Roddick-ulous!

He's in the middle...behind the bearded man...yes, it's him: Andy Roddick. He's the tennis pro whose picture was plastered on my locker door in high school...the guy who I picked to be my future husband when playing MASH in between volleyball matches. Silly, I know, but I was a little starstruck when I saw Andy working out on the same track as my running group. Of course, I was giddy as a schoolgirl. The leader of the pack--er, running group--Paul, knows Andy from a committee they serve on together. We were introduced, shook hands (death-grip handshake), exchanged a few words and took this pic.

Typically, I don't go ga-ga over celebs...but, I must say, for living in a city in the middle of Texas, I've seen my fair share. Other sightings include mingling with Luke Wilson and Bachelor Brad (does he count?) at local bars and walking past Bachelor cast-off Jeremy from Dallas on Sixth Street. Is Austin a haven for celeb rejects or what?

Is there a volleyball tournament in town?

I'll admit, at 23 years old, I don't go out on the town as much as I suppose I should living in this single-friendly city. But, a new friend from running group and I decided we had to seize the day as we're both 6 feet tall and love wearing heels. Some of the lines we heard on our nights out were just unbelievable. I've never been asked if I was a volleyball player more times in my whole life. I ended up telling one fella that yes, in fact, there was a volleyball tournament in town...that we were on the pro tour...and yes, we will be going to the Olympics. Adrienne swam in college...so we kind of clicked on that level mere moments after we met. She also has so many nuances that remind me of my old roommates, the swimmers.

That's Ashley in the middle...my friend from Wazzu who just moved to Austin to work at UT...and Adrienne's on the right...my fellow giant. :)

Keep Austin Weird

Keep Austin Weird is a motto the city lives and thrives by. The mission is to support local businesses, but the concept spirals into much more than that. Austin is a special gem in the middle of a giant state. It's the Crown Jewel of Texas, in my opinion. It's diverse, unique and well...just great. I gush about this city in other posts, so I'll keep this to one to the point.

The Keep Austin Weird 5K is a run in which people dress up in costumes and partake in games and other random enjoyment, food and fun along the race route. A group of friends and I dressed as Dr. Seuss characters and not only had the most entertaining jog through the city, but we won the costume contest and fancied ourselves local celebrities for the day. A concert featuring What Made Milwaukee Famous and Alejandro Escavedo followed the run, and our group was introduced by Amy of Amy's Ice Creams as the award winning group. The gang was even featured live on the news. It was truly one of the best days in Austin to date. I couldn't stop laughing and smiling. The Seuss group!
My co-worker and good friend, JJ. My buddy Chris.
The gang post-race, post-15 minutes of fame on the nightly news.