More thoughts.......

I'm sure most people around the holidays take the time to reflect back where they were a year ago.......most likely spending it with a loved one or a friend. It's an easy thing to do and we all do it from time to time, remembering back to certain life events. So my thoughts this morning aren't all that different from most people, but still I reflect on where my life is and has been over the past year. It's definitely been an interesting ride, filled with pain, some joy and lots of personal growth. There has been a ton of thinking throughout the year and looking back on it, the biggest changes in myself have been my increased thoughts and self awareness as to my place not only my life, but in the lives of the people around me. I find myself thinking about my thoughts and actions and how they affect the people who are close to me.

Maybe I should have been thinking like that all along.......maybe things would have turned out differently? Who's to say what the future would have held? But with all of this thinking, one of the things that I've come to realize is that all I can really control are the things that I say and the actions that I take.........

Until later......

Messages on candy wrappers

As I sat at my desk and enjoyed a Dove dark chocolate morsel this afternoon, I looked down to see the message on the inside wrapper..........."Live in the present, forgive your past." I couldn't help but think of all the chocolate bar wrappers that we ran across in Southern Africa. Some said things like "Happy Birthday" while others said, "Miss you" or "Love you lots" and it got me to thinking.

Lately, it seems, I do a lot more thinking than I ever did in the past. Of course, I think about the past, a lot. How can I not think about the past? But sometimes I wonder if I hold on to the past a little too much. I wonder if I dwell too much on my perception of what was truly going on and what I thought I had. What if things didn't work out when I got back? Maybe this is how things are 'supposed to be.' But still the words of John Mayer ring out in my head, 'everything happens for a reason is no reason not to ask myself if I am living it right?' I mean, saying that "everything happens for a reason," kind of discounts our own decision making process in our lives, doesn't it? Or are the decisions that we make already predetermined?

Do we already have a predetermined plan in life? Or is life a consequence of the everyday decisions we make?

Until later........I'll be thinking.......

Quiet

When you live alone.....sometimes all you have are your inner thoughts. Sure, you can call your friends and chat with them, you can watch TV, listen to music or read a book to distract your mind, but that can't totally distract you from your thoughts. When you're in the shower or doing some cooking or going for a run, those thoughts are there with you. Sometimes you can keep them down or not worry about them, then other times....they are imprinted on your brain and they seem to be ever present. It's almost like no matter which way you turn or where you go, your thoughts are always there to cloud up your mind and question your actions. You walk to work.....they are there. You work out.....they are there. You get dressed......they are there. You sit on the metro to work......they are there. You ride up the escalator......they are there. You walk into your building.....they are there.

I wonder when I'll get the chance to quiet my inner thoughts.

More later.....

To all my friends in Texas......

Watch out! There could be some high winds, high waves, and maybe some rain this weekend. At least you'll have the Astros/cubs series to watch while you ride out the storm......oh, wait, that's been postponed. Well, you can definitely check out the Texans/ravens game on Sunday......no, that's been moved to Monday night. At least there's one thing you can count on in Texas and that's high school football under the Friday night lights........damn, that's been cancelled too!

Well, looks like you all should hunker down with some ice cold Shiner Bock beer and pray that the power, cable and internet stay on!

Good luck.

Leaving on a Jet Plane

From time to time, I've posted lyrics of songs that I've been listening to or that have meant something to me, so this post is not really that different from posts in the past. It's a beautiful song from John Denver, but made popular by Peter, Paul and Mary....it turned out to be their last and biggest hit reaching #1. As the story goes, John wrote the song when his flight was delayed and was originally titled "Oh babe, I hate to go."

To capture that feeling before taking a trip and having to leave someone that you love......truly amazing stuff.


"Leaving on a Jet Plane"
by John Denver

All my bags are packed I'm ready to go.
I'm standing here outside your door.
I hate to wake you up to say goodbye.
But the dawn is breaking it early morn.
The taxi's waitin he's blownin his horn.
Already I'm so lonesome I could die.


So kiss me and smile for me.
Tell me that you'll wait for me.
Hold me like you'll never let me go.
Cause I'm leavin on a jet plane.
Don't know when I'll be back again.
Oh, babe I hate to go.


There's is many times I've let you down
So many time I've played around.
I tell you now they don't mean a thing.
Every place I go I'll think of you.
Ev'ry song I sing I'll sing for you.
When I come back I'll bring your wedding ring.


So kiss me and smile for me.
Tell me that you'll wait for me.
Hold me like you'll never let me go.
Cause I'm leavin on a jet plane.
Don't know when I'll be back again.
Oh, babe I hate to go.


Now the time come to leave you.
One more time let me kiss you.
Then close your eyes I'll be on my way.
Dream about the days to come.
When I won't have to leave alone.
About the times I won't have to say


So kiss me and smile for me.
Tell me that you'll wait for me.
Hold me like you'll never let me go.
Cause I'm leavin on a jet plane.
Don't know when I'll be back again.
Oh, babe I hate to go.
I'm leavin on a jet plane.
Don't know when I'll be back again.
Oh, babe, I hate to go

Ahhhh....Beverly

She's been with me for a long time......through the good times and the bad times, and she's always brought a smile to my face and oftentimes a smile to others around. I occasionally get some strange looks when we're walking down the street together, but I'm sure it's just jealousy. After all, Beverly's no ordinary woman, in fact, she's no woman at all.......she's my umbrella, of course! That's right, I could be one of the few almost 30 yr old straight men out there with a child size umbrella that looks like a Bee! What can I say? I have an attachment to an umbrella.

I bought Beverly in Cape Town, South Africa after not needing an umbrella for almost two months of my travels! I was in Egypt for a month and anything north of South Africa is pretty much dry land during the winter season. So, it wasn't until hitting Cape Town until I saw ran. When it actually started raining, I ducked into a department store along with my friend Zach and Flo and we all came out with little child size umbrellas with different animals. Zach had Phyllis the Frog, Flo had Leslie the Ladybug, and I bought Beverly the Bee. The umbrellas got such a wonderful reaction, that I decided to hang on to Beverly throughout the rest of my trip. She was a great travel companion and was always there when I needed her.

Sure, some people laugh at me for hanging on to her all this time, but when you've been through all that we have, you just can't give up on each other. I made the mistake of trying another, but that didn't work out and Beverly was there to take me back. That's loyalty right there!

Ahhhhh....Beverly! Where would I be without you? Probably soaking wet in the midst of the remnants of Hurricane Faye's as she blows through the DC area.....that's where!

More later.....

Back to work!

So, it's been a week back in the workforce and I can't help but think.......what have I done? I'm sure it's like buyer's remorse but I did have that thought this morning of.....I'm going to be doing this for the next 30 years?! I'll tell you, it's tough to adjust to waking up early every morning to get dressed to go to work. I'm sure I'll fall back into the rhythm of the working life, but for now.....there have been a lot of trips to the Starbucks and the coffee machine!

More later.....

Hi ho, hi ho.....it's off to work I go?

Amazingly enough, after a year and three months, it's time for me to head back to work. Gone are the mid-day naps, matinees, afternoon runs and lounging around at Starbucks to do some reading and writing on a nice day. Gone are the flip-flops and t-shirts. Gone are days of sleeping in because.....hey, what did I have to wake up for?

Am I excited or nervous? Actually, not at all.......I'm ready. It's time for me to get back into the work force and get back into the flow of what most people call a 'normal life.'

More later......

Good conversation and bad baseball

It's a good thing that my partner in conversation was from across the pond and didn't know much about baseball because the product on the field was extremely sub-par. Missed double plays, fighting for infield pop ups, and who can forget the batter who made it first on a strike out?! Such is life for baseball fans in the DC area as we get treated to bad baseball in a great park. Needless to say, the Nats lost 8-4.

Luckily for me there was great conversation, and interesting topics at that. Questions that I had no clue existed a year ago popped up and I kept thinking.......'a year ago, I would have answer that this way, but now, I have to say this.' Different perspectives were presented to me and I provided my own insight....and after all was said and done, I still can't say I'm more informed on the questions presented. They did cause me to think about my life and the decisions I've made in the past.......and after all that, I think Don Henley said it best......."the more I know, the less I understand."

More later.......

Glimpses and wonder

Every once and a while you get a glimpse into someone and their life. You see them and you see that inner sparkle in their eye and you wonder. Could this be someone who I could spend a long time with? Or is this someone who just is a friend? This person knows a lot about you......could it be? You think about it a lot......and you wonder. You wonder if this is the true reality of the person before you. You wonder if this glimpse into this reality is going to last the distance. You wonder if this is someone you can grow old with. You wonder if this is someone who's ready to take the next step. Then you take a step back and realize.......that person is not just yet ready for the next step. And then you wait.......and wonder and what glimpse you'll get next.

More later.....

Where's the fork?

So, it had been a long time since he'd eaten without silverware and after my Pops got over the initial shock of not having any silverware, he finally settled into the food itself......which was simple yet delicious and shockingly plentiful.

We were out and about in the U St. area of town, once known as the 'Black Broadway' of Washington, DC. When in the U St. area there are two things you should definitely check out......Jazz (as this is the birthplace of Duke Ellington) and Ethiopian food. The DC area has about 85,000 Ethiopians that reside here, making it the largest Ethiopian population in the nation, and the best place to get some good food. At first he tried to make a taco with his injera and the succulent pieces of lamb. He quickly realized he would run out of the almost pancake type bread. Then he watched me eat a couple of times and realized he needed to take some pieces of bread and just grab the food. After he got it down, he washed it down with some Tej, Ethiopian honey wine, and he was truly immersed in Ethiopian food and drink.

With our plentiful meal behind us, we sauntered down to the Bohemian Caverns to check out the Thad Wilson Jazz Orchestra. The Washington City Paper calls the Thad Wilson Jazz Orchestra the best reason to go out on a Monday night and they didn't disappoint as we caught most of their first set. Twelve members (one percussion, one upright bass, one pianist, two trumpets, two trombones, two alto saxes, two tenor saxes and one bass saxophone) provided us with some catchy tunes and good times.

A short bus ride back to our respective homes and it was a great evening in U St.

More later.......

1 Down......a few more to go

Nope, I'm not talking about beers here, instead I'm talking about baseball games! My Pops is up in the DC area this week for a conference and we are squeezing in some baseball games before and after. The plan is to hit up a game at the Nationals new stadium (against our hometown Astros) before his conference starts. After the conference is over, we are heading up to Baltimore for an Orioles game at Camden Yards. Then it's up to New York to fulfill a childhood dream for my dad and check out a couple of games at 'The House that Ruth Built' as it's the final season for Yankees Stadium.

Our week of baseball started off great as Sunday was a beautiful day for baseball. Hot, sunny and not so terrible humidity greated us as we arrived at the Nationals new stadium in Southeast DC. Luckily we were on the 3rd base side as the sun dipped behind the stadium mid-way through the 4th inning and kept us from burning too badly.

On the field, Brandon Backe pitched 7 scorless innings and was helped with some run support as the 'Stros bats came out during the last game before the All-Star break. The Astros also made some good plays out in the field with Darin Erstad and Ty Wigginton making a couple of standout plays with their gloves. Put it all together and it works out to be a 5-0 win for the hometown Houston Astros.

A great game for both of us to see as it was a chance to see the hometown boys play well. It was also a great opportunity to spend some quality time with my father. But the best part was knowing that I was one game down......and a few more special games to go.

More later.......

Great in Bars.....Not in Interviews

It's a pretty popular question that pops up in conversations among strangers outside of the professional realm. People usually ask it in hopes of gaining some information as to the person they are having a discussion or conversation. In fact, someone once told me that's it's one of the Top 3 questions you can expect when meeting someone in this country.

"So, what do you do?"

Seems harmless enough, right? In fact, it's usually a great conversation piece in most of the places I've been hanging out in recently. People seem amazed and interested to hear about my travels and I'm happy to oblige with answers to their genuinely interested questions. And I'm not going to lie, I love answering the questions! Not for vanity sake, mind you, but because it reminds me of how special and neat an opportunity it was to take some time off just to travel. It also takes me back and makes me remember the sights, the smells, the colors, and the feelings that I was going through when I was traveling. When I first got back, my mind was still fresh with all of the memories, but now it takes me consciously thinking back to refresh my mind of all those memories (that and reviewing the blog!).

Somehow, when you are trying to explain your year long absence from employment to a recruiter for a company on the other end of the phone or a desk, it doesn't quite go over as well. What ever happened to companies wanting well rounded employees who can bring life experiences to the work force? You try and do your best to pitch it to them that this is something you wanted to and saved up for and it's an experience of a lifetime, but then I seem to come off almost as defensive. I just can't seem to figure it out.

Needless to say, the search for employment continues.......

Shantaram

"For this is what we do. Put one foot forward and then the other. Lift our eyes to the snarl and smile of the world once more. Think. Act. Feel. Add our little consequence to the tides of good and evil that flood and drain the world. Drag our shadowed crosses into the hope of another night. Push our brave hearts into the promise of a new day. With love: the pure, ineffable yearning to be saved. For so long as fate keeps waiting, we live on. God help us. God forgive us. We live on."

This is the last paragraph from the greatest book I've ever read......Shantaram. It took a long time, but it was worth it.

I'm going home

After a long journey, both literally and figuratively, physically and emotionally, I'm starting my journey back to the city that I love so much. Through the course of my travels, I was constantly asked many questions about DC and why I love it so. Well, what can you say about a city like DC? It's a great mix of north and south, it's a city that has an international flair while still being very American, it's a good mix of public and private transportation, it's a picturesque city and a city of change. As winter fades and spring begins, I'm coming home to start my new season of life. The cherry blossoms are out and the tourists are sure to be flooding the National Mall and I'm actually looking forward to what life has to offer me.

It's taken a few months to get to a better place, but I'm slowly working my way towards that better place. True, my heart is still heavy and I will carry that heaviness for the rest of my life, but eventually it will all work out how it's supposed to work out. There's a balance to life and eventually, the bad times will turn to good. You must experience the dark to appreciate the light.

More later.......

The Best I Ever Had

Listening to more country music and this time it's Gary Allen and a beautiful song:

So you sailed awayInto a grey sky morning
Now I'm here to stay
Love can be so boring
And nothing's quite the same now
I just say your name now

But I'ts not so bad..
You're only the best I ever had
You don't want me back
You're just the best I ever had

So you stole my world
Now I'm just a phony
Remembering the girl
Leaves me down and lonely
We'll send it in a letter
Make yourself feel better

But I'ts not so bad..
You're only the best I ever had
You don't want me back
You're just the best I ever had

And it might take some time
To patch me up inside
But I cant take it so I
I run away and hideI might find it in time
That you were always right
You were always right

So you sailed away
Into a grey sky morning
Now I'm here to stay
Love can be so boring
Was it what you wanted
Could it be I'm haunted?

But It's not so bad..
You're only the best I ever had
You dont want me back
You're just the best I ever had

The 'Real World'?

I'm sure that all traveller's who are on the road for a long time experience what I'm going through. And, I'm pretty sure that what I'm feeling right now is nothing special, but still, it's causing some unrest these days. I'm a bit distant in conversations and people are starting to notice. What can I say? Something is on my mind.

After spending an amazing month out in Arizona and the great Southwest, I'm catching a red-eye flight back to the east coast. Is the dream life coming to a close? Should I get an apartment and a job and slip back into the 9am-5pm reality that's almost expected of me? Or should I throw it all in storage and keep on moving down the road with the few possessions that I have in my bag and create more memories? What is the 'real world' after all? What is success? Is it going to work, buying a home, building a family? Or is it building memories and friendships while trying to see it all? Don't most people on their death bed wish that they had seen more of this world?

I guess it's true, the hardest thing in this world is to have a choice........and these are the questions that face me now at this junction in my life.

More later.......

Moving down the road.....and trying to move on

I moved down the road to see great friends in the NY Metro area and to try and heal the wounds that were still visible to almost everyone around me. Somewhere south of Philly, I made a decision.....I wasn't ready to head back to the DC area just yet. A week with friends in the NY Metro area wasn't going to be enough time for me to even feel right about heading back to DC. I love DC and I wanted to come back, but I had to be mentally and emotionally ready to come back. I needed to get out away from the East Coast and see some sun and try to heal. So, I called up my great friend Zach in Phoenix and told him I was coming out to spend the month of March in Arizona. He was thrilled to hear the good news! After trying to convince me to come visit him for a couple of months, I finally was coming out to Phoenix. And just in the nick of time as Helen, Paula, and Vickie were going to be hanging out in the great Southwest for most of the time that I was going to be out there.

It was going to be just what I needed.....time with friends.

More later......

The day I had waited for......and dreaded

It was an emotional day for me.....one that I will never forget for the rest of my life. It was a day that I had anticipated, but hadn't expected. I couldn't help but be excited, but still cautious at the same time. This was a day that I dreamt about every day during my five month journey around the world......it was the day I was coming back and would see Carolyn for the first time since we last saw each other in Bangkok's airport in October, but I was not coming home, not to the home I wanted or expected.

I would have loved to have said something to her to change her mind, but those walls were too high to climb over and too thick to break through. She made it clear that I wasn't going to be able to hurt her any more, but all I wanted to do was to tell her I loved her one last time and to hold her close and always remember the good times with her. In the end, after all was said and done, I realized that we finally did the one thing we couldn't do when we were together.....sit down and honestly talk about our relationship and be open with each other. A bit ironic and cruel.

More later......

Crushed......absolutely crushed

After not getting much sleep last night, I'm moving on down the road after spending some precious time with my aunt in Knoxville, a place I called home for a couple of years after college. After holding out hope that maybe.....just maybe, there might still be a chance, those hopes and dreams were crushed, just as I was, by the worst possible news that I could hear. I'm glad that I was with my aunt as she was able to comfort me at one of my lowest, if not the lowest, points of my short life. For that, I'll always be grateful to her and her wisdom and ability to put things into perspective. For now, it's a wet drive over the mountains to Charlotte, NC to see a friend before heading back to DC for some finality.

More later.....

A great friend.....in a great town

After exploring the greater Memphis area, I made the slow drive up out of the Mississippi delta and over to Nashville, one of the great towns in the country if you love country music. I think some country music was definitely in order for me at this point in my life. My great friend did a great job of keeping us busy with fun stuff, but probably the most fun I had was listening to a bluegrass band called Jypsi play at a little joint down on Broadway. They were a funky group of family members almost reminiscent of a folk group out of the 60's, but they could definitely play and I was drawn to one of the covers they did. It was an old Waylon Jennings song called, "I don't want to get over you" and the lead singer blew me away with her moving vocals.

After spending some good time and talking about life with my great friend, I made my way to Knoxville, a place I called home for a couple of years after college.

More later......

Finally......I stop off in Memphis!

You would figure that with all of the back and forth drives I did from Knoxville to Texas through the years, I would have stopped off and seen some of Memphis. But every time I drove through I was booking it trying to get to my destination as fast as I could. This time was a lot different....with no job and no destination to get to, I had time to stop off and experience some of Memphis.

I don't know why I didn't make myself stop earlier, but I'm glad I finally did! I liked Memphis for some of the reasons that I like New Orleans, it just had an interesting mix of people, music and culture. I got a chance to fulfill another childhood dream and see Graceland.....after all, I do share a birthday with The King. And was truly moved at the Civil Rights Museum at the site of the former Lorraine Motel. I stopped off for some pretty good BBQ before hitting the road to spend a long weekend in Nashville with a great friend.

More later......

Big D and the suburbs

So, growing up in and around the Houston area, especially being an Oilers fan, there seems to be a subtle dislike for the Dallas/Ft. Worth area. Most people claim to be from Dallas, but really grow up in one of the surrounding areas like Mesquite, De Soto, Arlington, etc. And lets face it, most of the folks up in the Dallas area are transplants from other parts of the nation.

As it happens, I just spent a weekend with a good friend from college who lives in one such suburb.....Garland. I got a chance to see and experience some of the great things about the Dallas/Ft. Worth area as well as throw my own twist on the experience. From the Stockyards, to Joe T. Garcia's, to Billy Bob's (the world's largest honky-tonk), to smoking shisha, a few too many beers and deep conversations about life, the choices you make and the consequences of those decisions; the weekend was definitely a great stop on the road......and on the road of life.

But now it's time to make my way through Southern Arkansas (oh boy!) to the greater Memphis area.

More later........

A cold north wind

There's a constant, cold north wind blowing and I guess it's kind of appropriate. It's a reminder that the world can be a cold place sometimes.

It's funny I woke up this morning and thought about life and the decisions you make and the effect that all of that has on someone. I left my parents house 8 months ago and thought I was ready for all that life would throw at me. Now, after taking a beating from life and my own decisions, I'm a bit scared at what I'm going to face when I hit the road again.

It's funny in an ironic sort of way I guess......it just lets you know how humbling it can all be sometimes. One minute your flying high and you think you have the world in the palm of your hand......you make a decision and wham! Life hits you with a left hook you didn't see coming. But everyone gets knocked down and we all make mistakes in life. No one's perfect and no one makes all the right choices in life.....it just doesn't happen.

I was given some great advice by a friend awhile back and he said, "everyone makes mistakes, it's how we react from those mistakes that defines who we are."

Haunted

Lately, it seems I've been haunted by this particular song.....and I do mean haunted. I woke up at 3:45am this morning with thoughts and visions crowding the corners of my mind. When the fog cleared, I thought of the lyrics of this song.

It all started when I was in Houston visiting a friend and he was playing some songs on the piano. My friend is a very talented piano player and vocalist and he was giving me a sample of his repertoire. He started playing this song and singing it and I hadn't heard it in years, but when he started singing the song, it instantly struck something deep inside me. Like I said, I've been listening to a lot of music lately and I think Phil Collins got this one down perfectly.

Against All Odds by Phil Collins

How can I just let you walk away
Just let you leave without a trace
When I stand here taking
Every breath with you oohhhh
You're the only one
Who really knew me at all

How can you just walk away from me
When all I can do is watch you leave
'Cause we've shared the laughter and the pain
And even shared the tears
You're the only one
Who really knew me at all

So take a look at me now
'Cause there's just an empty space
There's nothing left here to remind me
Just the memory of your face
So take a look at me now
'Cause there's just an empty space
And you coming back to me, is against the odds
And that's what I've got to face

I wish I could just make you turn around
Turn around and see me cry
There's so much I need to say to you
So many reasons why
You're the only one
Who really knew me at all

So take a look at me now
'Cause there's just an empty space
There's nothing left here to remind me
Just the memory of your face
So take a look at me now
Cause there's just an empty space
But to wait for you is all I can do
And that's what I've got to face.

Take a good look at me now
'Cause I'll still be standing here
And you coming back to me is against all odds
That's the chance I've got to face

Take A look at me now

Always on my mind

As I've been stuck trying to figure out my life going forward, I've been listening to a lot of music and finding meaning in the songs that I listen to. There are tons of great songs out there and lots of talented songwriters, but it sometimes seems that country musicians tell the best stories or have the best lyrics. And here's one that strikes home:

Maybe I didn't love you
Quite as often as I could have
Maybe I didn't treat you
Quite as good as I should have
If I made you feel second best
Girl I'm sorry I was blind

But you were always on my mind
You were always on my mind

Maybe I didn't hold you
All those lonely, lonely times
And I guess I never told you
I'm so happy that you're mine
Little things I should have said and done
I just never took the time

But you were always on my mind
You were always on my mind

Tell me, tell me that your
Sweet love hasn't died
And give me
Give me one more chance
To keep you satisfied satisfied
Little things I should have

Said and done
I just never took the time

But you were always on my mind
You were always on my mind
You were always on my mind....

A Truly Texas Birthday

I awoke on my 29th birthday in Houston, after visiting a close friend for the couple of days preceding the big day. I thought of my current situation......unemployed and living with my parents......and while I must admit, it was a bit depressing, it didn't stop me from having a truly great day in Texas. I left my friend's place early in the morning and decided to take Alternate 90 back to San Antonio, which would be one of the best decisions of the day. Alternate 90 took me first through Richmond/Rosenburg where I stopped off and reminisced about an adventure at the local movie theater that Scott, Josh and I endured after Scott got a little too excited about seeing 'Escape from LA' with Kurt Russell!



With good thoughts in my head, I headed on down the road and saw a turn off for Wharton.....only 27 miles away. I decided that I need to turn off and go see my home town. After all, when was the next time I was going to be near Wharton on my birthday? So, I took the turn off and drove down Hwy 59 into the familiar pecan trees and farmland that surrounded Wharton, TX, my birthplace.



Right after turning off at the clinic and hospital that was home to my dad for so many hours during our younger years, Alan Jackson's 'Remember When' came on the radio, and I must admit, a tear came down as I drove by my old middle school. I drove through downtown and then by my old junior high school. After that, I drove to the old hospital and the building that I was born in and stopped the car and said a prayer of thanks. I then went to my old high school to see some of my former teachers and surprisingly, they remembered me. It was a humbling experience when they asked what I was doing now and I had to reply that I was 'unemployed and back home' but just the same, it's the humbling experiences that mean the most. After talking with my former teachers, I decided to head by my old elementary school for a bit. Then out to our old house and a walk around the perimeter to the back yard to find all of our peach trees gone, and of course, the graves for all our German Shepherds. I then decided to go visit a friend and drove to the cemetery to see the grave of my friend John Wobbe.



After reliving life and death in my hometown, I decided to hit the road again and made my way through Egypt (no, really) and Eagle Lake and met up again with Alternate 90. The drive was a beautiful one that took me through some small Texas towns I hadn't been through in ages. Just outside of Hallettsville, I stopped off at Janak's meat market and picked up a jalapeno sausage sandwich with mustard and homemade sauerkraut that was pretty amazing. I stopped off in Shiner and wanted to do the brewery tour, but it was going to put me late for the rest of the day. So, I kept on rolling down the road and made it back to San Antonio in time for my counseling session. After counseling, I went back out to my parent's place to go for my customary birthday run to clear my head. I then met my parents, grandparents, my nephew, my cousin Christina, and my brother Scott and his wife for a nice meal at a Thai restaurant in town. I know, BBQ might have been a better fit, but hey, you can't beat good Thai food!

I would have loved to do absolutely nothing up in DC with the one I love, but this was a pretty damn good day. If nothing, it was reflective and humbling and that's not necessarily a bad thing on your birthday.