A Theory on Weekends

I have a theory on weekends. Well, not just any weekend...I have a theory on good weekends. I think there are two types of good weekends.

Type A: a weekend spent having a good time, enjoying yourself, taking part in activities that are fun, but not tiresome. The end result of a Type A weekend - satisfied, fulfilled and rested. You feel rejuvenated and energetic.

Type B: a weekend spent having a good time, enjoying yourself, taking part in activities that are fun and that wear you out. The end result of a Type B weekend - tired, worn-out, exhausted and drained, but you still had a great weekend.

So, normally, I try not to dispute myself, but this past weekend I found a Type C. Type C is a combination of Type A and B. I had a relaxing, easy weekend, but still ended up exhausted and drained. So, now I'll need two Type A weekends to recover from my Type C weekend. Which, that's not going to happen. Next weekend I'm going camping with some of my best friends...yeah, like we're going to get any rest!

So, enough of the "Type" talk...here are some highlights from my weekend.

-I got to see my family! My mom, dad and sister came to Abilene to visit me and my brother. They got here Friday night, my mom cooked dinner for us, we watched a movie, sat around my house, caught up on each other's lives and had a great time. Saturday morning we went to breakfast, they came to see my office, then we headed back to the house, baked all day and spent great quality time together. They had to leave early Sunday morning, but we had a wonderful visit. We were all in desperate need of some family time!

-Saturday night I went to an Acappella concert. Now, I didn't stay to hear Acappella, I was actually there to hear the opening act...Cornerstone. I was there supporting the tenor, who, by the way, has an amazing voice! HOT!

-The tenor showed up to my church Sunday morning and went to lunch with us afterwards. Good thing I was wearing a blue shirt to bring out my eyes! (If you want more about the tenor, you'll have to email me or call, cause I'm not posting it on my blog.)

-Our church has started having family circles(small groups) once a month on a Sunday night. This past Sunday night was our first round. My family circle is quite interesting...I'm by far the youngest in my group...the oldest is at least 80. However, the evening exceded my expectations...I actually had a good time and it's nice to meet new people. The old men in my group cracked me up!

So, that was my Type C weekend, paraphrased. Let's hope that the upcoming weekend will be a little more restful...yeah, right.

An Interesting Subject...Me

Name: Jennifer
Birthday: 10-21-81
Birthplace: born in Tyler, TX...raised in the metropolitan area of Van, TX
Current Location: Abilene, TX
Eye Color: Blue
Hair Color: I'm going with dirty blonde
Height: 5'9" flat footed, but I'm usually in heels, so about 5'10"
Right Handed or Left Handed: right
Your Heritage: Not really sure, guess I really haven't asked
The Shoes You Wore Today: black heels
Your Weakness: I have very little patience
Your Fears: Failure
Your Perfect Pizza: I like a good pepperoni, but I'm also a fan of chicken bar-b-que
Goal You Would Like To Achieve This Year: Find a job in September
Your Most Overused Phrase On an instant messenger: LOL
Thoughts First Waking Up: "Already?"
Your Best Physical Feature: Eyes
Your Bedtime: Usually between 11pm and 1am
Your Most Missed Memory: Spending time with my nanny and papaw(my dad's parents)
Pepsi or Coke: Coke
MacDonalds or Burger King: I like them both, equally
Single or Group Dates: Either one is fine with me, guess it depends on the situation
Lipton Ice Tea or Nestea: Lipton
Chocolate or Vanilla: Chocolate
Cappuccino or Coffee: In a meeting, coffee. In Starbucks, cappuccino.
Do you Smoke: not anymore
Do you Swear: Occasionally
Do you Sing: I love to sing
Do you Shower Daily: yes
Have you Been in Love: Not really
Do you want to go to College: Got my BS...not anxious to return
Do you want to get Married: yeah
Do you belive in yourself: yes
Do you get Motion Sickness: yes
Do you think you are Attractive: I think I have attractive qualities
Are you a Health Freak: yeah, no. That's funny
Do you get along with your Parents: yes...LOVE my parents, and miss them a lot!
Do you like Thunderstorms: yes, if I'm indoors
Do you play an Instrument: I could probably still play the sax...it's been a few years
In the past month have you Drank Alcohol: no
In the past month have you Smoked: no
In the past month have you been on Drugs: Just cough medicine
In the past month have you gone on a Date: well, I was set-up a few weeks ago
In the past month have you gone to a Mall: nope
In the past month have you eaten a box of Oreos: no, but I do love Oreos and milk
In the past month have you eaten Sushi: no
In the past month have you been on Stage: why, yes I have
In the past month have you been Dumped: nope, you have to be dating to be dumped
In the past month have you gone Skinny Dipping: uh, no...it's freakin' February
In the past month have you Stolen Anything: nope
Ever been Drunk: yep
Ever been called a Tease: no, teasing isn't my game
Ever been Beaten up: no, it would take a good fight
Ever Shoplifted: nope
How do you want to Die: wow, if I had to pick, I'd say in my sleep
What do you want to be when you Grow Up: Well, I'm getting there pretty fast...so I'd say planning special events
What country would you most like to Visit: Switzerland or Italy

In a Boy -
Favorite Eye Color: Blue
Favorite Hair Color: brown or blonde
Short or Long Hair: guys: short
Height: would love for the guy to be taller, but I'm finding you don't always get what you want
Weight: Bigger than me
Best Clothing Style: love me a guy in a suit, but I also love jeans and a t-shirt

Number of Drugs I have taken: zero
Number of CDs I own: somewhere between 25 and 50??
Number of Piercings: 3 if you count both ears
Number of Tattoos: zero
Number of things in my Past I Regret: Hum...I can't put a number on that...but I've definitely done things I regret

And GATA Takes 1st!

Ok, so maybe not 1st, but they do have a good show this year. In fact, I'd say it's one of the best GATA shows in the last five years. Their props look great, their stage presence was good, and their lyrics are funny.

Now, granted, after last night's performance, there's no doubt in my mind that Sigma Theta Chi will be announced champions for the fifth year in a row, but last night I was proud of our girls in red and white. Or, actully black and white...for those of you who don't know, the women of GATA are sheep this year.

I went to last night's dress rehearsal and couldn't help but remember all of the random, fun times we had as GATA's. The gym smelled the same, they had the same technical difficulties, there was shouting from the seats, it was as if we hadn't left. I expected at any minute for Julie, Mel, Walker, Kendall and Rach to come and ask if we could all go to Sonic. I expected Holly and Kim to walk around the corner and ask if we wanted to get pizza from the campus center. I almost looked around to find my friends taking pictures, laughing, walking around the concourse, wishing we didn't have to be at Moody, but loving the fun times with friends. Anyway...I'm done reminiscing.

So, I was able to see all of the club shows last night and the host/hostess acts that followed. If I had to give awards last night, this is how I would rank the girls clubs: 1st - Siggies, 2nd - Alpha Kai, 3rd - Kojies, 4th - GATA. Now, after last night, I would actually say it was a toss-up for 3rd between Kojies and GATA. Kojies were not on their game last night, so it will be interesting to see if they pull it together. Now, GATA does have a good show this year, but Siggies were great(on a Wednesday night) and Alpha Kai was pretty good too. Out of the boys clubs: 1st Gamma Sigs, 2nd - Galaxy, 3rd - Frats, 4th - Pikes. Pi Kappa pretty much took the place of Sub-T this year...they really didn't have much of a show.

Now, as for the hosts/hostesses this year, I've seen better. I'm not sure if they were wearing their actual costumes last night, but if they are, they're a little disappointing. Now, I'm not going to name names, but one of the hostesses that I expected to be great...is not great and can't dance. For those of you coming to this year's show, you'll figure out who it is. The guys this year are average, nothing spectacular. The song selection wasn't wonderful, so basically it was just an ok performance. Granted, last night was dress rehearsal...I know things won't be fabulous on Wednesday night, but they could have been better. I know that once Friday night arrives, most of the problems will be worked out. They usually are. These are just my opinions from Wednesday night. We all know how things change from Wednesday to Friday.

So, I hope you all have a safe trip coming to A-town, but I want you to get here fast! I can't wait to see all of you guys!

Let the Masses Come

In just a few short days, the masses from all over the US will be arriving in Abilene, Texas. You may ask, why on earth will people be going to Abilene, Texas? Well, my friend, it's February, and with February comes Sing Song, and with Sing Song comes Lectureship.

Now, I'm completely excited about this upcoming weekend for many reasons. I'll mention two of them.
#1 - All of my fabulous friends from college will be coming to A-town this weekend, the majority of them staying at my house! I love when we all get together! I laugh the hardest with these girls and I can't wait to see all of them!

#2 - The high for Friday in Abilene is 47 degrees! The high for Saturday in Abilene is 40 degrees! I love it when its cold outside! All of you gals coming to A-town this weekend...bring something warm to wear!

I can't wait to see you all! Sing Song weekend, here we come!

Hence the Reason

I've decided I want 10 children of my own. This weekend completely changed my mind about kids. I want tons of them. A whole house full. I can't have them fast enough.

And all of you are saying..."yeah, right." Well, while this weekend did not change my mind about having children, it did test my patience level. As Kim stated in one of her comments on my last post, I am working on being a more patient person. And you may all stop laughing now.

So, Friday I escorted two little girls to Mr. Gatti's along with my friend Jama. Bottom line, one little girl was there for the games, the other little girl was there for the spaghetti, otherwise known as "spasketti." So, after we ate, or attempted to eat "spasketti," we made our way into the game room. Approximately 200 other children made their way into the game room at the same time. It was a mad house. A secret I found out: a motorcycle game flashing "insert coin" can be just as exciting as a motorcycle game that is actually working. And much cheaper! I was rid of children and at home in my warm bed by 11pm, where I began watching the Opening Ceremony of the Olympics that I had Tivo'd. The Olympics: my new obsession.

Saturday I awoke to my neighbor re-building his fence. Not a good sound at 7:30am. That's ok...the Olympics were already on. I managed to catch the women's hockey games. Then, it was off to run errands, see some friends, and return to child-proof my house. My little buddy arrived at 5pm on the dot. After a 5-minute run-down on his eating habits, his mom bolted out the door and I was left with my second test of the weekend. A secret I found out: you can never really child-proof your house. Another secret I found out: electrical outlet plugs are important. I don't have any. What did he want to do all night? Attempt to play with the electrical outlets. And by the way, babies are faster than they look. So, after an evening of legos, basketballs, Olympics highlights, chicken ravioli, peaches, milk and electrical outlets, his mom and dad came to pick him up. I needed some adult time, so a few of my friends rescued me and I was able to carry on a real conversation.

Sunday was no exception from the world of children. We had 10 kids in bible class Sunday morning. Neither of my autistic children were there, so that was somewhat of a relief. I did however have a first grader in there (he's a visitor) that kept asking if the bible story was real. I was like "yes, it's real. Now listen...you're scaring the little kids." Sunday afternoon I was privaleged enough to attend a baby shower instead of taking my nap. So, for three hours, I watched as the mom-to-be opened gifts, ate cake, talked about her baby, and then drove to the other side of town to help her unload the multitude of gifts. I've seen enough bottles, pacifiers, onesies, bibs, and toys to last me a life-time.

All in all, the weekend wasn't that bad. I learned a few things about children and God definitely tested my patience. I still don't want children anytime soon. I don't even want to be an aunt or a babysitter anytime soon.

Lord Help the Children

My purpose in writing this is to solicite prayers. You have no idea what my weekend is going to be like. For those of you who know me well, you will laugh in a few minutes. For those of you who do not know me well, allow me to give you a little insight. I don't love children. It's not that I hate them, I just prefer adults to kids. I could go on, but basically all you need to know is that children and I don't generally mesh well.

The weekend that lies ahead of me is full of nothing but children. This evening I will be helping a friend babysit two little girls, both under the age of 5. We're taking them to Mr. Gatti's where they can join 500 other children at a pizza buffet and game room.

Saturday I am babysitting a little boy the ripe old age of 1. His parents are celebrating Valentines Day and didn't have a sitter...I'm single, will not be celebrating Valentines Day, so I'm the logical one to fill in. He'll be staying at my house that evening. My house is in no way child-proof. I have no toys, many un-locked cabinets, multiple sharp objects, expensive furniture, dangerous corners, etc. I'm borrowing kid toys from a friend of mine. I guess I'll child-proof my house tomorrow. This should be interesting!

Sunday morning I'll be teaching the 3-4 year olds bible class. I'm praying they are better than last week. I have two Autistic children in my class. One crawls around the class and bolts into the hall any chance he can. The other talks non-stop...the problem is you can't understand what he's saying, which frustrates him. So, he tends to shout his words, that really aren't words. I try to understand him and be patient. I usually look at him, smile, nod my head as if I know what he's saying, and talk to the other children. He's learning sign language at his real school...thank goodness I know the fundamentals! We usually average 11 kids. ELEVEN 3-4 year olds...am I nuts?!

Then, on Sunday afternoon I have a baby shower to attend. Now, there won't be any children there, but all we're going to talk about is babies, the pain of childbirth, the due date, baby names, blah, blah, blah. I'm not trying to be negative cause I am excited for this family. They're like my own and I love them to death...I just don't fit in well in child conversations. I do, however, have several fabulous gifts for little McKenzie Grace. She'll be precious.

I will update you all on Monday as to how my weekend of children goes. Please pray for me. Give me patience and understanding. And please pray for the children. They may need help after being in my care. It should definitely be interesting!

A Great Return

I completely understand that it has been awhile since I have updated my blog, and while this may not be a great return, I would like to have a little fun and post a quiz. Actually, it's a link to a quiz. My pals Mel and Kim created a similar quiz so I decided to jump on the band-wagon and create my own. The link is below...I would appreciate it if you would publish your scores in the comments section, that way the whole world will see how well you really know me.

The "All About Me" Quiz