Welcome Friends

I hope you enjoy reading these stories and thoughts. Ryan and I have recently moved to San Marcos as members of a church plant team, to reach out to the campus of Texas State University. We love spending time with family and friends, and we are enjoying the adventure this life is taking us on. We have a lot of fun ideas and enjoy our life together. These are the gems we'd like to share with you.

Saturday, September 26, 2009

Working for the Weekend

I like to remember a story my sister's friend Sara told about my sister, a few days before her wedding in June of 2005. She was thinking out loud and going through the list of all the things that needed to be done, and at the end she said "so I'm thinking that right now, we should lay out." It's funny because there was so much to be done, and the first order of business would be to relax. B/c if they didn't do it then, and went straight to work, they'd lose that chance altogether.

I'm feeling that way right now. Ryan's family is coming to visit today. I am sure it will be the largest number of people ever to occupy this house for a full 24 hours. That means 8 people will be sharing the one bathroom, two bedrooms, and the scant amount of food. Belva and Robin haven't seen the house since we bought it and started doing renovations, so I hope they are impressed with our cute little humble house.

As I sit here, there are dishes to be washed, a load of towels in the washer, sheets in the dryer, and two loads of clothes to be done. The floors need to be swept, the counter tops wiped, and the bathroom scrubbed. I just went through all of this 2 weekends ago when David and Kara came to visit. It seems like every time we have company, our house gets a little bit nicer. We finally removed the nasty rust stains in the sink and bathtub, and replaced the rotten broken handles in the bathtub with new ones. The ceilings are finished and white. Now if we can just get the outside painted, and give the walls another once-over, our house would be pretty darn nice.

The chances of that happening soon, though, are slim. This is Ryan's toughest semester. If he can survive it, he'll be pretty much graduated b/c next semester will be a breeze. And my spare time has been drastically reduced now that I have a J-O-B. That's right! Texas A&M University - Corpus Christi finally realized that I was the one they wanted. I am working in the Office of the Registrar, as an Admissions and Records Specialist II. I process transcript requests, verifications of enrollment, degree verifications, diploma's for each graduation, and help students find out various types of information that they need. It is super high paced, and pretty low stress. The ladies and students I work with are so sweet and fun. I love my job. I love having a job.

I love being on campus. I love getting to ride together and eat lunch with Ryan sometimes. I love getting to use the fitness center (Ryan likes that too). I love getting to help and work with college kids. I love that I will have benefits soon. I feel like what I'm doing is important, and that makes me feel good. The only drawback is the eye fatigue from using a computer all day. And although I don't get paid as much as I did as a teacher, we are okay with that. I am only starting out, and everyone starts somewhere. There is plenty of room for advancement, and if I want it, I will have it in due time. Teaching was a good experience, and I do enjoy teaching. But I think this might be a better fit for me - doing something professional and working with college kids.

Thusly, I stay pretty busy all day long during the week. I try to get as much housework done during the week as I can, so I can relax on the weekend. Alas, it still piles up somehow. So, enough relaxing for now. It's time get the house clean.

Tuesday, September 1, 2009

What Comes Next

We bought our house in November of 2007. It was exactly 50 years old, and only had one owner up until that time. The original owners lived here until passing away, and we acquired their home in an estate sale. It had never received any type of remodeling in those 50 years, except a few extra layers of paint and 4 extra layers of laminate flooring in the kitchen. We have had our work cut out since day one.

During the first few months of ownership, we still lived in an apartment, but took that time to do some remodeling. Ryan and his family did a lot to revive this old house. In 1957, it probably cost $5000 to build the house. After all is said and done, that is probably how much we will spend to modernize it. A new wall and windows in the dining room. New floor in the kitchen. New light fixtures and fans. A new window unit in the living room and bedroom. New siding in the front. New medicine cabinet and window in the bathroom (besides a new toilet, sink faucet, and bathtub handles). Fresh paint inside and out. Clearing out the forest in the back yard. And so on and so forth.

Many, but not all of the above improvements have happened yet. We are currently beginning round 2 in the remodel. Eventually, we are hoping to turn this old trashed, musty, and forgettable house into the nicest one on the block. And then what comes next? There are plenty of factors to consider when devising the plan. The economy, the market, location of jobs, graduation, and the good Lord's will. Of course, we have goals which we are working towards. But it feels more realistic to set reachable goals for ourselves. Such as "finish painting the ceilings," and "go to class and do homework." Finishing the house is definitely a goal, but not a means to an end. Who knows, maybe we will end up living here for another 20 years? Or maybe we will sell it before the paint is dry. I just hope our efforts will be appreciated and enjoyed.

There are many things that I want. And I am blessed to say that I have most of them. Purpose, joy, family, love. I feel quite satisfied with life. But I also feel a certain gnawing inside of me. I feel like it is the same thing that keeps all people going. Existing can be tough, but to truly live is a challenge. Most people mistake this as a need for something more. But I feel like it is a greater awareness of reality and self, and the response to go "further up and further in" (as CS Lewis puts it). I don't work to fill any deficiencies. I'm not saying I have no deficiencies, though. But I contend for what I can attain as mine, by giving all that I already have.

I don't know if I'm ready for what's coming. I know we have a plan. But I also know that time reveals whether that plan was meant to be or not. So I will set myself to do what I can do, setting and achieving goals. Taking care of what needs to be taken care of. And just take each new day as they come.