New Job, New Possibilities

Sorry I haven't posted anything in a long time. I've been waiting until I had something to post. Although I have been working on our apartment pretty much every day, there's only so much you can do without spending money, which we are avoiding right now until I get a job.

I've searched high and low, applied for any and all kinds of jobs, had to take the SAT to be considered for a job (but that job didn't work out), and almost given up hope that I would one. But, thank goodness, I got one. I'm working for the Texas A&M Bookstore. I'm excited. It should be fun. And a few other probably possibilities have shown up as well, so I could have two jobs. Plus, I'm pretty sure that even if I find one or two other jobs that have me work forty hours a week I can still work at games and special events for the bookstore. (My co-workers, 99.9 percent of them students, don't want to work during the football games, so I get to.) So this is great!! Yay!!

Because I have had relatively no work for the past six months (should I consider tutoring at the WSU Writing Center for four hours a week work?), I'm ready to work, work, work!!

I'll update the job situation when I know more myself.

Warm Texas Welcome

Whew! Moves are hard, but we've had a lot of wonderful help. We're moved in, unpacking, actually putting stuff on the walls, and starting to feel a little more at home. But even before we set foot in our apartment, I noticed: We're definitely not in the West anymore, Toto!!

If any of you doubted or wondered, Texas really is different from anywhere else in the country.

1. The stop lights are not vertical like the rest of the country--you know, red on top, yellow in the middle, and green on the bottom. They're horizontal--red on the left, yellow in the middle, and green on the right. WEIRD!!! Well, I was weirded out. They are horizontal because they are more stable on the poles against hurricane-force winds.

2. Although the scenery on the highway was pretty boring (mostly bushes and dead grass), there were a few interesting roadside gems. Tracy saw armadillo roadkill, which I wish he had pointed out to me! There were several stretches where oil rigs were just by the highway. You'd think in this land of oil plenty, gas would be cheaper than $2.50 per gallon!! But oh well.

3. Native Texans are really friendly, want to know your whole life's story, and will tell you theirs. On our first day in College Station, Tracy and I went to Denny's, and our waitress called me "hun" and "dear" probably about ten times. She told us stories about other customers she's had and about table manners (no one should start eating without everyone's food present--which we already do anyway).
Tracy's professor bought a used truck down here for his son, and after the car was checked out by an old mechanic, we went with his wife to pick up the truck. Just during the phone call, the mechanic covered topics ranging from restaurants in town to movies to the house he grew up in to what church they would attend.
One of the guys who helped us move in offered his old (being not exactly new but not yucky or ugly) couch to us. Yay for having a couch!!

4. Even the traffic signs are friendly. On the highways we'd see signs that would say, "Please help prevent forest fires," "Drive friendly," and "Maintain your vehicle." Such polite reminders! But my favorite sign was this one.


5. And this sign leads us perfectly to the next thing that makes Texas different--state pride. We stayed at Fort Stockton our first day of driving, and they had waffles on the breakfast table. I like waffles, but these are a little silly.


And state pride is huge here!! The guy who installed our internet talked about Texas football with Tracy for fifteen minutes and probably would have stayed longer if he didn't have other appointments.

While I hope I don't adopt all the Texas quarks, some aren't that bad. The last new fact about Texas is that we live in Brazos County. Brazos is Spanish for "arms"--for those who struggle remembering high school Spanish. So, Texas has received us with open arms, and we are grateful for our safety and for all those who have helped us move at all stages.

Yee-ha!!! Texas, Here We Come!!!

After months of "moving," we are finally getting to Texas on Friday! I don't know about Tracy, but I am having so many emotions right now: excitement, relief, anxiety, a little apprehension, a little homesickness (for my family--already), and hope.

Excitement--Tracy will be going to a school that focuses on sedimentary geology--Tracy's focus--and prepares most students for jobs with oil companies. We know the Lord has had a hand in our lives to provide this opportunity. It will be interesting to see how school goes for Tracy and, when he's done with school, whether he'll be able to get a job in Texas.

Relief--For the past two months, I haven't known what my next apartment will look like. Although I have had fun planning for several new decorations and home projects (thanks Mom and Karen), I will be so happy to get into my new home and actually carry out those plans.

Anxiety and apprehension--While College Station is a much bigger city than Pullman and surely will be a little easier to adapt to, I am still nervous about finding an editing job. And I had such high hopes for Pullman, which were pretty crushed when we got there, that I can't let myself get too carried away in hoping and imagining what our life will be like in CS.

Homesickness--I have always been attached to my family. I never looked forward to getting away from my family in high school, and I cried when I went to college. I cried when I didn't spend my first Christmas with them, and I call home at least every week, if not way more often. So after spending two months with my family, I find it hard to say good-bye to them, even though we are coming back for Christmas. This move is a good, needed part of our lives, but getting what we want is sometimes complicated.

Hope--We have hope that things will work out for us. The Lord has provided so much for us in our lives, and we know that as we try our best and do what we are supposed to do, He will help us. We have many hopes about our future that we will work hard to accomplish.

We are ready for the ride!! Bring it on, Texas! Yee-ha!!!