Breaking the silence

Hello blog world!

Well, I have been out of the blogoverse (did I make that up or is it something nerdy I shouldn't say?) for a looooooooong time.

Between work and Stephen and the holiday seasonsss, I have found very little time for blogging.

And, to be even more honest, very little to blog about.

The most exciting thing to happen round here in the last few months (besides my 2 year wedding anniversary and our trip to WA for Christmas, which, while blog-worthy, happened so fast and went by like blurs!), is that my best Anna is illustrating a silly little children's book I wrote.

I've never been great at writing.

Don't get me wrong - I could knock out a solid B+ or A- research paper or reading response or other academic type writing.

And I've always been good at noticing other's good writing (which is why I love to read).

While in college, the most creative writing I did was for my poetry workshop and then the poetry writing class I took.

Poetry was not my forte, but I was actually proud of a few of my poems.

But not real writing. Not like, sit down and write a story writing.

But one day, bored and bored and bored, I wrote a little story for Stephen about 2 monkeys in the jungle who become friends.

Like any good husband, he loved it! And encouraged me to write more.

So then I had an idea for a story about a shark.

It stank.

And then, my best Anna drew a picture of a penguin.

(For those of you who don't know me well, I LOVE penguins!)

And the story just fell into my head.

So Anna is drawing the pictures to go with my story and pretty soon, there will be a real live (not really published but sill super cool for us) book, written by Heather Cowden and illustrated by Anna Robertson.

Years from now, when there are little Cowden's running 'round, I'll have a little illustrated storybook to read them that I wrote! And that Aunt Anna illustrated.

The same goes for Anna when she's got some babies!

It's cool and fun and I'm excited to see the finished product.

Penguin in Love, not coming soon to any bookstore, but coming soon to live with me!

God's sense of humor

Well, isn't this ironic.

2 posts ago, I wrote a looooong post about how I may never be a grown-up and how I've had lots and lots of jobs (or so it seems).

God's funny.

And I think that God sometimes sits up in heaven and (while watching me type that suuuper long post) says, "Hahaha.. This should be fun! She has NO idea!"

In a humorous way, of course.

Because I truly had no idea. Still don't perhaps. But that is neither here nor there.

What is here is a new job. Or to be more exact, an old job but better.

On Wednesday, I was offered the position of Assistant Manager at the bookstore where I used to work.

It's a full-time position.

Which is a blessing, because with Stephen in school and doing church stuff and working part-time at the bookstore, he is way busy.

And I haven't been. And that has been hard for me.

But I'm also feeling a little sad.

Because it's a real grown-up job.

While working at the church had some serious drawbacks, I liked the freedom and flexibility I had there. If Stephen got home early, I could ask to leave early and meet him at home.

Or if my parents were flying into DFW with a long layover, I could ask for the day off to drive up and see them.

Or if I wanted to take 14 days off after Christmas so that Stephen and I could go to Washington, I could.

Now I'll be in a job where time off is accrued and I have to fill out requests for time off and going to Washington after Christmas for 14 days is impossible (but we might be able to do 5 or 6 days.. we'll see)

Stephen sometimes tells me that I over-think.

It's true, I do.

And sometimes I agonize more after I've made a decision than while I was trying to make it.

But I do think that this is a good move for me. I already know some of what I'll need to do, I know a few of the people I'll be working with, and I know the manager above me (who is an excellent boss).

I'm excited and scared and I feel blessed and nervous and I think that God is upstairs chuckling and saying, "Just stick with me, kid, and we'll do this together."

And that makes me feel better.

Cowden's Rentals

Dear Anna,

This post is mostly for you. I think it is a fabulous idea for us to trade movies or tv shows! Such fun! Plus, who doesn't love getting mail.

Love, Heather

(P.S. If any of my other friends want to "rent" from us, please feel free to make a request!)

TV Shows:

Arrested Development (All seasons (1-3))

Best of Will Ferrell (vol. 1; SNL series)

Flight of the Conchords (season 1)

Friends (seasons 2, 3, 4, 5, 7)

Gilmore Girls (seasons 4, 5, 6, 7)

How I Met Your Mother (seasons 1, 2, 3, 4, 5)

The Office (seasons 2, 3, 4, 5)

Movies:

27 Dresses

Alex & Emma

The Bachelor

Batman Begins

Batman Forever

Batman & Robin

Benny & Joon

Bewitched

Bridget Jones Diary

Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason

The Dark Knight

Down with Love

Elf

Enchanted

Ever After

Fantasia 2000

First Wives Club

Footloose

Galaxy Quest

Get Over It

Grease 2

Hairspray

Harry Potter: Prisoner of Azkaban

Hope Floats

Hot Rod

How the Grinch Stole Christmas (Seuss cartoon)

The Incredible Hulk (with E. Norton)

Iron Man

Iron Man 2

Joe vs. the Volcano

Leatherheads

Love Actually

Night at the Roxbury

Oceans 11, 12, & 13

One Fine Day

The Pink Panther

Prince of Egypt

P.S. I Love You

The Producers

Robin Hood - Men in Tights

Robin Hood (Disney cartoon)

The Sandlot

School of Rock

Sleepless in Seattle

Someone Like You

Step Up

Transformers

Walk the Line

The Wedding Date

When Harry Met Sally

Where the Heart Is

While You Were Sleeping

Wimbeldon

X-Men, X-2, X-Men 3 - The Last Stand

X-Men Origins - Wolverine

You've Got Mail

WOOOOO!

Comparable

This is probably one of the funniest things I've seen.

It is comparable to some of the funniest events in my life.

Maybe it's just that not too much funny stuff has happened to me, but I choose to believe that everyone would think this is just as funny as I do.

The people at the UBS Spirit Shop seem to think it's just as funny as I do.

And here is what happened:

A few days ago, close to closing time, one of the guys I work with, Steven (not my husband Stephen, a different Steven) found 3 blue post-it notes under the hat rack.

Normally this would not be that interesting.

However, the contents of these 3 blue post-it notes cracked us up. For like 20 minutes.

We spent a good amount of time speculating the origin of these 3 blue post-it notes.

And came up with some interesting theories.

So we saved the post-it notes and moved on.

And then-- last night--

WE FOUND A 4th BLUE POST-IT NOTE!!!

Yes, oh yes, Steven wandered back to clean up again and, under the very same hat rack where the first 3 blue post-it notes were discovered, we found the 4th post-it note.

The story continued.

I will now share with you the contents of these 4 blue post-it notes (with all original line breaks and misspellings):

Bro/hubby = docs
antique casa 4 smmer
HUGE garden
something strange in casA
room upstairs = old
plAyroom
wallpaper torn
She isnt well
hubby dont want her
to write

Mary takes care
of baby?
the paper REALLY
bugs her
she dont wanna be
sent to weir Mitchell
but she will be if
she dont get
better soon

she cries alot when
Shes alone
Now she LOVES
wallpaper
follow pattern w/
eyes = Good as
gymnastics
baby = well and comfy
she tries to tell

(and this is where the third post it left us on the edge of our seats!)

hubby she may look
well but shes sick
in the head & he said
Yah Right
shes gettin better
caught hubby/jeannie
looking at it
woman in wallppr
creeps at daytime

Right?? Isn't that awesome!!!

Ok, so now, I want to hear your theories.

And let's be creative people.

The most obvious answer is boring. And we came up with it already.

Your job is to dazzle me with your theories.

The most ingenious theory wins a secret prize!

And once you've shared your ideas, I'll tell you the ones we came up with!

Now get cracking!

It's the most wonderful time of the year!

No, don't worry. I know it isn't Christmas time.

It's not Thanksgiving, or Easter, or even my birthday.

It was Memorial day yesterday, but that still isn't what I am talking about.

No, this magical event begins tonight.

"Tonight?" you ask, very confused as to what could be so exciting on a Tuesday night...

Well, it isn't Glee, as much as I like Glee. This is bigger than Glee. This is better than Glee.

This, my friends, is Wipeout.

WIPEOUT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

That's right, John Henson and John Anderson return tonight to bring us endless entertainment as people fall on their faces (and other parts of their bodies) in pursuit of lots and lots of money.

It may baffle you as to why I enjoy this show. You may think, "How horrible! She likes to watch people fall down..."

And you wouldn't be wrong. Ok, you'd be sort of wrong.

I LOVE watching people fall down.

Please don't mistake what I am saying; it's not like I'm laughing when a little kid falls down on the playground.

These are grown people, who AUDITION to be a show where the goal is to MAKE you fall down so that Americans everywhere can laugh at you.

The hosts, John and John, purposely exaggerate a character trait (or even physical feature) that you possess and mock it the whole show. They are almost as funny to listen to as it is funny to watch the people fall.

Even if you can't understand my love of Wipeout, you should tune in at least once this season.

It's going to be hilarious.

I can still remember the first time I saw an episode of Wipeout. Anna and Kristin were with me I believe, but I don't think Janna was there. We were sitting in the living room, flipping through channels, and there it was. I don't think any of us knew what it was, but after about 10 minutes, I was hooked. From then on, I scheduled my homework around Wipeout.

Then last summer, when I lived with Nanny and Aunt Ethel, Stephen and I both looked forward to Wipeout night. It was a sad day when one or both of us had to work. Even Nanny and Aunt Ethel would watch with us! That was some hilarious times.

I am excited for this. Wipeout somehow means summer and good times ahead. While it isn't the same without Anna, Nanny, and Aunt Ethel, I am excited to have Stephen to share this magical time with.

After all, it's the most wonderful time of the year!

Wipeout season 3 is here!!!!!!!!! ABC, 8pm, 7pm central, Tuesday nights.

Watch it. Love it. I have spoken.

**Special Mother's Day Weekend Listing**

Today, my loving husband and I went grocery shopping at Wal-Mart.

We basically had no groceries in the house, so we piled items high on the rolly-register thing.

I think the cashier woman felt like she needed to talk to us, maybe because we had so much stuff or maybe because she is just a friendly person, but at any rate, the first thing she said to me was, "Are you a mother?"

AHHHHHHHHH!
That's what happened in my head.

I think I blushed and sputtered until Stephen said, no we've only been married about 5 months; if she was a mom, we'd be in trouble!

Then we all awkwardly laughed.

But it made me think:

Though I am not a mother, I am very thankful for mine and for Stephen's and for all my friends mothers, because without them I wouldn't have me, my husband, or any of my friends!

So, in honor of my mother, Juanita Lewis, who is, in my opinion, a truly amazing momma, this Sunday my weekend listing is a tribute to her awesomeness:

Top 10 reasons my mom is awesome:
10. She has aged gracefully, so I know that as I get older I'll look good.

9. She is the smartest person I know. Any time I have a problem or a question, I go to her first... (After I've talked to Stephen.)

8. Somehow she finds time to be a great mother, wife, daughter, friend and supervisor at work. (I don't know how she does it!)

7. She is an encourager. To everyone. Not just me, but to EVERYONE. She writes me little notes or calls and leaves me messages to let me know I'm loved and she's proud of me and she's praying for me. She does it for Stephen now too.

6. She used to scratch my back while I was going to sleep. :)

5. She always has time for me. Even if it's not right at that moment, she'll make time
for me later.

4. The only way she will jump into water is if she can do a somersault.

3. She made up a song to sing to us at night.

2. She has the greatest and most contagious laugh ever.

And the number 1 reason my mom is awesome is:
She loves me soooooooooooo much!

There are at least a bazillion other things I could list, so this is just a short summary.

I love you Mom! And to all mothers, Happy Mother's Day.

And to those of you who aren't yet mothers, I plan on staying that way for a while...
How 'bout you?

The time has come, my friends, to talk of other things...

Of shoes and ships and sealing wax, of cabbages and kings!
And why the sea is boiling hot, and whether pigs have wings...

And so my friends, it's time for me to silence all the rumors.
No, I didn't meet a hit man; no, I didn't show folks my bloomers.

I simply was hired to do a job, and in return get paid.
That's really all there is to it. (I got tired of rhyming)

Ok, here's the scoop:

A few days ago, I applied to work at the textbook store where Stephen works. Their buy-back season is approaching (and will start next week) and they needed extra people. So I applied.

I interviewed on Thursday, the manager called me yesterday and offered me the job and I went in and did paperwork and learned stuff for a few hours.

I worked a 5 hour shift today (with Stephen) and am now mostly trained on using their cash register. It helps that is is very similar to the one I used when I worked at Maurices.

For right now, I get to work at the bookstore where Stephen is, since they need the extra people for buy-back, but if they keep me after the 2 week rush, then I'll be moved to the Spirit Shop, which is the same company, but they carry more clothing and other stuff, as well as textbooks.

However, I also have an interview at Baylor (on Wednesday) for a full-time job. From what I gathered, they are interviewing a LOT of people and I'm not too confident that I'll be chosen (they are looking for some experience I don't have, but they did call me for an interview, so who knows, right?)

But the important part is: I have a job. It's nice. The people who work there are friendly, I love having a reason to go outside the apartment, and I get paid.

And I get to work with Stephen.

I'm not gonna lie-- it was a little awkward when I first got to the store today. When I went in yesterday to start to familiarize myself with everything, Stephen wasn't there. But he's been working there a few months now, so everyone knows him. I was able to break the ice with my new co-workers a little by talking about Stephen and joking about him. So that made yesterday easier.

Today was stranger.

Stephen and I have been married for about 4.5 months now. We don't hang out with other people. Church is about the only other time that we interact with people together. Obviously, he does at work, but I've not been there. Until today.

I was a little stunned by his professional coolness toward me. Not that he was mean or ignored me-- he was just cold-ish.

I'm so used to him being sweet and affectionate and teasing and silly.
I was not prepared for business Stephen.

It took me a little while to be ok when he would try to explain things (in a basic way) without me thinking he was patronizing me. Or for me to be comfortable with him watching me do a transaction. Or for me to not blush when I had to ask him something I didn't know how to do or had forgotten from the previous day.

I think this working together will be fine. It's just going to take getting used to, mostly for me, I think. He seemed fine.

At any rate, I'm happy to have work and to get a paycheck. Stephen and I both have more than 40 hours next week, which is awesome. If he were working that much and I weren't doing anything but sitting at home, I'd go crazy.

So, my friends (and Anna Robertson), you now know the full story of my employment!

Wish me luck!

The vanity continues:

Once again, this post is dedicated to my sister, Sarah Lewis:

I was going through this box of old cards and notes and such, because I am a major pack-rat and I felt like purging.

So it was while rummaging through this random box of hilarious memories that I stumbled upon this note.

I am an avid note writer. I wrote lots of notes in high school to friends in different classes, I wrote notes to folks in college, and I continue to write little notes to Stephen every once in a while.

This is one of the few notes I've received from Sarah. And here is why I kept it-- on the back of this note, she wrote me a poem. It cracked me up then, it cracked me up 5 minutes ago when I read it again, and I am hoping it will make you all laugh as well.

I also hope she does not mind me sharing this.... But it's so much more amusing than anything I could come up with today:

A POEM:

20 minutes to go
Can I make it? Probably so.
I miss your face, but by God's grace
I'll see you soon.
Last night I had a dream
(not like Martin Luther King's)
In my dream I had a baby
She was tiny and lived in water
I know, I know it's crazy, but I
surely loved my little daughter.
Adina kept screaming about a man in her bed,
I just wanted to hit her in the head.
That was my dream-- crazy as it may seem.
I'll go... pay attention now
And I'm tried of rhyming, so I don't care.
Poem over.

(In case some folks don't know, Adina was Sarah's college roommate)

I hope you enjoy this poem. I do!!

And Sarah, if I had seen this note on Sunday, it would have made it into the top 25 list. :)

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!

Today, in honor the 25th birthday of my awesome sister, Sarah, our Sunday edition of Weekend Listing is a tribute to her greatness!

Also, this is Sarah's Golden Birthday, which is even specialer, so:

I will now list the 25 greatest memories I have of Sarah~

1. We have a home video of Sarah telling jokes from when she was 3 or 4, I think. The whole thing is amusing, but the best part is when Sarah tells this joke: "And the horse kissed the cat!" And then she laughs and says, "Huh, huh huh? Did you geeeet it?"

2. At one point during our childhood, Sarah had an iguana named Zeke. There are pictures somewhere that show this iguana in Sarah's hair. I wish I knew where that picture is today.

3. Sarah usually got along great with animals, but one time our cat Roo was trying to sit on her stomach while she was trying to homework. So Sarah pushed Roo off of her bed. Roo jumped back up and sprayed her in the face, so Sarah drop-kicked him down the hall.

4. There is an awesome aquarium in Vancouver, Canada and our family used to go up there during the summers when we were young. Our favorite exhibit was the beluga whale exhibit. One time, we were watching the beluga show and Sarah picked out her favorite beluga, Nanoo Nanoo. After the show, we went down to the railing to look at the whales. This part is a little fuzzy; I'm not sure if she said the whale's name or if it swam up to us on it's own, but it spit a stream of water right at Sarah. Freaked her out!

5. That same day, a black squirrel stole her hot dog while it was in her hands. And then, after she ran off screaming, it went back for her bag of Cheetos.

6. Our dad bought a boat when we were in late elementary school or junior high, and Sarah was fearless. I have lots of memories of her learning to water ski or just riding in the inner-tube for fun.

7. A few summers, Sarah and I went to a church camp on Mt. Baker. They did a 5 am Polar Bear Plunge and I am pretty sure that Sarah participated.( It's one of the reasons I think you are brave, so if this isn't true, Sarah, I wouldn't refute it)

8. In junior high, Sarah was on the drill team for a year, which was like a dance team. She learned a routine to Britney Spears's song Crazy. I can still picture her practicing the moves in the basement. Of course, that may be because every once in a while she tries to see if she can still remember them. I bet after she reads this, she'll try to do the steps... (You'll admit it if I'm right, right Sarah?)

9. In high school, Sarah was given a jeep-type car, a Dihatsu Rocky. It earned many nicknames in the time she had it, but the best one was the Jesus Jeep.

10. Sarah broke her ankle while diving off a lifeguard stand in junior high. In high school, she had to have surgery to fix something with the growth plate in her ankle. Her anesthesiologist was a man, who was unacquainted with women, and he could not remove her bra. She told me this story while still groggy from the anesthesia, so that may be why I think it is so funny.

11. Our church did a children's musical (eons ago) called Good King's Come in Small Packages, and Sarah had the lead. I believe her name was Elizabeth. She was good.

12. Somewhere, Sarah found this awful sparkly spandexy crazy colored costume thing. She would put it on and perform Michael Bolton's classic hit, Love Is A Wonderful Thing with a hairbrush for a microphone. I wish I had a photo of her in this outfit, but the only one I could find was of my ex-boyfriend in the costume... And no one wants to see that.

13. A few Christmases ago, I took Sarah to get her ears pierced. I think I was more scared for her than she was for herself. I'd had mine pierced 2 years before, I think, and the people who took me kept telling me that it wouldn't hurt and it hurt bad. So I told her that I was going to be honest with her and tell her it hurt. A lot. But she was cool as a cucumber.

14. Stephen likes to tease me and Sarah, because our conversations are about 23% real life and 77% TV shows. It's a funny way to communicate, but we like it, cause we both like to laugh. And we typically find the same things in a show funny.

15. Sarah does an amazing karaoke rendition of Queen's Fat-Bottom Girls. It's pretty legendary. I mean, if you haven't seen it, you need to add it to your bucket list.

16. Our old church, Celebration Community, used to go on church retreat weekends. The best place was called Black Lake. Again, I have lots of memories from there, but the best one is the year that Sarah wrote a "Veggietales" skit for us young kids to perform and we wore red and green sleeping bags for Bob and Larry.

17. Sometime during high school, Sarah had to have surgery for a deviated septum. If you know me well, you know that I do not do well with blood. But Sarah's bandages had to be changed regularly and I had to help. This probably sounds like a gross memory, but for some reason I remember it with some gladness. I think it was the first time I felt like Sarah needed me to help her. She's super independent and I know that is part of the reason I am super independent.

18. When I was a freshman at SBU, Sarah took me to my first SBU football game. I was so badly sunburned that I could only wear 1 type of shirt-- i.e. the shirt type I had on when I got burned. But Sarah was so nice. She went to the store and got me lotion and she made fun of me less than anyone else.

19. Sarah likes to send me about a thousand text messages on my birthday. She's done this every year since we were given cell phones. And we got cell phones for Christmas my freshman year of college. I've actually saved some cause they are so funny.

20. In Sarah's sophomore year of college, she brought a few friends to Seattle for Spring Break. I have so many funny memories of her from that trip, but my favorite was when we went to Ft. Casey and had a random song-time in one of the bunkers.

21. One time when Sarah came home from college on break, she taught a few of us at church an 'interpretive dance' to Avalon's Testify to Love. We performed it at a church, not our church. I wish someone had video-taped that!

22. My senior year of high school, I was in a musical. Sarah was still at SBU when it started, and I really wanted her to make it home for at least 1 of the shows. It was either the night before closing night, or closing night that Sarah made it home and was able to go to my show. I was glad that other people were there, but having her there was most important to me.

23. During the HORRIBLE ice storm in Bolivar, January of 2007, the power went off in my dorm. Sarah came to pick me up in her Cadillac and let me stay at her apt with her 2 roommates. We played lots of card games.

24. One year, when we were in Bolivar, for Sarah's birthday, we had dinner at Red Robin and then we went mini-golfing. I'm pretty sure that at one point Sarah got so bored she laid down on the course. Or maybe she was just tired. But I have this mental image of her lying on the green AstroTurf.

25. When Stephen and I went to Seattle the week before our wedding, Sarah did all that she could to spend time with us. We had early Christmas, went light looking, had Kau-Kau downtown. And she took us karaoking. I know Stephen did not love it like I did, but karaoke with Sarah is one of the best things ever.

There are about 23 years of memories that could have made it into this list and I wish I could name more. Because my sister is super fantastic. I am pretty lucky to have her. We did not always get along (I mean, we are sisters). But, I am not only proud to call her sister, I am proud to call her a friend.

I hope this list makes you laugh and does not make you want to punch me, Sarah! This is just a sample of the fun times I have shared with you and I look forward to many years more!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!