A reverse-chronological look at some of my larger life adventures

October 2008 – I bought my grand piano! This is my BABY (even though it’s actually a full grand, sitting at 5’9″). It is a gorgeous black Bergmann, and it sounds amazing. I play it almost every day. My latest adventure has been to learn the “Wizards in Winter” by Trans-Siberian Orchestra.

August 2008 – Trip to San Francisco with my family. Damon and I go on a hot air balloon ride and a tour of Napa Valley wineries.

March 2008 – my Great Grandma Neely turns 100 years old. She is an amazing example of having lived life to it’s fullest.

August 2007 – Present – We decided to remodel our house by removing a wall and completely revamping the entire kitchen. Check out the pictures. It’s amazing. This is one happy cook!!

August 2006 – I leave my job as the Coordinator of Special Programs at UT Dallas to work as a high school math teacher and coach. The coaching only lasted two years. Now I just teach.

August 2005 – Damon published his book. Hooray!!

 

August 2005 – I went skydiving for my birthday. It was amazing. There is not a big rock in your stomach like you’d expect. I actually read that you only sense the acceleration for just over a second before the upward air drag causes you to reach your “terminal velocity” so there is no more acceleration. That means that you don’t feel the “rush” of falling but for a second. After that, it just feels like you’re floating in the wind (with the ground quickly approaching). It was actually a very peaceful experience to me.

 

January 2005 – I went to Aruba for a business trip – greatest ever! I was there with my boss (Dr. Goodman) to take notes at all of the meetings and photograph the events. It was an amazing trip and was very relaxing.

 

March 2004 – Damon and I buy our first dog, Cloe. She is a black lab mix that we got from the McKinney SPCA. She is the most wonderful dog in the world. She was already potty trained, and is very intelligent. We have taught her a wide assortment of tricks. Maybe one day I’ll videotape and post them.

 

July 2003 – Damon and I go to New York to visit Jenni and Lucas. Lucas was attending the Culinary Institute of America there. He is an amazing chef and now is the hospitality director at the Hyatt (the ball) in downtown Dallas.

March 2003 – Damon and I bought our first house. It’s a great 3 bedroom, 2 bath, 2 living area home, and there is a pool in the backyard! Such a relief during the scalding Texas summer heat!

 

November 2002 – my parents move into their almost-complete home that my dad built completely on his own. It is an amazing home that is approximately 3,500 square feet, and fits the whole family when we come home for holidays.

 

August 2002 – I graduate from UT Dallas with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration/Management of Information Systems and a minor in Vocal Music Performance. Damon and I had the same major. We both worked at a company called Credera for a few years. I eventually went on to work at UT Dallas, and Damon later switched to a different company also. He is still a computer programmer (an amazing one at that!).

September 11, 2001 – A friend wakes us up and tells us that a plane has flown into the World Trade Center tower in New York. We are watching the TV when the second plane flies into the second tower. A trying day for America. This is also my sister’s birthday.

July 2001 – Damon and I get married!! Honeymoon in Playa del Carmen, Mexico. It was an adventure for sure!!

February 1999 – Damon and I go on our first date to Herrerra’s Mexican Food restaurant. We still go there about 2 times a week. Hot food, hot guy!!

August 1998 – I begin college at the University of Texas at Dallas. I started as a Computer Science major. I think I switched to Physics then Music, then Business Administration. Luckily, I still made it through in only four years.

May 1998 – High School graduation from Greenville Christian School. I was a do-it-all in high school. Sports and church events occupied the majority of my time. I have a multitude of amazing friends from high school that are still in my life.

Summer 1996 – Spend the summer in the jungles of Papua New Guinea on a mission trip with Teen Missions, International. It was an amazing experience where I learned a lot about myself, other people, and what God had in store for my life. I just recently found my slides and plan to hopefully get them scanned in to the computer soon.

Elementary school – I was a pretty average kid when I was younger. I loved math – it was my favorite subject in school. I also loved PE, though I was not very good at a lot of the games because I was never allowed to participate in city league sports as a child. I never played organized sports until junior high.

2nd grade – my parents bought a 3 acre plot of land out in the country and we moved a trailer home out there. We lived there for years until we built our own house. Both homes are still there, and now we’re even working on a third home where my grandparents will live.

1st grade – my family moved from Houston to Greenville, TX. Welcome to making new friends. A hard thing for a shy kid.

August 20, 1980 – I was born in Houston, TX. Rumor has it that I broke the hospital record coming out breech and weighing in at 11 lbs. 3 oz. and 22″ long. No c-section…my mom is a beast!! She says that she always had to dress me in cute dresses and bonnets so people would know I was a girl. Chubby baby!