Week Update

Today I worked in South Austin. On my way home, I made a couple of stops. First, I stopped at Spec’s , (a HOU company)to purchase a couple of bottles of wine. After checking out, the clerk handed me my receipt with an attached note. The note was priceless. It said, “Protect Your Wine!!. Texas heat is a KILLER! Leaving your wine in a hot car can cause it to spoil and/or burst!” Too bad I didn’t get this note last week!




Last week while working out of town, I picked up a few bottles of wine. I knew my sis was going to be in town for the weekend and we were planning a Girl’s Night at the town house. It was early in the week so I left the wine in my car trunk. Thursday afternoon I got in my car and noticed a strange smell; my car smelled like wine! I thought, “Oh no, did one of the bottles hit another and break?” I opened my trunk and 2 bottles had popped open. You know the thick foil that covers the cork? Well, the cork blew through the foil, popped open, and spilled all over the trunk. The cork was fat and swollen from the “Killer Texas Heat.” I had no idea this could happen! Remember, when I said I was born in the wrong state? I wasn't kidding!!!

Last Friday as I was driving back to San Antonio I thought, if a police officer pulls me over and gets a whiff of the nasty scent inside my car I’m going to be taking my first breath alyzer test. Luckily, I had an event free drive back to SA. Saturday morning I had my car washed and completely shampooed.

My second stop today was at the San Marcos Outlet Mall. If you’re ever in the area, the San Marcos Outlet Mall is worth the stop. It has been voted the 3rd best place to shop in the world by The View on ABC. I’m not your biggest outlet mall fan; sometimes I think it’s a scam but this one has some great shops. By the end of summer 2009, the San Marcos Outlet will have a Tory Burch store. I’m on the email list for grand opening and I’m looking forward to a retail victory! Anyway, I ran into the Williams Sonoma Outlet and picked up this cookbook for 50% off.

Beyond the Great Wall~ Recipes and Travels in the Other China

This cookbook is full of stories about the real China… the people, the culture, the food, and the history. The cookbook has great photography and authentic recipes. My friend, Mark C., just returned from Fiji for a Habitat for Humanity trip. When he returned Mark C. said to me, “You know how you say there’s real China and there’s Olympic China? Well, I went to real Fiji, not Honeymoon Fiji.” I forgot I had said that but it’s so true!

Pics from Mark C's Trip

There was a moment on my China ‘08 trip that I’ll never forget. It was Sunday morning; we piled into a van and headed to Beijing for church service. As we pulled into Beijing, all I could see were beautiful sky scrapers. Give me some big city any day and I’m happy! Although this time was different; my heart was heavy and my stomach was sick. An hour before arriving in Beijing we left rural China. Most of the people in rural China didn’t have indoor plumbing; they lived in homes with dirt floors, and they lived in extreme poverty. Just 24 hours before, I was at a Foster Home playing with orphans; children living in full time day care (and this is the good scenario). Can you imagine? As we approached Beijing everyone in the van was silent. The founder of the Foster Home was driving. After a long silence he said, “There is a rich China inside poor China.” I think about that statement almost everyday. Outside of “Olympic China” is another China. I appreciate this book.