeaky clean and is lookin’ mighty fine J So clean you can see your reflection in the window now!!...  

Squeaky Clean

Book Review: "Happier Than A Billionaire"

Happier Than a Billionaire

By Nadine Hays Pisani

Pages: 227
Price:  I paid $9.35 on Amazon.com (but it has recently gone up to $12.99)
Publisher:  This book was published on July 3, 2011 by Nadine using an online publishing tool, Createspace.

Nadine shares with readers the challenges and rewards of moving life from the States to the Central American country of Costa Rica.  Above all, Happier Than a Billionaire is absolutely hilarious.  Be warned: if you don't like the attention you'll get when bursting out laughing in public places, don't read this book in public places.  Because, within the first two sentences, you'll be in fits of laughter and transported to a whole different world.

Originally both chiropractors in the US, Nadine and her husband Rob radically changed their lifestyle four years ago.  Both were fed up with their jobs, miserable and unhappy, and tired of their life.  So, they sold their practice, their house in the States, and moved to Costa Rica (after much discussion and research, of course).  They buy a house on a mountain, enjoy a carefree lifestyle of a 'zero-hour work week', and go on adventures while trying to integrate into the Costa Rican lifestyle.  Nadine's style of writing has you right there beside them as they bounce down the pitted dirt road on a moped or run down a mountain after seeing a group of bulls while 'house-hunting'.

Educational
According to Amazon.com, books often bought with Happier Than a Billionaire include travel guides and other books associated with the lifestyle of Costa Rica.  Nadine's book shares with readers the reality of this lifestyle change.  Including everything from dealing with realtors to purchase a house, buying cars, using Spanish translators, and getting residency, Nadine's account is honest, informative, and of course, 100% hilarious.  Once in Costa Rica, Nadine and her husband take advantage of the sights around them.  They travel to neighboring countries (usually to renew their visas every 90 days) and share stories of crazy adventures about navigating the roads, visiting beautiful beaches, and experiencing the natural wonders the Central American countries have to offer.    While the general picture will be painted in your mind as you read about these adventures, it would be a good idea to have a travel book by your side if actually planning out a trip to Central America to solidify names of cities, resorts, roads, parks, etc.

Heather's Opinion

This book is a fantastic resource to get readers familiar with both international travel and international living in a low-stress and enjoyable way.  Reading this book is worth many, many laughs and is a welcome break from typical every-day life in the US.  It is eye-opening to the possibility of living internationally and inspiring to read about Nadine and Rob's journey of pursuing what they truly want out of life.  

Throughout the book, Nadine experiences the transformation that living a low-stress lifestyle has on her.   Quotes from Happier Than a Billionaire:

Last night was difficult.  There were times during the drive that I wanted to turn around but I never imagined it would be this beautiful.  And just like that, as my sister would say about childbirth, all the pain faded away.  My life doesn't feel like a long dark tunnel anymore.  Perhaps it's because I'm falling in love with a place I haven't been in for longer than twenty-four hours.                                                                                                                                  --Page 34

The longer I live here the more I am changing.  I'm opening up to people and finding something in me I thought was lost years ago.  I'm enjoying myself and allowing walls to come down that I built up while working in my office.  I'm learning it is still possible to have the life you always dreamed of and there are still people out there who are waiting (and willing) to be your friend.                                                                                                            --Page 209 

Migas. Simple Style

Since being in Austin, I've had the pleasure of trying migas.  My first encounter was ordering them at Kerby Lane Cafe, and I've been hooked ever since.  In addition to being tex-mex, Spanish style migas can be quite different.  All the versions I've encountered in Austin have been the tex-mex style and generally consist of scrambled eggs, tortilla chips mixed in, cheese, tomatos, and onions.  Having a huge craving and a lot of eggs that needed to be eaten, I came up with my own version.

Migas: Simple Style

Grind some fresh pepper and salt into skillet along with a dab of olive oil.  Heat and scramble two eggs (that have been beaten and a little bit of milk added).   Put some grated cheddar cheese and some broken up tortilla chips (I used whole grain Tostitos) in a bowl.  When the eggs are down cooking, immediately add them to the bowl and stir with the cheese and chips.  Add some pico de gallo for a fresh taste.  Enjoy!! 

If you want to get a little more fancy, this recipe from Texascooking.com looks great.

Inside Southwest Airlines: With CEO Gary Kelly

The McCombs School of Business at the University of Texas hosts a monthly VIP Distinguished Speaker Series.  These events aim to give all UT students access to the leaders of business across many industries. 

On October 27th, the CEO of Southwest Airlines Gary Kelly shared insights into his leadership experiences at Southwest.  The one hour long event was held in a packed house at UT's AT&T Executive Education and Conference Center ballroom.  To those familiar with the GT Hotel and Conference Center, this venue is very similar to the Grand Ballroom that often hosts banquets and seminars.  Several hundred students from a wide range of disciplines at UT took advantage of hearing the local airline favorite CEO and UT Distinguished Alumnus.  The McCombs Business School Dean Thomas Gilligan lead the first 30 minutes of interviewing and then the floor was opened to students to ask questions to Mr. Kelly. 

Southwest Airlines is the largest airline carrier in the US based on the number of domestic passengers.  The company carries about 25% of the countries' air travelers.  Everyone that has experienced Southwest has not only been treated to their signature low-cost flights but to a friendly and personable flight crew.  And while the results of Mr. Kelly's leadership are apparent, Thursday night's event was a great way to get an insider's perspective on his leadership style.    

Gary Kelly seems like a pretty down-to-earth dude.  He went to college at UT, majored in Business, and became a CPA.  His Southwest career started when working at the Dallas, Texas based airline company as a 'Controller', which is a role in the financial/business side of things.  He has worked his way up the ranks over the last 20 years.  He was CFO, Vice President, and now he's CEO.  He's been named one of the best CEOs by Institutional Investor Magazine in both '08 and '09.  So, what did it take?  What makes him special?  What makes him qualified, with a Bachelor's in Finance from UT, to run the largest airline company in the US?  Turns out, it boils down to a few key ideals: humbleness to the dependency on those around him, persistance and hard work, passion, and caring for his 'family'.  

Obviously, Mr. Kelly has a lot of people working for him.  He says it is a humbling experience realizing how dependent you are on others.  Like many successful leaders, throughout his career he has been the beneficiary of support and mentoring.  He says that we are not alone, and not independent, when it comes to leading businesses.  He forever seeks input from his executive officers when dealing with what he calls the most challenging issues in business: people.  He has mastered nothing, he says, but is more an orchestrator of talent. 

Hard work and passion are two traits the airline leader deems critical to his success.  He was quick to bring up the underlying factor in any role he has had throughout his career was that he simply worked his butt off.  And, he says, the best advice he has been given is to never give up.  Who hasn't heard that before, right?  But pairing this advice with the belief that if you're really passionate about something, you'll be good at it, he says, will take you a long way.  In a roundabout way, it almost seems like he claims he doesn't focus on making money.  But that, making a profit is the by-product of being passionate about serving his customers.  A CEO not focused on making money is a hard idea to grasp, but, his take-home message to students is very clear:  Work hard on something you're passionate about and good things will happen.

Garry Kelly enjoys having a large family and is the father to almost 35,000 people (...2 of them are biological).  Seriously.  The man has his family values down pat.  It's his goal to treat everyone, including his employees, like customers.   He feels it's his duty to take care of his employees and is extremely proud of the fact that Southwest has had NO layoffs or pay-cuts in the last 40 years.  This quote from Garry Kelly sharing news about the birth of his first grandchild sums up the Southwest attitude:

"As I have shared the many joys in our Employees' lives over my 24 years at Southwest, it is a treat to share mine with them, too.  It just reminds me, again … that is what families do—share with each other.  And at Southwest, truly, we are Family."

 -Southwest Blog

In May of this year, Southwest acquired AirTran Airways.  To welcome the recently-acquired AirTran crew, what did Southwest do?  Throw a bar-b-que, of course.  Good 'ole southerner hospitality at it's finest.  And, in fact, according to Southwest's website, their stock exchange symbol, LUV, part represents their home at Dallas Love Field and part represents the theme of their Employee - Customer relationship.   

It was encouraging and refreshing to hear that the ideals many try to live their lives by can be the pillars of a successful company.  Oftentimes business success can come at a price in cut-throat competition and difficult ethical decisions.  Southwest is a prime example that a little bit of hard work and a little bit of 'luv' really can get you to the top of the game.

When life gives you just one tree,

Hyde Park, just north of the UT campus
Austin, TX
10.8.11 pm

Bike Route 47

Date: Friday October 7, 2011
Time:  6pm
Temperature:  86 degrees F

Road conditions varied quite a bit.  There were sections of freshly paved asphalt and then sections of under-construction concrete patches and bumps.   Today, my ride included the 3.5 mile section from Hyde Park to the 183 underpass.  It seemed like the route stopped there, but according to this map, it actually keeps going further north for quite a while.   My turnaround point was when I got to the 'Austin China Center' parking lot.

Along the way are neighborhoods and industrial parks.  While the route crosses several major intersections, they are all lighted.  The route itself is on not-too-busy roads with wider than normal lanes for passing.  There is a designated bike lane for pretty much all of the section I saw today.

With it being October and halloween season, there were lots of fantastic halloween displays.   One included spiders crawling around a tree stump that had to be at least 2.5 feet wide.   Lights are very popular in Austin in any time of year.  Now, most of the lights you come across are orange :)  It's fun to see everyone's take on decorating for the holiday.  Not to mention all the houses are neat to look at anyway - unique character, landscaping, and architecture.  Now that it's cooling off, this might just have to become a weekly habit.  Hmm.. to bike every bike route in Austin...

Cut Off Jeans

 Lucky Jeans - 1st Generation 

Due to my conservative upbringing, I've never had cutoffs.  Or, more correctly, never made my own cutoffs.  A couple of weeks ago, I decided I wanted a pair.  And today, I realized my window of opportunity is closing in rather unexpectedly.  You see, cutoffs are usually shorts (as opposed to capris) and shorts are worn in warm weather.  But, out of the blue, it's starting to get a bit chilly in Austin.  Quite a surprise to me.  The 100+ degree days had 'frozen' a picture in my mind of it simply always being hot in Austin.

The subject was a first generation pair of my Lucky Jeans. Originally purchased back in the wee years of undergrad, they were the response to my American Eagle jeans literally disintegrating after 5 years of intimate love.  Those AE jeans were stretch, and boy did I test that characteristic.  They'll always hold a soft spot in my heart.  But, these Lucky jeans had a good life, too.  Saw the best of my undergrad years and were officially retired last year when I upgraded to a dark shade of Luckys... more grown up and sophisticated.  You know, you gotta grow up some time.

Cutting any sort of material short of wrapping paper or construction paper is going out of my comfort zone.  For reassurance, I came up with a plan of action for taking my jeans under the knife.  Cutting material seems really really final in my mind, and I didn't want to screw up my cut and render the jeans unwearable.  Not that I was wearing them as long jeans anyways, but still - I'd hate to see a perfectly good pair of jeans permanently damaged.  To put my uneasiness at ease, I tried a practice cut way down south of the danger zone.  My fear that cutting the thick material would be difficult was quickly diminished.  It was easy.  

Where to make the final cut was the next task.  I didn't want to go too short.  Remember, I'm grown up now and tend to side on dressing more conservatively.  Having ample coverage on my legs while biking was another practical reason for leaving the shorts fairly long.  Standing in front of the mirror, I eyeball a good length and use my straightedge (engineers scale) to mark with the red pen a line across one leg.  I'm surprised when I lay the pants down on the floor and the red pen line is arched across the left leg.  Hmm.  I cut along anxiously and try 'em on - one leg long, one leg short.  Satisfied with the length, I repeat with the same method: bathroom, mirror, straightedge, red pen, knife.  I mean, scissors. 

Final Product!

The cut is almost too clean.  It isn't exactly the look I was thinking I'd get, but then realize I'm working with stretch jeans that were already pretty thin to begin with.  Improvising, I try rolling up the bottoms.  I like the way this looks.  A more permanent solution will be to sew the two sides... but that'll have to wait for another day.   For the time being, I'll admire my first pair of homemade anything (clothing wise) (!! :D).  And also ponder... what to do with the leftover jean legs?? :P 

Rain Clouds?

We all have moods.  This is a subject that some, including myself, are more qualified to relate to than others, but none-the-less, let's face it.  To some degree, we all have some days that are better than others.  

So, it struck me by surprise when I realized that my environment had not had a mood swing since I've been here.  I live in Austin, TX.  And in Austin, TX, it hardly ever rains.  In fact, I've seen it rain once in the past month.  And that rainstorm was so wimpy that the ground hardly got wet due to evaporation of the precipitation before it hit the ground.  In the shade, there was evidence to damp concrete.  In the sun, no chance.  Every day is pretty much sunny.  It's really almost like the paradise weather you'd find on a beach, with the exception of  20-30 degrees added to it.  The lack of weather changes has actually been starting to get to me.  I've had several up and down days myself and gosh darn it, I want the weather to reflect that in some way.  

But today felt different.  There was a breeze in the air and the sky had a dark blue to it... the fancy clothes magazines would probably call it 'Steel'.  It's definitely still very hot, but the air has the energy feel to it that usually means it's about to storm.   Yayyyy :D  From my laptop, the weather report quotes a 30% chance of t-storms.  Yayyy :D  Even with the 30%, I get hopeful.   Because believe me, this is one mood swing that I, and the rest of the state of Texas, am definitely ready for.

Video shot from the IF route bus stop on Speedway at 7pm on 9/27

................................................................27................................................................

Today, bridesmaids dresses, a child in need of love and sponsorship in Ethiopia, and a random comment at a church group tonight hit me in the face with LOVE.  And it came in the form of the number 27.

~

Love to live and Live to love

~

Have you ever seen 27 Dresses?  A girlfriend of mine and I both have.  Over a dinner conversation one night the topic came up of dresses and the movie.  It just so happened to come up around the time I'd told my friends about the idea to financially sponsor an Ethiopian child in need of love and support.  Through a friend's suggestion and encouragement, I'd decided to invest in an organization founded by a Georgia Tech professor and his wife that were doing mission work in Africa.  The decision to sponsor was easy ... the decision on which one to sponsor was the hard part.  There were close to 40 children that still needed sponsorship.   And so, in a very random way, we decided why not the 27th child on the list?  I'm sure there was more to the decision behind 27 (maybe .. ?)  But, in the end, it made it easy to select the 27th child on the website's list and go with that child, whoever it may be.  It would save me the heart wrenching decision of picking a child myself.  Sooooo.... that is how 27 entered my life:

TSEGAYE MEKONEN MEGERSA

'27' as we lovingly refer to him is a 5 year old boy who does not attend school for financial reasons.  Until now.  He lives with his natural mother and runs errands for the family.  And now, he has an extended family of American 20-something's who will send him love and support from the States in the hopes that our sponsorship will have a positive impact on his life and future.  Maybe, just maybe, the love and pictures we send him of our smiling faces will put a smile on his.

Because of Kennedy, the organization that we're sponsoring 27 through, is a Christian based group that shares Christian teachings with the kids.  Tonight, in the midst of studying and work and research and other of life's craziness, 27 was far from my mind.  I was sitting with a group from a local church talking about 'Walls' that we put up inside ourselves and between others around us.  Someone randomly brings up a stat he'd heard about it taking someone hearing about Jesus 27 times before they start to  respond to the Church and to Jesus.  Yep - 27 times.

It takes three seconds for me to make the connection to 'my' 27 and the dinner conversation about 27 Dresses I'd had several weeks before.  It's a weird coincidence that a chick flick movie about a gal after true love leads to the decision on which child to sponsor that leads to a stat I hear tonight about it taking 27 times for a person to truly start to respond to talk about  Jesus.  However random it all may be, my heart swells when I think of the ONE thing they all have in common.

Love.  Love in marriage and between friends.  Love of children and the future.  And love in your faith.  

~

"If I have the gift of prophesy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing".  

My Own Little World by Matthew West

Challenge yourself to think outside your world.  Would you be satisfied with your impact?

Conversation Partner Intro

She was saying things like "it doesn't have to be anything glamorous" and throwing out ideas like "take your student on the bus ride, to the grocery store, to the gym, out to eat at a restaurant, or to a sporting event".

And I sat in that nothing-fancy conference room around a table with about 15 other volunteers focusing on the projector slides and I knew - I knew - exactly what kind of experiences I wanted to share with my students.  Because, just this past summer, I had been in the same cultural standpoint these students are in right now.

I was attending the short intro/training course at the Texas Intensive English Center for their first ever conversation partner program.  A volunteer conversation program that allows students at the school, most of whom are here with the sole purpose of becoming fluent enough to enroll in college, to interact with native English speakers.  The other volunteers and I were learning the history and demographics of the school.  We were talking about the intricacies of the relationships we are about to form with the students we get paired with.  For the next semester, our focus will be on forming friendships and developing into mentors as these students adopt American lifestyles.  And that's when she starts talking about things to do beyond simply sitting in a coffee shop and chatting about American culture and customs.  Why sit there and chat when you can get up and Go??

An overwhelming majority of the kids in the English School are from the single country of Saudi Arabia.  The Saudi government is heavily promoting their students to learn English by sponsoring scholarships for them to come to the US.  The next largest bucket of nationalities represented in the school are Asians, followed by a few South Americans and a scatter of students from other countries.

While in the 30 minute long presentation by the program director, I hardly chatted with the other volunteers.  I had yet to lay an eye on a student wandering the halls.  But, I felt qualified to introduce these students to my culture.  Having been submersed in European and Chinese cultures for over a month this summer, I started craving the simple adventures.  Only after about a month walking around cities seeing all the 'must sees' can you appreciate the desire to see the 'must goes' - like grocery stores, shopping malls, the doctor office, etc.

I remember being held back from fully experiencing a culture due to my language barrier and also the intimidation of foreign systems.  On Monday, I'll get to meet the student(s) I am paired up with in the program.  As you can probably tell, I am totally pumped.  This comes at a time when I've just gotten several writing assignments for the campus magazine to report on Austin weirdness... food, shops, activities.  It also comes at a time when my interest in other foreign cultures is peaking.  I can't help but be totally psyched.  For once, I feel like I'm qualified to do a good job.  And, I can't help but  wonder how my own personal discovery of Austin will influence my student's impression of American culture.  I wonder... will they come away thinking Americans are even remotely... weird?

There's only one way to find out :D  Stay tuned.

Travel Decisions by the Numbers

A friend's wedding and my mom's birthday gave me more than enough reason to book a flight home to Nashville, TN for this coming weekend.  I'm flying Southwest out of the Austin-Bergstrom International Airport (ABIA) and was wondering earlier today how I'm going to get my little toosh to the airport tomorrow.  Hmmm... typical and instantaneous response:  Drive.  Duh.  I'm independent, I love my Explorer, and I will be able to travel to and from the airport as I please (or as my flight schedule coming back permits).

Walking through campus yesterday headed to where most of the buses stop I see an Airport Flyer bus at one of the stops...So...Stretch idea... how about the Bus?  Yeah!!... the buses in Austin are pretty awesome.  "They go everywhere" is the impression most Austinites have of the system.

Being ADD about planning (especially new ideas), I have to know when, where, ... and how.  I look up the bus schedule and map (http://www.capmetro.org/riding/routes_100.asp) for the 'Airport Flyer' (aka Route 100).  Going to ABIA on Friday I'm plenty good on time between my last class and my departure time and have several bus times I can take.  Coming back Sunday will be tight.  I get in at 10:25pm and the last bus leaves from ABIA at 11.  As long as my plane is not delayed, I'll be fine.

But, what if I am delayed?

I'll have to take a cab.  After 11pm, I'd hate to make a friend come and get me.   I call Lonestar Cab Company to get an estimated price(http://www.lonestarcabaustin.com/).  After getting my home address, the woman on the phone quotes me 29 bucks.  And, before I finish my question, she answers "Yes, we always have tons of cabs at the airport". (Again, duh).

29 bucks IF I have to take a cab.  Well... I could always drive like I had planned in the first place.  I check the airport satellite parking lot: (http://www.ci.austin.tx.us/austinairport/lots.htm) for the cheapest parking rates.  7 bucks a day x 3 days = 21 bucks.

This means I could possibly have to pay 8 dollars more IF my flight is delayed.

I'm taking the Bus.  A combination of the bus system having a great reputation and being easily accessible gets me to consider taking the bus.  The hope of my return flight not getting delayed and having to pay the 8 extra dollars heavily outweighs the alternative of driving my car (where I would be guaranteed a 21 dollar fee for parking).   And, the bus ride would be a new exciting adventure, whereas I would hope a trip in my car would be 'uneventful'.  And, even if I do have to end up taking a taxi, I'll at least have company on the way home late Sunday night :D

So, Momma's bday and Prisca's Wedding, here I come!! Via foot, BUS, and plane!  :))

-----

Airport Flyer Shuttle at stop near UT campus on Dean Keaton Blvd.

Austin Pictures

At the request of  Mary Elizabeth, I'm posting some pictures of around town and my new place.   Mary Elizabeth was my roomy back in Greenville, SC when we both interned at Fluor.  We had a hella good time after work hiking mountains and jogging trails downtown.  And one thing about Mary Elizabeth that's worth remembering.  She knows how to shoot a gun, and she just got her licensee.  Imma listen to this girl :P  .. Enjoy:)

View of the State Capital from the Tower Lawn.  Looking South towards downtown from the heart of UT's campus.

The Tower - the most iconic building on campus.  Lights up orange at night when there is cause to celebrate after athletic events, etc.

View of Sunset from South Congress Bridge.  Looking West (for thoroughness).  At this snapshot in time, there were thousands of bats flying east from underneath the South Congress Bridge.

They say you should never forget where you come from.  My response: a mini shrine :P  At the prime time spot is my awesome Ramblin Wreck model from my awesome Uncle Phil.  The two flags attached to the car are pretty fragile.  If ever a small fix is needed, white out does a surprisingly great job at holding things together :P

LivingRoom!  The more I use it, the more I appreciate the airy windows, large space, and 'hardwood' floors.  Rachel's table in the middle of the room holds everything together.

WorkStation.  My window to the world... my NatGeo map and my laptop.  And... all my papers in organize chaos.  Currently, I'm trying the manilla folder system to keep my life organized.  It's working out so far...   

A picture of my peeps!  A collection of my favorite pictures and frames from over the years.  And, relevant knick knacks like the shells from Flordia (pic of Western FL beach), the baseball from the Greenville Drive game (pic of Mary Elizabeth and I hiking on Paris Mountain in Greenville, SC), and the pinecone and chopsticks from China.

My new bed - So fancy it's gotta a pilla' on top.  Translation: deep fitting sheets needed - no biggie.  It's nice, but I still don't complain when I'm tucked away in a bag on the ground camping (or swinging in my tent hammock :)