Kapachino

The Biggest Attraction in Lubbock

Yes, it is the monument to Buddy Holly, and here I am shamelessly posing in front of it.

My Brother Is Hot

Thanks for the photo, Zane. This is definitely something the world needs to see.

Thanksgiving!

For Thanksgiving Boyfriend David and I spent a good part of the day over at my parents’ house with my family. I helped my mom cook while he hung out with the boys. Then we ate a yummy meal and were satisfied:

After dinner we went out to visit his family at his aunt and uncle’s house. They live in the country and had this giant hay bale turkey set up, so we had some fun with it! Here we are with David’s brother Chris, Chris’s girlfriend Kim, and his dog Sydney. Sydney jumped up there all by herself, by the way!

To see the rest of my Thanksgiving pictures, visit my Flickr account here.

DC Day Two

Click here to check out the rest of my pictures from my trip! (Hint: click on the pictures in the slideshow to see details.)

My second day included a Capitol tour, visiting the Library of Congress where I got a library card (supposedly for “research purposes only and NOT to be used as souvenirs…I figure I might come back and do research, right?), viewing the Supreme Court building, botanical gardens, a whirlwind tour of the Holocaust Museum, and a final visit to the Washington Monument. I did all that in four hours, and then my feet wanted to kill me.

Washington, D.C.

I’m visiting my good friend Ellen in Washington, D.C. this weekend. I’m a little jet setter lately! I’m ready to be settled in at home again, but it won’t happen next week. But anyway, we’ll get to that at a later date.

Day one of my visit, Friday, was spent with Ellen at work, and then lounging at her apartment eating cookies, talking, and watching Scrubs.

Day two involved sleeping in, watching more Scrubs, going to a wedding, and hauling out to Annapolis to see Over the Rhine in concert, which was, by the way, amazing.

Day three (today) we went to church and then walked the heck out of DC. What we saw: Smithsonian Air & Space Museum, National History Treasures, Archives (Declaration of Independence, Constitution, and Bill of Rights), Washington Monument, Korean War Memorial, Vietnam War Memorial, Lincoln Memorial, Jefferson Memorial, Ford’s Theatre, the house where Lincoln died, and went to the top of the Old Post Office to see a view of the city.

I think we walked about 10 miles, and my foot hurts! Here are the pictures from my trip so far. Tomorrow I’m taking the Capitol tour and visiting the Library of Congress, so more pictures will be added after that.

A Phobia In The Making

My boyfriend loves to fish. It’s his favorite activity–one that is also therapeutic and calming for him. When we started dating and I found this out I only hesitated for a minute, because I really don’t like the smell, taste, or feel of fish. A few times when I was a camp counselor I had to take some fish off the hook for my campers, and it wasn’t pleasant. But I knew that fishing was an important part of Boyfriend David’s life, and I’m always up for new things, so I told him from the beginning that I wanted him to teach me. When he got a boat and started spending more and more time fishing with his dad, I knew for sure that this was an activity that I wanted to share with him.

The first time we went was at the lake by his aunt and uncle’s house where we fished for bass and catfish. This was fine with me because the bait we used was artificial lures and cut up raw chicken meat, which I could handle.

Yesterday we decided to drive down to the pier for the evening and fish for some trout and redfish. Saltwater fishing is what David really loves. It was a perfect day, and we were intent on enjoying ourselves. I was also intent on becoming a real fisherwoman. I knew that we were going to be using live shrimp as bait, and I wanted to face up to that fact. I didn’t want David to have to bait my hook forever. I had my mind set on doing it myself.

Now let me tell you what I think about shrimp really quick. First of all, I refuse to eat them because I don’t like the idea of putting an entire organism in my mouth. Secondly, they have those EYES. That just BULGE out of the side of their head. And those creepy crawly legs. And they’re TRANSLUCENT. I get the shivers just thinking about it.

I’ve never been the kind of girl to be really afraid of insects or snakes or anything like that. In fact I think I have a picture to prove that:

See? Granted, I don’t like roaches much, but I can get close enough to kill one which is something a lot of girls won’t do. I pride myself on being able to overcome fear and do what I put my mind to. And I was GOING to bait my own hook.

I let David show me how on the first one, and then it was a long time before I got a bite, but finally my turn came. I was scared, yet determined. I knew the shrimp couldn’t actually DO anything to me, so I stuck my hand in the water. But the second I felt those shrimp thrashing and their little legs against my fingers, my heart began to pound and I felt an overwhelming, irrational fear. Three times I thrust my hand in the bucket trying to grasp a shrimp, each time more desperate than the last. After the third attempt, feeling like I had been thoroughly beaten, I gave up and with my whole body shaking said to David, “I just can’t.” And then what did I do? I cried.

Not because of the shrimp per se, but because I felt so out of control and…silly to not be able to overcome a stupid little fear. I didn’t understand why it was so hard for me. For awhile I was kind of depressed and didn’t want to see another shrimp, but I knew that I really needed to try again. So right before we left and after about five minutes of coaxing from David, I crouched down, held tight to his leg, and put my hand back in the bucket. I somehow brought out this tiny, dead shrimplet–then immediately gave it to David. I know it’s not much, but it was a serious victory for me.

And I thought it was going to be the fish that were the problem.

WW: She’s Such A Geezer

Saggy, flaky, warty, smelly, and losing hair, Molly is still my pretty girl.

Walk To School

There are times when I feel like driving to school instead of riding the bus, or I need to for some reason. I decided that when I do, I will no longer pay for parking. It is an expense easily avoided. My classmate and friend Lauren lives within walking distance of the train station, which takes me within a couple of blocks of my school. So now I park at her place and walk. It is quite pleasant. Here is what I see along the way.

The house that I’d love to live in:

Kids on a playground, which makes me happy:

Sometimes I think I’d like to move out of the suburbs and into town, into an older house or four-plex like my brother lives in. But then I’d be far away from my parents, my boyfriend, my church, and my soccer team. So it’s probably not worth it, but I can still dream.

WW: Incense Burner On My Desk

WW: Caught Cuddling