Life in the ATX

So Mark and I make our home in Austin, TX...that much you know. I have to say that it was a bit strange to move to another city after spending most of my life in Amarillo (and Lubbock, which is the twin city). Life in Austin has been an adjustment but a GREAT one!

Why do I love life in Austin so much?


Plenty of reasons: Life in a major city with a hometown feel. Friendly, open-minded people. Beautiful scenery. Great history. Amazing art. Awesome music. With plenty to do...

Here are some of the things that Mark and I could have done this weekend:

• Lone Star Music Festival - This is the first year for this event. Various Texas Country musicians came to Austin for a fun-filled weekend of Texas tunes.
• Float the river - cool river, Texas hill country, tire tube, bathing suit, six pack and your friends...nuff said!
• Go to the lake - Nothing beats heading out to Lake Travis on a beautiful spring day.
• Camping - there are so many amazing places to camp here. I love setting up the tent, cooking on a campfire and hanging out with my husband and our dogs. Life doesn't get simpler or better...by the way, if you haven't seen 'Into the Wild' go rent it.
• Eeyore's Birthday - I'm not going to get to far in depth on this one since I have missed it two years in a row but I think I might try next year. Maypoles, donkey's, music and hippies! Oh, it could be interesting and I would love to bring my camera!
• Barton Springs - taking the dogs to the natural spring for a game of fetch is pretty fun plus there is a disc golf course at the same park.

As I mentioned, Mark and I could have chosen to do any of the above this weekend. Having this much to do in one weekend is the norm around here so the only problem with living here is that you have to pick ONE and that's pretty hard to do.

Eat, Drink and Be Merry!

The past weekend was certainly fun. As I mentioned in the last post, we had a house guest.

Ryan, better known as 'Meat', stayed at our house for the Lax games. Saturday, after the game, we had Stuart, Rud and Meat over for a cookout. Mark made some delicious food: brisket, potatoes, corn and pork medalions. Here is a shot of the guys showcasing their masculinity on our back patio.

On Friday, Mark and I took the dogs to the park by our home for a romp in the pond. They had a blast! Clyde, the black dog, would run through the water, flop on the ground to roll around in the mud and then make a mad dash to smear mud and grass all over Mark. At one point, he set his sights on me and took a flying leap through the air to smear mud on my shirt. He was certainly trying his hardest to get everyone dirty. Pepper, of course, was busy looking for sticks to fetch.

On this note, I feel compelled to share that today was Mark's last day of coaching. I am excited because this may give us a chance to go backpacking or camping before it gets too hot in the hill country. Camping means more pictures and stories for the blog!

House Guests?

I have a couple of items to share today...

1. It is officially my last day as a RealManage employee. I am excited and, I have to admit, a little sad to leave my job. The thing I will miss the most is the women who work in my office with me everyday. I am priviledged to have worked with, managed and developed friendships with some very strong, indepedent and creative women. I have learned from each and everyone of them and can honestly say that I hope to stay in touch with everyone.
2. My hubby plays in a men's lacrosse league. This week they are having a tournament in our city. Teams from Dallas and San Antonio will be coming to compete, which brings me to the purpose of this. My hubby has several buddies from the ole Texas Tech lacrosse team that now play on the Dallas team. Some of them may be staying at our new house. Although I am excited to have the company, I am not quite ready to have people at our house. We still have A LOT of work to complete before I am comfortable. Nevertheless, we always have fun when these guys are in town! I am not much of a camera junkie but I will try to take a few pictures this weekend for you all.
3. It is a beautiful day here! I cannot wait for this weekend. I have so many things I want to accomplish, only half of which will be complete by Monday. I am okay with that as long as it's sunny and warm! I love spring!

Weddings: A Growing Trend

Weddings seem to be the theme for 2008. In the five and a half months that we have been married, we have been to five weddings. Three of them were in the last two weekends.

Hubby, Andrew and I at the Andrew&Ashley's wedding.

Maybe it was due to the concentration of weddings this weekend but I noticed that these weddings have an interesting similarity. Hint: It's not cake, friends, family, brides, grooms, churches or any other wedding staple. It's the message that is being shared at the ceremony.

Now, my parents taught me from the time I was old enough to understand that there is a difference between love and like. Like is a feeling and something you have very little control over because it is affected by mood and the actions of others. Love on the other hand is a conscious decision and an action. 

The result? The ability to dislike another person and at the same time love them with all your heart.

The message that the officiants at all of these weddings is sending is the same as the one my parents gave me so long ago. Every morning when you wake up, you are given the chance to love God, your spouse, family, friends and, yes, your enemies. If you fail today, you have a new chance tomorrow. No, it's not always easy but love makes life worth living. The best part is that you don't have to wait on love to find you. You just have to make up your mind to participate.

Thank you to my parents for helping me pave the road to my own happiness. Without your wisdom on love, I was likely to have unrealistic expectations of love. Now I know that I am in control of my own 'happily ever after' and I shouldn't limit myself to the love that Hollywood portrays...the real thing has the potential to be so much better.