Thursday, December 14, 2006

Shakespeare & the Sea Anemone


If the fact that I've found this image extremely amusing during the course of the past week or so doesn't give you a clue as to what my stress level has been this semester and what my current state of mind is, I'm not sure what else will communicate that. Thank goodness Christmas break is almost here!

Tuesday, July 18, 2006

New Orleans

I'm headed to New Orleans in four days with the youth group from church. I'm dubbed a leader, whatever that is supposed to mean...I'm secretly hoping that no situations arise that would demand a test of said leader. After all, I could do without any premature gray hairs (I think teaching will help me enough in that department).

Really, we have a good group of students going. We're a relatively small group (nine, including leaders), but the youth are awesome. I think they'll work really well together. The plan is to help clean up (we're not sure of the details on that, but I think basic tearing down and/or rebuilding), encourage the people we meet, and share the gospel with them (I love that quote by St. Francis of Assisi: "Preach the gospel at all times--if necessary, use words."). We'll be driving down in a fifteen-passenger van which I get to help drive. Watch out, fellow travelers!

We would appreciate your prayers (and not just for the driving!)~

Monday, July 03, 2006

Pie

Eskimo Pie

Carly and I made a delicious cherry-nectarine pie on Sunday. No, I don't know of an official recipe, but combining the Better Homes & Gardens's cherry recipe with the peach recipe worked out pretty well. I'm always up for a little improvisation in the kitchen. It turned out mighty tasty!

Ta-da! Ready for pie a la mode

Sunday, July 02, 2006

Stupid Moment

So, it only took me about five seconds standing in front of the Barnes and Noble exit, staring expectantly at the doors with my bookbag on my back, a newly puchased book in one hand, and my purse in the other, to realize the doors weren't automatic.

Friday, June 30, 2006

Sunrise

Well, it's 7:30 a.m. and I'm just about finished printing off my grad school assignments. I pretty much pulled an all-nighter; I didn't necessarily intend to, but the idea's still enchanting: all of this faux pressure that I have to finish these life-changing assignments and have them as close to perfection as possible, these extremely important places I have to be today, and my, how I will be so tired or so highly caffeinated...

I had a midnight visitor last night to keep me company. The crying was annoying, and finally I took pity on this poor creature and checked to see if it was dying. Well, it wasn't. It's not. If it keeps meowing and climbing across all of the papers on my desk and knocking things over, it might be seeing that stage of it's life very soon. At least this kitty doesn't bite me when I pet her, though (cruel Alice!). She's got a number on her tag, but is it a good or bad sign when the number is traced to a business rather than a home?


Monday, June 26, 2006

Monday, June 19, 2006

VBS

Today was my first official day as Vacation Bible School photographer. No, I don't think I'll make a permanent career move, but it certainly was entertaining to follow around the mascots. We had a sheep and a cow, although the sheep had a head that looked more like a cat and the kids kindly started calling it the "shoebear" since the kid's blue Nike's were clearly visible. (I'm not sure about the bear part...) Fortunately for the cow, it was udderless.

Back tomorrow, I suppose, to follow around the tribes of Israel as they discover Bethlehem at Christmas.

Sunday, June 11, 2006

Eric's Wedding



So, the happy couple has embarked on their honeymoon. Here are some highlights:



The happy couple: Sarah and Eric, at the ceremony and at the reception
The Cutie Ringbearer and Flower Girl
Bridesmaids (minus the maid of honor) & Groomsmen
Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful Bride
Dress Rehearsal; Velthouse Family

Pics with the Padres

Thursday, June 08, 2006

Going to the Chapel...

I think it's catching--the June disease is spreading quickly. Not only is my brother getting married this weekend, but both of my roommates became officially engaged this past week. Whew!

Good thing it looks like I'm immune!

Wednesday, May 31, 2006

Reflection

Anonymity is an impossibility when you want to make a difference.

Saturday, May 27, 2006

First Day of Summer

It's official! School is out for the summer! And even though I still have a couple days of meetings left, today I had my first taste of a work-free summer. There were a few times I nearly started panicking when I realized I didn't have any grading to do or lesson plans waiting on the back burner, but I conquered those perilous moments with a few deep breaths and a reminder that many people in the world feel that freedom from work every night they come home from the office and it's about time I can experience that feeling--and enjoy it--too.

However, I'm still of the persuasion that more than a week of this will seriously drive me nuts. Therefore, I plan to start grad school on June 5 if all goes well.

Nonetheless, I still accomplished quite a bit today:
-took my car in for its checkup and walked home from the shop for exercise
-did laundry
-watched TV
-straightened up the kitchen
-went out to lunch with teacher friends (and one of them paid for me! They showed me the best deli-type place and bakery I've been to yet...I'll definitely go back~)
-wrote four letters
-made dinner
-walked at Arboretum
-saw Over the Hedge (very cute, by the way!)
-bought a Frappucino with my gift card (thanks, Aunt Karen & Uncle Tom!)
-stopped at Walmart
-and now I'm ready for bed

G'night!

Friday, April 07, 2006

Good News!

As I was eating dinner in Chick-Fil-A tonight, I discovered something very exciting: according to The Cow, anyone shorter than 5'4" is allowed to play in the play area. (Don't worry, says Mr. Cow, if you're taller than that, you are still allowed to eat chicken!)

This tidbit of information will certainly come in handy. Just imagine, when I'm bored out of my mind this summer, I will always know that I can drive to Chick-Fil-A in minutes to have a fun-filled adventure climbing to the top of the pink, blue, green, and yellow gym-thingy.

Or, if I'm having a casual dinner with friends and a child suddenly becomes too scared to climb back down, do not fear, all of you six-foot daddies: I will come to your rescue. For I, at just shy of 5'3", may climb to the top and coax (or push down the slide, depending on how much patience I have that night) your kid down. When I'm a mother (or an aunt), this ability will certainly come in handy for use with my own kids.

Or just imagine me at 74, tottering after my grandkids (or grand nieces and nephews). "Wait for me, sh-unny!" Oops, there goes a denture. Wobble, wobble. By then I will probably even be just shy of 5', so there will be no problem whatsoever when it comes to allowing me to climb that net rope ladder. True, the cane may be a bit of a hassle. But I have definitely got that height thing covered!

Just as long as they don't add a weight requirement, I'm set for life...

Thursday, April 06, 2006

Memorable Typos

Did you know that doors can shit? That your little brother can be an infarction? Or that we lived in the Untied States? Gotta love typos and the word processors that can't catch them...

Friday, March 31, 2006

Sunday, February 12, 2006

Chaperoning

I was asked by my good friend the orchestra director to chaperone the orchestra trip this past Friday to Louisville. Delighted for a legitimate chance to skip school, I agreed. Everything looked like it was going to be beautiful--the kids were orderly and well-mannered and even requested a numbering system so they could count off attendance rather than wait for roll call. (Thus, I was referred to as #29 rather than Miss Davis for the remainder of the day.)

The problem, then, lay in the fact that we had a novice bus driver. And it's not like we just had a school bus. We had one of those honkin' charter buses. The driver informed me that she was pretty new, but my fears were allayed when she said she had previously been a truck driver. I laid my fears aside too quickly. Our first problem came when we hit the first stoplight. You know when you first get your permit and your parent is constantly slamming on the imaginary break in the passenger seat? That parent was me.

We're flying along at fifty miles an hour, the light turns red, she's not slowing down, she's not slowing down--finally we begin breaking. Oh good, I think. We'll stop. The driver, however, suddenly begins to moan, "Please stop, please stop, please stop..." My grip on the seat in front of me tightens, my eyes grow wide, and I begin praying as I realize that we're not going to stop in time. Forget about the stop bar. It would be a miracle if we even come to a halt by the time we reach the other side of the intersection.

Fortunately, we had some understanding drivers who realized that their rights in a tiny five-passenger vehicle would not be upheld by the laws of nature (the laws of nature deeming that any large object will easily crush a smaller object regardless of whose right it is to be in that exact location at any given time).

After skidding through several more stoplights in a similar fashion, we made it to the highway, and I sat back in my seat. As the one in charge of the trip, I thought it my duty to remain calm in the face of our recurring appointments with death. The kids remained cluelessly happy in the back of the bus. I sat in my seat and prayed for a host of angels to protect this transport.

Other than getting lost twice on the way back, we thankfully had no more major incidents, in spite of the inclement weather we now faced.

I think we need to request an experienced driver in the future. At least one who can stop at a stop bar.

Monday, February 06, 2006

Travel Advice

So my sister and I are tossing around the idea of traveling abroad this summer (so long as we can save enough money). If we get to do it, what do you think--Italy or the United Kingdom? Spain/France or Italy? We're talking two-three weeks, hostels, cheap meals, interesting strangers, train rides, the whole bit. What's your two cents?

Monday, January 09, 2006

Memories

As I was encouraging my Creative Writing class today to recall memories from their childhood, I couldn't help but brainstorm some of my own:

1. Learning how to skateboard down the driveway and throwing the wiffleball so hard my arm hurt in an attempt to impress the boys down the street.
2. Walking home from school or the bus stop and never quite learning the lesson that what goes up must come down, and, because of that delightful law of gravity, those silly plastic lunchboxes will break every time they hit the concrete sidewalk.
3. Dropping a neighbor off at his house only to start backing the car out without realizing that he was still half in, half out of the front seat. Amazingly, I did this multiple times, quite by accident.
4. Praying for a miracle that our neighbor Sue, and not her husband, would answer the door to give us the blessing to cut through their yard, saving us approximately ten minutes of walking time on our route to Dairy Queen during the summers.
5. Participating in leg wars, name-calling tournaments, or what if you were in both the United States and Canada at the same time? games with my sisters.

Not the most exciting memories, perhaps, but that's part of the joy of writing: finding the fresh or significant approach to everyday happenings.

Monday, January 02, 2006