A Few Fun "F"otos!

Amy, Liz, Kami, and I fall while skating in downtown Grapevine. We went to a fun lunch for Kami's birthday a while back and then went shopping in Fredericksburg-like Grapevine. We've decided that for birthdays, we will visit other cute downtowns in the DFW area.

Every Christmas, Anne and I get a tree! Well, I guess this is only the second Christmas in a row that we've been roomies, but it's our tradition, nonetheless. Here I am getting "netted."

Here's Doug... he's on top of my Echo. Last year, we brought towels to lay down to give "Doug #1" a more comfortable ride. We were teased ruthlessly by the Home Depot workers that we decided to rough it this go round. Doug is actually not a Douglas Fir (contrary to popular belief). He's a 6 1/2 foot Noble Fir who enjoys lots of fertilized water and long walks on the beach.

Merry Christmas to all! Jenny and I are stuck in the San Francisco airport, waiting for our delayed flight to Bakersfield to be with g'ma and the rest of our family. The weather is fine from here to Bakersfield, but the plane we need to travel in is stuck in bad weather! I thought for sure (since we weren't flying through Denver) that our flight would be on time.

It doesn't help that Jenny is sick with a cold and feels feverish. Get us to g'ma's house!

Retreat, continued...

PLEASE READ THE NEXT ENTRY FIRST! I couldn't figure out how to switch the order... :)


At the end of each afternoon, the older kids would come down and do a puppet show for our younger kids. The kids were captivated!

Our big craft on the second to last night was to decorate pillowcases. The kids loved having each other sign their pillowcase and it made such a good keepsake! Here's a picture of precious Bailey as the kids are decorating in the background.

Each night, we would talk about a different country. After our discussion, we would learn the song "God is So Good" in that country's language. Our last night, we put on a production for the parents in which we did two skits and sang "God is So Good" in four different languages. We had posters with the words that the kids held up with each verse. We ended in English and held up all the posters. It was so cute and the kids did such a good job!

After we were finished for the day, the teachers would go downstairs to the cafe/restaurant and have hot chocolate. We did this the first two nights and had our wonderful waitress Julia each night. She asked us the last night if we were coming down again for cocoa! Of course we were, so we had to take a picture of our small tradition. She spoke a bit of English. When we left, the staff at the hotel said we were the best group they've ever had stay there. They said they could tell our hearts because of the singing they heard and how we treated each other and them. What a compliment!

For more pictures and stories about my Switzerland vacation after the retreat, click this link to access my Shutterfly pictures. The captions tell the story!

European Retreat

This past week, I had the wonderful opportunity to teach missionary and military kids in Berchtesgaden, Germany at the 43rd Annual Euro-American Retreat. Tamara Brantley and I taught the younger elementary kids (all 6 of them), Anne McCrary had the 4-5 year olds, and Linda McCrary had the older elementary kids. We had a blast with them!

Each day, we had the kids for about 3 1/2 hours while their parents were enjoying the retreat. Our lessons focused on the central theme of "God Wants us to Get Along With Each Other." We connected Bible stories and children's books to the theme. We had times of arts and crafts and playtime/exercise time as well. These kids were amazing -- they were so sweet and had such loving hearts.

Each afternoon, we were able to go sightseeing. Tamara and I went with a group to the Salt Mines in Berchtesgaden one day. The picture to the left is of our oh-so-flattering salt mining outfits! After we got dressed in the appropriate attire, we took a train through a tiny tunnel (claustrophobes, beware!) to a large mining room. We slid down a huge slide (so fun!), then took a boat across salt water and learned more about the history and process of mining salt.

Another day, we went shopping around Berchtesgaden. I'm happy to say that all of my Christmas shopping is now finished! It seems crazy finishing before Thanksgiving even happens, but it can be done!

thought you might be curious

Just thought I'd post a picture of Eric and me... he just finished playing paintball...

It's a Beautiful OOOOO(day)HHHHHHH!

Why do I always do this to myself?

I'm the type of person that thrives when a lot is going on. I'm mostly an extrovert, but I also tend to get stressed out when I don't have "me time." The past few weeks have been a bit out of control (as I say oh so often). I've been running from one activity to another and hardly have time to clean my room or just read or even just watch a few of my favorite TV shows! Last weekend, I dragged Eric to ACU homecoming. That is a whirlwind trip in itself. Since I'll be out of the country for Thanksgiving, last weekend was a time for me to spend with my family (needless to say, that was a bit much for Eric, but he survived!).

This weekend, though, has been a little different. I always enjoy staying in Dallas for the weekend because it typically means I can sleep in (a luxury I don't get during the week). Of course, I had errands to run, but I have carved a few precious moments out of my day to relax. As we all know, based on my last post (long, long ago), I cannot connect to the internet from home at the moment. I don't want my laptop to go to waste (thanks for the Christmas present last year, Mom and Dad), so I figured I should remedy the lack of use.

I assumed the business center at my apartment complex would have WIFI. I got everything set up today and got settled and comfy. I turned on my laptop and.....there was no connection!

Therefore, I took some much needed advice from Eric and tried to find a place around my complex to "borrow" the web from another unsuspecting neighbor. I found my place! I have been sitting next to the pool (in the shade) for the past hour or so. God has blessed me with perfect weather as well!

I am rejuvenated. I love spending time outside and I've been failing to find opportunities to do that in the city. But, alas, I need to rush off to my next activity.

This one's a fun one, though. In the spirit of tradition, I'm putting on a 42 Tournament with our Singles' class at church and the Hearts In Action class (older folks, but not too old). I hope it goes well and people have fun. My main purpose was to get to know some other folks in our church because oftentimes we singles can stick to ourselves. Goodness, there's enough new people to meet each week as it is.

So, I'll try to blog more. Like Kelly said last weekend, she keeps up with me from Africa through this boring blog, so I'd hate for her to think I've fallen off the face of the earth!

Until next time...

I am a Thief...

This picture has nothing to do with the fact that I'm a thief, but I wanted to see if Blogger would publish my pictures once again...hence the changed template.

THIS is my "family" at church. Kami, Liz, Amy, Jenise, and I are "like this" (cross fingers). So, here's a shout-out to them!

I've been a bit MIA recently because my neighbors moved. Yes, I was stealing their internet connection. It was nice, though. I justified it because I stupidly signed up with a monthly Starbuck's account (instead of the pay-as-you-go type which would make more sense). So I figured if I was paying somewhere for internet, I could use any internet. Until my internet moved... Eric suggested I roam around my apartment complex looking for another un-secured network, but I didn't take his advice. Why? you ask? 1. he was recently the victim of identity theft. 2. I'd rather have an excuse to go get a dessert and rather expensive coffee at Starbucks, even though they are taking a lot of my money each month anyway. bitter? maybe. but more with myself.

I'm going to go back to my previous blog to insert some pictures, so check it out! I'll try not to be MIA any more, but the entries will be sporadic. We're going to Kerrville this weekend, so it should bring some interesting stories. Stay tuned!

well, the pics didn't work again... maybe next time! my laptop battery is running low. until next time... a bientot!

Cultural Weekend #2

Sandra, Anne, Laura, Magda, and Eric by Dealy Plaza.

Last weekend, my parents and the Polish girls came up to Dallas to visit.

Background #1: My parents met two Polish girls at the airport when picking up my roomie (who was visiting my sister). These girls seemed very lost and they were supposed to be working at Sea World for the summer. Their bags were lost in Paris and they were supposed to live in an unfurnished apartment with a paycheck that could hardly pay the bills. Making a long story short, my parents took them in and Jenny and Anne helped them find jobs in Kerrville. Gotta fill the space Jenny and I left when we moved out somehow! (Andy and Donna, if y'all are reading this, I showed the girls your Christmas card and they were very excited to see the Polish Christmas message you wrote!)

Background #2: Anne and I haven't exactly decorated our apartment since we moved in a year ago...it was high time we got our act together! I was talking with my mom about this the other day and she had so many good ideas. I said, "Momma, I'm not sure I can visualize all of your creative ideas.......I think you may need to come visit me to help me out with the decorating..." It worked and they came! yay!

Background #3: Cultural Weekend #1 occurred four years ago when the Queso Casa made a trip to Dallas to visit Katie and Shanta as well as my best friend Angie (Ft. Worth). We had a grand old time, but this weekend had to be named Cultural Weekend #2 because Cultural Weekend #1 was taken...

Eric served as our tour guide for the weekend. Since he's from Chicago (Chi-town as he calls it), he's had to show his parents and friends-not-from-Texas around Dallas as well. So, he led us down the confusing streets to see the grassy knoll, eat some good Texas barbeque, and see the life-size longhorn exhibit downtown. A few of us went to the top of Reunion Tower. Then, it got really hot outside and we needed to call it quits and head back to my apartment.

After all the fun of the weekend, here's what our work-still-in-progress looks like:

Dancing Around the World

What a great way to document a trip! My favorite was when he was in Rwanda. When I went to Benin, the kids acted the same way when I brought my camera.

I couldn't get the video to embed into this post (anyone?? keeps saying the tag is broken).

Check it out and let me know what you think!

When You Pass Through the Waters...

Disclaimer: It's been about a week since we've been back from this trip. Blogger was giving me a bit of trouble with the pictures. There's a link at the bottom of the blog for all the pictures I took in N.O.
Wow. Words cannot express the emotions I'm feeling right now after our team got back from our mission trip to New Orleans. The devastation from Hurricane Katrina is exactly what the news photos depicted about a year ago... not much has changed, except now there is more mold, muck, and mire.

We arrived in New Orleans on Saturday night. Sunday after devo and lunch downtown (at a wonderful local cajun place called Mugate's), we drove around the 9th ward and surrounding neighborhoods to just look around. It was raining most of the morning, but it let up for us to take some pictures in this neighborhood. The picture to the left is next to part of a bayou that flooded and carried boats and set them on houses.

It hit me that as much work had been done by the Hilltop Rescue Mission Organization, it was not even a dent in the work that needed to be done. Questions were still lingering in my mind until our team actually went to the worksites and met some of the homeowners. Even though we weren't going to solve all of New Orleans' problems in the short week we were there, we could impact individual lives who needed us.

We began work on Monday morning at Jerome's house. He is a 70-some-odd year old ordained minister who sings Amazing Grace (over and over again) and other hymns, likes to waltz, and loves to talk about Jesus. He had been living in his once-flooded house since last October. Mold had crept its way up 4 feet of the walls, and bugs of all kinds had claimed his living quarters as their own. He was going to stay in that house, so our job was a bit different. We cleared one room, tore up the carpet, and gutted the room, cleared the next room into that now-gutted room, and worked our way down his shotgun-style house. We prayed with him before we began, before lunch, and after we had finished. I'm not sure if he'll ever have the money to pay for someone to re-work his home, but at least, he won't be living in the mold anymore. Katie and her crew did a great job of organizing his belongings and making his house a home again.

Day Two: Tuesday consisted of finishing up three houses that other groups had begun. It was also our nation's Independence day. Our group leader, Chuck, took us to have a picnic lunch at a battlegrounds from the Civil War. He dropped us off there and went to get us canteloupes! Underneath his tough exterior, he was a sweetheart and we really became attached to him!

Day Three: Mike's mom's house. This house had its own set of special issues: a refrigerator (imagine food and water decaying for 10 months), blown insulation in the ceiling, and six-inch mud on all the carpets... ick! Mike worked with us all day and his wife even brought us cupcakes (no icing because it was too hot outside, but they're not muffins, they were cupcakes!). ;) Mike and his family were also tending to his sister's house next door. She has not returned since the flood, so he has taken matters into his own hands to try to salvage anything. Before picture. After picture.

Day Four: Greg Price's house. Greg was a wonderful homeowner because he emptied the entire house before we got there! We could start by ripping up the carpets! It took us all day, however, because his house was bigger than the others, with very tall ceilings. His roof has a hole in it because his good friend lived in his attic for three days during the flood and escaped by sawing a hole in the roof and being airlifted! The news reports became even more real that day.

To view all pictures, click here.

AUGUST 29th: The last day to gut houses and help families is August 29th. On the 30th, the government will begin auctioning off houses or bulldozing. If you'd like to help, please contact www.hilltoprescue.org.

English as a Second Language...

Over 80% of my students are of Latino descent. Their primary language is Spanish. Plus, they live in the city.

Since my kids live in the city, when they play outside, they usually are playing a sport. As for me, I grew up playing in the bamboo forest in my back yard and exploring my grandparents' riverhouse with my twin cousins and sister. One of the hardest things for me living in a city is the fact that nature is not easily accessible. Little did I know that this would be a vocabulary lesson with my students...

One of my fun filler assignments had the students work through a maze that had several words in it. They were supposed to find their way around the maze without passing by words having to do with nature. They had no idea what "nature" meant... I told them that it had to do with everything "outside." They said, "Oh, like 'grass' and 'trees' and 'ball'..."

Rewind. "Ball? Let me clarify," I told them, "Nature has to do with things outside that weren't made by people." Again, confused looks.

Finally, one of my students piped in and said, "Oh, things outside that you can't bring back inside?" 6th grade.

"Yes, I guess so," I replied. As the lights went on inside each of their brains, I continued roaming around the room. What have I gotten myself into by moving to Dallas?

Take A Hike!

Ahh, Kerrville trips! When Jenny and I were at ACU, we decided that our friends needed to see more of Texas than just the western flatlands... not that there is anything wrong with seeing the entire sky -- it actually makes for some pretty amazing sunrises and sunsets! However, if one's only view of Texas is west Texas, one can not fully appreciate our grand state. A Kerrville trip is comprised of, but not limited to, the following:

1. Take as many people as possible... mom and dad limited it to 20 people after we brought a group of 29.
2. Make sure my parents know... which they will because I think my friends like my parents more than me. ;)
3. Eat waffles on Saturday morning (thanks, dad!).
4. Pile everyone into our beat up canoes and fun, zippy kayaks.
5. Canoe and kayak down the Medina River (or hike, as was the case this weekend... please, Lord, send rain!).
6. Grill hamburgers for dinner.
7. Camping out (which means just sleeping outdoors with a fire) optional, but recommended.

I decided a few months ago, that my new friends here in Dallas will not fully know me unless they've had this Kerrville trip experience, complete with bonding with my mom at the riverhouse (as she wonderfully prepares meals for 25 folks) and with my dad on the river (as he gets us out of some tough jams... see below). Here are some pictures from the weekend:

Amy, Liz, and Laura make a good team!

Amy "took one for the team," but surprisingly, the canoe did not fully tip over!

Brandon, Jenny, Liz, Jenise, Rachel, Brad, and Natalie decide to brave the wild animals and sleep under the stars!

more pics here!

Rough Day?

Okay, so I'm teaching summer school this summer for my district. I'm teaching the same grade and subject that I did during the school year, so I even have some of my former students! However, there's a huge difference... Instead of having 110 students for only 45 minutes (because they switch classes in middle school), I have 14 students for FOUR HOURS!

This initially freaked me out because I was just positive I wouldn't have enough to occupy them for that amount of time. I was thinking back to my ACU days when I would decide to take those 3 hour night classes during the week. ugh! They were so boring, except for my very first one -- a history class taught by the Abilene ISD Superintendent at the time, Dr. Charles Hundley. He was an amazing teacher -- he would talk the entire time, but we would never get bored. He would incorporate poetry, random facts, and political cartoons into his lesson. We'd get one break, which was only necessary because our legs would fall asleep from sitting in those horrible desk/chairs. He was amazing.

Back to the original story -- I was nervous that my students would be so bored. It's summer; they'd rather be elsewhere. However, based on the first two weeks, I have had such an amazing experience with these 6th graders. By having them for 4 hours, I have been able to establish a better relationship with them. My comments are more meaningful. We do ice-breaker games every day (unless they complain about them -- then they lose that privilege) just to get them moving around. I try to sneak in learning activities to our ice breaker time...

Before I met my class for the summer, I scanned over their names. SEVERAL, I noticed, had been known as troublemakers -- they had been in our on-campus suspension program for the majority of the spring semester. It turns out that these kids have actually been the best in my class! Our curriculum is to teach kids how to be a part of book clubs. We call them Literacy Circles. The troublemakers are typically the kids with the outspoken opinions, which have gotten them into trouble in their 45 minute classes. They are necessary in my 4 hour one.

Today was a rough day, though... A kid threw a desk out of frustration, another talked back to me several times and smacked his mouth, etc. In the normal school year, these things would completely ruin my day. However, something has changed in how I view my students. Instead of being frustrated or upset with them, I found myself almost feeling sorry for them. I pulled each student who has had a rough time today out in the hall and basically talked to them about how much I care for them and want them to succeed. We came up with solutions on how to be positive through the rough times. I don't know that I've had that kind of bond with my students before in the normal school year.

I'm learning so much. I'm still such a new teacher and I mess up all the time. All the time. And, as much as I would have enjoyed a summer break of two months, I would not trade this experience. Hopefully, I can take what I'm learning with me to school next year, when I go back to those 45 minute class periods and easily frustrated children.

Random Gadget #1

When I was in Kerrville over Memorial Day, momma and I went into a general store called "Gibson's." Basically, one goes into Gibson's not knowing what to look for, but finding everything one doesn't need. The example for today's blog is the Easy-Release Fork...

...because we can't get a butter knife to take the strawberry off the end of our fork. The question is, would you pay $4.69 for this random gadget??? Let me know what you think and stay posted for more random gadget posts in the weeks to come!

Looking for a good road trip?

Come to KerrVegas, stay with my family, and drive to the Medina River for some good old fashioned hill country fun!

Pops shows off his favorite river, the Medina.

James shows us how it's done.

Jenny taking the plunge...

...followed by me...

Jenny, me, Jonathan, and some of his friends at the waterfall...

From a wise 6th grade girl...

This week is final exam week. After my students finish their final for my class, I have them write a letter to upcoming 6th grade students, giving advice about being a middle schooler. One of my students asked if she could write to only upcoming 6th grade girls. Here are her wise words:

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
To 6th grade girls:

Hey, welcome to Vivian Field Middle School. My name is Cassandra and let me give you advice to survive middle school. OK, girls, say you see a boy and you like him and he asks you out and you only knew him for a few days, what do you say? Here, take it from someone who has been there before, say NO because he might have been dared or he is just using you to get a girl that he likes. It might be hard but say NO. Just say this, "I'm sorry, but NO because we don't know each other. How about we get to know each other a little better?" If he says never mind, then that will give you a hint that he doesn't like you, K?

If you like a boy, please DO NOT ASK HIM OUT -- that would be weird but also not very cool and if you have to wait 2 years or longer, just wait because the right guy will come at the right time - that I promise you. Girls, don't try to show off in front of a boy because then he will think you are kinda crazy. Just be yourself and if he doesn't like you for who you are then just move on because you want a boyfriend that likes you for who you are, OK? Boys will come and go so just stick to being yourself and sooner or later you will find a boyfriend that really likes you.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Pretty good for a 12 year old... Let's hope she can stick to her own advice... Have a terrific Thursday!

Chicago (finally...)

So, I wrote a post the other day about Chicago...I had it all perfect and just how I wanted it except for one thing -- I needed to turn a picture from being sideways to up and down. Yes, I should have saved my work, but I didn't, so I lost everything...so frustrating. Anyway, I'm finally over it and will now write about my Chicago adventure! Enjoy!

Laura, Eric, Brandon, Jenise, and some random statues playing ring around the rosie...

Chicago was cold... unseasonably cold. Coming from 80-90 degree weather in Texas to 40 degree weather (before the drizzle and the wind) was close to impossible. I've already put away my winter clothes, scarves, hats, gloves (which, yes, I hardly used in Texas this winter), and only have in my closet the summer attire with a few light sweaters and jackets for the indoors. I came to Chicago totally unprepared, but still had fun.

One of our first adventures, after eating Chicago-style deep dish pizza, was going to Wrigley Field to see the Cubs play. Who cares that they didn't win, we had a really good time. I bought an ear wrap/headband thing to stay warm and Eric signed up for a credit card to get the blanket for free. We also purchased some hot (hot!) chocolate to warm our insides. Jenise is an avid baseball fan -- the type of fan who keeps stats on all the plays. She showed me her stat-book and explained how to do everything. I think I learned more about baseball at that game than any other time in my life!

On Saturday, the five of us hung out with some of Eric's friends who showed us around Chi-town. We walked around and took goofy pictures by the Sears Tower (see pic to the right), saw the architecture of Chicago (amazing!), and stopped for coffee. We made it down to the "coast" area and I got to see one of the Great Lakes for the first time!

We got out too late to get enough out of a museum, so we just stopped in the lobby of the Field Museum and peeked in at the most complete T-Rex. I really wish we could have gone in, but I have to save some things for the next time I go! Saturday night, we all went bowling, which was entertaining. :)

Sunday was probably my favorite day! We began by going to Eric's church with his family and meeting everyone that attends. It was funny, because Eric brought three blonde gals to church and we were joking around about how lucky he and Brandon were. He probably had to answer quite a few questions after that morning!

After lunch and a quick nap, we all got dressed up to enjoy downtown Chicago a little more. We went to the top of the Sears Tower this time. Of course, I had to be a little goofy, but I brought Jessica into the goofyness as well. :) After the tower, we went to a ritzy restaurant downtown called "321" and kind of had to rush through our meal. Since this was Mother's Day, Eric didn't tell his parents about any of these adventures. We rushed through our meal because we had tickets to see the musical "Wicked" at the Oriental Theatre. You should have seen his mom's face when we got there and she realized what her Mother's Day present was! We had a great time!

I took Monday off of school as well. Our plane took off at 4 something, so we had some time in the morning to see some of the city. We were kind of hoping for better weather because the forecast said that Monday would be sunny. We had a little bit of sun when we went to the Sears Tower, but it was overcast and rainy again after that. We did our touristy things anyway, including walking to the Navy Pier and renting a "quad-cycle" (see below...).Yes, we froze even more, but we were a bit more used to it by the fourth day. We completed our wonderful adventure/road-trip-without-the-road with a fabulous meal of more Chicago deep-dish pizza at a place called Giordano's. Yum!

I love being outside!

Although it wore me out, I have been outdoors for the past 4 days. Friday, our school had the annual Vivian Field Softball Tournament and I helped coach an 8th grade team with Amy (my carpool buddy). We had a blast, but had to cut things short because of the storm. The clouds kept us from getting too hot, so the day was actually perfect, but we had to herd the students inside at about 2:00 and the thunderstorm hit around 2:15 -- whew! We didn't get to finish the tournament. Team Edwards/Rich made it to the playoffs (just barely...because we played by the rules...), though!

DIGRESSION:
Our Singles' Retreat was this weekend (again, I hate referring to our class in regard to relationship status, or lack thereof...). Our theme was "What's Your Story?" and Robert Stolte from church led the discussion. One main point of the weekend was on the last day when we discussed one of the models of the levels of spirituality. Most of us still equate works and involvement in church as our greatest duty. We kind of hit a wall as a Christian when we reach that level. When something major happens in our life and we cannot find a way to continue in those ministries, we find ourselves questioning God and our faith. Many times this is viewed as a bad thing. Others are concerned with those at this level falling away and never coming back. I think that it is necessary. There is a time in our lives where we need to question what we grew up being taught and truly make our faith our own. It's tough, but necessary. After this level, we journey to a deeper relationship with Jesus and our works are more genuine. Those in this level seem to not want recognition for works. Their relationship with Jesus floods every aspect of their lives.

Many times, I find myself so busy with things that I sometimes think I'm stuck in level 3 (the works/involvment/ministry level). I like level 3 because I have control. I'm scared of the next level because I have to not rely on myself and my schedule anymore. I long for the higher levels and the closeness to God, but it seems that to get there, I have to just let go (which is very unlike me) and rely on faith.

Moving on... being outside...
After the sessions at the retreat, I spent all of my time outside. I know I should have taken a nap, but when I'm that close to a river - to nature - I can't help but enjoy it! We did all sorts of things, including skipping rocks, walking in the Brazos, playing frisbee in the Brazos, hiking around, playing soccer, basketball, volleyball, more frisbee, etc... needless to say, I was a bit exhausted.

Monday was no respite from the exhaustion because I had to teach a Habitat Study at our district's Outdoor Learning Center. We were finished before 6th period, so I still had to come back (all gross) and teach the last two periods of the day.

I enjoy so much being outside (especially since I have no windows in my classroom -- I know). I'm really looking forward to summertime activities. Any ideas for the afternoons of summer school?

Carrollton, Texas!!!

I work in Carrollton, Texas...actually, I work in Farmers Branch, but it's part of the Carrollton-Farmers Branch school district. I love the location of where I work, but I had yet to find the local flavor, so to speak, that makes a city more personable. My favorite coffee house is in Addison, which is close. Dunn Brothers Coffee Co. is one of those coffee houses that still serves coffee in actual mugs and the owner's wife works at a middle school in my district. But still, it wasn't in Carrollton.

Finally, a couple weeks ago I went with some colleagues to Babe's Restaurant (off of Beltline and 35) after work. Wow. I think that if we eat in heaven (and I hope we do), Babe's would serve the food. They have homestyle cooking served family style at big tables. You pay for the meat -- I prefer the hickory roasted chicken -- and the sides all come with it. They have by far the best mashed potatoes and gravy, green beans (very flavorful, but no onions!), corn, and biscuits that just melt in your mouth. I love it! I've been there again already and if anyone is up for it and in the Dallas area, let me know and we'll go to Babe's Chicken.

Anyone have a favorite "local" restaurant? No chains, please -- Chili's and the like don't count.

Another jewel in Carrollton is the Exposure Indoor Rock Climbing gym on Midway and near Keller Springs Road. Last summer, Jenny and I went on a cruise to Alaska with our grandparents. One of the excursions we took was to go rock climbing in Scagway, Alaska while our grandparents went on a train tour (that's me to the right).

Because we went with such a small group of folks, we were able to climb several different routes and get over the initial fear of climbing and heights. I loved it so much that when I looked into things to do when I relocated to Dallas, I looked to see where some climbing gyms were. Well, nothing came of it until almost a year later...

Yesterday afternoon, a group of friends and I went to Exposure to climb around. We had been talking about it for weeks because we all had wanted to try it. We had a blast! We began by watching a video on how to belay and then we took a test so we could do it all by ourselves. Kami was my climbing buddy, which was good because I completely trust her. I completely trust everyone that went, don't get me wrong; I'm just saying that she was a good belayer. :)

The above photo is a shot of where we climbed. The inverted wall at the top of the picture was one of the most challenging routes. Brad came late and tried to begin on that route and had to stop. Adam, because he was a bit more warmed up, made it to the top! (yay!) However, his arms were shaking for the remainder of the afternoon...

Overall, we had a great time. I think Emily, Jenise, Kami, and I want to come back on a more regular basis. Any other takers?

So, what have you found where you live that keeps you going? What restaurants are jewels in your town? Where do you like to go with people who are visiting you for the weekend?

Cavalia, Christian Leadership, and Cookouts

Have you ever noticed that when preachers give points in their sermons, they typically have some kind of mnemonic device (I guess to help us remember)? This Sunday night was a bit humorous because our preacher claimed that he thought Paul had four points to make (all beginning with "the Power of...") in a certain section of Philippians... Amy, Kami, and I were trying to guess what the next point might be. I think we guessed two of them...

All that to say, do you like the mnemonic title of today's post?

That being said, I wanted to share some pictures from the weekend. The three day holiday was much needed, especially since my students (and all students in Texas from grade 3 up) are taking the wonderful TAKS test (trying to think positively about the bane of my existence)... So, I tried to cram as much fun into my three day weekend as humanly possible (in true Laura fashion). On Thursday night, the six of us in the above photo, plus my long-lost cousin, Kim, went to see Cavalia. This show is kind of like Cirque du Soleil, but with horses! We had a grand ol' time and a good parking spot. The Cavalia folks set up their huge tent right next door to where Tim works, so he got us the hook-up! On Friday, I drove to Houston to be with my family for the Central Texas Leadership Training for Christ convention (LTC). My brother Jonathan is a junior in high school and I love hearing him sing. He competed in two of the choruses (large chorus and small chorus). Typically, we like to take fun songs, slow them down for the beginning, and jazz them up at the end. Last year, I helped out and his quartet sang "The Lord Bless You and Keep You." For the second time through, Jono brought out the vocal percussion -- so fun and unexpected! This year, they jazzed up "Mighty is Our God" and did several other fun songs. He got a gold medal in both categories! This is a picture of his chorus this year. Their outfits get better and better each year! When I was in chorus, we had to wear these red, white, and blue collar things. blechk! Then, we all wore Looney Tune ties with white button down shirts, and eventually we did grow out of those phases and look stylish... still working on that, though...
The director, Tricia, has two sons, Zach and Andrew. They are "my boys" -- I used to babysit them when I lived at home and they are so precious! I just love those two! Zach looks crazy in this picture, but he is really sweet. I'm so glad I got to see them this weekend. My parents are awesome! They have been to every single LTC for the past 16 years (since I was in 4th grade). Mom wears many hats during the weekend, but two really stand out. She not only is the Easter bunny (shhh! don't tell!), but she writes a song about the weekend to different tunes (ACU's Sing Song, anyone?). This year, the tune was the theme song from "Gilligan's Island," so we had audience participation. Dad loved this idea and jumped on the opportunity to aid the "audience" along. hilarious. I really wish Jenny and Ben could have been there this year... To touch on the final point of this post, cookouts are probably one of my most favorite (yes, I'm an English teacher and just did that) things about summer. The weather here in Dallas has been uber-hot these past two days. I thought it might be a good idea, since I was hosting Tuesday Night Dinner (TND), to have a cookout. We had a lot of fun playing sand volleyball, swimming, chatting, and goofing off. This was an especially good break for me because I had just finished one day of testing with my kids and am currently doing one more. Tonight, I'm celebrating the end of TAKS with my teacher friends at Babe's Restaurant -- yummy! Anyone been there?

Leaders' Retreat and Children's Home

Leaders' Retreat

I have been uber-busy these past couple of weeks (the TAKS test is next week), but I wanted to share some pictures from last weekend's Leaders' Retreat. We went to Camp El Har and did this low ropes course/team building thing. We became VERY close (proximity-wise) and grew as leaders.

It's always interesting to me to see how different people handle various situations. Ropes courses are great ways to build up a team because the problem-solving personalities are forced to shine through. I think we all got frustrated with the Platform Task. We had to get 15 not-so-small adults onto a 4x4 platform and sing "Oh When the Saints...." Yeah, that didn't exactly happen. And instead of singing faster, we thought louder would do! Quite humorous, but we were ready to move on to the next activity.

We did various things like try to get across a fiery swamp with two planks and several posts (and leading the blind!), which actually was one of the most cooperative activities the entire day. We all got along (I don't mean that to sound like we weren't cooperating), but we all were forced to take a role in that activity.

Every good ropes course needs a trust fall sequence. The picture to the left is the final step in the trust fall sequence (after we've built up the trust of the group). I must say, I was very proud of us for not dropping anyone...although all the pictures like this one look like we're saying our last prayers.

To see more pictures of the Leaders' Retreat, click here.

Stephenville Trip

Every year, the Prestoncrest Singles' (Young Professionals) group takes a trip to the Fosters Children's Home in Stephenville, TX. It's like a mission trip for us, but it's more fun and less work. We played with the kids there all weekend. Most of the kids are middle or high schoolers and we spent the weekend playing volleyball, basketball (knock out), jumping rope, painting nails (with the girls), and just hanging out and providing entertainment for some of the neatest kids in Texas. Needless to say, after all the activity, I'm a bit sore today!

I got to know a boy named Anthony over the weekend. He wanted help with putting his hair in tiny ponytails all over his head, so we kind of bonded (he had to take the ponytails out for church). He's been there only since February. I don't know his whole story, but he was having a rough weekend. He got hit in the eye with a tree branch during our volleyball game (long story) and that day was the 2 year anniversary of a tragic death in his family, but he was a trooper and made the most of the weekend anyway.

To see more pictures of the weekend, click here.

non-Twin birthday...

Jenny and I turned the big quarter-of-a-century on Monday! Since graduating from ACU, we have been apart for our birthdays each year (first in Switzerland, she in grad school; last year Houston vs. Memphis; this year Dallas vs. Memphis). I enjoy spending time with people on special occasions like birthdays, so this weekend, I tried to spend as much time with my friends as possible.


I began the weekend by organizing a girls' night for my church class. Friday night, 17 wonderful gals got together for a lengthy fondue dinner at Simply fondue. We had all four courses (salad, cheese fondue, meat fondue (where you cook the raw meat in oil or broth), and the best: chocolate fondue -- all eight styles). The meal took four hours to enjoy and we had a blast going from fondue pot to fondue pot to try everything. I believe we were all in heaven at the final course. We were able to choose eight chocolate fondues, ranging from Peanut Butter Swirl, Bailey's, Banana's Foster, Chocolate/White Chocolate Swirl, White Chocolate Amaretto, and some others that slip my mind at the time. I recommend doing the fondue thing with a group; I think it would be an awkward, say, first date.

Saturday, I helped a friend move out of her apartment and just spent a relaxing evening at home watching movies. I did make my grandmother Virginia's enchiladas as a birthday treat! Yum!

After Sunday night church, my friend Jessica spread the word that we were all going to dinner. Emily helped me choose Cheesecake Factory (an excellent birthday choice!) and there were 20 of us total! I don't really hang out with one specific group at church, and it was fun to see the variety of groups that came to celebrate. I don't really believe I have 20 friends at church; I think they were there because of the cheesecake. Unfortunately, with that many folks, we had to split into two tables, so I wasn't able to visit with everyone. Luckily, Monday night is small group night. I think I'm really going to like my small group with church. We've only met twice so far and we're studying the Love Language book for Singles. Pretty funny how the author changes up the analogies for "Singles", but it beats hearing about "how to treat your spouse" all the time. :)

I talked with Jenny several times on Monday; I even had my students sing to her! (all the while she was saying, "I have to go, Laura, I have to get back to work! Aww, thanks, kids!" so funny!) My students were so cute -- some of them (honors class) brought me two cards they had all signed (mind you, they made the cards in their social studies class because they had a sub that day), and a rose. Cute, you may think? Hmm, the fake rose's bud was filled with this horrid-smelling red perfume. So precious... When I got home from school, Anne had covered the door with a "Happy Birthday" banner and had blown up balloons for me to trip on as I entered! Flowers, more cupcakes, and DVDs. She's the best!

Anyway, that about did it for the big 2-5. I didn't freak out like I kind of expected. I'm looking forward to a fabulous year. I think I'll rent a car. Any suggestions? I'm thinking either a Z-3 or a Hummer -- you know, something I wouldn't normally drive (something with at least a power antenna!).

Peace out!