Homecoming '06

This is a picture of Zoey and me at the Homecoming Pep Rally last weekend. She is such a cutie. She belongs to my friends Yolanda and Chris!

Paint from the Floor to the Ceiling

Last night was spent painting three of the four walls of my living room. After I posted yesterday that I would be painting, my cousin Amy e-mailed me to ask if she could help. What?! She wanted to help paint? Sweet! Not only did she help me pick out the paint, but she also offered to do the edging. As a result, the living room looks great! I can't wait to move on to the next room. I'll post pictures soon.

Amy, you're awesome!

Kiss Me in the Dark...

The Randy Rogers concert was a blast! I really enjoyed getting to hang out with Yolanda and Chris and getting to see a lot of people from my hometown.

I LOVE dancing with Donny. Until I met him, I very rarely two-stepped because everyone dances differently.

The only drawback to dancing with him is his height. He's 6'5", so naturally I spent the whole night looking up to talk to him. As a result, my neck will only turn a couple of degrees each way. It's quite humorous if you ask me!

On another note, I've decided to paint my apartment. I think once I paint it, it will begin to feel more like home. I hate painting, but love the results. I'll be sure to post some before and after pictures!

Cousins' Night, Satellite, and Randy Rogers

Every other Wednesday night we've decided to have cousins' night at the apartment. Two of my cousins joined us in Fort Worth: one at TCU and one at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. I'm desperately trying to learn how to cook, so I thought this would be a great way for us to connect and for me to sharpen my cooking skills. I'm proud to say that dinner went very well last night. I made Bruschetta Chicken Bake from www.kraftfoods.com. A friend of mine (at Donny's request) made me a personalized recipe book for Christmas. That was the best gift I could have gotten! I'm excited to try out all of the new recipes.
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I'm also proud to report that I will be getting satellite (with DVR) tomorrow. I can't wait to be able to record all of my favorite shows and watch them without commercial interruption. Thank goodness for new technology!
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Saturday night, Donny and I are going with our friends Yolanda and Chris to the Randy Rogers concert. Randy actually dated a friend of mine many years ago. I love Texas country and can't wait to see him live!

Donny, his niece, and her friends

Two weeks ago, Donny and I went to Austin to celebrate his niece's 7th birthday. We had a great time with his family and friends and topped off the evening with dinner at The Oasis (http://www.oasis-austin.com/).

Labor Day weekend was fairly uneventful except moving my mom into her new apartment (which is AWESOME) and helping Donny wash and iron most of his curtains. That was a feat, especially since they hadn't been washed in 2 years. Let me say on his behalf, he is a VERY clean person. Every time I turn around he's cleaning something else. However, dusting is not his specialty and unfortunately the curtains fell into the dusting category.

Other than that, I went to NY for the 1st time on Wednesday. I didn't get to see anything other than the airport and hotel, but want to go back in the future to see all of the sights. FYI...try to avoid the Holiday Inn JFK at all costs.

Happy Birthday Mom!!!

Seriously??

I was gathering a list of faculty and staff from several different colleges in the Fort Worth area, when I came across a staff member whose title was...DIGITAL COPIER OPERATOR. Do we seriously live in such a world where someone needs a title just to run a copier? Oh my...

Happy Birthday Dad!!!

Get your Word Cloud at http://www.snapshirts.com/custom.php.

I know, I know, FINALLY a new post!!

Well...I'm finally back from a long summer of friends and fun. Camp was great! I got to spend time with Kenny, Jennifer, and their son Kennan and with many new and old friends.

Since camp has ended, I have: been to Shreveport (I only lost $20) , Nashville and back in two days (driving not flying), moved to Fort Worth, and started my new job with Northwestern Mutual.

I LOVE my new job. I can honestly say I do not miss grading papers and having to take home my job every night. I do miss the students, but fortunately Donny still coaches there so I get to see them often.

Thanks to a true 8-5 job, I've now joined a softball team. Our first game was last night. We got run-ruled but we had a great time anyway. The coach put me at second base even though I hadn't played softball since high school. We also have to wear the "Skirt of Shame" if we strike out. The skirt is a pink tutu (sp?). Luckily I didn't strike out last night so I didn't have to wear it. I know it will happen sooner or later though. Check out our website for pics of the team and the "Skirt of Shame." http://www.leaguelineup.com/welcome.asp?cmenuid=1&url=rahrsoftball&sid=673258117

I hope to keep this updated more often now that I have a little more time on my hands.

Happy Friday!!

One of my campers and me.

Donny and me at his All-Star game.

Camp's Almost Over!

I thought I'd bring the laptop out and make use of the wireless internet. Isn't it amazing what technology is capable of?

We only have three days left of camp. It's bittersweet for me because I know I will not be able to work for Grace Presbytery now that I am going to have a job in the business world. It has been an amazing summer. I am so glad I decied to return for one last summer. I've gotten to reconnect to old friends and form new friendships as well.

A lot has happened over the summer! Donny coached an All-Star game in Lubbock this past weekend. I had so much fun watching him coach the kids to victory. He loves every minute of his job. What I appreciate the most is knowing the love that he has for those kids even in such a short period of time. Does he always want to win? Sure. But above all else he wants the kids to succeed in their everyday lives.

I am going to look at an apartment near the Hulen Mall in Fort Worth on Monday. I can't wait. My sister (18) will be moving in with me. It's going to be so much fun getting to know her as an adult instead of a "little sister."

I hope you have all had great summers (even those of you in the business world that don't have "summers"). I can't wait to catch up with everyone!

Camp!!

Sorry it's been so long since I've posted. I've been at camp since the 28th of May. I'd LOVE to receive letters (or packages)! The address is: 6075 State Highway 155N, Gilmer, TX, 75644. I promise to post more of an update as soon as I can!

All's Well that ends Well!!

I'm pleased to report that my surgery went very well and none of the horrible side effects that were possible actually happened. I know they have to inform you of all the possible side effects, but do I really need to know that as a result of my surgery my brain fluid could leak or I could die? Um, no thanks, I'd rather be surprised. Haha!

I received a phone call Wednesday night informing me my surgery was going to be moved from the Day Surgery Center to the ER operating room due to technical difficulties. Those of you who have ever been to an emergency room know that there's usually never a dull moment in the waiting room. As Pam and I arrived in the emergency room, we took a seat across from a man and his 2 1/2 year old daughter. The man promptly went to sleep. I'm not talking about a little snooze, I'm talking about an all out snoring and drooling on your arm type of snooze. The little girl would watch him until he went to sleep then get up and run around the emergency room. She wasn't bothering anyone and obviously knew she was not to disturb her dad. As she got braver, she got closer and closer to the automatic door. We were afraid she might get hurt, worse yet someone might take her. The hospital clerk finally gave her a coloring book and I proceeded to color with her. A couple of minutes later a nurse came and took her back to her mom. I couldn't help but think that she could have easily been taken and the dad would not have known for at least an hour.

As I began to ponder that fact, I noticed that they were almost an hour late taking me back to the Operating Room. I feel like God knew that she needed someone to care for her and knew that we would take good care of her until someone could intervene. God is good isn't he?

Surgery, Allergies, and Camp, Oh my!!

Well, after years of informing doctors I have Chronic Sinusitis, I had a CT scan done of my sinus cavities. It showed that I either have a cyst or polyps in my left sinus cavity.

I had sinus surgery about 12 years ago to no avail. Tomorrow I'm going in for Endoscopic Sinus surgery. I am actually excited about it, because I hope it will help me to stay well for longer periods of time. I also had an allergy test done Monday in which I found out I was allergic to: cats, dogs, dead cockroaches (seriously), all ten types of mold, and several different kinds of trees, including mesquite and pecan. I'm hoping to get on allergy shots before I leave for camp this summer.
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On that note, I only have 3 days of school left. While this is a very exciting time for me, it's also a little bittersweet. I am leaving the job I've known for 2 years, one which I thought I would love. I do LOVE the children and the bond I now have with them. I do LOVE the fact that I met Donny in a town of only 700 people in the middle of nowhere. However, there were times where I wondered if it was worth it. Those of you who have been teachers will know what I mean. I will always treasure the memories of the last two years.
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I am leaving next Friday for Nashville. My little sister is graduating from High School on Saturday. It seems like it was just yesterday that we were sharing a room. While I was living at home, we fought all the time. It wasn't until I went to college, and then when she moved to Nashville this year that we really became close.

Brette, I am SO proud of you! You are a beautiful and amazing woman. Congratulations on your graduation!! I love you!!

Motorcyclists, Bicyclists, and Strange Tattoos
I work part-time at a heavily-visited gas station. It's not the coolest job, but there are some perks to it. I've decided to create a list of the best and worst things about this job.

Best:
1. I am a people watcher and this job gives me the opportunity to interact with people from all walks of life.
2. I can leave everything at work when I go home (unlike teaching).
3. I've seen some really cool tattoos.
4. I have extra money at the end of the month.
5. I was introduced to the book Enrique's Journey ( I don't know how to under line things or I would underline the name of the book.).
6. I get a discount on gas. It's only 2 cents but hey, it's better than nothing!
7. I get to talk to people that ride their bicycles 100 or more miles in a day.
8. I've seen some really cool motorcycles.

Worst:
1. I have to clean the restrooms. I won't go into detail but I'm sure you can imagine the things I've had to endure.
2. I've had to endure the seemingly "cute" comments from the old men.
3. I have to listen to people say, "I don't care what lotto ticket you give me as long as it's a winner" multiple times a day.
3. I've seen some really obscene shirts and tattoos.
4. I've come to realize how much of an addiction some people have to cigarettes, food, and caffeine.
6. I've seen some of the worst behaved kids, and parents for that matter.
7. I've been pre-judged just because I work in a gas station. You'd be surprised how many strange looks I get when people learn I've got a college degree.
8. I work with people that don't know what a "two week notice" is.
9. I've given up almost all of my weekends since September to work (including missing two trips to UT football games) and....
10. I have to clean the restrooms.

New Job!!

After much prayerful thought, I have decided to accept a position with Northwestern Mutual Financial Network as a Recruiting/Marketing Specialist. I've spent the last two years teaching and coaching and have decided to embark on a new adventure! I am starting at Northwestern in August, after spending the summer working at camp. Thanks to everyone who prayed for me to make the right decision. It is going to be extremely hard to leave my students and I could never replace their impact in my life.

I am torn because this means I will now be a part of a long distance relationship. I am fully confident Donny and I will survive the distance. I hope to plan date nights, etc. so that we have something to look forward to (besides seeing each other of course).

How many of you have been/are in a long distance relationship? Any tips?

Garage Sales, Moving Days & Career Changes

The past month has been an eventful and exciting time for me. I have lived through the ever-dreaded garage sale and moving. I have also decided to completely change careers. I will go into more detail when I've officially been offered the job. I would appreciate your prayers as I embark on this new adventure!

The picture in the post below was actually supposed to be in my profile. Obviously I'm new at blogging or my picture wouldn't be there. Oops!

Christmas '05 

Well, Spring Break is officially over. Though I wasn't exactly excited about going back to work, I couldn't wait to see my students. I worked all week unpacking, then packing my house. Let me explain...When I moved from Abilene, I packed the boxes based on whether or not I needed the contents immediately. Three years later, those boxes still sat in my storage room. I'm going to be moving in the next month and decided that I needed to go through them. I found many things I wanted to keep, but threw away a lot more than I kept. Once I was finishing going through the boxes I repacked them and put them back in the storage room.
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The picture above is not a random cheerleader. That is Mitch, one of WWE's newest superstars. Donny's surprise date was to take me to watch WWE Wrestling in Waco. Last year we went to a live event in Corpus Christi and were on the 13th row where the wrestlers entered the ring. I got to high-five Shawn Michaels, Val Venis, and Victoria. This year we were on the sixth row. It was awesome!

After the event was over we decided to get some gas and food. When I came out of the restroom at the gas station MITCH was standing there. I ran out and told Donny that he was one of the Spirit Squad guys. He wasn't fully convinced so he got out of the car and asked him. Sure enough, that was who he was.

I never thought I'd enjoy watching wrestling. Now I look forward to the live events. We've decided that we're going to make an annual trip to a wrestling event from now on. Who would have ever known that I would agree to that?