She's here!

OK...so she's been here since Saturday...but, obviously, I've been too busy enjoying my sweet, precious Elaine to take time out to update...sowy!

But, here you have an update!  No pictures of us yet...she has a couple on her real camera, but I don't have any on my phone, boo...need to adjust that problem  :)  And, since she's still fast asleep (this never happens!  she's always up before I am), I'm not going to wake her to figure out how to steal some pictures from her phoney-phone.  So...y'all will simply have to wait  ;)

Anywho, we've been having a lovely time.  And, the time is flying too quickly - Lord, please don't make me send her back to sweet Texas!  Please!

She made her debut in the 'Sota Saturday afternoon and I was SO excited to see her.  I just whipped into the first curbside spot I could find and jumped out of my car as soon as I saw her and nearly accosted her with a monstrous hug.  I SO MISS HER!!  We threw her little bag in the car and, of course, made our way to the Mall of America. We strolled around for a couple hours and Elaine just took in the "ooooo" and "aaaaaah" of a mall that has a theme park, mini-golf, and an aquarium inside of it...not to mention an American Girl store, a Lego store, and a few other wonders.  Haha, but at the end of the day when some friends of mine asked her what she thought of the mall her response was, "I mean, really, it's just a really big mall...with some crazy stuff added to it" (<--paraphrase, but you get the idea.).

Saturday evening we met up with a few of my good friends here and had some burgers and fries at Snuffy's Malt Shop and then made our way out to Lake Elmo (the town, not the lake...we'll hit up some lakes today) for a drive-in movie.  We saw Cowboys & Aliens....have to admit that we weren't super impressed, but that might have had to do with the insanely stormy weather...like major thunder/lightning (super awesome storm...just wasn't conducive to watching a movie...).

Sunday morning we did our usual farmers market and breakfast run with my gang up here, and it was a lovely morning...thought it started to get way crazy humid by the time we were about ready to leave the market...good thing we were leaving!!

We pretty much just hung out the rest of the day and had lovely convos about life, love, God, everything (it was wonderful) until it was churchy time.  I loved getting to show her off to my church family here.  It was especially great because a ton of people asked, immediately, if she was my sister.  Nope...just my bestest friend...and we just happen to resemble each other fairly significantly.

And now my sleeping beauty is awake so I'm off to soak up more time with here.

Much love!
~MW

ONE MORE WEEK.....

....UNTIL I GET TO SEE THIS GORGEOUS GIRL!!!

I absolutely cannot wait to see my sweet, sweet Elaine.  She emailed me a few weeks ago and pitched the idea of coming to see me the end of July/beginning of August...with a possibility like that I could hardly contain my excitement!  A few days later she sent me her flight itinerary!!!  I nearly peed my pants...like for serious.  Ok, so not really, but I think the imagery helps to get the extent of my excitement across  ;)

Elaine and I have been besties since college and I don't get to see her enough.  The above picture was made possible by Mak and Wes getting hitched (you can see some pictures from that trip to Texas here and you can read allllll about it here.) - thanks, kids!!

This lady and I began our friendship at the very tail-end of my sophomore year at A&M.

Yeah, Phi Lamb Frush!  I'm pretty sure this was the first time 

we actually met each other

We were blessed to have a little time together before she went off and graduated and moved off to Baylor for her grad program.  Fortunately for us, Baylor is about the half-way point on the trip to/from the Dallas area (home!) to Aggieland (second home!), so I got to see her just about every time I took a weekend trip home from Aggieland - blessings!!!!  Our friendship grew tremendously during that time apart and I loved my pit-stops on that 3.5hr drive.  During our friendship we have encouraged and prayed each other through numerous trials, "suffered" a spring break road trip to Colorado (from which I returned with a fractured arm...baller.)

 survived (quite literally) some awesome New Year's Eve parties,

"endured" her engagement party (so fun!),

"survived" her wedding day (gooorgeous bride! I so loved being your moh, lovely, such a privilege.),

made it through not seeing each other and having super conflicting schedules that disallowed frequent communication, and so, so much more.

This girl is truly a for-life-friend.  I am so blessed by her.  She is an incredible daughter of the King, and her encouragement is something I cannot even begin to describe.

I can't wait to show her around the not-so-Frozen Tundra and introduce her to my life here.  Hopefully someday we'll be able to do life together from not so far away  :)

See you soon, lovely!
~MW

Texas Time!

{{Interwebs broke last night, so this post had to wait until today.  Oh, and the comments have moved to the top of the blog posts...weird, I know...but, I kinda like it...}}

OK, readers!

So, I promised you more updates this week and here is the first installment: Texas!

{I'm going to do my catch-up updates in reverse order, so that I don't leave any of the awesome that was this precious time in the land I have come to love so, so dearly.}

TEXAS!!!!

TU

Let me start....at the beginning!

Saturday, May 21
Let's just say that the trip got off to a weeeeee bit of a rocky start...This gal slept through her alarm, only to be awakened by the highly offensive **buzz** that is the door buzzer of my building.  And, let me tell you, I am so thankful that the **buzz** is indeed highly offensive...otherwise I might not have made it!  My sweet friend Christine had graciously agreed not only to pick me up at the ungodly hour of 5am to take me to the airport, but also to be the live-in "mom" to my critters while I was away...she's the best, y'all.  Anyways, back to getting to the airport...  Christine had called me when she left her place to come pick me up...but, of course, I didn't hear the call, nor did I wake up to any of my 5 alarms...neeeeat.  So, I woke up when I was supposed to be leaving.  Yep, talk about freak-out.  I wasn't entirely packed as I had a few things I was still debating on taking, so the decision was made by shoving everything without a thought into my trusty, rolly, red duffel bag.  I then splashed some water on my face, threw the hair in a pony tail, kissed the critter goodbye, and flew out the door with Christine's **chuckling** help.  We made it to the airport with plenty of time for me to check my bag, make it through the one open check-point, and spend a little time in the bathroom making myself look a little more presentable.  I got to chat with another lady doing the same thing - this gal was impressively curling her hair!  Props to her!  Then I got to chat with my pops as I waited...yay, weather delays...silly tornadoes...  Sadly, the delay stole a chunk of time that I was going to spend with the fam at DFW, but we were still able to get in an hour and a half or so (complete with a dead battery in the 'rent's car at the airport...there's a free service for that at DFW, though!!), and it was wonderful - they brought me Taco Bueno (judge me all you want, it still screams Texas!)!  It was great to be able to see my Momma on her bday - love you so much!  From DFW I caught my next flight down to ATX where I was very pleasantly greeted by two of my absolute best friends, the Ponders.  Man, I miss them!!  I was able to spend the rest of Saturday and all of Sunday with them, and Josh even serenaded me and Elaine with some guitar playing and singing - thanks for sacrificing your fingertips for us, JP! (*snap! snap! snap! snap! snappity! snap! snap!*)

Monday, May 23
My sweet Tara friend came and snatched me from the Ponder house Monday morning and we went to Kerbey Lane where we had one of the most excellent breakfasts ever...deeeelish!  We spent the day running around, catching up, and hanging out - it was wonderful.  Later that evening our wonderful Kristen friend came to join the party and we got ready for a superb Mexican feast, I am Number 4 showing, and slumber party with a couple of Tara's friends from grad school (thanks so much for all of your hard work and letting us crash in your living room, Noel!!).  It was awesome.

Tuesday, May 24
FUN IN THE SUN!  SUN! SUN! SUN!  Y'all...my skin hasn't seen sun since I moved up here...it was awesome to get to lounge out by the pool...even if I did get some funny streaky lines...no worries, everything evened out before the wedding  :)  It's still a bit too chilly up here to go swimming, too, so splashing around in the pool was delightful.  Later on we went to Gloria's (the BEST tamales I have ever had state side...I'd venture to say they were as good as the Panamanian tamales, family...seriously...I thought I had died and gone to heaven) for happy hour, where I got to see my lovely Alyssa K!!  It was awesome to catch up with her and have good old fashioned girl time.

Wednesday, May 25
Kerbey Lane, round 2!  Kristen and Tara and I decided we needed to go get breakfast there again...just because we could, and we all wanted to dig-in to some lemon poppy-seed pancakes (to die for!).  It was fantastic.  After breakfast the girls dropped me off at the casa de Reed where I got to spend some wodnerfully precious time with my cousins and the little Z-Man...I can't believe he's going to be 4 soon!  So hard to believe.  But we had a ton of fun - oh how I miss them!!

Thursday, May 26
The after getting some Whataburger for lunch, the cousin drove me to meet up with Mak and her other gals so that we could get to work on bachelorette/pre-wedding fun.  While P and I waited for Mak we ran around with Z-Man at a little playground and had a ton of fun with him there...don't worry, he survived the face-plant following his trip down the big-kid slide just fine  ;)  Once Mak arrived I transferred all of my junk into her car and we headed for Buda-land to get to prepping.  We had a fun night out strolling around 6th street and got so not enough sleep...but it was still a blast, and Mak was an absolute trooper at the piano bar  :)

Friday, May 27
THE DAY BEFORE THE WEDDING!!!!  Us bridesmaids got to work finishing the guest favors and helping to make sure Mak had everything she needed for the wedding and honeymoon.  We all made it to the rehearsal where Butch did an excellent job of making sure we didn't forget to take care of our sweet bride during the ceremony the next day - what a blessing to have such an amazing man of God join you in marriage.  After the seamless rehearsal was complete we headed to Lake Travis for the rehearsal dinner - awesome Mexican food and fun with friends.  We finally had our fill of food and people and made our way back to the hotel where we got to hang out with Mak's extended family for a bit before calling it a night.  Man, they are a fun bunch of people.

Saturday, May 28
WEDDING DAY!!!  We got the day off to an early 7am start to make sure that Mak had plenty of time to get prepped and not suffer too much stress in the way of time crunching.  Her mom treated us to a lovely breakfast at the house and we all set to work prepping for the 2pm ceremony.  We made it to the church around 11:30/12 and did our final preps before it was time for the pre-ceremony pictures.  Once those were done it was a short wait and then it was show time!  The wedding itself was beautiful, intimate, and God-centered...perfection.  I'm pretty sure we all let a few tears fall as we watched Wes as he saw his bride walking down that aisle toward a lifetime with him.  She was stunning and he was so obviously in awe of her beauty, inside and out, that tears were inevitable.  The reception was a fun time with friends and family and I was so happy I got to see the Ponders one last time.  It was incredibly difficult for me to say goodbye to Mak and Wes as we ushered them off to Jamaica...I miss them!!!  And, saying goodbye to my sweet Josh and Elaine was equally difficult.  But, saying goodbye to those sweet people transitioned me into the next leg of my trip.  My dear Bolwerk was gracious enough to come pick me up from Buda, even though he was too sick to attend the wedding with me - what a champ, eh?  He drove his sick self 2hrs just to pick me up so that I could spend some time in College Station.

{Have I ever mentioned how much I absolutely love my friends??  Mmk, well, I adore them...there are simply no words to express how much I love them and how much they have absolutely become my family.}

B and I made a little stop back at Tara's for dinner and some general hangout-age...such a blessing.  After that he and I made a stop at the convenience store for some Blue Bell (Texas, I love you!), Sour S'ghetti, Vanilla Coke, and Cherry Dr. Pepper.  That my friends, is a recipe for success!  We had a really great drive to CS, brimming with sugar-highs, laughter, good tunes, and excellent conversation.  He granted me the pleasure of driving me through campus and stopping at the giant Aggie Ring so that I could actually see and touch it, as I hadn't been able to see it since it was placed.  I love Texas A&M...there is simply no place like it.

Sunday, May 29
Church!  B and I went to Grace Southwood for service Sunday morning and then met up with Poarchy-Poarch and Powell at Fuego for lunch - oooohm gahhhhh how I have missed Texas food!  We had an excellent lunch and then made our way over to the 'doons for some coffee and face time with Cam - man I love that kid...he's so freaking tall!  While there I got to have some sweet time with Poarchy as well as my sweet Powell girl.  I've missed those kiddos so much!  There was another lovely, lovely surprise I got at Muldoons: Katy!!  I'm sure most of you are familiar with my sweet sister in the Lord, Katy, who has been in Africa with her husband Kahler this last year.  Well, she and I finally go to make our friendship "real-life" official!  She was so sweet to make time to come visit with me for a little bit and it was such a blessing to finally meet her face to face and give her a real hug.  But...as she and I were discussing earlier today...we both failed to document our meeting with a picture.  And we call ourselves bloggers...shame on us.  BUT!  We'll remedy that come the Christmas holidays, don't you worry your pretty little heads  :)  After coffee time B, Poarch, Powell, and I made our way back to B's house to watch a movie while I waited for for my sweet Kacy and Justin friends to pick me up for dinner.  Once they arrived we made our way to Blue Baker for some pizza...ah, it brought back memories.  We had such a sweet time together - I was so happy they were able to make the trek up from Houston.  From there we went over to the Humphrey's House for dessert, where Miss Powell joined us as well.  After sending Kacy and Justin off...and ushering in the tears that would not completely stop flowing for the next two days, the Humphrey House settled down for some Kung Fu Panda before calling it a night.

Monday, May 30
Happy Memorial Day!!

{I'll have another post to share some things about Memorial Day a little later on this week or next}

A bunch of us started the day off with some precious time out at the Freeman House...it will always feel like home  :) and then made our way to Layne's (oh how I wish I could have brought you with me!!) where we met up with Pauler and my sweet Metz bug dorks!!  It was sooo, so wonderful to see Pauler and visit with him about his upcoming move for seminary and to see his excitement about what the Lord is doing as he prepares for this new stage in his life.  And, seeing the Metzs was super great on so many levels: they're awesome, they're like my big brother and sister, THEY'RE PREGGERS!!!!  I was so excited to find out that they are expecting this fall - I'll get to see the baby at Christmas!  WHOOP!  After some good time at Layne's I said my goodbyes and ran to the car before I had time to start crying...I could have hugged Bolwerk, Poarch, Powell, Pauler, and the Metz crew forever, I think...but, I knew that if I stayed much longer and continued to hold on to them I would never leave and I would just cry and cry...so, I hopped in Powell's car and she took me back to the Humphrey's so they could cart me back to Austin.  I loved the time I got to spend with the Humphreys on our trip to Austin...I. MISS. THEM!  Once in Austin I met back up with Tara and she and I completely vegged the afternoon/evening away...and, I cried some more.

Tuesday, May 31
I so didn't want to leave Texas, but that flight was calling my name, and it was time to go.  Tara took me to the airport and once I got all checked in and made my way over to the checkpoint line I told her that she was going to have to leave otherwise I was going to bawl my eyes out...and she was gracious enough to spare my eyes and head that sufferance.  Once I was comfortable in the line I called my Pops and chatted with him about the trip and not wanting to leave Texas and I was hardly able to keep my tears from falling.  But, I got on that plane, thanked a precious soldier, caught my connecting flight in DFW, and arrived safely back here in the Melted Tundra.

The trip was incredible and I wish I hadn't left, but leaving means there's another trip to be had with more memories and more time with my Texas loves later on down the road.

For now, all is well up in the Tundra and I am happy to be back in my own little home with my critters.

Research is getting back underway and the summer will be a buzzy one full of research and sunshine.  Y'all, it is so lush here right now, I can hardly believe it.  I'll try to snag some pictures before it all fades back to white!

Well, that's all for now, my dears.  I'm off to bed.

Love y'all dearly.
Shalom!
~MW

Texas, Our Texas! So Wonderful, So Great!

 courtesy of flickr

Ah, hello my reader loves!

It's been a while, and for that I apologize, but the last three weeks have been jam-packed with the pure awesomeness that is Christmas, Family, Friends, and, of course, TEXAS.

Wow, I so did not want that time to end.  It was wonderful being home in that great state, and being surrounded by my wonderful family and my dear, dear friends was the best Christmas present ever.  I certainly missed my FT friends, though - y'all are definitely dear to my heart...sorry, can't be helped  :)

The break got off to a wonderful start in Arlington with the fam, Jake, friends, and some good ol' music - Hamilton style.  I love music nights with the Hamiltons - so great.

It was a huge blessing to get to spend some time with a few of my girls from BSLC - I miss those precious daughters, and it was wonderful to get to sit and spend some one-on-one time with them, simply listening to what life has looked like for them over the last semester.  Having that time and listening to everything that's been going on with them did make me a touch bitter that I can't be around to walk this part of life with them.  I want so badly to be there to pour into their precious hearts in person...it's just not the same from this far away.  But they are growing up into beautiful daughters of the King - I only hope I get to continue to be a small part of their lives.

Spending time with a few of my ladies from high school was incredible as well - I so miss those girls, and I'm sad I didn't get to spend more time with them and that I didn't get to make it around to everyone there in Arlington - time is SO fleeting!

Christmas was small and quiet, but it was such a huge blessing to get to have Momma home for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day!!  It's been a while since we've been afforded that privilege.  Christmas dinner was chill, but it was nice to be able to spend it with Mr. Teasley - he's been such a blessing to our family and we were blessed to be able to share the day with him.

From there it was on to the Great Texas Tour - December 2010!!  Jake and I hit the road from Arlington to Lufkin to spend some awesome time with Kristen and B - those three taught me how to shoot, y'all!  I shot Kristen's shotgun and pistol and B's pistol as well.  Jake had a revolver (I think..?) that kinda terrified me...I'll work my way up to that one  ;)  I didn't hit any of the clay disks with the shotgun, but I did hit the target with the pistol!  I'll get those clays next time!

After Lufkin we hit up Huntsville to spend some time with Jake's sweet parents - Mom and Pop Pry, thank you SO much for welcoming me so warmly into your home.  I had so much fun just sitting and visiting with y'all and I can't wait to see your sweet faces again!!  Pop - that fire was epic and I can't wait to sit around more of those chatting with you and listening to your stories and the latest celebrity news ;)  Mom - can't wait to play in that kitchen with you!!

From Huntsville we stopped in CS to hit up Fuego, and coffee shops - super lame that all the good ones were closed for the break, though.  It was nice to get to visit with the Humphrey and Freeman families, too - I so miss y'all!  Girl time with Ricci and Alyssa was such a blessing...I miss that.  Jake and I had a blast hanging out with Kristen and Aaron before making our way down to Houston.  Fuego round 2 and then hitting up Christmas in the Park was sooo so fun.  I was amazed that after 5 winters in CS I had never managed to make it to Christmas in the Park...I feel gypped, just sayin'.  But, it was way fun to experience it with a few of my absolute favorite peoples  :)

Christmas in the Park was a lovely send-off as Jake and I undertook the next leg of our tour: Houston!  We were incredibly blessed to be able to spend time with Chris and Jennah at their rockin' new house - well done, you two!  Can't wait to see how y'all continue to make it into your own.  We had so much fun there, and watching Jake and Chris together, oh man...so fun.  They are definitely brothers who love each other a whole, whole lot.  Love it!

We rang in the New Year with Kacy and Justin, complete with some Just Dance 2, of course!  I should have known that Kacy, the dancing queen, was going to force us to dance with her - I'll admit that it was pretty fun...quite a workout, too!  I was suuuuper sore the next day...a touch pathetic.  It was nice to close the night with some fireworks watching around the neighborhood - well done, Cypress  :)  We started 2011 off marvelously with lunch with Chris & Jennah and Kacy & Justin, followed by some girl time with Kacy (Barnes & Noble + Target...of course!) and the guys crashed at the house.  It was so, so great to spend that time with you, Kacy, love.  I miss your face!!

From Houston we made our way to the Austin-Round Rock Area to see Patrick & Sarah and little Zach, who isn't quite so little anymore!  I canNOT believe how much that munchkin has grown since August!!  I'm gonna need him to slow them horses down!  We also got to visit with Miss Awyssa for a bit which was way fun...her parents loved talking to Jake about Africa...we admittedly abandoned him to go chat outside while they asked him question after question...in our defense we did tell him we were going outside...  To close Austin we made our way over to the Ponder home for a lovely dinner and some Mexican Train and all-around wonderful hangout time.  They certainly have done a wonderful job of pulling that home together so quickly - I. Am. Impressed!  We definitely loved our time in the Austin are - miss y'all so, so much!

After that we stopped back in CS for some final rounds at SRPH, the Heep, and BioControl...Jake had to see his A&M peeps and I had to see mine - it was super awesome meeting his old crew and introducing him to some of my favorite people from the ENTO world.  We closed out the day with some Fuego (are you noticing a trend here?) with the Stanfields and a quick visit with Kristen and Aaron before making our way back to Huntsville for some more time with Jake's fam.

I was so glad that I was able to go back to Huntsville to visit with the Pry family some more before Jake and I had to begrudgingly go our separate ways at the close of our break.  I love being around his family.  It's fun and feels like home.  I miss y'all!!

Then it was time to head to the IAH and send Jake back to Africa...one of the most difficult things I've ever had to do.  Standing there completely helpless as we watched him disappear as he turned the corner to head to his gate was awful.  That's a kind of helplessness that I can't really explain, other than: it was horrible and I never want to experience that again.  Sadly, life is full of goodbyes, and I reckon I should be grateful for the ones that, God willing, aren't forever.  While knowing that we won't see each other for a good 7 months feels like an eternity we are resting in faith that God will bring us safely together again come summer time.  I will say this, though: it was an incredible blessing to be able to stand next to Jake's family at the airport (we missed you, Jennah!) and having B, Kristen, and T there to help distract me was wonderful.

After sending Jake off and drying the tears B, Kristen, and T and I met up with Brandon for some way fun times...Chuy's + hangin' around a park with pretty skies, swings, and cameras = a pretty awesome day.  We got to snag a quick visit with Kelly at the Outlet Mall on our way back to CS, as well.  It ended up being a bearable day  :)

I spent my last day in CS wonderfully (though I missed far too many of you): lunch with the Wharton's and my Ginger girl, hanging at the Health Sci Center with T, B, and Kristen, complete with a brief, yet wonderful visit with my bestie Ricci (miss you so much, lovely!!), dinner at Layne's with Mak, and finally a mini road trip to Waco with B, T, Kirsten, and Bean.  Before the J-Man and his buddies picked me up to make the rest of the trek up to Arlington we roadtrippers from CS dined at the Claypot there in Waco and were blessed to be joined by the wonderful Mal (great catching up with you, lady!!).  Good food, great state, even better company!  Finally said farewell to my loves and hopped in the car with Panda, Harrison, and Jimmy.  We had a rather...eventful trip home...I'm just sayin', if you have to pee around Grandview...wait until you get to the Grandy's in Alvarado...it will save you from banging on gas station doors, Subway doors, and finally running off to a field only to be followed by a state trooper car that will appear from out of no where and will definitely proceed to run it's lights and shine the spotlight on you as you do your business...BUT!  If you just so happen to be an Eagle Scout and have your card on (along with your license) you just might get off with a stern talking to and the advice that the Grandy's up the way is open 'til 4am or so.  Yeps, that happened...thank you Jimmy for providing us with our entertainment for the night  :)

I got to spend the last two days at home with Momma and the boys (Faja is still in Cali with the fam out there).  Sadly, we had to send Fariz off to Chicago for his Cavaliers audition thingy - he should be back home now - and Mom had to work on Saturday and Josh had a zombie party dealio, bummer  :(  But I loved getting to spend Friday with Momma talking about fun things and telling her about my post-Christmas adventures.

I so love my family!!  I miss y'all terribly, terribly!

For those of you who I wasn't able to catch during my time over the holidays: (1) Please forgive me, (2) COME VISIT ME!!!!  :)

Well, I head back to the lab starting tomorrow.  I took today to recoup and settle back into living in the Frozen Tundra and putting my apartment back in order.  BigBoy decided to lay claim to a number of things while I was gone...including the couch...both cushions, neeeeeat.  Oh how lucky that cat is that I fell in love with him in 7th grade ;)  I will say that I hadn't realized how much I miss having him curl up next to me at night until not having him there for 3 weeks...it was nice to have a snuggle buddy again.

Praying you all had a wonderfully blessed Christmas and New Year celebration.

I'll keep y'all posted on how grad school semester 2 goes!

Shalom, love, blessings!
~MW

P.S. - it came to my attention during our travels that there are quite a few of you who read the blog but have never made your presence known!  I'd love to hear from y'all on here!  Let me know when you're around the site  :)

[Insert Catchy Title Here]

Ah, we meet again!

Alright y'all, I know I've been incredibly inconsistent with the blogging, but heavens to Betsy it is insane up here! It just never ends. Sometimes I hardly feel like I'm living things move so quickly here. It's like living in a constant state of warp speed, for seri. But...even though things are beyond ridiculous and I have real rough days...er, weeks from time to time (hello, current week: I am so glad you are over), I am happy that I am here - I do enjoy what I am doing, where I am in the now, and the people I get to hang around with. I still wish (multiple times a day) that I could transplant the U to TX and just integrate my groups of peeps all into one big happy group of awesome, but, alas, no can do. So, I guess I'll stick around here for the next few years...

Man, this week was a doosie, to say the least. It started off real weepy as I sent Miss Ricci home to C-Stat (sooo wish I could have gone with her). I knew I really missed her and all my Texans, but I didn't quite realize just how much I miss everyone until I had her here beside me. Absence does indeed make the heart grow fonder, in this case. So that lead to a rather weepy week for me, but I wouldn't trade her visit for the world. Such sweet time and memories that we get to cherish forever. Speaking of which! I didn't upload any pictures last time, and I really don't have too many to share, but below are a couple shots from Mickey's Dining Car (You can read about that, the rest of my weekend with Ricci, and the beginning of my week here). You can see some of Ricci's pictures riiiiight.....here! And she played around with a few of them and made some awesome masterpieces here. (Plug: if any of y'all need picturas taken and you are in the C-Stat area check out my sweet friend and see if she has an open slot to fit you in for a shoot!!)

Come Tuesday I spent about 2.5-3hrs at the bank...with a personal banker...initiating the fraud response process. Yuuuup, I had my identity stolen. Great fun, eh? Not so much. So, now that we have canceled the card that got compromised and got me set-up with all new accounts (with some extra benefits compared to the accounts I had previously) I'm waiting for the affidavit to arrive so I can sign it and get the money back that the jerks stole. From there, the fraud research team keeps doing what they do in an attempt to catch the punks. And here I sit...frustrated, annoyed, but ok.

If you haven't guessed yet, Friday couldn't come quick enough this week...oh, it was a long one. But, Friday did indeed come! Glory! Friday closed with a departmental cruise on Lake Minnetonka. Translation: BOOZE CRUISE. Mmmhmm, it happened, and it was...interesting. Saw some interesting sides of people, to say the least. But it was fun to get to hang out on a boat and visit with peoples. It was a gorgeously clear night and the moon was breath-takingly bright. The music was a bit loud and obnoxious, but it's whatevs.

So now that my week is over, I figured I would share some fun stuff with y'all - in the form of picturas!

Geeses! I way love seeing the geese migrating through. Seriously, one of my absolute favorite parts of living here. I really enjoy hearing them as they fly overhead (just don't look up with your mouth open...eeps, that would not be good.), I love watching their formations, watching these magnificent creatures take off is such a sight - if I ever get the chance I'll snap a video of them for yas. I just think they are fun. Huge poo...but what do you expect from HUGE birds??



Honey from our very own honey house! We got these little honey bears at the departmental welcome party earlier in the semester. I feel very privileged to have one of these, as it's been a tough year for honey - no one has any. The bees are taking quite the hit right now. It's pretty depressing and, to be honest, if we don't figure out how to help our little buzzy friends, it's pretty terrifying to think about honey bees hoping on the endangered list (I can't think about the other "e" word yet...)...we'd be pretty sorely out of luck in the food department.




Care packages from some of the sweet members of my congregation back in A-town. Thank you Miss Susie and sweet Hannah! This made my week when I got it. The cookies were delicious and the teas, oh so lovely. Thank you!!!



Awesome signs on random vehicles driving through town. "Stay back....Stay alive"
Love it.




Jakers on the porch. He way likes it when there are days that I can open my sliding door and he gets to hang out outside and watch the birds and our neighbors as they come and go. These days are fast fleeting, though.



Moths!!! Ok, these are not very nice specimens (we "stole" them from the teaching collection...so they take a beating) and these are not my Euchaetes friends. These guys are relatives that I got to start out with on dissections about a month ago. I have some new ones to run through (starting tomorrow!!), and I am way excited about them. They are newer material and in much better shape than these poor little loves. YAY, DISSECTIONS!!!

Oh!! A lot of you have been asking to see my cubbie in the lab. So, just for you, here are some photos of my little nook. It's nothing fancy, but it works :] Enjoy!

You can find me at:

Where you will probably find me bent over some moth literature here:

Or digging through stacks of lit/books...or digging in desperation for snacks or tea here:

Or else checking or writing another something to do on my calendar here:

There you go, sweet readers. There's my little cubbie, where I spend a good 70-80% of my time each week, certainly each day.

Tomorrow should be a good day of dissections and studying, followed by a good night of sweet worship and fellowship at Christ Redeemer. Hooray for worshiping at the same place 3 weeks in a row! Glory!!

Praying you all have a wonderfully blessed Sunday.

Love in Christ to you all.
Shalom!
~MW

P.S. - If any of you have been thinking about adoption or even if you haven't or aren't super sold on it, may I encourage you to take a gander at this post? If you know me at all you know that things like hitting the mission field and adopting the precious ones who have no one are very near and dear to my heart. J-Hump and Ricci do an excellent job of putting our hearts on the issues into writing. I implore you all to prayerfully consider their entry on adoption. And, I'm done ;]

And so another week begins...

Well my happy readers, how are ya? I know it's been a bit of a spell since I last updated and left y'all hangin' quite a bit by not updating while my darling Ricci was here, but, I'm sorry, we were just having too much fun for me to stop and update :)

We had SO, so much fun, though. I cannot even begin to express to you how wonderful it was to have her bright smiling face here, next to me, in the the FT. It was absolutely wonderful. But seeing her definitely made me miss her, my other Texas loves, and Texas in general, even more. Just a little sting of a reminder that I am missing out on so much being here. But it was totally worth it, even though I lost it Saturday night. I couldn't help it, y'all, I just miss her like none other.

We had a blast though. Here's what we did!

Thursday:
- Collected her from the airport, complete with screams...yup, just like in the movies, it does happen in real life ;)
- Spent some time resting at home...did some laundry
- Went to lunch at Princess Garden Chinese Restaurant (pretty good!!)
- Went to campus...I had class, she played in my cubbie!
- Ran some errands
- Cooked a Mexican Feast!!! Even if it was just Spanish rice and enchiladas...it was still epic
- Shared a lovely evening together on the couch

Friday:
- Went to campus for a lab conference call that didn't happen...sad day.
- Went to Target to make sure there wasn't anything we needed for our event of the afternoon
- Met SW for lunch and went to Mim's. YUM!!
- Ran home to gather our stuffs and hit the road for our mini roadtrip!
- Made it to our destination and met....drum roll, please....MCKMAMA!!!!!! So surreal.
- Hung out with her and her camera for about an hour (I feel like enough of you have stumbled upon these now that I can share them with you here - we had a BLAST!)
- Made the hour or so trek back to the Twin Cities, had some leftover enchiladas and rice, and settled into the couch for another evening of awesome...just chillin' and munchin' on yummies :)

Saturday:
- Went to see Desi at her garage sale...test drove her Subaru...no big deal (<---y'all can start praying about that if you please...)
- Met Miss Megan for lunch at Mickey's Dining Car. Umm, probably one of the most fun experiences ever. I loved watching my best friend here in the FT meet my bestie from TX...so great!
- Miss Ricci and I stopped off at home for a few and made our way to Pine Tree Apple Orchard. I think our discovery of Caribou Coffee and the scenic drive itself were our favorite parts...oh, and the people watching, of course!
- After that we hit up the Mall of America...yuuuup, two weekends in a row for me, kids. Trust me, I am not making this a habit. We had a fun time strolling around. I way enjoyed watching Ricci geek about about the William Sonoma store...priceless.
- We then went home...where she packed, I cried, we ate good food, we enjoyed each others company, and just soaked in the last few hours we had together before I had to send her on home to J-Hump and TX.

Sunday:
- Got up early...got dressed...piled into the car
- Drove to the airport
- Said a quick goodbye so as to not start crying right there on the curb
- She walked to security...I drove home, where I cried some more

Sunday was a rough day for me...I cried a lot that day. I wasn't expecting that at all. I've been extra weepy, in general, since then. I just miss home.

Today marks 2 months of my being here...and not in TX. Really? It's only been two months?? I have 34 more to go?? Oh geesh. Mmmk, time to buckle up and take a deep breath and dive-in to this, I reckon.

On a brighter note, though, I think I have found a church home!!! I think I mentioned it last weekend...I hope I did, but I can't remember right now. Anywho, I went to the same church two weeks in a row! And. It. Was. Awesome! Last night I met a sweet, sweet family who invited me over for dinner - I went tonight!! It was so wonderful! Such a sweet time of fellowship. They sent me home with leftovers!!! I just love their sweet daughter...I'm thinking I may have just adopted a little sister - YAY! She's in 8th grade, and just the sweetest girl. I really enjoyed them and they made me feel right at home. Thank you Jesus for granting me sweet fellowship and renewal through this body of believers.

And with that, my loves, I'm going to close. I need to go finish a reading for class tomorrow and hit the hay.

Love and miss you all. Praying you are growing in the Lord and His love.
Shalom!
~MW

P.S. - B introduced me to this band yesterday: Gungor...they are way good. I highly recommend you check them out.
P.P.S. - I feel like y'all need to see this...it's a little taste of my life here. This is a real commercial that they play on TV here:

Life = Emotional Roller-coaster....

Up...and down...Up...and down...

* One week and two days ago I was in quite the state of inner turmoil...I had NO idea what direction I was supposed to take my life and was having some painful issues of the heart.

* By the close of that Monday my heart issues were coming to their full painful fruition, while God was simultaneously showing me that all I need is Him, and all I have to do is trust Him in faith. He really does have everything under control (see previous post).

* Two days after that crazy Monday God dropped me in the middle of the world of academia for a few days and basically told me what to do (no worries, I'll give a full post on my trip to the Land of 10,000 Lakes soon)...I was on such an emotional high that I could hardly even react! Weird feeling, to say the least.

* So, in a short 5 days' time I was broken & mended, lost & directed. Pretty crazy, but I started this week on a crazy high, especially after getting to spend some good times helping out and hanging out for J-Hump's bday.

* Monday rolls around...I'm thinking, "This is going to be an awesome day! I have the Humphrey home all to myself to simply decompress and -STOP-...does life get any better than this?? And I can go play with peeps should I feel up to it...not to mention Hope Group!!" That was my day in my head...and for the most part, that's exactly how it went down. I caught up on emails and such most of the day, grabbed a late lunch and spent the afternoon with Alyssa, grabbed the Humphreys (Curb-side service! Talk about perfect timing!) for Hope Group and off we went to invest in and be invested in by our brothers and sisters in the Lord (such an incredible blessing). Business as usual, I would say. Then it starts to shift.

* Got a somewhat vague text message seeming to grant me condolences...I'm thinking, "What on earth?? What happened??" I quickly head out to the garage and call the 'rents. Finally get an answer at the house and mom informs me that Grandma (dad's mom) went into cardiac arrest after her dialysis treatment that morning and that she was currently on life support at the hospital. "I'm sorry, what?? Did I really just hear that correctly??" Yes, I had heard her correctly; my grandmother was dying and there was nothing I could do about it and I had no way of getting to California to see her. My dad flew out there ASAP and got there in time to see her and say goodbye. They eventually switched her to just a ventilator (respirator? I can't remember which it was) and took her off that, I guess around the time my dad got there. I think the time frame there-after was 10-12hrs.

* Grandma went home to be with our Maker around 1pm central time (11am pacific). My dad said it was a peaceful death and even more so knowing that she is in the arms of our dear Savior. Glory! Isn't it strange how even in the face of trials, loss, and hurts we are called to rejoice in the Lord? Isn't it strange how in some cases rejoicing comes almost as though it were second nature? I pray that rejoicing and giving thanks and praise to God in all things truly becomes something I don't even have to think about...that it would be like breathing...a part of my being.

"Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. Do not quench the Spirit."
- 1 Thessalonians 5:16-19

I love the last verse of this passage: Do not quench the Spirit. What a wonderful command and reminder to not do what I think so many of us tend to do without even thinking. We try to grab our circumstances by the reins and in so doing quench the Spirit...I could be reading that verse wrong, but that's what I take away from it: in ALL things God is in control and so we really don't even need to worry about a thing (Phil 4:5-7)...when we worry/get anxious/whatever and we try to do it all on our own we basically tie the Spirit's hands or gag Him, and therefore don't listen for His all-wise direction. Wow - isn't it amazing what God can teach you through the most difficult of situations??

If I were to say that I don't feel any loss regarding Grandma I'd be straight-up lying to you, but I know that God is in control and works all things to His glory and for good (Rom 8:28). I am praying that He will take this situation and draw my family to Him. Many are lost and have been searching for things of the world to fill those holes in their spirits...and, as might be assumed, to no avail. I pray that they will turn to and cling to God in this time of loss and that my dad will be able to be a light in the darkness throughout the rest of his time in California. Anyways, Grandma was an awesome woman...and an amazing cook! She made some of the best Italian dishes I have ever had...probably all that Italian blood that flowed through her veins...just a hunch... She was active in her community, was an amazing mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother, even to people outside of our family. In a word, she was awesome. Absolutely awesome. She was so incredibly full of life...a true inspiration. I love her dearly, dearly.

Grandma: you were loved so deeply by so many.
You touched so many lives in your time here on earth...none of us could ever repay you for the love, encouragement, and selfless devotion you gave to others.
You poured out your love as though it were never ending...and it truly is.
That gift is something everyone who knew you will cherish forever.
I love you and I miss you terribly.
I absolutely cannot wait to party with you and our Heavenly Daddy - cause I think we all know that you, ma'am, know how to party!!

Shalom,
~MW

Happy....Monday?

Yes, indeed!! Today is definitely off to a great start. Saw the boys off to school (Daddy-o said he would take them today), visited with the Momma over a lovely cup of coffee, and here I am, with the entire day in front of me! Errands, prepare to be run! Books, prepare to be read! Yeah! {complete with fist pump}

Oh yes, today will be a good day. Dreary as it is. Yes, I did just show dislike for a dreary day...I'm officially ready for spring. I'm desperately longing for those crisp sunny days that are so perfectly divine for frolicking around in the great outdoors. Soon :)

Well, as most of you have probably come to realize, when I go to CS for a week or so I'm the absolute worst blogger, ever. I know, I know, I really need to get my priorities in check...working on it! But really, can you blame me? I mean, the people that I allow to pull me away from the internets are ridiculously amaAaAaAazing!! You would drop everything else if you had the opportunity to play with them, too. Promise.

My travels started off with a roadtrip to see SKate with CarrieHammie and Catia. After staying up til, oh 3:30AM or so we made an appearance at Sherwood Forest - oh the peoples we saw... Never imagined I would lay my eyes upon a centaur named Larry. Yep, that happened. It was fun times. We were all ridiculously exhausted from pretending like we were back in high school and getting something like 4hrs of sleep before spending a day strolling around the Forest, but you know, we made it through.

From there I scurried on over to CS for a week of visiting with my college loves...and working in the laaaab. Both facets of the week were awesome. I decided I can "sleep when I'm dead" so I stayed up crazy late every night trying to squeeze every ounce of visit time with my peeps that I possibly could...paying for that now, but it was totally worth it! And, we were super productive at the lab! Got tons of pics taken and we made some huge progress on the egg stats! WHOOP! Um....we are thinking we can have a rough copy ready to send off for peer review by the end of this week - oh yes, it is finally happening! Publication, here we come!!!!!! Oh! I also tested my hand at tennis this week...for the first time ever. It was way fun! Though I really need to work on my aim...the first ball I hit flew about 3 courts over to the left....woops! Haha, yeah, I was totally that person. But, I can't wait to volley around again. So fun! Doubles was fun to play too. While experiencing tennis I got to make a new friend, too! She's an old friend of B's and she was passing through CS on her way home. Can't wait to continue building up our new friendship. She's totally awesome and has an amazing life story. Hooray for new friends!

The week was just straight-up awesome. That's all there is to it.

And, what made it all even better was this: I got to visit with my darling, darling Ponders!!!! Oh, it was glorious to spend the weekend with them. I miss them so terribly. Moving to MN is gonna suck :( But! It's not forever!! :D

So, guess what?! This week I get to sub Tues-Fri for the 7th/8th grade teacher at PCA! Hooray!! I'm terrified out of my mind!!! Haha. I'm super excited about it, but quite nervous, to be completely honest. I've never taught in a classroom setting, so this should be interesting. But, ya gotta start somewhere, am I right?! I'm sure I will have LOTS of fun stories to grace your eyes with this week - be looking for them starting tomorrow evening.

I'm also going to try and get some hard, on paper plans drawn up for my mommy's garden! I'm excited. As is she. We talked about some ideas I have, many of which were influenced by Mr. Powell. Should be fun! I'll throw something up, at some point, for y'all kids to take a gander at.

And, with that, I am off to go run those errands and get to being productive today :D

Shalom!
~MW

EDIT: OMG!!!! GPISD just emailed me and said they want me to be a sub for them, too! Now I just need to go get fingerprinted and go to an orientation in April!!!!!!!!!!! Hooray! (I mean, April is a ways off, but still - GPISD has a bit of rougher crowd of kids, and, in all seriousness, that's totally where I want to be!)

HELLOOOO, Friday!

Ah, Friday is here, yet again! Glorious, isn't it?

I am ridiculously excited about this weekend...and upcoming week!

Come this evening I will be on the road to the San Marcos area with CarrieHammie and Catia to see SKate! We will be making an appearance at the recently transplanted Sherwood Forest...oh, yes, you read that correctly. Sherwood Forest has been transplanted to just outside Austin, TX, and we are going to play in it!! Should be loads of fun and I absolutely cannot wait to see SKate and her new digs!

From there I get to go back to CS!! WHOOP!! I am seriously beside myself with excitement to see everyone again and get some more work done in the lab. We are getting closer and closer to being finished with manuscript number one!!!! I hope we can at least get it accepted by a journal by the time I head off to grad school.

But, from CS I'm off to RR to see Elaine&Josh!!!!!!! It has seriously been TOO long. Ok, so maybe it's only been about 2 months since I've seen them, but still...that is too long. That's just all there is to it.

All of the above will make for a lovely start to my March :) I absolutely, absolutely love all of the amazing people I will get to see almost too much for my own good...but I don't care. They have all been there for me time and time again, through thick and thin...and I would seriously be so far gone without them.

I know I say this a lot, but I truly have been so blessed and smiled upon by God to have all of those amazing people in my life. I can't imagine continuing through life without them by my side...whether we are near or far apart. They are simply the best of the best. And yes, I hereby grant you permission to be jealous of my friends ;)

As much as I might complain about being back in Arlington and having nothing to do right now, it has really been a blessing, because it has allowed me to focus on staying in or getting back in touch with the people who are most dear to me. Friends from high school, friends from college (still weird to say "from college"), family, etc. Huge, huge blessing. I know I won't be able to talk to as many people on a regular basis once grad school starts, so this time now has been perfect.

So, I wanted to touch on a few other things in this post, but my morning is quickly coming to a close and I really need to get a move on with laundry and packing and errands before I hit the road tonight. So, for now, my loves, I must close.

Wishing you the best of weekends!
Shalom!
~MW

Back to....

...the old grind?? Hmmm, I guess we can call my overly exciting life that ;)

Fair warning, I have a feeling this entry will be erratic and probably will not flow...at all. Fasten your seat-belts, kiddies!!

Let's start with why I have so terribly neglected my faithful readers for the last week or so: I...was visiting with friends in CS and Houston....and...spending precious time with them was more dire to me than posting my thoughts... I know!! I'm terrible. But, don't you worry, I've been storing up things to tell you in my forgetful steel-trap of a mind! Ok, so I was also working back in the wasp lab during the day last week, but my lunches and nights were full, full, full of visiting and simply enjoying my loves. I had a blast staying with my lovely Humphreys the first half of the week. Ricci taught me how to make petit fours! I think I have a new addiction...in fact, later on today I just might go get some "play-doh for adults" and fiddle around with it :) I just have to say that I absolutely adore Ricci and Josh...they have so blessed my life and I can't imagine not having them an email/text/chat/letter/phone call away. The Lord is so, so very good to me. The second half of the week I spent with BMetz & KZhaurova - love them! Haha, we totally nerded-out one night and watched NOVA specials on Netflix whilst playing Scrabble...oh, it was glorious. I had an awesome time going to Hope Group, hangin at MugWalls with my loves, watchin some olympics, making dinners, and just all-around enjoying the people who have come to mean the world to me. It was a productive week in the lab, too. And, Wharton is awesome and surprised me with a happy belated-birthday/congrats on getting invited to the U of M welcome weekend ice cream party on Friday - he's such a great boss/mentor/prof.

Over the weekend I went down to Houston to celebrate Kacydilla's BDay! It was way fun to just get to visit with her and JJ. I was blessed to help them around the house with some things and we went and saw Valentine's Day on Saturday which was way fun. {I may or may not have cried....again} And the young adult pancake lunch was tasty and I got to visit with my buddy Brandon, so that was delightful. Kacy and I also got to take a run to Kohl's where I may or may not have bought these beauties...
{Ricci, I think I have a problem... ;) }
Anyways, after Kohl's I hit the road to Arlington. But, I stopped back in CS on my way. I know...I just couldn't stay away! I got to visit with B, Paul, and Alyssa. It was truly great. I watched them play tennis for a bit and visited with the "loser"...haha, but I'm pretty sure they were the real winners, cause they got to visit with me!! ;) We got to have dinner with the amazing Freemans, too. Truly a blessed evening. After dinner we headed back to the courts and I hit the road to Arlington. I think that was probably one of the most difficult drives for me.

I have yet to cry when leaving CS since graduation...yeah...well, that trend is now broken. It was so hard for me to leave this time around, because it's becoming more and more real to me how difficult the move to Minnesota is going to be. I've never been afraid of moving. My family has moved a lot over the course of my life, so I've grown accustomed to saying good-byes. But this time will be much more difficult, I think, because I haven't only been here for 2-2.5yrs...but rather 4.5+ It makes a huge difference, one I hadn't realized until this trip. No matter how I slice it, it's going to be an extremely painful move. I was talking with my mom about it yesterday and she said she had been thinking the same. Haha, she said maybe I should just go to grad school at A&M... I'd be lying if I said I hadn't considered it to stay fairly close to my friends and family here. But I think I need to take this step. I need to have an adventure of my own. If a handful of someones come along with me that'd be awesome, but either way, I think this is just one of those things I need to do - part of my personal growing-up process. It's totally going to suck, though...

Anywho...that said, I had a truly blessed week. And I can't wait to go back next week! :)

It was nice to come home, I must say. Especially because I was welcomed home by these:

I'm totally and completely in love!

I wore them all day yesterday...and felt totally awesome on my trek to WholeFoods :D TOMS are pretty much the greatest shoes on eath...so beyond comfortable and an amazing organization. If you don't have any, you should get some!

Well, now that I'm home, I have tons of freetime...what am I going to do this week?? Hopefully sort through some boxes of junk. What fun!! I also want to whip up some canvases I have laying around. And as mentioned above, I think I will be playing with some "adult play-doh" :)

So, random thought here: have you ever been entering the word verification on a comment you are leaving and thought to yourself, "man, that would be an awesome word!!"? Well, I think about that pretty much everytime...it's so annoying, because some of them would totally be awesome, but alas, they are not real. Haha, I'm a dork, I know. But I love words :)

Well kids, the day is quickly fleeting, so I'm out for now!

Shalom!
~MW

I'm still alive!

Ok lovelies, I know I have been M.I.A. for forever. My bad.... I was busy... Alright, so I may have taken the last week off from blogging, just because I could. Lame? Maybe, but I'm back now!

I know some of you are still patiently waiting for my post on resolutions, but I kind of have a problem: I may or may not have misplaced my notes from that Sunday because I managed to forget my journal that morning so I took my notes on a piece of scratch paper, which I cannot find. So, until they post the sermon or I corner Chaplain Willis and beg him for his notes, I'm stuck with trying to remember everything I wanted to remember on my own - it's going to take a bit of time.

Now, for some updates!

So, what have I been up top that has been keeping me from you?? Well...For starters I got to spend the whole week with the lovely Alyssa down in C-Stat. We celebrated her belated bday on Saturday - oh, it was lovely. We definitely made some awesome memories this week. Aside from hanging with Alyssa I was working in the lab with Dr. Wharton and Aubs. Made some progress with some stuff that needed to be finished up, took some pictures of some wasps, you know, the usual. I had lots of lunches with peoples, LOTS of coffee dates...oh my gosh, I think I drank more coffee last week than ever before...oh, no, that's a lie, actually - the most coffee I have ever had in a week was during finals this past semester...that was a lot of coffee. Went to some movies, etc. It was great to get to hang with BMetz and KZhaurova and Aubs - I have missed my bug dorks. Oh my goodness, Friday night was ridiculous: after a lovely dinner with the Humphreys and some quality YouTube perusing, Alyssa and B and I went over to Cam's for some classic signs followed by hide and go seek in the dark...yes, you read that correctly. Alyssa and I were up til about 3:30am...we felt SO OLD!! Haha, it was sad. We experienced a few of those "we aren't in college anymore" moments, too. But it was great fun, and we slept well that night. It was a huge blessing to get to attend worship at Living Hope the last two Sundays as well - and my quality time with the Humphreys followed by quality time with B this Sunday before I hit the road back to A-town was absolutely wonderful. Basically, I had an awesome week. I cannot wait to go back for another of week of work and visiting.

I will say this, though: it was a very odd feeling to be back in C-Stat and not be a student. Alyssa and I talked about this feeling a bit and how it is so strange that it sets in almost over-night. You, know...that feeling of not being in college anymore, but not exactly starting that next stage of your life. There are lots of names for it: time of waiting, limbo, in-between...I'm calling it my intermission. It really is just that to me. The drama that is my life isn't over yet, but it's time to take a little break and stretch my legs...err, brain...get a little snack, etc. It's weird and has its ups and downs, but I am excited to see what growing comes out of this time that God has graced me with. Because really, I am very fortunate to have this opportunity to simply be.

Well, all, it is time to get things really rolling...taking the wee ones to see The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus around 2 - should be good!

Happy Tuesday.

Shalom,
~MW

Random thoughts from today.

Doing MORE laundry today...that's really the only part of the cleaning I've done for Mamma so far...I'll tackle the Christmas decor later on this afternoon.


Nesters and homemakers...anyone who cares how their home looks (no matter the size), really...look here for some awesome ideas on decorating with little knick-knacks/accessories. So simple! Scale, stagger, layer!


Mamma's car is all pretty and shinny again! ServiceKing did a great job fixing it up - thanks for taking care of us, Darrell!


It's pretty chilly today - I loooove these northerly winds. Makes me happy as a lark...I could probably sing all day today, if Mamma didn't need to study :/


A note about Mamma's studying: Her classes don't start for another week and a half or so, but she already has to study for some of her classes!!! She has an EXAM on the FIRST DAY OF CLASSES in one of them!!! Over 20 chapters!!!!! That should be illegal...but, my mom is awesome :)


Looking forward to seeing Skate, Chamilton, and Catia of Moria this evening - it will be delightful to finally reunite with those lovely ladies. Love them!!!


Also looking forward to my Buttered Rum date with Mamma, directly following the reunion...and of course LOST with the wee ones. I love my life right now...can I please fast forward to being a house wife?? ;) KIDDING!!! Please, Lord, not yet! I still need to figure out how to take care of myself all on my own!


The roommies reunion with the North Bardell Ladies, on Friday, will be wonderful as well. It's been a while since all 4 of us have been together. Looking forward to it!!


Much to do, much to do! Hope to get some reading done, too!


Shalom!
~MW

Ah, Christmas and such...

Well, I know I have totally been slacking on the updating of the blog, of late, but....I've been busy...sorry!

So, should I pick up where I left off or start from today and work backwards?? Decisions, decisions. Hmm...

Let's go ahead and get ESA out of the way:
Ok, so last update was at the close of Day 2 - the U of M Mixer night. Day 3 got of to a start circa 5:50am (I should have already been awake and getting ready by then...woops!) as we were all rushed out of bed to sound of the lovely...lulling...serenade of the Marriot fire alarm system. "Woooooooop! Wooooooooop! Woooooooooop!" {15-30sec pause} **Is it over?? Can we go back to bed?? Er...finish getting ready for that Women in Entomology Breakfast that starts in 10min??** "Woooooooooop! Woooooooop! This is not a test. This is not a test....Yada, yada, you know the rest." So, naturally, being a room/hotel full of scientists we all grab our precious laptops and cell phones, because everyone knows that our research is more important than our lives themselves, and start making our way out of our rooms (wearing as many layers as we can possibly grab in a timely manner) down the hallways to the emergency stairwells. {May I just make a note here? If you are on any level above, oh, say 4 or 5, you will probably not make it out of the building without at least suffering from some severe smoke inhalation - awesome.} We actually start smelling that awful smell of smoke **You've got to be kidding me! There's really a fire?!** It gets progressively worse as we get closer to the lower levels - I was on the 11th floor. We get down to the lobby and some people are going outside, others are just kickin' it in the sitting areas... **WHAT?! What is going on?!** No hotel staff to be seen...anywhere. So, we just kinda hang and figure there's no sense in freezing our toes off unless we really need to... Turns out there was a fire in the laundry room, which was in the basement. But it was put out within 3min. **Are. You. Serious??** The stairwells were all full of smoke and the elevators were still off, though so we couldn't go up to our rooms for a good 20-30min. By this time, I'm contemplating just skipping the breakfast, even though it runs 'til 8am...But, after making the trek up the still rather smokey stairs my better judgment told me to go ahead and get ready and venture out onto the icy streets of Indy {they really were icy that day - I'm not gonna lie, I really enjoyed walking around the icy city streets in the 6am hour...I think my future is looking most enjoyable.} and find the breakfast - networking, Heather, networking!

***Pause. Nightly ritual of LOST watching with the sibs commencing now. Post to be continued tomorrow.***

***My apologies for not finishing this when I said I would...I voted that spending time with my fam was more important for now.***

Oki doki, so I left off gallivanting around Indy circa 7am to find the Women in Entomology Breakfast. I made it to the breakfast and, sadly, the people I was going to meet with were not there...they had already left. Awesome. Also, there were no empty seats at any tables, so I was told to start a new table by myself. Sweet. So, I did...and no one else came after I got there. I felt super lame. (I was also the youngest person there...no other undergrads/grad students wanted to get up that early.) After people started to filter out I was able to skooch over to another table and visit with some ladies. So, after eating my {*cough, cough* $15} oatmeal, I bundled up again and made my way across town with one of the ladies to the convention center to listen to some more talks on parasitoids and all that jazz that kind of makes my world go round. I then ventured down to the exhibit hall and presented my poster to peoples passing through who were interested - it's kind of like a grown-up version of a science fair. Then it was off to the plenary session with BM to listen to Mark Moffett - AMAZING! If you want to see some absolutely breath-taking photos I highly recommend you pick up a copy of his new book Adventures Among Ants. SO cool!! I actually got to meet him for a brief moment, shook his hand and everything. You can be jealous, I'll allow it. Then it was off to lunch with BM, KZ, R, & L. Then more talks. S and I made a run over to Johnny Rocket's for a quick snack before the Linnaean Games Finals (kind of like Jeopardy for Bug Dorks). Illinois ended up winning - they were RI-diculous!

That night was the Student Mixer. Lay-to-the-iz-ame... After being suckered into "ice breaker games" BM came and rescued me. Let me lay this scene out for you:
I'm walking across the dance floor (yes, dance floor) to ask BM if he has some matches (we needed them for the, ahem...scavenger hunt...).
To this he responds by taking hold of my arm and steering me to the other side of the room where the coat check is. "Get your coat. Put it on. We are leaving - I'm taking you out of here and we are all going to the pub."
At this point I'm in near shock out of shear gratitude, haha. I follow "big brother" BM's instructions and we all (including KZ, SR, JK, and some others) make our way out onto those still somewhat icy streets and head on over to Cladgagh Irish Pub. Is it wrong to call a pub heaven?? Well, it nearly was. The guys running the place were actually Irish {cooooool} and were so friendly and helpful. Giving suggestions on which brews were best and would fit our likes and which ones we probably wouldn't enjoy, etc. It was truly great. So, if you're ever in Indy and you have a free night make your way down to Claddagh at 234 S Meridian St. You will not be disappointed.

That pretty much closed the conference for us. BM & KZ and I went to a few talks Wed morning, grabbed some lunch with R and then parted ways. I had to hold my own and tell off this cab driver - when I say tell off, I mean I told him "no" like 30 times, no joke - on my way to the airport. I don't really like taking cabs with strangers...even if they are entomologists. I feel much better on a bus. It's probably somewhat irrational of me, since a bus is nothing but strangers, but whatever, I'm stickin' to my guns on this one. But! On the bus I did have a lovely conversation with an entomologist from NY and he was telling me about some teaching program options and stuff - it was really cool!

I hoped on the plane back to Houston and after having quite the time of trying to tell KB where I was so she could pick me up, we finally found each other and made our way to the Bunte home for some pizza and the SYTYCD finale.

Next morning I made the trek to CS to get ready for....wait for it....GRADUATION!!! After hangin' with Lu and D I tackled the disaster zone that was my room....oh, it was bad, friends. Bad. But, I got it done! Had a lovely 3 HOUR coffee date with KR - love her!
The fam, after quite the eventful morning, made it down to CS around 1. CH and I went to the Ento Graduate luncheon before heading out to my BBQ lunch with so many other wonderful friends and family. We had an absolutely lovely time at the BBQ. To those of you who were able to make it, thank you so much for sharing that day with me.

And THEN, my dear friends, and THEN it was time to....~~GRADUATE~~ Oh how marvelous that night was. According to my family, who were on one of the upper levels of Reed during the ceremony, I never stopped smiling and they could see it all the way from where they were. It was an especially exciting night because so many of my wonderful Aggies friends were graduating with me. It was really cool to get to see RA and BM get hooded for their PhDs, too - really special. After taking oodles and oodles of pictures with family and friends, Seaner & Shyla and CH and I made our way into Downtown Bryan to meet up with BM and KZ at Murphy's Law for some good pubbing time in celebration. Haha, after BM and KZ left S&S and CH and I stuck around to finish our brews and ended up doing the cupid shuffle all by ourselves on the German side of Muprhy's...it - was - awesome. A couple walking the streets stopped to watch us through the window. Can you say priceless??? Haha - it totally was.

Saturday held a full day of packing and loading...my apartment was essentially empty by 6pm. Impressive, eh?? We thought so! Mom, CH and the boys hit the road around 4pm. Once Dad, Sean & Shyla, and I decided we were done for the day we went out to grab some grub, some brew, and, of course, some Harry Potter!! We enjoyed a nice evening and hit the hay. Went to church next morning, grabbed some grub, and caravaned to Arlington with my CS home in a U-haul truck. It was really weird.

Everything happened so fast that weekend. I graduated, I left my home of 4.5 years, I left my friends, and moved back to Arlington. I moved back to Arlington. Never thought that would happen, temporary as this may be. It's still strange, this time of intermission, you could say. I know that living in my parents' study is not forever, but after being on my own for so long, it's just strange to be back. I know I'm here just for a "semester" and that this has nothing to do with failings or anything of that nature, but those thoughts do creep in, on occasion. It's dumb, I know, but it's simply my honesty here.

Anyways...CHRISTMAS!! Christmas was absolutely lovely. Having my big brother and his wifey here with us was absolutely wonderful - best Christmas present ever. We had the good fortune of getting to sit around all day and play games and watch movies and just hangout. It was awesome. I was sad to see them go yesterday, but I get to see them later in the spring for a whole month, and Sean at least will be back out the beginning on June for J-man's graduation...wow, that's weird to think about it: J-man is graduating from high school. Crazy.

Now my dear ones, I must close, especially since I have now written a novel of a post...sorry! It's time to finally get my day rolling and get ready to head on down to CS for TM's New Year's Eve Extravaganza!!! Can't wait to see everyone :)

Happy New Year! 2010 should be a fabulous one.

Blessings!
~MW

P.S. - I'm pretty sure I have found the building I want to live in when I get to MN. It - is - awesome. More on that later!
P.P.S. - Sorry for any typos...I don't feel like proofing this one today...

ES...A...??

Ok, ok, so I know I didn't update on day 3 or 4...but I am insanely exhausted at this moment. I am, however, back in Tejas! I know you all missed me terribly ;) But, I haven't really been able to speak tonight, on account of the exhaustion, so I'm not even going to try and post...especially considering I have made about 20 typos in typing this (I think I caught them all as I was making them...I hope!). But, ehemmm...I graduate in less than 2 days!!!!!!!!!!!

Oh and Sean and Shyla successfully {and safely} arrived in Texas yesterday - canNOT wait to see them and the rest of the fam. Now for some sleepy time in the comfy, cozy guest room of the Bunte Family :)

Nighty-night.

~MW

Whew!

My goodness what a day.

Today I woke up and studied my brains out, well almost, for my LAST FINAL EXAM OF MY UNDERGRADUATE CAREER! I also contacted my bank about a weird transaction that showed up on my statement - it should all clear up in a few weeks - I love Wellsfargo. I then proceeded to Blinn College where I took that LAST FINAL EXAM OF MY UNDERGRADUATE CAREER after standing in line at the Learning Center for almost an hour...yeah, I stood in line longer than it took me to complete the exam. I took the supposedly cumulative exam (except that it wasn't...weird.) and scurried home to pack for Indy! Lu and I then had our little roommie Christmas time and it was awesome - I love giving gifts!!

After saying our goodbyes for a week of being apart, I hit the road to good ol' Cypress to see my dear, dear Kacydilla and JJ. They are amazing and will be rising with the sun (and myself) to take me to the airport. We will be leaving their lovely home circa 6am, which means I'll be waking up around 5am...lovely :) We will be stopping to get some Shipley's or sooomething, I do believe. I always love coming to visit them - they make me feel so much like family, which is awesome, because they are family to me. Yeah, pretty much they are just awesome. We had a lovely dinner (Kacydilla made baked ziti!) and closed the evening with a movie rental - thank you AT&T Uverse - in front of a lovely crackling fire - thank you JJ :) We rented Sunshine Cleaners. It was very different, but good, overall - definitely not kid friendly, though. Kacy and I decided that it leaves you with the same sort of feeling as Little Miss Sunshine does - you're not overjoyed, but you are sort of content, while slightly saddened...you know, just one of those odd ones. We liked it, though.

Well, the two love birds hit the hay about an hour and a half ago...since I've been staying up 'til the wee hours lately, I am still awake...yay! I'm charging/syncing my ipod to help pass the time...and caught up on some email. I think I'm about ready to hit the hay myself. Eyes are finally getting a little heavy and have the beginnings of that sleep-deprived burn, yuuum.

I'm sort of lost in this weird limbo between the termination of my finals and the moment I walk that stage... Being completely done with my classes/exams and graduation being a week away makes graduation seem like just a dream that I'm not so close to attaining. It's so weird. It's like I'm about to drop out of reality for a moment by attending the ESA meeting while everyone else is still trucking along. Don't get me wrong, I put in my fair share of work by crunching to get all of my exams taken by today, but it still feels strange. I dunno...in a way, I'm kind of sad to not be around for that last week of hell. Finals are always such awful yet fun times in the insanity that ensues due to intense sleep deprivation and overdosing on caffeine. Oh, memories. I will never forget finals my first semester, freshman year: Rach and I were pulling an all-nighter while Harpi slept soundly on the bottom bunk of their bed. Rach and I were SO ridiculously hyped up on Surge (please tell me that some of you share the sick love of this bottled potion of awesome that she and I do...) that we couldn't even sit still in our chairs! We were continuously shifting and jumping up, only to force ourselves to sit back down; there was, of course, the constant occasional glance-and-giggle profusely. **sigh** Those were the days. I miss being that young and carefree, sometimes. But, only sometimes. I am truly happy with where I am today. While I am not entirely thrilled to move into my parents' study - Mom & Dad, if you read this, I love you, it's just the moving into the study part - I am quite excited to have some free time again to read and visit with people and just enjoy existing. I am rather tired of the continuous go-go-go that has been my life the last 4yrs. The change of pace is much needed and will most certainly be enjoyed. I can't wait to start my reading list...I still need to actually compile the list that has been building in my head and put it on paper, but still...I'll have time to read again!!! This will be bliss.

Ok, I now have to face the day in about 4.5hrs, so I HAVE to close for now. I'll be updating throughout the conference, so get excited.

Indy, here I come!!

Blessings and Peace to you all!
~MW

P.S. - If it's not too much to ask, my family and I would greatly appreciate it if you could keep my Grandma and Grandpa in your prayers. Grandma just got home from being hospitalized and still has a lot of swelling and seeping in her legs; Grandpa just had surgery to have a catheter placed permanently. Also, my Aunt Deb went to the hospital today because she had a seizure (that might not be entirely correct, but it was something to that effect) and after a bunch of scans, cat-scans, etc. they found a mass behind her sinuses and sent her immediately to surgery. I haven't heard anything yet on how it all went, but I'm hoping that no news is good news... Thanks all!