Monday, December 28, 2009

South Texas Foot Clinic

I had never been to South Texas Foot clinic before.

I had an appointment today. When I first called to make the appointment, I was surprised at how friendly the office staff were on the phone. That is unusual in health care these days! And today at the actual appointment, everyone was very nice and helpful. All three of the front desk girls, the nurse and the doctor were all very friendly! I made sure to tell them so. This is one health care reform...

That I'd like to see.

Houston Job Fair

I've never been to the Houston Job Fair.

You can register online for the Jan. 18, 2010 Houston Job Fair. If you are tired of trudging all over town to do your sales job search, maybe you can attend the job fair and meet the companies who are hiring face to face! The job fair will be held at the Hilton Houston, Hobby Airport from 11am-2pm. Registering your resume online gives you free access to the company list and by adding your resume you get your name in front of the companies attending! If you can't make the job fair in January, there is one nearly every month of the upcoming year!

That I'd like to see.

Sunday, December 20, 2009

Olympic distance triathlon

I've never been to an Olympic distance triathlon.


My husband signed himself and me both up for an Olympic distance triathlon next April. The distances are .93 mile swim, 25 mile bike ride, and 6 mile run. At one point not too many months ago I would have said I was almost ready for such a race. (Mind you, I am not racing, but for lack of a better term…) But now trying to recover from plantar fasciitis, I just don’t know. I can do a mile swim, though I’ve only done so in a pool (yes, this swim is in the bay again!) I was working up to the bike ride and know that I could do the 25 mile, though pretty slowly. I had done pretty good on the running until my injury. So if all else fails, I can do a run/walk come April. I may be slow but I intend to finish!!


That I'd like to see.

identity theft protection

I've never been to purchase identity theft protection.

In thinking about travel, both domestically and internationally, it might not be a bad idea. I have a friend who had items stolen from a hotel in Texas. It can cause a really bad scenario to have your identity stolen. Having protection can bring a peace of mind any time you travel.



That I'd like to see.

expedite a passport

I've never been to expedite a passport.

I just found out that we will be traveling overseas in about 6 weeks. Thankfully I pulled out my passport for the number to book airline tickets. That is when I noticed it expires in four months. This is not really enough time left on it to travel overseas. I will be going in the morning to have it renewed. I am not sure yet whether it is worth it to have it expedited or not. My friend told me per the passport office that non-expedited passports are taking four weeks while expedited ones take three! To me that does not make it worth the extra money. I just want to make sure it's here in time!

That I'd like to see.

Friday, December 11, 2009

NCAA volleyball tournamentNCAA volleyball tournament

I've never been to a NCAA volleyball tournament.

My daughter came across tickets this week to the tournament in Omaha, NE. The tournament starts Friday Dec. 12 with practices on Thursday and Friday. The practices on Thurs. are open to the public. Friday's practices are closed. The first game is Friday evening and the last game is Saturday night. The gals are the best in their regions (I'm sure they don't need any fat burners!) and the winners of this tournament move on to next weekend's finals in Tampa, FL. Unfortunately, it did not work out for us to drive the 15 hours to Omaha. But I am hoping next year that we can make it to one of the NCAA volleyball tournaments.

That I'd like to see.

redeem frequent flyer miles

I've never been to redeem frequent flyer miles.

I looked into it last night. After talking with a friend, I thought that we might have some points saved up and we do! I looked into booking a flight for today. I could do it but would have to pay $150 since it was within three days of departure. If you book 4-7 before departure then it costs $100. Booking 8-20 days out costs $75. But if you book at least 21 days out then you can use your points without having to spend the extra cash. I also found out that these points will expire in 2011. This is something I had not thought of since I had never tried to redeem points before. So in the future, I am going to try to plan a trip at least 21 days from departure and use my frequent flyer miles!

That I'd like to see.

Monday, December 7, 2009

The Chronicles of Narnia Exhibit

I had never been to The Chronicles of Narnia Exhibit.

Though I have long wished of getting into Narnia! The exhibit is as close as I've been able to come. Last Monday we began our journey at the attic. First you see a small collection of some of C.S. Lewis' books and things. Then, the doors to the attic open. You find yourself in a small room with stained glass. You can hear the thunderstorm and see the rain dripping down the panes. And of course in front of you is the Wardrobe. As the doors to the wardrobe swung open I began tearing up...

I loved walking through the wardrobe doors between the fur coats (though in my imagination it would have been a bit different.) Seeing the lamppost with the snow falling down was the epitome of stepping into Narnia. Though I never saw a funny little creature with a red scarf carrying an umbrella and packages....

The exhibit is mostly filled with things from the movie. It is interesting and I enjoyed seeing the items like the White Witch's robe and ice crowns. The cold throne was fun for the kids. I enjoyed learning how Lewis had read Einstein's ideas to weave the passing of time throughout his stories. The kids got to see a catapult demonstration and find out how heavy armor might have been. I enjoyed walking under the swords of the centaurs up to the throne. There were some fun things to see. It was definitely worth the group price of $5 per person. As for the regular price of $25 per person, I think it is a bit steep for the collection (or any exhibit for that matter!) It is a fun exhibit for any Narnia enthusiast to view.

That I'd like to see.

tutor

I've never been a tutor before.

Now, I am helping a young girl with some math concepts that she has been struggling with. I am no great mathematician. In fact, if you ever told me that I would be tutoring math, I would have laughed! The real reason I am doing it though is because I have some good hands-on curriculum that I use. I particularly like it because it has color coded math tiles or blocks. The girl I am helping seems to like the blocks too. It helps to see it visually and to get your hands on it. I am hoping this will give her the confidence and understanding she needs.

That I'd like to see.

Wednesday, December 2, 2009

Forgotten Gateway

I've never been to the Forgotten Gateway exhibit.

This exhibit is all about the immigration that came through Galveston, TX earlier in the last century. It was an important immigration entry even before Ellis Island. The exhibit explores the impact immigration had on the South and Western parts of the US. It is located at Moody Gardens in Galveston through September 2010.

That I'd like to see.

Black Friday Sale

I've never been to a Black Friday sale.

My mother-in-law went twice and said she'd never do it again. It was a bad bad experience both times. As for me, the crowds and craziness are not worth it. There were no deals that I saw good enough to stay up all night or go shopping at 4 am. They would have to be some incredibly dirt cheap never heard of before prices to get me up and out in that mess!


That I'd like to see.