Feeding the Homeless

The Church Under the Bridge

Several weeks ago my stepmother Kathy forwarded an evite to me about feeding the homeless in downtown. From what I could see it looked like it was right under 45 right in front of my apartment so I said I would go.

She picked me up last tuesday and it turned out it was on the other side of 59 where it crosses 45 but just a few blocks from where i thought it would be. We parked under the bridge and we ran into some of her friends. They are part of a group that is the professional division of campus crusade for Christ, the name slips my mind. I found it ironic that we pulled up to help the homeless in her Corvette and so glad that nothing happened to it while it was parked under there.

When we arrived not that many homeless were there and we didnt know what we were doing or what to expect. Turns out we were helping with the "Church under the bridge". They used to have services under the bridge where i originally thought the event was taking place. We met one of the men who run the place and he explained to us that the organization has like 12 churches ( something like that) and they do about 77 services a week at bridges around houston. He was a recovered alcoholic and they only people allowed to run their ministry are people who have once been drug addicts, alcoholics, on the streets etc as they feel it adds to their ministry.

they played some worship songs off a computer on a loud speaker and we talked to some of the people who had come early.


We talked to these 2 lesbian girls who were telling us about their struggles living on the streets. They had been homeless about a year and told us that they always made fun of homeless people and found it ironic that now they were homeless. They had gone to Social Security that day to get their SS cards. Apparently it is common for homeless people to have their ids confiscated or stolen which makes it even harder to get a job because you dont just need a drivers license, you also need a SS card or voter registration etc.

My stepmom asked them if they had every considered staying at the Star of Hope downtown and they informed us that its not as pretty of a picture as the organization likes to put on. they didnt go into much detail other than they dont feed them much and all the money goes to their employees. I'm sure had we pressed they would have given more info on why they feel that way.

They then told us about a place in downtown called the Beacon where they volunteer 4 days a week for 12 hours and help make bread and clean and do other things because the Beacon will feed them, help provide clothes and well "keep them out of trouble"

We heard stories about them waking up with men on top of them... she of course said she beat the crap out of him and the following day she had to serve him dinner at the beacon... with his black eye.

The most interesting thing she said was, "we cant wait to get our ids so we can take whatever work we can get and get off the streets..... i'll tell you one thing i dont ever want to live another winter on the streets. My fingers and toes were blue it was miserable..... I'll admit though, we got a little lazy and comfortable for awhile which only hurts us in the end"

The service started and the guy who preached did a sermon on journeys and spoke on 3 journeys in the Bible. I wont go into it because thats not the point, however, i did think while the message was good, he talked WAY WAY WAY too long and those poor people probably lost interest halfway through the first journey. Not to mention he talked to philosophically and metaphorically. Half those people were doped on something or have some mental issues that they were with us but they werent with us if you know what i mean.

So at the end of it they asked us volunteers to go to the front and that we would pray with anyone who wanted or needed help. Yikes... i was NOT prepared for that. This man we had met setting up a few minutes prior, Ricky, came over to myself and 2 other ladies in the group and told us that he hadnt seen his family in awhile and that he wanted to pray that he would soon and for steady work (really nice guy)

When the prayer was over we went to the long table and set up the food. after it was set up they women went first and then the men, then they got back in line with the number they had been given on a card earlier in the day. after that they could come back over and over again. there were probably 120-150 people by this point.

What we served them made me SAD! A catering company cooked the main dish and the rest of the food was donated from stores and restaurants and it was food that had to be sold or expired that day. some of it i had to throw away because it had mold on it.

So when they went through the line they got a pasta dish ( a tiny bit) with some meat in it, then they got two pieces of bread or a roll, then a piece of banana nut cake or a muffin, then a choice of a cookie, donut, cinnamon roll or danish. Pretty much no nutrition for them at all. I think its awesome that those people cooked or donated food but man something besides sugar or starch would have been good for them.

Some of those people went through so many times. One girl was pregnant and omg my heart went out to her. Some of them didnt talk much ( some told us they dont because they are embarrassed), some were very appreciative, some guys almost got in a fight..... needless to say it was interesting and very rewarding. I would like to do it again actually. That man Ricky helped us clean the whole thing up and was so appreciative to us for helping and apparently he is there every night.

At the end they had the people write prayer requests while they waited in line on the back of their cards with their number on it. we split them up and i meant to bring it to work so i could include what some of them wrote. Some prayed specifically for people, one many prayed for his wife who was pregnant and their baby, some just put " i pray for the whole world", one guy listed any and everything in this world including hitler on his list. My stepmom asked me to give her some of my cards as i got a lot with requests on it and she didnt. She was ok with me giving her that one. I wasnt sure how to approach that one. maybe i'll add some of the things they asked or said on here later. Some were really sweet....

So that was my homeless adventure. we took a group shot at the end. i think its great people do things for other people. I was glad to do something philanthropic since i wanted to get more involved. I found a charity website through a magazine the other night that will hopefully get me more involved!

:)

Not letting life knock you down

Inspiration in the random places….

Life is a constant battle. A battle of wits, a battle against others, and often more so a battle against ourselves. Like everyone out there, I have been through my ups and downs in life and have taken something from each experience/person/event that has happened in my life. I strongly believe that everything happens for a reason. Sometimes it takes years for those reasons to be figured out.

I think as people we should always strive to be the best we can be and we should do what we can to be happy. What most people do not realize is that happiness is a conscience decision. You can choose to be happy, you really can. Its when you let other people’s opinions, stress, words, actions get to you and take away what can be a real happy place. We choose how we are going to let events, people, actions and words effect us. I’m guilty of this and over time have just learned to not let what happens determine my happiness with myself and my life. I’m a fighter and not gonna let you, or anything else bring me down!

One of my favorite movies ever (yes I’m cheesey) are the Rocky movies. If you haven’t seen them… I’m very sorry. I think the first decade of my life at least one Rocky movie was watched a weekend (or Sylvester stallone’s “over the top”). Not only is it one of my favorite series of movies but nothing pumps me up like the movie soundtrack….

I always found all the stories to be so inspirational and encouraging at all the things in life he goes through ( in and out of the ring). A few years ago Sly made the Rocky Balboa movie. I have seen it a million times and my older brother and I had a conversation about it after it came out and I watched it yesterday morning and I was thinking about what my brother and I talked about as well as how much I enjoyed the lessons from the movie. The things I love about the movie (it starts off slow, but that’s where all the good lessons are I think) are endless but to sum it up:

1) The love for his wife that he shows. She has passed in this movie but he thinks about her all the time and how she brought so much joy and happiness to his life
2) The relationship with his son and they progress/lessons they have as the movie goes on
3) Treating others with kindness without expecting anything in return
4) Respecting others
5) Doing what makes you happy
6) Not enabling the hardships in life to dictate your happiness/future and maximizing your full potential

So towards the beginning of the movie Rocky has to go and get a permit to fight again, in which they initially deny him because of his age and this is his reponse:

Rocky Balboa: Yo, don't I got some rights?

Boxing Commissioner: What rights do you think you're referring to?

Rocky Balboa: Rights, like in that official piece of paper they wrote down the street there? Boxing Commissioner: That's the Bill of Rights.

Rocky Balboa: Yeah, yeah. Bill of Rights. Don't it say something about going after what makes you happy?

Boxing Commissioner: No, that's the pursuit of happiness. But what's your point

Rocky Balboa: My point is I'm pursuing something and nobody looks too happy about it.

Boxing Commissioner: But... we're just looking out for your interests.

Rocky Balboa: I appreciate that, but maybe you're looking out for your interests just a little bit more. I mean you shouldn't be asking people to come down here and pay the freight on something they paid, it still ain't good enough, I mean you think that's right? I mean maybe you're doing your job but why you gotta stop me from doing mine? Cause if you're willing to go through all the battling you got to go through to get where you want to get, who's got the right to stop you? I mean maybe some of you guys got something you never finished, something you really want to do, something you never said to someone, something... and you're told no, even after you paid your dues? Who's got the right to tell you that, who? Nobody! It's your right to listen to your gut, it ain't nobody's right to say no after you earned the right to be where you want to be and do what you want to do!... You know, the older I get the more things I gotta leave behind, that's life. The only thing I'm asking you guys to leave on the table... is what's right.

I love that part of the movie!

My favorite part of the movie is when Rocky is working at his restaurant Adrian, and his son comes in to try and talk him out of fighting the young heavy weight champion. His son takes him outside and basically begs him not to do it because he is tired of living in his dad’s shadow and that if he loses its just going to make his life harder and why would he want to do that to his son. This is Rocky’s response. I freakin get chills at this scene in the movie I find it soooo true and applicable to my own life

Rocky Balboa: You ain't gonna believe this, but you used to fit right here. [taps on the inside of his hand] I'd hold you up to say to your mother, "this kid's gonna be the best kid in the world. This kid's gonna be somebody better than anybody I ever knew." And you grew up good and wonderful. It was great just watching you, every day was like a privilige. Then the time come for you to be your own man and take on the world, and you did. But somewhere along the line, you changed. You stopped being you. You let people stick a finger in your face and tell you you're no good. And when things got hard, you started looking for something to blame, like a big shadow. Let me tell you something you already know. The world ain't all sunshine and rainbows. It's a very mean and nasty place and I don't care how tough you are it will beat you to your knees and keep you there permanently if you let it. You, me, or nobody is gonna hit as hard as life. But it ain't about how hard ya hit. It's about how hard you can get it and keep moving forward. How much you can take and keep moving forward. That's how winning is done! Now if you know what you're worth then go out and get what you're worth. But ya gotta be willing to take the hits, and not pointing fingers saying you ain't where you wanna be because of him, or her, or anybody! Cowards do that and that ain't you! You're better than that! I'm always gonna love you no matter what. No matter what happens. You're my son and you're my blood. You're the best thing in my life. But until you start believing in yourself, ya ain't gonna have a life. Don't forget to visit your mother.

I always loved that part of the movie but now that I’m at the place I am in life where I can’t tolerate how people make excuses for themselves and they LET others tell them they aren’t worth it or don’t deserve happiness or “winning” I feel like this is probably the most accurate quote in how I try and live my life EVERYDAY! I freakin love Rocky! Lol well said Sly ( yes he wrote the screenplay). When he’s fighting he takes a heavy blow that almost knocks him down and they slow the movie down and so many things flash through his head and he has a little chat with himself where he is like “ok rock what did you tell the kid! Its not about how hard you get hit but getting back up, get back up, get up…”
He gets up and he finds his inner strength and throws his hardest punches of the fight.

Stallone is producing a new movie called the expendables that’s coming out in August. Its got a ton of stars in it! I’m thrilled. I think he always does a great job acting and throwing in important lessons in his movies… as well as great action and usually a good soundtrack!
http://www.theexpendablesmovie.net/
There is an interview they did with him about the movie in regards to an injury he faced…. I think it just goes to show how he puts his all into his characters, in a very candid way. read it on that link

All the excitement.... Turning 25

I'm officially "old"

Well this year I was excited to celebrate as i blogged before... So i thought I would recap my celebrations. Of course NOTHING went according to plan but thats ok.

So it started in Dallas as I said before and Toneisha surprised me with a really sweet and thoughtful gift. Since I love to travel she bought me a passport holder and luggage tag. I love it. she knows me too well!

We had a game night, drinks, cake and lots of other things over the course of the weekend.... I was so sad to come home.

During the week my mom mailed me my gifts. She sent me some clothes from Victoria Secret that I wanted. My personal fave.... the convertible dress. Omg its hot and its fits like it was made for me. They ways to wear it are ENDLESS. She got me another adorable sundress, a tank and a cardigan. Most of which are in pink... my fave. The convertible dress is in a purple color. Sooo pretty!

So on the 8th I had a tiny brunch with a few girlfriends. This month was hard to coordinate because EVERYONE has either a graduation/wedding/race/something going on mother' day weekend or the weekend after.....

We ate at the Hobbitt Cafe on the patio and it was such a lovely day. The food there was so good and the mimosas amazing..... My dear friends Kat, Emily Daniels, Emily Gerger, and Alicia were able to join me and they gave me really sweet gifts.

Me opening my gift from Kat

Emily G and I (she knows me well.. check out the hot pink bow :) )

Emily G, Alicia and I

Kat, Emily D and I

Yummy Mimosas

My buffalo avocado burger

Em's avocado omelet ( or calzone as she liked to call it)

When lunch was over i went home and met up with Rebekka at her pool with her roommate Sarah and Sarah's boyfriend. Some neighbors were out there with their dog and we had a hell of a time. Shanna and her boyfriend showed up and we had a fun time by the pool. Since Shanna, Bekka and I all have birthdays within a week of each other we got a little photo.

Bekka and i spent the rest of the night watching the movie the Kite Runner ( which was excellent) and then Betty White on SNL ( best bday gift ever)

The next day on my actual birthday i did absolutely NOTHING. my dad came over in the morning and brought me a card and then he went with my step family and did the whole mother's day thing. i really missed my mom and last mother's day was the last time I saw my grandma before she died so i just didnt want to remind myself of that so i opted out. I stayed in my pjs all day and relaxed. It was quite nice. I think the dog enjoyed it. I was a little ticked off that he didnt do anything for me for mother's day.... when will dogs learn? haha jk

Friday the 14th my heterosexual life partner hahahah my best friend Michelle came in town to celebrate for the weekend. That night we met up with my oldest guy friend Ryan and his amazing wife Lea and one of my favorite places... Amazon Grill. We drank Mojitos and Michelle gave me my gifts. She found my favorite pair of earrings in another color, a wristlet, some cute notecards and.... Single girl's madlibs. We had a blast and came up with some funny and sometimes rather inappropriate madlibs lines that has the 4 of us several new inside jokes.

The next morning Michelle and I woke up and joined my friend Shanna, Bekka and Jenny for Brunch at the Hobbitt cafe again. It was raining the entire time but we were able to sit on the patio under the cover. We ate yummy food once again and enjoyed the girl talk.

That night we had dinner at the W Grill ( my review will come later in the month) and then met up once again with Bekka and Shanna at Rebel's on Washington to celebrate their birthday's as well. We stayed awhile and then left once my buddy Mike showed up.

US BIRTHDAY PEOPLE

I had told everyone to meet at Open city and we got a text from my old boss and friend Mike that he was headed that way so we did the same, only to find that Open city well... isnt open. We went next door to the Tipsy Clover and hung out for quite awhile. Mike and his gf showed up and James made it. We got over to shot bar shortly before they closed and unfortunately didnt get to spin the wheel, but we ran into some other people and when the bar closed we headed to katz deli for some late night eats. lol i saw a guy when i came out of the restroom i hadnt seen since highschool. we were cool then but you never know if someone remembers you, so i just kept walking and giggled.

Since it was graduation weekend a majority of my friends couldnt make it which i understood but needless to say i had a BLAST!

My trip to Dallas

My trip to Dallas and the Warrior Dash

First off, my weekend up there was amazing and boy do i have some AMAZING FRIENDS!!!
I got up to Arlington Thursday night and swung by to see Braden at Houlihans. Had a snack and avoided the old man next to me trying to get friendly lol and headed to Toneisha's when she got out of class. Her and I stayed up super late just chit chatting. It was so great to see her. It had been to long since her and I just were alone to catch up.

The next morning we woke up and ate and got ready for our adventure. i hadnt had carbs in months and that morning i had special k ( judge me all you want I LOVE IT) and that afternoon i felt like i was on crack. it was hilarious how the sugar effected me. We started the afternoon off by going to Plato's Closet and did a little shopping. Toe had never been before so I had to introduce her to it! I bought 2 things for work and we headed off to an area called the highlands where we shopped and ate sushi at Piranha. It was delicious!



After lunch we drove to the West End of Dallas and walked around and took photos of some of the buildings the the street art we encountered.


On our way our we saw several bus loads of the polygomists parked right next to us. we took a few photos and tried to be slick about it, but they probably knew.... ah well.

We left and went to a ritzy part of Dallas and Toe took me to get Frozen yogurt( my fave) since i hadnt had any in FOREVER!!! omg it was great.


We left Dallas and drove to Lewisville to see my oldest friend Kristin. Kristin was kind enough to let me dig through all the things she had cleaned out of her closet. ( let me tell you i racked up... she's awesome) the picture below was one of my faves.... hehehe


We got back to Arlington and cleaned up and met up with the boys at Fuzzy's tacos for dinner and then to Dukes for some drinks.


The next morning the boys ran in the Warrior Dash. The three of us got up there early to scope it out. Omg the stupid guy at the parking lied to us and told us we were at the closest lot to the event. WRONG. We walked FOREVER! I was like " ummm maybe this treck to the site is in fact the warrior dash..."

There were lots of costumes. i think the smurfs were my favorite. My least favorite.... girls that strapped fake penises to their shorts and were acting so gross with them. Really?! I bet your parents are so proud....


The boys did awesome. I held on to this guys bag while he ran and he finished up with them. i felt bad i tried to time it so that i could watch them hurdle the fire and crawl through the mud before the finish line, but they were faster than they expected. I was waiting and waiting and all of a sudden i feel this wet thing on the back of my foot and it was brandon trying to sneak up on me! :( i missed them but i'm just glad i was there. Braden and Brandon are 2 of the greatest guys i've EVER known. it was awesome to have this experience with them!


Afterwards, they dropped me off at Toe's apt and her and I went to get drinks and desserts while the boys showered and ordered pizza. We did what Toe and I love most and had..... GAME NIGHT! Kristin and her boyfriend Ricky came over and we had a blast!

CAKE NOM NOM NOM

Kristin and I!!!

Our pieces for the game Quelf

Braden had to have his belt wrapped around his head the whole game and part of the game he had to have his hands stuck to his head. brandon for awhile had to slap his knee and say "whackawhackawhacka" everytime someone laughed. needless to say thats was the only thing out of his mouth for ...quite awhile. Toneisha's husband Evan had to have a picture of peroxide on his forehead the whole night. Such a random but fun game!

Then we played dirt.... i think us girls had the most dirt.... lol

The next morning Morgan drove up from Austin and we headed out with the boys to the race site again!

They're the best. Love you guys!

The race was a blast. I cant even describe to you how much mud there was and how deep it was. you saw shoes everywhere from people who had lost them. Some of the obstacles were a little janky and over played on the website. Some on the other hand were underplayed. they said you had to go down a river bank, but they made slides out of the mud ( my favorite part) and then they said you would have to wade through a river.... well there were parts i couldnt stand and you have to hurdle huge logs. Fortunately Braden and Brandon warned me about that part. omg we had a blast!!!!! I got some more photos from the photographers but i need to edit them and put them up.

Fire hurdles at the end

Mud under barbed wire before the finish line

Right after finishing... like morgans banana and my facial expression lol?

After getting hosed down in the freezing water

We waited forever for these darn turkey legs and omg were they AWESOME

WE DID IT!!!!

the boys dropped us off and unfortunately because of how late it was, Toneisha and Evan had to go to bed, but the 4 of us went out to BJS for dinner, drinks and Pizookies. Yum.

Great weekend. I love challenges, i love friends, laughter and memories. Definitely a lot of memories and reminders of how each of these people are a blessing in my life! XOXO

April's Reviews

This month I did not try as many places as I did in March which is ok. I frequented more of my regular spots this month, but thought i review the places and services i encountered.

Laser Hair removal

i went to a girls night out even last november and won $400 dollars off a laser hair removal package at Avante Spa. They are super knowledgable and the original lazer hair removal place in houston. in fact the lady who owns it spoke with me and they are working with legislation to get laws and regulations put in place for laser hair removal places....



Well i was nervous as i heart it hurt pretty bad and they explained to me that the perfect candidate is someone who has very fair skin ( me!) with dark hair ( not me boo). The laser only sees pigment so someone with dark hair feels more pain because the laser attaches to their skin instead of just the hair. Since it sees pigment it doesnt see blonde hair at all! and no you cannot dye it because your hair actually has to be shaved and it sees the pigment at the root.


well the pain wasnt that bad. sometimes you feel a really cool sensation ( which was when it hits a blonde hair) and then a warm pop which is when it finds a dark hair. well we did my test spot and i dont think its gonna work for me. I'm too blonde and why spend 1,300 bucks ( with my discount and an additional discount off the package) on 6 treatments that are only slightly going to make a difference. No thanks! If i had dark hair i would be all for it. i'd fork out the money in a second!

Thai Village

Kristel and i went here one night after we met up in the village. the tom guai soup ( i probably misspelled that) and their curry was so good until....... i noticed at the end of my dinner a giant mosquito at the bottom of my bowl on top of a piece of chicken. OMG i about puked! Kristel and laughed and we were like, "um i didnt know aids was on the menu!"

So the waitress comes over and i tell her about the mosquito and she is like "ooohhh ok well do you want a to go box for the rest?"

UMMMMMM NO!

So then the owner comes out and she is like "ohhh me so sowwie... it must be the flies in the kitchen or somedig" WHAT!?! you mean you arent even going to feed me some bs line about being at the front. gross. so then she is like " i took 25% off the todal beel" . typically i would have argued but well, i just wanted to get out of there. It was disappointing because otherwise i totally would have gone back!

Chelsea's Grill

I met up with someone for brunch here one satuday. I had read about it in a Houston magazine and put it on my list of brunch places. I had their Chelsea's breakfast which was eggs your way, sausage, bacon and potatoes. I substituted the potatoes for fruit and their fruit was SOO GOOD. It was all really good. I wasnt impressed with their salsa that i asked for to go on my eggs. their sausage was delicious and so was their bacon but the bacon was extra fatty bacon. the patio was nice and a decent crowd of people were there enjoying the nice weather on the patio. I'd definitely go back. i want to check out their lunch as well!

La Griglia

My dad and stepmom reserved the patio and the private room to celebrate my stepmom's 50th birthday. They really enjoy the place and my dad is an addict to their like 12 layer chocolate moose cake.

We had a wine and appetizer reception on the patio. The patio is pretty narrow but it has some nice loungy areas and a neat fire water element.

The private room was really nice! The acoustics werent great but thats the interior designer in me poppin out. They set the room up with several round tables and our service was impeccable. The main waiter was a guy who usually waits on my dad. I guess he knew to take care of my dad and he would take care of him. they did a great smooth job. I didnt get to try any of it but they bring out a big basket of garlic bread, breadsteaks and pizza before your meal. the service i thought was even more exceptional because we had an open menu which i'm sure at 30 people was a challenge for the kitchen. I had their autumn salad which was amazing and ordered their beef morty with a side of veggies. the Beef morty is served similar to veal where its pounded really really flat and takes up the whole plate. It had olive oil and seasoning on it and was topped with artichokes. the side of veggies they brought me was a plate of brocoli, asparagus, spinach, carrots, eggplant, zuchinni and squash. omg it was so good!

After dinner dad and kathy had special ordered 2 huge chocolate moose cakes and i'm not lying when i say they are probably about 8 to 10 inches tall and they cut the slices huge for each table! They also ordered a strawberry ricotta cake which looked amazing. When i get the photos from my stepmom i'll post them. it looked amazing! Everyone really really enjoyed it.

I told my dad when sugar and i are reunited he could take me there so i could try the cake. i cant wait. i hope he's hungry cus something tells me that it will be so rich 2 bites and i'll be doneski!

Happy Earth Day

Well happy earth day everyone. This picture cracked me the hell up. Big fat bald guy with the tiny tshirt, picking his nose with trash on the ground.... awesome!

Well I know some people find the idea of all this"greenwashing" going around to be a little over the top at times, which it can be, however protecting what we have for tomorrow is a total legit concern.

i'm constantly talking about sustainability and green products in my career, or how my LEED accredidation goes into play on a project or how this could be sustainable and how we can change this... on a daily basis. it just goes with what i do.

what it boils down to is the little things we do to make a difference. not everyone has to design their house with solar panels, or drive an electric car etc... those things make a big impact but its not feasible for everyone. There are some people though that just decide to be ignorant and dont care and thats where we all suffer as a society.

So when you throw your trash out the window of your car cus you cant wait til you get home or to a gas station to throw it away.... just think about how much crap there would be if every body did that. its gross.

i see neighbors throw out nice pieces of furniture on the street and it sits there and while if i had room for it would take it. not because i need or want to, but someone else could benefit from it. So instead leaving it to rot on the street makes it unusable to anyone. sell it on craigslist or donate it to goodwill. even if its a piece of crap, people refinish that stuff and turn it into their own treasure!

for my own little give back today in addition to the recycling i did, i'm asking everyone to chip in....
next week at the warrior dash they are taking old running shoes and recycling them for people who cannot afford good shoes. So.... if you have any old, muddy or just shoes you dont wear anymore, let me know and i'll come get them or you can bring them to me and i will drop them off at the race site!!!! better that than a bunch of rubber soles cloggin up more space in landfills....