inspired • touched • amazed

So, here's the deal. Ryon and I had a plan that as soon as we were both done with Logan's and could reclaim our Sundays, we would find a church to join. Last week we visited the church that Ryon grew up at. We both really enjoyed the service and had, I would say, completely different experiences. I won't go into what I think Ryon was feeling or his reactions, but I can share mine. I was not what I would call touched at this specific service in the way I was expecting. Perhaps it was the very new surroundings, and the anxiety of trying to "take it all in" while basically people watching. Perhaps it was my attempt to decipher the message I was supposed to receive that day. Perhaps it was thinking way too much about my place there that day. This could go on forever...suffice it to say I'm not sure. What I do know, is I have been substantially more inquisitive and introspective. For sure thinking A LOT, but in a good way. I think. Haha. At this point, there is no real way for me to convey the enormity of these feelings/thoughts. What I can tell you about is a woman I met with the most amazing story. She has a path similar to many others', but I had never met anyone personally who had experienced such a journey.

She is from Indonesia. For those of you who don't know or aren't sure, Indonesia is a group of thousands of islands in Southeast Asia that houses the world's largest Muslim population. When I asked her what made her emigrate to the States, she said, "I came here to be Christian." I stared, stunned at her response. I'm still not sure why. You hear about this kind of thing all the time...I suppose I simply expected her to say something different. More opportunity. Better life for my kids. But to convert to Christianity? Wow. And what a week for me to meet her...when my head was already swimming with questions about my own faith. Needless to say, I was intrigued. I felt like a reporter, pumping her for information. Every time she answered one question I interrogated further. Her answers continued to surprise me. Not only did she leave her entire family and the only life she'd ever known, she traveled alone with a small child, seven months pregnant, after hearing the gospel on TV. No missionaries. No live people to speak with and answer questions for her. No pastors, priests, ministers, or anything of the sort. TV. God's love moved her that much. I was inspired, touched, and amazed. I AM inspired, touched and amazed.

Just thought I'd share.

PS: I didn't forget about house pictures...I'm just not ready to take them yet! =) Soon!

new casita

I am happy to write that exactly one month ago, Ryon and I signed the lease to our first house. The thrill of this event was almost indescribable. Happy, excited, scared, exuberant, anxious, stoked. I really can't begin to encompass everything I was, and still am feeling. But, suffice it to say that all emotions considered, I know I'm exactly where I need/want to be. I am looking forward to getting settled, which we are not yet, and creating a space where Ryon and I are equally comfortable. Lucy Jo and King Leo have both adjusted to the move...though Leo is still giving us some problems. Lucy loves her big yard, and has discovered several treasures, including: a plastic bat, a watergun, an aloe plant (which she may have eaten??), and some sort of large bone. Honestly, it resembles a human leg bone. Eeeek!

We have hosted a couple Sundays of feasting and drinking and look forward to more! We're planning on throwing a more formal Midsummer party in June to celebrate the new house, Ryon leaving Logan's (hopefully within the next few weeks!), and a send-off for John and Vinnie, who are taking a great big trip for most of the summer.

I'm not feeling especially creative or inspired at the moment, but I wanted to share the news of our house because, well, it's pretty darn exciting!

Pictures to follow shortly.

Over-n-out.

little bit o'rant: stupid taco bueno breakfast

Just a little something to record my disappointment in Taco Bueno this morning. (Not that I had extremely high hopes to begin with.)

On my way to work, I stopped and ordered a #6- Potato, Eggs & Queso Burrito Meal, which is supposed to come with Skillet Potatoes and coffee. After getting to work and trying to enjoy my breakfast, the only thing I could think was, "Thank goodness that meal was only $3!" The picture of the burrito depicted a mess of eggs, peppers, and diced potatoes smothered in melted cheese and wrapped in an oversized flour tortilla. I did get the oversized tortilla, but it was filled with eggs, hash brown sticks, and some sort of imitation cheese sauce. DISappointed. But that was just the burrito.

In very large font on the drive-thru menu, a statement read "All meals now served with Skillet Potatoes!" Said potatoes were pictured in a bowl looking rather similar to something my dad might conjure up for Sunday morning brunch: diced potatoes cooked in a skillet with peppers and spices. Yum-o! What did I get? Hash brown sticks. UUUUH, what?! DIS.A.PPOINTED. Fooled. Tricked. They pulled the wool over my eyes. Hoodwinked. What a sham! At this point I really, really wished I would have taken a photo so I could clearly convey the very obvious degree of misrepresentation taking place ( I think I will do my best to find something online). I mean, I'm used to getting a flattened version of a juicy burger, with remnants of lettuce and tomato instead of mounds of delicious veggies; I'm used to getting a smaller version of "jumbo" anything; I've even come to terms with the outrageous amount of air in a bag of chips. But this?! Hash brown sticks can now be passed off as Skillet Potatoes? Ugggh.

This rant led me on a quest to begin researching what exactly is false advertising? How far from the truth can advertising fall? To what depths has this o-so-simingly simple act of deception seeped into our everyday lives? Pinky and The Brain should have started with the food industry.

I will say this...my coffee-though miniature is size-was quite tasty.

america's next top model? probably not.

After being cooped up in the house all day Friday, I spent Saturday out and about--visiting family and friends, playing dress up with Jennifer, and posing for the camera.

I drove to Grandma and Grandpa Lopez's Saturday morning to start the day off right with Grandma's world-famous menudo! Ok, so maybe it's not world famous, but anyone who's tried it would tell you it could be. Anyhow, GerRee and Lee had just arrived from Denver the night before, and we were gathering at her grandparent's to visit and eat. Well, eat and visit. ;) It was great to see GerRee, even though it was a very short visit, but we would be hanging out later in the weekend, so I didn't feel too shortchanged. Around noon I left to meet Jenn and Danny so I could follow them to Denton.

Jenn and I spent the afternoon "in make-up", which basically means I watched her do her own make-up, then attempted to sit still for an hour while she applied mine. Then we moved on to wardrobe. My favorite part. That morning I threw half my clothes and seven pairs of shoes into a bag thinking, "well, that's just too much." Turns out it was the perfect amount. We spent several minutes putting outfits together, took a little break to eat some pizza, then started shooting. And can I just say, I had a blast! I'm definitely completely and totally awkward in front of the camera; however, Jenn was able to catch some pretty cool shots. My hat's off to Jenn! She is not only becoming make-up artist extraordinaire, but is also making her way to top notch photographer. Yay!

And what's next for me in my modeling career, you ask? Pretty sure I'll be sticking to silly tourist shots and family photos.

day o' powder

I spent the day rather unhappily subbing a 2nd grade class. The day started out ok. My neck had been hurting all night, I got very little sleep, and I was not looking forward to teaching 2nd grade...but at 3am, when I took my zombie walk to the bathroom and into the kitchen for some water, there it was through the window. Snow. A faint smile spread across my lips and I wandered back to bed. After waking up to find Fort Worth ISD hadn't closed schools, not even the snow could help me harness a good mood. It wasn't until the second half of the day when my homeroom went to math and I got the "bad" class that I started to enjoy my day. Perhaps it was the fact that their arrival signaled the 2 1/2 hour countdown, or maybe it was that they were un-boring because they were out of control. Either way, by the time they settled into their seats, I had a genuine smile on my face. Let's not forget the wise-ass remarks 8-year-olds can conjure up. Quite entertaining.

So, 3 o'clock came; I walked the class outside to wait for their parents...snow still coming down as it had for 12 straight hours at that point. I was happy to have a warm coat and ear muffs on, but I was not as pleased with my decision to don heels. Boots would have been much more appropriate; however, I don't think UGGs and slacks would have stood up to dress code. I did my best to ignore my freezing feet and focused instead on all the questions buzzing around in my head...where were all the parents? What was taking them so long? Why is that lady making her daughter walk through six inches of melted snow sludge to get in on the other side of the car? Why do kids keep running on the slippery ground? When can I leave? Could I have gotten away with wearing boots? And then, finally! They were gone. A good thirty minutes later and I was off to trudge through another patch of sludge around the back of the building to meet Ryon.

After a semi-quick trip to the grocery store we were home and playing in the snow with our girls. Lila and Lucy LOVED the snow! Ms. Ineverwannagetmypawswet Lila couldn't get enough. We had a blast running around in the snow...throwing snowballs at each other, at Edie, at the girls...I was simply amazed at how deep the snow had gotten! My own front lawn covered in several, that's right several, inches of snow. I feel like we should be in Colorado. Dad said earlier, it's the most snow we've had in 32 years. I just can't believe we've seen two full blankets of snow this winter! Some poor kid is going to think this is common for Texas winter and be very disappointed when he realizes what a fluke we've experienced. I, however, will be enjoying this winter weather for however long we see it. Fluke or no fluke. I just love the snow! And though the day started out rough, I have enjoyed our day o'powder...especially the last few hours at home with Ryon. =)

daysrunningtogether

saturday.
feels like sunday. i think.
basement cold.
neck sore.
need to save money.
school starts this week. urgh.
states are using planes to enforce speed limits?
bridesmaid tomorrow.
great hangout time with sarah today...mmmmm pei wei.
about to crawl under the covers.
boyfriend just got home =)

hello 2010!

My cat stinks. My cat is lying next to me on the bed and he stinks. But he's very sweet, so I may overlook this tiny detail. The stench isn't really that bad...

MTV garbage is playing on TV right now, and I'm completely addicted to it. Jersey Shore is unbelievably moronic. And brilliant. It's akin to watching a train wreck. Or It's Always Sunny, which occasionally hurts to watch but you just can't peel your eyes away—except the people in Jersey Shore are real people. Crazy. Just a few seconds ago this girl Nikki, nicknamed Snooki, said “That's why I don't like eating lobsters-they're like alive when they die.” Umm....yeah.

I have a list on 43things.com. 43things.com is a social networking site where people share goals and hopes. (I ripped that blurb from their website.) My most current list in only comprised of 40 things. They all seem doable...maybe even within this year. Which would be cool...well, ok upon reflection I don't think all the things are quite possible this year. But a lot of them are. I think my goal will not be to push myself to complete all forty but to see how many I can accomplish this year. Here is the list:

1. get a tattoo
2. visit machu pichu
3. raft the grand canyon
4. go backpacking
5. go whale-watching
6. learn web design
7. trace my family tree
8. paint
9. take voice lessons
10. learn to knit
11. learn ballroom dancing
12. complete a sudoku puzzle in under 5 minutes
13. learn to play guitar
14. learn to read palms
15. go to graduate school
16. play soccer again
17. run a marathon
18. be in a movie
19. make a difference
20. take an improv class
21. take a cooking class
22. live in another country
23. pay off debt
24. learn russian
25. learn to fly
26. eat healthier
27. exercise regularly
28. write a book
29. speak spanish fluently
30. live in another country
31. visit the sydney opera house
32. travel to asia
33. visit all 50 states
34. take a road trip across the united states
35. learn pointe
36. take ballet again
37. design a t-shirt
38. travel to europe
39. take a photography class
40. learn to box

Only one item on my list is incredibly vague. And there are things missing. But I will add more to-dos when I cross others off. So...looks pretty good!