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.

It's ALIVE!

Why, hello, temporary fence. You look like you could corral a few canines. Dog park has been revived (thanks so much to our neighbor, Jesse, for designing it!)

Black bean brownies

-I got my ears pierced over Easter. My mom and sister went with me. I stalled for about an hour, not because I was afraid of the pain, but because I wasn't sure if I was ready for the life change. I am NOW an earrings wearer. I'm still muddling around in that new identity. After the lady at Claire's did it, I guess I was kind of shellshocked, and she kept saying, "You're making me nervous. You're making me nervous" and she gave me a sucker. A coworker asked if I got to hold the Claire-bear. I didn't. Also, my paranoia is coming out and I think that my ears may be infected, despite my having followed the directions to a T. My ear may fall off, resulting in a face nub, which is worse than any other.

-Easter was awesome. Alex and my dad went camping in Arkansas and got rained out. Mom, Leah, and I ran around the North Dallas area for two days and then we had an Easter lunch with some of our neighbors. It was a super fun weekend.

-The Re-Opening of Dog Park will happen on Monday. One of our crafty little neighbors Jesse (who incidentally successfully completed the cinnamon challenge) built the temporary fence. I'm thinking about purchasing some balloons and grilling hotdogs.

- Al and I traveled to Norman, Oklahoma to visit his sister who is a freshman at OU. It was really fun to see campus and meet her buddies. I have decided that I do not enjoy the name Norman for a town. It's like naming a town Robert or Edward. Weird. We saw the movie "Knowing" with a balding Nicholas Cage. It was slightly bizarre until the ending and then it went off the charts. I did not enjoy it.

- I offically officially accepted the job at Genesis Women's Shelter this week. The director called me and we talked business. When she told me my salary, I audibly gasped (apparently) because it was way more than what Alex and I were expecting. When I ran upstairs to tell Alex, his reaction was to fall on the bed and say, "Thank you, thank you, thank you!" If Alex gets into the fulltime MBA program at UTD, he could totally quit Frito Lay and get a part time job. Beth as the breadwinner, here we come!

- SO, since we are shortly going to be poorer than we are currently, we've started clipping coupons. My neighbor, Sarah, turned me onto this website (www.thegrocerygame.com). You have to clip coupons. You pick a store (we picked Kroger) and then the website gives you a list of what is on sale at Kroger and the coupons that correspond to it. Kroger doubles and triples some coupons so we get some stuff for FREE! This week we're getting free toilet paper, sausage, frozen veggies, and brownies. It's a pretty sweet deal. You pay $10 for 8 weeks. If you're interested or have any questions about it, let me know.

-AND, finally, I must share with you a new recipe that Sarah gave me and I've just tried. Ready?
BLACK BEAN BROWNIES. I know it sounds gross but you seriously need to try this. I've made about 9 people try it and they've all been amazed at delicious they are. Here's the recipe: SERIOUSLY. Try it.

Ingredients:
1 16 oz can of black beans
1 box of brownie mix (I've only tried the fudge brownies so far)

Method:
1. Open the can of beans. Rinse them off in a strainer.
2. Put the beans back into the can.
3. Fill the can up with water.
4. Puree that in a food processor or blender (the beans and the water). There will be small lumps but it's okay.
5. Mix the black beans/water into the brownie mix and bake according to the box (I would put them in a 9x13 pan).

You do NOT add oil or eggs. Only the black bean and water puree. I know it sounds gross but it's really good.

New Beginnings

I got that job. I got the official call this afternoon, after which I danced around, woke Alex up, and got my dog riled up. We still need to work out the details (like salary and start date) but she's not going to interview anyone else. Wheeeee! I will probably write a blog about it later this week.

I also forgot to mention that we have possibly found a housechurch that we like. Last October, I found this lady's email address on some blog related to Metroplex House Churches and emailed her. I didn't hear back from her until the beginning of March. We've met with them twice now on Sunday mornings and they're an amazing group of people. What we really like about it is that it's a great mix of people. We have all ages, married, single, with kids, without kids. This past Sunday, we talked for about an hour and a half about what God is doing (and has done) in people's lives and one of the kids was struggling with the question of why God allows death (particularly of her kittens) to occur. Some people shared past struggles of abuse and how God has healed them. Basically, everyone is very open and comfortable and Alex and I both have felt God moving. Yay!