Cover Girl

Yes, that’s me on the cover of this magazine. I’m famous. I know, I know, I’ll probably never hear the end of this from my family since I’m always the one putting my hand up in front of the camera and not wanting to be photographed. But when my office’s Creative department asked me to be their “talent,” I don’t think I was really allowed to say no! Plus I got some bonuses out of it and a bit of fame and fortune at work.

The monthly Workspan magazine goes out to some 30,000 people. Yikes! The photo shoot was done at a local park at 6am one morning (to beat the Arizona heat . . . it was still 90 degrees or so). And I really am holding that frame, believe me, my arm was sore afterwards from holding it up for so long! I’ve already signed a few autographs. Just wait, some day I’ll be famous . . . and you can all say you knew me! ;)

Lakewood Church

While in Houston last weekend, Steve and I decided to check out the famous Lakewood Church. This is the huge Christian church (the center holds around 16,000) televised with messages from pastors such as Joel Osteen. You can pretty much see the Lakewood Church from Steve's condo and we thought it would be interesting to get in there with the locals and experience something different from our Mormon upbringing (most of you probably know by now we are no longer Mormon. We are not in search of a new church, we attended Lakewood just to get a better understanding of the locals and different cultures). This church had a congregation of pretty much all races and ages, which really surprised me. I guess I was expecting more of a straight southern baptist feel, but it was really very diverse.

The party before the message:



The morning started off with performances by the band and choir with the congregation chiming in and singing and dancing along. The music and words were very uplifting and it was just a happy place for everyone to join and celebrate. The way these people "felt the spirit" if you will was very different than our Mormon upbringing, and yet I have to say just as real. It was an uplifting experience for all. The televised portion of the service did not begin until about an hour in (which is when we finally got to sit down!).

Joel Osteen himself then came on stage to give the message. Here's where things went downhill. The message was just fluff, no depth really. But it made the congregation happy and feel nice things and that's really all that matters I suppose. Joel's message was about "God's little surprises." He told story after story of a single mother who...and then received...or a poor family who...and then such and such happened...or the little unfortunate child who...but then someone came along and...they were really just touchy feely stories of miraculous sounding events that, in reality, probably never happened. But again, if it uplifts people and they enjoy listening, whatever, more power to them.

Pastor Joel Osteen himself:



It was one particular thing Joel said that made me want to up and walk out (which I managed to refrain from doing since they asked us to stay until the end what with it being televised and all). Joel told of 'how one might be struggling to make ends meet and then...they receive a large tax return...one of God's little surprises!' The crowd went wild cheering and clapping. I almost threw up in my mouth. WHAT?! I'm sorry, but it does not take an accountant to know that a tax refund DOES NOT have ANYTHING to do with God. There is a mathematical equation if you will for how much tax you will owe or receive as a refund at the end of the year. It is 100% dependent on your income and the number of exemptions/deductions you claim and are eligible for. God does not change the tax tables. WOW.

All in all we were glad we went once. It was interesting to get to see how people may really believe in a religion, but from an outsider's perspective it just doesn't make any sense.

I'm in love!

My sister Becca was in town for a few days and we did a bit of exploring and had fun hanging out and talking like old times. Then I dragged her to a pet store in the mall to look around and we found my new puppy!!! They brought him out to play and he was so cute and frisky. When I held him he just kind of snuggled up on my shoulder and lay his head down, it was the cutest thing. I never thought I'd be a dog person . . . until I saw this little Puggle puppy! He's actually almost full-sized now at 5 months, they don't get much bigger than this. And for those wondering, a Puggle is half Beagle/half Pug. These pictures are all of him, including the portrait up top, it's from the website.

Now I've just got to convince Steve he wants a puggle too. I'm working on it. Meanwhile, I've been back to the pet store twice since Saturday to see my puppy. Steve warned me not to get attached. But how can you NOT get attached to this little thing?! He's already my desktop picture at work . . .







While Beck was here we decided to go out to dinner and get some red meat. We realized neither of us eats much red meat when our husbands are out of town. So off we went to Claim Jumper for a hearty meal. And hearty it was! We ordered the big platter for two of barbeque baby back pork ribs, barbeque beef ribs, and barbeque chicken. YUM! Best babyback ribs I've ever had. We just had to have our server capture the picked bones on camera to prove our carnivorousness. Is that a word? We were very proud.

Photos from Houston NOT on Facebook

I took a Saturday to explore downtown Houston, just wandering where ever the streets looked safe and interesting. Downtown is pretty dead outside of the work week, but I did find some interesting things worth photographing.


An artsy view of ONE of Chevron's buildings downtown. I don't work here, but I get free parking on the weekend!


The downtown has its older buildings that give it some character...


...and ever increasing newer buildings to fit everyone in as small an area as possible.


I knew there was a dog jumping competition thing going on in a park, so I figured I would stop by. It was surprisingly entertaining...I ended up staying longer than I expected.


This guy looked like he was new to the whole concept of jumping in the water. It took him a couple passes before he finally got the courage to take the leap...for a total of 4ft (vs competitors jumping 14-18ft)


I really would have expected some of the dogs to be better swimmers. It looked like some were really struggling to stay above water. Maybe they were amateurs.


This is about how I felt by the end of the day, but drenched by the humidity instead of the stagnant dog water.

Happy 10th Anniversary Babe!

It was 10 years ago today that we shared our first kiss . . . and look where we are today! I could not be happier, I love you!

Back to Houston . . .

I flew back to Houston for the weekend to spend some time with Steve now that he’s settled in a bit. We did a lot of driving around again, getting to know the area.

We also of course visited my new favorite restaurant, The Buffalo Grille! Their whole wheat pancakes are amazing! We got up Sunday morning and headed over there (it's actually within walking distance of the condo, now that's trouble). We got there just in time for Sunday brunch hour and the line was out the door. But it was well worth the wait, YUMMY! Steve took a nice picture of me stuffing my face. I plan to do it every time I go out there for a visit. (Houston is well known for EATING. There are so many restaurants to choose from, it's trouble!)



We also visited the Space Center and messed around with a few of the exhibits. The American astronaut was especially sexy.





Steve and the cute female astronaut . . .



Some neat pictures from inside the actual astronaut training center.







A real live Texas Longhorn. And who would have thought we’d see one while taking the NASA tour tram?



When we'd had our fill of the Space Center (or rather, when we were fed up with tripping all over the kids and people everywhere) we went down to the boardwalk for dinner at the Aquarium Restaurant. Neither of us ordered seafood.

Apparently the only picture Steve took was of me stuffing my face. But you can see the cool aquarium in the back. I swear I don't stuff my face all day every day. Just on vacation : )



After dinner we went outside and got our pictures taken with the cool shark. Funny how we never get pictures of the two of us . . . because there's never anyne else around to take the picture! At least we brought the camera and took pictures at all, right?





You gotta love Steve’s shirt. What has his MBA program turned him into!



All in all, it was a great weekend together and I can't wait for the next trip to Houston . . .

Tagged . . . and for once I'm playing along!

Ok, so I've been tagged multiple times with this same questionnaire so here goes...

How long have you and your significant other been together?
Well, we met when we were 14 . . . but didn’t start dating until we were 18. We actually went to my high school Senior Ball together (see 1st picture below). So that makes it our 10 year anniversary this month! The 2nd picture is an engagement one taken July 2001.




Who eats more?
Steve does. Unless it’s chocolate in which case it’s all me.

Who said "I love you" first?
Steve. It took me a week or two to return the line . . . I had to make sure I wasn’t just saying it because he did.

Who is taller?
Thankfully he is! And enough so that I don't have to worry about wearing heels around him.

Who sings better?
Seriously sing? Steve. But I can really belt it out in the car or late at night with my sister or best friend.

Who is smarter?
I think Steve is (obviously, see picture below with Regis Philbin), but he’d probably say I am. So I’ll say we’re both smart but in different areas. We’re a good balance.



Who does the laundry?
Usually me. But I hate the folding part so Steve usually takes over from there.

Who does the dishes?
Steve doesn’t mind loading and unloading the dishwasher but hates pots and pans. So we share the responsibility.

Who sleeps on the right side of the bed?
The right side when facing the bed is ALWAYS me, I can't sleep on the left. But he usually ends up on my side with me in the morning.

Who pays the bills?
Me. I enjoy paying bills and budgeting. But I have to say it was much more fun when we had two incomes to work with!

Who mows the lawn?
No lawn right now, and I couldn’t be happier about that! Back in our house in DC, Steve always mowed.

Who cooks dinner?
Usually me, but when I’m not in the mood Steve is always happy to take over. Dinner always tastes better when someone else cooks it for you, doesn't matter what it is.

Who drives when you are together?
Both . . . he’s at the wheel and I’m the backseat driver. Sorry babe!

Who is more stubborn?
This is so obvious, ME.

Who is the first to admit when they're wrong?
Steve. In fact, he’ll even say he’s wrong when it’s really me just to keep me happy! Is that healthy? He's way too good for me, I know.

Who kissed who first?
Steve kissed me first, but I for sure kissed back.


Who proposed?
Steve did . . . on accident! It kind of just popped out before he had planned on it. And it will be 7 wonderful years together in September. I love you babe!

Who is more sensitive?
Me. Most people probably wouldn’t think that but I’m pretty sensitive. And I consider it one of my weaknesses and am working to overcome it.

Who has more siblings?
I’ve got him beat by 2. There are 10 in my family and 8 in his. Yeah . . . insane.

Who wears the pants?
Totally depends on the issue. But as far as jeans are concerned, he’s only allowed to wear the ones I pick out for him. : )

Sisters Reunion in Vegas! (May 2008)

We try to have a Sisters Reunion every other year or so. This year we went to Vegas and stayed in a really nice condo for the weekend.

We got up one morning and went to the Paris Hotel for the amazing breakfast buffet we'd heard so much about. The long line was well worth it! Their desserts were amazing. With the Clawson sweet tooth, that's always the most important part...even at breakfast.



My sister Tearsa got her ears pierced! (yes, for the first time). What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas...until I publish it all over my blog. Not that many will see this, I have a total of like 3 viewers a day :) My life is apparently just not that interesting to others. Or I keep all the interesting things to myself, hehe!



This is all of us on the last day (Bethany, Sarah, Rebecca, Tearsa).



Beth, Tears, and I saying goodbye at the airport...



We need to start planning the next reunion...maybe back to the east coast again since two of the four will be out there by then? New York anyone?

Trip to Houston

We made it to Houston after 17 hours of driving and a few adventures along the way.

Sarah has gone so long without sweets, I think she forgot how to eat chocolate. :) It's no wonder I love her!

I'm pretty proud of my "Official Warning" from the Texas Highway Patrol, for going 3 miles per hour over the speed limit. Don't mess with Texas!

Eventually we made it to Houston and had a few days to enjoy together. It seems like this will be a fun summer home.

more photos to come...

Steve's Summer Internship

. . .

Steve received a supply chain internship offer from Chevron back in November which he accepted . . . not knowing whether the internship would be in San Ramon, CA or Houston, TX.

We finally found out the location and he will be interning in HOUSTON! I will not be going with him, I don't think my office would be too keen on me taking a 3 month leave of absence. So we'll be making visits back and forth like last summer. Central is the only time zone we've never lived in, might as well check that off the list, right?

He starts out in San Ramon for orientation and he'll end in San Ramon with final intern presentations but the rest of the time will be spent in downtown Houston. It will be a new experience for him as Texas was definitely not first choice on his list as as far as location is concerned (didn't we leave DC to get AWAY from the humidity?!). But it's a really great internship opportunity and we're excited!