Bachelorette Finale, New President and More!

Well. this has been a pretty crazy week! Here's a little recap for you:

The Most Dramatic Season in Bachelorette History - if you don't care about the show, just skip this part! :)

First of all, I need to talk about my guilty pleasure - The Bachelorette. Well, I have been an avid fan for probably years now, but I am still always suprised how wrapped up I get in this crazy show. Let me state for the record that I do not think that the process on the show is in anyway natural. It is probably one of the worst ways to find someone to "spend the rest of your life with" as they always say, but it sure is entertaining. I have liked Jillian since she was on the show with Jason last season and am proud to say that the final three guys were all in my initial top 5 list from episode one (if you are curious, my picks were Jake, Ed, Kiptyn, Sascha and Reid). I just knew she was going to pick Ed and I'm so glad that she did. I had a lot of fun watching this season with my sister Lorin. In between every commercial break we were on the phone analyzing what just happened and of course we texted all during the show as well. When it came down to the last episode on Monday, Lorin was rooting for Kiptyn and secretly Reid while I just knew Jill was going to go with Ed. As I think about why in the world I like to watch this show, I think it boils down to the fact that I don't have drama in my life (thank goodness) and so I just love the drama on this show. One time this season I mentioned to Lorin that I know that they make this show for people like me because I just eat it up and Lorin said that we must be the same kind of person because she felt the exact same way. Between the drama with the wannabe country singer Wes, Ed leaving and coming back, Jake's big return to be the noble guy, and Reid's suprise proposal in the end, I think that it would be accurate to quote Chris Harrison and say this was by far "the most dramatic season in Bachelorette history."

New Neighbor

I found out on Tuesday that I'm getting a new neighbor. Dr. Bill Ellis (from HSU) has been named the next president at HPU and therefore my new nextdoor neighbor. I was able to meet Dr. and Dr. Ellis (his wife is a prof at McMurry) and they seem like really sweet people. I am looking forward to working with them and to the good things God has in store for HPU under his able leadership. Naming a new president sure makes for a busy day in the media office! My phone was ringing off the hook and I was busy all afternoon updating as many different places as I could. Between all of my media contacts, updating the HPU and alumni webpages, facebook and twitter, it was a whirlwind!

Renewed love for Dee Henderson

When I haven't been working, I've been reading this week. I have a renewed love for Dee Henderson books. My grandmother gave me her copy of "True Devotion" a couple of weeks ago and so I picked it up on Saturday and just couldn't put it down. So, on Sunday, after church I went to the library and picked up the two other books in that series that I hadn't read yet and Danger in the Shadows. Well, here it is on Thursday and I just have a few pages of Danger left, the other two I have already finished. I like Dee's book so much because she develops a really great plot with lots of action and twists and turns, all the while weaving romance and Christianity throughout. She writes about really believable Christian characters who find hope, peace, and comfort in the Lord in the midst of big trials and troubles. The series I just finished also focused on the armed services and had characters that were Navy SEALS, Parajumpers and other service men and women. The books really gave me a new appreciation for all of the men and women that put their lives on the line everyday for the freedoms that we so often take for granted in America. It was neat to read about soliders who were also Christians, and the hope and security they found in our Heavenly Father. I'll probably be back in the library again on Sunday checking out the O'Malley series - which I love! So, here's two thumbs up and five stars for Dee Henderson! If you haven't read her, I highly recommend it!

Ben III

On Tuesday, my cousin Sarah and her husband BJ welcomed sweet little Ben David Brooks, III into the world. He weighed 8 lbs and was 20 inches long and from the pictures I've seen, is adorable! I can't wait to meet him in person! Sarah and I are only 5 months apart and have spent all of our significant holidays together for our whole lives. I can't believe she's a mommy now, but I know she'll be great! Babies are such a precious blessing from the Lord, Ben was actually one of three babies that I know of that were born on Tuesday - what a special day!

Travel update: I think my next destination is going to be Milwaukee, probably Labor day weekend. It has already been a year since I've been there and I really miss my friends! It's time for me to go and visit again and catch up on everyone's lives!

Tyler's 3rd Birthday!

Today is my buddy Tyler's third birthday! I went to his "Cars" party yesterday and had a lot of fun helping him celebrate. The climax of the party was when Mater came to visit. If you aren't up on your cars characters - Mater is the old rusty tow truck that is friends with Lightening McQueen. Well, believe it or not, Mater actually lives in Brownwood and was able to stop by and help celebrate big day.

Tyler is the son of Jeff and Kristy Mitchell. Kristy and I work together in the alumni office and I have had the privilege of knowing Tyler since the day he was born! We have lots of fun playing cars, trains, puzzles and running in circles around his living room. I love the Mitchell family and was very blessed to be a part of this special day in Tyler's life!

We're Not in Kansas Anymore

Last week I went to Kansas City with two of my co-workers, Kristy and Yvonne, to attend a website conference. We were there from Monday through Thursday and had a really great time! Our hotel was right across the river from a really fun shopping area called Country Club Plaza. Apparently Kansas City is the known as the city of fountains and we definitely saw quite a few! In between sessions we were able to do a lot of fun things in the city.

One night Kirsty and I went to the Starlight Theatre, which is one of only 3 outdoor theaters left in the US, and saw the musical "Anything Goes." I love musicals, and so I really enjoyed it! We went on Tuesday night and Kristy and I had both assumed the whole time that we had been in Kansas, so I asked our cab driver how far away Missourri was. He said we were in Missourri, so I said, oh, but our hotel was in Kansas, right? And he said no. Apparently our entire trip we had been in Missourri. It was such a weird feeling to have thought I was in one state for two full days and I was really in another. I know it doesn't make that much of a difference, but it was still a really crazy thing!

The next day we all took our lunch break to go to the Nelson-Atkins Art Museum. I saw some Monets, some Egyptian art, and I found my knight in shining armor! Who knew he was in KC?

All in all it was a really fun trip! I learned a lot of great things about our website and way to improve our usage of it, which I know will be beneficial at work, plus I had a lot of fun too! Kansas City is a really beautiful place and I would highly recommend visiting it!

On an unrelated note, one year ago today I was boarding a plane with my friend Danielle headed to Vienna, Austria. We had such an amazing time visiting Vienna, Prague, Salzburg, Innsbruck and Budapest. We met up with our best friends Cassie and Lauren who were studying there for the summer and I can't believe it's already been a year since we went! I was definitely one of the best trips I've ever been on! Here's a picture from our European adventure!

Danielle and I in Salzburg during our "Sound of Music" tour - so fun and BEAUTIFUL!

The Lowrie's Take on Disney World

The last few weeks have been really busy for me! My family (minus our new addition, Phil, who is in medical school and couldn't get away) took a trip to Orlando to celebrate my sister Jamie's high school graduation and spend some time with our grandparents. This was actually our third time to go as a family to Disney World and we had a blast! I decided to drive down to Galveston before we left so that Lorin and I could fly to Orlando together and so I could see the Scott's new apartment. We went to the beach that night and had a lot of fun! Their apt. is really cute - Lor has done a great job decorating! Here's a pic of the happy newly-weds and their home:

We got to Orlando on the fourth of July and met my grandparents, who were already there. Then Mom, Dad, Jamie and Madie flew in later that day. One of Madie's friends was actually able to get our family all free four-day passes to the Disney parks, so that is where we spent the majority of our time. We went to the Magic Kingdom the first day we were there. Jamie and Madie really didn't remember much about this park, besides Cinderella's castle, so it was fun to take them around and tell them all our stories from before.

On Monday my sisters and I spent the day at Universal Studio's Islands of Adventure. This was such a fun day! We rode really great rides all day and just had a lot of fun being together! One of the best rides there is called Spiderman. It is a 3D ride where you follow Spiderman around as he defeats villians. It's really interactive with water, heat and other special effects which make you feel like you are right there. We rode it twice, a sure sign that we all loved it. The next day we were excited about going to Hollywood Studios, which was MGM last time we were there, because there were some fun shows and good rides. We enjoyed seeing The Little Mermaid and Beauty and the Beast come alive, and of course we all sang along! My sisters and I also really enjoyed Tower of Terror! The day we spent here it rained a lot, but we still had a good time. We ended the day at Epcot with my grandparents and Uncle Woody where we saw a great fireworks show! This day was also when my dad said one of our favorite quotes from the week. He really wanted to go in the big ball at Epcot and ride the ride inside. Well, we had already done that and we all had "pruny toes" from spending the whole day getting drenched and weren't really up for it, so we told him no. Then he went to talk to his mom, who said she would be glad to take him, and so he quickly returned to our table and proceeded to tell us "My mom will take me!" We all died laughing! It was so funny for our dad, who will be 50 later this year, to tell us that his mom was going to take him on a ride since we wouldn't. Haha, I love my dad!

My favorite day of the trip was when we went to the newest Disney Park, Animal Kingdom. I wasn't really expecting a lot, but it was such an amazing place! We started off the day having lunch at the Rainforest Cafe, which is always fun. Then we went to see the Lion King Live - which was in a word, AWESOME! I love musicals to begin with and the Lion King is a classic, but I had no idea how amazing this would be. It is very high energy and has amazing special effects! There are acrobats, fire-eaters, people that fly through the air, not to mention the awesome singers and dancers. My dad said I turned into a 5-year old while I was watching it, but I just couldn't get enough! Then we went on an african safari, rode a great roller coaster in the rain, and saw Finding Nemo the Musical which was also spectacular! The costumes in this show were awesome and it was so neat to see how they made the fish come alive. All around - this was a great place!

Ok, this is getting pretty long, so I will try to wrap things up. The next day we went to Cocoa Beach and I think this was the first time for us to swim in the Atlantic Ocean. Boy was it salty! :) We had a great day as a family - chasing waves and laughing together. More than anything during this week, I relished spending time with my family. For the last few years we have been blessed to just be in two locations - Lorin and I in Brownwood and everyone else in Canyon. This year we are dividing into 4 locations and it is going to get increasingly harder to all get together. Lorin is now in Galveston with Phil, Jamie is starting her freshman year at DBU in Dallas, I'm here in Brownwood and Mom, Dad and Madie are holding up the fort in Canyon. Even though we are all still in the same state, we are all pretty far away from one another. I love my family so much and this week was a such a blessing to spend quality time together. My sisters have grown into amazing people and I am so proud of each of them! I look forward to the next time we are all together - hopefully it will be sooner than we all realize!

New adventure

Schonnbrunn Palace, Vienna, Summer 2008

Ok friends - this is my first attempt at blogging, so bare with me! I have often contemplated whether or not to blog mainly due to the fact that I do not think I have enough interesting things happening in my life to share with others. I'm not married and I don't have kids and sometimes I feel like without someone else to talk about, there is not much left. But then I remembered - I have my travels!

During this time in my life while I am single and unattached and living in the big spralling metropolis of Brownwood, TX, God has blessed me with the ability to see the world. And I have loved every minute of it! It is truly amazing all of the places I have been able to see in the 5 years since I started using my passport - Paris, London, Rome, Venice, Florence, Prague, Vienna, Budapest, Salzburg, Hong Kong, and Cozumel - and those are just the foreign cities.

This brings us to the title of my blog: Tales of Wanderlust

wanderlust–noun; a strong, innate desire to rove or travel about.

I feel like this kind of defines me right now. Read this if you want, of course you don't have to! I'll try to be pretty consistent, but we'll see how this goes. You also will probably be privy to some random thoughts and stories just about me along the way. I hope you enjoy! I'm looking forward to this new adventure!

Florence, Italy, March 2007