Texas Lou

Archive for the ‘Pictures’ Category

My sister wanted to add this photo as a comment on my previous rodeo post, but it would not let her.

So in honor of my sister, Carrie Elsaifi, and the rodeo, I present two of the former stars of the Katy ISD FFA and the Houston Livestock Show & Rodeo!

Back in November, a good friend convinced me to run the Yuengling Shamrock Half Marathon.  At first, I didn’t even give it a thought as I had no desire or faith in my ability to run 13 miles.  I can’t remember why, but I did give it a second thought.  I’m not sure what made me change my mind…maybe the realization that all runners were greeted at the finish line with free beer.  I decided to go for it and that began the 5 months of training and injuries I endured to get to where I am now.  It was also the start of my new love for outdoor running.

Before beginning to train for the half marathon, I preferred running inside on the treadmill where air conditioning and television were my good friends.  The farthest I had ever run outside had been the Charlottesville Women’s 4 Miler, which both times I had to walk a great deal of .   But now I find running inside pretty boring without the constantly changing scenery, and I can run 4 miles without stopping or walking pretty easily.

Yesterday, I ran my first half marathon and am so proud of myself today!  The day couldn’t have been more perfect!  The race was in beautiful Virginia beach.  It was a glorious, sunny day with temperatures in the 60s to 70s.  I ran most of the 13.1 miles with my friend Dana, but had to slow down a bit during the last 4 miles of the race due to an increasing need to go to the bathroom.  The race ended on the Virgina Beach Boardwalk where I crossed the finish line as they called out my name.  As I slowly wandered past the crowds of people, volunteers showered me with gifts:  a medal, a t-shirt, a hat, water, and snacks.  The rest of the day was filled with friends, FREE BEER, food, fun, and the sun on the beach.  I met old friends and new friends and had a blast!  Yuengling sure does know how to put on an after-party!

Even though everything about the day was wonderful, the best thing was knowing that I had accomplished my goal!

Here are my stats:

I definitely plan on running it again next year!

In honor of the Annual Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo, check out this cowgirl!

Too bad I can’t still fit into this outfit!  I need to get those boots in my size!

This Texas Towel!

This is a cheap little souvenir I bought myself at the Bob Bullock Texas State History Museum in Austin back in December.  Even though it’s just a coffee mug, I think it might be one of my favorite pieces of Texas memorabilia, not just because I love the quote, but because it reminds me of a wonderful weekend trip that I spent with friends and family in the lonestar state.

I ABSOLUTELY LOVE IT!

I survived the Great Snowpocalypse of 2009…and so did my cats!

A couple of years ago, my mom moved from our big, ole house in the suburbs to a tiny townhouse in the city.  In the move, 3 very valuable objects were misplaced and the family mourned the loss of these beloved items.

Ok, so I’m not talking about the family dog or something worth a large chunk of money.  I’m talking about the 3 Christmas stockings that my mom made for my sister, brother, and I as babies.  We’ve hung these up every year at Christmas time and when they were misplaced, we were afraid we had lost them forever.  My stocking is one of my favorite things in the whole world.  As a matter of fact, if my house was burning down, and I could only save one non-living object from being destroyed, it would be a toss-up between my two blankies (My name is Leslie Elsaifi, I’m 27 years old, and YES, I still sleep with blankies) and the Christmas stocking.  My stocking is very near and dear to my heart partially because my mother made it for me with her own two hands and partially because it will always have a connection with Christmas memories which is always a very special and happy time for me and my family.

I also love mine because it says “Twas the Night Before Christmas” and I was born on Christmas Eve!  So needless to say, we were all jumping for joy when my mom stumbled across them back in November (just in time for Christmas) while looking for her punch bowl!

And without further ado, I present to you, the magnificent stockings made by Patsy Mitchusson:

I’ve added a new beer to my list of favorites.  The current obsession is New Holland Brewery‘s Dragon’s Milk described by New Holland as:

“A barrel-aged stout with a soft and rich caramel-malt character intermingled with deep vanilla tones dancing in an oak bath. Unmistakably distinctive and hauntingly remarkable, Dragon’s Milk’s warming complexity pairs well with smoked meats and cheeses, red meat, or a nice cigar. Year Round Availability. Cheeses to try: Rich bleu cheeses & triple crèmes.”

However, one of my good friends, who shares my same affinity for great beer, described it quite acurately as “sex and chocolate all rolled into one”!

If you’re not into dark beers, you may not enjoy this one, and it is definitely not meant for chugging.  It’s a great fall/winter beer to drink by the fire or have as an after-dinner drink.  Of course, I’d drink it any time!

This was a beautiful evening, November 15, 2009, and I wanted to share it:

Living in Charlottesville provides quite a few lovely sites to help one become in tune with nature.  When I first moved to the Commonwealth, I was quite intimidated by the endless landscape of mountains and trees accompanying all roads and stretches of highway.  Born and raised a city gal, I was used to having numerous gas stations, restaurants, and shopping centers accompany me along my rides.  Being in Charlottesville and driving through the countryside for hours without seeing a single sign that the human race existed made me feel pretty lonely.  However, now I really do enjoy making my way from Charlottesville to Richmond with a only nature as my passenger. 

Besides the Blue Ridge Mountains, the occasional roadside grazing deer, and the trees often coated in white snow in the winter, Charlottesville is home to many hot air balloons and their pilots.  On most clear and sunny days in the Fall or Spring, you can catch a glimpse of a beautifully and brightly colored hot air balloon sailing through the sky on your way to and from work.  People often take them up to watch the sunrise or sunset so the timing is perfect to watch them on my drive to work or home from work. 

Even though my drive to and from work is only 30 minutes, I still get bored (probably because my commute at my former job was only about 5 minutes).  So the hot air balloons provide a nice background as I impatiently make my way through what small-town Charlottesville residents call traffic.  Getting to see these balloons sure beats the hell out of talk-radio!  I was lucky enough to have my camera to snap some great shots of the hot air balloons this fall.