Book Club Round Two

6) Bitter is the New Black by Jen Lancaster
Recommended by a friend, it is really funny. and really bitter. and drops the F bomb alot. But I'm not not recommending it. If you need a beach read, its pretty good, and isn't so bitter the second half.

7) American Poems, Compiled
400 great poems, both famous and not so much. Some favorites: "If" Rudyard Kipling, any Robert Frost, Emily Dickinson. I checked it out from the library, so sue me.

8) A Tree Grows in Brooklyn
by Betty SmithApparently an American classic, I had to force myself through the first 100 or so pages. But the writing is superb and the characters are memorable - but the book is somewhat sad. Definitely points out the need for good teachers and kind-hearted people. And paints an ugly picture of early 20th century low-income life in New York City. All that sad, you should read it. I give it 3 1/2 stars.

9) City of Glass, Paul Auster
I borrowed this from roomie Katherine. The author is brilliant in a twisted, this book is off its rocker sort of way. I read it right before I spent the day wandering around New York City, so it was perfect. And its a quick read, if you're into mystery/detective stuff, read it. Someday I plan to read the other two books in the trilogy.

10) Marley & Me, John Grogan
My mom read this book when it first came out 5 or 6 years ago, and quickly passed it on to several friends, so I had never read it. Good timing though, to read it a few months after Sam died. Helped put my hurt into perspective - dogs really can teach us invaluable lessons. Don't call yourself a dog lover and tell me you haven't found time to read this book. Two thumbs way up!! (ps movie coming out christmas day with jennifer aniston and owen wilson, so you better read before then...)

Beat the Hell out of Al Qaeda

I have a bit of a crush on Bob Gates. I mean President of A&M Gates. Or Secretary Gates. Anything but Bob. We're not really on a first name basis.

When I transferred to Texas A&M University, I could not have told you who was President of my new school for one million dollars. But, after I read the Texas Monthly cover story on him (published immediately prior to the annoucement that he was the President's nominee for Seecretary of Defense in Nov. 2006) I developed a huge soft spot in my heart for him.

Unassuming. Non-political. Respectful of tradition. Honorable. Inspiring. Brilliant. Loyal. Determined.

Most students that I knew at Texas A&M followed his nomination and clearance process extremely closely. I read an article in our school paper about how he took the weekend to think about accepting the position from President Dubya - Gates said he had to talk it over with his wife, and he wasn't sure he was ready to leave a place he loved so much: TEXAS A&M. He admitted to walking the campus late at night with tears in his eyes, knowing it was his duty to serve his country as the Chief of the Pentagon, but not wanting to believe he had to go to Washington.

In an emailed letter to all students, Gates had this to say:

""You already know that I am leaving this incredible university reluctantly and with a heavy heart. By the same token, Aggies more than anyone else understand why I must do so."

I saved that email in my inbox for the rest of my tenure as an undergrad. I can vividly remember standing among the crowd at his farewell "yell practice" (read: pep rally) with my roommates as we sang the fight song one last time with President Gates. A&M has a familiar, somewhat crass, chant- "Beat the Hell Out of ___(insert opponent here)!!" Good Ole Bob yelled out, several times, "Beat the Hell Out of Al Qaeda!"

The only reason he was leaving this university he had helped and loved so much was to fight a much bigger fight. He announced this past Monday, December 1st, that he will continue to serve in the Obama administration. What a brave man. He is a registered independent but has worked closely with both President George Bushes. He worked at one of the most conservative schools in the nation. (I googled this to make sure I wasn't exaggerating. Princeton Review listed TAMU as #8 on its list of "Socially Conservative" colleges for 2009.)

To get to the point- the great Robert Gates is definitely a middle-of-the-road type of guy. He'll be sitting next to Barack Obama, with Joe Biden on the other side, and across from the likes of Bill Richardson and Hillary Clinton in the cabinent meeting room. Certainly harsh words and opinions will be cast around the room as quickly as you can say "Yes We Can!" Again, he is a brave man. I'm proud of his decision - and I'm proud of Obama for asking him to stay. I will say this: the cabinent meetings in 2009 are going to be ROWDY. In all caps.

Can I just take a quick second to ask - is Obama going to count this REGISTERED INDEPENDENT as his token "Republican" cabinet member that he promised the American public during election season?? Oh, wait, was that just fancy election-season rheotoric?

On behalf of Texas A&M, we're proud of ya, Bob Gates. We'll be watching. (Along with Al Qaeda.) Send us an email every now and then, would ya?

Oh- and a ps - found this quote, pay attention Dad:

"Were we to become a top ten university and lose that spirit, those traditions, our culture, we would be nothing more than another giant education factory. A big brain with no heart. Hell, we might as well be in Austin." -Gates 2004

reading list (round one)

Understatement of the year: I love to read. Jodi Picoult, John Grisham, Cecilia Ahern, the big names. And random authors you come across while hanging out at your local Barnes & Noble.

Our President (George Dubya, hail to the Chief) keeps a list of the books he reads each year, which in 2007 was more than 90. His critics doubt this is true, citing as evidence his many blunders of the English language. However, he says that he gets the reading done because he never watches TV, with the exception of the occasional sports game, and he enjoys reading.

So, I decided in 2008 I would keep a list of all the books I've read. And, why not blog about them? Great. Stop reading here if the idea of reading about my reading bores you. I totally understand.

1) My Sisters Keeper - Jodi Picoult

If you haven't read anything by this phenomenal author yet, start here. Her characterization will suck you in - and all of her topics are obscure and extremely well researched to be as believable as possible. My Sister's Keeper deals with tough topics - a child's battle with cancer, stem cell research, parents vs. teenagers, etc, but it is not too dark. It has its laugh out loud moments, and it left me crying as I closed the back cover. Were they tears of joy? Tears of sorrow? I'll let you discover that on your own.

2) The Glass Castle, Jeanette Walls

I found it shocking that this book is based on fact - its a memoir of a women who grew up in a poor, rough, hurting family surprisingly surrounded by love. Walls writing allows the reader to travel right along with her through childhood - only stopping along the way to appreciate the comforts and simplicity my parents gave me that I never even noticed. Read it, read it!

3) Lost & Found

A great beach read. Not earth-shattering writing but a wonderful story that left me in tears. I'm either turning into a sap that crys real tears at the drop of a hat, these books were exceptionally good, or I had an emotional spring. Perhaps just a combo of all 3. To sum up- a brave woman, her deceased husband's dog named Lloyd, and an island of the coast of Maine. There may or may not be a hunk thrown in there somewhere.

4) 3 cups of tea, Greg Mortenson

WHY HAVENT YOU READ THIS BOOK??? WHY? I first heard of this from Justus Anderson, an Aggie friend who spent half of 2008 in Africa. He read this book on the way over there, and then I saw it all over the tables of B&N, so I bought it. WONDERFUL story that we all need to hear/know about. Anyone want to go hiking or build schools in Pakistan? Let me know. (I mean, I probably won't actually go with you, but I'll be glad to assist in the funding of your trip.)

5) Last Lecture, Randy Pausch

Wonderful book. If you haven't heard of it - a professor found out he was dying of brian cancer gave a "last lecture" on all the accomplishments of his life. Its a short, inspiring read that I recommend to anyone and everyone of all ages. I will warn you though, you may find a tear or two in your eye before the end. A good reminder that death is inevitable. (Apparently so are taxes, unless you live in a hut in the middle of nowhere Montana.)

6) Nope, I think that's enough for today. What a wonder that we live in a day and age where you don't learn to read based on the color of your skin or if you're male or female or if your parents can afford wealthy tutors. (for the most part) Yeeaaaaa Reading!!

Teach For America!

what crazy person thinks i should teach young children!?

Its official!! I'm moving back to TEXAS in February 2009!!!



I found out last week I was accepted to Teach for America and will be teaching elementary school in HISD for the next two years!! WOO HOO!!I know that me applying for TFA is uber-random, but living in D.C. has opened my eyes to alot– that I want to make a difference in someone's life, and be able to pass on the blessings that have so filled my life. I'll recommend Teach for America's website to learn more in replace of me rambling, but their mission -to bridge the education gap between low and high income schools, the "haves" and the "have-nots"-is so inspiring!



I discussed in my application how living in D.C. has opened my eyes to the hypocrisy of America's education system. Within walking distance of the Capitol building, schools have insufficient resources and astoundingly high drop out rates. The problem can't completely be solved by the government, the schools, or TFA – some of it will have to happen at homes, in society. But TFA is making huge strides towards education equality, and I am THRILLED to be a part of the movement.



If I can reach one student during each of my two years in the classroom, I think my experience with TFA will be worth it. And, chances are, I'll reach each of them, some of them in big ways, most of them in small ways. I can't wait to meet these kids, to love them and teach them.



I do not want to wake up twenty years from now and wonder what I've done with my life, what kind of difference I've made. I look around and I see this great need for passionate teachers and for reform in the entire education system – and in society, too. Teach for America calls its applicants to TAKE ACTION! Not wait for the next opportunity that may come along.



I'm aware that TFA teachers/alumni can appear at times to have a "better-than-thou" outlook. In by no way am I judging people who aren't doing TFA and work 9-5 jobs. Obviously, I've been working a 9-5 job for the last year. And I applaud teachers that are not teaching in an inner city, poverty stricken school. There are certainly abundant challenges in middle-class schools, and if every motivated, knowledgeable citizen taught in a struggling school district, who would teach kids that were just like me? It's not the answer to completely forget the "haves" while we focus on improving the education of the "have-nots."



This is what I know: in all my life, I have never felt more sure about doing anything. I first heard of Teach for America in middle school, and learned more in college from recruiters. It was something I immensely respected but never personally considered. In June 2008, Patrick Connor, an Aggie who is in his second year of TFA in the D.C. area, told me stories from his classroom. It was the night before the last day of the school year, so he certainly was focusing on funny, positive stories due to his excitement at the thought of summer, but I was beyond inspired. I thought, oh my gosh, this is something I have to look into. This is something I could (maybe) handle. Later that night I told my mom about the program and some of Patrick's stories. Over the summer, I read every inch of the Teach for America website and anxiously waited for the application to come available online in August. I know it will be hard; I will be frustrated, disenchanted, disappointed at the end of a lot of days.



But I also know that I have never felt more at peace about making a decision like this. Not the White House internship and coming to D.C. Not transferring from TCU to A&M. In life, God has made a lot of things pretty evident to me, and I have walked by faith. Teach for America, though, feels like something God has smacked me in the face with (in a loving way) and said: "Hello! I want you to do this!" It has been my prayer that if it was His will, I would somehow be accepted. I know I will need to rely fully on Him to get through the next two years, and I know the ride will be bumpy. But I am so excited, so thrilled, and so blessed beyond belief to be a part of this program. Friends, family, cyber world - thanks for your words of encouragement through this process. See you sooooon!



"For we walk by faith, and not by sight." 2 Corinthians 5:7

there were ninjas on our beds, true story

We sat there, the oldest of friends, me on one side of the booth, them on the other, margaritas and salsa on the table between us. We talked about jobs, guys, roommates, and family. We talked about anything and everything, both meaningful and silly, as if it had only been a week since we'd seen each other.

In reality, we're not the oldest of friends. Stephanie and Renza had only met twice before, but with as much as I talk about the other, I feel as though they know each other very well. And they definitely act like it. Having friends from totally different parts of your life that get along so well is so fun.

Stephanie and I met in 7th grade German class, and we found out we both went to the same church and starting doing youth group stuff together occasionally. Eventually our friendship grew into the know-everything-about-the-other, loud-and-obnoxious, we-can-argue-and-still-spend-24-hours-a-day-together friendship that it is today. She's currently in Dallas and after I was in Oklahoma City for work,I spent two days/nights with her last weekend.

Renza and I became friends the summer before high school at Camp Longhorn Indian Springs. Two summers later we were practically inseperable, and we spent the five years after that at camp for five weeks at a time attempting to be counselors, but I think we had more fun than the campers. We've had some crrrazy adventures, both domestic and international. (Como se dice cebolla??) She lives in Oklahoma and came to Dallas just to see us! YEA!

Saturday night I was exhausted but trying not to act like it. My mom, punk that she is, insisted that we stay at Hotel ZaZa the night that all three of us were in town. I felt like a ridiculous over the top spoiled kid staying there, however. It was extremely fun and Renz & I reminisced about the time when we stayed there sophomore year of college with her mom and family friend. At 18, hanging out in a bar that has a translucent dancefloor on top of a pool was pretty cool. Okay, it was still cool at 22...

"There are some scary ass ninjas on our beds!!" -Stephanie
(Apparently there were ninjas in the fabric covering the headboards in our room, and Steph was majorly freaked out.)
After our mandatory appearance at the "Dragonfly" -bar mentioned above- and hanging out with fellow ag William, we jumped on the beds, sang songs, took silly pictures. S&R pretended they were going to watch a raunchy movie (i immediately thought of infamous KKG advisor Mrs. Hoyle) and we fell asleep still talking i think.

The next morning there was a) a bird in our room chirping on command or b) the smoke detector was trying to alert us to its low battery. Correct answer: B. Renz called the front desk, and after fifteen minutes of no one coming with a ladder to solve our problem, I decided to take matters into my own hands. Sometimes Renza is too sweet for her own good.

I called the front desk. They said someone was on their way and should be there immediately. "Okay, thank you!" I cheerfully said, forgetting to yell or be aggrivated.

From the other bed, sleepy Stephanie rolled over. "Oh, yea, way to be a hard ass Courtney!She imitated my voice: 'Oh, thank you so much. Have a blessed day!'"

So the laughing began at 7:24 a.m. We pretty much laughed all of Sunday. Had a wonderful brunch, got semi-lost on the way to Love Field (but I knew the correct way), gave Renza a quick tour of Highland/University Park, blasted great tunes with the windows down. The only thing that would have made the weekend better was if my great-grandparents hadn't been out of town. The one time I'm in Dallas we miss each other!

How blessed am I to have such funny friends. Seriously, if I wrote down half the stuff they said I could write a bestseller. And, they put up with me, which either means they are incredibly smart or incredibly dumb... :)

I'm glad to have friends that see each other so little that so naturally get along together. It would be great if we all lived in the same city for a month. Or forever, whatever. Regardless, I'm so glad to know them. Until next time...

great light of the world

so i have this thing about quotes. i have a whole journal that's dedicated to quotes only. (it desperately needs to be updated.) i don't know how to describe it, but there's something about when someone goes before you and says what you're feeling, or says something inspiring, or meaningful, or funny. even if they're not famous. even if they're "unknown."

sometimes, a few words thrown together in the right order can mean so much. i'll share a quote i found today:

"People are like stained-glass windows. They sparkle and shine when the sun is out, but when the darkness sets in, their true beauty is revealed only if there is a light from within."
Elizabeth Kubler-Ross (1926-2004, doctor, counselor, educator)

"This is the message we have heard from him [Jesus] and declare to you:

God is light.
In Him there is no darkness at all."

John 1:5-6

my prayer for you today is that you see the light that's all around you. happy day!

falling into winter

I'm from Houston, where most people say there are two seasons: summer, and a mild winter. But I like to disagree- we have a brief spring, a few cooler days with falling leaves, sometimes snow, and certainly - summer.

Washington certainly has four distinct seasons, and fall is all around us. Every time the seasons have changed while I've been living here, I've thought - "Oh, this is my favorite season!" The wonderful flowers and sunshine that came when spring rolled in. The longer days and warm tempatures to bake outside in. But the leaves changing color, the extended weeks of brisk nights and warmer days... fall in D.C. is like nothing i've ever experienced before. Its wonderful.

'Member that girl that i talk about alot, Caitlin? Well she and me and bonnie, our wonderful fun friend from georgia, roadtripped out to shenadoah nat'l park this weekend. I've been reading about this park literally since last November when I found out I was moving to D.C. and began researching cool things to do.

I could ramble on and on about our adventures - Bonnie (wonderful driver, really) making multiple wrong turns. Caitlin scolding me for wearing a scarf. Me trying to throw myself out of the car to feel the wind in my hair. Our hike to...nowhere. Our picnic with Middle Easterners. I could describe the colors of the leaves to you- but I'll just show you.

They say that fall is a reminder of the cleansing we need in life - trees shed their leaves each year to make room for new growth. Its a metaphor for our lives - to cleanse the stress from the last year, the hardships, the pain - to recognize the trials for what they are and prepare for: christmas!! the birth of a savior, time with family, and then to start it all over again - new growth in the spring.