Arborwhatum?

Here are a few more pictures from the Arboretum. :)

CHOMP!!!

This week marks one of my favorite weeks of all time. Shark Week. I love sharks. I think they are very interesting creatures with a terrible reputation. They are so scary looking, not to mention the whole shark attack thing, but I think that they are all in all misunderstood.

I like watching the shows on Shark Week because they give us a glimpse at something that we have a hard time understanding, and that many of us will probably never see in the wild. However, seeing them in the aquarium is pretty sweet if I don't say so myself.

If you have time this week, I suggest that you take time to learn about these killer fish that aren't really that deadly after all.

Adventure in Dallas

On Friday, Mark took me out for a day full of adventure. First on our agenda, we left the thick smog of Dallas for the beautiful clear skies of the Dallas Arboretum . We got there in the morning when it was still kind of cool out. I had never been there before, and neither had Mark, so it was awesome to get to experience it together. There were so many beautiful flowers there, and the wildlife was pretty neat, too.We had a picnic there, and that was definitely awesome. Picnics are one of my favorite things, so this was a great surprise. After the picnic, we went to Steak and Shake, where I had a root beer float and Mark had a shake, of course. :) Next on our list was the Sixth Floor Museum in downtown Dallas. If you have never been there, it is definitely worth your time. There are many really interesting facts about JFK and his assassination. They even have a lot of footage shot that day. It was a strange feeling standing there on that floor, looking through the window that Lee Harvey Oswald looked out as he shot the president. We saw a conspiracy theorist sitting near the Grassy Knoll, telling people about how the whole thing was a big conspiracy. It was interesting to say the least.

Over the next few days, I will be posting several pictures from this adventure, so get ready!

We have webbed feet.

Photoriffic!

Dreamer

The Web (spiders not included)

The Internet. It is a crazy place that often times gets overlooked in our quest to do exactly what we do every day by visiting the same websites over and over. It is that thing that we turn to when we need some quick information. It is where we go to communicate, to shop to play. Without it, our lives would be possible, but drastically different. According to Wikipedia:


The Internet is a worldwide, publicly accessible series of interconnected computer networks that transmit data by packet switching using the standard Internet Protocol (IP). It is a "network of networks" that consists of millions of smaller domestic, academic, business, and government networks, which together carry various information and services, such as electronic mail, online chat, file transfer, and the interlinked web pages and other resources of the World Wide Web (WWW).

Prior to the last 10 and a half months or so, the Internet was something that I used occasionally, when the need arose. Whether that need was writing a paper or playing a game, I knew where to go and what to do. I had my very limited scope of the Internet, with my three or four websites that I checked regularly, but that was about it.

The event that sparked my new-found love for this brilliant technology? Why, dating a computer guy, of course. Mark has taught me so much about the Internet, from how it works to really great features, to the endless possibilities that are just waiting to be created.

I now have a deep appreciation for what Google has done for the Internet, revolutionizing the way we do just about anything. After all, they created a new word (googling, to Google) merely by existing. That is power. They have created or helped develop simple, user-friendly, attractive products that are pretty much the best in their field. From maps to their unparalleled search engine, they pretty much rule the Internet.

Another amazing thing is the concept of open source software. This is a great thing that lets developers from around the world view the source code of a program and help make it better for everyone. I can't tell you too much about it, other than it is a great idea and can be sort of complicated because there are a lot of different types of open sourcing.

I could go on and on here, telling you about neat things like Firefox, Picnik and the plethora of other really awesome things out there, but really, the list of things on the Internet that I enjoy now (as opposed to being completely unaware of their existence before) is quite a long one.

So, to conclude this ode to the Internet, I have to say that I am definitely excited about learning more about it in the future. By the way, what do you like about the Internet?

This is one of my favorite pictures that I have ever taken of Mark. I just thought that I would post it because it is sweet and awesome and I like Mark.

Today is our 10 monthiversary. :) That makes me happy.

Unexplored Territory: Earth

I feel this crazy need to get out of the country and do something awesome. DBU makes this need worse, because nearly everybody here has gone to some amazing, far-off place to do great things for God. I know people who have gone/ are going to places like China, Peru, South Africa, Guatemala, Honduras, Panama, Japan, etc. I have to admit that I am thoroughly envious of them all. Not only do they get to go experience another culture, which is sweet, they also get to share God while doing so.

I want that. I want to say that I went somewhere and did something for a better reason than just a vacation. I want to make a difference. I know that this can be accomplished here in Dallas, in Texas, in America, but something inside of me makes me want to dash off to some exotic locale, share the love of Jesus and just have a fantastic time while doing so. I don't feel led to be a career missionary...I feel like God wants me to help immigrants here in America, but I do feel like he wants me to get a little first hand knowledge before I do so.

In the fall, there is a mission trip to South Korea. I know, that sounds sooo cool. I really want to go. I mean, it is such an opportunity that I just don't want to miss. And if I do miss it, I will just want to take advantage of the next chance I have that much more. I definitely have to go somewhere and do something awesome for God while I am still in college. There isn't really a better time.

//UPDATE: I am so going on this trip.//

Making use of the kitchen

Mark recently moved into the townhomes here on campus, which are fully equipped with a stove, fridge, pantry, dishwasher, etc. Simply put, they have kitchens. Because it is summer and the oh, so wonderful dining hall is closed, and because eating out costs way way way too much, we have begun the quest to learn how to survive with limited restaurant interference.

Neither one of us is a spectacular cook, mind you, so our culinary journeys are somewhat limited. The first thing we made was a well-known staple-spaghetti. It tasted great, minus the fact that our noodles stuck together quite nicely. The next attempt at satisfying our hunger was, again spaghetti. This time, the noodles didn't stick quite as badly, due to the fact that we added a little cooking oil. Next time, I suspect that we'll be adding a little more.

On our third try, we popped in a frozen pizza for lunch. MMMMM....it was great. :) After that, we decided to go all out. We made a nice dinner of chicken, sweet corn and red potatoes. It was very good, but everything was frozen before we heated it back up...I mean made it from scratch.

Last night we made a pizza with a great crust from Mama Mary (try it!). I also whipped up an amazing and easy summertime fruit salad of my own recipe. It takes blueberries, strawberries and peaches in whatever quantity you like combined with Cool Whip. This is by no means a healthy fruit salad, thanks to the Cool Whip, but it is downright tasty. The pizza was amazing as well, exponentially more so than its frozen cousin. We will soon be seeing a repeat performance of the pizza as the crust came in a two pack.

Next on our list? Tacos...with whatever side we scrounge up. Following that, hamburger helper with green beans, corn and rolls. I'll be making the fruit salad again, much to my delight.

Soon, I think, we'll be ready to make really nice meals, all for a fraction of the cost of our previous lifestyle of "Where would you like to go for lunch?" Don't get me wrong, though, Quizno's, Panda Express, Chick-fil-A and Taco Bueno haven't lost our business...they will just be seeing us less frequently. Super Target, on the other hand, will get to know us well.

If anyone has some delicious meal ideas, they should totally tell me because I am not really used to this meal planning thing.