Well, it's been a few . . . years. Basic updates:
Pets - We currently have two dogs (they are mother & daughter), an aquarium of fish, but no birds. I little over a year ago we realized that we were not able to give my bird the care she deserved. We were very fortunate to have a friend who was able to take her in and give her great care. She's not the only bird in her new family which also makes me feel better about the situation.
Jobs - My spouse left teaching a little over a year ago and we bought a portion of an arcade bar. Life as a small business owner is always interesting! This past July I received a promotion to be the head of my department at the school district. So far, I'm really enjoying it.
Family - The big news here is that 1) my in-laws plan on moving to our area in the coming months and 2) my father is going through a difficult time health-wise. Things seem to be improving for my dad and I am incredibly grateful for that. Believe it or not, I'm actually looking forward to my in-laws being closer. They are truly lovely people so it will be nice to be able to drive to see them instead of flying 1,000 miles.
Why does the title of this entry mention the FIFA World Cup?
The men's World Cup is in the US this year and one of the host cities is Dallas. Sometime last summer (I don't remember when or how), I found out that FIFA was looking for volunteers to assist at the World Cup games. I really enjoy watching soccer but I know I could never afford tickets to a World Cup game. I figure that volunteering would be a fun way to be part of the games without being stupidly expensive. Plus, I've loved my time working with Bell County Comic Con. I figure if I enjoy working at an event with 40,000 visitors, I'll probably enjoy working for an event that's even bigger.
Back in August, I filled-out the online application to volunteer. It said I would be emailed with updates in the coming months. I was really worried I would miss that email so I set a reminder on my calendar to check my personal email at least twice a week for anything from FIFA.
In mid-December, I received an email from FIFA inviting me to a volunteer tryout! I scheduled my tryout for mid-January.
January 17, I went to Dallas for the tryout. The tryout was a one-on-one interview, a chance to find out more about the volunteer experience, and a chance to learn a bit of the history of the World Cup. While there, they explained that they had around 30,000 volunteer applications and only 15,000 were invited for a tryout. After the tryout, only 6,100 people will be chosen as volunteers. Whether I make it further or not, I'm really proud to be in the top 50% of applicants! I feel like my interview went really well so now I'm crossing my fingers that I get chosen.
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| The volunteer tryouts had A LOT of great places for photo ops |
Volunteering for the FIFA World Cup is a once in a lifetime experience so I thought it would be best to record my experience here. It'll be really cool to look back on this in the years to come. In the next few weeks I should be adding a new blog post telling y'all if I was chosen as a volunteer or not. Send all the good vibes my way!

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