Reverend Clara

Hey Web friends! Did your August go as fast as mine? I just noticed it was August 26 and couldn't believe it.

This month started off fast with my brother J's wedding. He and his wife wanted a very small, immediate-family-only kind of wedding. I was totally down with that because I actually hate weddings. The kicker was that I was the celebrant of their wedding! I got ordained online and became a reverend. I performed their ceremony, sent in their marriage license and it's totally legal. How funny is that!? A pic from the ceremony is below.

The middle of August was jam-packed with work stuff. I had a full two weeks of super busy days and nights of work. We were preparing for some upcoming training events that we lead. We were also unpacking and getting settled into our new offices. I got a new corner spot with lots of window views which totally makes up for the summer I spent in "The Dungeon."

In the middle of all the August craziness, I got sick. Maybe it was because of all that stuff with work... or maybe it was hormones... or maybe I should not have spent so much time preparing to start my own church. :) Either way, being sick sucks and after 2 doctor visits I'm finally better. Here's hoping for a slower, healthier September.

Crappy Week

I must admit I have not been having a good week so far. I've been sick on and off. Not sure what's wrong with me but if another migraine comes my way, I just might jump off Reunion Tower. There have been some stressful, busy days at work and that doesn't make it any better. I need a slow, lazy weekend where I do nothing. Maybe I'll try to squeeze that in soon. In the meantime, I will use these few online things that always make me smile:

Justin Timberlake and Andy Samberg received an Emmy nomination for their "Dick In A Box" skit/song from Saturday Night Live. It always makes me laugh. You can check it out here: Dick In A Box .

It's not news, it's Fark. Fark is a site that lists its news stories in various categories. My favorite category is "Not News." When I'm having a bad day, it's nice to read some funny news instead of the otherwise depressing stuff.

Blogs that belong to my friends/family. My favorites are:
Braden's -he's my cutiepie nephew
Susie's -she's my buddy in Round Rock and she rocks!
Jenn's -she's got some sweet and funny kid stories
Perez Hilton's -so I don't actually know Perez Hilton, but my mom comes from a Perez family so maybe we are distant relatives...plus his blog is such a great guilty pleasure!

Mike Coolbaugh

My heart goes out to the family of Mike Coolbaugh. I work with his sister, Lisa.

On Monday, July 23, we got word from Lisa that her brother had died on the baseball field. Mike was the batting coach for the Tulsa Drillers. Mike was positioned at first base while his team was hitting. Tino Sanchez, a left-handed hitter, hit a foul ball and it headed towards Mike. He raised a hand to block it but it was too late. The ball ruptured Mike's carotid artery and he died.

It truly is such a rare kind of accident and it was so awful to hear of that happening to such an outstanding man. Mike leaves behind a growing family: Joey age 5, Jake age 3, and his wife, Mandy, who is pregnant with their third child. She said that if her unborn child is a boy she will name him Mike.

On Sunday, July 29, some coworkers and I traveled to San Antonio to visit Lisa and pay our respects to Mike. It broke our hearts to see Lisa because, like Mandy, she is pregnant also. They both have a hard time eating and the emotional stress effects your entire body. Seeing the two of them grieve so deeply while trying to maintain a healthy pregancy was so hard.

The media swarmed the Coolbaugh house in San Antonio after word of this rare accident got out. But after a family press conference they backed off and gave the family their privacy. Some of them did write beautiful stories about Mike. Here are a few of my favorites:

Brian Anderson

ESPN

Fox Sports

The Tulsa Drillers

Please keep the Coolbaugh family and the Sanchez family in your thoughts and praryers.