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

Senior Portraits (college seniors, that is)

On Saturday, all of the Fat Tuesday girls went out to take pictures in the bluebonnets. We found a really pretty field in front of someone's house. We asked the owner if we could use his yard, and he said yes. I'm sure he was envisioning a few snapshots, not the all-out photo session which ensued. Emerald does NOT take snapshots! It was a lot of fun, even though the wind was blowing at least 30 mph, and we all got stickers in our "tookus" as Kalyn calls it. Here's a couple. You can see some more on Emerald's blog. I would highly recommend making friends with a photographer. It definitely pays off (not that that's the only reason I'm friends with you, Em :) )

My First Shower

Yesterday was my bridal shower at Westgate. My mom, Darby's mom, and my mom's friend Judy all came from Waco to be there. Also, my cousin Amy, who is one of my bridesmaids, drove all the way from Dallas. I didn't even know she was coming until Friday afternoon. She is so sweet!

Here's a couple of pictures from the shower:


My mom, me, and Darby's mom


All the hostesses and me

We got a lot of things we had registered for, which was great. Several people gave us some of our dishes. Here's what they look like:



My mom had given us all of her china, which she never uses. Darby's mom surprised us by finding a lot of pieces in the pattern to supplement. She found a platter, coffee mugs, a sugar and creamer set, etc. She had to really search because the pattern is discontinued, of course. It was exciting to get all of that. I didn't figure we'd be able to find many more pieces. I can't wait to have a fancy dinner someday!

The women at Westgate are so sweet, and the food was delicious! It was such a fun, pretty shower. I can't wait for my next one!

Post-Easter Update

So, I went home to Waco over Easter. Em came with me and we took my bridal portraits on Friday, which was very fun. The weather was beautiful (although too sunny for Em's liking). I felt like a princess since I couldn't move in my dress without someone holding it up to keep it from dragging the ground.

Friday night, Darby's parents took us to the Northwood Inn, which is pretty much the nicest restaurant in Waco. The waiters wore tuxes, and when they brought out my Coke, it was in a goblet with a cherry! How fun! It was nice to get to go to a fancy restaurant, especially since we weren't paying.

Saturday, it SNOWED! A LOT! I wasn't very happy about it, though. I really only enjoy seasonal weather. Snow in April is just not right, especially since my heavy coat was at the dry cleaners. Oh, well! I got to eat dinner at Johnny Carino's with my friend from high school Desiree. It's always fun to catch up with her.

Easter Sunday was my grandpa's birthday, so after church we took him to La Fiesta for lunch. (Obviously I ate a lot this trip). All in all, it was a great weekend. I was sad to have to come back to work. BUT, my shower at Westgate is on Sunday, so I'm excited. Yay!

Some Certainty!

Darby and I reserved an apartment today! I'm not going to go into too many details, so weird stalker-like people don't find us through my blog. But I will say it's a one-bedroom apartment at a complex near ACU. We can move in May 4th! (Well, Darby can move in, and I can move some stuff in; I'm staying at my sister's until the wedding). We have our name on the list for a two-bedroom, and if one becomes available before we move in, we'll get that.

It is such a relief to finally know where we are going to live. It kind of makes me wish we had just decided on the apartment from the beginning. But I don't think I would have been as satisfied as I am now. I would have wondered, "Could we have found something better?" But after searching for over a month, I am now certain that no, we couldn't have found something better (at least within our budget).

So, yay! We will not be homeless newlyweds!

Tearjerker (in a good way)

You have to check out this story and video on the Today Show website. They showed the video this morning, and I kept tearing up all day just thinking about it. The little boy's reaction is just too sweet. It makes me sad for the families who don't have their dad or mom return, though.

Uncertainty

I have a dentist appointment in June. Since I am a new patient, the office sent some forms to me to fill out before my appointment. I decided to go ahead and fill them out, so I wouldn't forget. I was going along fine until I got to the space marked address. I thought, "I don't know where I'll be living in June; I'll leave it blank for now." Ditto for home phone number. Then I got to occupation, "Well, I don't know if I'll have my job in June; I'll leave that part blank." Ditto for work phone number. And e-mail address, since I only use my ACU e-mail address. Then, I got to marital status. "Hmmm...well, I won't be married yet, but I'll be married a month from then. Why isn't there a box for engaged?" At that point, I decided filling out forms over two months in advance is stupid anyway and just gave up.

Pretty Princess

As promised, here are some pictures of my flower girl, Corrie. She loves to dress up and was reveling in all the attention she got from the saleswomen and other customers at David's Bridal. I was the flower girl in her mom's (my aunt's) wedding when I was her age, so I think it's really special that she gets to be the flower girl in mine. I just hope she doesn't steal the show on July 7! :)

Pity Party

Allow me to complain for a minute about how lame my Spring Break is: I have to wake up to a lonely house at 6:40, while it is still pitch dark (and raining), drive to work, where I am the only one who has to arrive at 8, and think of things to do for 8 hours, since no students are coming in and hardly anyone is calling. Poor me! Okay, I'm done. For the rest of the week, I will not be complaining about having to work.

On the bright side, Darby is getting back from skiing tomorrow! Yay! I'm looking forward to spending some homework-free time with him.

This weekend, I went to Austin and took my precious cousin Corrie to get her flower girl dress. I forgot my camera, but I think my aunt is going to send me some of her pictures. I'll post them soon. She is adorable!

Contentment

Mike Cope, whom I don't know but admire from his blogging, has posted an interesting piece on contentment. Check it out here. I needed that today.

I also just want to let everyone know what a wonderful roommate I have. She knows I've been in a post-graduation funk, so she brought me a sweet note, a People magazine and a Reese's to work today. Celebrity gossip and chocolate...now that's contentment :) Seriously, though, I am blessed to have her in my life. When you've lived with someone for going on three years, you can start to take their friendship for granted. Thanks for the little (and big) things you do for me, Britt!

I just finished reading Freedom of Simplicity by Richard Foster. It was a thought-provoking book about the spiritual discipline of simplicity; I recommend it highly. It is very well-written, and I feel like he does a good job of giving concrete suggestions for living more simply without making it seem like "10 Steps to a More Simple Life."

I've been thinking and struggling with the idea of simplicity a lot lately. My life is filled with so many things, and so much of my time is spent acquiring them. It makes me sad to think of how many hours of my life I spend shopping for and buying things. I go to Wal-Mart at least three times a week every week. But even though it is distasteful to me, it is hard for me to give that up. I enjoy buying things, even groceries. Although the idea of a simple lifestyle is appealing, it is difficult to implement the changes that would make that possible. I'm trying to make small changes and praying that God will free me from materialism and selfishness.

One interesting point Foster made in his book is that North Americans should not strive to raise everyone's standard of living to our own. If we were successful, our world would be depleted of natural resources. Part of helping the poor is drastically lowering our standard of living so that there can be a more equitable distribution of resources. Obviously, I knew that giving to the poor requires financial sacrifice, but I never thought of it requiring a drastic lifestyle shift. It is so much easier to just give money away rather than seriously evaluate our own consumption habits. This book really got me thinking. Now, I just have to do the acting, which is much more difficult.

Happy Valentine's Day!

I know, I know...I'm one day late. I have always loved Valentine's Day, mainly because my favorite color is pink. It's just such a happy, pink day. Yesterday was no exception.

I got to work in the morning and Pam, our receptionist, had put Valentine's candy on everyone's desks. She pretended Cupid had done it...too cute! Last night, I made pancakes and eggs for Darby. I wanted to make heart-shaped pancakes, but I didn't have a heart cookie cutter :( We also exchanged gifts. He gave me a gift card to JCPenney because he knows I haven't had money for clothes lately. Plus, a box of Thin Mints! Yum! He's very thoughtful; I can't wait to use my gift card. We're having our actual Valentine's celebration on Friday because we had church last night. We're going to go see Music and Lyrics, and I'm going to make us chocolate fondue. Yay for stretching out holidays!

More books!

Yay! Another book quiz. This one I found at a new blog I stumbled across. It is devoted to books. Woo-hoo!

Amazon or brick and mortar? I love going to an actual bookstore to browse, but if I know exactly what I want, I usually order from Amazon, especially gifts. It's just nice to have it all taken care of. Plus, then I can justify buying another book to qualify for "Free Super-Saver Shipping"

Barnes & Noble or Borders? Unfortunately, Abilene has neither. Boo, Books-A-Million! In Waco, I love going to Barnes and Noble. Books and Starbucks coffee! Can life get any better?

Bookmark or dogear? Definitely bookmark. I hate dogeared pages.

Alphabetize by author or alphabetize by title or random? I try to group them by category (American fiction, British fiction, nonfiction, etc). But usually they just end up stuffed on the shelf however they will fit.

Keep, throw away, or sell? Keep! I would NEVER throw away a book. Occasionally I sell books that I know I will not read again and that I don't think anyone would want to borrow.

Keep dustjacket or toss it? Keep.

Read with dustjacket or remove it? Read with, because I'm afraid I'll lose it otherwise.

Short story or novel? Novel. I just can't seem to get into very many short stories. Not enough character development.

Collection (short stories by same author) or anthology (short stories by different authors)? Anthology. I have ADD. I rarely listen to a full CD by the same artist. Likewise, I usually don't read stories by the same author in one sitting.

Harry Potter or Lemony Snicket? Harry Potter. Lemony Snicket is clever, but his books cannot compete with Harry. I don't get emotionally invested in his characters like I do Harry, Hermione, and Ron.

Stop reading when tired or at chapter breaks? I usually try to make it to a chapter break, but if a book has really long chapters, I have no problem stopping in the middle of a page.

“It was a dark and stormy night” or “Once upon a time”? Once upon a time, definitely.

Buy or Borrow? If it's a classic or one that I know I will re-read (i.e. Harry Potter), buy. I'm trying to build up a library, so that my children will have access to any book they could ever want or need to read. If it's just a fluff book, I don't mind borrowing.

New or used? Gently used. I won't buy books if they have significant damage, but if they are in good condition, I love saving money.

Buying choice: book reviews, recommendation or browse? All. Darby got me a subscription to the magazine Bookmarks, which has tons of book reviews, so I often go off of that.

Tidy ending or cliffhanger? In between. I like books that end with uncertainty but point to hope.

Morning reading, afternoon reading or nighttime reading? Saturday morning is prime reading time, but any time is great.

Standalone or series? Depends on the series. I enjoy reading series, but I usually don't read them one after another. I break it up with other books.

Favorite series? Harry Potter, Ender series by Orson Scott Card, Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants, Jasper Fforde's Thursday Next series.

Favorite book of which nobody else has heard? Hmmm...I don't really read books no one else has heard of. I like to know that at least one other person liked the book before I spend time reading it. I guess most people haven't heard of Breaking the Tongue by Vyvyane Loh, and I loved that book. I read it for a class, though, so obviously some people have heard of it.

Favorite books read last year? The God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy, The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd

Favorite books of all time? Jane Eyre, The Time Traveler's Wife, Little Women

Thank You, J.K. Rowling!

The 7th Harry Potter book is coming out July 21!!!!! I had heard rumors that it was going to be 7/7/07, which made me very depressed. How could I read when I had to get ready for my wedding? And who would want to stop reading to come to the wedding? Then, when I found out the fifth movie was coming out in July, I figured it wouldn't be July at all. Brittany and I were bracing ourselves for it to be as late as December. But July 21 is perfect. I will have been back from my honeymoon for a week, plenty of time to get settled in. And I can do some re-reading of books 5 and 6 on the plane. Woo-hoo! I know I am a total nerd, but I am so excited!

My glass is always half-empty

I have recently been confronted with how pessimistic I really am. Darby and I were having a discussion about statistics, and I said that statistics don't comfort me at all. If someone says, "There's only a one in a million chance of dying in a plane crash," I think, "Yeah, but that doesn't matter if you're the one." In fact, statistics often make me worry more because I think how sad it would be to be the one in a million. If your family member dies of a heart attack, for example, you are sad, but you realize that heart attacks happen to a lot of people. If your family member dies of some rare, flesh-eating bacteria, you have to think, "Why them? It was so improbable!" I realize that logically this makes no sense, but it's the way I think.

I discussed this further with Brittany, and I think I came up with the reason why I think this way. I read too much. Books, newspapers, and magazines don't focus on the 999,999 people who don't contract the flesh-eating bacteria; they focus on the one who does. The smaller number is much more important in literature than the bigger number. Plus, I become very emotionally invested in books. So, although I personally have not been the victim of improbability, I feel like it happens all the time. The English major is very depressing. Science is much more uplifting. In science, the big number matters. So, Darby, it's not my fault that I'm pessimistic; it's my major.

The Poor Woman's Starbucks

I have discovered a great way to make coffee drinkable without paying $3.50 per cup. Just mix one package hot chocolate mix into a cup of coffee. That way, you get all the caffeine of coffee but the taste of hot chocolate. Yum! The best part is, my office provides the coffee and the hot chocolate, so it's totally free! Aahhh...the simple pleasures of life.

A Culinary Disaster

I volunteered to help make food for my friend Kalyn's art gallery opening (which is tonight at 7 p.m. in Shore Art Gallery, by the way). I was supposed to make a triple recipe of sausage balls. So I went to Wal-Mart and bought 3 pounds of sausage, 3 pounds of cheese, and Bisquick. I've never made sausage balls before, so I found a recipe in one of my many cookbooks. I started browning two pounds of the sausage. Brittany said, "You don't have to brown the sausage, do you?" I told her that's what the recipe said, and she said her mom never did it that way. This should have been my first clue, but foolishly putting all my faith in the recipe, I kept going. So I add the Bisquick to the sausage and start mixing. I realize it's going to be really dry and not stick together at all. Clue #2. The recipe says to melt the cheese, so I figure the melted cheese will help it stick. So I melt close to two pounds of grated cheese in the microwave. When I pull it out, it is one big, gooey glob. This should have been clue number three, but I kept going, pouring it into the sausage. That was dumb. The spoon would hardly even move through the cheese. After ten minutes of valiant effort in my extremely hot kitchen. (By now, the oven's been preheating for close to an hour), I give up. So, at 10 p.m., I'm off to United for two more pounds of sausage and cheese.

This story does have a happy ending. The second and third batches of sausage balls turned out well. (I let Brittany direct me). I will be rushing home at 5 today to make one last batch before the show. I just couldn't finish last night. (Kalyn, if you are reading this, you don't have to pay for all the sausage and cheese I wasted). Everyone has to have at least one cooking disaster, I guess. And mine naturally had to happen at 10 p.m. when I was trying to cook for 100+ people.