Weekend Update

One thing I love about seeing people post about a similar event is seeing what everyone walked away with. This past weekend, Julie, Lauren, Mindi, Erin, and I met up for Wicked and visiting in Austin. Mindi and Erin have both weighed in with pics and thoughts so I'll let you check with them for the shots and their thoughts. Here are mine:

1. I love these girls! Always have, always will. I could do an entire post on each one individually but I'll just hit the high points for you. Lauren makes me laugh so much - just ask her about her snake! Mindi has such a sweet heart and knows how to bond with my over teacher stuff. Julie is just that friend that always feels like time has never passed and you can just be your true self with. And I have done entire posts on Erin but I love to watch her with her friends. What a gift it was. Again, I just love these girls!

2. I love Austin! Just the very little bit we drove around stirred up all of that love that has been settling in. This weekend reminded me how great I would be with living there again. Lord willing, I would be thrilled to call Austin home!

3. It may have been the fourth time to see Wicked but it gets me every time. I noticed this time an odd sense of pride towards the performers. I admire the amount of talent and work putting on a musical night after night takes. I love curtain call just to celebrate and honor their accomplishments.

4. Charlie and Jeff are amazing with kids! Honestly, they were incredible!

5. Julie's home is beautiful! Not only can she decorate but she knows how to make people feel comfortable and welcome. What a gift she has for hospitality!

6. I'm not obsessed however - there was a Man vs. Food illustration in the sermon. I about fell off the pew. I'm just saying....

7. You know you are on the same page when we get ready to go and our clothes all coordinate perfectly without any thought or planning!

Overall, what a great weekend! Can't wait to do it again!

Celebrity Crush

The first week of school is down and I'm beat. It was much easier to adjust to than I anticipated but I'm exhausted. So after a long week (and that intense last post), it's time for something light, fun, and a touch on the embarrassing side. :)

I've never been one of those swooning girls. Celebrities have never really done it for me. Brad Pitt and Matthew McConaughey have brought many friends to their knees but not me. I've noticed a few famous actors but they have never really made me pause to take notice. Until this summer....

While I wait for my beloved Office to come back (September 17), I decided to check out a show I had heard about from Gregg, Erin, and the Fritsches: Man vs. Food. OH. MY. GOODNESS. It has jumped up to one of my top four favorite shows ever. The host travels the country taking on food challenges while exploring the city of the challenge. The massive amounts of food can be absolutely disgusting at times and makes this girl's TMJ scream but one thing keeps me watching when I can - Adam Richman. That's right - my celebrity crush.

Now please keep in mind through this next paragraph that I am a level headed, normal person with two realistic feet on the ground. I'm going to sound rather odd but you love me so I'm okay with it at the moment. Here is the greatness of Adam - not only is he obviously passionate about what he does, he is adorable, amazing with people of all ages, incredibly smart, loves to travel, and is absolutely hilarious. The best thing of all is that he is real. He doesn't put anything forward that is not truly him. Based on things I have seen and read, we have quite a few similarities. I've even called some of his unscripted lines at times. In any reality where there would be an opportunity to hang out with him, I have no doubt that good times would be had. However, the reality of a Houston school teacher meeting the host of a popular national television show is highly unlikely. So in exchange, I'll keep my crush from a far and enjoy the show as I unwind after a day with students. At least I don't have to ever worry about cooking for a food aficionado!

So don't leave me hanging here. We all have a celebrity crush whether we want to admit it or not. Time to 'fess up and share. Who is it?

Back to School

This is a post that has been rolling around in my head for a while. It has been difficult to write about and I'm sure it still won't convey what I'm thinking/feeling in its entirety. Thanks for bearing with the stuff and fluff the past few posts have been while I process this.

A few months ago, I was blessed beyond measure to work with a community of Bhutanese refugees during the Houston Project. I wasn't the only one who was significantly touched by these people. The other people in my class were also affected and we have decided that the one week was not enough. In order to truly make a difference for the Lord, we have to be in there, building relationships and serving them in love. And they are SO easy to love! So far we have done two follow ups. Both had to do with school. I am not exaggerating in the least when I say that it has completely changed my world view.

For most people, back to school time is fun. New supplies, new clothes, seeing old friends and making new ones. For those families we have been working with, I am seeing this experience in a completely different way. I am scared to death for them. We have adopted a few families but my experiences have really focused on two specifically. Here are some things to keep in mind:

• Most of the families we have been working with have been here for one to four months.
• The families we work with have escaped intense political and religious persecution.
• The parents speak minimal to no English.
• The fathers cannot get jobs - These men were farmers, shop keepers, and business men in Nepal and Bhutan. Now they are unable to find work. Language in a barrier and they don't know how to look for jobs here. On top of that....well, you know the state of the job market.
• Since there is no job, there is no income. That means: no money for uniforms or supplies, no money for a car.
• Since they don't have a car, how do the kids get to school? They live 1.6 miles from the school so they don't qualify for the school bus. Their choices are to either pay $1.25 a day to get to and from school on the Metro bus or they walk. The $1.25 a day doesn't sound like much but remember, no job. So they have to decide by tomorrow morning how to get to school.
• The school district where these kids will attend hands out vouchers for one free uniform to those in need. But....they ran out last week so we have to hope that they can get one - IF they kid can figure out who to ask and how to ask for it. The parents can't help because of the language barrier.
• They don't speak English so today we helped them fill out free and reduced lunch forms, emergency information cards, and employment surveys.
• For the older kids, they not only have to get to school, they have to learn how to navigate in an American school. In Nepal, they stayed in one room all day and sat on the carpeted floor. Not so here.
• We taught a girl how to open a dial lock for her locker. That is hard enough with English speakers!
• These children will have to translate everything for their parents if they can remember it all. I'm not even going to go into the whole homework thing right now!

So tomorrow as I spend the morning getting ready to begin my seventh year teaching, I'm already thankful that I don't have a group of little ones to corral. My mind will not be on them. It will be on dozens of little ones who will hopefully be stepping foot into a new school tomorrow. Overwhelmed and having no clue what is going on, they are the bravest souls, eager and ready to get going. I honestly wish I didn't have to work tomorrow so I could just take them to their schools.

Pray, y'all.....Pray hard!

You're Kidding, Right?

So many wonderful things have happened in the past week but I am WAY to brain dead to put together more than a couple of coherent sentences. So to hold you over....

I was getting ready to check my email and a recipe caught my eye. What was the recipe? Bobby Flay's Root Beer Float. Well, Bobby Flay must have SOME magical ingredient if his root beer float is so good it calls for a highlighted link. I clicked on it and the ingredient list consisted of....wait for it.....vanilla ice cream and root beer! Seriously!?!? How sad is it that just because your name is well known, you can get a highlighted recognition for something so obvious/common! I bet tomorrow they will be featuring Rachel Ray's Water!

And There Go My Teeth...

Yesterday I was watching the Today Show while I was finishing breakfast (waffles, blackberries, and orange juice). On at that moment was a story about the five worst things for your teeth. Number four was lemonade. The dentist on the show was saying that it has the double whammies of sugar and acids. As she was mentioning the acidic drinks, I was taking my last drink of my orange juice. So I jump up and run to the bathroom to brush my teeth. Got the toothpaste on the brush, ran it under some water, and was about ten seconds into it when I returned to the story. As I am finishing up the bottom teeth, the dentist shares that if you do drink acidic drinks like lemonade, white wine, or orange juice, you should wait about 30 minutes before you brush your teeth. This is because the acids are so thick on your teeth that immediate brushing will actually be scrubbing your teeth with the acids instead of removing it.

Grrrr....I only thought I was starting my day right - healthy orange juice with breakfast and good dental care. In about 2 minutes, I learned I was swinging and missing. Oh well.....

Major Catch Up

So I've been without my computer for five days due to virus repair. Yes - FIVE DAYS! I know that the world continued turning and that I survived it. Life did go on. However, I cannot tell you how WONDERFUL it is to have it back! So of course, I had several blog ideas and no computer to put them on. Now that it is back, I can't remember them. :) So here is a recap of yesterday.

You know how when you move away one of two things can happen to your friends: a) you drift apart due to lack of contact or b) you have such a strong bond that time and distance make no difference. Yesterday was filled with option b. I took a day trip to San Marcos and it was exactly what I needed! I got to have lunch with two of the most amazing girls yesterday. Just seeing them made me giddy with laughter. I've missed them so much and just didn't know it until I could hug them. The greatest blessing is that is was mutual. These are the women who taught me how to teach and have just loved me, no questions asked for four years. They are so funny and such wonderful listeners! As we sat and visited about everything and nothing, all I could think about was what a blessing they are to me. I really don't know how I fooled them into thinking I was in their league but somehow I did. :) When we get together, it is like no time has passed at all. Now if we could get together more than once a year...Love you Adrienne and Danielle!

Then it was off to see my friend Brent. We've been in touch over facebook chat and we saw each other in February. Thankfully, it worked out that we were able to get together again. He is one of the few people that I have really kept in touch with from the barbershop world and we seem to be more at ease with each other ever time we get together. A few of the other guys came by while I was there. They didn't know I was stopping by so that was a fun surprise. Lots of hugs and just great joy! Again, lots of laughing!

Overall, it was a day of unquestionable love. Through years of moving around and coming into and out of different stages of life, I've learned that even though you love friends dearly through that season, you don't always get to keep them for years to come. You wish them well and remember them with fondness. Sometimes you get to keep friends but not to the same degree. Staying in touch is hard and it takes its toll. Things change and people change but some friends endure it all, loving you the whole way through. There is no difficulty in being together and time does no damage. Those that endure are truly treasures! Yesterday was filled with those I am incredibly blessed to keep - specifically Danielle, Adrienne, and Brent!

Daddio and Bladen

Erin and Gregg are having a son! In four short months, Bladen Joel will join the family! I was talking to Dad tonight and observed that he will be the first little boy our family has ever had. Poor guy will be the guinea pig for all of us!

While there are many things about Liz that I have loved, one of my favorite has been watching Dad with her. There is something about watching a man with a little girl. For me, it has been so sweet to see that side of Dad. I obviously don't remember what he was like with us as babies. Now, I feel like I get to see what I don't remember - Dad with his baby girls.

Now we are getting ready to welcome Bladen and I anticipate the same thing with him. Dad never had a son and has never felt like he missed out on anything (I know because I asked him once). Now, he gets a chance to fall in love, play with, and experience life with a little boy. I have a feeling we are going to get to see a side of my dad that we have never seen before. I cannot wait to watch him wrestle and rough house with Bladen. It will be so interesting to see the differences in him. I've loved watching him with Gregg but we are entering a whole new ballgame. It is one of the things I am looking forward to the most about Little Man getting here.

Here's to Bladen and all of the joy he will bring to our lives!

Why This Teacher Needs To Go Back To Work

Apparently I've had a lot of free time on my hands to think and observe. That is changing now that school is starting to gear up again. So since I'm sure you have all watched the wedding video enough times to memorize the song, here are some pointless thoughts that have been rolling around in my mind. You are welcome....

1. Around the neighborhood are signs announcing a voluntary water restriction. Isn't that stating the obvious? Why post it if it is voluntary?

2. Standing on the corner with a cardboard sign asking for money is not nearly as effective if you are using your other hand to chow down on some major Chick-fil-a.

3. You have to love new friendships in which one week you are discussing your family tree's various religious backgrounds and the next week you are comparing bad experiences with animal poo.

4. You know that you are too involved with a book when aspects of the plot show up in your subconscious via your dreams.

5. Every town/city should have a coffee place where you can meet a friend and accidentally spend three hours just catching up.

6. Why does using the word "budding" in reference to relationships always sound romantic in nature?

This Makes Me Smile!

If I were brave, this is how my wedding (Lord willing) would begin. Erin, be thankful! I SO want to be friends with ALL of these people! This is seriously worth watching!!

That's What I Get for Moving

In the past 11 years, have lived in 5 different cities and in some of those places, there were multiple homes. It has given me many blessings but has also brought out a bizarre tidbit for me. As odd as this sounds, I was watching the news tonight expecting the anchors to give San Antonio addresses. I was REALLY confused about which city I am living in. It passed quickly but that was SO strange! Unfortunately, I can't say that this is an isolated event. I have had flashbacks of confusion to San Marcos, Pleasanton, and San Antonio. I never flash to Lubbock but that is because I only lived in the dorm there. If usually happens during the news or if specific songs come on the radio. I wonder if that happens to anyone else. Have you ever felt confused about where you are? Probably not - this is most likely just another one of my weird things.

Houston Project

This week, I was blessed beyond measure to take part in a city wide service project called the Houston Project. There were 1,093 volunteers at 10 different sites throughout the city. My bible class worked with an apartment complex housing Bhutanese refugees as well as about 4 other nationalities. The Bhutanese people came here to escape persecution from the government. The majority of them are Hindu and the conversion process to Christianity is very difficult. There are about five ministers working with this community alone and while progress is being made, there is much ground to cover. That was our goal - to help lay a foundation for these people. Each day, kids came for VBS, games, a meal, and of course, sno cones. While we worked with the kids, there was a team doing evangelism and prayer with adults throughout the complex.

Each night started with a meal and then we would take the little kids to opening assembly for the beginning of VBS while the teens ate and played games. Our group of kids came with very limited English - much more limited than we were anticipating. We sang the same five songs each night - My God is so Big, Lord I Lift Your name on High, I've Got Joy Down in My Heart, Trading My Sorrows, and Every Move I Make (Waves of Mercy). Then, after that, we would present the gospel to them using a felt board presentation to help make it more visual. They loved to sing and with the help of a translator, really started to get a grasp on the story of the gospel.

I worked on the VBS team with 3 - 4 year olds. We had about 3 different languages going on in our group. Thankfully, several moms joined us so we could communicate more effectively. Throughout the week, during songs, memory verses, stories, and just our interaction, my co-teacher and I came to realize that this was as much of an outreach to the mothers as to the children. They soaked up every word, hug, song, and activity. Yesterday was the last night and we were able to give them a bible for their help this week. You would think that we had given them the world! Immediately, they were flipping through them, reading as best they could, and asking questions. They had such kind spirits and eager ears!

A few things really stuck out about this week: Kids are kids are kids no matter the culture or language. Love is truly the universal language that will break down any barrier (even language). Kids go NUTS for bubbles!

But even more than these, it was SO humbling to watch God move! Despite the language barriers, the kids could tell you that God made everything, who Jesus is, and what He did. They were singing about life in Christ. In craft time and with sidewalk chalk, they drew Jesus on the cross and exact replicas of the felt board presentation - AND could tell you about them! They knew memory verses. The mothers were open to joining story groups with the ministers that work in their complex. Children who were afraid of these strangers who spoke a different language were running and hugging us, clinging on until the sun went down.

I cannot wait to go back and start our follow up activities. God is needed here and is making Himself know. This week was to His glory as are the days to come. As we sang each night, I would get choked up on one specific song. I've sung it for years but to see children who have never known God before this week lift up these words, it touched me very deeply because this was the physical manifestation of the lyrics: My God is so Big, so Strong and so Mighty, There's nothing my God cannot do!

Please Vote!

This week I am taking part in an AMAZING service project. I will be telling you all about it and posting pictures on Friday. I would like your preference: Would you rather have a long post of single pictures or a slideshow? Thanks for letting me know!

A Hard Pill to Swallow

This morning, I was talking to a friend about some verses that were rolling around in both of our heads. They were hard verses that make us uncomfortable. They are true and Spirit inspired but are difficult to process and apply. They cause us to question but not doubt - make us struggle to know what it means to REALLY live, breathe, and sacrifice for Christ. These verses define a genuine faith.

So I'm curious - what verses are the hard ones for you? Not the ones that make you crazy because people misuse them but the ones that kick you in the gut because of their challenge to your life (their implications). Which verses are an enigma and cause you to almost choke on their meat?

Blue Three

I'm not a very athletic person (understatement!) so when people say they want to play, my stomach tightens just a hair. I know that I am about to either own my lack of skills or embrace my ability to make everyone else look good. So last night, as we sat around the table at Carinos and the answer to "What are we gonna do next?" came out as "Play!", I just prepared myself. Especially with this group. They are the softball, volleyball group of the world! However, we all had a very late night the night before so something that active was out. It was decided to go to one girls house for Hip Hop Uno.

Now those of you who think you know the game of Uno, do not be deceived. There is a whole new level of Uno that I was introduced to. First, the obvious - the game was played with Hip Hop in the background. Big deal, you may think, but watch out! If you are not immune to the effects of Hip Hop, you will be distracted and will lose track of the game. How do you know if you are easily distracted? Let me ask you this: Do you car dance? Do you secretly want to car dance but are afraid of being seen? Then this will also be your Hip Hop Uno downfall! It took me a while to build up a resistance to the music and would often slip into it as the game progressed. More than one person lost the game this way.

Along with the music, I was playing with real cut throat Uno players. All playfully competitive and very strategic, I learned to play this game with some new skills. The Uno we played as children took on a whole new meaning! As cruel as the dreaded "Draw Four" card can be, we all quickly discovered that a blue three can be just as damaging if you know how to look for it...

So if anyone is up for a game, I'm in!

Just in Case You're Curious.....

Guess what I'm doing this afternoon.....Breaking in my new boots! I'm SO EXCITED!! Since I'm not going on a vacation this summer, I decided to use the money from a math curriculum day to get my very first pair of boots. A friend went with me because Cavendars was having a sale. When the sales guy heard this was my first pair, he asked if I had just moved to Texas. When I said I grew up here, and acted like he was doing me a huge favor by finding me a good pair. He did! Now its time to break them in so I can wear them without killing my feet.

Sometimes it is the littlest things that can bring joy!

Pregnant Questions

Our regular teacher for class is in Kenya for the summer so until he gets back, some of the guys in our class are teaching through the book of James. Yesterday, we were going through James 1:27 - 2:13. Several things really stood out to me to make this an exceptional class. The fact that the presenter was working through it so visibly and honestly that he got choked up that he has to pause really touched me! We discussed the law and used a courtroom analogy to discuss our salvation. (A whole other post in itself but it is a better discussion than a blog.) He had us discuss two questions at our tables. They have been unspoken themes throughout our study of I John and have bled over into James. I would really like to hear what you would have said if you would have been sitting at my table. Here you go:

1. What does the 21st century American church look like?
2. What should the 21st century American church look like?

Please share.... :)

Attached

Tomorrow is my last day of training for a month. HALLELUJAH! It has been a month of trainings that I can actually use and am looking forward to that. The past six days have been a crash course in strategies gears towards helping second language learners. We got the theory for the first two days and then the last four have been observing a class using these strategies and then writing a unit in the afternoon.

During our time in the classroom, we have been silent observers. We sit against the wall and watch the class of 17 1st - 3rd graders go through a unit. Today I was caught off guard by how easily it has been to get attached to a couple of these kids. At one point, it took everything I had not to go get a little girl from Pakistan and pull her onto my lap. Seriously adorable and so shy due to know having much English. I don't know when it happened. She and a couple of others are just SO sweet.

While I was thinking on this, I got to thinking over relationships in the past - friendships, crushes, mentors, etc. The same thing was true in several cases. I find myself attached to people rather quickly. Most took longer than three days, thankfully. I don't know what it means that I get attached to people so quickly. Is it good? Is it bad? Is it just how it is? Yes, I think that is it - that's just how it is. Maybe I need to learn to hold people more at arm's length. Maybe I need to just embrace how I'm wired. Who knows?

Just an observation on a Wednesday....

Wake Up, Parents!

I heard these two facts today that I would LOVE to have all parent hear. I'll refrain from commentating on them and let these two facts speak for themselves:

• Research has shown that there is zero brain activity occurring when children are watching TV.
• Language development research has show it takes 85 times for a child to hear/work with a word before it becomes engrained in their vocabulary.

Helpful Hint

On Tuesday, here was my to do list: pack, take out the garbage, meeting, library, fill up with gas, get new tires, and get to Pleasanton in time for dinner. Mission accomplished - except for taking out the trash. So when I got back yesterday, just imagine what I walked in to smell. GROSS! In my hurry to get the smell out of the apartment, I forgot that there was a watermelon rind in the bottom of the can. I yanked the lid off and out flew about 25 fruit flies - everywhere! Again, GROSS!! Also, they multiply faster than rabbits so it has been annoying to say the least. I looked up how to get rid of them. Did you know that spraying them with windex 3-4 times kills them? It works - I know because I have been on a shoot out with the magic blue liquid. So far, I'm winning but also getting high on windex. Time for a break.....

So just a warning - don't forget to take out the garbage with you leave home. :)

42 Seconds of Hilarity!!

This has been a GREAT and exhausting week! I'll write soon but I HAD to share this extremely short clip I saw in my training. It is 42 seconds and I recommend watching it twice. The first time, watch the old lady. The second time, watch the driver. Both times, enjoy!!