8. Here and There (Part I): October & November

The Winter of 2011 proved to be a blessed, fruitful and fitting conclusion to a year of transitions and adventures. The diversity of key events throughout October, November, and December are a small indication of just how much joy we're finding both within and beyond Dallas.

On October 15th, Jill and I explored the cultural experience of the Texas State Fair. It fascinated us to see how much there was to do and eat--and how much everything costs. Rides went for around $10 per person, so Jill and I stuck to the basics. The things we were told we must do included the Texas Star, the largest ferris wheel in North America, and the famous corn dogs. The former gave us breathtaking views of Dallas from over 20 stories in the air.

The latter gave us the satisfaction of tasting a sampling of the extravagant fried foods the Texas State Fair is famous for (we were content with the corn dogs, and felt no need to try the fried bubble-gum or fried butter). The rest of our time, we explored the free things to do, viewing the artwork, looking at car displays, and watching acrobatic shows (including one young Chinese girl who was able to build a tower of six chairs, one on top of the other, while she balanced on top of them!). It was a wonderful experience, and we made it out without spending too much.

A few days after the Fair, I joined Jill as a chaperone for a Cambridge college trip to South Carolina. We flew from Dallas to Charleston on October 19th, and from then to the 22nd, we toured colleges in and around Charleston and Greenville via charter bus. The students were all very well-behaved, so it wasn't too taxing on any of us. On the contrary, Jill and I were delighted to be able to tour downtown Charleston in some of the trip's free-time, as well as downtown Greenville.

Two of the colleges we visited were Clemson and Furman, both of which are significant universities for my family. Having never been to either campus, it was especially rewarding for me to get to rendezvous with the family I associate with each one. At Clemson, Jill and I got to see my cousins (who live not far from there), and at Furman, we saw them again, along with my two aunts. It was a special blessing getting to see family, and proved to be a very rewarding trip.

Throughout the journey, I also discovered that South Carolina very much likes my name. I had always wanted to visit Charleston, but was even further delighted to discover that it's situated between two islands: James Island, and Daniel Island. And this discovery was enhanced by discovering just how many university buildings had my name on them: I think, all-in-all, I ended up discovering some five or six of them, including Daniel Library (at the Citadel) and Daniel Chapel (at Furman), as well as a music hall and a dining hall (among others). If I were to put all those buildings together, I might have my own college. Regardless, it's quite nice to be welcomed in that way to a place you've never been.

November was a month filled with friends and family. In the middle of the month, I got a much needed break from classes with a two-week interval, including Thanksgiving Break and what is known as Reading Week--a week in which you are expected (and wise) to use your time off to catch up on seminary reading. The weekend before this break, Jill and I were delighted to have my brother, Nathanael, and his fiance, Emily, in town for the weekend. Scouting out Waco for future schooling, they had come down for several days and came through Dallas to spend a day and night with us on their way out. We decided to give them a tour of Dallas, but when we tried to figure out what to show them, we realized that Dallas for us came down to two things: Shopping and Food. So, we took them to Northpark Mall and The Cheesecake Factory.

It was wonderful to see them, and it makes us happy to think of what it might be like when they do eventually join us in Texas.

The weekend before Thanksgiving Break, we had the privilege of joining our Bible Study group in seeing The Screwtape Letters on stage (by Max McLean) at The Majestic theater downtown.

Following the show, we ventured a few blocks over to find a place to eat and were surprised to find the streets bustling with people for what apparently was the Dallas' Christmas-tree lighting event.

It was a beautiful surprise: The streets were closed to traffic and full of lights, carolers, people on stilts--even Storm Troopers (I'm still not sure of the connection, but there were quite a few).

After a delicious meal at a Mexican restaurant, we walked around the lighted streets, enjoying the onslaught of Christmas in the city. The only thing a bit off was the temperature of the night air--while the evening looked like Christmas, it definitely felt like Dallas at a nice, summery 80 degrees.

For Thanksgiving Break, Jill and I made our way once again to the panhandle of Texas to spend it with our good friends there in Canyon.

It was different not having Thanksgiving with family, but at the same time, it was meaningful to know that we have a home away from home with the Tudyks. We also got to meet their newborn baby.

We had an excellent time together, finishing the week with a trip to Palo Duro Canyon, which I utilized for one of my creative writing assignments, included below for your reading pleasure.

Light in a Canyon

Fading daylight stops us in the middle of the red trail. The uneven dirt path continues ahead of us, winding its way between dry shrubs and cacti to the Lighthouse. But the distant tower of rock stands black and featureless against the dusk, saying, “there, but no further.” We pause, perfectly still, in the middle of the Palo Duro, swallowed by the wild silence. "So quiet," I say, and as soon as I do, the silence goes. We turn around and swiftly retrace our path through the fading blue.

At the trailhead, the sun had been burning large and yellow just over the red canyon wall. The cacti sprawled along the side of the footpath, blackened, choking, and glad to see the sun go.

Once it climbed down behind the hills of clay and sandstone, leaving the giant sky, you could feel the air cool, bracing for the darkness. The clouds—acting agents of obscurity—had covered most of the sky. Yet even so, the sun had one final trick. A master painter, it threw its yellows up from behind the red hills at the silver clouds, and mixed it all together to make a fiery pink.

Now, the sun remains only as a dying grayness. My group marches on, and I struggle to keep up. I've heard before that predators always go for the one lagging behind. I quicken my pace, watching my white shoes run on a trail eaten by darkness. Of course, the darkness doesn't actually do anything. It doesn't have to. It just sets in and sits down on top of you, and lets you do the rest. It lets you forget all light—even the stars right above. I forget. My legs burn, ache, and threaten to quit right here. I ask myself again and again, "Will I make it out of this canyon alive?"

I've asked that question every day of my life.

7. yes, it's 2:15 in the morning!

I went to bed around 9, but God woke me up around 1:15, I believe, to hammer out this sermon I have been wrestling with. I (Jill) am speaking in chapel at my school on October 26th. I was assigned to speak on Matthew 7: 12-14, 24-29, which are very familiar passages to most Christians. So, I have been studying God's Word the past few weeks, seeking out what He wants me to share with my students. I will also note that this will be my first time speaking in this type of setting, though I have led small groups before. I have been surprised with how much fun it has been to dig into the Word and how easy it has been to find application.

Anyway, this is my first draft. I am given 15 minutes or so to speak. I am well-aware that with an outline this long, I will be going longer than that. I am okay with that to a degree, but I might cut some. I'd love to hear your thoughts! Or else explain things that may not be clear through bullet points. :)

Chapel: October 26, 2011

“On Christ the Solid Rock I Stand”

Matthew 7:12-14, 24-29

Worship:

· On Christ the Solid Rock I Stand

· You Never Let Go (Redman)

Sermon:

· Opening:

o Introduction

o Relevance of passage

· Body:

o Two paths: narrow vs. wide (vs. 13-14)

§ My choice to follow the narrow path at a young age

§ You are either en route to life or destruction

· The road to destruction is wide because of all the lies out there and false prophets

· Jesus said in vs. 7-11 that if you seek him you will find him (the narrowness of the path does not make him harder to find)

o Two foundations: rock vs. sand (vs. 24-27)

§ A parable about two types of believers

· Those who only hear vs. those who hear and do

o This is the end of the Sermon on the Mount

o If you have been sitting in chapel, hearing the words spoken up here, this means you too!

§ There is no middle ground. You are in one of these two groups

· Those who give him lip-service only and those who obediently follow him

§ The Foundations

· The foundation/rock is obedience to Christ, by grace through faith

· Luke 6:46-49 (the other Gospel account)

o “Why call me ‘Lord, Lord’ and not do what I say?

o The wise man “dug down deep and laid the foundation” – it’s hard work!

· We choose to build our lives on Christ (rock) or on nothing (sand)

· Story: Hurricane Andrew (flood level)

§ The Houses

· The houses are what we build out of our lives

o Rooted in Christ (wise)

o Rooted in fear/inaction/independence (foolish)

· 1 Cor 3: 10: picture of the church

· The houses can look the same on the surface

o The house will not fall (storing up treasures in Heaven)

o Great will be the fall of the foolish man’s house (storing up treasures on earth)

§ The Storms

· Inevitability is guaranteed

· Against the house vs. on the house

o The people’s reaction (vs. 28-29)

§ Christ spoke as one who had authority

§ Lord, lunatic, or liar: ex. Mat 7:21-23… Christ is claiming to be the judge and the Son of God

§ He is LORD!

o “Do unto others…” (vs. 12)

§ Many negative forms of this had been found, but Jesus said it in positive form – he was speaking of an active love

§ It is what Christ did for us in his complete work on the Cross (in fulfillment of the Law and the Prophets)

· Story: Taking a friend’s punishment as your own (Lily)

· Romans 13:8 and Gal 5:14: loving each other fulfills the law

§ This is how to build your house on the Rock!

· Significance?

o In choosing the paths, it is the difference between Heaven and Hell

o Once you are on the path

§ Individual accountability before Christ on Judgment Day

§ Christ is strong, whereas we are weak. Christ is love, whereas we are selfish. Christ is all the qualities in 1 Cor 13 and Gal 5:22; we have sinful flesh. He is everything. Why try to build apart from him? It’s futile… and He loves you!

6. oh yeah, we have a blog!

It has been several weeks since we last posted (which is a euphemistic way of saying it's been over a month). However, our readers can rest assured, "no news is good news." To say it another way, good news is unknown news, simply because there has been so much happening, I haven't found the time to tell about it. But now I have. So here goes.

What has happened in the last 40 days?

The last post left me in a state of sick stupor. I am happy to say, that subsided, and I have been quite healthy since. But the story that goes with that is worth telling.

During the summer, of course, we had one family we nannied for, but there is another family that we have nannied for since. The kids' names are Sam (who's in 3rd grade) and Sarah (who's in Kindergarten). The Saturday before I got sick, we were babysitting them while their parents went out. When it was the kids' bedtime, Jill and I went to check on them to make sure they were getting ready for bed. When I stepped into the bathroom to see if Sam was brushing his teeth, he was on the floor, crawling. "There's a lizard!" he said. Sure enough, a tiny, orange-ish lizard was clinging to the counter underneath the sink. So, Sam and I made several attempts to catch him with a Dixie cup, until finally, I caught him. Well, I caught most of him. Unfortunately, I think I knocked the tip of his tail off, which was left behind wriggling and writhing on the bathroom floor. Sam thought that was cool.

We put another cup over the cup we'd caught the lizard in, Sam brushed his teeth, and I put him to bed. As he lied down to go to sleep, he said with enthusiasm, "I'm going to catch bugs tomorrow to feed him!" Jill and I then watched TV (one of the perks of the job) until the parents returned, and then we left. I found out later that the lizard had escaped the next morning, which isn't surprising...Dixie cups apparently don't make very good cages.

The next weekend, we were supposed to take care of the kids that Saturday, too, but since I was sick (and Jill was starting to feel sick), we told them we couldn't. And it worked out, because apparently Sam had become sick as well (with something unrelated). Their parents told us later, however, that when Sam had discovered I had become sick, too, he asked them, "you think maybe the lizard got us sick?"

Taking care of the kids has been delightful, and while Jill is usually the one to do it after school, I get to help sometimes. On one such occasion, Jill and I had the opportunity to pick up Sam and 3 of his soccer teammates in their SUV, dropping them off at their respective houses all around the Highland Park area of Dallas. It was almost surreal having 4 boys (and Sarah) in the backseat singing goofy YouTube parodies of Lady Gaga and Ke$ha at the top of their lungs. I guess I know now what it feels like to be a soccer mom...

Now for DTS.

Orientation was fascinating. Having taken courses online last semester, it was strange seeing professors I felt like I knew. Dr. Bailey (the President of DTS) taught the online course of Bible Study Methods I had taken, and when he stood up at the podium to welcome us to DTS, I felt at home--except that I'd never met him before. It's a very odd feeling being happy to see someone you haven't ever actually met.

I experienced this "celebrity-professor" sensation many times throughout the first few weeks, seeing face-to-face the professors I'd experienced only online. In one of the first chapels, I found myself sitting two rows away from the podium while Chuck Swindoll spoke on the challenges of seminary. But it was an ironic message for what I was experiencing. He talked about how there might be somewhat of a "disappointment" for some of us now that we're here--because it's beginning to sink in that these "hallowed" professors are human, too. And he's right. Since I've been here, I haven't seen any burning bushes around campus. Nobody walks on water in the fountain. And water doesn't automatically turn into wine (I'm pretty sure there isn't supposed to be wine on campus, anyway). We are all human, here--even Chuck Swindoll--and it's fascinating to see how such "disappointment" can turn your eyes to God. We're on an even plain before Him (and I'm not just talking about the Texas landscape), none of us any higher--or lower--than anyone else. It's humbling, really.

Humbling...that's a good word for the experience thus far. Almost as soon as class set in, I remembered how intensive this all can be. I've already carefully yet swiftly read I and II Samuel, I and II Kings, and I and II Chronicles (yeah--Chronicles!), made an Old Testament Chronology Chart, and completed several other books, assignments, and quizzes. And that doesn't include the things I'm supposed to have done by now (none of which is due...yet).

My head is still above water, however. And I am making good grades (that O.T. Chart was 30% of my grade...and somehow I got a 100 on it. Which is weird. I did it the week it was due...and guessed on some of the information). One of my hardest classes, however, is creative writing. In some ways, this doesn't surprise me. I haven't done the hard task of pouring myself out on the page for others to see for awhile--not since 2007, really. And yet, at the same time, I've been yearning to get full-fledged back into writing ever since then. Now that I have, it's hard--but that excites me. I'm discovering things about writing I never knew before! And I'm reminded over and over again just how much I love it! (For your reading pleasure, I've included two of my writings at the conclusion of this post).

God continues to be very good to us. One of the biggest blessings is the community we're discovering here. Through a connection at her school, Jill has found a Bible study that meets here in Swiss Tower and merges all 3 of our "worlds" here in Dallas: The group is established by Northwest Bible Church (where we attend), including people from DTS (school) and from Cambridge (work). And these people are quickly becoming some very good friends--we've already had several get-togethers. Jill is thrilled with the level of community she's finding at work, as well--she had an "all-school retreat" this week, and she told me how freeing it was, riding back with her fellow faculty simply discussing passages from the book of Romans. And for me, my "spiritual formation" group has started. Spiritual Formation at DTS is a two-year (four semester) small group to provide a context outside of the classroom for spiritual growth and fellowship. I have 6 other guys that I meet with every Thursday to discuss how we're growing spiritually and how to pray for each other.

On the flip-side of all this, however, I've just now begun to realize something about city-life that I hadn't realized at first. When we moved here, I didn't think much about the fact that we didn't know people. I expected that. What I didn't expect is that, even after living here three months, I still don't know the majority of people here. I don't think I expected to know everybody, and yet, I'm not sure I even really considered it, coming from a place (The King's Academy) where I did know everyone (or at least most everyone). But, of course, it isn't completely possible here--even in our apartment building. I had an ideal in my mind of what apartment community would be like, and it's just now started to hit me that I don't even know everyone who lives on our floor, let alone the other 9 floors in the building. Which is to say nothing of the countless people who commute to DTS--or go to Northwest Bible Church. It just intrigues me to realize that I don't know everyone here--not even half of them--and I probably never will. Interacting with people this way is something I, the East Tennessee home-body, am having to learn. But I am learning. And it's fascinating!

That's about it for now. Oh, but here's two samples of my wordplay I promised you:

To Write

To write is might—to write what's wrong, and what makes right—to write a song,

To take the notes of life in time—the ones lived short, the ones prolonged—

The discord, rhythm, noise, and flow; the crashing gongs, the crescendo;

The dark descent of sudden strength; the movement New, beginning slow—

From entropy, cacophony, to melody, to harmony:

An old refrain, remade, renewed—to feel, to taste, to hear, to see—

To contemplate, to orchestrate, to fall in love and out of hate,

To meet with God, to search for Christ, to rendezvous your faith with fate,

To take a pen up in your hand, to tap your wand upon the stand,

To raise your arms, to hear the pause, to hold your breath in silence grand,

And then release the prisoned bird; the noise dispelled, the beauty heard:

To write the might of life in time—a symphony, the written word.

Cavatica’s Catch

A sudden shock of suspension and the fly turns frantic in a frozen flail. Caught, stuck, doomed in the silky, sticky symmetry, the heart of the captive races at the speed of the silent scurry approaching. The delicately sinister lady nabs the panicked prey and thwips it about until cocooned. With a prick and a plunge, she feeds her liqueur down her syringe, then sips and slurps and sucks. As the tangy whiff of death fuels her hunger, she spins the corpse in her wet, nubby fingers and drains the dregs from the vacant shell. And as she swallows the silent, liquid heart, she swiftly returns to weaving the recent writing for her friend: the letters S-O-M-E-P-I-G.

5. first week as professor mosher

Though this is my fourth year teaching (crazy, I know!), I still felt a little nervousness entering into my first week of school. Going in, I had insecurities about whether I would really fit in a Classical school environment, whether I could teach a senior level Environmental Science class well, and whether I could handle a full-time teaching load. I had also only met my supervisors up to this point, so I had no idea what my fellow faculty would be like. So many unknowns that are no longer unknown...

To begin, I'll talk about inservice. The mornings were boring, spent mostly discussing philosophical matters. I felt the faculty were way out of my league and that my educational philosophy did not align with the school's. I texted Daniel both days of inservice, saying I wanted to quit. Not a good start. Then, I began to interact with the faculty on a more one-on-one basis. It was amazing to me how different these people were when they were separated from the group. If it were not for those faculty conversations, I'm fairly certain I would have quit. One person, in particular, Cheree, struck a chord with me. We were both new and seemed to feel the same way about spending all our time discussing the theoretical. Turns out that her dad pastors the church we are attending, too. And she's a part of a local ministry to the community. And she is getting married in a month. So much to talk about. :) Several other faculty members this week have taken time to get to know both me and Daniel, asking real questions and expressing genuine excitement for us being a part of their family. Both Daniel and I really feel like we are a part of that community now, and we are grateful. The parents further exemplified this to me, as I joined with them in a scheduled prayer time on Tuesday morning and as I interacted with them at Convocation (school-wide welcome event) on Thursday evening. The prayer time was my favorite, because we broke into groups, one parent with a group of faculty, praying through different topics related to the new school year. It was so encouraging to me that this community that cares for me well also seeks the Lord intentionally together. I could go on and on about how much I love the people, but I will stop for now.

No I won't. I'll just shift my focus to the students. Thursday was the first day of school, and it was tiring! I have 1st and 2nd plan, 3rd study hall, 4th Environmental Science, 5th Physical Science, 6th Chemistry Lab (TR only), and 7th Chemistry. My planning time was spent running around like a crazy person, trying to make copies and get the supplies ready for my demonstrations. By Environmental Science, I finally had everything ready. These seniors were a little casual at first, but once I told them I expected them to enter class differently the next day, they got their acts together. Cambridge has a tradition where the students stand until the professor tells them to be seated, which I had considered unnecessary and over-the-top. Then, I saw the purpose... it really does change the mindset when you enter the classroom. It establishes focus and an atmosphere of respect. I like it and I am using it. :) I always have preselected seating charts done before the first day of class, where I eventually disperse the guys and girls (they tend to get too chatty when either are all together). My Environmental Science guys turned out to be very talkative, and the girls are quiet. They all seem to be excited about the material and willing to work hard. One of the girls asked if I was willing to help students prepare for the AP test. Let me think, students asking to work harder... yes, please! I did not have a demo that I felt was relevant to this class, so I gave them each a flower, while we discussed its significance to Environmental Science. Daniel was sweet enough to get the flowers during 1st period while I was at school doing other things. When he brought them to me, everyone thought he was being sweet, which he was, but they did not know the reason he brought them. I'm pretty sure it put pressure on the other male faculty, though. :)

After lunch, I had Physical Science, which is my first middle school class ever. Those kids are sweet and cute, but also talkative and energetic. I have to find ways to keep them entertained and engaged or else there will be chaos. They all seem to love science, and I hope to grow that love in them more. I am already noticing, though, the disparity between students' academic abilities. Friday, one student in particular seemed bored at the end of class, when he had finished before the others. I might have to make it a little more challenging for him next week! Not a bad problem to have either! My first day with them, I did various demos with a coke can. I let them participate, and I think they really enjoyed that. I learned that almost every single student had been out of the country in 8th grade, some had already been to 5, and even 7! I also learned that these kids were picking on each other in subtle ways. I put an end to that the first day, and I hope through that, the kids who were picked on know that I have their back.

Chemistry on Thursday was both 6th and 7th period, because of lab. That is a long time to have kids who have already suffered through a whole day of syllabus talk. I decided to do the gummy bears and potassium chlorate experiment with them, to add a wow factor. Look it up on YouTube if you haven't seen it. They enjoyed that, and they also seemed to enjoy each other. This is by far my most social class. I called the girls out for being chatty the first day, and they were definitely better by Friday. It also helps that I jumped right into material on the second day rather than using it for another intro day. These kids seem to have a lot of background knowledge and also seem to like science. I am so thankful for both of these things. The first chapter is elementary, but I hope to challenge them this next week as we get into more detailed concepts. It's so strange that in all my classes I am having to up the difficulty level. This year will grow me as a teacher for sure.

Back to the week generally... Friday was much easier than Thursday. Next week will be even smoother, as the kids get used to their routines. I am trying this new system that I am really excited about, using personal student folders. I put everything the students need in their folders before class. They pick up their folders and place their homework in it from the night before, all before class starts. This way, there is no question about whether homework is due at the beginning or end of class. And, I don't have to waste time passing out papers. It does take effort for me to put everything in the folders, but that seems a small price to pay for more class time. :) Now let's talk about dress code. The girls have specific uniform shoes, socks, skirts, and shirts. The boys have specific shirts and pants. The seniors are issued blazers. I love this (and I didn't think I would). There is no pushing the limits with shirts untucked or off-colored undershirts. So nice. The faculty is expected to dress professionally as well, men wearing ties (and coats) and women wearing something comparable. Over the summer, Daniel and I found great sales on suit jackets for me, so I have been wearing suits to school (yes, in 105 degree weather). It actually seems to give me more confidence and helps the students view me as someone who looks older than 18.

My biggest challenge in these next few weeks will be upping my content knowledge of Environmental Science topics and balancing my teaching schedule with my nannying job, which begins next week (Monday through Friday from 4:30 to 6:30). I wanted to be able to provide enough for Daniel and I to live on, so that he could focus solely on school. This still may not work, but the nannying money will definitely help. We are still learning that God provides exactly what we need, as we have seen it happen all summer long. This post has been very Jill-focused, so I will add a little bit about Daniel. He has finished up nannying for our other family this week. We had so much fun with these kids, so it is sad to part ways. He did such a great job creatively entertaining them. I have so much I can learn from him. He has also been very supportive of my teaching endeavor. Not only did he bring my supplies to school for me Thursday, but he also came to Convocation with me, and he willingly built relationships with my co-workers. He has also agreed to join me as a chaperone for our school's college trip in October. We will be flying to South Carolina, visiting various schools, and as chaperones, it is free for us! This seems an appropriate time to address traveling back home, as well. Sadly, we have realized we will have less time off together than we thought. We have one week off together for Thanksgiving and one week off together for Christmas. We still plan to come home for at least one of these, but it will be a little rushed. We were really hoping for two weeks, which, as it turns out, we both have... just, they are different weeks. Bummer! The other bummer is that Daniel has been really sick the past few days, coughing and oozing out snot. He seems to be on the recovering end, and I have only had a couple of coughs, so we are trying to rest a lot this weekend to fight it off.

Since I have written a novel, I am going to end there. I am excited about next week, and Daniel, I know, is excited about the week after when he starts class.

4. the events of august

As our last month of summer begins, the pace begins to quicken as well. The last two weeks have been quite full. Here’s a quick summary, after which I will expound upon each event:

1. Jill and I got paid to watch TV at someone else’s house.

2. I employed a homeless man.

3. I interviewed for 2 jobs myself.

4. A dog’s passing enabled Jill and I to attend baby showers in Amarillo.

5. Jill and I endured a day of 109 degrees for 108 free meals.

Now for the longer version:

1. We have only nannied for the other family once (the night after the last blog post), but it was enjoyable. They have a daughter going into kindergarten and a son going into third, so the kids are a bit younger than the others that we keep. That evening, after the parents left on their date, we ate pizza with the kids while watching some of their favorite shows on TV. After about an hour or so, however, it was already their bedtime. Once we’d put them to bed, we still had another two hours before the parents returned, so Jill and I found a movie on TV to watch together, occasionally checking in on the kiddos to make sure they were actually in bed. Oh, the perks of nannying!

2. A few Sundays ago, I went to a nearby gas station to fill up our car and rent a movie from a redbox kiosk. It’d been a little while since our car had been washed, and apparently somebody noticed. It wasn’t long after I started pumping gas that I heard somebody cleaning off my windshield. I turned around to see a homeless man squeegeeing the windows of my car, and since I wasn’t going anywhere, I let him. He talked the whole time, but I couldn’t understand what he was saying. The only thing I know I heard was something about sparing whatever change I could. Unfortunately, all the change I had in the car was pennies and nickels, so once we’d both finished our respective tasks I told him that I’d run inside and get some change. I got $20 out of the ATM inside and bought a bottled water to break it. When I walked out, he was standing nearby waiting. After giving him a few dollars and the water, he asked me if he could pray with me, and he did. I couldn’t make out much of what he said in the prayer, either—except for the words “thank you”—but he wasn’t talking to me anyway. After that, he walked off with his cash and water, and I returned to the car with a humble awareness of what one can encounter in the city.

3. Since our last post, I’ve had two interviews for part-time jobs, both of which are in the DTS media department. One is a video editing position (which is my first choice, if I get to choose), and the other is an audiovisual technician position (doing sound/projectors for chapel, etc.). After the interviews, I chuckled to realize that both employers commented on my e-mail address, “bumbleb,” and one even gave me the friendly advice to change it in the future. It’s an address I’ve used since high school, derived from my clowning name, “Bumblebee,” and it probably is a bit outdated (even though the other employer thought it was a Transformers reference). Regardless, I enjoyed meeting the staff and I’m sure I’ll see more of them whether or not I get one of the jobs. I also enjoyed getting to see the behind-the-scenes of the DTS media areas. It reminded me a lot of my work with media in college—and how much I love such work.

4. You might be wondering how a dog’s demise could possibly be related to a trip to Amarillo. Well, the dog belonged to the second family we’re nannying for. The original plan when we met this family was that we were going to house-sit for them while they were gone on a week of vacation, taking care of their elderly dog. For the weekend of August 5^th, Jill was also planning on driving up to Amarillo for her good friend Jessica’s baby shower while I remained at the house, dog-sitting. Unfortunately the dog, which had already endured a brain-illness for sometime, worsened to the point that they had to put her down the Wednesday before we were to dog-sit. Thus with no dog to dog-sit, we were not needed. This meant that I got to accompany Jill to Amarillo for the weekend.

The journey to the panhandle was beautiful. After getting out of the DFW area, I finally got to see the authentic Texas plains I had expected when I came. On either side of the highway, yellow fields stretched in either direction for miles, eventually surrendering to the huge, cloud-dappled sky that was as blue as a cowboy’s worn-out jeans. Train tracks paralleled the road, occasionally inhabited by engines pulling walls of train cars across the wide-expanses. As we drove, we began to see red or grey pillars in the distance. We at first thought they were smoke columns from something burning, but the more we saw, the more we realized that what we were seeing were, in fact, dust devils in the distance [If you look closely at the above picture, you can see one]. We also saw fields speckled with oil-rigs, which look just as spooky and alien in person as they do in pictures.

The weekend was as fun as the trip was scenic. Jill and I got to enjoy the company of Jessica and Aaron Tudyk, whom we hadn’t seen in Canyon, TX (their hometown, just outside Amarillo) since their wedding two years ago. It was the first time here in Texas that I felt the feeling of having a kind of family to visit. We stayed the weekend with the Tudyks, visiting craft stores (in preparations for the baby showers), eating local cuisine, and walking together in the park at sunset. On Saturday, we saw a different kind of shower than the baby-kind we had come for: it rained! Around lunch water fell from the sky, and lightning in the evening distance foretold a night of scattered storms that left puddles by morning.

After the showers took place on Sunday (the actual baby showers—one at church, and another at someone’s house), Jill and I made the 6-hour journey back to Dallas with the yellow sun setting behind us. By the time we got back, it was dark. As the road took us by the illuminated skyscrapers of Dallas, Jill and I felt the feeling of being “home” for the first time—that relief that comes over you when you near your driveway after a long trip, and know that in a few minutes you’ll get to sleep in your own cozy bed. The relief was real. The driveway was welcoming. The bed was cozy. It’s good to be home.

Check back soon for the details of Event #5—our sweltering Chick-Fil-A-dventure II.