Travel Woes

What is life without adventure, right? I suppose sometimes a little can go a long way, as we just found out on our return trip when we got a flat tire. I think I hit a small piece of board with a nail in it or something, but it definitely punctured the tire. Our poor tire didn't stand a chance.

Thankfully it happened right before we had planned to stop anyway.

After an incredibly frustrating hour of getting out the spare and messing with the (el cheapo) jack that came with the truck (to no avail - that thing couldn't hold a feather if it were tied to it), we gave up and Tory called a nearby garage.

Although they said they'd be out to help us in an hour, the guy showed up after only about 20 minutes - win! He had the old tire off and the new one on in 10, all with a friendly Texas smile on his face.

Moral of the story: if you ever have a flat tire outside of Snyder, TX, Nix's Auto & Tire Services is the place to call.

And don't run over sticks.


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Location:Snyder, TX

Resolutions Made: Dec. 31, 2010. Resolutions Broken: Jan. 1, 2011.

Yes, folks, it doesn't take much to distract one from one's goals. Despite every good intention of going to bed at a reasonable (for New Year's Eve) hour and getting up early to read my Bible, it simply didn't happen. The best laid plans of mice and men...

Interestingly, this little snafoo was not entirely my fault. I have come to find out that an iOS bug knocked out my (and many others') iPhone alarm clocks this morning. (Link)

This was especially troublesome because we were due to help decorate the reception hall for my sister-in-law's wedding at 8:30 a.m. - and since neither my 7:00 nor 8:00 alarm went off, we didn't wake up until 10:00 a.m.

Despite this minor setback, I think 2011 is off to a pretty good start. Here's wishing everyone a great beginning to the new year!

New Years Resolutions, v. 2.011

My poor blog has been neglected long enough. What with Tory graduating and starting his SJD, moving to a new place, getting a dog, getting a new job, and everything in between, I just haven't made writing a priority, much to my husband's chagrin.

But, thanks to my Dear Husband, I now have one less excuse for not writing on my blog - he just installed BlogPress on my iPhone. Which is really quite helpful, since I've had in mind for the past month or so that one of my New Years Resolutions would be to write on my blog - not just once in a while, not just often, but every day of 2011. More on that next year.

Happy New Year, everyone!


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Counting Your Blessings

The other day I had lunch with a dear friend of mine, which we pleasantly spent talking about our lives and what had been going on - good and bad. It was wonderful to hang out with her, and to be able to voice my frustrations to someone who understood where I was coming from, having been there herself many a time. It was also refreshing to hear her perspective. Since she’s had to deal with the same frustrations, she was able to give me some solid, Christian advice.

What struck me the most about what she said to me was something so simple that it’s often overlooked, namely: we are so blessed. It’s easy enough to get caught up in life’s frustrations, but in doing so we lose sight of how blessed we truly are. I realized that recently I’ve been living in “the-grass-is-greener-on-the-other-side” mode, instead of seeing how God has been at work in my life. I’ve been filled with resentment towards friends near and far. I’ve been disappointed with how little I’ve accomplished in my life. I’ve been getting frustrated all too easily, and pointing my finger at everyone but myself. I get angry too quickly, and worry too much about petty things.

The thing is, I think sometimes God allows worrisome things in our lives in order to turn us back to Him. Who said that life was supposed to be clean and easy? As a Christian, I am still called to trust God with all the ups and downs of life. After all, He’s always there to see me through it. And knowing that I’ll never be alone – that is a true blessing.

So, to remind myself of how blessed I am, I have, as Bing Crosby so sweetly sings, counted my blessings. Here are just a few of the things I am thankful for:

1) My Husband who loves me despite my flaws.
2) My Family who loves me no matter what.
3) The roof over my head and the food in my belly.
4) The job I have - even with all its frustrations.
5) The fact that I am able to wake up each morning and move of my own accord.

And, in the spirit of this post, here is Mr. Crosby himself. Enjoy!

Count Your Blessings (Instead of Sheep)

When I'm worried and I can't sleep
I count my blessings instead of sheep
And I fall asleep counting my blessings
When my bankroll is getting small
I think of when I had none at all
And I fall asleep counting my blessings

I think about a nursery and I picture curly heads
And one by one I count them as they slumber in their beds
If you're worried and you can't sleep
Just count your blessings instead of sheep
And you'll fall asleep counting your blessings

I think about a nursery and I picture curly heads
And one by one I count them as they slumber in their beds
If you're worried and you can't sleep
Just count your blessings instead of sheep
And you'll fall asleep counting your blessings

To Honor Those Who Served...

Happy Memorial Day and God Bless.

Where I am vs. Where I want to be

I spent some time this morning trying to get caught up on things like Facebook and e-mail - which I have sadly neglected, much to my husband's chagrin. It's easy to see how people become addicted to facebook. I think most of my time was spent looking at friends', and friends of friends' pictures.

Here's what struck me, and perhaps it's even the reason I avoid facebook more often than not: I am a jealous person. I see the things my friends are doing and have done, and I think to myself, "I wanted to be doing that by now." "That's what I wanted to do." Whether it's going to Africa or anywhere else in the world, or flying, or exercising more, or taking classes, I keep realizing that there are so many things that I want to do that I see other people doing.

So I have to ask myself: what's the difference? Why is it that they have been doing all these great things, and I haven't? What is the difference between their situation and mine? What is it that has given them the drive to not only dream these dreams, but also the motivation to go out and do them, while I sit here at home getting bitten by the green-eyed monster?

Perhaps some of it has to do simply with economic situation. But that could easily be used as a cop-out on my part. At the end of the day, if you want something badly enough, you'll do what it takes to get it, and that involves - as the (pic) above so aptly states - lots & lots of work.

So, here's a list of 5 things that I really, really, really want to do, and some idea of the work involved:

1) Learn to fly an airplane. (will take lots of $ - need to earn the cash first)
2) Run a 5K/Mini/Marathon. (will take lots of exercise - need to make this regular)
3) Visit all 7 Continents. (will take $ and time - need to earn those greenbacks)
4) Hike the Grand Canyon. (will take time - need to schedule it)
5) Visit all 50 States. (will take $ and time - but only a few left to go)


I also realize that my attitude begs the question of faith, putting things in God's hands, and being content with what I have/where I am...but that's a subject for another post. ;)

Best Video Ever

This is just awesome.

Whether you are tone deaf or a true music connoisseur, this is so much fun to watch. Do I like this video? Of Korsakov!

Enjoy!



Great review here.

There are no words for this

It's hard to know what to say, where to begin when a loved one dies. It's a feeling I haven't really had to deal with in my life up till now. I've had the odd great-aunt/great-uncle pass, and my mother's father died before I was born, but in my lifetime I haven't had to deal with a close relative (grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, immediate family) passing. Until now.

Early (ish) Saturday morning, March 27, 2010, I received a phone call from my mother to let me know that my grandfather (my father's father), Weldon Keesler Hamrick, Sr., had died in the night. He had numerous health problems at the end of his life. His passing was not a shock, but can one ever really be ready when the inevitable happens? Apparently he had opted to try one more medical procedure to prolong his life, instead of electing home hospice.

The funeral was yesterday morning, in North Carolina where he had lived his whole life. My entire family was there. It was a big disappointment to me to be so far away and thus unable to attend. My brothers all got to be pallbearers.

Ironically, it's hard to know how to grieve. Obviously, he is missed by every one who knew and loved him. But we never lived close enough to get the full "grandparent experience" - it's a long drive between Indiana and North Carolina. It's easy enough to rationalize and say that it was for the best, he's not suffering any more, it wasn't a huge surprise, but these are simple platitudes used to cover over the dull ache that says "he's gone for good." Who wants a loved one to die?

It would be easy to dwell on the misfortune of losing a grandparent, but I would rather remember him alive - smoking his pipe outside, walking around the garden, his smile and laugh and the way he talked. The pictures I have from his operation when I was a baby and he was holding me in the hospital. The pictures of him as a young man, when he married my grandmother. The stories my grandmother always told about him - about her first memory of him, and about how she would come up behind him when he was sitting down and kiss the back of his neck (a habit I've also formed with my husband).

And although the death of a loved one sucks, death is still a part of life, and I am glad to know that my dear, beloved grandfather is now in a better place.

Winter Olympics Fun

I haven't been paying much attention to the Winter Olympics this year. I know, I'm a terrible American. Who knows, I might have even been rooting for the Chinese. ;) in fact, one of the only moments I witnessed was when this lady, Lindsey Vonn, won gold in downhill skiing. (I also watched the Canadian hockey team score their first point against team USA...)

But, in the spirit of the Olympics and all sports competitions, here is a tribute to the moments we didn't get to see.

[Link]

Enjoy!

Breaking News

The news of the day is, of course, the devastating earthquake in Chile and its aftermath. Tsunamis have been expected across the Pacific Ocean, and recent reports indicate that Japan has, in fact, received some of the dreaded waves.

Now, I'm not usually one to make fun in a situation such as this, but I'm kind of baffled by 10-centimeter-high tsunamis. I mean, really? If I were the Taco Bell Dog, I'd be terrified.

I'm turning into my husband...

People always say that, after living together a while, spouses tend to become like one another. They start to develop the same habits, interests, tastes, and some even say they start to look alike. If that's the case, then I think we have proven the transformation doesn't take that long - 6 months, in fact - as evidenced by the fact that we are, presently, both on the computers, wearing brown sweaters, and changing our blog templates.

Too funny!

Absence Makes the Heart Grow Fonder

It has been said that "silence is golden," and if that is the case then surely I have proven that by not having posted anything in almost a year.

This past weekend my husband was out of town, our first time being apart in the six months we've been married. The house was too quiet, and I missed him terribly, so I decided to go and read some of his old blog posts, the result being that I was inspired to update and re-vamp my own humble blog. I don't pretend to possess nearly the eloquence he does, but hopefully I can make this site a bit more entertaining. Perhaps I will even enjoy it so much that I will do a better job of keeping it up!

Right now I am sitting on the couch in our apartment in Tucson, AZ, listening to my iPod, the sounds of typing (myself and my husband in the next room - I'm blogging, he's writing a paper for class - what does that say about our lives?), the wind chimes outside, and laundry in the next room. The smell of coffee is wafting from the kitchen. There is definitely a sense of "home" here and now.

Tory returned home last night from a Moot Court Competition in Vermillion, SD. As I picked him up from the airport, I was reminded of all the many times in our relationship when we met each other at airports. The first time I came to visit him here in Tucson, he accidentally went to the wrong arrival gate, and I remember stopping at the bottom of the stairs in a state of confusion, looking around for him. I remember the excitement of seeing him arrive at the airport in Indianapolis, and the rush of emotion every time he was waiting for me when I arrived. There was a similar rush when I saw him walk down those same stairs I walked down, lo those many moons ago, and the cliché certainly proved true - absence does make the heart grow fonder.

The past six months of being married to him have been something of a roller coaster ride, learning what it is to be married, to be in love, to live with someone, and to have to stand up for what I believe when I disagree with someone who means the world to me. One thing that I have learned is that the decision we made to get married is ultimately worth it. There may be arguments, disagreement, sleepless nights, and exasperation, but he is the man I have chosen to spend my life with, as I am the woman he has chosen for himself. Surely, love is more than just the feelings and the passion we feel towards another person. It is also the choice we make to look past the deficiencies of our spouses and ourselves, and love each other all the more as we see each other for who we are.

So as I still hear the sounds of the laundry, wind chimes, and typing, I am increasingly thankful for the man God has placed in my life, and the fact that he is again safely at home.

Once Upon A Time....

...in a small, Midwestern town, called Anderson, Indiana, there lived a young girl named Gwyn. She wanted very much to be loved, but not just by anyone - she wanted to find the right man, the man God had in store for her, and to be loved by him. So, she prayed. And she prayed, and she prayed. There were many times when she was disappointed, but she believed that God had someone even better in store for her.

At the same time, in a small town in southwestern Oklahoma, there lived a young boy named Tory. He wanted very much to be loved, but not just by anyone - he wanted to find the right woman, the woman God had in store for him, and to be loved by her. So, he prayed. And he prayed, and he prayed. There were many times when he was disappointed, but he believed that God had someone even better in store for him.

One day at church, when Gwyn was about 13 years old, she heard about a trip some people were taking to Oklahoma to do a Vacation Bible School. She decided to go along and help out with the music. On the long van ride to Oklahoma, she overheard the driver speaking very highly about a young man at the church in Oklahoma, a young man named Tory. What he said caught her attention, and she was already interested by the time they arrived in Walters, OK.

During the week of Vacation Bible School, Gwyn's interest in Tory grew. She would often find herself staring at him while she was trying to lead the music. To her surprise (and delight!), she noticed that often he was also looking at her from the stage, as she was sitting on the front pew. Over the week, their friendship grew, and by the time she had to return to Indiana they had each other's contact information, with promises to stay in touch.

Over the next few summers, Gwyn returned to Oklahoma with the same group. Each time, her interest in Tory grew. She even invited him to come to Indiana sometime, and to go with her church youth group on a trip to Green Lake, Wisconsin, for a Winter Youth Event, which he did. At Green Lake, their friendship continued to develop, and although Gwyn's feelings for Tory kept growing, she was sure he didn't feel the same way about her. She was content with his friendship - he was, of course, wonderful: who wouldn't want to be his friend? Finally, in the summer of 2000, before Gwyn headed off to college, they saw each other one more time at a national youth gathering in Colorado, followed by one more week of Vacation Bible School. And still, her feelings for Tory kept growing. And still, she was convinced that he didn't feel the same way about her, and so she was content with his friendship. And she prayed, and she prayed, and she prayed.

During college, Gwyn and Tory didn't have much contact. Gwyn began to wonder if God had anyone at all in store for her, or if she was destined to join a convent. Then one day, shortly before graduating from college, God said to Gwyn, "I want you to go to China for a while." And Gwyn said, "Okay."

When Gwyn was in China, she and Tory resumed contact and their friendship intensified. After Gwyn returned to America, she and Tory continued their regular contact and their ever-growing friendship. One day, Tory invited her to come visit him in Arizona. Not long after that, Gwyn found herself boarding a plane to visit her very dear, long-time friend, Tory.

During the visit, Gwyn and Tory both came to realize that for the past 13 years they were not only friends, but they also had a crush on each other. And their friendship blossomed into romance. And still, she prayed, and she prayed...and they prayed.

It was not long before they both realized what God had been doing all along - bringing the two of them together. So, they started talking about marriage. And they prayed, and they prayed. They realized that they didn't only have romantic feelings for the other person - they loved each other.

They visited each other regularly, and it wasn't long before Gwyn got to re-visit southwestern Oklahoma, Tory's home and family. While they were there, of course they had to go and visit Tory's home church, where they first met and where the 'magic' first began. One night, as providence would have it, they found themselves at the very same church where, so many years ago, she had been sitting in the front pew, staring at him on the stage, getting butterflies in her stomach when he would stare back.

Gwyn and Tory sat together on that same front pew that night, taking a trip down memory lane. But Tory didn't stay sitting on the pew. Instead, he knelt down on one knee in front of Gwyn and asked her to marry him.....and she said yes. She knew this was the man that she had been praying for since she was a little girl. And they prayed. And they thanked God for each other, and asked for His wisdom as their relationship grew into something even more wonderful than she had imagined.....

...And they lived happily ever after...

If you can't make it to Ireland, do the next best thing...

'Sláinte!'

(pronounced 'slawn-cha', meaning Health! A common toast in Ireland, the equivalent to ‘Cheers’)

HAPPY ST. PATRICK'S DAY EVERYONE!!!

Ooooooooklahoma!!

This week I find myself in sunny, warm Oklahoma. The original plan for Spring Break week was to go visit Las Vegas with my boyfriend, Tory, and his family, but instead we went with plan B, going to visit his family in his home state of Oklahoma.

It's been a while, but I've been here before. The last time I was here was about, oh, ten years ago or so, when my church at the time did VBS mission trips. (Oddly enough, I had a crush on Tory then, too...) Not much here has changed....I still remember the church, the wide open fields, the windy plains, and the people. So far, it's been a great past few days - relaxing, throwing around a football, eating the best pizza in the world (Patman's!!), reminiscing, and just hanging out with the Fodder clan. Couldn't ask for more!

As a tribute to the Sooner State, I'd like to post a little song that sums up my feelings about being here.

And Oklahoma - you're OK!!






Oklahoma!

Eller:
They couldn't pick a better time as that in life

Andrew:
It ain't too early and it ain't too late

Laurey:
Startin' as a farmer with a brand new wife

Curley:
Soon'll be livin' in a brand new state

Company:
Brand new state!
Brand new state, gonna treat you great!
Gonna give you barley, carrots and pertaters,
Pasture fer the cattle,
Spinach and termayters!
Flowers on the prarie where the June bugs zoom,
Plen'y of air and plen'y of room,
Plen'y of room to swing a rope!
Plen'y of heart and plen'y of hope.

Oklahoma, where the wind comes sweepin' down the plain
And the wavin' wheat can sure smell sweet
When the wind comes right behind the rain.
Oklahoma, Ev'ry night my honey lamb and I
Sit alone and talk and watch a hawk
Makin' lazy circles in the sky.

We know we belong to the land
And the land we belong to is grand!
And when we say
Yeeow! Ayipioeeay!
We're only sayin'
You're doin' fine, Oklahoma!
Oklahoma O.K.

Oklahoma, where the wind comes sweepin' down the plain
And the wavin' wheat can sure smell sweet
When the wind comes right behind the rain.
Oklahoma, Ev'ry night my honey lamb and I
Sit alone and talk and watch a hawk
Makin' lazy circles in the sky.

We know we belong to the land
And the land we belong to is grand!
And when we say
Yeeow! Ayipioeeay!
We're only sayin'
You're doin' fine, Oklahoma!
Oklahoma O.K.

Okla-okla-Okla-Okla-Okla-Okla
Okla-okla-Okla-Okla-Okla-Okla...

We know we belong to the land
And the land we belong to is grand!
And when we say
Yeeow! Ayipioeeay!
We're only sayin'
You're doin' fine, Oklahoma!
Oklahoma O.K.
L - A - H - O - M - A
OKLAHOMA!
Yeeow!


(lyrics from: http://www.allmusicals.com/lyrics/oklahoma/oklahoma.htm)

Signs of Spring

Spring is my favorite of the seasons - I always love seeing everything turn green again and the flowers coming up. Each season has its own charm, but spring holds a special place in my heart.

Needless to say, I was super excited the other day when I saw some of the first signs of spring - buttercups coming up in people's yards, crocus coming up on campus, a robin in the tree at home....

And, of course (sigh), after our beautiful 70-degree weather the other day, we're already being hit again by the national cold front, bringing the temperature back down to 20 degrees. Weather - I tell you what.

So as not to give up hope on spring, I'm including a few pictures I found online - lest I forget what it is I'm watching and waiting for. ;)

You know it's cold when...

The refrigerator temperature is warmer than the temperature outside.

Seriously! I walked to work this morning, and the outside thermometer said it was zero degrees. When I put my food in the refrigerator at work, the fridge thermometer said it was 3 degrees. Crazy!!

In Bloomington for a limited time only....

The man. The myth. The legend.

A Whole New World

Two words:

1) Gobi.

2) Desert.


Speaking of *awesome* trips I've taken in my life.....perhaps my favorite trip while in mainland China was the last one that I took - into western China. Finally, *finally*, I am posting some of my favorite pics from that trip for your viewing enjoyment! Be on the lookout for them, and check out those camels!! :)

(Gobi Desert, Allen! Gobi Desert!!)

SNOW!!!! :)

Sooooooooooo pretty!! :)

(these pics were taken with my camera phone from my bedroom window this morning...Hooray!!)