Nat came to town.

This is not a very good picture (or very recent), but I wanted to make mention of my good friend, Nat Harward, visiting the ATX from the NYC.

He has a work conference in town and it was awesome catching up--like the good old days.

For those of you who aren't aware, Nat was the Comms VP in BYUSA during the 2008-2009 academic year. That's how we became good friends. Oh, he also was Chance and I's Campaign Administrator.

President of the Fat Kids Club

Today, I officially gained the title of "President." I don't have any sort of authority. Just the shame in knowing that, after purchasing two doughnuts from Gourdough's, I was elected to the aforementioned position by a table of my peers. Ha ha.

But, oh. The doughnuts were so good. "Funky Monkey"? Yes please. "Flying Pig"? Sure.

Voted #1 by my friends. The "Funky Monkey" wins hands down. HANDS DOWN! You'll have to come and try it.

Teaching Seminary

So, for the past few days, I've been teaching early morning seminary classes to some youth in a local ward. I volunteered a little while ago and the regular teacher needed some time-off this week (family was visiting etc.), so here I am.

Needless to say, it was an experience. I feel kinda bad mentioning any specific experiences..."learning experiences" on the blog. However, I will say that I really had a great time. The youth were great and they taught me a lot!

By the way, I really enjoy the Doctrine and Covenants.

Bless my Nanny!

(from l to r) me, my uncle, Nanny, sister Jade and brother Josh.

Just a little pic from my 2010 visit to NZ. Nanny's not doing so well. She had a little heart attack and is trying to recover. She still has her same sense of humor though--I gave her a quick call and she was hilarious. Love her.

Christchurch Earthquake

I feel pretty bad for Christchurch, New Zealand. They've only recently had a bad earthquake and this one looks to be even worse. My thoughts and prayers are with all those around the area.

Words with Friends

I've now found something else that can help me waste my time. I shouldn't have done it. But, I downloaded it and now 10 people are waiting for my next move.

Dang it.

NyQuil

NyQuil is an amazing invention.

Did you know that, after making NyQuil and testing it on people, the scientists thought they had failed because it made people sleepy? Obviously it wasn't called NyQuil at the time. But, I think that's an awesome story.

Needless to say, I've needed it that past few days. I've been a little sick.

BYU vs. TCU

This picture with Ryan Smith, my mate from the mission, says it all.

We're standing in the TCU Basketball Stadium, after Ryan drove up from Houston and me (with roomies) from Austin, supporting BYU!!

It was a freaking awesome day and, once we got to Dallas, we actually tried this amazing Tex-Mex restaurant called "Fuzzy's Tacos."

Ha ha. I have to laugh that almost every blog post has something to do with food.

A few days in Houston...

This past week I spent some time for work in Houston, TX. I was able to meet with a number of potential customers and figure out what I'm meant to do by watching a senior guy in action.

Apart from all the work stuff, one of the highlights of the trip was a visit to the original Carrabba's!

Take it from me...it was pretty good.

Epic Texas Journey

In the beginning...

Six motley friends from Austin decided to hike up and around here:

Enchanted Rock, Texas

We made it to the top:

Then we had some amazing Texas BBQ at Coopers in Llano, TX. Oh boy. It was so good! They smoked the meat in huge smokers outside, we picked it up fresh, ate till our hearts were content and then we left very happy.

It was epic. Don't worry about it.

A good dance.

So, every now and again I'm up for a good dance. Tonight was one of those nights. We ended up having a little institute dance themed in "Pink" and I honestly had a lot of fun. Don't worry that I busted out this little line dance:



Oh EFY, thank you for giving me something to do when I can't think of anything else. I would say, "Thanks for making me cheesy!" But I don't blame EFY for that.

Workout tips.

I was chatting to a kid I know at the gym today and I realized that I enjoy getting tips for more effective working out. I do have a membership here:

and have worked out at other gyms. Heck, I've even had a personal trainer--still technically have one in Provo (Hollah @ Stephanie)--but prior to some of that, I just used to watch people and try to copy them.

Sometimes that was effective and sometimes it just resulted in me doing something that was incorrect. Needless to say, if you have any tips that have served you well; let me know!

A great day!

In all honesty, today was a fantastic day. I had a great time at work, ate at Pokejos BBQ, and accompanied the missionaries on an appointment.

Work: I'm getting into the swing of things and really feeling like it's all clicking for me.

BBQ: Even the cheap BBQ places in Texas have great tasting BBQ. Who can beat meat?

Missionaries: So many memories from back in Australia came flooding back. It's been a long since I have been invited out to help with Elders. Great times.

Cajun Food

This little restaurant, Mama Roux, is about 4.36 minutes away from my apartment here in Austin. I discovered it today at a work luncheon and I really liked it.

I've only ever had Cajun food in New Orleans and this place was better than the food I ate down there. This is also the second Cajun place that I like in Austin. Weird right? No. I would describe it as "tasty."

LinkedIn

If you haven't already, you should add me on LinkedIn.

I've been using the network a lot for work and it makes me feel like a grown-up. The other day, I got sent an email from a LinkedIn sales guy asking questions about Rinchem. He was from England and we chatted about life in America. Pretty cool.

"Mommy, wow! I'm a big kid now." Name that product advertisement.

Waitangi Day

Today is Waitangi Day.

If you're not from New Zealand, you'll probably not understand the significance of Waitangi Day. And, because you might be interested to find out more, I'll link you to this Wikipedia article on the subject.

I'm not sure that New Zealanders are as patriotic as Americans, but we certainly have a lot to be thankful for. All the politics aside, I think that my upbringing in New Zealand gives a perspective on life that I'm extremely grateful for.

Also, I'm glad that I have an accent. Let's be honest...it's an asset in America.

Cleaning and stuff.

Today was a fairly productive day. As the title indicates, some cleaning actually took place. Let's be honest: the bathroom was long overdue for a clean. I won't discuss the details--because you'll not be impressed--but suffice to say that it is now sparkling!

After trying to round up some girls to help us find an entertainment center for the lounge and accompany us to lunch, we were asked to help clean at one girls apartment because she just moved out and needed to get it done ASAP.

So, at around 4pm today, I ate my first meal of the day at IKEA. I'm sort of ok with it because last night I gorged myself at this infamous little restaurant in Driftwood called "The Salt Lick." It was good. Really good.

Oh my "Hell Run!"

Ha ha. I hope that blog title didn't offend anyone--it's actually the name of yet another race that I signed up for. And, as I always mention, "hell" is not a swear word in New Zealand anyway.

As a side note, if anyone actually peruses the websites of said 'competitions'; you'll realize that they're actually just for fun. Obstacle courses that include mud, fire and crazy people (some may or may not be under the influence). I know me and my friends will only be high on life--and that's all that matters!

Also, today was a snow day in Austin. Here's a picture of what it looks like now:

Probably one of the warmest days this week...after the snow melted.

Author's note: After clicking publish to this post I realized something, I'm probably going to be in New Zealand during this particular race. Ha ha ha. Oh well...there is a chance I will be there on the day (because I've already invested $55 on it), however, there is also a chance that I won't.

And we keep waiting...

Waiting to see whether I actually get my H1B work visa approved--then it'll be homeward bound to renew the actual re-entry visa. I've been looking for flights and it'll be quite the endeavor. Ha ha. But well worth the wait, I think.

Don't know what an H1B visa is? Then this Wikipedia entry is for you: H-1B visa.

First Quote

Don't tell anyone...but I'm really excited. Here's why: I am in the process of writing up and presenting my first quote to a real-life customer. Isn't that awesome?

I know it's probably not big news to you all, but I definitely have enjoyed what I've been able to learn. The company I represent and my job in that company is really great.

I also had a great talk with my boss today and we discussed all the things that I could and should be doing right now. I'm just so busy and I love it.

EFY teaching.

So, one of my institute teachers is an EFY session director/teacher and I was talking with him about EFY the other night. This led me to ask, "Could I be an EFY teacher?"

After asking some advice from an EFY administrator, I became excited at the prospect of just applying. In fact, I'll probably keep applying until they say, "Ok, we'll let you teach at one session."

I think EFY is great and I love to teach. So, it's a win-win, right?

My first EFY as a counselor...in Alberta, Canada.