Tuesday, December 30, 2008

merry christmas

I took a vacation from the blog. Actually I've just been really busy and didn't sit down to blog. But I had an amazing Christmas! I had 5 days off work! It was amazing! It really felt like a vacation! And this week I only have to work 3 days and then I have another 4-day weekend. Thanks to Dr. Butler who is the interim president at Baylor.

Last Tuesday, when I got off work I went up to Conroe to my grandmother's house to spend the night with my cousin, Andrea and her fiancee, Matt. It was a very nice chill night and my family was there so we watched National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation, our favorite holiday movie.

On Christmas Eve, I came back to Houston and got cleaned up to go to my aunt's house on my dad's side of the family to see everyone. It was great to see them but it wasn't a super eventful party, just a lot of laughing and catching up. Then Kenzie joined us and the fam went to Midnight Mass at my parent's church. I kinda liked it. But that could of been because I spent majority of the time explaining to Kenzie what was going on.

Christmas Day, my mom woke us up around 8:45 to open presents just the 6 of us. It was so awesome and it was definitely the last time we will ever do that because Ricky is getting married next year. It was such a sweet time and I will always remember the Schoelman family traditions on Christmas morning. We got cleaned up and went out to my grandmother's house in Conroe again to spend time with that side of the family. I love them so much and we had a lot of fun, especially when we did the gift exchange and opened Memom's gifts to us. The gifts she didn't spend any money on.

The following day, I went running in the morning and then the roommie and I went to the grocery store and chilled around the house until the evening. We went to the 8th annual girls dinner with a group of friends from high school and then went over to another friend's house and hung out until 2am-ish. Such a fun night of seeing old friends!

Saturday morning, I woke up and went running... 6 miles and then walked another 1.5 miles. My other roommate did alll 10 like we were supposed to but she's been training harder than me. I was exhausted after that.

Sunday I didn't have to teach Sunday school which was a nice break and my family minus my dad came to church with me! What a treat! The biggest news from Sunday, I bought a pink iPOD nano! I love it! And the roommies and I went and saw Twilight. I liked it MUCH better the second time.

See?? An amazing Christmas vacation. Full of love, laughter and friends.

Wednesday, December 17, 2008

...

I can't decide what to blog about.

I could write about my weekend on the Refuge retreat with the high schoolers at my church. It was a lot of fun and my small group had some great discussion. I love teaching junior high students but it was so nice to get a break from their hyperness and hang out with kids who are a little more calm and serious about their faith. Two sweet girls want to become more involved in missions and service projects around the city. I told them I would be their adult help and so this weekend we are meeting up to plan some events for our youth group.

I could write about my opinion on the ridiculous shoe throwing event in Iraq the other day. I mean honestly, who throws a shoe? First, Bush seemed so unaffected by the event by waving off his security guards as they run in front of him to protect him. And then his demeanor when he was questioned on it was like, no big deal. But that's because he dodged the shoe. What if it had whacked him in the face? He even looked kinda cool ducking as quickly as he did. I seriously doubt he would have been so nonchalant about it if it actually hit him. And WHY did it take so long for the service to get to the man?

I could write about how difficult work has been but that would sound like complaining.

I could write about my status on birthday and Christmas shopping. I love shopping for Christmas gifts and then wrapping them. Last night, I wrapped 3 more gifts and put them under the tree. Yay! One more week until Christmas Eve. I only have a few more gifts I need to get. Tomorrow is Liddy's birthday. 14!

I'm excited Christmas is one week away. I'll be glad to get some time off work to spend with my family. I feel like I've barely seen them recently and I live 2 minutes away. But at the same time Christmas is one week away and I feel like I haven't taken the time to really think about what Christmas is all about... Christ's birth into this world. The cry of a newborn breaking the 400 years of silence from God. No word from God for 400 years and then suddenly it comes in the most unexpected form... a baby... in a barn... and the world would never be the same.

Friday, December 12, 2008

weekend 2 weeks before Christmas

I can't believe Christmas is only 13 days away! I knew December would fly by because of how busy everything is but wow, it still takes me by surprise. And might I add that I haven't done any Christmas shopping yet. But the good thing atleast is I know what I want to get almost everyone. I just need to go out and get it. However it won't be this weekend because... I'm going on Refuge, a high school retreat with my church. We leave early Saturday morning to drive to camp and then we'll come back Sunday afternoon. I'm excited but I'm missing so much to come on this retreat.

Kenzie (my brother's fiancee) graduates tomorrow morning! My fam is going up to College Station to see her graduate and then her party will be tomorrow night. I so wish I could be there but I know I'll have plenty of opportunity to congratulate her later. I remember my college graduation and what an incredible time that was. My mom came up the day before and ran errands with me to get me ready for the big day. It's interesting to be in a phase of life where you don't know what lies ahead of you at all. Not a clue. When you can't even picture what you will be doing in 5 years. It's a little freeing. Your life is 100% yours at that point and you can make of yourself whatever you want. You're at the threshold for the rest of your life. Hopefully, if you're lucky, you know what your next step is.

But for tonight, I'm taking it easy and resting because I've done something every night this week and I just need a chill night before a busy weekend. Luckily, Meagan is going to join me. Have a nice weekend! :)

Wednesday, December 10, 2008

snow in Houston

It's snowing in Houston! Snowing in Houston! Snow in Houston! Snow! Houston! Houston! Snow!

I was getting text messages from friends around the city and hearing it on the radio but I wasn't seeing it. I called my parents to see if they got some and they had too! A little frustrated, I pulled into Walmart to grab some gift wrapping supplies and as I walked out there was still moisture falling out of the sky. But something was different. I thought, "Why does this rain feel hard? Could it be snow? I can't see white?" But when I got to my car there was snow on it! I got so excited I almost started talking to the 2 guys walking by but thought better of it and contained my joy inside. But not without a pic of the car next to me! Soooo happy! :)


Tuesday, December 9, 2008

christmas cookies

This afternoon some of my roommate's fellow teachers came over and we all baked and decorated Christmas cookies. It was so much fun to get messy and do something I hadn't done in awhile. And I must say... we did a pretty good job! Can't wait to share them with others!


Honduras

This spring break, I am going on a mission trip with my church to Honduras to work in an orphanage and do a vacation bible school. I'll be gone March 14-21, 2009! The trip is with Buckner International and it's lead by Melanie Ramos, she works with Buckner and JVBC. I don't know the specific details yet but I know we'll be doing 5 days of VBS, starting the day after we get there and then our last day will be a tourist day and we'll get to go to the beach. This will be my first international mission trip and it's something I've wanted to do so badly since I was in college.

1) These opportunities like Paris and Honduras never could have happened while I was in college even though I wanted it just as bad back then. I'm just so thankful that with a little bit of patience and faith, I can enjoy going on these trips even more than I would have if I had been able to go in college.

2) I know I could go on this trip exactly as I am because we will have translators with us but I want to be able to interact with the kids as much as possible in Spanish. So I really need to get back to learning it. I have 4 months.

But, most of all, I'm going to Honduras in 4 months! Yay!!!!!!!!!

Sunday, December 7, 2008

10 most fascinating people of 2008

Like Barbara Walters except the people in my life... I could say something wonderful about each one of my friends but these people stood out in 2008

*these are in no particular order

Andrea Benson - My cousin who's 2 years younger than me. We've gotten to see each other more this year than previous years and it's been great for our friendship. She makes the list because she's so selfless, easy going and kind. She also took on the incredible challenge of leaving her home for 4 months to live in a different country that speaks a different language. I just love how she lives life and I'm glad to be her friend.

Phyllis Schoelman - My mom. I mean how could she not be on the list? She always is there for me, always, always. She loves me unconditionally and is so giving. She also helps me shop because I'm really bad at it. When I lived at home we used to go on walks and car rides together when she had to chauffer my siblings.

Luis A - Someone I became good friends this year who is the epitome of God giving someone a dream for their life and them pursuing it to no end. Despite setback, hardships and trials, he never gives up and he does it all with faith and a smile. I learned a lot about life and myself through getting to know him and getting to hear his story.

Chris Curran - JVBC's youth minister. 100% committed to God's call for his life. I've never met anyone so good at remembering you and being intentional about making you feel important. Plus he invited me to be a part of the youth minitry by teaching Sunday school and that's been one of the greatest blessing in my life.

Beth Moore - Bible study author and teacher. I've done 3 of her Houston Bible studies and I've learned so much about the Bible and how to study the Bible. I've never studied the Bible like I did while I was in her studies. She is so loving of all women and so, so, so humble. Always putting others above herself and directing all her success to God's blessing. She never takes credit for anything and is always praising others around her.

Meagan Barnhart - my roommate and friend since high school. I've really enjoyed getting to know her this year. I love sitting in our living room having several hour conversations with her about life. Plus she has such a heart for God and is actively seeking a closer relationship with Him. She'll always take time to talk with you even if it means she has to give up something she'd rather be doing. And she always has something interesting to say... always.

Ashley Hubble - my roommate and friend since junior high. Such a sweet girl who is so in love with the Lord. Her faith and the way she lives her life is so inspiring and such an example for those around her. Also she's very servant hearted and is always thinking of others before herself. She loves people and serves people and loves God more than anyone I know. I've loved getting to know her this year too.

Memom - my sweet grandma. The older I get, the more I appreciate her. She has such wisdom from her years and I love hearing her stories. She also lives her life in such a healthy way... eats healthy, exercises regularly, stimulates her mind and is socially involved in her neighborhood. She's also so right with God and ready to go home whenever her time comes. I look up to her and can't wait to be like her one day.

Bob Trieu - my coworker who continues to entertain me daily. He's had me laughing with tears in my eyes on several occassions. For whatever reason, his sense of humor gets me rolling. Plus he's so knowledgable about everything. He's one of those people who you can ask him anything and he's gonna atleast know something about it. And if he doesn't, he'll find you the answer in like 5 seconds.

Kone Agnes - my 5 year old in Kenya. I adopted her through Compassion International and I'm so thankful for the opportunity to be apart of her life, even if it's from a distance. I really have no idea what her day to day life is like but I know it's way harder than mine and her faith is incredible. I love how much I can learn from her and how to have faith when God doesn't give you every pleasure you desire.

Thanks to everyone who made my year so great. Life is definitely brighter with these people around. I'm so thankful for getting to be apart of these people's lives no matter for how short or how long. Thank you, thank you.

Year in Review

On Friday I left work early to drive up to Austin to spend a day with my good friend from college, Valerie. While I was driving I was thinking it would be cool to have a blog post that reviewed my 2008 year. A lot of changes and experiences but a lot of the same stuff. Transitioning out of college has been hard. I realized when I was in school I was so focused on getting done. Not so I would be graduated and not have to study anymore but because it was just... hard! Financially, physically, emotionally... and so I just focused on finishing. But I never saw past the graduation date the entire time I was in school. A lot of students just look to graduating and not preparing for their future. So when I graduated it was like "now what?".

Figuring out the purpose of your life is hard unless it's something you've known your whole life. But it's getting better. I know I've changed a lot and matured a lot since I've been done with school and my life does have meaning and purpose but it's just hard when you don't have an obvious purpose in your life anymore, like getting an education. So anyway, it's been an interesting year and here's the summary:

January:
-started the year off in Fort Worth with my cousin, Andrea
-start teaching 6th grade girls Sunday school
-started Breaking Free Bible study with Beth Moore
-difficult month at work, a lot of stuff didn't work and we were really far behind and understaffed

February:
-a technician quit at work requiring me to do twice as much, i had 2 12 hour days in a row, yikes!
-Valentine's Day with the girlfriends at Studio Movie Grill
-DNOW, I was a 9th grade girls small group leader

March:
-Rodeo to see Fergie and Toby Keith
-early Easter, spent good Friday at the beach with my family
-acted in the crucifiction scene at my church's Path to the Cross

April:
-March of Dimes with coworkers
-my supervisor goes on maternity leave and I take over her responsibilities

May:
-Mom, Liddy and I model in a church fashion show
-chop my hair off :(
-summerleague swim team starts and I volunteer as an official
-Middle School Madness, overnight lock-in with 100+ junior high kids

June:
-college friends are back in town!
-swim meets every weekend
-Astros game with church friends
-my birthday, Andrea comes to visit me

July:
-move in to a house with Meagan B and Ashley H :)
-4th of July at Memom's
-road trip with Luis to San Antonio (Fiesta Texas and Riverwalk)
-Kemah boardwalk with the family for Mom's birthday

August:
-road trip with Liddy to visit Andrea in FW and attend John Mayer concert
-start Project 365, a daily photo journal
-Tropical storm Edouard, free day off work
-DISNEY WORLD! whirlwind weekend trip to Disney World
-roommates and siblings start school again
-trip to Aggieland to tailgate

September:
-Hurricane Ike hits, no power for 9 days, miss 2 days of work
-start Lit Bible study with Beth Moore and her daughter Melissa
-Ricky proposes to Kenzie in College Station, we get to watch and throw them a party

October:
-attend JV's homecoming game with fellow alums
-Hurricane Ike Relieft trip to Galveston with Lakewood church
-buy plane tickets to Paris
-Fuel retreat with JVBC

November:
-PARIS!!! my first international trip to visit Andrea while she studies abroad
-Aggie Ring Day with Ricky
-Baylor vs A&M in Waco with church friends
-Thankgiving break we host 2 parties at our house with old friends

December:
-road trip to Austin to visit Valerie
-Medical Genetics Laboratories Christmas Party
-the Path to the Cradle @ JVBC
-opening of His House, our new sanctuary

Well that was kinda hard. I'm sure there's a lot of stuff I missed. I'm definitely going to have to update this as I remember things that went on this year. It seems like it was pretty boring but it actually was a lot of fun. And there's a LOT of stuff that happened that's not blog material. :)

Wednesday, December 3, 2008

Christmas time is here...


KSBJ has 24/7 Christmas music playing without commercials and the best part is you can listen to it while you're working. Just go to their website and click on the "Listen live now" button! I've been listening non-stop and it puts me in such a good mood!

Jersey Village Baptist Church


I went to preschool at this church but didn't attend the services until the summer after I moved back to Houston from College Station. I love the church, love being involved in the youth ministry and love the pastor. This weekend we are putting on a live performance of the story of Christmas called the Path to the Cradle. People will walk along a path through some trees and stop at different scenes that will act out the story of baby Jesus' birth. I'm super excited! It's Friday - Sunday night from 5:30-8:30 and will take you about an hour to get through. Come! Come!


Also, this Sunday our church services are moving to the new building called His House! Yay! Construction started last September and is finishing 4 months early and under budget! Amazing how prayer, patience and faithfulness are rewarded by God. The services are 9:30 and 10:55! Come! Come!


At the cross between Houston and Cyprus off 290.

Monday, December 1, 2008

half-marathon

Back in July, my roommates and I signed up to run the half-marathon on January 18, 2009. A full marathon is 26 miles and a half is only 13. But that's still a lot of yardage between the start line and the finish line. We decided to do a run/walk training program and that has turned out to be a very good idea. :)

The program basically has us running twice a week, cross training twice a week and then doing a big run on the weekend. So for the running during the week, I've been doing run 4 minutes, walk 2 minutes for about 40-50 minutes. Cross training for 30-40 minutes and I've chosen to swim for my cross training. And then yesterday I ran/walked 6 miles in about an hour! Let's keep in mind that I have not consistently worked out since I was in high school on the swim team! From the jogging to the swimming, I have found that I have lost a LOT of muscle. I didn't even know it was happening although it makes perfect sense, but I didn't know how much I had lost. But it doesn't discourage me, it makes me want it even more. Even though what I can do in the water now is embarrasing compared to what I used to be able to, I will know how far I have come when I gain it back. It's exciting to be back in the workout routine. I've tried several times throughout college and post-college but for the first time, I have consistently been running since July. And now I'm swimming again!

Just to show how long it's been since I've been in the water... I had 2 pairs of Swedish goggles left over from previous years and the rubber straps were so worn down and stiff that BOTH of them broke the first time I got in the water. It was embarrassing but luckily no one else was in the pool at the time. So first thing on the to-do list is buy new goggles! And swim suits to follow. :)

Monday, November 24, 2008

twilight + weekend

I hate to admit it. It's a little embarrassing. But I'm a Twilight fan. My little sister has been reading the Twilight series non-stop, literally non-stop. She told me to read them because they were "soooo good". I figured they were not really my age but when I was standing in the airport to leave for Paris, I thought I should get a book to read on the flight. I walked into the airport bookstore and saw Twilight. With only a few minutes to make a decision before I boarded, I grabbed the book and bought it (an Anderson Cooper bookmark was complimentary with the purchase, ow ow!). So I guess you could say, I accidently read Twilight. I didn't plan on it, didn't desire to, it just accidently happened. BUT I like it! I remember going through the stage of intrigue and infatuation with vampires when the movie Interview with a Vampire came out and Brad Pitt portrayed a very good-looking vampire. It's not the same with Twilight but the love-story is very... sweet. So I finished the book last Thursday and took my little sister and her friend to see the movie. I have to admit I was a little disappointed with the movie. The acting of the two main characters is not that great. And the love between the two seems to develop out of nowhere and for no reason, leaving me emotionally unattached. However, despite his potential arrogance and self awareness that may come from the thousands of teenagers wishing they could have his babies, Robert Pattinson was a very HOT vampire. I mean he really rivals Brad Pitt.

The rest of the weekend was less eventful with a 60-minute run/walk on Saturday morning, 2-hour eye appointment Saturday afternoon, hectic 45-minute Sunday school lesson on Sunday morning and a 30-minute swim workout Sunday night. Have I mentioned that I have been out of the water for atleast 3 years!? I have lost all my swimmer muscle and endurance. But it only makes me want to be back in the water more and gain it back.

Tonight, I'm white tornado-ing my house to get ready for our Thanksgiving parties this week. I'm so excited to have people over to our house. I love hanging out and catching up with old friends. Wednesday night is with friends from high school that graduated in '03 with me. Friday night is with friends that I went to high school with but wasn't really friends with them until last summer. Most of them are 1-2 years younger than me but still a lot of fun. I'm so excited this week officially starts the holiday season. Oh and can I say "Beat the hell outta t.u."? Or should I just hide behind the couch this Thursday at 7pm?......

Wednesday, November 19, 2008

parents.

Tonight I went over to my parents house for dinner and then stayed for awhile sitting on the couch in my living room. My mom comes in to talk to me and she's really into redecorating the interior of our house. So she's throwing ideas around to me and asking my opinion when my dad comes in and sits down with us. He's in a goofy mood and teases my mom about all the decorating. We discuss how the DVR isn't working which brings the attention to the tv/entertainment system. My brothers have hooked up a surround sound system that sits right in front of the tv and because of it's lack of asthetic appeal, my mom covered it with a fancy decorating cloth which sometimes inconveniently blocks the reception of the remote control. My dad teases her about that and which point she walks over to the tv and says,

"Tell me where you see this in a decorating magazine?" And lifts off the fancy cloth to reveal the hideous surround sound system.

My dad replies, "Well, what about in the I-want-to-change-the-channel magazine? How do they show it there?"

I realize that you had to be there and have had experience the difficulty of changing the channel from the couch in order to fully appreciate my dad's comment. But still, it's funny to me and I'm glad my parents can laugh at each other and enjoy (for the most part atleast) the nuances they have. I'll have to get pictures of this decorating dilemma to add to this blog.

Memorial Park walk


My roommates and I are training for the half-marathon on January 18, 2009. They started last week but since I was in Paris last week, I just started this week. On Monday, I did 40 minutes of run 3 mins/walk 2 mins and it was a great workout because I ran so much harder because I had those walking breaks. Yesterday, I was only supposed to walk for 30-40 mins. On my way home from work, I stopped at Memorial Park to do my walk... and I loved it.

The park was absolutely beautiful with the green trees and open field of the golf course. The sun was setting and casting beautiful colors and peeking out from behind the trees. And the weather here has been absolutely perfect... mid 70s during the day, not a cloud in the sky and dry! I had my music playing and I just thoroughly enjoyed my walk.

I felt like my mind was clear and I could just absorb God's beautiful creation! It was a great walk in the park! :)

Sunday, November 16, 2008

Paris pictures

Links to my facebook pictures of Paris

city of lights 1

city of lights 2

End of vacation

Well it's Sunday night and tomorrow morning my vacation officially ends. I'm sad but I shouldn't be because my vacation was everything I could have wanted it to be. I had an amazing time in Paris and got to do and see so many things. It was long enough for me to feel like I really had a break. But it's just going back to the mundane. The everyday life that gets me down a little. I know life can't be always super exciting because then we wouldn't be able to appreciate the good moments so much. But I just don't want this vacation to fade from my memory and feel like it never really happened. I want each big life experience to move me on to another step... to contribute to the next thing I'm going to do. Like I'm walking up stairs... each thing I do gets me closer and closer to the top. My only problem is I'm not really sure what's waiting for me at the top or what I'm climbing towards.

I have so many feelings coming out of this trip to Paris. Part of me really wants to move abroad and live in a different culture for awhile. I'm not sure if I'll enjoy it but I feel like I need to do it to get it out of my system. It's something I can't seem to ignore for several years now.

Above all though I'm so thankful for the trip to Paris. The thanks goes to God because I was only able to do this trip because I went to college, graduated, got a good job, had amazing parents who let me live at home for free for a year to save money and blessed me with good health. I'm so lucky and I know it. I probably take it for granted but I'm trying not to. Live each moment to the fullest. Live life moment to moment and let life happen to you. Hence the name of my blog. :)

Hopefully work is bearable tomorrow and not in shambles.

Friday, November 14, 2008

Back home

I'm back home in Texas! My last few days in Paris were a lot of fun. When I was landing in Houston I was really happy to see home but also really sad that I wasn't in Paris anymore. I stayed up from 1am to 10:15pm to try and fight jet lag. But now it's 8pm on Friday and I'm so ready to get in bed.

I'm in College Station right now because Ricky got his aggie ring today! WHOOP! He's dunking his ring at 10:09 tonight. Hopefully I can make it to 10pm. Then it's off to Waco to see the aggies beat the hell outta the Baylor bears.

I've had a lot of thoughts about Paris and experiencing a different culture and all that. It was such an amazing experience. I'll write more later. Too tired right now. :)

Tuesday, November 11, 2008

Paris Day 5

Tomorrow is my last day in Paris!! I can't believe it's almost over. It's been such an amazing trip. Today, Andrea and I went to the Eiffel Tower during the day and took some cute pictures. We walked down Rue Rivoli and did a little bit of shopping and then met Remi on Rue Mouffetard to eat at this tart restaurant. This restaurant was so small that my dad or Ricky could not eat there. Like they literally would not fit. Everything is so close. Andrea and I were sitting across from each other at the table and our knees were touching! But it was delicious. 

After that we tried to go to Musee Carnavalet but it was closed because today is a holiday in Paris. So we decided to go to the largest cemetery in Paris that was huge and has a lot of famous people buried there. It was so cool walking around in there. I will put up pictures on facebook later. It was phenomenal and it was fun walking around with Andrea and Remi. Remi took us to tea/coffee and then we went back to the apartment to chill before dinner. We met up with Rebekah and had dinner and then walked to the Pantheon to check it out. It's huge and a really cool building. I'm glad I got to see it. Andrea and I took the metro back to our area and walked back to our apartment. 

Tomorrow I plan to spend some time walking around Paris just to take it all in before I leave. I don't want to leave because I've enjoyed Paris so much. I've had a very unique tourist experience. I feel lucky for how much I've gotten to do and learn because I'm staying with someone who lives in Paris. We are really tired though. It will be nice to get some rest when I get back. And I can't wait to see all my pictures!! Au revoir.

Monday, November 10, 2008

Paris Day 4

The Eiffel Tower at night was so beautiful! Andrea's friend Rebekah came over and had dinner with us in the apartment and then we went to the tower and it was breathtaking! I was impressed. I'm glad I saw it lit up at night and then every hour on the hour, it sparkles for like 5 mins! It was very cool. 

This morning Andrea and I went to The Louvre and I was again blown away by the art in there. My favorite were the French paintings. I like the art that actually looks like real people and tells a story. A lot of art like Picasso's stuff doesn't look like real life and that's not really my thing. But the paintings were beautiful. The statues were awesome - my favorite was The Winged Victory. It's a woman's body with no arms or head but big wings coming out of her back. I saw the Mona Lisa. The fame of that picture has ruined the enjoyment of the art. Ropes keep you like 10 feet away from her and there's plexiglass in front of it. Sad. We also saw the remains of the fortress, which is the original Louvre that they didn't find until the 1980s when they were putting in heating for museum. 

After the Louvre we met up with 2 of Andrea's friends and had lunch off Rue Muffetard and then went to the red light district and took a picture in front of the Moulin Rouge. Very interesting area of Paris. Tickets to see a show at the Moulin Rouge are like $100ish. We met up with Remi and then went to Sacre Cour - this huge church on the top of a hill. While we were walking back down, everyone insisted I try Nutella in a crepe so I did and it was really good. I like crepes a lot, especially with Nutella :). Now EA and I are just taking it easy tonight and cooking in the apartment and chilling. 

My feet are killing me from all the walking around the city and the walking up and down stairs to get in and out of the Metro. But it's so much fun. I love how the Parisians dress and I love the scarves, boots, coats. I love taking the metro but I've heard it gets old. I love the cafes and openness of the restaurants and stores. I love the closeness of the lifestyle here - the small tables, small doors, tiny staircases, tiny bathrooms. I wonder if it would get old though. I don't like the lack of toilettes in the city and that you sometimes have to pay to use them. I don't like the lack of water fountains. This has been such a neat experience and Andrea has been such a trooper the whole time and so patient with me while I experience it all for the first time. I wish I didn't have to come home so soon. :) 

Sunday, November 9, 2008

Paris Day 3

Last night, Andrea, Remi and I went to see Quantom of Solace and it was good but not as good as Casino Royale. After we walked to the Latin Quarter and had dinner at Le Tango De Chat (the tango of the cat). I had vegetable soup, salmon with fries, chocolate mouse and a glass of Chardonnay for about 17 euros. It was good and one of the great things about French restaurants is they don't turn tables like they do in America. They let you take your time and don't hurry you. It was really fun talking to Remi, an authentic French guy (although according to Andrea not your typical French guy). We walked back across the Siene River, passed Notre Dame and said goodnight and went home. Oh and the French greet and say goodbye with kisses on the cheek and I love it. I wish Americans did that. Remi does 4 kisses but I met this other guy who just did 2. If I were French I'd only do 2 because 4 takes way too long. 

Anyway, this morning Andrea and I woke up early and went out to Versailles to tour the chateau that Louis VIII built and Louis XIV made all fancy. It was really crowded and I felt like the museum didn't do a great job of making it looked like it was still in use. We basically walked from empty room to empty room looking at all the paintings on the walls. It was beautiful and overwhelming how much detail was in each room but I just wish I could of seen what it was like to live there and see how they used each room. After the chateau we walked into the gardens which were a let-down because basically all the greenery is dead and the fountains are off because it's low-season. I'm glad I saw Versailles but I think it would have been more fun to see it in the summer. But the Hall of Mirrors is amazing and the artwork, statues, painting, busts, decorations are phenomenal.

After returning from Versailles, Andrea and I walked around La Marais (our area we are staying in) and looked for a falafel restaurant and tried that for the first time. It was really good and different from anything I've had before. Then we came back to our apartment and took an hour-ish nap. We were so exhausted! Tonight we are going to cook a small meal in our apartment and then go to the Eiffel Tour at night with our bottle of wine, cheese and bread. Golly, don't you wish you were here! It'll be fun but cold! I just love being here! It's so great! 

Saturday, November 8, 2008

Paris Day 2

I'm in Paris! Everything went fine with the flight over here. When I got to the airport I managed to make it through customs, get my bag, find the RER (train) station, purchase a ticket and get on the right train. However when I got on the train, I pull out my cell phone to text my mom that I made it and text my cousin, Andrea that I was on the way and realize my phone does NOT work here. I called AT&T before I left to ask them and they said it would and gave me the rates and everything. But it didn't.

So I start getting nervous, plus the train was skipping a lot of stops so I was scared it might skip mine and then I would never find Andrea. But luckily it stopped at Denfert Rochereau and I got off and looked around for Andrea and she was no where to be seen. So I start to panic a little but think maybe she's running late for her class. So I just sit at the metro station and just wait for awhile. But really I'm starting to panic because I have no way of contacting anyone and I have no way of communicating with the people around me for help and I have no idea where in Paris I am and no idea where to go if Andrea never shows up. After failing at asking a few Parisians if they speak English, I finally find a young man who does and he helps me try to buy a phone card to use on a public phone to call Andrea. But in order to find a public phone we walk upstairs to ground level to exit the train station and I see Andrea waiting for me!!! Phew! I was really starting to panic. I thought I was just going to get back on the train and go back to the airport because more people speak English there and could help me call Andrea. But she was there. I figured out later it makes a lot of sense she was waiting for me upstairs because in order to enter the metro station you have to purchase a ticket and she didn't want to get on the metro, just pick me up but I didn't even know the top floor existed. I thought I was just supposed to wait for her down by the train. 

Paris is so much fun with Andrea!!! I'm loving it. I'll update more later because our apartment has free internet and Andrea brought her laptop. Paris is awesome. I saw Tuileries, the Arc de Triomphe via Champs Elysee, Saint Chapelle cathedral and Notre Dame. Andrea and I are about to go meet her French friend Remi to see Quantom of Solace. So fun!!!! :)

Thursday, November 6, 2008

Au revoir!

I'm leaving for Paris today!!! So much has been going on since I last wrote but it was overwhelming to find time and energy to sit and update this blog. Plus I had so much to say I didn't even know where to begin. The spanish has been on hiatus because of Paris planning but when I get back I'm going to start learning again.

My flight leaves at 6:35pm tonight and will fly for 9-10 hours and land at 10:45am on Friday in Paris which will be 3:45am here in Houston. It's going to be the longest day of my life. When I get to Paris I have to find the RER station, buy my ticket, get on the correct train, find a seat that's big enough for me and my suitcase, avoid pickpockets who "prey on naive and jetlagged tourists", get off at Denfert Rochereau, find Andrea. After that my trip will be a breeze (hopefully)! I'm sure from there Andrea and I will go check into our apartment, unload our stuff and then start exploring Paris - finding things to do to keep me awake until bedtime to avoid jet lag.

I'm so excited but I really don't feel like I'm actually flying to Paris tonight. I think it's because I have absolutely no idea what to expect. It'll be nice to actually be there after planning this trip since March! I'm really hoping hoping hoping I can blog while I'm there to give updates on the trip.

When I get back from Paris, I have one night in Houston and then I'm leaving for College Station the next day for Ricky's Aggie ring day! WHOOP! Staying in CS with my friend Stacy and then driving to Waco on Saturday for the A&M vs. Baylor football game. Oh gosh, I'm gonna be tired! But can't miss out on the fun! See you when I get back! Pray for me and check back to see if I update while I'm in Paris!

Au revoir!

Monday, October 27, 2008

7th grade girls

This is why I was wiped out at the end of the weekend... so much energy! But I love them to pieces. Mandy's face at the end of the video cracks me up. She feels my pain!

Sunday, October 26, 2008

Fuel

This weekend I was on a retreat with the middle school students from my church. We left at 9am on Saturday morning and got back around 5:30pm on Sunday. It was so much fun but so, so, so draining!

The students are so energetic and so demanding of your attention. Always wanting to tell you stories, give you hugs, follow you around, play with you, get you to watch them do something, etc. I love being able to love these students without having to worry about how they receive you because they just need to be loved. But by the end of the weekend, I was ready for some peace and quiet. Here's my favorite picture from the weekend:


Thursday, October 23, 2008

The Plain Truth

Tonight at Element (the Lakewood college and 20 something group) had a guest band do praise and worship for us... The Plain Truth. They are from South Africa and they were amazing! I bought their CD and got some of them to sign it and they have the coolest accents ever! Fun group! Check them out! I totally recommend their music!

Spanish for the day:
the 5 W's
Who - Quién
What - Qué
Where - Donde
When - Cuando
Why - Por qué

v. molestar - to bother
(my coworker thought this was funny)

Wednesday, October 22, 2008

spanish

When I was a sophomore in college, I decided that instead of continuing to be a resident advisor in my dorm the next year, I would find a job in a biochemistry research lab on my campus. I wanted to get some hands on experience with science and have something distinctive to put on my resume when I graduated. Working in a research lab probably changed my life. I met so many people and became friends with people from all over the world... Chinese, Indian, Columbian, Nigerian, British, Vietnamese, Russian, Ukrainian. I have learned so much from these friendships and I would love sitting in the lab chatting and getting to know them. Deciding to work in a research lab was one of the best decision I made in college.

However, something I noticed from all this interaction with people from different countries is they can all speak atleast 2 languages - English and their native tongue. Something I realized really quick was I can only speak 1 language - English. What do you call someone who can speak 2 languages? Bilingual. What do you call someone who can speak 1 language? American. Ughhhhh.

This past summer I became really good friends with an amazing individual who is from Venezuela. And speaks Spanish and English fluently. And I still can only speak English. So I'm finally ready to do something about it. I'm going to learn a second language. It's something I want to do before I die. I actually want to learn 2 languages but I won't get ahead of myself. I've been halfheartedly studying Spanish since this summer but I want to be more devoted to it and this blog is gonna help. My Venezuelan friend's mother suggested I learn one word a day and one sentence a week. I'm gonna challenge myself a bit more and do one noun a day and one verb a day. So every day (hopefully) I will have a post with my words and then once a week I will have a post with my sentence. I'm excited! If you keep up with this and see I'm slacking, get on me!

Day 1:

n. lluvia - rain (because it's pouring as I write this)
v. aprender - to learn

Estoy aprendiendo español en la lluvia.
I am learning spanish in the rain. :)

LIT

One of the great things about living in Houston is I'm in the hometown of Beth Moore. I didn't know who Beth Moore was until right before I graduated college. She's a Bible study writer and teacher. Just this past weekend, the organization she founded Living Proof ministries has served in all 50 states of the U.S.! That's a huge accomplishment. Last fall and last spring I attended her Bible studies at Houston's First Baptist Church and these weren't your typical small group Bible studies... we had 2-3,000 women of all ages and stages of life together. But due to the church remodeling their sanctuary, Beth couldn't do her usual large Bible study so she decided to have a smaller study with only 250 girls from the ages of 18-25. She chose this group because this was the age she was at when she found a passion for studying scripture and her ministry really took off. So the whole course is more like taking a college class on the Bible. We are learning the basics of the Bible and learning how to study the Word on our own. It's been really fun and totally different from what I'm used to and I've learned SO much!

One lesson we did the entire Bible in one night (yes, it was intense)! She started from Genesis and did a summary of the major points of the Bible in the history of God's people all the way to Revelation. How interesting and easy to see the history of humankind as revealed to us in the Bible. Another lesson we studied the languages of the Bible and how we got from the original Hebrew, Aramaic and Greek to the English translation I use today. We are also getting into the proper way to study the Bible (hermeneutics and exegesis). So overall it's been way fun and I hope everyone gets a chance to see how well the Bible stands up to criticism, critiques and even... time! It fills me with confidence that I believe and study the truth - the inspired Word of God. You'd be surprised to find how much more reliable the Bible is than some of the texts we study in school that we don't even second guess as accurate. Definitely a faith booster and this information is available to anyone who cares to search for it. The books we are reading in addition to the study are Mark Driscoll's "A book you'll actually read" series on the OT and NT. Great resource!

The Bible study is called "Lit" based on the Jeremiah 23:29 "Is not my Word like fire?"

Monday, October 20, 2008

VOTE '08



Ok, it's crunch time. I would love to care about politics and be able to follow the election process from the very beginning but I just don't. Part of me thinks it's because I'm young and unless you have a special interest in politics from the beginning, you won't really care until you get older and it really starts to affect you. But November 4th is right around the corner and it's time for me to get serious about the election and decide who I'm gonna vote for. And make an informed decision not just one based on how my parent's would vote, how my state would vote, how my church would vote but how I would vote... will vote.

KSBJ, the Christian radio station in Houston, is helping me out a lot because it's kinda overwhelming the amount of information that's out there on each candidate and all the points you should consider. I love how they simplified the decision process.

1. Check out the candidates. Know what they believe and how they'll decide important issues.

2. Prayerfully make your selection.

3. Vote on November 4th!

They have a free, non-partisan voter's guide on their website.

This is so helpful for people like me who feel completely lost in the world of politics. I can't wait to vote as it will be my second presidential election to be of age for! Vote '08!

Thursday, October 16, 2008

Paris - 3 weeks

I've lived all my life in Texas. The only time I moved was when I went to college and now I live on my own but it's literally 2 minutes away from where I grew up and obviously I'm still in Houston. Up until about 3 years ago, I didn't really care much about visiting other places... especially outside the States. I enjoyed traveling inside the States but really had no desire to "see the world". Even when 4 years ago (wow, it's been that long) I got to go to Puerto Vallarta for about 4-5 days. I thought it was cool but not much beyond that. But all the sudden, I can't wait to get out and experience different cultures, languages, customs, environments, scenery... anything that's different from America. The world is HUGE and I've only experience a teeny, tiny part of it. I've desired to go to all different kinds of places through the years: Africa, Greece, China, Europe, and just haven't gotten the chance.

But all that is gonna change in 3 weeks when I go to Paris to visit my cousin, Andrea who is studying abroad there for the fall semester. I can not wait. I totally expect it to rock my world and change my perspective on a bunch of things and broaden my horizons. I hope it starts the first of many overseas traveling and even inspires/motivates me to pack up and live abroad for awhile. I'll be there Nov. 6-13th. Just a short time but atleast I will be able to say I've seen it.


Here's one of Andrea's pics from Versailles. This picture speaks volumes to me. Can't wait to see it myself.


Wednesday, October 15, 2008

Save the sea turtles!

I heard on the radio this morning that Hurricane Ike eroded so many of the beaches and sand dunes on Bolivar Peninsula and Galveston Island that it's going to be really hard for Kemp's ridley sea turtles to find places to build nests for their eggs! 75 to 100 yards of beaches were erased from the coastline after the hurricane and much of the sand left is more like thick clay which will make it hard for patrols to find the nests, collect the eggs and send them to Padre for incubation. The worst news is this species of sea turtles are endangered! Luckily they are doing something about it...




I mean what would we do without this cute guy?...

Tuesday, October 14, 2008

Sunrises


This morning it rained. When it rains, traffic is so much worse. I understand when it is storming or raining really heavy that we should drive slower and therefore, traffic would be heavier. But when it's just merely sprinkling? So naturally, I wasn't in the best of moods because I already sit in traffic every day commuting from the northwest side of Houston to the medical center. Luckily, KSBJ, the Christian radio station in Houston was on and playing music that I like and I had my coffee so it wasn't that bad. There's one part of my commute that I take directly into the sunrise. This time of year, right before 7am, the sun is just starting to light up the sky and if I'm running a little late I can see it start to peek up above the horizon. Because I drive the same route everyday, I see all kinds of sunrises... ones when there isnt a cloud in the sky and the sun shines in all it's glory, completely uninhibited, ones when there are beautiful white clouds to deflect the light into an array of colors and ones like today where it's dark and gray but the sun still peeks around reminding me that it will always rise. It definitely starts my day right because each time I'm reminded of God's faithfulness and his creativity in making such a beautiful place for us here on earth. Even though waking up so early isn't fun most days, I can be thankful because it puts me on the right road at the right time to see one of the ways God reveals himself to us.


PS: I took this picture in Galveston last summer when I woke up super early and drove to the beach with some friends to watch the sun rise over the water. Isn't it beautiful? :)

Monday, October 13, 2008

Project 365

I'm not sure how many people have heard of this before but it has proven to be a lot of fun. It's basically a photo journal that you keep for one year by taking one picture a day. There's no protocol for what types of pictures you take so everyone's 365 turns out to be unique and expressive of their personality. You have to be diligent though because there will be those days when you don't feel like taking pictures. I got off of it for awhile but am determined to stay on it now. My cousin, Andrea and I are doing ours together... kind of. We decided to take our first and last 365 picture together and hold each other accoutable to staying on it.

Check out mine here

Or I really encourage you to try your own. Here's some tips.

Sunday, October 12, 2008

Ike relief service project

Up until yesterday I hadn't really done much to help out with those who were seriously affected by Hurricane Ike. I guess I had the mindset that since I was affected by the hurricane then I was somehow exempt from serving others. This weekend marked one month since the hurricane hit and for the most part, Houston has returned back to normal. Everyone has power, majority of the street lights are back on, roofs are being repaired, debris is being picked up, etc. But I went on a service project to Galveston with Element, a young adults group at Lakewood church yesterday and I realized how much I had been the one missing out.


Galveston is still in shambles and it was very reminiscent of driving into New Orleans 2 years ago after Hurricane Katrina devastated the city. We met up at a local church and divided into work groups. My group went to a Galveston resident/member of the church's trailer to clean up the outside. She was right on the beach so her RV had so much debris piled and piled around it that she could barely get to it! We spent about 4-5 hours clearing the ground, picking up trash and making her trailer a much better sight.


By the end of the day, I was tired but felt energized by the fact that we were the hands and feet of Jesus to Ms. Victoria. She couldn't stop thanking us for our help and telling us that we did so much that she would have taken days to do. I'm glad we were able to help her but I think we really reap the benefits of selflessness. Plus doing hurricane relief work is a tangible, easy way to see how much we can do when we just take time out of our own lives to serve those in need.