The other day I called my mom to tell her about the Got Guts 5k Run/Walk benefiting Celiac Disease awareness and research. I found out about this event one week too late last year and was bummed. I've wanted for a long time to do a race benefiting Celiac, since it affects my family so greatly, and it's always nice to run to support something you can identify with. This year I caught it in time, and it looks like my parents are going to do the walk while Otis and I jog. It should be a fun family event.

Conversation then moved on to the house - how was it going and have we done any more work on it? We talked about that for a while, and then my mom began to tell me a story about the house my mamaw and papaw built. Before I go into that, I'd like to tell you a little about this house. It's a typical 1960's ranch style house, long and narrow across the lot. The wood siding is white, with black shutters and a full length red brick chimney. It sits on 17 acres in the rolling foothills of the Tennessee Smokey Mountains. There is a perfect climbing tree out front, and a towering oak tree out back with a tire swing. And in the little valley behind the house, there is a swimming pool. There once was a little stocked fishing pond, where I caught my first fish, but that had to go once the ground hogs started burrowing into it.

To me this house is the quintessential grandparents house, and I think almost all of my fondest memories from childhood took place there. I cherished that house. I was devastated when my mom told me my mamaw was going to have to sell it because it was just too much for her to upkeep. I understood, but I was devastated, and if I had had the $300k to buy it, I would have without even blinking an eye.

I still have a dream of buying it someday and bringing it back to the family...that is if it's still there. I drove by it with my cousin when I was there 3 years ago, and it was still standing, same colors, same climbing tree, same pool. The patio was cluttered with stuff, which kind of shattered the image of it a little. My mamaw was a compulsive cleaner and would never have stood for anything but her patio table and chairs sitting out there. But it was there, which made me happy.

Part of what makes this house so special is that when my papaw bought it, it was a 2 room shack. He and my mamaw and my mom and her siblings worked one summer to completely renovate it and build it into the house I knew and loved. What I didn't know, and what my mom told me, was that when he bought it he had several people tell him to tear it down and just start over, that it wasn't worth the hassle. But he loved the original house, and was determined to incorporate it into the new design. I couldn't help but smile when my mom told me this. I have struggled a lot since we bought the house, wondering if it would have been better to just tear the house down (not that we could have afforded to do that). I've wondered many times if people have thought the same thing and wondered why we would buy such a piece of crap. But we saw something in this house the first time we walked through it, and we knew it was the right house for us. Knowing that my papaw, whom I adored more than anything, did the same thing makes it feel even a little less crazy. Maybe it's in my blood :) I wish he and my mamaw could be here to see the house. I think it would make them smile.

On Saturday Otis and I made a trip to Lowe's to get some things we needed to complete a few projects around the house. As we loaded up not one, but TWO baskets worth of crap, we reached the sinking realization that we have a LOT of work to do on this house. Yeah, that just now occurred to us.

Of all the things we bought that day, our favorite purchase has turned out to be the Stinger Mosquito Killer. You could say we have a bit of a mosquito problem in our area. It turns out all of the foliage and the humidity created by the Texas Black Prairie land we're sitting on creates a mosquito haven. It's impossible to stand in our backyard for 5 minutes without being eaten alive. Which is a shame, because we have a really nice backyard, with a cute little patio that we'd love to enjoy.

Enter the Mosquito Killer.

The manual says is protects up to 1/2 acre of area from mosquitoes, it's completely silent, and - there is no messy clean up of mosquito carcasses because it VAPORIZES THEM ON CONTACT. As in Poof! Gone.

The best part? The manual doesn't lie. We set the Killer up near the center of our backyard on Tuesday evening. The instructions said to let it run continuously for a couple of days to help eliminate the majority of the mosquito population in the area. We did, and last night Otis and I were able to be in our backyard for an hour without one single mosquito bite or the need to use repellent. I didn't even see a mosquito.

Hello backyard. It's nice to meet you.

The reality is that while we are parenting our kids we are instilling in them an impression of who God is.

This statement hits me hard, especially as I sort through my emotions surrounding recent events in my family. It explains so much about my struggles with faith and trusting God. My number one prayer, if I am ever a parent, is that I would strive to live this out with my kids, and that through that they would be able to step out to discover who God is.

Last week I headed out to Northern California to meet up with Otis on his work trip. I spent Wednesday and Thursday on my own while he worked, and then we had all day Friday and Saturday to explore the northern California coastline together. That area of the country is some of the most beautiful I've ever seen. The wildfire smoke wasn't too bad, and Saturday ended up being a perfectly clear day.

On Wednesday I went for a run in the Rancho San Antonio Open Area. It was beautiful and peaceful. I decided to lug the big camera along, making the run a bit awkward. It was totally worth it. I got some great shots...this one is my favorite:

On Thursday I hopped the CalTrain to San Francisco and spent the day walking around, shopping, and enjoying the city. I got a few pics while there, but those are on the point-and-shoot. Still need to get those on the computer. I can't decide how I feel about San Fran. This is my second time there this year. Both times I only had about a day, but it seemed to be plenty. It's an expensive city. And dirty. And crowded. But it's also amazingly unique and has a cool vibe, which I love. I think I would enjoy San Fran more with a group of girlfriends, preferably one who lives there and knows lots of cool local things to do.

On Friday Otis and I headed down to Monterey and Santa Cruz, where we hit up the Monterey Bay Aquarium. The jellyfish exhibit was my favorite.

Otis took this awesome photo:

And lastly, on Saturday we drove to Big Basin National Forest and hiked through some redwood forests. The size of the trees are amazing.

On top of all of this, we had plenty of time to relax and hang out together, and we got to stay at a super posh hotel in Palo Alto Friday and Saturday night (thanks sis!). But the best part, as it always is after vacation, was coming home. We're both glad to be back, and be here for a while.

There is now a Maudie’s in the Austin airport. I got dinner there while I waited for my flight – 1 crispy chicken taco and a side of rice and beans. It cost me $3.62. I was so shocked by how cheap it was I asked the girl at the register if she got my whole order on the ticket. She said “yeah” and read my order back to me. Three dollars. And sixty-two cents. This is why I love Maudie’s.

Trying to find a seat in the dining area of the Austin airport makes me feel like I’m in junior high all over again. Many of the airports I’ve been to have 1-2 tables huddled together to create more private seating areas for individuals and small groups. At ABIA they have long rows of square metal tables lining restaurant row. After picking up my cheap (and delicious) meal, I turned around to look for a spot and my stomach dropped a few inches. There were no completely empty tables, which meant I was going to have to ask someone if I could sit next to them. And suddenly, there I am, 12 years old but looking 9, with a horrible perm and dorky round glasses, wondering where I can sit and not be completely rejected. I’m jolted back into my present adulthood by a rather large man who bumps my backpack, and I settle on an older woman sitting by herself eating a slice of pizza. I figure a sweet old lady won’t reject me. Until I sit down and her husband walks up and takes the chair right next to me. Great. Now I’m the awkward 3rd wheel invading their private little meal. Oh well. I’m already sitting, so I scarf down my meal and decide to head over to the Earl Campbell Sports Bar (yes, horribly kitchy) for a vacation inaugurating drink. I order a gin and tonic with a splash of grenadine, and settle in to enjoy a few minutes by myself.

Vacation has officially started.

I wish that I could tell everyone how awesome our house looks. Oh, wait. Hey everyone, our house looks AWESOME!

I would take pictures and show you, but I'm pretty sure the awesomeness lies in the eye of the beholder, and in this case the eyes of this beholder are definitely a bit biased. Yesterday Otis and I got an astonishing amount of unpacking and organizing done (surprisingly, it goes much faster with two people), and our place looks phenomenal. We are finally able to see all that space we saw that made us want to buy the place.

Last week I discovered that all of our closets already had elfa shelving systems installed in them, which was completely astonishing considering that every other thing the previous owners did to this house was the cheapest, crappiest thing they could have done. Granted, they did a horrible job of functionally using the elfa system, but it was there nonetheless. I purchased a few items from The Container Store to make the systems functionally efficient, and I have to say that I am amazed at how much stuff we managed to fit in our tiny little closets. elfa is magical.

We're looking forward to getting back to working on the house, like making the outside of the house look as great as the inside is starting to look. All in good time. Starting Wednesday I'll be lounging on the beaches of Northern California and hiking through Redwood forests. I'll worry about life when I get back to it.

*I've hesitated to post this, because it is a bit personal. But it's also a really cool story, so I decided to go ahead an put myself out there.

Next week I will be heading out to Cali with my wonderful husband to spend a few days relaxing and escaping the craziness of real life. This trip is totally last minute and unexpected, and I couldn't be more excited about it. Life has been completely crazy with the house and the move and some seriously messed up stuff going on in my family. All I've wanted to do for the last 2 weeks is get away from it all. I've had this unshakable image of me laying on a beach reading a book, relaxing without a care in the world. I've wanted this so badly that I spent half of last week scheming how I could get myself to the beach, but there was just no way to make it happen financially. So, I resigned myself to the fact that I was going to have to let it go and accept the state of my life as it is right now.

On Tuesday morning I shared my frustrations and desires to get away with my small group. I told them all I wanted to pray for lately was that God would make a way for me to go somewhere, but that that felt like such a selfish, unspiritual prayer. They smiled and then prayed for me...prayed that God would, in fact, make a way for that to happen. Group ended and I went on with my day, at least feeling a little more peaceful about everything. Then yesterday morning Otis contacted me and told me he had been asked to take a last minute trip out to Cali. Apparently he told them that, since he had just gotten back from a week long trip, the only way he would go is if they would pay for me to go out there as well. Of course we expected them to say no, that's impossible, we're not running a travel benevolence service. Except we were wrong because they said yes. I think my jaw dropped to the floor when Otis told me it had been approved and asked what day I'd like to fly out. It took some time for me to believe it, and I kept waiting for them to come back and say, sorry, nevermind, we were just joking. And then I would have to kill them.

It wasn't until I received my itinerary with my flight schedule that I really accepted that this was happening. Some people would probably say it's just coincidence, but I prefer to believe it's God giving me a little glimpse of how much he loves me, and that he cares about even the not so important things like wanting to lay on a beach and soak up the sun.

Just got this e-mail from an HR Info site, and I laughed out loud when I read it:

Emerging Claims in Lifestyle Discrimination
Accredited Webinar:
- Can you require an employee to hide her tattoos?
- What if a male employee insists on wearing a bra -- outside his shirt?
- Can employees claim they have a right to visit porn sites at work?

Can someone please tell me what lifestyle requires you to wear a bra on the OUTSIDE of your shirt? I'd love to know the answers to these all-important questions, but since the webinar costs $200, I guess they will have to remain a mystery for now.

A - Attached or single: Very attached
B - Best Friend: Girl-Amanda; Boy-Matt; Dog-Abigail
C - Cake or Pie: Mmmm...pie
D - Day of the Week: Friday, 'cause it's freedom!
E - Essential Item: Chapstick, or as I like to call it, lippy stuff
F - Favorite Color: Green
G - Gummy Bears or Worms: Bears
H - Home town: Katy, TX
I - Indulgences: Anything I buy from Sephora
J - January or July?: July-I love the sun.
K - Kids: Nope.
L - Life is incomplete without: Cheese
M - Marriage Date: July 8, 2006
N - Number of Siblings: 2.5
O - Oranges or Apples: Apples, with cheese
P - Phobias or Fears: fire
T - Tag Three: Mrs. Juicebox, On The Verge, The Kate Effect
U - Unknown fact about me: well, if I told you it wouldn't be unknown
V - Vegetarian or Oppressor of Animal: wow, that's a loaded question
W - Worst Habit: I'm very fidgety and don't realize it most of the time.
X - Rays or Ultrasounds: Ultrasounds. They seem less bad for you.
Y - Your favorite food: cheese
Z - Zodiac Sign: Gemini

Tonight, for our early anniversary dinner, I made these along with charcoal grilled New York Strip steaks and salad with baby portabelas, tomatoes, and balsamic vinaigrette dressing. I highly recommend the sweet potato fries...they were delicious. We also enjoyed a bottle of Family Red from the V. Sattui winery we visited in Napa Valley this past January. It was the perfect celebration after a long day of unpacking and working on the house.

Tomorrow Otis leaves for Portland. He was so sweet and worked all day to get plumbing and connections for the washer and dryer, dishwasher, and bathroom sink working before he left. I am so grateful and amazed that he desired to leave the house extra-livable for me before he left. It definitely makes this first time alone in the house less ominous. (Dear God, please don't let anything break while he's gone).

I got a good chunk of the unpacking done today, and our kitchen is actually usable/not oppressive. I think I've also come up with a color scheme to make it attractive until we can afford to remodel it in a couple of years. It's finally starting to feel like a home. Imagine what it will feel like when we have pictures on the walls!