Hot Hoops in Hollywood

Okay, so maybe not actually in Hollywood, but we were in LA at Loyola Marymount University... LA doesn't start with an 'H' though, so you'll have to pardon my stretch to "Hot Hoops in Hollywood".  (If you're confused, see my Hot Hoops in Hot Springs post for the origins of that phrase.)

This past weekend, John and I went to LA to watch North Texas in a basketball tournament at LMU.  Other than the trip out to LA and losing 1 of the 3 games, we had a fabulous time.

To start... our experience traveling to LA was a bit less than ideal.  We boarded the plane on time (10 PM), but about 10 minutes before we should have been in the air, one of the flight crew came on the speakers to tells us that the first officer had been injured in a car accident on his way to the airport for our flight.  (Why they boarded the plane is beyond us... unless they were just trying to make the flight count as an "on-time" boarding) They had to bring in a replacement first officer.  Some noted that given the car accident, we probably didn't want the original first officer anyway. 

They allowed people to get off the plane, but we didn't want to lug our stuff back off, so we just slept on the plane (most people got off, and we were able to stretch out).  Before we stretched out though, we chatted with an odd fellow who was a bit pompous (He always flies Delta and never flies in the economy section, but he Needed to be back in LA that morning).  He's a dermatologist, who very obviously wanted to imply that he has famous patients. It was strange conversation that I won't go into in detail, but I will share the advice he gave to me and John after discovering that we are newly weds - To Me: "Stay Sexy"; To John: "Keep Performing". 

The plane didn't actually leave until about 1 AM (2.5 hours late).  When we finally got to the airport, we went out to meet the rental car bus, since all the rental car places are offsite at LAX.  We waited for 45 minutes, watching several rental buses come by multiple times, but never a Thrifty bus, which is what we were waiting for.  John tried calling Thrifty, but all we could get through to was the national number, and we (both John and the national Thrifty office) couldn't get anyone at the local office to answer the phone. Finally, a Hertz driver who had seen us on multiple passes to pick people up for Hertz stopped and asked who we were waiting for.  He was kind enough to give us a lift because he felt sorry us and didn't have any Hertz passengers at the time.  (He got a nice tip for his generosity.)

When we got to Thrifty, there was indeed someone behind the counter... why he wasn't answering the phone, we don't know, but we did ask why the bus that was idling outside never came to get us when we were waiting for almost an hour.  His response: "The bus is running to the airport every 15 minutes... [pregnant pause] but the drive is on lunch break right now".  It took longer than it should, given that he had no other customers, to get our car and get on our way, but the bus still didn't move the whole time we were there.  Why was the bus driver on "lunch" break for at least 1.25 hours (and that's just what we can confirm)?  Why did the driver take a lunch break when late flight customers who've already paid hadn't been picked up yet (we booked through a deal with American, so they knew which flight we were on)?  Why didn't they even apologize or ask how we got there without the bus?  No Clue.

Moral of the Story: Thrifty = Bad; Hertz = Good.  Never rent from Thrifty.  I've never rented from Hertz before, but they're getting my business next chance I get.

We finally got to my brother's condo around 4 AM (without all the delays, we originally expected to get to his place at 1 AM).  Needless to say, we were exhausted.


The rest of the trip went much more smoothly.  We watched a 90-45 victory for North Texas in the first game on Friday.  On Saturday, we enjoyed the Baylor victory on TV before heading out to the only UNT loss of the weekend (Lost to Columbia, who I now hope wins the Ivy League Championship because we were not expecting that one).  Then, on Sunday, we watched a great game with the host school, Loyola Marymount.  UNT lead almost the whole game, but it was relatively close and a good game throughout.  LMU has beat ranked opponents this year, so they were a formidable opponent.  I also enjoyed spending time with my brother in the evenings in LA, and he even came to the Saturday game.

Shoot-Around at half time for the last game - I took this because I decided that I needed at least one picture from our trip. - Note the small crowd (Only Loyola's game on Friday had a decent turnout - though there were more people on our side so it wasn't quite as dismal as this photo looks), and note the odd small area with wood bleachers on top.

The other big excitement of our trip was in the final game when I got warned by a campus police officer - Yes, you read right: Me, not John. - Like many people do, I took advantage of the quiet to yell a loud, quick "AWoo" right as one of the LMU players was trying to shoot a free throw.  No words, so it wasn't profanity or taunting, which I could understand people getting upset over - I don't like that either.  But people do what I did all the time, particularly when your crowd is small because you can't make much of an impact to distract the shooter with a sustained yell if there's only a couple people.  Several other people did the same thing during that game both before and after me, and they weren't warned by the police.  For some reason, this police officer just decided that a fan making noise at a sporting event was inappropriate when I did it.  I was obviously confused, and no one around me understood it either.  I didn't press the matter with the officer though because I definitely didn't want to get kicked out.  I think John was proud.

To top off the end of trip, when we got to the airport on Sunday, we discovered that the team was on our flight back to Dallas.  We got to chat with several of the coaches and players, which was great fun.  Apparently, while I was in the ladies room, John felt the need to tell the head coach about my encounter with the campus police at the game.  The team was great - Fun to watch on the court and very nice in our interactions at the airport - a few players come up to us to thank us for making the trip.  (Though I did get a head shake from the head coach for wearing my Baylor hoodie when I got cold before we boarded the plane)

All in All, a fun time in LA. 

At 25, It's Time to Eat Like a Big Girl

If you were following this blog for our honeymoon, you know that I ate my first half salad at a restaurant on the beach during the trip because we were the only ones at the restaurant and I didn't want to send the salad back.

It may sound crazy, but in watching me eat the salad on our honeymoon, my new husband realized that I was eating it wrong.  I've always had a severe texture aversion to eating leafy vegetables, but we discovered that's partly because I was chewing it with my front teeth.  (When I was a kid my back teeth didn't line up right until my second set of braces, so it's not as crazy as it sounds that I didn't chew with my back teeth correctly.)

Well, ever since my adventure on the beach, I've been wondering if I might actually enjoy a salad that's better than the pre-dinner beach restaurant side salad.  Today, I final got up the nerve to give it a try.  I ordered a salad at Cotton Patch that had lettuce, cucumber, tomato, cheese, bacon, and chicken with Ranch dressing.

My Dinner Tonight

I took the before picture because I wanted to show off that I ate the whole thing... but it was huge... and I got full.

I was too full to eat the whole thing, but there's just as much chicken as lettuce left... that proves that I was actually full and didn't give up.

I don't think it was my favorite dinner ever, but it was pretty decent... I'd do it again.

So, I'm official a big girl now.  I ate salad for dinner, of my own choosing, and I enjoyed it.  :)

I'm Thankful for...

It seems a bit cliche to write a thanks list on Thanksgiving Day, but it's a good cliche, I think.  I feel very blessed in my life and I think it's important not to lose sight of the many things there are to be thankful for.

So here I go; I'm thankful for:

• 26 (almost) years of good health
• Loving parents that encouraged me to be the best that I could be
• A solid faith community that not only taught me about God conceptually but also showed the love of Christ in their daily lives.
• A school system that allowed me to cultivate a love of the arts, gave me an opportunity to experience the classics, and challenged me to grow while giving me the educational foundation to build upon the rest of my life.
• A brother who knows and loves me deeply, and who, despite some sibling rivalry growing up, I cherish as my childhood companion.
• Sisters who welcomed me just as I am into the fold of Alpha Delta Pi.
• A culture where, as a woman, I am encouraged to go far in my career without giving up who I am as a woman.
• Baylor University, of which I have many fond memories.
• A great young career where I am both challenged and respected for my contributions
• My extended family that I love dearly... and all of their beautiful children (my brother and I are the only cousins who have yet to add little munchkins to group)
• The many friends and family who supported, encouraged, attended, and/or thought of us from a far during our wedding this year.
• The ability to own our own home despite economic turmoil around the world.
• Many close friends that join us for basketball games, Hot Springs trips, tailgating, poker nights, and any other general merriment.
• The best in-laws one could hope for.  I look forward to many new memories I'll make with the Hansen family.
• A great Thanksgiving dinner... and Chocolate Pie!

And I cannot summarize in short bullet the many ways that I'm thankful for the man who changed my name this year... he is my rock and my right hand.  I often joke that he must be psychic because he knows what I'm thinking before I say it.  When I was young, I often dreamed about getting married, but I never imagined how much I would love the man I married or how much fun it would be.  So, I am thankful for Mr. John Hansen, my husband (still not tired of saying that... "my husband"... he's my husband... sorry everybody else, he's taken).

I am truly blessed, and I cannot say thanks enough to "deserve" any of it... Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday, and I'm glad to take a moment to be thankful.

Happy Thanksgiving All!

Getting Crafty

Since discovering and introducing me to Pinterest, several of the football wives* have decided to have craft days to actually do some of the things we've found on Pinterest.

*Football Wives - The wives that come with their husbands to North Texas Football Games, including pre-game tailgating.  Several of us may never have met each other if our husbands had not been football buddies.  We've all gotten to know each other pretty well from Saturdays out in the heat for the last 3 football seasons, and we're now excited to do something outside of tailgating... and without our husbands. :)

Our first craft weekend was in October, and we made flower necklaces from a Necklace Tutorial that Kim found on Pinterest.

These came out great.  They're just felt, fabric, a chain, and hot glue.

After our first success, we got back together today for Craft Day Take 2.  This time we tackled 2 projects.

1. Washer necklaces.  Randi found this Washer Tutorial on Pinterest.  I think they make cute necklackes.

Take a washer, glue on paper (like scrapbook paper), trim off excess, and paint with a clear coat.  Once they dry, I'll tie a cord on it, and viola: simple, unique necklace.

2. Decorative Letter.  This is probably my favorite craft yet.  Mine is going on my front door once I get a wreath hanger.

Letter (from Hobby Lobby), twine (190 ft for $3 from Lowe's), ribbon, fabric flowers, and hot glue.

I found this Letter S Inspiration on Pinterest.  The S is from Esty, so unlike the other crafts we've done, there was no tutorial.  It was still pretty simple though.  And I found this Fabric Flower Tutorial that made a nice adornment for my 'H', and I think I like these flowers better than the paper flowers on the S from Etsy.

We've had a Ton 'O Fun being crafty.  I'm looking for Craft Day #3, but that's probably not until after Christmas.

Homecoming

I love Baylor University.  It makes me giddy just to be on campus.  I have many fond memories of my time there, including many great people I met and the first few months of dating the man that is now my husband.

Last weekend, we had the pleasure of returning to Baylor for Homecoming.  John and I rolled into Waco around 6pm Friday and took a stroll around campus.  We met up with friends for dinner in the sub and spent some time taking in the pre-bonfire festivities.  Before the bonfire was lit, we came across several other friends... we enjoyed getting to see everyone, but ironically, most of the people we found on Friday night live near us in Dallas and we see more frequently than just at Baylor Homecoming.

Saturday morning, we were up bright and early at the Alpha Delta Pi tent along the parade.  Poor John got abandoned with another ADPi husband, and I had a blast catching up with many of my wonderful sisters! 

The ADPi float was the Mad Hatter Tea Party. Each of the 10 schools currently in the Big 12 was represented by a chair.

The Baylor chair was, of course, at the head of the table... and the A&M chair was appropriately placed.

After the parade, we had about 7 hours to kill before the football game, so we took in a few Waco favorites:

• A visit to the Alpha Delta Pi chapter room - I had a great time talking with some alumnae who were ADPi's before I was born and hearing about their experience in the sorority.
• Lunch at Fazoli's - Yes, I know it's fast food, but the Waco Fazoli's is still the closest location to my house even though we now live in Lewisville.  We don't have much of a fast-food Italian option in the Dallas area. :)
• Drive around Cameron Park
• Cameron Park Zoo - We went with some friends and their 7 month old daughter - who fell asleep somewhere between the lions and the reptiles.

The Homecoming game was a nice experience.  I was a student at Baylor for the 2004-2007 football seasons, during which Baylor football resulted in the following:

• 2004: 3-8 record on the year, including a 26-25 Loss to Iowa State for Homecoming
• 2005: 5-6 record on the year, including a 28-0 Loss to Texas Tech for Homecoming
• 2006: 4-8 record on the year, including a 36-35 Win over Kansas for Homecoming
• 2007: 3-9 record on the year, including a 38-7 Loss to Texas Tech for Homecoming 

That brings the overall record while I was in school to 15 wins and 31 losses, no winning seasons, and only 1, very close, Homecoming win.  Anytime I can go to a Baylor game and see a win is a good game in my opinion, but a homecoming win is all the sweeter. (It was a 42-39 Win over Missouri, bringing Baylor to 5-3 so far for 2011)

John modeling the give-away foam helmet at the game.

To all the friends I saw: It was great to see you!
To anyone who was there and I missed: Boo!  We need to coordinate next year!
To Kristen and Nick: Thanks for being our homecoming buddies again!  We had a great time... also, Clare was definitely the cutest little Baylor fan and ADPi legacy! :)

Spectacle of Spectacles

John and I have a minor obsession.  Okay, maybe it's better said that John has a minor obsession, and I come along for the ride.  John and I both have poor eye-site without the aid of glasses or contacts.  John is not able to wear contacts, so it's all glasses for him.

A couple years ago, John discovered the concept of buying glasses online.  The glasses are significantly cheaper than buying glasses at the mall, not to even mention buying glasses at the eye doctor.  Since John wears glasses daily, he took these inexpensive glasses as an opportunity make the glasses he wears daily a part of his wardrobe that can change.

He watches for sales and new styles. Over time we've purchased many pairs of glasses and I've even gotten in on some of the action.  We've also shared our joy with many friends who now buy all their glasses on-line too.

An inventory of all the glasses in our house.  Though many look similar, most of the variety is in the stems, and we couldn't find an easy way to get all the stems in one picture.

Recently, John went to the eye doctor and got a new prescription, so we had to retire his old glasses and get new ones.  We did some thorough pricing, and even with an insurance stipend, it only made sense to get new lenses for 1 of his existing pairs of glasses.  For the alternative pairs, it was cheaper to just buy new glasses on-line.

We just finished replacing his alternative glasses.  Today, we went through the house and gathered up all the glasses in one spot.  We're going to donate the glasses that we didn't get new lenses for, and before we do, we wanted to take an inventory of all the glasses we have.

• 17 Total Pairs of Glasses
• 13 Prescription, Clear Glasses
• 3 Prescription, Sun Glasses
• 1 Non-prescription, Sun Glasses (for me when I'm wearing contacts, but I did buy them online with one of John's other glasses orders)
• 5 Pairs belong to me
• 12 Pairs belong to John
• 7 are in John's old Prescription (only 1 to get new lenses, other 6 to be donated)
• 1 in my old Prescription (going with John's to donation)
• 3 in my current prescription (though 1 pair I never wear, so it's going to donation too - lest you think this lessens the cost savings: In one order, I bought 2 pairs of glasses for $6 each, and one pair I didn't end up liking.  We just consider the pair I do wear to cost $12; still an awesome deal)
• 5 New Glasses in John's New Prescription
• If you're counting, that's a total of 8 going to donation, and 9 pairs we still use.
• Max Price: $120 (John's rim-less glass - this is the pair we're getting new lenses for)
• Min Price: $6 (We got 4 pairs of glasses for $24 in one order - that includes shipping - 2 were mine and 2 were John's)
• Total spent on all 17 Pairs, including shipping: $525 (That averages out to $31 per pair of glasses)

For those of you thinking, "Man, that's awesome; I want to get in on that!".  Here's a list of all the places we bought from.  There are a plethora of places online if you just do a Google search, but these are the ones we've used.

• www.eyebuydirect.com
• www.zennioptical.com
• www.goggles4u.com
• www.39dollarglasses.com

All you need is your prescription, just make sure it includes your Pupillary Distance, which is not always written in the default prescription format.  When we first started, we went to a mall store and tried on several glasses.  We weren't looking for a specific pair; we tried on a wide variety of sizes, styles, and shapes to get a general feel for what we liked.  Make note of the measurements on the glasses that look like a good size for your face (several of the websites explain the numbers - you can find them all on the glasses stems).

And that's our spectacle of spectacles.

Encouraging the Bears, the Mean Green, and the Weather

With football season starting, John and I are gearing for what we hope will be successful seasons for both our Alma maters.  One of the keys success in my book is surviving the weather at the games... it seems that no mater how miserable the weather (and the team), we do not leave North Texas games early.  Of course we left the 1 Baylor game we went to last year early just because of a little torrential downpour, but I'm not writing this post to discuss double standards...

This year we've got some new gear to cheer on our teams.  Now we just need the weather to cooperate a little to give us a reason to wear them... come on cooler weather!