ATX: Bat City

A 60th birthday {ON Cinco De Mayo} AND Mother's Day...now that sounds like a good excuse to go to Austin {as if I really need an excuse}.  Enjoy this photographic narration of our trip to one my favorite cities...the liberal city of Texas...AUSTIN!

I'm a big fan of staying at VRBOs when traveling..it's a fun way to experience the local lifestyle in a different community. I also like the convenience of having a kitchen and a place to chillax at in between site seeing etc.  We found a great apartment in the heart of downtown Austin. 

After a full day of traveling, we were ready for a quick bite to eat, so after dropping off our stuff we headed straight to the Iron Cactus for margaritas and table side guacamole..when in Austin, on Cinco De Mayo...

That evening the festivities continued as we celebrated my mom's 60th birthday with dinner at The Oasis on Lake Travis, home to the best Sunset in Austin! Oh, the lakes in Austin...amazing! 

As many reviews will tell you, the food is not fabulous, but the view and atmosphere make up for it. 

If you make a trip out the The Oasis, make sure to immortalize your love with one of their locks of love. 

A quick trip to 6th Street was a must following dinner.  We hit up The Chuggin' Monkey for some live music and dancing. 

ATTENTION BACHELOR FANS: this is one of the bars in Austin owned by Brad Womack. 

On Friday we played the roll of cheesy tourists and had some fun on the Austin Duck Adventure! Can I get a quack, quack!? It was a fun, informative tour of the city. 

I recommend sitting on the right side of the duck, as several of the sights along the tour are on the righthand side. 

DID YOU KNOW that Austin is the dog capital of the U.S., with over 60% of the businesses allowing employees to bring their dogs to work, dogs weighing under 30lbs are allowed to stay at The Driscoll AND the 13th floor of one of the sky rise condominiums is an indoor dog park.  

DID YOU KNOW that Texas chili contains no beans!? 

I don't want to ruin the tour for you...but can you name the Six Flags {it's not just an amusement park} of Austin?   

Austin is the only city that still moon {light} towers...at one point Chicago and Detroit did as well. The Zilker Park tower was prominently featured in the film Dazed and Confused (1993) as the site of a high-school keg party, in which the character David Wooderson played by Matthew McConaughey {an Austin resident} exclaims, "Party at the moon tower."

As the duck entered the waters of Lake Austin {oh my, the lakes of Austin!} we saw the home of the owner of Dell computers, along with the indoor water park build right next door {at the top of the hill} and...

...the home, and helicopter pad of Dennis Quaid.

When it's your birthday {or anniversary} Captain Bob let you drive...!

 Following our duck adventure, we stood in line for over an hour and a half for The Best BBQ in Austin, at La Barbecue. Even this Flegav {flexible vegan} would say it was worth the wait.

La Frito Loco.

We spent the afternoon at Barton Springs Pool...which the swimmer-triathlete-water-lover in me absolutely LOVED!  How amazing is this?

On our way {2.5 mile walk} we stopped at Congress Bridge to see the bats emerge from under the bridge.  You can read more about it HERE!  In my honest opinion, it wasn't all it is hyped up to be, but definitely an Austin must-see.  

That evening we hit up Rainey Street...for mules at Lucille, sausage and beer {over 100 to choose from} at Banger's, and live music at The Blackheart. 

Saturday morning, after a run along Lake Birdy {another lake!} we headed to Congress Street.  First stop, the iconic I love you so much wall and coffee {iced bomber} at Jos Coffee.  

Make sure to take a tour of all of the Austin Street Art. And don't forget to SMILE! 

For lunch we hit up a Congress Street MUST: Hop Doddy Burger!

After some much needed downtime..AKA a NAP...we headed back out.  First stop, Old School Bar & Grill for what I was told was the best Moscow Mule in town.  I'm not sure about that, but loved the view from the patio.  One thing is for sure though, Austin knows how to make a Moscow Mule right...

...in a copper mug!

And then, the moment we'd all been waiting...for ole fashion Texas Two-Step at The Broken Spoke. This was good stuff.  

Nothing says TEXAS more than patriotic shower curtains for bathroom stalls. 

GOD BLESS TEXAS! The owner of the The Broke Spoken thanking everyone for over 50 years of business. 

Sunday morning we celebrated lunch by brunching with The Gospel Stars at one of my Austin favorites, Stubb's Gospel Brunch. 

After a quick stroll through the Pecan Street Festival and coffee with a friend at Brew & Brew, I headed to the airport for my solo journey home.  My parents however stayed one more night and made it to the one street art I REALLY wanted to go to...I guess I have an excuse to go back.  

Austin, the live music capital of the the world, keep weird.

If you are considering heading to Austin, check out my other two posts:

Part I

Part II

And I highly recommend purchasing 100 Things To Do In Austin Before You Die. 

Continuing to Embrace Vulnerability

Life can he hard.  Can I get an AMEN!?

Sometimes my blog is a forum in which I can work through my emotions etc., and my hope is that in doing so I can positively impact just one of my readers.  Sometimes the posts I don't think much about, have the greatest impact on others, so may this post speak to you...

My life motto recently has been EMBRACE VULNERABILITY, and get out on that emotional skinny branch. Let me tell you what though...it's HARD.  So many times it seems easier to sit back, be cautious and SAFE, guarding our hearts from potential pain...instead of embracing vulnerability, which potentially opens us up to more heartache, disappointment, and a perceived feeling of failure.  

I recently approached a situation with an all-in, no regrets, fully embracing vulnerability {beyond what is usually comfortable for me...but if felt right} mindset, only to be disappointed, and hurt...which I knew was a risk I was taking.  But I also recognized the potential that was there, and in order to see what might become of that potential, I had to put myself out there.  And so I did.  And I got hurt.  BUT...if I had the chance to do it over, would I do it differently? NO! No regrets. 

Through this I have learned a lot.  

We cannot let FEAR control our emotions and decisions.  I'm reading Pricilla Shirer's book Fervent Prayer and she said it perfectly:

"If God has given you clear direction, like He gave the children of Isreal-direction that's confirmed by His written Word and by the sounding board of wise, godly counsel your only reason for resisting Him is because you're AFRAID of what following Him down this path might mean or cost or entail, then you're not only on the threshold of being disobedient, you're about to miss an opportunity to give God some fresh, new glory by doing what He's wanting to do through you, which is the true impetus behind His invitation for you to join Him on the scary adventure in the first place."

Pain, heartache and hurt don't equal failure.  So often in these times of heartache I question WHY? Why me? Why again? My mom once advised me to question WHAT? What can I learn from the situation? What might I do differently next time? What was blessing of the situation?

It's not all about ME! So often I focus on what I did wrong, what I should've done differently, what I did to deserve this.  I beat myself up in order to find an answer.  I ask myself...Am I Enough? What is wrong with me? But it's not always a result of something I did or didn't do.  

Through the tears, disappointment, and walking through the experience itself, we are made STRONGER! Everything is shaping and preparing us for what is to come.  

I turn to music for everything. To help me put into words what I am feeling.  To bring out the dancer in me.  To have fun and let loose.  I just love music.  Recently I have been clinging to the words of Mandisa's song, Stronger:

When the waves are taking you under

Hold on just a little bit longer

He knows that this is gonna make your stronger, stronger

The pain ain't gonna last forever

And things can only get better

Believe Me

This is gonna make you stronger

Don't let the fear of what if prevent you from embracing the what could be. And if by chance things don't go as you had hoped know that there are bigger and better things in store.

And don't ever forget...YOU are an OVERCOMER, stay in the fight 'til the final round. You're not going under cause God is holding you right now.  You might be down for moment, feeling like it's hopeless.  That's when He reminds you that you're an overcomer.  

IF: Table

Back in February, when I attended IF:Local, as part of my commitment to FALL, {fall into people and share the love of Jesus, fall into a life of surrender and obedience} I committed to hosting an IF: Table.  During IF: Table, women gather and share a simple meal and dive deep with people over real stories and Christ centered conversations. A time for a whole lot of laughter – and maybe a few tears – but time spent that leaves us with glad hearts. Full hearts. Grateful hearts.

This turned out to be a lesson in obedience.  As March approached I looked up the theme of the March IF: Table...and it was loneliness.  Umm...NO! I wasn't prepared to face my own struggles with loneliness, yet alone commit to having other women over to embrace the vulnerability with me. That's too tough. 

But I made this commitment and it was placed on my heart for a reason, so I sent out an email to several of my girlfriends to find a time that might work for most of them, a daunting task in and of itself due to everyone's busy schedules. It was hard to find a time that would work for a few, let alone several.  So that is a good enough excuse not to host the dinner, right!? NO! 

God perfectly orchestrated the evening, and I know He hand picked the ladies who were to attend.  5 women, all in different phases in their walk with Christ and in different seasons of lives...single, newlywed, working moms, and a mom with a baby-on-the-way.  It was beautiful.  As we gathered around the table we fully embraced vulnerability, were raw and real with each other, and shared our struggles with and wisdom pertaining to loneliness.  There were tears. Lots of them.  But that is ok! It's ok to share our struggles.  It's ok to ask for and accept help & prayer.  Its ok to just be REAL and admit that we don't all have it together.  Because we can all relate on some level, no matter what our story is.  

I finished the evening with a refreshed spirit and grateful heart. 

As April approached, I sent out another email in hopes of gathering a group of ladies for another IF: Table! Once again, God had his hand in it and selected 5 different women to attend. 5 women all in different seasons of life...single, new mom, stay-at-home mom, and a mom struggling with finding her identity and self-worth as she embraces a season of change.  

As we worked our way through the 4 conversation questions we shared about what we are currently learning in our walk with the Lord, provided new parenting support and guidance, laughed, enjoyed cake, and soaked in the amazing fellowship.  

Another evening complete with glad,  grateful, full hearts. 

I encourage you to find some friends, gather around the table, and grow deeper in your walk through real, raw, genuine fellowship and Christ centered conversation with other women.  

You can find more about IF: Table HERE! 

Embracing Vulnerability: My Most Dramatic Post Yet

I wasn't planning on publicly sharing what I am about to share, with anyone but my family and close friends, but recently the word has gotten out and a lot of questions, excitement etc have come from it, so I thought why not? Why keep it a secret? So, here goes nothing...

Monday nights are my favorite {and really only} night to watch TV.  As an exciting season of Monday Night Football comes to an end, a new season of The Bachelor/Bachelorette rolls out. Always promising to be the most dramatic season ever,  I plan my evenings around getting to know the contestants, "live" texting with my friends as the drama unfolds,  and casting my vote for who will receive the final rose. Some seasons are better than others, sometimes love is found, and sometimes the drama is more than I can handle. During the last couple of seasons, I have had an overwhelming desire to apply to go on the show.  For those who know me, and I mean really know me, that is a HUGE leap of faith.  From fighting back thoughts of insecurity to overcoming my complete discomfort with being in front of a camera {ironic as I am applying to go on a TV showed aired on national TV}, it was a leap of faith I was willing to take...

So I started researching on what all the application process entails & connected with people on twitter in hopes of gaining additional inside information.  I'll be honest, the details are hard to come by...there is no timeline/deadline, you don't really know when to submit your application and which season you are applying for.  But after several seasons passed and my desire to at least put myself out there to apply to go on the show increased, and with the a little nudge from my friend, I printed off the application, outlined my desired video, and started the process.  Fully embracing vulnerability. 

WHY?

Well let me begin by saying that I am 32 and single in Medford, OR and am looking for more than this small southern Oregon town seems to have to offer.  I want more adventure, more experiences, more culture.

I believe in the potential of the process to work for some.  I know more people than not are skeptical of the show, and it's ability to create a match made in heaven.  But I think it can be a great platform to meet people who you otherwise wouldn't meet, while truly having  a once in a lifetime opportunity. So whether its true love you find {the ultimate goal}, new friendships you create, or adventures you have, its bound to be an EPIC experience.

THE PROCESS.

You have to submit a 5 page application answering questions ranging from your dating past, what you are looking for in a spouse, to your occupation, etc, along with 5-10 pictures of yourself, and a 10-15 minute video basically convincing the casting crew to select you.

Did I mention I absolutely hate being in front of a video camera?? Oh the irony.  But I outlined what I wanted to include in my video, picked out my outfits, determined the shoot locations and set out with a camera and my friend to depict The Life of Holly in only 10 short minutes!  10 minutes isn't a lot of time to fully encompass whats important to me...family, friends, serving/community involvement, my faith, running, my job, traveling, etc...while truly capturing my personality and who I am.  I can honestly say I have never had more fun being uncomfortable...we laughed as we highlighted my corporate job in downtown Medford and staged a scene at the Dutch Bros drive thru.

The application was filled out in its entirety, the top pictures selected and printed {each individually labeled}, and the video edited and formatted to their specifications {complete with a personalized CD label}...and were all sealed up in a gold manilla folder, sure to catch the attention of the casting crew, and sent off to California.  I tracked the package to confirm it was delivered, and then just waited. And waited. Always anxious when an unknown number called me.

I heard nothing.  Not even a confirmation that my application was received.

NOW WHAT? 

I thought I would be disappointed that I didn't hear back, but I really wasn't. Rather I was so thankful I followed a desire of my heart and forced myself out of my comfort zone.  If anything, I hope I can encourage others to be willing to be uncomfortable and possibly face failure, because it is through the process that we experience many blessings in disguise.  I have never had so much fun doing something that I really don't like; we seriously laughed until we cried several times during the filming process.  And I grew as a person, gaining more confidence and an increased desire to continue to live life to the fullest.  Something I thought would be so difficult and uncomfortable for me really wasn't, making me question what other opportunities I have passed up because at first thought they might make me uncomfortable.

So while I might not be riding elephants in Thailand, flying in a helicopter over LA, or having a camera crew follow me around 24-7, I am still living life to the fullest, making the most of every adventure and opportunity that comes my way, and at some point along the way I will receive my final rose.