Then Sings My Soul

Hung my cotton dress on rusted wire
Up there on Pilahatchee Bridge
Just a crazy roughneck's daughter
Jumped head-first into the water
Baptized away my sins

Mama said idle hands are Devil's handywork
Oh, the trouble you'll get into
You got nothin' better to do, got nothin' better to do
You got nothin' better to do, got nothin' better to do

I have ants in my apartment, I still can't find a job and my truck got rear-ended. It hasn't been my week so far.

The ants should be gone soon. They haven't found my pantry as of yet (now I've jinxed it); they're just hanging out by the door. I threw a bunch of ant killer stuff out around the door and in the grass, so hopefully they'll take the bait...

It's actually probably good that I can't find a job, at least for the next couple of weeks. HT work has been crazy-busy, as all HT work tends to be, so I haven't had much time to clean house much less work somewhere else. I'm going to Scranton, PA for a site visit Thursday - Saturday, which I'm excited about - except for having to leave my hubby with leftovers and an invitation to his mom's house if he needs more food. Poor baby... Next month, I'm most likely going to Denver or Chicago or somewhere central like that for an HT meeting, AND possibly San Antonio for more site visit stuff. This is all in addition to the day-to-day work I've already been doing.

As for my truck... we were sitting on the loop in Conroe, at the first of four lights that consistently get very badly backed-up. The cars usually get so stacked up that when one light turns green, nobody can go, because there's 15 cars in front of them waiting on the next light, and 15 in front of them... and so forth until you get over the interstate bridge. We try to avoid it as much as possible, but it's the shortest way to church and the only way to Kohl's, Bed Bath & Beyond, and a couple other stores. Jason and I were on our way to Kohl's on this particular venture through the lights, and, like I said, at the first one. We were the second car in line when the light turned green, but nobody could go - although the truck in front of us did move up a little. He put on his brakes after a couple inches, Jason (who was driving) moved up and put on his brakes, but the woman in an SUV behind us swerved for a then-unknown reason and rear-ended us at approximately 25 mph, and we then hit the guy in front of us. Long story short - the guy in front only had a scratched bumper, but it was a brand new truck so he wasn't too happy. My truck needs a new front and rear bumper, tailgate, and some work on the lights in the back. The SUV is probably totaled - it just crumpled on impact, which I hear is what they do these days. The woman's official explanation was that her "flip flop slipped". Heh, heh. She admitted fault, so we shouldn't have to pay anything or have our insurance rates go up. Theoretically. Nobody was hurt; my neck hurts a little bit from tensing up as it happened and I had a minor headache last night, but that's been it. Needless to say, I'm none-too-happy about yet something else happening to my truck to take it away from me for a couple days, or longer. Bleck.

I need to go start packing... did I mention I have a 4 hour layover on the way up and a 3 hour layover on the way back? I'm bringing lots of books...

Sick and tired of being sick and tired
Everything around you's growin' old
The days drag on, the nights last forever
Every day's tougher just to keep it together
Forget everything you've ever known
Except for home

I am once again looking for a second part-time job. Bleck.

The awesome retail job isn't so awesome. The boss-woman turned out to be something along the lines of Miranda Priestly in The Devil Wears Prada. Bad. Very Bad. Apparently, I wasn't good enough - or maybe I was just too darn smart for her - but as soon as the woman calls me back, I will have officially quit.

She called two Sundays ago to let me know that I didn't need to come in until she called me, which probably wouldn't be until Thursday or Friday - and she never called. So I called her today (she didn't answer, which is typical) and asked her to call me back. I intend to tell her to stick it and send me my paycheck. (Actually, it'll be more like something about how unprofessional and rude she was - how she can have run that store for 30 years like that is beyond me.)

Last week on Sunday night I got niiiice and sick. The jury's still out on what it was - stomach flu or food poisoning - but it was bad. I laid around for two days, and then my body decided to get a sinus infection. I battled with that for two days, and I'm still feeling stuffy, but I've returned to normal eating and sleeping patterns, at least.

This past Sunday, Jason and I drove down to Tomball after church for baby Mallie's baptism! His name, if you haven't heard, is Dante Matteo, and he is ADORABLE. I'm ever so happy for them!

Today I drove down to the bookstore for Carrie's birthday party - it was so awesome to see everybody. I really miss working there... it was the best job I could've asked for. Carrie and I are gonna try to meet for lunch one of these Mondays (her day off)... she lives closer to 45 now, so half-way isn't too far for either of us.

Jason and I's wedding pictures are finally here!! The photographer posted them online, so if any of y'all want to see them, leave a message and I'll email you the link.

I probably wouldn't be this way
I probably wouldn't hurt so bad
I never pictured every minute without you in it
Oh, you left so fast
Sometimes I see you standing there
Sometimes it's like I'm losing touch
Sometimes I feel that I'm so lucky to have had the chance to love this much
God gave me a moment's grace
'Cause if I'd never seen your face
I probably wouldn't be this way

Okay, lots of things to blog about...

Jason and I's niece and nephew (his brother's kids), Bryce and Briley, are moving to Midland - eight hours away - with their mom. It's a huge long story about why and the circumstances, but basically, it sucks and nobody's happy. Except, apparently, their mom. So... we said goodbye to them today since they're leaving tomorrow... it's gonna be really hard on Jason's parents, since the kids have been basically living with them for several years... but at the same time it'll be good, since they'll get a "break".

I've been missing my puppy, so since we can't afford the pet deposit here yet, we decided to get a hamster. He's a black Syrian, which is apparently the most docile of the Syrians. Jason finds that really odd, but hey, that's hamster breeding I s'pose. His name is Radar, and he's the most interesting hamster I've ever had (my sisters and I have had five between us). He cleans himself constantly - literally every couple minutes no matter what he's doing, unless he's exercising in his wheel. Jason still hasn't quite gotten used to the fact that hamsters are nocturnal - he keeps wanting to put him in his ball to roll around on the floor in the evening. So we've been staying up 'till midnight playing with the little stinker-butt.

So... this past week... within three days I'd called, been called, interviewed and got a job! YAY!
Okay, to backtrack a little - I was offered a part-time job with Higher Things as conference assistant (doing gruntwork for conferences to let the big-wigs... well... big-wig it), but we needed a little more money than they offered, so I took that job and I've been hunting for another part-time job in the mornings (HT will be done in the afternoon). So, I applied at a bunch of places, and finally got some results. I'll be working at Accents - a home decor/gift store/Hallmark-type-place-except-bigger (and they sell Hallmark products). It's less than five minutes from the apartment, literally just down the road. The people that work there that I've met so far seem really nice, and it looks to be a lot like the bookstore, work-wise. My hours are 10 to 2, Monday through Friday - exactly what I wanted! My starting pay is also more than we expected, so it's just pretty much awesome. I'm working Monday and Tuesday of this coming week, and then officially-ish starting Tuesday after Labor Day. My HT job starts September 1st - so now maybe we can afford cable internet!

When I look in her eyes
It ain't no surprise
Sparks start a flyin' like the 4th of July

She gets me so hot, my heart starts a-pumpin'
When we get to kissin', there ain't no stoppin'

When it comes to love
She ain't no slacker
My little darlin' is a firecracker

Jason and I have been experimenting with bunny ears for the TV lately. I think we've tried at least four different ones, and we're on the fifth now. It gets okay reception for CBS, ABC and the CW, but we're still trying to figure out FOX. The only channel that comes in crystal clear is The Tube - so I've been watching a lot of Magnum PI, Hawaii Five-O, Charlie's Angels, and all those old eighties shows. I'm so glad I was born towards the end of that decade... oh, the hair...

I applied at a bunch more places last Friday and Monday... only Barnes & Noble has called me for an interview so far, but when they asked about weekends I said no, so they said no. I'm gonna wait 'till the end of this week for more calls, and if they don't come, next week I'll start going around to more of the doctors' offices by the hospital for a receptionist position, or something like that.

One of the ladies at church convinced me (somehow, I still haven't figured it out) to meet her up at church before Bible study this evening to let her show me the basics on the organ. I've never been inclined to try it - the piano is, after all, my one true love - but they're desperate for organists at church, so methinks they're trying to draft whoever they can. I, howevah, have had my fill of playing for church, so I shall not bend!... at least, not anytime soon. Meh.

Today I'm cleaning, and then I've gotta head over to Target and pick up a couple things before tomorrow... if Tropical Storm Erin decides to pay us a visit this weekend, I don't wanna have to go out in the pouring rain.

Why does my thank-you-note pile seem like a bottomless pit...

Oh, love, how deep, how broad, how high,
Beyond all thought and fantasy,
That God, the son of God, should take
Our mortal form for mortal’s sake!

He sent no angel to our race,
Of higher or of lower place,
But wore the robe of human frame,
And to this world himself he came.

For us baptized, for us he bore
His holy fast and hungered sore;
For us temptation sharp he knew;
For us the tempter over threw.

As soon as I walked in the door at Ridgecrest, I was begged by Stan and Padre to write a series of articles summing up For You in Asheville for myHT. So, if anyone wants to know how the trip went, check out those articles here.

We got back home to Conroe at about 11:30 Saturday morning. Jason and I went home, showered, and collapsed into bed. We woke up at 8, went out for dinner, came back home and crashed again while watching Ocean's 11. Ah, sleep...

Sometime on Monday I started developing an annoying cough, which has now turned into a full-fledged vocal-chord-swelling allergy assault on my throat. Half a bottle of Sambucol, half a box of throat comfort tea and gallons upon gallons of water later, stuff's finally getting better. Slowly. But I'm not complaining.

Tuesday I went up to the DMV - which, I discovered, is the only one in Montgomery County and thus crowded - and got my name changed on my driver's license. Woohoo! Next up, my social security card. I'm told it's not near as crowded, and I hope not... I don't wanna cough and hack my way through another 2-hour line.

Today I'm working on laundry, and I think I'm gonna go lay down, watch Breakfast at Tiffany's, and rest for a little while. This throat thing's making me feel rather bleh.

I really miss your hair in my face
And the way your innocence tastes
And I think you should know this
You deserve much better than me

No particular reason why I picked this song, other than the fact that I absolutely adore it. I think I might need to borrow Hanna's Hinder CD...

Last week on Wednesday we found out that Jason's grandma (mom's side) had passed away... it wasn't sudden, she'd been in the hospital for about two months now, and had several different surgeries, plus the possibility of colon cancer. It's been hard on Jason's mom, but so far everyone's held up okay.

Friday I went to my parents' house to pick up some late-comer gifts, go out for lunch, and hang out for a little while - that was fun! I got to see my poor Laddie, and my mom and sisters had, of course, already started painting. My blue cloud room is no more; pale purple has triumphed (with the help of two layers of Killz, or so I'm told). They'd also painted Hanna's old room/Zach's room/study - a taupe-ish color to match the rest of the house, instead of the pink that it was formerly. I also stopped by "my" old bookstore to say hi - I really miss them! I wish I could just make the drive down there for work everyday, but I know I'd lose my sanity with the traffic...

Saturday Jason and I went to breakfast with his parents, niece and nephew, and then got ready and headed out to the lake for Chris' (one of the groomsmen; the one that walked with Bekah for those of you who were there) birthday party. His parents have a house on the lake, as well as a pool, two jetskis, a boat and a hot tub - so we got lots of sun! Jason and I went out on the little jetski as soon as we got there and let some other friends ride the big one (the little one is older, much more tempermental and flip-prone). That proved to be interesting. It tumped over twice, and both times I somehow managed to cut my ankle pretty good. Icky lake water + cuts = ouch. (Don't worry mom, I cleaned it really well and it's doing just fine now.) We got in the pool for a little while, and then went back out on the big jetski. Much better that time! We had a ton of fun on that thing, not to mention swimming and the hot tub. Later in the evening, Chris' dad took the boat out for us, and we all went for a cruise around the lake. It's so gorgeous out there in the evenings! Next time, I'm gonna get a water proof disposable camera so I can show y'all pictures. We got home around midnight, showered, and slept like babies.

Sunday, we got up early, made breakfast for Bob (Jason's dad), Bobby (his brother), Bryce and Briley (his nephew and niece), and then headed up to Groesbeck for Grandma Little's funeral. It's about a two-hour drive, and we made it crammed in Bobby's truck. Bobby, me and Jason in the front; Bryce, Briley and Bob in the back. That was interesting. We got to see lots of family, including Jason's awesome cousins, and then we headed back home around 6.

So, all in all, it was an extremely exhausting weekend, but it ended up being very fun. Plus, I feel much better now that I've slept in 'till 11. Today has thus been designated laundry and cleaning day...

... and waiting for UPS so I can pounce on my Potter book!

You know you got a job and a little bitty check
Six pack of beer and a television set
Little bitty world goes around and around
Little bit of silence and a little bit of sound

A good ol' boy and a pretty little girl
Start all over in a little bitty world
A little bitty plan and a little bitty dream
It's all part of a little bitty scheme

It's alright to be little bitty
A little hometown or a big old city
Might as well share, might as well smile
Life goes on for a little bitty while

Almost everything's unpacked, the pantry and fridge are full, and the gorgeous German cuckoo clock is hung in the kitchen. We're on our second week of marriage and it still hasn't settled in. I keep thinking he's gonna have to take me back to my parents' house any day now, and he keeps thinking he's on vacation. I guess that's what happens when you move out of houses you've been in for 10+ years...

In the past week and a half since our wonderful wedding (pictures will be coming soon - there's a few floating around on Facebook for the curious), I've been returning duplicates to Target and Macy's and using the boocoodles of gift cards to finish setting up our apartment. (Leave a comment if you want our address!) I'm still feeling so incredibly blessed on the generosity of all of our friends and family... we haven't wanted for anything thus far.

The highlight of last week was getting our washer and dryer - I didn't feel quite like a wife until I got to wash my husband's clothes for him. Jason's dad told us that a local appliance store was having a scratch-and-dent sale on washers and dryers, so we went to have a look and found exactly what we were looking for, $200 cheaper than we had expected to pay. I was and still am extremely excited about the whole thing!

Now I'm applying for jobs... so far the two bookstores I've applied at aren't hiring until the end of the summer, but both said they would definitely keep my resume for the fall... I'll need something before then, but I suppose if I don't find anything I'll call those places back. Tomorrow I'm going over to Hastings and the Christian bookstore here in town.

I'm getting impatient for the marriage license to get here - I have to have that to get my driver's license changed, and everything else requires an updated license. I can't wait to be able to sign as Lynea Sander!

Time to go cuddle with my hubby, eat some chocolate and watch a movie... :-)

See your mama and the candles and the tears and roses
I see your daddy walk his daughter down the aisle
And my knees start to tremble as I tell the preacher
Don't she look beautiful tonight?

All the wonderful words in my head I've been thinkin'
You know I wanna say them all just right
I lift your veil and angels start singing
Such a heavenly sight

Lost in this moment with you
I am completely consumed
My feeling's so absolute
There's no doubt
Sealing our love with a kiss
Waited my whole life for this
Watching all my dreams come true
Lost in this moment with you

I smell the jasmine floatin' in the air like a love song
Watch my words draw sweet tears from your eyes
Bow our heads while the preacher talks to Jesus
Please bless this brand new life, yeah

Lost in this moment with you
I am completely consumed
My feeling's so absolute
There's no doubt
Sealing our love with a kiss
Waited my whole life for this
Watching all my dreams come true
Lost in this moment with you

Lost in this moment with you
I am completely consumed
My feeling's so absolute
There's no doubt
Sealing our love with a kiss
Waited my whole life for this
Watching all my dreams come true
Lost in this moment with you

Lost in the moment
In this moment with you
Lost in the moment
Lost in the moment
In this moment with you
Lost in the moment

Crank it up tonight
When you hear us on your radio
We'll take you for a ride
Anywhere that you want to go
Glad you all could make it out to the big show
One, two, three, four, hey hey here we go

So... using Lutheran Service Builder on a computer that's running XP with a Pentium II processor is... exasperating. But, it's fun. I fiddled with it today under the tutelage of our bulletin-man, and Monday I'm going to finish putting together the bulletin for the wedding and print all 250-ish of them out. Or 300. However many mom decides. Also on Monday, Jason and I will go get our marriage license. How cool is that?!

It hasn't quite hit me that I'm on my final two days of work, now. I've really come to love the people I work with and all our regular customers. I'm definitely gonna miss that place... I'll probably never find another job that wonderful.

Speaking of jobs, I've applied for two medical records clerk-type positions in Conroe... one at the hospital, one at a clinic, and I'm looking for more. I'm thinking that something along those lines would be good, since it'll definitely get me health insurance. I'll be on Jason's at first, but for him alone it's around $25 a month... to add me, it goes up to $300. So, it would be nice for me to have my own for the time being. And working in the health industry kinda does that for ya. Plus, I'd get to wear scrubs! That's the only perk there was to working at the daycare. Scrubs. Those oh-so-comfy, ever-so-washable and easily-replaced pieces of clothing that are also layerable and inexpensive. Plus, I still have a pair of Tinkerbell scrubs from the daycare. I wanna wear them again!

I packed my books. My room is nekkid. I'm getting married... !!

I've been looking for so long to find this place I see
And I've just got to believe it's more than a dream
Seems it's time I should move on
But I hope you come with me
'till we find eternity

So this is what it feels like to burn the candle at both ends...

I'm not even going to try to sum up the past three-ish weeks since I blogged, but this past weekend should give y'all a good idea of how it's been lately.

Friday:
Work 'till 5, then I headed home to pack for a weekend in Conroe and throw some more stuff in boxes for the move. Then Hanna, Bekah, mom and I go up to Tomball to meet Jason and Dad for a lockin and a For You meeting. Jason and I left about 11:30 (a VERY good thing, in hindsight - I'm glad we didn't stay for Compline, as much as I love church) and went to Conroe.

Saturday:
I was pulled out of bed at 8 to go to breakfast, and then we ran a couple quick errands before my second wedding shower, this time at St. Mark. Those ladies are so very nice! We got everything from the Target registry, and all of the towels we registered for at Macy's. I am... just... stunned at how wonderful everyone's been. Bekah thinks it's because people recognize that we're not just another couple that's gonna get a divorce in a few years, or getting married because I'm pregnant, or any of the other crappy reasons. I just feel so blessed...

So after the shower, we went back to Jason's and changed real quick, then went back up to church for a BBQ dinner-fundraiser for the St. Mark youth group. We rented a movie after that (mistake!) and didn't get to bed until 11:30 or 12.

Sunday:
Got up early for breakfast before church, then church, lunch, a few more errands and then back to Tomball for a 50's dinner theater-fundraiser for Zion's youth group. Thank goodness I was told to take tickets, I wouldn't have survived on my feet serving dinner for an hour and a half. After that we ran even more errands (wedding prep sure is interesting) and went to my house, where we hung out until Jason left at 11.

Monday:
I woke up flushed and feverish to find my family gone to VBS and not a thermometer to be found. And nobody answering their cell phone. I got ready for work despite a pressure headache and other such fever-related things, and left. As I get to 1960 and Wunderlich, the intersection at which my store is at, and I'm in the left turn lane to turn onto Wunderlich, a wreck happens right in front of me. So I quickly haul my junk into work, open the store in record time, leave the new lady to run the store, and run back across the street to give the cops my information. I was the only person who stayed to witness, but it was pretty clear who's fault it was, so I guess it's not a big deal.

After an hour at work, I was pretty miserable, couldn't read the computer screen very well, and my stomach had started to act up. So Jan sent me home. I slept from 11:30 to 5, and now I feel muuuuch better, even if a little weak.

The good news is, I only have my books and necessities left to pack. AND - we're moving most of our stuff into the apartment Saturday!!

Oh, and Big & Rich rock my socks off.

The king and his men
Stole the queen from her bed
And bound her in her bones
The seas be ours
And by the powers
Where we will we'll roam

Yo, ho, haul together
Hoist the colours high
Heave ho, thieves and beggars
Never shall we die

Nothing compares to the pure classic-ness of the first Pirates movie. But dadgum. At World's End was downright awesome. I think I got chills about three different times, not to mention the final battle... and while the ending left something to be desired (if you haven't seen it, make SURE you stay 'till the end of the credits!), it still rounds out the trilogy nicely... plus, it was nice to have Barbossa back. And that song... oooh man I'll be singin' that song for a couple weeks.

As for Lost, I would just like to say that I DESPISE J. J. Abrams. And adore him at the same time. We had quite a few good laughs at Jack's Moses/hippie look...

Okay, enough entertainment news. Jason and I found an apartment! It's just a couple years old, in a good part of town, close to everything (how can you not be in a small town such as Conroe) and well within our budget. Two bedrooms and two bathrooms, too! Now maybe I can get myself to pack.

My first wedding shower was fun! Two of my 2nd cousins and one 3rd cousin were the ones that put it on, and they did a really good job. I got to dress up for something other than church and sit around and look pretty... and open presents. I'm still having trouble getting it through my head that this is all for me. It's kinda blowing my mind. That and the fact that it's only a little over a month away...

Does anybody have any book suggestions? I need something new to read but I can't decide what. I have no book money, so it needs to be something I can get from the library (which isn't typically a problem, since it's the massive Harris County library). I'm almost done with the 5th book in the Series of Unfortunate Events, and now I'm so depressed I need to take a break from it. ;-) I think I'm gonna re-read Mila 18, but then I'm open for suggestions. Nothing too heavy or classic-like (I have Vanity Fair on my list, but I'm just not quite in the mood), but other than that, anything goes.

Time to start this whitestrip business that my mom and sister are prodding me to do...

Down on the corner
By the traffic light
Everybody's looking as she goes by
They turn their heads and they
Watch her 'till she's gone
Lord have mercy
Baby's got her blue jeans on

She can't help it if she's made that way
She's not to blame if they look her way
She ain't really trying to cause a scene
It just comes naturally, no the girl can't help it

I can't seem to get myself motivated to pack. I have five weeks to pack all of my stuff before we will theoretically be moving it into our apartment. Does anybody have any tips on where to start? The only thing I can think of is my books, but those'll be the last things to go. My sanity and composure goes way down if I'm not living with books. Perhaps my winter clothes... because going through my junk boxes just makes me nostalgic and I spend three hours on one little box. Heh, heh. The other problem is I have to get this done in the evenings after work, because I won't be quitting my job until a week before the wedding - which is when we're planning on moving everything.

After much pain and trepidation, my truck's air conditioner is now shiny and fixed. I've also got a new power steering hose and a pitman arm, whatever that is. So now I can drive my truck! Which, I did, today. Allll the way to Tomball (a big whopping 15 miles or some such). It's infinitely better to sit up high, lemme tell ya.

More good news: we switched back to Time Warner/Road Runner after a month-long fiasco with AT&T. They completely and totally suck. I'll still be using my gmail email, since I'm moving anyways, but at least my family won't have any problems to deal with when I move... other than Time Warner being bought out by Comcast, so everything'll change again in a month. But it'll be essentially the same service.

So this morning I got up an hour earlier than usual and rode with my mom all the way to the medical center (a good 45 minute drive and way too much gas) for a 5-minute check-up with the oral surgeon. He literally put on some gloves, opened my mouth, took a peek, took off his gloves, and sent me home. But, apparently my teeth (or lackthereof) are perfectly fine, so that's good I suppose... I only got to work 40 minutes late, too.

Eeeee!!! Pirates!! in TWO DAYS!

[I wrote this on the 22nd but didn't remember to post it until today, June 6th. So, here you go. Also - Jason picked the song. :-P]

(Watchya got)
Quit my job flipped off the boss took my name of the payroll
Picked up my cell rang my baby's bell said I'm three miles from home
I said, sugar why don't you put on that sundress I like so much
Wait out by the road, I'm comin' to pick you up

Throw your suitcase in the back
Done gassed up the Pontiac
Blastin' out to Johnny Cash, headin' for the highway
Baby we ain't never comin' back

It's four hundred and sixty-seven miles to the outskirts of Las Vegas
What do you say we go get married by a preacher man that looks like Elvis
Sugar don't you worry 'bout tellin' your momma goodbye
We'll send her a souvenir postcard from the wild side

Throw your suitcase in the back
Done gassed up the Pontiac
Blastin' out to Johnny Cash, headin' for the highway
Baby we ain't never comin' back

Jason got a job!! In CONROE! I'm ecstatic! And bouncing off the walls. This is beyond good, it's basically exactly what we wanted! Now we can start looking for an apartment, and I can transfer to St. Mark as soon as choir's over... oh my goodness, what a huuuuge relief!!

He'll be working at Woodforest Bank, starting out as a credit analyst. Training will be in The Woodlands (which is where their corporate office is), but that's only 10-15 minutes from Conroe, so that's no big deal. His "main" branch will be in downtown Conroe.

This is just incredibly wonderful news...

I forgot to post this awhile ago when I first did it, so here's my peculiar aristocratic title:

My Peculiar Aristocratic Title is: Her Excellency Lynea the Prohibited of Withering Glance Get your Peculiar Aristocratic Title

I'm prohibited.

I told her way up yonder past the caution light
There's a little country store with an old Coke sign
You gotta stop in and ask Miss Bell for some of her sweet tea
Then a left will take you to the interstate
But a right will bring you right back here to me

I'll try to keep the whining to a minimum... but ooowww. My mouth hurts. I got my wisdom teeth removed on Tuesday, and even though I think I've had a pretty easy time of it (based on what other people have told me about their experiences) I'm still pretty doggone miserable. It's the drugs that're killing me... the pain meds are making me nauseated when I read or look at the computer screen, but I can watch TV fine. Which would be why I haven't been online at all. Meh, hopefully it'll get better soon...

Toniiiight Jason's coming to get me and I'm gonna go stay at his house 'till Saturday. He's graduating Saturday morning up at SHSU (I'm so proud of my boy!!), and then we're gonna have a par-tay for him in Conroe. So I'm looking forward to that!

I'm off to eat some jello and peaches...

Six o'clock on Friday evening
Momma doesn't know she's leaving
'Til she hears the screen door slamming
Rubber squealin', gears a-jamming
Local country station just a-blaring on the radio
Pick him up at seven and they're headin' to the rodeo
Momma's on the front porch screamin' out her warning
Girl you better get your red head
Back in bed before the morning

Ain't going down 'til the sun comes up
Ain't givin' in 'til they get enough
Going 'round the world in a pickup truck
Ain't goin' down 'til the sun comes up

Well, Nea went and done gone bought a truck. WOOHOO!!! :-D For three grand I got m'self a '94 Chevy Silverado extended cab with a V8 engine and "a six foot bed that never has to be made"! I'm SO excited. Bouncing off the walls, in fact. Pictures are posted on my facebook if you wanna see!

So basically, a guy at church bought a new truck and wanted to get rid of this one. It's been really well taken care of, and its engine is basically exactly like the one in Jason's truck, so he knows how to take care of it. Which is good, since I know nothing. O:-) I found out about it on Sunday and called about it, and then Jason and I went to look at it and drive it around the block on Wednesday. My mom thought for sure I'd take one spin around the block and hate it, but I rather like sitting up high. And the engine rumbles. It's cool, dude. So I signed the check and the title and viola! I have a truck! (Except now I have to go to one of them pesky county annexes and pay taxes and all that lovely stuff...)

After a minor squabble with Kinko's over the invitations (sometimes I wonder if I know more about computers than the "professionals"), they're now sitting pretty on the school room table. Soon we shall be sending them off...

This weekend I'm heading up to Conroe for three whole days! I'm very much excited. I took off of work on Monday the 7th (not to mention the whole rest-of-the-week for my wisdom teeth surgery), seeing as it's Jason and I's one year anniversary, and since he's only got one final in the morning I'm gonna go up to Huntsville with him and wander around SHSU's campus so I can report back to Zach. Jason and I haven't had a nice three-day weekend in awhile... we're hoping to get a bunch of stuff done that we haven't been able to do.

One last thought before I hit the sack: this week's Lost episode really made me reconsider the purgatory theory. It sounded really plausible after all that mess... oy.

And they'd dance to a Dixie lullaby
A picture of love beneath the southern sky
Oh my, what a beautiful life
Just like a Dixie lullaby

My mom got my wedding dress out of lay-away today, so I tried it on for my dad (and to make sure the shoes I got work). ... :-D It makes me so happy!!! I'm getting married... and I'm getting married to Jason, the most wonderful of boys. :-)

The photographer is booked, the caterer's reserved, the invitations are ordered, and now I've got my dress - things are starting to come together! 67 days...

In other news, Bekah and I went berry-picking Friday after I got home from work. There's a large wooded-ish area in front of our neighborhood where dewberries have always reigned supreme during the spring months. When we were younger my dad would take us out there to pick berries, which mom would promptly turn into a pie, so Bekah and I decided that we'd go out there and see what we could get. I've seen several people out there several different days on my way home from work, so we were worried there wouldn't be much left - but apparently their season's only just begun, because there was plenty, and a whole bunch more that weren't even ripe yet. I don't think it's been quite hot enough for them to really get going. So, we got a little over four cups, which is just enough for a nice dewberry pie - dad's absolute favorite. Even with the 'squitos and swampy-ness from having just rained, it was so much fun! A little bit of country in the city...

Sugarland, warm breeze blowing, long dirt road
First time that I saw him was such a long time ago
I was sixteen going on seventeen
Bluebonnet Texas queen fell in love with a rodeo king
Down in Sugarland

Several weeks ago, a lady called the store and asked if we had 2 of a specific remembrance albums for first communion, which she needed by April 26th, 'cause she was going out of town on the 27th. We didn't have it in stock, but it comes from a company we order from all the time, so I took down the information and put it on the order form. Jan assured me that she would be finishing the order soon, so I left it alone and went about my business.

A couple weeks later, the lady calls and asks about the books. I checked, and yes, they'd been ordered, but not until the 19th. That's barely enough time for them to get here by the day she needed them. I told her we'd call her when they came in, and hung up.

Fast forward to Thursday, the 26th. The lady calls again, and became rather irate when Carrie told her the books weren't here and probably wouldn't be until Monday. And I do mean irate. So we figured the best thing to do would be to call around to the other Catholic bookstores in Houston and see if anyone had two. I called five bookstores, going in order of distance from us (the closest being 30 - 45 minutes away) and finally found two at a store in Sugarland.

I grabbed a roll of quarters for toll money and a water bottle from the fridge, hopped in the car and headed down to Sugarland. The traffic, thank God, wasn't very bad at all for lunch hour, and I got right through the toll booths. $4 in tolls, 2 hours and 70 miles later, I had the two books back at the store, and the lady was coming to get them in a couple hours.

Customer service gives me a headache. But now I wanna live in Sugarland...

(By the way, the song Sugarland by the band Sugarland is about the town Sugarland, Texas - same place I went to. Also the home of Imperial Sugar.)

What I love about the south
If you need a Dixie Fix just come on down
That's what I love about the south
Southern belles with a drawl
Make you stop and drop your jaw
Come on y'all, shut your mouth
That's what I love about the south

Registering was exhausting... but fun. :-D It took almost all day Saturday - my feet were hurting by the time we were done. Silly 'nea forgot her comfy flip flops. Roaming the aisles at Target was interesting... we "shot" a bunch of stuff I didn't even think of 'till I saw it, and I STILL managed to forget mixing bowls. Oh well, that's what the internet's for!

I taught Avery and Stefan piano this week. Avery did amazingly well - he was in "the zone", and even though he hadn't practiced at all, after about 20 minutes he'd aced the song from last week. He was all excited, too... poor kid hardly ever gets praised for anything.

I ordered the Lutheran Book of Prayer from CPH yesterday, which I'm really excited about getting. Mom and Bekah have the hardback versions that I've been borrowing every once in awhile, so I was debating on getting that or the leather version that they have. I finally decided on the leather one, and now I can't wait to get it. I get jealous of the Catholics every once in awhile when we get really nice prayer books at the store... they be way off on theology, but they do really well with their books.

Oh look, there you go again
Puttin' on that smile again
Even though I know you've had a bad day
Doin' this, doin' that
Always puttin' yourself last
A whole lotta give and not enough take
But you can only be strong so long before you break
So

Fall
Go on and fall apart
Fall into these arms of mine
I'll catch you everytime you
Fall
Go on and lose it all
Every doubt, every fear
Every worry, every tear
I'm right here
Baby, fall

Forget about the world tonight
All that's wrong and all that's right
Lay your head on my shoulder, let it fade away
And if you wanna let go it's okay

That song is the most beautiful thing to grace country music lately. It's just... gorgeous. And oh-so-swoon worthy.

The first thing I saw when I walked into work this morning was a gigantic box of stuff from a store downtown that Jan gets junk from all the time. It was not a very exciting thing to see. I procrastinated as long as possible before diving in to it (which was less than an hour - there wasn't much else to do with Carrie and Charlotte there). It was, as expected, a bunch of junk - including a plaque for teachers (we never sell stuff for teachers, Carrie and I can't figure out why she buys it) that said "Teacher's care to the Core!". Yes, it actually had those typos. And yes, it was a pun on apples. If I was a teacher, I'd get real sick real fast of the apple jokes.

I was doing inventory before I left and I found a book on the non-fiction shelf that I hadn't noticed before - Brother Cadfael's Book of Days. Which is basically a year's worth of Brother Cadfael's wisdom taken from the Cadfael Chronicles series by Ellis Peters (which, if you like murder mysteries, are AWESOME). So, since I'd neglected to take my store discount off of $80 worth of icons I bought a couple weeks ago, I went ahead and took my discount on the $14.95 book ($1.50) and then discounted another $8 (the discount from the icons). I ended up paying somewhere around $5.90 for it - pretty shiny deal.

When I got home, I found my box from Barnes & Noble.com, which contained The Children of Hurin (I will NEVER be able to stop telling people how BEAUTIFUL that book is!!) and The Austere Academy. So I gained three books today! I can't wait to get into The Children of Hurin... I've gotta finish the Father Brown series (two more books to go in that), first.

To backtrack a little bit, on my way home from work, the drive which usually takes 20-25 minutes took me 50. And I was sick and tired of it when I was done, even with music therapy during the ordeal. I take the tollway feeder road (access road, service road, whatever y'all yankees call it) about 4ish miles as part of my drive, and just that much took 35 minutes. There was a major accident on the other side of the tollway - as in, people on the feeder couldn't even see it - and traffic was still backed up 4 miles. On the side with the accident, my neighbor came home and said it was backed up from the Galleria - which is a good 15 miles. That was probably my first major experience with really bad traffic with me driving (I've been in a heckuva lot worse more times than I can count with somebody else driving), and it was enough for me to say that I'm definitely not gonna drive from the bookstore to Conroe every day in rush hour traffic, if Jason ends up getting a job in Conroe. Bleck.

Tomorrow - er, well, in 15 minutes it'll be today - Jason and I are going to register at Macy's for our china and towels, and then hopefully to Target to register for everything else. I'm pretty excited - especially about my china. It took me forever to find a pattern I like, and this one it just perfect.

Jason's about done with the paper he's writing for school - we cannot wait for that to be over with (3 weeks!!) - and then we're gonna go watch TV. Y'all have a good weekend!

It's a long trip alone over sand and stone
That lie along the road that we all must travel down

So maybe you could walk with me a while
And maybe I could rest beneath your smile
Everybody stumbles sometimes and needs a hand to hold
'Cause it's a long trip alone

Check out the countdown. As of this post, EIGHTY DAYS 'till I get married to Jason. That is just shiny. And now, of course, I've just remembered I have to whip up a response card... but, the invitations are done except for printing! (Yes, Stan, you ARE invited. AND you'll get an invitation. ;-)) They'll hopefully be sent out mid-May or so. I'm getting so excited I could just explode!!

Work... lately... has been work. Which usually isn't the case with my job - I typically very much enjoy what I do, but since my boss hired this new lady it hasn't been terribly enjoyable. To put it politely, she's rather... dense. She's been working here for over a month and still doesn't understand some of the most remedial tasks we do. This job is certainly teaching me patience...

Carrie, my co-worker, my favorite co-worker in the whole wide world (other than her mom, Melissa, who's on a kind of "sick leave" after hip replacement surgery), is sick with some kind of head cold. I'm trying desperately to avoid getting sick. Bekah had some kind of 24 hour flu on Friday, so I hauled Jason off to Conroe (actually - he hauled me, considering he drove me in his truck), but she's perfectly fine now and nobody else seems to have gotten it. 'tis the season, I suppose... especially since the weather's been wacked out lately.

Jason and I went with his mom up to Groesbeck, Texas to visit her side of the family on the 7th. It was awesome - it snowed. REAL snow. Lots and lots of it coming down so thick it was making Jason drive under the speed limit. It didn't stick that we saw (we left not too long after it started coming down thick so as to not get stuck 2 hours from home the day before Easter), but dang it was awesome. It's the most snow I've ever seen. It was the first snow that two of Jason's cousins had ever seen, and it was hilarious watching them in it.

On a completely unrelated note, I just ordered the Children of Hurin (and Book the Fifth of the Series of Unfortunate Events to get free shipping) from Barnes & Noble. That 40% off coupon was just too cool not to be used, plus, I've read a couple glowing reviews about it. I'm in the mood for some dark mythology, Tolkien style...