Hook 'Em Horns

I have always enjoyed college football, but I've never really had a team. I loved going to UVa games throughout middle and high school, but I was never super excited when they won or greatly disappointed when they lost. It was more of a social experience for me, to sit on "the hill", goof off with friends, and check out cute boys from other schools. Having gone to Longwood, we were not fortunate enough to have a football team and there wasn't much school spirit for our athletic teams. Sorry Lancers, you just weren't much to watch. We occasionally went to Hampden Sydney for games, but again, more of a social scene filled with Lilly dresses, seersucker, and bow-ties. Not so much about the game of football, considering their college was only slightly bigger than my high school.

Times have changed. I am now living in Austin where the city and fans "bleed orange". Football is a HUGE part of this city, and I am loving it! I love seeing everyone sport the longhorn orange around town, especially on game days. I experienced my first UT tailgate a few weeks ago when they played Wyoming, expecting it to be similar to the tailgates I frequented at UVa. Not so much. It was insane - orange EVERYWHERE, thousands of people, a crazy amount of tents, kegs, food (brisket and fajitas... how can you go wrong?), and just a lot of energy buzzing through the city. I first felt like a poser in my longhorn tee but immediately felt like part of the club as an elderly man threw up his "horns" at me as I passed him on the sidewalk. Deirdre, please show Nana what I'm talking about so she doesn't assume it's something inappropriate.

It was a fun day, and glad to be a part of the action.... win or lose.

Music Speaks

I have found my new favorite band, and I wish I had learned of them sooner! Mumford and Sons is their name. You've heard them on the radio already... at least on the more local/independent radio stations. I first heard them a couple months ago, scribbled down the lyrics, and googled them when I got to work. I obviously didn't have internet on my phone just yet. I found out that it was a band named Mumford and Sons and the song was called "Little Lion Man". I was hooked. I heard their next song that caught my attention on a television episode... it might have been Gossip Girl. The majority of the acting might be terrible, but CW knows how create a soundtrack that's fitting for the show. This song was called "Awake My Soul" and its lyrics are just that... awakening. I'm not trying to sound musically inclined, as I am not whatsoever, but I appreciate when lyrics to a song are meaningful. This doesn't mean that I won't continue to sing Kesha's "Your Love is my Drug" in the shower... it just means that I appreciate good lyrics, and will often try to relate them to my life. Ask any of my best friends. Especially Eliza Joy (EJ) and Tara. Plus, how could you not dig these four blokes from London's "underground folk scene"?

Here are a few lyrics from Mumford and Sons that have made me stop to think...

"How fickle my heart
and how woozy my eyes
I struggle to find
any truth in your lies
And now my heart stumbles
on things I don't know
This weakness I feel
I must finally show"
~Awake My Soul

"Love that will not betray you,
dismay or enslave you,
It will set you free
Be more like the man
you were made to be.
There is a design,
An alignment to cry,
At my heart you see,
The beauty of love
as it was made to be"
~Sigh No More

"It seems that all my bridges have been burned
But you say 'That's exactly how this grace thing works’
It's not the long walk home that will change this heart
But the welcome I receive with every start"
~Roll Away Your Stone

I was semi-curious about the religious background of this band as the lyrics seem to have some spiritual undertones, so once again I returned to my trusty friend Google and found these excerpts from an interview with the band...

"The lyrics for Sigh No More he describes as "a ­deliberately spiritual thing but ­deliberately not a ­religious thing. I think faith is ­something beautiful, and ­something real, and ­something universal, or it can be." He ­gestures around the table at his ­bandmates. "We all have our separate views on religion, but I think faith is something to be celebrated. I have my own personal views, they're still real to me, and I want to write about them.""

"And of course for a group that prides itself on being, first and foremost, a live band, Mumford always has one ear on the performance. "We basically consider the album like an advert for our live gigs. And I find it easier to sing songs over and over if they feel honest, if we feel passionate about them. That's an important thing: we need to be able to feel what we sing every night, and believe it.""

I'm down with that.

Texas Review

This is one of my favorite pictures from Mom and Dad's trip. This obviously wasn't Dad's idea, but as always, he was a trooper. This was taken at one of the outdoor shops in Fredericksburg - this place had the coolest stuff and for cheap!

Both of these pictures were taken at the German Cafe and Biergarten. "Great Food, Cold Beer, Live Music". Sounds good to me.

After dinner with Firas and Reagan, where we enjoyed more Mexican grub and I introduced Mom and Dad to "Mexican Martinis" - yum! It was fun to be with family and friends, and we all laughed our tails off as Dad told us that the guys who work in his warehouse refer to him as "Big Papa". I'm laughing as I write this. Best story ever.

Mom and Dad got to experience Salt Lick BBQ. They were very impressed... and look at Mom sporting her Longhorn orange!

There was so much more of the trip that wasn't captured in pictures. Or at least pictures that Mom approves of being posted on the blog. Like mother, like daughter(s). We had a great time together in Austin, and I can't wait for them to return! It was very hard to see them go, but thankful for all of these memories we created while they were here. And... I get to see them in three short weeks when I return home for Liza's wedding! Can't wait.

Halfway Hipster

I am sitting in a coffee shop sipping on Earl Grey tea working on a few blog posts. I sound so hipster, right? The only thing that would make me more hipster in this setting is if my computer wasn't 100 times larger than everyone else's MacBook or pocket-size Dell. I feel like I am working on a piece of machinery from the Ice Age. It didn't help that when I turned the computer on, Windows had to announce itself with its annoying "BUM BUM BUM BA DUMMMMM" noise. Hello coffee shop, my caveman computer and I have arrived. Adds to my character, right? I've just thought up a new way to tell time. Instead of AD, it should be AJD = After Jaclyn's Dell.

I don't know how to transition into sharing more about my Mom and Dad's trip, so I think I'll make this it's own blog post.

P.S. I love coffee. I'm only drinking hot tea because I've had a miserable cold all weekend. I do love hot tea, but I typically prefer coffee.

Germans, Moonshine, and Drugheads

I've bragged about Austin being one of the safest cities I've ever spent time in. It isn't too much of a competition considering I have spent a whole lot of time in Richmond and Washington D.C., two cities with noteworthy levels of criminal activity, but still... it's a good selling point for Austin. Until the one weekend my parents decide to visit. Go figure.

We spent most of Sunday in Fredericksburg, a quaint little German town about an hour outside of Austin. Kristen and I had visited Fredericksburg when I visited Texas last August, and as soon as I stepped foot in the charming little town, I knew that I had to bring my Mom there. Main Street is lined with antique shops, German cafes, biergartens, and boutiques. It was fun to shop around, but it would have been more fun if Mom and Dad could fit the things they would have liked to buy in their suitcase. Minor details. We browsed the shops, enjoyed lunch and a German beer at a popular restaurant, and finished up our visit with a trip to Grape Creek Vineyards, a beautiful winery with gorgeous views and very good wine. We returned to Austin, chilled for a bit in the hotel, freshened up, and were on our way to Moonshine, my favorite restaurant in Austin (so far, at least). Dinner was so good. They really know how to win their customers over with a basket of popcorn on the table. I am a big fan of popcorn, and free popcorn tastes even better. The waitress didn't have to share every detail about how the restaurant is haunted and the little girl that hangs around there at night locking doors and breaking plates, but interesting nonetheless. We finished off the night with a shot of moonshine (Mom's request) that we all sipped on... yes, we all sipped on one shot of moonshine. We are close like that.

Just the day before as we were driving through the downtown area to their hotel, I was once again bragging about how safe the city of Austin is. I commented on the high number of homeless people, but made sure to mention how harmless and friendly they all appeared to be. I wanted my parents to know that I feel safe in the city I am living in when they are so far away. Somebody must have overheard this conversation and thought they might have a little fun with unassuming and naive Jaclyn.

We stepped out the front door of Moonshine, where there were a group of girls from a bachelorette party looking a bit out of sorts (I assumed there were one too many sugary shots to blame for that), but now it all makes sense. They were trying to avoid the completely insane drugged out bum that was probably heckling them and making them feel scared to walk the sidewalks of Austin. My parents and I quickly turned right out of the restaurant towards our hotel, and I noticed the bum slowly following our lead. Great. At that moment, my Dad suggested we cross the street, and Mom and I were quick to step out into the road... where a car was speedily making his way towards us. Dad yelled, "Run! Run girls!", without thinking that the bum might think Dad was encouraging us to run away from him, and not oncoming traffic. Again, great. I assume this bum took it as a challenge to creep closer and closer to us... Dad remained calm, I did not. Apart from being scared, I was mortified. Bragging rights out the window. And WHY, why the one weekend my parents are in town? He was on our tail, and started slurring things about how he's not going to hurt as, and we must think he's going to hurt us because we're white and he's black, and aaaww (insert expletives here) he was going to (insert threats that probably didn't make sense but still scared me). We quickly dipped into the restaurant of the Hilton, as I'm sure their customers enjoying dinner outside wondered what we did to make this drughead (I just made that word up) so fired up. We took a bathroom break in the Hilton and gave our new friend time to devote himself to another mission. Mom came out of the bathroom announcing her ultimate weapon: hairspray. She would have it ready for the bum's return, and he better watch out... this wasn't any ole' hairspray, it was ULTRA HOLD. Oh, I laugh thinking about what the drughead's reaction might have been if Mom pulled out her ultra-hold hairspray. Either way, I was thankful for Mom having a sense of humor toward the situation and for Dad informing me that he has witnessed much worse in other cities he has traveled to. Phew.

So let's just say that Sunday was an eventful day. It started out peaceful in a little German town and ended with a shot of moonshine and a little bit of action on the sidewalks of Austin. Sunday Funday, Amen.

The Lauers Take On Austin

I was under the impression that my parents were coming to Austin for a long weekend... but they came for a whole WEEK. I was so excited to know that they weren't leaving after only a few short days had gone by. There is so much of Austin and its surrounding areas that I wanted to show them. I rested up on Friday night and Saturday, anxiously awaiting their arrival. They landed in Austin, snagged a rental car, and arrived to the Courtyard Condos in the late afternoon. Nothing like a sweet reunion. I gave them the 20-second tour of my apartment and we headed downtown to their Marriott on 4th Street, a stellar location. They dropped off their bags, changed clothes, and we were on our way to happy hour and dinner downtown! Our first stop was Malverde, a bar that serves the best mojito in Austin (of the four or five that I've actually tried). My parents were impressed, so at least I have two additional votes on my side. Despite the strong scent of incense that lingered throughout the bar, it was a good place to sit outside, enjoy a cool beverage, and catch up. Next stop on the list was the Ginger Man, one of my favorite bars in Austin. If you've been reading this blog since the beginning, you might recall the Ginger Man as the bar where we played trivia and we met the "Statue of Liberty". Still makes me laugh. Anyways, Mom and Dad were just as enchanted as me by the hundreds of beers offered on tap. We enjoyed a couple beers brewed by the Live Oak Brewery (yes, this was also mentioned early on in the blog in the post about the brewery tour) and discussed details for Dad's brewery plans! Yes, Dad is going to experiment with brewing beer, and I can't WAIT to come home and taste! Soon after, we headed next door for a delicious Tex-Mex dinner and tasty margaritas at Maria Maria... yes, a restaurant owned by the one and only Carlos Santana. Most 26-year olds would have dropped their parents back off at the hotel and hit the town with friends... but if you know my parents, you know that's not the case. They are always up for a good time. We hit up 6th Street where we saw "Matt Dillon" perform live (seriously, look at the picture and tell me that's not his identical twin) - and ole' Matt didn't just strum the guitar... he played it behind his back (for a solid 10 minutes) and he played it with his tongue (kind of weird). I convinced them to come into the Blind Pig for a few minutes, as it is the bar where Nicole, Deirdre, and I danced our tails off the weekend they brought me to Austin. We enjoyed a few songs by Rico on his acoustic guitar, and then the college kids started rolling in... and that's when we witnessed the bartender crouch atop the bar, take a shot, and then swan-spit (I just made that term up, but can you picture what I'm describing?) the shot into a bachelorette's mouth. I regretted my decision to take my parents into the Blind Pig at that very moment. Sick. Time to go home. Apart from that disturbing experience, it was the perfect first night and I was so happy to have Mom and Dad in Austin. And yes, I slept over at the Marriott on the pull-out couch. And yes, I loved it.

"My heart... it hurts." -Clifford

I am a bad, bad blogger. Shame on me. But to be honest, I don't feel that bad... I was just having the best week ever with my parents in town. And it's taken me a while to get over the reality of them not living here and back to my regular routine here in Austin. Since I have only a few minutes to write, I will share last Friday with you. I spent the night at the Marriott with my parents on Thursday night (nothing beats a pull-out couch... living like a queen) and we all woke up way too early to say goodbye before I left for work and they took off for the airport. It was a hard goodbye. I was very sad on my drive to work. I'm talking hole-in-my-heart sad. Nicole texted me with words of encouragement, as she experienced tough goodbyes while living in California, and her best advice was to keep busy throughout the day to keep my mind preoccupied. I did just that, and lucky for me... it worked. And it was all because of these interactions:

Roy: "I've noticed that in the evening shift, we have a good number of "either-or's" working as aides... is that right?"

Jaclyn: "I'm not sure what you're talking about... what do you mean by "either-or"?"

Roy: "They either want to be a boy or a girl.... they just can't decide."

(Without going into too much detail, his observation is indeed correct.)

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Marge, 84 years old and widowed: "I'm not sure that I can make it to activities today. I'm getting my hair done."

Jaclyn: "Oh, how nice. For a special occasion?"

Marge: "Well, yes. I'm getting married."

(Hold the phone!)

Jaclyn: "You are...?"

Marge: "Yes, will you actually pull my dress out of the closet?"

(Panic ensues. I do not want to be the one to inform her that there is no bridal gown in her closet.)

Jaclyn, while browsing her closet: "I don't see it, Marge. I bet it's at the seamstress."

(I was going to say Dry Cleaners, but I didn't know if those existed in the 40's. Okay, I'm sure they did, but she might have grown up on a farm. Which most likely means that she or her mother was the seamstress. Crap.)

Marge: "Oh, maybe. I need it as soon as possible. We are meeting to get our shots at the courthouse before the ceremony, and he is going to think I didn't show up!"

(Shots? What kind of wedding arrangement is this?! I wasn't ready to find out.)

Jaclyn: "Okay, I'll go check on the dress!"

--Ten Minutes Later--

Jaclyn: "The dress is being worked on!"

Marge: "What dress?"

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The following takes place during an activity with a few Mary-Kay ladies who visited with the residents and pampered them with "Satin Hands" and make-overs:

Roxie: "Jaclyn, you look sexy."

Jaclyn: "Wow, it is weird to hear you say that. But thank you."

Mary Kay Lady (in her head): "Maybe if she knew how to apply make-up or use a blowdryer..."

Ethel: "Jaclyn always looks good."

Roxie: "Yeah, but today she looks sexy!"

Jaclyn, to the Mary Kay Ladies: "This is why I work here."

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Horace, new resident who looks like a leprechaun: "Sweet angel, can you find me some of that special banana nut creamer for my coffee?"

(It's french vanilla, but I wasn't about to rain on his parade.th

Jaclyn, after checking the kitchen's fridge: "It wasn't in the big kitchen. Let me go check the pantry."

Jaclyn, with "banana nut" creamer in hand: "I found it!"

Horace, arms open wide: "You are the most wonderful thing to ever be born. I love you, I love you, I love you."

Jaclyn: "Wow, doing you a small favor sure pays off."

Horace, chuckling: "Now will you put it back in the big kitchen for me, angel?"

Jaclyn: "I think we'd be better off leaving it in the pantry, because it's easier for you to...."

Horace, cutting me off: "Mama knows best! Mama knows best!"

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And at the end of the day, after I walked my all-American UT football player back to his room, he turned as I headed for the door and said, "Hey, give me a hug."

The hole in my heart didn't close completely, but it did shrink just a little bit.

D.C. Reppin' the 512

The title of this blog post may not make sense. I know it's hard to believe with this blonde hair and pasty skin (oh wait, Eminem), but I don't speak rap. I was thinking of a creative way to title my review of Deirdre and Will's (both from D.C.) visit to Austin (area code 512), through pictures. Enjoy!

First stop of Happy Hour: Belmont, one of my favorite spots in Austin.

Second night, third stop at Happy Hour: The Ranch. The bartender made up for not knowing what goes in an orange crush by delivering with a pink starburst. Yum.

Happy Hour turned into Happy Night: Dueling Piano Bar.

Second day of their trip, and our most adventurous day: Mount Bonnell to see the beautiful views of the lake and downtown skyline.

Their first taste of the Texas heat: Hula Hut for dinner, margaritas,
and way too many tortilla chips.

Deirdre and Will: "Biddy Biddy Boom Boom... "
Firas: "Selena, right? Great movie, great movie!"