Hello, Seattle

It’s your lucky day! Since I was too lazy to write on vacation, I wrote two in one day! Now, where do I begin?

After Beaverton, we drove 3 hours up to Seattle. Wednesday, we spent our whole day in downtown Seattle. We went to Pike’s Place, which was a delight! I honestly did not know anything about this market, but I would do it all over again if I could. They have everything: art, food, clothing, and fish throwing. I kid you not, one booth throws large fish back and forth when someone places an order. It draws a huge crowd!

Pike’s Place

 

The very first Starbucks!

After taking it all in, we decided to visit a world famous map store, Metsker’s. I have a minor obsession with maps, so it was crucial that we went. They did not disappoint! I bought a neat map of Austin, along with a book on how the transit systems of major cities have changed over the years. After traveling around Europe and major US cities like NYC, I have developed a love for metro systems and I would love nothing more than for Austin to create their own metro to alleviate their insufferable traffic. 

Later in the afternoon, we drove to the Space Needle. My sweet dad bought all four of us tickets to ride to the top. After a (thankfully) quick elevator ride, we went to the observation deck. The Needle provides some magnificent views of the city and the Cascade Mountains. After seeing a toddler almost crawl OUT of the reinforcements and fall off the Needle, I decided I had seen enough and walked inside. Nothing will scare you more than oblivious parents! 

The Williams Family takes the Space Needle!

On our last day in Washington, we drove to Mt. Saint Helens and went to the Visitor’s Center. While I’m 150% sure it hasn’t been updated since 1980, it provided great insight into the history behind the volcanic eruption and its effects on the landscape and residents. Fun(?) fact: the volcanic ash experienced so much friction during the eruption that it literally created lightning! While I love the mountains, this educational experience made me thankful that Texas is relatively flat.

Mt Saint Helens: don’t make her angry!

 

We may have experienced some ups and downs during this vacation (re: directions), but we had a blast and it was so nice to travel with family again instead of trying to conquer a foreign place alone. Our next plan: San Francisco in Summer 2015! Don’t worry, I’ll blog before then 🙂

 

Kel 

The Oregon Trail

(Okay, so our vacation was literally nothing like the Oregon Trail, but you know what I mean.)

Welcome back, friends! I hope summer has been treating you well since I last wrote. On the 4th of July, my family decided to forego the fireworks and BBQ for our first family vacation in about four years. We all agreed to go somewhere new, so we chose the Pacific Northwest!

The first half of our vacation would be spent around the Portland area, and man is Oregon beautiful! I had no idea how much I actually liked the outdoors until last week! On Saturday, we took a mini road trip to Multnomah Falls. This waterfall is massive! It’s not Niagara Falls or anything, but I could have spent all day on the bridge with the cool mist on my face. And the best part? It was all free! Afterwards, we decided to stop at a vineyard about an hour away close to Mt. Hood. We tasted cider (not Carly, I promise), and we picked blueberries, black raspberries, and blackberries on this farm! It was by far one of my favorite parts of the trip.

I mean come on, you can’t beat this view!

Sunday, we decided to go into Portland and see what the city had to offer. Turns out, Portland is not laid out in any convenient way, and I’m going to let you in on a little secret: it’s not nearly as awesome as Austin. Sure I may be biased, but Austin is actually easier to get around and there is more parking. I know, I was as shocked as you are now. Regardless, we still had a great time. We stopped by Powell’s, the most massive independent bookstore in the world. There are three levels, and each room is color coded by genre! Mom and I were in heaven. Afterwards, we tried to stop by Voodoo Donuts, but the line was about as long as the Franklin BBQ line (and we couldn’t cut in line like the President apparently). We shopped at Pioneer Square for awhile, then decided to head home. While it wasn’t my favorite, we still enjoyed exploring a new city!

Monday, we made the long trek to Eugene to visit the University of Oregon. A little tidbit about my father and myself: we LOVE this school. I don’t know why, maybe it’s their outlandish football uniforms, but we just knew we had to drive down there. Plus, our family has made a habit over the years of visiting as many college campuses as humanly possible, so why not check off a new one? The trip was a long one, so we all stopped by the capital city, Salem, on our way. Their capitol building is quite interesting, but the staff was ridiculously kind and helpful. We took pics at the governor’s desk, and we saw Representative Rob Nosse get sworn in! How neat is that?

Some call me Leslie Knope.

Probably the most interestingly shaped building I’ve ever seen.

Fun fact: my family has seen Animal House roughly a trillion times. We quote it non-stop. Another fun fact: it was filmed on Oregon’s campus. You see what I’m about to get at, don’t you? Once we arrived in Eugene, we had to find these famous landmarks. We ran into the Delta and Omega houses, so you know Dad took pictures! The Delta house has been replaced by a doctor’s office, but apparently they commemorate it inside. I’m not saying the Omega is the best house on campus, but a lot of guys say they’ll rush Omega or they won’t rush at all.

On our last day in Oregon, we drove to Beaverton (idk) to see Nike headquarters! Thanks to one of dad’s friends who used to work with Nike, we had the opportunity to shop at their company store. Never in my life have I seen so many Nike products in one place. Two hours and four pairs of new tennis shoes in tow, we finally left for Seattle!

Kel

Strawberries and Cream and Queues, Oh My!

The Hill

Yes yes I know I just posted yesterday, but I felt like today deserved its own post because I went to Wimbledon. You heard me. This little bougie girl who has played tennis maybe thrice in her life went to one of the biggest tennis tournaments in the world. If you’re jealous, just know that I woke up at 4 am (aka 10 pm Texas time) today. Still jealous? Good.

me and my 13,000 new friends!!!

we were very excited.

Camden and I got up with the sun today and made our way to Wimbledon via a bus, two tube lines, and a 10 minute walk to wait along with 13,000 others wishing to see the world’s best players. We arrived at the queue at roughly 6:30 am and literally lined up (or ‘queued’ as they call it) in a humongous field. Luckily, the Telegraph sold blankets to us crazy people so that our pants wouldn’t soak while sitting on the wet ground for three hours. Camden and I made friends with a lovely tennis coach from Georgia and she told us about how the process works so I’ll pass it on to you too:

QUEUING: Yes it’s the weirdest word ever. While the only queue I’m used to is the one on my Netflix account, I decided to change things up this morning. Upon arrival in the (beautiful) field, you are given a queue card which tells you your number in line. At 6:30 am I was number 3,365. No joke. Around 9 am, the line starts to move towards the entrance until gates open at 9:30 into Wimbledon Park. We arrived at security at 10:30. That’s how long the line was, folks! Wimbledon sells about 500 tickets each for Centre Court and Courts 1-3 for a somewhat steep price. However, they sell about 6,000 Grounds tickets for 20 pounds each. This ticket grants you entry into all the other Courts. We received our Grounds tickets and quickly made our way to Court 10, where we saw Nicolas Mahut. Remember the guy who played John Isner in the longest match in history in 2010? Yeah, it was Mahut (sorry Frenchies we beat u).

the very french Mahut

Later, we stopped on The Hill, where thousands lay in the glorious sun (weather permitting) and watch all the big matches on a huge TV screen. We sat there for most of the day and ate Wimbledon’s famous strawberries and cream. Incidentally, my new favorite dessert is strawberries and cream!! It was my lunch and I have no regrets. By 3:30 pm, we realized that I was very sunburned and we were exhausted, so we left with many souvenirs in hand.

 

my old friend and my new favorite dessert

Between Wimbledon and our house, we stopped and saw Gower Street, aka the exterior location of 221b Baker Street in Sherlock. It took us awhile to find it, but I lucked out because I saw Arthur Darvill on the street next to me while we were lost! If you don’t know Mr. Darvill, he plays the endearing Rory Williams Pond in Series 5-7 of Doctor Who. I quietly panicked, especially since he was with a friend and I didn’t want to bother him. What are the odds?

I head back to the States tomorrow, and while I am excited to see everyone and every Whataburger again, I will miss London terribly and everything it has to offer. I still have many attractions to see including St. Paul’s Cathedral, Westminster Abbey, and Hyde Park. I guess I’ll just have to come back, right?

In case you didn’t know, I’m traveling to Seattle and Portland in July with my family. Looks like I’ll be a frequent blogger this summer!

Until then,

Kel

It’s a Jolly Holiday

Top o’ the morning to ya!

Okay, that’s enough of that. In case you were wondering, I. Love. London. I always knew I would, but this place is unreal. I’m pretty lucky too, considering I almost missed my train on Friday (oops). But I am here with my wonderful friend Camden and we are having a blast so far.

Once I arrived at St. Pancras’ Station on Friday evening, Cam and I hopped on a bus to the house in Hampstead where we are staying for the week. Somehow our bus kicked all of us off at St. Bart’s Hospital, but that’s okay because it’s the site of a very memorable scene in my favorite television show, Sherlock. I’ll save you from spoilers (except you should already be watching it because IT IS THE BEST), but it’s one of my favorite scenes in the show and I was standing right there!! I had to reign it in though because we had to hop on the next bus to the house! Once we finally arrived, Cam and I walked around the neighborhood and met up with Ian and JoEllyn (our wonderful hosts) at one of their favorite Japanese restaurants. Y’all, I’ve never had Japanese but this stuff was the real deal. 5 out of 4 stars, would recommend.

The next morning, we got up bright and early (okay it was 9:30), and took the bus to the National Gallery, where we saw some of our favorites, including Van Gogh and Cezanne. We then walked across one of the many bridges over the Thames and ate lunch (I will not disclose where due to embarrassment), then took the tube to the Tower of London. We started off with the famous yeoman/beefeater tour, but idk, the group was too big, it was hot, and Camden and I wanted to do our own thing. We walked around and took scenic pictures, avoided the crown jewels (the line was about 500 people deep), and saw all sorts of armor used by the many kings who lived there over the centuries! After we finally made our way back to Hampstead, JoEllyn and Ian made a delicious dinner for us and we spent the whole evening in their fabulous garden!

um hi how cute is their garden?

On Sunday, JoEllyn went with us to the British Museum and we took the quickest tour you could possibly imagine! Luckily, she and Ian are members of the Museum, so they were able to get us into the special mummy exhibit. It consists of eight rooms that each showcase a mummy and the life they lived. They all varied in age, and some even had food particles in their stomach and tattoos on their bones! It was phenomenal–and something not everyone has the opportunity to see! We quickly ran over for our first fish and chips experience in Covent Gardens, and I highly approve. It may be a cliché London experience, but I was too hungry to care.

we r mature

Right after lunch, Cam and I went to our bus stop at Baker Street to get picked up for the Harry Potter Studio Tour in Leavesden. After hopping on the bus (which was 30 min late!!!!), we arrived in Leavesden around 5 pm and the rest was history. I thought I might have outgrown Harry Potter a bit now that I am 21, but once those opening notes started playing, I teared up. When you see the Great Hall doors LITERALLY right in front of you, something changes. I felt like an 8 year old again, skipping a day of 3rd grade to go see the movie with my mom and not having a care in the world except how Harry would overcome Lord Voldemort. I don’t want to spoil the magic for you, so I’ll leave you with this: if you ever have the chance to go, please please please do it. It’s worth every pound and dollar. And get some Butterbeer while you’re at it.

dreamz do come true

A Diplomat’s Life for Me

I’m sorry if I’ve failed you this past week with my lack of updates on my trip through Brussels. The truth is, I didn’t have much time to write and when I did, it was spent sleeping instead. In case you weren’t aware, jetlag is a bitch (don’t pardon my French). Instead of explaining every minute detail, I’ll do my best to give you an overview of this week filled with briefs at various institutions you typically only hear about in class!

MONDAY: Our first day started off with a visit to the Council of the EU, the European Commission, a delicious Greek lunch (I tried calamari!), and pizza (duh). The Council is one of the three main bodies of the EU–it represents the governments of the members states and the presidency of the Council is shared by member states on a rotating basis. Greece holds that seat now, and Italy will take over in July. We got to sit in one of the meeting rooms where the diplomats from various EU countries discuss important policy thingies. I sat in the Austrian’s seat! Neat, right? It works in tandem with the European Parliament to pass laws. After a delicious lunch, we went over to the European Commission to learn about EU enlargement and how the EC works. It is the 2nd body of the EU and they manage the EU budget, propose laws to pass on to the Council and Parliament, and enforce EU laws. Don’t worry if this is overwhelming, I honestly knew absolutely nothing about this until I got to Brussels!

TUESDAY: We took the bus to a very sketchy part of Brussels to the European Network Against Racism. I’m sorry that I can’t inform you too much about this one–I got three hours sleep the night before so I wasn’t too alert. Their main goal is to eradicate anti-discriminatory policies in the workplace in regards to gender, race, and sexual orientation. Our presenter was extremely kind and it was disheartening to hear that it is getting increasingly difficult for them to influence EU legislators because they believe it isn’t currently a hot issue compared to the debt crisis and enlargement. After lunch, we went to the European External Action Service. The two friendly women presenters gave us a background on the purpose of the EEAS, which is to maintain foreign relations, especially with the US. The male German presenter was a different story. This guy spent the whole time on environmental issues, and called the US out on what a horrible job we’re doing to save the world. Never in my life have I heard a more lopsided argument (Fox News and MSNBC excluded). Like dude, I get it. We could be doing better. But we have people who don’t even believe in climate change *rolls eyes*, let alone the most incompetent Congress currently can’t agree on anything within their parties right now. So step off. Rant over.

WEDNESDAY: We started our morning at Bruegel, an economic think tank that works to improve the quality of economic policy with research and debates. Impartiality is their goal. Their membership includes EU member states, corporations, and institutions such as Goldman Sachs and Google. While this stuff was way over my head, I would recommend reading their articles to anyone who loves some good ‘ol economic analysis. The afternoon was spent at the European Parliament, the last body of the EU. We learned all about how it represents the people of EU member states that help pass laws with the Council. They both must agree for a law to be passed. We even got to go inside the Hemicycle, where representatives of the Parliament gather, similar to our House of Reps. The most amazing thing about this was all of the translator booths behind the Hemicycle. Because there are 28 member states ranging from Spain to Croatia, you can imagine how many different languages are spoken. Sometimes an interpreter might have to listen to 4 or 5 other interpreters in order to completely understand what an Estonian representative is saying. Afterwards, Nicole and I went to Grand Place, where we sat in the Square and ate fries and the most delicious Belgian Waffle. We laughed, did some people watching, and I got chocolate all over my clothes. It was a great end to the night!

THURSDAY: On our last day, we went to the US Mission to the EU (aka AC in the buildings), where we talked to a foreign service member who taught us all about the process and life of someone in the foreign service. She was wonderful and completely honest. One of her interns was at the LBJ School at UT! While I learned that foreign service isn’t for me, I feel very optimistic with the possibility of holding a civil service job in DC. It was by far my favorite presentation. We went to NATO (TRYING NOT TO FREAK OUT) in the afternoon, where we had to surrender our phones (so no pics sorry!). We had about a 3 hour brief on what NATO does and their goals for the future. Out of all of our visits, this organization was by far the most effective in implementing their goals. I won’t go into too much detail because if you don’t know anything about NATO, you did not pay enough attention in history class and I am scared for u.

So that’s it, everyone! Brussels was a challenging but very rewarding experience and I’m so grateful for my time here. I learned more than I ever thought I would about the EU and its relationship with the best country in the world, the US. If you have any questions about my time here, let me know and I’d be glad to go in more detail! I’m off to London this afternoon and I’ll do my best to update you through the week!

 

Bonjour Brussels!

Hello all!

I am writing to you from the capital of the European Union, aka Brussels, Belgium. Yeah that’s right! If you haven’t heard me gushing about it already (consider yourself lucky), I was selected along with two other UT students and two Texas high school teachers to attend a 4-day conference of sorts hosted by the EU where we tour sites such as the European Commission, NATO headquarters, European External Action Service, etc. Crazy, right? After this program ends on Thursday, I will head to London for a week to meet up with Camden, one of my dearest friends from high school. These are two cities I’ve always dreamed of visiting, and now I get to knock them out in one go!

If you know anything about me (which by now I really hope you do), you know that I am nervous more often than not. So add solo international travel and transport in the mix and you’ve got one terrified 21 year old. But hours of planning and self-assurance paid off! The day started out pretty lucky in Austin when I got selected to test TSA’s “expedited screening” at security. Y’all, I didn’t have to take my shoes off, remove my bag o’liquids or my laptop from my suitcase. How awesome is that? 5 out of 4 stars, would recommend. After a brief layover in Atlanta, I boarded my second flight. The ride was surprisingly nice–we had our own tv’s so I stayed entertained with Veronica Mars and Monuments Men!

Then came the tricky part. Upon landing, I had to go through customs, find a ticket kiosk for the right bus, find said bus, get off at the right stop, then walk to the hotel. Alone. I got my ticket pretty fast and got on the bus right before it took off, but then I realized that the bus route was nowhere to be found. I knew the name of my stop, but I had no clue where it was in the route. The people around me were also confused and I was worried that I would miss it and get lost! But somehow by the grace of God, I happened to get up and off right as my stop came up. Finding my hotel took all of 30 seconds, AND our rooms were ready by 9 am. What is this luck??

I spent the remainder of the day resting and exploring our neighborhood a little bit with my roommate Nicole, who is also a UT student. I haven’t seen much of Brussels yet, but tomorrow our group will visit the European Commission (literally our next door neighbor), and the Council of the European Union. Nuts, right? I won’t be taking nearly as many pics as last summer, but I will update the blog with what the highlights of these next two weeks!

Whether you be in Europe, Africa, or the good ‘ol USA, I hope you’re enjoying summer break!

“It’s Civil Rights. This is the 90’s.”

I remember when I was a young, naive blogger and I dreamed of writing more often than four months at a time…but alas here we are in April.

So let’s begin. For the 50th anniversary of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Lyndon Baines Johnson Library (located right on UT’s campus!) hosted a Civil Rights Summit. This remarkable conference hosted legends like David Robinson, Maria Shriver, AND Presidents Barack Obama, George W. Bush, Bill Clinton, and Jimmy Carter (Frank Underwood couldn’t make it on time). Sadly, I didn’t win any tickets in the student lottery, but my girl Ashley came through and secured two tickets on my birthday (21 now holla) to see the Social Justice and Education panels on April 10th. We couldn’t believe our luck! Both panels were incredibly moving, and today I want to discuss the Social Justice panel in greater detail.

Hangin’ in front of the LBJ Fountain. Please note how majestic my hair looks in the wind because that did not happen easily.

After our classes let out Thursday, Ashley and I hustled over to the LBJ Library to pick up our tickets. We waited in line for about an hour, which was more entertaining than expected. An event like this isn’t complete without protestors singing Ave Maria and watching cars sit on I-35 for 45 minutes while Obama went to the airport! Once we got inside and took our seats, the first panel began! The topic was Social Justice in the 21st Century and it featured NBA Hall of Fame center David Robinson, former First Lady of California Maria Shriver, director Steve Stoute, and Lex Frieden, a major figure behind the creation of the Americans with Disabilities Act. Each of them spoke of their initiatives to direct social change in our time.

After watching peers stray from school and athletics and fall into drug addiction, Robinson ultimately started the Carver Academy in San Antonio to welcome all children regardless of race or financial status and prepare them for the nation’s most competitive high schools while also nurturing their social and emotional needs. Maria Shriver has spent her whole life following in the footsteps of her influential parents. Her father worked alongside LBJ with the War on Poverty, and her mother founded the Special Olympics. Shriver talked about the mission of her nonprofit media initiative The Shriver Report, which reports from the front lines in regards to the plight of the average working American woman and how to spark national conversations on the status of women. Lex Frieden suffered a spinal cord injury in 1967 after a car accident and thus experienced first-hand how poorly the United States neglected citizens with disabilities. A university turned him away simply because he was paralyzed! Ever since, he has become an activist and helped break down barriers for those with disabilities. He lobbied to integrate the disabled into the community and eventually helped produce the Americans with Disabilities Act, which President Bush later passed in 1990. The last panelist Steve Stoute spoke about his upcoming film and his ultimate mission to inspire the next generation to understand how fortunate they are to have so many freedoms, the path it took to get there, and to always pay it forward. A pretty useless group here, amirite?

Ah yes, the beautiful resolution of my iPhone 4s in action.

After their introductions, the panelists spent the rest of their time with personal anecdotes and how Americans can get engaged and assure that those around us are respected and treated as equals. To have these four influential people tell an auditorium full of students that we do matter and that it’s up to us to shape the future and ensure social justice, how incredible is that? I would be lying if I said I didn’t get a little choked up during the panel. We all have the power to make an impact, but it starts by setting the right example for those around us. Of course it’ll be challenging, but how often does success come easily?

Alright, that’s enough with the dramatic storytelling. After the empowering and serious afternoon, Ashley and I headed to El Arroyo for dinner because we were terribly hungry. While pigging out on salsa and queso (as usual), it began to sink in just how fortunate we are to live in this day and age with endless opportunities. I can’t wait to see what we do with them.

 

To finish, I’m currently taking bets on when I’ll blog next. Over/under is at 2 months. See you then.

Or will you?

Kelly

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cheers

Hiya everyone!

I thought this blog would not be complete without a New Year’s Eve post dedicated to some good memories from 2013. I don’t care that it’s cliché, just look at the pretty pictures, darnit!

Here’s to new friends:

I met Kaila in French class in the spring and we got off to a pretty rocky start. But then we met again on our study abroad trip and we haven’t separated since. Love you momma!

I was lucky enough to sit next to Kirsten at a study abroad meeting and I swear it was fate. She is the most thoughtful, humble, and hilarious person in my life and I couldn’t imagine 2013 without her. Photo by Kaila!

Oh Christina. We had literally had so little to talk about during a 9 hour plane ride that you faked sleeping to get out of it. Now we can’t stop laughing and eating desserts together. You rock my world, girl. Photo cred: Kaila S.

I met Jessie through Ashley in the spring and she never fails to entertain me. From crying during Downton Abbey to a Justin Timberlake addiction, Jessie has been there. I can’t wait to see what 2014 has in store for our friendship, dearest!

To the rest of my Lyonnais amis, I couldn’t leave you out! Thank you for the best summer of my life! I am appreciative of your friendship in France and back in Texas. Photo cred goes to Robert Horn, who would kill me if I claimed this picture as my own.

and to the old ones:

Like the post I wrote back in August, I moved into a house with four best friends. To Ashley, who is my friend soulmate (we finish each other’s…sandwiches!), thanks for never judging me and laughing at my dumb jokes. To Cody, thank you for helping me with my homework and supporting me every day! You’re the smartest person I know and thanks for being my Corny Collins dance partner. To Alyssa, thanks for keeping the house together whether we like it or not. I love you even though you eat quinoa and don’t understand movie references. And to Liz, thanks for tolerating my silly questions and keeping me updated on all things sports and Hilary Duff. Here’s to another year of the two of us laughing at Alyssa.

Chris is unstoppable. He is one of the most talented musicians and he never fails to leave me in stitches. You and your family helped me celebrate my 20th in the best way imaginable and I won’t forget it! Two words for 2014: Cher. Concert.

To my fellow SRD RA’s, thanks for everything. It was a roller coaster of a year, but I could not have made it without each and every one of ya snarky ladies.

To new places and spaces:

Are you even surprised that I picked this? Lyon, France changed my life for the better and I miss it constantly. I hope all you readers get the opportunity to see it through your own eyes one day.

This summer, Jessie took Ashley, Alyssa, and myself to Shakespeare at Winedale, which is located  near LaGrange, Texas. While there was no A/C in this 100+ degree barn, we had an absolute blast watching UT students perform A Comedy of Errors. We liked it so much we went back in November to see Othello!

My favorite place from 2013 was the French Alps/Chamonix. The whole town was beautiful and you can see the highest point in all of Europe (Mont Blanc) behind me! It was approx -1 degrees, but we had a snowball fight and got fondue afterwards. There are worse things.

and to family:

To my dad, who won a state championship with the University High School soccer team and completed his first 5K. You’re a rockstar and a true fighter, Dad! I am proud to call you my father and I am grateful for you every day.

To my mom, who is pictured above with my dad at the Showcase of the Stars ceremony. Every year, the Top 10% of the senior class picks their favorite teacher to attend this ceremony with them. It’s an immense honor and mom was chosen for her third time in seven years! Her ability to make such a difficult topic (economics, ew) so relatable and entertaining is a testament to her gift as an educator. I’m proud of you every day, mom!

To my sister Carly, despite her Duck Dynasty get-up above, is the coolest 8 year old around. She’s incredibly smart, funny, and the most well-behaved kid. Ever. I don’t want you to grow up anymore, but I’m excited to see what 2014 brings you. Photo cred to Diane W!

Last, but certainly not least, cheers to all of you readers.  I hope 2014 is as good to you as you’ve been to me.

Kel

Keep Waco Wacko

Hello all,

I realize that it has actually been eighty years since I last wrote. The house is doing well and we’ve resigned our lease for next year! School has never been busier–hence why I’ve gone nearly three months without writing! Today I wanted to take a moment and dedicate a post to my hometown and all the lessons I’ve learned from it.

That’s right. Waco, Texas.

When I tell people where I’m from, they often apologize that I had to grow up there. But in all honesty, who are they to judge? Apart from driving through it on I-35 and maybe going to eat at local favorites such as George’s or Vitek’s, it’s hard to form a valid opinion on a city if you have spent less than a weekend there. Just hear me out, deal?

Waco is not known for its superb public schools. Every year, the city council struggles to find new ways to help students pass ridiculous standardized tests administered by the state, but I was fortunate that my hard-working parents put me through the Midway ISD school system. I spent 13 years at Midway with some pretty remarkable teachers, one of whom is my mother. They challenged me in ways that I’ll carry throughout the rest of my time here at UT and hopefully into the real world.

Another complaint often heard from out-of-towners (and let’s be real, ALL Wacoans) is that there is nothing to do. And it’s partly true: Elton John won’t be performing there in the foreseeable future, the only restaurants are chains, and the city life is near nonexistent. But out of that came an unexpected blessing to my peers and myself growing up. We had to be very creative on weekends, and not in the recreational drugs way (don’t worry mom and dad). You can go tortilla tossing on the Suspension Bridge, which is exactly what it sounds like. You throw tortillas from the bridge on to concrete slabs jutting out of the Brazos River, and it is much more fun than you would expect. Or you can go to Crater Canyon in West Waco, which requires a little bit of trespassing in order to see more stars than you thought existed in the universe. There’s the Waco Farmer’s Market on Saturdays, which sells the most delicious crêpes (yes, even better than the crêpes in Lyon) and delightfully cheap macarons from a precious French man. There’s Woodway Park, which has a frisbee park and a picnic area where you can sit and watch the loveliest sunsets you’ve ever seen over Lake Waco. Yeah, we even went to a cat show (see picture below). My friends and I had to be creative and adventurous to avoid monotony, and it taught me to never look down on the unconventional aspects within a city.

One of the biggest lessons I learned from Waco is that it’s okay to leave. There’s a tradition that if you are born in Waco, you graduate from Midway, you go to Baylor, you get your Ring by Spring, and you have babies that will eventually repeat the cycle. While that works out very well for some, I knew that was not the life for me and God wanted me to get out and see the world from a new perspective. But that didn’t make it any easier for me to leave. Up until I moved into Scottish Rite Dormitory, I was convinced I made a mistake of going to Austin. It took about a month of college life to realize that I was exactly where I should be and I never looked back. Whether you’re living in Waco at 18, 22, or even 50, I believe it’s crucial to leave at least once. I’ve said on this blog many times that you will never grow by remaining in the same place forever. It requires a huge leap of faith and it’s a bit terrifying, but it’s incredibly rewarding. As I have learned over and over, Waco will always welcome you back with open arms. And let’s be real, it probably never changed while you were gone.

Waco is far from perfect. Google searches show pictures of the Waco siege in 1993. It has a terribly high crime and poverty rate, it consists of mostly chain restaurants and fro-yo establishments, and it often errs on the radically conservative side. However, I hope I changed your mind at least a little on why it’s worth visiting at least once. There sure as hell is no other place like it.

Comme d’habitude,

Kel

Icing on the CAAKE

Bonjour beautiful readers. It has been a month since I spoke to you from Lyon, and many new things are happening! After returning to beautiful Texas, I spent most of my time reading, drinking tea, and preparing to move into a new rental house with four of my best friends (we named our house “CAAKE” with each letter corresponding to our initials).

Last Tuesday, the five of us moved in to our 1940’s rental house set in a precious neighborhood near campus. We already had AC, electricity, and water set up and we thought we were set! Unfortunately, we suffered some setbacks. We had no gas, thus no hot water, oven, or stove, and they were so busy that they couldn’t make it to us until Tuesday. The washer was delivered Friday, but the dryer had been damaged in transit and wouldn’t make it to our house until Tuesday. We lacked cable and Internet until Tuesday as well. See a pattern, here?

Luckily, today was the big day of returning to the First World. As of five pm today, we had cable, Internet, a washer AND dryer, and hot water. We thought we had it made, y’all. But then plugging in Cody’s Apple hard drive and restarting the modem turned off our wifi and cable. Then Alyssa, Liz, and myself ran errands to make turkey burgers (see: heavenly meals). When we got back, the house smelled like gas. We made our food first because hangry trumps gas leaks, sorry. Afterwards, I called the gas company and they made us vacate the house and wait for someone to come check out what was happening. I thought I might have overreacted, but 45 minutes and a trip up into the attic later, it turned out that we had a minor gas leak in our water heater. And then our Internet miraculously worked after unplugging Cody’s hard drive! It all came back together as quickly as it fell apart.

After nearly 12 hours of installations, I’m sitting with my three other housemates as we listen to the Civil Wars and laugh about the trials and tribulations of our first true week of adulthood. If this is what being an adult is like, then I have a long way to go before I feel comfortable with this new lifestyle change. But at least I’m in great company.

my precious housemates

Until the next (mis)adventure,

Kelly