Regular Room!

So, right after I updated yesterday, they moved my mom to a regular room. Very good news! I moved down there with her and it is a pretty good set up they have there. It's a double room, but her roomie doesn't seem to bad. She has a TV, which is an improvement over no entertainment whatsoever in the ICU. She also can order food when she gets hungry at meal times and has a small list to choose from rather than being surprised every time. Also, I get full reception on my cell phone in her new room so I will be able to answer and make calls from there.

Thank you so much to those of you who have called, left messages, facebooked, etc. with your encouraging words and prayers. I haven't had a chance to respond to everyone, but am trying. Anyways, I'll keep you posted on the latest. Love you!

Update

Hey sweet friends! Here is just a quick update on my mom.

She is doing okay and in good spirits. She is still in ICU, but maybe today or tomorrow might be able to move to a regular room. Last night, they took her off the face mask for oxygen and put her on a nasal cannula (the tube under the nose) which means improvement because it is a little less oxygen than she needed before. They have been running various tests (blood, echocardiogram, thyroid sonogram, etc.) on her all day. Otherwise, she has just been talking to us, sleeping and whatnot. She loves her nurses. So far she has had two male nurses - Noel and Jimmy - and has been pleased with both of them.

Anyways, I must get off the computer because it is a public one. Keep on praying. Love you!

PS - I need to decide if I want to go to Kenya in July on a missions trip and need to decide by Friday. Just pray that I will be able to discern God's will in this quickly. Thanks!

The past 24 hours...

....have been difficult to say the least.

I planned on my next post being fun pictures of Japan.

But it is not so.

Today, I spent the day at the hospital.

I'm fine. My precious mama is not.

Here's the scoop: So, the past few days, she has kind of been short of breath. However, she has had a cold and cough the past few weeks and we just kinda figured that it was part of it. So, she went to our family doctor yesterday afternoon after my brother left to go work at camp. The doctor said her lungs were clear, so set up an appointment with a cardiologist and for a chest xray for this morning.

As my mom was getting ready this morning (I was taking her), she was really short of breath and light headed, so much so that she couldn't really make it from her bathroom to her recliner in our living room. She decided that maybe going to the ER was a better option. So she called my dad at work to come home so we could all go together. When my dad got home, we were helping her stand up and she completely passed out and collapsed on us, not breathing or anything. So I grabbed my phone and made a frantic call to 911. Meanwhile, she came to, but just barely. The EMT arrived and put her on oxygen (which made things a little better) and checked her out and took her off to the hosptial (which is conveniently 5 minutes from our new house).

When we got there, they immediately started running tests, took a chest xray, took a CT scan and did some other stuff (it was a whirlwhind...I don't remember). After a while the results were in.

Pulmonary embolism. (it's hyperlinked to wikipedia)

So basically what that means, is tons of blood clots all throughout all regions of her lungs. Yeah...she could have died had we left it much longer. It is that serious.

So, because there were no ICU beds in the SL hospital, they transported her to the main hospital in the Med Center to the Surgical ICU there so they could watch her ever so closely.

She is there now, resting (not so comfortably because of all the stuff they have her attached to), but in good spirits given the situation. My dad and I have been with her all day besides lunch and dinner breaks and are taking turns tomorrow hanging out with her (and will continue to do so until she is discharged).

So, I guess all I am asking is to please pray. I have a lot of jumbled and mixed thoughts and feelings but am too drained to type it out. You can call if you want (it really doesn't hassle me at all), but I may not be able to answer because my phone is supposed to be off while in the ICU and I get horrible reception at the hospital. I will check my phone for any messages (text or voice) throughout the day.

So thanks sweet friends. God bless.

Things I Learned in Japan

*How to count to six:

1 = ichi

2 = knee

3 = sun

4 = see

5 = go

6 = rock

*The difference between temples and shrines. Shrines are Shinto. Temples are Buddhist. Most Japanese are both Shinto and Buddhist. All Shinto shrines are open to the public. Only a few large Buddhist temples are open to the public. There are over 700 temples and shrines in Kyoto alone.

*It is not polite to blow your nose during a meal. But it is polite to slurp your soup and noodles and you are corrected if you fail to do so.

*The most polite way to bow is at 33 degrees. If you made a mistake, 45 degrees. If you were really bad, 90 degrees. And there are certain rules about the number and type of bows you do that is complicated and only Japanese people know. So therefore, an American can just do a polite nod and Japanese people find this acceptable and know that Americans don't know about bowing.

* There are many more things I learned and wanted to share, but can't remember now. If I remember, I will share!

3rd Day in Japan!

The third and final day in Kyoto was another thrilling one. I wasn't sure what I was going to do that day because there was no accompanying persons tour scheduled and although Japan is very very safe, the language barrier can be a problem if you are lost and need help. However, at breakfast we saw my Canadian friend and Korean friend and they invited me to spend the day with them. They were planning on going on this really cool walking tour of Kyoto (apparently it has been fairly popular - like on the Discovery Channel and stuff) and it only cost 2000 yen ($20). So we took off and found our tour guide (named Johnnie Hillwalker). He's this cute little Japanese man that has been doing this same five hour walking tour for 47 years. Seriously...47 years! He moved to Kyoto right after getting married because he wanted to be a tour guide and has been doing it every since. Anyways, on the tour we walked all through town seeing different shrines and temples, different artisan parts of town and other neat things around the city. I didn't know this, but Kyoto is the handicraft center of Japan. If you have a fan from Japan (like the real hand painted ones) it came from Kyoto. A lot of pottery comes from there too. And other various crafts. And the craftsmen all living in these towns live and work in their houses and their families have been doing it for 17 generations. And all the potters live in one part of town, all the fan makers in another, all the tatami mat (the mats on the floors in their houses) makers in another and so on. It is very very cool. I even got to see and take pictures of the craftsmen making these crafts. After walking through all the crafts parts of town, we went to this really good sushi makers place and got to try a piece of inari sushi (vegetarian). Oh my I have never had such good sushi. And ours was simple - the flavored rice with tofu wrapped around it and lightly fried. Delicious! After the sushi, we went to a Japanese pastry maker's shop (one of the best in Japan) and tried a pastry and some tea (of course...nothing can be eaten without tea in Japan). We also went by the pottery painter's house and watched him paint and then outside, there was racks of pottery on sale that you could buy that they actually painted. I bought a really pretty bowl with purple flowers on it.



After the really long tour, we caught a taxi back to the hotel. My dad wanted to do some stuff so I freshened up and we headed off (on foot...so much walking in Japan). We went to the handicraft center again and got all the gifts/souvenirs we planned on. I got a really pretty miako (geisha) doll. We got my brother this really cool puzzle box that can only be opened a certain way and its like a logic puzzle. We got my mom a musical kokechi doll. Kokechi dolls are really pretty wooden painted dolls. And Audrey, I got you a couple of prints there...I'll get them to you soon. After the shopping (we got it all done in an hour...record timining!), we headed over to this part of town called the Philosopher's Walk. It's just this pretty stretch along the canal that has lots of trees (it is especially popular when cherry blossoms are blooming in March and April) and there are little restaurants and shops all along the way. It kind of reminded me of the River Walk in San Antonio but more quiet and peaceful. None of the shops or restaurants were opened because it was 5:00, so I wished we had gone earlier, but oh well. It was still peaceful. By that point, I had had my fill of walking (8 hours....ouch!) so we trekked back to the hotel. Since I hadn't eaten lunch that day, I was starving.

We decided to leave the hotel for dinnner, but stay pretty close by. So we got a list of suggested restaurants from the concierge but really just kind of looked at restaurants as we went by. We ended up at this really cute little restaurant (they are all really cute and little in Japan) and we chose it because it had english translations on the menu. This place, you also took off your shoes and sat on the floor to eat. Very authentic. In Japan, some of the restaurants have pictures or wax replicas of their food outside the restaurant so you just point to what you want (without really knowing what you are getting) and not much is in English. However, you do find some with english translations, so that way you kind of have an idea of what you will be putting in your belly. My dad and I both ordered Tempura Soba (buckwheat noodles in broth with some tempura shrimp). So yummy. I would love to eat Japanese noodles for my whole life. The bowl was huge but so good to my hungry belly. We also talked to this older couple from Denver who were on a month long tour of Asia and they were really funny. People from Colorado are always interesting. After dinner, we headed back to the hotel and packed up. I am proud to say that this is maybe the best packing job I have ever done thus far. After the disastrous packing job I did for Boston, I didn't want to make that mistake again. Not only did everything fit in my suitcase that I brought, but I was able to pack all of our souvenirs (including one fairly large box) and all my clothes and shut the suitcase without struggle or having to sit on it. Nice. I was very pleased with myself :0) Then it was time to sleep. Yay!

The next morning, we ate breakfast and checked out. So sad to leave! We boarded our flight and there was the same male flight attendant we had had on the way there. He was so loud and obnoxious and gave everyone random nicknames. Ugh. It was a long flight with him being our flight attendant. But otherwise it was okay and I just read almost the entire 13 hours (this is why I don't read constantly because once I start, it is very hard for me to stop and I can swallow up hours and hours just reading). The rest of the trip was uneventful and we made it back to Houston!

Another exciting day in Japan...

Day 2 was another great day! We woke up and had the international buffet for breakfast again. Immediately after breakfast, I met the rest of the accompanying persons group in the lobby to head off for another day of seeing the sights. First, we headed to the Golden Pavillion (called Kinkaku-ji in Japanese). It is basically this beautiful Buddhist temple that is all gold and set in a very pretty garden (actually, all of Japan seems like a really pretty garden). We walked around there and took a lot of pictures. It was so crowded. Since it is one of the temples on UNESCO's World Heritage List, it is very popular for tourists to go see. Also, spring is the time for schools to take field trips to all the historical sights, so everywhere we went, there were like thousands of Japanese students of all ages running around looking at the stuff and taking pictures. One thing I find interesting is that any time a young Japanese person (like under 30 or so) takes a picture, they flash the peace sign. Can't figure out the significance of it yet but they all do it for every picture.



After that temple, we headed to another temple (that also is on the list) called the Kiyomizudera Temple. It is humongous! There are three springs right next to each other there that you drink out of. One is for health, the other for wealth and the last for wisdom. You choose one so you can receive that in your own life. So we all stood in line and did it. I drank out of the wisdom one. Why you might ask? Well, as we were walking up to the temple, our guide, Daisy, mentioned that there was a matchmaking shrine up the hill that we could visit if we wanted. Well remember how all the other people in my lovely group are chemical company executive's wives? Yeah. They all wanted me to go and were laughing about and chatting about it in their various languages. The Spanish lady was laughing and pointing at me to her friend saying, "Senorita. Senorita!" But we didn't go and I was okay with that. Well, when we got to the springs, they again asked me what I would pick so I could get a good husband since we didn't go to the shrine. So I told them I chose the wisdom one so I could pick a good husband. They liked that and then told me that when I get married, I need to bring my husband back and have him drink out of the wealth spring. Haha. These ladies crack me up!



Anyways, after that, we walked down this street with all these shops that were selling various Japanese cultural things. The Korean lady in the group treated the American lady, the Canadian lady and me to some green tea ice cream. So good! It isn't super sweet like American flavors of ice cream but rather has a gently sweet and very refreshing flavor. I think if I could find it in the States, I would probably eat it. After our ice cream stop, we loaded on the bus again and made our way back to the hotel. My dad had waited for lunch for me, so we tried the Japanese restaurant in our hotel. Pretty good. They were like set lunches so you got a mix of things. I think there was a noodle bowl, some vegetables, some sashimi (still liking the raw fish...weird!), some really good rice and some tofu with stuff on it (I didn't really like the tofu stuff...it had an odd flavor). After lunch, we walked to the Kyoto Handicraft Center, which is about five floors of different Japanese handicrafts. It is neat. I still have yet to buy anything because I wanted to see what was available, but I think my dad and I decided today (Wednesday) was our buying day. Like I said, I don't want to buy much, so what I do buy, I want it to be good.



After the Handicraft center, we walked around Kyoto in the rain for a while. We were looking for this other craft center type thing, but found it but it was all boarded up. So walking around the streets and seeing how Japanese people really live in their city was neat. We actually entered the Gion district of Kyoto, which is where you can see modern day mikos (geishas) walking around in the traditional kimonos and obis. Kyoto is kind of like this weird clash of old world Japan meeting modern city life. It is neat. You walk through the streets and see shrines and temples right next to motorcycle shops and restaurants. Very interesting juxtaposition.



We finally made it back to the hotel and cleaned up for our Gala Dinner that night. Little did we know what a treat we were in for for this dinner. AMAZING! It was a traditional Japanese dinner (very expensive...but the conference/company pays for it for its guests) with like seriously 9 courses. It started with a little plate of vegetables and tofu, some of which I liked and some of which I didn't. Then there was some kind of soup (kinda like miso, but it wasn't). Then some sashimi. There were several other dishes that I can't remember but there was the traditional shabu shabu (Japenese hot pot) course. That was cool. Basically it's a boiling pot and they put really good meat and vegetables in and you take what you want. Very good. Definitely a real treat this dinner was! After dinner, we dressed up in kimonos and stuff and took pictures. The night was so so fun! One fun thing was that we ate with no shoes on and sat in these little tiny half chairs. Kinda weird being at a fancy dinner all dressed up but in your stockings! After that, we headed back to the hotel and once again crashed from a busy day!

Day 1 in Japan

Konichiwa my friends! Day 1 in Japan proved to be pretty exciting. In the morning, we woke up, got ready and then went to the breakfast buffet in the hotel. You have the choice of that international buffet or a Japanese set breakfast. We decided the buffet was probably a better option because the Japanese set breakfast consists of things like poached fish, miso soup and other things that might not settle so well on an American stomach so early in the morning. After breakfast, we decided to trek out and see some of the sights within walking distance of our hotel. We saw 3 temples/shrines which were all gorgeous. I really like Japanese architecture. I got a lot of pictures of the outsides of the temples/shrines but photos aren't allowed inside. Neither are your shoes.

Funny story: Trying very hard not to be obnoxious American tourists, we were following all the rules we knew and had been reading up on Japanese cultural customs before our outings. When it said no pictures, we took none despite the other tourists around us happily snapping away. Well, as we left one of the temples, we were retrieving our shoes. We started to put them back on thinking we were free and clear of the temple and it was now the appropriate time to put them back on and continue about our day. Well just as we got them on a monk/priest comes out and starts yelling, "shoes! shoes! shoes!" and wildly pointing at us and glaring at us very angrily. And the other tourists looking around to see who was causing such a commotion. Apparently, although outside the door of the temple, we were still standing on the wooden floor that is part of the temple, and also the part that shoes are not allowed on. Had we walked maybe 5 feet further to the stone steps and walkway, we would have been in the clear. But no. So we quickly got our shoes off again, ran to the stone, put them on and hurried out of there to avoid any further scene or embarrassment.

After our morning hike out in town, we returned to the hotel, where there is a garden and bird watching sanctuary so we started to hike through that. It had some beautiful views of the city! We had to cut our hike short because lunch was starting. I had to get down some lunch in about 15 minutes so I could join up with the accompanying persons tour group. Lunch was okay, nothing too exciting.

I found my group and was asked if I had to get back to little ones back in the United States. I kinda stood there thinking, "Seriously??" and then was like, "um, no, I'm with my dad...I'm a daughter!" The lady who was asking me this (she was an American) just told me that it is usually just wives that come and so she assumed that I was with my husband. The group of wives was very interesting as well. I was a total misfit! They are all these chemical company executive's wives and fare from all over the world. One was from Korea, one from Canada, two from Venezuela, one from Brazil and then the one American lady, who is from New Jersey. Well after they figured out that I was a daughter and only 24, they all decided that they should marry me off to their sons. Nice. On the tour, we went to this Movie Land thing which is kind of like a Japanese version of Universal Studios, but without the rides. We saw a ninja show and a haunted house. Interesting look into Japanese film but maybe not the most interesting part of the trip. After the movie land, we went to this area at the base of the mountains called Arishiyama. There is a famous bridge there whos e name when translated means "Moon Crossing Over Bridge". When it is sunset, I guess you can see the moon setting over this bridge. It is supposed to be very pretty and romantic. While we were there, we went to a tea house and had traditional green tea (very bitter!) and a Japanese sweet (very sweet and very interesting). The two need to go together to balance each other out. After the tea, we walked around some shops, but I have yet to purchase anything. I don't want to get a lot, so I really want to put thought into what I am getting.

After we returned to the hotel, I showered and got ready for the conference dinner. The conference dinner was pretty tasty. There were different stations with different kinds of Japanese cuisine to try. I tried tempura, kobe beef, a noodle bowl and some real sushi (I think maybe called sashimi?). So yummy! I liked that everything was just a small sample so I could try it all. I was surprised to find that I liked the raw fish sushi too! I usually do not eat fish because I can't stand the taste, but decided to take the plunge here. I am so glad I did. The fish wasn't fishy tasting at all. I liked it so much I might even get it in the States when I return now instead of my usual Philadelphia Roll. Haha... After dinner, I crashed. I was starting to fall asleep even during dinner, but so was everyone else so I think we all called it an early night. I came back, laid on my bed at 8:30 still in my dress clothes and slept there until 10 when my dad woke me up to put my pjs on.

So yay! That was day one of my fabulous adventures in Japan. I have been keeping busy so my updates are a little behind, but have no fear, I will get it all in. Also, I am going to wait to post all my pictures until I get back because I need to sort through them all (the count is at 163 right now!) and pick my favorites to put on here. Hope y'all are doing well. God bless!

Arrived!

Well, here I am writing to you from Japan. It is almost 8:00 a.m. here, but for my friends in Texas, it is still yesterday there and not quite 6:00 p.m. Kinda crazy how that works out. In fact, when we leave her on Thursday, we will arrive in Detroit on the same day technically before we even left (does that make sense??) Anyways, we haven't done much yet. Yesterday we took a taxi from the airport in Osaka to our hotel here in Kyoto (so cool!) We got settled in our room and decided to eat something. We went to the hotel's cafe and I got to eat some Udon noodles...yum! (pictured left...but that is a picture from the internet, not actually my picture) The only thing was that they took all my silverware from me before my meal came and I was forced to eat with the chopsticks - something I try often but still don't quite have the hang of, especially with noodles! But I did okay and enjoyed my meal.

Last night, I actually slept okay despite reversing my sleep schedule. I slept for about 2 hours, woke up, went back to sleep for 2 hours, woke up and continued this until about 5:30 this morning, which isn't too bad considering the crazy schedule change. My dad's conference stuff doesn't start until about 12:30 so I think we are going to explore a bit this morning. While my dad is conferencing this afternoon, I will be going on a tour of this Movieland thing where they have historical like buildings used for movies and TV shows and then to a park that has lots of cherry blossoms. Then tonight is the Conference Welcome Dinner, which I will be attending with my dad. Should be fun! I'll let y'all know how it all goes and maybe even post some pictures.

God bless!

And I'm Off!

In just a few short hours, my dad and I will be loading our suitcases into the Mustang, driving to the airport and jetting to Japan! I AM SO FREAKIN' EXCITED!!

My plan was to be in bed a lot earlier tonight but that didn't happen. Not because of my procrastination. Oh no. I actually finished packing (and did an excellent job if I do say so myself...I don't think I overpacked too badly this time!) early this afternoon.

Well, you see, this morning I woke up feeling a little congested and didn't think much of it because I have been in and out of feeling congested the past few weeks. So I went about my merry way visiting my school for next year (I'll tell you more about that in another very exciting post), eating lunch with sweet Ashley (my friend from Baylor, roomate in Denton and precious friend who I am very excited to have moving back to Houston!), packing and what not. Well since we will be out of the country on Mother's Day (don't mention that to my mom...she WILL cry), we celebrated tonight by taking her to this super yummy Indian restaurant called Mayuri. I knew I wasn't feeling a hundred percent, but figured I could knock it pretty quickly. Oh no. That was not the case. As dinner progressed, I started to ache all over, be dizzy and just feel plain yuck. So I said maybe we should go to Urgent Care (mind you, my mom had been asking all day if we should go to the doctor...should have listened). Unfortunately, since I waited too long, all the urgent cares were closed (they close at 9). So I got to make a really fun trip to the ER. Woohoo. I would get sick before a big trip (and sadly, this is not even just the first or second time it has happened). So after an hour there and them deciding that it was hay fever (bad allergies) and some discussion with the cute, single doctor, we again were on our merry way....to the 24 Hour Walgreens...where we waited about another hour. Also, while at the ER, they gave me this fabulous shot of steroids that actually has worked a miracle in about the last 2 hours...I feel MUCH better. PTL!

Anyways, at Ashley's suggestion, I am going to try to post every day about what I am doing in Japan. Get excited (and pray for my hay fever!). Love you!

I have a J-O-B!!!!

Sooooo...big news!! I now have a job for the upcoming school year :0) And I couldn't be more excited! Let me tell you the neat story of how God provided this amazing opportunity....it's a good one!

So rewind to last week. I had interviewed with a school in this same district a few weeks ago. Well, they called last Thursday to offer me that job and gave me only 24 hours to decide (given that I still had several interviews and a job fair scheduled, that wasn't a lot of time to give me to weigh my options). I just didn't feel a peace about accepting it and it wasn't really the type of Special Ed job that I wanted (it was a Resource/Inclusion type job). The principal advised me that the district can be hard to get into (true) and that the job I wanted (LIFE Skills) was usually given to more experienced teachers (also true). However, I just couldn't escape the feeling that God was really calling me to teaching something like LIFE Skills. Plus, the Resource/Inclusion jobs are plentiful so if I didn't take this one, I knew there would be more because of the dire need for them. So, I turned it down, knowing full well God would provide.

Saturday morning, I went to the job fair for this same district. In one word, it was overwhelming. Thousands of people vying for a job in the district all milling around this huge (but not huge enough) arena. Since I was looking for a very specific job, there were only a few with openings so I just went to those tables. However, some did not have a job opening for a LIFE Skills teacher (I had been sent by HR there - I guess HR was misinformed) and some had already filled their opening. However, at this one table, I waited in line to talk to the people manning the table and told them what I wanted. The lady sent me right on up to interview (they do on-site interviews in the bleachers of this arena). The interview itself went fairly well and I really like the teachers I was interviewing with. But, I kinda knew, realistically speaking, they would probably hire someone else with more experience under their belt. So, after milling around for a while longer, I left the fair, feeling somewhat discouraged and wondering why I even came. I also was frustrated that I had stayed up late working on something like 30 portfolios to hand out and was returning home with about 25 of them. Anyways, I went on my merry way and drove to Austin to meet up with people from church there for our Extremely Short Term Missions Trip (another post).

We were eating dinner at Kerbey Lane (SO YUMMY!) that night. I heard my phone ring but didn't get to it in time. It wasn't a number I knew, so I just decided to let the person leave a message. Well, I listened to the message and almost fell out of my chair! He said his teachers really liked me and that he was recommending me for the position! I had also been told to expect to hear something either way in about a week or so so the fact that he called that night shocked me too. What the recommending bit means is that he tells HR that he wants to hire me and then they check all my paperwork and background check and other stuff and then they have to call and officially extend me the offer (hence the reason I waited until today to tell you this story). I did accept this morning with a full peace that this is where I need to be (despite upcoming job interviews that I will now have to turn down/cancel). I had been told by many many people that if I could get in to the district, especially in Special Ed, I needed to take it.

But I have more to tell you about the ways God has provided this perfect job for me. I had several criteria that I really wanted met, but knew realistically that I might not be able to find the perfect school to meet all my criteria. Well, God answered every single prayer about those things! The first is the actual position of LIFE Skills teacher - I wanted it and felt called to it but knew it might be out of my reach until I had more experience, especially for this district. I'm not sure what prompted them to take a chance on me, but I am glad they are! The second is the demographic makeup of the school. It is a Title 1 (which means low income - a certain percentage of the school is on free/reduced lunch) school. Now in other parts of Houston, that is not uncommon. But in this district, it is the exception rather than the rule. The rest of the district is fairly affluent. I worked at a Title 1 school last year as an aide and really liked it. Also, if I work at a Title 1 campus for 5 years, I get loan forgiveness. Yep, you read that right! That means loans I have from my last year at Baylor and all of my grad school (mostly in loans) would be paid for. So yay for that! Next, the location is perfect. I wanted to be able to live in a good part of town that would place me equally distant from church and work and neither would be a chore to drive to. This school, where it is located is perfect and I will probably be able to live in the middle of the two and only drive 10-15 minutes to each! And against the flow of traffic!!! So cool. Another neat thing about this school is that my mom's best friend (who now lives in Kuwait) was a first grade teacher there for a few years and loved the school, so I know the school has a good reputation. Lastly, many of the elementary schools in this district have 900-1000 students and are overcrowded. Yuck. This school only has 450 students! So great.

So that is my wonderful story of how God provided a job for me - not just the minimum - but did immeasurably more than I could ask for (He said He would, so I don't know why I had any question about it). Anyways, I couldn't pass on sharing this info with you and the marvelous way God has provided for me in this. AMEN!

God bless!

10 Things

So, lately a lot of people have been making lists of things that people may not know about them. So I'm going to jump on that bandwagon and do the same. So here goes...

1. I hate tomatoes, fish and bell peppers. Those are probably the three things in this world that I refuse to eat (I have tried them though...). There are other foods I don't particularly care for but will eat if I don't have a choice. Those three though, I refuse! Like if they bring me a sandwich with tomato on it and I asked for no tomato, I will return it and ask for a new one because simply removing the offending tomato leaves tomato juice on the sandwich and I can still taste it. Normally I'm not that ridiculous of a customer... Funny thing though, I think all three of these foods are beautiful and look tasty and wish I liked them. Weird, I know.
2. I can read for hours on end. Literally, hours. And I've done this since I was really little.
3. I will jump at any chance to travel. Like even if it is just a weekend trip to San Antonio. I just love going out and doing and seeing things. Something about traveling just makes me feel excited and alive.
4. Along with the travel, I absolutely love to fly! Just going to the airport excites me. Some people are airplane phobics, but not me!
5. The two things I am most passionate about in life are children with special needs and ministry to women and girls. There is just something that tugs at my heart about both of those things.
6. There are three things in life that I feel like I can never have enough of and will always find a way to justify the purchase of a new one: bags (purses, travel bags, totes, etc.), blankets/quilts and jackets. I've gotten a lot better but whenever I walk by these things, I get excited and have to talk myself out of it.
7. I love to start crafty projects but have difficulty finishing them. If only you knew how many half completed craft projects I have sitting around.
8. I love to sing at the top of my lungs but pity the person who is around when I do so. I wish I could belt things out and people would enjoy it, but that is not my gift in life, so far now, my life as a diva will be limited to my car and my shower.
9. I am a list maker. Post it notes are my best friend. If I have several things to be done or several things I need to purchase, a list will be made. When I was in college, everday I would make a list in my first class of the day of what needed to be done that day. Lists calm me down and help me to prioritize. If I don't make them, I get very overwhelmed.
10. Wherever I go, I must have a sweater/sweatshirt/jacket with me. I get cold often and am miserable when I am cold. So even if it is the middle of summer in Houston and 100 degrees, I will carry one of those things with me in case I am somewhere cold.

Is Something Wrong? Maybe...

I'm just gonna be brutally honest for a sec here. Pardon my dust...

So, since there is a significant amount of mental illness (bipolar, depression and the like) in my family, I always feel like I'm living under this threat that I may too have something wrong. I mostly just take that with a grain of salt but then sometimes I start thinking about and really wondering if something truly is wrong. Since I'm fairly familiar with some of the manifestations of these illnesses, I know what to look for. But I need a second opinion (I know some of you out there know a bit about this topic...). I'm thinking it may or may not be a mild form of depression, but am not sure if it is permanent or temporary and if it is a true mental illness or a misaligned spiritual attitude. Here's what I am seeing...

1. Excessive sleeping and not feeling like I can ever get enough - I've never been like this up until this point.
2. Apathy in some areas of my life - like working especially - I will find any excuse not to substitute and don't even care that I am losing what little money I earn (but need!) over the deal.
3. Some degree of anxiety.
4. Bouts of extreme frustration over small things - example: tonight I was making dinner and could not find the right seasoning that I had just purchased last week - I nearly had a melt down but talked myself out of it before I started crying.
5. Sensitivity - like emotional sensitivity - this is to some degree part of how I am wired but than there are times when I know I am being hypersensitive and all around ridiculous.

Now here's the thing too. These aren't constants. They kind of ebb and flow and I never know when they are coming.

So what are your thoughts? Is there something truly wrong that I need to seek professional help for? Or am I afflicted with a sinful attitude and need to break the cycle of sin I am in? I really am baffled so any advice/experience you might have would be helpful.

So enough about that junk. In exciting news, I have an interview this week with a really neat charter school! I am going to Austin this weekend on an Extremely Short Term Mission Trip that I helped to plan (one of my favorite pastimes - planning things!) so I am pumped about that. I have a job fair on Saturday with a really good district. My dog is really cute.

That is all for now! God bless!

Konichiwa!

So big news! In an unexecpected turn of events, I will be going to Japan for 5 days in May! How very exciting is that!??! My dad is going there on a business trip and I am accompanying him there. Every time he goes on a business trip, we jokingly talk about how I should come with him because he knows I love to fly and to travel and always jump at the chance to do so. Well this time, instead of remaining a joke, it became serious and now I am going. I will digitizing (is that even a word??) all of the photos from our whole life (like we are talking before I was born up until the time my dad discovered a digital camera) and organizing them all into albums and such, so Japan is my payment for doing this. They were going to pay me for doing the photos but I suggested that Japan be my payment instead (maybe not the wisest financial decision, but I figure travel now while I can and worry about earning money later). So yay! That is my super exciting news for the day!
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In other news, I have a great book for all you dog lovers out there (and even those who aren't so fond of man's best friend). The name of the book is Marley and Me. It is by John Grogan. So I've never cried at reading a book before. I bawled in this book. It was soooo good and really captures the spirit of why we love our furry friends so very much. Just read it. Trust me, you won't regret it.

Learning to Like Wine

So up to this point, I really haven't been much of a drinker. Not because I'm opposed to it (in moderation of course) but mainly because aside from really expensive fruity drinks, I don't really like the taste of alcohol.

However, I have recently stumbled upon not 1, but 2 different wines that I actually like. The first, Chelsea shared with me. It's called a Spatlese (sp?)...it's a sweet German wine that is very tasty.

The second, which I didn't think I would like but my brother convinced me to give it a try, is White Zinfandel (another sweet wine of course...). I had it at my cousin's wedding this past weekend and it was very good!

So now I can order more than just diet coke and water when out with friends! I feel kinda like I'm getting older and less like I'm 8 years old. Not completely, but this is a step up! Haha... anyways just wanted to share, especially for those of you who share in my former disdain for wine. Give it a try friends!

Beantown!

I think it is hilarious that they call Boston "Beantown". I'm not sure why. Maybe it is because I think the word "bean" is a funny word. Just say it. It just kinda makes you chuckle. And then to call this huge, cultural, socially aware city by it. Anyways...on to my fabulous week there! Sorry this post has been so delayed. I love to blog. I really do. But for whatever reason, even though I have a million ideas to write about currently, I can't seem to make myself do it. Go figure. Anyways.

I left very early Tuesday morning with my new pink traveling backpack (I am going on several trips in the somewhat near future so decided it was necessary - and it was pink) and my majorly overpacked suitcase (never doing that again...I thought I was getting over my overpacking disease!) I'm not kidding you...for a four day visit, I think I packed enough for 2 weeks! Chelsea found me at baggage claim and off we were on our grand adventure! It started off with a bang trying to get all my excuse my french, crap, loaded off and on the three buses/subways that it takes to get to their apartment, walk with it all the way to the apartment (which was a lengthy walking distance from the T stop - especially w/a heavy suitcase) and then up 4 flights of very narrow stairs. Chels was a great pal and never complained and helped me lug that baby up. Oy. After a light lunch, she took me over to see some of the shops at Coolidge Corner and to Trader Joe's - a really cool supermarket that is like Whole Foods but way more affordable. Then we came home and rested a little and waited for Jeremy to come home. We made hot dogs for dinner. After that, we went to their pastor's house for a baby dedication and party. They have some really sweet people at their church. I really enjoyed putting some faces with names I had been hearing since they moved here.

On Wednesday, we woke up and even though it was cold and rainy, we wanted to make the best of our time and headed out. We went down to Government Center and saw some of the sights on the Freedom Trail. Chelsea, having been on it several times, knew all the cool facts, even the little ones that not a lot of people know, was a great tour guide despite the yucky weather. After walking around some and seeing the inside of Quincy Market (this really cool famous hall that has been turned into a food court, but a really nice one with some neat restaurants), we decided to trek over to Little Italy (the Italian neighborhood in Boston) for some lunch and some real Italian food - not Olive Garden. We went to this restaurant that Chelsea had been to before. SO YUMMY! I had this yummy saffron risotto with shrimp in it. Boston has this thing called restaurant week and we so happened to be there during it. Basically what that means is that the fancy restaurants around town pick their best meals and put it on a set menu for like $20-$30. You get like four courses too. So Chelsea, for $20 got four courses. She got a salad (I think it was bruschetta maybe?), an appetizer (don't remember), a pasta (some really good pasta in a tomato based sauce) and some very yummy stuffed chicken breast (I know it was all yummy b/c she let me try it - don't worry, I let her try mine too!). After that, we walked around a bit more and then decided that the weather was too much for us (well me, mainly) and headed back to the apartment where we rested and watched Rachael Ray. I don't remember what we did for dinner that night but after dinner, Chelsea had a special treat for me. There is the fabulous dessert place called Finale near her apartment. For my Christmas present (better late than never...and I'm always in the mood for Christmas!) she took me there. I got this rich and gooey molten chocolate cake (think Chili's but better!) and she had Creme Brulee. Soooo yummy.

The next day, the weather was a little more pleasant. So we headed out to see Fenway! So cool. I'm not the biggest baseball fan, but I do like the sport and have a pretty good appreciation for it's history. We actually had the opportunity to walk right on the field through a construction entrance but figured that if we got in trouble for it, Jeremy wouldn't be too pleased about bailing his wife and her friend out of jail. After that, we walked to Government Center and went to this shopping center. We browsed through Barnes and Noble (I could spend hours in that store!) and then ate at the food court where I got some deeeee-licious clam chowder complete with a bread bowl and everything. After that, we walked around some more seeing the Boston Marathon finish line and took a picture pretending to run across it (like anyone would ever believe that I could run that sucker...haha), saw the library (which is more like a museum) and then she took me to this fantastic gem of a store called H&M. Too bad the funds are low b/c I could have gone wild in a store like that! We then headed over to meet some of her friends to go to Bible study. They are doing a Beth Moore study (isn't she fantastic??). It was really neat to get to meet these women and know more about the people Chels is always telling me about. Really neat ladies with some amazing, authentic faith. After that, we went home and ordered Thai food for dinner. You can't go wrong with Thai food! If I had to eat one type of food for the rest of my life, I think it would be Thai food.

On Friday, we went back down to Government Center and saw some of the sights we had missed on our previous bad weather day (such as the Boston Massacre sight, where the Declaration of Independence was first read and the like...) We ate lunch at Quincy Market (sooo good...even Rachael Ray at there for one of her shows!) We also went to the fruit and vegetable market which is so neat. I would love to live in a place that had that. Chelsea got some stuff for her and Jeremy and I got two things called pluots (a cross between a plum and an apricot). They were so sweet and delicious! I have tried to find them here in Houston, but have yet to discover where they are hiding. We also went over and walked through the Holocaust Memorial. It was very neat, moving and sobering. I'm a big history nut and especially am intrigued with WWII and Holocaust history. Sometime during this day we also went and saw Harvard, which was pretty cool. We also found a really neat bookstore there and browsed through there for a good long time. After our fun day out, we headed back to her apartment so I could pack up and sadly leave me sweet friends and fly back to Texas.

So all in all, it was a fabulous trip not just because I was getting to travel but because I got to see two of my very favorite people! Below is just some of the pictures of my trip...enjoy! And so sorry for the month delay in the post! I'm horrible! And that's also the reason some of the details/days are mixed up because I have now forgotten what order they happened in.

Stewart Star of the Rub-Al-Khali (aka Ruby)

A piece of my childhood died today.

Yeah, it was my precious cat. I've had her since I was 6. I mean she would have been 18 in a few weeks and that is extremely old for a kitty. And I knew when my mom took her to the vet this morning that that was probably what was going to happen. She was sick. She has been for a year. And the last few weeks, she has just really slowed down and obviously deteriorated. But yeah, sweet Ruby will be missed. I think even Ella senses that something sad is happening. Ella loved Ruby. Ruby despised Ella, but that did not stop Ella from constantly trying to gain the affections of this aging and crazy cat!

Anyways, I know it is kind of silly, but could you pray for my family in this? She has been a big part of our lives and so it is like saying good bye to a huge portion of our lives. My mom is especially sensitive to this kind of stuff so pray for her too because a lot of her life revolved around taking care of the cat and meeting the cat's needs. So yeah. I know people are dealing with bigger things than their cat dying, but many of you have been there - losing a pet hurts! My family has suffered this several times over the past 18 months with my first dog, Maya, dying 3 weeks after I got her (she was sick to begin with and I didn't know), Zeke, our 13 year old dog died last year of cancer and now Ruby. Kinda funny how the oldest pet lasted the longest!

Anyways, Ruby is in kitty heaven now (no, I'm not looking for a theological/philosophical debate on the existence of pet heaven). She will be missed!

In her honor, here's a list of things that we will miss about her:

• The way she yelled/meowed at you when she was hungry


• The way she whipped all the dogs in her life into shape into doing exactly what she wanted


• The way she would jump on your lap the minute you sat down as if you were her personal pillow


• The way she would jump around all the counters in our old house


• The way she loved my dad's BBQ chicken - I kid not


• The way she thought my Barbie Dreamhouse was her personal house


• The way she cried/meowed in her crate on every single trip to the vet


• The way she would eat Ella's dog food


• And many many more that I just can't think of right now - I mean really, how do you sum up 18 years?!?!

Coming up next is the promised Boston post! I've already started it but have yet to finish it or upload my pictures. Get excited!

*And yes, the title in my post is her full name. My brother and I were 3 and 6. My parents were trying to appease us. I wanted to name the cat Star really badly so they put it in there. She was the Stewart's cat so obviously. And the Rub-Al-Khali is a desert in Saudi Arabia that has reddish sand - Ruby's fur was kind of a similar color to it. So yeah there's the explanation in case you were wondering.

Thriller...

Since I didn't watch the commercials doing Superbowl this year, I stumbled upon this beauty just last night. Because I have a fairly strong affinity for Michael Jackson music (notice I say "music", not an affinity for the actual person...oi vey!), you will understand why I like this commercial so much!! Just click HERE to see it on YouTube :0)

Coming up next is a post about my FABULOUS trip to Beantown!

*If anyone knows how to post videos from YouTube on here, please share with me how! I know Ashley and Chelsea do so tell me how! Thanks guys!

Post #100!!! (and Rascal Flatts!!!!)

It is my 100th post!! How exciting is that!?!?! Break out the champagne and the "100" sunglasses (the kind they wear to celebrate the 100th day of school!). That's all...hahaha

Now that that excitement is finished, let's move on to the real excitement - RASCAL FLATTS CONCERT!!! Can we say AMAZING!?!?! I'll give you the run down of what we did and then post some pictures of all the fun.

When we got there, we decided to eat first. A bunch of good restaurants set up booths there and we decided on Pappasito's. I know it isn't BBQ, but my taco was good so whatever. Then we walked up 5 levels of Reliant Arena (hey, I'm not complaining - those tickets were free!) and found our seats. For the next 2 hours, we watched all the rodeo events. Very cool. It got a little old after 2 hours of it, but it was still interesting (and there were some rather attractive cowboys...). Then, they had a calf scramble where high school students chase calves that have been let loose and get like money or a scholarship or something for catching the calves. Talk about a rough game! Those calves stomped all over those poor kids. Not a sport I'm wanting to get into any time soon. Finally, the stage came out and started rotating and the sweet music of Rascal Flatt's filled my ears :0) Since I know many of their songs and so does Jenny, we sang along. So great. I even got some illegal videos (they said no videotaping but my camera has a video function so I got a few clips of some my favorite songs - shhhh, don't tell!). However, I'm somewhat technologically impaired and cannot figure out how to post videos on here so I can't share those with you. Pictures will have to suffice...

Jenny & me excited for Rascal Flatts!

Calf Scramble!!!

Excitement!

I am so excited about several things this week and the weeks to come that I feel like I'm going to burst! Since I am home alone this week (the rest of the fam is in New Orleans enjoying free food and fun on my dad's company's tab - they are at a conference) I decided my blog would be the best choice for an outlet for some of my excitement. So here are the exciting things!

Job Interview!
Tomorrow morning, I will have my first interview for a teaching position with Katy ISD. It is just really a screening interview, but it's a start! Plus, Katy is a great school district and is supposed to have a fantastic special ed program (people relocate there just so their kids can participate in their programs), so if I could get a job there, that would be fabulous! I've had positive interactions with the district so far, so hopefully this will be another positive interaction.

Rodeo!
So, I've never really been to the Houston Rodeo before (sad, I know, since I have lived here for 8.5 years and all). I have been to the BBQ cookoff briefly but we didn't really do anything but that - like concert-wise and stuff. Well, that is all changing tomorrow evening! Jenny called me this morning and said she had two free tickets to get this, THE RASCAL FLATTS CONCERT!! Not only am I excited about the rodeo, but I also get to see one of my favorites in concert! And for free!! I about peed my pants I was so excited when she asked me (FYI - I didn't really pee on myself - that would have been funny though). Anyways, I'll post pictures from the event! Be jealous!

Paul's Engagement!
Well, this actually happened last week, but still! My good friend Paul (yes, Tall Paul) proposed to his sweet girlfriend on Friday night! I couldn't be more excited for him. I have known him since our senior year in high school and it has been amazing to watch what God has done in his life in the past few years and I am so excited to see where God is taking him as he steps into this next phase of his life. Truly amazing! I haven't met his fiancee yet, but I am sure she is just precious and I am soooo excited for them two!

Boston!
We are now down to 8 days until I get to see Jeremy and Chelsea in Boston! Two months ago when I bought my plane tickets I thought this day would never come but now it is here and I just cannot wait! And she is already being a wonderful tour guide to me by telling me fun things we can do. So far we've talked about the Freedom Trail (a three mile walk around Boston to see all the historical things there), Fenway Park (how could you go to Boston and not see this, really?), outdoor ice skating, and many other fun things. It is going to be so great not just to see those cool things but to spend time with some of my favorite people in the world! Again, pictures will be posted of this exciting thing!


Okay, so that's what I've got for now! Hope exciting things are happening to you! God bless!

Beautiful

Oh Lord, You are beautiful

Your face is all I see

And when Your eyes are on this child

Your grace abounds to me