A Difficult Post

This has been a very difficult post to put together. Two days ago I learned that my best friends' mother passed away. Beth Hodge was not just another sister in the ward growing up. She was another mother to me. Mike Hodge and I would spend the night at each others homes, camp together and generally hang out. Beth would truck us to and from seminary at 5:30 in the morning, get meals ready for our camping trips as scouts, purchase our badges and keep track of our paperwork at the scout office and she was even my bus driver during my first two years of high school. I had the opportunity to see her while I was in Austin a couple of weeks ago and talk about old times as well as tell her that I loved her. It was not a very long visit because it was getting late and I could tell that she was tired. She has suffered sever illnesses in the last few years and passed on due to those complications. She will always be a role model to me in her spirituality, service and of course will always be one of my "Other Mothers". She will be greatly missed but I am so happy that she is with her Heavenly Father and husband again.

Nanum Creek Cycling

After joining a team last year and having NO organization or communication with rides and events, Curtis Thacker and I thought we could do better. We are getting a cycling club together to ride and participate in local events this summer. Please go to our site and check it out. If you are interested in supporting us with a donation or would like to purchase a jersey or shorts please contact us.

nanumcreek.com

Trip to Austin

Every year I attend a conference for work and every year it is in a different place. this year I was able o go back to my hometown in Austin and see some of the things and people that I love most. Here are some of them.



This is my other family in Austin. Poppy and Stan Hodge. they are just like a brother and sister to me.



This is the O'Henry House. My uncle took me here when I was only about 7 or 8 years old and I rememnber that he wanted to buy me a book. I really didnt have any interest in the book at the time but since have come to love the stories taht O'Henry told so it was neat to go back again in a different mindset to experience it again.



The Driskill Hotel is a very fancy hotel built in the late 1800's. It was owned by Driskill who lost it in a card game... wouldn't it be interesting to know who held what cards when the last person called?



Some Stained Glass inside of the Hotel. Pretty amazing work!



This is probably one of the most historic and well known places in Texas. The Alamo! Contrary to popular belief there is no basement in the Alamo but there are thousands of ways to prepare corn, none of which I will tell you about right now. If you need some ideas, please contact Kaye, I seem to remember her having a large coffee table book about the delectable vegetable.



The Riverwalk. As always this is a very pretty place and a favorite place to visit.



How could I go to Texas and not see Bevo? For those that don't know who Bevo is the picture should explain it all.




Lance Armstrong, probably one of the greatest athletes to every compete, has a bike shop about 12 blocks from the hotel that I stayed in. Most of you know that I love cycling and to get the opportunity to go to this bike shop was really neat. Lance just finished 29th in the Tour Down Under in Australia and shipped his bike to the shop. I was lucky enough to get to see and touch it and take some pictures with it. The other bike is his team bike that he will be riding this year with team Astana. He will be using a combination of these bike as well as a few more during the season and hopefully in the 2009 Tour De France for an unprecedented 8th tour win!

The whole trip was great and I did learn some great things at the conference as well. Other than the pictures shown we went to the capitol building, Ironworks BBQ, 6th street to see some really interesting people, SOCO, my old house and a ton more. We were tired by the end and ready to come home but I was glad taht we made the effort to see all of the great things taht there are to see in Austin and Texas.