Watercooler Conversation & American Idol

Well, I had my first Watercooler conversation today.  At least I think that's what it was.  Aren't those the impromptu conversations you have at a random location in the office about work-related things?  I guess it had to happen at some point.  That would make sense, since I am, afterall, working.  It was kind of surreal, since I don't usually feel like I'm old enough to be working.  Typically I keep my work in my office, and work with people in other cities, so most of it's done by email and phone.  (Hence why this was an out-of-the-ordinary experience.)

My boss (in another city) has been out sick this week, so that leaves me to pretty much hold down the fort.  I want to ask them if they think it's ok for a recent college grad to hold it down.  Apparently they think it's normal.  Weird.

I just had one of those flashback moments where I was in college, I came home in between classes, and then headed out to Sing Practice, Choir Practice, Sonic Happy Hour, or Visit with Friends, or some combination of all of those.  To think that not to long ago, that was my life...it's very strange.

Now, I sit at a desk and listen to three-hour conference calls, make plans with big companies, and take care of myself.  It's very surreal, and somtimes I question how I got here, and if this is really my life.  Apparently it is. 

I think this is what they call a "stream of consciousness" post.  Welcome to my head.

Tonight, Roomdog and I are heading to another friend's house to watch American Idol.  I'm excited because I think they are showing Dallas auditions.  Maybe I'll catch a glimpse of myself on TV.  I should probably post about my A.I. experience soon.  Coming soon to this blog near you.

Dear Lady A...

Good morning bloggy world.  It's a good day!  Lady Antebellum's new album came out today, and that got me out of bed this morning.  (Not sure if that's a good thing, but I'm going with it...I got up!)  I'd had almost an entire cup of coffee from my little red coffee maker before I left my house this morning, listenting to my freshly-downloaded Lady A.  Usually I'm running out the door, debating whether or not to take the time to make it.  Totally worth it.  I think it might be a new routine. 

Anyway, back to Lady Antebellum.  Definitely my favorite band right now.  (Really for the last two years, when they were still new.)  I think I like the fact that they were nobodies and now they've won Group of the Year.  They write their own music, which I really respect, and their lyrics...oh, the lyrics.  I'm such a words girl.

My favorite song right now is American Honey.  Here are the lyrics to the first part of the song:

She grew up on a side of the road

Where the church bells ring and strong love grows

She grew up good

She grew up slow

Like American honey

Steady as a preacher

Free as a weed

Couldn't wait to get goin'

But wasn't quite ready to leave

So innocent, pure and sweet

American honey

There's a wild, wild whisper

Blowin' in the wind

Callin' out my name like a long lost friend

Oh I miss those days as the years go by

Oh nothing's sweeter than summertime

And American honey

I love it!  I really like all the songs.  Thanks, iTunes for instant gratification.  Happy Tuesday.

Love, Lady Shay

What's on the menu today?

I love Fridays: you have the whole weekend ahead of you. I love Saturdays...especially the ones where you don't have anything specific planned. And I love Sundays because of Church, and then afternoon naps and football games. (Yes, really.) Basically I love the weekends. Who doesn't??

One of the blogs I've started to read recently is The Pioneer Woman. I think I like it for a lot of reasons. First, she chronicled her and her husband's love story in segments on her blog. And it's very funny. And I love love. Really. Basically, she grew up living on a golf course, had plans for law school and city life, and in one moment, met a rancher at a bar, and he found her again four months later (they live in a very small town), and they dated and fell in love and now she lives on a ranch with husband and their four kids (she calls them "punks"). She has adapted to ranch life, and cooks! She uses really basic ingredients to make really yummy stuff. Now, she even has a cookbook, which I've ordered.

You may be wondering what weekends and cooking have in common. Well, I have a lot of time today, and I made one of her recipes.

Cheese Muffins:

Yum. (photo by The Pioneer Woman) They were pretty good. I made them for lunch with homemade chicken fingers. Lyndsy showed me how to make them in Europe, and now I'm hooked on how easy and delicious they are!

Dress Up

To lighten things up around here on this little bloggy, I thought I'd post some particularly funny photos that I found on my computer. Stay tuned...there are more.

Nashville Dog Park Day

(October 2009)

How. Just at little stop with Katie at Buc-ees on the way to Houston for various weddings (August 2009)

Katie and I helped Kimmell celebrate his b-day at Joe's Crab Shack, complete with costumes.

(Summer 2009)

Happy Thursday!

Good and Gracious

Another earthquake hit Haiti this morning around 6 a.m. I thought of my friend there, and went to check her blog. There was no news at that point, but I learned later today that they are fine.

This is from their most recent post yesterday:

We're ok. Why? How is that possible. This is why.

Therefore those who suffer according to God's will entrust their souls to a faithful Creator while doing good. Our hope does not in asking the question why but in knowing the character of a good, trustworthy, and gracious God. -1 Peter 4

It's not ok here. Nothing is ok about the suffering in this place. It wasn't ok even before the quake.But we're ok- for one reason. Not because we're comfy, not because we're happy- it's because we know the character of the one who's in charge, and he. is. good. Good to the core. Not safe, not predictable, not tame, but wild and good and true, and redeeming all things, making all things new, all the time. He doesn't waste a thing.

I am beyond grateful that we have a faithful, good, trustworthy and GRACIOUS God. Aren't you?

One year ago today...

...I was on a plane to Maastricht, the Netherlands. I cannot begin to explain what an adventure those three months were. It was the trip of a lifetime!

When I set foot on Baylor's campus in August of 2005, if you'd told me that I would spend my last semester of college in various foreign countries, I would have laughed in disbelief. You were talking to the girl who couldn't handle a week at summer camp before my senior year in high school. Going off to college two hours from home was adventure enough!

(Freshman Homecoming, 2005)

Well, gone is that girl who is terrified of leaving home. In her place is a well-traveled, cultured 23 year year old. (If I do say so myself!). That's not to say I didn't get homesick. I definitely did. I missed my family and friends a lot. A LOT. But, I learned the art of keeping in touch through email and Skype, and even snail mail. I tried to send a postcard to my Great Aunt Jenny in North Carolina in every city I visited.

I took my last eight hours of class through independent study, so I corresponded with my professors by email. It prepared me for the job I have now--my boss is in Austin and my other team member in Houston. We navigated train schedules and hostel reservations. I wish I could say I gained a better sense of direction, but that's just not meant to be. Thankfully I made a great new friend, Lyndsy, who took care of the directions part! And when we were lucky enough to travel with Katie, she definitely added a whole other sense of adventure. Oh, the stories she tells.

I learned to travel with only a day-pack for a backpack, and I honed the art of packing. I'm telling you, ROLLING your stuff is the secret. It really works.

I learned that the best place to make friends were on the train--they could give you inside scoop to your destination.

I fell in love with whoever invented Long Johns. They are the best invention ever for someone that gets chilled so easily. I wore them every. single. day. with. out. fail. Even into April.

London was a great place to start. I actually did have a sense of direction there, much to Katie's surpise. Something about Subway systems make sense. We got great, cheap seats to see Les Miserables and Wicked.

Spain was my favorite. Perhaps it was the warm sunshine we hadn't seen in months, or the familiar Spanish language, or the apartment-style hostel we lived in with 10 of our friends. That is at the top of my list of places to go back to.

Rothenburg, Germany wins for being the most quaint. I remember the snow and all the good food we ate: Chinese food, German food and Italian food. Dutch food left much to be desired, so by the time we traveled there on our third week in Europe, I definitely appreciated it.

Nice, France was the most picturesque--without a doubt. I really have no words.

Easter in Rome was unforgettable. Mainly because I fainted and was cared for by the Pope's very own doctors and nurses.

Pompeii, Italy was something I'd wanted to see since my seventh grade Latin class when we learned about Mt. Vesuvius' eruption that swept over the city, catching its residents mid-run. I also ran into a friend that I worked with at Southwest Airlines. My small world just got smaller.

Oh, what semester. I gained so much independence and confidence in those three months. I learned much about myself, about relationships, and about Europe. I cemented friendships with those I traveled with and with those I kept in touch with. It was quite the adventure.

I quickly got acclamaited back to life in the states--making regular runs to Sonic Happy Hour for a Dr. Pepper. I graduated from college and began the job hunt. I've now worked long enough to have my own insurance--weird. To say life has changed in the last year would be an understatement. But I'm learning to like this new life, too. But as I sit at my desk some days, flashes of Europe play in my head. They make me smile the most.

Pants on the Ground

This weekend at church, I spent it with 11th Grade Girls for Winter Weekend (aka Disciple Now). They were the sweetest group of girls, and I had so much fun with them and digging into deeper things.

Our big sessions with the whole youth group had a variety of entertainment options: a magician, a rapper, the New Zealand band Detour 180, the speaker and a comedy duo that was actually pretty funny. One of the things they referenced right away was the clip from American Idol where this old guy rapped a song called "Pants on the Ground." I went and looked it up, and could not stop rolling.

I tried to embed the video in this post from YouTube, and I can't really figure out how to do it. So just click here to follow the link. Enjoy. And if you know how to embed a YouTube video, let me know!

On a more serious note, please continue to pray for Ben and Katie in Haiti. They have to decide soon if it's best to stay there or evacuate. We also have another friend, Diane, at church that went as a nurse with a group of doctors to Haiti yesterday morning--please lift them up as well.