Under your spell againI had to quote that entire song, it's just too beautiful to cut up! So... Evanescence did it again, IMNSHO. I'm absolutely IN LOVE with The Open Door. I'm hoping against hope that I won't wear it out too soon... :-D
I can't say no to you
Crave my heart and it's bleeding in your hand
I can't say no to you
Shouldn't have let you torture me so sweetly
Now I can't let go of this dream
I can't breathe but I feel
Good enough
I feel good enough for you
Drink up sweet decadence
I can't say no to you
And I've completely lost myself, and I don't mind
I can't say no to you
Shouldn't have let you conquer me completely
Now I can't let go of this dream
Can't believe that I feel
Good enough
I feel good enough
It's been such a long time coming, but I feel good
And I'm still waiting for the rain to fall
Pour real life down on me
'Cause I can't hold on to anything this good enough
Am I good enough for you to love me too?
So take care what you ask of me
'cause I can't say no
Last week, a husband and wife came in to the store with their year-and-a-half-ish-old son. They were quiet and nice so I didn't exactly pay much attention to them... other than the fact that the kid stared at me like I was some weirdo (then again, I can't say I blame him) while I was restocking. But later, Melissa walked into the back room and said to Carrie, "Man, Carrie, you were right. He STINKS!" Carrie explained after I prodded...
Apparently this family comes in about once a week. And every single time, without fail, the kid takes a crap in his diaper. Every time. So a couple minutes later the mom took him into the bathroom and changed his diaper - much to Carrie's chagrin. After they left, she RAN into the bathroom, took out the trash, washed the sink, and sprayed the whole bathroom with a de-smellifier (so scientifical I am, I know). I turned to Melissa and asked "So does Carrie actually want kids of her own?" and Mellisa said "Oddly enough, yes. But they won't poop. They wouldn't dare." *snort*
I love my job. :-D
You better lose yourself in the music, the moment
So. What's new, you ask? Let's see...
You own it, you better never let it go
You only get one shot, do not miss your chance to blow
This opportunity comes once in a lifetime
I'm not going to college, and I'm VERY happy about it. I do, however, now have a job!! :-D I'm also VERY happy about that. I'm working at a Catholic bookstore about 15 minutes from home. On a street that was named after my relatives. :-P I just started yesterday, but it looks like it's gonna be awesome. My hours are 10 to 5, Monday through Friday, with the exception of Wednesday when I get off at 4:30 so I can make it to Tomball for choir. This is exactly what I wanted. :-D
Jason and I are still doing wonderfully. :-D We're still alternating between Conroe and here on weekends, but unfortunately Wednesday nights in Conroe have to stop 'cause choir's starting tomorrow. :-( Hopefully I'll survive. ;-P
Speaking of choir, I'm now the accompanist for the voice choir, because our organist got a new job and can't do anything other than Sunday mornings, which pretty much stinks... but a lady at church who's very good musically volunteered to direct the choirs, so we still have them. :-)
To wrap up this post... the Astros are doing good, Gilmore Girls and Lost are starting this week, and my toenails are painted purple. :-D PANTS, y'all!
Everybody needs somethin' to keep them strongBethany has tagged me. And I think I'll actually enjoy this one!
Yeah, something they can feel down in their bones
For me there ain't no substitute
For three simple chords an' the God's honest truth
And a steel guitar from the heart to take me home
1. One book that changed your life:
Besides the obvious - the Bible - I'd have to say the Mandie series by Lois Gladys Leppard. Because, well, they're what made me such a bookworm to begin with - and I'd say me being a bookworm has quite shaped my life.
2. One book you've read more than once:
The Wall by John Hersey. I think I've read it more than any other book... and I've never been quite sure why.
3. One book you'd want on a desert island:
When I was younger, I always said I'd want Robinson Crusoe... I was a very practical child. :-P But, these days I'd have to agree with Mrs. Casey and say The Lutheran Hymnal.
4. One book that made you laugh:
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams.
5. One book that made you cry:
Exodus by Leon Uris.
6. One book that you wish had been written:
More Brother Cadfael novels! I wish that series would never end...
7. One book that you wish had never been written:
The Purpose Driven Life... because I've seen it corrupt tooo many people. Icky icky.
8. One book you're currently reading:
Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen, after which will be Persuasion and Mansfield Park, and then my quest to read all the Jane Austen novels will be complete!
9. One book you've been meaning to read:
Someday I WILL finish War and Peace! Someday... yes... key word...
10. Scariest book you've ever read:
I don't think a book has ever really scared me... but some of the Brother Cadfael novels have come close.
I'll tag Anna, Naomi, Nathan and Padre.
If I gave you my hand would you take itSo um... I haven't blogged lately! Apologies to my MOTHER and SISTER who apparently stalk me. ;-P
And make me the happiest man in the world
If I told you my heart couldn't beat one more minute without you, girl
Would you accompany me to the edge of the sea
Let me know if you're really a dream
I love you so, so would you go with me
The conference was wonderful, Colorado is beautiful, the Stuckwischs are so much fun, the wedding was awesome, and I am thoroughly sick of being in the van. That, my friends, is my summary of the past... four weeks. ;-) I'm gonna try to figure out a way to upload the wedding pictures I took so y'all can see them at some point... I won't put the link on here, but I'll let y'all know when I get them done so you can ask me for the link.
As for other general life shtuff, Jason and I are still doing great. :-D Nea is happyyyy. I get to go to the Renaissance Festival this fall AND an Astros game on September 3rd, not to mention all the LiGW stuff coming up, and two lockins - one with the local people and one HT lockin on Reformation weekend that should be awesome.
This weekend we're taking a day trip to San Antonio for my cousin's birthday party, which should be fun - believe it or not, I've lived in Texas all my life and never actually been to San Antonio. Weird, I know. ;-)
Well, that's all I can think of for now... PANTS, y'all!
Dancin' when the stars go blueWell howdy there, strangers! I've been neglecting my poor widdle blog, haven't I? Well, considering it's been almost two months since I last blogged, I figured I'd better get around to it. ;-)
Dancin' when the evening fell
Dancin' in your wooden shoes
In a wedding gown
Where do you go when you're lonely
Where do you go when you're blue
Where do you go when you're lonely, I'll follow you
When the stars go blue
Time's been flying by and I've been keeping incredibly busy. I'm in Conroe almost as much as I'm in Houston, which makes me vewy happy... everything's been working out to where I see Jason twice a week - on the weekends and again on Wednesday evenings at St. Mark's youth Bible study. I've been managing to hitch a ride with my mom to Tomball and then with my 4th cousin Jason Toombs from Tomball to Conroe (he also goes to Bible study). Toombs takes me back to Tomball and I pick up my dad's car from Zion, where he left it after Bible study there, and drive myself home.
This past weekend Jason and I got invited by a family from St. Mark up to their lake house on Lake Conroe, so I went up to Jason's house Monday night, and then Tuesday we went to the lake and went swimming, relaxed in the hot tub, and went out on their boat to watch the fireworks display in Bentwater, one of the really expensive neighborhoods on the lake. It was sooo much fun. And now Nea wants a lake house. ;-P
I simply can't believe that the Feast is a mere 12 days away! We're leaving in 10 days... I am SO beyond excited!! :-D I've still got to decide on which sectionals to attend... I'll be attending a few of the Internet Services-hosted sectionals, since I'm an IS content manager, and I've also got to work the LiGW booth twice during the conference (which thankfully only requires me to miss 5 minutes of the sectionals I'm attending to get to the booth), so that helps my decisions ever so slightly.
After the Feast my family is going to take off on a whirlwind tour of Colorado and then head home... I've spent about 6 hours total planning this trip and I'm almost sick of it before we even get started. ;-P We'll get home on Friday the 28th (as of the current schedule that may change), and then my mom, sisters and I will be leaving again on August 1st to head up to Indiana, where I'll be riding with the Rheins and Bean to Wisconsin for Nathan and Katie's wedding. We'll be home again on either the 9th or 10th. So basically, life is only gonna get crazier until the middle of August, but I'm looking forward to all of it!
In other news... I got my hair chopped off. O:-) Well, not THAT short - about 6 or 7 inches - but it feels short to me! It's a few inches below my shoulders now, and it looks much better. It was starting to get damaged and thin below that point, so now I can grow it out again and it'll look much better.
Tonight I get to go see Pirates 2 (YAY!!) with my sisters, Jason, Pr. Mallie and Carrie, and then Jason's kidnapping me and taking me back to Conroe, where I'll be 'till Saturday night.
So! Hopefully that's a decent enough update... I'll attempt to blog more before we leave, but I can't promise anything. ;-) PANTS, y'all!
There's a new wind blowin' like I've never knownIn case you haven't heard or you didn't see it coming... Jason and I are officially dating now. ;-) I don't think I've "described" him here before... so... he's 23, lives in Conroe and goes to church at St. Mark. He's a finance/banking major at Sam Houston State, and now he's myyy boyfriend. :-D
I'm breathin' deeper than I've ever done
And it sure feels good, to finally feel the way I do
I wanna love somebody, love somebody like you
So! I've had a busy week, yet again. Friday after Hanna's confirmation questioning I went with Jason, Paige, Jonathan, Bekah, the other Jason (who happens to be my sixth cousin) and a bunch of St. Mark people to play pool. Bekah and I spent the night at Paige's and tanned in her backyard on Saturday. I think this summer I may end up actually having a decent tan - I won't be deathly pale for The Feast! ;-)
Sunday was Hanna's confirmation, and we had a party back at our house afterwards. A bunch of my family including the boys was there, plus Jason, Paige, our friend Matt from Corpus and Hanna's friend Eddie. We had a good time!
Monday I didn't do much of anything. Tuesday I went up to Conroe for a LiGW website meeting thingy with Scott and Stan (PB and Jason were also there), got to hang out with PB, Jason and Stan afterwards, and then Jason took me back to Tomball. Wednesday was the usual craziness and today is kind of an in-between day, because tomorrow St. Mark is having a lockin in "honor" of Stan being here. So, I'm in for another crazy weekend, but it should be fun, as usual!
Well, my mom has decided that it's way too nice of a day to stay inside, so we're going to pick up some lunch and eat at the park. Have a great weekend, y'all, and congrats to most of you on the end of the semester!!
And we're not gonna live forever
So life has been crazy, as usual! I've been spending most weekends in Tomball or thereabouts, and my weekdays have been split between church functions, teaching piano, looking for a job and stuff like that.
Can you tell me is it now or never
I'm not gonna make up your mind
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
This past weekend I went to the mall with Jason, went bowling with Jason, Paige and Cecily, watched three movies (including United 93 - if you get the chance, GO SEE THAT MOVIE!) with them, got very little sleep and drank a ton of caffeine.
Monday I went and registered for fall classes at Tomball College! I'm actually pretty excited about it, believe it or not. ;-) I'll be taking English, History, Music Lit, German and Biology (the last of which will be taken online - apparently it's easier and better if you're not a science person to take it online). I'm gonna go for an Associate of Arts degree with an area of concentration in history... which basically means I get to take three extra history courses. ;-P I'm taking four semesters' worth of German to make up most of my electives, and for kinesiology I'm taking country and western dance - can it get any better than that? ;-)
My widdle sister Hanna is getting confirmed this weekend... dude. My whole family is practically grown up now. It's kinda scary, but cool at the same time. A bunch of the family is coming in for it, so it should be fun!
That's all I've got for now... I shall leave you with a quote from an article by Rob Long in the May 8th edition of National Review (the first sentence cracks me up):
"There's a part of every Frenchman that adores the philosophical drama of a good, solid national crackup. For one thing, it really gives the language a workout. The reason French is often described as the language of diplomacy isn't just that it's flowery and foggy and vague. It's also the language of wonderfully pompous concern."
Starin' down the stars
Musical flavor of the moment: Nickel Creek, Randy Rogers Band and Cross Canadian Ragweed. You just gotta love artists that haven't gone Nashvilleized and yet are *incredibly* wonderful... thank yous go to Paige and Landon for addicting me. ;-)
Jealous of the moon
You wish you could fly
Just stayin' where you are
There's nothin' you can do
If you're too scared to try
Had a whirlwind Holy Week, which was perfect, 'cause it didn't give me time to overanalyze anything. :-P Friday from 8:30 to 3:30 me, Bekah, Landon, Paige and Jonathan painted the overhang on the parish hall, which turned out to be SO much fun. :-D I love painting, and having friends around makes it that much better. Pr. Mallie was there and didn't have anything to do, so he came out and chatted with us for awhile, too. Can I say, again, that he is AWESOME?! lol. He's an absolutely perfect match for what our church needs right now.
Easter was wonderful, as always! Pr. Mallie preached his first sermon with us in the late service, and after church we headed up to Lufkin and spent the rest of the day with Uncle Tom, Aunt Gina and the boys.
Today I haven't done much other than pick up yet another job application at a coffee shop on 1960 and listen to Nickel Creek's latest CD almost three times through.
Landon made an interesting observation on Sunday morning. Bekah and I both had on dresses, and he had apparently been talking to Bekah about these type of dresses on Friday. So he comes up, points to what we're wearing, and says something to the effect of "Now, see, THESE are the type of dresses guys like to see on girls in church. Not shorts, jeans, pant suits, or whatever - but DRESSES. Girls wear pants too much to church and not enough dresses." Now, before someone jumps all over me, I DO realize that dressing up for church isn't about impressing guys. ;-P This apparently isn't just about church, either; it's any sort of formal function. Now, moving on. So, if this is the case, why don't more girls wear dresses? And, not just dresses, but modest, attractive dresses? They dress either like sluts or feminists, and then wonder why they can't get a decent guy. And have I mentioned how hard they make it on the rest of us to find decent clothes, church clothes in particular? Nobody sells the good stuff because the slutty and mannish stuff is what sells. I don't get it... I guess I'll just have to chalk it up to feminisim, even though that's probably too broad of a generalization, and continue keeping my eyes peeled for the few-and-far-between good church outfits that I rarely find.
Okay, enough rambling for one blog post! Happy Easter everybody! :-D
Blurring and stirring the truth and the liesAnother hugely busy weekend for Nea! I just can't escape life, it seems. ;-)
So I don't know what's real and what's not
Always confusing the thoughts in my head
So I can't trust myself anymore
I'm dying again
I'm going under
Drowing in you
I'm falling forever
I've got to break through
I've got to breathe I can't keep going under
Friday night Paige spent the night here, and we FINALLY got to see Pride and Prejudice!! It was SO wonderful. And it made us SO twitterpated. :-P Saturday we got up and went up to church to wash windows, clean the youth room, and we were gonna paint but it was WAY too windy. At 3 we played softball with Living Word and St. Mark; I had a loverly chat with PB which is always good. Went to Chili's with St. Mark, and then went to Kohl's where I got a new swim suit, even though our stupid pool doesn't open 'till Memorial Day. It used to open on the weekends in May, but nooo... they just have to torture me. Not to mention the hours this year are 12 to 7 on the weekdays, and 12 to 8 on the weekends. What the heck are they thinking?!
Sunday! Palm Sunday! Pr. Mallie's installation!! He ROCKS. We are BEYOND EXCITED to have him here. :-D :-D
I got a nice sunburn at the softball game which I'm now having to deal with... what fun. :-P I'm hoping it'll hurry up and turn into a tan without peeling too much... I haaate the peeling stage. Thankfully it's mainly just my shoulders... I didn't get anything on my face. It'll be a nice tanline later though. ;-P
My Astros are doing good so far! 4 wins, 2 losses, and they're playing right now. I just love baseball. :-D Backe, Biggio and Berkman are "my men" this year... and I still have much love for ol' Baggy, poor baby. Yes, I like my killer Bees. ;-)
That's all I've got for y'all today... pants!
You look at me, but you're not quite sureWell! I sure had a huge fun weekend. :-D Paige IMed me Friday night and said she was gonna come kidnap me to spend the night at her house, so I threw a bunch of stuff in a bag and went to Tomball. Saturday we drove up to Conroe to go with Jason to the Montgomery County Fair, which was reeeally fun! I haven't been to a county fair in at least 8 years, and I forgot how awesome it was. We stayed out there 'till about 9:30 after going to Chili's, and then came back to Tomball. I ended up spending the night at Paige's Saturday night, and Sunday we went to church, I fixed her computer and we almost slept through the youth meeting. When I got home I watched last Wednesday's Lost with Bekah and Hanna... I KNEW HE WAS AN OTHER. Nyah. ;-P
Am I it or could you get more?
You learned cool from magazines
You learned love from Charlie Sheen
If you want me let me know
I promise I won't say no
Follow your heart, your intuition
It will lead you in the right direction
Let go of your mind, your intuition
It's easy to find
Just follow your heart baby
Yesterday I taught piano, and today I haven't done much of anything except finish Grapes of Wrath. Good book!
Anna might get to come see me at the end of May!! :-D I'm very very excited about that and the Garner trip at the beginning of June. Yay for seeing people!
Okay, that's all I can think of... my brain's kinda not here today. But that's okay!
I'm quite madly in love with this layout... yes, I am.
Wait a minute can we stop the car right here
Re-did my template and all that good stuff. :-D I'm very happy with it, notwithstanding the girlyness. ;-P Gotta love bluebonnets!
Can I take a picture here can I
Have a second just to take in all the sights
All the southern stars and northern lights
I'll have a "real" post for y'all hopefully tomorrow... did lots of fun stuff this weekend!
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!