Healthy Life part 1: A Weighty Issue

Recently I've been thinking a lot about health. Not just physical health (although it is a big chunk of what I think about) but also mental, emotional and spiritual. I've kind of been wondering what other people have thought on these issues, so I figure, why not put it on the blog and see if others have thoughts or comments? If you don't mind I've kind of split things up so it's not one super long boring post, but multiple, shorter, less interesting posts.

Being asked to be in a wedding party is great. The bride having to buy you the largest size the store offers and still having it not fit you, not so great. I mean, I knew I wasn't in an ideal form (when have I ever been) but having 8+ inches of it face you like that is only so much fun. The dress was the final kick in the over sized gut to get me to take some action and consider things on a deeper level.

For the majority of my life I've been overweight. I can't say I've ever been one of those people who tries to fade into the surroundings because of my weight, but I've also never been one of those people who is proud to be out of shape; that just seems so strange. At the same time I've never cared enough to try and take permanent action. I was comfortable the way I was. While sure it did kind of suck having to be the funny, smart, quick-tongued and/or dateless one in my group of friends, I didn't have to push myself to exercise or worry about what I ate. In addition, I finally got married and because I have such a wonderful husband who tells me I look good when I've been sick in bed for three days and haven't showered since I got into said bed (yeah, TMI, sorry) I figured. "Well, why worry?"
To give some reason behind my lack of desire to make drastic changes.. I've never been one of those people who drinks soft drinks a lot or ate white bread or despised fruits and vegetables. To the contrary, my mother has said numerous times she was lucky to have kids who never argued about eating vegetables (unless is was my brother and Lima beans). I prefer wheat bread to white bread, and despite my love affair with red meat, I eat pretty healthy stuff. Too much of it in certain circumstances, but I ate pretty well. But then a few things began to run through my head.

1) Chances are if you're reading this blog you know my family pretty well so it comes as no surprise that in January of 2009 my mom had a triple bypass. I never knew my mom had heart problems, much less problems that serious, so it came as quite the shock. My mom eats the same way I do! We exercise about the same amount! And while neither of us could be considered "tall and statuesque" (despite our running jokes of being so) our profiles didn't mimic beach balls either. How could something so serious happen to my mom who in my mind wasn't in bad shape?

2) In the past year it seems like every few weeks I find out another friend/family member/random person from the mission, ward or school is pregnant. While I know Justin and I don't plan on having kids in the very near future, the goal is there eventually. However, it turns out, I have some female issues and need to take medicine so that eventually I can have kids. I'm not throwing myself a pity party. In fact, I'm kicking myself because it turns out that being overweight exacerbates this condition. Adding to this, a girl I knew in high school has been putting up the typical "pregnancy profile" pictures on Facebook and I thought, "If she wasn't holding her stomach like a pregnant woman I would have never guessed she was pregnant.." Sad thing is she was 8 months along in the picture! I really don't want to be like that! When I'm pregnant, I want people to be able to tell I'm pregnant!
With thoughts of heart disease and pregnancy looming over my mind I decided to actually try making a new year's resolution (I've honestly never tried to make one). And, as luck would have it, my office also decided to start a "Biggest Loser" challenge around the middle of January.
Growing up I cannot count how many weight loss/health books I saw around the house. While I never actually read any of them, I remember my mom suggesting one to me not too long ago. It was called You: On A Diet. I went to Wal-Mart and thought I'd pick it up to see if it said anything interesting. All I can say is "WOW". This book has really changed my vision of things.

The book goes into detail of how hormones in your brain effect your appetite, what exactly happens with fat stored in your body and other interesting things. For instance, did you know that sugar also effects your veins? Maybe I'm the last one to hear it, but I found what they said quite interesting. In addition it pushed me to straighten up on my eating and exercise habits and sign up at a gym (I've never been one to exercise at home; for some reason I need the structure of a gym).

I'm proud to say that I'm the only person who has lost consecutively at work, totalling almost 10 lbs. I realize this isn't a huge amount, but it's a start. I've also become a regular at my gym by making sure I don't skip two days consecutively (I take off Sunday and normally a day during the week). It's worked out pretty well so far. The goal though isn't so much about losing a lot of weight as much as it's about not having health problems; being thinner is only an added bonus. So bring it on, bridesmaid dress!

How about you? Have you made a conscious effort to lose weight? What helped you stay motivated?

Mexico

WARNING: PHOTOS NOT IN ORDER

Chichen Itza

Cenote near Chichen Itza

Justin and the yummy guacamole

Islas de Mujeres and the resident iguanas

Ziplining at Islas de Mujeres

View from our hotel

After my wacky feminist rant I thought I'd update people on what's gone down in the Bush house since our last post in what, July?!

August 17-21 Justin and I took our delayed honeymoon and went to Cancun, Mexico. We were both pretty excited as neither of us have been there (he's been to Cozumel, but only on a cruise, so not quite the same thing). It was quite an eye-opening experience for both of us! Walk a lot reminded us of the mission, but boy were we not ready for the sun (as pictures will attest). While neither of us were huge fans of Cancun itself, we really enjoyed our day trips to Isla de Mujeres (an island north of Cancun) and Chichen Itza. We also went snorkeling, but that's a story to share later on.

In total I would like to say we only spent 450 to get down there and rent the hotel room. Sam's had a special through SmartCircle and we had vouchers from Justin's trip to Rochester, so things were cheap in regards of travel. Part of the deal though, was to take a tour of the timeshare properties on the island, which took most of Tuesday, but we had no set plans, got a free buffet meal and tour out of it and saw some amazing views of the island. Below is the view from our hotel room. Even though the room wasn't very luxurious, we liked it and loved the view. We were right on the beach and it had a few really good restaurants and a spa (which we got vouchers for) in it.

Monday was spent travelling from Houston to Cancun, getting settled in and walking A LOT! My Chacos left crazy blisters on my feet because we didn't think we'd be walking that much. But it was almost better the next day. When we were checking into the hotel they offered us mojitos but we had to request they prepare them without liquor. They were great and I have to say, a non-alcoholic mojito is possibly my favorite specialty drink.

Tuesday we went on the tour with the timeshare people and saw some of the really nice hotels in the area. We felt bad telling the guy we were dirt-poor college students at the end, but he understood and we went our separate ways. For going on this tour though we were given a voucher for any of the really popular tours in the area. We chose the Chichen Itza tour since it's the most expensive. That evening involved walking around the area some more and playing at the beach.

Wednesday was the day of highs and lows! We had booked a "Jungle Tour" which included taking a two-seater speed boat through the lagoon and then going snorkeling once you got into the Caribbean waters. I was excited as I enjoy boats and had never been snorkeling. I was a bit apprehensive however because I feel weird swimming in water with other creatures besides humans (yeah, pretty pathetic, but I'm honest). This experience did not end that fear! The ride was fun and the water was beautiful. We bought a water-proof disposible camera to get pictures of the fish and such. However, the fish were HUGE (no, I'm not overexaggerating, they really were about the size of a human head) and it kind of freaked me out. I think the fish sensed this because more and more started swimming around me. I'll admit, I literally freaked out worse than I ever had. I was physically accosted on my mission, but it didn't mess with my mind as much as these fish! There were honestly about 3 dozen fish swimming around me in a circle brushing against me and after yelling Justin dragged me back to the boat. He went back to swim because he's okay swimming with crazy carnivorous fish.. This shook me up a bit and I vowed to never go snorkeling again. We'll see how that goes.

Later that day we took a ferry to Isla de Mujeres; quite possibly the most beautiful site on the entire trip. I honestly fell in love with the quiet island. Very few people used cars because it was so small, so the main forms of transportation are mopeds and golf carts. We rented our golf cart for 2 hours and drove around taking pictures of the AMAZING water and interesting things to do (see the zipliners in some of those pictures?) and see. At the southern tip of the island there is an area with lots of iguanas and an old Mayan temple. That was possibly my favorite site.

The only downside was the fact that I forgot to reapply sunscreen and ended up burning myself pretty bad which wasn't helped when Justin and I used our spa vouchers and got hour-long massages. It was really REALLY relaxing to get the massage. If my skin didn't feel on fire I think I would have fallen asleep. Justin enjoyed it as well, but since his feet are pretty ticklish, when the woman tried to massage his feet he'd start giggling and she'd stop.. Then start again and he'd start giggling again. It was really quite a fun little experience.

Thursday we used our voucher to go to Chichen Itza. My burn was really bad so my dear husband had to carry my bag the whole day (I'm such a lucky girl). It was really interesting to see all the ruins and learn more about their culture. We explored a lot and kind of stalked this one family from Québec because their tour was in French and we wanted to pretend we were cool and listen along. It was a beautiful trip up there and on the way back we opted for two detours; a cenote (a cave with a collapsed roof that filled with water so people can swim in it) and a meal at a tiny restaurant. Because the cenote waters visibly had fish I decided not to swim, but it was a gorgeous site. The restaurant had dancers and such that were really neat too. That night we ate at the nice restaurant in the hotel (it was called Frida after Frida Kahlo). OH MY GOODNESS was the food good!! We wanted to try real mexican guacamole, but it wasn't on the menu. But our waiter got us the hookup and the chef made quite possibly the best guacamole ever. Not just the best I've ever had; the best EVER! For dessert we got a fruit plate with this custard kind of thing. I discovered two new flavors I love- starfruit and rum. Yes, rum. It had a rum sauce and I decided that it's a good thing there's the Word of Wisdom or else I'd be addicted to rum.

Friday was kind of frustrating. We flew home that afternoon and had quite the hold up at the airport because Cancun is a tourist trap. They didn't tell me to keep a paper for immigration so I had thrown it away. However, to leave the country, you HAVE TO have it. If you don't have it, you have to pay $55 and get a new form. ALL FOR THE NAME OF A SURVEY! The woman at the ticket counter tried to argue with me that every country did that, but (and you'll have to forgive me) in a heated moment I snapped, "How many countries have you been to? Probably none than the US illegally. I KNOW I've been to more places than you and I've NEVER had to keep a form like that. This is the reason Mexico is considered a third world country. Your backwards systems to rob dumb tourists who come down here in the first place." I really shouldn't have said it, but it's true. In the eight countries I've travelled to I've never had to keep something like that. I won't describe what else happened after that as my attitude was not a pleasant one. But let's just say by the time we got on the plane I'm pretty sure that everyone in Mexico was glad to see me go.

Overall, we enjoyed the trip. It really was a lot of fun. Would we go there again? Maybe. But to be honest, I think I learned that I'm not really a "tropical destination" traveller; I'd rather have a crammed city with museums than a beach and psycho fish trying to get me. But hey, who else can say they spent less than $500 on their honeymoon and got to have all of those experiences?

Women's Research Institute

Sorry it's been a while since I last wrote, but to be honest, I don't feel like I have a lot of interesting things to say or write about. I don't have really cute kids to put up pictures of and my life's pretty bland. But I'd like to write about a pressing issue that means a lot to me.

I'm a feminist and I don't feel bad saying so. I don't think it's a bad word (as the picture says), because to me it simply means someone who feels women are equal to men and that they haven't always been treated as they should. Despite what some have accused me of, I don't think I'm being denied anything by being a female, but I do feel women have been overlooked a lot in the past and that we deserve equal treatment, equal credit and equal pay. But I digress.

While I was at BYU my major was history with a minor in Women's Studies. If I could have majored in it I would, however only the minor was allowed. My eyes were opened by wonderful teachers regarding significant contributions women have made throughout history. These teachers weren't bra-burning hippies who swore against marriage, but truly righteous examples. One in particular, Kris Frederickson,was a significant example to me of what I would like to become. She was incredibly well-read and level-headed, had raised a large family and was head of the Study Abroad program in London. When she spoke of her family you knew it wasn't a distant relationship with her family, but a very personal relationship with each child and a real unity she had with her husband. She was also very serious about her study and research in European Women's History. The minor was housed in the Women's Research Institute which funded various research programs such as micro-loans for women and their benefit on the economy in India and relations between children depending on their gender. BYU has decided to close the WRI and put the minor under the Sociology. While they will still have the Emmeline Wells Grant to support the studies, I feel it wasn't given enough of a chance to survive and it is upsetting that they close it.

If there's anything I've learned about women through the gospel , it is that the most important contribution a woman can give to society is a righteous family that is proactive in their community. I see my sisters-in-law as they raise bright, loving, energetic kids who are able to recognize Jesus before the can make full sentences and I realize the bar is set high. If I'm blessed with children that will be my number 1 priority. However, I realize that I may not be able to have that blessing during this life and so I focus on what I can do without having children. I feel that the WRI could have helped recover the dignity of motherhood while still addressing what other things women can do to contribute outside of their home. I'm not saying if you don't do something other than raise your children you're a failure- not at all-- but I feel that by having a correct perspective of who we are as daughters of God with divine nature, we could help correct incorrect principles taught by far-left groups who argue for "women's rights" under false ideas and have academic proof behind it (since that's what so many people argue is fact).

Maybe I'm rambling.... I do apologize. But I feel like it was an untapped resource to help worldwide that has been cut before it reached it's prime.

Travelling, swine flu and the like....

Hello, hello, hello...

Well, I'm determined NOT to take a nap this fine Sunday afternoon and have resorted to updating the old blog... I figure I've read a little, and subjected Justin to Steel Magnolias, so the next best productive thing would be to either update my blog or soak in the bathtub. Seeing as the latter would probably put me to sleep (I am my mother's daughter after all), I figure the blog was the best idea.. So where to begin.. How about since last time?Since the last entry we've been back to NOLA with a few friends, gone to Houston for a friend of Justin's homecoming talk, and found out we had the swine flu. So to start from the beginning...

Every other week I have shorter lunches so that on Fridays I get off early. The weekend of Friday the 17th Justin and I took our good friends Regent and James Payne down to NOLA. Regent lived there for several years growing up and James' parents lived there for a little while before he was born. It was kind of a last minute thing, but a lot of fun. We visited the Mardi Gras museum, ate delicious food, walked around downtown and just enjoyed being home/on vacation. Below are some pictures from the trip...

Regent trying on masks in a souvenir shop.

Regent avoiding the bathroom in the Mardi Gras museum..

(Despite the façade, it was actually a nice, clean restroom)

Justin attempting to eat the kingcake off the wall....

James and Regent striking a pose at the Mardi Gras museum entrance.

Enjoying the delicacies of Sal's Sno-Ball Stand...

The next weekend we headed back to Houston for the homecoming of Justin's friend Stefan. It was the first time I met him and he was a nice kid... No pictures or anything I thought I'd just kill some space and throw that in the post...

Earlier in the month for about a week I had been struggling with a high temperature, heavy congestion, nausea and incredible fatigue. At first I thought it was just a flu, but after going to the doctor, the PA said it was probably bronchitis and a sinus infection. So I took the antibiotic treatment he gave and went on my merry way. Justin fell ill the next week and when he went back to the doctor he got the same response, so being the good patient he is, he took the medicine and went on his way.. Two and a half weeks pass and we still have a lot of congestion and while I cough a lot, Justin can't hear out of an ear.. After we went to a training session with our personal trainer, Justin got very winded and light-headed. Since our doctor's office is also an emergency-physician of sorts after 5, we decided we'd head back and see if he had any suggestions. After discussing the symptoms and having the doctor check us out, he said, "well folks, the only thing I could think of it being is the fajita flu." "The what?" "Swine flu." Huh. "Yes, bronchitis is really something only smokers or people who are exposed to second-hand smoke get." (I wish he'd have told his PA that). Either way, he put us on the highest dosage of antibiotics he could find as well as inhalers. Yeah, we felt like winners. I realize that in order to truly diagnose it as that he would have to take a blood test, but I just wanted to get over whatever I had, so I took the drugs.. And am discussing a t-shirt idea with Justin saying "I survived swine flu". And that's that.... Now let me go cough on someone to see if I can pass it along.

The accent gives it away

I had a funny experience I wanted to share. Today at work I was minding my own business (well, other peoples' business, really) when a guy I'd never seen in my life walked in front of my desk. While I do sit in a cubicle, mine is one of those fancy ones with a window that faces the hallway. He smiled and waved. He passed by a few times until finally this afternoon he came by and introduced himself. He's one of the regional supervisors who was visiting the area seeing how things were going and he wanted to know how I was adjusting as the new kid. Right off the bat I had to chuckle because his accent gave him away. He was from New Orleans. While it is under investigation and pending a responsive text message from my mom, he may have even known her which makes it even more amusing.

I'm not sure why it is, but since moving from New Orleans and still being able to make relatively frequesnt trips back, I've grown more aware of the unique accent New Orleans natives have. I hate when people try to say that the "correct" way to say New Orleans is N'awlins. That's not true. You have to be drunk and stupid to say it like that. I did, however, have a good friend on the mission from Dallas who said frequented New Orleans and said that the best way to describe the New Orleans accent is "a New Yorker gone retarded". While I don't entirely agree with the retarded part, I would say "a very lost New Yorker". I think of one of my great aunts and an old bishop of mine who had this accent and smile because that's how it sounds to me. It has gradually become a very melodic thing to me. If anything it makes me miss New Orleans and all of her quirks and eccentric personalities.

When I first started at BYU I used to hate telling people I was from New Orleans because they would ask why I didn't have a Southern accent. While I would randomly wish I had it (when good looking guys said they liked the accent), for the most part I was proud I didn't have a Southern accent because in my mind having one had a whole bunch of negative implications with it. I was grateful for the fact that neither of my parents had distinctive accents (not even dad's Cuban accent was strong) and that I never picked up the phrase y'all or other stereotypically Southern phrases (I swear I heard it more from dorm mates from the midwest and west than from my own lips).

While it has taken me much longer to appreciate a Southern accent, I am learning that a Southern drawl doesn't necessarily mean ignorance or backwardsness. I have come accept the word y'all in its many forms (my Utah-born and raised in laws love saying "ya'lls"), and even use it every once in a while, yet my mind still corrects people when they say it ("you, not y'all, and DEFINITELY not you guys). I suppose in my pretentious mind I won't be able to move past certain prejudices.

A Bug's Life?

First off, I would just like to gripe a little about our apartment. I refer to this post as a bug's life because that's what I feel like this last week has been. Since coming home from Rochester last week, despite the sprays, powders and other voodoo concoctions, we cannot seem to rid our house of lovely little pests. I pride myself on the fact that the house is pretty clean all the time, so it's just frustrating to see bugs of varying shapes and sizes crawl in the kitchen, the bathroom, on the TV while I'm doing Wii Fit or on the picture frames. Yeah, it really is THAT BAD! Luckily we're moving this next week (our contract with this complex ends the 22nd of June but I feel like a crazy, paranoid person with all these bugs, so yeah..) so I'm pretty happy.

It's kind of weird the way disliking your home immensely can have on you. Normally we don't eat out very much and I enjoy just staying home doing whatever, but I've honestly gotten to the point where we've eatten out more than our fair share this week and the only room I want to be in is the bedroom because it's the only room where I haven't seen something crawling. I know, I'm complaining a lot.. Sorry. But it's even begun to affect my sleeping pattern.. Normally we stay up until about 10. I wake up around 6:15 and things are good. But for some reason today I went to bed at 5 pm and woke up at 1 am. Yikes! And we've got nursery! Oh well. There are worse things- there's always a Sunday nap... But yeah. Okay, enough griping. I've got happier things to share.

The apartment is a smidge smaller (I think the only place it's smaller is in regards to closets- we have no pantry and instead of two large walk-in closets in the bedroom we have one smaller one to share), but that building in the complex burned down a little while ago, so they've rebuilt everything and it's entirely new, so I'm okay with the trade-off. That plus it's about 5 minutes from my work. Granted, Justin and I just joined a gym (Paychex has a deal with Bally's Total Fitness and I'm aching to lose weight) which is in the other direction from work, but yeah.. I'm happy. I'm just ready to get rid of the bugs!

April 22nd I started a new job with Paychex. Anyone who knows my family knows my mom worked there for about 12 years and really liked it there until that whole Hurricane Katrina thing brought her office up to Baton Rouge. Granted, she loves working for the Church more, but yeah. So for those who don't know what Paychex is, it's an outsourcing company for smaller businesses. We handle payroll, human resources and other items for smaller companies. I particularly work with payroll so I've been talking with smaller companies in the San Antonio and Austin area dealing with their payroll and taxes. It's actually pretty fun. For the first few weeks of the job they don't let you take payroll because there's a lot to learn- I had to read and take a bunch of quizzes regarding federal tax laws (luckily Texas doesn't have a State Income Tax so I don't have to worry about that too much). After the first 3 weeks they sent me to the headquarters in Rochester, NY for two weeks to what they call "The University of Paychex". Basically from 8-5 we learned about the application we use to take payroll, how we would figure it out manually (lots of little equation stuff) and then A LOT more about tax laws. But luckily I think I absorbed more from the 300 paged book at my branch, because a lot of it seemed like a review to just cement it into my head. Every Wednesday and Friday we had quizzes and tests- the final being held the second Friday determined whether or not we kept our job actually-- and every night and the weekend in between we had homework. It really wasn't that bad for me though.

In my class there were 3 people (normally a class has about 30, but because of the economy the company's been on a hiring freeze and they've just started using a new system so we're the first ones to learn it; it's kind of fun), a girl from Hoboken, NJ and a guy from Tulsa, OK. It's kind of funny how they kind of fit my mind's stereotype concerning people from those areas, but at the same time were a little different from what I expected. There was also another girl who was there for two weeks by herself learning the old system who stayed at our hotel and rode with us from work. She was from Las Vegas and wow... After the first day of her I had a headache (I'm completely serious). They were all pretty nice people (even if our personalities didn't exactly mesh) and since they tended to go out drinking instead of doing homework in the evenings I was left to my own devices which included talk to Justin on the phone, watching FoodTV and HGTV (we don't have cable at home) and occassionaly exercising. Overall I think it paid off because I was the "valedictorian" of the class.. Hahahaha

Justin came up the weekend between the two weeks (it was his birthday the 14th and my mom thought it would be a nice present). It was a lot of fun because we rented a car and went to visit sites in the area (Niagara Falls was a little more than an hour away and Palmyra, NY was only about 20 minutes from the hotel where we stayed). I'll post pictures in my next entry. But I felt lucky in a weird sense because his flight out of Rochester was cancelled so he got to stay an extra night. I was happy!

After the test on Friday I flew back home to San Antonio only to get into the car and drive to Justin's parents' house in Houston (technically in a place called Magnolia just north of Houston where they just built a beautiful home). It was a really fun weekend hanging out with his entire family (his brothers Jeff and Jon came with their families and we just hung out around the house for the weekend).

Overall, things have been going really well for us. On Friday the 29th we celebrated our 6 month anniversary (I know, not a big thing, but we like celebrating) so we went to a Benihana knock-off called Osaka which is way cheaper, less crowded and in my opinion more fun. I just have to say how grateful I am for Justin. He is the biggest blessing in my life. I'm grateful for his patience and love. It was weird because my roommate in Rochester (the girl from NJ) kept saying how lonely she was without her boyfriend. I can understand that. At first I was like, "I'm cool, I'm fine being here by myself." But when I saw Justin I realized how much I missed him and was SO GLAD he was there. I know I've always appreciated him, but I don't think I realized until then how incredibly important he was to me (I hope that doesn't make me sound like a horrible wife. I just tend to be someone who's completely fine being alone and who sometimes prefers it). But Justin is by far my best friend. As much as I love my family and as much as I love my close friends, I couldn't imagine doing anything really fun, exciting or imporatnt without him.

Houston Rodeo

First off I would like to gripe after which I promise I’ll be more positive. I HATE offshoring!! Since Sunday our Internet hasn’t been working. When we called we were connected with a man with an incredible Indian accent who said his name was John. Hmm… He tried to help but due to his not understanding Justin clearly and Justin getting frustrated, we were given a number to call the following day in the morning. Due to work and such we ended up not calling yesterday, but rather this morning. Once again we were connected with another man who had a very not-American sounding voice who said his name was John. After doing the exact same thing as the other man named “John” he finally said he would connect Justin with someone in San Antonio. The man in San Antonio wasn’t much help either, but that’s another story. I would just like to say it is frustrating that so many companies are offshoring. With the state that the economy is in and the fact that so many companies want federal help it is upsetting to me to know that Americans are going unemployed while “John” in wherever-ville is employed by my US based Internet provider. I don’t mean to sound like a racist or someone who dislikes other countries that are worse off than we are from being used for some services, but it is frustrating when they are the customer service department yet they don’t understand when you say “brand” or “router”. Okay, I am finished.

Last weekend Justin and I cashed in on one of our Christmas presents from his parents to attend the concert of our choice at the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo. While the concert I most wanted to go to was Brad Paisley (I never thought I’d really like country but Justin got me into a few people), it was a Thursday evening and I needed to work as much as possible last week. So we took up the Saturday choice- Josh Turner.

I only know a few of his songs, but I like them- even if some of them are more country/Christian. I have to say, the concert was GREAT! I really like it because his wife is the keyboardist for his group and he and his band have a good sense of humor when the perform. When introducing his wife (while introducing the whole band) he said, “No, she’s not fat. She’s pregnant.. Granted I don’t know how that happened…. All we do is kiss.” Justin and I laughed but the people in the stadium didn’t get it I guess because not a lot of people laughed. But yes- I liked his concert. Granted, the entire experience was interesting to say the least….
This was the first rodeo or anything like it that I’ve really attended and apparently the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo is the largest Livestock Show and Rodeo in the world. It’s for a good cause- helping Houston area schools—so I was glad to know that it was staffed by volunteers and that the money spent there went to a good purpose. Because the rodeo is such a huge event a lot of times people will need to park a few blocks away and take buses to the arenas, so this is what we did since it was the cheapest option and it would be better to ride in the bus than to walk in the drizzle or the day. In the bus they show videos about the rodeo to get you excited and such for the upcoming events. The opening shot was on a man going bareback on a bucking bronco. Now, I’ve always been afraid that I’m a stubborn snob when it comes to things but I could help but think, “What the heck am I doing here?? I’m too smart for this!” I was surrounded by 10-gallon hats and mullets… and the men were even worse! Okay, that was mean. Sorry. Not everyone was like that.

When we got off of the bus the volunteers were actually really nice. Justin’s family goes to the rodeo at least once a year and they have a tradition to buy these cinnamon rolls that are about the size of the average human hand (open- not in a fist). So we walked around looking at different things and Justin decided it was time for me to experience my first up-close experience with livestock. So we entered the building where they were. For a little background information I’m going to mention a few things. Every Christmas Justin’s family goes to a condo they have in a ski-resort town named Crested Butte in Colorado. During the drive up there they pass through several farming towns and ranches. Apparently Justin’s mom and sister have a love for the smell of ranches and cows so they’ll roll down the windows to get the full effect. I think that part of the reason they go to the livestock show is because they love the smell so much. I’m glad they weren’t with us that day because I started dry heaving when we entered the building. My loving husband didn’t make me stay in there for very long (which I am grateful for). I’m sad to admit I am a city girl and don’t see that changing. Luckily the animals weren’t actually there when we got to the back area where they were supposed to be- heaven knows how strong it would have smelled. After a few minutes in this building we decided to go to the rodeo so I could experience a rodeo up close.

All I can say is WOW! There were points when I thought, “Why would anyone in their right mind do this?” and other times when I thought it was kind of neat. I think it kind of awakened my inner animals-rights self because some of the events I didn’t like (team roping and calf-wrestling and such). I felt my mind was going numb from watching these events so we got up and walked around and went back in for the Chuck Wagon racing which was neat as well as the Calf Scramble where members of local FFA groups tried to tie a calf in order to get money for their group to buy a calf to later sell. But my favorite event of the evening was a new event they added this year called “Mutton Bustin’”.

Mutton Bustin’ is where ten kids between the ages of 4 and 6 compete to ride mutton across a stretch of the field for the longest amount of time. For the most part, the kids fell off once the mutton was let out of its cage, but one kid (a little 4 year old) was able to ride it until almost the end. It was great. Some kids cried or were sad after they finished, but most of them hammed it up and raised their arms to receive their cheers and stuff. It was REALLY funny.

After the concert we walked around some more and found a place that sold chocolate covered CHEESECAKE ON A STICK! Yeah, it was weird, but tasted DELICIOUS! They just had a regular cheesecake that they sliced up and dipped in chocolate similar to the chocolate at Dairy Queen that freezes really quickly. In addition they sold chocolate covered strawberries on a stick. I’ll admit that Justin and I bought one of each and enjoyed it while looking at acts that’ve performed at the rodeo over the rears. I hope this hasn’t come across and condescending to those who enjoy rodeos- it’s just not something I’ve ever experienced. I guess it’s just part of living in Texas? I know I won’t be here for the rest of my life so I should live it up while I can. Who else can say they’ve seen 4 year olds race across a field on muttons?