The Stories

Why I don't post much... because often when I say "I love my job" something happens to it... therefore, I'm afraid to post about anything great in my life (a LOT right now).  So, that being said, hopefully I've broken that now, and so I'll share the latest happenings.

• Job change- I'm back to being a landman.  Get to pick my hours and work from home when I want to... can't complain.
• NBA- Spurs v. Heat in Finals.  Go Spurs Go!
• Bowling- It's no secret I'm a nerd, so I might as well admit that I was in a bowling league this last year.  Yes, I got a ball and shoes and all that.  Still, my average was a 116.  That's terrible.  But what is worse, is that I got worse and worse as the year  went on.  In fact, I got an 80- something the last day, and multiple 96s the past few weeks.  We got last place.  Woo-hoo.
  
• We got a pool.  Go ahead and laugh, but that thing feels amazing when it's 100 degrees outside.
• I got eyeliner tattooed on my eyes.  Love it.  I felt like everyone thought I was in an abusive relationship while I wore sunglasses around everywhere I went for a week when I had horrendous black eyes.  Totally worth it though.

  

  The sunglasses stayed on for a reason...

  

  ... eww.

• Speaking of relationships, I'm in a wonderfully non-abusive one.  He's pretty cool. 
• Speaking of Fortune, he loves his hair, and cannot stand cat hair getting in it, therefore, I'm trying to keep the cat off of the bed, or wherever his head may be... can you teach an old, mean kitty new things? It's a struggle, but Fortune is worth it. 
• Nutrisystems is gross and dumb- don't try it. 
• "We" sold the store..so weird.  The place opened a week after I was born.  My parents are now working 8-5 jobs.  Again... weird.
• I have a new niece, Eden Jean Harmon.  Hopefully Brooke and I will be able to go up there in June to meet her and enjoy Seattle.  Then, I'll be going to Guanajuato, Mexico, for July 4th. 
• I bought a MacBook, and I have no idea how to use Macs. 
• My mom got her nose pierced at 50. 
• Having a housekeeper come clean every couple weeks is the most amazing thing ever.  This gives the three of us living here, freedom to enjoy the little free time we have, instead of cleaning (we still do everyday cleaning- dishes/laundry/. etc., but she does things like floors, furniture, fans, windows, tubs, showers, window sills, baseboards... all the sucky stuff).  I'm also convinced that the combo of us (straight white girl, gay white guy and black hermit guy + Clyde and Paisley) and the housekeeper is the perfect roommate situation- we get along way too well.

The Last Year

I moved back to Midland about 9 months ago as my company opened a Midland office.  It's been an interesting adjustment- both the job and living back in Midland.  I bought a house which I love.  It's old and needs updating and general maintenance any 70 year old house would need.  I'm very much into concrete yards now as I have no desire to do yard work (it's hot and I don't get home until late usually).
My cousin, Terrell, and my friend, Dustin, live here too.  I wasn't sure that I could live with anyone ever again, but they are too much fun and I can't ever imagine living by myself again now.  We spend almost every evening sitting in the backyard having a drink with whatever friends decide to stop by for the night (you're welcome to stop by and join us any time).

My family is a mess, I don't get it (and by this I mean by entire Armstrong side of the family).  I'm not trying to air dirty laundry, but I don't understand how family (or anyone) can treat people the way they do.  And everyone involved is a perfect Christian.  I'm not perfect and don't claim to be, nor do I claim innocence in this mess, so I'm talking about all of us here.  Guess which side of my family gets along well and actually shows Christian love to everyone and has jobs that actually help people? the non church of Christ side.  I don't know if this is part of my reasoning, but I'm getting church of Christ jaded. 
I'm always busy with work events or doing something... I love being busy.  I have to shoot in a clay shoot on Friday, I have no clue what I'm doing and don't even own a shotgun.  I shot one clay the one day I've ever tried to shoot anything with a shotgun- this is going to be embarrassing.  Then off to New Braunfels to see my fun Alaskan family for the weekend.  Ft. Davis the next weekend, then Cabo with my parents, Ally, Ross and Naomi.    I want to start taking big weekend trips (after I recover from buying a house and making repairs) to Boston, NYC, Chicago, Miami, NOLO, wherever you go in Canada/Mexico/Caribbean, or anywhere else one can go for a weekend.  The more the merrier (and cheaper)!

It's true, I love NYC

Thanks to my cousin living in NYC and deciding to get married there, I finally made it.  It was amazing.  I can't wait to go back (in the winter, fall or spring) or move there for one of my adventures. Brooke and I met there on Monday.  We had a great hotel about a 2 minute walk from Times Square, and right across from Broadway theaters and the Church of Scientology which we did not attend.
Monday:
Seeing what Central Park has to offer: explored Times Square; walked to Central Park; had fancy dinner at the Loeb Boathouse restaurant overlooking the Lake in CP; sat outside the arena and listened to Young the Giant while people watching and trying to keep the lightening bugs and mosquitoes off of us in CP; went to the free NY philharmonic concert in CP, followed by fireworks; walked back to hotel via 5th Avenue.  Did I mention everything was free? 


Jimmy Fallon time

Tuesday:


Matthew Broderick

Went to Rockefeller Center for Jimmy Fallon tickets; Took subway to Little Italy and Chinatown; I wish we could have spent more time here, but we had to hurry; saw Jimmy Fallon monologue rehearsal (not the actual show, we didn't want to wait in lines all day long for a chance)- this was fun to see a behind-the-scenes kind of thing, then watch the show and see what they changed, plus Jimmy was funny, entertaining and personable- good times; it was about this time that Brooke had a work emergency and went back to the hotel to work- I went to the booth in Times Square around 6:30 when the lines were super short, and went to see Jersey Boys.  I loved it- there were some really cool and creative scenes (I could have done without the language, but...); as I walked back to the hotel (I'll skip the foot blister story and how I was walking slower than a turtle and grimacing with each step) all the broadway actors were coming out to sign autographs and take pictures, so I decided to call Brooke and wait right outside our hotel to see Matthew Broderick... mission accomplished.

Wednesday:
Pouring rain, Brooke working, and my foot blisters making it impossible to walk (I'm not exaggerating- but why did I wear new shoes on the first day???? dumb.).  However, we did walk around Times Square, eat, and shop.  I realize Times Square is not all of NYC, but I LOVE that it's just as busy at 1 a.m. as it is any other time of day.  So every night we would spend time here- or around here.  I love NY pizza and cheesecake (I just found a place close to my apt here in SA that sells NY pizza by the slice- yay- so I'll have to try it soon).  In the evening, Lion King!  LOVE!  I knew I would- the costuming is amazing. 

Ground Zero

 Thursday: 
For the life of me I can't remember what we did Thursday morning (I mean early afternoon)... but I guarantee it was fun!  Then we went to Vaniero's for Brooke to get mille foglie (some Italian dessert that is amazing), and I got cheesecake, and we both took goodies home- this place was reasonably priced and delicious!  On the subway, locals mentioned how great it was.  Then Ground Zero.  It was not what I expected, but glad I got to see it.  We got in the ticket line again around 6:30 for whatever we could get and went to see Mary Poppins.  It was good- they had some neat effects- but I don't want to ruin it for anyone.  Then around midnight, we walked to the Empire State Building and took in the city at night. 


Rehearsal Dinner... Party

Friday:
Brooke left.  All in all, I felt like we did a ton, and we only really had about 1/2 days worth of activities, the rest of the time, we'd just explore.  I loved out schedule of getting out around noon and staying up late- you wouldn't even know though with all of the activity. 


The Bower Family

Then I packed up and went to meet my sister at a friend's house.  After a few hours there, Ally, Naomi and I got a car service, and Ally enjoyed our ride to New Jersey speaking Spanish to the driver as I just pretended I knew what they were saying.  We met mom, dad and Memaw and drove to New Paltz, NY for the rehearsal dinner.  I love my dad's family- they are all so fun, sincere, and sweet! 





Wedding Fun

Saturday:


Lunch with Uncle Ron and Aunt Rena

Woke up to the sounds of my sweet niece; went to help with wedding preparation; ate lunch at a German restaurant with a beautiful view with all the family; headed to town to explore New Paltz; got into an argument with an anti-fracking group; lost track of time, and had to get ready for the wedding in 10 minutes; I love my cousin Jen, she is so fun, talented and nice- I could learn a thing or two from her.  She and Steve's wedding was great- outdoors on a farm.  The ceremony was under a big tree, cocktails were in the gardens; dinner under a beautifully decorated tent near the apple orchard; and dancing in the barn; I stayed until almost 3 a.m. singing along and playing guitar by the bonfire. 


In the Garden, at the farm, Wedding Site

Sunday:


In Central Park

Went to breakfast, and said goodbye to everyone, as most the family left Sunday.  Mom, Dad, Memaw, Ally, Naomi and I went back for an evening in the city.  I conquered driving a mini van in NYC (no big deal), and I took mom, dad and Memaw on a whirlwind tour- as they had never been and were leaving early in the morning. We "saw" Ground Zero from the road (can't really see anything with construction, but I informed them they weren't missing anything); hailed a cab to Times Square (it was fun getting a cab for 5 1/2 and having my mom ride in the storage area); walked down Fifth Avenue to Central Park; went to Empire State Building (way too many people at 7 p.m. as opposed to 1 a.m.); had a delicious dinner outside at a place near out hotel; walked to Battery Park for a night-time view of the Statue of Liberty.  I'd say it was a pretty good tour in only a few hours.

Naomi swinging in CP

Monday:
After Dad, Mom and Memaw left, Ally, Naomi and I braved the sweltering heat and humidity, to return some baby things to a friend; took a break to cool off; decided we had to do inside things to avoid dying; walked through CP- with a quick stop to let Naomi swing, to the Museum of Natural History; we are cheap so we just paid a few dollars and did almost nothing inside (it was just a really hot day); Whatever happened, I loved spending time with my sister and niece! 
 It was a great trip and I can't wait to go back to experience new things there!

Shave the Cat?

I wish I were a great blogger who took pictures of everything and shared my boring life in a way that made it sound and look exciting, but I am not.  I dislike writing complete, grammatically correct sentances... so here are completely random thoughts- some of which may be complete sentances and some may not- and I do not apologize for that:

• In the past few months, I have moved to downtown San Antonio- and I love it!  My new place is an little old two-story building that has been converted into offices and lofts- complete with old creaky hardwood floors, brick walls, and absolutely no sound proofing from buses and cars driving by (hence my investment in ugly box fans for each room).  By the way, I have plenty of room for anyone to come visit.  Here is a picture from before I moved in:

• Not only do I love my new place, but I love being downtown in the midst of all the action.  There are so many free events every week- its fun just to walk to them, look around, enjoy some street vendor food and go home without having to deal with a) paying for parking and b) finding a parking spot.  For example, I saw Ron Paul at a rally on the way home one day:

• I have enjoyed walking to work (the few days a week that I can wake up in time) and getting a raspa from Guadalupe's stand on the way home (one size, $1, and only 5 flavor choices- but I love them).  I think it may be too hot for my 0.7 mile trek, but we shall see. 
• Our office building is great: right on a pretty and peaceful spot on the riverwalk- making for a nice outdoor lunch spot; even though there are 30 floors, the front desk guys greet you by name every time you pass; the free events every week from food trucks to lunch concerts to whatever other random day they decide to throw huge parties; the parking attendants are so nice, and we chat everyday- whether it's when I'm leaving the garage or at lunch; the cute old man that plays piano during lunch with his suit, skinny tie and hat; how my only source of news every day is from the short trip between the lobby and the 7th floor via the elevator tvs that are always tuned to CNN; and how a few days a week there are weddings/ nice events (or not-so-nice events) in the lobby and you can score free dinner/snacks/drinks on your way home.
• I love that it is NBA playoffs time and the Spurs are in it.  I'm hoping for Spurs/ Thunder next round and eventually the Spurs winning it all.  OKC, you are my second favorite team, but I just love the Spurs- from the owner to the players to the former players to the cheesy HEB commercials with Manu, Tim and TP to the city they represent (I've loved them since long before moving here).
• IF YOU ARE OR HAVE EVER BEEN PREGNANT, DONT READ THIS PARAGRAPH  I think baseball is the most boring sport ever- I would rather watch tennis, golf, Cops, or MASH than one baseball game on tv (anytime I hear the MASH or Cops theme songs I cringe and change the channel extremely quickly).  I would appreciate if people stop making excessive posts about the Rangers on Facebook (is it bad to request the cessation of excessive posts about: pregnancy, babies, and anything related thereto also?).  It's your facebook page, so do whatever you want, I'm just making a suggestion and I really am happy for you (remember I said EXCESSIVE posts- don't quit all-together). 

• I doubt anyone is still reading, if anyone reads this at all anyway, but... I'm going to NYC in July and would LOVE any suggestions you have of what to do/not do/where to stay/not to stay... We've already got Lion King tickets, but the rest of the trip is unplanned.  Note: I have no desire to go to the Statue of Liberty or the Empire State Building.
• Singing at the congregation with which I worship is amazing!  Although it doesn't measure up to singing at devos in the forum in college at night- it's about as close as I can get without making the trip to OC.
• Is it bad to shave a cat? my cat is shedding EVERYWHERE and it is completely unacceptable.  I bought a new couch and (I hate to admit this) have it covered with sheets.  This in many ways takes away from enjoying the new couch, but with a charcoal gray couch, a long haired white cat and a missing lint roller- it is necessary.  I promise I won't keep them on for ever and if you come over (with warning) they will be quickly hidden.  Here is the couch just moments before the sheets were put on and I do have decor on the walls now (super exciting, I know). 

Naomi Marie

My beautiful niece Naomi Marie at Christmas-time.

 Mom and Dad also came to visit for a week during Chrismas, and I only took pictures when we went to Goliad.  We did many other fun things, but I suck at taking pictures.

South Texas Sights

Santa Isn't Real?

I only say this because I didn't even think about this until a few years ago- it's amazing how many lies we tell everyday and don't even realize it. I think it is weird that so many people tell their children about Santa and the Tooth Fairy.  I find it odd that we go to such great lengths to keep children believing that Santa is real, and then we feel like they've lost their innocence when some bully at school ruins it for them.  As Christians trying to teach children about honesty and truth, or even just as a follower of Christ, we should not perpetuate this lie.