All jacked up
Wow. I haven't blogged in a LONG TIME. That's... not good! I will now attempt to remedy that. So! Things that have happened...
All jacked up
Don't believe I've ever had this much
One thing I've learned when you get tore up
Don't drive your truck when you're all jacked up
I got sick... or rather realized I was sick right after I blogged the last time. The flu decided to plow through our whooole family and make us miserable for almost two weeks. I got over it and back to work on Wednesday (still had sinus headaches and stuff). Had a not-too-interesting rest of the week... I don't think... I don't remember. ;-P
I spent the night at Paige's on Wednesday, and then Thursday I go to work, walk into my classroom and I'm immediately plunged into complete and total havoc. It was Spring Break week in Tomball, so my kids had been at daycare all day every day for four days... and the teacher they had in there Thursday before my shift had basically let them rain destruction upon the classroom and go wild. The room was a wreck, the closet door was locked from the inside with no key to open it, the bleach had disappeared, the snack was half-eaten already, and the computer was dead. Worse, the director, Ms. Pat, and her assistant, Ms. Alice, were in the room helping clean up. I basically got blamed for the WHOLE ordeal - because I didn't use the curriculum to assign activities for the days. What. The. Heck. First of all, I'm the AFTERNOON teacher. My shift is 3 to 6. I have nothing to do with the mornings, at all - the curriculum is in the closet, let the morning teacher figure it out! For the rest of that day, I was also basically not allowed to send the TERRORS in my classroom to the office when they cussed out the other kids, threw chairs around the room and ripped work papers apart. I can't keep the classroom under control when I have two or three horrible little kids ruining everything I try to do with the eight good kids. And I've been told that no other teacher has been able to do any better than me, either - so if the director has a problem with how that class is behaving, she needs to kick the trouble makers out. Or figure out a different discipline system - because timeouts don't work when the child refuses to sit down, and that's about the only thing we're legally allowed to do.
So, um, I got very frustrated. I came home crying and screaming four days in a row. And then I quit. O:-) Daycare just does noooot fit my personality, at ALL... and now I get to go through the delightful process of finding a job. Again. :-P
This last weekend, we went to see She's The Man with the youth group (it was... eh... pretty good, for a teen movie) on Friday night, and then Saturday we had a golf tournament as a fundraiser for The Feast. I haven't heard the official total yet, but from all indications, we made out like bandits and have almost the whole trip paid for. Yay! I ended up staying in Conroe afterwards with Cecily (our youth group president, she's awesome) - we went with Jason, Mark and Ashley from St. Mark to pick up some pizza and watch Saw II at the church. I ended up thinking the movie wasn't so bad. ;-) Sunday evening we did Compline as a sort of choral service thing... which was gorgeous. Lots of choir activity, but it was worth it.
This week isn't much... Friday my Na Na and aunt are coming over, Saturday I'm probably going out with a bunch of people in Conroe and Sunday is church and a youth meeting. NEXT weekend, the youth group is cleaning the church in the morning and playing softball with three other area churches in the evening, and then Sunday is Palm Sunday and the installation of our new associate pastor, Pastor Charles Mallie! :-D Which we're all VERY VERY excited about!! *bounces around*
That's about it, amazingly enough. OH. If you're a college student and you live in or around Texas (like, New Mexico, Louisiana, Oklahoma or Arkansas), then YOU MUST COME to the Lutherans in God's Word/Christ on Campus retreat in June!! Go here and download the PDF file and register. Now. Because I said so. ;-)
And THAT'S it. Y'all have a good one!
Dear Friends,
Last year, I wrote a small piece about what it means to me to be a Texan. My friends know it means about damned near everything. Anyway, this fella’ asked me to reprint what I'd wrote and I didn't have it. So I set out to think about rewriting something. I considered writing about all the great things I love about Texas. There are way too many things to list. I can't even begin to do it justice. Lemme’ let you in on my short list.
It starts with The Window at Big Bend, which in and of itself is proof of God. It goes to Lake Sam Rayburn where my Granddad taught me more about life than fishin’, and enough about fishin’ to last a lifetime. I can talk about Tyler, and Longview, and Odessa and Cisco, and Abilene and Poteet and every place in between. Every little part of Texas feels special. Every person who ever flew over the Lone Star thinks of Bandera or Victoria or Manor or wherever they call "home" as the best little part of the best state.
So I got to thinking about it, and here's what I really want to say. Last year, I talked about all the great places and great heroes who make Texas what it is. I talked about Willie and Waylon and Michael Dell and Michael DeBakey and my Dad and LBJ and Denton Cooley. I talked about everybody that came to mind. It took me sitting here tonight reading this stack of emails and thinkin' about where I've been and what I've done since the last time I wrote on this occasion to remind me what it is about Texas that is really great.
You see, this last month or so I finally went to Europe for the first time. I hadn't ever been, and didn't too much want to. But you know all my damned friends are always talking about "the time they went to Europe." So, I finally went. It was a hell of a trip to be sure. All they did when they saw me was say the same thing, before they'd ever met me. "Hey cowboy, we love Texas." I guess the hat tipped ‘em off. But let me tell you what, they all came up with a smile on their faces. You know why? They knew for damned sure that I was gonna’ be nice to ‘em. They knew it ‘cause they knew I was from Texas. They knew something that hadn't even hit me. They knew Texans, even though they'd never met one.
That's when it occurred to me. Do you know what is great about Texas?
Do you know why when my friend Beverly and I were trekking across country to see 15 baseball games we got sick and had to come home after 8? Do you know why every time I cross the border I say, "Lord, please don't let me die in ______"?
Do you know why children in Japan can look at a picture of the great State and know exactly what it is about the same time they can tell a rhombus from a trapezoid? I can tell you that right quick. You. The same spirit that made 186 men cross that line in the sand in San Antonio damned near 165 years ago is still in you today. Why else would my friend send me William Barrett Travis' plea for help in an email just a week ago, or why would Charles Stenciled ask me to reprint a Texas Independence column from a year ago?
What would make my friend Elizabeth say, "I don't know if I can marry a man who doesn't love Texas like I do?" Why in the hell are 1,000 people coming to my house this weekend to celebrate a holiday for what used to be a nation that is now a state? Because the spirit that made that nation is the spirit that burned in every person who founded this great place we call Texas, and they passed it on through blood or sweat to every one of us.
You see, that spirit that made Texas what it is, is alive in all of us, even if we can't stand next to a cannon to prove it, and it's our responsibility to keep that fire burning. Every person who ever put a "Native Texan" or an "I wasn't born in Texas but I got here as fast as I could" sticker on his car understands. Anyone who ever hung a map of Texas on their wall or flew a Lone Star flag on their porch knows what I mean.
My Dad's buddy Bill has an old saying. He says that some people were forged of a hotter fire. Well, that's what it is to be Texan. To be forged of a hotter fire.
To know that part of Colorado was Texas. That part of New Mexico was Texas. That part of Oklahoma was Texas. Yep. Talk all you want. Part of what you got was what we gave you. To look at a picture of Idaho or Istanbul and say, "what the Hell is that?" when you know that anyone in Idaho or Istanbul who sees a picture of Texas knows damned good and well what it is. It isn't the shape, it isn't the state, it's the state of mind. You're what makes Texas.
The fact that you would take 15 minutes out of your day to read this, because that's what Texas means to you, that's what makes Texas what it is. The fact that when you see the guy in front of you litter you honk and think, "Sonofabitch. Littering on MY highway."
When was the last time you went to a person's house in New York and you saw a big map of New York on their wall? That was never. When did you ever drive through Oklahoma and see their flag waving on four businesses in a row? Can you even tell me what the flag in Louisiana looks like? I damned sure can't.
But I bet my ass you can't drive 20 minutes from your house and not see a business that has a big Texas flag as part of its logo. If you haven't done business with someone called All Tex something or Lone Star somebody or other, or Texas such and such, you hadn't lived here for too long.
When you ask a man from New York what he is, he'll say a stockbroker, or an accountant, or an ad exec. When you ask a woman from California what she is, she'll tell you her last name or her major. Hell either of ‘em might say "I'm a republican," or they might be a democrat. When you ask a Texan what they are, before they say, "I'm a Methodist," or "I'm a lawyer," or "I'm a Smith," they tell you they're a Texan. I got nothin' against all those other places, and Lord knows they've probably got some fine folks, but in your gut you know it just like I do, Texas is just a little different.
So tomorrow when you drive down the road and you see a person broken down on the side of the road, stop and help. When you are in a bar in California, buy a Californian a drink and tell him it's for Texas Independence Day. Remind the person in the cube next to you that he wouldn't be here enjoying this if it weren't for Sam Houston, and if he or she doesn't know the story, tell them.
When William Barrett Travis wrote in 1836 that he would never surrender and he would have Victory or Death, what he was really saying was that he and his men were forged of a hotter fire. They weren't your average everyday men.
Well, that is what it means to be a Texan. It meant it then, and that's why it means it today. It means just what all those people north of the Red River accuse us of thinking it means. It means there's no mountain that we can't climb. It means that we can swim the Gulf in the winter. It means that Earl Campbell ran harder and Houston is bigger and Dallas is richer and Alpine is hotter and Stevie Ray was smoother and God vacations in Texas.
It means that come Hell or high water, when the chips are down and the Good Lord is watching, we're Texans by damned, and just like in 1836, that counts for something. So for today at least, when your chance comes around, go out and prove it. It's true because we believe it's true. If you are sitting wondering what the Hell I'm talking about, this ain't for you.
But if the first thing you are going to do when the Good Lord calls your number is find the men who sat in that tiny mission in San Antonio and shake their hands, then you're the reason I wrote this tonight, and this is for you. So until next time you hear from me, God Bless and Happy Texas Independence Day.
May you be poor in misfortune, rich in blessings, slow to make enemies and quick to make friends. But rich or poor, quick or slow, may you know nothing but happiness from this day forward.
Bum Phillips
I gotta work tomorrow y'allGoing to see George Strait at the rodeo tonight!! :-D I'm sooo excited. I'm gonna get all kickered out in a minute and, if I can get my webcam or dad's digital camera to cooperate, I'll post some pictures. ;-D
But tonight I'm gonna party
Like it's my last yeehaw, gonna let it hang out
Like it's my last yeehaw, gonna scream and shout
Like it's my last yeehaw, gonna burn down the town
Like it's my last yeehaw
You know, I just had a thought. Heh, heh. While most people around here will be partyin' hardy for Mardi Gras, the people "lucky" enough to have George Strait tickets will be having our own version of Fat Tuesday. Haha. ;-)
So life continues to be crazy, but fun! I got a cell phone today. :-D Email/IM me if you want the number, I'm not crazy enough to post it here. :-P
Have a good one, y'all!
The stars at night are big and brightIt's Go Texan Day here in the Houston area once again! :-D You just gotta love rodeo time... we saw trail riders yesterday and Wednesday on our way to work, which was cool, as usual. There's a chance we'll see some today, but most of 'em are already down further in towards town so heading out of town to Tomball is probably off their path for today.
Deep in the heart of Texas
The prairie sky is wide and high
Deep in the heart of Texas
The sage in bloom is like perfume
Deep in the heart of Texas
Reminds me of the one I love
Deep in the heart of Texas
So my job's going good... I'm really enjoying it. :-) The kids are LOUD, but other than that they're not terrible or anything... I just gotta figure out how to make them be quiet. ;-P
Sooo today not only kicks off the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo, it also kicks off another whirlwind weekend for Lynea. We're cleaning house this morning, then me and Bekah work from 3 to 6, and then I'll be heading up to Conroe for a lockin at St. Mark - PB's birthday lockin. ;-) Saturday I'll come home sometime in the morning and sleep for a few hours, then get up and get all prettified for church directory pictures at 2. At 3, Sandra Ostapowich is giving a workshop for LiGW at church, which I'll be helping with. That'll last a couple hours, and then Mrs. Fischer and Kelsey (who are coming down for the workshop) will come over and spend the night. :-D Sunday is church, a voter's meeting to call an associate pastor, and a chili cookoff and talent show. Monday is work and Tuesday I see George Strait at the rodeo!! :-D
Yay for busyness... I know I haven't been online lately, which is mainly because of work - so if y'all REALLY wanna get ahold of me, the best way is to email me. I'll email you back as soon as I can. I've been getting on AIM as much as possible, but I usually don't get home 'till 6:30 and then I have to eat supper and depending on the day, also teach piano. So yeah. Crazy life!
That's about it for today... Happy Go Texan Day! :-)
You got a mansion, you drive a vetSo. Lynea got a job! :-D I'm working at the daycare at church, same place Bekah's been working. I finally caved in and agreed. ;-P The after school teacher just quit today, and I'm taking her place... I've been in there with her Thursday and today to make sure I was fine with it, and it's actually not as bad as I thought... it's three hours, from 3 to 6, Monday through Friday. And they're pretty good kids. So I'm happy!
You wear a Rolex, hell, she ain't impressed
She likes deer stands, beer cans
Baits are on the hook when she fishes
Mmm, mmm, mmm, mmm... Rebelicious
Not much else been going on... just typical non-life-ness. Howevaaahhh, next weekend will be CRAZY FUN. Involving a lockin, Madre in town, a chili cook-off and talent show, and possibly bunches of other crazy funness!! Oh. And. GO TEXAN DAY IS NEXT FRIDAY. :-D It's like my FAVORITEST time of year here. Rodeo time is just awesome. :-D And, of course, this year I get to see George Strait on opening night! We might also be going to see Martina McBride or Cross Canadian Ragweed, I dunno yet. But that would be awesome. I love the rodeo so much.
So we're pretty much officially going to South Bend in March! :-D March 9th through the 21st. Which will be awesomeness!! Yay for seeing widdle Stuckwisch children. ;-) And probably other fun friends I haven't seen in two or more months, also! I love road trips.
I want a cell phone. And a pair of boots before the rodeo so I can quit borrowing Bekah's.
That is all! Pants!
Ain't you glad we ain't all California girlsHappy Valentine's Day, y'all! Also Happy Tuesday... I like Tuesdays, I don't have a life on Tuesdays. ;-)
Ain't you glad there's still a few of us left who know how to rock your world
Ain't afraid to eat fried chicken and dirty dance to Merle
Ain't you glad we ain't all California girls
So this is my first Valentine's day alone in... three or four years. Which, honestly, is fine by me - I'll just sit here listening to Gretchen Wilson and Jamey Johnson and eat chocolate that my lovely sister bought me. :-D
This past Sunday was Laddie's birthday! My widdle baby boy is 8 years old already. *sniffle* He's growing up so faaast... I bought him a new food bowl 'cause his old one was... well... old. ;-) He also got a big ol' box of treats. Here's a picture that we took of him and Emily a couple weeks ago:
Speaking of Emily, she decided to scare a cottontail rabbit out of some hole in the back. She was chasing it across the yard during lunch, so I went out and took it away from her. Poor widdle bunny was scared to death... Emily must've managed to grab it at some point, 'cause it's got teeth marks (not deep) on its belly. We've got it in an old hamster cage in the garage right now, Hanna and I are gonna go set it loose on the bayou later this evening... hopefully Emily will have forgotten it exists by then. Bekah said Emily was probably attempting to kill it to bring to her for a Valentine's Day present. Cats... *shakes her head and grins*That's all I've got for today... pants!!
Like to keep in simple, y'allGuess what! The UNTHINKABLE happened. Lynea got... a LIFE. Mainly just on the weekends ;-), but a life nonetheless.
In everythin' we do
Got our own kind of laid back livin'
If you don't mind, thank you!
We love the kind of music
You can feel down in your soul
Give us three chord country
And American rock & roll
So! What've I been doing lately? I'll start with the first weekend in February.
Friday, February 3rd -
Went out with Bekah and Hanna to eat supper and make a Wal-mart trip. Then Bekah and I headed out to Tomball for broomball (think hockey, except with tennis shoes, broom-like sticks and a ball) and a lock-in at church with Living Word's youth group (and ours, of course).
Saturday, February 4th -
Lynea sleeps in 'till 4 and doesn't do much else. :-P
Sunday, February 5th -
Church and Sunday School, then a Superbowl party at church at 5. Hung out with the youth group (and caught a couple of the commercials ;-). For the record, I was going for the Steelers) while planning stuff for our Valentine's dinner on the 10th. Here's a quote from the evening:
"I keep feeling my butt vibrating, but my phone isn't in it!" - Bekah
"That's probably something you ate." - Landon
Tuesday, February 7th -
Babysat for an hour and a half and then taught piano. Not too interesting, except that I actually *babysat*. ;-P NATHAN AND KATIE GOT ENGAGED!! :-D
Wednesday, February 8th -
The typical crazy Wednesday schedule - going up to church at 3 so Bekah can work and mom can help either the church secretary or the daycare staff. Hanna and I read up in the youth room, listen to music, and/or play pool, ping pong or air hockey (yes we have all that in the youth room!). Hanna goes to confirmation at 5:30. At 6, Bekah gets off of work and supper is served in the Family Center kitchen for the Bible study, confirmation and choir people. At 6:30 Bible study starts - which mom and dad stay for - Hanna gets out of confirmation and wolfs down some supper, and the three of us girls head over to the church for bell choir. At 7:30 is voice choir for Bekah and I, while Hanna chills for 30 minutes 'till Bible study's over and she goes home with mom and dad. Then Bekah and I hit the road for home at about 8:30. I love Wednesdays. ;-)
Thursday, February 9th -
Bekah and I babysat for Christian Women's Club, a lunch group that my Na Na is part of. We only had one kid, a 20-month old adorable little boy. We get paid $9 an hour no matter how many kids we have, which is very nice. ;-)
Friday, February 10th -
Up at church by 3. Bekah goes to work, mom and I start working in the kitchen to prepare for the Valentine's dinner at 6. The rest of the youth board and youth group show up between 3:30 and 6, and we do cool stuff like wash dishes, cut desserts, set the tables and cook food. At 6:30 we start serving (we were the Italian resturant "Zionelli's", serving spaghetti, salad and lots of yummy desserts), and at 7 the "game show" the "Not-so-new Newlyweds" started. We had 6 couples from the church, and Ryan and Landon took turns being the "host". It was SO hilarious! Serving was icky though. I never ever wanna be a waitress. Ever. ;-P 'course wearing boots was a huge mistake...
Theeennn I spent the night at Paige's house. We went to see Ryan's band play at a coffee house on Main Street, then stayed up 'till 5 watching movies.
Saturday, February 11th -
Paige and I do a whole lot of nothing and have fun doing it, including walking the mall and going to Petco. I get home about 6:30 for chili... yummmm!
Sunday, February 12th -
Church. I went out to Chili's with Paige, Landon, Daniel, Jonathan and Jonathan's girlfriend Tiffany. Paige and I then went back to her house to change, and met Jonathan and Tiffany at a high school in Houston for Jonathan's lacrosse game. We make it back to church about 5, just in time for the youth meeting. After that, Bekah and I went to Wal-mart while Hanna had her youth meeting, and then we picked her up and headed home.
Today I've been a bum. I slept in late, read a little bit, went out for lunch with my mom and sisters, practiced piano and now I'm about to go teach piano.
So. Much ado about nothing, perhaps? Oh well... it's fun. ;-) Kudos to you if you actually read that entire post, and many many cookies if it didn't bore you to death! Yeah, I'm rambly today...
PANTS, everybody!
I want a down home, up-with-the-sunrise man
Got tagged by Bethany!
A pick-up truck driving, bull riding, strong, steady hand
I want the Wranglers, Stetson and all that stuff
I want the real McCoy
I want a cowboy
Four jobs I've had:
1.) Petsitter
2.) Babysitter
3.) Piano teacher
4.) Miscellaneous stuff for LiGW
Four places I've lived:
1.) Houston, Texas (in the city limits)
2.) Houston, Texas (outside the city limits)
3.) Houston, Texas (five minutes from #2)
4.) Houston, Texas (five minutes from #3)
(I've never left the city of Houston - but I've changed houses seven times. ;-))
Four of my favorite foods:
1.) Ice cream!
2.) Enchilladas - either mom's chicken enchilladas or Mrs. Stuckwisch's beef enchilladas
3.) Barbeque
4.) White chocolate
Four TV shows I like to watch:
1.) Lost
2.) Alias
3.) MASH
4.) American Idol
Four movies I could watch over and over:
1.) Sweet Home Alabama
2.) Pirates of the Caribbean
3.) Lord of the Rings
4.) Star Wars
Four places I would rather be:
1.) Tomball, Texas
2.) Anywhere in the Texas hill country
3.) Heck, anywhere outside of Houston...
4.) Okay fine, Texas in general! (Although I wouldn't mind Germany. :-D)
Four websites I visit:
1.) Sluggy Freelance
2.) Lone Star Times
3.) Higher Things
4.) Furry Paws
Four people I want to tag:
1.) Anna
2.) The femlems
3.) Nathan
4.) Bean
So lately, been wonderingI'm baaaack! I had the most AWESOME time ever. I hung out with Mouth House, Higher Things and LiGW people, got to hear Dr. Rast and Dr. Scaer present their papers (which were great) and the Kantorei, attended church at Redeemer Thursday night, and SAW SNOW! w00t! I think everybody was severely amused by my two-year-old excitement about a few inches of snow, but my goodness, it was so cool. :-D Even the 19 and a half hour car ride up and the 22 hour car ride back was fun! I started developing that midwestern accent while I was up there - I quickly regained a slight Texas accent after being in the van with Landon for 18 hours. ;-) It helps that I talk slower when I'm exhausted...
Who will be there to take my place
When I'm gone you'll need love
To light the shadows on your face
If a greater wave shall fall and fall upon us all
Then between the sand and stone
Could you make it on your own
If I could, then I would
I'll go wherever you will go
Way up high or down low
I'll go wherever you will go
I had SO much adrenaline when I got home Saturday morning that I ended up unpacking and doing all my laundry, somehow getting a 3 and a half hour nap in there. Went to church Sunday, and then came home and went to see Tristan & Isolde - which, btw, rocks SOCKS if you're into medieval romances. ;-) (The song I quoted basically goes perfect with the movie.) It affected me more than the Notebook, which apparently is saying something. My adrenaline high carried me all the way 'till the ride home from the movie, when it crashed and burned 'cause I got ridiculously annoyed at something trivial. So now I'm quite mellowed out... well, if you ignore the caffeine currently wreaking havoc on my body (it doesn't USUALLY do this...).
HP 5 finally came from the library, so I started on that - very good so far! I also got Southern By the Grace of God by Michael Grissom, which so far is an excellent book about, well, being Southern. ;-D
Things on tap for this week: reading, teaching piano, voice and bell choir, a youth fundraiser Friday and then a LiGW Bible study at Texas A&M on Saturday in College Station. I've also gotta think of more places to apply for a job - nobody's called me back yet. There's a job that I think would be great for me - the only drawback being that I would have to work with someone who 50% of the time annoys the crap outta me. Decisions... yay. ;-P Sunday is church, the Jr. High youth's potato bake and a voter's meeting, at which the congregation will most likely decide on our next associate pastor - exciting stuff. :-D
PANTS, y'all!
Gone like a freight-train, gone like yesterdayIn 4 and a half hours I will be on my way to Ft. Wayne, Indiana for the Symposia at the sem! :-D I'm SO veryvery excited. *bounces around* I'm going with Landon (our youth chairman) and Scott (youth chairman at another Lutheran church near here). We're driving straight through, which'll probably prove to be interesting - I'm sure I'll have lots of stories when I get home. ;-) We'll probably get there sometime Monday afternoon/evening and eating supper at Pr. Scudder's house. Then Landon and Scott'll drop me off at the Casey's, where I'll be staying all week! Yay!! :-D We'll be heading back Friday sometime, and probably get home Saturday afternoon/evening.
Gone like a soldier in the civil war bang-bang
Gone like a '59 Cadillac
Like all the good things that ain't never coming back
She's gone, gone, gone, gone, gone, she's gone
So the holiday season was crazy-hectic but much fun as always. Of course just as we've gotten back into a regular routine, I'm scuttling off to Ft. Wayne, haha. I'm trying to find a job at the moment - I've applied at several places, hopefully some of them will call back soonish.
For those of you who haven't heard or maybe have heard rumors - yes, I did break up with Mark. It's probably one of the harder things I've done in my short lifetime - hurting him was one of the last things I wanted to do. But, it was for the best... and before y'all start firing names of single guys at me, I'm not ready for another boyfriend. ;-P To those of y'all going to Ft. Wayne - don't try to set me up with every not married sem guy on campus! ;-)
Other than that... not terribly much has happened. Or if it has, I'm way too excited to remember it at the moment. ;-) So, I'll see some of you guys in a couple days and talk to the rest of you when I get back! PANTS! :-D
Well we're comin' to your city
Merry Christmas everybody!! :-D
Gonna play our guitars and sing you a country song
We'll all be flyin' higher than a jet airliner
And if you want a little bang in your yin yang come along
Brief update - the part I needed to fix my computer FINALLY came, so my computer is now fixed and up and running!
Today we're going up to Lufkin to my cousins' house, coming home again tonight, and then going to church and having my mom's side of the family over on Christmas Day. Nice full weekend. :-D
Have a wonderful Christmas, y'all!
There's gotta be something more
Nea's back! Not necessarily better than ever... but back! ;-)
Gotta be more than this
I need a little less hard time
I need a little more bliss
I'm gonna take my chances
Taking a chance I might
Find what I'm looking for
There's gotta be something more
Um... well... a lot of things have happened... here's the most recent things. :-P
Been spending most weekends at Mark's, so if you guys don't see me on during the weekend it's because he's at my house or I'm at his. ;-)
My motherboard chipset fan died, so my computer is currently out of commission. I'm using Bekah and mom's computer for the time being, which stinks, and cuts down on my overall computer time somewhat. I also can't get my Road Runner email - so if you need to, email me at lynealeia@gmail.com
My Uncle Bill from Germany who's getting his teaching certificate here in Houston is moving in with us... either for a few days, or as many as three weeks when he goes back to Germany... that doesn't really affect much, just a random fact of my life at the moment. ;-)
Mark's got me reading Harry Potter... I borrowed the first two books from him, and I'm a chapter and a half away from finishing the first one. I'm enjoying it so far! Nice, light reading... a lovely escape from War and Peace. ;-)
Thanksgiving was awesome, the boys came over along with a bunch of other people from my dad's side... 17 people total.
I went to Mark's Friday morning to Sunday night, and now I'm home doing not much of anything recovering from a stressful week last week... Bekah came home from Pookie's today!
Other than thaaat I can't think of much... So, be happy, I posted. ;-D Perhaps I'll make it regular again. ;-) PANTS!
Oh. My. GOSH.
WE DID IT!!! We're GOING TO THE WORLD SERIES!!!! I KNEW my man Roy O could do it!!
Anna - I beg to differ. :-P Baseball isn't about who deserves to go. It's about who DOES go. And we kicked some Redbird tail, so we're goin'. ;-)
I daresay that THIS was the best comeback ever. The 'stros stunk in the first half of the year and come back to win the pennant! What an awesome night... oh man... I won't be sleeping...
Shit. How the hell did that happen?
I freakin hate the Cardinals...
Give me the beat boys and free my soul
I don't really feel like typing out a blog post, so insteeeead, I'm just gonna post a ton of lyrics/songs that have meant something to me over the past... say... four months. Gotta love music...
I wanna get lost in your rock and roll and drift away
Give me the beat boys and free my soul
I wanna get lost in your rock and roll and drift away
Won't you take me away
---
I'm going under
Drowing in you
I'm falling forever
I've got to break through
So go on and scream
Scream at me I'm so far away
I won't be broken again
I've got to breathe I can't keep going under
---
And if I bleed, I'll bleed
Knowing you don't care
And if I sleep just to dream of you
I'll wake without you there
Isn't something missing?
Even though I'm the sacrifice
You won't try for me, not now
Though I'd die to know you love me
I'm all alone
Isn't someone missing me?
---
I wanna heal, I wanna feel what I thought was never real
I wanna let go of the pain I’ve held so long
(Erase all the pain till it’s gone)
I wanna heal, I wanna feel like I’m close to something real
I wanna find something I’ve wanted all along
Somewhere I belong
---
Her feelings she hides
Her dreams she can't find
She's losing her mind
She's fallen behind
She can't find her place
She's losing her faith
She's fallen from grace
She's all over the place
---
Well you filled up my head
With so many lies,
Twisted my heart
'Til something snapped inside
I'd like to give it one more try
But my give a damn's busted
You can crawl back home
Say you were wrong
Stand out in the yard
And cry all night long
Go ahead and water the lawn
My give a damn's busted
---
For every heart that's been broken
For every kind word left unspoken
Every promise not remembered
I'll not forget
I'll not surrender
'Cause I'm the only
Soldier for the lonely
---
Look at the stars
Look how they shine for you
And everything you do
Yeah, they were all yellow
I came along
I wrote a song for you
And all the things you do
And it was called yellow
So then I took my turn
Oh what a thing to have done
And it was all yellow
---
Come on now won't you
Ease my mind
Reasons for me to find you
Peace of mind
Reasons for livin my life
Ease my mind
Reasons for me to know you
Peace of mind
What can I do
To get me to you
---
I don't wanna live without you
And I don't wanna live a lie
We'll never know till we try
Yeah we'll never know till we try
---
What day is it? And in what month?
This clock never seemed so alive
I can't keep up and I can't back down
I've been losing so much time
Cause it's you and me and all of the people with nothing to do
Nothing to lose
And it's you and me and all of the people
And I don't know why, I can't keep my eyes off of you
---
I am the sound of love's arriving
Echoed softly on the sand
Lay your head upon my shoulder
Lay your hand within my hand
I give you all that I am
And I breathe where you breathe
Let me stand where you stand
With all that I am
---
Close your eyes, and I will be swimming
Lullabies fill your room, and I will be singing
Singing to only you
Don't forget I'll hold your head
Watch the night sky fading red
---
Whenever I hold you tight
This crazy world of mine falls right in place
Whatever the trouble is
You find a way to give back what it takes
Holding you holds me together
When holding on gets just a little to hard
When this tight rope I travel
Begins to unravel
And I feel like I'm falling apart
Holding you holds me together
Never seen a blue sky
Well, we survived Hurricane Rita. There was some damage in the Houston area... a really good example is this picture.
Yeah I can feel it reaching out
And moving closer
There's something about blue
Honestly, we didn't get anything. ;-P Quite a bit of tropical storm force winds and a leeettle bit of rain. All that prep for nothing... oh well. A bunch of people lost power... we didn't, it just flickered a looot on Friday night and drove me nuts. ;-P North of Houston now, though, they're having rolling blackouts 'cause they can't seem to get everything working properly again... which means Mark's power having issues, pfft.
Speeeeaking of Mark... not that y'all didn't see this coming, but, we're officially together. :-P ;-) :-D For almost two weeks, now... some of y'all may kill me, but hey, it's not rebound. I promise! He came over on Monday (no school in the Houston area on Monday and Tuesday, since all the people who evacuated had to come back), and we watched Pirates (he hadn't SEEN it all the way through!) and went out for lunch with mom, Bekah and Hanna and went to wal-mart and had FUN. :-D Woohoo!
So. Oh em gee. Lost and Alias premiers. AHHHH!! I freakin' despise J.J. Abrams! I'll kill him if I ever see him for all the nervous breakdowns he's causing me. ;-)
Thaaat's about all I can think of to blog about... oh, one more picture. For all the yankees wondering why Texas didn't have any looting... THIS is why. And with that, I bid you goodnight! PANTS! (And because I didn't say it last time, PANTS again!) (:-P Mark.)
I am the sound of love's arriving
So I talked to Mark on the phone today. Talked for four hours straight, we did! Woohoo! He got off today and Friday 'cause of the hurricane... along with every other school district anywhere in south Texas... instead of snow days, we get hurricane days. ;-) So that was fun... and hilarious... but apparently that figures. *nudges Mark* ;-)
Echoed softly on the sand
Lay your head upon my shoulder
Lay your hand within my hand
I give you all that I am
And I breathe where you breathe
Let me stand where you stand
With all that I am
I was pretty worried/paranoid last night... but after talking to Mark online 'till 2 AM I was pretty much fine... ;-P When I got up this morning I was fine, even though I was drafted to help move all of dad's potted plants into the shed. The patios are CLEAN. It's freaky lookin'! ;-) So, all of the potential missiles are safely stored, we've done all our laundry, Grandma's here just in case, we filled up a ton of containers with water and put extra ice in the freezer. And now they're saying it'll probably make landfall around Port Arthur, which is to the east of us, so we won't get the dirty side of it. Probably just a lot of rain and a little wind. Our electricity might go out, so don't be worried if I don't get online... Mark, Anna and Nathan all have phone numbers to reach me at if y'all need to talk to me. ;-)
My allergies/swollen vocal chords turned into a nice sinus infection. Which isn't terrible, it's just... ow the pressure. I'll be fine in a couple days, as usual. This is getting routine now. :-P
Thaaaat's about it, methinks! If I don't talk to y'all... have a nice weekend, everybody!!
Call me, Call me
Let me know you are there
Call me, call me
I wanna know you still care
Come on now won't you
Ease my mind
Reasons for me to find you
Peace of mind
Reasons for living my life
Ease my mind
Reasons for me to know you
Peace of mind
what can I do
to get me to you
So the lockin was freakin' AWESOME! I can't even begin to describe it, so I won't try. ;-) All of last weekend was just one big whirlwind if stuff... man... I was so exhausted, heh. But it was fun! :-D And totally worth it...
I know the big question on everybody's mind: "So, how's the Mop?!"
The answer: "The Mop is fine." :-P That's all I'm saying for now... *innocent grin*
Sooo Hurricane Rita's coming... this might prove interesting...
Tomorrow's Wednesday night stuff at church! Yay! I love Wednesday night stuff. Except that my allergies decided they were gonna plague me, so my vocal chords are swollen and I can't sing or talk right. Meh. I think I'm gonna give in and take the flonase tonight... see if that fixes it... hot tea and herbal stuff is just making it bearable temporarily. I hate flonase... :-P
Nothing much going on 'sides that stuff, so... short blog post today. Hope y'all enjoyed it. ;-) PANTS!
She thinks my tractor's sexy
Bekah picked the song, don't look at ME. ;-)
It really turns her on
She's always staring at me
While I'm chuggin along
She likes the way it's pullin' while we're tillin' up the land
She's even kind of crazy 'bout my farmer's tan
She's the only one who really understands what gets me
She thinks my tractor's sexy
So! I forgot to tell most of you that I'm going to be gone for the weekend. Heh. Me and my memory, eh? ;-P
I'm leaving in about 10 minutes to go to a lockin at St. Mark Conroe (joint lockin between Zion and St. Mark - PB's church!). I'll be home for about an hour between 8 and 9 in the morning on Saturday, and then we're leaving again for Burleson for Beer Brats and Bride IV at the Heimbigners. We'll be staying overnight at the Fischers (woohoo!) and going to church probably with them, and then coming home. So I'll be home sometime Sunday night! If you need me, call my mom's cell number, because Bekah's going to San Diego and will have her cell phone. (Which used to be part mine but I gave her "full control" of it because... I don't use it. ;-P)
So, I'll talk to y'all... Sunday! :-) PANTS!
I don't wanna be lonely no more
Gotta love Rob Thomas...
I don't wanna have to pay for this
I don't want to know the lover at my door
Is just another heartache on my list
I don't wanna be angry no more
You know I could never stand for this
So when you tell me that you love me know for sure
I don't want to be lonely anymore
Sorry for not blogging, y'all. ;-P I haven't been in the blogging moooood lately. But that's okay, I am now! Mainly because Anna and Mark forced me to be... ;-)
So I went to the TCL free conference last weekend! That rocked. PB and Landon recruited me as soon as we got there to man the LiGW booth with them. So sitting with them during the whole conference was... insanely hilarious. ;-) A bunch of Zion people were in our room 'till midnight or so drinking beer with my mom and talking, and then PB and Landon stayed 'till 2. Lutheran adults are just like Lutheran teenagers, man... it's funny. ;-)
Um... other than that... just been schooling and stuff. But OH EM GEE. They're CLOSING ASTROWORLD. *sob* And WHY are they closing it? So they can sell the land. It STINKS! It just stinks. I'm so mad... but it is giving us an opportunity to go. :-P They're closing it at the end of this season (which ends on October 31st) so we're going the 8th or the 22nd of October, probably the 8th. Not quite sure who's going yet, but it should be fun regardless... :-D
This week... we have bell choir/regular choir/confirmation/supper/Bible study at church, which is always fun, and then FRIDAY! Oh Friday... Friday is THE LOCKIN. St. Mark and Zion joint lockin at St. Mark. :-D I lovelove lockins! Especially looking forward to this one... ;-)
So, after the lockin, I get picked up, we drop Bekah off at the airport (she's going to San Diego with my aunt), and then we drive to Dallas (Burleson to be exact) for Beer Brats and Bride IV at the Heimbigners! We'll spend the night with Kelsey :-D, go to church... either at the Heimbigners or Redeemer in Ft. Worth and then drive home. I... will be... a zombie. But it's gonna be so FUN! *bounces around*
So... that's all folks! PANTS!