Camping

Alex and I celebrated the holiday by going camping with our friends, Benjamin and Alaina. We went to Tyler State Park for Friday and Saturday night. Here are some highlights:
-I locked the keys in the car on Friday night after laughing about a roommate that did it in college. It took us four hours to get it open.
- We went canoeing in Tyler lake and had a race. Alex and I cleaned up.
- We made three course meals with a silicone spork/knife/spatula.
- I made Alex shower on Saturday because we were going to be in tight quarters in the car.
- The plug for the cooler was not in basically the whole weekend so my carpets smell like baby vomit and dog poop. Ew.

Teaching Grandmother THE INTERNET

Lesson 1: How to turn the laptop on

Beth: All you do is push this button.
Grandmother: How do I push it?
Beth: Uh, you just hold it down until something happens.

Lesson 2: This is a mouse

Lesson includes: holding the mouse, doubleclicking on the desktop, single clicking on the internet, not moving the mouse while you're clicking, not right clicking so that you pull up something you don't know what to do with.

Lesson 3: Here is gmail.

Lesson includes: finding a username that includes her miniature chihuahua, practicing typing in the password correctly, and trying not to confuse her about the jumbled words google makes you type in so that you can prove you're not a robot.

Lesson 4: Here is gmail (part 2)

Beth: Okay, click on inbox.
Granmother: Can I click anywhere? How does the computer know I want inbox?
Beth: It doesn't. You have to click there.

Lesson 5: Repeat lessons 1-4 with patience.

What a fun experience. In a day and age where babies come out of the womb with a facebook account, it is cool to see how someone who has NEVER been on a computer before learns about it. The questions that she asked were very interesting to me.

In other news, school starts tomorrow and we are sleepy. I also rediscovered an old blog (welderbeth.xanga.com) I'm going to start updating that one, too. This one will be reserved for updates on Alex and I.

Goodnight!

A Declaration of Independence

That's right. Alex is officially done with Frito Lay as of Friday morning. I'm not sure that it has actually hit us yet. It probably will tomorrow when we actually get to wake up together and eat breakfast and leave at the same time. It's kind of crazy to think about.

For a year and eight months, Alex and I have had completely different sleep schedules and for ten of those months, we had different days off. It has been challenging for us physically and spiritually and we are anxious for this new chapter to become real to us.

Alex's employees threw a party for him last Wednesday night and I got to go. They could not say enough positive, loving things about him. The impact that he has made on people at Frito Lay is impressive, to say the least. God used him to encourage many people and we know that is the reason that he was there. Pretty cool stuff. I cannot say enough how proud I am of my husband.

He starts school (a pre-school camp, actually) tomorrow. That's fun. We've been going to WalMart and perusing the back-to-school section. Back to the grind and being poor college students! We're exploring cheap food options again (rice, beans, chicken). Any meal invitations over the next 16 months will be appreciated. :)

AND about a week and a half ago, we got back from Estes Park, Colorado. My family goes every other year and stays at the Y Camp there. It was a blast and a nice break from work.

Here are some highlights from the trip:
- On the way up, we stopped at Trinidad, CO. Then we took a short day trip to the Great Sand Dunes National Park. It was...really hot.
- Once we got to Estes, my dad and I decided that we wanted to scare my sister and her friend Caitlin. We bought this really creepy doll and mounted it on a ski pole. We were going to sneak outside their window after they went to bed and then wake them up with the creep-o doll. Unfortunately, they discovered the hiding place before the plan came to fruition. BUT my dad and I got a good laugh about it for at least two days before they discovered it.
- Alex and Leah got to go rock climbing. Their guide could do pull ups with his fingers and told them that he went up and down Longs Peak in four hours (a hike that took us 12). I think he was a little bogus.
- While they were rockclimbing, Caitlin and I rented a tandem bicycle at the marnina. We almost died....at least 3 times. For those of you who think it's easy, it's not. There's no way Kermit the Frog and Miss Piggy could have ridden one. The first time we tried to get it started, we rammed it into the bathrooms. The third time, we actually ran into some people and Caitlin ended up on the ground. After that, we rented scooters from a lady who lives in Austin during the winter. She showed us all her pictures of scooter accidents. We rented some 50 cc scooters and rode them around for an hour while trying not to swallow bugs.
- Leah, Caitlin, and I went on a tour of the world famous Stanley Hotel. This is the hotel that inspired The Shining. It is supposedly haunted. The tour was interesting, needless to say. I got some pictures of some orbs (ghost spirits) and our tour guide could read auras. We made a spoof video of the tour back at the cabin and it provided an hour of entertainment.
- On the Sunday before we left, we all did Longs Peak. It's a 15 mile round trip hike and you gain alot of elevation (i.e. a buttkicker). We were on the trail at 2 am, shortly behind the bridal party (that's right- someone was getting married at the summit). It took us about six hours to get up. The sunrise was unbelievable and the pace was really slow. Towards the end once you get past the boulder field (climbing over rocks for 1.2 miles), you have to go over this thing called The Ledges. You're basically climbing across rocks that are slanted. If you fell, you would most definitely get hurt. It was pretty nerve-wracking. Leah, Alex, and I were all trying to stay alive and I think the elevation was making us a little loopy. I laugh-cried at least twice. We thought once we got across those, we would almost be there, but once we rounded the corner....yikes. It was basically straight up bouldering and loose rocks. Leah stopped and said she couldn't go any further. Alex and I pressed on for a little bit. I stopped about halfway up that cause I wasn't sure if I could get down safely. Alex got 250 feet from the top of Longs, but it had rained the day before, which made the summit technical. At one point, he slid 15 feet on his stomach. He decided, then, that he had a wife and he needed to live so he came back down.

Leah and I got chased by a marmot, which caused more hysteria. I was afraid Leah would fall off the mountain out of fear of the large rodent. I screamed, "Throw rocks!" We laugh-cried again. I fell on the boulder field on the way back and cried again. We were so exhausted and it was a trudge down. When we got to the car, I cried again. When we got back to the cabin, we all ate and then passed out. It was quite a hike. I'm glad that I did it, but I won't do it again. I'm satisfied with what I did. Alex wants to try again but he'll have to find someone else. :)

Actual school at the shelter starts August 24th. I'm excited!

Haiku

Alex and I sometimes rap about our day. However, beacause I feel that the world is not ready for that awesomeness, I would like to share our more meditative way of communicating.....haikus (syllables- 5,7,5). Enjoy.

ABOUT OUR DAYS

I had to go to work.
Work has lots of poopoo heads.
Desks are for sleeping.
-Alex

Today I sat down.
The computer was on too.
My eyes- they were dry.
-Beth

A FUNNY STORY

At the water park
was some unexpected poop
in a bathing suit.
-Beth

Undercooked beef tips
Look of fear, run to bathroom
Bucket held my pain.
-Alex

ABOUT SHARING A FULL SIZE BED

North Korea invades
Peace treaty not an option
Sharp elbow attacks.
-Alex

Here I draw the line
You are on my pillowcase.
North Korea, leave.
-Beth

OUR FAVORITE MEAL

Hidden vegetables
in my warm chicken nuggets
after dinner toots.
-Beth

Catfish are good food.
Sometimes I cook it with spice.
Why do I do that?
-Alex

ABOUT OUR APARTMENT COMPLEX

Neighbors are so fun
but when they smoke weed outside,
my jackets smell bad.
-Beth

ABOUT OUR DOG

Gracie, people hands
She opens our doors and sleeps
Chewing on tampons.
-Alex

Happy Father's Day.....

to the coolest Father ever!


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=upGCMl_b0n4

Being an adult....

is tiring. I am full swing into my new job. I am really really loving it. The kids are so cute, the people are so nice, but I am tired all the time. Who knew that working full time would be exhausting? Gosh, when's my next nap?

Here are a few tidbits that you might enjoy:
- We took the kids to Hawaiian Falls (a small local waterpark) and I was in charge of the kindergarteners and 1st graders. One of my kids pooped in her bathing suit and I had to "take care of it". Wow.
- We were writing a note to our executive director and while the kids were signing it, one of the English speaking first graders asked if she spoke Spanish. I said that I didn't think so and I asked why he wondered. He looked dejected and said, "Oh, I wanted to sign my name in cursive." (as in he thinks that writing in cursive means you're writing in Spanish)
- I have the distinct honor of driving our 10-passenger van because the summer teacher isn't on the insurance yet. I was really nervous about it. On my first ride with the kids, I hit the curb on the way out of the parking lot. One of the kids said, "I thought you had your driver's license" to which I replied, "Hey! I don't need you to be rude right now!"
- This past Friday, we got the chance to go to some professional cooking classes. While the kids were eating lunch, I went back into the kitchen to get a cupcake and one of our first-graders was dancing (read: pelvic thrusting) to the music playing in the kitchen. hahahahaha.

Alex got officially accepted into grad school and he starts August 10th. He is really pumped. He's been such a great husband while I'm transitioning into this new job. God has really blessed us with some great friends and family. We'll keep you posted on any new developments!

Houston, we have a plan.....

and, by george, we are sticking to it. I have come to believe that it is the plight of newlyweds to be plagued with plan-lessness. That is why we are not currently in language school (as we planned last year), I am not learning how to be an ESL teacher (as I thought in the past six months), and we are not entering the Peace Corps (as we planned in the last three months or so). Instead, we are joining the circus (just kidding!). Alex got an email yesterday informing him that he has been accepted to the fulltime UTD MBA program (yippee!). That means that soon we will both have a normal sleeping schedule, time to spend together, and a relatively odor free laundry hamper. That also means that we will have less money, but we will survive because I have been stocking up on "luxuries" that we won't be able to afford (read: Brita water filters and exercise pants) and practicing my coupon clipping skills. Alex has also been turning the A/C off whenever he walks past the thermostat, but I will donate plasma to have our air set at 77.

When I came home this morning, this is what I found on the back porch:

Then, I hit the pinata with hatred because I am morally opposed to them as they normally promote selfishness.

And this came out of it:

Once the toast came out, I turned to Alex in confusion and he screamed, "You're the breadwinner!" Only my husband would come up with such a ridiculous (and awesome) idea to celebrate my cool new job and the fortunate demise of his sucky one. Love it.

Speaking of my new job, I start tomorrow. I have two days with the woman who currently holds my position and then next week will basically be a domestic violence bootcamp, which I am pretty excited about. I get to learn about all aspects of the shelter and meet with the women and counselors. Yay! My only concern is the traffic in the morning. Yikes, I-35- we meet again.

So, that is what is new and concrete in our lives. I leave you with some updated pictures of us, taken via our new laptop. (In yet another money saving venture, we waited until my old laptop wouldn't turn on reliably anymore before purchasing a new one. Who cares if you basically have a desktop for your coffeetable (because the battery stopped charging) that is missing a C key? LAPTOP FOR SALE)

PS- Scarborough Fair was loads of fun and all of you should go this weekend (the last one!) if you can. Say hello to King Henry and the Archduchess for us.