More Than and Thousand Monkeys

I’m just going to say it: my niece and nephew are the two coolest kids on the planet. OK…yes. Perhaps I’m biased. And perhaps those are close to fighting words because you believe that YOU have the coolest kid(s) on the planet. Perhaps we’re both right.

I spent the weekend with Mr. T (4 ½) and Baby K (18mo). In general, Mr. T is all sugar and Baby K is all spice. I love getting in some good Aunt Moose time and just playing with these kiddos. We got down and dirty and managed to squeeze in a weekend jam packed with fun. These kids are sweet, smart, funny and crazy cute.

(Really—Jason, how did you manage to have such beautiful and amazing children??)

On Saturday we were outside playing and we had the sidewalk chalk out. I drew a picture and asked Mr. T if he knew what it was. He said, “Yes! It’s a MOOSE!” I said, ‘You’re right buddy! But do I REALLY look like that??” He looked at me with the most incredulous little face and said, “Uh, NO…You’re an AUNT Moose!”

Duh. Apparently that’s a whole other species. (And I’m not complaining).

At another time I was sitting with him and I asked him if he knows how much I love him. He stretched out his arms as wide as he could and said, “This much?” I stretched out my own arms, which of course were much wider, and said, “Even MORE than THIS much! 5 times more. 500 times more. 5 MILLION times more!” He looked at me with wide-eyed wonder and said, “I know—a THOUSAND times more!”

He jumped up and ran off to his room and came right back with a book. I should have noted the title, but it’s something that starts with a couple of monkeys and eventually builds to the crescendo—a thousand monkeys. He anxiously turned the last page, animated with monkeys everywhere, and proclaimed that he loves me “more than a thousand monkeys!”

Yep. That’s my kind of kid!

Pura Vida

Whew. OK...it's been ages since I last posted. Sorry about that! There's LOTS going on in Moosedom right now and I just haven't had a chance to write.

Part of the distraction was, in a word, PARADISE. I went on vacation last week to Costa Rica and it was the Best. Vacation. Ever. Seriously.

One of the challenges of being a 30-something single girl (who loves to travel) is finding others who have the same interests, availability and budget for a fun vacation. So I sent out a note to the many amazing single girls I know and started looking for the perfect place to go.

Hello luxurylink.com. If you aren't familiar with this website, now's the time to turn the light on and get to know one of my favorite places to hang out on this little thing we call the World Wide Web. LuxuryLink is a site that features high-end vacation rentals at discounted rates and auctions. The first time I went out to look for ideas I found the perfect place. A gift really. A little slice of paradise called Casa Oceano. And we got an amazing deal on an even more amazing house (and by house I mean villa-mansion-dwelling deluxe).

A few of us all started reaching out to our fabulous friends and ended up with the perfect group of six. Perfect not only because they were all accomplished, interesting, fun women, but also because the house had six bedrooms and, well, you can do the math. Perfection.

This trip was truly spectacular. But I have to say, that on top of all the fun and luxury and, hello, decadence, it was also a very spiritual trip. I have always felt closest to God in nature. Those moments when I look around me in awe of the natural beauty and know that God just breathed it and it came into being.

On this trip I was overwhelmed by the gift that God was giving me (and the whole group). It was impressed on me that when He was creating this beautiful coastline with its thundering surf and jagged volcanic rock, that he knew we would be there to enjoy His handiwork. That, if for nothing else, He created it for the moments that we were there to appreciate it. It all goes back to the post I wrote a few weeks ago: my life is so good and for too long I've taken for granted the beauty around me that was all a gift to enjoy.

In the last few days that I was there I was a little overwhelmed by some potentially big decisions and changes that I knew would be in front of me when I got back (sorry to be cryptic...more info as I am able to share). For a while now, the trip has been a barrier between present and future and I was acutely aware that as the trip ended that future would no longer be something "out there" but become the here and now.

In the midst of that I spent some time praying and God took me to Mark 5:18 where JC said, "Go home and tell your family what I've done for you and how good my mercies are." Yep. That fits.

This trip was such a gift and to say that God's mercies are good is simply inadequate. His love for us is perfect. He knows exactly what each one of us need in every moment and, if we're willing to open our eyes and notice, He'll show us how He's meeting those needs.

I'm really sorry that I didn't have the opportunity to blog each day of the trip to share all the fun stories with you. We had such an adventure and more fun than I can convey here. Here are a few pictures that I hope at least give you a taste of our experience.

Our fabulous group a the lookout point at the end of our beach:

The beach behind me was our playground. Our house was down by the rocks at the end of the beach.

Our amazing house:

From the dining room looking out over the sundeck (looking out over the ocean):

Our private beach:

A coconut I found on said beach:

We hiked to the waterfalls in Montezuma:Swimming in the falls:This is Sebastian (a.k.a. one of my favorite stories). This crab apparently sleeps in the house at the base of the stairs to my room. We tried to remove him and he just came back. We tried to scare him...no luck. And then we took this picture. And he never came back. Apparently Sebastian can read. And got the hint...

Ziplining in the canopy near Montezuma!The last day we were there about 20 howler monkeys stopped by to visit. AMAZING!! B.L.I.S.S Soaking up the sun. Sigh. (I want to go back!!)Las Gringas Locas!!

Costa Rica 2009 and Las Gringas Locas was an experience that I will always treasure for the fun and the friendship, but even more for the reminder of God's faithfulness.

The motto in the CR is Pura Vida--the good life.

Thanks, God for giving me one that is amazingly good.

Surf's UP!

OK. So, yes. I'm astronomically accident prone. We've clearly established that and have this as Exhibit A.

BUT...I also like to fancy myself as the adventurous sort and will offer up this as Exhibit B.

And (I hope) I've made it clear that I'm ALL IN along this journey of making the most of all that life has to offer in the here and now.

So despite the tendency to, uh, bruise like a peach, I just can't slow down when it comes to not only living my life, but fully experiencing our groovy little world. Along those lines I finally did something last weekend that I've been wanting to do for ages.

Several years ago I heard about a surf school in San Diego called Surf Diva. Hello...could there possibly be a better name for an establishment created to teach women how to conquor the ocean and surf?? Two sisters started Surf Diva about 20 years ago, and while they began as an surf school for women, they are now ranked as the number one surf school in San Diego (and they're even willing to help the surfer dudes out there get up and hang ten).

I knew as soon as I heard about them that THIS was a place I wanted to go to learn how to surf. So when I had a work trip to San Diego pop up, I immediately made plans to come in early and booked my first surfing lesson.

And the surfing? It is CRAZY FUN!

It's a sad thing that there are no action shots, because, y'all...I actually did WELL at this new venture! Carla and Shayna are clearly talented instructors, because I got up on my second wave and rode the third. But of course I started to overthink it and struggled a bit. (My instructor asked what I do for a living and then ascertained that I seem to always be plotting what my next step is going to be.)

That's not me at all. Except, you know, EXACTLY.

Apparently this is a sport that requires one to stop thinking about it and just "feel the waves" and once I did that I got back up and at 'em.

The pictures are certainly not my best...but I couldn't care less, beacause they were captured on a day that I smiled from ear to ear for HOURS. And so here they are completely untouched.

Just me and my board. SO SAD that my eyes are closed:

With bad ass Carla:
The newbies, Mel and Shayna (instructor in training):

I can feel it--I'm definitely hooked.

And I'm already plotting my next time out.

All in a Day's Work

Well, not really a day...more like a month. And not really all work either.

I did some calculating today, and in the month of June I've visited 5 cities. In 4 time zones. Shuffled through 7 airports. Stayed in 5 hotels. Stayed in 3 homes of friends/family. And spent 18 nights somewhere other than my own home sweet home.

(That's a lot.)

Almost all of that was for work, but I did my best to fit some play in there, too. My last trip started in Boulder for the first leg and then on to Southern California for a stop in Santa Ana and then San Diego. There are, obviously, worse places they could ask me to go slave away for the job. I completely fell in love with Boulder--it makes my top five places in the US list. It rocks. (Sorry, couldn't resist.)

I got home last night, and while I'm completely pooped today I can't help but reflect on what an amazing place our crazy little world is. Mountains. Oceans. Climate swings of 30-ish degrees. (Seriously--it was something like 71 degrees when I left San Diego 24 hours ago and is currently 102 in Austin. Hello heat!)

I'm so grateful that I get to see little pieces of the planet here and there. Even better when I get to see (and make) friends along the way. This time around I even got to make some pizza. That story is going to have to wait, but here are some shots of the nature-licious sites I got to enjoy last week.

Hiking (more like sprinting because I had so little time) in The Flatirons in Boulder early Saturday morning before rushing off to the airport. At the beginning of the trail:

Where I stopped--these are rocks at the base of one of the climbing areas. I would have LOVED to scramble around up here!

The view looking down from where I stopped:

All done.
Juana rockin' the super cool car we had (mind the sarcasm).

I flew from Boulder to Orange County and had to spend some time at my most favorite place: the beach!

The cliffs of Corona del Mar:

Blue sky and blue ocean make me one happy moose.

There is simply no better way to spend an afternoon than this:

When I left Santa Ana I drove down to San Diego for a meeting. Here's the sunset at Carlsbad.

Oh, SoCal. I have a S.E.R.I.O.U.S crush on you!

That's Ms. Moose to You

Yep.

I know.

I've been a little MIA lately. Emphasis on the A part. I feel like a character in a cartoon action movie where they just show a blur zooming across the screen with virtually no detail. The good news is that my blurry little world has been the source of much bliss lately as I have kicked off the summer by having more fun than I can remember in a long time. I actually feel like I did when I was kid and it was the last week of school.

In a word? GIDDY. And I'm a fan.

And of course, I've embarked on all this fun with camera in hand. Here are a few pics of the past couple of weeks.

With Lindsay at the lake Memorial Weekend:

At Abel's on the Lake...I feel certain this will be my summer hangout. I like to call this one "pretty in pink" (in a completely non-pejorative way, of course):

More fun out on the town with LG:

I spent the past week in Dallas and got to enjoy three of my all time favorite people, Wendy, Suzy Q and Darla:

More fun in Dallas with Brandy, KK and the other Mel:

One quick story to go with the photo gallery. I spent last weekend with Wendy, also known as the world's best hostess. Seriously...it doesn't get much better than the accommodations at Casa Bryan, complete with fruity drinks by the pool and chocolates on my pillow. Not to mention the hours of fantabulous girl talk.

When I was with her amazingly sweet family I kept laughing at how what my brother started so many years ago has stuck. I mean really, Jason, I've got to hand it to you.

Because these two beauties?
Yeah. They call me Ms. Moose.

S.E.R.I.O.U.S.L.Y.

And I'm not going to lie. It makes me smile every time.

Now...off to have more spectacular summer fun!

Street Walker

How can another weekend possibly be over? Hmmm...what do you suppose we need to do to make 3-day weekends the standard? Mr. Obama? Ms. Pelosi? All of you slaving away in Texas during the legislative session? Surely someone can introduce and lobby for something along these lines. Call me. I'm more than happy to testify.

I spent Saturday afternoon at a crawfish boil put on by the Young Men's Business League. I'm not going to lie. It was depressing to realize how much younger than me the young businessmen in Austin apparently are.

It was one of the first times I felt down right geriatric at such a function.

Luckily I was hanging with Lindsay G. and we didn't let the age issue slow us down. We found our way over the game area and rocked it. We played washers (I won!) and a game that none of us had ever seen and we just made up rules as we went along. That made it pretty easy for us to dominate there as well.

Not that I'm, um, competitive or anything. Certainly not.

My real accomplishment of the weekend, though came today. See these?

I've been staring wistfully at these for many weeks now. (Even more than my beautiful stilettos.)

And today?

Yep...I was able to not only wear them, but even take them for a spin around the block. It was just a little walk (30 minutes!)...but they were, literally, the first steps towards being completely "back on my feet."

And that's better than winning any party game (and didn't require me to channel my inner cougar).

Oh, come on. You know me better than that. Then again...I have been around the block.

25 Random Things

So there's this thing going around Facebook that has been really interesting--basically you just make a list of 25 random things about yourself and then "tag" other people to share yours and invite them to write their own and share them back. As much as I LOVE Facebook (certainly another post about that is warranted someday), I don't usually do these kinds of "extras". I'm an addict of the straight up status/wall post/photos variety. But these have been so fun to read and it was more reflective than I would have thought to write my own.

So I'm posting list here and inviting YOU to write your own and post in the comments. And really hoping someone (of the what, 5 of you that even know this exists?) will bite and join in. I'd love to know more about you!

1. I didn’t like fish of any sort until I was 28 and agreed to try sushi. Now it’s my favorite.
2. If I could, I would make chewing gum in public illegal.
3. I'm a complete wimp when it comes to cold weather and use the heated seats in my car almost year round.
4. I have a 6’ wrought iron Christmas tree that my grandfather made and I keep it in my bedroom with white lights year round.
5. Being an aunt is my favorite thing in the world. (And I secretly love that they call me Aunt Moose).
6. I have a “lifetime to-do list” and am determined, among other things, to visit all of the Seven Wonders of the World.
7. I grew up believing in God, but my life completely changed when I finally “got it” and fell completely in love with Jesus. I wish everyone knew this perfect love.
8. I threw up at the Great Wall of China.
9. I wish I’d been more self-aware in high school and college…I think I would have been a much better friend.
10. I love to play music in my room when I’m home alone and just sing my heart out. This works in the car, too. And maybe on a karaoke stage after a drink or two.
11. When I was a kid I wanted to grow up to be a Supreme Court Justice. Now I can think of few things that are less appealing.
12. I love to have fresh flowers in my house. Irises are my favorite—they are just so intricately beautiful.
13. I didn’t really understand the point of blogging until I recently started.
14. I am the happiest when I’m outside—especially if I’m at the beach.
15. I miss my grandfather so much it aches inside.
16. I've been skydiving once and bungee jumping twice.
17. I try to live without regrets, but there are a few things that I’d really like a “do over” on.
18. I volunteer with an amazing organization called I Am Change. Life is so much better when you intentionally try to live beyond yourself.
19. Facebook should pay me for all of the recruiting I do on their behalf. I’m an addict and LOVE that I’ve been able to reconnect with so many old friends. And hate that some of the hold outs haven’t given in yet.
20. I think working at Intel gave me ADD.
21. Despite it all, I’m still a hopeless romantic and want to fall completely, helplessly, passionately in love. I still believe in the “the fairytale”, albeit a slightly different version than I once thought.
22. My favorite place in the world (so far) is Lake Como, Italy. Spectacularly beautiful.
23. I actually enjoy blind dates. Well, most of the time.
24. Some day I’d like to learn how to sail. This will, however, require the development of a variant of Dramamine that doesn’t make me fall asleep.
25. I eat way too much Easy Mac. Really.

Tag. You're it!

Thirty-six

Thirty-six. Somehow it feels a little better to spell it out rather than just throw out the numbers. And since that number is now my age, I'm just going to go with that. Or maybe I should just make this the first anniversary of my 35th birthday and adopt this as my new approach to birthdays.

I'll skip the commentary on how I can possibly already be this age, and certainly won't brooch what will happen in just 4 little years. For now I'll just post the pictures and be so grateful for a SUPER FUN birthday celebration! Oh...and please note The Bachelor inspired pouf...that was just for Laura and Tracy!

The girls looking oh so lovely.

With Debbie--a.k.a. my first (well, and only) official follower...that's why she gets her own pic with me on the site. Holla!

Lynsey, Julie, Tracy & Laura

With Hawley, Deb & Julie

Yes...I'm on the piano. I have no logical reason other than it seemed like a good idea at the time.

It's a MOOSE! I tried to stand on a bar stool to get a little closer for a better photo, but for some reason the management didn't feel like that was a good idea. I thought they were worried about my safety...turns out they were worried that I would somehow hurt the moose. Nice.

Just a glimpse of a very fun night. I have to say that when I climbed into the cab at 1:30 I was very aware that I'm just not as spry as I once was. It's a good thing that 50 is the new 30...that makes me, what, about 18? Oh, how I do enjoy the new math.

Thanks again to those of you who joined me and made my day so special!