Engagement Photos

So yeah...

I warned ya, Im not very good at keeping up this stuff!! But in my absence just know that things have been crazy!! In a time of one month I literally went from coast to coast. I was in LA for a week doing a training for work!! It was good times, and it was fun to watch someone enjoy the beach for the first time in her life!!! I then trained and trained and trained some more. Then I headed to FL for a week for vacation. Overall it went well, however on the way back there was drama with not feeling well. I went to the doc and all the blood work is fine thus far, yet I still have one more doc to attend to. So now it is the end of May, and I am finally back on track with life for a bit. Exciting news is that things are moving closer in my career and love life. I have 8 weeks left of supervision and will then be able to study for the exam and be DONE with all my licencing for my private practice!!! As far as Chad and I go, things are good!! He began to mention wedding plans and when it could happen! I see a question coming soon!! Therefore, thats about it in my life at this point. Hopefully, I can keep up with that from here...

Quotes too good not to share

What is that?

A nurse on the pediatric ward, before listening to the little ones chests, would plug the stethoscope into their ears and let them listen to their own hearts. Their eyes would always light up with awe, but she never got a response equal to four-year old David's comment. Gently she tucked the stethoscope into his ears and placed the disk over his heart. "Listen", she said..........."What do you suppose that is?" He drew his eyebrows together in a puzzled line and looked up as if lost in the mystery of the strange tap - tap - tapping deep in his chest. Then his face broke out in a wondrous grin and he asked, "Is that Jesus knocking?"

Your Morning Chuckle

The following was found posted very low on a refrigerator door.

Dear Dogs and Cats:
The dishes with the paw prints are yours and contain your food. The other dishes are mine and contain my food. Placing a paw print in the middle of my plate and food does not stake a claim for it becoming your food and dish, nor do I find that aesthetically pleasing in the slightest.

The stairway was not designed by NASCAR and is not a racetrack. Racing me to the bottom is not the object. Tripping me doesn't help because I fall faster than you can run.

I cannot buy anything bigger than a king sized bed. I am very sorry about this. Do not think I will continue sleeping on the couch to ensure your comfort, however. Dogs and cats can actually curl up in a ball when they sleep. It is not necessary to sleep perpendicular to each other, stretched out to the fullest extent possible. I also know that sticking tails straight out and having tongues hanging out on the other end to maximize space is nothing but sarcasm.

For the last time, there is no secret exit from the bathroom! If, by some miracle, I beat you there and manage to get the door shut, it is not necessary to claw, whine, meow, try to turn the knob or get your paw under the edge in an attempt to open the door. I must exit through the same door I entered. Also, I have been using the bathroom for years - canine/feline attendance is not required.

The proper order for kissing is: Kiss me first, then go smell the other dog or cat's butt. I cannot stress this enough.

Finally, in fairness, dear pets, I have posted the following message on the front door:
TO ALL NON-PET OWNERS WHO VISIT AND LIKE TO COMPLAIN ABOUT OUR PETS:
(1) They live here. You don't. (2) If you don't want their hair on your clothes, stay off the furniture. That's why they call it 'fur'-niture. (3) I like my pets a lot better than I like most people. (4) To you, they are animals. To me, they are adopted sons/daughters who are short, hairy, walk on all fours and don't speak clearly.

Monday Morning

It is yet another Monday morning and I am at work. This Monday is extremely difficult due to the fact that the rest of the world is off and I have to work. I would like to have this day to spend it with my honey, but now I am here slaving away. I guess thats the way it goes!!!

On a better note, I had a good weekend and continue to realize how wonderful my man is!!! Life is much better now. I say this as a continuation to a blurb the other day about the frustrations at work. Where work is the same, Chad has helped to make it better. I do believe that this is going to work!!

Bored...

I am sooo bored this morning. I have caught up on all my work and have a few things for next week, but those can wait. Therefore, I am pretty bored and dont have much to do!! I am not complaining because there will be days when I have toooo much to do, so I am just going to enjoy this time to catch up on rest!!

Also, things were cleared up at work, so that has made today better and I can go into the weekend with a clear head. I just now have to apologize to my honey for being such a grump this morning!!!

Revelations 3:8

Revelations 3:8
I know your deeds. See, I have placed before you an open door that no one can shut. I know that you have little strength, yet you have kept my word and have not denied my name.

When God leads you to the edge of the cliff, trust Him fully and let go, only 1 of 2 things will happen, either He'll catch you when you fall, or He'll teach you how to fly! God closes doors no man can open & God opens doors no man can close. Have a blessed day and remember to be a blessing...

The Duck & the Devil.

A little boy was visiting his grandparents on their farm. He was given a
slingshot to play with out in the woods.

He practiced in the woods; but he could never hit the
target. Getting a little discouraged, he headed back home for dinner.
As he was walking back when he saw Grandma's pet duck.
Just out of impulse, he let the slingshot fly, hit the duck square in
the head and killed it.
He was shocked and grieved! In a panic, he hid the dead duck in the wood
pile, only to see his sister watching!
Sally had seen it all, but she said nothing.
After lunch the next day Grandma said, 'Sally, let's wash the
dishes.'
But Sally said, 'Grandma, Johnny told me he wanted to help in the
kitchen.'
Then she whispered to him, 'Remember the duck?'
So Johnny did the dishes.
Later that day, Grandpa asked if the children wanted to go fishing, and
Grandma said, 'I'm sorry but I need Sally to help make supper.'
Sally just smiled and said, 'Well that's all right because Johnny told
me he wanted to help.'
She whispered again, 'Remember the duck?'
So Sally went fishing and Johnny stayed to help.
After several days of Johnny doing both his chore's and Sally's, he
finally couldn't stand it any longer.
He came to Grandma and confessed that he had killed the duck.
Grandma knelt down, gave him a hug and said, 'Sweetheart, I know. You
see, I was standing at the window and I saw the whole thing, but
because I love you, I forgave you.
I was just wondering how long you would let Sally make a slave of you.'
Thought for the day and every day hereafter ... . .
Whatever is in your past, whatever you have done....... and the devil
keeps throwing it up in your face .... . . (lying, cheating, debt, fear,
bad habits, hatred, anger, bitterness, etc.) . . .
Whatever it is, you need to know that God was standing at the window and
He saw the whole thing. He has seen your whole life.
He wants you to know that He loves you and that you are forgiven.
He's just wondering how long you will let the devil make a slave of you.
The great thing about God is that when you ask for forgiveness, He not
only forgives you, but He forgets.
It is by God's grace and mercy that we are saved.
Go ahead and make the difference in someone's life today. Share this
with a friend, and always remember:
God is at the window!
When Jesus died on the cross; he was thinking of you!
Hope you have a Great Blessed Day!

Do not be alarmed, but...

I just need to vent!!! Some have heard, but I'm truly frustrated with the same some things are going in my life right now. I am very very unhappy!!! I just wish people would be open with me and come tell exactly whats going on instead of going through others and making side comments about things!! I am one to be assertive and address an issue head on, I understand that not all people are that way, however when you are in charge of something or run a business these are qualities that help the company grow. This may only be me, but COMMUNICATION is KEY to any relationship. Just tell me what is going on, that is all I ask!!!

So there it is!!!

The Dumb Test

I recommend taking it, its quite entertaining. Yes it is annoying at the end to ignore all the ads, but then you get your response and oh the fun :)

Sunday Night

This weekend was busy busy, but good!!! I am now waiting for some yummy pizza while the boys play video games. I get my chance here and there, but then I die and decide that its time for a break. My thumbs are sore now, so I need a break and it makes it hard to type without the thumbs!!! Ill get my chance to show off my yoga skills with the Wii Fit here in a bit!!!

The rest of the weekend was good!!! Even though I lead a training all day on Saturday and then had an hour and a half drive home due to a major wreck on MoPac (very sad situation but very glad no one was killed, apparently, a women driving N on MoPac came across the median and hit an elderly lady in her car, then proceeded to hit another car with a women and her two infant children. One was only 6 weeks old while the other was 20 months. Luckily both babies are ok. At the same time this wreck happened two other major wrecks occurred in the area. I had to turn around and head back North to find another way South!!!). Needless to say that I did not get to spend time with Mace at the Dog Park. I did get to spend some time just hanging out that night.

Sunday was good. Church was great and the sermon fit what has been going for me, which was great. God has such a way about doing that!!! Working with the kids was good as well. Its nice to have new volunteers, it helps with the stress level. However, I was out of comission due to the fact that I had one little sleepy one. For those who know about me working with these kiddos, he is one of the ones who is there every week and comes to all three services due to his parents serving and attending service. He is not one to be quiet, but this week he came in and went into hiding. I found him hiding in the corner. I asked him what was wrong, but he didnt want to chat, he just fell asleep in my arms. Oh so sweet. He was out too, we dont have the space to allow them to sleep, so I had to hold him the entire time and he despite all the moving I did, he never once woke up. Sleeping babies are sooo sweet. Makes me want to have some!!! Yes, thats right I said have some :) The rest of the day was full of errands and just chillin!!! Ok, enough talking now, I know I must have had to bore you, but I so wanted to talk about my precious little angel. Hope you all have a great week and I will see you all soon.

What a Friday!!!

My car...oh my car. I hope it gets fix!! It is a little sick right now, but I have good peeps looking at it. I will just say that God was with my this morning through it all and I am thankful for that!!! I am also greatful for friends who know how to fix cars, so I can get some help with that. Once this blows over, I will have a better afternoon with my honey and a comedy show!!! Thank goodness for free tickets!!!

If I didnt have a Dog...

If I Didn't Have a Dog.
I could walk around the yard barefoot in safety. My house could be carpeted instead of tiled and laminated. All flat surfaces, clothing, furniture, and cars would be free of hair. When the doorbell rings, it wouldn't sound like a kennel. When the doorbell rings, I could get to the door without wading through fuzzy bodies who beat me there. I could sit on the couch and my bed the way I wanted, without taking into consideration how much space several fur bodies would need to get comfortable. I would have money ....and no guilt to go on a real vacation. I would not be on a first-name basis with 6 veterinarians, as I put their yet unborn grand kids through college. The most used words in my vocabulary would not be: out, sit, down, come, no, stay, and leave him/her/it ALONE. My house would not be cordoned off into zones with baby gates or barriers. My house would not look like a day care center, toys everywhere. My pockets would not contain things like poop bags, treats and an extra leash. I would no longer have to spell the words B-A-L-L, F-R-I-S-B-E- E, W-A-L-K, T-R-E-A-T, B-I-K-E, G-O, R-I-D-E I would not have as many leaves INSIDE my house as outside. I would not look strangely at people who think having ONE dog/cat ties them down too much. I'd look forward to spring and the rainy season instead of dreading "mud" season. I would not have to answer the question "Why do you have so many animals?" from people who will never have the joy in their lives of knowing they are loved unconditionally by someone as close to an angel as they will ever get.
How EMPTY my life would be!

The Middle of the Week

So it is the middle of the week and it has been a busy one!! I have surely missed my honey over the past few days!!! He has been having to work hard and I as well, so we have had little time together. This weekend will be better though, well kinda, I keep forgetting that I have to work on Saturday and work at church on Sunday, but there will be down town around that. I hope we will get to see some movies and just chill together!!!

Chi Town

The weekend was great!! Chicago was sunny and there was a WARM front, Chad and I thought it would be nice to bring some warm weather with us. However, the highs were still lower than our lows here!!! We did the tourist thing on Saturday going to Sears tower, Navy Pier, the sports fields, Harry Carrys and exploring downtown. It was kinda chilly, so we did most of the sight seeing from the car, worked for me!! Chad is a big Batman Fan so we went to see some of those sights as well!!! It was neat. The plane rides were good, we were able to see a lot of downtown from the plane as we landed which was pretty cool. Saturday night we went to see mom play in a talent show at church. It was a fund raiser for the youth group and we got to see some fun acts. We also had some FABULOUS Chicago Pizza!!! MMMMMMM, man I wish we had some good stuff like that here!!! We then went home to watch a movie, Babylon...the worst movie ever!!! No plot, no ending and bad acting!!! Dont ever see it!!!!! Sunday was not as eventful as Saturday, we just mainly relaxed and played with the pups. We did watch the game and have some of my dad's ribs, they are sooo yummy!! So we ATE really well this weekend, therefore, I will have to be at the gym everyday!! Thats about all we did. It was great weekend overall. My rents get along well with Chad and Chad likes them, which is a very good thing!!! So all in all, things are looking wonderful and the home front!!!

Life...

This week has been crazy!! Lots going on and just trying to fit it all in!!! Im frustrated with things at work and I just wish people would be honest with me instead of saying things indirectly!! I also have some other bummness happening, but it will pass and I will be ok again. I just want to say that I feel like soo many things are happening, that I am getting lost in what I am doing, things will get better!!! On a happier note, I will be going to Chicago this weekend to see my rents. Chad is coming as well which is great!!! It will be fun to spend some time sight seeing and just hanging out!! I will also get to experience some new things up there as well so that will be fun!! Ill give a report when I get back. Other than that, things are just there. Thats kinda how I feel right now, is that Im just there. With that, Im going to leave it here and say laters.

Coming to an end...

So the Birthday week has come to an end!!! It was a great one!!! Sure it had some downs, but it sure did end up great and with Friday off I was able to spend time with the Honey!!! I went and saw a couple of movies and just hung out. We tried some new recipes and just relaxed!!! I saw Gran Torino...which is great!! I also Marley and Me, I cried and cried, but it was oh so good. Chad and I are trying the Weight Watchers thing, so we are trying some of their cookbook recipes and they have not been so bad and Im a little impressed in how much I can eat!!! I have to say that I did make a fabulous Potato Soup tonight, with roasted garlic. And to make it better it was only 8 points for a whole bowl and I could have cheese. I think Im going to be able to do this!!! So enough with my rambling.

I do have one thing that I am looking forward to and that is going to Disney World in May. My parents are coming with me and Chad and it looks like it is going to be some good times. We will have a condo, so we will get to do some of the parks as well as the beach and a baseball game. Im super pumped!!

Hope you all had a great day and more will come!!!

Conclusion to the Birthday :)

So I had a few hours to kill before I went to dinner and because of traffic, I chose to go shopping instead of going home and back. I found some great deals at Target, therefore, if you love target clothes, they are having some great sales!!! Newho, the food, the drinks, the company and the cheesecake (because cheesecake needs its own category, outside of food) where fan- fabulous, the service on the other hand was not so great!!! For some strange reason, The Cheesecake Factory was the place TO BE last night (they all came for my BDAY :)), and I think they were short staff, so we had a bit of wait, which was not a big deal, we had drinks and chatted. Then we were sat at our table...then it began, the ATTITUDE and the eye rolling. The server was not very nice to us and actually seemed perturbed....she was not at all convivial ;)!!! I would be more willing to take the attitude if we were loud and annoying, but we were polite and nice, so I have no clue what it was about. It put a little damper on our evening, however we did not let it get us down. I wanted to talk with the manager, so my plan was to call this morning...but...as we were leaving...I saw a young man that looked so familiar to me!!! After a few exchanges of questions, we realized we went to High School together and he was the manager on duty that night!!! So we had him take a pic of us and then I was able to share my experience with him. He was very apologetic and told me he would make it up to us the next time we came in. Believe me, I will throwing his name out the next time I come in. I love the Cheesecake Factory and will not let this one server get me down. This was not at all like the Wal- Mart situation, but it does make me wonder what has happened to customer service. This is something I have noticed over the past few years, the policy about "the customer always being right" has been lost somewhere along the way. I do believe that this on the part of both the consumer and companies. I do not know how this can be fixed, but I do know its only going to get worse if we don't share our experiences with each other and management. I believe that you should share both positive and negative experiences that we have. I try my best to be a good customer and to state my frustrations productively as oppose to the rudeness that can so easily happen when one is upset. After all, I have worked customer service and know what it is like to be in the cross fire of a customer and very rarely does one get positive feedback. So with all this being said, I want to encourage you all to be willing to share the experiences you have with management and everyone you know, but if you have to complain, make sure it is productive despite the feelings behind it. I know this can be tricky, but if we all try to help, then maybe just maybe, we can get back to good customer service. Anyway, enough of my SOAP BOX. To sum things up, I had a GREAT BDAY, despite the state, the morning frustrations and the server. I will get to relive some of the BDAY with co- workers on Thursday which will be Fabulous, cant wait!! WOOHOO for bdays!!!

Oh yeah...I also got diamonds from Chad!!! Yes, I was very spoiled this year :) I cant wait to see what 2009 brings us :).

ITS MY BIRTHDAY!!!

Don't you feel special now??? You get more than one blog in a day!!!! So today is my 28th Birthday and it looks like it will be a good one. It started off rough with all the craziness at work, but it is turning out to be a good day up to this point. I have had LOTS of LOVE thus far and only know more will come ;) (I have yet to see Chad today) Lots of text messages, emails and VMs, including some of Chad's family, I feel sooooooo LOVED!! I was asked this weekend at church, what I needed in my life?? (As part of our sermon) I said nothing. Which sounds weird to say, if you just read the question, but in reality of it, all of my needs are being met at this time and if I do "need" whether it is emotional, physical, financial or mental, I know it will be met. Sure there are some things I would like to have, such as being debt- free (which thanks to BAYLOR, will be a ways off) and a new car. But I dont NEED anything except to continue to search for God and live his will. This is such a good place to be right now. Many of you know that it has been a long road and I am soo blessed to be in a place of PEACE. Therefore, my wish for this year, is to remember where I am and to continue this place of PEACE even when my storm seems bigger than God.

One last note that I did not get to blog about and to save you from 3 in one day, I want to share the following. My grandfather (my dad's dad) finally had a come-to-Jesus talk with my dad. This has been a long prayer coming. I have not had a relationship with him and neither has my dad, however my grandfather has been sick and my dad was able to go visit him and they had several good talks and my grandfather talked about the things he missed in our lives. Where this has come late in life, I pray that we will have opportunities to reconnect over the coming years. At least now I can stop trying to figure out what I did wrong in all this. Many of you know the struggles I have had with this side of the family and where I know they will never be what I would like, I can at least start to build some sort of relationship with them. Ok...enough for now.

It is time to head to the Cheesecake Factory to continue to celebrate!!!

State Monitoring...YUCK!!!

So, yes... I have not updated in a few days. It is because I have been busy lost in the pile of what is called state monitoring. For those of who dont know about this, it is basically a time of year for the state to come in and make sure we have all out ducks in a row. Newho, I have now left that pile in their hands and all we can do is wait. It was stressful and I worked lots of extra hours, however, it looks like we will come out ok.

Widget

NewBe

So...
Now that 2009 is upon us, I have decided to find new ways to keep up with friends and family to let them know what is up!!! Things have been so crazy lately, that I have found it hard to keep up with everyone and let them know how things are going in my life!!! Hopefully, I will be able to keep up with this one better!!! I can actually use this one at work, therefore that will help!!! So neway, this will be my first entry.
The Holidays have come and gone, they went as fast as they came. I think the older I get the faster time flies!!! Time with the family was great!! Chad enjoyed meeting my parents and vice versa, therefore things are good there. The trip to SC was good and I enjoyed the family time with his family. I think we get along great and I look forward to many more trips together in the future!!! I also ventured out and spent time alone with the ladies in the family shopping and that was good. I learned lots more about Chad and now I love the man even more. They were honest with me and I think wanted to let me know what I was getting into with him, but it was nothing new to me, it only helped me see that what I see now, is truly who he is. In other words, who he shows me to be, is the same as what they say he is, which only shows me that he is not putting on any show for me!!!! As far he and I go, there is no life changing news yet, but I have a feeling it will happen in the short future!! I will for sure let you all know as soon as it happens.
Before I can relax, there is one more Holiday for me to celebrate!!!! My 28th birthday is next week and Im super excited!!! I love birthdays and cant wait to celebrate it with friends. I had a pretty big shindig last year, therefore, I want to keep it small this year.
Other than that, nothing else is going on, life is pretty much back to normal!! I hope you all had a good holiday and I will do my best to keep up with this blog. That will be my new year resolution!!