My brother tagged me on his blog to do this post. Basically, I'm just supposed to answer a few questions about my "super powers."
1. What is the most powerful thing you have done in the last 5 years?
I survived dating BJ and his baggage. And after over two years of marriage, I'm still crazy enough about him to confidently say, "I'd do it again."
2. What is your super power?
Sensitivity - I feel everything deeply.
3. If you could choose another super power now, what would it be?
Dog whisperer - mainly so that I could effectively communicate the command "stop whining" to Sienna right now.
4. Describe your superhero outfit.
My freckles are my superhero outfit. They protect me and my many gaffes against the scorn of man. Here's how: I can say or think almost anything, and people still think I am adorably naive. As someone who has always lived in extremely conservative corners of America, this has been invaluable.
5. What is your kryptonite?
It takes very little offense for me to hurt, and when my feelings get hurt, I absolutely deflate. So meanies are my kryptonite.
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
Monday, September 22, 2008
Rusty fields
I've done really good on the homesickness front ever since we moved to Kentucky. Despite being a life-long Texan and being very close to my family, the beauty of Kentucky and the kindness of everyone have kept me going pretty much tear-free for nearly two months. But yesterday, something happened. I was driving by a field of dead soy beans (a few farmers lost their soy crop this year). The normally bright green crop had turned a dark rusty red. Immediately, it reminded me of the beautiful barley fields along the drive between Eden and San Angelo that turn the most gorgeous shade of rust around this time each year. And suddenly, that color, one of my favorite colors, made me homesick. Out of nowhere, I felt I needed to see a short squaty mesquite tree, or eat a pecan while standing in the same spot it fell, or get really full on chips and salsa before my food comes out, or read a book in my pretty yellow room, or just see my family in person. No more pictures, the real thing.
This isn't the kind of homesickness that debilitates. It doesn't depress me all day, or take the joy out of the things I love here in Kentucky, like the smell of tobacco being smoked in the tobacco barns and my cute little home. It just creeps up on me ever once in while, like a sharp pain that quickly recedes. And it always comes with a little bit of relief. I am relieved to know that Texas isn't fading in importance and that I won't forget the things I love about it. I just have to make a home somewhere else for now.
This isn't the kind of homesickness that debilitates. It doesn't depress me all day, or take the joy out of the things I love here in Kentucky, like the smell of tobacco being smoked in the tobacco barns and my cute little home. It just creeps up on me ever once in while, like a sharp pain that quickly recedes. And it always comes with a little bit of relief. I am relieved to know that Texas isn't fading in importance and that I won't forget the things I love about it. I just have to make a home somewhere else for now.
Saturday, September 20, 2008
The road to my crazy life part 2
A while back I did a post on some of the different search terms that led people to my blog through search engines such as Google and Yahoo. Today, I was shuffling through my site meter when I saw a particularly interesting search term. Apparently, someone found my blog when they searched "inherited paranoia." I believe this leads back to a post I once did on the craziness of my dad, my dog, and myself. But anyways, I'm just pleased that something that strange leads to my blog.
Friday, September 12, 2008
What I love about my house
Speedy cleaning. We have downsized in this move about 700 sq. ft. from our last house, and I can't believe the difference it has made in cleaning. I did my weekly dusting and bathroom cleaning Tuesday. It took about 30 minutes as opposed to the 2 hours of last year.
Tony has his own level. One of my favorite features of this house is that there was a kitty door going down to the basement long before we ever moved here. This means I am able to keep Tony's kitty litter box and food out of sight (and out of nose range in the case of his litter). Also, it means that Tony has his own level to the house. BJ, the dogs, and I take the ground floor and up stairs. Tony has a full basement. Seems fair enough.
The pool, the pool, and the pool. It never really occured to me to have a pool, but now that we ended up with one, I love it. Yesterday, I was walking/jogging around the backyard for some much needed exersice, and of course, I got hot and sweaty. This is when it occured to me that I could also work out in my pool, so I put my swim suit on and hopped in. It made for a much more pleasant work out routine.
Sunlight. The house has enormous windows everywhere, and they are fabulous. I never have to turn on a light during the day, and the house looks beautiful with all of that natural light streaming in.
Atmosphere. There is something about this house that just feels comfortable. We had company last night, and one of the people walked into my kitchen and said, "Oh, you have a real country kitchen." I think that is it. I think it is that feeling that people get when they come in and the old crickety floors sound out each step. It is like that they could just as easily be stepping into their grandmother's house thirty years ago.
Our bedroom is a million miles away. The upstairs is just our bedroom and the lavender bathroom. Everytime I take someone up there, they say something along the lines of, "I can see why you fell in love with this house." When I go up there, the new found stress of being the main support system for a new preacher melts away. I hope not to jinx anything, but I can honestly say I haven't had a night yet where falling asleep up there was difficult.
Old house smell. When I walk into the house after being away for a while, I am always greeted with a breif wiff of that old-house smell. And everytime it happens, I think of the million times I walked into Grandma Farr's house.
After only two and a half week...it already feels like home.
Tony has his own level. One of my favorite features of this house is that there was a kitty door going down to the basement long before we ever moved here. This means I am able to keep Tony's kitty litter box and food out of sight (and out of nose range in the case of his litter). Also, it means that Tony has his own level to the house. BJ, the dogs, and I take the ground floor and up stairs. Tony has a full basement. Seems fair enough.
The pool, the pool, and the pool. It never really occured to me to have a pool, but now that we ended up with one, I love it. Yesterday, I was walking/jogging around the backyard for some much needed exersice, and of course, I got hot and sweaty. This is when it occured to me that I could also work out in my pool, so I put my swim suit on and hopped in. It made for a much more pleasant work out routine.
Sunlight. The house has enormous windows everywhere, and they are fabulous. I never have to turn on a light during the day, and the house looks beautiful with all of that natural light streaming in.
Atmosphere. There is something about this house that just feels comfortable. We had company last night, and one of the people walked into my kitchen and said, "Oh, you have a real country kitchen." I think that is it. I think it is that feeling that people get when they come in and the old crickety floors sound out each step. It is like that they could just as easily be stepping into their grandmother's house thirty years ago.
Our bedroom is a million miles away. The upstairs is just our bedroom and the lavender bathroom. Everytime I take someone up there, they say something along the lines of, "I can see why you fell in love with this house." When I go up there, the new found stress of being the main support system for a new preacher melts away. I hope not to jinx anything, but I can honestly say I haven't had a night yet where falling asleep up there was difficult.
Old house smell. When I walk into the house after being away for a while, I am always greeted with a breif wiff of that old-house smell. And everytime it happens, I think of the million times I walked into Grandma Farr's house.
After only two and a half week...it already feels like home.
Sunday, September 07, 2008
In the pulpit
Farmington is blessed with several talented song leaders. Today's song leader is a man who not only leads in worship, but in all aspects of the congregation. He is a man that one immediatly respects because there is this sense that he is truly, deeply, sincerely a Christian. I noticed today at the morning service that the song leader said something to BJ as he walked to the pulpit for the sermon. Tonight, he did the same, so I listened carefully. The man said, "The lord be with you, brother." I thought that was a really beautiful thing to say.
I think my new role as "preacher's wife" has made me particularly atuned to the significance of that little sentence as BJ steps to his podium. Everytime BJ starts a sermon, I get this sense that something extremely important, something much bigger that us, is about to happen. I realize I am hypersensitive to the signifigance of the sermons now that I am the "preacher's wife," but it is still a sobering feeling. BJ pours hours each week into his sermon, and I spend my own fair share of time readying them for showtime. He brings me a rough draft Wednesday or Thursday, and I try to proof them and make sure that BJ's message will come our clearly to his audience. By the time we get to Sunday morning, we have thought about every nook and cranny of the text, tweeked nuancing and swithched words around, and (in my more anal retentive moments) corrected grammar and spelling. But I still get anxious that we might have missed something, that some sentence may have a double entendre we never foresaw, that someone will be offended, that we'll find people don't agree with us and resent us for it, or worst of all, that the happiness of the past month will turn out to not be real. And every time the fears start darkening like the red storm clouds that blow over Abilene, I have to remind myself that it is in God's hands. And, yes, that the Lord is with BJ. He is with BJ because people in the congregation like our song leader pray that it will be so, because BJ prays that it will be so, because I pray that it will be so. And it is so. Week after week, it is so.
I think my new role as "preacher's wife" has made me particularly atuned to the significance of that little sentence as BJ steps to his podium. Everytime BJ starts a sermon, I get this sense that something extremely important, something much bigger that us, is about to happen. I realize I am hypersensitive to the signifigance of the sermons now that I am the "preacher's wife," but it is still a sobering feeling. BJ pours hours each week into his sermon, and I spend my own fair share of time readying them for showtime. He brings me a rough draft Wednesday or Thursday, and I try to proof them and make sure that BJ's message will come our clearly to his audience. By the time we get to Sunday morning, we have thought about every nook and cranny of the text, tweeked nuancing and swithched words around, and (in my more anal retentive moments) corrected grammar and spelling. But I still get anxious that we might have missed something, that some sentence may have a double entendre we never foresaw, that someone will be offended, that we'll find people don't agree with us and resent us for it, or worst of all, that the happiness of the past month will turn out to not be real. And every time the fears start darkening like the red storm clouds that blow over Abilene, I have to remind myself that it is in God's hands. And, yes, that the Lord is with BJ. He is with BJ because people in the congregation like our song leader pray that it will be so, because BJ prays that it will be so, because I pray that it will be so. And it is so. Week after week, it is so.
Tuesday, September 02, 2008
Meet my new house
We have finally moved in! After a very long month of anticipation, I got into my house last Tuesday. We painted the living room Tuesday and Wednesday, and moved in our stuff Thursday, Friday, and Saturday. On Saturday afternoon, BJ's family came in, and we spent a relaxing weekend in the swimming pool. I haven't totally finished with wall hangings, but here are some pictures of the house.
These are some pictures of the living room. It was originally a light sage green, but we felt that would clash with our olive green couched, so we painted it this "aqua smoke" blue. Notice the new entertainment center from IKEA!
Next, these are a few pictures of the guest bedroom. If you come to see me, which I hope you will, you will stay in this lovely room.
This is the down stairs bathroom. Are shower curtain couldn't have matched better with the existing colors and fixtures.
We haven't finished with the office, but this is the work space I have set up for myself.
Our kitchen is one of my favorite places to be. It is a bright, happy yellow, and all of my red stuff looks fabulous in it.
Upstairs is our bedroom. The setting of the room makes it feel a million miles away from everything else. It is our own little oasis.
Also upstairs is this precious third bathroom. All it has is this beautiful tub and a ton of closet space. It's kind of like a walk in closet with a bath tub.
Lastly, here is a back yard. We have 1.8 acres of property, so the back yard is enormous. It has fruit trees, and lots of shade. And of course, our new favorite toy, the swimming pool. As a side note, if any of my friends get married while I'm living here, I fully expect the wedding and reception to be in my back yard. It is set up perfectly for the occasion.
Hope I didn't overwhelm anybody with this many pictures. I guess I'm just really, overly excited about my first home.
These are some pictures of the living room. It was originally a light sage green, but we felt that would clash with our olive green couched, so we painted it this "aqua smoke" blue. Notice the new entertainment center from IKEA!
Next, these are a few pictures of the guest bedroom. If you come to see me, which I hope you will, you will stay in this lovely room.
This is the down stairs bathroom. Are shower curtain couldn't have matched better with the existing colors and fixtures.
We haven't finished with the office, but this is the work space I have set up for myself.
Our kitchen is one of my favorite places to be. It is a bright, happy yellow, and all of my red stuff looks fabulous in it.
Upstairs is our bedroom. The setting of the room makes it feel a million miles away from everything else. It is our own little oasis.
Also upstairs is this precious third bathroom. All it has is this beautiful tub and a ton of closet space. It's kind of like a walk in closet with a bath tub.
Lastly, here is a back yard. We have 1.8 acres of property, so the back yard is enormous. It has fruit trees, and lots of shade. And of course, our new favorite toy, the swimming pool. As a side note, if any of my friends get married while I'm living here, I fully expect the wedding and reception to be in my back yard. It is set up perfectly for the occasion.
Hope I didn't overwhelm anybody with this many pictures. I guess I'm just really, overly excited about my first home.
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