Fort Hood.

I would be remiss to not mention something about Fort Hood.

God bless all of you who are affected by this horrible incident. I hope that the monster responsible for this is brought to trial quickly, and justice is served swiftly. Also, bless all of you in Temple who are donating blood today to such a worthy cause! You people are amazing!

All quiet on the… laboratorial front….

No classes in either lab this afternoon. It’s exquisitely quiet here right now. Just how I wanted to end my week.

We celebrated Jenn’s birthday last night with her mom. Her dad was off on a fishing trip, so he couldn’t make it. But it was cool, we still had a lot of fun. Went to Olive Garden for dinner and got nice and stuffed there. Then we went back to Jenn’s for some cake. Little did I know that this was not just a cake… it was a Cheesecake Factory red velvet cake cheesecake. O. M. G. Let me tell you, friend, thanks to the night we first tried it at the CF for her mom’s bday, this is seriously my new favorite cheesecake.

It’s a layer of red velvet cake, a layer of cheesecake, another layer of red velvet, another layer of cheesecake, cream cheese frosting, and white chocolate shavings along the edge. WOWEE WOW WOW. Not only that, but Jenn’s mom got some Blue Bell Southern Hospitality ice cream to go with it. That sucker’s loaded. It’s vanilla ice cream with cherries, pineapple, pecans, and a strawberry swirl. Talk about a deadly combination with the cheesecake, huh? Needless to say, I was amazingly stuffed when it was all said and done. Good times, good times.

Oh, and for her birthday, Jenn’s mom got her all three boxes of our new dishes that we registered for at Bed, Bath, and Beyond! They look REALLY slick…

Jenn was SO cute when she opened the wrapped boxes. She was all giggly and excited, it was greatness.

So tonight, we’re gonna eat somewhere cheap, then go to the Highlands to look at furniture. Tomorrow, Jenn and her bridesmaids are all going to Ocone’s to pick out the bridesmaids’ dresses. While they’re doing that, I will be taking a nap, and it will be awesome. Dunno what we’re doing after that, though. At one point, we were talking about going to Crystal’s Pizza with Angela and James and the girls, but I’m not sure if that’s happening still. Guess we’ll just play it by ear. I’m just glad we’ll get to hang out with them regardless.

Guess that’s all I got for now. Have a great weekend, friend!

Happy Birthday, Jenn!

Happy Birthday to my beautiful fiance and the girl of my dreams! I love you, baby!

Dadgummit.

Sorry the blogging’s been all but nonexistent the past couple days. Between school and work, I’ve been having a hard time shifting gears enough to do this. Had a major paper due in Archaeology yesterday, plus an exam in Criminal Justice. So that was a little nuts! But, it’s all over now, so I’ve got at least a couple days of respite before it gets wacky again.

So Friday night, I surprised Jenn for an early birthday treat. I had Misty tell us that she wanted to go to Chuy’s for dinner with us after we finished registering at Home Depot. When we got there, Misty walked us back to where she had already got us a table. What Jenn didn’t realize was that there were a whole bunch of people waiting for us there. My dad, Brad, her parents, her aunt and uncle, and several of our friends were all sitting there… and she walked right by them! Only when Kevin jumped out from behind a wall and surprised her did she realize what was going on. We got her good! LOL So that was a lot of fun. She totally had no idea, which was awesome. Tomorrow night is her real birthday, so we’re going to spend some time with her family to celebrate it.

Let’s see, what else has happened?… Oh yeah, Halloween was Saturday! That was a hoot. I volunteered my car to participate in our church’s Trunk or Treat party for the kiddos. I couldn’t believe I was the only one who decorated my car like this:

And the icing on the cake, of course, was Scottie volunteering to be eaten:

After we finished up there, we went to my family’s house for a little Halloween party. Nothing fancy, just hanging out and heating hot dawgs ‘n s’mores from the fire pit. The motley crew for the night:

So, fun little turnout there.

Sunday was our new music minister’s first day on the job. That was an absolute blast. Plus, even though we couldn’t have service out on the new property (dang mud), our pastor brought in a tub of dirt from the property and blessed it. It was very cool, and the service as a whole was SO much fun. We also raised nearly $200,000 in one-day offerings as part of the “first fruits” offering to go towards the development of the new church. I’m pretty sure that was the largest one-day offering in the history of the church. Very awesome.

That’s about all I got for now. Peace out, homeys.

Legoland Discovery Centre Coming to Grapevine!

$12 million Legoland planned for Grapevine Mills

BY ALESHIA HOWE
October 27, 2009

+ enlarge photo

A new $12 million entertainment venue soon will be built at Grapevine Mills shopping mall – in more ways than one – as the property has announced the addition of Legoland Discovery Centre, a two to three-hour indoor Lego experience.

The latest addition to Grapevine’s growing entertainment, shopping and educational venues was announced on Oct. 27.

Global leisure giant Merlin Entertainments will build the attraction as part of an aggressive worldwide growth strategy.

Work is expected to begin on the project in June 2010, with the Legoland Discovery Centre set to open in March 2011. Models for the Grapevine site will be made in Merlin’s specialist studios and shipped in during construction, although plans and designs are already being drawn up, according to a release. According to the announcement, Legoland Discovery Centre will offer an interactive and educational experience aimed at families with children 3-12 years old. Based on the Lego bricks, Legoland Discovery Centres provide a range of interactive play areas including 4D cinema; master classes from the Lego Master Model Builder; Lego rides; special party rooms for birthdays and other celebrations; as well as a Miniland exhibit

Merlin currently holds 59 attractions in its portfolio – eight of those in the United States including Legoland California and Legoland Chicago as well as Madame Tussauds attractions in New York, Washington, D.C., Las Vegas and Hollywood, and a Sea Life aquarium alongside Legoland California and Underwater Adventures Aquarium in the Mall of America in Minneapolis. The Grapevine attraction is one of three Merlin projects set to open in 2010 and 2011.

“We believe Grapevine is exactly the right location for a Legoland Discovery Centre,” said Glenn Earlam, managing director of Merlin’s Midway Attractions Operating Group, which includes the LDCs, in a release. “It is ideally situated between Dallas and Fort Worth, and is already a popular destination for family visitors.”

Grapevine Mayor William D Tate said the attraction will “become one of the most unique and best family attractions in Texas. In developing Grapevine as a top destination city, we have pursued very unique and exclusive attractions and hotels. Clearly Merlin Entertainments is one of the best visitor attraction companies in the world, and the Legoland Discovery Centre will be recognized as a unique and integral part of Grapevine’s visitor appeal.”

Simon Property Group, which is working with Merlin Entertainments on a number of projects in the USA, helped to facilitate the deal.

Original story here.

Relief.

Well, thank God that’s over with. The Archaeology test I’ve been sweating over has been vanquished. I think I did a pretty darn good job on it, so hopefully the good doctor will see it the same way.

Big weekend ahead! Jenn and I are going to register at Home Depot, which will be our last one on the list. After that, we’re gonna go eat with Misty and then take a look at some furniture at the furniture store over in the Highlands. What is it, Ethan Allen? The one by PF Chang’s, whatever it is. Anyway, tomorrow is All Hallow’s Eve. Along with the el cheapo masquerade we’re gonna enjoy with the fam and some friends tomorrow night, I’ve volunteered my car as part of the church’s Trunk or Treat party tomorrow afternoon. If you’ve never heard of this, basically church members line up their cars in the parking lot, decorate ‘em all spiffy, and the kids go around trickrtreatin’ for candy from the trunks. It’s meant to be a super-safe way for the kiddos to enjoy Halloween without worrying about evil folks out there in the world. Should be a lot of fun. I heard through the grapevine that everyone’s doing a fall/harvest theme with their vehicles. I’m like, UM WUT!? I’m so turning the trunk of my car into a monster mouth. Rawr! Happy Halloween!

Save me, Friday.

Had a meeting yesterday all morning at the PDC. Between that and having trouble registering for my Spring classes, I obviously ran out of time and wasn’t able to blog. Sorry about that.

I have an exam today in Archaeology, a class that I’m actually not doing well in at all. I’ve been studying a lot, and I have a nice list of definitions to study all day today, or at least as much as I possibly can. There’s most likely going to be some interruptions… there pretty much always is when I’m really needing to do some studying during the day. I guess that’s what’s gonna happen when you try to do this sort of thing during your down time at work. Duh.

This weekend’s the Halloween party. I’m considerably more excited than I was a couple days ago, because Jenn decided to buy us masks. We were struggling with figuring out what to do, because we didn’t really want to spend a lot of money on Halloween this year. But Jenn was able to buy our masks for a grand total of less than 10 bucks, which is awesome. Still not entirely sure what I’ll be wearing with it. I might go for a slight twist on an old-timey gangster, complete with a “tommy gun,” but we’ll see what I decide to do. It’s supposed to be nice and cool that evening, so I’ll be comfortable wearing long sleeves for once.

Have I mentioned lately that I have TOYS FOR SALE?

Post Thumbnail? Huh.

So Saturday is Halloween. We’re doin’ a little summin-summin at my family’s house that night. But, I’m having a hard time getting into it. I mean, I know I’m gonna have fun with my family and friends there. We’ll have hot dogs and sodey pops and goodies, and we’ll have a good ol’ time. But since I’m pretty dang broke right now (hence the title, heh), I’m not spending any money on a costume this year. We’re just going to have a masquerade of sorts, and I’m going to try and find something to use that I already own.

I don’t know if my lack of excitement is entirely because of a lack of funds or not, but don’t you hate when that’s the case? Don’t you hate when, whether you like it or not, your happiness ends up being related to the amount of money you have? I HATE that. I think it’s completely absurd. I hate that whenever the money dwindles down, there’s a direct correlation to how depressed I get. And no matter how much I sit here and thank God for all the blessings I already have– Jenn, a healthy(ish) life, the ability to pay my bills– I still kill my own buzz by subconsciously thinking “Well, this would be a whole lot better if I had some cash.” LAME, Collin.

But what can you do? We’re so flippin’ brainwashed into thinking this way. There’s just no escaping it, short of almost completely withdrawing from society in general. All I can do is continue to pray and thank the Good Lord for everything I do have in my life, and hopefully that will win out in my brain eventually.

But right now, right this very moment, when I have something I really want to get excited about and spend money on… well, this round is a losing battle.

I know, it’s a little early.

So, this was a nice weekend. Went to choir practice on Saturday morning with Jenn. I don’t think I’m going to sing in the Christmas pageant, but it was still fun to hang out and hear everyone sing. It’s sounding fantastic, I cannot wait for the holidays.

On that note, I was talking to Jenn about this on Saturday afternoon, and I think it’s true. I think people REALLY need to get Christmas’d up this year. The way the country is going lately, we are in such a deep state of depression, and we need some holiday spirit up in this joint. Now, I’m not talking about presents. This is definitely going to be a lean Christmas this year, that’s a fact. I’m talking about everything else. Christmas trees, Christmas music, Christmas smells, Christmas sounds, Christmas specials on TV… You know, the blitz that always really starts the weekend after Thanksgiving. Not the Black Friday aspect, but the seasonal aspect. Just the feeling of the holiday season. You know, that warm and cozy feeling! It’s something I’ve just been craving lately, personally, and I think a lot of people feel the same way and don’t realize it.

Along that line, I’ve noticed in recent years since I’ve really dedicated my life to Christ, that warm and cozy feeling is even better. Something changes in you when you get saved (well, a lot of things change in you, but that’s not the point), and in the weeks leading up to December 25th (yes, I know that’s not necessarily his REAL birthday…), if you let it in, that awesome feeling you get knowing that you’re preparing to celebrate the birth of Jesus is one of the most comforting and wonderful feelings you’ll ever experience in this life. I remember watching “The Nativity Story” with Jenn last year for the first time. I never got to see it when it came out in theaters, and she has it on DVD. Anyway, THAT is an awesome movie. If you ever get a chance, watch it. The way they act out the story is just fantastic, especially the birth of Jesus at the end of the movie. It’s some of the most moving stuff I’ve seen on film, and it’s definitely something we’ll be watching every Christmas now.

Anyway, long story short, I think we’re all going to benefit from having a sweet little Christmas this year. Focus on your family, your friends, and Jesus. This year is as good a time as ever to start doing so, if you haven’t yet. We’re all blessed in so many little (and big) ways, and given the nature of the world right now, we should be grateful for all that we have.

… Man, I guess that was weighing heavier on my heart than I thought it was. It’s not even Halloween yet! LOL

Anyway, back to Saturday. Fun day. Okay, got it. After we went to choir practice, Jenn had a dentist appointment, and then we went to Bed, Bath, & Beyond to create a wedding registry there. We ended up spending at least three hours there working on our registry. It’s definitely our biggest one yet, but it’s mostly made up of little things, like, towels, picture frames, and kitchen utensils. Lots of cool stuff.

Jenn sang Revelation Song in church on Sunday. It was absolutely amazing. Folks were kidding around with me about the performance after church, though. The way the orchestra is setup on stage, I sit directly behind where the preacher stands at the pulpit. So as a result, when Jenn was standing there singing, I was sitting right behind her. And I was mouthing the words to the song the entire time. LOL! I wasn’t the only one, there were many folks in the congregation doing the same thing. But since I’m her fiance, and we were BOTH on camera at the time, I was the one who was given heck about it. Haha!

Next weekend, we’re going to try again to have the big tent service out on the new property. There’s rain in the forecast for a couple days this week, so I can’t say I’m fully confident it’s gonna work out. I really hope it does, though, because this time we’ll also be celebrating our first Sunday with our new music minister. Seems to me like that’s some good timing, so hopefully it’ll work out and the field will be nice and dry(ish) for Sunday. Here’s hoping!

iPSotD

Mark and Dad goofing around Saturday night.