Six minutes gone and I'm still alive

Next weekend, for my birthday, we are having our very first weekend getaway! You see, my favorite band in the world is Seven Nations. They are a Celtic rock band named for the original seven Celtic nations and composed of bagpipes, fiddle, drums, electric guitars and keyboard. I used to go to their concerts in DC and Virginia when I was going to school in College Park, but I haven't seen them in quite awhile and I was hoping that they would come to the St. Louis area soon so I could see them here.

I told Brandon that I wanted to go to their concert for my birthday whenever they come to town, so we have been dilligently checking up on their tour schedule for an area not too far from here. Last month they were playing in Michigan and though that is quite a stretch from St. Louis, we were going to risk it, but somehow things didn't work out for that weekend. I think Brandon was more concerned than I was about it because I knew they would come and it didn't matter when I got to see them.

Finally, one day after work last week, Brandon asked me if I had plans for my birthday weekend. It didn't even cross my mind that it was a Seven Nations concert. There is an annual Irish festival almost four hours west of St. Louis in Kansas City, Missouri and the band scheduled three different concert slots there. They will be playing among other greats such as Switchback and the Prodigals.

To make things even more romantic, we are staying both nights at a beautiful, old bed and breakfast about forty minutes away from the festival. I am so excited! It will be so nice to get away from seminary and the city and just be able to relax for the weekend without any house responsibilities. What's really neat is that Liguori lets us take off a day for our birthday, so it is a three-day weekend for me. I am going to go to class and chapel with Brandon and then we will hit the road for Kansas City.

I have been reading a lot of these books that you are supposed to read when you are first married, for instance The Honeymoon's Over! by Dennis and Barbara Rainey and they all suggest that couples should take mini-breaks from daily life and spend time rejeuvenating as a couple, so I definitely think this will be good for us. Seminary life is rough as we don't get to see each other much, but this weekend will be just us.

Libros Liguori or Liguori Publications

I spent all summer looking for a job once we got to Missouri. Brandon transferred offices from his company in Delaware, so he started working one week after we arrived. I, however, had been teaching at a private school as an unlicensed Spanish teacher and wasn't sure that I wanted to teach again this year. So I began married life unemployed.

All summer I perused online job search engines and life was depressing. I was in a new house in a new state with a new husband who was working overtime and going to a new school and I was home alone all day. I missed my family and I was so frustrated some days because I wasn't really sure that we were supposed to be here.

It didn't help that I couldn't find a job either. I either wouldn't hear back from those that I submitted resumes to or I wouldn't get the job from the companies that I managed to interview with. I wanted to be using my brain and interacting with other people instead being alone all day. The people I had already met had jobs, so it was not as if I could get together with them. And it was summer - no one was at the seminary or had during-the-day activities.

At the end of July, I found an job post for a Bilingual Telephone Sales Rep at a small publications company, twenty miles south of the city. It wasn't really what I was looking for, but I decided to apply anyway because I was becoming desperate. The company called back the same day wanting an interview with me.

I went to the interview not entirely convinced that I wanted the job, but I decided that I had better do my best anyway. I was team-interviewed by the head of sales, head of marketing, head of human resources, and head of Bilingual publications and I impressed their socks off. This little boost of confidence was just what I needed. I was emailed twice with requests for answers to additional questions and then I was called in for a second interview. Finally, I was hired and began working at the end of August.

So here I am learning the basics of this job and really beginning to make it my own because I do a little of everything. I handle all incoming Spanish-speaking calls as well as make calls. I also translate marketing copy for the catalogue and promotional fliers and eventually I will be traveling to book fairs.

Everyday I commute to work about forty-five minutes, but the good thing is that my route goes against traffic. My office is down in a part of Missouri called the foothills of the Ozarks, so there are even some rocks and semi-mountains around here. And I have also seen some signs for camping and national parks, so I am very encouraged by that. My favorite park that I have not yet visited is the Wooly Mammoth (Mastadon) state park and there are two huge replicas that guard the entrance to the park five minutes away. I am determined to give that one a visit.

Work here right now is pretty mundane. I spend most of my day doing this:

Thank you for calling Liguori Pulications, this is Rebecca speaking, how may I help you? And are you making that order for a parish, bookstore or individual?

Or if you are really lucky:

Gracias por llamar a Libros Liguori, habla Rebeca, en que puedo ayudarle?

One positive thing is that my spoken Spanish has improved since I got here since I am speaking with native speakers every single day. And I am getting better at understanding them, too. After a year of speaking only to first-, second- and third-year Spanish students, I am finally getting back to some semblance of grammatically correct Spanish and my old Castillian accent. I guess that's something. . .

I am not sure about this job yet. It is a pretty busy day which makes the day go faster, but I need more time before I can make a definitive decision.

Forest Park

We have now been married four months and, (I know this sounds cheesy), but the time has gone by so quickly. And at the same time, there are days when it feels like our wedding was centuries ago. I can hardly imagine being back at Tall Oaks trying to finish the school year and at the same time trying to plan the wedding and even still, trying to move! Yet somehow, we managed to go on a wonderful honeymoon to St. Thomas and move here in time for Brandon's Monday Greek class.

The end of our three year stay here for seminary seems so far off. It is a significant amount of time. In other words, we do have to make friends and settle here, but in some ways, we have already begun to make Missouri our home. To be sure, we miss Capriotti's, Utz potato chips, Rita's water ice, and Hershey Park, but we are starting to make memories here as well.

For example, Forest Park is a giant park in the middle of downtown where the zoo, art, and history museums are located and from the first time I laid my eyes on it, I fell in love. We took a walk by the lakes and fountains with another couple one night and it was just so enchanting. The fountains were lit up from below the water which made them look like liquid light and someone was shooting wedding pictures right on the bridge. The setting mingled with new friends emotions gave me a goosebump. At least one.

It has been my goal since I moved here to spend some time jogging in the park; however, the summer heat was awful discouraging, so I suppose I will have to wait for the beauty of the fall. Unfortunately, the beauty of the fall only lasts a day or two here, but I can dream, can't I?

Forest Park is also home to a myriad of free activities which is quite appealing to a poor seminary couple. I am waiting in anticipation for the Scottish games that are coming to the park in October.

The zoo is also free to the passerby. Don't let the price fool you, however. This is an amazing zoo! All of the animals are alive and healthy and only one exhibit was closed when I visited. Such a change from the D.C. free zoo. . .

You know, I might be starting to like this city. But don't tell anyone!