1. To capture special moments, like your child’s first steps or your grandfather blowing out the candles on his birthday cake.
2. You witness something amazing, like a tornado!
3. You meet someone famous!
4. While on a road trip, you see a funny sign.
5. To document something, like the damage from a car accident.
6. To journal your life’s moments, taking photos of things that make you happy or things you wish to remember.  You can collect these to tell a story to pass down to your children or grandchildren.

What other reasons do you know of to carry a camera every day?

Have you missed a photo moment because you didn’t have a camera with you?

I have so many fond memories of the stadium, it’s just hard to see it go.

When I was a little girl, all I wanted to be when I grew up was a Dallas Cowboys Cheerleader. Once I was old enough to audition, I made my way to Texas Stadium for try-outs, which were held in the Stadium Club.  I had no formal dance experience but was a cheerleader and loved to dance with my friends so I figured I had a shot.  There were tons of beautiful girls at the audition, many of them with killer legs and long flowing hair.  But that didn’t discourage me as I had a dream to fulfill.  When my group was called to the stage, I introduced myself with a clear energetic voice and a huge smile. But then they started the music for us to freestyle dance to and I immediately froze.  Fear struck and I didn’t know what to do, so I just swayed a little to the music feeling like a fool. It was like an alien had suddenly taken over my body.  It was no surprise my name was not on the call-back list, although I did check the list just to see if they liked me for my smile and enthusiastic attitude.

When I was in high school, our football team was really good. We always made playoffs. When the Marcus vs. Lewisville games became too big to be played at our shared stadium, they moved the games to Texas Stadium. Those games were always special, not only because we were playing our biggest rivals, but because we were playing at the home of the current Super Bowl champions, so the atmosphere of the stadium just made it amazing.  I also attended many of our high school playoff games at the stadium.

When I was in college, I worked at Texas Stadium in the sales & catering department. It was a great time to work there as the Cowboys had just won three recent Super Bowls (1992, 1993, & 1995) and the team was hot. Working at Texas Stadium was a blast. Everyone I worked with had a passion for the team so they were fun to work with and like me, had a spring in their step just being there. Every time I arrived at the stadium to work, I could feel the energy, and it was empowering. It put a smile on my face each and every time I was there. Working at Texas Stadium was one of the best jobs I’ve had. I loved the energy of the stadium, even when the stadium was empty – I could still hear the whistles from the refs, the players congratulating each other, the fans cheering on their favorite team. I also made many great friends working there.

And then there were the games. I was fortunate to have had the opportunity to attend several games, both in the stands and in the suite of the company I currently work for. But of all the games I attended, the last one was bitter-sweet. I was there for the final home game at Texas Stadium (December 20, 2008). I honestly didn’t watch all of the game. As I sat in the company suite, I just sat looking out the windows, trying to capture to memory all the little things that made the stadium so great. The star in the middle of the field. The names on the Ring of Honor. The individual light bulbs in the scoreboard. The uncomfortable navy blue seats I’ve sat in so many times. The smell in the air. The teams lined up on the sides, the cheerleaders kicking their boots towards the sky, and all the loyal fans with their painted faces, blue and silver wigs, wearing jerseys from the best players from years past. The tunnel the players exited to – the tunnel where I once officed across the hall from the player’s locker room. I remembered all the great times I had at the stadium when I was in high school, the fun times I had while working there, I even laughed to myself as I glanced across to the windows of the stadium club, remembering my failed cheerleader tryout attempt. And I had one final chance to look up towards God from inside the stadium through that famous hole in the roof.  After the game ended and the ceremony closed with a final video to say goodbye, it was Tom Landry who was shown turning off the lights.

Reflecting on the past makes me realize that I have many great memories of Texas Stadium. While the stadium now sits in a pile of rubble, I recognize that I will still have the friends and the memories of great times past.

Thank you Texas Stadium for the many memories and smiles you brought me.

This time of year always reminds me of a scary evening I had a few years ago.  I was driving home alone from a friend’s house at 2am – and I was being followed.

The car behind me got my attention because the driver was almost riding my bumper.  We were traveling on a five lane highway at 65 mph with plenty of room to spare.  I moved over a lane to avoid the driver, realizing that it was 2am on a holiday weekend and it was possibly a drunk driver.  The vehicle moved over in my lane, and I sped up to remain at a safe distance ahead of the car, but continued to keep an eye on it.  I switched lanes a few times and the vehicle behind me continued to stay on my trail.  I knew of an upcoming exit where there was no stop light and I had the opportunity to return to the highway without stopping if necessary.  Luckily, traffic was light, so I planned on darting over the 2 lanes to make the exit at the last second.  The other car darted over too. I sped up on the service road and returned back to the highway, the car followed.  It’s official, someone is trailing me and I have less than a quarter tank of gas.  I grabbed my cell phone and called my friend to let him know what was going on.   

Knowing the area well, I knew of a spot close by where the local police sit to radar speeding cars on the highway.  I floor it, hoping that if they were there, I’d grab their attention and get pulled over.  This time, there was no cop (there’s some irony for you).  I’m now headed to an area where there is little activity at night as it is mostly a corporate and freight area, and there is not a safe place to stop.  So I called 911 and informed the police what was going on.  I exited to take yet another highway and sped up again to see if I could lose my follower. The car disappears from my rear-view mirror.  I drove about a mile until I saw lights from a speeding car approach and there the car is again, back on my tail. The third highway had no traffic.  It’s just me, my follower, and the shadows of empty office buildings. 

For some reason, the vehicle moved over a lane.  I hit the brakes and the car went flying by.  I relayed the model, color, and license plate of the car to the police. But then, the driver hit the brakes too, so we were both sitting at a standstill in the middle of the highway.  The police informed me they were setting up a road block ahead and that I needed to proceed down the highway. I darted back into high gear as the car again followed.  Sure enough, a few miles ahead, there were about eight cop cars that jumped out from the darkness to pull the car over.  I was directed by one cop to a safe area around the corner while they checked the driver out.  Another officer brought me the driver’s license of my follower and asked if I knew the driver.  I did not.  The officers told me I could continue on my way and that they were going to retain the driver for questioning and possible testing for driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol.  I drove home, but didn’t sleep a wink that night.

The reason I share this story is to hope you will consider these safety tips when traveling:

1. Keep your cell phone charged and within reach in case you need to make an emergency call.
2. Keep your gas tank at a safe fuel level and don’t drive on a near empty tank, especially at night.
3. Tell a friend that you will call or text them when you get home so they know you are home safe.
4. Call the police if you think you are being followed.  I told this story to a friend who said she never would have thought to call the police because she would be so panicked and freaked out.
5. Consider getting your windows tinted.  My front door windows didn’t have tint and I was driving with my hair in a high ponytail.  It was easy to see that I was a young woman driving alone.

Have you ever experienced something scary like this?  Do you have any additional tips to share?

So I got to thinking about other famous Kristys!  Here is a list of all I could think of:

• Christie Brinkley – Model
• Agatha Christie – Author
• Kristi Yamaguchi – Figure skater
• Christie Hefner – Daughter of Hugh Hefner
• Christie’s – Auction House
• Corpus Christi – Coastal City in Texas
• Kristy, Are You Doing Okay? – Song by The Offspring
• Christy Turlington – Model
• Kristy Swanson – Actress
• Steve Christie – NFL Player, retired
• Christy – Book by Catherine Marshall

Ok, now famous Hoovers! (My last name can be considered a person, a place, and a thing!)

• President Herbert Hoover – 31^st President of the United States
• J. Edgar Hoover – First Director of the FBI
• Hoover Dam – Dam located in on the border of Arizona and Nevada
• Hoover’s Online
• Hoover Vacuum

According to HowManyOfMe.com, there are 15 Kristy Hoovers in the U.S.

So, who were you named after?  How did you choose your children’s names?