Brooke's Notes

National Adoption Month

2009-11-19T21:14:00.007-06:00

Happy National Adoption Month! In case you didn't know, I am really pro-adoption. I think it is a wonderful way to grow a family. That being said, I am going to use this post to provide a little education. Adoption brings to the surface many different prejudices. For example, did you know that most adoptive parents prefer girls? It's true. Highlighted is an article that I read a few years ago. I found this Slate.com article fascinating and hopefully it will make you think about your attitudes towards gender.

This picture has nothing to do with my post. But isn't my new niece precious? I can't wait to see her next week! (Anna, a restaurant review is next in the queue!)

So funny

2009-09-11T21:23:00.003-05:00

Oh dear, the title of this post sounds like a terrible email forward. Whatever, this is actually funny.

The reason some girls stay single - very funny!

This guy is a "class" act!

READ BELOW BEFORE LISTENING

The story is this: a girl was out with friends having drinks on King St (in Toronto ). This guy approaches her and won't leave her alone -saying how cute she is. She finally gives in and hands the guy her business card to get rid of him. The attached is an MP3 file of not one, but TWO voicemails this guy left. This goes down in the history books - especially the second voice mail. After hearing them you can clearly see why she didn't call him back - instead she called in to the Z103.5 morning show & had them play this on the air.

Ladies: He is out there... :)

(download)

Lake Conroe, New Mexico, and Karma

2009-08-16T14:16:00.009-05:00

I have recently returned from family vacation. I had so much fun spending loads of time with everyone. This trip was a two parter: Part 1 - Lake Conroe, TX and Part 2 - Red River, NM. At Lake Conroe there was much Wii tennis, pool time, and grilling.

Lake Conroe pictures:

An intense tennis match between Roddick and Federer.

Katie playing at the beach.

Troy and Becky picnicking at Lake Conroe

Next, Brent, Erin, and Katie went home to Dallas and the rest of flew to New Mexico. Here is where Karma comes into play. Almost everyone I know loves New Mexico. Sadly, I have had some bad experiences there. I had a terrible time at 7th grade church camp because my good friend's grandmother died and when she returned home for the funeral, I was left at camp with zero friends. Then a couple years later, an icy ski trip with my youth group again soured me on the state. Well, instead of keeping my negative thoughts to myself I have bashed New Mexico many times. I have mocked the southwest art, dismissed New Mexico's ski slopes, and called Santa Fe a town full of old hippies. When I returned with my family this month, I really liked everything. Red River was charming, the scenery was beautiful, and I was able to wear long sleeves and shorts (an all time great combo). Well, New Mexico let me enjoy the first two days and then I suffered the worst allergy attack ever. By the end of the trip I had a summer cold (the worst of all colds). Gentle readers, remember if you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all. There was an upside to the cold. While wallowing on the couch one day, I discovered a Mad Men marathon. Oh my word, that is a GREAT show. It is about a New York advertising agency in the early 1960s. The clothes are amazing and the dialogue is witty. Season 3 premiers tonight at 10/9 central on AMC. Check it out, you won't be disappointed.

Here are some pics from Red River:

Jeep time!

Top of the Fourth of July Trail

Mom cooking dinner

Dad relaxing before dinner

Me and Brooke at the top of the Red River ski lift

Harry Potter and The Fug Blog

2009-07-14T19:10:00.004-05:00

I am very pumped about Harry Potter this week. My tickets for Wednesday are already purchased. To get ready, I have been watching loads of Potter on t.v. as a refresher. I am also loving the Fug's Blog coverage of HP fashion. Lovely Emma Watson gets most of the press, but that makes sense seeing as girls fashion is much more entertaining. Below is a Fug post from a few days ago. So funny! Also, Daniel Radcliffe is super short, who knew.

JULY 7, 2009

Harry Potter and the Half-Fug Prince

FUG FILE:

RUPERT GRINT: Dude. Apparently my getting swine flu brought with it a previously unpublicized side effect: I no longer show up to premieres looking like I just rolled out of bed! Now I wish I'd gotten it earlier!

J.K. ROWLING: I'm a gazillionaire. And this color looks great on me. AND I'm not working on a crazy deadline anymore. How awesome are things for me right now? Pretty awesome.

EMMA WATSON: I am ALSO pretty. Tonight is going SO WELL! What a relief!

DAN RADCLIFFE: Oh god. Am I....wearing a suit that closes with a TOGGLE?

RUPERT: I look charming and Dan's suit closes with a toggle! AT LAST RON WEASLEY COMES OUT ON TOP! Come on, everyone! How about a rousing round of "Weasley Is Our King!"

JO: I wonder who talked Dan into that toggle-closure. Was he Confunded in his dressing room? I mean, if that were real.

EMMA: Poor Dan. Someone's going to need to buy that boy a drink. He looks so alarmed. I told him not to go for the toggle. Why doesn't he listen to me? What HAPPENED with him?

DAN: What HAPPENED to me? Is there any way I can blame this on dark magic? Think, Radcliffe! THINK!

Are you there blog world? It's me, Brooke

2009-07-13T19:12:00.014-05:00

I think that one of the most unoriginal things a person can say is that they were nerd in middle school/jr. high/high school. News flash, everyone goes through an awkward stage. While I try my best not to roll my eyes when someone says, "Trust me, I was a huge dork in high school," I do I love the stories that follow that line. Over dinner tonight, my friend and I shared some particularly horrible middle school memories. However, I have little sympathy for my friend because she rebounded early and went on to be a cheerleader and homecoming queen in high school. Her suffering was minimal at best. I thought it might be fun to share a dorky junior high story on the blog. Enjoy!

There is so much about my junior high school experience that is comical. I attended John H. Glenn Junior High 7th - 9th grade in San Angelo, TX. The school is now called John H. Glenn Middle School and serves students 6th - 8th grade. The fact that the school isn't named after a Texan or Southern Civil War hero is shocking. However, an astronaut is cool, so I guess the school district thought it was ok to break tradition. The school's space theme boldly goes where no school has gone before. Glenn was built in the 1960s, and San Angelo must have been experimenting with some crazy, new age ideas because the school is shaped like an actual spaceship. It is comprised of three round buildings that resemble the Star Trek Enterprise. I wish I had a good picture to show you, but the best I have this school map. It kind of shows what I am talking about. Also, the mascot: Space Raiders.

August 1994 was a busy time for my family. We were moving from San Angelo, TX to Phoenix, AZ. The move came at such at a terrible time. I spent the first few weeks of school at Glenn and then transferred to a new school in Phoenix. My parents mandatory trip to Phoenix to buy a new house fell during the first week of school in San Angelo. My older brother was starting 11th grade and able to fend for himself for a week. But the thought of getting a 12 year-old ready for her first day of junior high was a bit much. Also, my little sister was only going into the 4th grade. So, Becky and I went to stay with my best friend Jamie, who lived a few blocks over. Planning for the move and everything that entailed made my introduction to junior high a minor event for the family. Oh the woes of being a middle child :)

When I attended Glenn, the vast majority of students were in Athletics. General Physical Ed. was available, but really only weird kids were in PE. Becky and Jamie will back me up on this one. I may have been clueless socially, but I knew enough to know that it was much better to run laps in off season Athletics, than go slumming in PE.

My school required that all girls wear a uniform to Athletics. The uniform consisted of green shorts and a gray t-shirt that said "Glenn Girls Athletics" on the front, and on the back it had your first initial and last name. This shirt could only be purchased from a few stores in town. Well, the night before my parents were to leave for Phoenix and a few days before school started, I realized that I did not have the mandatory gym uniform. I panicked because 7th Grade Girls Athletics was 1st Period. We were required to come to school in our Athletics uniform, even on the first day of class. The thought of facing every girl in school wearing something different was unbearable. At first, when I notified my parents of the problem, my mother said that I would go without for the first week of school and when they returned, the gym uniform would be purchased. Well, I freaked out. Glenn had this crazy policy that if you didn't have the athletics uniform by the 3rd day of school, then you were forced to take PE. My parents did not return until the 2nd week of school, so social suicide loomed on the horizon. My parents were dubious of this policy and didn't see the big deal with being in PE instead of Althletics. After much whining, my father went to the store late at night to buy the goods.

Now readers, if you are ever in the situation where the father of your soon-to-be 13 year-old daughter is sent on a mission to buy her clothes, please give him VERY specific instructions. Sadly for me, my father received no such instructions. My fathered returned with 2 size XL shirts. At 12 years-old, I weighed about 90lbs sopping wet. My father wears an XL shirt. Why he thought that his much smaller daughter could fit into an XL shirt is beyond me. However, my father's error could not be corrected before they left town. It was humiliating walking into school the first day of class wearing a gym uniform two sizes too large. Well, my parents are practical people and they saw no point in buying me a new gym shirt because I attended Glenn for less than a month. When I went to Phoenix, I intentionally left those shirts in my gym locker.

Little did I know that a year later my father would be transferred back to San Angelo. When I returned to Glenn Girls Athletics, I made sure that my parents bought me gym shirts that fit. I never really forgot the 7th grade shirts because if a student forgot their uniform, then they had to borrow a discarded shirt. Well, my old XL shirts ended-up in the bucket of discarded uniforms. All of the discarded shirts were from girls who left their shirts behind when they moved, went onto high school, etc. You knew someone was wearing a discarded uniform because the name on the back of shirts was crossed-out with a permanent marker. Girls rarely wore my shirts because they were enormous.

I almost forgot about this entire disaster, but then I started high school. Somehow one of my old shirts made it's way into the wardrobe of a cool, senior boy. He thought it was ironic and funny to wear a Glenn Girls Athletics t-shirt. I am assuming he chose my shirt because it was big enough to fit him. Needless to say, my name was sprawled across the back of the shirt and this caused everyone to have a good laugh at my expense. Looking back, I think it's kind funny how those drama-filled shirts would just not go away.

4th of July

2009-07-05T15:32:00.008-05:00

Greetings from Long Island! I hope that everyone had a great 4th of July weekend. My weekend started off pretty perfect because Friday was a holiday :) My co-worker/friend Lindsye and I ventured into Manhattan for a little shopping. Since I have been to New York a number of times, I took the lead navigating our trip. Disaster. Why is it that when I am alone, I am able to accomplish amazingly difficult trips? But put me in charge of other people, and everything falls apart? Poor Lindsye. I was able to get us to Soho, but that was about it. Google led me astray with a wrong address, I got turned around after exiting the subway...nothing went right. Anyways, shopping was a success and lunch was very tasty (we ate at Jane on Houston Street - good food, mostly reasonable prices). I met up with my friend Melody after shopping. For personal growth, we went to the MOMA (free on Friday's from 4 to 8) and ate dinner at Rosa Mexicana.

The next day I took the train to Washington D.C. to celebrate the 4th of July with my parents and Becky and Troy. Guys, Amtrak is great! The seats are very comfortable and it is so nice not having to mess with TSA. I wish that Texas would invest a high speed rail service. I think that it would do really well. We went to the Mall to watch fireworks and the Capitol delivered. My family tried to get as close to the symphony as possible, but the only thing that we could hear were the cannons during the the 1812 Overture. Becky, Troy, and I took the Bolt Bus back to the city. While the bus was not as spacious as the train, the price was considerably cheaper, $24 vs. $72. Here are a few pics:

I was a tad bored waiting for the train to leave.

My family in matching Old Navy shirts - I know that everyone envies our swagger!

Becky and Troy

Killing time while Becky was looking for a D.C. Christmas ornament

Waiting for the big fireworks show

Happy Independence Day!

Housewarming/Job Promotion/Non-Hermit Party

2009-06-28T12:24:00.012-05:00

Last night I had a few friends over for a housewarming/job promotion/non-hermit party. If you recall this post from April, I promised to update my blog with pictures of my new place after I was all settled in. Well, I live like a lost boy and I needed a party to motivate me to unpack my last box and hang some art on the walls. When I told Anna that I was thinking about hosting a party, she generously offered to bring homemade egg rolls. I then ran with an Asian theme. I served chicken satay with a Thai peanut dipping sauce, edamame, and fruit. Melina brought a heavenly pear pie, Jill treated everyone to her famous mango pie, and Audrey completed the spread with a chocolate cake.

Here is a photo timeline of the party. Emma took most of the pictures, so the perspective is that of a 7-year-old:

The party started with general milling about. Despite the presence of wine glasses, Melina instinctively went to pour her wine in a red cup :)

Then everyone sampled the food. I was pretty proud of myself for slicing the limes banquet style.

Can you see the love in these egg rolls? They were sooo good, thanks Anna!

Next, there was pleasant party conversation. Sorry Jill, only Audrey and Bryan made the cut for this picture. I had to crop you out because your eyes were closed.

Joe and Anna

Super cute Melina and Chris. Middle class white boys everywhere envy Chris' footwear.

Here are two pictures of the desserts. Katie, Melina's pear pie is a lot like our apple pie. So, if you want to do a fun twist on the pie try substituting pears (I would cut the baking

time in half if you use canned pears).

Emma and I being silly after dessert

James and Lindsye

Finally, my guests started to fall asleep and everyone went home. Overall, everything went pretty well. I was the only one who spilled anything and only Audrey got lost trying to find my apartment. Thanks for coming guys, I hope you enjoy reading this post at work!

Review: It's On with Alexa Chung

2009-06-26T19:55:00.008-05:00

A week ago, I had a nasty eye infection that caused me to be home around lunch time. Somehow I stumbled onto MTV's new daytime talk show "It's On with Alexa Chung." The last show I kind of watched on MTV was Laguna Beach. I really have no idea what is going on with the kids these days, so I decided to give MTV a little bit of my time. Well, I must say that this new show (debuted June 15th) is pretty good for what it is. What makes this show work is the host Alexa Chung. Ms. Chung is a 25 year-old former model from London (her mother is British and father, Chinese). She also dates someone from the band Arctic Monkey's. Overall, she is pretty likable for an ex-model. Alexa possesses that British charm Americans love and she is refreshingly low-key for a daytime tv personality. She doesn't scream like Trya or annoy me like Kelly Rippa. We get it Kelly, you're a Jersey girl whose wildest dreams came true. Congrats, now please keep it to yourself. Alexa is the kind of celebrity that people think they could be friends with in real life.

The format of the show is familiar: talk about celebrities, discuss some headlines, make fun of twitter/facebook/youtube, and interview a couple of guests. The stuff I saw regarding twitter and fb wasn't too original, but Alexa was able to keep the show moving forward. Right when I was about to change the channel, adorable Bradley Cooper came on to promote The Hangover. Their rapport was good. Alexa appears very comfortable around celebrities. Actually, she was much more comfortable with Bradley Cooper than when she interacted with her dorky studio audience.

The purpose of this show is to be the new TRL. However, I think that the time of day this show airs is awkward. Who is MTV marketing to? College girls and hip stay at home moms? TRL worked because it aired when kids were home from school. I don't know how many viewers MTV can steal from Live With Regis and Kelly and Rachel Ray. I know that MTV wants a new daytime hit, but Alexa's laid back style might be better suited for late night. But that time slot is already crowded with two Late Shows, The Daily Show/Colbert Report, and Chelsea Lately. Really, I don't know where to put this girl. Anyways, if you are home sick and want something to watch for an hour at 12:00 p.m./11:00 a.m. EST/CST check out "It's On" on MTV.

Here's a pic and video of Alexa Chung. She really looks so familiar. I must have seen her in some ad campaign/trashy celebrity magazine or something.

MTV Shows

Dinner, globe trotting, midgets, and vampires

2009-06-23T21:57:00.005-05:00

Last night, my friend Jill hosted dinner at her new house. Jill and Emma, Jennifer and Matt, and yours truly all enjoyed each other's company and Jill's delicious vegetarian lasagna, a summer salad, cheesy garlic bread, and homemade frozen yogurt. It was all excellent. By the end of the evening, I was dating a vampire named Sean. Here are a few pics:

The lovely hostesses, Emma and Jill

My new favorite couple, Matt and Jennifer

Globe Trotting

After dinner Emma brought out her globe. Since she styled Matt's hair with numerous bows and headbands during cocktails, this was obviously the ideal post-dessert activity. The kid loves geography and it makes sense seeing how most of the adults she knows are always traveling and talking about different countries.

My new beau Sean, his sister Emily, and cousin Rose (yes, he wears after six attire daily and sparkles like diamonds in the sun)

I have been very bad about pictures lately, so I will reward my readers with a video of Emma. I cannot remember what we were talking about, but at some point during dinner Emma shouted at the top of her lungs, "I know a midget! I know a midget!" I busted out the video camera to see what the heck she was talking about. What follows is me asking questions that Emma finds pointless. Also, I have a wicked hick accent in the video, please accept my apologies.

Sea World

2009-06-22T21:05:00.008-05:00

This past weekend my parents, brother's family, and I all put on some sunscreen and headed to Sea World. I was 9 years-old the last time I toured Sea World, so it was good to see my old friend Shamu again. Katie had tons of fun watching the shows. She really loved the sea lions and was making the hand sign for Shamu to do a big splash all weekend. Sadly, my family did poorly in the pictures department. I forgot my camera, Erin failed to charge her camera, and my parent's memory card was full. Ugg. Here are a few of the photos we did manage to take. These were all taken after lunch, so it was a little hot!

Me and Katie watching the water ski show

Katie feeding the ducks some snacks

Family photo. This was taken right before we exited the park, little Katie was all tuckered out

Restaurant Review: Fig and Olive

2009-06-11T23:16:00.004-05:00

Once again, I am traveling for work. So, this week I am posting from Denver, CO. I am so sad that Continental is no longer my work's contract carrier. US Airways never seems to get it right. Monday's flight was super delayed and PACKED.

I am going to take a stab at writing a restaurant review. Last weekend, I was in NYC visiting my sister and brother-in-law. On Saturday night, Becky made dinner reservations at Fig & Olive Kitchen and Tasting Bar. Fig & Olive has several NYC locations. We dined at the Fig & Olive in the Meatpacking District. This is where Samantha moved to in Season 3 of Sex and the City. The Meatpacking District has numerous hip restaurants, cobblestone streets, and rooftop bars. Often in NYC, the restaurants are small and cozy. However, the warehouses of the Meatpacking District allow for more space than average. Here is how Fig & Olive took advantage of the extra room (gentle readers, you will have to make do with stolen internet images because I forgot my camera):

Main Dining Room

In my opinion, the decor evokes a Mediterranean vibe without being overly cheesy. I particularly liked the large wicker light fixtures. Our reservations were for 7:00 p.m., early by any big city standards. This fact allowed our waiter Jonah to be extra attentive. We started with cocktails and a sampled 3 kinds of olive oil. Fig & Olive keeps in stock over 30 different kinds of olive oil. My olive oil pallet is not very refined, so I couldn't tell that big of a difference between the three. My White Sangria cocktail is something that I would recommend to anyone. It was packed with tons of different kinds of fruit - yum! Troy enjoyed his Red Sangria and Becky had a Pomegranate Martini. She is such a sucker for anything with Pomegranate :)

Most of the dishes contained olives and figs served in a clever way. I started with a chilled avocado soup. The portion was too large and I was overwhelmed. However, the flavor was nice and creamy.

Avocado Soup

For dinner I had their signature salad. The salad was packed with baked figs, olives, walnuts, apples, and cheese and then topped with a sweet balsamic vinegar dressing. My favorite part of the salad was the cheese. There was shaved parmesan, manchego, gorgonzola, and goat cheese. It was indulgent and I liked it. I heard no complaints from Becky and Troy regarding their main meals. Becky chose the rotisserie chicken with string beans and mashed potatoes. Her dish was accompanied by a special kind olive oil that she periodically drizzled over her plate. There was enough chicken to feed a family of four, so I added some to my salad. Troy had the salmon, which looked tasty, but the vegetable medley side looked uninspired.

Overall, Fig & Olive is a restaurant that I would recommend to friends and family. It is especially good if you have a picky eater in the group. The menu is varied, but contains a number of "safe" chicken and pasta dishes. On a final non-food note, I think that Fig and Olive would be cute names for a pair kittens. Can you picture it?

Youtube classic

2009-05-19T21:25:00.004-05:00

Just in case you are wondering why I am posting this video, I had a flash back while searching Youtube for my Rudo y Cursi post. I found a video that I watched constantly when I first moved to Houston under Youtube's "Recommended For You" section. Which by the way is not near as accurate as Amazon's "Recommended For You." Also, all of the tribute montages to celebrities on Youtube are creepy. See, when I first moved to Houston, I knew no one. It was bad, really bad for a few weeks. I was the youngest employee at my office by 25 years. (Note to current co-worker friends who think that I am exaggerating: Jack and April were on vacation. Jessica started 2 weeks after me.) I needed motivation to keep going and Lesley Gore's live performance of "You Don't Own Me" got me through. I have this song on iTunes, but the video worked best during the dark times. I just had to watch the clip again for old times sake. I mean look at her. Lesley is probably about 17 in this video. Her eyes are so sleepy, but you can see how happy she is. This is just how I like my feminist anthems - approachable and joyful.

If I am being honest, there was also an exploding whale video that helped keep my sprits up in Summer 2007.

Rudo y Cursi

2009-05-18T17:53:00.012-05:00

On Saturday night, my good pal Melina and I went to see Rudo y Cursi at the Angelika downtown. This drama/comedy is all the rage right now in Mexico. Bless Mexico's heart, that country needs something good. Times are tough with the drug lords, gangs, crushing poverty, and swine flue. The good people of Mexico deserve this movie.

I highly recommend watching a foreign film in the theater because the subtitles are easier to read. However, a fancy, huge flat screen will do if you want to wait for Netflix. The subtitles in this movie are a British-English translation. I found this fact to be hysterical. Who doesn't like statements like, "The tire is in the boot you wanker." Now, I am sure that some of my readers are thinking, "My boyfriend/husband will never want to see a foreign film." I honestly think that this movie is the perfect introduction to foreign films for guys. Rudo y Cursi is the story of half-brothers from the sticks who are discovered by a talent scout and transformed into Mexico City soccer stars (ladies think A League of Their Own). As always with rags-to-riches tales, the brothers faults are magnified because of fame, and this causes conflict. Rudo y Cursi translates to "Tough and Corny."

The stars of this movie are Diego Luna and Gael Garcia Bernal. If you saw Y Tu Mama Tambien eight years ago, then you already know these actors. I have not seen Y Tu Mama Tambien, so for me I knew their names, but wasn't really sure who was who. Here are pictures for your foreign film education:

Diego Luna

Gael Garcia Bernal

Fun fact, Diego and Gael grew-up together in Mexico and are real life besties. They both had babies this year too. Isn't that cute? Another fun fact, Gael dated Natalie Portman back in 2003/2004. Diego plays Beto, nickname Rudo. He is a hard headed family man who loves goal keeping and gambling. Gael is Tato, nickname Cursi. He is a talented striker who has delusional dreams about becoming pop star. Basically, this movie is a satire on how Mexican men are big babies who love their mothers. Go see Rudo y Cursi if you want to have a good time at the movies and feel smug and artsy afterwards.

Below is one of my favorite moments from Rudo y Cursi. If this doesn't make you laugh, then you have no soul.

Maggie

2009-05-16T17:44:00.006-05:00

Hi all. Recently, a friend of mine passed away. Maggie fought for life and was a force for good. She will be missed.

Maggie Mae Weaver

Maggie Mae Weaver On May 4, 2009, the world lost a dazzling smile. Cradled in the arms of her husband and surrounded by loved ones, Maggie Mae Weaver peacefully lost her arduous battle with colon cancer. During the 850 day siege, she lived more richly than most do in a lifetime: she graduated from Baylor Law School in 2007, passed the Bar Exam and opened her own law firm; traveled to Greece, Wyoming, Mexico, and Ireland; and hosted a celebrated art show of her own unique, beautiful paintings on April 22. Dancing through her life with the grace reserved for angels, Maggie changed people's lives with her story and charmed everyone she met with her infectious smile and effervescent spirit. She will be remembered by all those she touched. She was born Maggie Mae Pilat in Tennessee on December 9, 1975 but played most of her life in Austin. She graduated from The Science Academy at LBJ High School and subsequently graduated from The University of Texas in 1998 with a Bachelor in Social Work. In February 2004, she married the love of her life, Chris Weaver. Maggie is survived by her loving husband, Chris, who stood steadfastly by her side and now misses her dearly. She is also survived by her mother, Mary Valente-Russin; her sister, Lori Carnaghi; her brother, Virgil Pilat; her precious puppies, Niko and Kali; and many, many, many friends. As Maggie's final gift she donated her body to science in hopes that others will have a longer journey in their lives. A memorial service will be held on the rooftop at Third Base, 1717 W. 6th St. at 5:30 p.m. Sunday, May 10, 2009. Maggie was never afraid of dying -- she just wasn't done living. In lieu of sending flowers, please visit Maggie's website, www.thumpers-hole.net, for information on organizations to make donations to in memory of our Maggie.

Really, Paris again? Really?

2009-05-14T20:05:00.010-05:00

I acknowledge that I should no longer blog about Paris, but I am in a rut. I have started and deleted a few posts. Nothing seems quite right. I intend to write more movie, book, and recipe reviews. Alas, I have not done too much of that stuff lately. What I have chosen to do is wallow in existential crises. Who has a career freak out at 27? This girl. Did you know that Barack Obama's head speechwriter Jon Favreau was born in 1981? Dev Patel from Slumdog Millionaire was born in 1990. All of the hip Hollywood screenwriters are 25. I don't know if these are careers I aspire to, but come on adorable Dev is 19!! Click on Favreau's link, he is worth reading about.

Alright, back to Paris. I have uploaded a short, homemade video from my vacation. Included are the pictures from our day trip to London that I never blogged about. Make sure that you turn the volume up on your computer, the background song is fun.

*For some reason the video doesn't fit in the margins of my blog. Simply click the middle of the picture screen twice and your computer will navigate you to Youtube. There, you can view the video full screen or whatever you want. Also, I have no idea why the first few pictures are fuzzy. Please do not give up on the video. The new pictures at the end are clear and crisp. Perhaps the fuzziness is sign that I should upgrade to Mac's new iLife.

Week in Review

2009-05-09T21:54:00.006-05:00

Blogland, I am going to be straight with you, this week has been kind of lousy. Luckily, there were some one liners that got me through. Enjoy!

Brent: That's good parenting right?

Erin: No, that is terrible parenting.

Evil woman at DFW: We cannot help you here. You need to leave.

Angela from The Office: Look, I hate to be "that person," but I just don't like the general spirit of music.

McDonald's Employee: We do not serve lunch until 11 o'clock.

Me: It is 10:58.

McDonald's Employee: We are not ready. You can return at 11 o'clock.

Mother: I saw another fat and sassy caterpillar in the garden today. That's a good sign.

Emma: Brooke, do you want to know how old I am? I am 6 & 11/4.

Katie's Song

2009-05-02T11:00:00.001-05:00

To know me is to know that I am crazy about my niece Katie. Last weekend I was up in Dallas visiting and my sister-in-law shared a video of Katie singing songs. It was so cute that I wanted my own version. Alas, two-year-olds do not always perform on command. Below is a short video documenting the failed attempt to capture Katie. It begins with poor lighting, my apologies.

Paris Day Trips

2009-04-30T17:24:00.000-05:00

Blogging on a frequent basis is harder than I thought. I know that my tens of readers have been eagerly awaiting the conclusion post of my Paris trip. So, without further adieu...

Day 3 Day Trip:

After Jamie and I were successfully oriented to the city, we decided to leave and go on some day trips. First, we went to the palace in Versailles. This fixture of Western history is a must see when traveling to Paris. Versailles is super easy to get to because it is in a Paris suburb. Jamie and I took the subway and train. Total travel time was a little over an hour and cost about $3. We arrived at lunch time, so we went to a tasty tapas bar near the train station. What happened next was serendipity. A lovely couple from San Diego could not find the train station and we could not find the palace. We ran into each other, and together we were able re-orient ourselves. The best thing about the encounter was that the couple gave us their all access passes to Versailles. I know that this story sounds lame, but for real it was so awesome. The line to get into Versailles was 2+ hours and the all access tickets cost about $30 each. Here are some Versailles pics:

Versailles, it is too big to get in one photo.

Me rocking a cool walkman in the famous Hall of Mirrors. Jamie commented that self-guided audio tours are all the rage right now. I have to agree, they are everywhere. While I do like a live tour guide, the freedom of the audio guide is nice. I also think that the audio guides help manage the noisy crowds.

Me in front of the palace gardens. I was surprised by the lack of flowers.

Day 4 Day Trip:

Our second Day Trip was a Champaign tour. I have done several wine tours, but a Champaign tour was new. We booked our trip through Gray Line. We were surprised to find out that the prices online were more expensive than booking in the actual Paris Gray Line office. The Champaign tour involved a tour of the Reims Cathedral and a tour and tasting at the G.H. Mumm and Moet & Chandon cellars. Here is what I learned from the day trip: 1) Reims is an ancient city that was once larger than Paris. 2) All of the kings in France used to be crowned in the Reims Cathedral. 3) The city and Cathedral were badly damaged during WWI. 4) Making Champaign is a lot like making wine, except that it has about 12 extra steps 5) The Moet & Chandon people have more money than god. Here are the pics from the day:

Good friends toasting to joie de vivre

This is kind of a silly picture, but you can see how cool the cellars are.

Jamie inside a chalk cellar

Jamie enjoying a chocolate croissant. Doesn't she look great in this picture?

That evening Jamie and I went on a Fat Tire Night Bike Tour. Fat Tire Bikes is a top 5 Paris attraction according to Trip Advisor. The owner is an Aggie who knows that the recipe for success is hiring attractive co-eds to serve as tour guides. Our guide was a bubbly 23-year-old girl from Philly. Her style worked well for our group, but I believe that the lighthearted tour guides of Fat Tire might annoy some people. For example, our guide abused the phrase get excited and her historical narrative was lacking. However, her enthusiasm was genuine and some girls I know might say she has a heart of gold. The bike ride was overall very enjoyable. We went on a Sunday night, so there were few cars/buses/taxis/people to compete with. Granted, a mob of 18 bikes is a force to reckoned with. The city was beautiful at night. The coolest part of the tour was cycling through the courtyard of the Louvre. We took a break about half way through for ice cream. The tour ended with a river cruise and wine. Overall, I would recommend this activity.

Day 5:

We spent the morning at the Louvre and the afternoon shopping in the Latin Quarter. The Latin Quarter is home to many old universities and it gets its name from the fact that the Latin language was once widely spoken in the area. The evening of Day 5 was spent at a show at the Moulin Rouge. We went to dinner before hand at Un Zebre a Montmart. This place is delicious! The prix fix is about 23 Euros, you can't beat that.

Famous Art at the Louvre

I love this windmill

Baked camembert with honey and pine nuts. Obviously, I am pleased.

Two friends after a show

Paris Part Deux

2009-04-24T16:30:00.001-05:00

Day 2: Jamie and I had grand plans of waking-up at 8:00, eating a quick breakfast, visiting the Eiffel Tower, and catching the 11:00 a.m. Fat Tire Bike tour. Ha! We didn't roll out of bed until 10:20. That was fine because all schedules are flexible when you are on vaca. Since I don't miss meals, first on my list for Day 2 was breakfast. For the entire trip, Jamie and I stuck with the delicious pastry shops that are all over the city. You can eat like a king for only 3 euros.

Next, we consulted the metro map to plan the best route to the Eiffel Tower. I must say that Jamie and I were great at navigating the Paris metro. In my opinion, it puts the New York Subway, Washington D.C. Metro, and San Francisco BART to shame. Look at it! It is clean, efficient, and has signs that let you know how many minutes until the next train. Warning, the Paris metro stops running between 12:30 a.m. and 5:30 a.m. This fact causes many young Parisians to stay out all night.

Now, I have to be honest, I was a little nervous about seeing the Eiffel Tower in person. I sometimes find that big landmarks can be underwhelming. However, the Eiffel Tower did not disappoint. I loved it.

At the Eiffel Tower we were faced with two choices. Wait in the 1+ line for the elevator or wait in the 20 min line for the stairs. For Jamie, this was easy. In 1998, this girl wanted to climb the stairs to the top of one of the World Trade Towers, but the tour guide would not allow it. I, on the other hand, have no desire to ever walk across the Brooklyn Bridge. However, after a little arm twisting, I agreed to climb the stairs. It wasn't nearly as bad as I thought it would be. I was fine. There are two platforms that you can go to. I stayed on the first platform, walked around the permitter, and read about the different landmarks you can see. Jamie sprinted to the second platform. Why? Because it was there. Here are some pics from the Eiffel Tower.

View from Platform 1

Me inside the Eiffel Tower

Jamie posing for a future Facebook profile pic

Next, we made a futile effort to catch the 3:00 p.m. Fat Tire tour. According to their website, the tour meets at the South Pillar of the Eiffel Tower. From 2:25 p.m. to 3:15 p.m. Jamie and I searched high and low for the tour. Alas, we never found them. Two days later, we returned to the Eiffel Tower and found the Fat Tire tour guide immediately. I have no idea what happened on Friday.

We were beat down after our failure, so we went in search of food. Look at what we found. This picture does not do the meal justice. It was delicious. I ate the dessert first :) You can also see from the picture that I ordered a Minute Maid orange drink. On this trip I was all about the orange sodas. There were Orangina Citrus Drink ads everywhere. My mind is so weak.

Lunch at a bistro near the Eiffel Tower

Next, we went to the Pantheon. All of the really important people in France are buried there. I saw the graves of Victor Hugo and Marie Currie. On our way back to the hotel we stopped by Notre-Dame. I was amazed at the work that went into building the cathedral. We arrived just before 6:00 p.m. A Mass was being held while we walked around. That was interesting. Jamie and I went out to dinner in the Marais district, in particular Rue Vielle Du Temple. Here are a few more pics from Day 2:

Inside the Pantheon

French Philosopher Voltaire's statue and tomb in the crypt of the Pantheon

Notre-Dame Cathedral

The cool copper metro stop on the way to the Marais District

Pack your bags....

2009-04-23T18:54:00.001-05:00

and go to Paris! This past week I was lucky enough to go on a European holiday with my bff Jamie. I have said it before and I will say it again, travel is totally affordable right now. I am in heaven. If only I had unlimited leave and a trust fund. Jamie and I travelled during the off season and it worked out great. The summer hoards hadn't yet invaded, the weather was nice (high 60s and mostly sunny), and things were just a tad cheaper.

I am going to spread this post out over a few days because of pre-existing time constraints. I mean with The Office, 30 Rock, and Grey's - I am booked. By the by, is anyone watching Parks and Recreation? I love Amy Poehler and Rashida Jones, but I am on the fence. It seems too similar to The Office and not very original. Any thoughts?

Ok, back to Paris. We stayed at The New Orient. It is located in the 8th district on the Right Bank. To quote Jamie, "It is just darling." The rooms are about 100 euros a night and recently renovated. A big bonus is that the hotel is right next to 3 metro stops. Now, our room was small with an awkward layout, but all is forgiven because of free wifi and a super comfy bed. Sadly, getting to the hotel was a total beating. Roissy-CDG airport is about 40 minutes outside of Paris, so taxis are crazy expensive. Also, I come from the po' side. I can't justify spending $75 when public transportation is only $10. Go here to learn about the different ways to get to Paris from the airport. To get around Paris, Jamie and I exclusively used the metro. For about 28 euros I bought a five day Visite Pass that allowed for unlimited travel in Zones 1-3.

Luxembourg Gardens

Day 1: After dropping off our bags at the hotel, we were ready to go exploring. We took the metro to the Palais Royal Musee Du Louvre stop and started walking. We wandered around the grounds of the Louvre for a bit. I couldn't stop thinking about the Da Vinci Code. Next, we crossed over the Seine River and checked out the Left Bank. We ate a late lunch at a tasty spot. Granted, my previously meal was airplane food, so my palate was eager. I wish I could remember the name of the restaurant. It is very French and it's patrons are a tad pretentious. We then stumbled upon Luxembourg Gardens. It is so pretty! The tulips were in bloom and color was everywhere. It also has the world's coolest playground. The above picture shows a zip line - how cool is that? We then hopped on the metro and went to check out the Montmarte area (home of the Moulin Rouge). We were in need of a snack, so we bought crepes. In honor of my sister, I went with butter and sugar. Jamie had a Nutella crepe. On our way back to the hotel we passed by the cemetery where Jim Morrison is buried. (Am I the only one who didn't know who Jim Morrison was without the help of Wiki?) We cleaned-up and went out for dinner near the hotel. We wandered around for a bit and then settled on a Chinese place. It was more Vietnamese, which works for me since I love vermicelli noodles. After that, we went to our room and crashed. Here are a few more pics from Day 1:

Our room at the New Orient

The Louvre - watch out for albino monks

Lux Gardens

A fountain at Lux Gardens

The Sacre Coeur Church in Montmarte

Check out these articles on traveling to Europe:

Recalculating the Grand Tour

Practical Traveler: Airfare Debate: Buy Now or Wait?

*ETA: Ok, I realize that all of these pics look ominous and not sunny. I promise there was there was lots of sun on my trip. It did try to rain a few days, but only 1 day was rainy. Even then, it wasn't too bad.

Nick and Norah's Infinite Play List

2009-04-05T15:16:00.001-05:00

Well, Jen has been requesting a post that delves into something political and heavy. I am not there yet. However, I can write a review of the teen flick that I saw last night. I heard good things about Nick and Norah's Infinite Play List, so I ordered it up via On Demand. I am big fan of feel good, teen movies. I count Ferris Buller's Day Off as one of my favorite movies of all time. I have seen The Breakfast Club, Empire Records, Pretty in Pink, Dirty Dancing, and Dazed and Confused countless times. I am programed to like Nick and Norah, and I did.

Thanks to the Fashion & Style section of the New York Times, I knew ahead of time that Nick and Norah's screenwriter Lorene Scafaria is bff's with Juno writer Diablo Cody. I consider this a good thing because I feel like these writers help me keep in touch with kids today. Or at least a highly romanticized version of the American teenager. I learned from imdb that the movie is adapted from a popular book of the same name. I am adding this novel to my long list of "books I should read soon." In my opinion, some of the characters in the movie were underdeveloped. I hope that the book will shed some light on the back story. For example, why is Jewish Norah attending a private, all girls Catholic school? The movie is a love story with bridge and tunnel teens running amuck in NYC's Lower East Side. Nick was recently dumped by his whore of an ex-girlfriend, Tris, and he can't get over her. Tris goes to school with Norah. They are frenemies. Norah has never met Nick, but she knows he has great taste in music because of the mix CD's he makes for Tris titled "Road to Closure." One special night, Tris, Norah, and their partying friend Caroline wind up at a Manhattan club where Nick's band is playing. Calamity ensues, and Nick's band-mates decide to act as match maker for Nick and Norah. After Norah gets some much needed fashion advice from the gays, the love story begins. The plot moves forward because of the teens quest to find a secret performance of their favorite indie band, Where's Fluffy.

Michael Cera is cast as the sad, witty, and adorable male lead Nick. Cera may be getting type cast (see Juno and Superbad, and Arrested Development), but it is understandable since he plays hipster/geek so well. Kat Dennings is the privileged, sharp tongued Norah who doesn't know when she has made her point. If you are thinking who is Kat? She is the teen from 40-year-old Virgin. I found her very likable and I plan to watch some of her other movies. Warning, Ari Graynor's Caroline does things with gum that I will not soon forget.

The dialogue is clever, but a little choppy. I had to rewind a couple of times to catch Nick and Norah's one liners. Luckily, the movie hits the mark at all the right moments. I also really enjoyed seeing NYC through the eyes of these kids. It was fun and dirty. At times, it felt like Woody Allen's 70s New York. Particularly, the scene where Norah wildly drives Nick's yellow Yugo (think Annie Hall). The length of the movie is an 1 hr 30 min, perfect. Overall, I give this movie an A-.

The Chocolate Bar

2009-04-04T14:49:00.001-05:00

Today, I went to a new dessert spot in Rice Village called The Chocolate Bar. Here is a quick review:

First, I should be open and honest and let everyone know that I am not the biggest chocolate fan. Now, my company at The Chocolate Bar was great. I was with three friends, Melina, Jill, and Emma. We all ordered something different to get a good idea of what Chocolate Bar has to offer. I made a poor choice and did not order chocolate. I chose lemon velvet ice cream with chucks of white chocolate. It was very bitter and I only ate a little before throwing it out. Melina went with chocolate fruit that was visually appealing. Emma selected mudpie and cleaned her plate. Jill had some kind of chocolate cake that she enjoyed. The store is cute with lots of seating. The service was a tad slow and seemed overwhelmed with the Saturday afternoon crowd. The prices were about right and there was a large selection of chocolate treats. If you are chocolate person, then I would recommend this place. Here a few pics from the outing:

Emma just cracks me up! I wish that I had photographed all of her accessories - a sequence purse, multiple necklaces, high heels, lip gloss galore, etc. Here she is showing off a piece of raspberry chocolate.

Jill, Me, and Melina.

I love Emma's face in this pic.

A clean plate = two thumbs up from Emma

Finally, evidence of the sillies after too much chocolate:

Taxes

2009-04-04T09:57:00.000-05:00

Go figure that when I finally sit down to do my taxes, my work's website is down and I am unable to access my W-2. I hope that this is remedied soon!

Settling In

2009-04-01T16:57:00.001-05:00

Europe

Good news, I am officially out of my old place. The move went pretty smoothly thanks to help from Dad and a moving company. There was a little bit of a drizzle, but nothing too bad. Also, I am pretty sure that one of the movers was doing blow the entire time. Who takes 8 bathroom breaks in 2 hrs?

One of the first things I do when I move to a new place is find a spot for Europe. I made the above monstrosity right before my junior year of college. Martha Stewart magazine did a piece on interesting headboards, and one of them was made using an old schoolroom map. I thought this was such a clever idea that I decided to get crafty. I searched ebay, found a 1940's schoolroom map of Europe, made a bid, and won the auction. My friend Lindsay was kind enough to lend a hand with the arts and crafts stuff. Honestly, I do not think that I could have done this without her. Silly me thought that a huge cut of plywood would fit in my teeny, tiny Mitsubishi Mirage. After Lindsay's brother rescued us from Lowe's, we broke out the scissors and wood glue and made my headboard. Katie and I shared a room for 2 years and she was convinced that Europe would come crashing off the wall and kill me. Luckily, I survived. I have since upgraded from a twin bed, and Europe now acts a statement piece. This is one of my favorite things because I love maps and traveling. Sometimes I think about updating Europe by painting the border, but I kind of like it the way it is. Right now, Europe dominates one of the walls in my living room. It is what you look at when sitting on the sofa. It is also the only art that I have hung in my new apartment. Once I have everything put together, I will post a few pics. My goal is to be all settled in before Paris. Ok, I am off to tackle a few boxes before Lost!

Moving

2009-03-27T19:06:00.000-05:00

On Monday I will begin my 17th move. 8 of the moves were after age 17. While I am an experienced mover, it is not something I enjoy. Tonight, I choose to procrastinate and not pack. Also, I have my 50 millionth middle ear infection and a fever. That so does not help with the packing motivation.

Trashy Websites

2009-03-24T21:03:00.000-05:00

Pop Sugar: I never guess these right, but I got this one right on the first guess!!!

Fug: I missed this bracket because of Spring Break vacationing. Check out the March Madness posts. Hysterical photos.

Pack your bags....

2009-03-21T12:47:00.000-05:00

and go to Puerto Rico! I seriously had the best time. There is so much to do on this 100 mile island. I can not wait to go back. Granted, my sister makes for an excellent travel buddy, so that made my Spring Break even more fun.

Traveling to San Juan, the capital of PR, is super easy. It is a domestic flight, no Passport is required. San Juan is like Paris, 99% of the population is bilingual. Some people may pretend not speak English, but that is only because they do not want to help you. I am sure that in some of the small towns and surrounding islands English is harder to find. There are some great deals on flights these days. Right now, Continental is running a special to San Juan. If you have a job, take advantage of this recession - life is so affordable right now. Ok, getting around the island...Becky and I rented a car and that worked well for us. The roads are in decent condition, with a few more pot holes than I am accustomed to. Becky commented that on many of the roads it is hard to tell where the lanes are because the lines are very faded. Please note that GPS is a must in PR. Mapquest and Google Maps sent me in the right direction, but there are few street signs in PR. The lack of infrastructure is both charming and frustrating. Thanks to Becky's fancy iPhone, there was minimal wandering. If you are leery of renting a car, there are lots of taxis and many tours can be booked through hotels.

El Yunque Rainforest

Day 1: After a good nights sleep at the Embassy Suites, Becky and I headed to the Eastern part of the island. We went spent the morning at Loquillo Beach and the afternoon in the El Yunque Rainforest. At the beach, we walked around collecting shells and admiring the crystal clear water. After a quick bite, we headed up 191 to the rainforest. Now, the drive up the mountain was challenging for my compact rental car, but totally do able. El Yunque is a free, but if you want to visit the visitors center, it is $3 a person. Becky and I opted to visit the visitors center and we enjoyed the informational video narrated by Jimmy Smits. At El Yunque, we hiked to a waterfall. The hike was about an hour round trip. I would recommend wearing sneakers for hiking. I saw many people in flip flops, but they did not look very comfortable. Also, the wet rocks can be slippery. At the falls you can play in water. Becky and I sat on a rock and dipped our toes into the water. We ended Day 1 eating at a restaurant that Becky booked on Open Table.

Old Town San Juan

Bioluminescent Bay

Day 2: This was my favorite day in PR. Becky and I were exhausted after our adventurous Day 1, so we slept in until almost 10:00 a.m. After we woke up, we drove to Old Town San Juan. The architecture there is great. Becky and I spent the morning wandering around visiting souvenir shops. For history buffs, Old Town San Juan has two 400 year-old forts that are world heritage sites. There is also an art museum and a pretty cathedral. That evening we did one of the coolest things I have ever done. We kayaked Fajardo's bioluminescent bay. There are only 15 bioluminescent bays in the world and PR has the brightest bays. Swimming has been banned since 2007 because of pollution, but it is still really cool. There are about 10 tour companies in Las Croabas that offer bay tours. The departure times are 6:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m. All of the companies charge $45 a person and offer the same experience. I hear it is about $80 if you book through a hotel. Becky and I did not book in advance, so we just walked around until we found a tour company that had an opening. I read that the 6:00 p.m. tour time is suppose to be best best because you see many birds and iguanas while kayaking through the channel. For us, all of the 6:00 p.m. tours were booked because of the Spring Break crowd. Yet, Becky and I both thought that the 8:00 p.m. tour was wonderful. If you want to know why the bays do what they do, I can not tell you. I seriously missed everything the tour guide said because I was mesmerized by the sparkling water. Go here to read about why bays are bioluminescent. While we waited for the tour, we ate dinner at La Estacion. It was delicious. The food was very fresh and the owner cooks everything on the grill.

Ponce Cathedral

Day 3: We again slept in, but made it to breakfast. We started the day by visiting the Bacardi Rum Factory. The tour was free and it included two free drink coupons. What is not to like about that? Now, finding Bacardi was a chore. Google maps and GPS were useless. However, the people of Catano were helpful and gave good directions. Next, Becky and I drove to the Southern end of the island to Ponce. Ponce did not really have much to offer, but the drive there was excellent. The views are truly stunning. That evening, Becky and I stayed in, ordered room service, and watched a marathon of Millionaire Matchmaker on Bravo. A perfect night.

Vieques Island

Day 4: Becky and I decided to spend our last day relaxing on the beach. It was a great decision. We wanted to go to a small island called Culebra, but the 9:00 a.m. ferry was full. Apparently, to make this ferry you need to arrive an hour in advance, who knew? So, Becky and I took the 9:30 a.m. ferry to Vieques Island. Vieques means little island girl, isn't that fun? The ferry costs $2 a person and it is about an hour and half ride. We paid $3 each to take a taxi to the public beach. There was a native Puerto Rican in the taxi with us, so I feel like we paid the right price. At the beach there were lots of palm trees for shade and the water was the perfect temperature. The beach was also fun because we saw lots of roosters and wild horses. For lunch, a little shop sold burritos and pizza. Now, you are supposed to tell your cab driver what time to return, so that you have a ride back to the ferry. Our cab driver left us stranded on the beach. Luckily, another group was also stranded, so we all waited together for about 30 min until an empty cab drove by. It was a little tight catching the 3:00 p.m. ferry, but we made it back to PR safe and sound. Becky and I ended our trip with a fancy dinner at Pamela's.

Ok, I know I was a little link happy this post. Whatever, I just figured this feature out and I like it. Really, I can not say enough wonderful things about Puerto Rico. I will be sure to post some more pics on Facebook. High on my list for when I return to Puerto Rico are Camuy Caves, Culebra Island, and the Western coast line. If anyone ever wants to go to Puerto Rico, just let me know!!

Spring Break

2009-03-16T11:24:00.002-05:00

There are some things in life that I am not willing to give up simply because I am a working adult. One of those things is Spring Break. This year I will be spending a week in sunny Puerto Rico. The above picture was taken during a work trip in Colorado. For two years in a row I have spent my winters working in Denver and Salt Lake City. Both cities are lovely, but fighting the snow is exhausting. I am so looking forward to sun and sand. I am not promising any posts while I am on vaca, but who knows. Pop Quiz: Where was the first ever MTV Spring Break extravaganza?

Here is a picture hint. Any ideas? I lived in this state....

Give up?

Pop Quiz answer: Lake Havasu City, AZ. MTV invaded Lake Havasu in 1995. There was Superstar Volleybrawl, a behind the scenes look at a Van Halen concert hosted by Jon Stewart, Dave Matthews Band and Notorious B.I.G. performed, and Will Smith was a guest star.

Sara Getting Married

2009-03-15T00:13:00.000-05:00

This weekend I attended a great wedding. The event included an Austin Scarlett gown, baked brie, dancing, and a groom's cake shaped like a BBQ pit. Here are a few pics:

Anna and I rarely take pictures together, but I think this one turned out nicely. Anna is the bride's sister. We went to law school together and I don't see her nearly as much as I would like. In my opinion, Anna did a great job as maid of honor. She fluffed her sister's dress like a pro and smiled lovingly the entire time.

How cute is Sara? Congrats and best wishes Sara and Beau!

A bonus from the weekend was seeing Nadeem. Med school keeps him very busy and far away from Texas. I hope that Anna and Nadeem know that I expect a Bollywood dance scene at their wedding.

Intro

2009-03-13T20:22:00.001-05:00

Beginnings are awkward, so I will keep this short to avoid making a bad first impression. Basically, I love reading other people's blogs and I want to add my thoughts into the mix. I hope that you enjoy my ramblings!