( This pic from Google Images reminds us that there are definitely appropriate times to ignore calls...)

Fellow cell phone users:
Let’s resolve to always use good manners when dealing with cell phones in the year 2007…

Now that I’m in a very fast-paced and sometimes demanding job downtown, I often use my lunch hour to disconnect and run various errands I’d rather not save for the evening when I’m busy doing important stuff (like hanging out with friends, running, watching TV, etc.).

Today was one of those days when I used the lunch hour to do some important shopping I don’t have time to do later. It was a perfect plan to be very productive and enjoy a short shopping experience…until I landed in line behind a very rude female cell phone user. After spending time chatting loudly on the phone during her entire store experience, she received another call while she was standing in front of the cashier – just in line in front of me. The girl behind the counter had already rung up the items and bagged them nicely when another very important call came.

After listening to a couple of minutes of discussion about which movie the woman was to see this afternoon with her friend, the cashier kindly asked the woman if she should take the next guest in line. The cell phone lady ignored the cashier, putting her hand up as if to say, “I’m busy talking right now. You can wait and so can she (glancing my way)” Even after the woman hung up the call and was digging for her wallet – she had yet to pay – she was dialing again. She spent a total of 6 minutes in front of the cash register dealing with her phone calls and trying to pay for her items. It seemed like an eternity as I watched her failure to give either task proper attention and waste the time of virtually everyone involved…

Fellow cell phone users, let’s resolve to NEVER have a not-so-urgent personal discussion when standing in line in front of other customers at a store. Matter of fact, let’s resolve to choose to not to answer or make cell phone calls while interacting with someone else face-to-face. Nothing could be more inconsiderate, rude, and as we say in West Texas, downright tacky.

Promise to be a polite cell phone user in 2007? Good - me too!
Hooray for 2007 and resolutions.

For other cell phone rants, you should check my friend Malita’s blog. Her 2006 rants on the subject are hilarious…and will make you think twice about your cell phone etiquette.

http://curlsz.blogspot.com/2006/06/get-off-your-freakin-phone.html
http://curlsz.blogspot.com/2006_08_01_archive.html (check the Cell Phone Rant #2 in August 2006)

HOLIDAY PICS

My brother Jeff, and his fiance Tara. What a beautiful new sister I am getting!









My niece and nephews

Me and one of my brown-eyed boys!

Merry Christmas!

For some reason I have an annual tradition of neglecting to send Christmas cards. Mostly it is because I have either recently moved, been out of the country - making it difficult to send cards, or simply failed to buy them. So for those of you who keep up with this blog, consider this my Christmas greeting and "life update" all wrapped into one.

This year I am celebrating Christmas with my family - who is now much closer than several states away. I am rejoicing that my life in Texas has been full of old friends and new ones. I am grateful for the many ways God has shown His love and faithfulness to me this year. It has been a good year full of travels and transition. I've had the opportunity to finish a season as a college professor, lead 25 high school students on an international experience, involve myself in a great community of believers in Texas, celebrate my 30th birthday alongside my nine-year-old niece, begin sewing lessons with my grandmother, and start a career as an event planner. It has been an eventful year indeed.

I am truly grateful to look back over this past year and remember that God has given an abundance of good things. May this season be a reminder of how beautiful, precious, and REAL He is.

I pray He is adored by you and yours today, tomorrow, and always.

Dinosaur Bones.

Over the holiday I took my nephews to the Science Museum in Fort Worth. Aren't they cute? And surprisingly brave to pose in front of this very patient dinosaur?

Matthew loved digging for dinosaur bones in the designated sand pit out front. He kept screaming, "Aunt Nicole, I found something!" Every time I would walk over and inspect the rock he was holding and reassure him that, yes, I think he may have been a part of uncovering a very important artifact. The museum is very gracious to allow 7-year-olds to host their own archaeological digs of sorts out front. I'll bet they don't even notice that kids everywhere are taking home pocketfuls of rocks they are convinced belonged to an ancient dinosaur.

If you are in Fort Worth and want to check it out, you too can take home your very own piece of dinosaur bone - or rocks. Whichever ones you are lucky enough to find.

The Coolest Christmas Party Invitation Award goes to...
...Leslie Roberson. She has displayed her party expertise yet again. Check it out. At first glance, it looks like my ipod that got left on the kitchen table...
But look more closely and you'll see that it's a party invitation wrapped up in chocolate. I'm telling you, she should copyright this stuff.

Long Overdue: WE WON

For you faithful blog readers who wondered about the fate of Kelly and I's entry in the pumpkin carving contest - good news! We won. Here's a picture of our reward. We promptly split it up to be used for dinner out or some other unbudgeted entertainment activity. Fantastic!

Update: Thursday's court date in Turkey for Hakan and Turan was really to set a more official court date in the future. No date has been set. However, their lawyer said the government does not have a strong case against them. Turan and Hakan were also able to speak freely of forgivenss for those who have falsely accused them. I'll post future updates as I receive information...

Trial tomorrow in Turkey

Many of you, if you keep up with global news regarding Christian persecution, have heard about a recent case in Turkey. Two guys I worked closely with in Istanbul have been arrested and are facing a trial tomorrow that could result in a prison sentence.

Hakan and Turan, both Turkish and Christian, were charged initially with illegal gun possession (a totally false accusation) and now face three charges: 1)Article 301-Putting down the Turkish republic and inciting riot 2) Article 216-Saying bad things about another person’s religion, 3) Article 135-Gathering and using people’s personal information with out their permission.

Hakan and Turan are working along with other Christians in Turkey to send out Bible correspondence information to people who request it. This is not illegal. Being a Christian is not illegal….but these two were targeted by the local community and the government. They are being charged with offenses that are not true and prosecuted under Turkish laws that have received a lot of scrutiny lately as Turkey vies for EU membership.

The outcome of this case could be a very important factor as the EU watches how Turkey treats minorities. These laws don’t just affect Turkish Christians, they affect writers, artists, and other religious minorities in Turkey. In fact, anyone who might say anything that seems to go against the strong nationalism/Islamic heritage of Turkey can be a target. Several people have been arrested under these laws. If you’d like to read more about the political details of the law and how it affects people in Turkey, check out this wikipedia article.

How should we respond? As people who live in a country where there is freedom of speech and freedom of religion, our first response should be gratitude. Not one of us has to be concerned that sharing our faith will land us in prison in the US. Secondly, if you are a follower of Christ, pray for these brothers and their families. They have displayed tremendous faith and are not worried about their situation. In fact, Turan wrote a recent email that said pray he will face these trials as Paul did, with boldness and faith. The outcome of this trial could affect the Church in Turkey and how Christians are treated in places where Christ is not known. May we recognize our responsibility as the Church to be involved, to pray, and stay informed about what’s going on around the globe.

Sunday Night with Life Group Friends

The women sitting at Leslie Roberson's beautifully decorated fall table.






Nick & Traci - friends and neighbors













Leslie's Centerpiece














Nicole & Amy













Callie, Amy, Amanda & Sylvia

Autumn

At work on Friday we had a pumpkin carving contest and “Autumn” is what my co-worker and I came up with.

Here are some of the reasons we decided to forego the traditionally carved pumpkin:
1. There is a lot of pressure to come up with an original carving design. This natural pumpkin idea came from google. Not hard at all.
2. Cutting a pumpkin with a knife is hard. Hot gluing acorns and gourds seemed much easier.
3. It’s messy to dig out the inside of a pumpkin. Sorry, co-workers, but I’m not willing to get messy at work for the sake of winning a contest.
4. We can label our pumpkin “made with all natural ingredients”.
5. Since the contest was on Friday and the pumpkins are hanging around till Tuesday, we know ours isn’t going to rot. Rotten pumpkins are stinky. And they attract flies too.

Here’s to hoping Autumn wins the contest!

Good food, Good people, Good job.

This is a picture of me and Kelly, my co-worker. She is a lot of fun and really helping me to learn the catering and party planning ropes. This was Friday’s event at The Ashton Depot. We hosted a luncheon for 500 and I couldn’t help but think that I really really like this job. Who can beat a job where you are surrounded by good food, fun people, and parties galore?

How much do you know about World Hunger?

Today is World Food Day, a time to focus on the issue of hunger in the world. I challenge you to see how much you really know about it. Take this quiz published by the BBC.

A Baby!

So this morning I called my niece to wish her a happy birthday before school and I got some other news too...My sister is having another baby! Madison turned 9 today and the twins Matthew and Mitchell are 7. Now they are adding a baby to the mix. This will be so fun!

The kids already asked if they could name it. Their suggestion? Magician. They wanna call it Magic for short. I'm sure they got that idea from some Disney movie or cartoon, but the irony of their suggestion makes me laugh. My sister and brother-in-law are in for a fun ride with a new baby and three little helpers! Let's just hope she doesn't take seriously their offers to help name it...

The Birthday Weekend

For my birthday this past weekend, my good friends Rebecca, Amy, and Callie organized a Girls’ Weekend in honor of my 30th. Friday began with a great evening of pedicures, movies, girl talk, and baked Brie. Saturday was coffee and brunch (with more girl talk), Tea Time at Tempest in Dallas, and shopping at the Galleria. Could I have asked for a more girly weekend? I don’t think so! I loved every minute.
Love those girls.
Love pedicures.
Love girl talk.
Love shopping.
And Love being 30.

The Big 3-0h.

Yeah, that's right people I am turning 30 tomorrow! Lots of people have asked me how I feel about it. Honestly? I feel great! My roommate said yesterday that now I am officially thirty, flirty, and thriving.

I can live with that!

Downtown

Downtown – things’ll be great when you’re
Downtown – no finer place for sure
Downtown – everything’s waiting for you

So, now I am officially employed Downtown. The lyrics from this Petula Clark song may be a bit ambitious (I’m not sure everything is waiting for me there…), but the tune seemed appropriate to usher in this new chapter of working in downtown Fort Worth.

I just started working for the hospitality management company that manages The Ashton Hotel and The Ashton Depot in Fort Worth. They brought me on board to help coordinate people, events, and general business stuff. I have a lot to learn about the hospitality business, but those of you who know me well know that I love to take care of people. This is a great opportunity to do something professionally that I have always enjoyed doing at home! I am working with a great team including managers, executive chefs, event planners, and more. I can’t wait to watch and learn.

And, for those of you in the Fort Worth area, these are gorgeous venues for weddings, receptions, parties and more. You can expect luxury treatment and a unique Fort Worth flair. Very chic!

On this five year anniversary of 9/11, I’m sure most people are remembering where they were, what they were doing, and who they were with on September 11, 2001.

Me too.

On 9/11, I was living in Turkey. I remember that it was about 3:00 p.m. and I was walking down a busy Istanbul street on my way to a popular shopping area with my friend Elizabeth. There wasn’t anything out of the ordinary that day, other than the “normal” of everyday life overseas…constantly speaking and thinking in a foreign language, practicing care to not look men in the eyes (important in a Muslim culture), and smiling at the beggar children who always followed us down city streets asking for money.

My cell phone rang and an American friend who also lived in Istanbul said, “Hey there’s something going on in New York. I’m watching CNN and it looks like the whole city is on fire.” “Okay, Clay,” I said. “Thanks for calling.” Then I hung up and was actually annoyed that he would interrupt my path to the mall with news of a fire thousands of miles away in New York. Within fifteen minutes, he called again and said, “Nicole, as soon as you guys get to the mall, you need to find a department store with a television. You won’t believe it. There’s been a terrorist attack in New York and this is big.”

We sped up our pace to the mall and immediately went to the electronics department of the biggest store we could find. Without asking, we switched the channel from a Turkish soap opera to CNN in English. Then we saw the pictures of the towers – both smoking by this point. I stood about a foot from the TV in disbelief and I remember thinking that my mouth simply wouldn’t close. It felt frozen in shock. Within minutes, the Turks standing around us took notice of what was happening on the screen. This was the first they had seen of the news, and a crowd gathered around the television. They began to say in Turkish, “Change it to Turkish! I can’t understand English!” So they switched the channel and the reporting was now by a Turkish reporter, displaying the same images we’d just seen of the towers.

My cell phone rang again and I heard my mom’s voice. I couldn’t help but break down and cry. “Mom, what’s happening?” “Are you okay? Where are you? What are you doing?” She asked a million questions and I remember saying to her, “Mom, you’re in America, not me. Nothing is happening here. It’s happening there!” I remember her saying at the end of our conversation “The day is not over yet.” Then it hit me that it was early morning in the U.S. and she was right. Who knew what the rest of the day held?

The next few days we (me, Elizabeth, and other Americans living in the city) were sort of in a holding pattern. I remember our company issuing plans with all kinds of scenarios and emergency plans to evacuate if that was necessary. We sat glued to CNN all day for three days.
Things I remember most about those days:
1. I felt helpless.
2. I cried a lot.
3. I didn’t want to go back to work when things began to settle down.
4. I wanted my mom.
5. I prayed non-stop for the families who had lost people they loved.

I also remember my Turkish neighbors and friends who expressed so much concern for Americans and sadness at such a cowardly act of terrorism. They really were sympathetic. One neighbor even broke down in tears when she was telling me how sorry she was for our loss. Turkish people (and much of the rest of the world) understand the effects of terrorism. They have lived with it as long as they can remember and stand alongside anyone else who is affected by its devastation. I also remember many of them saying “This is NOT the way of Islam.” They were heartbroken that now Islam had been the basis for such an act of terrorism.

It’s been a long five years. This is not the place to comment on the state of things now. But it is a place to share a story and hope that many others, on this day, will remember that our world is broken. It is in need of redemption. My faith in Jesus Christ tells me the kind of redemption that’s needed can only come through Him. If anyone does, He understands betrayal, pain, surrender, and ultimate victory over evil. In Him, there is goodness, hope, healing, and salvation for all people on earth. May we be reminded of those things today…

Rarely do I use this blog for entries like these because it seems like more of personal journal entry than something to be public. But, in this case, it is part of me seeking to identify with other people’s experiences on that day and offer a word of hope, even on a day that is very solemn for many Americans.

The End of Poverty

Hey, for all of you who are concerned about global issues, I totally recommend Jeffrey Sach's The End of Poverty. This book has completely upset my mind over the past few months and helped me understand more about the issue of extreme poverty in the world. Now, many nay-sayers saw this book when I was reading it and commented "the end of poverty - yeah, right!", or "hmmm. the end of poverty. that sounds like Bono's favorite book", or _____ you fill in the blank on things people might say when they don't understand the issue. Or better yet, when they want to ignore it.

I was introduced to the book when one of my students gave it to me as a gift. He bought it in Delhi and was very thoughtful to bring it back from his study abroad assignment. Until I visited India last year I had never really given much thought to the serious issue of poverty and how it affects global politics, health, education, and culture. Sachs has writen a great book for the average Westerner who doesn't know that much about how we as a developed society either help or hurt the poor of the world.

I won't be so bold to say that now I understand everything about poverty, what causes it, or how to fix it. But this book really made me think. And every once in a while, shouldn't we be reading something that makes us think?? It's a good read. Check it and let me know what you think...

Top 10 good things about today:
1. The sun is out and it's less than 90 degrees. This is a major bonus for Texas in August.
2. I'm having lunch with my grandparents...I'm glad they are only 20 minutes away.
3. My birthday is in 17 days.
4. I have a job interview tomorrow.
5. I went running this morning by the river.
6. My birthday is in 17 days.
7. I watched a funny indie film some friends made recently. Check it out if you're into that kind of thing: http://www.jmcvideo.com/movies/recipe.wmv
8. I decided to go to Oklahoma this weekend. Yeah...I know...but it was cheaper than Cancun for Labor Day.
9. My birthday is in 17 days.
10. I am cooking dinner for friends - one of my favorite evening activities.

Did I mention that my birthday is coming up? Just making sure you caught that...

Probably most tourists don't take photos in the cemetery, but this cross was just too gothic and German to pass up...