that picture i posted last week i found on google images before i arrived. aside from the more vibrant coloring, that photo is pretty much exactly what is here. nothing.
i have quickly learned that odessa is known for two things:
oil and football.
my supervisor told me that approximately 90% of all employment here eventually stems back to the oil industry. the empty desert landscape is dotted with pump jacks that pump the oil and somehow send it to the refineries.
odessa is also the home of the movie Friday Night Lights. many of the kids from Crossroads (the church i'm working at) attend the high school the movie was based on. apparently this school now has an indoor practice facility for their football team and come july, any student involved in football, cheer, or marching band disappears off the face of the earth for pre-season training. very.big.deal.
anyway...i'm interning at crossroads fellowship in the youth department. the church is fairly large. the main auditorium probably seats as much as the main auditorium at my home church, but they have 2 morning services. they're also very contemporary. yesterday was my first day at work. i met with scott and brittany (the HS and JH pastors respectively) and mark (the other intern). we went over details for the summer - events and trips and task and such. lets just say we have quite the summer ahead of us! scott and brittany took mark and i to the odessa country club for lunch. this place looked like it was straight out of the set from high school musical 2 - a posh oasis in the middle of the desert! then scott took mark and i with him to the sandhills to scout out a spot for our sunday afternoon bbq. (p.s. high temp for sunday is 107. oy!)
these are the sandhills. seriously. it's a state park.
the desert is very interesting. i've only been here a couple days so i'm still trying to take it all in. it really has a very unique beauty to it. i've never seen a sky so big in my life! and who knew there were so many different types of cactuses (cacti if you want to sound smart) that bloomed into beautiful flowers? for several of the youth camps and retreats i'll be attending this summer, we're going to some places out in new mexico at the foothills of the rockies. i'm sure those places will be gorgeous too - and that the stars will be incredible!
alright enough for now. update on living conditions and pics/videos from the roadtrip to come :)
6 comments:
I've decided after visiting the state so many times, that Texas and football are actually synonyms, haha! Glad you're getting settled in!
Just remember when they ask if you want a coke, that means do you want a pop? You should respond with the kind of pop you want.
And ya'll is singular and plural.
And if someone says to you, "Bless your little heart," that person does not like you.
Texas is another country, you know, and they have their own customs and language. You will have to learn to speak slower for them to follow you.
So excited for you!
THANK you for this update!! My whining must've helped. :-)
Wow. What a culture. Like a different world. I love your perspective on the unique beauty of that area. So glad you made it without incident, and are settling in, and will have so many opportunities to use your gifts for the Lord this summer. What fantastic experience this will be!
Praying for you. I saw some cute t-shirts today and thought of you. :-)
I just want to know if you have big hair yet! I think that is when you know you have "arrived" in TX! Blessings and prayers :o)
York says that you have to eat at Chuy's if they have one near by. He love love loves Texas and would live there in a heartbeat if he could. He even just got a new pair of cowboy boots.
NormalGirl is right, it is another country for sure and boy do they have Texas pride.
So glad you made it safely and am excited to follow the journey with you through your blog!
i have not heard of chuy's...this isn't houston or dallas...this is no man's land!
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