Texas Stop Sign No More

Well this post has been brewing for a while, since we took a road trip to Nashville in order to pick up Drew's brother and also visit the closest REI. So.. I love taking road trips... my family always drove to every vacation destination...most of which were to Colorado or other very distant places. I love reading and singing and eating and sleeping in the car all day long!! So I am ready. I have our snack sack full of salty and sweet and a few healthy items. We have waterbottles and I have a soda ready to go. We have a frisbee just in case and lots of tunes.
First thing you have to do on a road trip is make a stop for a beverage of something to eat. There are many favorites to choose from but they have to be quick, something you would not eat normally and definitely not good for you! Top choices usually include Chic Fil A (though we do eat there a lot), Sonic or.... Dairy Queen.
Dairy Queen is known in Texas as the Texas Stop sign. They are going out of business in many major cities but are all too prominent on every deserted high way and small town! I love Dairy Queen. I would never dream of going there unless on a road trip.
My first memorable stop there was with my nana and papa on the way back from a family reunion. We would fight over who got to ride with them b/c you got the whole back seat to yourself and....be with nana and papa! Well, papa insisted that we stop at DQ for lunch on this trip b/c they had "real food" i think... he helped me select my order... a hungerbuster and a real cherry coke... mmmm. What a savory lunch!
My next most cherished memory of this place is driving between Fort Worth and College Station and stopping right before/after Waco is Itasca or something where there was on old DQ. If I wasn't looking forward to returning to school or needed a coke for the exciting journey ahead I would stop and get a real cherry coke. MMM love it
Then we moved to Louisville. A nice big city... but with many DQs... I should've known something was up. These places are not real DQ... they do not say Texas Stop Sign and they are build of brick and stone...nice looking...not DQ... so I have stood aloof from these imposters until our road trip....
We didn't really have time to go out of the way to Sonic and we had recently had Chic Fil A so we decided it would be the perfect time to try a DQ... I mean it is a ROAD TRIP! So we go.... and I am sad to say that some one should sue these people or something because they are not DAIRY QUEEN... no... they are some other fast food chain wanna be Mc Donalds... tear.
First of all... they DO NOT HAVE A HUNGERBUSTER!! no... I know it's unbelievable...they just have cheeseburger...ugh...
Second of all... they do not put their drinks in styrophome cups. I know, I love to save the earth. I ride my bike and buy whole foods and all that jazz when I can... but I can't help loving my condensation free, ice-not-melting cup. (blame sonic if you need to)... I do however save all my styrophome cups and reuse.
Next... they treated me like crazy when ordering a cherry coke
They put mayonaise on my burger... obviously NOT FROM TEXAS! (sorry sick mayo lovers)
They did not give Drew his TEXAS toast with his chicken basket....
All in all..... we left with a sense of adulthood looming over our heads as one more piece of childhood melted away... (so dramatic...sigh)
So long Dairy Queen.... hungerbuster.... mustard only and authentic cherry coke... we did love you!
Okay, I am cracking myself up here... but for real it was a little sad!!!

So here's the deal... if you made it to the end of this you have a mission... all of my Texas peeps... go to the so called Dairy Queen near you and see if they have the hungerbuster....there might still be hope
(ps. they didn't even turn our blizzard upside down!)

still naive...

SO the whole reason I update my allergy information is I found a really funny charlie brown comic saying something about him being allergic to girls. Well.... I uploaded it to my blog and THANKFULLY reread my blog before leaving and realized it was about something TOTALLY INAPPROPRIATE!! This happens to me ALL THE TIME!! (But not as much as it has happened to Bethan... you should ask her!)...
So, sorry for the wealth of information without a picture!

aaaaachooooooo

I'm not sure if I posted earlier about my great allergy episode but here's a recap. I finally got allergy tested in hopes that allergy shots will prevent me from having sinus surgery a third time. I was really excited to see what I was really allergic to. They test you for a weak version of 36 different things, all of which I tested positive for almost immediately. Even the doctor was blown away.
Those of you who know me can rest assure I AM allergic to cats after all... on a scale of 1-10 in size and color the doctor rated me a 13 within the first 5 minutes of the 20 minute waiting period. I am also allergic to ragweed (who isn't... but did you know that mint, basil, oregano, rosemary and the like are brother, sister and cousin to the ragweed and can increase your symptoms?!) I'm allergic to every tree, grass and moss here in Kentucky along wiht roaches and animals and dust mites! CRAZY! I had so many severe allergies that they had to make two vials for my treatment instead of just one!
Well, last week I have my first go on the shots. They injected two shots into me of everything that I am allergic to. I didn't react immediately but since then I have had an allergy attack almost everyday of varying degrees! This is a major negative.
So I am on the 2-5yr recovery plan they say.
Atleast this all gives me new credibility for being deathly afraid of roaches! Can't you picture it?....

Me: AAAAHHHHH (blood curdling scream)
Drew: (from the other room) What?!
Me: A BUG... no... A ROACH!
Drew: (very matter of factly and calm) Kill it
Me: I can't, I'm ALLERGIC!!!
Drew: (plods down the hall and kills bug)....
Me: HURRAY, you are my hero and true champion!

sounds great to me!

Taking Off

The Lewisi are taking off, the race has begun, no turning back. Today Drew finally, officially started his new job in car sales. If you need to buy a gently used automobile, he is your guy! It's amazing how fast the job came up and Drew applied and got the job... yet not so amazing how many months it has taken for them to put him in the job. He has done such a great job keeping a good attitude while still at the rental office because he knew that this promotion was from God and not from him and thus that he'd get it in due time. And today was that day, HURRAY!! He got to sleep in until after 7!
I also got started with school today. I woke up bright (though it was dark) and early (before Drew actually) to get going to Systematic Theology I class with Dr. Russell Moore, VP of the school and Dean of Theology (as he introduced himself). Dr. Moore is a great man of God and I admire him a lot, and he never does anything half way. Many professors will look over the syllabus and give an overview and then what the heck, they'll let you leave early. Not Dr. Russell D. Moore, we stayed and he lectured the full three hours! But I am hear to say that it was a great way to spend three hours. I took at least 10 pages of notes and felt like I'd learned years of information in just those few hours. And tomorrow I get to do it all again with Church History bright and early followed by Greek Exegesis, which is eating my lunch already and I haven't even started!!
Yesterday I also got to sing for the first time in our church Praise Band. I have been intimidated by this group for months because of their skill and love for the Lord and it knocked my socks off to get to be a part of them this Sunday. I previously blogged about being a part of serving communion and how meaningful that was... well this blew me away even further. We did a light set of mostly redone hymns during the night service, which is the most packed service of all. It was such a blessing to hear all of these people, God's people, brothers and sisters singing their hearts out in unison to the One True God! When I finally put away my nerves and fear it gave me chill bumps all over. There were a few times where they stopped the music and sang the last verse accapella.... wow. I know churches do this all over the globe but to stand with voice and hands raises in unison with 500 other voices is just an experience I hope I never forget.
This Tuesday is also our first college community group at our house. We will be going over the sermon, which was Jesus in the garden of Gethsemene. I am pumped and humbled about this opportunity. This would definitely be something I would appreciate prayers about this week!!
We truly are feeling overwhelmed with all the blessings God in his grace has lavished on us all at once. He doesn't have to do these things but he does because he really is a loving God that delights in his children. Christ already drank the cup of wrath to the last drop and now, for those who believe, there is only more grace. Praise God. We are blessed to have spent a week with my family here in KY, to be able to work part time to go to school, for Drew's raise and how his new job will free us up in many areas of life and for all the people we have met here and connected with at our church. I didn't know if I'd ever see a body like my old Church in college station but I am blessed to say that the Lord has provided not only an awesome church but a community here as well.
PRAISE GOD FROM WHOM ALL BLESSINGS FLOW!

Back to School...

Well, summer was not what we quite expected. Summer just isn't summer without summer vacation. The Lewisi are wrapping up our first summer in the real world and have decided that we don't approve. Since we aren't working to get rich or make it big in the corporate world, it is hard to understand the lifestyle there. It doesn't make any sense to us why you wouldn't give people time off in the summer and at Christmas. I have rarely met a person who didn't want atleast a little time off in the summer. However, when you are at the bottom there are no days off.
I'm actually really looking forward to the starting of school because I will get to go back to working part time and going to school. I love being a full time student but the more I work full time the more I realize that I was not created for that. I love working in the home and learning and teaching. I love working in the church and helping others all day long. It's not that I want to sleep all day (though right now that sounds nice)... I just hate working in the real world. I feel misunderstood and don't get to use my talents and gifts. The only perk has been being able to serve people (that's what you do in food service) and love on them and trust the Bible where Christ says that when we love and feed others that we are loving and feeding him. So I hope that my service to them can be as unto Christ. That's often the only thing that keeps me from grabbing Drew's ankles and begging him not to make me go to work in the morning! So school is actually a welcome relief!
Drew and I are also going back to school because we are not community group leaders for the new and upcoming college group at our church. They are finally getting some college stuff set up and we have been blessed by being asked and able to serve alongside a few others as we start this up. I'm really pumped because I know that this is an area where God has really worked through Drew in the past. Just last summer at Pine Cove he was over several college students every week and I never heard the end of all the blessings those people received at his hands/mouth/life... he was great with them and so I'm excited for him to get to be able to teach and lead again in service to the Lord. I also received the most amazing "mentorship" through a Bible study that I attended my senior year. I learned more in this one class than in all the three previous years combined. If it wasn't for this one faithful servant of the Lord, who I still stalk and admire online..hehe... I wouldn't be married to the marvelous man I am nor would I have many of the passions for Biblical womanhood that I have. She really encouraged me and my life goal is to be just like her because she shows me Christ and how Christ is glorified in a wife, mother and woman. So now I am so thrilled with the opportunity to pass on that love and mentorship to other college girls and help them to see past all the lies that they have bought into and show them the truth and love of Christ. So together we are really pumped about this group... sign ups are tomorrow and our first meeting is in a week and a half! Please pray!
So we will now be fans of Texas A&M and University of Louisville to support our group... I'm sure that will be interesting in the upcoming season! (atleast when A&M is losing we'll have one team to cheer for still)
Drew is also starting his new job next week if all turns out as expected so he'll be going through more training as he gets his feet wet in car sales.
Good thing we like to learn!

Haus.

Today is a beautiful day in Kentucky. It has been cloudy and/or screaming hot this week, which is not my favorite type of weather. In general I feel that if it is going to be hot, you should at least be able to get attractive skin cancer from it!! Today however the clouds rolled out about 1030am, just in time for a break from Greek and I realized... there was no way I could sit in a classroom all day when the weather was so perfect. Clear, sunny and 75 degrees! So at the lunch break I high-tailed it out of class with the intent to go work out... then I realized working out inside would defeat the whole point of enjoying the outdoors. So I snuck a pair of my husband’s shorts and geared up for a run outside. If you know me well, your jaw should be dropping. Most people know I HATE to run... it's pointless... that's why I bike. However, lately I have felt the urge to run and today was suitable to do so. So I moseyed on over to our nearest park, parked the car and began to dash. With Caedmon's Call, Share the Well, blasting in my ears I was good to go. All I wanted was to do one lap around this park and I didn't even know how much one lap was. I figured it was about 1/4 to 1/2 a mile and thus to not even do one lap would be pretty sad. This CD is amazing. I was full out lip singing the entire run, which did make for some funny looks, AND if no one was around for one of my favorite songs I would sing it out loud! Cooky but it kept my mind off my burning shins and thighs. I am proud to say that I made that lap and during my next power-walking lap I saw a sign that said one lap was 1.2 miles long!!! You cannot imagine my joy! I went on to run 2.5 miles and walk 2.5 miles total. You might be thinking, "well that's nothing" or something along those lines and I have just one thing (not one word) to say to you, "You are completely sick and need professional help because that is a LONGGGG WAY!" I was already getting sore before I got to my car!!! Ok ok so maybe I'm a wimp but it was sooo fun! I felt like I was jogging in Colorado because it was so bright and clear and yet cool despite the noon hour. Then I realized of course I would be running in Colorado, because every one knows every one in Colorado runs and is hyper athletic... so I'm starting to think I should move there b/c I'd fit in so well! haha, well at least I would enjoy the weather!
I'm departing to go to a women’s dinner at church. I am overcoming my fears of rejection and the feeling of middle school that often overcomes me. I am promising to laugh at my own brain farts and diarrhea of the mouth and then run home and hide behind a good book!

Return of the Y

You may have been asking yourself, "Where has the male half of the Lewisi been over the past few months?" and an appropriate answer to this question would be, "Working and biking but mainly working." My wife has already addressed the biking a few times so I will not bore you with more details, but know that the TdK and MS150 were beautiful rides, both fun and challenging.

However, I don't think Lindsey has said much about my work so if you are interested, buckle up.... I have spent the last (almost) six months working for Enterprise Rent-A-Car (ERAC), and yes, we will pick you up. It has been an up and down adventure for me, struggling through whether or not I will stick around, if the pay is worth the effort, and any number of other things that happen with the job. Through it all my High School teachers would have been proud of me though. Do you remember when they told you that when making a decision you should write out all the pros in one column and the cons in another and the side with more entries should make your decision for you? Well I have done that, dozens of times, in my head and the annoying thing is that it has always come out dead even. Fun huh? Oddly enough, through all of this I have still consistently blown away almost everyone in the city (two or three people rival my numbers) every month since I have been there. Now you might be saying, "Drew do we need to have a discussion about pride in your life?" and I would say that, "No we do not at all because I know I am not a salesman, but somehow I can sell." Basically, the Lord has been listening when Lindsey has been asking that He grant me favor at work.

At work there are multiple different departments, Fleet, Remarketing, Loss Control, Car Sales, etc. I have been eying the Car Sales department since a month or two after I started at ERAC and last month a spot finally came open. Enterprise is all about putting a ladder out there for everyone to climb so I was expecting that this job would be open only for Assistant Managers (two promotions above my current position) and higher. However, they put no restrictions on who could apply, so I asked just to make sure and submitted my formal interest in the position the next day. A couple weeks later I finally got to interview (last Tuesday) and I left feeling like the interview went pretty well. I had to wait until Friday because one of the other four candidates interviewed on Thursday so by the time I found out I was getting pretty antsy. To wrap up this story, I got the job, which is amazing. Me against four people that have more experience and way more buy in with ERAC than me plus the fact they have already been promoted, which can be hard to do in this company, and somehow I ended up on top.... “somehow” can and should be translated here into, through the Lord's amazing grace and blessing, for the sake of accuracy. So starting on the 1st of August I will now be selling cars and no longer renting them up here in Louisville, KY. I guess if you have been looking for an excuse to come visit I just found you another option, you can now buy a car from me too!

The Lord has show us his mercy and grace since we have made the move up here to Kentucky. We had been married two weeks and new basically no one and somehow have gotten plugged into a church that points to Christ in everything it does and been blessed amazingly with jobs and friends. We still miss and friends and family back home like crazy though! Oh, and with my new job I will be working an average of 10 hours less a week so maybe I will find more time to blog on this thing (but don't count on it).