The Amazing Ben!!

Wow, three posts in three days.

Tonight I want to brag on my brother, Ben. The boy has more talent than he will ever realize and this is just a little bit of proof. His girlfriend, Vanessa, is a first year teacher and to decorate her room, she wanted some pictures of book covers to go around the top. Ben said, "Hey, I'll paint them for you!" So he freehanded three book covers on giant canvases for her and they are freaking AMAZING!!


Just to remind you what the originals looked like...here are images I pulled off the web:
And now for the most amazing part...painting canvases this big with something like Acrylic or oil paints would cost wayyyy too much (think of those little tiny bottles that they come in!) So what did Ben do? He bought big bottles of TEMPRA PAINT and mixed his own colors!!! Yes, ladies and gentlemen, these masterpieces were made from the same things High School Cheerleaders use to make signs for football games. Amazing. Also, this was his first time to paint with paintbrushes...he usually only does paintings using pallet knives.

The Master hard at work.
Ben, you truly rock!

Oregon?? Really???

Today, a guy from work asked me if my accent was from Oregon. This shocked me for two reasons:

1. I'm from Texas, land of probably the most famous accent ever.
2. Can anyone tell me what an Oregon accent actually sounds like? I wasn't aware that the Oregonians had a recognizable dialect!

It's time for another....

Good Idea:
Volunteering to play a "trivia game" at a work function, answering questions about a few corny skits that are supposed to inform employees about different initiatives and such, and actually WINNING!! (I won an oh-so-fun Sabre Airline Solutions gym bag)

Bad Idea:
Missing a question about halfway through whose answer is....MY OWN PRODUCT!! That's right, I missed a question about the two delivery methods for our products - local install vs. eMergo ASP solutions. At this point one VP laughed and said "What product do you work for Emily???" I said "Well I used to work for eMergo..." and then my VP chimed in with "I would like to announce that I have a resource up for grabs if anyone wants it!" Most embarrassing moment of my career thus far....but in my defense, the question was worded really weirdly and no one else got what the girl running the game was asking for either. :)

I've Got My Ticket!!!

On November 11th, I will be in the Nokia Theater in Section 403 Row L Seats 10-15 with some of my friends! I can't wait!

Marathon - Not Just a Greek City

Well, I'm joining in on the new fad. I, Emily Tate, am training to run a half marathon. Am I crazy? Probably. Am I excited? Heck yes! Am I wondering if I'm actually going to make it to the end? Maybe a little.

Thus, I've created a new blog.

I am hoping that by journaling how things are going with my training, I will keep myself motivated and accountable, and I don't want to force you to read it on this blog. I don't know if anyone will actually come read these posts except me, which is completely okay...I'm sure some days I'll be really down and would be happy for no one to read it! But I think it will be fun to look back on it after I'm done and see how far I've come.

Reasons Why I've Avoided Running in the Past:
- I always played sports, so I never needed to go out of my way to run.
- I live in Texas where its too hot most of the time
- Its always the runners who find dead bodies in the woods

Reasons Why I'm Doing This:
- I need a new goal. Now that grad school is over, I have nothing to keep propelling me forward.
- I need to lose weight and although I have good intentions to work out, I never do it without a specific reason
- I have about 10 friends to help keep me motivated and to run with
- I can cross something off of THE List (I know I said 10K, but I'm going above and beyond)
- I need to rebuild my cardiovascular system after pneumonia

Marathon is officially not just a Greek city anymore to me.

100 Things About Me

Okay Ashley, here is my 100 Things post. Hope they're not too boring!

1. I am allergic to ketchup.
2. My hair changes color depending on what I’m wearing or how the lighting is. People always ask me if I dye my hair.
3. I am terrible at decorating but love a greatly decorated house/apartment
4. I am a complete Television junkie…love to watch all the shows, read critics reviews, follow the Nielsen’s, etc.
5. Not as big of a fan of movies. I really like a well written movie, but I am too ADD to sit through most of them.
6. I think that any movie longer than 90 minutes should be banned.
7. I made fun of Harry Potter until my old roommate Lindsay made me read books 1-4 before we went to see the first movie.
8. I only read them because I thought Lindsay was cool and I wanted her to be my friend (we weren’t roomies at the time)
9. Now I’m obsessed with Harry Potter. It and LOTR are the only movie series that can break #6.
10. My eyes are blue with a ring of brown in the center (I’ve been told its called incomplete dominance)
11. You rarely see the brown because my pupils are usually really big
12. My eyes are ALWAYS red in pictures (see #11). This makes Lindsey Holder mad because I ruin group pics.
13. I eat things around the edges so they maintain their original shape until the very end…especially things in circles (cookies, hamburgers, etc.) I don’t realize I’m doing it.
14. I watch the Young and the Restless. Yes, I am a nerd.
15. I also watch pretty much any reality show that comes on. I like things where people get voted off.
16. It is my dream to go on the Amazing Race and the one summer that I actually was free and had a partner (my brother), they decided to do the stupid “Family Edition” and teams had to be 4 people.
17. I love to travel, but I haven’t done it enough yet.
18. I will know every word to every song on the radio, but cannot tell you the name of the song or who the artist is ever.
19. I like being good at things and get really frustrated when I’m not
20. My biggest fear in life is that I won’t be able to have a baby
21. My second biggest fear in life is that other people will think I’m annoying
22. When I think people are annoyed with me, I get really insecure and try to stay away from them so I won’t bug them. Then they usually think I’m mad at them. It’s a vicious cycle.
23. I will never invite myself along or show up somewhere unless I am explicitly invited (see #21)
24. I read tons of blogs but don’t comment because I think that people will be freaked out by it (see #21 again!)
25. I have an amazing memory. I remember tiny details of everything that happens
26. I remember everyone I meet….where we met, what we talked about, what they were wearing
27. I usually pretend I don’t remember people so I don’t make them feel bad when they’re introducing themselves for the third or fourth time. :)
28. My biggest pet peeve in life is passive aggressiveness
29. My mom and I talk on the phone every day. Usually while we’re commuting (we both drive about 30 minutes to work).
30. I love to clean (scrubbing things, sweeping, mopping), but hate to “pick up” and/or organize things.
31. Therefore, my apartment, car, office, are pretty much always messy, no matter how good my intentions.
32. My kitchen is usually spotless (lots of things to “clean”!)
33. I didn’t realize that people would think it was weird to actually write a list of 100 things to do before I die. Oh well!
34. My absolute only regret in buying my car is that I have to tell people I drive a Lexus. I get embarrassed and worry that people are judging me. (I get over it pretty quickly once I’m driving though!)
35. I get lost all the time, but I am great at backtracking my steps
36. I am great at reading maps though, and never get lost when I have a map
37. I will never buy another car without a navigation system again. It has changed my life.
38. The lady’s voice on my nav system kind of freaks me out.
39. I own an old school Sega Genesis. I bought it on eBay in college.
40. I am a night owl to the max.
41. I am NOT a morning person at all. I hate waking up.
42. I am really blessed to have a boss who is not a morning person either.
43. I think I would die if I had a job where I actually had to be in the office by 8am.
44. I have never been able to sleep in cars or on airplanes
45. This makes long road trips and international flights absolutely miserable
46. I built nap time into my schedule my Freshman year of college
47. I love anything that can be tracked in a spreadsheet. Having all the cells line up and balance makes me really happy.
48. About 40% of my dreams have a tornado in them. Most have more than one.
49. I love getting all dressed up and going to black tie affairs. It makes me feel beautiful and glamorous.
50. I hate getting dressed in normal clothes. I feel uncool and like I don’t ever have anything cute to wear.
51. I usually wear t-shirts because of this. At least everyone KNOWS I’m not trying to look cute in a t-shirt
52. Going straight from undergrad to grad school is one of the smartest decisions I have ever made
53. I will let a bug crawl across my living room floor rather than killing it. I’m not scared of them or a big Bug’s Rights activist or anything…I just can’t handle the “crunch” noise that it makes when you step on them.
54. I am a very nostalgic person
55. I bought every episode of Strawberry Shortcake about 2 years ago.
56. I am currently collecting Berenstain Bears books and want to own all of them by the time I have kids.
57. My great uncle Edgar called me “Gigglin Gertie” when I was little
58. I still can’t do or say much without starting to laugh
59. People at work comment about the fact that I am happy all the time
60. That is one of the greatest compliments I have ever gotten
61. I can make big decisions with confidence, but will freak out if someone asks me to choose a restaurant.
62. I love to cook and I’m actually pretty good at it.
63. I had the same 3 roommates all through college (well the first couple of years we weren’t actually roommates, but Nichole and I lived across the hall from Deb and Linds, so we might as well have been)
64. We have plans to get together at least once a year for a Roomie Weekend. So far we’ve kept up with it!
65. I am so proud of my dad. I think he is the smartest, most musically talented, best Christian leader, compassionate person I know.
66. I pray all the time that I will find someone as incredible as him to marry
67. Nearly every night after dinner (especially in the spring/summer) my dad would sit down with a box of Nilla Wafers and Peanut Butter and eat them while he watched the Rangers game.
68. I still love Nilla Wafers and peanut butter
69. I REALLY love baseball, especially the Rangers
70. I have only been to 3 Rangers games this year….that is really unusual for me.
71. I love college football but don’t really get into NFL football
72. I am a 100% fair weather fan with Basketball. I have no interest unless the Mavericks are in the final couple of rounds of the playoffs
73. Hockey games are entirely too cold for me to ever get into them.
74. In the day, I am extremely cold natured and usually carry a sweater with me
75. At night I get really hot no matter how cold I turn the A/C.
76. I love Winter because I love wearing thick warm sweaters
77. I love backpacking and camping
78. My brother and I used to hate each other, but we’re really close now
79. I played the Flute and Piccolo in high school
80. I still play my flute every now and then for fun. Its something I was really good at (see #19)
81. I could read before I started Kindergarten.
82. I still love to read. Books make me really happy.
83. I was a cheerleader all through middle school and high school
84. It really freaks me out that people younger than me are married and having babies
85. Please notice I didn’t say “depressed” on #84
86. I love it when I open my blog and have tons of comments
87. That usually only happens when I’ve made people mad on my blog
88. I have an uncle with Down’s Syndrome
89. I work at home half time and it is the greatest perk ever (see #41 and #50)
90. I want a cute little dog more than anything.
91. I’m way too busy to have a dog right now.
92. I’m considering getting a kitten instead.
93. I am a compulsive email checker. I feel like I’m missing out on something when I don’t check it frequently
94. I am addicted to sodas…especially Dr. Pepper
95. For some reason, I am really easy to interrupt. It happens all the time…I can never finish a story
96. As soon as #95 gets discussed in a group (usually after I’m in part 5 of a story b/c I’ve been interrupted so much), when I start talking again, at least one person always interrupts me on purpose as a joke. They think its hilarious.
97. It’s really not.
98. My nicknames: Em, Emmy Gail (reserved for my mom only), Emilizer, Tate, Tater, Tatertot, Tatums, ET Phone Home, Emilia, Emilio
99. I love meeting new people
100. I am training to run a half-marathon with some friends.

I'm supposed to tag some people now and I'm about to tag three people who I doubt will ever do this, but I really wish would because it would be incredibly interesting: Ryan Inlow, Trey Laminack, and Lindsey Holder.

Random Sweden Pics

I promise I'll do your 100 things for my next post, Ashley, but tonight I don't have a lot of time. But I wanted to finish off my Sweden adventure with a few more pictures that I hadn't gotten to yet. :)

First up - I was lucky enough to be exploring Gamla Stan (check another one off THE List) when the Changing of the Guards took place at the Royal Palace. It was pretty cool.


35. Spend an afternoon exploring Gamla Stan in Stockholm, Sweden

This was how bright the sky was at 11:00pm! It was really amazing how long it stayed light there!
And finally, a really goofy picture of me modeling the new hat that the guys from our Stockholm office gave me....somehow I didn't end up making it home with it though! I think I left it in my hotel room. If you can't tell, I was laughing pretty hard when they gave it to me. :)
Up next on Emily's World Tour....not too far from home in oh-so-classy Las Vegas, Nevada! My work is sending me to a conference there to do basically the same stuff I did in Sweden. But this time, my best friend at work, Lauren, gets to go too! Traveling is much more fun when you have a friend.

Identity in 5 words or less

(CNN) -- Victims who died in the Minnesota bridge collapse Wednesday included a father nicknamed "Homer," a successful businesswoman, a "chatterbox" who "loved to smile and laugh," and a mother who dreamed of a cosmetics career.

I wonder what my "tag" would be.

Its time for another....

Good Idea:
Saying hello and having quick conversations everyday with a guy at work who sits in the same area as me.


Bad Idea:
Not asking the guy's name the first time we talked and letting him call me by name when 6 months later I still have no idea who he is. Its definitely past the point where I can ask him his name now

How deep do pet peeves run?

I was reading old posts of mine yesterday and found a post about some of my pet peeves. Today I realized just how strong one of them is:

#3. People filing their fingernails around me. It sends chills up my spine and drives me NUTS!

Tonight I was watching Big Brother and in one scene, a girl named Danielle was filing her fingernails. Even over the TELEVISION, that sound made me cringe and I had to fast forward to another scene because it was making me sick. That is one strong sound!

Thing I Could Blog About, but Won't

- I have projects at work. Some are fun, some are not.

- A chemical plant exploded about 2 minutes from my apartment. My favorite line: "Health services officials said .... they believe that the chemicals being released into the air are posing no identifiable risks to the public." Makes me feel really safe!

- How much I hated the Wade Robson choreographed solo dances with the random screaming performed 10 times on So You Think You Can Dance.

- Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows was Fan-freaking-tastic!

- Lindsey Lohan makes me simultaneously sad and amused (more sad though). How dumb do you have to be to declare you're innocent of drunk driving and possession of cocaine when they took a blood alcohol test and found cocaine in your pocket?

- I took this really cool picture on my cell phone a couple weeks ago while I was driving to church
- I bought new running shoes from a place that watches you run and gets the right shoes for the way your feet are. It was really fun and I can't wait to break them in!

- The more times the aforementioned Wade Robson dance gets performed, the more I like it.

- I stole this format of blogging about a lot of things at once from Ryan. I think its the third blog style I've stolen from him, but hey, when there is someone so creative out there, why not imitate them? :)

Vasamuseat

Sorry for the lack of posting. A lot has been going on, but I promised pictures of the Vasamuseat and they were on my work computer so I've been hesitating to post anything else!

To answer Bekah's comment from my last post, my favorite thing in Sweden and the thing that I would say is the biggest "must-see" in Stockholm is the Vasa. The Vasa is a really old ship that sank in the 1600s. It was at the bottom of the ocean for about 300 years and in the 1970's they were finally able to find it, raise it, and restore it! It is straight up Pirates of the Caribbean style and is just awesome to look at. And the museum that it is in is quite possibly the most well done museum I've ever been in. Everything was really interesting and I could've spent an entire day in there! It gave the backstories about the wars going on that the ship was built for, life aboard the ship, life in Sweden during that time period, information about the inquisition that investigated the sinking, videos about how they raised it, etc. So with no further ado, here is the Vasa:


The carvings on the back were really cool, but hard to get a picture of.
Yet another awkward picture that I had to have a total stranger take of me. :)
In this part they showed you how small the spaces inside of the ship were. The ceilings were really low, but I guess that was okay since most of the people were about 5 ft tall! This wooden guy kept staring at me...it was creepy! :)
Well thats all from the big old ship. Now that I've gotten the pictures off of my work computer, we can now return to our regularly scheduled bloggings.

Its Time for Another....

Good Idea:
Running out to your car in the parking garage in the center of your apartment building to get your iPod before going downstairs to workout

Bad Idea:
Forgetting that the doors to the building automatically lock when closed while running out to your car in the parking garage and locking yourself in the MIDDLE of the building with no way to get out.

I've apparently discovered a teensy flaw with the design of my apartment complex...

Absolut Ice Bar

As promised, the next stop on Emily's tour through Sweden is the Absolut Ice Bar!

I got off of the train that goes from the airport to the city and the first thing that I see as I'm walking to my hotel is the Absolut Ice Bar...next door to my hotel! Going to an Ice Bar is number 66 on THE List, so I had to make a reservation.

66. Go to an Ice Bar

If you don't know what an Ice Bar is, it is exactly like it sounds. Everything is made of ice: The tables, chairs, bar, glasses, walls...everything. I saw it on The Bachelor a few years ago and have always wanted to go. It really is just a novelty attraction. They do appointments in 45 minute increments, let 30 people in at a time, you get one small drink and then spend the next 43 minutes taking pictures. It was still really cool though!

And of course, I couldn't go to a cool place without making a scene....I set my ice glass on the bar at one point and it slipped right off and broke. Ha!
The last cool thing about this is that not only do I get to cross an item off THE List, I am going to be in a documentary! There was a German documentary crew there during my time slot making a travel guide film about Stockholm and since I was there by myself, the host of it talked to me a lot so that the camera could get film of him looking like he was there with people. Not that I'll ever see this video, but at least I'll know it exists. :)

Up next: The Vasamuseat AKA a really big old ship

Midsummer!

Here are a few pics from the Swedish Midsummer Celebration I attended in Skansen.

First up - me in my flower wreath thingy that everyone makes for themselves out there. If this were in America, I would have been arrested for picking daisies in a public park, but luckily for the thousands of people there...its not America! (Our Bluebonnet Advocates could learn a thing or two from the Swedes about actually enjoying your flowers rather than roping them off and forbidding people to do anything except admire from afar...)

Right at 3:00pm, the Swedish Minstrels came parading down the road, leading everyone to the place where the Maypole would be raised.

Raising the Maypole (yes, I know its June....)

After it was up, everyone sang songs with the band and danced around the Maypole. I took this while we were hopping in a circle singing a song about a frog (or at least thats what they translated in English)

On the Midsummer Eve, single girls are supposed to put 7 flowers under their pillow and they dream of their future husband. So of course, I had to try it.

Did I dream of my future husband? Not unless my future husband is Nigel Barker, because I dreamed of So You Think You Can Dance that night. Oh well....I gave it a shot! :)

Up next on the Tour of Sweden - The Absolut Ice Bar! Stay tuned....

Megan's Quiz

Okay Megan, I'll bite.

1. Who was your first prom date?
Sean Forrester

2. Who was your first roommate?
Nichole Brezel. Ahhh, good times in Nelson Dorm...

3. What was your first alcoholic drink?
A Strawberry Daquiri wine cooler that Maggie gave me....unless you count the Margarita sips that Maggie's Didad would give me at the annual crawfish boils. :)

4. What was your first job?
Limited Too on University Dr.

5. What was your first car?
1999 Ford Mustang

6. Who was the first person that texted you yesterday?
Derrick Doyle

7. Who is the first person you thought of this morning?
My mom. Her phone call woke me up. :)

8. Who was your first grade teacher?
Mrs. Smith. Definitely in my top 3 teachers.

9. Where did you go on your first ride on an airplane?
Boston, Massachusetts with my grandmother and cousin, Allyson in the summer between 4th and 5th grade.

10. When you snuck out of your house for the first time, who was with you?
I don't think I ever snuck out of my house....there was really no reason to! My parents pretty much let me do anything I wanted as long as it wasn't dangerous.

11. Who was your first best friend and are you still friends with them?
Elly Burnor. Haven't talked to her since high school. and Maggie Weaver...um yeah!

12. Where was your first sleep over?
Not a clue! Probably at the Weaver's house or Elly's.

13. Who was the first person you talked to this morning?
My mom

14. Whose wedding were you in the first time?
My aunt JoJo's wedding in elementary school sometime. I was so proud to be the flower girl!

15. What is the first thing you do in the morning?
Look at the time and curse the world. I am NOT a morning person.

16. What was the first concert you ever went to?
I think probably Al Denson when I was in 5th grade or so. There might have been one before that, I just don't really remember

17. First tattoo or piercing?
Ears pierced when I was 10. Thats about it.

18. First foreign country you went to?
Brazil my Sophomore year of college. That was when I first caught the travel bug!

19. First crush?
I think my first strong crush was a guy named Allyn Steele (yes, thats how he spelled his name) sometime in elementary school. He liked a girl named Jessie though, so it was VERY upsetting.

20. When was your first detention?
I never had detention. I got lunch detention one time in 6th grade where you couldn't go to the playground after eating and had to clean tables, but I don't remember what for.

21. What was the first state you lived in?
Texas

22. Who was your first kiss with?
I think my first peck kiss was in middle school in the church van but I don't remember who with (wow that sounds so wrong now). First real kiss was my first real boyfriend, Hoyt McMillan Freshman year of High School.

23. Who was the first person to break your heart?
Sean. That was the first guy that things ended badly with.

24. Do you still think about that person?
Not really. My first year of MBA I saw him on TCU campus...he was still in undergrad (he's two years older than me) and I was getting my Masters, so my malicious side was really happy. :)

That was probably more fun for me than for you, but oh well. Its fun to reminisce sometimes!

The thing I DID buy Trey (because it was really cheap....)

After all of the things I didn't buy Trey, I finally found something that fit my budget. At first Trey was really excited about it...

Then he realized there was better stuff that I didn't get him.... But finally decided that it was better than nothing....
Hope you enjoy it, Viking Trey!

P.S. Do you like the empty shelves of my new apartment in the background? Its kind of sad...

Brandon Kennedy

Brandon, do you still read this? If so, I have to say I saw your children last night at Altamesa's VBS and oh. my. goodness. They are entirely too cute to be yours. :)

They definitely did get the Kennedy lack of shyness though! I haven't seen the twins since they were infants and when I was talking to your dad, Madison walked right up to me, showed me her juice, and then insisted I hold her (that was a really tough thing to talk me into, ya know!). Dylan couldn't be outdone so he started talking to me about the show and showing me his shoes. SO CUTE! You've done well.

The Worst Feeling In The World:

Standing at baggage claim and all of a sudden realizing you are the only person left waiting for their luggage and there are no bags coming up the belt anymore. And then realizing that you're in Zurich and this is only your connecting flight....there is no way you're getting home with your stuff.

On another subject, have you ever been in a hotel where the shower is in the middle of the room and not in the bathroom? Well as of today, I have!

Also, I think this hotel might be owned by McDonalds. There is a McDonalds in the lobby and I think they're trying to send subliminal messages through the headboards.

Assuming everything goes well (which hasn't been my luck on the logistics side of things this trip), I will be home at 3:00pm tomorrow! Pray for a smooth and safe trip for me.

Things I Would Have Bought Trey (if I wasn't so cheap...)

Land of Vikings...any wonder that half the things I see make me say "That's something Trey needs"?

Here are a couple of things I would have bought Trey if I wasn't so cheap. :)

1. Viking Masks

2. Lots of little trolls
3. One GIANT troll (Thats right, this guy was for sale!)

Also, here is a picture of the variety show people that I said is Maggie's dream job. They performed again the second night of the conference. :)

Tonight is the Swedish Midsummer, the celebration of the Summer Solstice. It is apparently a bigger holiday here than Christmas is! The city is pretty much deserted because everyone goes out to the country for Midsommer, but there is a traditional festival going on at the Open Air Museum Skansen, so I think I'll head down there pretty soon.

Tomorrow evening I am leaving Stockholm. Its been fun, but I am definitely ready to be home!