A Day At The Zoo

Today was Educator Day at the Houston Zoo, which basically means it is free for teachers to get in, there were classes to take about animals, science, and teaching science curriculum. So I was not going to pass up a chance to go the zoo for FREE. I hadn't been to the zoo in a really long time. The Houston Zoo is awesome and huge, so it did not disappoint.

Aww baby and mommy monkey!

This monkey was posing for each person and moving down the line so each person could take a picture, so cute!

NEMO!!!!!

Lazy Lion.

I loved the giraffes, they were out and playing around.

This was the most beautiful snake I have ever seen. He was grey blue with deep blue eyes.

These were some hungry turtles!

I love the zoo!

Wordless Wednesday- It's About That Time

Happy Birthday Kristina!

I am so disappointed

A completely disgraceful event happened at Baylor on Tuesday, and once again Baylor University is in the news for something horrible.

I am embarrassed to be a Baylor Alumni today.

Get it together Baylor, we are better than that.

He is one insightful son of a gun

Quote from Best Friend Robbie:

"They are not looking for diversity, they are looking for minority."


*In regards to the option to write a diversity statement for the Yale University Graduate School Application

Life Updates

Teach for America:
- I had my final interview last week so now all I have to do is wait for November 17 to see if there is a big move in my future. I can't believe after all the little things I had to do to complete the TFA admissions process that all I can do is wait.

TeXes Test:
- I passed my EC-4 Generalist Test!! Yippee!!! Now I need to start studying for my PPR TeXes test.

ECI Internship:
- Going completely awesome! I love love love love love it. It is going to be tough deciding about going straight into the classroom or working with ECI for a while.

School:
- On December 8 I will be ALL done. Then on December 19 I walk across the stage to officially make me a master. :)

I guess that is the highlights.

Silly Silly DSL Man

Well the DSL Fixer Man called me at 8 am this morning to tell me my DSL was back up and running. I should have wanted to praise him and give him gifts but instead I wanted to go out there and punch him in the face.

No one appreciates getting woken up at 8 am on a Saturday.

Internet Woes

DSL down again.....

Embarq, you have a comment this time?

Divine Inspiration In An Unlikely Place

Excerpt from LOUDER THAN WORDS, by Jenny McCarthy

"Looking back, I'm amazed at the strength it took for me to put one foot in front
of the other, but I did. Day after day. Instead of getting mad at God, like I'm
sure a lot of people do, I decided to make Him my buddy in this. I remember
saying to Him around this time, 'God, I know you gave me an autistic son for a
reason. I know I'm supposed to do something with this, and I don't quite know
what it is yet, but I need you to help me out. I need to be always pointed in
the right direction. I need the messages to be loud and clear so that I can
serve my purpose in your calling.' " (Pg. 90)

When I sat down to read this book, I did not expect to receive a lesson in faith. I didn't know much about Jenny McCarthy and honestly, I certainly didn't expect her to be a person of such faith and devotion. In this book she talks about the beginning of her journey with her son's diagnosis with Autism.

As the quote excerpt points out, when she was faced with a huge challenge and uncertainity she gave it to God and decided to trust Him completely in his purpose. She leaned on him for support and guidance. I like to think that I would do the same thing, but I can't honestly say that I know what I would do. I do not doubt that everything is a part of God's plan and I can do anything through Him, but I don't know that in the face of a great challenge or hardship that I wouldn't get angry or question God. So I am going to take away from this lesson that Jenny McCarthy taught me, and try to remember that no matter what is dealt our way we have to make God our buddy in all of it and trust that He will lead us out of the bad times. All we can do is learn and grow from faith in God and His plan for our life.

Thursday Thirteen- Standardized Test Edition

1. I have taken the 5 ridiculously long standardized tests. (not counting TAAS Tests and all the practice tests I took for the other "official" tests I have taken)
2. SAT
3. ACT
4. LSAT
5. GRE
6. TeXes EC-4 content exam
7. I have at least 3 more ridiculously long standardized tests to take.
8. TeXes PPR exam
9. TeXes ESL Supplemental exam
10. Praxis II- Social Studies
11. After every test I come and take a ridiculously long nap
12. Tests make my brain fried
13. I am pretty much a standardized test taking expert.

Wordless Wednesday- What is wrong with this picture?

I am posting this just so I never forget.

*This is the eulogy I read at my grandmother's funeral. I wanted to put here so that I will always remember it and I can never lose it.

There are no words I can say that will express how much I loved my Mawmaw and there are no words that can adequately describe the amazing person that she is. She was the most wonderful person that you will ever meet and I am so lucky that she is my Mawmaw. She offered me help countless times and she was my source of strength countless times. And you know what, this time is no different. My Mawmaw was there to help me with this too. On the very last page of her bible she had some bible verses written down. Those verses are perfect for today.
First I found Philippians Chapter 1 verses 20- 24 which reads:
“For I live in eager expectation and hope that I will never do anything that will cause me shame, but that I will always be bold for Christ, as I have been in the past, and that my life will always honor Christ, whether I live or die. For to me, living is for Christ, and dying is even better. Yet if I live, that means fruitful service for Christ. I really don’t know which is better. I’m torn between two desires: Sometimes I want to live, and sometimes I long to go and be with Christ. That would be far better for me, but it is better for you that I live.”
It was definitely better for us that she lived. But now Mawmaw is rejoicing in heaven with her Lord.

Also on that last page Mawmaw had written II Timothy Chapter 4 Verses 6-8 which reads:
“As for me, my life has already been poured out as an offering to God. The time of my death is near. I have fought a good fight, I have finished the race, and I have remained faithful. And now the prize awaits me.”
No one deserves that prize more than her.

In this time of great sorrow, all we can do is lean on our Lord God for strength. In the book of Isaiah, the Lord promises to dry our tears and smooth out the road in front of us. We must find peace in these promises.
The final piece of wisdom Mawmaw laid out for me was found bookmarked in her bible. I Samuel Chapter 2 Verse 1 reads “My heart rejoices in the Lord! Oh how the Lord has blessed me!”
And that is true, we must thank the Lord God that we have been truly blessed by being privileged enough to have a woman like Mawmaw touch our lives.

Eating my Feelings

Even though I have had a significant weight loss this past year. My issues with food are not resolved. The past month I have been eating my feelings.

First after Hurricane Ike: I ate when I was anxious, I ate when I was relieved, and I ate when I was bored.

Then it was my birthday: I ate when I was excited, I ate when I was happy, and I ate to finish the cake.

Finally my grandmother passed away: I ate when I was sad, I ate when I was anxious, I ate when I was mad, I ate when I was numb.

I hate that I do this, but honestly I have no idea what to do about it. I know I have put back on some of the weight I have lost but I am too scared to know how much.

Wordless Wednesday- I just can't believe she is gone

My heart is aching.

You can never be prepared for the death of a loved one. But this came as unexpected as you can possibly imagine.

At 12:57 this morning my grandmother passed away. She was fine one second and then the next she was gone.

I don't even know what to say. My heart is aching.

Sewing Class & My First Project

I got this sewing machine for my birthday. I had no idea how to use it so I decided I needed to take a class. After a Google search I found an awesome place in Houston to take a beginner's class. Sew Crafty Houston is a seriously cool place in the Heights and my class was perfect. If you are in the Houston area, you should really check out what Sew Crafty Houston has to offer.

This is my very first sewing project EVER. In my class the project was to make a craft apron. Overall I am satisfied with my apron. There are things (which you will see) that I would change, but for my very first time ever touching a sewing machine, I am pretty pleased with the outcome.

One mistake I would like to change. After my backstitch I got a little crooked.

My decorative embellishment stitch is most definitely not straight. But oh well. Practice makes perfect.

I am pretty proud of my pockets. I did 3 pockets: 1 big one, 1 medium one, and 1 pen, pencil, or scissors pocket.

My wonderful class. Some of those ladies were definitely more crafty than I am but it was a ton of fun and we all had super cute finished projects. I definitely plan on taking another class at Sew Crafty!

I *heart* this

"I did my best, it wasn't much
I couldn't feel, so I tried to touch
I've told the truth, I didn't come to fool you
And even though
It all went wrong
I'll stand before the Lord of Song
With nothing on my tongue but Hallelujah"

FYI- This is Phil Wickham

26 is starting off as the best year yet

So yesterday was my 26th birthday. Here is just a quick recap of the birthday festiviteis. First off on Tuesday, Amber kicked off the celebrations by bringing cupcakes to our class for my birthday. (Thank you Amber, you are so awesome and I love you for it!) In the afternoon I went to lunch with Robbie and had some awesome Mexican food, and then I was expecting a low key family evening, but I was in for more than I thought. My mom picked me up for dinner at their house, but we made a stop a local restaurant to pick up a to-go order. Again I was in for more than I expected.

We walked towards the back of the restaurant and in the private party room was my family and our closest family friends. Everyone yelled SURPRISE and I was in shock. I was completely 100% surprised. I had no idea that my family had been planning a surprise dinner party for me. I was so surprised and completely touched that I started crying. (Picture of my entry to come as soon as my uncle sends it to me)

I cannot believe that my family was able to pull off such a surprise. I have never had a surprise party before so I was completely overwhelmed. The whole night was amazing. It was awesome. It was fun filled. It was overflowing with love. The guest list was perfect and we all had a great evening. Everyone at the table is very important to me and my family and I am so lucky to have them all in my life. And even luckier that they were there to celebrate my birthday. The only thing missing was my grandparents, who couldn't make it because they were out of town for my cousin's wedding. So I will see them next weekend and I'm sure that party will be just as great.

After dinner I went to my parent's house where they showered me with gifts and we ate cookie cake. Seriously the whole night was perfect. I am truly blessed by the people in my life. I am a lucky girl. I thank God for all the blessings he gives me, my family, and friends.


If this next year of my life is as awesome as my birthday I am in for one heck of a year.

Thank you to all those people who made my birthday so special. I love you all so much!

Life is good.
God is good.

October 8, 1982

As today at 1:00 pm CST I am officially closer to 30 than I am to 20.

Oy!

26 better be a good year.

Whoa this is getting too real

I just learned that I have been invited into the 3rd/final round of interviews for Teach for America. YIKES! This means that I am one step closer to Hawaii!

I'm starting to get nervous. Excited but nervous. I want to make sure that I am doing the right thing and feel confident that this is where God is leading me.

Please pray that I feel peace about this process and pray that I am seeking God's will/plan with my decisions.

Gratuitous Cuteness

Blogging Slump

I don't know what is wrong with me but I am totally in a blogging/life slump. Life has been pretty boring and mundane lately so I am lacking in material.

Thus, I give you a list of things that I am excited about that are coming up:

• My birthday
• My sewing machine
• My sewing class
• Cooler weather
• Researching my focus topic for ECI
• Doing a gross motor therapy session by myself next month
• The possibility of going to Vail at the end of the month

Blah

I am having a blah kind of week. Not a bad week but just not an exciting week. So instead of posting something boring, I am just going to post some links of cool blogs for y'all to check out.

CF Husband

Moosh in Indy

I am Bossy

Operation Skinny Bitch

Bring The Rain (Angie Smith's Blog)

Hurricane Ike by the Numbers

Ike was a category 2 storm.

Number of lives lost 51. (not counting the unknowen lives that were swept away in Galveston)
Number of homes without power 2 million.
Number of bruises on my legs from clean up 6.
Number of days without power 11.
Number of days with no phones 5.
Number of generators 2.
Number of portable AC units 2.
Number of gallons of gas for the generators approx 300.
Number of windows lost 1.
Number of trees lost 2.
Number of times the carbon monoxide detector went off 2.
Number of garbage bags filled (at least) 20.
Number of Gilmore Girls episodes watched 12.

Number of trees on our home 0
Number of cars totaled 0
Number of friends and family lost 0
Number of friends and family without a home 0
Number of days without water 0

Number of times I was thankful it wasn't so hot COUNTLESS
Number of times my brother made us laugh COUNTLESS
Number of times my mom did a flashlight check COUNTLESS
Number of times I thanked God we were safe COUNTLESS
Number of times my Dad had to check the generators COUNTLESS
Number of times our neighbors thanked us for the help COUNTLESS
Number of times I was thankful for the Carbon Monoxide detector COUNTLESS
Number of times I was thankful we were prepared COUNTLESS
Number of times I was thankful for my family COUNTLESS
Number of times my mom fussed at the boys for not finishing their drinks COUNTLESS
Number of times my dad tried to make us go to bed early and we ignored him COUNTLESS

Two T-Shirt Weekend

I had a fairly eventful weekend this week. It was in fact a two t-shirt weekend, let me explain.

Friday-
I volunteered at the Veggie Tales live show that was being held at Sugar Creek Baptist Church. The Veggie Tales are an awesome christian program for kids. The local christian radio station was in need of volunteers so I signed up to help in any way I could. At first I handed out program flyers to all the parents and children as they were entering the sanctuary, and this was so much fun. I got to see how excited these little kids were to see Bob and Larry. I never would have guessed how happy a giant tomato and cucumber could make children. Then I watched a little of the show before heading to help at the merchandise table. Man, did those parents buy a lot of stuff for their kids. We sold out of almost everything. At the end of the night the merchandise guy gave me a CD of Veggie Tales songs and a free t-shirt. The whole night was tons of fun and I was glad I got to help out. That was free t-shirt #1.

Saturday-
I have been wanting to get re-certified in my CPR training, and my friend Amber found online that Methodist Hospital and the Red Cross were doing a CPR/AED training day for only $10. I thought that was super cheap so we signed up. So I spent my Saturday afternoon doing CPR compressions on a dummy and learning how to properly shock peoples' hearts. (FYI- they changed the CPR compression ratio to 30 compressions for every 2 rescue breaths, and man you get really tired. Also they changed the location of where to properly thrust someone when they are choking.) Anyways, after all my CPR practice and passing my test I was once again a certified CPR giver. And then on our way out they gave us a goody bag with a free t-shirt in it! That made it the second t-shirt of the weekend.

I love t-shirts and I love them even more when they are FREE! I am in need of t-shirts that do not have sorority or fraternity letters on them, or some sort of Greek function on them; while I love my sorority I feel I am a little too old to be wearing date dash and crush t-shirts. But I am not too old however to sport my pink Veggie Tales t-shirt or my Methodist Hospital Community Heart Day t-shirt!

As well as my 2 t-shirt weekend, I was suppose to have my phone interview with Teach for America tonight at 10:50 pm central time. But it is now 11:26 pm and I have yet to receive a call. It is very strange because in all my other dealings with Teach for America they have been super punctual and on top of things. Oh well, I will just email them and reschedule like the website says to do or who knows maybe they will still call. They are lucky I am a night owl or I would be mad.

Wordless Wednesday

It's about time!

I just got my power back on!!!

After 11 days of NO power, it is about time it came back on. I thought I was going to lose my mind!

We Survived

Everyone is ok.

House is ok.

Still no power.

Still no phones.

Sort of cell phones but not really.

Occasional texting abilities.

No cold food.

No gas.

Still sucks.

But we are all safe and we still have a home so that is what matters.

Pray for those who lost their homes and possessions.

More updates and pictures to come.

Pray for Us

Hurricane Ike is coming to Houston with a vengeance.

Pray for the Gulf Coast.

Pray for our home.

Good Ole Ike

OK well it looks like Ike is getting a little scary.

I am over this.

November marks the end of hurricane season and it cannot come quick enough.

Observations from my day as a Houston commuter

1. Getting up at 6am sucks, no matter how much sleep you got.
2. If you have to drive past a high school before the first bell you can add at least 20 minutes to your commute time.
3. Sometimes getting out of the suburbs takes the longest time.
4. The DJs during the 7 am hour on the morning radio shows aren't funny because they are in an awful song-traffic report- song- traffic report pattern.
5. You should have a city of Houston freeway map memorized in order to understand the traffic reports.
6. Traffic reporters shouldn't start a report with a sigh or a grunt. That doesn't make the drive very positive.
7. It is unnecessary to have flashing signs reminding us it is hurricane season. Trust me, we know.
8. You should always reflect on your morning drive during your work training meetings so your blog post is done when you get home.

A month until my birthday

So blog reader people, today marks one month until my birthday (October 8). Thus I have decided to compose a list for you in case you would like to buy me a gift.

There you have it folks, I want a sewing machine, a digital camera, and a dirt bike.

A Moment of Domesticity

I made dinner for myself tonight.

Mashed new potatoes with garlic and butter

Breaded Chicken Tenders

My newest obsession, Propel Water (with caffeine)

I even made brownies!

In a moment of rare domesticity I made myself a real dinner. I cooked it all by myself. I breaded the chicken tenders, mashed the potatoes, and made the brownies (from a box). It may not have been the most healthy of meals, but it was very yummy! It may not be any fancy gourmet type meal but its better than nothing; at least I tried. I am quite proud of myself. But I will be honest, I wish I was cooking for two instead of one. :-)

Mystery- Phil Wickham

Here in the Quiet speak to me now

My ears are open to

Your gentle sweet whispering

Break down the door, come inside

Shine down Your bright light

I need a lamp for my feet, I need a lamp for my feet

I want to hear the thunder of who You are

To be captured inside the wonder of who You areI

want to live I want to breathe

To search out Your heart and all of Your mysteries

You were the first and You'll be the end

Time cannot hold You down

Why save a wretch like me?

No eye has seen, no ear has heard

No heart could fully knowAll of Your mystery

Thoughtful or Thoughtless

So I haven't updated lately with anything of much substance. Lately I have been alternating between having no thoughts in my head and having so many thoughts that they don't make sense.

Thus, I have the only choice of posting silly pictures of my cat. I am afraid if I tried to put on my thoughts out on here right they would come out all random and crazy like. They wouldn't make sense.

So for now you are going to be stuck with my posts that don't amount to much.

No worries though, I still love y'all! =)

Seriously, how much cuter can he get?

Casey in the bottled water package and this isn't the first time he has done this.

Seriously, how cute is he? A little strange, yes. But too cute.

Resurrection- Nicol Sponberg

I'm at a loss for words, there's nothing to say

I sit in silence wondering what led me to this place

How did my heart become so lifeless and cold

Where did the passion go?

When all my efforts seem like chasing wind

I've used up all my strength and there's nothing left to give

I've lost the feeling and I'm numb to the core

I can't fake it anymore.

Here I am at the end I'm in need of resurrection

Only You can take this empty shell and raise it from the dead

What I've lost to the world what seems far beyond redemption

You can take the pieces in Your hand and make me whole again

Who knows...

I don't really have all that much to say.

Just a few updates:

• Internship is good.
• Getting up early blows.
• I have a Teach For America web meeting on Wednesday. That should be interesting...

That's all I got.

Hurricane Gustav Checklist

• Bottled Water CHECK
• Plywood for windows CHECK
• Non-perishable food CHECK
• Generators CHECK
• Window Unit Air Conditioners CHECK
• Prozac and Sedatives for the cats CHECK
• Jewelry packed up in case of looters CHECK
• Extra Batteries CHECK
• Flashlights CHECK
• Social Security Card CHECK
• Passport CHECK
• Extra Cash CHECK
• Full Tank of Gas CHECK
• Extra gas for the Generator CHECK
• All pictures or other family memories on the 2nd floor in water tight containers CHECK

I wish I was kidding, but I'm not. We are so prepared for the storm in case it comes our way. This list is just the tip of the iceberg...

Signs

1:30 am 8-29: HGTV House Hunters episode, Looking for a new home in Maui , Hawaii.

2:00 am 8-29: MTV True Life: I am a big wave surfer. Documentary about surfers in North Shore, Hawaii

11:24 am 8-29: Email from Teach For America inviting me to a special web-seminar

Hmm.... that is 3 signs in one day all about Hawaii......

It looks like there may be a Hawaiian adventure in my future.

Yikes....prayers please......

Wordless Wednesday- How cute are we?!

* Please just ignore my cleavage. I did not mean to dress so provocatively for lunch with my grandparents.

Working Girl

Man, I have completely forgotten how hard it is to work all day. After a year of unemployment, getting back in the swing of working is tough. I am tired and I feel like I no time to get anything done. I think I was meant to live a life of leisure. I am just not cut out for this working thing.

In other news, it looks like we may be getting a visit from Hurricane Gustav. So that means my brother is headed down in anticipation of helping my dad work the hurricane insurance claims. And of course my mom is busy with the necessary preparations. But I really hope that Gustav doesn't come here.

I can't help it...I love this.

Much to my dismay, I am a fan of Jesse McCartney. I know it is so teeny bopper but I just can't help it. He is a little young for me....does that make me a cougar? HAHA...only kidding... I know I am too young to be a cougar, but I still love me some Jesse McCartney. :)

Quick Updates

Internship = Awesome

Driving to Clear Lake = Sucko

Three lanes on the Beltway = Super

School = Blah

Having to find the super secret stairs to get to the 3rd floor = Lame

Not getting my loan refund = Boo

Not having my books for class = Not too terrible yet

Having to order books online and expedite delivery = Not fun and Not cheap

Last First Days

Tomorrow is most probably my last ever first day of school.

Weird.

But never say never, I could always go get a second masters or a Phd....haha....calm down Pick....I will be done with school eventually.

This is how I felt last night but the vote was 2-1

Rain Rain Go Away

I am so over this rain! It has been raining for days and days. And I just looked at the 10 day forecast and it has rain predicted for the foreseeable future. BLAH!

I am bummed that the summer is going to end on this gross rainy cloudy streak.

It has been a momentous couple of days

Tuesday-
I had my interview/meeting for my graduate internship at Early Childhood Intervention (ECI). I was nervous about that because my completion of the master's program is dependent on this. But every thing went really well and now I am officially the ECI- Keep Pace, Early Intervention Specialist Intern!! YIPPEEE!!! I am so so so excited to work with ECI; I think I will learn so much and it will be an awesome experience. So if you blog reader people don't know about Early Intervention, then you should Google it because it could really help your family or some one you know.

Wednesday (Today)-
Today was my meeting/interview/registration for the teacher certification program. I was planning on registering for and paying for 2 classes which were going to total about 800 dollars. That is a lot of money but I was planning on the money so I was prepared. Well I get there today and I am called in to an office with the head of the program, and I automatically expect the worse. I thought maybe for some one reason I wasn't approved and I couldn't get my teaching license. But no, the director wanted to tell me that I was exempt for one of the classes and I did not have to take it all to get my license. So that means I did not have to pay the $800! ARE YOU KIDDING ME!! I SAVED 800 BUCKS TODAY!
It was such a blessing to hear that fanstically wonderful news today. I have really been struggling if I was doing the right thing about my certification and teaching in general. I have been praying about it and asking God to lead my decisions. And today was just reinforcement that I am doing the right thing and God is totally in control of this situation. Money is tight for me and I have been solely relying on student loans for the past year and for this next year so an extra $800 is HUGE.

The past couple of days just make me incredibly thankful for God and all the amazing things he is doing in my life. I don't know what I did to deserve the grace I have received, but I only hope I can use my blessings to do nothing but glorify God. These past couple of days have been example of proof that if you trust in God, he will lead you in the right direction. I pray that I can keep my faith strong and be open (and willing) to see the right choices and decisions that God is leading me to.

Am I missing the boat?

What the heck is Twitter? I feel like I am out of the loop. I already have a Facebook page and a Myspace page....do I really need one more thing.....?

Prayer for Tricia

Be praying for Tricia today. She is having an even rougher time than normal.

New Template

So I have obviously changed my background template. What do you think? You better like it because it is going to stay for a while. It was a HUGE hassle to get all my stuff back on my sidebar. It was my first time to change my template from a non-blogger preset one so I might have done it wrong. But man it is not easy to put all that stuff back.

I like my background for now though. :)

Ashley, your over-educated pizza girl

I have just finished my ridiculously-bad-for-me-but-fantastically-tasty lunch of pizza. And on my pizza box there is an advertisement for jobs at the pizza place. They are offering $12-$16 an hour. So I am thinking that since I am apparently unhireable that I may your next pizza delivery girl.

Can't you see me knocking on doors and handing over pizzas for a $2 tip. Yep, my $100,000 education would be served well working at my local Papa Johns. Wouldn't you be proud Pick?!

I am only kidding of course, but I do need a part-time job desperately. I have had a really hard time finding someone willing to hire me. I think I just look too expensive on paper. I'm not, I swear! My only requirements are that the job pay me in US dollars.

Please pray that I find the right job opportunity soon or I really might have to be the pizza delivery girl.

Prayer Requests:
- I find a job
- The FOP blog scam quiets down
- For the scammers that orchestrated the FOP scam
- Daddy and Brian get to and back from Dallas safely
- School year gets off to a good start for teachers and students
- My 2 interviews go well this week

Olympic Update

I have watched more of the Olympics this time than I have ever watched. I have enjoyed it, but it is a little stressful. I get so tense for these poor athletes. Overall, though, I have been glad I have watched some much.

However, I am so stinking sick of women's beach volleyball! I mean, I know the 2 Americans are awesome, but seriously we don't have to watch every single match. I feel like beach volleyball is never going to end. By the time the medal ceremony actually happens no one will care; we will all be over it.

Wordless Wednesday- Bringin' It Old School

Teach for America

Anyone have any thoughts? Insights? Pros? Cons?

I am considering applying to Teach for America. It would be a unique opportunity for me to either go somewhere totally different for a couple of year or even stay close to home to teach in the inner city for a couple of years. It is definitely something to think about....

I wish I knew someone that had done and completed the program. I would like to have some real insight from someones experience.

Keep me in your prayers while I determine if this is God's will for me.

Getting Into You- Reliant K Lyrics

When I made up my mindAnd my heart along with that

To live not for myself

But yet for godSomebody said

Do you know what you are getting yourself into?

When I finally ironed out

All of my priorities

And asked God to remove the doubt

That makes me unsure of these

Things I ask myself

I ask myself

Do you know what you are getting yourself into?

Im getting into you

Because you got to me

In a way words cant describe

Im getting into you

Because Ive got to be

Youre essential to survive

Im going to love you with my life

When he looked at me and saidI kind of view you as a son

And for a second our eyes met

And I met that with a question

Do you know what you are getting yourself into?

Im getting into youBecause you got to me

In a way words cant describeIm getting into you

Because Ive got to be

Youre essential to survive

Im going to love you with my life

Ive been a liar and Ill never amount to

The kind of person you deserve to worship you

You say you will not dwell on what I did but rather what I do you say

I love you and thats what you are getting yourself into

Im getting into you (getting into you)

Because you got to me (because you got to me)

In a way words cant describe

Im getting into you (getting into you)

Because Ive got to be (because Ive got to be)

Youre essential to survive

Im going to love you with my life

Im getting into you (getting into you)

Because you got to me (because you got to me)

In a way words cant describe

Im getting into you (getting into you)

Because Ive got to be (because Ive got to be)

Youre essential to survive

Im going to love you with my life

You said I love you and thats what youre getting into

More on this later when I can better understand it and articulate how it makes me feel.

For now just know that I *heart* Reliant K!

I am done

Summer School is over!! Thank you Jesus, I survived!

And to make it even better, I am done with class for forever! I have completed all my graduate degree class requirements, so now all I have to do is complete my internship in the Fall. Yippee! I still have to take 1 class in the Fall so that I don't lose my health insurance but I am going to take something fun and useless.

Summer school was tough and long. It wore me out. But I persevered and now it is over.

Updates and Random Blurbs

Edouard was all hype and no bite. Oh well...we were prepared.

1 more day left of summer school!!! I am SO ready for school to be over. I am contemplating dropping my 2 classes I am registered for in the Fall since they aren't needed. That would mean I only had my internship to deal with. The thought of being done with classes makes me very happy!

I really want to buy a dirt bike or a sewing machine. I should probably go with the sewing machine... it would be way cheaper. I need a hobby....besides blogs and blogging. :)

Health insurance makes me crazy and stressed out.

I love that teachers are so giving and put their resources and ideas on the internet for us newbies to use. I don't know many other careers where professionals will freely give their ideas and tricks to others. I am off to finish my classroom management plan.

Ode to Edouard

Thank you for coming into the gulf.

Thank you for coming in at Galveston.

Thank you for cancelling classes tomorrow at UH.

Thank you Edouard! I needed a little excitement in my life!

But in all seriousness, I hope that this storm doesn't cause many serious injuries and people are careful and safe.

I hope that people use this storm as a reminder of the greatness and magnitude that God is capable of.

Be thankful for our weather.

Don't Call PETA on me

My Little Animal Experiment

Hypothesis: Chloe will be a fan of Mac & Cheese

Step 1: Introduce Kraft Shells & Cheese

Step 2: Subject approaches

Step 3: Subject smells

Step 4: Subject Licks

Step 5: Subject Tastes

Results: Chloe is indeed a HUGE fan of Kraft Mac & Cheese

I have weird tastes in sports

Anyone who knows me and anyone who looks at me would not guess my tastes in sports. No one would ever look at me and say, "I bet that girl is a NASCAR fan", but I am a HUGE obsessive fan. And lately I have been completely enthralled with X games. I am so not a skateboard, BMX, Moto X kind of girl. But I am loving it! I was completely into the Winter X Games too.

My sports choices are so random. I don't know what that says about me, I guess I am just a girl with varied tastes. :)

What a difference a year makes...

Today marks the one year anniversary of the day that I officially became a resident of the great state of Texas again. Sometimes it feels like I just left North Carolina, but other times I feel like my life in Mooresville was 100 years ago.

So for this anniversary I am going to list the blessings I have had this year:

• Being back in Texas and close to my parents/family is amazing
• I am 1 semester away from completing my master's degree
• I have lost over 40 lbs.
• I haven't had to have a job and was able to concentrate fully on school
• I have learned a lot about what I want in my life
• I was able to reflect on the decisions I made and learn from the mistakes

I am happy where I am at and life can only get better next year.

Reasons I love my Mommy

In honor of her birthday today, I will give some of the many reasons why I have the best mommy in the whole world!

• She is my Pickle and no one else's
• She will buy you new jammies if you are sick
• She always remembers what you don't like to eat (unlike Daddy who always forgets)
• She comes over to clean my apartment even when she knows its only dirty because I'm lazy.
• She can make any day special
• She will always buy you something if it is something she knows you will like
• She completely redecorates her house at Christmas
• She puts clean sheets on the bed if you are spending the night
• She never makes me drive places
• She will back up your decisions even if she knows it is stupid
• She thinks Dale Jr.'s radio show is funny
• She will still brush my hair if I have a knot
• She doesn't ask (very often!) me to straighten her hair even if she really wants me to
• She drops everything to help her family
• She sometimes forgets to use her words and it is too cute when she does
• She offers to bring me and my friends snacks when we student teach
• She gets really excited for you when you have something coming up
• She will let you complain about traffic to her everyday
• She over-prepares for hurricanes
• She will give her life for me
• She loves me completely

Happy Birthday Pickle!

I love you so much Pick!

I hope you have a fantastic day and you have a happy happy birthday!!!

I Love Me Some Free Stuff

Wow, blogging just keeps getting better and better.

Seriously people, visit Bloggy Giveaways and see all the amazing giveaways!

Come on, all you have to do is leave a comment and you get a chance to win! I love it!!

Here is an example of one of the places I went to enter for prizes:


And if you go here, La Vie de Laurie, then you have a chance to win a Coach purse. How awesome is that!! Love it! Plus she is in Texas and that makes her super cool. :)

Driving Past the Bar on Sunday Morning

On the way to church every week you have to drive past the local bar, and every week I like to count the number of cars that are still in the parking lot. I do that not to pass judgement on those people, but rather I praise them for making a good choice. I like to think that those people who left their car in the parking lot, made the good choice to not drink and drive. Those people got a sober ride home.

While I know that may not be why those cars are there, it makes me feel better to think that is the reason.

So I am so proud of those 3 people who chose not to drive home drunk last night from Molly's Pub. That is at least 3 lives that were saved.

Adult Children

My older brother has been home for the summer and we have been doing quite a few outings as a whole family. Just for clarification I will define the dynamics of my family.

Current Family Dynamics:
Mom & Dad --> still happily married to each other
Brother --> 28, single, no kids, never been married, still in college, unemployed
Me --> 25, single, no kids, never been married, still in college (grad school), unemployed

So the point of this post is to talk about how you feel like you are still a child when your whole family is riding together in a car. I guess because neither my brother or I are married and when we are in the car it is just the 4 of us, its like we instantly revert back to being kids. My brother and I fight about who gets shot gun. Or we complain about leg room. Then we fight about being hot and the other one of us is cold. I have to fight the urge to poke him or yell that "Stuart is touching me"! My parents still say the same things to make us shut up that they said when we were kids.

It is really odd, but strangely familiar. It is so natural for us to act like we are kids. I wonder if my parents think it is strange or is it just as familiar for them? It also makes me wonder how the dynamics are going to change when one of us brings home a spouse. Will the days of family of 4 be over? Is getting married the end of being a child forever? I kind of feel like it is easy for my brother and I to remain acting like children around my parents because we are single and largely supported financially by our parents. But when I am married, I am really an adult. So I can't fight and poke with my brother, and I can't ask my parents to do silly things for me.

Growing up is hard. Yes I know that I am 25 and pretty much grown. But it is still weird.

Pioneer Woman

OK, I know that I am completely slow on this one, but I have just discovered the wonders of the Pioneer Woman.

I *heart* her recipes.

Updates

The foot is getting better. I have chosen to ignore it from now on....

I am going to a Harry Wong conference tomorrow in Houston, and I am way excited. I have seen his videos and he cracks me up. I will be very disappointed if he doesn't say, "but Mr. Wong, Mr. Wong, Mr. Wong" in his whiny student voice. =)

I have to drive to the George R. Brown Convention Center and I am nervous. I am such a baby when it comes to driving in Houston.

Summer session II still kind of sucks. I feel bad, its not the class or the professor but I am just burned out, and I am not giving the class the attention it deserves.

This picture was taken on Sunday after lunch with my grandparents. Ugg.. it is upsetting me. I was feeling thin until I saw this picture. My arms are huge and stomach is still all poochy. I shouldn't complain. I am ready to be done losing weight but I keep seeing reminders of how far I still have to go.... boo.

Sundays are Fundays

It feels weird that today is Sunday. I didn't go to church and there was no race on, so I keep forgetting that school is tomorrow. I keep procrastinating on finishing my presentation that is tomorrow. Blah blah blah....

I am going to take away a lesson from my summer school burnout... no more classes in both summer sessions.

Summer School Just Might be the Death of Me

Summer session I was awesome even with the research methods class from hell. But Summer II has not been all that fabulous during its first week. I was so over school on Thursday and I was in an awful mood. People are lucky I didn't ram them with my car when I was driving to Clear Lake.

I get to school then I am walking to my class still in my horrible mood. A lady almost runs me over with her minivan, and a dirty look is given. My mood worsens. I am walking all huffy and angry the rest of the way to class. Well apparently my mood had clouded my walking abilities. My foot slipped off my flip flop and twisted in a horribly painful way. Luckily though I didn't fall down and there was no one behind me, thus I regained my composure and limped my way to class. I sat there for the 3 hours and the whole time my foot was swelling and I was thinking to myself that I broke my foot.

When class was over and I stood up to leave, a severe pain ensued. I hobbled to my car with more pain each step. I swear to God I thought I wasn't going to make it to my car.

Anyways, it is now Friday night and my foot is still swollen and I cannot put any weight on it. Now good people, did I break my foot?

I mean seriously who breaks their foot walking in a parking lot?! I think it was me!!