The ABCs of me...

I found this on a blog I try to read daily. www.traviserwin.blogspot.com. You should check it out. I have never done anything like this on my blog so this should be interesting.

Accent: Yes, I have one. When I was in Alabama, I was constantly picked on for the way I pronounce my long I.

Breakfast or no Breakfast: Breakfast is my favorite meal, but I rarely eat it in the morning. I would rather have it as dinner.

Chore I hate: I absolutely abhor doing floors. Sweeping, mopping or vacuum. That would be the perfect punishment for me.

Dog or Cat: At the moment, my dog and cat are at my parents' house. Jigsaw is a beautiful doberman/lab mix. Callie is an obese, neurotic calico.

Essential Electronics: Laptop. That's how I do all my school work. And my stereo. I would go completely batty if I couldn't listen to my music.

Favorite Perfume: My favorite scent is Rainkissed Leaves from Bath and Body.

Gold or Silver: Silver. Definitely silver. I have issues with the color yellow. I just don't like it. I will wear white gold beause it isn't yellow.

Handbag I carry most often: The one I am carrying at the moment is a dark khaki green one that my cousin gave me for Christmas a couple of years ago. It is huge and will carry all my junk.

Insomnia: I have trouble sleeping occasionally. Usually it is stress or caffeine related.

Job Title: Teaching Assistant.

Kids: If you have been a regular reader for a while, you know the answer to this. If not, let me tell you. I don't have any, but I am very ready to be a mom.

Living Arrangement: A great apartment in Wolflin with a huge kitchen. I have a roommate, but she is moving in the next couple of weeks. Anyone need a place to live?

Most admirable trait: I am really good at telling people they are wrong without making them mad. I guess you would call that tact.

Naughtiest childhood behavior: Probably picking on my little sister

Overnight Hospital Stays: Never

Phobias: I am terrified of spiders. Irrationally so. I would probably take a flying leap off a cliff if a spider was blocking all other means of exit.

Quote: "It is good to experience the bittersweet, to taste defeat and then brush my teeth." Relient K

Reason to smile: Chocolate, roses, puppies, babies, sunshine.

Siblings: One sister. Three years younger.

Time I wake up: Anytime between six and seven. Except on weekends. Then I get up between eight and ten.

Unusual Talent or skill: My elbows are double jointed so I can turn my hand completely around. Freaks people out when they see. I love it.

Vegetable I refuse to eat: Celery. Cannot stand that stuff.

Worst Habit: I don't know...popping my knuckles, I guess.

X-rays: Never had one, but I have had an echo done on my heart. It was rather embarrassing.

Yummy Stuff: Chocolate. Chicken Scallopini from Johnny Carino's. My momma's brisket. My grannie's pickles. Cookies.

Zoo animal I like the most: I like the big cats. All of them. They are so majestic and feral.

Room for rent...

Why don't girls want to live with me? I have known for almost 3 months I was going to need a new roommate. I have been looking for one since the day I found out. I put an ad on roommates.com. That's where I found my current roommate.

So far I have been contacted four times. The first one was a 21 year old girl. 21 is still too close to 18 and I have no desire to leave with a 21 year old no matter how mature. The other 3 have been guys. One was 19 and didn't even tell me his name. He just gave me a number to call. Ain't happening.

The other two were actually potentials. Both of them were 25. One is being transferred to Amarillo. He works for DishNetwork. I could probably get free cable. He also works long hours so he would rarely be home. The second one seemed like a pretty decent guy, too.

I have no problem living with a guy if he is willing to live by the apartment rules and pay his share. There are perks to it, too. The added security of having a guy around. Most guys are hard workers and would probably be consistent in paying their part of the bills.

There are downsides too. My biggest concern about living with a guy is what it would do to my witness. Most of my neighbors know I am a Christian. They know I am a religion major and they know I attend church regularly. They also know that I am single. How would it look if, all of a sudden, I was living with a man I am not married too. Even if we weren't doing anything wrong, it would still look bad.

I asked my paster what he thought about this situation. His advice was to hold out for a female roommate. I am going to try and do that. God will take care of me. I just have to trust His timing. So if you know of a female between the ages of 24 and 30 who needs a cheap place to live, send her my way. Thanks for reading.

Betsy's gone...

My first car was an '88 Buick Riviera. She had a huge engine, leather seats and a touch screen computer that controlled the radio and other things. Did I mention she was the Silver Anniversary edition? She had all kinds of bell and whistles. The front seats were reversible. They could go from leather to velour and back again.

(I was going to post a picture of the car, but I couldn't find one. I know one exists; it is just not revealing itself to me.)

The touch screen was the coolest part. It controlled the radio, heater and AC. It also had a diagnostic program. When she needed oil, she told you. When you left a door ajar, she told you. When there was anything wrong, she told you. She also told you things like RPMs. One of the coolest things was she had a speed alert. You could set it at a certain speed. If you went over that speed, she would tell you to slow down.

I bought her with a Pell grant. I used to get lots of money from the government to go to school. I only paid $2000 for her, but she was worth every penny. She was a great car. She was a beautiful deep maroon. I washed her almost everyday for the first month I owned her. I actually owned her before I started driving. Thinking about it, I realize she taught me how to drive.

When we moved south of town, my dad's car didn't make it with us. He started driving Betsy. (Did I mention the car's name was Betsy? Yes, I name things. Can't help it. Especially costly items like cars and guitars.) My dad is really hard on cars. In the 27 years I have been alive, I can think of at least 5 cars he has driven into the ground. Sadly, Betsy is one of these casualties.

After my dad started driving her, she developed a leak in her radiator. Instead of having her fixed, my dad just poured some gunk it her that was supposed to fix the leak. It didn't so he put more. Still didn't work. Never did. The finally straw was when he wrecked her.

My beautiful Betsy was no longer the beauty she had once been. Her paint was faded and peeling. The front passenger side fender was smashed in. Her hood was whopper-jawed and didn't shut all the way. Her leather was cracked and worn. Her windshield was cracked. She left ugly green puddles everywhere she parked.

Instead of giving her a proper retirement, I parked her in front of my parents' house and there she sat for over 4 years. Her tires went flat and her battery died. What had been left of her former glory was sapped by the sun and the weather. She sat there as a silent reminder of a part of my youth. She had become nothing more than a home for the little cotton tails on my parents' land. I moved on to a younger, better car and forgot all about Betsy.

Yesterday, my mom called me. She wanted to know if there was anything in Betsy I needed to get out. I told her to just check the glove box and the console. Her cousin was coming to haul her and my sister's old Mercury Cougar (which my dad also killed) away. He is a mechanic of sorts and also does welding. I agree with this decision. He will make her useful again. Even if it is just as parts for something else.

After Mom called me to tell me the deed had been done, it dawned on me that Betsy was gone. Next time, I go out to my parents' house, she will not be there to greet me with her bent antenna. She won't be there to remind me of the good times I had with that car. I mentioned to Mom how it kind of felt like a dear friend had died. She was outside at the time. After a slight pause she said, "It looks like two graves have taken the place of the cars." As silly as it may sound, I am actually tearing up thinking about that inanimate 2 ton lawn ornament.

I love the car I am drving now, but nothing will ever take the place of Betsy. She was the coolest car ever. She was my first car. I will miss her. She taught me independence. She taught me how to share. She taught me how to care for my things. She taught me never to forget those I care for. She will always be remembered. Farewell, Betsy.

The new kid, the bloody tissue and the ugly shirt...

I was very angry this morning. Furious, in fact. We were given a new student today. That means we have eleven students. We were promised we would never have more than ten. I was very mad.

My teaching partner knows me really well. She came to the room and told me to go take a walk. She didn't ask or suggest; she told me to go take a walk. She's a smart lady. Of course, it helps that I am very much like her husband so she knows how to handle me when I am upset. Being the smart lady that she is, she knew a walk was what I needed.

I went out into the morning chill. The crisp wind evaporated quickly on my anger-heated skin. I breathed in the fresh air deep into my agitated lungs and just stood there for a minute. I was back under control so I went back to the class.

I felt the tickle of moisture in my nose so I went to blow my nose. When I brought the tissue away from my nose, it wasn't white. It was bright red. It didn't take long for me to realize my nose was bleeding. And bleeding alot. I had never had a nose bleed ever in all my 27 years. Not even when I got elbowed in the nose playing gutter ball in high school.

I went up to the restroom to clean up, but it wouldn't stop. I sat in a chair in the hallway trying to make it stop. It took eight tissues and ten minutes to staunch the flow. Then back to class I went after I had thoroughly washed my hands, of course.

We had a special event at school today. We were given t-shirts to wear. I had told them I wanted a large. When they brought the shirts, all they had were extra large. I went up to the restroom to change into my shirt. It was way too big. I looked like a little kid. That was it. Standing there, looking at myself in the mirror on the verge of tears, I made a decision. I was going to call my mother.

I made a quick call and told her I needed her to start praying for me. I was losing it. The broken promise, the bloody nose and the too-big shirt had used up my emotional reserve. I didn't mention to her the fact that the shirt is yellow and I hate yellow shirts. But knowing Mom was praying made me feel a little better so back to class again.

I am happy to say the day only got better from there. We still have an extra student. My nose still hurts terribly. I still have a yellow, extra large shirt. The difference is someone was praying for me at a time when I just didn't have the engery to pray for myself. I felt God's peace come over me. My patience for the children returned. My whole attitude changed.

I found out the extra student was an accident. Our boss apologized and explained it was a mistake on her part. My teaching partner thinks I busted a vessel in my nose because I was so angry. I think it was because of allergies. Maybe we are both right.

The whole point of this post is to stress how important it is for Christians to pray for each other. I know I would still be in a sour, grumpy mood had I not called on a sister in Christ to intercede for me. My day may have even gotten worse. Ever since my church started having Wednesday night Bible study, I have been attacked almost mercilessly on Wednesdays. I have even joked that Wednesdays are my Mondays.

So now I am sitting here during naptime thankful God is looking out for me. He is always there for me. I do not deserve the blessings He gives me but because He is a loving, kind Father, He takes care of me. Thanks for reading.

Falling leaves...

The last few days have been cool and rainy here in A-town. It has been rather fall-like and very pleasant. I was actually able to wear my new hoodie I bought back in the spring. The weather has put me in the mood for hashbrown soup and spiced tea. For some reason, I keep smelling apple spice.

Someone asked me the other day what my favorite season was. I always laugh when this happens. I don't have one. What I love is the changing of seasons. I love the time between the seasons when the world transitions to new appareal. I love the cool evening at the beginning of fall, the warm afternoon of early spring, the crisp mornings at the cusp of winter and the bright day of the young summer.

Alright. Enough of the poetic stuff.

My roommate told me last night she is planning on being completely moved out by October 10th. This gives me about a month to find another roommate. I know the perfect one is out there. I am just waiting on God's direction. I have to remind myself daily that He will take care of me. I have nothing to fear.

I am still loving the apartment. I enjoy being in town again. I enjoy being only 5 minutes from work and less than a minute from church. My roommate being out by the 10th works really well for me. My classes are over on that day and I will have a week before the next session starts. This means I will have extra time to move more of my things from my parents' house and work on arranging my apartment the way I want it. I have all this stuff I have collected over the years and most of it I have never been able to use. I am very excited about it.

I still love my job for the most part. There are those days when the end of the day can't come soon enough, but there will be those days anywhere I work. Our class is now full. We have 10 students ranging from age 18 months to 2 and half years. The biggest challenge is only one of them is potty trained. We spend alot of time in the potty. And I mean, alot.

Today was the first time we had all 10 of our students at once. I think the morning went really well, even if we weren't able to outside this morning because of the rain. Instead, we watched an episode of "Blue's Clues" (because we are studying the color blue) and then we danced ourselves silly. No, we didn't shake out sillies out or wiggle our waggles away, but we hokey-pokeyed and jumped around like chickens. It was great fun.

I guess that is all I can think of for now. Thanks for reading.