Yes, there are Kangaroos in Texas!

Kangaroos in Texas!?! Whatever do you mean? Yes, you can find tons of kangaroos in the Texoma area. It's a bit of a drive from Houston, but with a good playlist on your iPhone, a Route 44 Cherry Limeade from Sonic, and about 4 hours to kill, you can find these kangaroos in Sherman, Texas at Austin College.

(Disclaimer: We have been mistaken for other institutions for higher education in Texas like Austin Community College in Austin and Stephen F. Austin University in Nacogdoches. Just like the city and the university, our school was named after the legendary Texas hero Stephen F. Austin. When you are awesome tons of things will be named after you, that's just human nature. And, no, the "real" Austin College is not the University of Texas. Austin College is a 150 year old, small, private liberal arts college in Sherman, TX. And, no, a private liberal arts college is not a youth camp for aspiring liberals. Austin College Kangaroos is a peaceful and collaborative community representing a variety of political leanings, social causes, etc. I digress.)

1. How do I find a kangaroo? That's easy. Drive to Sherman, TX.
If you drive up 45/75 North, drive past the inner loop of Houston (I know that some of you will have to brace yourselves. There is no passport required.) , drive past Anthropologie in The Woodlands, drive past the statue of Sam Houston, grab a good slice of pie at Sam's in Fairfield, and keep driving. You will see the Dallas skyline. If you have a companion who has never been to Sherman, they will get their hopes up and think you are in Sherman. Tell them to patient. 45 North turns into 75 . Drive past Chanel and Hermes. Go to the bathroom and eat an ice cream cone at a classy joint like Braum's or DQ in Plano. And, keep driving. The road gets narrower and you will be entering Grayson County eventually. It gets simpler and more laid back. You'll see the signs for Sherman. Hooray! Take any of the exits and get to Grand Avenue. And, give yourself a pat on the back because you made it.

2. Why would anyone go to school here?
Why wouldn't you go to school here?!? Austin College is a beautiful place. And, I agree with Loren Pope, this is a place that changes lives. If I had a son or a daughter or ever adopted, I would without reservation send them here. Austin College and Sherman is not everyone's cup of tea. Essentially,if you know someone who wants to be an agent of change and enact positive change, this school can be the launching pad for any young, talented, creative, inquisitive person.

3. You honestly think this school changes lives? (rolling your eyes in sarcasm and doubt and pessimism) Yes, I honestly think my experience at this school did. Ask anyone I went to high school with and have a conversation with me now. There is a significant transformation. And, I know there are people vomiting and rolling their eyes. Those are the critics and the skeptics. But yes, looking back right now as a young woman, my Austin College experience did change me - and hopefully change me for the good.

4. How did this school change your life? Austin College is a dream facilitator. Austin College Kangaroos are taught at a very young age to learn about yourself and follow your passion. There were so many amazing professors who knew me by my name, knew if I didn't show up to class, and knew to call me if I was not feeling well, homesick, or having a tough time. My C/I mentor Jane White would lovingly call me during my first semester at AC and ask me if I was doing okay, and she would host us in her home with a big pot of chili and brownies. I was a very intellectually shy person in the classroom coming from a large high school in the suburbs of Houston. I wanted to stay in the crowd and not stand out.

5. When you say small, how small is Austin College?
At Austin College, you can't hide. Back in the mid 90s, this school had 1200 students. It was half the size of my high school. You can't disappear magically when your upper level English class has four people in it or when you have to explain to Dr. Imhoff why you spilled hydrochloric acid on your lab bench or when you try to sneak out of a required Heritage film viewing when you rather watch the movie "Friday" for the hundredth time in your friend's dorm room.

Dr. Roger Platizky will ask you a question about the assignment if you do not speak up. Dr. Light Cummins will try and wake you up when he is trying to lecture on the Civil War. Conductor Daniel Dominick will run into you and boldly ask you to be the solo bass clarinetist for the Sherman Symphony when you want to pretend you're not a music geek. Dr. Jim Gray will tell you that you earned a B on your paper and ask you when will you give up your dream of becoming a doctor and be a writer.

If your mom is in the hospital, you had a fight with your friend or you leave your wallet in a classroom, people will know about it and want to help you and talk to you. Lovingly screaming at you across the quad saying, "Nicole! Nicole! I found your wallet... again." The janitor will see you walking by yourself in the rain and will want to loan you his umbrella and tell you about his kid's football game. There are generous people everywhere in the Austin College and Sherman community. It was because a group of kind strangers at a church in Bellaire that helped me make a big decision. The church gave me some scholarship money to attend this school. This made the difficult decision to turn down a full music scholarship from a fancy school in Houston much easier for me and my family.

6. What is Austin College like?
This is a place for creative, optimistic, and generous people. This is NOT a school for people who do not speak up in class, slackers, or the faint-hearted who want to coast. Eventually people will know you - your true authentic self/ the good and bad stuff. People will want to encourage you to continue being your true self even when you don't even know what that really means. This is a school where people will teach you how to think in so many different ways. You will take so many random classes - html coding, logic and computer programming, Mozart, philosophy class, weight lifting, biochemistry, writing, ornithology, Elizabethan British literature, and painting. Students who are passionate about learning, having a lot of fun, being quirky, and wanting to serve others will blossom here and anywhere they end up after spending four years in Sherman.

7. What is the Service Station? And why is it so awesome?
The Service Station is the school's clearinghouse for volunteer opportunities. The organization connects the Austin College community to the greater needs of the community at large. They organize the Great Day of Service and Alternative Spring Break. When I was asked to serve as the Chairman of the Service Station Board, it was with the encouragement of Kristin Troegle '99 and Service Station adviser Jeanie Graber. I was the perpetual procrastinator who turned in her Service Station application late, and somehow a year later they wanted me to be the chair. I was called to be a servant leader at a very young age. I didn't event want to be a leader or even know how to be a leader. I just had a passion to serve others. It was ingrained in me from church, family, and even Girl Scouts. Simply said, I wanted to serve others. So, I agreed to be the chair, and just pretended I knew what I was doing. (shhh! don't tell anyone.)

Through my volunteer work the Service Station, I have met so many fascinating people, fellow students who wanted to help others, a nun who taught me social justice, orphans in New Orleans who have never seen a Filipino before, an Americorps volunteer who taught me how to put a roof on a Habitat house, and a very brief conversation with General Colin Powell. And while I was able to serve and meet so many people, my experience as a chair for the Service Station ironically ended up serving me and teaching me skills.

I learned how to lead with vulnerability, authenticity, and compassion. I still use a lot of these skills today as a nonprofit management professional many years later at places I have worked along the way -- small businesses, hospitals and schools.

I'm in my thirties now, but I will always be thankful for the opportunity I had at Austin College. There are countless experiences I shared with so many friends (Lori, Lily, Jill, Sarah, Sandy, Yinka, and Sunny to name just a few), professors, and people I met in the Sherman community. I am who I am because of what Austin College did for me and for what Austin College will continue to do for me. While we are a small community in a place nobody has ever heard of, I will always be proud and grateful to be an Austin College Kangaroo.

What Are You Thankful for This October?

One of my favorite things to do is sip a $5 sangria at The Grove. After eating some tasty proscuitto, bread and fresh figs with some friends, our waiter told me that the best thing in life is having gratitude. I have to concur with him (and with Oprah) and agree that being thankful is the best cure for burnout, stress, depression, or just a really crappy day. It shifts your thinking from IMPOSSIBLE to I'M POSSIBLE. And, helps you be present in the moment which is probably the secret to having a beautiful life.

May you find something or someone to be thankful for this October.

1. I am thankful for weekend trips, time to think, and Jacob.

2. I am thankful for cheese plates and friends.

3. I am thankful for my Filipino heritage and the foresight to change shirts before I went to vegetarian cooking class.

4. I am thankful for goofy friends like Thuan and polite friends like Ayite.

5. I am thankful that I have a boyfriend who cooks pancakes on the weekends.

6. I am thankful for the A Team (aka my colleagues on the Alumni Affairs team: Roque, LaCresha, Sean, Grace, Lisa, Jennifer, Rose, Veronica and Lauren) for providing me a place to grow professionally and personally, to try out big and bold and avant garde ideas, plan amazing events all over the country, to meet brilliant and quirky people inside and outside the hedges, and to pursue my artistic dreams. You are some of the strongest and bravest people I know.

7. I am thankful for cooler weather and my hipstamatic iPhone ap.

8. I am thankful for gnomes.

9. I am thankful for being able to take art class, creativity, and modge podge.

10. I am thankful for fun and lazy days.

The List of 100 Dreams: Part One

::100 Dreams (Series One #1-25)::

What are your dreams? What are the things you wish for yourself? Where would you really place your time each day if you chose to truly be happy?

After undergoing a year of treatment for a serious illness and reading Laura Vanderkam's 168 Hours, I've been personally challenged over the last year to really think about what I dream about. What in my lifetime would make me truly joyful? If each day is a real gift, am I really living a joyful, challenging, and adventurous life?

In Vanderkam's book, she asks her readers, "What would you like to be doing with your 168 hours?...list as many activities as possible that you'd like to try or accomplish during your life. Cross off the ones you've done, and note how they made you feel." So, here are the first 25 dreams of mine in no particular order. I couldn't cross off the ones I've done. So, I've highlighted them in orange. Ooohhh la...la...


1. Run a half marathon. (Done - FOUR TIMES in Houston during 2003, 2008, 2009 and San Antonio during 2009. There is something absolutely amazing about being able to run 13.1 miles. Loved it!)
2. Finish high school. (Done - 1995 Finish high school, kiddos. Knowledge is half the battle. Being a Pearland Oiler is a unique experience: lived on a 5 acre lot, went to school with some very authentic, funny, and smart people. )

3. Graduate from college. (Done - 1999 Just like being a Pearland Oiler is an experience. Being an Austin College Kangaroo was a very meaningful and significant part of life. I went to school with some of the most fascinating, quirky, and eccentric people. My classmates and professors were also very humble and helpful. My mentors really encouraged me to speak up more, lead more, and serve others more. It was a great place for me to grow, mature, and learn.)


4. Pay off my car loan. (Done - 2010 The best car is a car that runs and has NO car note. I celebrated paying off my loan by throwing a champagne and fried chicken party at Alice's Tall Texan. It was one of my favorite parties: good friends, good Popeye's fried chicken and Veuve Cliquot, and no more car note!)

5. $5000 socked away in an F.U. fund. - in progress

6. Pay of student loans and any other lingering debt. - in progress

7. Six months living expenses saved. - in progress


8. Place of my own. - marinating (Where the heck would I want to live though? I am not really sure. I have the feeling that it's time for me to leave Houston, probably even Texas for sure.)

9. Buy nice mid-century modern furniture. - marinating

10. Finish a triathlon. (Done - THREE TIMES in Sugar Land during 2008, in Pearland during 2009, in Baytown during 2009, and in Pearland during 2011)

11. Travel the U.S. (Done- plenty of times pretty extensively My first trip to the U.S. was Chicago when I was an infant in 1977 and my most recent trips were New York/ Montreal in July 2011 and Austin twice in August and September 2011. Since becoming an American citizen 13 years ago, it's been really interesting to explore so many various parts of the US. I've especially liked Alaska, Hawaii, Bay Area, New York, DC, Chicago, and Miami.)

12. Live in another city besides in Texas or Houston. (ugh! oh lordy! I need to get outta here!)

13. Visit Europe. (Done - Florence, Sienna, and other beautiful Tuscan places. London, Cookham, Paris, Barcelona, Majorca, and Amsterdam. I like traveling. Being able to wander around on foot, bus, metro and seeing how beautiful everyday life is is fascinating to me. My great grandfather is from Peralta, Spain and he moved to the Philippines and started a family. And, I'm also Quebecoise. So, tracing the random European influences in my past, present and future is very edu-taining. *That's educational and entertaining if you don't know that word)

14. Finish a master's degree. - marinating on this big time (Where is the time? Where is the cash money? Sigh!)

15. Pay for my master's degree. - marinating on this big time, too


16. Learn and practice French. - (Done and in progress) I was born in Montreal. So I grew up for 5-6 years hearing the language during my formative years. Took French in high school for 4 years, and I've taken 16.5 hours of French class at L'Alliance Francaise. I've practiced Pimsleur's French I, and I've practiced my French in Montreal twice and Paris once. I also have plans to visit Togo at the end of the year.)

17. Visit the Philippines, and start to understand my heritage. (Done - This was a trip of a lifetime. This country is amazingly beautiful, and I've never met so many humble, cheerful, and happy people before in my life. I finally started to understand who my parents were, what my culture is about, and why I am so uniquely different.)

18. Use my creativity to help others - my art, yoga, self reflection, and spirituality. (Done and in progress - Dabbled in leading yoga with friends and other women in the past. Planned out two stress-free Fridays at my job. Taught an art journaling class in August. I have dreams of creating a women's retreat, leading classes, and book discussions. I'm also thinking about doing volunteer work in the arts.)

19. Practice yoga. (Done and in progress - Since 1999, I've been practicing yoga. I love to visit yoga studios when I travel. I've practiced yoga in Montreal (bi-lingual yoga, yo!), yoga with the sun rising over The City in DUMBO, Tranquil Space in Dupont Circle, in Chicago off of Halston street, in East London at Fraye and in Battersea Park, in Atlanta in a shopping strip with an indie film center and Trader Joe's, poolside at the Hotel San Jose in Austin, Be Yoga next to Lady Bird Lake in Austin, all over Houston at Joy Yoga, Lululemon, Rice, Yoga Ananda, YogaOne, and even on the lawn at the MFAH. Yoga has changed my life on and off the mat.)



20. Visit the beach. (Done and in progress - I've been to the beaches of Hawaii, Philippines, Majorca, Florida, California. And, I plan to visit the beach in Africa.)



21. Live near water/ place with a city and natural excursions. - marinating (You can count living in Montreal since St. Lawrence is nearby.)

22. Return to my birthplace, and see if it jogs my memory. - Done (Thanks to my lovely boyfriend Jacob. He took me there in May 2010. And, I returned this past summer of 2011. I miss Montreal -- le sigh)

23. Get better at rock climbing. - marinating (hmmm... I've improved in TAC class and in my upper body strength. It might be time to try it out again. ROPE has excursions this fall. I am now the queen of military push-ups and I can do one legged push-ups too. Those are super fun.)


24. Weigh between 130 and 135 pounds. - Done and in progress... (I'm doing pretty good especially since I'm walking and biking more nowadays. This range is my healthy and happy range. Hooray!)

25. Eat healthy. - Done and in progress (I think the key to this is to keep things fresh. A few years ago when I weighed a shocking 155 pounds and was a size 10, I joined Weight Watchers and lost 25 pounds over a period of 6 months. Ever since then, my outlook on how to maintain a healthy lifestyle has changed. I was a pretty scrawny kid growing up and I ate whatever I wanted. As a young adult, I was still pretty skinny. I probably weighed about 125 in college and was pretty active. It wasn't until Weight Watchers told me that 1 mile = 100 calories = 1 beer = 2 slices of pizza did I realize that perhaps EATING habits should change. I thought as a runner that gave you a get out of jail free card. But, I've changed my ways for the better.)

September 2011 Lovelies

What do you love about this September?

We only have a few days left of the month.
So, here are my lovelies (things and people who inspire me).
May the rest of your month be playful, peaceful, and adventurous.
--------------------

1. I love having an excuse to buy new school supplies
and plan in my art journal.

2. I love giving baked goods and flowers to generous and kind people.

3. I love Town Lake.

4. J'adore promener avec mon petit ami.

5. I love the little thoughtful details like fresh flowers on cafe tables.

6. I love making French toast for Jacob, and having
the time to eat breakfast with a real plate.

7. I love the zen and yogic challenge of
slowing down to do my ink wash paintings.

9. I love people who actually take the time to sit down
at a cafe and read a book while the sun rises.

10. I love daydreaming about owning an old school airstream trailer. I'd make people happy by providing cafe au laits,crepes, art, and vintage jewelry.

11. I love finding beauty in common everyday things
(in a William Eggleston sort of way).

A Morning Walk: My Love Letter to SOCO

When's the last time YOU enjoyed a good long walk?

Life at times can be so overwhelming, hectic, and stressful. We worry about all the bad stuff and it never leaves our minds. You try to please everyone and you end up displeased and with an empty tank- deplete of spirit, vigor, creativity, and joie de vivre. When I got really ill this past month, my physician told me to go on morning walks. I would scoff at the idea. As a four-time half marathoner and three-time triathlete, I thought walking was for les ancienes (aka the old folks who mall walk to the closest Luby's before it even freakin' opens on Sundays). Despite my foolish thinking, people who take time to walk are on to something.

Walking gives me time to clear my head. I can contemplate all the joys and worries floating around in my head. I honestly believe walking can truly heal you, cure a foul and bitchy mood, inspire you to write your next book, remind you of an old friend or just make you smile. A good walk can simply get you in the present moment when you have the proclivity to dwell in the baggage of the past or the concerns for tomorrow.

Each little step is just a petite piece of inspiration for your soul and your body.