Pathfinders

"In the end, it's not the years in your life that counts. It's the life in your years."

For one hour every wednesday, we met in a small room.  We learned about missionaries, worms, bible concordances, community outreach, snakes, pine cars, the books of the bible, plaster craft, soap carving, and much more.  

On the weekends, we camped.  Our last campout was a four day, three night trip with 3,000 other Pathfinders from all over Texas.  Here's what 3,000 campers look like:

Two of the teenage girls in our Pathfinder club rode in the car with Chris and I to and from the campout.  The highlight of the car ride consisted of a conversation that went as follows after one of the teenage girls made a comment about something obvious:

Teenage girl one: "biviously!"

Teenage girl two: "You always say biviously to me.  You don't even know what it means."

Teenage girl one: "I do too."

Me: "What does biviously mean?"

Teenage girl one: "It means...like...you know, when... I can google it...how do you spell biviously?"

Teenage girl two: "I think it starts with a b."

Teenage girl one: "No, I think it starts with an a. A-biviously."

Kim:  "Chris, these girls obviously do not know how to spell biviously."

With conversations like this, the car ride passed quickly.

After arriving at the campsite, we found our club camped out right next to the only shower facilities for 3,000 people.  At first, our kids were excited by the proximity to the showers.  When long, noisy lines of anxious campers formed the next morning at 3:45, the excitement was gone.  Tent walls are less than sound proof, which meant that we all woke up by 4:00 a.m. that morning.  Luckily, the rest of the weekend was so exhausting that few people had the energy necessary to stand in the shower line at 4:00 a.m.

The actual shower facilities were four truck trailers fitted with narrow shower stalls - 24 stalls to be exact.  Simple math reveals that 24 showers + 3,000 people = very short showers.  As I waited in line for my first shower, I was disturbed by the first rule on the list of rules outside each shower truck:  "Don't poop in the shower."  That rule existed only because someone pooped in the shower in the past.  I was so happy that I did not find anything brown when it was my turn to shower, but I did not like the empty bottle of poison ivy scrub on the shower shelf.  This was "biviously" left behind by some itchy, rash covered person who showered before me.  During that shower, I concentrated on not rubbing my bare skin on any of the shower walls.  

Our waking time during the campout was spent running between activities, preparing food, and convincing our kids that it was time to wake up/go to bed.  One night, I ate s'mores and played hide and seek in the dark.  One afternoon, we caught one of our boys in the girls tent.  Luckily, he was just helping the girls do their hair.  Seriously.  On Saturday, we emerged from our tents and three minute showers in dress pants and pressed shirts.  

By day four of our campout, I was exhausted.  I asked one of the kids if he was ready to go home. He was not, because he loves Pathfinders.  And despite my exhaustion after the campouts, weekly meetings, and everything in between, I love Pathfinders too because it means that these awesome kids comprised a large portion of the life in my year:

(Top: Taje, Matt, Anton, Brandon, Sayd; Bottom: Cameron, Tanya, Claudia, Rehanna)

Almost 100

My great grandmother passed away this month.  She was 99 years old and just weeks shy of her 100th birthday. 

My great grandmother told me that this is an awful picture of herself.  Later, she proved to me that she could still use an ab roller at 97 years old.  Any 90+ year old woman who can use an ab roller is beautiful to me.    

Thirty

Last month I was 29.  This month I'm 30.  

When you turn 30, special things happen.  Fresh flowers are the first thing you see when you wake up. 

Then, as you are leaving for work, you find extra sparkle casually waiting for you on your ring holder.

And after work, you are surprised with dinner on a boat with friends and family while floating the River Walk.

Turning 30 is superb, especially when you have a superb 30-something husband.  

DougArt

My friend and I went to a paint-your-pet painting class.  We did alright for a couple of attorneys.

One Year of Doug

Immediately after Chris and I adopted Doug, we took him to PetSmart.  For the first 30 minutes, he followed us around with a defeated look - head low, ears back, tail straight down.  Chris wondered if Doug would always be so boring. Then Doug saw a basket of tennis balls.

Doug's love for a ball is something you must observe to understand.  He will ignore all pain for a ball.  He will jump off a four foot porch for a ball.  He will try to crawl out a second floor window to retrieve a ball.  He will come to your house, disappear for three or four minutes, and then reappear with a ball in his mouth. He will play ball for six hours straight.  When a ball is out, Doug cannot relax.  Doug with a ball is the definition of obsessive compulsive behavior.  

Doug joined the Sias house one year ago.  In that time, I estimate that Chris and I have taken Doug to the park to play ball about twice a week.  I would estimate that each time he plays ball, he fetches and returns the ball at least 30 times.  That means that between Chris and I, we have thrown his ball over three thousand times during the past year, a very conservative estimate in my opinion.  

The life expectancy for a Jack Russell Terrier is 13 to 16 years, which means that Chris and I may very well play ball with Doug for another 11 to 14 years.  Over that time, we will likely throw Doug's ball 34,000 to 43,000 times.  I am happy to celebrate Doug's one year anniversary as a Sias, but thinking about the years to come makes my arm hurt.  

Fiesta!

I survived my second Fiesta, an annual eleven day celebration in San Antonio in honor of the Alamo.  Fiesta highlights this year include the half-taxi, half-cop vehicle parked outside NIOSA (Night in Old San Antonio).

Also a spectacle was the parking lot at my office one afternoon. The DJ under the stars and stripes tent started the party at two o'clock.  By the time I left work at five, the party included a limo.  

The King William Parade and King William Fair remains my favorite Fiesta event.  Last year at the King William Fair, Chris played a basketball shooting game and won a terribly tacky stuffed dog wearing Mexican flag shorts.

This year, Chris played the same game and won a shark wearing a red bandana.  

After the shark attacked Chris,

he traded it for two tacos.  

 Viva Fiesta!

Luminaria

Luminaria.  My favorite San Antonio event. 

The New Cool

I've learned a number of useful lessons working with Pathfinders.  For example, I've recently learned about swagg.   Swagg is a word the kids use to describe what's cool, but I think it's more than just a synonym for the word cool.  The kids often use the word beast in place of the word cool.

According to Urban Dictionary, swagg is "mostly known as style," a "unique part of what makes you different than the other players in a cool way."  I've learned that mismatched socks and cartoon-themed backpacks are swagg.

Our last Pathfinder camping trip entailed a lot of talk about swagg.  I mockingly asked Chris if one could have swagg by accident.  Later that afternoon, one of the staff members layered hoodies because he was cold.  The kids told the staff member that his layered hoodies were swagg.  Or maybe the kids said the staff member had swagg.  Quite honestly, I'm not really sure how to use the word properly, but I'm certain that improper use of the word is a sure sign that one lacks swagg.  In any event, I now know that one can have swagg by accident.

In all honestly, I don't really care if I use the word swagg properly or not.  It is not a word that I use on a daily basis, I do not like mismatched socks or cartoon backpacks, and I own only one hoodie.  I am happy, however, that the kids are comfortable enough to be themselves around me.  That's beast.

"Camping"

I like to go camping.  I like to go camping in beautiful places.  I really like to go "camping" in nice cabins with hot showers.  The last camping trip I took involved a beautiful place and nice cabins with hot showers.  It was awesome!

A crystal clear river ran along a cliff on one side of the camp.

The water was very tempting.

But the weather was cold, so we enjoyed the scenery from the comfort of our dry clothes.

It was a good camping trip.   

Spring Break Fever

Spring break has certainly arrived. One of my pathfinders, who is 14, asked me where I am going this week for spring break.  I told him that I am not going anywhere because I don't have a spring break.  He was shocked.  When I told him that adults who work do not have a spring break, he told me that his teacher has spring break.  I rephrased: Most adults who do not work at a school do not have a spring break.  He asked who I work for and then asked other staff members, "Did you know Kim's employer does not give her a spring break?!?!?!?"  

Living downtown has a lot of perks, but spring break is not one of them.  A deluge of vacationers has overtaken the river, sidewalks, and restaurants.  They are easy to identity - wearing backpacks and shorts, camera in hand, kids in tow. The crowds don't bother me so much.  What gets to me is the way they unknowingly flaunt their happy and carefree state of vacation as I drive to and from work.  I am overwhelmingly aware of how much I miss spring break.    

Pine Car Derby

The pathfinder club I work with recently participated in an area wide pine car derby.  As the boys designed flashy race cars, I took a more feminine approach.  After many hours of work, I am proud to introduce you to the Barbie car:

In case you don't know, the car started as this:

Now you're impressed, right?!?!? 

Not surprisingly, Chris played a major role in building the Barbie car.  Without his skills and attention to detail, the car would look substantially less impressive. Substantially.

On race day, Barbie lined up next to her rival, the only other car built by a staff member from our pathfinder club.  

During one of the heats, Barbie's rival lost a weight.  The weight landed in Barbie's lane, causing her to spin out of control and look like nothing more than a pretty blonde who can't drive.  Luckily, the judges discovered the debris on the track and re-ran the heat.

Did Barbie advance past the first round of races?  Of course not.  She was built for beauty, not speed.  Barbie didn't even win the best-in-show trophy, a title normally associated with Barbie's image.  She's okay, though.  Best-in-show appropriately went to one of the kids who built a marine-life themed car, complete with glittery aqua waves and a plastic dolphin.  Barbie knows the race was really about the kids. Staff members like me were just happy for an excuse to relive our childhood for a day.

Poo-Poo on You

I walked Doug at the park last weekend.  It rained the night before, so the sandy pathways in the park were damp.  An apparently love-crazed pre-teen took advantage of the wet sand and used a stick to proclaim her love for Justin Bieber.  I laughed at the message.  Doug then walked over and pooped right on top of the sandy love note.    Good boy, Doug.  Good Boy.

Hit-and-Run?!?!?

A couple weeks ago, Chris and I  managed to arrive home from work, walk the dog, eat dinner, and clean the kitchen by 7 p.m.  We were anticipating a quiet evening at home, but before we could relax the fire alarm sounded. Because false fire alarms are somewhat regular in our building, we calmly collected our dog and walked outside with our neighbors.

Instead of standing around to wait for the fire department, Chris and I decided to walk the dog.  We rounded the corner on South Alamo street, walked about a block, and stopped for a minute. When I turned around, I saw a car driving backwards across South Alamo street with the driver's side door wide open.  I also heard a man yelling for help.  I was shocked to see the man lying on the ground, wedged behind the front tire on the driver's side of the car traveling across the street.

Chris and I ran toward the car as it dragged the trapped man across the pavement.  As we arrived at a gas station across the street from our apartment, the car rounded it's way into the gas station parking lot and gained the momentum necessary to drive over the man wedged behind the tire.  As the car rolled over the man's lower body, the man uttered horrible moaning and groaning noises.  The car then left the man behind, right in front of Chris and I, and continued to drive in a circular pattern around the gas pumps and out of the gas station parking lot.  

Believing that hit-a-run was in the making, Chris ran after the car.  I remained with the the man, who was lying on the ground and asking me to help him stand.  I kindly declined his requests, assuming that he should first wait for clearance from qualified medical professionals.  I glanced up at the car and noticed that it was continuing in a circular pattern and was again headed toward the man on the ground. I suddenly wanted the man to move, but there was no time.  Luckily, the circular pattern of the car's path was narrowing and the car drove past the man on the ground as it entered the gas station parking lot a second time.  As the car drove by, I looked inside the open driver's door and realized no one was in the car! 

The out of control car continued to drive backwards in a circular pattern around the gas pumps and out of the gas station parking lot.  Chris thought about jumping in the open driver's side door, but the car was moving too fast.  Instead, he ran across the street to the firemen assessing the false fire alarm in our building.  As he ran, I began to realize that the car, which was in the street and headed for the gas station once again, was headed for the gas pumps.  As fast as I could think about my proximity to a potentially large explosion, the car circled into the gas station parking lot and slammed into a concrete post at the end of the gas pumps.  The car came to a sudden halt with a loud, crunching sound.

Within minutes, Chris returned with the firemen from across the street.  The fireman assessed the man on the ground.  I realized that the man was elderly, at least 70 years old.  I overheard the man state that he thought his car was in park.  The gas station attendant, who yelled and panicked throughout the whole incident, said he saw the old man fall out of his car.  

After about 20 minutes, the firemen finished with the old man.  The old man stood up and began walking toward his car.  I walked to to the old man and asked if he was okay.  He stopped and glanced at me.  I noticed that his sweat shirt was twisted and one of leg of his sweat pants was scrunched up to his knee.  The old man told me that he was fine, and did three or four slow motion lunges as evidence.  Unable to argue with him, everyone watched as the old man continued walking, sat down in the car that ran over him 30 minutes earlier, and drove away. 

So much for a quiet, relaxing evening...

Ten Years Later...

My high school buddies and I circa 2001...

... and then reunited in 2011.

Wurstfest

This fall I went to Wurstfest, a festival self-proclaimed as a salute to sausage and all things German.   I did not actually eat any sausage at Wurstfest, although sausage was available for purchase in any form imaginable, but I did stop for a picture with one of the many sausage themed murals.

Aside from the sausage themed murals, the abundance of German music and lederhosen at Wurstfest was very entertaining.  I even took a stab at yodeling along with a master yodeler.

Here's to Wurstfest!  

Family Reunion

This past September, the women on my mom's side of the family converged in a small west Texas town for a family reunion with my mom's dad's family.  I hitched a ride with my aunt, cousin, and cousin's daughter and could not believe how much stuff three women and baby need for a two night trip - ridiculous!

The family reunion was held on a Saturday morning.  I really enjoyed meeting my grandfather's brother, Randall.  We bonded over our shared love for his adorable dog Mitzi.

Equally interesting was the door prize table.  Just look at all those goodies - a vase of rocks, a ceramic rooster, a pair of scissors, sugar free candy.

Actually, because I really wanted one of the plants, I anxiously awaited my turn when it came time to draw numbers.  When my number was finally drawn, I grabbed my grandma's cane, threw it into the air, and danced my way over to the table as if I was a contestant on the Price is Right.  In the end, there were prizes for everyone.

The rest of the weekend was spent at a hotel, but I can't really quantify what exactly we did.  I know that I went to Target at least twice, napped in one bed, and slept in two others.  Also, at one point I rewrote the chorus to Ludicris' song "Move B***, Get Out the Way," as a child friendly song called "Moo Cow, Eat up the Hay."  All in all, a pretty good weekend.

Update

It has been quite a while since I blogged, so I thought it proper to post an update of sorts regarding recent events in the Sias household.

1.  It's official: Chris and I are one of those dog couples.  You know, those couples who have a dog instead of children.  I have taught Doug (our little Jack Russell Terrier) lots of neat tricks and am tempted to post a video, but I think that would only be interesting to Chris and I.  In other Doug news, Doug received heart worm treatment and is now heart worm free.  With Doug's new found health, Chris is trying to channel his inner dog whisperer and teach Doug "calm energies."  I think Chris should teach Doug to stop eating disgusting foreign objects.  Yes, there have been incidents more disgusting than this.

2.  Chris and I have been living in San Antonio for a little over a year now, and time has flown-by!  Over the past year, we've had lots of out-of-town visitors.  Thank you to Mom, Dad, Casey, Dennis, Rudy, Lulu, Jesse, Vanessa, Vivian, Carlos, Lindy, A.J., Stephen, Genie, Mara, Marissa, Ryan, Amber, and Joye for staying with us.  I promise we will have a real guest room someday.  Also, we enjoyed seeing Gina, Heather, Eliel, Victor, Rick, Judy, David, and Cindy during their vacations to San Antonio.  We never had this many visitors in Lubbock.  

3.  Chris bought a new car.  One day we were walking through H-E-B when Chris told me that he posted the Miata on craigslist.  Two minutes later the phone rang.  And then the phone rang again.  Needless to say, the car was priced to sell and it sold quickly.  The new car is a little bigger than the Miata but still seats only two people.  I suppose it's a good thing that we are one of those couples that has a dog instead of children.

4.  Praise God for miracles!  A couple of months ago, Chris rode his bike to work.  During the day, someone stole the bike from the bike rack at his office.  Chris was very upset because this was his fancy mountain bike with oodles of sentimental value, not to mention monetary value as well.  After work, Chris and I checked a local pawn shop with no luck.  Later that night, Chris remembered that we were studying about how we should praise God in all things.  During our worship prayer, I thanked God that we only lost a bike and not something more serious, like one of our cars.  I also prayed for the person who stole the bike.  Less than a minute after we finished our prayer, the phone rang.  The security guard at Chris' office was on the line and told Chris that someone just walked up and returned his bike to the bike rack.  Wow!  A direct answer to prayer, and we didn't even pray for the return of the bike.  God is awesome!

5.  I have tried the following new things outside my comfort zone: I was a member of the praise team at church, singing into my own microphone.  I told the children's story at the Spanish church in Spanish.  I led out a group bible study on Moses and Hosea.  I painted faces at a fall festival.  Through all of this, I learned that kids are your easiest and most honest critics.

6.  I went on my first pathfinder camp-out as a staff member with the Scenic Hills Jaguars Pathfinder Club.  When I was in pathfinders as a child, all the members and staff took turns preparing and cleaning up after meals.  Our San Antonio pathfinder club, however, is blessed with the Flemmers.  The Flemmers are a retired couple who bring their RV, portable kitchen, and yummy food on all of our campouts.  The Flemmers made us baked spaghetti, biscuits and eggs, hot dogs and chili, fresh popcorn, cookies, cupcakes, and even gave us snack bags full of treats for the ride home.  This was camping at its finest, except for the super chilly temperatures at night.
  

All I want for Christmas is . . .

My Christmas wish list:

1.  Vacation.

2.  Vacation.

3.  Vacation.

Can you tell that I really want to take a vacation?

Mr. Sias Turns 30

Last month Chris turned 30.  I asked Chris what he wanted to do to celebrate.  He told me, "Stay home and watch T.V."  I ignored him and planned a small birthday party at the apartment, which elicited a surprisingly sour reaction.  He explained that he did not want a party and that being the center of attention made him nervous.  Again, I ignored him.  I knew that he would regret watching T.V. to celebrate his 30th birthday.

Vivian and I made these architecturally themed chocolate cupcakes with cream cheese filling.  Chris decorated two of them.  Can you find his version of the Dallas Cowboys stadium and the Guggenheim Museum?

Needless to say, Chris had nothing to worry about.  He even had some help blowing out all those trick candles.

Doug joined in the festivities, until the spring-loaded, party poppers came out.  Then he hid in the bathroom and tried to escape out the front door out of fear.

Last week I saw Chris putting one of his birthday cards in storage.  I guess he realized that a 30th birthday is kind of special after all.

Fire Drill

The fire alarm in our building goes off frequently.  The first time was on New Year's Eve while Chris and I were playing the newly wed game with Chris's family.  We were all awake and had nowhere to go the next day, so a false fire alarm was really no bother.  

The next time the fire alarm went off, Chris and I were fast asleep.  We abruptly awoke in the middle of the night to flashing lights and a loud, high pitched noise.   In a groggy state, we filed outside with our neighbors until the fire department arrived and cleared the building. 

The false fire alarms have become increasingly annoying.  One night I awoke to the usual flashing lights and loud sirens.  Confused, I attributed the noise to our dog, Doug, and repeatedly asked Chris to make the dog "shut-up."

On Thursday morning I woke up late and asked Chris to walk Doug for me.  Chris reluctantly agreed.  As Chris was getting ready for his morning jog with Doug, the smoke detector began beeping, indicating the battery was low.  The smoke detector kept beeping, and beeping, and beeping; the beeping wouldn't stop.  Annoyed with the noise, Chris decided to push the reset button on the smoke detector.  The smoke detector beeped one long final beep, followed by the all too familiar flashing lights and loud, high pitched sirens.  Chris and I now knew why we had so many false fire alarms in our building.

Upon realizing that he was the direct cause of a false fire alarm at six in the morning, Chris was suddenly very eager to walk Doug.  He quickly grabbed the dog and ran out the door. I finished curling my hair, and then walked outside to join my disgruntled neighbors.  I was in no rush because I was certain that this fire alarm was a false alarm.  

As expected, the fire department arrived and turned off the alarm.  Before leaving the building, the fireman visited my apartment.  Apparently, the fire alarm system in our building is high tech and records where all alarms originate, although it is not high tech enough to differentiate between an actual fire and low batteries in a smoke detector.  I played dumb with the firemen, making vague references to a strange beeping noise earlier that morning.  The firemen were not amused and looked at me like I was the most annoying person they had ever met.  I couldn't say anything and only thought,  "Chris should be standing here, suffering this scorn and mockery."  But he wasn't there.  He was at the park, playing ball with Doug, where he remained until I called him and told him the scene was clear.