Goodbye Textbooks Hello Career

Normally this time of year I would be getting settled into my new classes,  probably already be swamped with homework, playing soccer, and generally enjoying my favorite season, fall.  But not this year.  This year there are no more textbooks to buy, no classes to attend, and for the first time in over 10 years, no soccer.  Now I have achieved that high and noble calling that is the whole purpose of schooling.  Now, I have a big-girl job.  So the question is, what have I been doing these past few weeks?  Pause.  On Monday I will have been here a MONTH.  Continue.   

Well, I must say a majority of my time has been spent at work.  Good thing right?  I “wake up” at 5 and leave a little after six.  I get to the office before 6:30 and then I am awake around 7:30.  I work 9 hours a day so with my lunch break I get off about 4:30.

After work I have several options.  One day this week I attended a workout class and plan to do that twice per week.  It is good motivation since I am not training for anything specific right now nor do I have a work-out-buddy.  There are also some running trails behind my apartment that I have utilized several times and thoroughly enjoy.

In addition to some type of exercise there are also a number of life groups I have been visiting.  The Vineyard is the church I have decided to attend here and along with their weekly Sunday services (with worship in English and Spanish!) they have said life groups.  These are small groups of people who meet in homes to worship and pray together.  I must say that with all of the bigness of Houston small groups have been most welcome. 

Note on diversity: there are people from literally all over the world here and it is SO cool. 

What has consumed most of my time the last three weeks has been searching for a car.  Right now I am so very blessed to be borrowing a car from someone from the Vineyard.  However, this cannot last forever and so I have been searching high and low for a reliable, decently priced car. You think with how big Houston is that it would be easy.  Wrong.  I have spent hours on the internet doing research and have test driven over 10 cars on my own as well as gotten the highly esteemed opinion of a most-gracious friend on three of them.  I even practically had a deal until I pulled up an auto-check and found out this sneaky guy was attempting to sell me a salvaged car.  

The good part is I have driven through much of Houston and have a few pictures to share from it:

So, in the moments when I am not working, searching for a car, attending a life group, or working out. I enjoy my apartment and making smoothies and dinner and playing my guitar and reading my bible and praying in the peacefulness of my own space amidst a city that never seems to stop.

  

So yep, that’s what happens when school doesn’t exist.

My New Home

This past week I was out in the field from Tuesday to Friday.  I got to go to one of my own wells and track a plunger and shoot a fluid level the first day, and the next day we went to see all of the different well surface equipment that we use.  It was a good time, but I realized when I pulled in my driveway that I had missed my place, and it was good to be back.  I wouldn’t call it home yet, but it is my space, my get-away, and I really like it.  Saturday I was supposed to go to Dallas but the car I am borrowing started making some strange noises so I decided to put that trip off.  So I took the time to officially finish unpacking and organizing so I thought I would  share some pictures of my new place.

   

Spaghetti

My family has a Sunday tradition that after church we all have a big spaghetti dinner together.  Well, today I didn’t make any spaghetti and here’s why; I made some last week.  Now, normally, with my super-sized family this statement wouldn’t make any sense because after Sunday there isn’t any left.  I even realized going into it last week that I would have to cut back from the usual recipe and I did.  When I made the sauce I only used half of what I normally do and it would have been fine except that when it came to the pasta….I forgot.  I invited a friend over and even sent him home with leftovers but there was so much that every lunch and dinner I made for my myself this week was leftover spaghetti…and there is still some.  So today, I thought it would be a good idea to try some baked oatmeal…