IKEA!!

Darby and I went home to Waco this weekend. We decided to drive to the IKEA in Round Rock while we were there, since it's only about an hour away from my house. (Yet another reason why Waco is way better than Abilene: NOTHING is only an hour away from Abilene). We got a lot of good stuff: two nightstands, an end table, a cart for our printer, a storage cabinet to go outside our kitchen, and some shelving. Woo-hoo! Darby stayed up until 2 a.m. putting some of it together! We're still not totally done, but the apartment is looking good. I'll post some pictures once we get everything put away. IKEA has got to be the most awesome store ever. I hope there's one near wherever we move for grad. school.

Goals, goals, goals

As I mentioned in my last post, John tagged me to make a list of 10 life goals. Kalyn posted her list on her blog and said that it was hard for her to come up with 10. I can relate. I have never been very career-driven, so I often don't think about goals. However, I think personal goals are just as important and perhaps more valuable than career goals. It was good for me to actually sit down and think about the person I would like to be in ten or twenty years. So here are 10 of my life goals, in no particular order:

1. Become truly fluent in Spanish. I went to Mexico two summers ago for six weeks, and my Spanish improved greatly. But when I came back, I didn't practice, and now I've lost a good deal of it. I love Spanish, and I am so close to fluency; I just need the motivation to practice. Maybe having it in writing will help.

2. Be a great mom who isn't totally defined by motherhood. Lately, I've thought a lot about motherhood. I participated in a women's Bible study at church, and the majority of the other women were young moms. I didn't enjoy some of the discussions because they seemed to all center around children and how busy their lives were. I know having children changes you, but I'd like to still retain my own identity. I don't want my kids to be my excuse for not getting things done, and I want to be able to talk about topics besides my kids in large groups. This one is probably much easier said than done, but it's my goal, nonetheless.

3. Live below my means. I don't want to fall into the trap of constantly buying new cars or bigger houses just because I can. And I don't want to consider myself fiscally responsible just because I give 10% and save for my kids' college. I want to give generously to all sorts of people and causes. I want to live in a house that's comfortable but not bigger than I need. And I want to live more simply with fewer possessions. That being said, I don't want to develop a holier-than-thou attitude towards people who do own nice houses and cars. I realize that financial decisions are extremely personal, and people who have a lot of possessions are often still very generous.

4. Adopt older children. For about 5 years, I've felt like God was calling me to adopt. I have a lot of compassion for older children who get put in foster care because most families only want to adopt infants. I want to make a home for those children, and if possible, keep siblings from being separated.

5. Learn to cook a gourmet meal. I love cooking and baking, but I would like to expand my knowledge. Cooking lessons would be great! I would especially like to work on my food presentation. I want my dishes to look as good as they taste.

6. Read more than I watch television. Already, I own 60+ books that I haven't read. That is shameful. I spend way too much time watching mindless TV. Darby and I are working towards this goal together by not having cable in our apartment.

7. Teach a sex class to teenage girls. This may sound like a weird goal, but I've been thinking about it for some time. I think the idea of "True Love Waits" is good, but the execution is terrible. I want to develop a curriculum that encourages teenagers to wait for marriage out of love and respect for God, not out of fear of pregnancy or STDs. I want to teach girls that they are not freaks for having a sex drive. I want to be someone girls feel like they could actually come and talk to without being judged.

8. Continue working out regularly. Darby and I have been working out regularly in some form for about 2 years. Besides the health benefits, I just feel better about myself when I work out. I want to keep this up for the rest of my life.

9. Maintain a garden. I think my life would be greatly improved if I could eat homegrown tomatoes and look at pretty flowers every day. Plus, this would force me to spend more time outside and enjoy nature, which I definitely need to do.

10. Be a thoughtful friend. I want to be the type of friend who remembers birthdays and gives thoughtful gifts. I want to fix meals for my friends when they're sick, support their activities, and encourage them when they're having bad days. I want to actively choose to be a good friend all of the time, not just when it's convenient for me.

The joys of working in a boys' dorm

The Campus Life Office is conveniently located in the lower level of McKinzie, a freshman boys' dorm (oops...I mean "residence hall"). Of course, the walls in dorms are notoriously thin, so I often hear what's going on in the room directly above my office. Usually, the guys are pretty quiet, but I guess they're excited about the end of school approaching, because they have their music blaring. I think they are using their computer to play songs randomly because the selection this morning has been quite eclectic: "Let's Get It On," "Barbie Girl," "Pretty Woman," "Kissed by a Rose," "White and Nerdy," "I Like Big Bibles," the "Numa, Numa" song, etc. I actually haven't minded too much. I've been entering a huge list of Banner numbers, so the break in monotony is welcome. I'm just glad no one official has been in my office today. It would be pretty hard to act professionally with "Let's Get It On" playing in the background.

I just read John's blog and saw that he had tagged me to post a list of goals. Hmmmm...I will have to think about that one for a while. I'll post that by the end of the week.

Moving Out

Darby and I get to move into our new apartment Friday! Well, we're basically just moving some of our stuff in, but it's still exciting. I love moving to a new place. The possibilities seem endless. Before I've moved in, I can imagine how great it will look and how clean I will keep it. Once I've lived there a couple months, reality sets in. A new house does not a new person make. But it's fun to dream. Plus, I get to move all of the wedding gifts out of my room!

But, I will miss mine and Brittany's little house. It's been a good house for us.

10 things I love about our house:
1. the fact that it's two-story
2. the huge closets
3. the big kitchen
4. all the natural light the windows let in
5. the pretty antique doorknobs
6. the trees in front
7. the crazy sidewalk chalk drawings our landlords and their kids create on the driveway
8. the old-fashioned mailbox
9. its quirkiness: the light switches that do nothing, the three sets of front doors, the upsidedown-ness of it
10. and, of course, my lovely roommate, Brittany

10 things I won't miss:
1. parking on the curved street
2. my unpainted doorframe (a constant reminder of my unfulfilled dreams for the house)
3. the loud furnace and air conditioner in my closet
4. the ancient oven that bakes unevenly
5. the mold on my ceiling (it's baaaaack!!)
6. the scary rumbling of the water heater after my shower
7. the not-quite-cold-enough refrigerator
8. not having a dishwasher or disposal
9. the narrowness of my bedroom
10. how HOT it gets in the summer