two in a row doesn't make it regular.

was pretty sweet. I woke up about 8 or so, watched some Fresh Prince, and headed into work. When I arrived I was told that instead of attending staff meeting I was going to be serving snack at the drama/music camp that's here at the church this week. So I headed over to the worship building and served up some popcorn and Kool-Aid. There were about 20 kids, and they all seemed to be having a good time.

afterwards I came back to the office for a few minutes before leaving to go to lunch at Del Rio with David, Scott, and Mike. I just had tortillas with honey and butter, but they were delicious and satisfying. I came back to the office and did some reading for school. Eventually I headed home, and as I was pulling into my driveway Brad called and asked if I wanted to go to lunch with him. Of course I did, so I pulled back out of the driveway, drove to Sam's to pick him up, and then we grabbed some Taco Bell.

and it was while we were sitting in the truck eating that Brad got THE CALL.

THE CALL let him know that he was being given a conditional job offer to work for the DPS! This is really amazing fantastic great super awesome magnificent and good news! He goes to Austin next week to take physical, psychological, polygraph, and drug tests, and if he passes those (which shouldn't be an issue) he's in the DPS Academy. We had been waiting on THE CALL for over a week, and I'm glad we finally got it - it's definitely a weight off of our shoulders.

after calling several people to share the good news, Brad's mom called me to discuss everything and she suggested we all go out to dinner to celebrate. So I got dressed semi-fancy and headed over to the Anderson's. When Brad got home from work we headed back into town and went to Applebee's, where Brad, his dad, and the waiter had some fun at my expense because I ordered a chicken sandwich and said "bacon and cheese only", which they took to mean I didn't want the chicken part. ha ha, guys.

when we got home from dinner I checked my email and found out that I have another interview next Tuesday. This is also really amazing fantastic great super awesome magnificent and good news, and I really hope it goes well. It would be another weight off of my shoulders if I knew that my job situation was basically squared away.

anyway... I think that about covers it, so...

have a lovely day.

[because apparently Friday's are all the rage, and because I've been known to shake my fist at convention, I've decided to update my wide readership on the happenings of my Tuesday's. Maybe I'll do this regularly, and maybe I won't, but whatever I decide to do will defy convention, because I'm rebellious and such.]


I set my alarm at 6 this morning so I could wake up/talk to Brad before his DPS interview. I went back to sleep until around 7:30, when Brad called me to let me know he had found the place okay and was heading in. I don't remember the entire conversation, but I think I might have told him to "knock 'em dead", which is not something I normally say as I firmly believe in the sixth commandment. But you never know what you're gonna get when I first wake up.

Around 8 I turned on The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air and ate some toast, then got dressed and headed into work at about 9.

I actually beat David to the office for once, and it was oddly quiet. I checked my email, which I've been doing quite frequently as of late, for any updates on job interviews. I have two potential interviews up in the air, but I'm waiting to hear back on the official dates because several SPR reps are out on vacation. [Update: Just found out I've got an interview on Thursday evening! Yay!] Around 10 we headed over to the conference room for staff meeting which was uneventful. I stepped out during staff meeting because I saw that Brad was calling, and got caught up on how his interview went (it went well, by the way).

After staff meeting we came back to the office and I played this game until lunch (I love it because it requires organization and planning ahead). David, Karen and I went up to Nac to have lunch with Ricky Ricks, the east district Lakeview coordinator, who wanted to hear our take on the week we spent at camp. We went to Auntie Pasta's, which is most definitely not my favorite restaurant. I'm finding out that I may not like Italian food, but the jury is still out. After lunch I went to the Runnels' new home, which I loved. I'm excited to see it all come together.

Now I'm about to meet up with Brad and relax for the rest of the afternoon. I foresee some Alias in my immediate future.

Have a lovely day.

yes please.

The disciple living by grace rather than law has undergone a decisive conversion - a turning from mistrust to trust. The foremost characteristic of living by grace is trust in the redeeming work of Jesus Christ.

To believe deeply, as Jesus did, that God is present and at work in human life is to understand that I am a beloved child of this Father and hence, free to trust. That makes a profound difference in the way I relate to myself and others; it makes an enormous difference in the way I live. To trust Abba, both in prayer and life, is to stand in childlike openness before a mystery of gracious love and acceptance.

:Brennan Manning:

I took today off of work to spend the day with Brad. He's been working everyday for almost a week, and even though I get to spend most evenings with him, he's pretty exhausted by the time he makes his way over to my house. I thought it would be nice to spend a non-exhausted day together, and I was right! We mostly spent the day running little errands, but after getting some wings for lunch followed by sno-cones for dessert, Brad took me to Lack's Home Furnishings! I love interior design, and so this was heaven on earth for me. (I feel like a huge dork as I read over that last sentence.) We spent some time wandering around the store picking out our dream entertainment center and living room furniture. Apparently a comfy recliner is a must.

Afterwards we watched a couple episodes of Alias. We're on season four, and I have reached the point of being ready to be done with it. I love spending the time with Brad, but J.J. Abrams had already left the show to write for LOST at this point, and all the acting skills in the world can't bring it back to its earlier greatness.

Then we cooked dinner. (I love the homey feeling it brings.) I made homemade mashed potatoes! This was a feat in and of itself. I kind of just act like I know what I'm doing when Brad's around the kitchen, and secretly have panic attacks as soon as his back is turned. I've only made mashed potatoes once before, so I was nervous, but they turned out edible. Yummy, even.

In summary: fantastic day.

just saw Batman. it. was. awesome.

happenings and such.

here's a basic recap of my life over the last month:

Insomniac: ah, the annual no-holds-barred, no sleep necessary, no-boring-allowed schooler trip designed to celebrate the start of summer. This year Insomniac took us to Arlington, Texas where we took in the Texas night sky at the planetarium, watched Kung Fu Panda in IMAX, and go-karted to our heart's content. Also featured on this trip: Adrienne puking. It was blue. It was awesome.

UMARMY: this was an amazing, if not hectic, week of providing free home repair to those who are unable to afford it in Willis, Texas. While it's the kids who do most of the work on this mission trip, I along with the ever-amazing Karen and the Debbies did a ton of behind the scenes work in order to help the week go smoothly. I also got to spend some time with Brad's good friend Justin, and learned what all the hype is about.

Lakeview: the week-long summer camp that shall not be mentioned here or hereafter.

Fourth of July: was me and Brad's one year anniversary! We spent the day in Tyler, shopping at one of the most glorious malls I've seen in Texas thus far, saw Hancock (it was really good, I recommend it), and eating burgers at Friday's. Brad got me a gorgeous dress and I got him two more polo shirts to add to his collection. If you see him looking particularly good and sporting a polo, it's probably one of the shirts I got him. It was really refreshing to be able to spend an entire day with my amazing boyfriend after such a long month. I can't believe we've been together for an entire year because it's gone by so fast, but it's honestly been the best year of my life.

etc: Brad got me a BlackJack, and I flippin' love it.

that about wraps it up. School started last week, and I just realized today that I have school everyday until the end of the year. Look forward to posts complaining about that in the future. I don't have any more major trips coming up, so maybe I can actually blog every now and then. Todd should be pleased.

it starts.

This week was the first official week of summer, and we kicked it off with a schooler* mission trip to Luling, Texas to build Personal Energy Transportation carts, or PETs. These carts can be pedaled by hand and give mobility back to someone who has lost it. It was an absolutely amazing experience. Over the course of only three days I watched nine kids transform as they grew more and more confident in their building skills, in their relationships with each other, and in their understanding of the justice God wants us to seek in the name of his kingdom.

On the last full day of the trip we went to Schlitterbahn in New Braunfels. At the risk of offending Texans everywhere, what follows is my reaction to the water park:

meh.

I had tons of fun hanging out with the kids, don't get me wrong. But water-park-wise I wasn't too impressed. I recognize that the park is lined up along the river in order to pump in water, but I found it hard to navigate. The east/west park set up was just weird, and there wasn't a lot of ride-type-variation.

Also, I think that the ambiance of the park has so much potential that isn't being tapped into. I mean, the German theme isn't the coolest, but if carried through could work. In my opinion, everything about Schlitterbahn seemed so random and full of advertisements that it just hurt to look at. They need to visit Disney's Typhoon Lagoon or Blizzard Beach and take some notes on theme. Those water parks take a single idea and expand upon it tastefully and well.

I say all of this because I know that Schlitterbahn regularly checks my blog to get ideas on park layout and theme carry-through.

Moving on...

This week is VBS, and I'm excited!

and just because I can:




[*the phrase 'schooler' is a loving and endearing term for a middle schooler. schoolers rock. seriously.]