The Mystery Machine

Caught on camera while driving down 635. I'm almost certain we saw Scooby Doo inside...

Facebook

Ahhhh the dilemma continues - to join or not to join. I am becoming more and more torn every day, yet have managed to remain firm in my opposition to such activity. How much longer will I hold out?

I will say it's getting pretty bad in that I'm missing out on vital information by not being connected. For example:

--Learned from our neighbor that my bro-in-law is going to be in the June issue of Forbes, which he posted online. We say to him, "Thanks for sharing." He says to us, "If you were on facebook you would've known!"
--Missed the birth announcement for a dear friend's new baby. They waited 9 long months to determine whether or not it was a boy or girl. I got the call she was in labor, but the follow up was posted online. My anxiety was killing me! Had I been on facebook, I would've known they had a beautiful baby boy.

In addition to these 2 biggies, my 10-year high school reunion is coming up next month. What a seriously great way to connect with great friends from the past - join facebook!!!

Alas I remain committed to my blog alone. I'm also wary of the facebook friend selection process. Not that I will have a large number of people reaching out to befriend me, but I do think there will be some that I would rather not share my page with. My friend Em likes to use the word -meh-. Like, "I'm kind of -meh- about the whole thing and I don't really get all the hysteria." That's how I feel about facebook. We'll see how much longer it lasts...

BS

2 quick updates: 1) I wore my shirt backwards the entire day today without knowing. At 4:30 I looked down at my boobs and saw the tag through the opening at the top of my chest. At that point I could do nothing but laugh. 2) I tried a great new place for lunch today - Urban Taco in Mockingbird Station. Put it down as a potential restaurant to go to when you're being indecisive and seeking a weekend dining hot spot.

But really - I want this post to be about our Bible study group - hence the BS title. They have been on my mind lots recently. When I first spread my post-college wings and moved to Dallas to get a fresh start, I made myself get involved with the purpose of developing a network of close friends and loved ones. So not easy when you're starting from scratch. So I joined a Bible study at church that met every Wed night from 7-9....

I will say that this is one of the things in my life that God clearly ordained and I cannot say how incredibly gracious to Him I am for that. Our class has stayed together for 5 years, which is simply amazing because the age disparity and completely different paths we're all navigating individually would normally serve as obvious deterrents to developing such deep and personal relationships. There's me and K (newcomer after our marriage - thankfully he passed the test), another girl around our age, Bob's in his 70's, there are a couple of married couples in their 40's with kids, 3 older single ladies - a unique crowd for sure. But for whatever reason, we just mesh - the fully known and fully loved kind of mesh that is unconditional. The thing that unites us and bonds our hearts together is solely our desire to seek and know the Lord better - the common thread that has sustained us as one.

We had our end of the year party last night (our schedule typically follows the school year with summers off)- with wine, of course. I've come to value and enjoy the theological freedom that comes with being a Methodist to say the least. We are not perfect and each have our own set of issues we're all dealing with, but knowing that we can be held accountable in graceful manner while continuing to grow and learn is such a wonderful gift. These people have impacted my life and I can never thank them enough for their warm embrace and faithful support.

In a random and unrelated closing, I would like to predict that Izzie dies on tonight's season finale of GA.

Update

Oh my. It's been quite some time since I've last posted. How time flies when you're at an office behind a computer screen all day! My new job is great, but I feel a little overwhelmed trying to cram laundry, grocery store runs, etc. all into 2 hours after work versus having the whole day for errands. Granted most of the errands themselves take 1 1/2 hours max to do, but again - I just feel more frantic knowing that my time frame for completing weekly chores has been dramatically axed. This has also brought to light how inefficient I was while unemployed. Ahhhh those were the days...

The new office environment is a complete 180 from what I'm used to, which provides a nice change of pace. The novelty is still there, but I think even once it wears off I'll be happy with my new position at BOT. The group usually doesn't arrive until 9:00, but I've been rebelling and arriving earlier to avoid staying till 6:00. How much more I'd rather be home earlier in the evening versus getting there later in the morning. My commute has substantially increased which I hate, but it provides more opportunity for longer jam out sessions in my car. I'm constantly on the hunt for new music that helps pass the time.

In other news:

--I think I'd like to live in Austin one day. While I do worry that it might be a little more liberal than my taste, there are so many trees and lakes and bridges and things to do outside. It's the perfect distance between both families in Dallas and Houston, and would be a fun adventure to embark on.

--I made my first dish from Deceptively Delicious this past week. My friend Erin gave me this cook book as a birthday present, and it primarily revolves around pureeing vegetables and hiding them in food for kids to eat and still get their nutritional value (think squash in mac and cheese or avocados in chocolate pudding). I made tuna salad with cauliflower puree. It was soooo creamy, but only had 1/4 cup of low fat mayo. Add celery and a few spices and it's great for bringing lunches to work. One day I will conquer my quest to become a domestic diva.

--Is it bad that I've been doing laundry on cold since college? I know that you're supposed to separate whites and colors, but it's so much easier to throw everything in all at once, plus it cuts down on the number of loads per week. I do wash towels and sheets on hot, but everything else gets chilled in the washer...

--Last weekend I went tubing in Greune for my friend Katy's bachelorette party. I am so unbelievably thankful for my girlfriends. I will say there is an unbreakable bond between women that men can't even begin to fathom. After K and I got married I wasn't very good about maintaining relationships with many of my close gals, but as time has passed I've realized again how invaluable it is to have women by your side to share real life with. Love it.

--Lastly - a picture from the Jimmy Buffett concert we went to with Cody and Jen. It was a great concert, but we were probably the youngest and most lame ones there. I don't think I've ever seen so many drunk old people dressed up in weird Hawaii gear that can't dance. Wow...