Say What?

So I am trying to increase my knowledge on several subjects, one of which being old movies. I started tonight by watching The Bachelor and the Bobby-Soxer for no real reason other than it was on. I multitask well with old movies on and was being quite productive but half way through the movie I stopped in my tracks. All of a sudden I heard:

Richard Nugent: Hey, you remind me of a man.
Susan Turner: What man?
Richard Nugent: Man with the power.
Susan Turner: What power?
Richard Nugent: Power of hoodoo.
Susan Turner: Hoodoo?
Richard Nugent: You do.
Susan Turner: Do what?
Richard Nugent: Remind me of a man...

Anyone know what movie I first heard this in (well it is not this exact language but it is close)? It is NOT this movie though apparently it was not original in the movie I know it from.

The Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo

I absolutely love the Rodeo. It reminds me of the State Fair but with the added bonuses of a Rodeo and concert. This year I went to Brooks & Dunn with my brother, Melissa and David. Brooks & Dunn happened to coincide with the Rodeo finals. We saw all of the rodeo events twice, the semi-finals followed by finals. It made for a longer evening but the second round events were a tad more interesting knowing that the winner received $50,000. Also, I felt like I was cheating the system and getting to see 2 rodeos for the price of one. Well worth the price.


After the classic Rodeo events came my favorite two activities, the calf scramble and mutton bustin'. The calf scramble consists of children running around trying to catch calves. After a child captures a calf, they have to rope it and drag it to the center of the ring. Then I think they raise the calf for a year or something. Not really sure but the capturing process is quite humorous.

Mutton Bustin' was new to the main stage this year and a welcome addition. It involves small children (around 5 years old) riding a sheep around the rink. The child able to hang on the longest wins. The children were adorable and the event was quite entertaining.


After the rodeo we headed to the tents to find food. I love eating at the rodeo. I had a corn dog for lunch and a BBQ sandwich for dinner. Both were worth every calorie.


Then the true challenge began. This year I was determined to find a frozen banana. I heard about them last year but didn't manage to find one. This year, however, I was on a mission and made everyone scour the carnival to find the tent selling them. After searching the entire carnival we finally found the frozen gooodies tent next to the fried candy tent. I patiently waited in line (and by patiently I mean I jumped around in excitement) and succeeded in trying my first frozen banana. My brother got a root beer float. We were both pleased with our selections and I see more frozen bananas in my future. Bring on the State Fair!

In the blink of an eye.

This weekend I went to Houston for the rodeo and to visit family and friends. On Friday I headed straight to Jacki's and spent the afternoon with her and the kids. It is scary how fast they grow. Jessica turns 3 in May and Jacob will turn 2 soon after that.

When I got to the house on Friday afternoon, Jessica recognized me immediately. She ran up to me as I walked into the door and said "Jen'ni'fer! You are HERE!" Her mom said "yes, I told you she was coming today." To which Jessica replied, "but she is actually HERE!" It made my day to see how excited she was to see me. Jacob ran up beside her and I said "Hi!" He is speaking well these days and said "Hey Jen." He was more weary of me at first but warmed to me in about 20 seconds when he saw how happy Jessica was to see me.

I had a great time playing with them and eating dinner.

At one point Jessica was sitting in my lap and started playing with my watch. She looked at my wrist and asked "What's this?". I said it is my watch and she said "No... this". I looked and she was looking at the medical alert bracelet I wear with my watch. I told her it was my bracelet and she said "oh..." and looked down sad. I asked her what was the matter and she said she didn't have her watch or bracelet on. I told her that was okay but she would not cheer up. About a minute later Jacki told me where her watch and bracelet were and said I could go and get them for Jessica if I wanted. Jessica looked thrilled so we went and got them. She put her watch and bracelet on the same hand as mine and started beaming.

I couldn't resist getting a picture. They say imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.

Park = Wake Up Call

Today my co-leader and I took our girls to the park for lunch and some fun fellowship. We picked a perfect day too because it was gorgeous! Since it is spring break only two of our girls were able to come. While I missed the girls that couldn't make it, it was nice to get some quality time with the two. We fed the ducks and discovered that corn tortillas sink. Sadly I was not in photo-Nazi mode and didn't take a single picture for blog proof.

After feeding the ducks, we played a quick game of Ultimate Frisbee and I was shocked to discover I am painfully out of shape. Well shocked is not really accurate since I have not been to the gym in months. But still, it is quite scary how quickly muscle disappears. Thus, I have decided to get back into the gym in the hopes of soon being able to run the length of the ultimate field without breaking a sweat.

Feel free to start playing the Rocky music in your head because it is what I turn to every time I vow to get back in shape, so it is going through my head as I type. Luckily Melissa asked me to run a 5k with her in May so I have a goal that will keep me focused. I know a 5k is not daunting but you would be surprised what huge motivation a little race can be. The Heartbreak 5k will also serve to cross one Resolution off my list and we all know how happy I get about crossing something off my list. Thanks Mel for suggesting the 5k and being willing to run it with me.

It is finished.

But wait, some of you may be thinking... How is it that you are working a part time job when you already have a full time job? Simple. My contract job ended today! I am a free woman. I should be overjoyed but frankly I am still in shock. We have been told the job was ending so many times that I am still struggling to believe it actually happened. I guess it is true what they say about crying wolf... eventually people stop believing you. But I have been assured we are done and I have no plans to go into that office tomorrow morning... So maybe the reality will sink in tomorrow.

I have posted about my contract job several times in varying degrees of frustration but in hindsight I am choosing to focus on and be thankful for the Lord's provision. Over the last three months I have enjoyed a constant pay check and all of the security that brings. I have been able to make larger loan payments than the minimum requirement. I have more than doubled my savings account (the account was shockingly low before I started working and I just got my tax refund and am including that in my calculation). This job provided a reason to get out of the house for 40 hours a week. I learned a great deal about discovery and production of documents. I learned that discovery and production of documents is not something I enjoy doing full time. I will no longer take for granted a job that I enjoy. This job forced me to seek the Lord in new ways. I learned to read documents carefully while listening to audio books. I learned that everyone has to start somewhere and I eventually learned contentment with starting at the bottom. I surrendered some of my pride. I was honored to be asked to stay on for privilege review and to have confirmation that I was doing a good job. I worked for someone from reality TV stardom and learned more than I ever wanted to know about the Bachelor (okay... maybe that one is not so exciting but it has provided me with a great topic of conversation).

Lord, thank you for placing me in such a sweet place this week. What a blessing to be confident that I finished strong and eagerly anticipating the next chapter.

My First Day

Today I woke up excited and nervous (kinda like on my first day of school). I picked out my outfit last night and was confident my navy dress was both professional and stylish. I bravely faced the elements (which this morning meant freezing rain) and rode the DART downtown with anticipation for the first time in months. I loved the feeling.

I maneuvered the streets of downtown Dallas with less grace than I would have hoped but can't really complain since I was walking in heels, carrying my laptop and trying to keep my umbrella from flipping inside out. I arrived at my new building and rode the elevator up 26 floors to my new firm's office. Then I walked into my very own office for the first time as an attorney. I couldn't help but grin. (I seriously considered taking a picture of my office to show you all what a grown up I am, but decided against it.) After the initial shock wore off and I completed all the necessary paperwork, I started working on my first case. Today was a good day!

For those of you that have no idea what I am talking about, last week I accepted a part time job at a small law firm downtown and today was my first day. The firm consists of two female partners, a receptionist and me (their associate). The practice is a mix of transactional work and litigation and I could not be more thrilled. I am working part time initially but with the potential to become a full time employee. I will fill you in on more details as the job progresses but for now, know that I am excited and feel the Lord's immense blessing.

During the course of the day, I got a firm email address, phone number, ordered my business card and discussed computer options and preference before they ordered my computer. All of this left me feeling very official which (again) I loved. If you want to know more about where I work, feel free to ask me for a business card next time you see me.

DTOWN

I am not so good about timely blogging these days but wanted to post about DTOWN while it was still fresh in my mind. DTOWN is Watermarks version of Disciple now. Two weekends ago all of Watermark's High School and Junior High kids got together for a weekend of fun, fellowship and time with Jesus. We had three speaker sessions and two quiet times over the weekend. The retreat centered on 1 Timothy 4:12 "Let no one look down on your youthfulness, but rather in speech, conduct, love, faith and purity, show yourself an example of those who believe. "

The five sessions were over speech, conduct, love, faith and purity. All were challenging not only to my girls but also convicted me. The faith message struck a deep cord with me. Our journal had several verses on faith (Hebrews 11:1, Hebrews 11:7, 2 Cor. 5:7) but a quote from Oswald Chambers really got me thinking. "Worry is an indication that we think God cannot look after us." I thought through the last few years of my life and sadly worry has been more present than I would like to admit. Why does added responsibility bring increased anxiety.

I turn to Jeremiah 29:10-14 when dealing with worry. Mainly verse 11 but the rest of it cannot be disregarded. 10"For thus says the LORD, 'When seventy years have been completed for Babylon, I will visit you and fulfill My good word to you, to bring you back to this place. 11'For I know the plans that I have for you,' declares the LORD, 'plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope. 12'Then you will call upon Me and come and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. 13'You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart. 14'I will be found by you,' declares the LORD, 'and I will restore your fortunes and will gather you from all the nations and from all the places where I have driven you,' declares the LORD, 'and I will bring you back to the place from where I sent you into exile.'"

I pray you too are comforted by this passage. Whether you feel your life is in exile or in the promise land... always remember the Lord works all things for His good. Have faith and try to stop worrying! (If only it were that easy.)

I had a great time with my girls and am enjoying watching them grow. It is challenging to see their childlike faith and how their simple poetic words can bring such conviction. I am so looking forward to the next six years girls!

Below are our pictures from the weekend below. On Saturday afternoon we had a photo game where we had to embody different things in a picture. Thus the crazy pictures below. I numbered the pictures we submitted and stated what they were trying to portray. Enjoy.

DTOWN

Drum Roll Please

This just in... My car has been repaired! Apparently my clutch switch (something that engages the clutch) broke. Thus, even though I had my clutch in last night as I tried to start my car, it did not register. I was angry at my alarm in vain... My clutch was the culprit.

The repair cost only $60. Woohoo! Got to love The Little Honda That Could!

Who needs a tow?

Sadly I do. My poor car is sitting at a repair shop as we speak awaiting its fate in the morning.

I went to small group tonight and after all the kids left, I headed home myself. Except my car would not start. Must be the battery I thought. "No biggie. I know how to handle a battery. But wait, why are my lights working and why is my radio on... That's not right. Not if it is my battery."

I began to freak out when I realized I was in uncharted territory and immediately called my father. He headed my way as I began to brainstorm potential problems. My best guess is that my alarm is malfunctioning. The alarm has a fail safe that prevents the car from turning over/starting if the alarm is set. My alarm appeared to be turning off properly but maybe it wasn't disengaging the kill switch.

As I was thinking through my options the small group family whose house I was in front of left for dinner and asked if I needed help or wanted to join them. I told them my dad was on the way. Not to worry. And to have a great dinner! I then sat in my car and tried again to think of anything I could do to fix my car.

About a minute later a cop pulled up and asked "What seems to be the problem?" I told him all about my alarm idea and that I hoped if I disconnected the battery the alarm would work once reset. He thought it was a good idea (truthfully I think he was impressed that I knew anything about cars) and moved his car in front of mine to shine his spotlight into my car. I figured if I had to be "spotted", I wanted car trouble to be the reason.

He tried to help me disconnect my battery but neither of us had the right tools so he jumped my car while waiting for my dad. I was 99.9% certain this would do nothing, but it was worth a shot. Unfortunately I was right and the jump didn't help. I also called my mother and asked her to google "black widow alarms" and see if there is a way to disconnect the alarm or reset it. She told me what she red online and I tried it to no avail. By that time my dad was close and the very nice officer stayed with me until my father arrived. While we were talking I discovered he patrols the neighborhood and my small group father (whose house I was in front of) had called him and asked him to stay with me until my father arrived. I thought this very nice.

When my father arrived we thanked Mr. Nice Policeman profusely as he left and began working on disconnecting my battery. After sufficiently draining its juice and reattaching it, I was hopeful... But nope. My car still would not crank.

Sadly I admitted defeat and called a tow truck. I highly recommend Gold American Express' Road Side Assistance. Very professional and cordial customer service representatives. The tow truck driver arrived 45 minutes later and worked quickly but carefully. My father and I followed the tow truck to the repair shop where my car is sitting tonight awaiting the prognosis.

I am praying for a cheap fix! A very cheap fix!!!