Boulder Goals

I am not sure what it is about training for a 10K that has caused my diet to rapidly race downhill…but it has happened. You would think it would have the reverse effect. I know I’m always the one getting made fun of for eating healthy…but what most people fail to realize is that I also am great at eating terrible too. My friend LeRon was telling my friend Katie about this the other day. She was raving about how healthy I eat and he laughed at her and said “She just eats healthy in front of you. When she’s away from the office, she knows how to eat pretty bad.” Busted.

Perhaps it is because the weather is warming up and so is my social life? I have had more beers (and I am NOT a beer person) in the past month than I probably had in a whole year prior. (Please realize it doesn't take a lot to reach this milestone in the first place, lol.) I’ve also mastered wings from Buffalo Wild Wings and Hooters…and they weren’t grilled. I have an affinity for Ledos Pizza and felt so terrible after eating their for lunch the other day with my friend Gabe that I skipped dinner, with the exception of a banana (I really wasn’t even hungry), and ran a couple miles after work…in addition to the 4 I ran at 6am that day.

Sometimes I think I’m just paranoid that I’m going to wind up irreversibly overweight… sometimes I wonder if it is society’s cruel way of making us all feel completely imperfect in all the wrong ways… and sometimes I just wonder if it is a mental complex I have as a single female. The constant worry and nagging at myself. At age 31, I think I’m pretty good at knowing what style and type of clothing looks good on me…what I can wear to hide my “flaws” and what I can wear to show off my “good parts”. Thank god for genetics and my long legs…I should be okay in that category…at least until the varicose veins begin.

Anyway, I haven’t been lifting weights much this past month. Mainly because I’ve been focusing on my running for this 10K. 6.2 miles may not seem like a lot to you, but with a herniated disk that never seemed to go away, it will be a big accomplishment for me. My goal is to finish the race without walking…and while a final race time under an hour would be great, I really don’t know if I’ll be able to keep a steady 10:00 pace in a pack of a billion people. Okay, well maybe my excuse is more so that the race is at 5,000+ feet above sea level. I joked with some friends last night that perhaps I should have been training more by breathing only through a drinking straw to condition my lungs to have limited oxygen. …the joke didn’t last long when my trial run, involving no exercise – simply standing and breathing through the straw, only lasted about a minute. Lol.

After the race is complete Monday, my goal is going to be to get back on a regular weights/cardio routine again. There are a bunch of friends of mine in the football office that work out each morning at either 6 or 6:30am. Totally sucks – but would be motivating to workout with others and I could get a run (depending on the day, they rotate between jogging, sprints and stadium steps) in and even lift weights afterwards before my day even begins. I met them one day last week to run and loved getting it out of the way for the day. However, those of you that know me well, realize that the only issue with this is my sleep, lol. I need a solid 7-8 hours of sleep each night or I turn into a Halloween costume wearing a black robe, a black pointy hat and holding a broom. LOL. I will need to be in bed by 10:00pm each night which is doable sometimes…but probably not all of the time.

I am also considering going back on the nutrition plan I did 2 summers ago before Vegas. It focuses completely on protein and fresh fruits and vegetables. Foods with preservatives are off limits. So are a lot of carbs. It can be a bit pricey and also involves eating 4-5 meals a day which gets to be a pain….but is also good mentally to be on a plan and follow through with it. The bonus is actually not being embarrassed to pull out the 2 piece swimsuit on a hot, sunny day. Now that I “publicly” put it in my blog, perhaps I now have to at least give it a try? Start date can be June 1 with a finish date of July 4…or at least my first checkpoint.

One last thing I plan on beginning again when I complete the Bolder Boulder is professional reading. My goal is to, at least 3 days a week, come to work 30 minutes earlier than I usually do. I will shut my door, keep my computer off, and spend that time reading a chapter in the current selected “professional” book. I did this previously with the book “The Speed of Trust” and really felt the routine helped me focus and start my day off on the right foot. It is worthless for me to even attempt reading these types of books before bedtime because they don’t provide enough entertainment and suspense for me…so that time will be reserved for my guilty pleasure readings…

Of course, all of this is easier said than done. I’ll have to post an honest blog again regarding this topic in a month and admit to whether or not I followed through with any of the above. Until then, I’ve got a 10K to run, breathing through a drinking straw. Wish me luck!

Lofaro Ties the Knot

When I came to interview in-person at Maryland almost 5 years ago, Nick led the position's search committee and picked me up at the airport. I remember getting into the car after putting my suitcase in the trunk and him frantically turning the music down. I was a little confused, but found out later that apparently he had a rap music station playing and was worried I didn't listen to that kind of music. For those of you that know me - that's pretty funny.

Nick and I became friends when I moved out here, serving as 2 of the fabulous foursome (Brett and Kirsten) in the Maryland Sports Marketing Office at the time. Now, although Brett and Kirsten have moved on, Nick and I remain and he is now my boss. He is one of the reasons I love being at Maryland - he is very good at what he does and I think we work well together.

Probably about 3 years ago, he met Jacquelyn - and about 3 years ago, we stopped seeing Nick outside the office, lol. Last summer they moved in together, got engaged and also got a dog.

This past Saturday was finally the big day! I feel fortunate to have received an invitation as the wedding was VERY small and intimate (only about 30 people!). I brought Brett as my date (per Nick's request, although I think I would've brought him anyway) and knew it would be a great time. The ceremony took place on the water in Annapolis at Quiet Waters Park. There was literally no weather backup plan, which is funny considering Nick is an expert at event planning, but the couple couldn't have asked for a better day. It was 80 degrees, sunny and beautiful. Nick looked very handsome and hid his nerves well - and Jacquelyn of course looked stunning - she's so cute anyway.

After the wedding, the reception was held at Pussers on the water. I'd been there to eat before, but didn't realize they have a nice banquet room that can be all dressed up for dinner and dancing. There were a few speeches from those close to the Bride and Groom and a recorded message from the Grandparents of the Bride that couldn't make the trip - a really nice touch. Then...it was time for the dancing domination. Brett started by asking one of Nick's Grandmothers to dance...who informed him she "hadn't danced in years". He grabbed her hand and said "Well you're dancing tonight!" We had a great time - and have since discussed potentially going into the business of wedding dancers - kind of like Seat Fillers at awards shows. lol.

The reception concluded around 10pm and a few of us headed to Federal Hill in Annapolis for more dancing. Nick and Jacquelyn tried to meet us as well - but when they got to the door realized she forgot her ID. The cop outside wasn't willing to make an exception, even with her wearing her wedding dress, which was ridiculous if you ask me. So, they went back to get her ID at the hotel which was just up the street, but when they got there, exhaustion set in and they decided instead to just call it a night. I can't really blame them! After a random, unexpected long night for me Friday night, I was admittedly pretty exhausted too - but I still think I held my own - especially when the DJ put on Maryland's finest song: Zombie Nation. Our friends, Reza and Brady, met us out to add to the fun and Brett capitalized on being buddy/buddy with the bartender. This just meant that when it was time to go, it was about 5 drinks for the cost of one. Not a bad deal. Overall it was a great day: good times with friends, beautiful weather and a lovely celebration for someone special to me and 2 people very much in love :)

One-Year Blogging Absence Anniversary

Wow...today marks the day. (Well, technically yesterday - but it took me a day longer to get this thing in order.) One year since I've decided I either had no time to blog, or nothing to say. So, *WARNING* this will probably wind up sounding like a holiday letter that families send to their "friends" once a year to catch them up on all that has been happening.

THE PAST YEAR:

MY JOB:

I am still at the University of Maryland - but was promoted last summer to be the Director of Sports Marketing. Exciting times for me and meant I would be a Terp for at least another year. The annual athletics conference (NACMA) that I attended in Anaheim lived up to the expectations it always does as I reconnected with old friends and colleagues and of course picked up some new ones as well. This past year in Terpland was a crazy one - how many times can you say that your school hired a new President, Athletic Director, Head Football Coach and Head Basketball Coach...all within the same year! The retiring of our hoops Coach Gary Williams was probably the biggest surprise of the year - it just won't be the same around here without him and will sure make my job this coming year a bit more interesting!

MY FAMILY:

TROY is now living in Houston working for Hewlett Packard. He has a bit of flexibility working in the office vs. at home which he has enjoyed quite a bit. I headed down to check out his place at the beginning of April - and planned my trip around the timing of the Final Four which was also hosted there. Got to catch up with many friends in town, ate at the famous soulfood spot called "The Breakfast Klub" and got a pair of Lower Level seats to the championship game (thanks in part to my friend Sarah, formerly of ASU who now works for UCONN) for only about $30. So awesome! I definitely think attending the Final Four will now become a tradition.

ELLIE is just tying up a few loose ends on her degree at Northern Iowa. Michelle Obama spoke at her graduation a few weekends ago which was really neat. She had a phenomenal senior season, breaking all sorts of records at her school, winning the inaugural Lowe's Senior Class Award, was named a third team All-American AND became just the 8th player in NCAA Division I history to record over 2,500 digs in a career. Yes...you can say that I'm a proud sister. Currently, she is hoping to sign with a team to play with overseas this upcoming year which will make planning her JULY 2012 WEDDING a bit more difficult. You read that correctly - and the two older, very-much-single siblings, are in full support....we decided she can give this whole marriage thing a trial run for us.

DAD, while very busy at the office, continues to plug away at his bucket list. Recently he has travelled from places like New Mexico all the way to Africa, bringing back a Mountain Lion, Wildebeest and a Oryx. Ellie, Troy and my dad will all be traveling to Peru this July for another youth Venture Crew outing, as my dad stays very active in leading the organization.

MOM still coaches, substitute teaches part-time and remains very active with a lot of bike riding. She loves to find trails near places she's traveling, heading out from the house solo, or meeting up with her friends. I think she also is giving Roger Ebert a run for his money - she's seen about every movie out there in the theaters.

MY LIFE:

My love for travel, to read, to dance, to cook and keep in touch with old friends has not changed; my relationship status has and my living space will be. I'm a single girl - 31 years young and okay with it :) I have had the same roommates for 3 years now, but one (Jessica) just moved to Dallas and the other (Danielle) just got an Assistant Coaching job at American U in DC. We are still going to try to live together, but will need to relocate so her commute isn't quite so long. While I realize the following statement applies to just about anyone: I hate moving. If anyone would like to volunteer to help I'll pay you in pizza and beer....or a fruit salad if you are a healthy eater lol.

I experienced many fun things over the course of the past year in terms of travel. I'll start with the fall since my last blog post talked about what I planned on (and did do) during the summer of 2010.

After a few trips to Columbus at the end of the summer to visit my Buckeye friends...

A visit from Ellie in which we played together for the first time in a grass doubles volleyball tournament here in Maryland...

And a trip to NYC to meet up with Sarah and hang out with her other best friend Lauren (who lives there), I was locked down in Maryland for most of the Fall season.

However, as usual, I managed to get away during an off-football weekend to check out another stadium with some friends. Only this year, I got to see 2! First stop was a trip to the ATL where LSU took on UNC in the Georgia Dome. Sarah met me down there along with a few of her friends from college. A stay at the W Hotel (one of my favs)

topped it off!

Then, mid-September it was off to Madison for the Wisconsin/Arizona State football game. A huge group of us met up there for a disappointing Sun Devil loss, but a great time overall.

I traveled to watch Ellie play volleyball a few times including an preseason tournament at Purdue, senior night weekend and of course the 1st round that Northern Iowa hosted in the NCAA Tournament.

I snuck away to Boston to visit Kirsten a few times - once just for the fun of it and another...well, for the "fun of it too", but it was the 6th Annual Carrie and Sarah birthday celebration and boy did we do it big. LOL. Lauren (NYC), Troy (Houston), Brett (Maryland) and obviously Sarah (now at UCONN) made the trip which made it even more special. We stayed at Kirsten's house in Boston the first night and then crammed into a hotel room the second night.

As just mentioned, Sarah has now made the move from Arizona State (where everyone thought she was going to be a life-r) to UCONN to be the Associate Director of Sports Marketing. Such an awesome opportunity for her and an exciting school to be a part of this year! I have been able to go visit once already and can tell why she loves it so much up there. Great environment (minus the fact it is in the middle of Storrs/nowhere) and wonderful people. They went to a BCS bowl (Fiesta) game and then of course won the national championship in Men's Hoops.

Our family spent the holidays in Cedar Rapids this year and then took our annual ski trip to Keystone, Colorado. Ellie's fiance, Tyler, paid a surprise visit for the last part of the trip and apparently asked my dad for her hand in marriage at some point. She stayed in Colorado with him a week longer (after the family left), which is when he popped the big question.

My mom, dad and Troy paid a visit to me for a weekend in late January to check out a Maryland Men's Basketball game. It was a lot of fun and Troy's first basketball game here so it was neat to be able to show him what I do, job-wise, on gameday. Ellie was supposed to also make the trip, but as usual (this always happens), something came up and she couldn't make it. Of course, working a US National Team coaches camp is not your average everyday excuse. Who can blame her?

I joined a USAV Women's team this year with a coworker/friend of mine, Jodi, who I played against in college (she played at Marshall). The team we were able to hook up with was a bit below our level of play and a bit frustrating at times, but overall was just really fun to get out on the court again. At the end of March, after basketball season had concluded, I played on an alumni volleyball team that competed in Northern Illinois' spring volleyball tournament. I think it is really neat that in that tournament (which has college teams from the area participating) the Huskies choose to host this alumni team. I was definitely the oldest on the team, but knew 3 other girls on the team that were younger than me (I played with one: Brooke). My fellow teammates, Jen Urban (Scarpino) and Sara Thomas (Lein), came to watch and have dinner afterwards which was pretty special. Coley Pawlikowski (Johnsen), a former teammate of mine, is now the Assistant Coach for NIU with her husband Dan, so I stayed with her the evening before the tournament and got to catch up :) My mom even drove from Iowa to watch for the day. With so many friends in the Chicago area, I was able to travel there a few days prior to the tournament and stay/visit with my dear friends Kevin (already mentioned another time in this blog - he recently just moved back to Chicago), Kelly (and her new baby), Tammy (my best friend from college), James (a friend from after school) and OJ (A friend from NIU who I hadn't seen in 7 years!). I always leave refreshed, with my heart full....and wanting to come back immediately. Hopefully I'll have the chance to get back to visit at some point this summer - and maybe someday the perfect job will open up and I can move back to the Windy City I love so much.

I caught a few local basketball games...I went to the Georgetown vs. Syracuse game with my dear friend Greg (who now works at Georgetown, but used to work at Maryland) which was cool. He then hooked me up with basically front row seats to the Pitt/Butler NCAA Tournament game which, if you recall, was an instant classic. Brett and I hit up a Pitt Alumni party at a bar prior to the game, posing as Pitt fans. At gametime he moved to another bar - I went to the game.

WHICH...BRINGS ME TO NOW:)

Looking forward in the near future, I am meeting Troy, Ellie, Tyler (her fiance) and a few others in Boulder, Colorado Memorial Day weekend to compete in the Boulder Boulder - a 10k race that last year featured over 54,000 runners, walkers and wheelchair racers, making it the largest race in the US in which all participants are timed and the 5th largest road race in the world (thank you Wikipedia). The race actually ends on the football field! I love Boulder (Wanted to go to college there and would love to work there someday) and am so excited to spend a weekend in my favorite state with my siblings...I'm just not sure how the altitude (6,000+ ft. above sea level) is going to affect my running. If you know me, you know I'm definitely not a professional runner. My goal is to finish the race without walking...hope that isn't setting my sights too low. LOL.

Other places I am already planning on visiting this summer include Orlando (for my annual conference) in June and Lake Okoboji (Iowa) with the family in July. I would also like to work in a trip back to Chicago, Phoenix and also Los Angeles/Vegas. Probably will need to pick and choose - but will depend on just how high the airfare continues to rise and the amount of time I can get off at work.

If you made it this far, please pat yourself on the back. This was a long one (even longer than those annual Christmas letters!) but I had slacked off way too long. I'll try to do a better job of poking my head in from time to time, even if I don't feel like I have much to say.

:)

SUMMER COUNTDOWN (T-Minus 10 Days)

Well, I just finished reading Beth's blog (or catching up on like 10 entries) and was inspired to write a little something on mine tonight. Not sure what exactly to write about. Maybe my summer schedule/plans since that is all I can seem to think about right now anyway. LOL.

BWI to PHX: The countdown has begun. I'm headed back to Phoenix next week for a much-overdue visit. I think the last time I was there was Halloween - when I was a firewoman with a lethal #hosefromlowes. No such costume is planned this time. Ellie made the US National A2 team and is playing in the USAV Women's Open Nationals Tournament so Mom, Troy and I are headed to check her out. Double bonus! Plans for the week besides obviously checking out some volleyball include pool time at the W, a much-needed cut and color with the best hairdresser ever (Molly), at least 2 trips to Oreganos, a few morning runs, an early morning family hike on either South Mountain or Camelback and catching up with old friends.

BWI to SNA to PHX: The annual NACMA conference is being hosted in Anaheim this year at the end of June - and with economic times continuing to plague the corporate world as well as our pocketbooks - Maryland will not be paying for me to make the trip. However, I missed the conference last year, serving as Maid of Honor in Meghan's wedding - and I do not feel it would be wise for me to miss 2 years in a row of my industry's #1 networking opportunity. Like other professions, getting my next job in college athletics really does depend on "who i know". I've picked up a few odd jobs for the summer to help defray the cost of the entry fee, transportation and hotel costs. The fact that my good friends Joe B and Sarah will be there will help with at least the room charges - we plan on getting cozy at the Clarion Hotel (No, this is not the conference hotel) across the street to save nearly $200...A PERSON! Following the conference, which falls during the week, I'm zipping down through Phoenix for the weekend before making the trek across 3 time zones back home. Shawn is in Vegas this weekend anyway, so might as well stay away and try to keep my mind off what crazy things he and his friends are doing at the topless pools anyways ;) lol. JK.


BWI to MDW: Speaking of Meghan, she gets to experience her "Dirty 30" on July 7...and what better way to spend it, then in my favorite city of Chicago with her husband, friends and MOM (yes, I cannot wait to hang with Patty). Friday night thru Sunday we will be painting the town RED (Black doesn't come until you are "Over the Hill").
Then, I will be transferring into the hands of my dearest pal Kevin - along with his wife Kerry and other friends from the undergraduate college years at Northern Illinois for a little "friend reunion", also in Chicago. I wound up missing this reunion last summer, because Leah (Shoutout to you Leah) decided to get engaged and plan a wedding in 3 months on the same date - and of course a wedding takes priority!! Anyway, good times in the Windy City to be had by all...

PHX to BWI: My first of 2 "maybe" visitor situations, just brainstormed last night actually, lol. I don't plan on leaving here for the 4th of July this year. My family will probably be at Lake Okoboji, and well, I would love to be there. But I am traveling the week before and the week after and I'm just not sure I want another weekend of traveling. Also, I plan on trying to get home 2-3 times in the Fall to support Ellie's last year of college volleyball at Northern Iowa so would rather spend $$ on those tickets instead...It will be very strange not going to the Lake this summer though :( Having Sarah here would be just AWESOME as we never seem to find a bad time and since my girlfriends in DC are limited, I will have a nonstop friend to hang out with, go out with and enjoy a 3 day weekend. Besides, we seem to manage memorable 4th of July's....Minnesota, Arizona...DC?

ALO to BWI: Andddddd, tentatively I am hoping Ellie can come visit me in the middle of July. I don't think she has not been out here to visit since I've moved into my new apartment. Thus, in her head I'm still living in the depths of the basement in that old house where there was a tiny path through my room...and an entire apartment worth of furniture, smashed and stored in a 15 x 15 room...Having my sis out here would be awesome - especially since I'm missing her big 21st birthday celebration in June because everywhere the girl selected to go is like $4500 for a plane ticket. Oh well, I'll have to give her an extra hug the weekend before her birthday when we are in Phoenix together. I've already picked out her birthday present - so maybe I'll bring it to PHX and give it to her a week early...NO, it isn't a flask you jerks :)

BWI to...oh wait. There is no airport at this place: End of July brings a belated birthday present to me from Shawn. We are taking a 4-day vacation to Bryce Resort (I think this is BryceResort.com ?) in Virginia...it's actually only about a 2 hour drive from my place. His family owns a timeshare that we traded for there and plan on doing Hiking, Biking and maybe even testing out "Grass Skiing" (What in the world?!). It should be fun and a great chance to spend some quality time with each other without his alarm going off at 6:00am or me having to work some athletic event (besides Grass Skiing of course).

Union Station to Penn Station: Sarah and I have been promising Lauren (for me, this equals 4 years, ever since I've been here - Sarah has not waited that long) we'd come visit her up in NYC. She has come down a few times to DC when Sarah has traveled out East...so it is about time we spend a fun girls weekend crammed in her luxury studio apartment in Manhatten. Also would be a good time for me to visit my cousin Erin there - who I also have not visited yet. Who knows what stories could arise out of this trip. I'll probably take the Amtrak train (gotta support Shawn lol) since it is quick and relatively cheap if booked in advance. Lauren would probably tell me to take the "Bolt Bus" which is a nice charter bus that makes the trip for only about $30 each way...but I feel like the train might just be a little faster. We'll see...we'll see.

And....that brings me to August - i.e. the end of my summer, or life (in College Athletics terms)...as Football, Men's Soccer, Women's Soccer, Field Hockey and Volleyball begin in Terpland and I get to wear a brand new Under Armour polo every weekend, all weekend, all Fall.

GO TERPS :)

It's Been WAY Too Long...

Okay, so for - let's see - oh about 8 months now I've been telling myself it was time to post another blog entry...and for 8 months I've been avoiding it. I guess sometimes I tell myself I just don't have anything interesting to talk about. But, hello - it isn't like I have to write a book...it is just in my nature to kinda do so.

So, it's Mother's Day weekend - I'm actually pretty proud of myself because I decided weeks ago what I wanted to get my mom. I ran across something different (www.mrsprindables.com) and thought it would be a nice change of pace from flowers and a card. Well, perhaps flowers never really get old - but either does anything with chocolate. Mrs. Prindables is known for their HUGE APPLES...and I'm not even kidding. They have a photo on their website that shows their jumbo apples and their "regular ones" true to size and the jumbo apple might really be a cantaloupe - I swear. lol. She received them in the mail yesterday and said they were nicely packaged and delicious so at least they lived up to my expectations.

Unfortunately, there is a local cupcake company (Bonafide Cupcakes) that decided to offer a deal on Groupon and it equalled disaster for them. For those of you near a larger city who have not yet discovered Groupon - you really should check it out. They offer one daily deal each day during the week for at least 50% off - anything from sporting events, spa treatments, hair cuts, groceries, restaurants, clothing stores, etc. Its fabulous. Anyway, Bonafide Cupcakes had this deal about a month ago where you paid $20 and received $40 worth of cupcakes from them. They are a delivery only company (you cannot go to their store) in the Washington DC area. I actually meant to purchase this deal and forgot - was completely heartbroken. But, they didn't put a cap on how many Groupons they could sell - and wound up selling nearly 2,500. All fine and dandy, except many people wanted them immediately. Bonafide Cupcakes' website nearly crashed - they promised deliveries that never happened - didn't answer their phones or email - and now have a ton of angry customers. What made me think of this story all together, was that at least Mrs. Prindables Chocolate Covered Apples lived up to my expectations. A comment on the Bonafide Cupcakes' website said:

"For everyone who is inquiring about the quality of cupcakes: the pictures on Bonafide Cupcakes are NOT accurate, the cupcakes tasted and looked like they were made from a box at home and the flavors were chocolate or vanilla and nothing more. It was nice to have them delivered, but I would NEVER pay $40 for these cupcakes."

The best part is the next person on their comments sections said: "Hello, I will sell you 6 cupcakes for $80. They are made from Betty Crocker mix and frosted too!! Good deal."

Anyway - as I'm sure you can imagine, I am no longer disappointed that I missed out on the Bonafide Cupcakes Groupon...

Happy Mothers Day Mom - You ARE indeed the Apple of my Eye. I'm just thankful THAT is the saying I went for instead of You are the Cupcake of my Eye or you might've been a little disappointed.

:)

Everything Is Big in Texas - Especially Surprises!

When my sister’s volleyball schedule was released a few months ago, I instantly looked at what possible dates I might be able to attend. It is important to me to make the time to see her play, as in another 2 years I will never again have the opportunity. Unfortunately, there was only one weekend this time that worked with my work schedule – November 7. Argh! So far away!

What was more disappointing was that my parents had planned on flying to Texas for her preseason tournament at Texas A&M. The draw here was that Troy of course attends Baylor in Waco, TX – which is only about an hour away from College Station. So, he too could attend the weekend tournament and everyone was looking forward to getting together as Troy has been gone all summer in China and not very accessible to communicate with.

I tried to figure out a way for the weekend to work – but with it being the first weekend of the fall for Women’s Soccer and Volleyball I just couldn’t figure out a way to miss – I remember my boss, Nick, agreeing with me when we originally discussed this.

Well – a week before her tournament, our staff was all sitting in our marketing meeting discussing upcoming events. It was at this time I realized that we only had two events (for some reason, I had thought 3) Friday night – and also we had restructured and Jessica was now covering all those sports. The issue we had to figure out was training – because while interns run all these sports that were going on, it was their first weekend so we had to be there to train them and make sure things ran smoothly.

So, after our marketing meeting I headed back to my office and instantly visited Southwest.com (one of my favs, lol) and looked up the price of a flight from Baltimore to Texas – Houston, Waco and College Station were pretty much my options. Low and behold – the flight from BWI to Houston was wayyyyyyyy too reasonable considering it was only a week away. I typed an email to Nick – pleading for him to cover one of the 2 events that weekend (knowing Jessica would be covering the other). I offered to buy him lunch, to give him money, to work a crappy event that might come up…ANYTHING. I took a deep breath and hit “SEND”. The waiting began.

We are pretty busy at work right now – so luckily time flew by pretty fast. However, every time I would go into Nick’s office for something I would think “Has he read the email? Is he mad?”…no indication from him. Mid-afternoon I received a reply that simply said “This should be fine.”

Yes!!

I booked the flight, which would depart at 6:15am Friday morning (yikes) – connect through St. Louis, and land in Houston at 10:00am. I then booked a rental car (Got a great rate – only $35 total – quite a change from what it would’ve cost last minute to book in San Diego!). If my plans worked out right, I should be pulling into the gym right at gametime. Last on the list was making sure I was okay in terms of sleeping arrangements.

It was, of course, not unusual for me to ask my mom about her plans for the trip. Honestly, I would’ve been asking those questions anyways. But, when I asked where they would be staying Thursday and Friday night in College Station – she responded with “We have a room with two double beds…so it looks like your dad and I will squeeze into a bed and your brother will have a bed all to himself.” Hahahaha – orrrrrrrr so he thinks ;) Last item on the agenda was figuring out Saturday night. My mom was toying with the idea of getting a hotel room in Waco (Ellie would fly home Saturday night – and my parents would go back to Waco with Troy to see his campus, place, etc. Mom had helped him move in so had seen it before – but Dad hadn’t seen it yet). She was also considering maybe just staying at Troy’s one bedroom loft. I tried to convince her to book the hotel room (she could always cancel)…but good ole’ economical Troy convinced her that her and dad could just sleep in his bed and he’d stay on the couch. Crap. Where was I going to sleep? Lol. I did a little research, booked a reasonably priced room at the Clarion about 2 blocks from campus and ensured I would be able to cancel on Saturday if my thinking was incorrect and the family still wanted to get cozy in Troy’s apartment. Let me just say, however, if that involves someone sleeping on the floor – it will NOT be me…based on the fact that the week leading up to the trip Troy had a slight rodent issue and nabbed 4 mice before maintenance closed up a hole in his wall. I am NOT taking any chance.

On a side note, Shawn said his sister and niece had a mouse in their place recently – and at first his niece was terrified. However, they asked her, “Have you seen Ratatouille?” She did a compete 180 – and then wanted to find the little mouse so she could be friends with it. HA!

Anyway, early Friday morning I drove to the airport and caught my flight to St. Louis. I decided to not change my work voicemail to indicate I was out of the office, in case they called. It worked out perfect, as my mom texted me at 7:30amCST, which fell during my layover. They were at breakfast. I responded to the text and also mentioned that I would be busy all morning, so would plan on checking in with her after the first game (12:30pm vs. Virginia).

I landed in Houston on time, picked up my rental car, hooked up my GPS that I brought with me (best Xmas gift ever) and hit the road – wearing jeans, flip flops and my black Northern Iowa t-shirt. I was ready to walk right into the gym and put my gameface on!

I wound up arriving in College Station around Noon – and via text message knew my mom hadn’t arrived at the facility yet. Troy and my dad apparently drove separate from her as she went to the mall for a makeover at Macy’s. (Parents rented a car in College Station when they flew in, Troy drove his own vehicle from Waco). I didn’t want to beat them there…so I stopped at Quiznos and grabbed a bite to eat. Around 12:25pm, I pulled up to the arena and went inside. I ducked into the back of the seating area, spotted my parents and Troy. Mom was sitting up a little higher than them because she likes the view better up there. Time to go about my plan. I took a picture of the court (see on left) and then sent it to all three of them via text with the following message (or close to): Flight to Houston: $265. Rental Car: $35. Surprising my family in College Station so we can spend the weekend together…priceless.

So I’m sitting back there …. The game is about to start… and no one is checking their phones. In fact, my mom was holding her phone in her lap until literally the moment I sent the text message. She then set it into her purse. Sigh. Troy was the winner – I saw him pull out his phone, open it up, and read it. He was confused for a moment – even showed Dad (who was sitting next to him). He then, after a few moments, turned around and looked up. He spotted me – gave a grin and wave, and motioned me down. Via gestures, I indicated I wanted to stop at mom’s location first. She had her back to me, oblivious as to what was going on. I climbed over some seats, until I was right behind her…then tapped her on the shoulder. She turned around and the look on her face was priceless. Complete surprise and somehow got the words out “What are you doing here?” Tears followed, which of course made me tear up…and…there went that makeover from Macys….hahaha.

I watched the first 2 games sitting with Troy and my Dad and then the third with mom (they won all three – against Virginia). Troy and I had a bet going as to when Ellie realized I was there. He thought before the game. I thought it wasn’t until game two when Ellie was on the bench for a timeout and looked up and saw me – she gave me a “what in the world are you doing here” expression. After the game, she confirmed I won the bet :)

Match 2 of the day was against Iona, which Northern Iowa also defeated 3-0. After the second match, Mom, Dad and I went to the mall to walk around a bit (Ellie had to stay for the following match to watch A&M for awhile and Troy stayed with her). Mom and I did a little shopping at a boutique and the PET STORE (awwww puppies!) and my dad wound up getting lost in an Army surplus store. He was in heaven.

Around 8pm we headed home (an hour later than expected), dropped Dad off in the room (he rented another room for the night for Troy and I to stay in – right next to my parents room), picked Troy up and headed across the street to a Mexican restaurant named Abuelos. After dinner, Ellie joined us all in my parent’s room where we hung out for awhile.

Saturday, we ate breakfast together and then Ellie stayed with her team and the rest of us headed back to the mall. Troy got his first pedicure (while reading an enthralling book about finance), Mom got a manicure and I got a fill. Well mine wound up taking forever because we soaked my previous acrylics off instead of ripping them off (haha), so after Dad was done in the Army surplus store (yes he went back for more), he, my mom and my brother took off for the arena. I couldn’t really abandon the nail job in the middle of it – so I was stuck 30 more minutes at 4 Tip 2 Toe (what a name) and then raced to the arena. I missed the first few points of Ellie’s game, which was annoying…but so did my mom because she had purchased me a ticket (any game Texas A&M played in was actually ticketed…and there was an error on the pass list. My dad and brother were listed twice and my mom wasn’t there at all. I wouldn’t have been because when Ellie submitted the lists she didn’t know I was going to be there). Thanks for waiting for me mom :)

The crowd was ridiculous – Texas A&M has more organized school spirit and chants than I have ever seen. (see matching overalls to the left) They have 5 student male “yell leaders” who attend every home athletic events and lead the students constantly in chants, cheers and overall craziness. I must admit, it was pretty cool. Ellie’s team simply couldn’t put the ball away in her match. It was frustrating – and they wound up losing 1-3. However, I must say my sister played so awesome. She is really good – and I definitely felt like “proud sister”. Both her and her setter made the all-tournament team so that was neat. We were able to hang out briefly after the game but then Ellie and her team had to hit the road back to Houston to catch their flight.

The siblings :) Check out all those Panthers Shirts!

For those of you that don't know, this is Troy's vest...and Ellie and I being stupid. LOL.

I LOVE THIS PICTURE of Troy and I! :)

Obviously this is a pose...because Troy would NEVER block me ;)

Troy, my parents and I grabbed a bite to eat at a neat little café my Dad found and then hit the road to Waco, home of the Baylor Bears…and Troy :) Of course we were in 3 different cars (dad rode with Troy), so that was a pretty quiet ride although if you know me well, you know I spent a lot of the time on the phone. Lol. In Waco, we checked in the hotel room I had reserved (my parents decided to use it – I would sleep at Troy’s), and then piled into my rental car and toured campus. Baylor is a very beautiful campus…beautiful landscaping, beautiful buildings and apparently not suffering like the rest of the country when it comes to budget crisis. We went to Troy’s apartment/loft next – which was really neat and looked like a great space for him to live. We hung out, unwound a bit, and watched Tim Allen in “Santa Clause” on TV. Interesting time of year for THAT to be playing, but whatever. Following the movie, we went to dinner at Logans Steakhouse. This…is where the fun began.

Awesome sunset on campus!

It was a steakhouse that had the ole’ peanuts. Grab a handful, break the shell, eat the peanuts, throw the shell on the floor. We were seated in a corner booth and about 4 minutes after sitting down I looked at the ledge behind Troy’s head and noticed a gigantic, black, winged cricket crawling on a to-go container. I looked immediately at Troy and said “get out of the booth”. To his credit, he trusted me and got out. I then pointed out the cricket. I thought it might be a little less intimidating if he looked at it from at least a few feet away then turning around from his seat and being eyeball-to-eyeball with the thing. The waitress was taking our order at this time – so she took a napkin and killed it. I was impressed because let me tell you – if that happened to me as a waitress, the customers would be on their own. LOL.

The meal was served. At some point apparently another huge flying cricket hit the window blinds right next to me and fell down. Troy shot me a look and said, Carrie, get out of the booth. So, having seen nothing, but knowing by his tone and look that I needed to slide out, I pushed my mom out of the booth and escaped. Sure enough, in the seat right behind me, there was a huge cricket sitting on the bench. Gross. A guy bussing tables happened to be nearby and my mom grabbed him and he tracked down the cricket and napped it with his wet washcloth. This was getting ridiculous.

Troy was speaking to the waitress at another point later and was nailed in the arm by another flying black beast. He jerked is arm back, looked down on the ground beside the booth and the waitress came to the rescue, stomping on the critter. Of course, most refreshing (sarcasm) was that there were already 2 dead crickets on the floor next to it. Apparently this was a problem?

The waitress told us that they couldn’t figure out why they were so bad. It wasn’t a hole in the building necessarily, they were just finding ways to get in. She said it was so bad in the parking lot that sometimes she’ll come in with 3 just sitting on her shirt. Gross. I didn’t recall the parking lot being that bad but admittedly was now not sure what I’d see when we went back out to the car.

The final straw for me was as we were getting our bill. There was a stealth bomber cricket who dive bombed in a beeline toward my head. I yelped, ducked and said “ok, I’m outta here.” As dad tallied up the bill, the rest of us were headed to the car. Cautiously stepping outside and speed walking to the car. Inside the car, I kinda shrugged it off – yeah, there were probably a few crickets outside, but nothing that bad.

Once we had all piled in, we backed out and headed around the restaurant driveway to get back to the freeway. What we saw I don’t think I ever could have imagined. Around the other side of the restaurant there were hundreds, THOUSANDS of crickets. It was like a horror movie. Just covering the parking lot, flying around all the lights, crawling in armies on the side of the building. We kind of just sat there in amazement, car stopped in its tracks.

Not sure if you can tell - but every black speck you see...is a cricket.

Apparently some people were used to this. Two women exited the restaurant, walking around that way through the mess of creepy crawlers (and flyers lol), just stepping on them, kicking them out of their shoes, etc. I still cannot believe what we saw.

On the way back to the hotel, once we exited the freeway, we noticed that it was not just that restaurant (although that was definitely one of the worst cases we saw). Many businesses, gas stations, etc. were littered with the crickets. We dropped my parents off at the hotel, I said my goodbyes (I planned on leaving from Troy’s apartment early the next morning, although I may have stopped at the hotel to say goodbye on my way out), and Troy and I took off. We stopped at the grocery store and Walmart before going home and I must say, crickets were there too. In fact, the grocery store had many flying around as it was obviously pretty easy for them to fly in the large main automatic sliding doors to the building.

Troy and I hung out a bit at his house before going to bed. Early Sunday morning, I got up, said goodbye to Troy, stopped at the hotel to say goodbye to my mom and dad (and grabbed a few items off the free continental breakfast) and hit the road for my 3 hour drive to Houston. About an hour into the drive, the tire pressure warning light came on – so stopped at some tiny town about 10 miles up the road to find an air hose at a gas station. I must admit, I had to connect a piece the cashier loaned me to the air hose to use it…and couldn’t figure it out at first. I was just not strong enough to fit the two pieces together…hitting it on the ground, grunting and shoving….I wound up trying to improvise and instead let most of the air OUT of the tire …I then realized a latch that made the pieces fit together so easily a 3 year old could’ve done it. Filled up the tire with no pressure gauge to go off of (guessed – I’m alive to type this so at least you know it worked out)…and wa la. Back on the road to Houston.


Dropped the rental car off, was at the airport gate in plenty of time and then boarded my nonstop flight back to Baltimore.

Such a wonderful weekend and so nice to have the rare opportunity for all of us to spend some time together. I am so lucky to have such a great family!