It's beginning to look a lot like SPRING!

Lots and lots of things have been going on! We made a trip to Arkansas this past week and I am ashamed that I didn't get very many pictures at all...ok...only four. Sad, I know...but it is what it is so for now the four are going to have to do. ha! Here is what my week mostly consisted of:

Yes...that is my sweet Sydney who missed me very much...and I have to admit..I missed her a lot too! It was hard to leave her behind again.

But that's not all we did. This was our agenda:

Monday- Lunch with the girls(Hally, Ally, Sandy) and Nick.  Dinner with Mike and Shara.

Tuesday: Cards with Andrea, Aunt Pam, Jessica (my cousin), Mom, and Nanny.

Wednesday: Spending the day with my beautiful sister and going to her ultrasound!! Then church and Outing with Friends (met my friend Brent for the first time so that was nice!)

Isn't she absolutely beautiful? I love her so much! And feel honored that she wants me to be in the room when she delivers. It's a one in a lifetime opportunity and I am praying that baby stays in there until I can get there!!

Thursday: Get my school applications submitted, then dinner with Hally at Old Chicago...yum!

Friday: Dinner with the Family.

Saturday: Lunch with Stefanie and Yvonne and then dinner with Holly and Les.

What a packed week! But I wouldn't trade it for the world! And you would think that I would have taken more pictures but I didn't! Oh well! I guess I can blame being too busy and not thinking about it...

Oh! And before we went on our exciting trip, we worked our tail ends off trying to get the house done to put on the market...did we do it?

YOU BET WE DID!! WOO HOO!! 

Our house showed twice while we were gone and then twice today! We are moving right along...I just hope that means we will actually be getting to show you that SOLD sign in the very near future! What a blessing that would be!

So the past week has been full of nice visits and conversations with our beautiful and handsome friends and you just can't beat that...but you can top it with a cherry....it's beginning to look a lot like spring!! Which means one thing:

PEDICURED TOES AND FLIP FLOPS!!!

And what girl doesn't love that?

It's a Busy Life...Don't Waste it Complaining...

I absolutely loved Harding! I still do. I had so many wonderful experiences there and I made the most amazing friends...Friends that I will have for the rest of my life. I chose to go to this school because of it's Christian environment and because of the rules and regulations. Sure, some of them were a little ridiculous sometimes...but really...everyone had to follow them so it wasn't that big of a deal. We laughed and made fun of them together but in the end it didn't make or break our experience. So when I see on the news people trying to make Harding out to be a bad place full of judgmental people it irritates me. You know what the rules and regulations are before you go, so why do you look for things to expose it in a bad way? I just don't understand that. Go somewhere else if you want to practice homosexuality in a public way...if you want to drink alcohol without repercussion...if you want to stay out all night long with a person of the opposite sex. Don't go to a Christian school if you choose to do things that you know are against the rules and regulations of said place. I am in no way being judgmental of anyone who makes any of the above choices...I am just saying don't go to a place that doesn't condone those actions. It's easier for everyone. I guess what irritates me the most is that this situation is the very reason people get turned away from the church. It's sad that people would rather rant and rave about what they can't do at Harding rather than the awesome things the school has to offer. Because in the end it doesn't make people hate Harding, it makes people hate Christians. The school is not being judgmental towards individuals who decide to live a lifestyle of their choosing, they are just standing strong for the policies they have had stated for years. It's not a secret that the policies are not for premarital sex, homosexuality, or drinking. What's sad is the people out in the world that know Harding as a Christian school have their fuel fired with this kind of propaganda and thus starts more hypocritical rantings against the church. Is that what we are striving for? Are we trying to turn people away from the church? If that is your agenda, that is really sad. If you want acceptance, you are going about it the wrong way. Don't assume that because an institution does not want you to disregard it's policies that everyone there doesn't want you to know that you are not alone nor do they want you to feel like an outsider. We are all Christians trying to get to the same place. It's time to start setting our hearts on things above and not on earthly things. I am talking to myself as much as the next person. I am a work in progress. I am not perfect, nor do I claim to be. I just wish that we could all learn to love one another and live a life that would please God and not ourselves. There are many people in my life that I love in spite of the things that they choose to do on a daily basis. I love that there are people in my life that love me in spite of myself too. That's what the body of Christ is about and that is why I am so excited to be a part of it. I have a family that loves me no matter what. I hope that those of you who are looking for that find it. It's an amazing thing to be a part of. Sure, you are going to find people in every place that are going to be hypocritical, but among those few, are many who are waiting to embrace you and love you.

My Love is All I Have....

Lately it seems as if life is full of disappointment and darkness. My heart is hurting for so many different people. There is a little boy named Luke from Florida who is 6 years old and battling a severe case of encephalitis. I stumbled upon him from a picture on a high school friend's facebook page. If you go to prayforluke.com you can read the story for yourself. It is heartbreaking and inspiring all in the same. I am amazed by the faith of this family. They really truly know God and His power. I am so thankful for that, but still can't help but wish I could fix it all. 

Another person that I keep thinking about is my friend Nelson. He lost one of his firefighters in a crazy accident and it has really taken a toll on him. If you know Nelson, you know he is strong and resilient...but strength and resilience doesn't take the pain away. He has been through a lot over the past couple of years. And one of the things he has been through I have been through as well. It is coming on the year anniversary of my grandfather's death. It's hard to understand things like they are but we move on and trust God and know that He is going to provide. Yet I still long to be able to fix it. I miss Papa John. 

Then there is Alton. Alton is a man that we have come close to since moving to Beaumont. Talk about a man of God. He would do anything for anyone. It's so wonderful to have people like that in your life. I wish I could do something for him now...he found out he is battling cancer...and it absolutely breaks my heart. I love that man quite like another dad. I don't think he knows that but he means a lot to me. He is a great example of what God has called us to be. And I hurt for him that he has to go through this...and there is nothing I can do. 

And then I start to think of Mike. Mike is my best friend's dad. He was the epitome of strength and funny! I loved that man! And I wish there would have been something I could have done to keep him here...but I couldn't. And I see my friend and her family all the time and wish I could take the pain all away. They are all strong and very private but I know they hurt and I know they miss him. I know it's a battle everyday for some and others ever so often...but pain is pain and I can't even begin to imagine how they feel day to day.

I could go on at all the tragedy around me. And it's so easy to get caught up in the sorrow as well as the pain. My heart constantly breaks for these people and many more. Every time we go through these struggles...God's heart is breaking with us. After all, we were made in His image. I may not be able to fix all these things, but I definitely know how to pray to the one that can. So that is what I am doing.  I can't fix people's situations but I can love them unconditionally. My love is all I have.

There is a song that I like to listen to that makes me feel the closest to God and I will end my post here.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hzb4SYSwmqo

Love you mean it,

The Sweetest Day of the Year....

www.arbonne.com

I have used Arbonne products for the better part of 4 years now (love them!) and have decided that the business opportunity is just too good to pass up! So here's to that new little adventure! Pray that this journey will be a successful one! If you want to know more about it...just ask! I am pretty pumped about it...and of course it is going to be great to help others make some extra money like I am! Plus....I get the chance to win this exciting little trip...yes..that is Atlantis...and all I have to do is introduce these products! They sell themselves...they are that awesome!

 Who wouldn't want the chance to go here for free? Doesn't my second job have the best benefits? I think so!

And then Happy Valentine's Day...

The kids at school showered me with gifts! Who knew they loved me this much? I have began to wonder a time or two!! Just kidding....kind of.

And I got the nicest surprise when I got home:

The Otterbox Defender case for my phone! I have been wanting this for a long time...I am always scared I am going to drop my phone...this little piece of greatness will assure that my phone is always safe! So that was a great surprise!

And then....

Matt made a yummy meal of grilled Zucchini, roasted potatoes, buttered bread, and the juiciest ribeye. I am a lucky girl! He's one of the best cooks I know!

We ended our evening with a little bit of Prison Break Season 4 and me falling asleep on the couch! It was a great ending to the Sweetest Day of the Year!

My Snuggie and Me

So... exciting things are happening this winter!!!  Not. You would laugh if you saw people freak out about the possibility of snow and ice. Sure..it's cold...but our meteorologists tend to get things wrong...quite often. Here is how my weekend started...Thursday afternoon we were let go from school early because of the chance of ice coming in that night and they had already called school for Friday...hey, don't get me wrong, I am all about safety so I was happy to get to leave early...it's what happened next that made me go...hmm...they just don't get it. I went ahead and went to the grocery store...who already had about 10 tons of sand all throughout their parking lot. Which some of you might be thinking, "ok..they are trying to be prepared." Well people...it doesn't ever snow here...and the one time it did...it melted by 8:00am...that was 2 years ago. I digress, let's move on. Ok...so that made me chuckle seeing all that sand but it's when I stepped into the grocery that you think the next Apocalypse was going to happen...it was ridiculous! So 2 hours later I made it home and decided to slave over dinner...yes...I made dinner.  I even went fancy! Here it is folks:

Chicken Florentine & Farfalle

 Thanks to Bertolli! Ha! You didn't think that I could actually pull that from scratch did you? Only in my dreams! That yummy piece of goodness only took 10 minutes! Point for me!

We stayed in the rest of the night and enjoyed our Thursday night shows which include Bones, Grey's, and Private Practice. We watched this new show though called Sons of Guns or something like that...I recommend for all...it was pretty awesome! This dude redid a World War 2 Flamethrower for like one of the only 2 Medal of Honor recipients still on this earth! It was awesome! Anyway...it was a wonderful night of staying in and keeping warm...I even pulled out my snuggie! Just couldn't wait to see the "snow and ice" when we woke up! (ha!)

Waking up at 7:00am, I looked out my window...guess what I saw?? NOTHING! haha! No ice, no snow, nothing people! That is why Southeast Texas cracks me up...oh and the best part...it's supposed to be 60 degrees Sunday! Sickness FTW! Onto more serious things...we had a great day Friday! We ate with two dear friends, Bill and Jackie, at one of our favorite places, Doug Nelson's. Then we did a little shopping! I got 2 pairs of shoes for $50 at Dillards! 

For Work:

For Play:

And then we ended up over at Bill and Jackie's for the rest of the night. And this is what we got in to:

 Yes, that is me...holding a gun. 

We got home about Midnight and realized that the house was freezing...and thus starts the weekend of my snuggie and me...