Schmupdates

As I sit here typing this, smoke from our neighbors' highly possible illegal activities is wafting into the livingroom via a hole in our closet, despite the towel I have stuffed under the door. Looks like I'll have to air out my winter coat before work tomorrow. What a perfect time for an update!

- Alex and I have begun the process of looking for a small group. Our "gypsy church" (thanks, Brooke!) just isn't getting us the fellowship we need right now. I have not abandoned the idea of having to depend on the Lord for fellowship, but, for now, Alex and I need structure and people who can pour into us. We have contacted some small groups (found through this website: www.iamsecond.com) and we're going to try one on February 8th. Yay! I am excited about meeting some new people and reconnecting with an established group of believers.

-I scared Alex really bad last week. Sometimes, while he is in the shower, I will come into the bathroom and brush my teeth. Usually, I accidentally turn the light off on my way out, which is Alex's cue to yell at me. Well, last Wednesday, I turned off the light and shut the door (like normal) but I stayed in the bathroom. It was pitch black, of course, and Alex began his usual tirade to get me to come turn on the light. When I didn't respond, he leaned out of the shower (I could see his glow in the dark watch) to flip the switch. At that point, I grabbed his arm and yelled. He slapped me in the chest, looked me in the eyes, and yelled for a good five seconds. It made me laugh all day. hahaha.

- New plan for the future! I went to Abilene this week to visit my family and my dad suggested that Alex and I look into the Peace Corps. Strangely, this had never really crossed our mind but we looked into it and it has now become our favorite option. We are currently in the process of applying and from what I hear, that process is long and daunting. You need to apply nine months to a year before you can leave. We would like to go next January so we're applying now! It's very exciting to see how things will pan out. The program that we are really interested in is working with youth in Jordan. Peace Corps also has a large operation in Morocco, which would be awesome too.

-Work for both of us has been frustrating lately. I haven't had a normal work week in a while, which has resulted in missed paychecks and a lack of routine. Alex's job is same ole', same ole'.

-The neighbs are good. We dog-sat a couple of weekends ago and that was an experience. Max is the equivalent of Gracie's boyfriend, and they are quite the pair. It was nice to be able to be nice. We had a Wii date with some other neighbors, which basically resulted in us laughing more than we actually played.

That's about all the new stuff for now. Drop us a line and let us know how you're doing!

Fun fun fun til' her daddy takes the Tbird away

Someone recently asked me what Alex and I do for fun. The question initially stumped me but after a few days of thinking about it, I have come up with a list of things that we do for fun. So, here you go:

- Visit ethnic grocery stores, like El Rancho
- Play bocce ball, especially with Gracie
-Hang out with our neighbors. This we enjoy so much that we do it daily.
- Host parties for our friends
- Play board games like Boggle or Settlers of Catan.
- Dance in our livingroom.
-Try new recipes
- Paint
- Recently, we've been rock-climbing.
- Making funny faces
- Playing the alphabet game
- Reading and studying the Bible together
- Go running or biking
- Trying new places to eat
- Watching movies in our pajamas
- Talking politics
- Getting slurpees from 7/11
- Walking to places
- Spending our gift cards leftover from our wedding
- Wearing the dog out as much as possible
- Telling funny stories
- Playing music together (guitar and piano)
- Photography
- Trying new activities like the State Fair or mountain biking
- Traveling
- Playing "Who Wants to be a Millionaire?" online and losing big time
- Arguing about who is past the line in the bed (It sounds dangerous but we usually end up laughing until we can't stand it anymore)
- Watching the dog

Those are just a few. I think the reason I was stumped was because none of these things are very big (i.e. we don't plan many activities- they just kind of happen). Alex and I usually have a blast when we are together. It doesn't take much to keep us happy!

Starting off the New Year with junk food....

That's right, folks. Alex and I had my high school buddies Chris and Joe (with minor appearances by Emily and Benjamin) over for a small New Year's celebration. Instead of trying to guess what they wanted to eat, once everyone got here, we drove to WalMart and I instructed the boys to buy what they wanted. We ended up with a cartful of microwave burritos, pizzas, chicken wings, chips, Cokes, and some awesome garlic toast. Needless to say, I hope that our menu last night is not indicative of our diet for this year. When it actually became 2009, we were wwatching Casino Royale and I just happened to glance at the clock. It seems like the older we get, the less exciting and more tiring New Year's becomes. Oh well, Alex and I look forward to 2009 as we continue to find our niche in Dallas. We are excited about what God is doing and can't wait to see how He continues to work.

Christmas was very very relaxing. Alex took the last of his vacation so he had a whole week and a half off. It was nice to have him home! We had a small celebration with the Wise family before Christmas. My family came from Abilene and stayed with us. Alex and I took them rock climbing. Each time we go, I am impressed by Alex's ability to scale the walls so quickly. He (and my sister) is a natural!

The actual Christmas celebration was in Fort Worth at my Grandmother's. It was an excellent time to visit with my family. We did a Chinese gift exchange, had a huge delicious lunch, went caroling, and some of us participated in the cinnamon challenge, where you try to swallow a tablespoonful of cinnamon. None of us completed it but we have some really funny pictures (http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2633180&l=87d3d&id=8300453). Then Alex and I went back to Abilene where we stripped wallpaper in my parents' kitchen.

Now, we're pretty much back to the grind but it's okay. It's nice to be back in the routine of things.

I hope that your holidays were just as wonderful as ours. Let us know how you are!