Today

I went to the DMV again today. Once again, I came home with nothing accomplished. At least this time, however, I didn't sit in the parking lot for 10 minutes, sobbing. :) I'm becoming so mature. Anyways, turns out that, although a lease is accepted for proof of address, it has to be typed. Since ours isn't, it won't work. Not our fault that our landlords are unprofessional, but that just doesn't matter to the DMV. But a bank statement will work, so I already have that replaced in my "DMV portfolio". Initially, I couldn't find our registration card, so I had TX fax us a new one. The first time I went, The lady said, "This is faxed." I said, "Yes it is." She said, "It can't be faxed." I said, "Website didn't say anything about that stipulation." She won the argument. So, I called TX (after the aforementioned crying jag) and requested that they mail me a new one (I even got them to waive the $2 fee!). So I took that with me today, and after getting by the first lady who gave me a number, and waiting in another line, I found out that my registration card couldn't be accepted because it was expired, so they needed my title. Could no one have told me this before??? We were barely moved in when it expired... but our bad. We should have done it quickly, instead of putting it off. I don't have my title, because we are still paying off my car. Therefore, I had to call the mortgage company and ask them to FEdEx my title to the DMV. Who knows how long that will take.

Here's a fun list of things that are required in order for me to get my VA license, title, and registration:

Old driver's license (which they will shred--I'm so sorry to betray you, TX!)
Social Security Card
Marriage License
Birth Certificate
Insurance
Inspection
Emissions Inspection
BAnk STatement
Original Title
Receipt saying that I paid sales tax when I bought my car
3 different forms, one for each objective.

As far as I know, once I get all these items, I will be able to drive legally in VA. Until then, I'm on the run.

I got a job opportunity today. Oct. 11 I will be working at the "Friends of the Potomac River Refuge" 5th Annual Fall Wildlife Festival. My job? Face painting. I am so excited! I've had experience face painting in the past and just really enjoy doing it. So the next couple of weeks I will be practicing my skills on painting animals, flowers, insects, etc. It's gonna be so cool.

Decisions

Today I made a decision that was very difficult. I went to my second day as a temp at the title company, and after 15 minutes of being there, I quit. All day yesterday I was frustrated because I was receiving inadequate instructions, and then reprimands when I didn't accomplish what I was asked to do correctly. I am a huge proponent of the"the only dumb question is the one that goes unasked" ideal, therefore I made sure I asked for clarification if I wasn't sure how to do something. However, these were always answered with snaps of irritation and looks of, "How can you be so dumb?". Plus, the language I heard yesterday was very inappropriate. Words that should never enter a professional setting were being thrown around like crazy.When I went in today, it started immediately. After asking a question and getting a rude answer, I calmly said, "I cannot continue to do this, if you do not change your tone with me." She said, " I so don't have time to deal with you. If you can't handle it, just leave". So I did, but not before she added this parting shot: "No wonder you are just a temp." Seriously. She doesn't know me. She's just a 24 year old assistant who is in way over her head because her boss went on vacay for 2 weeks, and she can't handle the stress. I tried to be understanding of this yesterday, because one of the other girls told me the situation. But by the afternoon, I felt so small that I wanted to melt into my chair. I wanted to be strong, to stick the next 2 work days out, but this morning I realized that my life is too short. When I was a teacher, I had a principal who thought nothing of me. She had no expectations, and treated me as if I was an useless ignorant girl. By the end of my third year teaching, I was going out of my way to avoid her in the halls, ducking out the back door at the end of the day, because if she saw me and deemed me worthy to speak to, it was only because I had done something wrong. That is what her disrespect did to me. After being out of that situation, I realized that it is extremely unhealthy to be in that environment, and I won't put myself through that again. Others may be able to handle the emotional abuse, day in and out, but I can't. I have grown so much in confidence since I stopped teaching, and I fully believe that it is because I only surround myself with people who believe in me. I know that every job will have its problems, but disrespect is one that I will never again put up with. God loves me, and this is all that matters!!!

Alecia at the Ritz

There is a children's book out called "Eloise at the Plaza". It is about a little girl who lives at the Plaza and pretty much treats the posh hotel as her oyster. I was reminded of this book several times last week as I was working a function at the Ritz-Carlton in downtown DC. A friend of a friend hired me to help with registration/etc. at the National Generical Pharmaceutical Association Convention. I had never been in a situation where formality was the order of the day and really had to focus on being professional at all times. It was really delightful, yet scary! I pulled it off pretty well, but if you know me at all, you know that I would never win a "most formal" award. Ever. Anyways, this place was amazing! The staircase that you used to get to the ballroom level (where the conference was occuring) was straight out of Cinderella. 20 feet wide, sweeping around, with a grand piano at its foot. The breakfast spread had everything you could want, including fresh squeezed orange juice (I made myself sick on that stuff). The marble-tiled bathrooms had linens, not paper towels, that you threw into a discreet bin whenever you were done with it. The stalls were more like rooms, with solid walls and doors that went from floor to ceiling. There were chandeliers everywhere and hotel staff everywhere, to assist wherever needed. For lunch we were stuck at the Registration Table, so the staff brought lunch to us, serving us with crystal, china, and silver. They brought each entree separately and whisked our plates away as soon as we were finished. Most of all, though, it was exciting being behind-the-scenes. Making sure everything was going just right, that there were enough pamphlets out, that lunch wasn't served before we were ready for it, that no one upset the higher-ups or the speakers. One of my duties was to hold the microphone during question/answer times after each speech. This means I had to sit in on each speech, even though I had little concept of what was being discussed. However, I did get to hear several interesting speakers. I was able to hear Nathan Deal, a Representative from Georgia, plus Dora Hughes and Douglas Holtz-Eakin speak. Hughes and Holtz-Eakins are the senior Health Care Advisors for Obama and McCain, respectively. It was exciting to hear these speakers, not because their topics were so interesting, but because in college I had to dissect many speeches and distinguish between what made a good/bad speaker. Hughes, for example, was very knowledgeable. I actually got some background information on her, because I had a long conversation with one of her advisors. He (the advisor) actually got his Marriage and Family Therapy degree from ACU and teaches at Minnesota University. It was so random that I struck up a conversation with an ACU alum. Small world, no doubt. Anyways, Hughes is, like I said, knowledgeable. However, her speaking style really needs work. She spoke very fast in a very calm voice and did not ennunciate very well. I found myself leaning forward frequently, trying to make out what she was saying. Very distracting. The other speeches were good, some more engaging than others, but hers really stood out as the one that needed work.



Friday I was done by 12:00, so I took the metro around to a couple different places in DC, waiting for Lee to be off work. I went to Union Station, which kind of looks like an art gallery, with all its marblenicity and statues. Then I went to Urban Outfitters in China Town, and bought 2 scarves. Then I went to the Starbucks outside of Lee's work and met him at 5ish. I talked to my mom while I was waiting. She told me a story about how my 2 year old nephew was scared to death of all the Halloween stuff at Home Depot, and when asked if he wants to go see it all, his little lip just starts trembling and he says, "Outside, mommy!". I really miss that smart little boy. I know I didn't get to see him a ton even when we lived in TX, but now I am REALLY missing some very cool growing stages. Oh well. I'll just have to have my own, I guess (Not now, though. Seriously. No rumors of any sort. Lee would faint). Anyways, we went to a pretty good Mexican place for dinner, then went home. We talked about doing something else, but I was kind of tired of being around people, after my excursions around DC.

Saturday we went house-hunting. We are being very stubborn, because we want a single-family home, and it is not easy to find one in our price range. But we have time to wait, and God will provide. Or, convince us to pursue other types of living arrangements. We just really got used to having our own space in Fort Stockton, and now it is hard to imagine sharing walls with anyone ever again. We'll see what God has in store! I imagine we will look again this weekend. Oh, for lunch that day we treated ourselves to Calzones from this amazing place in Sterling. the bread is all homemade, and it must be the same recipe my mom uses, because it so reminds me of her wonderful cooking. That's why I love it so much, I think.

Sunday was really hot. But we played tennis in the afternoon, after church and lunch with friends. We've playing tennis a lot lately. It is safer than riding bikes, and it's hard to get lost when you stay on the tennis court. However, there is something dead in the woods and it really makes good "tennis focus" difficult. We went to Small group that night and had a great discussion on our views of what a "Christian community" should look like and what it is for. This will continue for some weeks to come. We also got to watch the Cowboys game. I think being up here has made me a stronger fan. Like, if I don't represent them up here, no one will? Which is a fallacy, because there are tons of fans up here...but still, I am really into the games this year.

Monday, I got to hang out with some friends. We went shopping, had lunch, and saw "The Women". The movie was really pretty good. I liked the way the characters were portrayed...very noble, yet with flaws. Monday night I went to the Alanis concert!!! It was so great! She opened with "Uninvited" and I so got chill bumps. Whether or not you like her music, you would have been impressed that live she sounds exactly like her recordings. Just pitch perfect and everything. It was a long day, but such a blessing to be able to be with friends!

Tuesday I just hung out at the house. I did SOME cleaning, but not as much as I should have. Oh, but I did go to Safeway and got complimented on my smile. Twice! It's great to know how powerful a smile can be, even up here. We played tennis in the eve and I lost. But, the stench from the unknown animal was even more powerful, therefore my playing was not up to par. Lee, of course, cannot breathe through his nose, therefore the smell did not affect him. Lucky! I asked him if it was wierd that I had this overwhelming urge to go find the animal, just to see what it was. He said it was. Therefore, I didn't go find it. But I am curious, you know? I mean, it could be something really cool, like a bear. Doubtful, but still.

Wednesday I worked for an architecture firm, answering phones. I had to page people a lot, too, which was scary, since everyone could hear my little voice over the intercom. One guy told me that I didn't look like someone who needed to temp. I thought that was a great compliment. And its true. The other temps that I have met are fresh out of college and have a bit of a clueless vibe. I, on the other hand, can act like I know exactly what to do, even if I don't. Being a drama teacher had its advantages, I am learning.

Today, tomorrow, and Monday, I am doing random things for a Title company. The girl here is really stressed so I am just being her right-hand. Except I screwed up the coffee making. I poured in the water without the filter being in, so water just started spewing everywhere. Then, I shoved the filter in, but forgot to put coffee in it, so it was still just water. THEN, I opened the single coffee package and grounds flew everywhere. It was such an "I Love Lucy" moment, and I was moved to another task. :) Boo, coffee.

Good weekend, everyone!

Content

Good Morning, everyone! I've been too lazy/busy to blog lately, and I apologize to all my dear fans. First and foremost, I want to remind everyone that God is so here! He is around us, everywhere we go, everywhere we see. The leaves are starting to fall here in Virginia. It is still hot and it doesn't feel like fall, but the brilliant showers of tiny leaves show evidence otherwise. We were on a retreat this weekend up in the Shanandoah Mountains, and the scenes were completely idyllic. When the wind gently rustled the trees, little yellow leaves all went skydiving, floating and twirling in their own little freefall before coming to rest on the still-green grass. I sat in the woods on a little footbridge over a babbling brook (I was reminded about that song about David and Goliath we would sing in Sunday school) and tried to read my Bible. However, there was too much of God's creation around and I had a hard time reading the words when I could look up and see His works all around me. In the evening there was rain, alternating between torrential downpours and mist that just barely kissed your face with its wetness. In this, there was God. We stood on the porch during a particularly hard rain and marveled at the blessings that God gives His creation. Above all of these marvels, the most important thing we witnessed this week was the fellowship of His body. There was about 25 young adults at this retreat and it was a pleasure to get to know every person there. It really was a fascinating study of different personalities all working together to become closer to God. We had planners, entertainers, leaders, followers, watchers, do-ers, type-A's, type-B's, all in one room and the camaraderie was palpable. Only in God's name can this many people come together for any amount of time and not experience an awkward tension that humans often bring into groups. In fact, it is hard to keep tension away from groups that ARE striving to be like God. I am not a fan of tension of any kind, just a laid back kind of girl, so I thrived in this nonthreatening environment. Thanks to all who made this weekend possible, and more importantly, made it memorable. May God continue to be praised in all your lives.

In other news, I've actually been working lately. The temp agency I signed up with called with two jobs that occupied my time last week. The first was an engineering firm that needed cars counted at various intersections duing rush hour in Old Town Alexandria. So from 6:15-9:00 in the morning and 3:00-6:00 in the afternoons I was watching cars and recording the directions they were headed. It was kind of like playing a video game, because I only counted cars going or turning certain directions, and I recorded them by pushing a button on a box that had a grid that looked like an intersection. It got mundane after a while, and it was frustrating, not being able to "use the facilities" whenever necessary, but it was definitely an easy job and a unique way to make money. The second job was as a receptionist at a government contracting firm. I did this Thursday and Friday, and today is my last day. It is a very "chill" job, as one of the guys here describes it. There isn't much to do, aside from answering the phone, so I am allowed to play online all day. I HAVE been able to practice my "professional" voice, and it is dandy, if I do say so myself. Most of you would probably not recognize my voice if you called my work. I'm that good. :)

This Thursday and Friday I will be one of those microphone handlers you see at press conferences, walking around with a mike during question/answer periods at a conference in DC. I'm totally psyched for this job. I even had to buy some new clothes, so that I'd look super spiffy. Plus, it pays $20 an hour. Ni-ice.

Sarah Palin

Lee and I have just happened upon the speech made tonight by Sarah Palin (the Vice President candidate for McCain, if you have been living in a hole). She has a great speaking style, humorous and poignant. But the first thing that Lee and I agreed on was this: If Tina Fey were still on SNL, she would do a phenomenal job of impersonating Palin. I mean!! The way they pause for effect is quite similar, their faces, aside from shape, are startlingly the same, and she's funny! She just said that she put the luxury jet the previous gov. of Alaska had bought on EBAY.

Another reason I like Palin is because they just showed a couple of her kids. Now, I know there's some drama concerning her children, but if you saw what I did, you forgot for a minute all that other stuff. The little girl, about 6 years old, is holding the infant (the one with Down's Syndrome) in her lap. She is petting the baby's head, slicking down the hair. But, apparently, just her hand wasn't doing the trick, so she proceeds to lick the full length of her hand, then use it again to smooth down that fine baby hair. Our jaws dropped and the words, "AWWW," were definitely uttered.

I, for one, am not going to worry about our nation if Obama gets elected. I think our world will be okay and that God will take care of us. I furthermore do not believe all the emails going around about his unpatriotism. Photoshop is widely used, nowadays. However, I believe the McCain camp did a remarkable thing by choosing Palin and this election will be like no other in History. And that, is fact.

Labors of Love

Lee unselfishly spent his day off purse shopping with me. I mean, we did other things, but the entire reason we left the house was so that I could find that "next, great accessory!". We first went to Old Town Alexandria, which has all these cute shops lining the streets. We ate at a place called "Austin Grill" and the Texmex wasn't bad, although the waiter got points off for forgetting to bring us the queso he had talked us into ordering. We didn't need it anyways. :) Old Town is so cool because you can walk right down to the marina and watch the sailboats on the Potomac. There's people wandering around, playing instruments for donations and inviting you to sing along. Anyways, since we were on a hunt for my purse, we stopped in lots of little fancy boutiques, but nothing caught my fancy. So then we went to the Fashion Centre at Pentagon City. It's a four story mall that I am enamored with. It's not the most popular mall in the area, but that's kind of why I like it. We went into every store that had purses, but couldn't find one to buy. The very last store we went into was Guess, and I really doubted I would find a purse in my price range, but then I saw it. On the Clearance rack, marked down from $108 to $50. I had told Lee I was not paying $40 dollars for a purse that I would only use for a couple of months. So I had an internal debate, (and external, with Lee), on whether or not to get it. But, it was a great brand and I absolutely loved it. I mean, I saw it from across the store and just KNEW, you know? So I convinced both Lee and myself that it would be a wise choice to buy it. We got to the register, me gleaming with my awesome purse, and the guy said, "$31.57". What??? Words can't explain the giddiness I felt at the steal of a deal that was my purse. Plus, it came in a reusable Guess bag that I can do grocery shopping with. So, kudos to Lee for laboring today in honor of my purse fetish. Here's a picture of my latest acquisition:

When we came home Lee knocked on the door of our landlords to pay rent. Apparently he woke the guy up and this was obviously irritating to the dude. He told Lee that next time he could just slide it under the door. Seriously? You want us to pay in cash, get no receipt back, AND just slide it under the door? I don't know what kind of morons they generally rent to, but there is no way I'm sliding $1500 dollars under the door, just hoping that they find it before their 2 year old does.

I looked up "Hostel" in the dictionary and decided that where we are living really doesn't fit into the definition. A hostel is more like a hotel, but yet it does offer less privacy than a hotel, and in that regards, our living arrangements are similar. Anyways, now I no longer have a name for our basement, aside from "basement". If you have suggestions, I'd be glad to hear them.