Travis left last Friday morning with 4 other guys on a back packing trip in the Wachita (sp?) Mountain area in Oklahoma. It has been an interesting week for me. On Friday I came home and remembered he wasn't in town and truly was unsure what to do. The weekend went by fine; I had things to do. On Saturday night I had some people over to watch It's a Wonderful Life. On Sunday there was church, lunch with Sarah and Kendra, evening church and a fellowship meal. I passed the rest of the evening by watching March of the Penguins--such a cute movie!
Monday was much harder. I had plenty of Christmas related things to do but by 4:00 I was done for the day. So from 4:00 til my bedtime I just sat and watched t.v.--oy. Each day got harder and harder. Funny that my lesson to my kindergarten class Wednesday night was about patience--possibly a lesson I needed to hear as well. What was even hard was that I didn't get to talk to Travis on the phone. He called Friday night to let me know they got in but since then all I had to go on was a phone message he left me right before they left.
But this morning he called while I was getting ready for work to tell me they were about an hour away from home! They left earlier than expected. It was so good to hear his voice and to know he was safe.
So we will have tonight and tomorrow together and then I leave Saturday for Abilene for a week stay.
Thursday, December 21, 2006
Saturday, December 16, 2006
Special Project
Ok so I don't have the pictures yet but I will explain what occurred last Monday.
Over the course of our relationship Travis has thought up wonderful ways to surprise me and to show that he cares. I wanted to do the same thing. So for awhile I had been thinking about what I could do for him. I know that I wanted it to involve me sneaking into his apartment.
I decided that I wanted to list reasons why I liked him. But the dilema came up of how many to write. I wanted the number to have some type of meaning--so I decided to count how many days it had been since we first met. From June 30th to December 11th it was 165 days. I then began to write 165 reasons why I liked him. I wrote the reasons on 165 sticky notes (green, pink, and yellow).
I made plans with Travis' roommate, Tong, to borrow his keys and sneak into the apartment early Monday morning. I arrived at the apartment at 8:00 as Tong was leaving for work. I then set out to cover the wall above Travis' bed in a pattern of pink, yellow, and green sticky notes. It took me an hour and a half to cover that wall--and they covered the entire area of wall. I also brought him a small bunch of miniture roses, a picture frame with a picture of us, and a card explaining the sticky notes.
After finishing up I went back home to sleep for a little while. Travis called me at 11:00 to say he was leaving the hospital to go up to campus to talk to a teacher and then he would be at his apartment for lunch. I then waited for him to call again. After an hour of waiting I thought that he would never call but he did and was excited by my sneakiness. So far the sticky notes are still decorating his wall.
Over the course of our relationship Travis has thought up wonderful ways to surprise me and to show that he cares. I wanted to do the same thing. So for awhile I had been thinking about what I could do for him. I know that I wanted it to involve me sneaking into his apartment.
I decided that I wanted to list reasons why I liked him. But the dilema came up of how many to write. I wanted the number to have some type of meaning--so I decided to count how many days it had been since we first met. From June 30th to December 11th it was 165 days. I then began to write 165 reasons why I liked him. I wrote the reasons on 165 sticky notes (green, pink, and yellow).
I made plans with Travis' roommate, Tong, to borrow his keys and sneak into the apartment early Monday morning. I arrived at the apartment at 8:00 as Tong was leaving for work. I then set out to cover the wall above Travis' bed in a pattern of pink, yellow, and green sticky notes. It took me an hour and a half to cover that wall--and they covered the entire area of wall. I also brought him a small bunch of miniture roses, a picture frame with a picture of us, and a card explaining the sticky notes.
After finishing up I went back home to sleep for a little while. Travis called me at 11:00 to say he was leaving the hospital to go up to campus to talk to a teacher and then he would be at his apartment for lunch. I then waited for him to call again. After an hour of waiting I thought that he would never call but he did and was excited by my sneakiness. So far the sticky notes are still decorating his wall.
Tuesday, December 12, 2006
Christmas Celebrations Galore
This weekend was filled with so many fun Christmas activities. On Friday we had the Christmas Carnival at the Lincoln Center. The GAP class helped with the "Fill the Sleigh" game. The kids would come through bean bag animals through the holes of a piece of wood painted like a sleigh. I was part of the prize team. I tried to "sell" the prizes no one wanted. I sported a hat for quite awhile and blew up a balloon (which I blew up too far and it popped really loud). Travis and Aaron helped with the bowling game. We had a blast with all of the kids and I know they enjoyed it as well.
Saturday Travis came up to the museum and once we were closed we ventured down to the farm for the special Christmas celebration. When we first got there we got some hot cider to keep us warm in the cool night air. We toured Anson Jones home where a little band was playing music and visitors were singing along to the Christmas carols. Inside the house the fires were lit in the fireplaces and crafts were being made in the rooms. After touring the ox pen and the slave cabins we went to the chuck wagon. We received a bowl of rice and beans, some sausage and a biscuit. All of the food was made over an open fire. It was some very fine food.
After touring the farm Travis and I met his roommate Tong and his girlfriend Leigh at Central Park in College Station. The park has all kinds of Christmas lights to look at. And this weekend was open house so we could get free cookies and hot chocolate! We made sure to go by the huge Christmas tree made of lights. One of my co workers said the fun thing to do is look up and spin around. It made you incredibly dizzy but for some reason I couldn't stop doing it!
On Sunday we had our GAP class Christmas party at Sarah and Kim's. And what a feast we had! There was turkey, mashed potatoes, green bean casserol, chile soup, broccoli cheese soup, cranberry dressing, homemade rolls with homemade cinnamon butter, strawberry salad, broccoli salad. And for dessert we had tiramesu, pumpkin cake with orange glaze and fudge. It was an amazing meal! Because of all the food we each got to take a take home plate. So I was able to enjoy the meal again for lunch the next day!
My next post will be about my special project on Monday but I need to wait for the pictures...until then everyone must wait in suspense!
Saturday Travis came up to the museum and once we were closed we ventured down to the farm for the special Christmas celebration. When we first got there we got some hot cider to keep us warm in the cool night air. We toured Anson Jones home where a little band was playing music and visitors were singing along to the Christmas carols. Inside the house the fires were lit in the fireplaces and crafts were being made in the rooms. After touring the ox pen and the slave cabins we went to the chuck wagon. We received a bowl of rice and beans, some sausage and a biscuit. All of the food was made over an open fire. It was some very fine food.
After touring the farm Travis and I met his roommate Tong and his girlfriend Leigh at Central Park in College Station. The park has all kinds of Christmas lights to look at. And this weekend was open house so we could get free cookies and hot chocolate! We made sure to go by the huge Christmas tree made of lights. One of my co workers said the fun thing to do is look up and spin around. It made you incredibly dizzy but for some reason I couldn't stop doing it!
On Sunday we had our GAP class Christmas party at Sarah and Kim's. And what a feast we had! There was turkey, mashed potatoes, green bean casserol, chile soup, broccoli cheese soup, cranberry dressing, homemade rolls with homemade cinnamon butter, strawberry salad, broccoli salad. And for dessert we had tiramesu, pumpkin cake with orange glaze and fudge. It was an amazing meal! Because of all the food we each got to take a take home plate. So I was able to enjoy the meal again for lunch the next day!
My next post will be about my special project on Monday but I need to wait for the pictures...until then everyone must wait in suspense!
Thursday, December 07, 2006
A New Delight
I have a new favorite dessert--chocolate rum cake. We had it today for my boss's birthday. Just imagine sheer happiness wrapped in chocolate. Purrr.
My next few evenings are filled with all kinds of enjoyable and entertaining events:
* Tonight we have a going away part for Mandy--I'm so sad she is leaving!
* Tomorrow night we are helping out with the Christmas Carnival at the Lincoln Center (children from low income families)
* Saturday Travis is coming up to work so we can go to the special Christmas program at the farm
* Sunday Kim and Sarah are having a Christmas party for a few of us--I'm excited about a turkey dinner and a fun game at Wal-mart!
My next few evenings are filled with all kinds of enjoyable and entertaining events:
* Tonight we have a going away part for Mandy--I'm so sad she is leaving!
* Tomorrow night we are helping out with the Christmas Carnival at the Lincoln Center (children from low income families)
* Saturday Travis is coming up to work so we can go to the special Christmas program at the farm
* Sunday Kim and Sarah are having a Christmas party for a few of us--I'm excited about a turkey dinner and a fun game at Wal-mart!
Wednesday, December 06, 2006
P. U.
Rats! Once again I have fallen into the blog slump. If I get off of my blog rhythm it's very hard for me to get back on. But today something happened at work that was pretty fun. After giving a tour to a school group Judy and I were sitting at our desks when Virgie came in from up front telling us to look out the window quick. We looked and we saw it--a skunk scampering around outside the entrance of the museum. We called the maintenance people to get rid of it--pretty sure it had rabies. So Effie followed it from a safe distance to see where it went while Judy and I stayed way far away.
The prisoners who help out at the park came to get it out of the colvert where it was hiding. The plan was to throw a rock to scare it out and one of the guys would grab it by the tail (apparently skunks need to push off their back legs in order to spray). When the skunk came out the guy who was suppose to grab it went running in the other direction! So at this moment they are out in the park trying to find the skunk!
The prisoners who help out at the park came to get it out of the colvert where it was hiding. The plan was to throw a rock to scare it out and one of the guys would grab it by the tail (apparently skunks need to push off their back legs in order to spray). When the skunk came out the guy who was suppose to grab it went running in the other direction! So at this moment they are out in the park trying to find the skunk!
Tuesday, November 21, 2006
Happy Thanksgiving
Tomorrow after Travis gets off work we are heading to Lufkin to have Thanksgiving with his family. I'm really excited! This will be my first Thanksgiving without my family so it will be a little different but also a new adventure!
Safe travels to everyone else and have a very Happy Thanksgiving!
Safe travels to everyone else and have a very Happy Thanksgiving!
Monday, November 20, 2006
Humbling/Humiliating Experience
Through our relationship Travis has learned that I am a little clumsy. On one of our first "outings" (tour of A&M) I kept tripping over my feet. I have on occassion accidently hurt Travis because of my clumsiness--knitting needle to the head, fork to the arm, elbow to the eye, etc. And last night was another clumsy blunder--actually a pretty big one.
Travis came over after evening church service to do his laundry. Before heading to the laundry area I had to put money on my laundry card. Travis waited in the truck while I ran up to the machine near the main office. Once I was done I thought it would be fun to Make a graceful leap off the curb. Well, I think I leaped a little too high because when I came down I completely wipped out! I lost my footing, fell on the road and rolled into Travis's truck. Travis jumped out of his truck so quick to make sure I was ok. I felt bad for making him worry. I was laughing as he came around to help me. I had a few little red spots but nothing serious. The main thing that was injured was my pride--I was so embarrassed!
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Saturday Travis brought me flowers! They are pink with yellow tips and they are so beautiful! I was so surprised and excited!
Travis came over after evening church service to do his laundry. Before heading to the laundry area I had to put money on my laundry card. Travis waited in the truck while I ran up to the machine near the main office. Once I was done I thought it would be fun to Make a graceful leap off the curb. Well, I think I leaped a little too high because when I came down I completely wipped out! I lost my footing, fell on the road and rolled into Travis's truck. Travis jumped out of his truck so quick to make sure I was ok. I felt bad for making him worry. I was laughing as he came around to help me. I had a few little red spots but nothing serious. The main thing that was injured was my pride--I was so embarrassed!
___________________
Saturday Travis brought me flowers! They are pink with yellow tips and they are so beautiful! I was so surprised and excited!
Saturday, November 18, 2006
Worst Service
Thursday night as everyone was leaving the museum, Virginia noticed that I had a flat tire. I hate when that happens! There was a big, fat screw stuck in the middle of my tire. So my boss, Houston, put my spare tire on for me. I had to drive 50 on the highway as I traveled back to College Station. The only place I thought of for tires was Wal-Mart but I found out it would be a 2 1/2 hour wait. I opted to come back at 7:00 in the morning.
I arrived at 10 minutes after 7:00 to give them time to open everything up. Well, apparently that was not enought time because all of the garage doors were locked. So I left my car and walked all the way to the front of the store (this was the morning it was in the high 30's/low 40's. By the time I got to the automotive section the manager was there to open the doors--sheesh! They told me it would take 20 minutes. After looking at the store for awhile, mainly getting a warm feeling from looking at the Christmas items, I ventured back at the allotted time. The two mechanics were inside talking and laughing with the cashier lady. When they saw me they went back outside. I asked the lady if any cars were ready and she said no. So those guys were having a little break after being at work for maybe 30 minutes! A few minutes later I heard my name and I went to pay for the patchwork on my tire. As I exited I noticed my car was still in the work station dock. I stood there expecting the mechanic to back it up for me. Then he said "Oh, you can come and back it out." I was floored--I had never even seen another customer have to back their own car up. While in my work clothes, I stepped over the different items on the ground and proceeded to back my car up. I made sure not to thank the mechanic or even look at him. I don't think I will be using Wal-Mart any more for my car needs.
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Wednesday I gave a Native American Program to a group of kindergarteners. This program is always fun because the kids always say something funny. I pointed to a map of Texas and asked the kids what type of food the Indians who lived on the coast would eat. One little boy said buffalo. I then iterated the fact that they lived near the water. The same little boy then said water buffalo!
I arrived at 10 minutes after 7:00 to give them time to open everything up. Well, apparently that was not enought time because all of the garage doors were locked. So I left my car and walked all the way to the front of the store (this was the morning it was in the high 30's/low 40's. By the time I got to the automotive section the manager was there to open the doors--sheesh! They told me it would take 20 minutes. After looking at the store for awhile, mainly getting a warm feeling from looking at the Christmas items, I ventured back at the allotted time. The two mechanics were inside talking and laughing with the cashier lady. When they saw me they went back outside. I asked the lady if any cars were ready and she said no. So those guys were having a little break after being at work for maybe 30 minutes! A few minutes later I heard my name and I went to pay for the patchwork on my tire. As I exited I noticed my car was still in the work station dock. I stood there expecting the mechanic to back it up for me. Then he said "Oh, you can come and back it out." I was floored--I had never even seen another customer have to back their own car up. While in my work clothes, I stepped over the different items on the ground and proceeded to back my car up. I made sure not to thank the mechanic or even look at him. I don't think I will be using Wal-Mart any more for my car needs.
_________________________________________
Wednesday I gave a Native American Program to a group of kindergarteners. This program is always fun because the kids always say something funny. I pointed to a map of Texas and asked the kids what type of food the Indians who lived on the coast would eat. One little boy said buffalo. I then iterated the fact that they lived near the water. The same little boy then said water buffalo!
Wednesday, November 15, 2006
Tuesday, November 14, 2006
Weekend in Disney World
I arrived home safe and sound from a quick but fun trip to Disney World. On Friday I had all of my maps and easily found the parking lot for the airport. I got through security just fine--I guess I don't have one of those faces that screams terrorist. I had about 2 hours to wait so I looked at some shops, ate some Wendy's, and did a few Sudoku puzzles. The flight was on schedule and went very well. I sat next to 12 year old girl who was going on a cruise with her family.
On Saturday we made it out of our resort by 10:30ish (The Crawfords are not early birds...scratch that: the Crawford girls are not early birds...scratch that: My mom and I are not early birds). We spent the day at Magic Kingdom. Our first ride was Pirates of the Carribbean. While waiting in line we took our picture with Captain Jack Sparrow! We climbed up the Swiss Family Robinson house, saw a really fun 3-D show with Donald Duck, and rode space mountain and big thunder mountain.
That evening we went to Downtown Disney which is a big strip of stores and also clubs. We ate at Planet Hollywood--I had never been in one before.
Sunday we headed off to MGM Studios for the day. Our first stop was the Muppets 3-D show--we are a muppet-lovin family! After that we rode the Star Wars ride which was very enjoyable. We watched the Indiana Jones stunt show which had Harrison Ford's stunt double! My mom and sister bought some very nice looking postcards of Harrison. We rode The Great Movie Ride which we thought was going to be really neat but was actually kind of cheesy. The ride takes you through scenes from famous movies which was enjoyable. The part we didn't enjoy was we had this perky, annoying tour guide who came along with us and made really cheesy jokes. We spent quite a bit of time in the Animation Studio. My sisters are both into art and were very excited to visit this part. Inside there were lots of little interactive item. One of the computers allowed you to record your voice singing or acting out part of a disney movie. Jennifer and I spoke for Jafar and Iagoo and all three of us sang Hakuna Matata. Another computer had a questionaire to see which Disney character you were. I was Tinker Bell, Traci was Ursela, and Jennifer was Nala. My dad and sisters rode Tower of Terror while my mom and I snuck off to get some chocolate. I can do roller coasters just not the ones that go up and down--my tummy can't take that. My sisters and I also rode Aerosmith's Rockin Coller Coaster which was quite thrilling.
What we didn't know was that the weekend we were at MGM Studios it was Soap Opera Weekend. There were all these parades with soap opera stars--of course we had no idea who these people were. But women were going nuts as they came down the street. The only one I recognized was Susan Lucci. Also when I was right outside of the animation studio I happened to see Rosie O-Donnell. I was a good distance away from her but my sister Jennifer was about 5-10 feet from her.
And before I left Disney World I had to get my own Mickey Mouse ears with my name embroidered on the back :)
For our trip home we had to get up at 5:45 a.m.--blech! My plane was scheduled to leave at 9:25 but it then got bumped to 9:45. Once we all got on the plane and were situated the pilot came on and told us the reason we were delayed was because they were waiting for a part. Well, the brought the wrong part and it would take an hour and a half for the new part to come. They gave food vouchers for everyone but I just stayed on the plane and slept. We finally left the airport at noon and arrived in Houston (with the time change) at 1:00. It then took me an hour and a half to get my luggage and get to my car. Then I had a two hour drive back to College Station. I arrived at my apartment at 4:30--I was pooped. Needless to say I went to bed last night at 8:45.
It was a great trip but I'm also happy to be home.
On Saturday we made it out of our resort by 10:30ish (The Crawfords are not early birds...scratch that: the Crawford girls are not early birds...scratch that: My mom and I are not early birds). We spent the day at Magic Kingdom. Our first ride was Pirates of the Carribbean. While waiting in line we took our picture with Captain Jack Sparrow! We climbed up the Swiss Family Robinson house, saw a really fun 3-D show with Donald Duck, and rode space mountain and big thunder mountain.
That evening we went to Downtown Disney which is a big strip of stores and also clubs. We ate at Planet Hollywood--I had never been in one before.
Sunday we headed off to MGM Studios for the day. Our first stop was the Muppets 3-D show--we are a muppet-lovin family! After that we rode the Star Wars ride which was very enjoyable. We watched the Indiana Jones stunt show which had Harrison Ford's stunt double! My mom and sister bought some very nice looking postcards of Harrison. We rode The Great Movie Ride which we thought was going to be really neat but was actually kind of cheesy. The ride takes you through scenes from famous movies which was enjoyable. The part we didn't enjoy was we had this perky, annoying tour guide who came along with us and made really cheesy jokes. We spent quite a bit of time in the Animation Studio. My sisters are both into art and were very excited to visit this part. Inside there were lots of little interactive item. One of the computers allowed you to record your voice singing or acting out part of a disney movie. Jennifer and I spoke for Jafar and Iagoo and all three of us sang Hakuna Matata. Another computer had a questionaire to see which Disney character you were. I was Tinker Bell, Traci was Ursela, and Jennifer was Nala. My dad and sisters rode Tower of Terror while my mom and I snuck off to get some chocolate. I can do roller coasters just not the ones that go up and down--my tummy can't take that. My sisters and I also rode Aerosmith's Rockin Coller Coaster which was quite thrilling.
What we didn't know was that the weekend we were at MGM Studios it was Soap Opera Weekend. There were all these parades with soap opera stars--of course we had no idea who these people were. But women were going nuts as they came down the street. The only one I recognized was Susan Lucci. Also when I was right outside of the animation studio I happened to see Rosie O-Donnell. I was a good distance away from her but my sister Jennifer was about 5-10 feet from her.
And before I left Disney World I had to get my own Mickey Mouse ears with my name embroidered on the back :)
For our trip home we had to get up at 5:45 a.m.--blech! My plane was scheduled to leave at 9:25 but it then got bumped to 9:45. Once we all got on the plane and were situated the pilot came on and told us the reason we were delayed was because they were waiting for a part. Well, the brought the wrong part and it would take an hour and a half for the new part to come. They gave food vouchers for everyone but I just stayed on the plane and slept. We finally left the airport at noon and arrived in Houston (with the time change) at 1:00. It then took me an hour and a half to get my luggage and get to my car. Then I had a two hour drive back to College Station. I arrived at my apartment at 4:30--I was pooped. Needless to say I went to bed last night at 8:45.
It was a great trip but I'm also happy to be home.
Thursday, November 09, 2006
A Little Bit of This...
Tours never go as planned. Yesterday the farm called me wondering if the morning group (who was 30 minutes late) had called in. I hadn't heard from them but I was sure the buses with 100 kids would be late. A little later I received a call to tell me the kids were fine...they were in class in Houston! The secretary said their trip wasn't until November 14th. I got a little frantic after hearing that--I was afraid I had said the wrong date but all of my paperwork said the 8th. Later that day I found out the teacher has been out for 3 weeks with a family emergency and forgot to cancel the tour with us. Sheesh. My afternoon was a lot quieter.
Last night was my turn to teach the kindergarten class at church. There are some days when I just don't feel like going through with teaching. But it is amazing how that feeling goes away as soon as I am in the classroom with the kids. One of the little girls brought a picture she drew for me! I was so excited--I have to figure out where to hang it...on the refrigerator or on the wall next to my desk.
Tonight I have to pack for my trip to Orlando. I will leave work after lunch and head down to Houston. This is my first time ever to go to the airport and ride on a plane all by myself! It's going to be a fun adventure! My flight doesn't leave until 7:00ish and I should be at the airport around 3:00. I want to give myself plenty of time in case something should happen that is not in my plan. I'll probably bring a book...maybe some sudoku puzzles!
Last night was my turn to teach the kindergarten class at church. There are some days when I just don't feel like going through with teaching. But it is amazing how that feeling goes away as soon as I am in the classroom with the kids. One of the little girls brought a picture she drew for me! I was so excited--I have to figure out where to hang it...on the refrigerator or on the wall next to my desk.
Tonight I have to pack for my trip to Orlando. I will leave work after lunch and head down to Houston. This is my first time ever to go to the airport and ride on a plane all by myself! It's going to be a fun adventure! My flight doesn't leave until 7:00ish and I should be at the airport around 3:00. I want to give myself plenty of time in case something should happen that is not in my plan. I'll probably bring a book...maybe some sudoku puzzles!
Wednesday, November 01, 2006
Trick or Treating
Last night Travis and I went Trick or Treating for Cans with the Aggies For Christ. We went from door to door asking for canned food donations for the Brazos Church Pantry. And...there was a contest to see which group could collect the most cans.
I had already planned to dress up like a cat. I enjoy dressing up...as can be seen from the numerous late night trips to Whataburger when everyone dressed up crazy. One time I wore a raincoat and had a dustpan tied to my head! Travis was unsure what to dress up as but after an email I sent him and a discussion with Leigh on IM I had an idea. And so he showed up at the church dressed in all black with a piece of paper attached to the front. The paper read "Catnip." And may I say that he was some of the best looking catnip I've ever seen!
We teamed up with Whitney and Katie (dressed as ketchup and mustard bottles) and hit the road! We split up to cover more ground. Travis and I received many odd looks when people opened their doors expecting to see little kids. Some of our favorite experiences were:
* One college-aged guy opened his door and said "Tell me you aren't Trick or Treating." When we said no he said "Good because I don't have candy, anyway." It didn't come as a shock to us that he didn't have canned goods either.
* After giving us some cans one lady gave us a ziplock bag full of different types of gum!
* There was one apartment we went to that reaked of cigarette smoke. I think I might be in danger of lung cancer just from standing outside.
* As we walked down the road 3 people came out of their apartment and said to come trick or treat. So we yelled from the street that we were trick or treating for cans. One of the girls said "Oh I have a can" and poured out the remaining beer in her can. Hmmm....
* Whitney and Katie brought us rice krispie treats from one of the houses they visited--yummm.
Our group ended up tying for first place! We collected 142 cans in about an hour. But truth be told we really won: our group only had 4 people and the other group had at least 7. Take a look at the winning group!
I had already planned to dress up like a cat. I enjoy dressing up...as can be seen from the numerous late night trips to Whataburger when everyone dressed up crazy. One time I wore a raincoat and had a dustpan tied to my head! Travis was unsure what to dress up as but after an email I sent him and a discussion with Leigh on IM I had an idea. And so he showed up at the church dressed in all black with a piece of paper attached to the front. The paper read "Catnip." And may I say that he was some of the best looking catnip I've ever seen!
We teamed up with Whitney and Katie (dressed as ketchup and mustard bottles) and hit the road! We split up to cover more ground. Travis and I received many odd looks when people opened their doors expecting to see little kids. Some of our favorite experiences were:
* One college-aged guy opened his door and said "Tell me you aren't Trick or Treating." When we said no he said "Good because I don't have candy, anyway." It didn't come as a shock to us that he didn't have canned goods either.
* After giving us some cans one lady gave us a ziplock bag full of different types of gum!
* There was one apartment we went to that reaked of cigarette smoke. I think I might be in danger of lung cancer just from standing outside.
* As we walked down the road 3 people came out of their apartment and said to come trick or treat. So we yelled from the street that we were trick or treating for cans. One of the girls said "Oh I have a can" and poured out the remaining beer in her can. Hmmm....
* Whitney and Katie brought us rice krispie treats from one of the houses they visited--yummm.
Our group ended up tying for first place! We collected 142 cans in about an hour. But truth be told we really won: our group only had 4 people and the other group had at least 7. Take a look at the winning group!
Tuesday, October 31, 2006
Halloweeny-ness
Happy Halloween!
I've been very excited to participate in Halloween activities this year. Last year I didn't get to do anything for Halloween. On that day I was driving back from a trip to Abilene and I didn't really know people to join in on any festivities. But this year I have made up for my lack of thrills and chills.
I suppose the halloween fun started on Friday. Travis went to Austin with some guy friends to look at equipment for their upcoming backpacking trip. So I had a leisurly evening with Sarah and Kim. After dinner (pepperoni pizza with black olives) and dessert (cream cheese wraps) at Boston's and a quick trip to World Market, we headed back to Kim and Sarah's for a movie. With Halloween so close, we decided to watch something fitting to the holiday. So we chose The Ring. I truly forgot how scary that movie is!
On Sunday afternoon our church had a Trunk or treat for the kids. Our GAP class had two games set up for the kids to play: a candy walk and a golf game. The kids loved our games! They kept coming back for more. We had lots of regulars that would play over and over again. When we first started we had a huge mound of candy and I thought there was no way we would get rid of it all. At the end of 2 hours we had maybe 3 handfuls left. It was so much fun!
Last night after nursing home singing Kendra, Sonya, Sarah and I ventured out to Wicked Woods. It was a haunted house set up by one of the fraternities at A&M. The frat house is located out towards the airport on about 4 acres of land--so the rooms you went through were all outside. All the money collected was going to a children's organization (I thought that was a really good gesture). So the 4 of us girls remained huddled up in a ball as we traveled through the different rooms. Sonya, Sarah, and I were the screamers/jumpers and Kendra was our rock that we held on to. The only part we really didn't like were the guys with chainsaws. They didn't have the blades on but they still made a lot of noise. Also the guys encircled us and had the chainsaws really close to our bodies--I was very close to kicking someone. It was a great bonding experience for us!
Tonight the AFC (Aggies For Christ) is going Trick or Treating for cans. We get to dress up and help stock the Brazos Valley Food Bank. Then afterwards we will have goodies and prizes for the best costumes.
I've been very excited to participate in Halloween activities this year. Last year I didn't get to do anything for Halloween. On that day I was driving back from a trip to Abilene and I didn't really know people to join in on any festivities. But this year I have made up for my lack of thrills and chills.
I suppose the halloween fun started on Friday. Travis went to Austin with some guy friends to look at equipment for their upcoming backpacking trip. So I had a leisurly evening with Sarah and Kim. After dinner (pepperoni pizza with black olives) and dessert (cream cheese wraps) at Boston's and a quick trip to World Market, we headed back to Kim and Sarah's for a movie. With Halloween so close, we decided to watch something fitting to the holiday. So we chose The Ring. I truly forgot how scary that movie is!
On Sunday afternoon our church had a Trunk or treat for the kids. Our GAP class had two games set up for the kids to play: a candy walk and a golf game. The kids loved our games! They kept coming back for more. We had lots of regulars that would play over and over again. When we first started we had a huge mound of candy and I thought there was no way we would get rid of it all. At the end of 2 hours we had maybe 3 handfuls left. It was so much fun!
Last night after nursing home singing Kendra, Sonya, Sarah and I ventured out to Wicked Woods. It was a haunted house set up by one of the fraternities at A&M. The frat house is located out towards the airport on about 4 acres of land--so the rooms you went through were all outside. All the money collected was going to a children's organization (I thought that was a really good gesture). So the 4 of us girls remained huddled up in a ball as we traveled through the different rooms. Sonya, Sarah, and I were the screamers/jumpers and Kendra was our rock that we held on to. The only part we really didn't like were the guys with chainsaws. They didn't have the blades on but they still made a lot of noise. Also the guys encircled us and had the chainsaws really close to our bodies--I was very close to kicking someone. It was a great bonding experience for us!
Tonight the AFC (Aggies For Christ) is going Trick or Treating for cans. We get to dress up and help stock the Brazos Valley Food Bank. Then afterwards we will have goodies and prizes for the best costumes.
Friday, October 27, 2006
This Week
Monday
My day off was very enjoyable. I slept in (what a shock). Travis was having trouble with his back at work; so, after seeing a physical therapist, he had the rest of the day off! We went to lunch and then ventured off to the fabulous CS mall where I needed to pick up a present for my sister. And Travis picked up some stuff as well: a new wallet, a gift box of colognes (thankfully I like all of them--just kidding!), and a free gift--a bag with speakers in it (made for an ipod).
Tuesday
Hmmm...nothing much happened on this day. We went to our men/women's bible studies where we found out we will be helping out with the Trick or Treat for cans on Halloween! I have to figure out a costume and make a dessert.
Wednesday
This was our last day of the Home School program--yeah! Because of the weather we were expecting alot of no-shows but almost all of the groups came. The children were very attentive and behaved. That evening I taught my 5-year-olds at church about Elijah and Elisha. I had a dry erase board and had the kids come draw a picture for a certain part of the story. To help the kids remember which person we were talking about, I made up some hand motions. For Elijah we did the letter j in sign language. For Elisha we made a swishing motion with our hands. We also had one for Jezabel--we shook our hips and held out the z sound: Jezzzzzzabel! What was fun is the kids would always tell me when I forgot to do one of the signs for the people.
Thursday
Last night after work Travis picked me up at my apartment and we headed to Conroe to visit his brother, Cody. Cody cooked us a wonderful dinner! We had crab, broccoli, pasta with shrimp, and bread with tomatoes and melted cheese. I tell you what those Bodeker men and their cooking skills really amaze me. We went down the road to see the new Shoe Carnival store where Cody is the manager. It was very nice; I hadn't been in that store in awhile--they had some nice shoes. The rest of the evening was spent talking, hearing some fun stories about both of the boys from back in the day :) The whole evening was very enjoyable!
My day off was very enjoyable. I slept in (what a shock). Travis was having trouble with his back at work; so, after seeing a physical therapist, he had the rest of the day off! We went to lunch and then ventured off to the fabulous CS mall where I needed to pick up a present for my sister. And Travis picked up some stuff as well: a new wallet, a gift box of colognes (thankfully I like all of them--just kidding!), and a free gift--a bag with speakers in it (made for an ipod).
Tuesday
Hmmm...nothing much happened on this day. We went to our men/women's bible studies where we found out we will be helping out with the Trick or Treat for cans on Halloween! I have to figure out a costume and make a dessert.
Wednesday
This was our last day of the Home School program--yeah! Because of the weather we were expecting alot of no-shows but almost all of the groups came. The children were very attentive and behaved. That evening I taught my 5-year-olds at church about Elijah and Elisha. I had a dry erase board and had the kids come draw a picture for a certain part of the story. To help the kids remember which person we were talking about, I made up some hand motions. For Elijah we did the letter j in sign language. For Elisha we made a swishing motion with our hands. We also had one for Jezabel--we shook our hips and held out the z sound: Jezzzzzzabel! What was fun is the kids would always tell me when I forgot to do one of the signs for the people.
Thursday
Last night after work Travis picked me up at my apartment and we headed to Conroe to visit his brother, Cody. Cody cooked us a wonderful dinner! We had crab, broccoli, pasta with shrimp, and bread with tomatoes and melted cheese. I tell you what those Bodeker men and their cooking skills really amaze me. We went down the road to see the new Shoe Carnival store where Cody is the manager. It was very nice; I hadn't been in that store in awhile--they had some nice shoes. The rest of the evening was spent talking, hearing some fun stories about both of the boys from back in the day :) The whole evening was very enjoyable!
Friday, October 20, 2006
Music and Dance
Last night when Travis and I returned from devo up on campus (I made sure I was nice and bundled up--it also helped having a special warm body next to me) there was a wonderful suprise awaiting at his apartment. Tong was playing a video game, not sure of the name, but you had a guitar that you played and the notes would come on the screen. While watching I didn't think it would be that fun. Tong let me give it a try and wow! After switching the control to left handed player and a quick tutorial I was rocking out to the song "I Love Rock and Roll". I started to really get into it--I missed quite a few of the notes but that's ok. When you do badly the audience will boo or leave and if you do well they start crazy dancing. I think it would be fun if they threw food at you if you were horrible. After playing my song I mentioned to Tong and Leigh that I also enjoy playing the game Dance Dance Revolution. Tong calmly mentioned that he had that game too. Well, you can imagine that I got very very excited. So once the guitar was done we got our groove on. And I forgot how bad I am at that game. All those arrows were coming so fast and my brain and feet couldn't connect. So I just started jumping all around, hoping that once and awhile I would hit the right arrow. It was so much fun! We definately have to play that more.
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As of Monday I have lived in College Station for a year and Wednesday marked my year at work. Isn't that crazy? I can't believe I've been here a year. I can still remember when I pulled out of my parent's driveway. My mom was out of town so I didn't get to see her and there were my dad and sisters waving good bye. I cried the majority of the trip. I remember sitting in my empty apartment wondering what to do. Over the course of the year I have thoroughly enjoyed my work at the museum, enjoyed becoming closer to my co-workers, fallen in love and become involved with my church, found some fantastic and loving friends, and found a wonderful boyfriend who I thank God everyday for bringing hm into my life!
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As of Monday I have lived in College Station for a year and Wednesday marked my year at work. Isn't that crazy? I can't believe I've been here a year. I can still remember when I pulled out of my parent's driveway. My mom was out of town so I didn't get to see her and there were my dad and sisters waving good bye. I cried the majority of the trip. I remember sitting in my empty apartment wondering what to do. Over the course of the year I have thoroughly enjoyed my work at the museum, enjoyed becoming closer to my co-workers, fallen in love and become involved with my church, found some fantastic and loving friends, and found a wonderful boyfriend who I thank God everyday for bringing hm into my life!
Thursday, October 19, 2006
New Song
Last night I learned a new verse to the song "Lord's Army"
I may never march down to Mexico
Eat a greasy taco
Wear a sombrero
I may never speak a little espanol
But I'm in the Lord's army--si senor!
How cute is that?!?!
I may never march down to Mexico
Eat a greasy taco
Wear a sombrero
I may never speak a little espanol
But I'm in the Lord's army--si senor!
How cute is that?!?!
Tutoring
Last night after church Travis came over so we could finish watching Runaway Bride and to do our study. We went without watching the final episode of Project Runway. We usually watch the show at Sarah and Kim's house. Sarah is out of town until Saturday night so we are going to fight the urge to find out the winner until Sunday.
At about 9:30 there was a knock on my door. I immediately tensed up because the only one who knocks on my door is Travis and he was already inside. Travis went to look out the peep hole and said it was one of the neighbor boys. It happened to be the little boy (he has told me his name and I don't remember) who always says hello to me. We was standing there with a piece of paper. I assumed he was doing a fundraiser for school, but I was pleasantly surprised when he asked if I would help him with his homework!
His little sister and mom were there too. The homework was over different vowel sounds. The family is either Pakistani or Indian so I'm sure this type of homework is rather difficult--heck it's difficult for people who speak English as their native tongue. So Travis and I helped him figure out which word went with which sentence. My co-workers said that I should start a tutoring business for the neighbor kids.
At about 9:30 there was a knock on my door. I immediately tensed up because the only one who knocks on my door is Travis and he was already inside. Travis went to look out the peep hole and said it was one of the neighbor boys. It happened to be the little boy (he has told me his name and I don't remember) who always says hello to me. We was standing there with a piece of paper. I assumed he was doing a fundraiser for school, but I was pleasantly surprised when he asked if I would help him with his homework!
His little sister and mom were there too. The homework was over different vowel sounds. The family is either Pakistani or Indian so I'm sure this type of homework is rather difficult--heck it's difficult for people who speak English as their native tongue. So Travis and I helped him figure out which word went with which sentence. My co-workers said that I should start a tutoring business for the neighbor kids.
Tuesday, October 17, 2006
Highlights of Homecoming
We had such a wonderful weekend! I enjoyed seeing and spending time with everyone. Saturday we were going non stop from 9:30 a.m. to 11:00 p.m. Here are some highlights of the eventful weekend.
* Travis making fun of me for thinking the gray farm road on the map was faster than the red highway. (The gray road went straight across, the red one went down and then back up--sheesh)
* Seeing everyone at the ACU parade and Travis's mentor standing right next to the SPF group.
* Fantastic game of Ultimate at 10:30 in the morning. We still got it. Thankfully no momentous injuries--just a few cuts and bruises.
* Lunch with the Abilene girls at Chili's. It was so fun to have almost all of us back together.
* The musical was fantastic! It definately made up for Sussical last year. Singing in the Rain is one of my favorite movies so I was ecstatic to see ACU perform it. And I always enjoy an excuse to get all gussied up :)
* Knowing our group we had to have special picture time after the musical. Which moreso equates to 1 large group picture then 50 pictures of just the girls!
* It was great to attend Highland Sunday morning and see alot of people I have missed. I realize that I have grown out of Highland. I love A&M Church of Christ so much! It has the same family/college feel to it but I feel like there are more opportunities to get involved--especially in the college group.
* After church Travis met the grandmothers at Lytle Land and Cattle for lunch. My mom told me late that he received "rave reviews" from both grandmothers--as I knew he would!
* Alright--here comes the favorite story of the weekend:
I mentioned that Travis saw his mentor at the parade. When I was introduced to him I mentioned that he looked familiar. He told me that for years he has lead groups at the ACU camps. I then remembered that I was in his group back in the day. One year he brought Travis along to help teach. As the weekend went on Travis and I kept thinking about this. I tried to find my group picture from camp but was unable to. I did find pictures I took during that week. When Travis looked at them he started recognizing alot of the kids. When we got back to his apartment in College Station he found his camp picture. And there it was--Travis was my teacher in 1996! I was in 7th grade and he was in 10th grade. It is pretty amazing!
* Travis making fun of me for thinking the gray farm road on the map was faster than the red highway. (The gray road went straight across, the red one went down and then back up--sheesh)
* Seeing everyone at the ACU parade and Travis's mentor standing right next to the SPF group.
* Fantastic game of Ultimate at 10:30 in the morning. We still got it. Thankfully no momentous injuries--just a few cuts and bruises.
* Lunch with the Abilene girls at Chili's. It was so fun to have almost all of us back together.
* The musical was fantastic! It definately made up for Sussical last year. Singing in the Rain is one of my favorite movies so I was ecstatic to see ACU perform it. And I always enjoy an excuse to get all gussied up :)
* Knowing our group we had to have special picture time after the musical. Which moreso equates to 1 large group picture then 50 pictures of just the girls!
* It was great to attend Highland Sunday morning and see alot of people I have missed. I realize that I have grown out of Highland. I love A&M Church of Christ so much! It has the same family/college feel to it but I feel like there are more opportunities to get involved--especially in the college group.
* After church Travis met the grandmothers at Lytle Land and Cattle for lunch. My mom told me late that he received "rave reviews" from both grandmothers--as I knew he would!
* Alright--here comes the favorite story of the weekend:
I mentioned that Travis saw his mentor at the parade. When I was introduced to him I mentioned that he looked familiar. He told me that for years he has lead groups at the ACU camps. I then remembered that I was in his group back in the day. One year he brought Travis along to help teach. As the weekend went on Travis and I kept thinking about this. I tried to find my group picture from camp but was unable to. I did find pictures I took during that week. When Travis looked at them he started recognizing alot of the kids. When we got back to his apartment in College Station he found his camp picture. And there it was--Travis was my teacher in 1996! I was in 7th grade and he was in 10th grade. It is pretty amazing!
Friday, October 13, 2006
Info
* In about 3 hours Travis and I will be leaving for Abilene! I'm still trying to decide if I want to take my usual path down highway 6 or mix it up a little and try highway 36...hmmm.
* Last night I drove home in a stinking crazy rain storm. I literally could not see the road and a lot of the time wasn't sure I was on the road. Thankfully I made it home in one piece.
* Today we had a tour of 4th and 5th graders. Anne and I had to sit a moment and remember how to give a tour. Once we started it all came back to us. These kids were so wonderful--very polite, attentive, and inquisitive. My favorite question: Could someone ride a horse inbetween the shooting (asking about the Battle of the Alamo)? Answer: Well, they might get shot.
* I love that cooler weather is here! Last night at our devo I was nice and bundled up in my comfy sweatshirt. This morning I bought instant hot choclate (with baby marshmellows) for work.
* My dad has a conference in Orlando in early November. So he is using his flier miles to bring all of us out there for the weekend. We will get to spend 2 days in Disney World! I'm pretty excited! I do have to fly by myself though. It should be interesting but also thrilling at the same time. I think I've been on a plane 3 times in my life so I get excited when I ride them.
* Last night I drove home in a stinking crazy rain storm. I literally could not see the road and a lot of the time wasn't sure I was on the road. Thankfully I made it home in one piece.
* Today we had a tour of 4th and 5th graders. Anne and I had to sit a moment and remember how to give a tour. Once we started it all came back to us. These kids were so wonderful--very polite, attentive, and inquisitive. My favorite question: Could someone ride a horse inbetween the shooting (asking about the Battle of the Alamo)? Answer: Well, they might get shot.
* I love that cooler weather is here! Last night at our devo I was nice and bundled up in my comfy sweatshirt. This morning I bought instant hot choclate (with baby marshmellows) for work.
* My dad has a conference in Orlando in early November. So he is using his flier miles to bring all of us out there for the weekend. We will get to spend 2 days in Disney World! I'm pretty excited! I do have to fly by myself though. It should be interesting but also thrilling at the same time. I think I've been on a plane 3 times in my life so I get excited when I ride them.
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