Leaving...on a Jet Plane...

I leave on Friday morning for Mexico! I'm nervous and excited. I'm hoping the transfer from the airport to the hotel isn't fatal. It's a company and certified through a travel agent, but it's Mexico and that scares me.

I will be adding another stamp to my passport though and that is exciting! :)

Pictures and posts to follow. I arrive back in Austin on Tuesday night.

Busy, Busy

Life feels like it is flying a million miles a minute. First and foremost I am remembering why I did not enjoy school very much. Drafting was so much fun. I cared about it, I enjoyed doing it. Writing essays and reading a million essays is NOT my idea of fun. Fortunately it is only 5.5 weeks long and will be over before I know it.

I've been helping build a deck on a house that T is flipping. It is one of the most enjoyable activities I have done in my entire life. I LOVE going to that house and sweating so much it drips off of my nose as I swing a sledgehammer trying to break up a concrete sidewalk. No, I would not like to have my life consist of waking up, driving a sledgehammer into the ground for 8 hours and going home only to do it again the next day, but so far, it has been a learning experience and very enjoyable. Although, the newly formed, 5, blisters on my hands are not pleasant, I am excited that I get to wake up at 8a tomorrow morning to finish the deck, paint some bedrooms and hang some cabinets. I guess that my dad's building genes made their way into my genetic make up. Go figure...

Wiped out and exhausted from 11 hours of building and painting, I am off to bed.

Paper

My english class starts this week. I found out today that I have an essay due on Sunday. I have four categories to pick a topic from. All I can do is sit here and stare at the computer. I'd rather not write about any of them.....

1) diets or exercise
2) other genders, races, or sexual preferences
3) technology, such as computers, cell phones, online college classes, the internet
4) money management (debt, credit, etc.)

Maybe I could write 500 words about the internet. It is, after all, more important that oxygen.

Junior Olympics!

My cousin was in the Junior Olympics last week in Dallas. I was able to take the day off of work and head up there for the day last Thursday. I was so proud of her. It was totally worth it. The day off, the drive, the exhaustion. She did a fantastic job and it was so very fun to watch. I don't think they ended up doing very well, but to get there in the first place is more than an accomplishment in my book.

She is only 16 and I hope that she sticks with Volleyball. I hope she finds a coach that believes in her and that she wants to do well for. She's a great kid. #15 is my little cousin.

I have forever thought of myself as semi tall. Not too tall, not too short, but pretty average. Walking through a convention center full of volleyball players dwarfed me. These girls were huge and fantastic!

Mandy Junior Olympics

4th of July Fun

About 6 years ago I went on a cruise with my co-worker, her boyfriend at the time and one of her friends that I roomed with. One night, after a day in Key West we were sitting in the hot tub and met three of the nicest people there could be. The following year we flew to their house in Lexington, KY for their annual 4th of July Pool Party. I haven't been back since, but this past weekend, I was able to go up there for a few days. It was a fantastic time. I was so excited to be up there. I arrived Friday night, we did a few errands for the party and then their friends (whom I also have become friends with) from Dallas arrived. We went to the store and got all the makings for Jello shots. I don't think there is anything more fun than making Jello shots. We made 250 of them! They were finished off the following day before it even got dark.

Saturday was the party. Water volleyball and lots of yummy food made up my day. I met tons of fantastic people. And had a blast.

Sunday we went to brunch and then after running around I ended up at the Lexington airport. Somehow, every single computer in the airport was down. My boarding pass was hand written at the counter. Then, we boarded the plane and heard over the PA that the radio was down and they couldn't get clearance, so we left rather late. An hour or so. Maybe two. I missed my connection in Dallas and ended up arriving in Austin 4 hours after my original eta. The cab pulled into the driveway around 1:30a. Needless to say, I was exhausted. Still am! Fortunately, the rains today canceled softball. I was able to relax.

My friends are hilarious. They are genuine, real people that I am so fortunate to have met in some hot tub on a cruise. Lifelong friends...

4th Pool Party - 2008