Roots

A few weeks ago I made a little trip up to Dallas to visit my oh-so-adorable little nephew. On my way home, I made a short stop over at Grandma and Grandpa Agee's house to get in a little visit. Little did I know that I would be leaving two hours later with  two pots of mint, a bag full of soil, and instructions to water, but don't drown! (This is actually good advice for an Andrea who has never been able to get anything to actually grow before now.) I brought the mint home, carefully transplanted it into my big beautiful pot, and waited patiently for it to grow. I figured it wouldn't be all that hard, after all, this mint was already growing. It already had roots from Grandma's backyard, where it was planted six years ago when they brought it from Colorado, where Grandma had planted it after carrying it between her legs on the long ride up from Oaxaca. I figured... if it can survive all those trips, of course it can survive a two hour ride down to Waco! 

So, I expected the leaves to just keep on growing. I was horrified then, when every piece of mint in my planter turned brown and dry the day after I moved it here. I had failed again! At that moment, I was ready to give up on ever getting a plant to grow. Little did I know that it's not the leaves, but the roots that need to survive. In some crazy state of mind, I watered the brown leaves and carefully opened the window for the sun to shine in each morning. I talked to my little plant, hoping beyond hope that brown didn't mean dead. For six days there were no signs of growth. Then, one morning, as I greeted my dead little mint plant, I noticed what seemed to be a speck of green among all that ugly brown. Oh how I rejoiced!! I brought Aaron down to see it, and he begrudgingly agreed that it was actually maybe growing. 

Now the green stalks are about 8 inches high, and my sweet little mint plant reminds me of a deeper truth going on in my life. I am putting down roots. From Oaxaca to Wheaton to Des Moines I've traveled. Each place I've put down my own little roots just like the mint plant. Every time I get uprooted it takes time to move past the dryness of a new place, but each time, little by little, new growth occurs. Friendships are made, memories happen, and roots grow deep. Today we joined our church here in Waco, and I am reminded once again of the roots I've left behind, and the new roots I'm growing here in the heart of Texas. I love that our little lives are growing and flourishing along with my plant, and I hope these roots can grow as long as this is the place God has for us! So, today, in the season of thanksgiving, I am thankful for new roots.

Ten things I've been thinking about lately

1. Grad school really is the best days of my life!
2. Having a church like Calvary is a wonderful place for this time... having a church like Bondurant is a wonderful place to go home to!
3. I love languages... and I love linguistics! Mostly I just love this little part of my life that has exploded into being the rest of my life... and I'm so incredibly glad that three years ago I decided to be a Spanish major just so I could marry the love of my life. Best two decisions ever.
4. Good friends make good days even better.
5. I can't wait until the day when everyone I love can be together in heaven. Missing people just sucks...
6. ...especially missing my nieces and nephews. Those little bundles of cuteness truly are the light of my life.
7. I love kids and I love babies... it may be sooner than ten years from now that a little Woodard makes an appearance... just saying...
8. I love the idea of mentoring, and I love that my mentor for next semester will be a woman I can't wait to work with! Being mentored by brilliant, loving, godly women is such a blessing!
9. It's time for fall. And for Christmas. It's time for cool weather and sweaters and scarves and twinkle lights and presents under the tree.
10. I love the man I married. I love that he loves God, me, and sports so very much. And I love that soon he can (hopefully) put all three of those into a degree in Sports Ministry!

Basically, I love this wonderful little full and exciting life! That's what I've been thinking about lately.

Blessed

• Blessed by Rachael Lampa
• writers: Cindy Morgan, Ginny Owens

I may never climb a mountain
So I can see the world from there
I may never ride the waves
And taste the salty ocean air
Or build a bridge
That would last a hundred years
But no matter where the road leads
One thing is always clear

I am blessed, I am blessed
From when I rise up in the morning
Till I lay my head to rest, I feel You near me
You soothe me when I'm weary
Oh, Lord, for all the worst and all the best
I am blessed

You've given me joy, You've given me love
You give me strength when I want to give up
You came from Heaven to rescue my soul
This is the reason I know
I am blessed

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In the spring I blogged the lyrics to a song called "Blessings" by Laura Story. While the title of these two songs are very similar, the message is quite different. "Blessings" asks, "What if trials of this life are Your mercies in disguise?" While "Blessed" acknowledges, "Oh, Lord, for all the worst and all the best, I am blessed". This is how I feel right now. So blessed. The trials aren't over now, but in the trials, I see so much blessing and so much joy. I am so undeserving of the showers of love that God has poured on me over these last few months. All I can be is thankful...

"Is this ACTUALLY my life... how did I get so lucky?"

Yesterday in class, in the middle of a discussion on psychoanalytic critical analysis and it's aporte to literature in general, and Latin American short story, in specific, I was suddenly overcome by a total sense of awe at the incredible blessing it is for me to actually get to live this life God has given me! I can't believe I'm so blessed to be able to spend my days studying and learning languages and I get to spend my evenings growing and building deep friendships with other people who are my age and interested in a lot of the same stuff I am.

I said to a friend this morning, "I wish I could just sit around for the rest of my life and discuss languages and linguistics and literature... oh, wait, I do!!!" Learning about how we say things and talk to one another, and how we put those words together to mean beautiful and wonderful things that speak so deeply to who we are and what we believe, I just love it! My classes are so intriguing and entertaining. Aside from just taking classes, I've gotten to sit in on other professor's intro-level classes, and I must say, I'm enjoying that immensely as well! We're learning invaluable strategies and teaching methods that I no-doubt will use frequently next year in my own classroom. I even had a chance this week to teach a lesson to an upper-level class, and I loved it! I taught a short lesson on written accents and was so pleased when one of the students came up to me after class to say just how enlightening my lesson had been! Teaching, in general, just gives me a total rush! Also, it's so fun to tutor and chat with students who are excited about learning Spanish and working really hard at it, or, in contrast, to inspire students to love the language and appreciate the need to learn to communicate effectively with those who don't speak English. I feel so passionately about this and I just can't contain myself when I get to share that passion with someone else! What a blessing!

Another huge blessing is the fact that, after class on Wednesdays, I get to turn around and do the opposite of what I do all morning, and that is teaching English to the dear people who faithfully show up to the church each week to learn more and, in their words, "to be better for this country." I work with the advanced group, so they speak pretty good English, and most of them have lived in the U.S. for many years, but we are working on advanced grammar and writing, which can be a challenge for me.

Every other night of the week, I get to study, spend time with my wonderful husband, and hang out with our many new friends here in Waco. Basically, I'm the most blessed and the most spoiled girl in all of Texas, if not the world! I love what I'm doing right now. I love my studies; I love my free time. We have wonderful friends and a wonderful church. We're even close enough to Dallas to get to see family every few weeks. I couldn't ask for more, and I can't believe this is actually my life!

Aaron and I at the Baylor football game where we defeated TCU  "SIC'EM BEARS!"

Days of Blessing

School starts on Monday, and the imminent end to this stage of waiting is causing me to look back on these past few months since we moved to Waco. If I had to use one word to characterize these last few months, it would definitely be: BLESSING. It's been scary and exciting, lazy and exhausting, lonely and friend-ful.

Thinking back, I would characterize the first month as a month of family. Starting with our trip down and the time we got to spend with Grandma and Grandpa Agee, Jack's birth on June 14th, Mommy and Daddy's visit to Dallas and Waco, Lauren's wedding which brought us ALL together, Sarah's visit to Waco and our trip to Abilene, hanging out with Matthew and Jason in Dallas and their fun trip here... and of course, our many, many trips to Dallas and back, spending time with our Agee-side family has been full of so much blessing. They love us and love on us so much and I'm so thankful for the time we got to spend with them.

Since the middle of July, though, our lives have been filled with blessing from another source: our new-found friends. We found a church and have started to get plugged in there. The people are so friendly, the services are so God-honoring, and the ways to get involved are so missional and outreaching, that we go each week feeling simply blessed to be a part of it. Also, Aaron got a job at Mission Waco, and even his first few days of working there have been such a blessing for him. Last Sunday we attended the Mission Waco staff dinner, where we met the rest of the staff and learned about all the many ministries they have here in Waco and around the world. It truly is an amazing organization, and we're so glad we get to be a part of it. But most of all, we've been so blessed to be surrounded by new friends. We literally meet dozens of new friends each day. Adam and Brando, our next-door neighbors, have become dear friends who have continually been introducing us to more and more people. Since we're not super-outgoing to begin with, having this mode of introduction to a world of wonderful people has been a huge blessing.

All this to say, I'm just so thankful that God has brought us here for this time. I clearly see his hand guiding us, and these days of blessing have confirmed our decision to move down here to pursue my education. I'm so looking forward to school starting, but I'm hoping and praying that the blessings won't run out just because I have to spend all my time in the library from now on. For now, I'm just soaking up the outpouring of love and giving thanks to the One who sends it all.

Blizzard returns for a new season with a new location and name change! Introducing the Baylor Sunshine!

Yet another job interview...

Today Aaron has yet another job interview at Mission Waco. He's really excited about this one because for once he really wants to work at the place where he's interviewing. Mission Waco is an amazing place. They're doing lots of really wonderful things for the poor and the oppressed here in Waco and around the world. Stop by their website to find out more about what they stand for. Or, if you're in Waco, stop by the yummy World Cup Cafe and support the work they're doing here. In the meantime, we're all praying that Aaron could work here, if only part time. Serving God, serving others, following God's call, and actually making a living. That would be a huge blessing.

Our friend Kirby

Recently we've become very well acquainted with our new friend the Kirby. Unfortunately it's not the Japanese video game character. Our Kirby is the new Kirby Sentria Vacuum, and the reason we've become well-acquainted is that we're training and getting started selling this fancy and high-quality vacuum. 

It's been an adventure to say the least. After a short week of training, we spent the entire weekend in Dallas visiting family and showing off the features of this vacuum to my brothers, grandparents, and a lot of their friends. It was exhausting! Now we're back in Waco to continue our training and observe a few sales before we start our new "careers" in this exciting sales opportunity. We're cautiously optimistic that this can be a good temporary option while Aaron continues looking for a good job. I'm along for the ride, to enjoy getting out of the house a little bit and to encourage Aaron and work alongside him. We've discovered that we make a great team, but the only problem is that together we can only make half as many sales presentations as if we worked independently of each other. We're still working out all the kinks in that area.

Meanwhile I have to shift my focus every night to my real work, and that is studying. I'm working on an abstract for the Duke University Romance Studies Graduate Conference in September and I'm starting to get myself organized and ready to start my reading list as soon as that calendar turns to August 1st. This next weekend, Sarah is coming for a visit and she and I are going on a road trip to visit Janet Case in Abilene! We're staying super-busy, as usual, and trusting God to provide for us each and every day. It's fun to see his hand leading us in unexpected ways, like bringing us to Kirby Vacuums and our new best friend, the Kirby Sentria!

Slow Down

Well, today I went to the McLennan County Courthouse to pay the fine for a ticket I got about two weeks ago. I was disappointed, first of all, that I received a ticket. I've been pulled over lots of times and always been able to talk my way out of it. This time, though, it was a lady cop, and those women can be quite mean. It really was a shame. I was only a block from home and, in my opinion, I wasn't really speeding, since I was just following the guy in front of me going the same speed. Mostly I was just velocitating, which is a fancy word for what happens after you get off the highway and it feels like you're going much slower than you actually are. Anyways, I paid the fine, and, needless to say, I drove home from the courthouse going much slower than I usually would on these sleepy little Waco streets.

Slowing down seems to be the theme of these days. After the craziness of Jack's birth, Lauren's wedding, and a big Agee family reunion has finally passed, Aaron and I are sitting at home contemplating the next month of joblessness and deciding with bills we will default on before I start getting paid in August. Aaron has had some good leads, including an interview to be a youth pastor here in Waco, which would be very exciting! He keeps plugging away at the resumes and the cover letters. His resilience and good attitude always amaze me. Meanwhile I'm trying to recover from whatever sickness it is that struck me Tuesday night. Fever, headache, earache, and, most of all, a hard-to-swallow, hard-to-breathe, white-spotted sore throat that is scaring me a little bit with its resemblance to strep throat. This means lots of sleep, hundreds of cups of tea, and gargling with salt water every few hours in order to avoid having to go to the doctor, seeing as how our insurance ran out the first of July.

Anyways, I think it's good for me to slow down a little bit. I'm trying to be thankful for this time we get to spend together. I'm really so thankful for the place we have to live and the hope we have for jobs not too far off. It's only a little over a month before I start school, and I'm super thankful for that. But for now, I will just slow down and trust God to provide strength and courage to face each day and the challenges each day holds.

Lauren and Hugo's Wedding 7/1/11

Well, we just got home from a wonderful weekend of festivities! Lauren Agee and Hugo Perez were married on Friday evening at 7:30 pm, and we truly enjoyed being a part of their special day. We got to help out a lot in preparation to the wedding. 

 It was also fun to get to hang out with all our family members more as well. Here we are with our two-week old nephew, Jack Walter! Other guests of honor included Aunt Christy and Gwen and Uncle Kenny. Apparently weddings are a really good excuse to get together!

Uncle Steve and Aunt Carisa did a beautiful job in planning and hosting a wonderful event full of blessing and meaning to us all. Here's Lauren walking with her daddy, about to get married!

Lauren's grandpa McNeely performed the ceremony, and Lauren and Hugo had written vows to each other, which were both funny and sweet. They also had a sand ceremony and took communion.

The wedding colors were sunset colors: purple and orange, and the timing turned out perfect, as Hugo kissed his bride exactly at the peak of the sunset!

 After the ceremony it was time to party! I had a great time dancing with my Aaron, my daddy, my brothers, my sister, and even my baby nephew!

 It was really a wonderful weekend and we are so happy for the new couple! The Lord Jesus Christ God bless you in every way as you build and grow your marriage in Him! We love you!

God is Good... All the Time

Well, things are looking up today. Going to the food pantry and getting some bags of food to feed us in these difficult days. Getting some banking issues and overdraft charges waived. Calling loans to defer for a few months. Finding out that there is a way to get around paying my stupid traffic violation. Being blessed by lots of people willing to send us phones so Aaron is not totally out of the loop. Realizing just how many resources there are in this world for people who have nothing. God is good.

Difficult Days

We Woodards are going through some hard times these days. These last six days of work after giving his notice are really miserable for Aaron, and I'm miserable because he's miserable, and also because basically every waking (and some sleeping) thought is fixed on the fact that I have absolutely no idea what we're going to do when his last paycheck comes through and we have no way to pay our bills. We're trusting God to provide for us, but we do have to be realistic and prioritize and I just hate the feeling of having to decide between paying the rent, paying loans, and eating every month. Anyways, if anyone out there is reading this blog, we just need prayer and patience to make it through these difficult days.

Of Endings and Beginnings

The last two weeks have brought a lot of change to we Woodards. Two weeks ago today, we showed our house to my brother-in-law, Michael, and on Friday of that week we signed over the papers to him. Two weeks ago, Aaron was starting his last week of work at McDonald's in Des Moines, and tomorrow he starts orientation at McDonald's in Waco. The last two weeks have been full of wonderful, sweet endings and a slow beginning to our lives here in the Heart of Texas.

The weekend before we left was a full one for sure. I helped plan and execute my niece Samantha's graduation/18th birthday party together with Diana and Melanie. I organized a slideshow, found a guestbook, and cooked around 200 enchiladas for the big day! Friday was spent running around town with Kent, dropping off beds, equipment, and checks - basically just checking everything left off of my to-do list. Then Friday evening we had a wonderful goodbye dinner with Aaron's friends from high-school, at our usual BWWs.

On Saturday morning, we all scurried around like crazy. I took off for a morning walk through the farmer's market with Maggie and the kids; Aaron and Kent built a sidewalk in front of Kent and Diana's house; and Diana was up at the crack of dawn to clean and decorate Pat and Melanie's house. The party was a huge success! Everyone loved my enchiladas, the weather was perfect, and the graduate was beautiful and bubbly for her big day! Can't believe we're sending our niece off to college... that makes me feel so old!

Sunday was a really special day for us to say goodbye to our church in Bondurant. Those wonderful people mean so much to us, and it will always be "home" for our family. During the service, Jeff invited us up to the front where the whole church surrounded us and prayed over this next stage of our lives. It was wonderful to be sent off with such a blessing, I couldn't stop the tears at that point. After church we had a wonderful dinner with the pastor and his whole family. It was such a blessing to sit around and chat with all of them. Then it was time for the big trip. We took a little nap in the afternoon and were on the road by 8 pm.

The trip was surely long and exhausting, and I can't tell you how relieved we were to pull in to Grandma and Grandpa's house in Cedar Hill! Of course, we still had another 100 miles before we got to Waco, but after 14 hours in the car, that seemed like nothing! We spent Monday and Tuesday with Jonathan and Cindy and Baby Bump and Matthew and Lauren and Hugo and Julianne and Matt's friend Jason. We even got in a surprise visit with Aunt Hildi and little Greta who just happened to be in town! I got to feel Baby Bump move and we got to see where Lauren and Hugo are going to live after the wedding. It was really a special time to be with them all.

Wednesday was the big day! We moved into our place here and promptly started unpacking and searching for furniture. Less than a week later, we've acquired almost every piece we were looking for. Last night we got two more chairs for the living room delivered, which together with the loveseat we had delivered on Saturday fill the room quite nicely. Last night I was able to finally pull out all the decorations and hang them on the walls, which makes this little place feel even more like home. We're being totally spoiled with the king-size bed we had delivered here on Thursday and also with the free cable and internet provided by the apartment complex. One thing I'm absolutely crazy about is the dishwasher, and the fact that Aaron loads and washes it cheerfully so I never have to even think about the dishes! So far, we've been able to find great cheap furniture on craigslist and had it all delivered. The only things left on our list are some more bookshelves and a kitchen table and chairs. Not too bad for five days of searching!

Well, tomorrow Aaron goes to orientation and then hopefully starts working soon after that! I'm still looking for something to fill my days this summer, but not really wanting to start a job and then quit before school starts. Mommy and Daddy arrive on Thursday, and we're going to Houston to pick them up. Hopefully we can plan to visit some friends and family we have there while we go! In other news, Baby Bump is on his way. Cindy is currently 1 inch dilated and 70% effaced, so we're just waiting for the call to come! Well, I better run, we have errands to run and things to do! I'll check back in later!

Two weeks from right now we'll be on the road

You may all think we're crazy, but it looks like we're actually going to do this! The house is slowly but surely getting packed away and I'm hoping that this will be the week we sell the house so that will be taken care of. In the meantime, Aaron is trying to get in contact with the owner of all the McDonald's' in Waco, so that hopefully he can have a job by the time we leave here.

Today was supposed to be my last day of work, but I talked my boss into letting me work four more days next week, just to give us a little more padding as far the funds for this adventure go. I'm exhausted, but looking forward to the week off before we leave, in which I plan to finish packing, sell the house, possibly trade my car, and make all the little last-minute arrangements that need to happen in order to move, such as cancelling services, changing addresses at banks, schools, and subscriptions, turning in uniforms and library materials, getting my hair cut, giving away and/or selling and/or throwing away anything we're not going to take... the list goes on.

Also, we're trying to make the most of every last minute we have here by going to all the graduation parties, goodbye parties, church events, family get-togethers, camping trips, etc. In a lot of ways, it will be quite a relief when we pull away from Des Moines on the sixth. I'm so thankful for all of Aaron's help and encouragement. Even after a long day of work, he manages to put on a smile in this disaster of a house that we live in and do little things like take out the trash and stack the boxes once they are full. Keep praying for strength for me, and for emotional stability as I try to deal with all this change... as we all know that can be really hard for me! For Aaron, pray for peace. He's a little nervous about the job thing and anxious about the move. It's scary to go somewhere you've never been before so far away from anywhere you've lived up 'til now. Anyways, that's what's up with us! I'll keep you updated more once we actually make the move!

The Stress of It All

Today I officially finished my job at Drake. Also, I turned in my two-weeks notice resignation letter at McDonalds. Which means I have two more weeks before we really are actually leaving Des Moines. Of course, I'm quitting a week before the big move to finalize sales (car and house), packing, and all the other minutia that needs to be done. Meanwhile, I'm feeling weighed down by all the stress of moving and dealing with all the scenarios we've been running through. Our options are: rent a moving truck (too expensive), buy a truck (too much to deal with and also very expensive), use Kent's friend's trailer (too annoying to attach, fill, pull, and then too much to deal with once we get there, also too expensive), or store stuff for a few months and pick it up in October and/or December (which is probably what we're going to do, but the question is where to store?). So that's one thing I'm dealing with.
Also, I'm packing the house. Being overly organized, this means a lot of sorting, packing, repacking, donating, selling, and giving away stuff. Two people can really accumulate a lot of stuff in one year, I hate to think what a family would accumulate in a lifetime. Of course, I eagerly started packing way to early, which means that now I'm sick of it all and just can't wait to be done. Also, Aaron is super annoyed that we're down to only one couch to sit on and a bed. Everything else has been sold and/or discarded by now. I have food sitting out on all the counters, and I have books stacked on every free surface until I can go through the piles and decide what to keep, what to take, what to store, and what to get rid of. My goal is to make the whole thing less stressful. Unfortunately, I think I'm accomplishing the opposite.
Yesterday two men came to look at the house. They are trailer-flippers. And they seemed to maybe probably want to actually make an offer in the next few days, which is really encouraging. I'm SO thankful that we actually have a place to live in Waco, and we're not really worried about when to leave or where to go from here. I'm super-thankful for our supportive family on both ends who are willing to let us stay with them. Also, I'm thankful for jobs we can leave here without too much problems and that Aaron's bosses are so supportive and willing to help him get a job right away when we get there. Also, I'm glad that we have so much to look forward to in June and July so that I (hopefully) won't get too bad of post-move depression (which, knowing myself, is inevitable anyways).
Really, I just need something to think about other than the move and the upcoming events. I keep reminding myself to focus on here and now and cherish these last few weeks in this place I have come to call home. No matter what I say about the crazy weather or crazy people or even this crazy house, Des Moines has really become home for us, and it will be a wonderful place to come visit and maybe someday come back to. I will really really miss my Layla-Bear and the dear people at Bondurant and my wonderful coworkers at McDonald's. I will really miss being so close to my amazing in-laws and all the love and support they provide. But we're really ready to move away and start a new chapter, now if I can just finish packing, selling, and moving, we'll be home-free! :)

The Heart of Texas

Waco Country AKA McLennan County is known as the Heart of Texas. Seeing that written on every webpage I go to always makes me think of this song:


The stars at night - are big and bright
Deep in the heart of texas.
The prairie sky - is wide and high
Deep in the heart of texas.
The sage in bloom - is like perfume
Deep in the heart of texas.
Reminds me of - the one I love
Deep in the heart of texas.
The cowboys cry - ki-yip-pie-yi
Deep in the heart of texas.
The rabbits rush - around the brush
Deep in the heart of texas.
The coyotes wail - along the trail
Deep in the heart of texas.
The doggies bawl - and bawl and bawl
Deep in the heart of texas.

Living Simply

“Know, first, who you are; and then adorn yourself accordingly.” – Epictetus


New favorite website: http://www.becomingminimalist.com. Please go there and see what I've been thinking about recently...

Thriftyness and my new Minimalist Vendetta

I am very cheap. I pretend to say that I am thrifty, or that I like to save money, but the truth of the matter is that I am cheap. I don't like to spend any more than I absolutely have to on anything. Sometimes this is a good thing. For example, about a month ago I saved over a hundred dollars by doing an at-home perm instead of going to a salon and paying for a professional to do it. And it turned out great! Yesterday I saved about $30 by doing my own acrylic manicure, which also turned out great! Sometimes it doesn't matter if you do things the cheaper way, as long as you do them the right way and don't cut corners.

Sometimes it does matter. Our house is filled with a lot of stuff that we don't really need or want anymore. Maybe because when I got it I thought to myself, "This is such a good deal, you can't pass it up!" However, for most things we use and reuse, cheaper isn't usually better. A good example of this is in clothes. I usually shop the clearance section of the store, which makes sense in my thrifty mind. For a while I could never quite realize why my clothes were never exactly in style and I never had the right seasonal clothing at the right time, but just the other day it hit me while combing through rack after rack of 90% off clothing: these clothes are already out of style and out of season... so don't buy them!!!

Recently I have started going on an all-out minimalist vendetta. We are moving in about a month, so I have come to realize that only the stuff we really need is worth keeping around and taking with us, and only the stuff we really need is worth having at all. I no longer care if it's cheaper or even free. I'm getting rid of box after box of clothes, purses, books, toys... and realizing that once it's gone none of it was really important anyways. Now I'm trying to get my wardrobe down to only the few clothes that I actually wear. One idea I had was to wait about a week and let the laundry pile up. After a week I went through my closet while the clothes I had worn were in the washer and actually asked myself why I hadn't needed each item in the past week. Turns out, I really only use about one pair of slacks, work shirts, one pair of jeans, three or four T-shirts, and a dress each week. So why do I have so many clothes I will never use? (Don't even get me started on Aaron's side of the closet - he has so many T-shirts he doesn't even know which is which.)

Anyways, so now I've become less thrifty but more choosy. Probably in the long run I will spend about the same amount of money on stuff, just buy less and have less and be a lot more happy. We'll see. For now, I'm going back to cleaning out closets and boxing up books to take to Texas. Even with all the stuff we've gotten rid of, it's going to be a real miracle if we can get everything into the back of our car. Wish me luck!

Home again, home again jiggety jig

It's good to be home. We had such a wonderful weekend in Chicago-land. After our visit with Ben and Analiese on Saturday we drove out to Wheaton for church on Sunday. It was good to see all our friends from Blanchard Alliance Church and then have dinner with Maffy. That evening we got some good chats in with old friends Paul Nelson and Bryan Biba.

Then on Monday we visited with professors and coaches, dear friends, and again my little brother. We took Biba, Rusty, Matt, and Nicole with us to the Cubs game last night and had a blast even though it was FREEZING cold! After the game Biba took us to Gene and Jude's which apparently has been certified by the Food Network as the home of the best hotdog in the US! Then today we decided to come home a little earlier due to the horrible weather continuing. We missed seeing a few people this afternoon, but we're glad to be home and relaxing a little before we both get back to work first thing in the morning. We have a busy schedule for the next few weeks until we move! So crazy and so much to do... AHHH!

A Delicious Lazy Chicago Saturday

We're in Chicago right now. We arrived last night and stayed with Matt, Aaron's best man, overnight. Today we are pretty much just hanging out with our friend Ben and his new girlfriend, Analiese. This morning we went to Ann Sather, for a delicious breakfast. Even Aaron liked the cinnamon rolls. Then we went to The Wormhole and to  Myopic Bookstore. Aaron bought a book called The Era about Baseball in New York in the 40's and 50's. Then we came home and all took naps, and Aaron watched baseball and basketball playoff games on TV. Now we're deciding where to go for dinner. Hopefully somewhere cute little and cheap. More updates on this laid-back trip will come later.

Sarah's Wonderful Whirlwind Visit

This last week has been a whirlwind! On Monday afternoon Sarah arrived from Wheaton for a wonderful visit for a few short days. We hadn't seen each other since Aaron and I got back from our honeymoon over a year ago, so clearly we were excited to get to spend some time together!

On Tuesday I took her to visit Grandma and Grandpa Woodard. It was special for her to visit with them and to play their beautiful piano for us all:

We also spent a good part of Tuesday shopping for gifts for Sarah to take back to her friends in Sololá and for some only-in-America items she needed. We were happy to find everything on her list!

Wednesday, Sarah spent the day visiting my classes at Drake and sharing with them about her life in Guatemala. 

Here she is with Eduardo and some of my students:

Then Wednesday evening I took her with me to AWANA where she spoke to our entire club about her ministry and her life in Guatemala. She spoke an amazing 8 times on Wednesday! What a trooper!

Even though I was sad to see her leave Thursday morning, I was glad to get some rest since I've somehow caught a horrendous cold! Yesterday I called in sick from work to go to the doctor, and even today I don't feel quite myself. Anyways, it was a wonderful week, I'll miss my Sary-Sue, (especially those amazing back rubs) but I'm so glad we get to see each other in less than three months at Lauren's wedding, and I know we're all excited to meet little Baby Bump when we're together next! 

In the meantime, Aaron and I have to gear up for the next thing, which is a trip to Wheaton next weekend! After that it will be time to pack and put the house up for sale since there will be only a little over a month before we move! Then come the Drake relays, graduation parties, and the move! Praise God for a busy spring, and please be praying for a job for Aaron in Waco. It would give us so much more peace about the move if we had that nailed down before we go. Also, pray for a quick and painless sale of our trailer here. Thanks!

Happy Birthday Aaron!

Well, Aaron successfully turned 23! We started the day as soon as I got home from work at 12:05 AM. As I walked through the door, my more-boy-than-man of a husband insisted we open the gifts he had gotten from my parents, sister, and me. I took these pictures of him opening his presents, happy with his gifts of books, a DVD, and some new undershirts (from his too-practical wife).

Since we both worked during the day on his birthday, we came home in the evening and enjoyed a visit from two of his best friends from high school, Jake and Dan. As a sidenote, Dan is getting married in October, and Aaron will be a groomsman in the wedding. For the boys' visit I made brats and cheesecake and we played Apples to Apples and watched the March Madness games that were on TV.

To finish off Aaron's birthday weekend, we went to his parents house for a lovely meal on Sunday after church. We feel so blessed to be surrounded by people who love us, and so blessed to love each other so much! Hoping this next year proves to be one of the best yet!

St. Patty's Day Parade with Hayden

Since I am a horrible photographer, and the Nuzum's (who took our wedding photos) are amazing photographers, I decided to give you a link to their photos of the St. Patrick's Day Parade. Of course, they didn't get a picture of my awesome 8 year-old nephew, so to prove to you I am a horrible photographer, I'll post a picture of him here that I took. Also, I think he's really cute in his St. Patty's green.

Anyways, so after having a blast at the parade (and since the weather was amazing) I bought Hayden some green squirt guns and we had a squirt gun war outside our little trailer. It's fun to hang out with my nieces and nephews, especially since I know that next year I will be far away and the only nephew I will be close to will probably not want to have a squirt gun war for a few more years (seeing as how he will only be born in June). But anyways, eight, five, or zero, I don't care, I love all my little ones to pieces and I'm so glad I get to be an auntie seven-and-half times over! So yeah, St. Patrick's Day was a blast!

Spring Break

Lent has officially begun a week ago now, and for We Woodards that means a lot of reading as we attempt to read through the whole Bible in 40 days. Both Aaron and I, individually, are choosing to set aside time each day to read a large chunk of God's word. For both of us this is more than just an exercise in speed-reading, it is an expression of prioritizing time, that we would otherwise use for other things, to be with God and to meditate on how He has revealed himself through the Bible. These readings will culminate in the reading of the Easter story during Holy Week. I think we both agree that it is truly amazing to see the work of God over the whole Bible and how it is all fulfilled in Jesus' death and resurrection. 

In other news, we spent this last weekend at a family retreat with our church at Hidden Acres camp. Even though our "family" is a little smaller than some others, it was really good to spend more time with some of the people at Bondurant Federated Church that we hadn't previously gotten to know very well. We played games, ran relays, and swam in the nice heated pool. Aaron had a great time playing and watching basketball with the men and I talked with the women and enjoyed playing with the adorable children. It was a really fun and relaxing time for us both.

This week is Spring Break for me, which means spring cleaning and hanging out with my nieces and nephews. Aaron is hard at work, as always. Next week is his birthday, and I'm trying to decide what we should do for his special day... I did buy him Cubs' tickets for our trip to Chicago in April. So now we for sure will be visiting Wheaton April 15th-19th! There are so many exciting things coming up - Aaron turning 23, Sarah visiting, and then a trip to Wheaton! Yay!

Overmedicated

This photo represents something I've been thinking a lot about lately, and that is the over-drugging of our culture. This all began with Aaron's trip to the emergency room on Saturday, due to an adverse anxious reaction to the Claritin D he was taking for his allergies. Immediately the doctor came in a prescribed more medicine to help Aaron sleep, a controlled substance called lorazapam. This is some pretty intense stuff, which has been causing Aaron to sleep for the last three days straight, and has also been making him see double and feel really weird right after he takes it.

In addition to our emergency room adventures, I've been watching several intriguing documentaries on Netflix, including The Business of Being Born and Frontline: The Medicated Child. These shows have made me realize the horrors of what overmedication is doing to our culture. We use one drug to fix whatever problems we have, and then we use another drug to fix the problems that the first drug caused. 

I have come to realize that part of being alive is feeling pain. For example, many women do not wish to feel the pain of childbirth. So they ask for drugs to help take the pain away, and in the process make a normal delivery very dangerous for their child and themselves. Those who undergo the pain and endure labor come out of it much more aware of their own humanity. We were made to endure pain and to heal naturally.  We should also not use medicine to get rid of every inconvenience or minor annoyance. Just because our children are annoying to us at age two, doesn't mean they have serious behavioral problems. Maybe it just means that you suck at discipline. Just a thought...

Anyways, I guess I will have to read more about all this, since eventually I want to have children. Even in my own life and while making decisions with Aaron, it is interesting to think about whether or not overmedication is a good idea. Should I take tylenol or advil for a slight headache or the monthly cramps I must endure? Or should I learn to suck it up and endure the pain? Maybe the latter will help me to understand the reality of humanity and will in some way help me to reduce the selfishness and sensitivity of our culture at large. In any case, it is a very interesting discussion.

Of valentines and springtimes and sweet-times with my honey...

Every day I think I fall more in love with the handsome man I married. This last week has been a special one because of many things, including our first attempt at "parenting" as a team, a day to celebrate love, sunshine filling the air and melting all the icky brown snow, and me starting my job at McDonalds which has given me a HUGE understanding of what Aaron does every day. I appreciate him SO much more today than I did before my first shift making french fries.

On Monday Aaron and I got to work as a team as we babysat eleven kids and twenty teens at our church so that their parents could go out for a special Valentine's evening. While I'm sure we blessed the parents of our church, I myself was blessed by watching Aaron play with little ones and try to keep them entertained for three hours. My husband is extremely good at everything I'm not, and that's why I'm so thankful that God made us a team. He kept those kids moving! That man has a never-ending supply of group games to play, while I can't think of even one game that works with such a variety of ages. What I am good at, though, is holding the little ones, planning crafts, and cleaning up vomit when a 2-year-old started violently throwing up at the end of the night. We're both super-organized, probably overly so for BFC, but in the end, it all went smoothly and we were able to get some time together at IHOP after the dinner rush had gone, so we got our Valentine's Day together after all.

On Thursday I started my new job at McDonald's. Don't let anyone fool you when they say they "just work for minimum wage". Just because flipping burgers and making fries doesn't pay very well, that doesn't mean it's easy work. During lunch at the Drake McDonald's, you can't make fries fast enough to get them out the drive-through window. Especially not when it's your first day on the job. Thursday I learned to make McCafé drinks and fries and today I got to take orders. It really helps me understand how hard Aaron works and gives me much more sympathy when he gets home tired and just wants to sit and stare at a computer screen.

Also, my new job at McDonald's has started to develop in me a moral position for my own life on the importance of working in a low-paying environment. Although my plan for my life includes a PhD, I think I must at this point realize how important it is for me to work at least part time at a fast food restaurant or such. For one thing, the people who I am studying and hope to be serving can only be found in such places. There is no one on earth like the hard-working immigrants that work the line at McDonald's. When I'm studying literature, I have to realize where the feelings of oppression and the undying strength and joy of the Latin American people come from. When I'm teaching grammar, I have to know how it's actually spoken by those yelling out orders to their co-workers. Language is not a sterile thing that you can learn in a classroom. Therefore, even though it doesn't pay much, it's really hard work, and in the long run most people would think that a job at McDonald's is far below my education level or capability, I hope that through the next few years I will continue to seek employment in the places where I can come in contact with real people. Academia is one part of what I'm learning, but if I ever want to be qualified to teach others how to love and serve the Hispanic community, either here or abroad, I have to spend as much time practicing what I'm learning, and the only way to do that is by being there and experiencing the long hours and low pay that Christina, Elvia, Mayra, and Enrique (all my new coworkers) experience every day.

All that to say, I'm glad for my new job, and I'm learning a lot. I'm thankful for the wonderful man I get to spend all my hours off with. And I'm more joyful than ever because the sun in shining and in about a half-hour I get to pick up my little brother from the bus stop for his weekend visit. :D I can hardly wait!

Celebrating three years together...

On Saturday we went out to Dos Rios, the fanciest Mexican "Cantina" in Des Moines, to celebrate the three years that have passed since our first date. Over a beautiful and delicious meal of calamari, pollo con mole, and steak molcajete, we reminisced and remembered some of the most special events of the last three years, including our summers apart, family weddings, our own wedding and graduation, and romantic events sprinkled through the last 1096 days that we have been a couple. Then we dreamed about the next few thousands of days, thinking about where we will be in three, six, and sixty years. It was fun to celebrate the love that God has given us. We're so thankful for the years we've had and look forward to the years ahead. 

Dos Rios' famous guacamole in a molcajete

The POWER of prayer

Well, we now know why it is nice to have a landlord! Last night at about 8:15, we were getting ready to leave to workout, when we were surprised by a loud knock on the door. A neighbor had been driving by and had noticed water gushing down our driveway. We bundled up to go out and trudge through the snow and ice to take a look at the geyser that had erupted in our yard. Water was bubbling up out of the ground and through our driveway, down the street. Because of the frigid temperatures, that water was quickly turning to ice, and our street was becoming a home-made ice rink. We frantically called our landlord(who didn't answer), the city of Des Moines sewer people (who said because it's private property they are powerless), and about five other random numbers of people we thought might somehow help. Since it was after-hours, no one was in their offices and we were getting more and more worried. We were worried that it was our fault (although we had done nothing wrong and our own water was working just fine.) We were worried that the water under our trailer would create problems to the foundation (and I was worried that our trailer was going to float away during the night...) Basically, we were getting really worried. As we stood out in the freezing snow, neighbor after neighbor stopped by to remark on what a mess it was (but all with no real help or advice).

Finally, after an hour-and-a-half of frantic phone calls and doorbell ringing, we went inside to warm up and to resort to the only thing we could think to do, and that was to pray. Feeling completely powerless, we laid our fears and worries down at  His feet and were prepared to wait for His answer. We didn't have to wait long, though, because as Aaron was finishing up his prayer, we heard boots crunching through the snow outside. We jumped up to see who was there, and it was our landlord himself! He gave us the good news that it wasn't our fault, we wouldn't float away in the night, and that first thing in the morning he would have a crew out there digging it up and fixing the broken main. As soon as we got back inside I (Andrea) burst into tears of thanksgiving and we both called our worried parents (who we had frantically called just moments before for advice). Everyone was super-thankful and exhausted at this point, so we just went to bed.

This morning when I woke up, I was glad to see the crew was there as promised! A little digger-machine and our landlord greeted me at 8 AM, and by the time we left for work, they were already hard at work on the hole and the mess of an iceflow that was our street. We'll see what progress they've made by the time we get home. So today, we are so thankful for a God who answers prayer, a landlord who fixes broken mains, and a place to go to get away from the horrible racket and mess they're making in our yard!

Here are some pictures from this morning:

Our landlord, Roger and the little digger machine.

The source of the mess. In the middle of that frozen lake somewhere is the bubbling geyser. 

My adventure as a mechanic

Today was "learn to be a mechanic day" for me. We rebuilt part of the body of the trunk of my car in order to be able to put in new shocks and struts. 

Here is Kent trying to make a hole in the steel piece to attach the struts to. After ruining two drill bits and one of his fancy hole-cutters, he decided to use the blow-torch. It was (finally) effective. 

This is the cool hat I got to wear while we were welding. I really liked it a lot and wanted to wear it the whole time. 

Finally Dan showed up just to help us put the last set of shocks on. 

Look at my shiny new shocks! Pretty blue to replace the rusty, broken, red ones!

Snowman day at AWANA

The Fruit of my Labor

I finally got my house clean!

(Sorry about the picture quality. Our house is really dark and my phone doesn't have flash)

Proof that there actually was a kitchen table underneath all that junk

The two green chairs have been unavailable since Christmas... It's nice to finally have a place for both of us to sit at the same time!

The new desk we brought over and put in place of the recliner. Looks a little cluttered but actually just needs a few final touches - including the desktop computer my boss is giving us.

The fruits of my labor - 7 boxes and 2 bags ready to go to Goodwill

Cleaning the bathroom mostly involved a little bleach, but I did pull out this cabinet and hang it all by myself! It's nice to get all my makeup and junk off the sink.

This is the new sitting area I made in the bedroom, with all our favorite books and pictures within arm's reach.

Since the bed is in the corner there is a lot more space and the room feels a lot bigger! Also, it's nice to have some more light in the bedroom.

The State of Things

My house is a disaster. This is not, I may point out, because I haven't had time to clean it. I find that the more time I have, the less useful my time becomes. Today, for example, I woke up late in the afternoon when my sister-in-law called to see if I wanted to hang out with my oh-so-adorable niece. I don't pass up a chance to hang out with cute 4-year-olds, so, of course, I said yes. Therefore, another day has gone by with my resolution to get our house totally organized put off once again. Yesterday I worked for about 4 hours and barely got the kitchen table cleaned off, so clearly, things are bad! 

Piles of boxes ready to go to Goodwill

My goal is to get everything put in its proper place and all of the 16 boxes we inherited from Aaron's parents gone through by the time I have to go back to school. This involves sorting through ancient baseball cards and Aaron's old trophies and yearbooks. Things that may not have intrinsic value, but might or might not have sentimental value to my husband. Of course, once he does find something he wants to keep, whenever I ask him where he wants to put it or what he wants to do with it, he responds "Just put it in a box and send it back to storage."

Well, this tugs at one of my basic convictions: a complete disregard for the idea of "STORAGE". In my opinion, if you don't use it, don't keep it! I would like to believe I live a simple life, but my overly cluttered house tells a different story. The truth is, I like for my life, and my house, to be full, but not trashed with stuff you don't need and never use. I've told Aaron multiple times, there is no reason we should ever rent a storage space. If we don't have immediate use for something (unless of course we're saving it for posterity) we should just get rid of it. The only things that belong in storage are seasonal clothing and Christmas decorations. Period.

Our culture is obsessed with junk, and by that I mean buying more and more stuff to fill up all the space we have. I am a victim of this ideology. I like for space to be full. However, I also really like small spaces. Today I told Kent and Diana that our next house should be smaller than the one I have, and they couldn't understand why on earth I would think so. Two bedrooms is too much for me. If I'm not living in one of the bedrooms, it just becomes a space for junk to pile up, and that's both annoying, dirty, and a big job to clean out. Also, I no longer see the need for a kitchen table. Just like we got rid of our coffee table because junk was piling up on it, we also need to get rid of the kitchen table. We NEVER eat there. In fact, on the rare occasion we do eat a meal together, at home, we generally watch one of our tv shows or the stack of movies I bring home from the library.

 Exhibit A for why I want to get rid of our kitchen table

So this is my declaration for what my dream house would have:

- a tiny kitchen just big enough for just me - with a small refrigerator and small stove, but definitely a dishwasher to get all those plates out of sight and out of mind.
- no dining room and no breakfast nook - as much as I would love to entertain, I don't think it's ever going to happen, we enjoy going out and socializing with friends over a meal at Applebee's or Olive Garden
- a small bedroom with a nice bed and blackout curtains, but a huge, organized walk-in closet with a wall of mirrors
- a beautiful, well-lit living room with wall-to-wall bookshelves, two or three extremely comfortable chairs and no big couch
- a small, relaxing bathroom with a whirlpool tub
- a separate laundry room to keep all the mess away from the rest of the house

I don't think anyone makes a house like that, lol. But that's the state of things. Maybe tomorrow I will be motivated to clean my house and get it closer to my ideal dream home.

Proof that I need a dishwasher - see how cluttered my house is!

Updates

Finally, here are some quick photo updates of last semester, for your perusing pleasure!

My 21st Birthday - September 17

My very first cocktail! At Court Ave Brewery with Maffy and Ben, who came to visit me for the weekend! Best present ever!

Mommy's visit - October 2 - 5

Visiting with her, taking her to my work and to see Aaron at McDonalds, shopping and cooking together for old time's sake! Loved having her here and visiting together. 

Mr. and Mrs. Robinson! 10/10/10 at 10:10am

It was so special to be present for Aaron's sister Maggie's wedding to Robbie! The kids LOVE their new step-dad! 

Iowa vs. Northwestern - November 13

A cold, sad, but exciting game. Wishing Iowa would have won, but glad we got to go! 

Weekend in Wheaton

After the game at Northwestern, Aaron left me in Wheaton to hang out with Lauren and Matthew. I had a great time and was so glad to be able to see dear friends and catch up with everyone! Also, got to visit with Dr. Kepner and get more direction about my plans for next year. So glad to have her godly council!

Mary Poppins - November 28

My first broadway show ever! Aaron got me tickets for my birthday, and although I wasn't too excited about it at first, we both had a great time at the actual showing! Aaron had never seen Mary Poppins, but he really liked the show. He says he can see how that and other movies like the Sound of Music and Chitty Chitty Bang Bang have influenced my life and my outlook a lot. Of course, we weren't allowed to take pictures at the show, but this is what it looked like.