how to board a train while its still moving -and other useful things ive learned in europe

Ah, Europa. Where do I begin? I thought about starting a mass email again, washingtondc-style, but... am now in the world of blogging and think its more convienent because people can read at their own risk, without me cluttering their inboxes. The only downside is I dont get the responses from readers like I did while I was interning and emailing out crazy things, so please... if the mood strikes you, Id love an email or two in response. Love to hear how everyone is and what theyre up to. Leave a comment if you dont have my email and ill send you an email.

Okay, so what Ive learned in Europe... a lot. First let me start with telling you: Renza and I are having a blast!! I will probably backtrack upon my return to the United States with pictures and more details of what we did...

Today we are in Switzerland, where I will move one day. Love it. We went to the top of Mount Pilatus in a gondola - it is a tall peak in the Swiss Alps and overlooks Lake Lucerne. Gorgeous, and we were so blessed with blue skies and good weather. The mountain is named after Pontius Pilate, because the townspeople have a legend that his remains were buried under the lake around 1000 a.d. or something. Then he haunted the waters, drowning people and turning over boats, so for centuries they tried everything to get rid of the spirit or move his remains but there was no where to move them. Read it online, Im probably botchign the story. But cool to be here during Lent nonetheless.

I promise to explain more later, but here are some of my realizations:

1.) Its okay to board a train while moving. Just jump on, have a man help you throw your bags on, and look back for Renza. Chances are she'll be able to make it from the platform onto the moving train and all will be fine.

2.) Don't slide on the slides at playgrounds in Paris if you don't want to get in trouble. Yep, got chased out of a playground in the middle of Paris for playing on the slide. I can't be sure but I think the lady was yelling something about me being fat in French.

3.) I can survive 24 hours without Renza in Europe. Imagine me looking for Renz in the airport in Paris, knowing that she had been there for a few hours and would be anxiously waiting at baggage claim. I wandered for about 10 minutes and finally went to the American Airlines booth. When I asked if they could tell me if the 830 flight from Chicago had landed, they said no. I said, no you can't tell me? Shocked. No, she said, it didnt land. Postponed til tomorrow. Tomorrow??
My stomach dropped to the floor. I tried to stay calm as I found got Euros, bought a calling card, and dialed Renza. We talked, her flight had difficulties, she'd arrive at 830 the next day. Im fine, Im fine, I can do this. She had booked our airport shuttle and hotel. She was my rock, my lifeline. I would be fine.

And it turned out that I was. I very much enjoyed finding my way around the area near our hotel, I watched the sunset over the Seine and the Eiffel Tower, had some wine and called it a night. I know God was watching over me for sure. I couldnt stop smiling all day thinking - theres the Eiffel Tour. Here you are. Life is good.

4.) SLR cameras are worth every penny. Got the Costco package of the Nikon D60 for Christmas and let me tell you... Im practically Anne Gedes. Thanks, Mom and Dad!

5.) Ugandan men know how to shake it!!! Renz and I fought the urge to sleep last night and went to the club attached to our hotel. We felt like chaperones - the oldest of most by two to three years. We didn't have on fishnets or nearly enough eyeliner, but... there were two African dudes in there that knew how to rock the moves. Renza was kind enough to join me on the dancefloor after I said many times - I have to learn how to do that. And so they taught us some things, including... one of the guys put his hand on my backside and told me, Its all in the arse. I politely removed his hand and followed the moves. Watch out, America. Renza and I are returning one day....

6.) Swiss vodka is green and tastes like money. We tried a Swiss Vodka and Sprite last night - it is jolly rancher green, very good, and one beverage is apparentlyenough to bust your budget.

7.) God is big and working around the world. R & I went to Ash Wednesday service at an American Church on the river in Paris - it was awesome, inspiring, and it has been evident that God is working around the world. I love Lent season and Ash Wednesday, and who would have thought Id ever spend it with Renza in Paris? His grace is everywhere, in the big and small things, if you just keep your eyes open. That is my prayer for the next forty days, to have my eyes opened to His grace everyday, and ways I can share it with others.

8.) Nutella and singing Bonjour from Beauty and the Beast will solve all problems, including the economic crisis and world hunger. No explanation needed.

Ive rambled enough for now. Thanks for reading. Stay tuned for information on Renza's dueling personalities, sledding in the Swiss Alps, art that is really just junk, and my love for America.

For now, Im loving being in a country that speaks German. Alles meine liebe!!! (all my love)

Courtney

you got any kids?

so, i'm going to europa in a few days with renza sharpe, this really cool girl who i know from camp longhorn. we'll be flying in to paris and hopping around from there. i am beyond blessed to have such an opporunity, finacially and otherwise, and to have a friend like Renza!! It's been too long since we united for a time period longer than 48 hours and caused trouble together. i know we'll have lots of stories upon our return, hopefully funny in a different way than the roaches we encountered in our hostel during our first european adventure in 2006. i was only 19...gosh, we were such children.


which brings me to my point...children. kids. people seem to think i "got them."


just so your computer screens aren't too lonely while i'm gone, i'm going to share a story with you. bonnie requested that i blog about it a few months back, so...this one's for you, bon! sorry if it's long, but...i don't know how to do it any other way.



one weekend back in december, i was sitting at the bus stop, trying to get across town to the hill. (ol' bonbon was having a party...that girl is always up to something!) so i'm trying not to shiver too much and hang on to my giant bag. we were going to NYC the next day and i was spending the night with C&B. anyways, i digress.



so after about 10 minutes of waiting i decided to settle in and sit down on the bench. at this point its almost 9 p.m. and i'm on wisconsin avenue across from the safeway. two guys came out of the safeway parking lot, holding their safeway aprons and running for the bus stop.


one of them sat down next to me and kept looking over at me. i was trying to avoid eye contact becuase i was just, well, rude and not wanting to make conversation with this dude. (who i guesstimate is probably about 18 or 19.) he finally leaned towards me and asked: "do you mind if i ask what bus you're waiting for?"


i smiled and said, no, i didn't mind, i'm waiting on the first bus. he proceeds to tell me he's from V.A. (virginia.) i said something back and thought the conversation was over. while i'm pretending to text on my phone, he scoots over to me. i could feel him looking at me but kept my eyes forward as he said:

"sooo.....(long pause).... you got any kids?"


it took me a full two or three seconds to realize...he meant me. did i have any kids?



"Um, no.I don't." I smiled. Looked over at him, told myself not to be so short with him. "Do you have any kids?" I asked.


"Me, no. I ain't got no kids." Seriously, that was his answer, word for word. I. Ain't. Got. No. Kids. We were quiet for a few minutes and I was praying for the bus to hurry up .


"So...You single?" At this point, I had thought the dude was just being friendly. Now I'm beginning to realize that his opening pick-up line is... asking if i have kids. awesome.


"Haha. Um, yep, I'm single." Single as a girl can be, let me tell ya. But I wasn't about to tell him that.


"Oh, so, can I take you to dinner sometime? Cuz I would looooove to take you to dinner."


I smiled, laughed out loud. "That's very nice of you to offer, but I'm moving out-of-state really soon."


"So?" he asked.


"Well, I don't want to waste your time. But thanks for asking." Conversation over. Done. Ha.


"Why don't you let me decide if you're a waste of my time? Can I at least get your number?"


"Umm...I just really don't think I'll have time before I move."


"Oh so you been asked out a lot lately?" Define lately, buddy. Because if you mean lately as in the last few weeks, well... But if you mean lately as in ever...my answer is yes, definitely yes.

We ended up talking about Texas, and North Carolina, and his job. My bus eventually came, and I was glad to have such a ridiculous story to share at Bonnie's party. (I was even more glad that he wasn't on my same bus.)


Well, since then, its become a common theme in my life. Not only is "You got any kids??" a wonderful response in a lot of situations in life (we used it in NYC the very next day!) but it's been happening a lot lately. Now, I can not imagine a better fate than raising children, I'm counting down the days til one day I am a mom, however...


At the airport. At Bally's. During random conversations. I can't remember all the places that, since December, I've been asked if I have children. And at the same time, I have people telling me I'm not eligible to volunteer at Texas Children's Hospital because I'm obviously not yet 21 years old.

"Oh, we have a seperate program for high school students interested in volunteering." Well, that's valuable information, thank for you for sharing. I'll be sure to inform all the high school students I know after I volunteer in the adult program.


Or my favorite recently - "You've finished COLLEGE? You're kidding? But you have such a baby face!! I would have thought you were still in grade school."
Lovely. Either I am a child, or I have one. I wish the world would make up their mind.


In the meantime, I think it tops my list of all time favorite pick up lines. It's straightforward, it's something a guy needs to know, and hey... bonus points for being original.


You got any kids?

the blessings of a passport

“I am not the same having seen the moon shine on the other side of the world.”

Mary Anne Radmacher Hershey

"Though we travel the world over to find the beautiful,

we must carry it with us or find it not."

Ralph Waldo Emerson

Can't believe I'm saying this but...Renza and I are off to Europe!

Check back in approx. two weeks for updates. And as always...thanks for reading!

sunrise, sunset

Have you heard of Beth Moore? She's an author, Christian speaker, I bet you've heard of her. Caitlin and I did her bible study called "Stepping Up" this past fall and thought it was great. Anyways, her church is in Houston and I went to her bible study last week - she is so gifted. She is laugh-out-loud funny, talking about how it's okay to wear lipstick and still be a "good Christian woman." But she also is very convicting and inspiring in terms of a one-on-one relationship with Christ.

Beth gave us a brief list of her personal answers to this question:

"Why is Jesus like nothing and no one else to you?"

I'm in the process of making my own list of answers, becuase I admittedly cannot rattle them off as easily or with such truth as Beth.

God's grace is something that I daily know sets God a part from all humans and things - that we can do nothing to earn His love. Ephesians 2:8 keeps me from feeling inadequate, insufficient, and prevents me in general from losing my mind or giving up faith.

Everyday that she is in Houston and not out on the road with her ministry, Beth Moore spends time face down on her backporch with God. Sometimes it's five minutes, sometimes it's close to an hour. Sometimes she just listens and doesn't "hear" anything. Sometimes she talks alot. Her relationship with God isn't perfect but it is something she is clearly committed to - and she clearly reaps the benefits of such an intimate relationship.

I need to be much bolder in my committment to know Christ. During all of 2008, I felt closer to God than I have in quite a while. And I didn't change much about my walk with Him, other than being forced to trust Him more in daily circumstances. Part of it is due to that "ebb and flow" thing they talk about in church sometimes. And part of it I think is James 4:8 - there is no time listed at the end of that verse.

"Draw near to God and he will draw near to you." James 4:8

God doesn't put a timeline on that. "Come near to me and I will come near to you in 3 days and 4 hours." "Come near to me and you will feel my presence on or before April 11." It could take seconds, weeks, months, maybe longer. But He will show up. He will draw near. God is there for us. For this, I am immensly thankful.

I know that God is like nothing to me in the way He shows me his presence through nature. A starry sky, leaves changing color, the wonder of sunrises and sunsets.

In the hill country this weekend I watched the sun set over the Llano river. Nothing like the sound of a river gurgling through granite rocks, knowing that nothing on Earth is accident. That God is real and mighty and powerful - and still loves each of us.

Tell me that when you see a sunset you don't see a universe made from atoms colliding, a world that runs on "coincidence" and "luck" and "destiny." I see the love of a God that sent His son so that he could have a relationship with us.

charles roitsch is getting married...OMG

blast from the past...

Never would have thought we'd be Aggies together...

College Christmas Formal ... we don't take normal pictures, ever...

"We are all a little weird and life's a little weird, and when we find someone whose weirdness is compatible with ours, we join up with them and fall in mutual weirdness and call it love."

Charles Roitsch is weird with a capital W, and proud of it, as he should be. So I know the woman that Charles recently proposed to, Jordie has to be a little weird too. I love that quote, and I love Charles, (and bride-to-be Jordie) so...let's reminisce...

Charles Roitsch is one of the funniest people I know - but A LOT of people can say that, because a LOT of people know and love this guy. Often compared to Will Ferrell, he is as goofy as he is tall. (which is very very)

One of my very best friends in high school, Charles has always been there -- for a silly conversation, a dance party, a deep conversation, and... pranks. (such as taking down stopsigns in my neighborhood, leaving obnoxious voicemails, etc)

We met in freshman English class and frequently got in trouble for talking. We went to Prom together and rode in the Homecoming parade together. (I teared up when he was crowned King!) We've spent summers at Camp Longhorn and our off-nights playing on the Lake. My parents consider him a member of the family. It's never a dull moment around that kid - and his love for life is so evident in his faith in Christ. Violin extraordinaire at Grace Church in CS, leader of a Christian organization at TAMU he walks the walk and talks the talk - he's the real deal, fo sho.

Oh Charles, you can make any normal situation awkward. So many Memorial memories are Jennifer, Charles, and me, up to no good, with a handful of other peeps thrown in. One day, Charles ripped my jeans when he tried to trip me on a bridge that led from main campus over to the field house. After he failed to trip me not once but twice, he reverted to shoving me down with his own hands. Human kneecaps don't slide down concrete very easily, but he sure thought it was hilarious.

Senior year I was having a pretty rough time after a break-up with a bf who was also a close friend. Charles came over to my house, we drove around in my car (Annabelle) blasting Jason Mraz songs and signing at the TOP of our lungs. We bought matching red Razor scooters on sale and pedaled around parking garages trying not to break our ankles for the next few weeks.

"Chuckles" once made me put a dead shrimp in my mouth for ten seconds when I refused to bait my own fishing hook but was catching all the fish. During the same weekend he angrily swam from out in the bay to our friend Dave's dock because he was livid after I slung him off a sea-doo and into the water for the fourth time.

Charles is really good at embarrassing me, which is a hard mission to accomplish. He's really good at making me laugh until I make either awkward noises or pee in my pants. Charles is really good at being an extraordinary friend, and I'm so blessed God introduced us more than 8 years ago. I know a lot of lives would be dull without his friendship, and I'm defintely one of the many.

And now...Charles is getting married!!! To a wonderful, fun girl that I can't wait to harass and get to know more now that I'm in the great state of Texas. I'm so excited for both of them, I can hardly wrap my mind around it... Charles and Jordie are GETTING MARRIED!!! AHH! Ah!!

my hodge podge valentine

you may have, once or twice, heard me talk about this girl by the name of caitlin elizabeth hodges. I started calling her hodge podge years and years ago because, well, it rhymes with a favorite craft/project tool of mine - modge podge. turns out she's cooler than modge podge. i love her for many reasons and will be picking her up at the aeropuerto manana!!!! i love her for so many reasons & am soooo thankful for her.

she's weird. therefore we are kindred spirits.

she enjoys sunsets. and cruise ships. therefore we also kindred spirits.
she makes me laugh out loud. she inspires me to grow in my faith.
and, people think i'm cool because i hang out with her.

i just love this photo.

did i tell you about the time that we stole a shopping cart from walmart and placed light-up reindeer in our friends (paige, noel, and margaret) yard? the reindeer were doing awkward things. of course all of it was her idea.

one day, we'll have a reunion weekend with all these marvelous ladies. until then, i look at this picture on my bulletin board and it makes me feel sad. and happy. and thankful.

See you at the airport, Caitlin. I'll be the one with the giant sign that says

"Have you seen the love of my life CAITLIN??"

and in tiny letters it also says:

"ps- i mean that in the most heterosexually way possible."

lunden hit itunes today!!!

so i know this kid, his name is lunden. i've always called him paris, because that makes sense...

he's awesome. so talented. so full of drama. did i say drama? i meant life. i love him to pieces...he's like a second brother to me. except, not... i never had a crush on my brother...

anyways, his music. its pretty great. and it's on ITUNES!!! you can type in "lunden mcgill" and something actually COMES UP ON ITUNES!!! this is just so gosh darn exciting!!! i'm so excited to tell everyone i know to download his tunes.

so, don't hold it against him that he's friends with me and go check out his music. RIGHT NOW.

i think my favorite song is these corners but it might be too early to call. "here to stay" is pretty sweet too.

yaaaaay lunden mcgill!!!!

oh, about this picture - ski trip 2004. the whiteytighteys are a really long story, and it seems weirder if i just don't explain it. lunden's in the red shirt. my bro the midget, green shirt.

did someone say movies?

mr. musoma was one of my favorite professors, and not because he sent us to the movies for extra credit. he's from africa, incredibly inspiring, awesome for so many reasons. i painted his office for an assignment before i ever took one of his classes. i remember more about his leadership/professional development class than probably any other class i took in class.

anyways, he assigned all sorts of random extra credit assignments because his tests were hard and he liked to "challenge our thinking." for instance, one day he told us that if we went to the womans basketball game that night and wrote a 50 word essay about what we observed, you'd get extra credit. (we discussed how the women had a better record than the women, yet we are programmed to pay attention to MEN's sports.) and, if we went to see the movie "last king of scotland" and wrote a 1 page response, you'd get extra credit.

so off to the movies i went. it was the first time i went to the movies alone - none of the friends i called to recruit could make it to a very late week night movie about violence in uganda. go figure.

there were several moments when i had my knees pulled to my chest with my fingers in my ears and hands over my eyes. translation: this movie is graphic. shootings, torture, that sort of thing. but it is soooo good. forest whittaker won best actor at the oscars for his role as the president of uganda. james mcavoy will woo you with his charming accent and good looks as the president's personal doctor. and, you're brave enough to watch until the end, you will walk away in awe of democracy.

it baffles me how one person, born within certain borders, is ensured such a better life because of the government that runs his country. how does one country become susceptible to coups and civil wars and genocide so frequently? were george washington and john adams really so brilliant? i don't have the answers. all i know is we need to appreciate the wonders of america a little more.

did i mention james mcavoy's bare bottom flashes across the screen a few times? just a warning in case you want to cover your eyes. or whatever.

oh, and yes, this is a german version of the movie poster. but the movie is in english.

movie #2 i'm going to recommend:

he's just not that into you. gennifer goodwin shines! love her!

for a "chick flick" it's funny, cute, better than average. i would even say that its not that much of a "chick flick." (my brother really liked it, but he also watches oprah on a regular basis. well, maybe i made that second part up...just want to see if you're reading, G...)

anyways, if you're going to the movies soon, i recommend "he's just not that into you." and not just for the really cool apartment interiors.

when the book that inspired this movie was earning so much hype a few years back, i thought it was stupid. how desperate are the single women of today's society that we need a book to tell us: hey, get over it! can't we figure it out for ourselves?

but the movie is refreshing, while telling you to hey, get over it. face it, yo... if he didn't ask for your number, if he's not calling you, if he's cheating on you, whatever: stop making excuses because he is just not that into you.

anyways, its funny. and bradley cooper has a wonderful smile. so, though i'm not ebert or roper and no one really cares, i'm going to waste some cyber space and say: i recommend it.

four generations, four times the fun

my mom and i were in dallas from last wednesday to monday to play with my great-grandparents. my great-grandmother is unfortunately in a physical rehab facility for the next few weeks to regain strength and mobility. my great-grandfather is recuperating from pneumonia, so we went up to help them out and have fun.

in high school, during college application/decision time, several people asked why i had never considered SMU, especially if liked TCU so much. The answer was simple:

Dallas has always felt like home, because of those two.

Dear & Popa moved to Dallas in 1937. They've lived in the house they're in now since 1968. I've drafted a few posts over the past few days about how wonderful my great-grandparents are, how blessed i am to have them in my life. I could drone on for days about the wonderful memories of playing in Dallas.

My brother and I collected acorns in their yard like they were gold. We played "restaurant" in their bar area and answered the front door when our preferred customers came. We had divingboard competitions and hand stand contests for hours in their pool. Dear's vanity area and make-up drawers continue to fascinate me.

grandmummy-she's a whackadoo
I can't imagine a better weekend then the one I just had. If Dear had been at home, that would have made it great. But she and I still played cards, she told me old family stories, and of course cracked me up with her stubborness. At night I would watch I Love Lucy with my mom and Popa. Friday afternoon we watched the White House press conference together. Friday he didn't sleep so Saturday morning I woke up at 5:45 to eat breakfast with him. He told me about visiting East Berlin and we talked about the Russians and Communism. My mom and i sang loudly and cooked in the kitchen and i looked at family pictures - laughing outloud til tears fell down my face. Sunday night Honey - my grandmother - came up and added to the craziness.

My family is loud, fun, and full of life. For twenty-two years, I've witnessed so many neat things because there are four generations in my fam. I've seen my grandmother as a mother, grandmother, and daughter. There is always a reason to laugh with these crazies around. And I get a little extra bossing with not one, not two, but three generations to tell me what they think is best.

Thursday morning Popa felt horrible, which he never admits, and we took him to the hospital at his request. As I helped him get in the car, he left me with this thought:

"Old people aren't worth shit. The eskimoes just take you out on the ice and let the polar bears eat you."

I know they won't be around forever, but none of us will. For now, we're fighting off the polar bears and enjoying everyday.

Countdown to the move to Houston has commenced!