Happy 30th Birthday, honey!

Since Shane posted 30 reasons he's glad he's turning 30, I'm going to post a mostly humorous list of 30 things I love/like/appreciate/admire/adore about Shane.

Here goes:

1. His wonderful dancing moves. They are so good that I think he can wind up on Dancing with the Stars. Why that show? Because Shane is as much of a star as the rest of them, so why not?!!
2. His beautiful blue-green eyes (wink wink) that sparkle with laughter almost all of the time.
3. His friendship. Shane is so open with me, and I value his friendship more than ever. He is my best friend, heart and soul.
4. His sense of humor. He is so funny, especially when he’s not trying to be. He makes me laugh all the time, and I am so grateful for that.
5. His loyalty. Shane is the most loyal person I have ever met. He is loyal to me, my family, his family, his church, the church, his friends, etc., etc. If you know Shane, you will realize this. He loves his people. I mean just look how loyal he is to the Texas Longhorns and the Houston Oilers, one place that he never even attended and the other that has been in Tennessee for over 10 years.
6. That he allows me to watch reality TV shows and game shows. I know I’m a college professor and according to most of my colleagues, I’m supposed to be “above” that, but there’s just something about those shows that draws me in. American Idol. Survivor. The Amazing Race. Deal or No Deal. 1 Vs. 100. Etc. Etc. Not only does he let me watch them without giving me too hard of a time, but he watches them with me! Sorry if I’m ruining your image, honey, but you know it’s true!
7. That he provides for me and our family and that he does so happily and lovingly.
8. The way he is with Elizabeth. He is the most wonderful daddy ever, and Elizabeth lets him know this all the time. From the very beginning, he has changed diapers, fed her, held her, rocked her (well, not really—Elizabeth does not like to cuddle!), tended to Elizabeth’s needs, cleaned up the peas and carrots all over the floor at the end of every meal, bathed Elizabeth (I think I’ve bathed her less than 30 times!); prepared dinner for Elizabeth, but most of all, the way he just loves that little girl. Elizabeth loves her daddy so much now, but she loves him more every day. I love to see them together.
9. The food you cook! Like I said in an earlier post, Shane is an AMAZING cook. It may not be the healthiest stuff to put in my body, but at least I get to enjoy it. We like to tease that there are no skinny cooks.
10. His passion for ministry and for wanting to change the world. This aspect of our life isn’t really an aspect; it’s our whole life. It encompasses everything we do, think, and believe. And I’m so glad to be married to a minister where this “aspect” is the reality. Where every day we love, learn, grow, cry, and dream about the way God is working in our lives and the lives of others.
11. He’s so handsome. I never thought I would marry such a good-looking man. Boy did I get lucky!
12. His brain. Though am very attracted to his good looks, his brain is also appealing and sexy. I love it when we get into deep, analytical discussions. I bet someone observing us would think we were nerds, but we’re both OK with that. We ARE nerds!
13. That he will play games with me, even when he doesn’t want to!
14. That I can make him smile when he is grumpy, irritated, or frustrated.
15. That he moved all the way to Godforsaken Kentucky (not really, but at the time he thought so) so that I could go to school and earn my Ph.D. What sacrifices he made then (and still makes now).
16. That he submits to me, as Christ does to the church, and that he gently reminds me to do the same.
17. That he bucks and challenges societal systems that don't make much sense to him. tc.).
18. That he is the BEST preacher ever. I can’t wait to spend the rest of my life listening to him and learning from his wisdom.
19. That he has become just as obsessed (if not more) with Diet Coke than me.
20. That he does the right thing—no matter what.
21. His silliness. Shane can cut up with the best of them.
22. He’s as stubborn as I am, and we still manage just fine.
23. He’s the best giver of massages and back scratches (both of which I have “needed” desperately, even since I was little). Should I also say that I like it that he doesn’t like to receive massages? That means that I can get, get, get, and not have to give, give, give. But that’s selfish of me so I’ll stop.
24. That one day he’s going to be a doctor, too. No, not the “real” kind…that would mean that we actually had some money to spare. But he will be a doctor and we will be a “paradox” (pair of docs). Get it?!!
25. That he will travel with me to all parts of the country (and world) since traveling is one of my “hobbies.”
26. That even when I’m gone, he still sleeps with the allergy filter on.
27. The way he loves animals but insists that we will NEVER have a pet. (We’ll see about that!)
28. That he does really good imitations of Sean Connery and Bill Clinton but cannot for the life of him figure out how to do an imitation of a woman (He tries, but fails miserably).
29. That he makes the best homemade ice cream, with mix-ins and the like. Yum-yum.
30. That he loves me, cherishes me, and daily lives out the vows we took almost five years ago.

Happy birthday, Shane. May we enjoy many more years together.

Elizabeth on the trampoline!!

When we tell Elizabeth to smile for the camera, for some reason she likes to close her eyes and flash a big grin, as you can see from most of these pictures. And don't you just love the outfit?! Way to go, Nana. You're soooo hip!





Kissin' the camera.
We went to visit our dear friends, Marshall and Lara Jane, in Anson a few weeks ago, and Elizabeth got to jump on a trampoline for the first time. She absolutely LOVED jumping around and could not stop laughing the entire time. She couldn't stand up for long when the others were jumping with her, but that made it all the more fun for her. We enjoyed it, too, because one of her pigtails came out and so it was sticking straight up in the air, as if she was "electric!" :)




This picture is of Emma Ruth and Cady Beth with our girl. Elizabeth had a wonderful time with them. Is a trampoline in our future?!!

NYC Pics

Yes, yes, we DID attend the conference, but we also took some time out for some explortion and adventure. Since I had never been and was staying in the heart of Midtown Manhattan (and on Baylor's bill), I decided that I just couldn't go to NYC and stay in the hotel all day. Could I?!!

This picture is of Beth and me in front of Times Square.

Rockefeller Center was a hopping place, even when we walked by around 9:30 p.m. There were still a lot of people ice skating. I wanted to go, but we never really got the chance.

I love this picture of a walkway in Central Park. It had snowed in New York the weekend before we went (luckily we didn't get caught in it because planes were delayed for days!!), and so there was still melting ice on the ground. Even though there are no leaves on the trees, I like the city buildings in the background. I think it's one of my favorite pictures I took. We couldn't leave Central Park without grabbing a Diet Coke and a pretzel. Yum-yum!

We looked all over the city for this arch. I asked several people where it was and most people didn't know. Finally, we figured out that it was called the "Washington Arch" and was located in Washington Square Park, right near NYU. We strolled through here, Greenwich Village, Chinatown, and Little Italy on our way up to the Brooklyn Bridge. Lots of walking.

This picture is on the Brooklyn Bridge on our way BACK across into Manhattan. We thought it would be shorter than it was and ended up walking almost 2 miles (we think!). One of my colleagues at Baylor told me when I got back that the Brooklyn Bridge was patterned after the Suspension Bridge in our lovely Waco, although I'm not quite sure. Something about the way it was built being "tested" on this bridge first. I think the Brooklyn Bridge got the better end of the bargain, for here is a picture of the one in Waco.

Rainy Days

It's raining today (again), and we so we are stuck inside. Elizabeth's trying to go to sleep, but the thunder isn't help much. I have been without a phone all week because I left it in my mom's car last Saturday when she picked me up at the Houston airport during my 4 hour leftover (note that I could have driven HOME in that time), but it was good to see my mom. And my dad got to meet us, too. But it's difficult not having a phone, especially being on the road for so long each day.

The bluebonnets are blooming here, and we've been wanting to take Elizabeth's picture in them, but it has been raining here for about 3 weeks straight. Hopefully I can take those pics soon. I like the rain and everything--it makes everything so green and we Texans must treasure the green for it won't last long!--but I also like for Elizabeth to be able to play outside and to not get soaked every time I walk anywhere.

Hope your day is going well! Here are a few pictures of Elizabeth. She did NOT want to play in the rain, unlike her cousin Barrett loves to do. She likes to be clean and did not appreciate me setting her down on our back porch!! She kept saying, "It's wet, Mama. No. No."

Back from NYC

I have just returned from a week-long national writing conference in NYC. I presented my research to other colleagues, caught up with old friends and colleagues, and explored the city when I found the time. I had never been to New York before and so I was really excited. Our conference was at the Hilton in Manhattan and so we had a wonderful location, in the middle of everything and right near Times Square and Broadway. I'll post some pictures lately, but for now, I'll just tell you about one experience--the trip to the World Trade Center site.

My friend Beth and I went down to the World Trade Center site. I don't know if you have been there or not, but it was a harrowing and eerie experience. I don't really know what I was expecting. But I'll tell you what occurred:

We walked up to the area where they have built a small memorial to the people who lost their lives in the WTC. The names of each person is printed on a plaque and around the names are pictures, not of the victims, but of the mourners. I was surprised (and a little embarrassed) how emotional I became. One picture, in particular, moved me to tears, and I tried to hold back the sobs. The picture was of a police officer in a long line of other police officers. He was in the act of saluting, tears were coming down his cheeks, and he was in the middle of a sob. This picture showed real anguish. The emotion of the picture stirred emotion in me. I continued looking at the pictures and then went to this pillar that describes what they hope to build in place of the Twin Towers. The new building is nice and has a lot of meaning (the base of the new tower will be the same as the two towers put together and the top will have part of it as tall as Tower 1 and part of it as tall as Tower 2). Another thing that stuck out to me about this particular memorial was the silence. Even though it was raining and we are surrounding by the city sounds of the street, silence still permeated the area.

And then when I looked up and over the towering fence around the site, all I saw was a bunch of empty space. Though I never saw the actual towers, the empty space brought me back to that awful, terrible day. The day that we should never forget. Not only for those people who lost their lives and their families but for all of America. There are some remains of the building still standing in the empty hole, which goes to show you how long this whole reconstruction process is taking. Construction workers and their vehicles are everywhere, and the dust and the dirt still remain. How long will it take to get this old stuff out of here before we can get to the new? When will we heal from this ordeal? Ever?

Many of my colleagues at the conference didn't want to go see the site--and didn't. Either they weren't ready or they thought it was too political or they didn't want to be "depressed," as one of my friends put it. I'm glad I went, though, even though it was hard to see.

Pictures!!

Sweet Elizabeth. She loves her baby and she loves her beads.

Most of these pictures were taken when we were in Ruidoso over Christmas with Shane's family. I know they are 3 months old, and Elizabeth has really changed, but these are so cute.


Shane and Elizabeth all bundled up.
We saw this deer right outside of the house we were staying in. Elizabeth was fascinated.

A family picture of the Alexander clan. That's our cute niece Eleanor that Granna's holding.

"No, Momma. No, No, Momma."

These are Elizabeth's favorite words right now. I hear her saying them even when she's in her bedroom playing all by herself. We went to Houston last weekend and she said them for about an hour and a half, constantly. I didn't really understand why she was saying them. I don't know if she's mad at me, or . if she's only repeating back--in the EXACT same tone of voice--what she's heard me say too many times: "No, Elizabeth. We don't hit people." or "No, no. We just put your shoes and socks on. Please don't take them off." or "No, Elizabeth. We don't draw on the coffee table." or "No, Elizabeth. Don't touch the treadmill. You could get hurt."

I guess she doesn't like being told no. I mean, who really does like being told no? We all have different ways of dealing with this answer (that we rarely want to hear). Wouldn't we all really like to be given the Ok to behave like a toddler every once in a while: no holds bar. We could throw ourselves on the ground in frustration, or mischievously walk up to the treadmill and hang from the railing in defiance, or run and scream and pound on the wall, all of which Elizabeth does--without abashment, with reckless abandonment, and with true force. Sometimes I want to throw a fit, that's for sure. When I don't get an article accepted in a journal, I want to cry. Or when a friend gently rebukes me, my pride sometimes gets in the way from hearing their sweet spirit. Or when God tells me "no" about something I think I wanted, I want to raise my hands in the air and yell, "But why not, God?" But instead of these expressions, I usually hold back my emotions, not wanting to get too caught up in these moments, these emotions, because then I will have to deal with my own inability to accept the answer "no." Perhaps I can learn something from my little toddler about expressing myself, perhaps not in the same way that she does--although I respect that reckless abandonment and honest spirit--but in the need to express myself at all, to express my reactions to life's disappointments, to react and respond, in a loving way, about my insecurities and fears. What a lesson my child is for me. She's already started saying, "I sorry, Mommy," and "Me obey." Thank you, God, for grace and forgiveness and the beautiful, pure, and HONEST heart of my child who daily teaches me about your grace and your truths.

I hope you're having a wonderful day.

Food Fights

I think I am part of one of the only marriages in which we "fight," if you want to call it that, over who gets to cook meals on a given day. It's really very funny if you think about it. I'll go to the store and get food for 3 or 4 meals, and then Shane comes home with food he wants to cook for several nights. We have all this food and we have to alternate so we each get to do what we love. Shane is a huge fan of Alton Brown (smart guy, but really, really odd) and so everything he cooks is scientifically crafted to be just right, kind of like that magazine where they test out all these recipes to find just the right ingredients for the "best of" a certain food. Most of my food on the other hand comes from all the other chefs on the Food Network: Rachael Ray, Paula Deen, Robin Miller, Emeril, Tyler Florence, and Giada "put some clothes on!" Laurentis. We both enjoy cooking...I think it's because it's one of the few hobbies we have been able to keep with a toddler running around.

So, we are having a lot of "Good Eats" at our house. We just fight over who gets to make them. I think it's time for a bigger kitchen!