What was I thinking?

I don't know what I was thinking saying I was going to post soon! Did I actually think my life was going to slow down at all? Admittedly, part of the problem is the fact that I don't have a laptop/internet at mi casa and let's just say that while amazing in its own right, my blackberry is not exactly conducive to blogging. And well, when I'm at work I actually try and do real work most of the time. :) And when I'm done working, I don't really want to stick around the office. Do you see my dilemma? Ergggg, even now I'm trying to focus on this, but feeling guilty because my pup is at home crossing her legs and anxiously awaiting my arrival. I know, I know, I'm being a drama queen, right? How is it that some people do this posting thing multiple times a day - especially people with jobs! I guess if I had to choose between a rich and full real life and a rich and full blogging life, I'd choose real life any day. And...apparently that's what I'm going to keep doing. Starting now. I'm still planning to post soon, just not when I'd rather be going home and taking a nice, long walk with the pooch. And then I plan to sit on my loveseat w/a tasty basic sandwich and read my Israel travel book (I'm going there with our high school students this summer!). And then I plan on doing a bit of laundry and perhaps adding the final touches to the desk I repainted a week or so ago. And who knows, maybe I'll even do a little straightening. Wow, sounds exciting, doesn't it? Try to curb your jealousy of my "real" life. :) Actually, on this Tuesday evening with absolutely nowhere to be, a boring night at home sounds absolutely amazing! Hope you get to live life to its fullest and have your own incredibly dull evening at home soon. Shalom.

Coming soon!

Okay, so don't have a heart attack, but guess what?!? I'm still alive and I'll post something soon, I promise...my life has been a bit on the crazy side with lots of stuff to tell, but the ironic thing is that when I've actually got stuff going on to talk about I'm so busy I don't have the time to blog about it. So, in lieu of just burying my blog in the abyss of the dead I've decided to try and revive it! But alas, I'm currently at work and so you'll just have to wait a bit longer. I know, I know, I'm killing all 3 of my adoring fans (once upon a time, there were 6 of you, but apparently my absence hasn't made your hearts grow fonder), but I don't want to overdo it my first time back on the saddle. However, just to reward you for still checking this thing, here's a couple pics from my recent road trip with the youth staff and crew to make some final plans for Camp Tallowood!

Yes, we are ridiculous...this was like an old school family vacation except none of us are actually related. We ate lunch here in Lampasas after we picked up a hundred cedar posts. And yes, we ate fried porkchops, mash potatoes, green beans w/bacon, and chocolate cake and drank sweet tea! We passed on the daily special of rocky mountain oysters...and no, I'm not kidding.

Okay, so not the most exciting pic at the cedar yard, but it's the only pic that has my good friend, Kay, in it as she was our resident photographer!

The bossman and I enjoying some amazing icecream fountain drinks in Uvalde at the local drugstore soda fountain. This was just moments before Jerome tried to pawn me off on some creepy old married man who walked in and wanted to put his arm around me for the picture and said he wished he was still single. Gee Jerome, thanks for having such high standards for me.

Winter is here!

I cannot believe I haven't posted ANYTHING since October! I truly don't want to be a blogging hasbeen, but I'm slipping that way very very fast. Yikes!

Today is one of those rare and wonderful really cold days in H-town (well, that's 35 degrees cold, which for the likes of us is quite chilly!) Unfortunately, it's a bit chilly inside the office as well. Thankfully, I brought my scarf to bundle up at my desk. Apparently, these Baptists have a very high addiction to air-conditioning.

And now, a couple hours later, it's actually snowing here - even getting some decent sized snowflakes. I'm trying to muster up more excitement about it to match everyone else's, but it's kind of hard. Guess I've spent too much time in Kentucky, Turkey, and New Jersey to be overly impressed! Still, I am glad it actually feels like winter here instead of the 75 muggy degrees it was yesterday.

Here's a few pics from last week when my friend, Rebecca, was here! I got to meet her little boy, Samuel Porter, for the first time. He is absolutely beautiful, sweet, and precious! Too bad none of the ones of me and Becca turned out too good...but here's some of Porter and his Aunt Becca.

Apparently we have lots to say to each other in this one. Here are Blake and Brayden, Rebecca's nephews with me. I've known them both since they were babies too! :)

Happy Friday! Don't forget to vote!

Can you tell we're sisters? :) Kate and I went out for a very fancy dinner at The Melting Pot to celebrate her birthday. It was an amazing amazing meal of everything (except salad) fondue style that you cook at your table...breads and raw veggies in cheese, about 4 kinds of meat and ravioli and potatoes and broccoli and mushrooms that you cook in a flavored broth, and the ultimate desert experience of life changing bananas foster fondue with cheesecake, regular and chocolate marshmallows, sponge cake, bananas, strawberries, rice crispie treat, brownies dipped in the banana white chocolately cinnamony gooey goodness. The entire experience was so much fun and there's noone else I would have wanted to share it with!

Kate getting ready to dip some bread in the fancy cheese...

and me being cheesey (HAHAHAHAHA)

And then last weekend our junior staff here at church had our second annual Hallo-Wii party. We had sooooooo much fun even though we did wish Scott and Abby and Will and Kristi and Rob and Lynda could have all come back for the event! The costumes were amazing...couple of rednecks, James Bond, Kris Kross, Ed McMahan and prize winning housewife, Hurricane Ike and tree-trimming, electric repair man, Sarah Palin, a very very young olympic Chinese gymnast, and yours truly as a Starbuck's barista with her very HOTT cup of Venti Salted Caramel Hot Chocolate!

Yep, here I am getting my crunk on during the worst ever attempt at Guitar Hero.

Me and my cocoa. Is she absolutely fabulous or what?!? She was simply amazing and has already inspired at least 3 people to copy her idea...it did take some work for us to convert that laundry basket into a very authentic looking cup of coffee complete with cardboard sleeve. Yep, that STIR STICK was all my doing.

Not sure if you can see my fake nose ring...you know, part of my emo barista look!


My favorite pic from the night. How cute is she?

The Z-Man

So, you know I live with my newly 10 year old nephew, Zach...well, I also live with my sis and her hubby, but they aren't nearly so entertaining. At least not this week. So just for kicks, here's a recent convo shortly after Z-Man comes running into the living room after he's taken his bath. Side note: he's always running because there is only one thing faster than a speeding bullet. Z-Man taking a bath. We're not exactly sure what happens in there or even if any soap actually touches his body, but all we know is that he comes out wet and running. He is willing to sacrifice cleanliness at the altar of things that are much more fun in what he must think of as "anythingsbetterthanhavingtogotakeabath" world. But I digress, so here we are in the living room when he comes running in with his usual fervor and wet head shaking and I'm contemplating taking a much longer and more thorough bath of my own...

ME: Dude, uh, I'm just wondering if I'm gonna find any of your dirty clothes on the floor in the bathroom?

Z-MAN: nope

ME: So, did you hang up your towel?

Z-MAN: yep

ME: So, is the floor all soaking wet?

Z-MAN: nope

ME: What about any poop waiting for me in the toilet?

Z-MAN: hmmmmm, I'm not sure about that one, I better go check!

And off he goes running to the bathroom and my sister and I soon hear flushing. Guess that was an affirmative. Man, I love that kid.

Requiem

So, you can finish playing the dirge for my long lost blog. I know you thought it died with the summer, but alas, I'm trying to revive it once again. Mostly just with pics, but hey, I gotta start somewhere letting you know what I've been up to the past couple months...First, was a mini-vacation up to Louisville, KY to visit my good friends Will & Kristi and Kari too :), as well as my seminary buds Alicia and kiddos and Rob and Chandi and more kiddos. What did I love most about the trip? Leaving Houston, dining at the cute tearoom, whipping up on Willimo on DDR, hanging out with Farmdale BC youth, eating Krispy Kreme donuts, praying with Kristi, spending the day at C.A.L., eating salmon and playing with Rob & Chandi's sweet girls and watching Sarah Beth and Chandi sing at rehearsal, and chatting it up with Alicia over Tony Boombozz and laughing at her hysterical children!

And then, over Labor Day I went to Louisiana to see my friends Billy and Elizabeth who I knew from Turkey - I hadn't seen either of them since their wedding about 5 years ago! And I had never met their sweet children. We survived one Tunisian and one Hurricane Gustav and spent most of the weekend in Tallulah once we evacuated to safety thanks to Angie and her parents! It was a crazy weekend, but so much fun and so good to catch up on the past 5 years! Liz and I promise to do better this time around!

And well, then we had our very own hurricane here when I got back known as Ike, but I'll get to that next time...(Hey, I know this is a lame post, but I've gotta start somewhere!)

Do you need to believe this today?

Isaiah 30:18 (Amplified Bible)

And therefore the Lord [earnestly] waits [expecting, looking, and longing] to be gracious to you; and therefore He lifts Himself up, that He may have mercy on you and show loving-kindness to you. For the Lord is a God of justice. Blessed (happy, fortunate, to be envied) are all those who [earnestly] wait for Him, who expect and look and long for Him [for His victory, His favor, His love, His peace, His joy, and His matchless, unbroken companionship]!