Mama Mia

(WARNING: If you tend to feel vomitous at things that are sweet and/or romantic, you may want to avoid this post.)

Here's how sweet my husband is. I came home from work Monday to find a homemade menu for "Ill Forks" hanging outside my door. (An aside: We always drive by this restaurant on the tollway. It's sign says "III Forks". I always say that it's Italian (Ill Forks) which could mean "The Forks". Alex contends that the name of the restaurant is "Three Forks". Will we ever find out? Probably not. Carrying on.....) It was written in fake Italian-English. So, I open the door, and my husband greets me with a towel draped on his arm and a fake paper mustache on his face. He was also yelling, "I make you-a spicy-a meatball-a!" We then had an Italian dinner and it was lovely.

One more reason why I love that guy.

A Update 4 U

Hmmm. I (Beth) started my new Girl Scouts job this week. Since I'm only working 3 days, I'm done for the week, which is uh-mazing. My first reflections on this job are as follows:

-I do not know enough slang to sound cool. The gym teacher today told me that I need to "talk crazy" to the girls if they're "talkin' crazy" to me. If someone talks back to me, I can also say, "Are you talkin' to me or is there someone behind me?" and look around like I'm expecting someone behind me. I will practice this with Alex.

-I will be tired this year. Today my co-leader and I had 60 girls in one class period. It was chaotic with a capital C.

- I love my coworkers. They're funny, driven individuals and I like working with people my age.

- I need to brush up on my rap music. These girls have different "cultural currency", if you will. I don't think singing the Beatles is going to cut it.

- Alex told me this morning that my cardigan made me look nerdy. I am grateful for his warning.

I'm excited about this year. These girls are (mostly) excited about us being there and I look forward to getting to know them better. This year will give me a better understanding of poverty and "at risk" kiddos.

Please be praying for the girls- for their futures, for their teachers, for their concept of what Truth is.

Let us know how your lives are going.

The Birth of the Cactus High Five

My, oh my, how interesting this week has been. It started (last Saturday is the arbitrary beginning of this week) with me going to meet a Hurricaine Ike evacuee/friend at North Park and watching her enjoy America's second largest mall. I then moved on to our Progressive dinner, which you can read about in the previous entry.

On Sunday morning, I drove my sleepy husband and dog to Abilene, where we hopped in my parents van and shipped off to Oklahoma to go camping. (We left Gracie in the backyard with Samson and paid my sister to come over. Needless to say, I was quite the nervous pet owner. Gracie seems to be an escape artist. While Alex and I were at Six Flags tonight, we left her in Alex's parent's backyard. When I went to pick her up, she was sitting on the front porch. At least she sits on the porch when she gets out?) The original plan was to go to Arkansas but Ike was supposed to follow us from Dallas to Arkansas and then circle there until we decided it was time to leave, so the plan to changed to OK.

Dad took us to the Witchita National Wildlife Preserve. Although my father wanted to regale me with history lessons about grass and Indians, I refused to enter the Great Plains History Museum. After a 3 hour drive through the riveting landscape of Northwest Texas and the flatlands of Oklahoma, we finally arrived at (gasp) mountains. Granted, they're no Rockies or Smokies, but there was definitely some elevation gain, which completely surprised me because I assumed all of Okalahoma was the same elevation.

Our first interaction with the rangers was my mom getting chased out of the gift store at the Visitor Center to which she replied, "I didn't want a wolf mug, anyway."

We then proceeded to "Doris Campground" and selected a campsite between the lake and the shady bathrooms. My parents treated us to a steak dinner and then we hit the sleeping bags. Being that this is a nature preserve, there are bison, elk, and deer walking around and elk tend to bellow all night long. Fortunately for me, I brought my earplugs.

Monday, we got lost for the first of thousandth time trying to get back to the Visitor Center where we could ask them what hike was good. At their suggestion, we decided on a short hike to an abandoned mine but the directions were more like this:

1) The trailhead is off the road behind the gate, behind a cabin, behind the bathrooms.
2) Don't take the first right.
3) Look for a big rock.
4) Look up.

Great, thanks. Let's just say we found the trailhead but that was about the most successful part of this hike. My most useful, newfound knowledge about Oklahoma is that they don't label much. They give you instructions to turn left at the tumbleweed and then throw you out to fend for yourself.

For instance, when someone gives you the instruction to not take the first right on the trail, one would assume that there is, in fact, a 2nd right and only a 2nd right. Not in Oklahoma! The trail split about 91 times and more than once, we had to turn around because it just ended. (Oh, great! I've always wanted to hike to a rock). Alex and I did get to go swimming in some natural water but it only lasted about 2 minutes because I was sure a water moccassin would affix itself to my neck the minute I started to have any fun.

After that riveting hike, we did another and had roughly the same results- trails that lead to nowhere, despite the fact that a map on the trail told us we were standing near something called the "Forty Foot Hole". Don't you think that would be hard to miss? Clearly, we were all blind because all I saw was elk poop. We did get to climb around on some rocks and Alex collected some snails to eat (please, don't ask). That night we had steak and potatoes (ala Beth and Kelli Sweat) and Alex ate his snail. Then we drove up "Mount Scott" to watch for vultures and the sunset. I found it interesting (and stupid) that everything in the Refuge was plainly named (things like Mount Patricia, Lake Roger, Fanny Ravine). We froze our butts off that night cause the temperature dropped so low.

Tuesday we decided to do one moderate hike and then head on home. Well, we forgot this is Oklahoma, Land of the Anti-Signage. We were supposed to hike through this wilderness area and end up at two lakes. Halfway through, we were picking our way through a dry creek bed and I was anxiously looking for one or more of the 20 varieties of snakes in the area to make an appearance; that's when the trail stopped....again. Alex and Dad tried to find a way through, but to no avail. So, we turned around and promptly got lost again. We finally stumbled upon an actual trail (as opposed to the grassy overgrown weedy trail we were on). This might sound like a good thing, but we were so disoriented at this point, that we didn't know which way the car was, even with the GPS. So we chose to go to the right. About 20 minutes later, we get to this giant rock by a stream. Unfortunately, we had never seen this before which means that we might be going the wrong way.

So, I volunteered Alex and I to climb up and see if we could get our bearings better. We couldn't. The rock got too vertical near the top. On the way down, I slapped a cactus that was lurking (okay, not lurking; I knew it was there) in a handhold. While I started picking out the pricklies (what is the technical term?) with my fingers, Alex the handyman dug in his backpack for his pliers. It took us about 5 minutes to remove the offending needles and my hand felt numb afterwards. Later, Alex got one of the stickies in his tongue because it had stuck on his finger. (hahahaha.....shhhh)

I was tired of Oklahoma.

So, I finally came up with the idea of checking shoe prints on the trail to see if we had been there before. We backtracked our 20 minutes and kept going towards the other end. We did find my dad's footprint going the other way, so we knew we were almost back to the car.

The drive home was uneventful.

Alex and I came home on Wednesday.

Today (Friday) I had more training for Girl Scouts. It was fun and I got to know my coworkers a little better. We went out to one of the schools we'll be at and I was reminded how small junior high students were, so I relaxed a bit. I start on Monday. I think I'm going to say "Whoop" alot. Maybe the girls will think it's fun. Maybe they will think I'm a loser. I don't care.

Frito Lay rented out Six Flags tonight, so as soon as I got home, Alex and I hopped in the car to go ride some rides. I rode a few new ones (Runaway Mountain) but I refuse to do anything involving big drops, much to Alex's chagrin.

Coming up this weekend- breakfast with neigbors, an antique show with the same neighbors, Alex's sister's birthday, and another outreach. Goodness, it's nice to have something to do....

Progressive times at the Wise house

So, I had my first official training for Girl Scouts on Thursday. It was finally nice to somewhat be able to answer the question, "What are you going to be doing?" The people were lovely. The women in my program are around my age, so that is just dang exciting. I might actually have friends that I met on my own! at my job! Yeah!

Basically, what we're going to be doing is a six week program that teaches leadership, communication, and self confidence to "at risk" junior high girls during their gym class. We work in teams, so there is always at least two of us. I talked to a girl who worked in my particular program last year and she said it was tough work cause we could have upwards of 70 girls in one class period (WHAT?). After hearing this fact, I had a daydream that I was being punched in the face by an angry, aggressive junior high girl. Also, because it is in their gym class, they are essentially being forced to participate so we have that going for us. All in all, our program goal is 4500 girls by the end of the year.

That being said, this will be a definite test of my perseverance. There will be good days and there will be horrible days. Usually, at the first sign of horrible-ness, I have an overwelming urge to quit. Discipline is the reason I'm not a teacher. I'm simply not good at it- I either get flustered, intimidated, mad or a combination of all three. However, I got some good advice from a friend who has worked in similar situations and I'm going to try and practice being patient and loving.

Girl Scouts is a secular organization and they stressed how important it was that we respect everyone's religious beliefs, so my light is going to have to shine in different ways. It should be really really good for me. I'm very nervous and very excited all at once.

Tonight, Alex and I participated in a progressive dinner with some neighbors who we've gotten to know because we all have dogs. Alex and I did the appetizers, then we had beef stroganoff, and key lime pie at two different apartments. It was so much fun! They are all fascinating people (We dined with the King of Scarborough Faire and a Countess, too). One of them has a girl in the 6th grade and she and I are going to PetCo to look at dog costumes. Hopefully, I will be able to build a relationship with her. Everyone agreed that we should do it again and I'm already looking forward to it!

AND Alex and I went to a training meeting for the IRC about mentoring a refugee family. We got to pick an area of the world (guess where we picked) and the recruiter said there are alot of Iraqi families who were middle management in the government that have been chased from their homes. Most of them speak English. I'm SUPER excited about this. We spend two hours a week with the family, teaching them cultural things and showing them practical things like using the bus system or shopping at the grocery store. I'm already planning on taking them to the State Fair and possibly one of my little cousin's football games. Ooh-whee! Exciting times.

Nibbles and Tidbits

No groundbreaking events have taken place lately in our lives but I could share a few things...

-For those of you who don't know, Alex bought this 7-11 slurpee cup on their 25th (or 75th?) anniversary. It is one of those 1000 oz cups that changes color when you put cold stuff in it and you can get a 99 cent refill for the rest of the cup's life. Well, Alex doesn't let any liquid touch his lips unless it comes from this hideous goblet, which also means that it only gets washed when I can steal it away for the 30 seconds it takes to actually put soap in it. Alex is sleeping right now, so I just washed it. Do you know what I found at the bottom? It looks like pink cake batter. Unless Alex has been mixing dough for a wedding cake in his mug, I'm pretty sure that washing his cup should not involve having to scrape dough off my sponge. Ew.

-I bought a skateboard cause my buddy Katie and I want to be hardxcore. We were going to learn how to longboard but they cost about $100 used and I decided that I would rather not spend that much money on something that could possibly kill me. So, I decided on a skateboard. However, before you decide that I eat nails for breakfast and I will punch you if you ask me how I'm doing, please consider these few things:
- I did not push a little skater kid down and steal his ride. I bought this at a mall. And not just any mall, but Stonebriar Mall, which is in Frisco and is marketed to upper middle class soccer moms and wealthy yuppies. If the employees at the trendy clothing store Fossil look at you carrying around your skateboard that's still in the box like you're a poser, you have a long way to go.
- As Alex and I stepped out of Dillards to go to the car, we both had the same idea. I should ride my new toy, (ahem, I mean land surfer) to the car, for practice. So we ripped the box off and I, still holding my purse and wearing flip flops, step onto the board. Within .4 milliseconds of letting go for Alex, the board shoots across the parking lot without me on it. Unfortunately, it is hard to ride a skateboard when you have fallen hard on your butt and think your ankle might be broken. There was a man sitting in a truck apparently waiting for someone when we stepped out, but after this shameful fiasco, he put his truck in reverse and left. I would say that this wipes out any HARDxCORE attributes I had prior to this purchase.
- HOWEVER, if I can in fact learn to stay on the board longer than it takes me to blink, I will do things like let Gracie pull me or hold onto a rope that is attached to Alex's bike. These dangerous activities will require more accessories though- helmet, elbow pads, wrist guards, knee pads, and a neck brace. I guess I will never really be hard, but I think I am okay with that.

- I have training for the Girl Scouts job on Thursday and my grant writing class starts next Wednesday, so my life is moving forward. Yay!

- Alex and I may be the Appetizers for a progressive dinner at our apartment complex on Saturday. Our funny neighbors thought it would be a good time, and we agreed! We'll let you know if it actually happens, so you can be praying for us.
(EDIT: Alex and I will not actually be the Appetizers, as our neighbors are not cannibals. We will simply provide chips and hotsauce. That is all)

Beth Joins the Girl Scouts

That's right, folks. It's time for me to rejoin the ranks of those Brown vested, cookie-selling, craft making, little homemakers. I'm going to have to dig out my old sash with my patches (Correction: Patch. I was only in girl scouts for a season because gluing tongue depressers together was a rousing night at our troop meetings). No, I'm just kidding. I'm not going to be a troop leader. I'll be working with their outreach programs, which means I get to lead a program in inner city schools that is geared for middle school aged girls (perfect!). I also get to work in a team so I'll have fun coworkers.

Here's how my interview went (My thoughts are in italics). The place was in way south Dallas so I left extra early to allow for traffic and getting lost. Let's just say I didn't hit traffic... I got there and was handed an application. I started filling it out and then I realized that there were extra questions on the back. One of them was "Describe a challenging obstacle that you have had to overcome." My first thought was "What???". I knew that some of the kids I would be working with had grown up with drugs and violence and so I racked my brain to find something that might relate to that, even a little. I got nothin'. I wrote some lame-o answer about my grandfather's death and what it taught me ("People pass on but their memory can live on forever in my mind"- SO LAME). While making up this full-of-it mini essay, I survey the room to look at my competition. All middle aged African American ladies. Great.

So finally, the interviewer comes out and says, "Okay, ladies, follow me." Ummm, a panel interview? I'M NOT PREPARED FOR THIS. Don't pass out! Don't pass out! So, I calmly walk into the conference room and introduce myself to the ladies. We sit down and they explain a little bit about the different programs available. Then they start asking questions. They start with me and then go down the line. On the next question, they start with the lady after me. These questions were actually kind of difficult because you don't immediately know the "right" answer. For instance, we had to describe a time when we had a conflict with someone and we resolved it. Thankfully, I was last on this question. All of the other women, in their middle aged wisdom, had been through alot in their life- divorce, raising children, getting their DOCTORATE (Doctorate? Doctorate? I'm so not getting this job) so I knew that my answer would not be as significant. I told them about how my parents and I argued alot during my senior year in high school and how I learned to communicate better.

So, the interview lasted an hour. When it was done, I was pretty depressed about it cause there were 100 applicants and if all of them had the qualifications of my fellow applicants, I knew chances were slim that I would get it. We were instructed to hand our applications to the receptionist at the front and she would make sure all our ducks were in a row. She looks at my application and says "Just a minute. Follow me." So I follow her to the back room, assuming that I've done something wrong. Suddenly, she turns around and says, "I can't hand you your HR paperwork in front of the other applicants." Huh? Whadya say?

She then turned and left me dumbfounded in the hall only to return with a green Girl Scouts folder. She directs me to a desk and proceeds to pull out tax forms and background checks. I looked at her and said, "What does this mean?" She stood up and said, "Uh, congratulations?" WHAT IS GOING ON? "You got the job!"

I then proceded to freak out in my mind. I started the paperwork and then wanted to think about, so handed it to the manager and told her I would come back later. Then, I walked to the lobby, changed my mind, and went to finish my paperwork.

This was the craziest day I've had in a long time. I thought that I wouldn't even get the job and instead, I ended up being the one that was hired right off the bat! God is so good!

I have training next week and then I think my start date is later in the month. I really don't know that much yet but I know I'm excited. So, yay!

Wise Unemployment Has an End in Sight?

So, in the last blog, Alex told you that I was taking steps to become a grant writer. The class won't be done until the end of November and then I have to volunteer to write some grants to build up some experience, so I still need another job in the meantime.

That brings me to my exciting news! I have an interview on Thursday at 9:30am with Girl Scouts of America. (Unfortunately, if being in Girl Scouts is contingent on getting this job, I will fail. I dropped out of Girl Scouts way early). Basically, I would tutor 3rd grade girls in schools and mentor them as well. I would be done at 3pm, so I could work on grant writing in the early evenings.

The few things that I am struggling with are that the pay doesn't knock your socks off and it's pretty much a job that someone with a GED could do. When did I start caring about status and money? I don't know. I think I would really enjoy this, and so I should give it a shot! I'll update again on Thursday!

Another Trip to White Rock Lake

Beth, Benjamin, and I took another trip out to White Rock this past Sunday. We have learned from last time; realizing that hot dogs don't really make the best quick snack for joggers and cyclists. Today we wrote on poster board (in our own crooked letter font) free water, this time supplemented with granola bars. I think sitting closer to the road definitely caused us to meet more people, even if it was a quick thanks as they went on their way. I hope we aren’t giving off that high school fundraiser vibe, as a few people offered Benjamin and Beth money for the granola bars.

We did see a man named Bill who we met last time which is great. We really want to build relationships with people. He's a very nice man who rides around on his recumbent bike. He packs his own water but is kind enough to stop and talk for a minute. It was cool that he remembered us and said he had been thinking about us as he was riding around the lake. We had just been wondering about him earlier that day as well. We got to know him a little better and he gave us some things that we could be praying about. We met another man who stopped and talked with us named Mark. I won’t go into details, but he is going through some rough times and sat down to talk with us for a good twenty minutes. It always amazes me how people who are lost are so willing to open up about the problems in their life. Maybe they are looking for sympathy? Or maybe they are hoping that someone will be able to provide them with answers. He asked if we were Christian, which we replied yes. We even got to pray with him which was great. He seems genuinely interested in learning more about “religion” as he would put it. I think the lake would be a great place for us to have Bible study. We have been talking about going out to the lake on a regular basis to help us build relationships with people and we want to figure out a way to meet people who are curious about Christianity. We might put an ad in the paper for those who want to learn more about Christ or have questions. Maybe the lake would be where we could meet on neutral ground and discuss? It seems people today want a more open forum. Not a church where they sit and listen, but a place where they can listen, comment, and ask questions as well. I am not saying that churches are bad at all, but I think there is something about a person walking into a building where everyone thinks the same way that automatically puts that outsider on the defensive. I really hope that we can continue to go out to the lake and get to meet people, pray with people, discuss God’s word with them, and show them love.

On another note, Beth is continuing her job hunt. She has also signed up for a grant writing class which is awesome. It’s a great skill to have, especially in the non-profit sector. She’s already a great writer and I’m sure she is going to do well. My job is taking a toll on me but I am doing my best to remind myself that I need to give thanks in all circumstances and glorify God in all that I do. We’ll keep you up to date. Beth’s class starts around the end of the month. Peace be with all of you. We love you.

“Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful. And pray for us, too, that God may open a door for our message, so that we may proclaim the mystery of Christ, for which I am in chains. Pray that I may proclaim it clearly, as I should. Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity. Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone.” Colossians 4:2-6