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

LOTR Addict

Answer to the Pop Question: On April 21, 1836 the Battle of San Jacinto occurred. In the fight for Independence this was the battle where the Texians defeated the Mexican soldiers in a battle that lasted only 18 minutes. The suprise attack occurred when the Republic Army attacked while the Mexican soldiers took a nap. (Probably more than you wanted to know).


I have been on a Lord of the Rings kick for the past week. Two weekends ago the first two movies came on t.v. and I finished it off by watching my own copy of the third movie. Now I have moved on to the appendicies. When you haven't watched them in quite awhile it feels like you are watching them for the first time. I also have a hankering to read the books again. Unfortunatly I don't own my own copies--last time I read my mom's. So perhaps this week I can find my own copies and have something to read as summer looms up over the horizon :)

Pop Quiz

Does anyone know why yesterday, April 21st is important in Texas history?

The Storm

Thursday night I went to a devo the AFC (Aggies for Christ) has up at A&M. It's alot like the 9:00 service on Sunday nights in Abilene. I picked up Garrett Hoskins after roaming around on foot for 5 minutes trying to find his apartment--whoever heard of two pools in one complex! We then embarked on the adventure to A&M. I have never really been on campus before so I really didn't know where anything was. Amanda Scott gave me some directions...that I left on my kitchen table. So I had to rely on my mind--scary. Somehow or another we found the area by Rudder fountain. In the middle of the speaker the wind started to gust at unfathomable speeds and then the rain came down. We were under the coverinf of a building but there were still open areas. I happened to be in the area were the rain was blowing against my back--I was so incredibly cold. After the devo, Garrett and I joined some of my AFC friends at a coffee shop called Sweet Eugene's. It is such a neat place--very college-esque. It has lots of different rooms with tables and sofas. And they have great hot chocolate--that's usually how I rate a coffee shop. I didn't get in bed that night until 12:00 which is very late for me--but it was worth it!

Friday when I got to work a surprise awaited. The storm the night before knocked some of our electricity out and the air conditioning! Of course I wore a sweater because of the cool front that came in. So our first tour was given in partial light. Thankfully all of the lights came on around noon. The air though didn't come on until 4:00! We were sweating it up. And it didn't help that we had bunches of middle school kids in the museum. There was one area that I walked by and a huge patch of b.o. nearlly knocked me over. Whew!

"Insufferable Man"

Last night at my Girl's Devo two of the girls who are sisters mentioned they were watching the 6 hour Pride and Prejudice--the only good version (in my opinion). They sent out an invite to anyone who wanted to join in. I was off work on Wednesday so I took them up on it. I brought a bag of M&M's to the Colin Firth viewing at Bren and Elise's. They had already watched the first 2 hours so we ohhed and awwed over the last 4 hours. Every smoultering look from Darcy sent a sigh radiating out of each of our mouths. We finished at 1:00 in the morning and I went to bed with a happy heart.

Elise and Bren let me borrow Veggie Tales: Lord of the Bean. For anyone who loves the Lord of the Rings trilogy you should watch this parody for kids!

(The title of my blog is one of my favorite lines from P 'n P)

Laundry Thief?

I think someone is taking my clothes...

The last time I did my laundry I noticed a couple of my "undergarments" were missing. I searched the laundry room and the path traveled between the room and my apartment. Nothing. So I bought two new articles to replace the missing ones. This past weekend I did laundry and today I realized the two new "undergarments" I bought are gone! What the huey? Either there is a girl about my size getting some freebies or a sick guy/man taking them...lets hope for option #1. Today I plan to take inventory of my clothes to see if anything else is missing. And from now on I'm sitting in that room, watching my laundry like a hawk!

Enjoyable Sight

I went for a walk today at my favorite park in town and as I was walking the part of the sidewalk on one of the busy streets I saw a very enjoyable sight. Four guys on motorcycles drove past but not dressed in the sterotypical biker garb. All four had on full body bunny suits: 3 white and 1 pink. It was my favorite Easter gift!

Happy Easter

Happy Easter to everone!

This is my first Easter not in Abilene. I think the one thing I will really miss is hearing Val Durrington sing "Arise My Love" at Highland. It has become a tradition at the church and it gives me chills everytime I hear it. But I am looking forward to teaching my 3-year-olds about the Resurrection.

Make sure and get your Easter candy before it's gone for another year...I think I need my last token Cadbury Cream Egg :)

A Blend of Purple in the Maroon

Last night in the Aggie class a special treat awaited us...especially those of us ACU grads. A group of ACU grad students who use to be Aggies came to visit along with the guest speaker that evening: Dr. Jack Reese. It was such a wonderful feeling to see a professor that is well linked with my alma mater (first time to use that phrase). During our meet and greet time I turned around to meet someone new and was face to face with Justin Thomason who I knew from Sunday Devo at Slade and Dava Lynn's. As Dr. Reese got up to speak, I leaned across the row of girls I was sitting with to make my wildcat sign to Amanda Scott, also a recent ACU graduate. It was a very comforting night.

Keith's car is still not fixed so I was asked to give him a ride which I don't mind.The only problem was when he called to ask for the ride he called me "hey you" which in my mind is sort of an intimate title. And my body, mind, and voice went into a very defensive mode all night. He is a nice guy but I just don't see anything happening there. I want to be a friend to him because of his loss but not have him take it the other way. Oy!

Garrett Hoskins and Andy Williams are living in CS for the next 3 months while going through A&M's Firefigher School. We already have lose plans to eat Easter lunch together. My hope is that we can get a group of Ultimate frisbee people together over time...we shall see.

Kindred Spirits

This weekend I immersed myself in Anne of Green Gables: The Continuing Story. The third movie in the saga of Anne and Gilbert--ahh! It just makes a girl happy...I don't think guys understand these movies. Nothing compares to the first movie: broken slates, "carrots", kindred spirits, walking ridge poles, the Anne and Gilbert tension--what more could you want!


There she weaves by night and day
A magic web with colors gay
She has heard a whisper say
a curse is on her if she stay
To look down to Camalot...

Social and Work Life

Last night after church I hung out with Keith. I mentioned earlier about how his grandparents, who use to live with him, were killed in a car accident. I think he has had a little trouble adjusting to the change. So we went to eat and then watched tv at his house. All day Sunday I was sort of not looking forward to it just because I really don't know him that well and I guess it just made me nervous. I think in my head it was turning into a date and that freaked me out. Also he's 30 years old which was another freak out point. But I had a good time and I think he will be a good friend.

Today is my day off but I got a call at 9:30 which woke me up. I had told my boss Anne that there was a teacher that wanted to reschedule her canceled tour. I had told her two dates and she said she had to check with her principal and would call back. I never got a call and this past week I left two messages for her to call me. She never called. So I informed Anne about all of this and this morning the call came. 2 busses had arrived at the park which was a surprise. The teacher was saying that I sent her an email on Friday--which I did no such thing. I felt so bad but Anne said it wasn't a problem. I'm very anxious to get back to work to figure this whole thing out.

Flusters of Adult Life

Yesterday I gave a tour to a group of 12 first graders which was a fun change from the groups of fourth graders. They all were so full of questions and stories to tell. At the end of the tour as I led them to the door, each of the students gave me a hug and thanked me. It was so adorable! Later at church I saw one of the girls from the group. I said to her "you came to my museum didn't you" and she said "Miss Erin" and gave me a hug. It turns out she is the sister of one of the little boys in my 3 year old class--small world.

This morning was a little bit frustrating for me. I had one of those mornings were I couldn't decide what to wear and tried on a couple of outfits (girls you know how that is). Already this got me off of my morning schedule. We were ordering pizza for lunch today so last night I got $10 to help pay but this morning I couldn't find it anywhere. So it took some time searching the purse, house, and car for the money--I still haven't found it. Then I was riding the E so I had to stop for gas before my trek to work. Through all the craziness of the morning my hair, which was clipped up on my head, had fallen down and was drooping in my face. Luckily the bosses were out of town so they didn't see me enter 15 minutes late...although they wouldn't have cared if they were here. But the day has gotten better.

Work Shananigans

My bosses left today for the TAM (Texas Association of Museum) conference in Beumont which will last the rest of the week. I was actually suppose to go on this trip but because of scheduling confusion I will have to wait till next year. Oh well--that just means party this week at the museum! Before they left I gave Anne a special going away present...at least that's what I called it. We were standing in the office and Anne was telling me about the car situation they had this morning. While she was talking I made some face that caused my mouth to open wide and my gum shot straight out onto the carpet. Anne busted into laughter--she said the best part was my face after the gum fell out. She actually had tears in her eyes because she was laughing so hard.

Later this afternoon Effie and I were talking via shouting across offices. I don't remember what we started talking about but during the conversation I think she was subtly trying to figure out if I was truly happy with my job. She said "you know we have a rule that you have to stay at least 3 years in this job". I assurred her I would be here for quite awhile. I fit very well here!

Back Home

I returned home last night from a wonderful trip to Abilene. It was great to see everyone and get to spend time with the old gang. Through this visit I realized that things are changing since we were all in college and I suppose with each visit more and more will change. I think the biggest change for me was finding out that our group (those that are still there)does not sit in section A any more at chapel.

We had a wonderful and riviting game of Ultimate on Saturday. I've missed that so much! I paid for the fun though. Sunday and today I woke up in some major pain. I think every muscle in my body was sore. But it was worth it.

Today I got a call at work from a school that wants to bring out their 7th and 8th greaders who had perfect attendence. I asked how many students would come and the response was 250! Whoa! The most we have accomidated at the museum is 150. But come May 22nd we will have a crazy 2 1/2 hours with 100 students in the museum at a time! This may have been a mistake...

Lights Out

Today at close to 11:00 Judy and I were standing outside the museum waiting for our group of students to walk up to the front of the museum. After a 2 1/2 hour bus ride from Diboll, TX (around Houston) the kids (and parents) were in desperate need of the restroom facilities. Right as all of the kids and parents were corralled in the restrooms all of the electricity in the museum cut off! Kids came running out of the dark restrooms to the light of the outside walkway.

I went back to the office and found Effie heading toward the Discovery Room with a flashlight. She had to rescue two ladies who had their toddler grandchildren. As Effie lead the little kids, who still had the play clothes on, toward the front door I heard one little girl say "I didn't like that". In my interview for this job I was asked if I could be flexible and think on my toes. Well, today that came into play. Since we didn't know when the electricity would be back on we had to flip the school group's lunch time. So they all headed for the picnic area while we all sat in the dark waiting for everything to turn back on.

As it drew closer to 12:00 we wondered what else to do with the group since they would be making their way back to the museum. Judy decided to drive up to the visitors center to ask if we could have them tour Independence Hall. About a minute after I let her out the front door all of the lights turned back on. I took off running towards the back door to stop Judy from getting in her car--it's a bit of a challenge to run in dressy shoes.

The students arrived on time and we gave our tours without any other problems. I have to say I was very excited by the outage. Never a dull day at the museum!

Abilene on the Horizon

I have two more days until I make my way to Abilene. As soon as 5:00 Thursday rolls around I will be hitting the road but going the speed limit (I've learned my lesson). I have made a new mix cd to help make the trip more exciting--I'm very easily entertained. Songs on this cd include: One Week by Bare Naked Ladies (aka the Xfiles/Harrison Ford song), Chonic-WHAT-cles of Narnia (SNL), Somewhere Out There, and a couple song from The Lizzie Maguire Movie :)

I'm heading mainly for my mom's birthday but also because I haven't been in about two months. A trip back is highly need especially since I didn't have a spring break. I guess this is my mini post-spring break.

Hightlights of the weekend include:
* Friday Praise Chapel!
* Lunch with mom
* Movie with my sisters?
* Possible girls' night
* Possible Saturday Ultimate game (highly needed)
* Quality time with Christy
* And who knows what else!

Can't wait to see those of you who read my blog!

Kids

On Friday we had a group of 60 Pre-K children who came to tour the museum. Naturally, our normal tour, which on average is set at a 4th grade level, had to be brought down. They were absolutely adorable! When I was about to lead my first group out of the Discovery Room (the hands-on room) the little boy in the front of the line just kept hugging me. Then in my second group I had two boys who started fighting over who got to hug me.

Today in my 3-year-old class I taught a lesson about kindness using the story of Mephibosheth (who was the crippled son of Jonathan and grandson of King Saul--apparently my sunday school classes did not teach this story enough). To begin class I had the kids take off their shoes and stick them all in the middle. Then everyone took turns picking a pair of shoes and showing kindness by putting them on their classmates. It was so funny to watch. It also was interesting because they are at this stage in life where they are proud to be able to do things by themselves so some opted to put their own shoes on. One little girl was helping Luke put his shoes on when Garrett yelled out "hey, those are my shoes". We then had to remind the children to pick their own shoes!

I really love working with this age because of their innocence, their unabashed outpouring of love, and their love of life--we adults could learn alot from these young ones.

In an earlier post I think I mentioned a lady I met through the 101 class at church. Her name was Dovey and she was very interested in having me meet her grandson. Over the past few months I became good friends with her and her husband. Occasionally I would sit with them on Sunday mornings. She would call me once a week just to check on me and make sure I was doing alright.

This afternoon around 4:00 my cell phone started ringing at work. This was odd because my phone never, ever has picked up service at my desk--I usually have to go outside. Later I realized there must have been divine intervention involved. Keith, Dovey's grandson, called me to let me know that both his grandmother and grandfather were killed in a car accident last night. This news was such a shock to me. It's hard to realize I won't be receiving my weekly calls or sitting with them at church.

The funeral is Saturday which I can't go to because of work. The viewing will be tomorrow from 5-8 so after work I am going to make my way to Bedias, TX. Please keep this family in your prayers.

A little fall of rain

Tonight I talked on the phone with my mom and I realized we haven't talked in almost two weeks. We both have been so busy these past few weeks we just haven't thought about calling. I found out my sister,Traci, had a little mouth surgery today. She had some of her gum cut away after her braces were tightened. (It's stories like this that make me so happy I never had braces). She was in some pain tonight and has a swollen lip.

Through our talk, I also found out about a few things that made me a little sad. First of all my sister, Jennifer, is getting baptized this Wednesday at University! I'm so incredibly happy for her but a part of me is also very upset that I won't be there to see this important decision. I really want to be there.

Secondly I am coming to Abilene in two weekends for my mom's birthday. I'm going to have to work on Monday so I'm going to try to come into town Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. My mom has a special trip she takes every year with 3 other friends and she accidently planned it for that weekend. She thought I would be in town on Monday so we could hang out. But now we are going to try and have lunch on that Friday. It was just a little upsetting because it's getting to the busy season at work and I don't know if I will be able to come back to Abilene for awhile.

Even though these items were a little upsetting, it still was very good to talk with my mom!

Luck of the Irish

Happy St. Patrick's Day. Did everyone remember their green? I always tried to get out of getting pinched by saying I was Irish (which I really am) or using my green eyes as my splash of green...needless to say it doesn't work. Luckily I wore a green shirt today.

Why is it that this is one of the less commercialized holiday? Green, clovers, little red headed elves, you've got all the makings of a great cash in. At least bring out some candy: green, clover peeps; Reese's clover-shaped cups; green fudge (ok this last one I just ran out of creative thoughts).

This morning I answered the phone saying "Star of the Republic Museum this is Erin" and the man on the other end said "Erin, what a great name for today". I do enjoy my Irish name!

Museum Visit

On my day off today I decided to venture out and see one of the tourist attractions of College Station. I visited the George Bush Library and Museum. It was a very well put together museum that discussed the life and presidency of George Bush Sr. Here are a few things I learned:

*George Bush was the ambassador to the U.N.
*For about 4 years George Bush was the director of the C.I.A

I have to admit that I found myself comparing the exhibits to the ones in our museum. Mainly I was noticing that the labels were made the same way as ours...and I've made those before! Behind the museum is a large pond to walk around. I also found a bridge and a pathway that lead to the enclosed gravesite where George and Barbra Bush will be buried.

*Word to the wise*
If you are lactose and tolerant to some degree do not, no matter how much of a craving you have, do not eat a fudge brownie concrete from Shakes. Though it may taste good for a few minutes, it is not worth the two hours of pain later that afternoon.

Abnormal Week

Happy Spring Break to those who still have the wonderful privilege to this wonderful holiday. This week has been rather crazy...and it's only Tuesday! First of all my day off was switched from Monday to Wednesday. Because of spring break events all of the staff members at the museum were going to be out on Monday...and we had some tours that needed a guide. So I came in and it was incredibly crazy. I think all of Texas decided to take a trip out to the museum. I stayed up at the front desk all day helping Vivian with the 316 people we had come through! That's alot for our museum and it was harder having only 3 employees out of the usual 9. And today at work we had over 400 visitors! By the end of the day I was very ready for my day off.

I rented Good Night, Good Luck--I've been very intrigued to watch this movie since hearing about it on the Academy Awards. I've always been a fan of movies that are based on true stories/historical events...I guess it's the history major in me.
I will give my critic tomorrow on the movie. Two thumbs way up or two thumbs way down...we shall see.

Well, I was planning to go to Abilene on the 25th for Phil and Jenna's baby shower. I was really excited about going but then I noticed the calander on the wall. I forgot that I am scheduled to teach the 3's class at church that Sunday. So I won't be able to go. I feel bad because this is the second event that I will be missing. First Rachael and Stephen's wedding now this. If it helps I will be coming into town the weekend of April 1st for my mom's birthday. Hopefully I will be able to make it to the next wedding/baby shower of our friends!

Weekend Happenings

This weekend I bought my first piece of art. I went to Kirkland's just to look around and because I had a 25% off coupon. While looking I came upon this framed picture and I knew that it was what I have been looking for to put in the living room. I tried to find a picture of it online but I have failed. So I will try to explain it. The painting is a man in a white dinner jacket playing the piano with a woman in a red dress standing. As soon as I got back home I got busy hanging the painting. It was quite a trick doing this by myself: lots of measuring and hammering--I worked up a bit of a sweat...not wait glisten (women don't sweat).

Today I went up to the mall, not planning to by anything, and left with some classy work clothes. I haven't bought any clothes in a long time so I figured it was time to reward myself. My new favorite place for clothes is New York and Co.

I taught my 3-year-olds the story of Hannah and Samuel today. To start out I had them play Marco Polo (the connection being when Samuel heard a voice calling him that he couldn't see). They were so adorable--I think they thought it was a new form of hide and seek. As soon as one kid had the blind fold on they all hid under the tables. When I brought the kids back to the floor to listen to the story, one little boy, Daniel, rested his head on my leg--such a simple act but so caring. Later on in class Daniel tapped me on the leg and said "Teacher, I like you". I just wanted to scoop him up and take him home. I had been thinking about not teaching next year(or at least not Sunday morning) so that I could start going to the Graduates and Young Professional class but now I feel that I want to continue with this class. I still have some time to think about it.

(Did anyone watch Extreme Makeover:Home Edition this week? I cried so much at this episode!)

After watching the OC this week I've decided I want to make my own voice overs like Summer so my life will be "more dramatic and meaningful".

New Experiences

Today I learned some things that most people would learn as a wedding planner or caterer. We had a fancy dinner that was taking place in the museum that evening (thank goodness I didn't have to stay for it) and we had to get the tables and chairs ready beforehand. The chairs, 24 of them, had white silk covers with gold sashes, which had to be tied in fancy bows. Effie, who I have found can do anything, taught me how to make these bows--I was so proud of myself. After tieing the bows I made my way back to the office where I learned how to fold silk napkins.Below is a picture of how we folded the napkins. I'm so ready to give a dinner party or start a catering business on the side.


During a tour today I learned the importance of explaining the glass coverings to the exhibits. I was showing the Jacale house to a group of kids when the first kid in line ran head on into the glass. I had to choke back a giggle.

Future Trip

Tonight I began thinking about my summer plans. I have decided that since I have a full time job with plenty of vacation days to take off I should take a special vacation. Not just spending my time off at home in Abilene (no offense to my family and friends at home) but actually getting on a plane and seeing the sites of a place I have never been. Now I have to figure out where to go...

My first thoughts have been fixed on New York City. I've always wanted to go there. I missed my chance back in high school with a choir trip. I even looked at tickets for different Broadway musicals. Some other places I have considered are Boston (to visit my uncle and aunt), Las Vegas, maybe somewhere in the northeast...I don't want to go to a beach--I'm not a big fan of water, sun, and the heat.

I'm still thinking and planning. Any suggestions of places would be appreciated.

Very Fun but Tiring Weekend

I survived my first Independence Day Celebration! The weekend was full of lots of fun. It all begain Friday with the special reception held at the museum. We had lots of big wigs along with great food and wine (which I did not drink). I didn't get home that night till 10:30.

I had to be at the museum at 8:30 for the Saturday festivities. We opened the doors at 10:00 and the people began pouring in. It was unbelievable--I had never ever seen so many people in the museum. My family including my Aunt and Uncle showed up right before the awards ceremony for the art contest which I was the MC at. I had a small amount of nervousness but was perfectly fine once I got going. Afterwards Shawn, the currator, complimented me on my public speaking abilities. Later that afternoon I took the museum's camera and went walking around to see the other festivities. I saw the other demonstrators (buffalo soldiers, weavers, blacksmith, band, etc.) I also went and saw the Texas army who camped out on the park all weekend. On my way back from visiting the army I passed by a group of the army men and I got cat-called by an old man...I walked a little faster! By the end of the day my legs were so sore from standing.

Sunday I arrived at the museum again at 8:30 but first I got a frappacino. The majority of the day I spent at the front of the museum welcoming visitors. I spent two hours in the back room with the documents answering people's questions. At three I watched a play called Gone to Texas which told about Sam Houston's life. The main man who ran the group, Gene Pipes, informed me that his sons are in the band Deep Blue Something, the group that sings the Breakfast at Tiffany's song! I also greeted Sam Houston IV when he came into the museum. We found out later that afternoon that a lady was bit by a copperhead up by the visitor's center--let's just say I stayed inside the museum the rest of the day.

Over the two days we had about 5,000 people come through the museum!

I had a church small group meeting tonight at 6:00 but I was so tired I just went home. I layed on the couch and watched the Academy Awards--wonderful end to an eventful weekend.

Although I had a great weekend I part of me was upset that I was missing some events with my friends. First of all I missed Stephen and Rachael's wedding which really tore me up. I also was not able to celebrate Bryson's birthday which I would have love to do. But other that that I had a great time--I love my job!

Just a Few More Pictures

Two more pictures. I'm just so excited about this event and want to share the experience! This first picture is of our special guests looking at the declaration. The man on the far left is Sam Houston IV, the great-great grandson of Sam Houston!


This is a picture of Sam Houston IV in front of our Signers Painting. This painting is one of our favorite pieces in the museum. It's a painting of all the individuals who signed the declaration in Independence Hall. I like to show this to kids who have already had a tour at Independence Hall. I ask them if that building looks familiar and they all get excited saying, "We were there!"

Pictures

Here are a few pictures from yesterday. This first one is the stagecoach that brought the documents to the museum.


These are the Texas Rangers carrying the box with the documents. I thought this was one of the greatest parts of the day. Texas Rangers, original 1836 documents, what more could you want? Oh yes...chocolate!

The Arrival

Texas Independence Day Celebration has officially begun. Today was an amazing day for anyone...but especailly for a history major! The original Texas Declaration arrived to the museum. It was a major media event so we had to make it spectacular. The document arrived to the museum by way of a horse-drawn stagecoach. Toward the end of last year, individuals took part in an auction to get a seat on the stagecoach with the documents. So these 6-7 individuals rode from Independence Hall to the museum in the stagecoach. I had the task of taking pictures for the museum. I was positioned on the observation deck of the second floor so I could get a birds-eye view. Behind the stage coach four Texas Rangers (how cool) rode on horses. The Texas Rangers then carried the box with the documents up to the museum. We had a state representative there to make a small speech. Then we allowed the media and special guest into the Discovery Room where the documents were set up. One of the special guests was Sam Houston IV--the great, great grandson of Sam Houston! I took a picture of him next to our signers painting which has a portrait of Houston and I could see quite a resemblance. Later this evening I watched the highlights of the momentous event on the news. It was such an exciting and riviting event and I was so glad I was apart of it! The declaration will be at the museum from March 2-March 16 so if you can you should try to come out and see it!

Hopefully tomorrow I will put some pictures up from the event...I took some good ones. Robin you would be proud!

This Day...

Sundays have become my favorite day of the week. So many wonderful, uplifting things happen on Sundays. I start the morning off with my sweet 3-year-olds who through their innocence and love of life teach me new things each week. Then I spend an hour praising and worshiping along with fellow Christians. This Sunday at church our preacher mentioned that some of the soldiers in Iraq have been downloading the services from the internet. So to show our appreciation for their service we gave them a round of applause, hoping they would be able to download that section of the service. I don't know why but this simple act got to me. I guess being in a ritual of daily tasks I sometimes forget about the war going on and the men and women who are living a less than ordinary life.

This Sunday I had a wonderful time fellowshiping. After Sunday morning church I went to lunch with Natalie, one of the girls from my devo. We went to Cheddar's and we each ordered a great chicken fried steak dinner. That evening I sat with Natalie and Amanda for the evening service. They were planning to watch a movie at their house and invited me to come. So I spent the evening hanging out with two great girls, watching Flight Plan, and eating chocolate cookies. Amanda is my age and went to ACU so we had a lot to talk about. And Natalie showed me her autographed picture of David Duchovny which made my evening!

I'm watching Emma this evening. Mr. Knightly can definately perk up an evening :)

A Few Random Thoughts

This week has flown by very quickly. The atmosphere at the museum is a little stressed/on pins and needles. Mainly Houston, the director of the museum is feeling this way and passing on the anxiety to all of us. Next weekend is the big Texas Independence Day Celebration and we have to be ready for it. The most important thing that must get done is the exhibit room for the actual Texas Declaration of Indepenecence.

My task for the big celebration is the Art Contest that we run for the 4th graders in neighboring schools. Last weekend I sorted through and pre-judged almost 200 projects (half of which were pictures of the Alamo). This week I have met the judges, calculated the winners, called the trophy store with the winners' names, printed certificates, made labels for the winning projects, and sent out letter to the winning students. It's been a whirlwind for me...and my desk is showing the signs. Before Saturday I have to work on the speech Anne and I give at the Awards Ceremony!

I meant to write this a couple of weeks ago. In this month's issue of Texas Highways there is a large article about Washington-on-the-Brazos State Park (where I work). If you are bored and want some good reading material I suggest this magazine. I actually haven't read the article yet--it's been passed around the office and hasn't made it way to me. I've heard it is very good.

Today on my way to work I saw a cow/bull with his head stuck in the barbed wire fence. I felt so sorry for him. I had a strong urge to stop and get him out. How scary would it be to be stuck in a painful situation that you couldn't get out of? Hopefully when I leave today someone will have rescued him.

Sugar Pie, HONEY Bunch

I have to admit that my favorite condiment is honey. Some may say that honey is not a condiment but I stand by my statement. Two of my favorite snacks/desserts involving honey are graham crackers with honey and wheat tortilla dipped in honey.

When I go to Grandy's I always order the chicken nugget meal which includes chicken nuggets, french fries, and a roll. And I eat all of these with honey. I've had a lot of people react with disgust to this. But I love it! I started this as a kid and the habit has stuck.

Here's another honey story that I don't think I've told anyone. Back when I worked at Kirkland's I would get a little hungry during my long shifts. We had a bag of honey packets in case we got a buscuit from Chick-Fil-A. So I would occassionally eat a honey packet--straight up!

**Favorite conversation from this weekend***
Scene: Christy and I at the mall
-Christy: I'm pretty thirsty
-Me: Well, you know it is happy hour
-Christy: Erin!
-Me: I mean at Sonic. (as I point to the Sonic in the mall)

Food and Fellowship

The A&M Church of Christ has a time of food and fellowship on every 3rd Sunday night. We spend 20-30 minutes in the auditorium and then we all move to the gym area to fellowship. Tonight the menu was sandwiches, chips, and desserts. I ate with a group of girls from my girls' devo: Mandy, Claire, and Amanda Scott (who graduated from ACU). It was a wonderful night. I am always amazed at the ways this church works at bringing it's members together.

Because of the cold weather we have had down here I've developed a strange food feddish/craving. I've been eating a lot of potato soup and crossiants. Tomorrow I have a lunch date with Valerie and I picked McAllisters Deli...mainly because I can get a bread bowl with potato soup!

Christy comes into town tomorrow and I can't wait! Who knows what kind of fun we will have.

Wolf Pen--My New Favorite Part of Town!

Tonight after work I took a quick spin to the mall. For the first time I decided to go home by means of the road that runs behind the mall. Since I had never gone down this road I was really, really hoping that it would lead to another road that I was familiar with.

I happened to find some new places to explore. On this street is Wolf Pen Park which apparently is split up in several areas. From what I could see as I drove past it has many walking paths with an occasional bridge. I can't wait to find time to spend in this special place. As I passed this area I also notice a lot of people walking in the same direction toward a large building. I soon saw what the large public draw was: The Wolf Pen Ice Skating Rink! You have no idea how excited I was/still am. I love ice skating! My grandparents use to take me all the time to the Galleria in Dallas. Of course I haven't been since I was about 10, but I am very ready to take those skates up again (especially after watching the Olympics). Hopefully I can find some individuals who would like to go with me!

100th Blog

This is my 100th blog--whoa! Happy 100th blog day!

Today I woke up with a sore throat. The rest of me felt fine, it just hurt whenever I swallowed. I had 2 tours to give so that didn't help my throat. By the end of the day my throat still hurt, I started coughing, and I had a few moments of dizziness. I really can not get sick right now. The art contest has begun and I have lots to do starting tomorrow.

After work I went and bought some potato soup and crossiants...along with a couple Cadbury Cream Eggs :) I think I'm going to go to bed early tonight to try and ward off these icky feelings.

Friendly Visit

Christy Weather's is coming to visit me! She called me today with the wonderful news; she has a non-profit job fair to attend in Houston on Tuesday. She is going to come into College Station Sunday and stay with me that night and Monday night. And since I have Monday off we can spend some time around town...who knows what trouble we will get into!

I found out at the beginning of this week that my sister, Traci, got her hair cut. She wanted it to look like Natalie off of Monk. Apparently it is very short. I have yet to see it. My mom said that she's had a few negative comments about it and I think it has made her a little self-conscious. What I love about Traci is that she is not afraid of things. She doesn't worry alot about what people think--sometimes I wish I had that quality. I wish I could be in Abilene to comfort her over this new change. If any of you in Abilene happen to see her, would you please compliment her on her hair?

Post V-Day

My dad came through! When I got home from work I checked my mail and there was a Valentine's card waiting for me with an apology for not being able to fit a rose inside.

When I reached my apartment door there was another surprise awaiting me. Outside my door there was a vase with a dozen yellow roses and a heart shaped candy box. Along with the presents was a very sweet note from a kind and courageous friend from college--his name will remain annonymous to protect the innocent. I was very, very flattered.

My party went very well. 3 girls from my devo showed up along with Heather a little later. I believe all of the girls from the devo are sophomores at A&M or Blinn College. Before we started a movie I had to introduce them to the special hidden interview on LOTR Return of the King (Rachael you would be so proud of me spreading the word). The girls had never seen Breakfast at Tiffany's so I enlightened them--such a great movie! The movie ended around 9:30 and we began talking, girl's favorite pasttime. They ended up staying until 11:30. I loved getting to spend this time with these girls and becoming closer to them.

Happy Valentine's Day!

I hope everyone has had and will continue to have a wonderful Valentine's Day! This is my first V-Day away from my family. My dad would always get me a rose and sometimes something else special. When I worked in the Provost office he would leave it on my desk so it would be a nice suprise.

Work has been very fast paced today. We had a group of 130 7th graders come for tours in the morning time. They were some of the best behaved middle schoolers we've had so far. Then after tours I had lots of phone calls to make--mostly people I had ignored during History Fair craziness. Even though it gets a little chaotic at times, I love this job and am so happy I took it!

On Tuesday nights I usually have my girls devo but since it it Valentine's Day we canceled it for this week. So instead I have invited a group of girls from that devo (those that didn't have plans already) to come to my apartment for movies and special Valentine treats. I'm really excited--this is my first time to entertain people in my apartment! Last night I baked brownies and placed pink hearts on top with icing. I also found this cookie decorating set that has edible messages that you stick on top of cookies with icing. I mixed up a pitcher of pink lemonade kool-aid and watermelon kiwi kool-aid. I hope a good group of girls come over--I really want to get to know them better.

I saw another person I know from Abilene today. Taylor Black--a guy I went to high school with and haven't seen since high school. In fact he sort of dropped off the radar after high school. Christy, Trish, Heather, Kelly, and I use to discuss how none of us knew where he was...or if he was alive. After church today I went to lunch with a group from the college class. As I was leaving I noticed a family getting into the car next to me and it was Taylor! He was visiting his sister. He graduated from UT and is now living in New York. How weird is it that we would see each other in College Station?

Sidenote: I have a hard time letting people know what I am truely feeling inside. This includes myself.

Fancy Seeing You Here

I had a really interesting evening after work. I decided to do some window shopping that might turn into real shopping (and it did). I went to Pier One, hoping to use my gift card, and a few moments after entering the store I heard a man's voice say "Well, look it's Erin Crawford." I looked up and there was Thom Lemmons along with Heather Lemmons! I was so excited! I had been meaning to get together with Heather since she just recently moved to College Station.

Then after Pier one (where I did use my gift card on two end table stands) I went to browse around Target...one of the best stores ever. While there I saw Hannah Kemp who was my roommate at Junior Scholars and who went to ACU. She was there with her fiance registering. She moved down to College Station for a job. It's so weird that in the same night I saw people I knew from Abilene.

I Survived History Fair

Well, History Fair is officially over and everyone survived. For the most part it went very smoothly. It was a good day...but I am very tired. So here are some highlights from the day:

* Getting up at 6:00
* Driving in the dark and the rain
* Maning the Judge table
* Meeting some nice guys who are students at Blinn :)
* Receiving a walkie talkie to use for the day (only a few select received these)
* Pretty much being second in charge (only because I was the one who knew more about what was going on)
* Judging 2 documentaries, an exhibit, and a performance
* Huge rain storm at around 1:30--kids having fun in the rain
* Being the photographer at the awards assembly
* Giving Anne, my boss, roses for her immense work on the event
* Getting to sit down at 4:45

A New Start

So in my last post I talked about how I needed some help with my walk with God. Well, I had such an uplifting time at church. After church time I talked with Valerie for a bit and discussed times to get together for lunch. Then I saw Andrei who I hadn't seen since I left for my Christmas break. So we spent a long time catching up on things--I didn't leave church until 9:00. He heads up a non-profit organization that supports orphans in Romania. So I think I'm going to sign up to support an orphan. Our class on Wednesday nights has a spiritual journal that leads you through the week that you can buy. I haven't bought one but Andrei had one and talked about how wonderful it was. Since I didn't have one he gave the one he had to me! He told me he bought alot of them and just hands them out to people. So I am very excited about using this as a start on my spiritual journey!

Tomorrow is History Fair! We have been insanely busy all week--making packets, having orientation meetings, setting up tables, staying at work till 6:00. I have to be there at 7:30 which means I have to leave my apartment at 7:00--a coke will be needed in the morning.

Our girl's devo is not meeting this Tuesday because of Valentine's Day. So I am trying to get a group of the girls together for dinner and a movie that night--some classic girl time!

Deligence in My Walk with God

It amazes me how God works in our lives. Over the past few months I have had times when I would be struggling with an issue and God would place a person or words that would relate to what I was going through.

Tonight at my Girl's Devo I realized my relationship with God is not where it should be. We are studying the characteristics of a woman of God. Tonight we talked about being a woman of deligence. Through our discussion, Valerie (who is married) talked about how when you are married you loose alot of your time...mainly your time for God. I began to think about the fact that I have lots of time. Time that I am truely thankful for. Time that I can devout to God in many ways--prayer, study, service, and even just sitting in silence listening for His words. I don't think I appreciate or take advantage of all the possiblities I have in my life.

Judge Erin

Back from a great weekend in Abilene. I had so much fun getting to see all my girls! I really do miss all of you. We should start a monthly weekend thing...something to think and plan on...

Since I usually work on Saturdays I had to switch my work time. That means I am going to work Monday-Saturday this week. And it's going to be very busy because Friday is History Fair and there is lots to be done. Also Friday I have to be at work by 7:30--yuck! But I found out today I get to be one of the judges! I will be judging the projects on WWII and pick the best one. I'm really excited about that!

Last week I noticed that Walgreen's had Cadbury Cream Eggs out already. Those are without a doubt my favorite candy. I was so excited that they were out so early. So tonight I went back to get one...or two. When I got there they magically morphed in to Crunch and Butterfinger Eggs. Apparently they ran out a few days ago. So I had to settle for a Butterfinger Egg. I learned a lesson tonight--don't ever settle.

Does anyone watch Grey's Anatomy? If so...wow, what an episode!