A Very Rainy Afternoon

September 7th was a great day for a Rain. I went outside to jump in puddles and enjoy the torrential downpour. Just another perk of living in Texas during hurricane season!

A Night Out With The Chappells

On September 2nd I had the great pleasure of going out to dinner with Bishop and Sister Chappell along with some other girls from the ward. We met at Tommy Bahamas for food and then proceeded over to the Pavillion to watch some very very special broadway stars (they aren't really that famous but they don't know that) perform songs from musicals along with the Houston Symphony. It was a great night and I loved spending time with people I love a lot!

Tommy Bahama's in the Woodlands

Katherine, Cynthia, Wendy, Sister Jan Chappell, Bishop Rob Chappell

Mauren, Kim, Rebecca, Kristin, and Diana. (Alison and I visit teach Diana)

My meal

A beautiful meal that wasn't mine but that I got to taste.

The pavillion

Date #2

There aren't likely to be any more dates but this was a good one anyway. We went out for ice cream and then went for a stroll in the park in the Woodlands. Thanks Joe for the good times.

The Literary Society of the Livable Forrest: LSLF

Earlier in the year we decided that we wanted to have a literary society. The intent of the society was to promote the love for literature and writings of all kinds including song lyrics, poetry, prose, etc. We wanted to showcase personal writings as well as the literature of great authors known and unknown. We finally made it happen. There are currently only three members of this literary society but perhaps with time we will recruit. We spent a lovely afternoon by the pool sharing short stories, poetry, and the beginning workings of novels. We felt very high brow and educated, and I must say, we really are.

Just casually reminding those viewing that literature is cool and sophisticated.

Katie Whipple sporting the new look for Fall. It looks similar to the look of Summer, but you would be wrong if you assumed they were the same.

Oh Alison, so coy and elegant...

It can be exhausting being so chic

Schmorgesborg

A friend has recently reminded me that I am a nerd. I don't think I've ever thought of myself in those terms exactly, but I can see their point. I enjoy comic book movies, I fantasize about being married to Eomer, Lord of the Rohirrim, I can be fascinated by the star trek culture... thats not to say that I am a treky or will ever be one, but I get the fascination. I quote a lot of movies, enjoy Harry Potter maybe a little more than I should and technically I think I'm back to being VL. I guess I am a nerd.

In addition to being a nerd, I am also a cool intelligent thinker who enjoys art, good food, the night sky, and hilarious jokes. Point is... I need to start recording the goings on in my life again to remind myself that in addition to being a nerd, I also have a life. A good life. So this is what I've been up to lately in Texas:

I got a new calling. I used to be on the activities committee and now I am a co-chair in the "Spiritual and Temporal Well Being Committee." I know what you're thinking, and you would be right, it does sound like a made up calling. I won't actually do a lot but we will be there as a resource for the ward should people need information on emergency preparedness, housing, employment, and food storage.

I have been to the temple twice this month. This is a way for me to brag and show off how good I am being. Actually, I did baptisms for the first time since I was in Young Women and it was a really great experience. I also did an endowment session last night and I didn't fall asleep! This is progress. My big realization in this session was: Adam and Eve didn't have to date. They were just given each other. Why doesn't God still operate that way? It seemed to work out well for them... just a thought.

While Debby was gone to California a few weeks ago, Alison and I decided to get domestic and take turns cooking. This led to some hilarity and also some yummy food. I made pasta and veggies one night, and chicken katsu curry a different night. Alison made a delicious bean soup one night and ommlettes the other. It was a fun experience and I think there will be more cooking in our future.

The full spread.

To start our cooking week off Alison made pot roast in a crock pot on Sunday bless her heart. When we got home we realized she had left the crock pot on high for seven hours while we were away... the roast was burnt and chewy, the potatoes were shriveled and resembled hard prunes and the corn just tasted a little funky. We had already invited someone from the ward to come and share the meal with us. He was a good sport and ate it anyway. I tried to improve my potatoes by adding some fresh basil. This mostly masked the flavor of the potatoes rather than improving them. It was another funny situation and story with Alison Gibbs.

This is Katie Whipple. She is a new friend that we've been spending a lot of time with. There are other new friends but I couldn't find their pictures online when I did a google search. Kind of creepy that I found one of her but I figure she wouldn't mind if I talked about her on my blog or posted a picture of her. In addition to hanging out with Katie, we have made friends with Wendy, Katherine, and Jason. Its been fun branching out and getting to know new people.

Now for the movie section... Katie Whipple introduced us to this foreign French comedy. I loved it and recommend it to anyone who likes foreign French comedies.

Surprisingly good and hilarious

There have been MANY hours spent trying to decode and understand what was going on in this movie. I am certain that there will be many more conversations and discussions to come. I LOVED this film!

Beauty. Loved it.

Surprisingly true to the book and quite possibly Julia Robert's best acting performance.

Uh... entertaining but frustrating. Loved Germaine from FOTC.

Surprisingly subtle and understated independent film. Loved it.

Hilarious!

We've been to the drive in a few times this summer. Alison had never been so thats been a fun way to spend an evening. I really enjoy swinging on the swings while the show is playing. This last time I made a new friend. He spoke Spanish and seemed to be about five years old. He asked me to push him on the swings. He must have sensed that I've had lots of practice doing that.

Before I was released, our ward was in charge of hosting the YSA regional Luau. Its a pretty big deal here. I played dj for the night... This was the effect and feeling that the activities committee was going for, but it turned out more like this:

And this:

Why do us white folks love to pretend that we are polynesian sometimes? Anyway, a lot of people came and I think it was a successful activity in the end.

At the begining of August, Alison and I went to Austin to visit Ali's friend Veronica. We were given a tour of the city and one of the days we went floating down the river. It was a lot fun!

Alison got her hair cut at this trendy hipster hair salon, we bought cupcakes from a trailor, and we visited the "original" alamo draft house. It was a great three days.

We've spent a few nights hanging out at Main Event. Its where you go to bowl, play pool, and compete in laser tag. Its a good time.

I got a new job as a care giver. I am helping one of the Gibb's close family friends at the moment. I take her to physical therapy and find it fascinating and quite rewarding.

Last Sunday, Alison and I along with other people in our age range and stage of life attended a singles "mixer." It was a mormon mixer and so there was no alcohol or drunkeness allowed. We were assigned three dates for the evening and given games and activities to play. The highlight came at the end of the night when one of Alison's dates had struck up a conversation with her about media, ie, TV shows, films etc. They seemed to have a lot in common. They said their goodbyes, said see ya around? and that was it. Two minutes later, he came back in through the front door where we were putting on our shoes and boldly said to her "I'm not going to leave you to fate." He then got her number and said he would call her. I would like to say to this bold daring and wonderful man "WELL DONE!!!" I wish there were more men like him.

Debby is remodeling her closet right now. Its going to be great when its finished! I'll post pictures of the completed bathroom which will hopefully be done by the end of September.

I got a Wells Fargo account. I kind of felt like I was cheating on UCCU but i'm not. I'm just going to try and make it work with both banks.

I've been listening to these guys a lot lately. I keep rediscovering how much I love them. Last weeks song was "The Ballad of Love and Hate"

I finished this book. It was entertaining for sure. I really love having time in my life to read.

I have been asked to help plan the next YSA Regional activity so I designed this flyer using a picture off of the internet. I think it turned out pretty well.

I am now reading this book in an attempt to change the things I believe about myself. Its a pretty fascinating book with lots of excellent insights!

Well thats just a brief recap of whats been going on with me in the last month or two... I'll be better about blogging in the future... and this time I think I mean it...

Peace Out Facebook!

I just closed my facebook account. No more fasts, no more limiting my time. Its just over. So call me, or email me and I'll do the same! So long social network for singles and stalkers!

Rougue Wave: Prolougue

Estoban may have been blind, but he could see that he was insanely in love with Manti. From what he could feel, she had big round eyes and long sinuous legs which he liked in his women. There was something so intoxicating about Manti, the way she would run her hands through his hair and bite his neck. He couldn't believe that it had only taken one afternoon to realize he wanted to spend the rest of his life with her and in that same afternoon she had told him the same, but that it could never last because she wasn't sure how long she would be in town. She had refused to tell him where she was going, he didn't know why. Maybe it was because technically he was still a stranger even though they had spent an incredible three hours in line at the DMV together.
He had thought he was in line to renew his state handicap certificate when it turned out he had taken the wrong left turn and wound up in the car registration and title line. He ended up tapping his cane into Mantis long sinuous leg. She had turned around confused at what was going on only to realize that Estoban was the Latin Lover she had been dreaming of her whole existence. She had run her long sinuous fingers through his thick black hair and felt an instant attraction. "How could this be happening already?" she thought.
It had only been that morning that Manti had attacked the finger of what was unbknownst to her, a magical old lady with powers to transform insects into humans for small ammounts of time. As punishment, the old lady had turned Manti from her beautiful praying mantis form into a human being. The old lady had said "until you can learn to love fully, I am sending you to the most tortuous place on earth as a human!" One nano-second later Manti found herself in a small room with fluorescent lighting and cinderblock walls in stifling heat at the end of a line that seemed to stretch on and on for miles. That is when she felt the tapping on the back of her leg and knew her life would never be the same.