wise words, gentlemen

"women are made to be loved, not understood." - oscar wilde



"if women didn't exist, all the money in the world would have no meaning." - aristotle onassis



"if a girl looks swell when she meets you, who gives a damn if she's late? nobody." - j.d. salinger



"what do women want? i'm finally starting to scratch the surface of that one. i think the answer lies somewhere between conversation and chocolate." - mel gibson



"there's an old saying that you should marry a girl from texas because no matter how tough things get, she's tougher." - dan rather

thank god for friends who really know me...

friends like leelee. leelee saw this t-shirt at a little store in pigeon forge, tennessee. she said it had my name on it. what could be better than a "doc holiday: will you be my huckleberry" t-shirt???? that's right. NOTHING. when this little package from UPS showed up at my doorstep today, it made my day!!!! maybe she read this angsty post from yesteryear?!

thank you my little southern belle from memphis, you're the best. you make friendship oh-so-easy.



love it...

my love/hate relationship with politricks...

there was a time long, long ago when i was very enchanted with washington d.c. and its chorale of lawmakers. at a young age, i was lucky enough to meet kbh, anne, and george too; got to spend a lot of time in the district in h.s. with an esteemed group that i certainly had no business being apart of; and even got to intern w/ j.c. as we affectionately called him. at eighteen years old, my idealism and my belief that policy could enact change was unbridled and true, but somewhere along the way i lost it.

i had a very tragic event that happened to me in the spring of my senior year of high school. not tragic in the sense that lives were lost or anything of that nature, but i had a very personal loss you could say. clearly i accepted it and moved on with my life, but it's something that's very hard for me to talk about to this day. for any of you who have ever had a very major, very public disappointment than you know what i'm talking about.

after i went through that event, i lost my footing, my self confidence, and my fight. to the outside, i think i probably looked alright - honors college student, sorority girl, dean's list, and a who's who list of clubs and activities - but i still had so much self-doubt and a general disposition of surrender. i have no idea why the need for disclosure, but i'll be perfectly candid here...i threw myself headfirst into partying and the frivolities of bu college life, i dumbed myself down and pretended to be incredibly stupid with every guy i dated, and worst of all - i became ambivalent and apathetic.

but the truth is, i do care. and in spite of how dirty, underhanded, and scheming i still believe some politicians to be...it's still crucial to take up a cause and commit oneself to public service. that's something my granddad believed in, it's something my dad believes in, and it's something that i can't help but believe in.

i just know that there's some really good things happening out there. take for instance the new g.i. bill. i certainly don't agree with the implementation of all the new administration's policies, but i think this one's fantastic and i'm so proud of cornyn for really endorsing it because we must support our military and our military families. or on a micro-level, i feel that there are so many ways to be involved in our communtiy, schools, and non-profs.

friday, i have a meeting w/ mayor castro, senator uresti, and henry cisneros...and i'm ready to fight for my platform! i've seen what the kids go through on the southside of san antonio. i know firsthand that they are neglected by their parents, sending our teen pregnancy rates into the stratosphere, joining gangs, and dropping out at alarming rates...but my biggest concern is that no one's even giving them a damn chance...it's as if there is this expectation to fail. UNACCEPTABLE.

so however elle woods of me it may be, i am going to wear my killer heels and my new ralph lauren blazer, and we're going to get down to business. wish me luck!

p.s. this is who i look to for inspiration: one of my heroes, erin gruwell, the real teacher behind freedom writers.

must brag about the kids...

it's been one hectic summer around joven, but we've done so many cool things! so lucky that my job is building relationships w/ all these kids. could not ask for more.

last weekend, we participated in senator uresti's back to school event and it was a HUGE success! very impressed with sen. uresti...one politician i have met that actually does spend time with his constituency. he gave backpacks and school supplies to all the kids - and over 6,000 people came! our folklorico dance team also performed at the event, they were so good!



here's some video of their performance:





we've been running camps/workshops all summer so here's a few pictures from those events:



yep, mass chaos always erupts...but we always have a good time.



this past friday, we let one of the groups have a water balloon fight. and as you can see, it was vicious. miss shannan was THE prime target.



they also thought it would be JUST HILARIOUS if i would rap w/ them...ha it was terrible. terrible! but i took one for the team.



most importantly, we've trained over 500 middle school students in the life skills curriculum this summer. they have to complete 15 classes in conflict resolution, coping with anxiety, alcohol-tobacco-marijuana prevention, communication skills, social skills, self-image, and assertiveness to receive their certificates! i'm so proud!

gratitude for the moment

ever had one of those days when you think to yourself, "my goodness, life sure is good right now"?

yesterday, i was wandering around the streets of gruene, texas and i experienced this epiphany (as evidenced by my huge perma-grin in the above photo.)

no, there is no secret to this most pure form of ethereal happiness. wish i had one to tell ya, then i could write a book about it and make some money helping people "find themselves." but really, it's just plain old being thankful for what you've got and thanking God above for giving it to you.

i've been trying to make a list every single day of what i'm grateful for, so i thought i'd share today's list with you.

today i'm thankful for: *my health, never take this one for granted. *a family who understands how weird i truly am, yet they embrace it and think i should stay that way. *a wise daddy who gives the best advice ever. *doing the right thing and having no doubts that it was the right decision. *the 5 or so people in my life who i think really know me and get what i'm about. *truth, grace, and mercy. *16 days until BU football. *planning reunion wknd with my college best friends who i love so much! *a J-O-B in general, but even more thankful that it's one where i get to witness people's lives change. *the 300+ kids that have come in and out of my office over the last 8 months. *knowing and trusting that i only have to take it one day at a time.

what about you, what are you grateful for? i'd like to know.

rodeo is where it's at!

so i dragged my pal ali out to tejas rodeo last night and we had a such a good time!!! if you're ever in the san antonio area, you MUST go! it is the quaintest little small town rodeo complete with good food and a western swing dance afterwards. trey martin, who also happens to be a big attorney in town, started the place with his wife 10 years ago and it's been doing very well ever since. so well, that this little video was shot right in their arena!

it had been awhile since i'd been out to the rodeo and gosh, i forgot how much i miss it.

i love to watch the indestructable, cocky cowboys as their neon-colored, flashy chaps fly in the air. i love to watch all of the rodeo women and think to myself, "how did you get your hair teased that high and how does one adorn themselves with so much "flair?" (yes, some of it is a tad bit tacky and a bit grandiose, but i promise, the women at tejas rodeo are some of the most beautiful women i've ever seen.) i love to hear the sound of the announcer calling out run times, the crack of the bullwhip as the ropers chase the livestock back into the pen, and the twang of the steel guitar warming up in the background. i love the taste of slow-cooked brisket, just-right bbq sauce, and an ice-cold shiner bock. i love the way it feels to pet a pretty horse or the way it feels to sit on a pickup tailgate. and yeah, i love the smell of that aromatic fusion of saddle leather, red dirt, and cattle.

i have also realized how much talent it takes to compete. the big draw is always bull riding, and i do love to see man struggle against a 2,000 lb. beast for 8 seconds of eternity, but my true affinity is watching bareback/saddle bronc and team roping. watching someone burst out of the bucking chute with his spurs and one free hand lifted in the air is truly an art form. and when i think about the expertise and immaculate timing it must take for a header and heeler to execute a successful calf roping, i am amazed. there are some, such as my favorite family - tuf cooper, stran smith, and trevor brazille - that make all of this look way too easy. just to brag a little on tuf...he's really making a name of himself. we know tuf from growing up in childress and as the son of the legendary roy cooper, there's some big shoes to fill. however, at 19, he's already at the top of the prca standings, has won insane earnings, and is predicted to be a rodeo superstar.

i'll leave you with some NFR highlights and a video of tuf:



NATIONAL FINALS RODEO SADDLE BRONC



NATIONAL FINALS RODEO TIE-DOWN



TUF COOPER

love this man!!!

for me, they broke the mold when they made george strait. seriously. go buy his new album, i think you'll like it.

until then, watch this little snippet which showcases him in all his glory. enjoy!

welcome to the jungle...

and no, i'm not about to start singing guns n' roses as much as you'd like for that to happen.

i'm actually referring to my recent trip to the central american, northern darien jungles of panama! for those of you who don't know, last week, i went to a remote tribal village called errebache about an hour outside of panama city to work on a mission construction project with my church. i had no idea what to expect from this venture, but i knew that it had the capacity to leave a significant impact on my life. (understatement)

i'll be honest, i started the trip begrudgingly due to several extenuating circumstances (broken commitments @ work, laying on my deathbed, and lauren's last-minute cancellation), but God and i did a lot of talking and He reassured me that if i had a little bit of faith and some patience, He was going to teach me a lot of things.

was that promise fulfilled? most certainly. IT ALWAYS IS.

throughout the course of my very own man vs. wild episode (spearing fish, chasing spider monkeys, butchering chickens, swinging from vines, crossing rivers, and identifying strange insects), i was reminded what a connection there is between nature and spirituality. to be away from society and all of its trappings was such an invaluable gift. to be completely free of deadlines, traffic, money, communication devices, etc. is pure soul restoration...and i relish it.



but most importantly, i was reminded of the power of the human connection. though i had very little in common with an indigenous embera tribe, there are certain universals that transcend gender, age, race, and geography. to forge a bond with someone completely unlike yourself and to go into their community not because you wish to change them, alter them, or give them some brand of western theology...but because you simply want to show up and meet a need...wow, that's powerful stuff.

what struck me the most about this trip was the fact that there was little if no preaching utilized, yet 5 of the villagers came to accept Christ. It was completely unfathomable to them that we would pay hard-earned money to come over to panama so that we could sweat, sleep in tents, and break our backs doing manual labor. there is so much to be learned from st. francis of assisi's "preach the gospel and if necessary use words." there's most definitely a time and place for talking about God and what He's done in your life...but i think it's crucially important to LIVE IT. (a continual work in progress for myself.)

though i left my heart back in panama, i'm so unbelievably excited to see what's going to transpire in that community. God is so good!