Behind

I apologize for being really behind on posting a lot lately. There are so many things I wish to share however, my mood and my schedule keep me from doing that. In my busy life, when things get hectic... blogging is on the bottom of the list.. so, it goes first.

Anyways, today I am writing a quick post to ask my friends who read this to please pray for me. I posted a few weeks ago about a friend of mine who is very sick... and well, the severity of the issue is just bogging us all down.

This weekend I travelled home to spend time with my family, and she and I made plans to meet up Saturday afternoon for a chat.

When the weekend came, she was way too sick, and I didn't want to bother her, or be in the way. Naturally, it upsets her when she is unable to spend time with friends because she is so sick... So, I just took a little package and left it at her house for her while she was at the hospital and prayed, hard.

It greatly hurt me as well, I haven't been able to see her since around Thanksgiving... and I deeply miss our chats, her laugh and the wisdom we pass between each other as we share our struggles and discuss life as we know it...

It is the hardest part about coming to Tuscaloosa... knowing how truly far away I am from every one of my friends... It hurts me so much, to be needed, and be away...

Anyways, I will spare you the details.. I know we all have our various troubles. As you go through the week I ask you to be in prayer for me, as well as my friend. Thanks to each of you.

A special visit from Hong Kong

I was privileged to meet a beautiful newborn, along with the rest of Hunter's family this weekend.

Hunter's brother, sister-in-law and their two kids live in Hong Kong. They came to the States for a visit and we were able to spend the weekend with them in Tuscaloosa this past weekend!

Layla, the oldest child, is 2 years old and just adores Hunter. She calls him 'Uncle Hunty' and wanted him to be by her side the whole visit. She is sweet, and stunningly beautiful. What a great kid. Aly, the newborn was a peaceful and happy baby, cute as a button too!

Hunter's brother and sister-in-law were great. I now know where Hunter gets his mannerisms. He is the spitting image of his oldest brother, and they are very much alike.

Here are a few pictures from the weekend:

Layla wanted Hunter to rock her in the tiny rocking chair. She said it 'wouldn't rock' without him. How sweet!

After rocking, Layla and Hunter played more. Look at those smiles through the glass!

When the boys moved to the living room to watch TV, Layla and her rocking chair had to go too! Here is Hunter, watching TV, while steadily rocking the little one! Precious!

Hunter's brother came to sit in the chair with Hunter. This is Layla, concerned that her daddy is squishing 'Uncle Hunty'!! See those beautiful curls?!

I had a great weekend. And I even got to be Layla's favorite for an hour. She sat in my lap for dinner and we played and played. What great family. This weekend was truly a blessing!

Football and Chris Tomlin

Friday and Saturday were epic football days. This weekend created BCS chaos and I had a great time watching and being a part of it.

Hunter and I attended my last home football game as a Master's student. We will see in January if I continue on for the PhD. Yep, you heard right. I have applied for my PhD.

Here's a picture from before the game got started:

My hair is a little wild because of the wind... but whatever. Haha. If you have been following the blog for a while, hopefully you can tell that I am trying to grow out my bangs. I have a new haircut in mind, and maybe I will be brave enough to book that appointment before Christmas. :)

Right before this picture was taken, I received a text from my cousin Tori, asking me to go to the Chris Tomlin concert with her Saturday night. It was the last night of the 'If Our God is For Us' tour, and featured Louie Giglio and Christy Nockles. What a great night! I was excited that Tori was able to get free meet and greet tickets and we were able to meet Chris Tomlin! It was a fun filled, whirl wind weekend. But I had a great time.

I will leave you with my favorite quote from the concert:

I don't have it all together, you don't have it all together. But we have a God who holds us together! ~Chris Tomlin

Praise the Lord!!

Focus

It has been titled the 'game of the century' and I am so excited to live, work and play in the town where heaven is, Tuscaloosa. ROLL TIDE!

No where else have a lived or anywhere I have heard of that your teams call sign is a greeting, a condolence and 'the right answer to any question.' I will never forget the conversation, 'Don't know what to say? The appropriate answer is ALWAYS 'Roll Tide'.'

#1 LSU vs #2 Alabama. Wow, what a concept. It is so hard to stay focused and not thing of the million things I have to get done before tomorrow, as well as the million things I have to do tomorrow.

Since Hunter was at basic all summer, he wasn't able to purchase student tickets this football season. However, he has been able to go to every game so far through ROTC or the student ticket donation system. We don't have high hopes for such a popular game... but we will see.

My parents and Aunt and Uncle are coming up for the game and I am so excited to see them! It will be my Aunt's first college football game she has ever attended.... I have to say, she picked a good one.

So here's to a crazy, chaotic, fun filled weekend! ROLL TIDE!

Restaurant Coupons

Have you ever used a coupon at a restaurant? The most commonly seen coupons are the Ruby Tuesday coupons that they mail to you.. But have you ever looked through your Sunday paper.

On any given Sunday I get the following coupons: O'Charley's, Logan's and Olive Garden... among others.

Last Sunday I got a special BOGO Entree coupon for Logan's. I decided that Hunter and I would try it out one day and see how we could make the coupon work for us.

Hunter loves to make fun of my couponing.. but yet, he loves the money we save too! He even calls his mom to brag when I make a good buy. ;) Silly boy. So lately, we decide were we want to go eat, based on what coupons I have.

Sunday we both got a steak with two sides, and drank water. With our BOGO entree coupon our meal came up to a total of $14.00 after tax and tip was added. How great is that??! We smiled to ourselves and were very happy. Our food was good, and $7.00 for a steak and two sides is a deal that can only be rivaled to home cooking!

Yay coupons! Most restaurants have loyalty clubs that will mail you coupons. Sign up, yes.. it may be a little like spam, but saving on your meal is worth it!

Game day

So, I am a fan of Alabama football, and have been, all my life. I believe that tried and true fans only exist in those who have experienced a true game day... the drive of the crowds on the quad, and the atmosphere of Bryant Denny looming over you.... it is majestic.

My roommates sister sent us some Sally Hansen nail strips from California, because the houndstooth print is so hard to find here in Tuscaloosa. So, since I wanted to procrastinate from homework, I decided to do my nails for the game.

Before I got started I watched this tutorial.

I laid out all the things I would need and opened all the packages.. I also read each direction. Yeah, I am a loser. I must say these were a lot easier than I expected. I was terrified it would be a one chance to place the nail and boom... you are destroyed. But I was actually able to pull up and replace the pattern if I didn't like where it landed the first time. :) YAY!

My only problem was having to use a nail file and cuticle stick... both of those things really bother me... Again, I know I am a loser... so I had a little trouble with that. If you have no problems using a nail file and cuticle stick GO FOR IT!

I put a clear coat over the top because I felt they needed it to 'seal' properly and not just peel right off of my nails. So, overall this was simple and fun... and made for a great game day look.

I have heard these are pretty expensive, and I am so thankful that Gabby's sister bought them for us! I had fun trying them. Unfortunately, I washed dishes and cleaned after I put these on.. I don't know if that contributed to the few mess ups I now have or not.. but the box says they last up to ten days.

I look forward to starting painting my nails more often. I have found many blogs and many cute tutorials. After years of band and sports I have never really painted my nails, and was never allowed to. I have painted my toes and tried various designs on them before, including an infamous confederate flag and American flag, when I was in high school. HAHA! So, here goes another new exploration, learning to paint my nails (and make it look good!).

These lovely Toms completed my houndstooth ensemble. I love the purpose of Toms, and when I saw these I just couldn't get them out of my mind. GREAT game day shoes!


ROLL TIDE!

Hunter's graduation

I had such a great time traveling to Arkansas, staying with Hunter's parents and then traveling with them to Missouri for Family Day and Graduation.

It was a great experience that I will not soon forget. Family day was interesting because we were allowed to spend most of the day with our soldier, yet he wasn't allowed to do anything. So, we just sat around post, ate and chatted. These boys are like zombies... it will take a while for them to get back into a normal routine after 16 weeks of basic training.

On graduation day we got all dressed up and waited for our soldiers to arrive. They marched into the theater shouting an Engineer cadence. What a sight. So many proud new soldiers, and many more proud families and friends.

After graduation while waiting to be reunited with our guys, Hunter's mom looked to me and said they each looked like zombies. And she was right. We learned from Hunter that they had been awake since 3:45 that morning... wow. Every last one of them was sleep deprived and worked to near death. I am sure they were glad to be done.

I spent another two days at Hunter's parents with him, getting things done and just being lazy. It was a great and much needed vacation. Short and sweet.. but so happy. I am glad to have Hunter back in town and look forward to many great things this semester.

ROLL TIDE!

A year from now...

Yesterday was a hectic day, move in for UA started and Building Maintenance is crazy busy. Here I am typing my blog, at work... on Saturday. HAHA! I am working 7am-5pm, today... and tomorrow. But, I get to work with the best guys in the world. So I don't really mind. ;)


Yesterday afternoon as I was wrapping things up around the office getting ready to go home I got an all too familiar question asked. "Are you engaged?" I laugh every time. People are so hilarious. It is a question I am asked more often now that I am getting older... and the presence of my 'True Love Waits' ring kind of throws people off.

My ring, however, gives me a great opportunity to minister to all those who ask about my non-existent engagement. I am so proud to share that my ring is a commitment to my Lord to be pure and abstain from thinks such as pre-marital sex, drugs and alcohol. The Lord knows how to show Himself, even when we don't know. It is amazing how simple actions can convey the love of the Lord.

As 'pchamp' continued to talk to me about my ring eh then moved to ask me how old I was. HAHA! I am a total child compared to this guys. Working here gives me almost 80 big brothers and dads... and I just love it!! When I told him I was 23, he asked if I was dating anyone... when I responded yes, he asked for how long, so I told him Hunter and I had been dating almost four months and he responded with, "I give you a year". This had me hysterically laughing at my desk! He said, I am serious, I give you a year until you get engaged. With a smile I told 'pchamp' that I would still be working here in a year, so that he would get to see if his thoughts were true. ;)

That is why I am posting it in my blog. Too funny. I love these guys, and in a year from now, I am going to look back on these posts and see how much my life has changed, and if 'pchamp's' prediction comes true. I know it will all happen in God's time and I am honestly not worried about it at all.

In 5 days I will get to see Hunter for the first time since the tornado. I am beyond excited to see him, and beyond excited to be able to spend time with him. Our church friends have jokingly labeled us as 'courting' rather than 'dating' because we have only been able to communicate by letters for most of our relationship.

I thank God for the wonderful blessing to get to know someone this way, and to have a legacy of letters that I will be able to share with many generations to come. Writing letters is truly a lost art, and hey, if this math girl can like it, ANYONE can!

I hope you have a happy weekend!

10 days!

Wow... it has been a whirlwind past few weeks.

Last weekend my college group at church went white water rafting and camped out at the Ocoee in Tennessee. It was GREAT! I had never been rafting before... and it was a marvelous was to experience God's creation.

Last week was finals week. I took my final on Friday morning. By the grace of God I am finished with this four week class. It was definitely tough. The class went so fast, and we had so much homework every night. Fall classes should seem easy after this July term!

This weekend I went home to be with my family for the last time before school starts. This coming weekend I am working move in for work and the following weekend I will be in Arkansas with Hunter!! HOORAY!

Mom and I went shopping for the tax free holiday and had a good time just spending some time together. I got four great pieces that are very versatile and two new pair of shoes for work/every day. I don't have an over abundance to spend, and even if you do, key pieces that work in multiple ways are ALWAYS a good idea. I am proud to say I got everything I bought on sale, PLUS an extra percentage off!

I was also able to spend time with an old friend of mine that I haven't gotten to see much over the past year. It was nice to catch up, and to know that things between us haven't changed. Never have I known someone to go through so much, yet still take care of others before themselves. I am privileged to know her, and I praise the Lord for her.

I am looking forward to a semi-relaxing week ahead. I have two weeks off before school starts back. I hope to get my apartment cleaned, get caught up on some things I haven't had time to do, and just take a little time to do something for me.

Next week I get the ultimate vacation of a lifetime! I will be traveling to Arkansas, then Missouri for Hunter's graduation. 10 days left... oh how I can't wait to see him and spend time with him! We are so blessed to have come through this journey together. And I am so thankful for God placing him in my life. What a blessing.

Good times, and a little about 'time'

This past weekend I was blessed to have the bestie fly down from DC to spend the weekend with me and us travel to a friends' wedding together. I had so much fun getting to spend time with her, chat, and just hang out. I forsook all homework for this weekend and it was a glorious weekend.

After the wedding a group of old friends went to Starbucks and then dinner together. It was just like old times and we were both sad to have to leave. It just reminds me what a blessing my undergraduate experience at Troy was... and how I am so blessed to have great friends.

As for the homework thing... this summer class is kicking me... And yesterday... I let the devil get me down. Working full time, while doing grad school can do that to you. This summer I am doing my research, and in July I added on another class. Bad idea.

So yesterday, after not being able to finish my homework the past few nights and having an upcoming test... I am stressed to the max. I began to tell God I didn't have time.. there wasn't enout time in the day... and that I am just so weary....

Again, I love being in control... and unfortunately my 'self' likes to take the reigns from God. However, after crying my eyes out at work (of course this would happen during the most emotional time of the month...) my faith was restored. Clint told me not to worry, that in the end, whether or not I had an A or a B in this class didn't matter in the grand scheme. And my devotional for the day was about 'not having time'.

I put WAY too much emphasis on school, and often times left my school and school work define my worth as a human. However, this is not true. God defines who we are and loves us so much!! I need to get my priorities back into place. Even if I don't have time, there is always time for God.

Luke 9:25

For what is a man profited if he gains the whole world, and loses or forfeits himself?

In the BIG picture... God is the only one that matters. If He brings us to it, He will bring us through it. If we choose to let Him have control and let Him lead... then all other things will fall into place.

Now, just because I trust in God and I chose to put Him first yesterday didn't mean I finished my homework last night. I did 4 problems, in 4 hours... then I was so tired I had to call it quits and go to bed. Here's the thing. I didn't pray and spend time with God yesterday afternoon for the sake of God miraculously finishing my homework for me... that isn't the point. The fact is, when you spend time with God your soul and mind and spirit are strengthened.. I was given a peace knowing I did something that truly mattered yesterday afternoon. I spent time with my Father, time with my Maker.. and my soul was given peace and rest. This is what matters... time spent doing what matters most... and the rest will work out. You can't just throw it down, God expects you to be a part of the process. So get up off the couch and get it done! :) Just know, that God will bless you beyond your wildest dreams if only you trust Him and let Him be in control.

This is a daily process, a daily fight agains satan's snares. Pray with my and for me as I pray for each of you!

Lord,

Bless us indeed!! Help us to put away foolish things and make our hearts thirst and long for You like never before! Captivate us Lord, move us to the place that You want us to be. Encourage and strengthen us Father. Give us the courage and the strength to let you be in control dear God! Open our eyes to see how much more life is when you are number one in our lives. Lead us Lord, teach us. Help us to live out our lives for You, knowing that everything else will come into place. I love you and praise you God for what you are doing and what you are going to do. May the glory be all to you Lord. ~Amen.

Side bar: After telling Clint how I wasn't smart enough to handle classes and work, and telling him I was giving up (all before the Lord used Clint and my devo to convict me) Clint was able to make me open my eyes and gain a different perspective. This morning at work Clint handed me this:

 I am a 'smartie' ;)

4th of July

What a weekend!

I had a great time at home just spending time with family. I was finally able to rest and just enjoy some time at home. It was truly therapeutic, and I felt like a new person today at work. I did two chapters worth of work for my research while home, so I can say it was a somewhat productive weekend as well.

Upon arriving back to Ttown I discovered my jump drive had been damaged... aka: it was no longer showing up on my computer. I vowed to check it on my work computer today and stressed about the 5 years worth of information stored on the drive.

Since my computer crashed my junior year of college, I have been terribly afraid to save anything to my laptop.... and have since, been saving everything, and I mean EVERYTHING, to my jump drive. Now that I have my mac I am able to save things to my computer without worry, however, I just hadn't done it yet. The ability to move freely with all documents in hand was just too alluring.

Unfortunately, when I inserted the drive into my work computer the results were not good. Nothing... again. My drive was in fact fried and there was nothing I could do about it. Thankfully, by the grace of God, my research professor has been asking me to move all my documents to Google Docs, so that we can work simultaneously. Little did I know this would be a HUGE blessing!! Thanks to this, all my research has been recovered.

This past week I have been diligently working on updating my resume for my boss, and other things. And that was lost as well. Praise be to the Lord, AGAIN, that I am a math person, and seek advice from those better suited at English than I. I had recently emailed my resume to a friend for a quick look of approval.... Yes, I did lose the most recent changes, but I didn't have to start from scratch! I was able to redo my changes today, and get my resume where it needed to go.

The Lord has blessed me so richly with my job. I cannot thank Him enough for it!

Also, Hunter was granted a pass this weekend, and I was so happy for it! He wrote a sweet post on my facebook and we were even able to talk on the phone for about 15 minutes. What a blessing! Have I told you how GREAT my God is??

I start up another round of class tomorrow, while continuing to work on my research. I am nervous about being so busy again... but I seriously just have to put my foot down and do it. This will be the toughest four weeks of my life, adding on this summer class... but I am trusting God to protect, strengthen and provide... in just a year, I will be graduating with my Masters degree! Wow how time flies.

Many decisions and opportunities are crossing my path right now... I pray that God give me the strength and guidance to discern what is His will for my life and my professional career. I only want to do what He has for me... because, I know if I am in His will, I will be truly happy!

Prayers and blessings to each of you! I hope you had a happy and relaxing 4th of July. Praise the Lord for all those who have fought and will fight for our country's freedom.. and Praise the Lord for our founding father's faith in Him.. may He 'draw us close to Him' yet again!

Unforgettable Weekend

What a weekend... I know, it is almost time for another one.. and I am still on last weekend. Last weekend I truly had a blast with a great friend.

Friday I took off work to drive to Hattiesburg, MS to see my friend Lauren. I haven't seen her since my sophomore year in college... when she moved to Oklahoma. But that didn't matter. Lauren was deployed, yesterday, at 14:00. She called me yesterday morning to say good bye before she left for Afghanistan. She will be gone 9 months, if their deployment doesn't get extended. Troops are leaving out of Camp Shelby almost every day... please keep them in your prayers.

So Friday I arrived in Hattiesburg at 11am. I waiting in the lobby of the hotel where Lauren was staying. She came running up to me and without a word we embraced in a hug that lasted forever. We finally stepped back to look at each other and say hello, and then embraced again. It was heartwarming just to see her. To see how good she looked, how happy she was...

I met a friend of hers and we then left to visit Camp Shelby. Lauren gave me a little tour and showed us her 'apartment' in the barracks. We then did something I couldn't believe, and will never forget! Patterson, her friend, had found this place in Pensacola, FL where we could race go carts.Yes, you heard right... Florida! haha I have driven 3 hours to Mississippi, and now we were about to get in a car and drive 4 more hours to Florida! HAHA!

We had a great time racing go carts, and ate a wonderful dinner at Outback. Patterson had never been to Florida... being from Oklahoma I could understand why. And it was a great last hurrah before leaving for Afghanistan. After riding go carts Lauren gave me a bracelet of hers, and asked me to wear it. I told her I would, and that it meant she had to come back and get it from me when she returned. And she said she would. I love my friend, and I pray for her safety... I hope you will pray for all the troops of America. They deserve our support, so that their service for us is not in vain.

GOD bless America!

Bachelorette Weekend

This past weekend my friends Jackie, Lori and I celebrated Mary Allison's upcoming wedding with a Bachelorette Party. Each of us traveled down to Gulf Shores and spent the weekend in a family beach house!! OH SO MUCH FUN! Haha! Jackie and I had the worst of luck getting to Gulf Shores....

Friday the weather in Tuscaloosa was terrible. Many peoples homes were destroyed or damaged from the Tornadoes. Rather than leaving at 3pm like originally planned I camped out at my apartment and waited for the storms to subside. I finally got on my way around 6pm... and I set my GPS and continued on. It was still storming and at times I couldn't even see the road in front of me.. What a trip, I know. So, I put my faith in my GPS to get me there... boy... was I in for a surprise.

Eventually... I ended up where this red X is... at Dauphin Island... However, I needed to be at the red dot... in Gulf shores. My GPS wanted me to take the ferry across.. however, the ferry isn't open at 10pm. To my dismay I realized what was happening and turned around.. reset my GPS and carefully inspected the route. I was finally headed in the right direction. I traveled back up Mobile county and down Baldwin until I finally arrived at the beach house. This weekend was an adventure already.

Saturday was a fun filled day as well... Jackie leaped tremendous hurdles to get there while Lori, Mary Allison and I cooked brunch. We ate and went out to the beach. Due to the recent storms the wind was blowing like CRAZY! The sand stung as it hit your skin... so we retreated to the pool. We had a great time relaxing and chatting by the pool. After our fun in the sun we went to dinner, played a round of putt putt golf and went to Cold Stone for ice cream. It was so great hanging out with girls that I don't get to see anymore. I truly miss these girls.. and I can't wait for the wedding so that we can spend three more days together.

What a great weekend... yes, obstacles had to be overcome to get there.. but in the end we each had a great time. I can't wait to do it again! Jackie... that means it's baby time! HAHA!