Tree Huggers

Well, it happened. Drew & I moved out to California and in a short span of three years.....well, I think the picture says it all.



Actually, we just got back from our Spring Break trip up the coast. We started out in Pismo Beach (an hour or so north of Santa Barbara) and spent some time with our friends Cliff & Heather.





Then we drove up to San Francisco. We LOVED the city! We stayed at the Stanyan Park Hotel in Haight-Ashbury which really set the Victorian/hippie vibe San Fran is known for. We did all the usual too: Golden Gate bridge, Lombard St., Chinatown, and of course, the houses from the opening credits of "Full House."








Our absolute favorite though was Alcatraz. As much as we both love history it was sure to be a hit...but, add 40 degree temperatures, rain, fog and darkness and you have a recipe for one creepy evening. Needless to say we were cold and wet but loved every minute of it (after we actually got there of course).






On our way back home, we took the coast all the way back and stopped for part of the day in Big Sur for a little hiking. Pictures cannot possibly convey how gorgeous the California coast is...wow. This state gets a bad rap sometimes, but it's stuff like this that makes you fall in love with it.







"This ain't a threat, but I think I better warn ya. Gonna fall in love if you go to California..."

Top Ten Tuesday

There are songs you are infatuated with, listening to them on repeat until you hate them as much as you were previously obsessed.

There are songs you kind of like because everyone else does and it is a fad. I’m sort of hoping this is the case with Lady Gaga (even though I admit her stuff is catchy).

There are plenty of songs you instantly hate or have no use for.

Then there are those songs. You know, the ones you hear and your pulse quickens, your ears immediately tune in-and you are hooked. For life.

These songs grab you instantly and continue to make you love them each and every time you listen.

Some of them are associated with a particular memory, some are just musically great, and others speak to you in a way that only music and lyrics can.

These are my Top Ten (in no particular order).

1. "Tiny Dancer," Elton John
Everytime I hear this I want to go for a drive along the beach with the windows down. Fell even more in love with this song after watching the classic bus scene from “Almost Famous.”

2. "My Girl," The Temptations
My all-time favorite Motown song that I’ve loved since I can remember listening to music.

3. "I Got You Babe," Sonny and Cher
Ok, I know most people either love it or hate it, but this one is a keeper for me. The beat is catchy, the lyrics are sweet, and somehow I have a strong positive association with my family whenever I hear it.

4. "In My Life," The Beatles
Beautifully poignant lyrics with soothing music.

5. "We Build," Nicole Nordeman
Beautifully written metaphor comparing marriage to building a house. The song played at my wedding.

6. "Night Moves," Bob Seger
My husband introduced me to this one when I first flew out to California to visit him after he had moved here. I get all giddy when I hear it come on over the speakers.

7. "Hallelujah," Jeff Buckley
Quite possibly one of the most beautiful songs I’ve ever heard.

8. "When the Levee Breaks," Led Zeppelin
How bout that? American blues done better by a British band! Everytime I hear this I have this weird craving to go to Louisiana and eat Cajun food.

9. "Beast of Burden," The Rolling Stones
“Such a pretty, pretty, pretty, pretty, pretty, pretty girl.”

10. "Everything," Michael Buble
The album this is from came out right before my husband and I got married. We both love him, listened to the CD and decided separately that this was pretty much our song. 

Ok, this was hard. So here are 10 more songs that almost made the list.

"Spread Your Love," Black Rebel Motorcycle Club
"Holiday In Spain," Counting Crows
"Stranglehold," Ted Nugent
"Have You Ever Seen the Rain," CCR
"Crazy On You," Heart
"Little Queen," Heart
"Crash Into Me," Dave Matthews Band
"Boston," Augustana
"Hotel California," The Eagles
"Island In The Sun," Weezer

What are yours?

Five Hundred Twenty-Five Thousand Six Hundred Minutes

-5 airport runs (4 to Texas, 1 to Vegas). I still hate flying.
-Too many cycling races to count.
-3 top 10 finishes.
-2 teaching contracts.
-1 Master of Arts in New Testament Language and Literature scored!
-1 Master of Arts in Educational Leadership begun.
-1 acceptance to Ph.D. program in Ft. Worth, Texas.
-1 health scare with Drew's dad.
-1 health scare with me.
-1 bicycle crash that scared ME more than Drew.
-5, 101, 1: highways to drive up the beautiful California coast to San Luis Obispo.
-1 registration with Central Casting.
-1 background acting job on Cold Case!!
-4 celeb spottings: Rebecca DeMorney, Lauren Conrad, Sean Penn, & Marg Helgenberger (who I sat next to)!
-An estimated 250 cups of coffee...but who's counting, right?
-105 new 6th graders
-1 novel begun.
-5 chapters currently finished.
-1 poem/children's book written.
-1 life-altering discovery of French-pressed coffee.
-2 games of tennis before I got frustrated.
-5: number of rumors about how I fell and was taken to the hospital one day at school (the best one? I tripped over a stray dog in the middle of the quad, breaking my neck and bleeding everywhere).
-2 trips to Las Vegas.
-4 Twilight books read (I finally gave in).
-5: number of times I watched the movie (I really gave in).
-20+ number of times I listened to the soundtrack. (Um, I love it ok)!!
-2 anniversaries under our belt. I still love being married.
-3 Ph.D. program applications: Baylor, Wheaton, Notre Dame
-2 homes. I miss Texas when I'm in California and I miss California when I'm in Texas.
-1 New Year's Eve on the couch with my best friend. :)

Ok, so my numbers don't quite add up to five hundred twenty-five thousand six hundred, but I tried. By this time next year we will be living in a new place, although we have no idea where that will be yet. I honestly don't want to think about it right now as it makes me sad and a tad stressed, but God has taken care of us so far and I have no doubt that He plans to continue...something we can ALL agree on (whether Armenian or Calvinist...haha).



"How do you measure, measure a year?
In daylights, in sunsets?
In midnights, in cups of coffee?
In inches, in miles, in laughter, in strife?
In five hundred twenty-five thousand six hundred minutes?
How do you measure a year in the life?"

Drew's Favorite English Solecisms

Here are a number of grammar, syntax, meaning, and spelling miscues that I have run into over my years of tutoring non-native English speakers, though some of these are from native speakers!

1. "We should be thankful for church volunteers, because the church runs on sacrificed volunteers."

I'd hope someone would be thankful for such a selfless act.

2. "No one, not even professional race car drivers can drive fast without hitting goats."

Every time you speed God kills a goat.

3. "Jesus scarified himself to seal the new covenant."

Look out for that scary Jesus costume next Halloween!

4. "It was just a simple miss spelling."

Who is this Miss Spelling? I'd like to meet her!

5. "The priest is raping the mummy."

Wrapping the mummy, perhaps?

6. "Send it to me until Thudesday."

And on the eighth day God created...

7. "I know a primary document: the...the...the CONSTIPATION!"

Perhaps the framers of the Constitution needed Ex Lax.



That is all I can remember for now. I will add to this as I remember and discover more.

Another Day, Another Chance

So a few weeks ago I found myself sitting alone in a doctor's office trying to take in the words I'd just heard. I'd gone in for a routine checkup but she found something she was "worried" about. The next minute or so sort of blurred together in my mind as a state of worry and panic began to infiltrate my thinking.

How long had I had that? Two years? That really concerns me. We're going to do a biopsy right now. I need to rule out cancer. What else could it be? I don't know.

She left to go have the nurse prep a room for biopsy and I was left alone, hugging my knees to my chest, not knowing what to do or think. I was numb...in a state of quasi-shock I think. I mean, I'm 25...who just goes into a checkup and 10 minutes later is having a biopsy? It's just so unexpected-seeming.

As I sat there, the only thought that came to mind was that I should pray. I immediatley told myself that I didn't know WHAT to pray...I could hardly THINK. Of course I instantly answered my own question and knew that it was ok to not know what to pray...so I just kept saying "Jesus..." over and over until they came and got me.

The biopsy wasn't so bad.

The waiting was a different story.

I finally found out today that all the tests came back clear.

No cancer.

I started to cry.

So now, reflecting back on the past two weeks, here's what I've been reminded of...

There are very few things worth truly getting upset about...very few things.

I love my life and I love my family...the somewhat mundane feeling I'd been having towards everything has been replaced with a sincere gratitude just to get up in the morning.

Despite all the pain and suffering in our world, God is still good...

and, in the words of Nicole Nordeman (b/c she says it best): "we are blessed beyond what we could ever dream, in abundance or in need..."

I'm sure I will need to be reminded of these things again...but for now I'm so thankful that today, everything is ok.

"She Can't Help It, The Girl Can't Help It"*

Today I backhanded a tennis ball across the court to my husband. We'd been playing for almost two hours without incident. Incident meaning me getting hit by a ball.

In fact, he had just commented (the dear) that,

"Hey, you haven't been hit by a ball!"

I merely muttered, "Please don't go saying things like that before we're finished playing."

So I had quite nicely hit the ball over to his side when he whacked it back and it headed straight for my chest. No bounce, just straight towards me. I instintively stuck my hand out, which did, effectively stop the ball. It really hurt though and I wanted to throw the racquet.

Now, I realize that getting hit with a tennis ball (hard) isn't necessarily out of the ordinary, but if you're thinking that, then perhaps you don't know me too well.

I am, for lack of a better word, clumsy. So much so, that Drew the other day whacked his leg against some concrete and thought to himself that he just "Pulled an Adri." Wow. All I can say is that the man is lucky I'm in love with him.

I drop things, a lot. Primarily kitchen utensils (the sharper the better, right?), markers while teaching and Drew's favorite, M&M's while filling up the dispenser.

I hit my shin on the bathtub at least once a week. The bathtub doesn't change, I should know through conditioning to raise my leg higher.

I constantly stub my toes. Walls, table legs, other people's feet. Once I even ran the vacuum cleaner over my big toe.

I get stepped on quite frequently. Yes, stepped on. In line by adults, at school by children. Of course I usually have flip-flops of peep-toes on at these moments.

If something can be slammed shut, I will do it. Not because I actually SLAM it shut, but moreso because it just...seems...to...slip out of my hand...really quickly, making a loud noise.

If I am bent over, picking something up and there is a sharp corner anywhere in the vicinity, my head will find it.

Flip flops + me + any moisture at ALL = recipe for disaster.

And let's not forget that I get hit by flying objects...more than the average person should. Frisbee during a picnic in the park, soccer ball simply walking by, multiple dodge balls to the thigh just passing, tennis ball in the hand, and my personal favorite, a fly ball at an Aggie baseball game. The ball came soaring towards me as I thought, "Surely it won't hit me?" Well, as my, then boyfriend, ducked and covered, I was hit square in the chest, sending my popcorn flying through the air. Upon recovering from having the wind knocked out of me, I picked the ball up out of my lap and received applause from those around me.

I kept the ball.

Is this all because I'm not paying enough attention? Because of some random genetic wiring? Because I'm left handed?

Who knows.

I just know I want to stop getting hit by things.

*The title is pulled from Fergie's song, "Clumsy" off of the album, The Duchess.

Would You Like My ID With That?

Let's talk about looking your age.

It is a general and widely held belief that it is a "bad" thing to look your age. Women everywhere start slapping on eye cream before they even graduate from college and Botox injections coupled with a whole host of surgical procedures are rapidly on the rise.

American women do everything within their power to NOT look their age; to hold on as long as possible to youth and vitality.

So what's a girl to do when she has the opposite problem?

I look much younger than my actual age, and yes, Virginia, that IS a problem.

If I had a dollar for everytime someone said, "Oh, but think how great you'll look when you're 50!" Then I could quit my job now and join the ranks of the independently wealthy.

I'm sure they are right.

I do believe that at some point, I will LOVE looking a good ten years younger than I actually am.

But for now I do not love it.

Maybe it's my imagination (I highly doubt it), but there are all sorts of problems associated with my issue. Namely, lack of respect.

I feel that because of my younger-looking status (coupled with my small frame), that even though people know I'm an adult, there is still a subconscious part of them that simply doesn't view me as one. This makes sense. There is a disparity between what they know and what they see in front of them. Alas, not much I can do about that.

What is one supposed to do, though, when they want to be seen as a professional but are really just seen as someone who looks like a high schooler?

Dressing professionally helps some.

This is the only thing I can think of that has.

Anyone else have this problem?

Personal Anecdote Time:

"I'm going to need to see your ID." Said with a disapproving, "I'm about to bust this chick" look.

"Ok, here's your library card application. And we need parental permission forms for everyone under 18."

"You put your age range as 17-27? Oh, you soo should have started with 14...you're totally a believable 14 year old." Said by random guy when I signed up to be an extra.

"What are you studying in college?"

"Are you here for freshman orientation?"

"What? YOU'RE the teacher? But...you CAN'T be the teacher." Nervous laughter. "You look so YOUNG!"

"Oh, I'm sorry, I thought you were a student."

"Oh, I thought you were a student. I was going to have to remind you there is NO cutting in line."

"Sweetie, you're gonna need to go back and get your teacher's copier code before we can let you use the copy machine."

"Where's your hall pass?!" Stares at me and sees ID badge. "Oh, um, I'm sorry, nevermind."

"Mrs. Davis? Are you still in high school?" I tell them no. They lean over and whisper, "See, I told you she wasn't still in high school!"

"Are you lost honey?" Gets a good look. "OH, whoa, Ms. Lindsey, I'm sorry...I definitely thought you were a lost kid."

"What I wouldn't give to look ten years younger..."

Arrggg.