Procrastination Station

So Thanksgiving--I know I promised you some pictures, but I just put a whole album of them up on facebook. I don't feel like going through a lot of uploading again, so just go there if you are interested.

And I felt like I had a lot more to say but i guess I don't. I'm in the UNT student union building, doing some studying and such until my class at five. I was hoping to procrastinate by blogging, but I'm not having anything to say . . . so there goes that . . .

I guess I'll say that I've really enjoyed my ceramics class this year, especially these last couple of weeks. Our final project is to create any amount of pieces of whatever we want. I have no idea how he is going to grade that, but I've really enjoyed doing it. I've realized how awesome it is to have an unlimited amount of clay, an unlimited amount of glaze, and people to fire everything for me and so have been furiously making as much as I can until the semester is over and I no longer have those things. If you are a person that I would get a Christmas present for, you might should expect some sort of ceramic mug or bowl . . .

Also, if you haven't noticed I've dyed my hair a dark reddish brown color. It's not permanent, don't worry. Here is a picture as evidence.

It's me and my momma. (You may have seen a similar picture already on her blog)

So there's one Thanksgiving picture for ya!

Post-Thanksgiving Post

We are now on the other side of Thanksgiving. And it was such a wonderful Thanksgiving! I'm glad I decided to spend a few days at home, instead of just Thanksgiving day. It has been a great time with my family and a great time to rest.. What has put an extra dash of wonderful into it is having Ryan with me the whole time. He is sitting beside me right now actually, studying for another test. This year he got to experience a Carmack Thanksgiving. Lucky guy. And lucky Carmacks!

And now the Christmas season will be unleashed in its full force and fury. Before Thanksgiving, there are hints of it here and there--a few bold houses who turn on their Christmas lights, a few wreaths and trees put up in malls, a Christmas song heard here or there--but now things will really get rolling. No more Thanksgiving to hold it back.

I'm also about to embark on my last two weeks of school for the semester. I have some big projects and papers due in the next couple of weeks, but they have all been started so I'm not too worried about it. I just need to continue to diligently work and it shouldn't be too hard.

I'm excited about next semester. I seems like I will be learning more practical art teaching things--like about curriculum and assessment. This semester has been more theoretical. I also will take a watercolor painting . Wee!

Stay tuned for Thanksgiving pictures.

Parties and Proposals

'Tis the week of Thanksgiving. Yay! I'm excited about eating all sorts of pumpkin-flavored things--pumpkin bars, pumpkin bread, pumpkin spice lattes, pumpkin pie. Pumpkin-flavored things are the best sort of things.

I am a bit caffeinated right now, so be warned. My writing may be sporadic and varied. I am at The Hydrant right now and just finished a wonderful soy cappuccino. I find it easiest to do school work outside of my apartment, and that is why I am here. I also just like being here; it is much more comfortable than the library, though less distracting than some other coffee shops.

This past weekend has been a great weekend. Friday night we celebrated Ryan's 24th birthday by eating a delicious meal of bratwurts, sauerkraut, and quality beer, and finishing it off with cheesecake (the best kind of cake . . . especially if it's pumpkin flavored. It wasn't, but I can imagine). Friends from around the metroplex came out to celebrate.







And then last night I witnessed my first live proposal. One of Ryan's old roommates asked his girlfriend to marry him in front of a sea of their closest friends. I was honored to be apart of it. I don't have any pictures of that but I'll let you imagine it: We all were outside, surrounded by christmas lights and candles. The soon-to-be-engaged couple arrived well after everyone else, the girl thinking they were walking into a general gathering of friends. But, to her confusion, everyone was silently staring at her and her boyfriend when they walked outside, and a special song began playing on the stereo. She was really cute, confused, and excited. Then her boyfriend began to read her a letter that brought tears to everyone's eyes, especially hers. Long story short, he placed a ring on her finger and everyone cheered. The party continued and then moved to the Greenhouse. It was wonderful.

And now back to the books!

Edit:

Here's a picture of the engaged couple I've taken from facebook

Jonah

I read through the book of Jonah the other day. I really like that book. You should read through it too, it's only four short chapters long and easy to do in one sitting.

It's slightly comical how Jonah is so defiant against God--and kind of whiny. For one, he ran away from God's command and got swallowed by a fish because of it. But God had mercy on him and let the fish spit Jonah out, after Jonah humbled himself and asked for God's forgivenss and help:

"[Jonah] said, 'I have been banished from your sight; yet I will look again toward your holy temple'" (2:4).
That's in chapter two, which has Jonah's beautiful prayer. But even then, Jonah argues with God in chapter four. This is when Jonah becomes particularly prideful and just plain whiny. He disagreed with God's decision to have mercy on the city of Nineveh, who had turned from their wickedness after hearing God's message spoken through Jonah.
"But to Jonah this seemed very wrong, and he became angry. He prayed to the Lord, 'Isn't this what I said, Lord, when I was still at home? That is what I tried to forestall by fleeing to Tarshish. I knew that you are a gracious and compassionate god, slow to anger and abounding in love, a God who relents from sending calamity. Now Lord, take away my life, for it is better for me to dies than to live.'" (4:1-3)

Jonah doesn't understand that what God did for Nineveh, is the same as what he did for Jonah himself by forgiving him for running away. It's also funny because this has to be one of the only times in the Bible when God's graciousness and compassion are spoken about as a bad thing.
Of course Jonah wasn't the first to try and run away from God (Adam and Eve) and certainly not the last (me). It's easy for us to think Jonah is just plain silly, but we do the same things.

Anywho, I just wanted to share that. Because I like it.

Today! . . . Is! . . .

Ryan's!! birthday!!

Wasn't his beard so big and fluffy this past summer? And it has a bit of a red tint (and every once in awhile a white hair). He is 24 today. For a short time we were the same age--23--but today he has leaped ahead in time. He will have to teach me what it is like to be so old.

This morning we went out for a yummy breakfast with his roommate, Carlos. We went to Old West Cafe. So good! My tummy is still so happy about it.

Ryan has a monster test tomorrow, so we are now--at this very moment--in the TWU library. He is silently studying next to me, looking so cute and 24.

Louie has a new home!

And some new roommates. Lots of changes for my little fish. He seems to be adjusting well though.

First, he upgraded from a bowl to a ten gallon tank. I knew a guy getting rid of his tank and I got the whole set up for 15 dollars--tank, stand, filter, light, rocks, fake plant, massive rock. Sweet deal. So Louie moved into his new mansion yesterday (and now there is a constant delightful sound of water running in my room.

Then, his mom (me) was so excited about his big new home that she wanted to get Louie some roommates to populate it. So today, Ryan and I went to PetSmart. I got a black moor goldfish named Regina and a snail named Bruce (his friends call him Brucey). Here is Louie with Regina.

I've found it's easier to photograph a fish in a tank rather than in a bowl. If you look closely at the photograph above (and you can do so by clicking on it) you can see Brucey as an orange blob on the bottom left. He is doubled because I took the picture at a corner.

I'm excited about my new hobby of fish-keeping.


This past weekend was very family-filled. Friday, Ryan and I went to Colleyville to spend time with my family and partake in some Christmas card pictures (you can check out my mom's blog for the results). That was a lot of fun, always is. And then on Sunday we went to Ryan's grandparents' place and hung out with his family. His grandparents have a fun house with lots of animals--two dogs, two cats, three goats, one horse, a catfish filled pond, and ducks (did I forget anything, Ryan?). We took turns riding the horse--bareback. We also ate yummy lunch.

Now, I'm onto my flu-free week.

Feeling better

Man what a week . . . of nothing. My sickness (the flu) followed me around throughout most of the week. The only class I went to was ceramics, and I also missed a day of babysitting. I got pretty bored in the mean time. Here is a list of all the movies I've watched while sick: Frequency (that was actually when Ryan was sick last Thursday), Cars, Stardust, Cool Runnings, About A Boy, The Prestige, some of The Illusionist (The Prestige is so much better), and a couple episodes of the third season of Lost. And in the mean time, it has been gorgeous outside.

But enough complaining. I'm lucky to have such a flexible schedule to easily take so much time off. And I'm lucky I have my own personal nurse who is so good at taking care of me (and by that I mean Ryan). I'm now pretty much better, but still coughing.

I've also read a lot. I'm currently making my way through the Chronicles of Narnia; I have never read them. I figured that while I'm still on my C.S. Lewis kick, I may as well read his most well know fiction series. Before I started reading them, I didn't realize there was such controversy surrounding their order. I just picked up the book that had a "1" on the spine and assumed that was where I was to start. According to Ryan, though, it was different than how he had always seen them ordered. Oh well, I was already committed. I'm reading them in chronological order, starting with The Magicians Nephew. I finished that book and the next--The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe--while sick. Now I'm onto The Horse and His Boy. (In case you don't know, the other way to read them is to do so in publication order, starting with The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe. That what the movies are doing.) Anywho, I'm really enjoying them. They are quick and easy reads and a nice way to pass the time when one has the flu, or any ol' time. Next maybe I should read The Lord of the Rings trilogy? It seems appropriate.

Perhaps I should be reading some school books too . . .
And I do, I just take a break with these.