Back to the Fyootcha!

So I figured to commemorate the last months of this blog’s existence, I’d go back to the theme I started out with. Sweet memories. Or something like that.

This Christmas break was just awesome. Got spoiled with all the lovely gifts from my family, the future in-laws, and Jenn. Got the LEGO Grand Carousel, a safety razor shaving kit from Jenn (I am all that is man), some killer binoculars with a built-in digital camera, assorted gift cards, and some very comfy slippers, among other things. I got Jenn the Eternal Love Cross pendant from James Avery, and she wears it every day now. It looks amazing on her. Oh, and we got a Wii! And Jenn got Wii Fit+ and that Jenny McCarthy workout game that comes with a camera that watches to make sure you’re doing the exercises right. Kinda creepy, but it should be fun. Haha!

One of the best things about Christmas this year, hands down, was that we finally got a White Christmas!

It snowed like the dickens on Christmas Eve. Like, blowing sideways and prohibiting your vision… dickens. Yeah, anyway, it calmed down overnight, but it was still BEAUTIFUL for Christmas Day. That was such an awesome treat. Wish it would snow again, as cold as it is outside. We’re supposed to see the coldest temperatures in a loooooong time around here starting tomorrow night. Like, wind chills around 0 degrees in the evenings. Yay!

We went to City Streets in Sundance Square for New Year’s Eve. It was fun to do some dancing with Jenn (and Misty made a friend that she danced with all night, hehe). And at midnight, Jenn and I looked at each other and said, “Now we can finally say ‘We’re getting married this year!'” LOL

Speaking of that, we got the tuxes picked out for me, the groomsmen, the dads, and the ringbearers. They look pretty dang slick, I can’t wait to see how we all look together. Along with that, over the holiday, Jenn’s also been working on some paper mache letters for a couple of the tables at the reception. She has some that spell out “WE DO” for the cake table, and “love is sweet” for our candy buffet table. They look really pretty, she’s done an excellent job with them.

Got some pretty big stuff ahead of me in the next couple months. Not only am I applying to graduate, but I’m going to be taking the TExES on February 6th. For those of you who don’t know, that’s the state certification exam that all Texas teachers have to take. And I’m taking it a month from tomorrow. Whoa! Talk about surreal, huh? I can’t believe I’m finally at this point. I get butterflies thinking about it. After ten years of jackin’ around and not knowing what to do with my life, I’m finally about to step into not only married life, but a full-on professional life. I think I may go get some of those paper mache letters, spell out “paraprofessional” with them, and burn them in a celebratory bonfire. 🙂

Anyway, say a prayer for us. These five months leading up to graduation and the wedding are going to be completely crazy, and Jenn and I are gonna need all the support we can get.

Oh, and we saw Sherlock Holmes. Frickin’ SWEET movie. I so want the soundtrack.

Agradecido.

Can you believe it’s that time of year already? I’m off for the rest of the week after today, so this’ll be it until Monday. Jenn and I are spending Turkey Day at Aunt Martha’s house, then we’re going with my mom down to the Hill Country, and Jenn’s going to meet Mom’s side of the family for the first time ever. Very exciting!

As we take the time to celebrate this wonderful holiday full of family, friends, and the best food in the universe, don’t forget to count your blessings and be thankful for what you have in your life. In these turbulent times, it’s more important than ever to remember that while there’s a lot we don’t have, there’s plenty more that we DO have.

I am thankful for the Heavenly Father above, and his son who was sent to die for our sins, both of whom I would be completely lost without.

I am thankful for my beautiful and amazing fiance, who I’ll be marrying in just a little over six months and spending the rest of my life with.

I am thankful for my awesome parents, who have been there for me more times than I can count.

I am thankful for my excellent friends, who bring so much laughter into my life.

I am thankful for my job, which allows me to earn the money I need to pay my bills.

I am thankful for my college education, which I will be completing in the Spring so I can earn MORE than the money I need to pay my bills. 🙂

I am thankful for you, friend. Thank you for reading my quaint little ol’ blog whenever you get a chance. I’m not exactly bringing in massive amounts of traffic here, but I know I have a dedicated few who enjoy reading my blog as much as y’all can. And that’s all I need.

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving, my dear friends. I hope you are able to enjoy it as much as I will. And when it’s over with, let’s all celebrate that magical time of year where we dust off the Christmas albums and listen to them until our ears bleed. Ha!

So what are you up to this week? Travel plans? Eating plans? Sleeping plans?

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. 🙂

Yesssss.

I totally forgot that we have early dismissal today. Well, the kids do, at least. Plus, they have a four day weekend, so it should be nice and quiet starting around lunch time today!

I’m going to take Monday off to go with Jenn up to Southlake, so we can get started on our wedding gift registries. Very excited about that! We’re planning on going to Crate & Barrel, Macy’s, Target, and Home Depot for sure. I think there were one or two other places she wanted to go to, as well. Should be a very fun day for us, especially since we’ll get to go hang out at Southlake Town Square in the middle of the day, when (hopefully) it won’t be as busy as it is on the weekends.

I keep telling Jenn that one of the main things I’m excited about registering for is a really nice set of knives. I’m hoping we can find a really sweet set at Crate & Barrel. I dunno, something about having an awesome set of knives just makes me wanna cook more. LOL Of course, that’s not the only thing I’m excited about, but I definitely can’t wait to see what they’ve got there. Just going to Crate & Barrel and looking at all the cool stuff is fun in itself. Haha

So WordPress is going crazy for this new website called PicApp. It’s a great resource for high quality stock images. I found this really awesome picture of a cellist from 1850:

[picapp src=”7/c/3/1/Cellist_fe6e.jpg?adImageId=4877948&imageId=3345259″ width=”467″ height=”594″ /]

Pretty cool/creepy, huh? I also found this picture of Big Bird:

[picapp src=”d/0/7/4/f6.JPG?adImageId=4877977&imageId=2319203″ width=”380″ height=”556″ /]

I don’t know why.

Anyway, cool site. Bookmark’d fo sho.

Speaking of cool webstuff, heard about Photosketch yet? It’s this new program that makes it possible for pretty much anyone who can draw a stick figure to use Photoshop. Basically, you sketch out what you want. Like, you want a picture of a caveman riding a rocket in outer space while shooting alligators at a bearshark.

So you sketch a stick figure riding a basic sketch of a rocket, draw some stick alligators or whatever, then label everything in the picture. Photosketch then takes over and puts everything in its place for you. Ta-da, fancy Photoshoppage. Sounds sweet, doesn’t it? I can’t wait to check it out.

Oh, I finally heard from my advisor! We’re working out my scheduling concerns. It looks like there’s an English 3300 class that I can take for my Humanities minor, because it’s a Philosophy and Literature class. Ugh, just saying the name of the class puts me to sleep. I’m gonna have to work really hard to get through that one. On the bright side, it also looks like I can take another English 3300 class as an elective. Why is it the bright side, you may ask? It’s a class about Science Fiction literature, friend. OH YES. That’s gonna rock. Between that and whatever History classes I sign up for, that should make up for having to deal with the PhilLit class. Should be a fun final semester for yours truly. 🙂

Oooh, I like the sound of that. “Final semester.” I can taste it already, friend.

iPSotD:

I clean up nice. Haha

Stressed?

Saw this at UTA last night. Given the context of the flier, I thought it was hilarious (and mildly scary) how the phone number tabs had been ripped off the bottom.

Isn’t that just classic? It’s kinda sad, though. I mean, either people are trying to be funny, or they really are THAT stressed. I feel bad for them. I mean, I have my share of stress, of course. The stuff I talked about yesterday, for example. But I’m able to calm it down after a while, whereas it looks like some of the people interested in this seminar just don’t have that ability. It’s sad. They need some Jesus.

Both tests went well last night. The Criminal Justice test had a couple of challenging questions, but I think I did just fine. The History of the Renaissance map quiz was a breeze. There was ONE place I wasn’t able to identify, and I still feel stupid for not remembering it. I can’t even remember it now! It’s silly. But I got all the other ones just fine, and I got both bonus questions, so I’m not worried about it.

Business Comm. and Pirates of the Caribbean tonight. Also, the Arlington High Orchestra is doing a concert at UTA tonight with a couple other high schools, so I may see if I can track down Keefer while they’re there, just to say hi. Not sure if I’ll have time to do that, though, because I’m going to get my hur-ah cut at 4:30. We’ll just have to wait and see!

Ever have a song really get to you at the most bizarre and random moment? I just heard this song on K-LOVE by Mark Schultz called “Walking Her Home,” and listening to it just made me think about how much Jenn and I love each other. And mercy, it just hit me like a ton of bricks. I can’t even look up the lyrics to post them on here, it got to me that much. I texted Jenn to tell her about it, and I think I might have made her cry a little. Heh.

Whew. Yeah, that whole situation didn’t help this headache much. I took some ibuprofen earlier, so that knocked it down a little. But I still feel it behind my right eyeball, and it’s driving me nuts. Sinus pressure sucks. I still have some crud wandering around in my head, and I hate it. Jenn’s feeling a little better though, thank goodness. I was a little worried about her, given the fact that she’s a kindergarten teacher. Not the healthiest atmosphere when it comes to viruses! Speaking of, a good friend of mine and her little boy are both home with the swine flu today, so please pray that they get through it quick enough. Sure is spreading like wildfire now. I think I heard yesterday that a teacher in Weatherford died from it? Awful stuff. Be careful out there, friends. It’s only gonna get worse!

iPSotD:

Thing? The hand of the space cadet of a tech specialist I had to work with yesterday.

Can it be?

Is this for real? Am I actually excited about every single class I have in a semester for the first time EVAR?

Why yes, yes it is!

Holy smokes, friends, this is great news! I have never been in a position where I’ve looked forward to every single class like this. There’s always been that ONE class that’s just a total buzzkill right from the start. But nope, not this time. Every single class has something about it that I’m absolutely lovin’, and I drove home last night with nothing in my mind except how awesome this semester’s going to be.

Archaeology looks like it’ll be a lot of fun. The guy teaching it is a total geek about archaeology, which to me means he’ll do everything he can to make the lectures exciting. Plus, I’ve always thought archaeology was a pretty sweet gig. I think I get that from my dad, since he’s a geologist and really digs that sorta thing. Get it? Dig? O SNAP.

Criminal Justice should be pretty awesome, too. Going into the class, I was a little concerned, because I saw on Rate My Professors that the teacher gives some pretty hard essay tests. But, he told us last night that all the tests in his class this semester will be nothing but multiple choice. Woo-Hoo! Should make life much easier in there. Plus, the teacher has an amazing story. Let me see if I can fit it into as much of a rambling sentence as possible: He has a PhD in History, taught high school and college as a History teacher, has a Master’s in Archiving, worked as an archivist for the University of Arizona, got asked to start a Criminal Justice program, so he went back and got ANOTHER Master’s in that, AND went through the Police Academy at 59 years old to become a cop. He still works as a cop in Keane, even though he’s a full-time professor at UTA and is in charge of a special program in the Criminal Justice department.

How insane is that?

Anyway, he seems like a really nice guy. We had a great chat after class about the historical aspects of Criminal Justice, since I’m the only History Major in his class. Should be fun writing the papers in there!

History of the Renaissance seems like it’ll be a good class, too. I had Dr. Reinhardt for History of the Reformation last Spring, and while her tests were pretty difficult, you end up learning A LOT from her.

iPSotD:

Arrrr!

New Office

Well, to make a big dumb story short, I’ve been asked to move my “office” into one of my computer labs. So it’s kinda like getting my own classroom/office, which is pretty sweet. Of course, I have much more than this lab to take care of, but it’s still kinda fun. 🙂

On the down side, I had to say goodbye to my iMac. It’s needed elsewhere, so I’m stuck using my decent work-issue laptop and the crappy desktop machine here on my desk. Which, in turn, means no more Photo Booth Shot of the Day. 😦

BUT, I’m trying something new. Gonna see how the iPhone Shot of the Day plays out. It won’t be a picture of me every day anymore (though this one is). I’m gonna try and mix it up a little and get creative within the constraints of the iPhone’s camera. It’s actually a pretty decent lens, so we’ll see what I can cook up.

Anyway, yesterday was the first day of school here at work AND at UTA. First day at work went pretty darn well, no hiccups at all. Been a little busier today, but it’s still going swimmingly.

First day at UTA was AWESOME. I had my Business & Professional Communications class (which hereafter shall be simply known as “Speech”) first, and it looks to be a lot of fun. My teacher… I swear, if Sean Connery had an American twin brother, this guy would SO be him. The look, the mannerisms, the voice, the eyebrow raise. TOTALLY SEAN CONNERY. It’s so funny! Makes me look forward to this class even more.

After that, I had my Pirates of the Caribbean class with Doc Sullivan, which so far looks like it will totally justify the excitement that’s been building in me since I first registered for the class earlier this year. Sullivan remembered me from his Colonial America class last Fall, and he is REALLY excited to be teaching this after taking a year off. He’s totally in his element, and I’m pumped about all the stuff I have to do for this class. Arrrr!

iPhone Shot of the Day:

Hai.

Kangxi was a Chinese ruler.

That’s about how my quiz was just now in World Civ 2. Stimulating, huh?

So, how’s it going? So far so good on my end for summer classes. World Civ 2 is shaping up to be about as I expected: Boring. The teacher uses Powerpoint though, so it’s easier to take note than when I had Dr. Kyle for World Civ 1 last semester. World Music class is pretty fun in general. We’ve been studying the music of Africa so far, so we’ve spent the first 45 minutes of every class playing in a drum circle. Seriously. With drums. African drums. Or djembe, if you will.

Yesterday was kinda weird, though. Dr. Varner apparently noticed how well I was keeping up with a pretty complicated beat while playing one of these guys, so he had me sit in the center of the circle with a dude who was kicking butt on the djembe and had us lead the group. It was pretty fun! But then, we get back to the classroom, and in the middle of lecture, he calls me out because he thinks I’m “checkin’ out Oprah.com” on my laptop (his words, not mine). I had to resist the urge to step up to the front of the classroom with my laptop and shove the notes I was taking in his face. Totally ruined my morning when he did that.

But, I let that go, and afterward I was able to have some nice quality time with Jenn, like I’ve been fortunate to do nearly every day this week. We went for a swim for a second time this week, and the sunburn I got on Monday didn’t really like being out in the heat again. The cold water helped, though.

Oh, Jenn found her wedding dress! She went shopping with her mom, her aunt, Misty, and Misty’s mom on Tuesday, and she found “the one.” She’s going back today to get fitted for it, and it should be ready for her around October or November. That’s about all I can say about it, though, because I’m going out of my way to make sure I don’t know a thing about the dress until I see her walking down the aisle in it. I even asked her to get a new memory card for her camera, exclusively for the pictures she takes of the dress. That way, she can take that card out and put it away when not showing the pictures to someone, so I can use the camera without worrying about accidentally seeing the pictures. 🙂

Tomorrow is mine and Jenn’s -1 anniversary. 1 year until our wedding, WOO! Can’t wait to take her out for some fun. 🙂

Ow.

I’ve never gotten a headache from taking a Photo Booth Shot of the Day, until now. It messed me up so much, I’m issuing an executive order to place the PBSoD at the top of today’s post. OMG!

Photo Booth Shot of the Day:

Taking this picture made my eyes hurt.

This filter is called “Trippy” for a reason, I suppose. That funky double-distortion moves in and out constantly, so if you want a shot with the most distortion possible, you have to time your shot just right so it hits right after the 3-2-1 countdown that Photo Booth uses. Apparently, staring at oneself through that filter for a prolonged period of time can strain your eyes and turn your brain to mush.

… Though now that I think about it, I may have already felt that way before I took the picture.

Anyway, IS FRAHDY. \o/ Jenn and I are going to eat at Genghis Grill tonight, because I got a coupon for a free meal for my birthday. Tomorrow night, we’re going to BJ’s for dinner with a bunch of family and friends, so I’m very excited about that.

Today’s another one of those days where I’m having a hard time keeping my eyes open. UGH. My Spanish class is turning out to be pretty fun, but it’s making for late nights that I don’t need to be combining with early mornings. I’m exhausted.