the lone star state, part two

(written in DFW airport, from one of those sweet free internet kiosks)

The interview began with me sitting in a room by myself for 45 minutes. Because I'm a student on a heavily Greek campus, my first thought is, HAZING. I'm being hazed. They just make you sit here until your eyes bleed. Sweet.

Turns out they just forgot about me.

Once someone figured out where I was, they were nothing but kind. I enjoyed the conversations and the interviews and things went well. My eyes didn't bleed. Still, things just didn't click. To make another Greek reference, things just didn't feel right. Does that mean I would say no if I got a job? No. I'd definitely consider it. Still . . .

The city:
I tapped into my Greek network and joined some women from the Dallas Phi Mu alumnae chapter for dinner. I was glad I went out and left my hotel room. I didn't see much of the city, but I do know there are a ton of commercial-y places here. You're riding along the highway and there's a gloriously large building. With a Pizza Hut logo on it. Pizza Hut headquarters? I wonder what their employee cafeteria serves. There are tons of beautiful malls here . . . and I like malls. I didn't get that excited, butterflies-in-my-tummy feeling . . . but that doesn't mean it won't come later . . .

Bottom line: Home is where you make it. No idea where I'll make mine. I'm flying back to STL in an hour, and then heading up to Chicago.

Lots of things to pray about.

the lone star state, part one

(written in the skies; posted in my hotel)

This is my favorite part of flying: everything below you suddenly becomes Polly Pocket-sized.

We rarely get to see so much of the world, all at once. It is moments like these that reveal God's creation. It is so big, so much bigger than us. We realize just how little we are when we see things from thousands of feet above the ground. Little, but integral. I'll praise Him for that.

* * *

(written from my hotel room)

My first look at Texas was from the sky. The first thing I noticed was how many trucks there were. Truck, truck, truck. The second thing I noticed was how many swimming pools there were. I guess in a climate like Dallas, you can use your pool more than three months out of the year. Does that mean it is always bathing suit season? If so, then thousands of sit-ups are in order for me.

The airport was normal. I'm not sure what I expected, but no one had an accent. No one wore a cowboy hat. Country music was not blasting over the loudspeaker. My taxi driver was Asian and played Christmas music on the radio. Again, no Texas cliches. I wonder how Texans feel when they hear the song "I'm Dreaming of a White Christmas."

Now I'm in my hotel room. I'm so blessed. My interview begins in an hour, and I can't wait. At the very least, it is a free trip to the state that almost became a country earlier in history, and a great chance to practice my being-a-big-girl abilities.

Yep. A big girl.

My whirlwind

Tomorrow is my first-ever trip to the big state of Texas . . . weather.com predicts 38 degrees for the high in Columbia and 61 degrees for the high in Dallas. Enough said.

Commentary to follow.

For more than just the ladies

Because little boys should learn to cook too . . . gender-neutral kitchens.

I'm not planning on babies anytime soon, but when I do, those kiddos will have kitchens like these :)

Beyond November 4

I posted this on the Service on Saturday blog and I felt it was worthwhile to re-post here:




Today is Election Day, and we’re not the first to tell you to get out and vote. But we do want to encourage you to keep up that civic spirit on November 5 and 6 and 7, etc. Voting enables us to have a voice, to make a difference in our community and our country -- so does volunteering.

From the City of Columbia’s Office of Volunteer Services newsletter:

The results are in! In the city's 2008 fiscal year (Oct. 1, 2007-Sept. 20, 2008), volunteers shared 43,228 hours with the City of Columbia valued at more than $843,000. More than 6,000 volunteers assisted the city in nearly every department. Thank you for sharing your most valuable resource - your time - to improve Columbia.

Vote!

"Volunteering for something is the ultimate experience in democracy. You vote in elections once a year. But when you volunteer, you're voting every day about the community you want to live in."

- submitted to GUIDEPOSTS