Sorry for the sabbatical!

I realize I've been extremely remiss in my blogging. I've been sort of up to my ears in wedding stuff for part of the time (more on that in a future post) and the other part I spent just being tired from all the stuff going on in this thing called life. Sidenote: living in Ukraine- where traveling just takes so much more time- got me accustomed to a little less hustle and bustle. I was busy and doing things in Ukraine, but the fact that I had to wait on things like buses and trains or had to take the time to walk places seemed to cut down on the ability to commit to too much activity.

Anyway, today is a confession post: I have discovered that I'm a little bit of a snob. Why is that, you may ask? Well, this week, I had a student in my office, chatting about Thanksgiving. She was telling me that she was asked to make the "homemade, from scratch" pies for her holiday gathering. She then followed that with this statement, "I told them that if they'd get the Pillsbury dough and the pie filling, I'd be happy to!"

I mentally scoffed at Pillsbury dough and pie filling constituting "homemade, from scratch." Seriously? I didn't do just a ton of baking before Ukraine, but when I did get thrown in the deep end (that would be the cooking and baking processes of Ukraine), I had to figure out how to make things from actual scratch (sidenote: my mother did try to teach me these things as I grew up, but I didn't take the time to learn). I spent a lot of time pulling up recipes on the internet and gathering them from my mom to learn how to make my own Bisquick, pie crusts, pie filling, pumpkin puree, and a myriad of other things. That whole making-things-from-scratch business is exceedingly time consuming (and complicated when you're learning to read packaging in Russian- or worse, having to learn to ask for those things in the market!) and deserves a great deal of applause, in my opinion.

So, for all my ex-pat friends and non-ex-pat friends who take the time and effort to bake from ACTUAL scratch, I applaud you.

Pictures!

Brad and I didn't get pictures during our actual engagement, so we asked our friend, Hunter, to help us "recreate" engagement night. I'm including those pictures for your edification. Brad already put these up on Facebook, so I'm also adding his captions for the process. Enjoy!

We arrive at Union for a short walk before the "movie" we were going to instead of Wicked. Unfortunately they had "double booked" our seats for the show at the Orpheum in Memphis. Sad...

She has no idea what's coming.

No idea at all.

I did my best to listen intently to our conversation about the day's happenings.

I was succeeding at listening VERY intently.

The time comes... We stop abruptly. She's puzzled.

Brad: So, I've been lying to you. I never had tickets for Wicked tonight.

Erin: *Confusion*

Brad: I always had tickets for tomorrow night.

Erin: *Confusion.* What a mean trick!

Erin: Wait a minute... I think I know what's going on!

I had to make a move fast before the opportunity to surprise her afforded by the confusion had passed!

Marry me!

Yes!

And now we're engaged.

Wicked, Deception, and Proposal

I'm so sorry for the lengthy delay in writing. I've had a really good reason!

Short version: I got engaged! And, I saw "Wicked" for the second time!

Full version (get comfy- it's lengthy):

I LOVE "Wicked." Love it. I sing "Wicked" songs on an almost daily basis. Then, "Wicked" decides to come to Memphis for the month of October! Brad, knowing my deep and abiding love for the retelling of the witches of Oz, booked tickets and informed me that we would be going on Friday, October 29. I started counting down the days.

Logo for Wicked. Elphaba on the left, Glinda (Galinda) on the right.

To read about it, click here. One of my favorite songs: "The Wizard and I." It's just great. And fabulous. And nothing like The Wizard of Oz, which is good, because that one frightened me as a child...and I've never recovered.

So, last week, I was thinking of "Wicked" around the clock. I had a less-than-awesome week, and it was the light at the end of the tunnel. My supervisor let me leave a little earlier than usual so that I could get ready (not only is she a fellow "Wicked" enthusiast, she also knew the grand scheme of the weekend).

Now, sister had had a traumatic medical "emergency" last week (don't fret- she's doing much better now), so my parents had a legitimate reason for coming to Jackson (they were planning to come all along, but Amiee's little problem gave them a valid reason to publicly arrive in Jackson and hang out at my house). I'm pretty sure Amiee didn't plan that, but it would have made the story more impressive.

Brad arrived a little later than I had expected him to (seeing as how we had to drive to Memphis, eat, and get to the theater), and when he walked in, I thought that something truly dreadful had happened. His entire countenance looked grief-stricken, and I promise he looked like he was on the verge of tears.

Me: What's wrong?? (you have to imagine that extra question mark- it was the urgency in my voice)

Brad: Erin, I'm so sorry. I got this email before I came over.

(Brad pulls out an email and hands it to me)

The Orpheum (theater in Memphis) had sent him an email apologizing for double-booking our row for the show. They asked us to call Saturday morning for an update on available seating for one of the other showings that weekend.

I felt my stomach drop, and I think little tears started welling up in my eyes. But, no. Brad looked so sad and despairing that I didn't want him to know how sad I was.

Me: Oh, that's ok. We'll just call tomorrow...pause...Can we still have a mini-date?

Brad: Yes! Definitely! Anywhere you want to go.

We decided on a restaurant, and I said I would change clothes. My mother was insistent that we both stay in our dress up clothes. She thought we just looked too nice to waste it.

Um. Ok...

We had dinner (a LOT earlier than normal), and the plan was to go to a movie. There was a chunk of time between dinner and the movie, so Brad suggested that we go to Best Buy and play Guitar Hero (we like to do that sometimes. we're cool. we know.). After dinner, I realized that I needed something from home and asked to make a quick trip home before going to Best Buy.

Brad became extremely defensive, questioning why, exactly, I needed to go home. For those of you who don't know Brad, you should know that that was terribly uncharacteristic. I explained that I needed something that I'd left at home. He continued acting agitated, and when we stopped at a traffic light, he sent a hasty, hurried text, mumbling something about Hunter (his roommate) and needing to respond to an earlier text.

As we got close to the turn to my house, I noticed that he wasn't slowing down, seemingly because he was playing with the iPod.

Me: Brad, you totally missed the turn.

Brad: Oh, man. You're right. Sorry...I was just trying to find the "Wicked" soundtrack.

We turned around in a nearby driveway and drove VERY SLOOOOOWLY to my house. When we got to the house, I went back to my room to find my tights; because I wasn't allowed to change, I was really cold. I couldn't find my tights and came out grumbling about it. We said goodbye (for the second time) to my family and Mary Ellen and headed out. Back in the car:

Brad: Hey, I had thought about going to Best Buy to play Guitar Hero and then going for a walk around campus. Let's go walk before it gets cold.

Me: It's already cold...and I couldn't find my tights.

Brad: It'll just be a short walk...

Me: (pitifully) Ok...let's go for a walk...

We got to Union and parked in the teeny tiny parking area near the bell tower. We started walking to the bell tower, and I was chatting about the long work week I'd had. I reached a stopping point, and Brad stopped walking.

Brad: So, I have a confession. I've been lying to you for a while. We never had tickets to "Wicked" for tonight.

WHAT?? How does a person respond to that? Lying? NO "WICKED" TICKETS??? What a mean trick!

Me: I'm sorry?

Brad: Well, we've always had tickets for tomorrow night. I had something else in mind for tonight...

...insert really sweet and awesome things here...Brad get on one knee...

Brad: Erin Elizabeth, will you marry me and be my wife?

Me: YES! Yes. Yes.

Brad stands up. We hug.

Me: You are such a liar! (I hit him)

At this point, I started going through all of the deceptions that had taken place (there were a lot!), and I realized how much effort he'd put into making sure that the proposal was a perfectly surprising moment. He had also planned an after party...which is why he'd freaked out about swinging back by the house- everyone was setting up for it! They covered so nicely, and I had no idea.

Lies:

1. The Orpheum hadn't double-booked our tickets: Brad had been in cahoots with the ticketing lady, and she'd sent him the bogus email so that he could show it to me. WHAT?

2. He wasn't texting Hunter: he was texting my mom. Text said: "We're headed to the HOUSE. IT HASN'T HAPPENED YET!" This was because they were setting up for the party.

3. He didn't accidentally miss the turn: he intentionally picked up and fiddled with the iPod so that he could "miss" the turn and kill a little time.

4. We were never going to the movie: he just needed to make me think there was a plan for the evening until he could propose.

Sneaky.

And that's where we began all the craziness that is the post-proposal life. I'll do a part two about the actual "Wicked" experience- it's a good story.

Whiners...what DO we do with them?

I know I explained my job in an earlier post, but I have an additional job this semester that I did not mention earlier: facilitating discussions that follow up on a series of lectures given by one of our professors of philosophy (note: I only do this for the students that I work with). During the first semester, all new students take a “freshman experience” course (at Union, it’s called Gateway). My supervisor is the primary instructor for our kids’ Gateway class, but they have a series of lectures given by another professor that will- hopefully- help broaden their understandings of college and a “learning environment.”

Anyway, after Dr. B gives one of his lectures, I do a follow-up/review lesson in the next class. His lessons are really great, and I totally enjoy them. The students pay attention…ish. It’s early and most of them don’t go to bed until the sun starts to come up (ok, that may be an exaggeration for some students but definitely not for all of them). The first lesson he taught was entitled “Who am I?” and focused on identity. This last lesson was about meaning, answering the question, “Why am I here?”

Y’all. It was a great lesson. However, he used quotes from C. S. Lewis’ The Abolition of Man and Nietzsche’s “The Madman.” Those are both rather dense works of literature. My students + 8:00 am + Nietzsche = huh? I took notes furiously during his lesson, because I knew that I was going to have to have a broad range of info to pick from. This would be essential, given that I watched the students’ faces and saw the blank stares that they were giving him during class. Seriously? Most people get stuck just trying to figure out how all those letters fit into the name Nietzsche, much less what he was talking about.

This weekend, I devoted a good chunk of Saturday night and then Sunday afternoon to developing a good solid lesson for review. I enjoy writing lesson plans, for the most part. I like the creativity that goes into it, and I like trying to tap into the different “intelligences” that they had us memorize in our education classes. I planned this one out and had Brad check it over to make sure I wasn’t butchering any of the philosophical aspects. I hadMad Gabs for us to play (hinting at the difficulty of finding meaning), I had small group discussions planned (because they only wake up when they have the opportunity to talk), and only moderate thinking outside of concrete answers was required. I was excited; I thought they were going to be grateful for the fun game, as well as the chance to talk and not get in trouble.

I think I was wrong. They whined about the Mad Gabs being too hard. They whined about having to move to get into groups. They whined that they didn’t get the assignment that they wanted. They whined that the assignment had THREE parts to it. They whined that someone from each group had to be the spokesman.

They were so whiney!

I got so frustrated with them. I know it’s the plight of the teacher to be unappreciated and whined at, but seriously, folks: we’re in college. Let’s put on our big people’s pants and appreciate the carefully-selected Mad Gabs.

I would have LOVED to play Mad Gab way back when I was a student…

(P.S. Jaclyn and Susanna: I thought about y'all the WHOLE time we were doing Mad Gabs. SUCH fun!)

The run-down

Since the last time I wrote, my student’s mother passed away. She sent me an email at 6:38 that morning to let me know. Surprisingly, she still attended her classes all day. The memorial service for her mother isn’t for another couple of weeks, so she is still here at UU until then. It’s been very encouraging to see the Union community come together and encourage her. In one of her classes, the professor canceled class that day and took all the students to the on-campus coffee shop for coffee. My student also had a class where the professor contacted all of the students and arranged for everyone to wear pink to class in honor of my student’s mother (who died as a result of breast cancer). Our Keystone students have been great at rallying around here and offering support, as well. In some ways, it’s almost better that she’s still here on campus right now, receiving that love and attention.

In other news:

-I’m going to see “Wicked” this weekend in Memphis! Yay, Brad.

-My friend, Molly, is getting married in less than 2 months, and I LOVE the bridesmaid’s dress for the wedding.

-I got to watch Tuesdae come in 2^nd place at the Cross Country conference race this past weekend. Go, Tuesdae!

-I facilitated class for my students this morning (at 8:00- they are SO not awake at that time of day), and no one boo-ed or threw tomatoes.

-We were under a tornado watch all morning (um, I REALLY don’t handle tornadoes very well any more), and the electricity went off 7 times, killing my computer to the point where it didn’t cooperate for an hour.

-I get a haircut today, which will revolutionize my life.

-Last night, at JCrib (the urban ministry that I’m volunteering with), I was responsible for the kitchen and for dinner. I was so afraid that I was going to poison them accidentally (I’ve never cooked in that massive quantity before), but it went so well.

I know that everyone wanted to know all of those tiny details. I should have taken the time to develop each into an interesting anecdote. That’s really what most of my posts are: tiny details from life that I hyperbolize to within an inch of their lives. Maybe I’ll go back and do that sometime soon…

Here’s a “Mad Gab” that I used in my class this morning (Mad Gab is a game wherein you read a series of words that don’t make sense together, but when read aloud, they sound like other common phrases): Half Ahab Bee Two Stay. Anyone get it?

I MISS PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION

Who would have thought I'd ever say that? Goodness, not me. Anyone remember this? Or this? Or maybe this? It wasn't always my favorite thing.

Yesterday, though, I decided that I mostly definitely miss some things. Namely, I miss trains. I really like the convenience of train transportation. There are, of course, downsides to taking trains:

1. You're limited on what kind/amount of luggage you can take.

2. You are set on a time table, whether or not you like it.

3. You're on the train with lots of people- much like an airplane.

4. If you get motion sick, you're really going to want to avoid the backwards-facing seats.

Despite these negatives, the great, shining positive is that you don't have to be responsible for cross-country trekking. Don't ever minimize the value of not having that responsibility...

I spent part of my Fall Break in St. Louis, visiting my dear friend, Kat (some of you may remember her epic-like visit to Ukraine last year, including a little train-jumping that went down). We had a great weekend of good food, farmer's market, hanging out at the fire pit, building a fort, and enjoying the Botanical Gardens. It was GREAT fun! The tricky part came when I was navigating and driving myself back to Jackson.

I'm really and truly not bad with directions. I'm very good at following directions and at driving, but I have very dreadful night vision. On the way back to Jackson yesterday, I was doing great on navigating until I got back into West Tennessee. That's when the darkness set in, and my ability to see went away with the sun. Y'all- please note that when it is said that West Tennessee is "rural", that statement is to be taken most literally. There is NOTHING out there! If you, for example, miss your exit, there are no lights or signs to let you know where you are or where you're going. If this is the case, you may find yourself driving north into Kentucky instead of southeast into Jackson.

Good grief. I miss trains.

Discipline: The Glad Surrender

I read a book in high school called Discipline: the Glad Surrender, written by Elisabeth Elliot. It was such a great, straightforward look at how discipline is something that we all should incorporate in our lives. For the next week or so after reading the book, I was SO disciplined about everything. Then, I got over it and went back to regular life.

Over the past few weeks, I've found myself really interested in stories that revolve around discipline. For example, tonight M.E. and I watched Julie and Julia. It was so good! I loved almost every moment of it and was so inspired by the discipline involved in Julie's undertaking.

To read more about the project behind and the plot of the movie, click here.

I had decided to watch the movie because I'd read about how it had inspired the author of newdressaday.com. I LOVE to check this site on a regular basis to see what kind of crazy creative contraptions she's been designing. It's fantastic! Both of these women (Julie from the movie and Marissa from the blog) chose to tackle year-long projects: Julie- 500+ recipes in 365 days and Marissa- 365 new clothing items in 365 days for only $365. Di-sci-pline.

On a smaller and less famous note, I even drew motivation from here. I liked her ideas and the way she broke down her objectives into categories that would enrich her life or someone else's.

So, how do I make this applicable into my life? I want to be disciplined to do something cool and that plays up to a creative strength of mine. I also want to be disciplined to tackle some sort of spiritual discipline, like finishing the large sections of scripture that I often set out to memorize and only get partway through. I also want to commit to something that would serve others in an intentional and consistent way.

Do any of you kind and faithful readers out there have suggestions for a disciplined experiment to commit to for the upcoming year? I'm thinking and praying about how to become disciplined in my life...and how to actually structure something to make it happen.

On a different note, this time last year, I was in Budapest! In memory of that occasion, here are a few pictures to enjoy:

Oh, how I loved Budapest! Must go back one day.