Life is Like a Roll of Toilet Paper

I am a Spanish major. Every time I say this out loud the responses vary widely. I have received "Oh. that is neat." to "What the hell are you going to do with that?" I say this because I have chosen not to pair Spanish with a minor. Probably not the smartest decision but I will figure that out later. I feel like if I know a foreign language I'll be ok somewhere. That being said it has given me lots of room to take some interesting classes at UNCA. Last semester was Portuguese and Political Science. This semester is peppered with Meteorology and Media Ethics. Yep. Kind of weird. This post is dedicated to my Meteorology class.

I have actually always been interested in weather. It fascinates me how much it can control our lives and how it is THE constant variable in any conversation between people. Always. So I thought I would try it out. Only two weeks in and it has been a very special treat. My professor has already become my favorite I have had in my time at UNCA. He is a small Asian man with a very thick Asian accent. This proves difficult at times in class but he is very good at writing words on the board so we know what he is talking about. He also gets off on random tangents in class about life and life lessons. Today it was toilet paper.

He had brought in a plunger to talk to us about air pressure and vacuums. This also means he brought in a roll of toilet paper just for fun. After completing the demonstation he gave the class a five minute speech comparing our lives to toilet paper. Even within that speech he spent 30 seconds talking about how ugly new borns are. Back to the toilet paper. He held up the roll and said it was a metaphor for our life. Of course everyone giggled. He then talked about how the roll starts out big and becomes unwound. Slower feeling at first and then when you get down closer to the core it seems to go faster and faster. Then he broke a piece off and told us we were all fragile and our rolls can break at anytime. He then told us to go out and live a good life and ended by raising the roll high above his head and saying "cheers to you all." We then casually went back to talking about air pressure and jet streams.

Yeah. That basically sums this class up. I learn a whole lot about weather and whole lot about life. He is a very smart man and I enjoy his musings very much. I have yet to leave that class without a smile on my face.

And as funny as it is...

Life IS like a roll of toilet paper. Lot's of different kinds, sizes, patterns, textures, and opinions about how it should be unrolled. But in the end it is essentially toilet paper with one supposed to be Ultimate purpose (insert assertions here) and when it is used for other things like cleaning up spills it doesn't work out so much...so..

Cheers to toilet paper!

side note. I actually strongly dislike the Charmin commercials. They are what you would call a def awk sitch (definitely awkward situation for those who don't do abbreviations) but since these bears had no toilet paper I gave them a second chance.

The Cutest Little Girl

Here is a picture of me with the cutest 4 year old I know, Lucy Sloan. Seriously, I DARE you to find a cuter girl.

This picture was taken a few days ago when my sister was in town. We had gone with the Sloan's and Murphy's after church to lunch at Chili's. The wait was agonizingly long and the building waaaay over crowded so Anne and I took Asher and Lucy outside to have snowball fights and play tag. At one point Lucy was sitting in my lap looking at Anne's pictures and she kept stopping and turning around to give me big hugs. Then she said "take a picture of me and Amy Noll." This is that picture. Thanks Anne Noll for capturing a moment of cuteness too great for words.

I'd say I'm the luckiest girl in the world to have a friend like Lucy. Like I said, I dare you to find a cuter little girl.

The Things You Forget..

So Anne came to visit me this weekend and once I get her pictures there will be a longer, more detailed post of what we did. But for now I feel the need to inform you all about one thing.

Anne and I did a lot of 'Remember when' this weekend. The things we came up with were hilarious. We talked about my dislike of being anywhere near a Talbots because we were made to spend what seemed like hours in that store (love you Mom!). We talked about how we remember our aunts and uncles at our ages and how we thought (and still think) they were so cool and old. There were also the conversations about what movies we used to think were hilarious and much talk of old Disney Channel shows.

My favorite thing we brought up was our weekly grocery store trips to H-E-B. I know I promised to give 'all things Texas' a rest for awhile but this one is too good not to discuss. Especially for people who can relate. Anne and I discussed how we used to love our weekly shopping trips with mom to buy our 2 baskets full of groceries (yep, once a week). We liked these trips so much because there was always the chance that we might be bought an ICEE from the machine in the deli section. This did not happen every week but the promise that there could be kept us all on our best behavior. I cannot imagine taking 5 small children into a crowded grocery store. Bless you, Mother.

Anne and I further discussed the things we used to have to do in the grocery store. And that is when I remembered.. Taco Cabana in Boerne used to be located INSIDE of H-E-B! You might be sitting there thinking 'so what?' and that is perfectly alright. These are the two places I seem to miss the most about Texas. And the fact that I had forgotten they used to be joined together blew my mind. I then remembered how it was my job to buy a regular Coke and 4 flour tortillas for us to split whenever we were shopping. I mean, seriously, Taco Cabana + H-E-B = the best combo of places ever. Trust me on this. It was awesome.

So there you. My filler post until I am finished catching up on all of the school work I threw into the corner for the weekend. Thank goodness for holidays. I am trying to enjoy this one because it is the last one before Spring Break. But that being said, I wouldn't mind a few snow days between now and then.

Hint, hint weather man..

Sweet 16!

Today is Anne Noll's 16th birthday (She is the first on the left in the above picture). Sadly, I am not in Boerne, TX to celebrate with her. But the good news is she is coming to visit me later this week so we will definitely have a birthday celebration then. Turning 16 was the coolest. Makes my top 5 favorite birthdays list ever. And yes, I know I've only had 21 of them.

Anne is probably just about the coolest 16 yr old you have EVER met. Seriously. She sews. Like sews as in has a sewing machine and has made me purses and skirts. And they are legit. She is very crafty and can craft the heck out of just about anything. She finally broke the Noll family height curse and is now almost the tallest member of the children. I might be just a little jealous.

Over Christmas break I got to spent a little time with her and see what she has been up to in her life. She has a tree house in the back yard and we spent 2 full days decorating it with fabric, pictures, and maps, and cool trinkets. That's right, I used the word trinket. Deal with it.

I trust this girl fully with a vehicle (not that I have any say in the matter). She looks older than me, is taller than me, and is waaaay cooler than I ever was at 16 or even now for that matter.

So....

Leaning on the Everlasting Arms

Ever since I saw the new True Grit on Christmas Day I have had this hymn stuck in my head. I grew up singing Leaning On the Everlasting Arms all the time but never really paid much attention to it. They use it throughout the movie and it is the song you exit to. I have since then researched it and found out that it the verses were written by Elisha Hoffman and the chorus was added by Anthony Showalter who added them after he had heard about two of his friends losing their wives.

Not a bad song to have stuck in my head..

Leaning on the Everlasting Arms

What a fellowship, what a joy divine,
Leaning on the everlasting arms;
What a blessedness, what a peace is mine,
Leaning on the everlasting arms.

Refrain:
Leaning, leaning, safe and secure from all alarms;
Leaning, leaning, leaning on the everlasting arms.

Oh, how sweet to walk in this pilgrim way,
Leaning on the everlasting arms;
Oh, how bright the path grows from day to day,
Leaning on the everlasting arms.

Refrain

What have I to dread, what have I to fear,
Leaning on the everlasting arms?
I have blessed peace with my Lord so near,
Leaning on the everlasting arms.

Refrain

These words speak for themselves

Whatcha Gonna Do When They Come For You?

For lack of things to blog about I have decided to write about the events of last night. Mostly a 5-10 minute window but those 5-10 minutes were something special.

My friend Sarah is in town for a few days and has obviously been staying with me. Visitors are fun especially when you like them. As always this means that parking in front of my apartment can be challenging and spots get confused but it is never a big deal because there are plenty of other places to park, like down below my apartment on a section of the "road" no one ever drives on. Sooooo last night when Sarah and I got back from dinner and a movie, that is where I parked. No problem. Been doing that for about a year now. No one has ever told me I should not do this. That is until last night.

We came home and then decided to watch Friends re-runs for the rest of the night. I feel asleep on the couch (surprise surprise) at about 11:30ish. Sarah woke me around 12 and I climbed into bed. I have this strange habit during the winter of always looking out my window for snow before I go to bed. I know, I am ridiculous. Well this time when I peeked through the blinds there was a cop car outside and a few cops walking around. I jumped out of bed and put some more clothes on to see what was going on. I like neighborhood drama. It is horrible but true. I think we all secretly do. I went into the living room and Katie, my room mate, immediately informed me that the cops were actually here for ME. What? They apparently I had parked in a bad spot and they were forcing me to move my car.

At this point I have no idea what is going on. All I want to do is go to bed. Not go outside in below freezing temps in pajama pants and a sweat shirt to talk to cops. But I did. As soon as I walked downstairs I realized that not only was there one cop car outside but THREE and there were FOUR cops standing around with their thumbs in their belt loops doing their best to look threatening. So I approach them and calmly ask what the problem was. Apparently, cars are not supposed to be parked down the hill and they assumed it was a suspicious person prowling around looking for trouble. So they began investigating. Wow, I never thought my 2008 dark blue CR-V with a Young Life sticker on it was that suspicious. I guess I was wrong.

So I went to move my car. Of course it took two cop cars to wait and make sure that I was actually moving my car.

The best part about the whole night? I had my pants on inside out and backwards. Those of you who know me know this happens regularly.

All this to say I am grateful that the Woodfin Police were actually paying attention and trying to do their job. They sure do know how to scare the heck out of a 21 yr old at midnight.

So well done Woodfin Police! I hope you actually stopped real crime last night.

Laaaaater 2010

2010 New Year's Eve was probably the best yet. And the funny thing was I spent it doing things I really don't ever do. I spent the night with my family Two Stepping in a dancehall located in the heart of small town Texas. Yep. There probably isn't anything more stereotypical that I could have done. I spent my whole life here in Boerne, TX and never really appeared in the dancehall scene. Part of me thinks I missed out on alot but the other part me tells me that I now get to appreciate it even more for what it is.

Growing up we have never really gone crazy about the New Year. We do all of the traditional things like eat tamales, toasts with Martinelli's, and black eye peas on occasion. This year my parents took a big leap and decided to something crazy. They bought tickets to a BBQ, live music, and dance in Sisterdale, TX. A few things you should know about Sisterdale. It is old, very old. It is out in the middle of nowhere, and it's population is about 13. The dancehall is one of about 4 building that makes up the 'town,' a winery, old cotton gin, bar, and dancehall. And it is absolutely gorgeous. The most involvement I have had with this lovely place was driving through on the way to somewhere or stopping at their small store to pick up ice on our way to a fishing adventure.

The dancehall in Sisterdale up until this past year was fairly rundown but still usable. It was recently sold and the couple who bought it fixed it up very nicely and have recently opened it again. So my parents bought tickets along with our friends Pete and Lori Johnson and their kids. We all dressed in our finest Texas attire (you know the stuff) and headed out for what promised to be a most interesting night.

I can't seem to find any pictures of the remodeled dancehall but I found a few of the old one and the landscape around the area:

Sisterdale Bar

winery! this is on my list of places to visit at some point

This is the old dancehall exterior

Here is the website to the dancehall if you are just super bored. haha

I have to say, it was one of the finest nights I have had in Texas since leaving for college in the mountains of North Carolina. The stars were bright, the music was loud, the food good, and the old people really drunk. All joking aside it is good to remember your roots every now and then. The band was actually pretty good and I polished up on my Texas Two Stepping skills once again. The BBQ was delicious and made me never want to touch any other again (that's right, you too NC). Succulent Texas smoked brisket, cream corn, green beans, and of course a loaf of white bread to go with it accompanied by an iced tea. Let's just say the servers in the buffet line and I became very very good friends.

After dinner the dancing began. People are always a little shy but once they have enjoyed a few longnecks and glasses of hill country wine the night begins. I was whirled and twirled around my the Johnson's son Dan. I even danced with my lovely Dad. The most dancing that I have done in a very long time. Made me wish I had someone to go dancing with more often.

After about 3 hours of that we decided to run across the street to the saloon to play darts and shuffle board while we waited for the midnight toast. That was a most wonderful experience. I miss drunk old men giving you advice on how to keep creepy men away and telling you that you are "damn good" at everything.

We then headed back to the dance hall for 1 more hour of dancing. Then toasts to the new year. But wait! There was more! Breakfast tacos and black eye peas for all!! It was hilarious to watch a bunch of drunk people fighting over bacon and egg breakfast tacos. 1am breakfast tacos never tasted so good.

This trip really has been good. Good to be with family and good to be here in Boerne, TX. For the first time I have truly appreciated where I grew up. I have spent the last 2.5 years trying to run from it. While I don't see myself moving back anytime soon I will continue to appreciate my visits.

One day more...then heading back to those western North Carolina mountains.

"The road goes on forever and the party never ends!"

-Robert Earl Keen

And now...I promise to be quiet about Texas :)