A large dose of over-confidence combined with driving a standard

I mentioned in an earlier post about my lessons from Michelle on driving a standard. This was necessary because we were taking her car to Lubbock and it's a 7 hour drive. It would be mean for me to make her drive the whole way, plus now I've got a new 'skill' under my belt, right? Well, let me tell you, on the way there, I did great. Of course, once I got the Corolla (a.k.a. Henry) into 5th gear, driving was a breeze. Coming home, I drove the 2nd half of the trip. I was a little hesitant about driving in the metroplex, but I kept my tiny fears to myself. You see, normally, I thrive in driving in heavy traffic, but since I was driving this car that required extra skill, I was a little hesitant. However, nothing went wrong and all was well. I did have to avoid what seemed to be a suicidal dog that was trying to jump from the back of a truck, but otherwise it was a calm trip. As I was coasting into Exit 556 to head home, I pulled into the gas station. We filled up, and then Chelle says, "Do you still want to drive?" I thought for a minute and decided 'Heck yes I do!'. I figured it would be a great opportunity to practice my skills in the city, since I had been doing so well at this point. All was well as I was pulling up to the red light at the Loop and Hwy 69. The light turned green and with the clutch pushed in, I shifted into first, then started giving it some gas. The car died. Michelle, being very sweet, reassured me and said, just try again. So I did...and it died again. At this point I notice some cars coming from behind. I quickly put on the hazard lights. I'm watching the rearview mirror, freaking out, because it looks like a large truck is about to plow into us. Michelle couldn't see it at all, but trusted me, and prepared for impact. Yes-I was very terrified. (I was also very mad that I couldn't accomplish the feat of driving Henry.) Well, after all the cars behind us slammed on their brakes, the horns began to honk. I was a little frazzled to say the least, so Chelle asks me, "Do you still want to drive?" I quickly said, "No." We proceeded to get out of the car, in the middle of the highway, and switch seats. Of course we were receiving harsh glances by all those around us, but I was just relieved that we were safe-including Henry. So what is the moral of the story? Just because you had a few good runs, doesn't mean you won't screw up the next time. Will I try driving Henry (or any standard) again? Sure-it was a good learning experience and I figure it will come in handy if I'm ever in a situation where I need to drive a standard.(like on the Amazing Race!)

The land of the white buffalo

So Chelle and I took a little excursion to the 'land of the white buffalo' this weekend. We left Friday for our 7 hour drive. We had a good weekend hanging out with Jess and meeting a lot of her friends. Saturday we skipped the pancake festival to eat at Toyko, a restaurant similar to Shogun's, just cheaper. I managed to eat most of my meal with chopsticks-I do need to practice, right? I did give up towards the end so I could get a real bite of rice. That evening we went to the Lady Raiders vs. Lady Aggies basketball game. It was a close game so it was full of excitement. Tech game out on top so we were satisfied. (Although, I really am not a Tech fan, I had to cheer for them since I was in Lubbock.) Sunday we went to church with Jess, met some more of her friends, and had lunch with them. Of course that was followed up with Cold Stone then a long Sunday afternoon snooze fest. That evening we watched Jessica's undefeated indoor soccer team whoop up on their opponents. We had Starbucks to celebrate, then headed to play some games with folks at the apartment. I've left out some stuff, obviously, but this gets the point across that a fun time was had in Lubbock. On our trip home, we decided to make the most of it and mark a few things off our 'things I want to do in life' list. We had noticed a broken down train on the way there, so when it was still there on our return trip, Chelle decided that we must climb on top of it. We managed to get ourselves on top and walk around a bit. It is a lot higher than I imagined. We got quite a few honks by passing drivers. We know it's because we're so hot. While we did not have the camera phone on top of the train, I did take a picture of it before we left.

We also picked some cotton. We brought some back to Ine who was impressed since she had never seen cotton growing. On the trip we also noticed a lot of windmills, or turbines as Michelle took to calling them. We ventured down a random road, hoping it would take us closer to the turbines. Well, it did, but we were stopped by a sign that read, 'No trespassing'. I tried taking a picture, but it didn't turn out that well since we were still too far away for a good shot. Here is what I got:

Here is Chelle by the wind farm sign:

So we didn't get to hug the windmills, but we at least found them.
We also managed to tour the city of Abilene. We were in search of food and ended up at Java City. Don't laugh-they had sandwiches. Then of course we had a nice Javalanche(their version of a frap) for dessert.
So there you have it-our trip to Lubbock. While we didn't see any white buffalo or prairie dogs (dang it!), it will still be marked down as a success in my book.

D-Now & V-Day recap

Well, Katy requested that I write about the Disciple Now weekend, so I suppose I'll try and do it justice. This past weekend I was the leader of a group of 11th and 12th grade girls at Friendly Baptist Church. The weekend was about 'tupos' (not to be confused with tupac). Tupos is a greek noun that means 'to leave an impact'. We talked about how our words and actions leave an impact on peoples lives and we can choose to either leave a good tupos or a bad tupos. I will say that it was convicting to me because I know there are times that I hurt others with my words. I don't care what we said as kids, words can hurt you. Regardless, the weekend went well. It got kicked off by dinner and a comedian. After this we headed to our respective houses that would be our home for the weekend. We had bible study, snacks, and then we made valentine cards to pass out for our mission project the next day. The next morning we got up, had a wonderful breakfast followed by bible study, then headed to Breckenridge Village. BV is a home for mentally handicapped people. It was a lot of fun going because the people were so welcoming. When someone would walk in the room they all celebrated, just glad to see everyone. We passed out the cards we had made along with some other trinkets. After hanging out there, we went back to the church, had lunch, then prepared for the scavenger hunt. We got our first clue and hurried down the road. The clue was to count all the handicapped signs at the Walmart Supercenter on Broadway. This scavenger hunt was different than others I've participated in because after we had the answer, we had to find a pay phone (cell phones were forbidden), and tell them our answer. We had to request our specific person, who was "Cowboy Crooner" for us. I quickly realized it was Ross, so I plan on calling him by this name as much as possible. Anyway, after we were told if our answer was right or wrong, we were given the next clue. We didn't win, but we had fun anyway. We were also asked to bring back an interesting item. We brought back the mascot from a local high school, but the dead cat was much more interesting. (Thanks for that you sick girls!) Anyway, we had more bible study that night along with pizza. The next morning was church and then everyone went home. Steve took the leaders to eat, so that was fun-and free. So there you go Katy-you can add whatever you think I left out!

Monday was of course Valentine's Day. I never expect anything on this day-especially when I have no significant other like this year. However, I got some great flowers from Shani.

I also got some flowers from Fred, Amie's dad, so that was fun.

Amie even made me some little cakes, with help from her mom of course. That night I hung out with Amie for awhile so her parents could go out. After that I went to Chelle's where I got my lessons for driving a standard. I did pretty good! Anyway, I say it was an overall great day. Heck, I got flowers-I didn't even get those last year when I was dating someone! Ok, back to reality...I'm going to do some work now since I'm leaving for Lubbock tomorrow.

iPod and Japan

I've finally done it. I broke down and bought an iPod. Not that it was a tough decision, but I don't really like to spend money. I'm considered 'cheap' and 'thrifty' by most people. I think jeans should only cost $15 and if they're more than that, it's a rip off-and of course I've been ripped off many times. However, with the iPod, I realized that this was an investment-one that could change my life. (ok, I tend to exaggerate at times.) Truth is, I saved my extra earnings (i.e. babysitting, plasma, and change that my family leaves sitting around) for the past 2 months. I decided that none of the money for this little device would come from my salary. It should be coming by post in just a few days. I would have just rushed over to Circuit City to pick one up, but the online apple store had free engraving so I took advantage of the offer. If anyone has any suggestions for a good song to put on there, let me know. (Nothing from the Princess Diaries please, Katy and Lindsey!)

I decided to take off work tomorrow. That's one of the few perks of this job-vacation time. Not that I'm going on vacation, I just needed a day to get some things accomplished, so hopefully I'll do just that. I'll also be taking a couple days off in the next week to go visit Jessica in Lubbock so again, I'm grateful for the much needed paid vacation time. On a side note, for those of you keeping up, I am still in the application process for Japan, and I hope to get all my paperwork done for this in the next week. (It would be sooner, but part of the application requires my doctor to give me a physical-what fun!) In the mean time, pray for me that I'll have wisdom to make the right decisions. This is a scary thing for me to be doing, and I want to make sure I'm exactly where God wants me.

p.s. Best part about Japan: It's closer to Hawaii. (Obviously this opinion could change after actually going there)

My favorite moments during the Superbowl

So I went to the Peer's house to watch the Superbowl with a few other folks. It was fun-mostly playing with the kids and watching America's funniest videos (because come on, you can only look at Tom Brady's butt so much).
My favorite thing Jackson said: "Dad, can I eat some junk food now?"
Matthew predicted at the beginning that the Patriots would win. Later in the game-whenever the Eagles started to catch up in the end-he got excited. I said, "I thought you wanted the Patriots to win." He said, "No, I just said I think they will win. I'm for the Eagles." My great response: "Why?! They don't have ANY cute players on their team!"
Now those of you that know me, know that I actually do enjoy football, but I'm just not that into the NFL. I'd rather watch college or high school teams-especially when I know someone playing. Of course it makes sense that I'd be cheering for the Patriots though for 2 reasons: 1) The Packers weren't playing. 2) Tom Brady is hot.
Now I know that guys that read this may think I'm just a silly girl, but I guarantee you that I know just as much about football as the next guy when it comes to rules and regulations. I don't, however, memorize facts and stats about the players, so get over it. (-:

Some unknown dialogue after the Superbowl:
Reporter: Tom, what are you going to do now?
Tom Brady: I'm going to Disney World with Jenn!

Yes Tom-of course I'll go to Disney World with you!

Pinwheel, pinwheel spinning around...

Ok, I promise I'll quit just posting quizzes and actually write a real post soon-maybe even later today.

I have too much free time at work

I am worth $1,684,950.00 on HumanForSale.com

I think I'm worth more than that...what do these people know? Tell me how much you're worth. It only takes about 5 minutes.

Look at me-I'm a teacher

So I got home from work last night around 5:10 and went to check on my sick mom. I asked when her class started that she had to teach that evening and she said 5:30. She didn't look well, to say the least, as she was laying across the bed. She said (in her most pathetic voice), "Do you mind teaching my class for me?" I immediately went into panic attack mode. Not that it is such a big deal, but I know very little about Medical Terminology. Funny part is I actually have credit for the class from a class I took in high school. I sure knew I couldn't teach these folks anything, despite what my transcript says. I got to the school, unlocked the classroom and the strange looks from students, most of which were older than me, began. I explained to them that Mrs. Shepherd wouldn't be here, but I would pass their test out for them to review, then take it back up. There were only a few groans from the people who probably hadn't studied and got what they deserved. (Man, my opinion of student apathy has sure changed since I was in those shoes.) After this, I took roll and passed out some notes that would correspond with the video I was soon to pop in the VCR. The video was titled 'The Endocrine System' so of course I was excited. Let me tell you, that was a FUN video. I'll leave out the details, because they've all left my head-I have a horrible retention rate for anything dealing with science or Latin. Needless to say, the students weren't too excited about the video-and I don't blame them. Some of them were a little too excited to turn in their homework. I told them to keep it since I wasn't told anything about it. Yeah, obviously they had TONS of faith in my teaching ability. Best part of the evening? I'm getting paid. I know what you're thinking-My mom is sick. I should do this just because I'm a good daughter, right? Well, come on-I could really use some itunes downloads. I wish I could have taken a picture of some of the faces of these students. Boredom was written all over their faces. One girl even fell asleep-great for my teaching morale by the way! Overall, I'd say my debut as a college professor went over, umm, well? If nothing else, this was just reassurance that I don't want to be a teacher. But wait-then why am I applying for a teaching job in Japan? Eh, that's different...I think.

Just when I lost all faith in guys...

If you were around me yesterday, you might have noticed I was a little short with people. (No, I'm not referring to my stature, but my attitude.) I blame this mostly on the fact that I was with a 2 yr. old most of Sunday, and when that was over, I went home and stayed up too late. I do want to apologize if you happened to be in my 'path of rage' (well, rage might be too harsh a word). I'm not sure why I reacted the way I did, but yesterday when I was given a sarcastic remark to an answer I gave, I snapped back saying this person was being mean. (This was after he had just told me how nice I looked...man I'm a jerk!) Of course this guy knows I'm talking about him, but I'll leave his name out for his own privacy. On any other day, I would have gone with the punches and joked around, but this wasn't a typical Jenn day. The guy ended up leaving the office, out of necessity, not because of me, but I think he was glad to leave my attitude behind, with good reason. The sad part was, instead of being remorseful, I was just glad he was gone. This isn't a side of me that I really like, but I guess it needed to be exposed to others for me to truly try and change it. Later that afternoon, this guy returned to the office but I wasn't really in the mood to reconcile things, so I didn't say anything. Another co-worker walked in to ask me about something about my boss (that was a sore subject) and I got upset that this was being brought up again. He sort of smirked, and said, "I'm sorry-that was the wrong thing to bring up. I'm just supposed to be distracting you." About that time I noticed a string of paperclips with a rose attached to the end being dropped over my 'wall'. Along with it was a nice note from the guy I was rude to, apologizing for hurting my feelings. Wow-that's all I can say because it was me needing to say sorry, surely not him, but I just want to say thanks again because you are one great guy and I'm really lucky to get to work with such a good person.