Music and Dance

Last night when Travis and I returned from devo up on campus (I made sure I was nice and bundled up--it also helped having a special warm body next to me) there was a wonderful suprise awaiting at his apartment. Tong was playing a video game, not sure of the name, but you had a guitar that you played and the notes would come on the screen. While watching I didn't think it would be that fun. Tong let me give it a try and wow! After switching the control to left handed player and a quick tutorial I was rocking out to the song "I Love Rock and Roll". I started to really get into it--I missed quite a few of the notes but that's ok. When you do badly the audience will boo or leave and if you do well they start crazy dancing. I think it would be fun if they threw food at you if you were horrible. After playing my song I mentioned to Tong and Leigh that I also enjoy playing the game Dance Dance Revolution. Tong calmly mentioned that he had that game too. Well, you can imagine that I got very very excited. So once the guitar was done we got our groove on. And I forgot how bad I am at that game. All those arrows were coming so fast and my brain and feet couldn't connect. So I just started jumping all around, hoping that once and awhile I would hit the right arrow. It was so much fun! We definately have to play that more.

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As of Monday I have lived in College Station for a year and Wednesday marked my year at work. Isn't that crazy? I can't believe I've been here a year. I can still remember when I pulled out of my parent's driveway. My mom was out of town so I didn't get to see her and there were my dad and sisters waving good bye. I cried the majority of the trip. I remember sitting in my empty apartment wondering what to do. Over the course of the year I have thoroughly enjoyed my work at the museum, enjoyed becoming closer to my co-workers, fallen in love and become involved with my church, found some fantastic and loving friends, and found a wonderful boyfriend who I thank God everyday for bringing hm into my life!

New Song

Last night I learned a new verse to the song "Lord's Army"

I may never march down to Mexico
Eat a greasy taco
Wear a sombrero
I may never speak a little espanol
But I'm in the Lord's army--si senor!

How cute is that?!?!

Tutoring

Last night after church Travis came over so we could finish watching Runaway Bride and to do our study. We went without watching the final episode of Project Runway. We usually watch the show at Sarah and Kim's house. Sarah is out of town until Saturday night so we are going to fight the urge to find out the winner until Sunday.

At about 9:30 there was a knock on my door. I immediately tensed up because the only one who knocks on my door is Travis and he was already inside. Travis went to look out the peep hole and said it was one of the neighbor boys. It happened to be the little boy (he has told me his name and I don't remember) who always says hello to me. We was standing there with a piece of paper. I assumed he was doing a fundraiser for school, but I was pleasantly surprised when he asked if I would help him with his homework!

His little sister and mom were there too. The homework was over different vowel sounds. The family is either Pakistani or Indian so I'm sure this type of homework is rather difficult--heck it's difficult for people who speak English as their native tongue. So Travis and I helped him figure out which word went with which sentence. My co-workers said that I should start a tutoring business for the neighbor kids.

Highlights of Homecoming

We had such a wonderful weekend! I enjoyed seeing and spending time with everyone. Saturday we were going non stop from 9:30 a.m. to 11:00 p.m. Here are some highlights of the eventful weekend.

* Travis making fun of me for thinking the gray farm road on the map was faster than the red highway. (The gray road went straight across, the red one went down and then back up--sheesh)

* Seeing everyone at the ACU parade and Travis's mentor standing right next to the SPF group.

* Fantastic game of Ultimate at 10:30 in the morning. We still got it. Thankfully no momentous injuries--just a few cuts and bruises.

* Lunch with the Abilene girls at Chili's. It was so fun to have almost all of us back together.

* The musical was fantastic! It definately made up for Sussical last year. Singing in the Rain is one of my favorite movies so I was ecstatic to see ACU perform it. And I always enjoy an excuse to get all gussied up :)

* Knowing our group we had to have special picture time after the musical. Which moreso equates to 1 large group picture then 50 pictures of just the girls!

* It was great to attend Highland Sunday morning and see alot of people I have missed. I realize that I have grown out of Highland. I love A&M Church of Christ so much! It has the same family/college feel to it but I feel like there are more opportunities to get involved--especially in the college group.

* After church Travis met the grandmothers at Lytle Land and Cattle for lunch. My mom told me late that he received "rave reviews" from both grandmothers--as I knew he would!

* Alright--here comes the favorite story of the weekend:
I mentioned that Travis saw his mentor at the parade. When I was introduced to him I mentioned that he looked familiar. He told me that for years he has lead groups at the ACU camps. I then remembered that I was in his group back in the day. One year he brought Travis along to help teach. As the weekend went on Travis and I kept thinking about this. I tried to find my group picture from camp but was unable to. I did find pictures I took during that week. When Travis looked at them he started recognizing alot of the kids. When we got back to his apartment in College Station he found his camp picture. And there it was--Travis was my teacher in 1996! I was in 7th grade and he was in 10th grade. It is pretty amazing!

Info

* In about 3 hours Travis and I will be leaving for Abilene! I'm still trying to decide if I want to take my usual path down highway 6 or mix it up a little and try highway 36...hmmm.

* Last night I drove home in a stinking crazy rain storm. I literally could not see the road and a lot of the time wasn't sure I was on the road. Thankfully I made it home in one piece.

* Today we had a tour of 4th and 5th graders. Anne and I had to sit a moment and remember how to give a tour. Once we started it all came back to us. These kids were so wonderful--very polite, attentive, and inquisitive. My favorite question: Could someone ride a horse inbetween the shooting (asking about the Battle of the Alamo)? Answer: Well, they might get shot.

* I love that cooler weather is here! Last night at our devo I was nice and bundled up in my comfy sweatshirt. This morning I bought instant hot choclate (with baby marshmellows) for work.

* My dad has a conference in Orlando in early November. So he is using his flier miles to bring all of us out there for the weekend. We will get to spend 2 days in Disney World! I'm pretty excited! I do have to fly by myself though. It should be interesting but also thrilling at the same time. I think I've been on a plane 3 times in my life so I get excited when I ride them.

No Title

Yesterday was a day filled with children. We had our Home School Days program at the museum. Over the course of the day we had about 60 children filtered through for us to talk to about chores in the 1830's and help them make toys from the time period. I did the morning session and my kids were so cute! The majority of them dressed up in clothes from the time period. Most of the little girls had on long dresses and cute little bonnets. One little boy had the complete Davy Crockett get-up on--including moccasins and a coon skin hat. At one point in the program I choose a little girl to dress up in the clothes of the time period. This time was hard because they were already dressed up. Both the morning and the afternoon sessions went well. All of the kids were very well behavied and listened intently.

Once work was over I had to rush home and get everything ready to teach my kindergarten class at church. Somehow it has worked out to where everytime we have Home School program I also have to teach that evening. It leads to a very tiring day (but enjoyable). We had 15 kids in class and I think they all had caffinee and sugar for dinner. By the end of class they were running all around, one girl was all over the floor pretending to be a sheep, and glue was all over the tables. Whoo! I was very happy to relax with Travis, Sarah, and Kim watching Project Runway.

Tomorrow after work Travis and I are leaving for Abilene! I am so excited. I think I have been ready for this since September. Plans for ultimate, dinners with friends, the musical, seeing my family, seeing the changes at ACU and Abilene have me so excited!

Wake Me Up Before You Go

Last night I helped take care of Travis who apparently now has the same stuff I had/still have. I didn't do as great of a job as he did with taking care of me--he was wonderful!

I also had to make a cake last night for a coworker's birthday. After baking the cake I had a wave of tiredness come over me. It was only 9:00 but I could not stay awake. I defiantly argued that I was not tired at all--how could I be after licking the remains in the batter bowl and in the icing cup? I should have been bouncing off the walls after consuming so much sugar. Once I got home I was in bed by the reasonable time of 10:30.

I heard my alarm go off at 6:20 and quickly hit the snooze button--I typically snooze until 6:50. The next time I woke up a feeling of panic went through my body. There was a lot more light coming into my room than there typically is at 7:00 in the morning. I then looked at my clock and saw the problem--It was 8:05! I was suppose to be on the road headed to work so I could be there by 8:30. I took one of the fastest showers known to man or woman. I was ready within 30 minutes and made it to work a little after 9:00. Sheesh! I almost made it a year without missing my alarm.

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This morning I had a lady call inquiring about one of our programs. She wanted to only come to half of the program which was a rather odd request. So I put her on hold while I asked my boss about it. Apparently this lady had something more important to do or just did not like being put on hold. When I came back she didn't hear my click back on because I heard her say in a rather mean tone, "Come on lady. Why am I on hold for so long?" I waited about 2 seconds and in my sugary sweet voice said, "Hello Ms. Moody." Of course her tone of voice changed completely once she knew I was back on the phone, but little does she know I caught her true colors shining through.

Fog and Black Outs

On Monday, against my will, I went to the doctor to have things checked out--even though I felt super better than the previous days. Someone pushed me to visit the doctor--like calling me at my appointment time to make sure I was there. But I admit that it was in my best interest to go see the doctor and get all this stuff taken care of (are you happy--I put it in writing).

The medicine I was prescribed was one of the biggest pills I have ever seen. I took the pill right after my shower and didn't start feeling the strange effects until I had already started driving to work. The medicine made me incredibly dizzy and loopy--it felt like the room was spinnng. This is not good when you have to drive on a very busy highway. It also doesn't help when on that particular day there is fog thick enough to cut with a knife. My drive to work on Tuesday was very exciting to say the least. My dizzy/loopy state did not get under control until about 2:00 that afternoon. Once I got home I noticed the label on my pills: Medication may impair your ability to drive or operate machinery--oops!

When I returned home yesterday I went to pick up my contacts. I noticed that the traffic lights were acting a little screwy. At one moment they would be blinking red, then they would turn solid green, but then 5 seconds later turn back to blinking red. No one knew what to do or whose turn it was to go. Knowing this town and some of the crazy drivers, I wanted to get home before I got stuck in an accident. From what I heard a generator had gone out causing black outs all over the city. Travis was without electricity in his apartment and had tried calling me to see if I had electricity. The black outs must have affected the cell phones as well because he says he called 4 or 5 times and I never heard my phone ring. Because of the messed up traffic lights, his drive to my house, which usually takes 10-15 minutes, was about 30 minutes. Luckily our church had electricity for our bible studies but before we were finished all of the lights went out. Thankfully some of the girls brought flashlights as a precaution. By the time our bible study was over both of our apartments had full electrical capacity, but some parts of town were without electricity for quite awhile.

I enjoyed the evening events--I find it exciting when the electricity or some other mishap occurs!

Stressful Week

This week was very busy and stressful at work. Actually my work wasn't all that stressful but because I had so many things to do each day it caused me a lot of stress. I believe this stress, busyness, and lack of sleep has caused me to contract a bit of a cold. I feel very lousy today as I sit at my work desk. I have to keep telling myself that my weekend is almost here.

This week Anne and I spent two days at Blinn College in Bryan giving a special program to the Texas History classes. I had never given this program or seen it. I have become very use to speaking in front of a group of elementary or middle school aged children but this was different. These were people who were 2-5 years younger than me--not much of an age difference. Monday we had 6 classes to present to. Anne did the first 2 classes to allow me to watch and drink in the information. I gave the next 2 and did a pretty good job. Once I got going I wasn't nervous at all. That day we did not leave campus until 7:00. I was exhausted.

Wednesday was another long and tiring day. We had our program for home school children--again a program I have never given but have seen a couple times. I did the morning session and Judy did the afternoon session. This lasted until about 3:00. I was completely wiped out. But I couldn't relax after work--It was my week to teach the kindergarten class at church. By the end of the evening I was almost delirious.

Then the very next day I had to go to Blinn again to make presentations in 4 more classes. Luckily that day Anne and I ended at 4:00. During the presentations on this day my throat was starting to clog a bit and I had a rather annoying cough. Friday I was able to just sit all day at my desk and catch up on everything I had missed this week. My allergy/cold symptoms became a bit worse that morning. I took some Clariton at lunch and felt a lot better as the afternoon went on. That evening a group of us were going to the Woodlands to hear the Houston Symphony. I almost told Travis I couldn't make it but I felt so much better I was sure I could make it. Well, I slept on the way there. At the concert we sat on blankets on a grassy knoll. Symphonic music has a very relaxing feel and when you are already tired it is not a good combination. I laid down the entire time, listening to the music but also sleeping. I felt so weird afterwards--I was tired, weak, and phlegmy. We ate at Bennigan's after the concert. I ordered potato soup and after eating slept while everyone else finished. Again on the way home I slept. It got to the point that I felt so tired and weird that I wanted to start crying.

This morning I didn't feel the tired weird feeling but I still have some allergy problems. I'm just trying to make it through the work day now.

*Travis has been so wonderful this week (not that he isn't every week). He has been there every night to help me destress and relax. He also has been taking care of me in my sick state. I don't know what I would have done without him.

Road Trip

Last Sunday Travis and I took a little road trip to Conroe. I was super excited about this mainly because I enjoy spending time with him! Our mission that day was to take a couch to his brother, Cody. I met his brother 3 or so weeks ago when he came through College Station. Their old roommate Scott was there too, who I also had met before. But the special guest of the day was going to be Travis's dad who I had not met yet. Was I little nervous about that? Truth be told yes, but after spending an hour or so with Travis, Cody, and Scott the nervousness went away. I probably was a little quieter than usual when his dad came--I think I was trying to give a good first impression. I'm just not use to the cold turkey meeting the parents. But it went very well and I like his dad alot! I really enjoyed watching the interaction between Travis, Cody and their dad. I come from a family of girls and don't experience male bonding much. The Bodeker men are a wonderful bunch and I look forward to getting to know them better!

Update

Once again I have slacked off from my blog. So here are some updates:

Saturday

I worked and helped with a small teacher workshop. That evening wonderful Travis cooked chicken alfredo--it was so good. I seriously think I could have eaten all of it by myself. After eating we watched the intense A&M vs. Army game. During the last 4 minutes of the last quarter my entire body was completely tensed up. I didn't watch the last 19 seconds because I was so nervous. But we won--yeah!

Sunday

We had an interesting time at church Sunday. Right at the end of class the electricity in the entire building went out. Everyone made there way to the auditorium. Our preacher was yelling as loud as possible (no microphones) the instructions for the morning: sing a few songs, take communion, and leave. Of course that day I wore a longer sleeved shirt because it is usually cold.

Monday

I had to go to the dentist. It's been way too long. One of the new things they had (or new since I've been to the dentist) was a small camera that took pictures of my teeth and then projected them on a tv screen. Truth be told I could have lived a happy life without seeing my teeth. Apparently part of my filling has come out and I have to get it replaced next week--not looking forward to that.

Tuesday

We had a reception for a group of Chinese people--I think they might have been professors. The reception was from 4-6 and we had to stay the whole time. We ended up leaving the museum at 6:30 which meant I got home close to 7:00. I then changed, ate a little something and headed off to my girl's bible study.
Fun Story: Travis picked my up for bible study (he attends men's bible study). Our study finished before the guys-way before. Our GAP class was meeting for coffee at 9:00. So instead of waiting I wrote a fun little note and left it on Travis's truck (my purse was held captive inside the vehicle along with my phone). I then rode with Amanda Scott to coffee. Travis showed up 5 or so minutes later. He enjoyed the note--you know you liked it, Travis!

Stuck

Yesterday from 3:30 to closing I sat at the front desk with Virgie and Leigh Ellen. Leigh Ellen is one of the 3 interns we have this semester who are helping label artifacts found at San Felipe. While doing their main task they will also learn about the other areas of the museum. This week it was the front desk. While talking with her, Houston came out asking for the big Texas map. He told me that we had to find an alternate route to get back to College Station. Our usual route is to go down Highway 6. Apparently earlier that afternoon there had been a major accident involving 3 semi-trucks and 3-4 cars. I believe on the news they reported there were 5 deaths. The traffic on 6 was at a complete standstill. Accidents are quite common on this highway so we have a back country road we take that bipasses the highway 6 problems. Well, it just so happened that on this road there was a train derailment. We ended up having to go up to Anderson and catch highway 30 back to town. This added an extra 30 minutes to our route...which is better than an extra hour and a half.

Bullets

I don't really feel like writing a paragraph form blog today. So enjoy the bullets of random stuff!

* Heard on the news today that cases of e coli have been linked to bagged spinach leaves. I immediately threw mine out. (Not that I have eaten any in awhile)

* This morning I woke up 20 minutes early with unbelievable stomach cramps. It was a little unnerving when I saw that was one of the symptoms of e coli. But my pains stopped quickly after my Malox kicked in.

* It's possible those stomach pains came from eating lots of sugary items for dinner. We had a knit out with finger foods. Well the majority of the foods were cookies and cakes.

* I'm so excited about Hey Day tonight! Hot Dogs, Hamburgers, and drive-in movie: The Sandlot. What more could you want?

* I am also getting excited about ACU Homecoming and seeing lots of my old college friends...even though it is still a month away.

* Saw Matthew Perry on the Today Show. I think he has recently been added to my favorite celebs list. He seems so nice and funny. I really want to watch his new tv show.

* Travis is so wonderful! Almost every day I receive a text message or an email from him which makes my day! He is so sweet and considerate. But he also can crank out the sass (which I enjoy) and I can crank it right back at him. We really have a lot of fun together. I'm very happy!

*

Close Call

Sometimes on my 30 minute drive home from work I talk with my mom on my cell phone. On some weeks this is my best opportunity to talk with her because my evenings tend to get jam packed with stuff. There is a part of the highway that is under construction and traffic is directed off the highway onto the feeder road. While on this road the speed limit is 55. While talking with my mom I didn't really take in my surroundings. I was on the 55 mph road when I happened to look in my rearview mirror and see a highway patrolman on my bumper. I then looked down to see that I was going 65. I told my mom, in a frantic hurry, that I had to get off. So I quickly slow down and try to look as innocent as possibly. When I moved over for the patrolman to pass I realize it wasn't just one patrol car but 4 behind me!!! It looked like they were on a mission to get somewhere...otherwise I'm pretty sure they would have pulled me over. Once they passed I called my mom back and told her what happened. She laughed and was very glad I wasn't in a car accident. As I talked with her for the second time I exited the highway into College Station. As I neared the red light I suddenly was behind the same 4 patrolmen. So, out of fear, I told my mom I would call her tomorrow. Sheesh!


I am in lament today for Kayne who was sadly kicked off Project Runway last night. A moment of silence in reverence...

More Adult Experiences

(This is my 200th post--whoop!)

Yesterday I experienced something new as an on-my-own adult. I had my first doctor's appointment that I set up and I paid for. My contacts were on their last legs--and I had stretched their use way beyond what it should be. So it was time to bite the bullet and see the eye doctor. The first problem was who do I go to? The secretary at work mentioned a place so I called Monday morningish. I expected to have to schedule a time later in the week but the lady said they could see me at 11:30. I was amazed at how much it cost just for a routine checkup--even with insurance! And I go back next Tuesday to get my contacts--I have no idea how much that will be. And next week I have a dentist appointment. It never ends.

Tonight: Girl's Bible Study (super excited!)
Wednesday: Teach my little kindergarteners about the Plagues (also Project Runway)
Thursday: Knit Out (going up to church to spend time knitting with other ladies)
Friday: Hey Day with the GAP class (dinner and drive-in movie)
Saturday: rest?

Pellet Guns, Bites, and Blood

Last night I went over to Travis's after church. We ate sandwhiches for dinner and then he read Plato's Republic for his class while I read The Screwtape Letters. It was calm and serene but that was going to change...

We heard Tong and Leigh from the other room and went to see what was happening. In the comotion I noticed Travis grabbing the pellet gun and getting ready to shoot Leight. Well, of course I had to protect her so while he still had the gun down, pointed at his leg, I pulled the trigger. He was so shocked that I had shot him. As I was leaving the room, I soon felt this quick, sharp pain on my backside. He shot me in the butt! The craziness died down and we went back to reading.

Then we heard Leigh yelling for help. When I heard her I said I would come help but someone decided to keep that from happening. Travis threw me over his shoulder and started to take me out to the living room (on the way down the hall he happened to hit my head on the wall). Tong was trying to keep Leigh pinned down on the couch. To keep me from helping Travis did the same with me. It's not fair that boys are stronger than girls. I fought as hard as I could but he kept tickling. He finally got me by sitting on my legs and holding my arms in a crossed position. I was stuck.

Things got even more fun when Leigh and I started to play dirty. It started when Leigh bit Tong really hard--she left teeth marks! So Travis got some ice for the injury and kept a piece for himself. He then put the ice down my pant leg and it traveled quite a ways up my leg. I got it out and was trying my hardest to get it down his shirt but he is just to strong! So I got creative. I started coughing in a way that it sounded like I was choking and he immediatly had me stand up. I was free and quickly stuck the ice down his shirt. But apparently when my hand went to put the ice down I accidently hit him in the the face causing him to bite the inside of his lip, drawing some blood.

What a great night!

The Game

The game Saturday was incredibly amazing! I have never been to a football game like that before. Our tickets were in the zone, which is the section that is on the north side of the field, and we were on the 3rd deck--the highest one! Thankfully the section we sat in was for Alumni which meant we got to sit during the game whereas the students stand for the whole time. With all the walking and climbing stairs that we did my calves have been very tight for the past 2 days--but the pain is worth it!

By Myself

Yesterday afternoon I received an IM message from Travis telling me he was packing up for Dallas. His job requires him to travel to other hospitals and take notes on their program. I have to admit I was a little sad when he said he wouldn't be here. I spent the evening going to stores I hadn't been to in awhile--just trying to pass the time. I then drove to the 9:00 devo the AFC has on campus. Travis usually drives and I guess I have never noticed how he goes because once I reached campus I had no idea how to get to the parking garage...or how to get to the Academic building from the garage. So I had to call him and get directions. And then I found out I was one building away from the garage--grrr! But he comes back today...yeah!

I talked with my sister, Traci, last night and found out that Monday evening around 11:30 she had to take a trip to the emergency room. She was working on a book cover for a contest at the fair. She was using an exacto knife and somehow sliced her leg. From the way she was talking, it sounded like there was a lot of blood. I'm so glad I wasn't there--I don't do well in those situations. She had to get some stitches and as of last night her foot was swelling a little.

Game Time

Yesterday afternoon at work I just happened to glance at my cell phone to see if anyone had called. Usually at my desk I don't receive service but there was a text message waiting for me. The message, from Travis, read "What would you say if I told you I had tickets to the next game?" My reply back was "AAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!" Apparently he wasn't sure what that meant: his next text said "Is that a yes?" The whole rest of the day I was so excited! So before Saturday I need to learn the yells and get me a maroon shirt!

I'm so excited--I'm going to an A&M football game!!!!

Super Good!

This weekend went wonderfully! I was so nervous about Travis meeting my parents but everything was great. I had him come over to my apartment at 6:45 so we could head to dinner. At 6:40 I positioned myself in front of my door, looking out the peephole. I wanted to go meet him outside and walk with him so he didn't have to come in alone. He was perfectly fine about the whole thing. We went to eat at Cheddars and he told stories about A&M and my parents and sisters told stories about me (thankfully not anything bad). After dinner we went back to my apartment and talked for awhile.

Sunday my family came to the GAP (Graduates and Young Professionals) class. Travis was teaching and I was afraid my family would make him nervous but he said it was fine for them to come. He has taught our class twice before but I have always been out of town. So this was my first time to hear him and he did an absolutely wonderful job!

We all went to Sunday lunch at On the Border. Then that evening after church we all went to Freebirds. On Sunday anytime we drove anywhere my sisters jumped in the back seat of Travis's truck. He introduced them to some Weird Al Yankovich songs which they loved. Automatically he started joking and bantering them which is exactly what they like.

He told me he really enjoyed meeting my family and liked them. And in return my family really liked him. My mom was the only one to voice the acceptance (at dinner on Saturday Travis went to the bathroom and my mom said "I like him")but I could tell from the other family members' actions that they approved.

A Great Surprise!

My Saturday work day started out as they usually do. This morning I was immersed in a new project--I have been asked to create a program for Boy Scouts to earn their Texas Badge. As it got close to lunch time, Ketra, who works the front desk, came in to tell me someone upstairs needed help. My first thought was someone was hurt, but she said someone had a question about something in a case. (I have mixed feelings when this happens because often times I don't know the answer to their question and I feel bad). So I made my way up the ramp. When I got to the top I didn't see any one up there. I heard someone in the boat and was about to walk over there when someone else came from behind one of the exhibits. It was Travis! He brought a picnic lunch for us and then got Ketra to help him surprise me. It was the best! Over the past 2 weeks he has been figuring out what I like so he would know what to bring. He made me a plain chicken sandwhich on wheat bread with Chex Mix, grapes, and oatmeal cookies. He has definatly earned many points for this!!

Tonight he is eating dinner with my family--exciting!

Friday Stuff

So the girl who use to have my job got married in November and moved to California. Her mother works the front desk part time so we get to hear all that is going on with her. We were some of the first to find out she was pregnant and due in October. Yesterday we received an email that she had been admitted to the hospital, 6 weeks early. The baby boy was born healthy at 5 pounds 3 ounces.

The women in the office began telling stories of their pregnancies (the one male at the museum was gone for the day). After hearing those stories I am perfectly fine with not having children for quite awhile.

Last night we had our first 9:00 devo on campus. I've really missed these over the summer. As we were walking to the devo, Travis and I walked past Kyle Field. We saw all the lights lit up and the big screen on, getting ready for the game tomorrow. I HAVE to go to a game sometime this semester!

Camel Humps

Tonight I am teaching the Kindergarten class at church the story of Isaac and Rebecca. I am planning to have the kids dress up and act out the story. There is a camel (minor role) in the story and I really wanted some way to have a kid dress up. So I asked the secretary at work, Effie, how I might go about making a camel hump. She thought for a moment and then told me to follow her. We found some brown cloth and cotton stuffing material. Effie then made a large circle out of mat board. We proceeded to place the material around the circle, stuff the stuffing inside and then staple the material around the circle. We also attached two pieces of material on either side to tie the hump on. (P.S. Our bosses are out this week so we were able to do this). I'm really excited to see the little kids wear the hump!


*Very, Very Random Thought: When you load a stapler with new staples do you ever feel like you are loading a large bullet into a rifle?

The Meeting

During a call with my mom last night I found out that my family is thinking about coming down to visit me this weekend for Labor Day. So I guess Travis is going to meet the family--I have to admit I'm a little nervous about this. It's not that I think they won't get along. Travis is one of those people who, at least from what I've experienced, can get along with anyone. And my family is friendly...sometimes maybe a little too friendly. I think my nervousness comes from the fact that this is new to me. The very few relationships I've been in were friends beforehand so they already had met and knew my parents. I've never had the "cold turkey" experience. But I also am excited to have them meet Travis and my friends at church. I guess this also means I have to clean my apartment or rather find time to clean my apartment :)

A Good Movie

Tonight I watched The Ron Clark Story on TNT. Matthew Perry stars in this made for tv movie which is about a real teacher who taught inner city kids in New York. I LOVED this movie!!! I love true stories about teachers who change students lives--teachers who take the time and patience to reach these kids and really care about them. He saw their potential not their economic status. I must admit there were parts I teared up at.

Speaking of crying at movies...I also watched Man on Fire this weekend. First of all I didn't know about some of the gruesome scenes in this movie. I thought it would be all action and violence. But then came the end of the movie--the waterworks started. And what's worse was I watched it with Travis. So I was trying my hardest not to cry. I failed miserably. Stupid female sensitivity!

SOAR

My church puts on a retreat called SOAR for the incoming freshman. It's sort of like Welcome Week but not at all--if that helps the ACUers who read this blog. They spend Wednesday through Friday out at Messiah Ranch which is about 20 miles from town. On Thursday night there is a special dinner and devo time where the old aggs (and aggies by association) come out to mingle with the new freshmen. We had to meet at the church at 4:45 to get on the church bus (I can't remember the last time I rode on a bus) to take us to the ranch. So I asked my boss if I could get off at 4:15 to be at the church on time and, the gracious person that she is, she let me go.

I had no time to change so I rode on the no air conditioned bus in my casual work clothes. There were quite a few of us that headed on out there. We had a great spaghetti dinner followed by WARM chocolate brownies. While eating this one guy jumped up and made this hand motion and shouted EY, EY, EY and immediately after got on the floor and did pushups. I had no idea what had happened--everyone else was use to it. Sarah and Kim explained to me that each class has a yell and if you do an upperclass yell without permission you are out of rank--I think that's what they called it.

A group of 4 guys most of whom were apart of a group called Under His Wings sang a few songs. Then came the Aggie tradition--Yell Practice. 5 guys in overalls were walking back in forth in this pattern. Then everyone was following their lead doing motions, bending down, singing songs, "passing it back"--I just followed Travis's lead. I had no idea what I was doing. Then came the foot/swaying thing. I had done this once when I went to the Hall. You stick your left foot in front of the person on your left, then you put your arms on the people next to you and sway. Travis said he is going to have to put me through training before I go to an Aggie game.

When it was time for us to go back I really thought it was 10:00 or later but it was only 8:30! You could tell in the bus who had full time jobs and who was still in school--the job people were very quiet/sleeping and the collegers were singing songs as loud as possible. I got home around 9:45 and went straight to bed. It was a very fun experience.

Tonight we are having a back to school back with...blow-up games! I'm so excited!

Breaking News

Lately I have become very interested in watching/listening to the news--another sign I am getting older. In the mornings I watch the Today Show and on my drive to work I listen to AM radio--something I have never done.

Some interesting things I heard today:

Astronomers have either decided or are deciding that Pluto is no longer considered a planet. Also there may be 3 new planets added to the solar system. Everything we learned in grade school is about to change.

On a talk news show the subject being discussed was the Mexico border and illegal immigrants. One of the ladies that called in was apart of Code Pink which, I found out later via internet, is a women's peace organization. She was highly against military involvement along the border. She also stated that these people are coming over here starving and to escape poverty. One of the hosts stated if they are in poverty how are they paying individuals thousands of dollars to help them over the border? At one point in the conversation the host stated these people are coming over illegally. The woman's answer to this was "well, that's your opinion". To counter attack the host said "no, that's a law!" The lady then stated how different is this from when our ancestors came here from England, Ireland, Germany, etc. Uh, they came legally! For some reason she could not get that point through her head!

Rude Awakening

Last night while peacefully sleeping a received a rather rude awakening. Not once but twice my cell phone rang at 3:00 am. I use my phone as my alarm so it was sitting inches from my head. I did not recognize the number so I didn't answer. The second time this person called they left a message. This made me think I might know this person so I should listen to what they had to say. Here was the message:

"Hey Jason. Just wanted to see if you wanted to go do something. Give me a call." (Male voice)

Wouldn't this person realize he does not have Jason when the voicemail comes on with a girly voice saying "Hi this is Erin". Needless to say I was a little perturbed.

A Bad Morning

This morning started out alright but then one little thing happened and then another and another which quickly turned it into a very frustrating time. I decided I was in need of a mocha frappacino from Starbucks before I made my trek to work. So I made sure I had about 15 minutes extra to get there. I was a couple minutes past that leaving my apartment. I was almost to the main street when i realized I left my lovely salad I made for lunch on the table. **Incident #1**

So I had to go back and get it. So running 5 minutes behind not too much of a problem. As I'm going down the road I happen to glance down at the car gauges. I forgot I was almost out of gas--rats! **Incident #2**

So I stopped at a gas stationto fill up and use my debit card. There are some gas pumps now that ask for you zip code and if it doesn't match up it won't let you use it. Well, for some reason my debit card and zip code never match up. I had to cancel the transaction and grab my credit card. **Incident #3**

When I finally got to Starbucks there were 3 people in front of me. Of course every other time I have gone before work noone else was there. It's like they knew I was late and came out of the nooks and cranys to beat me. **Incident #4**

Though it's not a big deal if I am a little late to work, I still drove about 5 miles over the speed limit to get there at a "fashionably late" time. I was less than 10 minutes late and saw that one of the desk workers was already here. As I walk towards the door I hear someone call my name. Ketra was sitting in her car eating her breakfast. She told me she had trouble getting the door unlocked. So I went to try it. The lock would not turn at all and sometimes my key would get stuck in the lock. I was getting so frustrated because it wouldn't open and because it was really hot outside (and I was sweating...no glistening in my work clothes). The solution was to walk around to the front, enter, and run like the dickens to turn off the alarm. **Incident #5**

We were finally in the building and I could relax and try to make the day better. But then the phone rang. It was the alarm company saying they had a warning from our building and had dispatched someone to come out there. I guess in trying to open the door we set off the alarm. They asked if they should cancel the dispatch and I told them yes. Then they asked for the password. What password??? I put them on hold while Ketra and I ran around like chickens with their heads cut off. After a few minutes I remembed I had the card with the code in my wallet. **Incident #6**

Oy! I'm really hoping the rest of today is not as insane as this morning!

"It Was an Accident"

So I tend to beat up on Travis just in play. He takes it now as normality--he says he is in an abusive relationship. But the past couple of days some things have happened that I didn't mean to happen.

Tuesday night I cooked one of the few things I know how to cook: tostada pie. Abilene people you should remember this because anytime we had the group over for dinner at the Relm I cooked it. Anyway, while trying to cut it into pieces I made a motion with the fork and accidently stabbed Travis in the arm! It wasn't hard or deep but still I felt terrible. Then Wednesday night he came over to watch Project Runway. I was knitting my I-cord for my baby blanket. I was taking a break from knitting and he made some snide comment (I don't remember what). So I was going to hit him with the end of my cord. Well...I grabbed the wrong end and hit him in the forehead with the needle! I felt really, really bad about that one! So now he enjoys bring these two incidents up.

Slacked Off

I can't believe how much I have slacked off on my blogging responsibility. I usually crank out my posts at work but the past few days have been kind of nuts. Yesterday my phone just kept ringing--I was very close to throwing it out the window!

This past weekend I went to Dallas to help my family pack up my grandmother's house. Saturday it was just my dad, my sisters, my mom, and I moving things. I was very impressed with what we accomplished: two couches (one was a sleeper), two large bookcase shelves, big huge dresser. It was hard though knowing I wouldn't be coming to this house anymore. I'm not even sure how long my grandparents lived in this house--I know they were in it before my mom went to college. Sunday was my grandmother's last time at her church. There was a special tribute to her--someone had put together a little slideshow of pictures of her and my granddad. And let's just say my grandmother, my mom, Traci, and I were letting the tears fall as they may. It was a very emotional weekend but I'm glad my grandmother will be closer to my mom and I will be able to see her more often.

This week I have started a new regimine (spelling?). I use to do my workouts on my Gazelle at night then take a shower before I went to bed. Well, lately my nights have been full of activities and I haven't had time for my workouts. So Tuesday I started getting up at 6:20 to workout and take a shower. This is a big deal because I hate getting up early. If I can sleep in I will. So far I have kept to this schedule for 3 days--the main thing that helps me get up is knowing I have to take a shower so I might as well get sweaty beforehand. I also have started watching the Today Show in the morning. So now I am abreast of pertinant news.

Other Duties as Assigned

Today when I went to unlock the upstairs doors at the museum, I noticed a bird sitting on the observation deck right in front of the door. I opened the door a little to get it to fly off and then I noticed it had a hurt wing. I ran downstairs to ask Effie what to do. She said catch it and drop it over the edge--she said it should fly off as best it can. Of course I was a little concerned of if it didn't...then I would have a big splat to clean up!

So I grabbed some of the cleaning lady's gloves: one yellow and one green (that's all I could find). When I got to the top of the ramp Shawn, the Currator of Collections, was there so she followed me out on the deck. I wish I could have recorded myself chasing this bird in my nice work clothes with these mismatched rubber gloves! Shawn and I finally corralled it to the edge of the deck and it hopped up to one of the holes. I then gave it a little tap over the edge and thankfully it flew into a nearby tree.

When I first applied for this job, the application stated that there would be "other duties as assigned". I shall add bird catcher to that list.

Volunteers and Hot Chocolate

Last night after my knitting class, I was talking with some friends when Andrei found me and said I needed to meet someone. So he introduced me to Bob Davidson and his wife, the parents of the college minister at church. Bob helps with the school that meets at the church building and they were in need of someone to lead the kids in a devotional next Thursday morning. So Andrei tells Bob that my boyfriend, Travis, (p.s. that was the first time I heard someone say the "b" word) would be great at that. I said I would have to check because I knew he worked in the mornings. We talked for a while longer and then Andrei threw in something to the affect of "Travis will do a good job on Thursday" and I had to interject saying he hadn't committed to anything yet.

So when I saw Travis later that evening I told him he had been voluntered for something. After I told him what it was I expected him to say he wouldn't be able to do it. But he said that he would be there. Apparently he has done this before and loves it! (awe)

Also last night Travis picked the perfect activity for us. He had come into possession of some "gourmet" hot chocolate mixes (special flavors like amaretto and tiramesu). So he suggested we drink hot chocolate while watching...Sense and Sensability! Not too many guys would willingly sit through this movie. He said he liked it but admitted it was a chick flick. It was the perfect activity!

No Air

Monday evening I went to Nursing Home Singing and then out with the AFCers for dinner. When I left my apartment everything was fine--I was living it up in my 76/77 air conditioned little home. When I arrived back home I noticed a slight change in my comfortable domicile. The air was blowing (constantly) but the thermometer read 80! So for the past two nights I have slept with my little turbo fan blowing directly on me. I hate to sleep when it is hot. It is the most disgusting feeling. (And this is why I am not a big fan of camping). Today I am calling the apartment and my hope is they can fix it by the time I get home.

Monday after eating at the Potato Shack with the fellow nursing home singers, Travis jumped into the passenger side of the truck. So I did what any girl who likes to drive trucks would do--I jumped in the driver's seat and held out my hand for the keys. He was a little hesitant at first. I'm not sure if he meant it just as a joke or if he really wanted me to drive. But in the end I received the keys! I started to drive carefully--I didn't want him to worry. But then he said "You can drive it like it is a truck". I think he was feeling slighted by the other trucks passing him. So I gunned that sucker...well, to the appropriate speed limit :)

In the mornings one of my jobs is to turn on the videos on the second floor of the museum. We have a long ramp that leads all the way up to the second floor. On tours I make sure that the students do not run down the ramp--this is a very big temptation. On certain days, like today, I will take my high heeled shoes off at the bottom of the ramp, turn everything on, and then run all the way down! It's so much fun! I do feel bad that the kids don't get to enjoy this thrill...but I suppose 25 kids running down at once could create mass pandemonium.

This and That

* Thursday a state represenatives wife came to visit the museum. So I was the one on quard to greet her and make sure she and her guests entered for free. She was very nice and eager to meet all of the staff. I made sure to give her grandson some free postcards and such :)

*At Oasis Thursday night we had my favorite snack--brownies and ice cream! A lot of times I like to think that I don't have a problem with dairy or that the small amount of pain is bearable. Unfortunately this time I woke up at 4:00 in the morning with horrible stomach cramps--oy!

*Thursday evening Travis and I played Disney Scene it! I adore Disney and I play this game and Disney Trivia a whole lot. I won the first game and I hate to admit it but Travis won the second. Although there will be a rematch sometime...

* Don't you hate it when simple words look misspelled? During the course of this post the words "guests" and "although" have looked very funny to me.

* Friday we had a "skeleton crew" at the museum. I was the only staff member with 3 of the part time people. So we did what we always do when not many people are working...we got something special for lunch! This time it was the bar b que place just down the road. I'm not the biggest bbq fan (I know I'm not a true Texan) but I really like these sandwhiches. It's probably because the meat is placed on homemade bread and I am a bread connoisseur.

*Friday afternoon at work I felt yuck. By the time I got home I felt like I had been hit by a train. I was planning to help Heather move into her new apartment in my complex but I took a nap instead. After the nap I still felt all swimmy in my head so I continued to lay on the couch. Later Travis came to help me feel better--he made me some tea (awe). My head feels better today but I still have some allergy problems--grrr!

*Tonight I am going with my girls to the Woodlands for a surprise party...for a girl I don't know. I figure I can represent all the people who couldn't make it to the party :)

Sister Time

I realized after taking this picture that we are backwards...oh well! (Here you can really tell that I am at least an inch if not more shorter than my younger sisters)



Ah--we really do love each other...and this is how we show it.

Video Killed the Radio Star

So my 115 group ended up only being 80. And they were 45 minutes late so I only had to do one tour with about 40 of them. After the tour I was very glad I only had to do it once. Because we were understaffed today it wasn't a normal tour and it got a little crazy at times. The first thing I did with the kids was have them watch our movie. When the movie was over I asked the kids what they had learned. These kids amazed me! They remembered some of the most random facts. One kid was almost quoting what was said!

I found out that tomorrow I am recording a spot for a local radio station! This weekend we are letting teachers in free to all of the sites. My boss usually does the radio advertisements but she is out this week. So it is up to me--whoo hoo! I'm writing out my script so I don't fumble over my words...or completely freeze up.

Very Random Tidbits

I don't enjoy too many reality tv shows just because there are so many out there. But I have watched a couple episodes of Project Runway and I admit that I really like it. Drama and pretty clothes what more could you want?

At the museum we receive Texas Highways magazine. While flipping through the new August edition I came to a section about colleges in Texas. And which college was pictured on the front page...ACU! It is a classic pic of the globe in the Bible Building. Even though we are small we still can rank up there with Rice, Tech, A&M, and UT.

Monday I am giving a tour to 115 kids by myself! Almost everyone else is on vacation next week. So we will see how it goes--I already have a plan of action.

Friday my mom, grandmother, sisters and I went to see my grandmother's soon to be apartment. She is moving from Desoto to the Sears Methodist Center in Abilene. While looking at the apartment Jennifer, Traci, and I hid in the closet waiting for my mom and grandmother to walk in. When they finally opened the closet there we were in the See No, Hear No, Speak No Evil positions. I love my sisters!

On my drive home yesterday I wanted a diet coke with lime to keep me going (that is my caffienated drink of choice). I stopped at two different conveinent stores and they didn't have it--not even a diet pepsi with lime. So I relented to get a diet black cherry with a kiss of vanilla coke (what a name). I was reluctant because of a previous experience with this beverage *See blog Saturday, January 7, 2006* But this drink was an enjoyable experience :)

Friday before I left for my Abilene vacation Travis came over to teach me how to cook. I had a weird headache all day at work and it was still affecting me. So instead he let me lie on the couch and listen to Nat King Cole (perfect choice) while he cooked some very good food! And for dessert...my favorite ice cream: Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough!

A Good End to the Vacation

Thursday was jam-packed with all kinds of fun activities! I started off at Subway to eat and converse with my dad and grandmother. And while there I saw many employees of ACU which it is very hard to avoid that when taking in lunch at a restaurant on Judge Ely. After lunch I zoomed over to Frontier Texas. I have never been to see the new museum and my boss gave me some "homework". He wanted me to check it out and get some new multi media ideas for our museum. It was a very well done facility.

After Frontier Texas I met Lauren at her soon to be new house (aka Mark and Katrina's old house). We scrubbed and vacuumed the house for about 2 hours. It was great--we were dirty and sweaty and we accomplished alot!

I then went home to relax for a bit before the next event. At 7:00 the group met at Sonic for some highly needed sand volleyball. There was hot sand, crazy dives, uncontrolled serves that took out fellow team members--it was great! After the game Brooke, Kendra, Brandon, James, Julie, Bret and I sat around talking. I'm not sure how it came about but we got in this "argument" that lasted around 20 minutes. We argued about on Home Improvement was Wilson their backyard neighbor or their side neighbor. I was part of the group that said he was the side neighbor aka the right answer. It got so bad that we started making a diagram of the house with a cell phone and cup lid! I loved it!

My Abilene vacation draws to an end and I had a wonderful time! But it's time to get back to the College Station life which I love just as much as the Abilene one.

Abilene Trip

To all of my avid blog fans, my apologizes for my lack of blogs. I started another week vacation on Saturday. So I am in Abilene until Friday hanging with the fam and catching up with the Sigma Pi Phi gang. Sunday afternoon we had a girls swim time which was very enjoyable and I enjoyed catching up on all the going ons. Sunday evening I joined a group at Brooke and Phyllis's house (which is fantastic--great work girs!) for a little Catch Phrase and Mafia action.

Tuesday my sisters and I went to Six Flags. It was enjoyable but I think we have lost a little of our edge--we left the park at around 7:30 completely tuckered out. Typically we are there from 10-10. I guess we are getting old.

Tonight a group of us are eating at the new Alfredo's (yum) and getting dessert at Third Rock! And tomorrow we are all over the sand volleyball court! Yeah for trips to Abilene!

P.S. Julie--I saw your brother Daniel at Six Flags! I would have said Hi but I've never met him before and I didn't want to scare him.

The Date Update

So here is the update on how the date went Saturday:

Travis picked me up at 7:30 (in his truck that he washed and vacuumed--awe). He asked where I would like to eat and I was definatly feeling the Pei Wei craving. After dinner we went back to his apartment--we had to wait till it was dark for the next place. At his apartment he showed me some pictures from college--mainly his time in the Corp.

Once it was dark Travis took me to this, I guess it was a park, in Bryan. In the park was this trail with trees all around (I loved it). Travis brought a flashlight and he held out his arm for me to take (it was just like in an old movie). While on the trail we saw a deer running in the distance--I was very excited--I haven't seen a real deer in the wild. We also walked through 3 spider webs--but that was fun too!

We then went back to his apartment and watched The Exorcism of Emily Rose.

Then Sunday we spent pretty much all day together. After church we watched King Kong at my apartment. By the end it was time to go back to church. After evening church Travis, Teresa, Carol, and I went to play soccer with the AFC group. After soccer (and a much needed shower) Travis came over and we watched one of my movies Connie and Carla--he loved it!

So it has been a very good weekend!

Day Off #3 (I have a date!)

Today was pretty boring during the day. I'm really getting bored of staying home from work. I stayed around the house all day working out, cleaning, watching tv, and knitting.

That evening we had AFC class at the church. We spent time in small groups praying and then alone time praying. On the way back to the room I walked with Travis and we talked about our days. He mentioned he played some disc golf and I mentioned I would like to try it. He mentioned Saturday but then remembered I work. I said that the evening I was free so he said we would talk about it after class.

So after class he asked if Saturday I would like to go to dinner and then some other activity. I of course said yes. He then said "Ok, just to clarify I asked you out on a date and you said yes?" That's one thing I enjoyed--he went right out there and took initiative and asked. Kudos to him! And I've only known him 2 weeks but I feel comfortable with him. Typically when I go on dates I'm so nervous and on my guard. So I am looking forward to Saturday!

Day Off #2

Tuesday was not as eventful as Monday. I pretty much lazed around and then went to the mall just to waste some time (and to look at the puppies at the pet store). That evening we had an AFC Ladies Night at Gatti Town--just like Mr. Gatti's in Abilene although they didn't have cinnamon rolls. It was good to hang out and meet some of the other girls in the class. This morning it was very, very hard to get up. When you stay up till 12:00/1:00 for the past few nights it is really hard to drag yourself out of bed at 7:00. That is when the Sonic drink comes in handy :)

When I went to see Pirates Saturday one of the commercials beforehand was for Fanta. I still am singing that stupid song 4 days later. Wannna Fanta. Don'tcha wanna Fanta. Oy.

Day Off #1

I have quite a few vacation days that I have to use up at work, so the next two weeks I am taking random days off. This week I have Monday, Tuesday and Thursday off.

Yesterday I woke up late (favorite part of days off). At 11:30 I got a call from my friend Stephanie. She worked with Robin and I at the snow cone stand. She is now doing grad work at Sam Houston in Huntsville and taking part in an internship at the College Station police department. So we went to her brother's restaurant in downtown Bryan. It was some of the best chicken salad and pasta salad I've ever had.

The rest of the afternoon was spent doing laundry and running up to the church to pick up some money (I'm in charge of getting the snack this week for the AFC class). I had my bible study that evening. I enjoy this study it's just hard to get a word in sometimes. There are 3 girls who like to talk and when I do have something to say I have to fight to get in there.

After the study Travis picked me up and we went for hot chocolate at Sweet Eugene's. We then went to Hastings to rent a movie...we ended up picking The Grudge. I have never seen this movie but when it first came out I went to the website and it scared me so much! I am now scared of little asian boys. Because it was about midnight and I live bymyself, we went for a walk to get rid of the scary images.

Thankfully I did not have any nightmares. Day off #1 was really good!

Pirates O and A&M

The AFC (Aggies for Christ) planned to see Pirates of the Caribbean on Friday night but a smaller group of us--3 of us--decided to go Saturday night. Unfortunately Teresa couldn't make it so I was met by Travis, a guy I met just a week ago. It was really fun and what a great movie! Orlando Bloom and Johnny Depp you can't go wrong.

Today at church I saw a familiar face sitting in service. Anslie Craig, who I know from Highland, and her husband have moved to College Station. Her husband is there for veternary training. And her baby is due in August--how exciting!

After church Travis, Teresa, Colby, Natalie, and I went to Fazoli's for lunch. We got a lot of stories about the Corp at A&M from Travis and hilarious stories from both Colby and Travis about their time in Russia. After lunch Travis took me on a walking tour of A&M. He told me what each building was and the many stories/traditions of the campus. It was also fun when the random rain storm came through--we quickly found cover at one of the many buildings. My favorite places were Kyle Field (I have to go to a game), the Century Tree, and the chapel. It was a really fun afternoon.

I'm off the next two days (trying to use up my vacation days) and I already have things lined up:
Monday--Bible Study, coffee with Travis
Tuesday--AFC Girls' night at Mr. Gattis!

Tours don't go as planned

Yesterday Anne and I had a day of stressful tours. First of all summer tours are different from our school tours. Most of the summer tours are kids of all ages who are out at the park for a fun trip not for education.

I knew the first group was going to be tricky because the person in charge had a very thick hispanic accent and didn't fully understand everything I told him. My favorite conversation with him was earlier that morning:

Him: "Hello, I have a reservation with you today. I am coming from Houston. Where do I turn?"

Me: "Well, where excatly are you?"

The majority of the kids in this group did not speak English so we had to translate everything that was said. Manily we let the big kids watch our movies and the small kids play in the Discovery Room.

We were looking forward to the next group--the plan was to show the movie and then let them play in the Discovery Room. An hour before the group was schedule to come we had a power surge which knocked out half of our elecricity...including the movie. Scratch that idea. So we ended up giving the kids our normal school tour which worked well. I haven't given that tour since the end of May so I quickly had to remember what all I say.

Thankfully I am off today!

The Meeting

This weekend was very wonderful, full of fun with friends, family and co-workers. I saw two movies this weekend--The Lake House and The Devil Wears Prada. I highly recommend both!

Today I had my first meeting about tours. Houston and Anne (who work with me at the museum) were in the meeting along with representatives from the different sites in the park. The subject of the meeting--tours. Pretty much how scheduling is being done and ways to change it. According to Anne these same problems come up every year and not much gets resolved. The main problems are that the other people don't understand completely how I schedule the tours. Also, through some of their comments, it appears they don't care about serving the teachers. It doesn't matter what the teachers want as long as they get to give the group a quality tour and have all of their alotted time. Needless, to say I was a little frustrated by the end of the meeting.

I officially have knitted 2 dish cloths and am starting on my baby's blanket which will be donated to Hope Pregnancy (an organization for unwedd pregnant women).

Crazy Weekend

My weekend is jam-packed with all kinds of fun activities. Yesterday I took the morning off from work because I had a chair that was being delievered to my apartement (by the way it looks really great). But while I was off I took the time to clean my apartment because I wouldn't have anytime to until Wednesday--and it desperatly needed it.

Last night right after work I went and helped my friends Amanda Scott (fellow ACU grad) and Mandy move houses. It was so much fun! 4 girls, Amanda's dad, and Travis, a guy from the Aggie class, moved a whole house in 3 hours! The last load of stuff was really fun because the house's electricity had been turned off so we had to find all the darkly shaped items.

Tonight after work I'm going out with some girls for an extended birthday celebration. We are eating at Freebirds (no complaints on that) and then going to see The Lake House. After the movie some of us are going to see Mandy at the skating place where she works. They are having a lock-in from 8 p.m. to 8 a.m. She said we could come in for free and go skating. I absoultely love roller skating and miss the days in college when we would all go the the skating rink with all the little kids.

Sunday afternoon my mom and sisters are coming to visit me until Wednesday! (Another reason the apartment needs to be clean). Tuesday the state park where I work is having a big 4th of July celebration with free ice cream and coke, food vendors, and other fun stuff. Then at 9:00 there will be a fireworks display. The special people (employees of the museum, their family and Blinn employees) get to sit on the observation deck of the museum to watch. I'm really excited to see what all goes on.

Museum Mayheims!

I love working at the museum because you see a large variety of people and their different behaviors. On Thursday this family came in while I was watching the front desk. There were 2 moms with 5 kids between them, one set of grandparents, and another grandmother. When I saw all the kids I figured there might be some problems with them talking loudly or running which are normal things for kids to do. But the problem was actually with one of the mothers. At one point she was on the upper part of the ramp (which goes upstairs) and she was yelling to her son who was in the back room of the first floor. I was utterly amazed! I couldn't believe someone would do that in a museum!

Friday a group of 13 kids, their 3 mothers, and a grandmother came to the museum. The front desk worker came and informed me that a man had a complaint about the group. They all had gone into the theater to watch out 20 minute movie and while the movie was on, some of the younger kids were running back and forth on the stage. Apparently the moms were sitting there letting the kids do whatever. Anne and I put our official museum nametags on and went out to supervise. All of the adults were looking at the exhibits while the kids were doing whatever they wanted around the museum! At one point the little 2 yrs. old boy started walking up the ramp by himself. When the front desk worker told the mom her response was, "Oh he won't go too far up"! Sheesh.

Maybe we should have some etiquette class to reteach people how to act in certain places.

The Birthday

So my first birthday away from home went very well. We had a birthday celebration first thing at work. My cake was so good. It's called Better Than Anything Cake. It is chocolate cake with caramel seaped inside with cool whip on top. It was a great breakfast :). And I love opening my email to find 6 ecards from my mom! I think it might be a little hard for her not to have me there. Apparently my mom ordered some flowers to be delivered to the museum but they never made it. She was a little upset by that.

Tonight at my knitting class at church all the ladies sang happy birthday to me (I think my friend Valerie set that up). I have never figured out what to do when people sing happy birthday to me--I always feel very awkward. After class Sarah, Valerie, Amanda, and I went out for birthday dessert at Marble Slab. I was excited because I had never been there. My double dark chocolate ice cream with cookie dough was very good. Saturday we are planning to go see The Lake House.

Overall, it was a very good birthday. I welcome with great expectation year 23 of my life!

Things I would like to learn (some are possible, some are just wishes):

* fencing

* fly a plane

* karate/personal defense

* sign language

* fluent spanish

* cooking

* sewing my own clothes

* knit hats/sweaters

* grow flowers

* gymnastics

* ice skating

* history (world,nation,state,church)

Fragrance Phenomenon

Over a year ago I switched my perfume. I use to wear Vanilla Fields and Emily Vaughn always called it "the Erin smell". But I found my new favorite scent: Victoria Secret's Heavenly. I am amazed at how many people have commented on the new smell. One of the girls at church knows the smell right away and points out that I am wearing it. I've had a couple guys mention the aroma...I was happy to know I didn't stink but the comments didn't spark anything. A few weeks ago I bought some earrings at the Icing. While checking out, the girl helping me asked her co-worker if she was wearing Heavenly. I quickly spoke up, "nope, that's me". Then tonight I was getting a coke at the local convenient store when the lady behind me asked what perfume I wore. I feel like I should become the spokeswoman for Victoria Secret's perfume line--sheesh, I'm already giving them pro bono propaganda.



(Tonight I went and bought the chair that matches my couch! It will be delivered on Friday!)

Les Miserables!

Thursday was such a wonderful and amazing thrill! I got to Ft. Worth a little after 12:00 and met Marcus at Jo Anna's house. We then drove to Dallas, more specific Fair Park, to see Les Miserables. We found Fair Park easy enough, it was the Music Hall that was a little difficult. We still made it in plenty of time--we had at least an hour to spare. It's amazing to see the variety of clothing styles at an event like this. I have always thought one should dress more presentable for a theater event. Even though this one was in the afternoon, I still think Sunday attire is more kosher. Marcus and I were very excited to get dressed up in our Sunday best. But the majority of the audience was very casually dressed. Before we went into find our seats we did see a couple who were dressed very eligantly; we felt a close bond with them.

For years I have listened to my Complete Symphonic Recording of Les Miserables. I know every line by heart...I just have never seen it performed on stage. And it was so powerful to see the music come alive. So many times I had goosebumps from the impact of the songs. I truly could have watched this production 3 more times.

The best part of the trip occurred during intermission. Marcus and I decided to take a picture of ourselves in our seats. So we held out the camera and tried 3 different times to get a good shot. After the third try an usher came up to us and told us there is no photography in the theater (which they never said anything about it beforehand). Then he told Marcus to follow him! After a few minutes Marcus returned with a red ticket. He had to turn his camera in at the front desk and could retrieve it after the show. Something like that would only happen to us. So from now on I call that "the illegal picture".

After the show we ate dinner with Jo Anna and JB. It was wonderful to spend time with them--I haven't seen them in ages. Later Robin came over to Jo Anna's house after her softball game. Spending time with old college friends was a perfect end to my June vacation! I then began my trek back to College Station around 9:30 (I love driving at night...so much better than morning driving).

The End of the Vacation

Tonight my sister, Traci, is getting baptized at Highland. I'm so glad I get to be here for it!

Tomorrow I leave Abilene and head to Dallas to rendevous (spelling?) with Marcus. And then we will head off for a great theatrical experience at Les Miserables. (I'm so excited!)

Afterwards we will enjoy a meal with Jo Anna, Emily, and JB. Unfortunately Robin will be involved in a softball game, but I hope to see her afterwards.

Then it's back to old College Station!

People Continue to Amaze Me

I arrived in Abilene Saturday night (after riding through a horrible thunderstorm).

Last night my mom and I went to see The Davinci Code. We both have read the book and have been waiting to see the movie. While we were in line for our tickets I heard someone say "hi Erin". It was one of my kids from student teaching (one of my favorites--you're not suppose to have favorites but it's really hard not too). He was one of the few good kids in my horrible 4th period class.

So the crowds at the movie theater are pretty small on a Sunday night. My mom and I were ready for the movie to begin when a group of ladies walked in...with a 2 year old (or younger) little boy. Who brings a little kid to a movie like that and at 9:00 at night? Everything was fine untill the last hour or so of the movie when the little boy kept crying and wouldn't stop. The ladies would not take him out. Someone went to get the manager to talk to her. She started talking over normal levels saying she had paid money just like everyone else and they should leave her alone. She refused to leave the theater. So we sat through with the little boy crying off and on for 30 more minutes.

It amazes me that people have become so inconsiderate of others. It seems that the world has become very selfish. No one thinks anymore what is good for the others around me. The thought now is I have a freedom and I can push it as far as I want. Who cares about these people I don't know and will never see again.

Happy Birthday, Aidan Michael Smith!

Last night, while brushing my teeth, I received a call from Bret Sosobee which I thought was weird because he doesn't usually call me. He told me he was apart of the "phone tree". Right away I knew why he was calling--Phil and Jenna's baby was here! I started jumping around and screaming in the phone (sorry about that, Bret).

Welcome to the first baby of Sigma Pi Phi: Aidan Michael Smith! This little boy is going to have so many "aunts" and "uncles" as he grows up. I can't wait to meet this precious bundle of joy! Congratulations to mom and dad as well!

Wild Wedding Weekend

Well, I had a great and fast-paced time in Abilene this weekend. Mostly I was involved with things dealing with Kelly's wedding. Friday we had the lingerie shower and rehersal dinner. After the dinner the Abilene girls went out for some quality time. We tried to hangout as much as possible this weekend mainly because Anne was in town. (Anne is the only one of us who moved away for college--to New York).

The wedding was beautiful! Both the ceremony and reception were in the Windsor hotel. My "escort" to the wedding was good old Marcus...even though I was at the wedding 3 1/2 hours before him. I thought that he and I have grown out of our inability to sit next to each other in serious ceremonies...but I was wrong :). We stiffled (spelling?) laughter throughout the entire wedding--jokes about slidding into the wedding like Tom Cruise in Risky Business and odd shaking of a baby. I received many disapproving looks from Kristi Brokaw.

I was stationed to cut the grooms cake--the only way I would have it! Marcus and I were half way through the cake when we noticed Kristi and Trish's job on the brides cake. Each piece was perfectly cut and the top part of the cake was so clean...no lose crumbs anywhere! And then there was our cake...large chocolate masses on a plate and crumbs flying out of ever crook and crany!

So then the tossing of the bouquet came. Usually at weddings girls are fighting all over the place for those precious flowers...at least at Sigma Pi Phi weddings that is the norm. But at this one the girls kept scooting back, trying to get as far away as possible. The flowers were thrown coming in direct line of me but since we were so far back I realized it was going to hit the floor. So I bit the bullet and walked up and caught it. (Third bouquet for me to catch...is that bad?)

After the wedding the Abilene girls went out to Abuelo's for more quality time but we were so worn out from the wedding that we had to cut it short. But there are talks and ideas in the making for a reunion this New Years.

Now I'm back in CS for about 5 days then it's back to Abilene for my vacation time!

June Display

About a week ago I finished my June display for the Discovery Room. It turned out nicely. Here are a couple of pictures:

This is the front section which discusses road travel in the 1830s and compares it to travel today.


The back section discusses travel by river in the 1830s and how we use the rivers today.

Knitting

Tonight I attended the knitting class at church. It was so much fun! When I first got there I saw Valerie who I know from the AFC. The class is going to teach us to make blankets for an organization for young mothers who don't have much money. Tonight I got to be one of the teachers! I learned to knit scarves last year so I helped teach a group of ladies how to make slip knots and how to cast on. I am looking forward to getting to know more of the women in my church.

Tomorrow we are having an all day (9-4) teacher workshop at the museum--so I am going to be busy. My first job of the day is to pickup 5 dozen donut holes...not a bad job.

After the workshop I will be on my way to Abilene for 4 days. Yeah!

They Grow Up So Fast...

My sister, Jennifer, got her first job! She is working at the McDonald's on Buffalo Gap road. When I talked to her on the phone she was so excited and I'm excited for her too. Her first day is Thursday and she will be working in the playground area, cleaning trash and cleaning the playground equipment at closing. Apparently the only way to clean the slide is by sliding down--sounds like a pretty fun job to me. So if any of you Abilenians get a McDonald's craving, Jennifer could hook you up!

Hidden World

I decided last week that I needed a new dress for Miss Kelly's upcoming wedding. It's pretty bad when you are wearing the same dress in everyone's wedding pictures. So last week I started the search which failed miserably. I personally hate shopping (I'm not a typical girl). So I ventured out to the Woodlands which is only a little over an hour from College Station. I immediately fell in love with this place. The major draw for me was the trees. Large, green trees are everywhere. You can't even see the building because of all the trees. You see a sign telling you what store is located deep within the forest and poof! You find a secret shopping haven! I think I will have to make many trips to this hidden paradise.

Off the subject: While in the Woodlands I ventured to try the new KFC mashed potato bowl for lunch. It is absolutely delicious...and healthy--you've got your vegtables (potato and corn), meat (chicken strips) and dairy (three cheese blend). At least that's what I'm telling myself :)

Summons and Interviews

Yesterday in the mail I found a jury summons. This was going to be my first time to serve jury duty. I've been called at least 3 times before but luckily at the time I was in college. Then I noticed the date of my summons: June 1st at 1:00 p.m. I received the summons on June 1st at 5:30 p.m. Then my eyes rolled to the name of the court: Abilene Municiple Court. That would be a little tricky since I am over 300 miles away.

We are having interviews for an additional desk worker on the weekend. I don't get to sit in on the interviews but I get to hear all about them afterwards. Today we had a retired teacher--actually she taught my bosses daughter. I was told she is the sweetest thing. A little while after the interview I got a call from the frontdesk asking me to come to the front. Out there was the lady from the interview asking me an interesting question: she wanted to know what she interviewed for! She had been confused by the ad because it mentioned our small gift shop so she thought it was the big gift shop. Once we got it figured out she couldn't stop laughing at herself. I really liked her and I hope she gets the job.

Vacation Event Confirmed

My new favorite commercial right now is the advertisement for Dairy Queen's new Monster Cookie Blizzard. It has a hideous cuteness to it :)

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One of my vacation weeks for the summer is slowly coming up, June 19-23. I had no idea what I was going to do. Of course I plan to head to Abilene to spend quality time with family and friends. But I wanted something special to do to make it really feel like vacation. And tonight I got confirmation of my special vacation event.

At the end of the week Marcus and I are going to see Les Miserables in Dallas! I'm so excited! This is one of my favorite musicals. I have listened to the music since middle school but have never seen the production on stage. We have 4th row seats on the balcony which is pretty good.

I shall await in utter anticipation.

Summer Happenings

This Sunday was going to be my first time to attend the Graduates and young professionals class. (My 3 year old class is over and I am taking the summer off. I am scheduled as a summer substitue teacher and will be teaching the Wednesday night 5-year-old class in the fall). Unfortunately this Sunday all of the classes were combined in the auditorium--there is always next week. But I found out the GAP class is having a game night this Thursday. Also the GAP girls are starting a Monday night bible study which I plan to attend. This way I will be connected with two groups: the Aggie group and the GAP group. Also there is a women's knitting class that will be starting on Wednesday nights. This will help me get to know more women in the church. I'm very excited about these new summer opportunities!

Sunday night, after church, Sarah and I went to Pei Wei, one of my favorite restaurants--well, one on a large list of restaurants. Apparently, my order was forgotten. When Sarah's dish came out the waitress came to apologize profusely and tell me that my order was just now cooking. To make up for the inconveinence, she gave both Sarah and I a coupon for a free lettuce wrap!

I received my tax refund today--whoo hoo! So I think pretty soon I'm going to get a chair to match my fabulous couch.

*Place Title Here*

It is now 11:13 pm and I really should be in bed, getting rested for my day of work tomorrow. But one of my favorite romantic comedies is on--Only You. You know those movies that just give you a happy calming feeling? This movie does it to me everytime. Robert Downey Jr.--how can you not fall for his cute quirkiness? Another reason to love this movie: it references Roman Holiday--another one of my favorite romance movies.

Sometimes I wish my life was like a movie...as I'm sure many people do. Not just a romance movie--I would enjoy an action/adventure moment in my life or a mystery. I think I could do without a horror/suspense though :)

"All the worlds a stage, and all the men and women merely players."

"Life's like a movie. Write your own ending. Keep believing. Keep pretending."

Last Day of School/Tours!

Although most public schools have their last days today, some do not evacuate until Friday...it is those few who chose to inhabit the museum. And we could easily tell it was the day before the last day. I gave tours straight from 10:30-1:30. My first group was a mix of 1st-3rd graders--30 of them--all very, very talkative. While trying to round them up numerous times I was amazed as the teachers and parents talked or sat instead of helping. So by the end of this first tour I was a little drained. Then came the first group of hyper, sweaty, ready for summer 4th graders. These groups were incredibly huge--more students than we normally take (and there is a reason for that). During the whole tour I had to speak at the loudest volume my voice would go in order for all of the students to hear me. After this tour there was mass confusion at the front of the museum as my group and Anne's group were slowly leaving and our next two groups were trying to come inside! Ahh!

Towards the end of the last tour I was holding onto my throat as I talked to keep it going. Once the kids left I retired to the back for my lunch. And then Anne and I celebrated with a cup of Blue Bell ice cream--well deserved!

Now begins the leisure summer months. We will have an occasional tour here and there (mostly adult groups) but the rest of the time I will find special little projects to keep my busy--like cleaning out the filing cabinets!

Escape

The end of the school year is near...and it is quite easily seen in the students and the teachers. Today was suppose to be a simple day--one tour at 9:30 and another at 12:30. But it gets complicated when the teacher forgets she changed the time to an hour earlier and they arrive an hour late. So there was a bit of chaos for about 45 minutes in the museum.

After the tour Anne and I escaped from the museum! We had to deliver the art contest projects to the schools in Brenham and also deliver all kinds of business things to Blinn College. After our deliveries Anne decided to show me around the town. I saw Blue Bell Creamery--someday I'm going to go tour it. Maybe when people come to visit me we will go--you get free ice cream if that tempts anyone to come visit! Anne and I were gone over 2 and a half hours...it was great! And again another day to procrastinate on my project ;)

Procrastination, what's that?

Over the past few months I have slowly been working on my June Discovery Room display on transportation. Once March, April, and May came along this project was put on the back burner as tours consumed me. But now as June begins to loom, I realize this needs to be finished by the end of this week. I realize I have no drive to work on this. I find anything else to do. So procrastination has has followed me all the way to work...you think after school it would leave you alone. Hopefully I will find my motivatin to finish the project.

*I have been experiencing a sharp pain in the bottom of my left foot...not too sure what it is...

Lazy Weekend

Well, I made it through the week and I am pooped. I decided this weekend was going to be full of laying on the couch and watching movies/tv. This is my first weekend in a month to not have something to do. So Friday after work I got a FreeBirds burrito, rented two movies, and commenced relaxing. The first movie I watched was The Producers, a movie I have been meaning to see. It was ok--not what I was expecting. It also was a little slow at times. The second movie I rented was Everything is Illuminated, an independent film starring Elijah Wood. It was very good and I would highly recommend it!

This evening I watched a show on Food Network that discussed the different food at Disney World. My desire to go there was increased 200% by watching this show. (Also my desire to learn how to make large, decorative cakes was provoked). One of my biggest goals: make it to Disney World before I die. Some day...

Vaguely Familiar

There is a weird phenomenon that occassionally occurrs in my life but lately it has been happening far too often. I often have people who tell me I look familiar to them or that I remind them of somebody. Usually this happens over a space of time but lately it had become more frequent. Two weeks ago at church I had a young married couple come up to me before service to apologize for staring at me. (I personally didn't notice them staring...if I had I might have been a little unnerved. The lady explained that I looked exactly like her sister and they just couldn't get over the similarity. After service that same Sunday a lady I met stated that I reminded her of one of her good friends. This past Sunday I had two instances where people I met said I looked very familiar.

This happens so often that I wonder am I a clone or is there a part of my life that I don't remember. Maybe I have met these people before. Maybe I just have "one of those faces". It's sometimes very bizarre. Does anyone else have this problem?

Little Tired

I have not had a chance to catch up from my 3 hours of sleep Saturday night. I think about taking a nap when I get home from work but I've had other things to do--mainly cleaning up my apartment. My day off this week was scheduled for Thursday. Because of all the tours we have had in May I have had to come into work on Mondays which is usually my weekend. Our part time education assistant, Judy, is unable to come to work this week because her husband had emergency quadruple bipass surgery. I was happy to work for her because she desperatly needed to be with him. But I'm really starting to feel exhausted. The way it was going to work out was I would work Monday through Saturday this week, get Sunday of, then work Monday through Saturday again! I proabably could have made it but I don't really think I want to try. My boss, Houston felt sorry for me and said he would work for me this Saturday. So I get to sleep in and relax! A week and a half more till our busy time is over.

Bachlorette--Austin Style

This Saturday after work I headed out for Christy's new house in Austin to meet up with the original Abilene crew for Kelly Haseltine's bachlorette party. Christy, Heather, Jessica (Kelly's sister), Trish (who I haven't seen since October)and I went to paint the town! After a dinner at Razoo's we head to downtown...mainly 6th street. We had to find a place that would allow under 21 year olds for Jessica. We went to a piano bar where we got Kelly to sit on the piano while the singer sang to her.

We then went upstairs to another room with a band with an amazing black singer. While up there the drummer from downstairs bought all of us a round of shots! Also the same drummer, probably my dad's age, asked Trish, the only married woman of the group, to dance. Before we left the singer got our bachlorette party up on the dance floor. Trish and I had a scary encounter with a drunk guy on the balcony. We weren't sure what he was talking about and quickly slipped back inside. We returned to Christy's a little after 2:00. After some m&m's, cake, and chips and dip (just like our old slumber parties) we headed to bed.

Then I woke up at 6:00 in order to drive back to College Station in time to teach my 3 year old class--Whoa!

I Feel Faint

Today during one of my upstairs tours I had a fourth grade girl faint! I had the kids in the medical section and I was telling them about how doctors use to bleed people as a cure for illnesses. Just as I started to talk about using leeches to suck people's blood...down she fell like a sack of potatoes! I thought she had tripped but when she didn't get right back up I knew what had happened. She was only out for a couple seconds and then the teacher took her to get some fresh air. I'm sure the talk of blood and medical stuff just got to her.

I use to be really bad when it came to talking about the inner workings of the body. When I was little I couldn't even hear the word blood. It was the "b" word. In my 5th grade Sex Ed class I fainted, banging my head on the table, and in 6th grade I threw up. At times I still can get a qwizzy (sp?) during some talks.

I had a lot of fun at my party last night. I met Andrei at his apartment and helped him finish getting the spaghetti noodles ready. Then we packed his car up and headed to the club house to meet everyone. He lives in a really nice apartment complex with an amazing pool--I wish we had brought our swimsuits. My salad went over very well--which is good because I've never made a "group salad" before. I ended up knowing about half of the people from my girl's devo and the Aggie class. We played ping pong and pool. We learned two valuable lessons last night: (1) Ping pong balls do not come out when dropped in the pool table (2) Do not try to retrieve the ping pong ball with the pool table balls as they well ALL get stuck :) I had a great time getting to know new people and hanging out with people I already knew!

Well, it's happened. I succombed to the masses who congregate on myspace.com. I was determined to stay off forever--no one could possibly make me convert...except one. I received an email from Eric Fiss aka EFitt. Eric was part of the "Lion's Den" crew from freshman year but then transfered to San Diego. Over the years I have occassionally kept in touch with him. Once he told me he was on myspace I jumped on the bandwagon. So far I haven't done too much on it...I'm still more partial to facebook.

www.myspace.com/crawfordee

My social calendar has slowed down a bit this week. I may try to hang out with people tomorrow night since I'm off on Wednesday. I was invited by Andrei, a guy from church, to an end of the semester get together at his apartment--I'm quite excited about this. Then Saturday after work I will be making my way to Austin for Kelly Haseltine's bachlorette party! I love staying busy!

Dance the Night Away

Well, I had a fantastic time dancing the night away last night. After the devo Garrett, Andy, Sarah, Sarah, Mandy, Amanda, Justin, Natalie, and I made our way to Time Square. It was a very nice facility with a huge room filled with pool tables and a room for dancing...including a stage for those who are completely confident in their dancing abilities. The problem was there were not many people there. So we decided to make our way to the Hall of Fame more commonly known as the Hall. It was full of dancing fools! At first we all stood around talking--rather loudly over the music. Then the Cotton Eye Joe began playing and all of us girls ran out to the dance floor. I've learned it's best not to wear flip flops when performing that dance. Right at the start of the song my shoe came off and the people in front start coming toward it. I think I invented a new version of the Cotton Eye. Then the hip hop music started. So in the midst of the bumping and griding individuals, (which was quite a shock to me--I've never seen that in person before) there was a small circle of Church of Christers trying to fit in with the mix. Later I got to freshen up on my two-step skills with Garrett. Apparently I'm a little rusty--I have to work more on sliding my moves instead of hopping. We stayed there until 12:30--whoo! Right before leaving Sarah and I were standing by ourselves and actually were asked to dance by two guys. Quite flattering but we turned them down...I don't enjoy dancing with strange guys I don't know. All in all it was a great night. But I sure felt it this morning at work!

Enjoyable Day

I was dreading my work load today. We had four tours listed all from the same school...all 7th graders. The majority of the middle school groups have been filled with students who are very closed mouthed and give the impression that they are bored with what you are saying. My first group was mainly all boys who appeared to have been held back because they were towering over me (which is not hard to do). They were absolutely wonderful! Upstairs they listened intently and asked lots of questions. My next two groups were the same way--full of curiosity and good questions. The last group had to leave early so we allowed them to look on their own for 10 minutes on each floor with Judy and I supervising. While on the second floor I had many girls come up to me asking me to tell them about certain objects or a section of the exhibit. I was absolutely floored! I made sure to inform the teachers on how wonderful their entire group was.

Tonight a large group of us are heading out after devo to a place called Time Square to celebrate Mandy's b-day. Time Square is a bar/dance place without country music (Hallelujah). It also has pool, darts and other activities. I'm pretty excited about this!

Busy Social Life

This weekend was jam-packed with lots of fun. The Invisible Children campout was wonderful. Christy and I wrote our letters and made our art projects. I got plenty of sleep while Christy stayed up socializing but we both woke up cold and in a layer of dew--yum! Christy stayed with me from Saturday through Monday and it was lots of fun--reminds me of the days in the dorm.

This week I am so incredibly busy. Of course work is full of tour after tour (May is the busiest of our months) but I also have lots going on after work. Here's a look at my schedule:

Monday: party at my place with Christy, Heather, and Jonathan
Tuesday: Girl's Devo party at Valerie's
Wednesday: Church
Thursday: 9:00 devo; then Mandy's 21st birthday celebration (possibly dancing at The Hall--excitement)
Friday: rest/work on lesson plan for Sunday
Saturday: Robin comes to visit--yeah!!!!

Have you noticed how time seems to go faster as you get older? The weeks just fly by; I blink and a month has passed. I hardly can believe that I have lived in College Station for over 6 months--it doesn't seem like that much time has passed. When I was much younger I remember time creeping along like a snail. It was ages until my birthday rolled around and then another century until Christmas.

Saturday evening I am going (with Christy Weathers) to the Global Night Commune for the Invisible Children. From what I have read about it there are people all over the world I believe, meeting in areas and sleeping in tents all night to assimilate what the children in Africa must do every night. One of the Commune's will be in College Station and I am very thrilled to be apart of this. I remember my senior year when my roommate Brooke brought home this dvd she had watched in one of her classes. I was absolutely floored that there were places in the world where children were forced to carry guns and kill other individuals. Children who had to leave their family and hide at night in fear. It really makes you realize how blessed we are to live in freedom and know that you will wake up under a roof with food on the table.

www.invisiblechildren.com