Out of it... and randomness

I am COMPLETELY out of it.. between working two jobs, band camp, moving, my dad being sick and the crazy other happenings of life I am totally out of it.. I even forget to read the blogs I love to follow. My life is in a whirlwind right now.

I need your prayers, for my stress level, my anxiety, and to strengthen my walk with the Lord despite all the crazy times. It always seems when things get tough.. God is the first one we forget, and it should be that way.

It is so weird training someone to take my job..and at the same time trying to get ready for a new job.

My roommate Gabby, her boyfriend Chad and Hunter all helped me paint my classroom Tuesday night. It is coming along great! I am very excited about the crisp clean feel that a fresh coat of paint gives.

Here's to new beginnings, calming tides and hopes of all worries left behind you. Do you ever get really upset and have that urge to post it all over social media? Yeah, me too... but lately, I have been trying to control that more and more. It is unnecessary to complain all the time online, only those who seek attention "need" that. And, think of how long people made it through life without social medial. Find a friend, sorry folks Mary-Anne is taken, and talk it out. It really helps to have a best friend who you can be totally honest with. LOVE HER!

Changes

It is only at the point at which you believe your life can only slow down, that it speeds up at an inevitably fast pace.

I have finished one class.. after a minor mishap, I was able to turn in my final exam (I made a 96!!) and I have received an A in the course. One class down, one to go.

About two weeks ago my fellow Office Associate decided to quit. This has been my first week all alone, not to jinx it.. but it has been great. I told myself I would just have to work smarter not harder, and increase my efficiency. Until we hire a replacement I am working 6am-4pm. I am ready for school to be over, because then it won't be so draining.. but honestly.. I am still madly in love with how great my job is. My management team is the best, the way they value me, and how they relate to me. I appreciate them beyond words. My guys have been helpful too, and that is always nice. It hasn't always been this rosy, but we are back on the right track.

So that is me in a nutshell... I am working 50+ hours and trying to get out of school at an alarming rate. Like I said, just when you think things will slow down. HAH!

I am so thankful how well this is going, yet ready to be done with a few things. I need a few things in my life to move over to the complete pile. :)

Side note: If you are a regular reader and you are willing to pray, please pray for my friend Steph. She needs relief from the pain and healing if possible. Thank you.

Kill them with Kindness

Many of us have heard that saying. When someone is mean, rude or ugly... kill them with kindness. How easy it is to say, but hard to practice.

I am not sure if I have ever mentioned a certain someone at work that has made my job unbearable at times. A man who, for some unknown reason, has always been rude to me... that is, if our paths ever crossed, otherwise, he ignored me.

Examples of interaction are as follows:
1. The first Friday I worked alone, without the other Office Associate, checks didn't come in as the usually do. This ended up being a problem with campus mail and payroll, and had nothing to do with me. However, the remark was made that "nothing gets done around here when *** is gone."

2. I like to smile at people as I walk by... when walking through the shop one day "What are you smiling for...?

As hard as it was not to be rude back... I tried my best, I kept quiet, and only said nice things. God laid on my heart to pray for this man; and a familiar voice of a friends mom came to mind: "Everyone has gone through different things, you don't know how they were raised..."

I can't tell you that this was easy, or that I wanted to be nice to him... honestly, I had to work really hard to be nice to this man.

Today, my prayers were answered. This morning, he walked into my office (I was scared, as always of the impending reaction). This time it was different. He said, there is something I have been meaning to say... If I have ever been ugly to you, I want to apologize. You have went out of your way to be nice to me, and I am sorry.

WOW! Praise God!!! Many blessings come at the most unexpected times. What a blessing, and praise be to God!!

Work Christmas Lunch

I created a beautiful batch of cookies from a recipe written about by my wonderful friend Jackie, you can find the post here!

The guys at work love these red velvet cake cookies. They are amazing! I added frosting, cream cheese of course, to add just a little punch. Here is my finished product. Check out my friend Jackie, and you can find many more great recipes like this!

A stroke of bad luck

Last week was, in a word... rough. The days went slowly and due to a certain situation, things at work were very tense, and at times unbearable.

I hate to say I caught myself shedding tears at my desk, more than once.

Tuesday night I worked tirelessly to get my final homework set of the semester finished. I pushed myself long and hard and only took a break to make dinner and watch the airing of Rudolph. There was one problem I just had no clue where to begin... and this deeply troubled me.

If you know me, you know I do not believe in leaving an answer blank... so I did my best, researched a bit and put down what I could.. with little to no confidence in my answer. I arrived in class on Wednesday only to find out our homework assignment had been postponed and that the professor would be going over the one problem I didn't understand that day in class. What a relief!  (or so I thought).

With my schedule this semester it works in my favor to have homework due on Wednesday, as I spend Thursday nights in group meetings for my other classes and then help Hunter with his homework. This is a very set schedule that I live by daily, and if something changes, it is hard to recover... however, by the grace of God, I somehow do.

So, after staying up till midnight working on group projects and helping Hunter with his work, I was too incoherent to do my homework. I set my alarm for 3am, after a little sleep I could get up and focus just enough to get it done. I work up around 4:15am... what happened to that alarm clock? The world may never know.

I got up and got ready for work and headed out, thankfully I was able to finish my homework before class started, right in time to turn it in.

In the midst of all this, Friday morning my car nearly stalled out in an intersection on my way to work. What a nightmare. I got scared that my car would die again, so I turned off my radio and defroster. Thankfully the ice from my windshield was nearly gone.

I could tell my car wasn't running right. The gears weren't changing and I no longer had headlights. Yes, pitch black 5:45am, and I have no headlights. I literally coasted into work this morning... not sure really what was wrong with my car.

I spoke with some of my guys and described what had happened.. We prayed for a bad battery, but most likely it was my alternator. I finally called Hunter and asked him to pick me up and take me to my class. As my luck would have it, right when it was time to leave for class, the train stops dead in the middle of the tracks.. the train tracks separate my part of town from the University. Thankfully Hunter knows town well enough he was able to get around but, he was a little ill about it.

I made it to class on time, and turned in my homework. And, at 4pm I left work to get my car checked. To make a long story short, I need a new alternator, and through my guys at work, and Hunter's family... I took it to a repair place that would keep it over the weekend and get started Monday.

It is going to be very expensive... and this just added more stress to my plate. Remember this post? As I talked to my mom about the finances of it all and the stress of finding a place, I was just glad that I had somewhere to take it. I know God will provide, and all things will work out.

To top off my weekend, this happened:

And here I was thinking I would put off buying new glasses in order to offset spending even more money... Ahh, what a joyful time of year this is.. however, it is the most expensive time of the year too.. without all my misfortune.

Hunter has been at drill all weekend, so I was unable to use him as my ride.. but thankfully friends from church have been picking me up and taking me to where I need to go. Otherwise.. I am just sitting at home cleaning... but Hey, the apartment needed it.

Hope your weeks are going better than mine! :)

Oh, Happy day!

Lately, I have been in a slump. I am sick, tired, worn out and exhausted. These feelings have become a part of my every day life, and I am slowly learning to cope with them.

The past few weeks however, I have let the rude comments and remarks of others get the best of me. My main love language is 'Words of Affirmation' and I take what people say and do to heart. I know I shouldn't, and that I don't need to worry about things like that... and that is something I work on daily.

Last week, I just couldn't take it any longer, I took off work after lunch and made the journey home.  People had been rude, my student worker hadn't done his job, and I was stressed with school, starting to get sick and OH so tired.

Side note: My student worker never does his job, this is not an uncommon occurrence. Unfortunately on top of his usual laziness, last week, he neglected to do a weekly report that he has been doing for the past two years. Nothing out of the ordinary people, no special demands. No extras. So, at 11am as I was working to get everything I needed to do for the rest of the day finished, my boss asked about the report. I frantically finished a seven page report in one hour. It wasn't the fact that I had to work frantically to get it finished, it was the fact that this kid has all week to accomplish this.. and come Friday he hadn't even started. Anyways....

So, after a very stressful morning, Hunter and I began the journey to my hometown. Friday night we celebrated my high school homecoming. ZC beat NB for the first time in 5 years... and we won homecoming! It was definitely different being back there... but it was good to see some old faces.

Saturday we had a lazy morning with my family and traveled to the Troy game and watched my sister work with the band. My dad was loading hay for a man in Texas and I took the opportunity to show Hunter around the property. We watched my dad load hay, and I took him through some of the fields. That city boy was amazed! He had a great time watching the cows and being in the great outdoors. The Troy game was an interesting one. Things are different and it is weird just sitting and trying to watch a game, as opposed to being in the band. We left during the third quarter to watch the Alabama/Florida game and were very happy to celebrate wins for both of my schools! Go TROY and ROLL TIDE ROLL!

Sunday, was an adventure in itself. Hunter came to church with me... mind you, Hunter is a big city, mega-church kind of guy. So it was interesting bringing him to my down home country church! But, I think he enjoyed it. :) We had lunch with the family and then traveled back to Tuscaloosa.

I cleaned up, unpacked and worked on homework until late into the night. Hunter and I got into our first fight of our relationship.. and it was all over a miscommunication! HAHA! He was so sweet... as I was angrily unpacking he walked up behind me turned me around and just hugged me. (JUST like in the movies!) I cried I was so angry, and because I was so happy to have him there, and to know that one little fight wasn't going to ruin us. He is truly a blessing.

So here we are... back to the daily grind. I hope you each have a wonderful week, filled with many blessings!

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!

Breakdown

Ok so... this week I almost had a breakdown. School has started back and I am feverishly working on my research, while working, and continuing to help in the Tuscaloosa recovery efforts.. among the every day life things... I am so proud to say that Tuscaloosa is beginning to rebuild. 'We will return' signs are being posted, I saw a home actually get a new roof and so much debris is being cleaned up. My mother asked me yesterday... "How does it look?" I simply told her.. a disaster, but it is getting better. If you saw Tuscaloosa for the first time, it would knock you off your feet... but for those of us who have been here since April 27th, progress is being made! Praise the Lord!

Hunter has been gone for a month now. It has been a month (WOW, a whole month) since we have actually spoken or seen each other. Time has passed quickly overall... but some days really drag. I have been blessed however, in the fact that he writes me every day. Now, due to mail carriers etc. I don't always get them each day... the funniest thing is when I get a whole bunch in a day. This week I hadn't received any mail. I was disheartened, but blamed it on the holiday weekend. It was the longest time that I have went without receiving correspondence from him. Yeah, yeah, gag me. I haven't heard from the boy in a week. I know, I am super gagarific right now. But yesterday, much to my delight, I received 5 letters. I was overjoyed! I couldn't contain my laughter as I pulled each one from my mailbox. Who would have thought, letters... Don't get me wrong. I LOVE getting mail. So when Hunter told me that the only way we would be able to communicate was through letters I was somewhat excited. However, it has taken some getting used to in our fast paced, 'I want it now,' society. It takes the letters an average of three days to make it from Ft. LW to Tuscaloosa and vice versa. So as I write him and he writes me, it takes a little while for a conversation to actually get going, and to finish. It is so good to hear from him, and the letters are truly a blessing. What a treasure to have when I am older. No matter what happens in our relationship... Handwritten letters, what a legacy to share with children, grandchildren and family who will be completely immersed in the digital age!

The first set of letters I received, no return address... so I couldn't respond for about two weeks when we finally received his address. When he came down after the Tornado, he brought and extra set of dog tags for me to have. Isn't that sweet? I still can't believe he drove through the night, from Arkansas to Alabama.. just to make sure I was ok. But enough on that... haha. I can't complain about missing him. I knew what I was getting into from the beginning. And I have to say, that I am completely blessed by this situation. I am learning  to lean on God and trust Him more through this.. and that is invaluable.

As for school, thankfully I have a BEST FRIEND who majored in English in college. Praise the LORD for Mary-Anne!!! Me, being a math major, equals not good at writing papers. This summer I am doing my research.. hoping to be a published mathematician in the end of it all. And it has been crazy. One of the articles I was asked to read was 85 pages. When I get home from a long day of work, I definitely don't want to sit and read articles. But, I worked through it, and got my first paper submitted, (after Mary-Anne's careful combing through my grammatical mistakes) and my professor reviewed it.

Here is what he had to say:

You have done a great job on the paper. As you work through the comments and edits that I have done, I would like you to focus on making this a complete article written to help mathematics faculty understand these courses. Particularly those faculty who have not had much experience dealing with teachers, but are now told they will be teaching a math course for elementary teachers.
........
I think that this by itself could easily be published in a less research intensive journal and would make a great start to your masters project.
 
PRAISE THE LORD!!! My hard work, tears... frustrations and confusions.. I actually did something RIGHT! I can't wait to continue working on this paper, and to start actually meeting with my professor to work on it. Right now we are doing email correspondence since he is out of town. Wow, what an opportunity... and to now know, I am headed in the right direction! God provides, protects and blesses. Even when we think nothing is going right... He is working behind the scenes in our favor.

 

Praise the Lord!

Whirlwind Week

WOW! What a week, and it is only Tuesday?! HAHA!!

This week I am the only office associate at work because my co-worker Cheryl is out this week to care for her daughter after a recent surgery. (Prayers are always appreciated, so far, so good!) I have been the only one here for a day or two every now and then.. but since I started this job back in August Cheryl hasn't been out for an entire week. Needless to say (or is it?) I was super excited about this week and having a lot to do at work! Having stuff to do makes the time pass so much faster! So I asked Cheryl if I could pick up the time sheets for her and get that done each day so she wouldn't come back to a weeks worth of time to enter. However, I have been asked to stay late and cover the phones.. so, in my last week of freedom before school starts... I am pulling 10 hour days. But, I am thankful for the opportunity for overtime and for the wonderful job that I have!

Each day I have been getting so much done! I love productivity. Yesterday was just great with only one minor hiccup at the end of the day. Today has gone well so far too! I mean, for me to pick up three crews time and having never done them before... I had the time finished by 7am!!! HOORAY!

Last night I drove over to Birmingham so that my friend Tori and I could have much needed girls time and retail therapy. This served as my last hoorah before classes start back and a small celebration just for the both of us. I met Tori at her apartment after work and we went to The Summit shopping center. We had dinner at the Cheesecake Factory... it was amazing!! And thanks to some awesome coupons we got a free piece of cheesecake! Dutch Apple Caramel Strussel Cheesecake to be exact... YUMMY!

After our wonderful dinner we went shopping at Anthropologie and New York & Company.  Tori and I were very disciplined in Anthro... only combing through the sale and clearance racks. Tori found an interesting top and asked me to try it on... so cute. It is definitely a part of their line that requires an undershirt. Today I am wearing it with a black camisole and black crop pants... check out my fashion adventures over at Mary-Anne's blog "Dream A Little Daydream".

I was specifically looking for a dress to wear to Hunter's graduation in August.. and after trying on many dresses I fell in love with a dress that I just picked up to try for fun! It is so cute.. yet I must keep you at bay.. I have vowed not to wear it until Hunter's graduation. I was so thankful to find it on sale at Anthro, and absolutely love it. My heart smiled thinking that is what I will be wearing the first time I see Hunter since the tornado. :)

I also found some great pieces at NY&C.. I bought dress black crops and a summer dress. I got each of these on sale and Tori and I scored some great finds, again with coupons! So.. my shirt from Anthro and crop pants made today's work outfit, and then a dress for whenever, and a dress for Hunter's graduation. One fabulous dinner, and a great night of fun and relaxation with a good friend. And, to top it all off, Hunter finally started receiving the letters I have been sending him. :)

This week is fully of many blessings, and it is only Tuesday. I can't wait to see what the Lord has in store for the rest of my week. I hope you are taking account of how He is blessing you this week. Here we go.. now, back to full swing of school and work. Let the madness begin!

Summer planning

Today is Hunter's birthday. As he goes through basic training his communication with the outside world has been limited to writing letters. For the past two weeks, WOW it's been two weeks already??? Anyways... for the past two weeks his family and I have been receiving letters with no return address. Sunday night his parents finally received his address and sent me the information! It is so exciting to finally be able to send him all the responses I have written, and to be able to communicate with him!! Like I said before, today is his birthday and due to us only getting his address on Sunday night.. I hope and pray he receives some of the letters and/or birthday cards we have sent!!

His letters tell me about his day to day activities, that he is tired but having fun. He was excited to receive his equipment and was eagerly anticipating receiving his weapon. He jokingly said, sorry... it must be a guy thing. He said time is passing quickly, and I am so glad for that. As much as I wish the time before school started back would come slowly.. I wish that this summer would pass quickly so that I could see him again. His letters also say that he is praying for me, his friends and family and that he hopes we are safe and well.

As clean up and rebuilding begin here in Tuscaloosa I am interested to see how far we have gotten by the time he gets back in late August. I am getting started with my research this week. I have a paper due before classes start on the 31st... I am really excited about this research and I hope to do well on it and eventually get my work published.

A few things here lately... I am working the 6-2:30 shift without having to leave for class. When classes start the 31st I will just go after work to meet with my research professor. In the July to August semester however I will have to start leaving for class again as I am taking Complex Calculus. Summer is our busiest time here at work as we try to get as many campus projects done while the least amount of students are on campus.

I switched! Phone services that is. AT&T was terrible in Tuscaloosa so I took the leap and got my own phone plan with Verizon. As much as I would have loved to just stay with my parents plan... I needed a phone that actually worked so when people tried to call me I would actually get their call. The hardest part has been re-gathering all my contact information. I sent out a mass text message with my new number for people to text me their names and numbers... and thankfully most people responded. Hopefully in the next few days I will be able to take the time to go through my old phone and transfer the rest of my contacts.

I must tell you how much I appreciate this brief respite from school... and so many days I wish I could just take a longer break. I have so much to catch up on that was neglected while in school.. it has been hardly a time of rest. Two days ago I actually balanced my checkbook! I am ashamed to say, but actually having the chance to do this has been few and far between... so to have a second to actually sit down and get this done was great!! So many people are so busy.. and it is the little things that matter most to me when I actually have the time to do them.

This weekend I attended the Extraordinary Women's Conference... and my favorite bible teacher, Angela Thomas, spoke on how God knows we are weary.. and the opportunities he has given us to rest. It was just the message that I needed to hear... I am weak, worn and weary... but God is made perfect in my weakness. I am so excited to work on 'resting' in the Lord and letting him revitalize my soul and spirit so that I can make it through this busy time in my life.

One more year. It is hard to believe that in three semesters (counting this summer) I will be graduating with my masters degree!! When I began this journey it is something I never thought I would make it through.. but as the song states... 'but if He's started this work in your life, He'll be faithful to complete it, if only you believe it.." And I believe that there was a true purpose and that God didn't bring me to Tuscaloosa at this time in my life and in this way so that I would just be here and leave. I pray that I would learn all that He has me to learn from this place. I truly love it here.

My prayer for this summer is that God would 'draw me close'. During this time of relative slowness in my life.. and that is very relative... due to classes, work and research...

I pray that I would learn more to lean on and trust Him, as He is already teaching me.. however, I want it to be deeper. I don't want the complacent 'good girl' life. I want to live on FIRE for Christ, desiring and seeking His word and will CONSTANTLY. This is my prayer for the summer... would you be in prayer for me? I know that as we turn our eyes to Christ and work to learn more and grow closer to Him that is when the devil starts fighting back. Lord I pray for your strength, as I know mine is not sufficient. I pray for your guidance and wisdom as I face this world longing for more of you. Draw me close to you God.. here my cry. Make my desires yours Lord and fill me up to overflowing. Lord, help me to take time to fill my cup, and then give me the courage to go pour out your spirit and love with others around me. Calm me Lord, still my busy mind and soul. Help me to focus on you Lord.. keep me from getting caught up in the ways and lifestyles of this world. So many times we are 'too busy' for you Lord... I pray that if I make time for nothing else Lord that I make time for you, who is most important. I love you and praise you and pray all this in the precious name of Jesus Christ. Amen. 

My 100th Post

Wow. I can't believe how time has flown... It has been almost a year since I moved to Tuscaloosa and changed my life forever. Many things are different, many people have changed and most of all... I am changed. Praise the Lord for leading me through so much.. Carrying me... holding me... and growing me.

I have been super busy, as always, with school and work.. especially as the semester is coming to a close. I am very excited for things to come in my life and I can't wait to share them with you.

Some lessons I have learned over this year:

1. Sometimes, you need to be taken out of your comfort zone so that the blessings of God can be poured upon you.
2. Most friends aren't true friends... there are very few that will stick through it all with you.. and not blame you for being you. It is that true acceptance, and true friendship.. that is worth it all
3. Coping with loss is tough, things will come your way and things happen every day that reminds you of 'what could have been' However... we each much realize that we are so blessed. God doesn't bless everyone the same... but He blesses everyone equally.
4. Family, no matter how frustrating... is the greatest gift in the world.
5. A church home makes even the toughest move bearable. I don't know what I would do without my church.. they make this place home.
6. Not everything is all you cracked it up to be... and not everything is a small as you write it off to be...
7. Be still and know, that He is God
8. God knows just what you need, when you need it.
9. Answered prayers are so abundant... wow how the Lord has worked.
10. People aren't always what they seem... but if you take the time to learn to deal with them... you can show them the love of Christ through you.
11. When you feel hopeless and alone, God is there. And when you take the time to know that He is there... He will heal you.
12. The Lord will grant you the desires of your heart... it just may not come in a way that you expected it to.
13. The peace of the Lord comes when it is a God thing.. He will never lead you to disobey his word.
14. Everything falls into place when you are seeking the Lord and His will first.
15. Wait patiently, the Lord hears your (and my) cry. WOW! what a message... I love learning to wait on the Lord!

I couldn't imagine being so blessed. God has put my dreams into place.. worked through His plan... is healing me and working in me. I am so thankful for Tuscaloosa, Rodgecrest Baptist and the Univeristy of Alabama. My job, my friends, my church.. everything up here is great. It was defintely hard coming here, uprooting life.. but in the end God knows what He is doing... and I praise Him for it every day!

Pictures of my Office Renovation

Sorry I am finally getting around to posting these. I absolutely love my office renovation!! I wish I would have taken pictures during the process of building, but I was too awestruck with what was happening before my eyes. It is just a small renovation and was finished before lunch. :)

My new student work station: Isn't it beautiful!?! Now I can have both students in my office at the same time!

After I put all the stuff from the student desk on the new counter.

View from my desk.

Another look. :)

Finally, a picture of my desk area!!!

I love working here... and I love my office space. The renovation has been amazing and I am so happy. Working here each and every day is a blessing! 

Church League Softball

Yesterday at work Clint and I were talking about his church league softball game... and he invited me to come. I have a special place in my heart for church league softball. It takes me back to the good old days with Mt. Pleasant... when friends were close and times were different. Boy, do I miss the Mt. Pleasant years.

Hannah, a girl from my church, went with me to the game. Lucky for us Ridgecrest had a game right after! Clint played amazingly and was his usual crazy self on the field. It was great to see that he acts just as crazy outside of work as he does at work. Clint came and talked to me after the game and it was great. Ridgecrest won their game also!

I love the sense of family that I get from my coworkers. My car battery died Monday, and my coworkers took care of me. Whether is was coming to my apartment to jump me off for work, checking out my car at work, working on my car that afternoon and then getting me where I had to go so that my car could be fixed at the end of the day... WOW. I truly work with the best guys in the world.

A lot of times I feel terribly alone up here. And I really am, I left all my friends and family behind to pursue my dreams of graduate school at Alabama. However, God has so richly blessed me with a wonderful job and AMAZING coworkers. The 80 Building Maintenance guys are my family, and my College group at church are my friends. Tuscaloosa is God's country, and I love it here. I couldn't be more thankful for my coworkers and church friends. Without them... I wouldn't be able to make it here.

Thankful

I am thankful that when everything else seems to be going wrong in life, I have a job that absolutely blesses my soul. The Lord knows exactly what I need... and while sometimes I get stuck in a pit He blessed me with so many great men to work with. Even in the worst of times, my guys can make me smile.

On my first day back at work and school yesterday, well... let's just say things were less than stellar. And this morning hasn't really started well either. But, I am blessed, beyond my imagination. Being at work reminds me of that. And I am so thankful that today, from 6am to 4pm... I get to be with my guys, working at a job that I love, being surrounded by those who value me and not having to worry about school.

Right now I am a little burnt out... but I know it is just a feeling, and that will surely change. Praise be to God, His love for me isn't based on mere 'feelings'.

Today I am wearing my 'Alabama Facilities' staff shirt. Clint, my Associate manager, was really excited that I was wearing 'team gear' this morning. I just love this job. HAHA!

Spring Break 2011

WOW! What a great week I have had, and thankfully it isn't over yet! I just can't brag enough about how great my job is.. I mean, not many working professionals can say they have spring break.

Last week was super stressful with tests in all my classes! However, I feel that I did well on all. What a great way to start my break! Donna came to Tuscaloosa on Friday and went to the Alabama vs. LSU gymnastics meet with me.

I left for DC on Saturday morning. Thanks to my SAI sisters I was able to be dropped off and picked up from the airport! Thanks Tori and Erin! I made it in to Virginia a little after 5pm, Mary-Anne picked me up from the airport and we went back to her home. We had a wonderful dinner and finished a great night with many episodes from season one of Glee, accompanied with popcorn. Considering I never have an ounce of free time it was great to just sit back and watch a little TV. Sunday, we went shopping! :) We started out at TJ Maxx, of course and found some great deals! Then, we fulfilled a recent obsession of ours. Anthropologie has many great outfits and such cute clothes, however they are EXPENSIVE! One thing on Mary-Anne's bucket list was to own something, even if just a hair accessory, from Anthropologie. So, off we went... After looking around the store and loving everything we headed to the clearance room. We each found a skirt on clearance to try on, and then picked a few things from the store to try on. After much fun and many great looks, we made a deal. We would buy our clearance item, and a full price item, ONLY if we loved it. As we tried on outfits we found that we loved most things.. but we stuck to the plan and each got our one clearance item and one full price item. After all, with the stress of school and work, we deserved it!

Here is what I got:

How cute are these skirts!?! They are work and everyday appropriate!!

Sunday night I was able to have lunch with and meet, Charles... And I am so proud that he and Mary-Anne have found each other. What a CUTE couple!

Monday I went in to work with Mary-Anne and was able to hang out at the House of Representatives while waiting for my tour of the capitol. I had a great time hanging out and my tour was AMAZING! I also got to sit in the House Gallery, which was beautiful. Being able to see what my vote enables was an amazing adventure. I spent the rest of the afternoon at the U.S. botanical gardens. I took many pictures of the beautiful flowers and just had a great time walking around. You can see all these pictures and more on my facebook. :)

Tuesday I had another tour, this one of the Supreme Court building. It was interesting to learn about the Supreme Court and browse the history and sit in the courtroom. Wednesday Mary-Anne and I were fortunate enough to have an appointment to meet and get our picture taken with Martha Roby, the Alabama, District 2 representative. She is so cute and was so nice!! We were even able to ride the elevator with her as she went to cast her vote. It was great just chatting with her, talking about her putting on her makeup, and the fact that in high school, she dated my boss!! :) She was so nice, and not just 'You are my constituent I will be nice to you', GENUINELY nice.

Today I took the metro with Mary-Anne to the Airport, and then flew back to Alabama.. then I drove the rest of the way home. In one day, in a span of less than 12 hours, I have traveled by train, plane and automobile!!

I have had a blast so far on spring break... and have a few more things left to do. I am home to see my family for a while; then traveling to Birmingham to see the SEC Gymnastics Championships. Finally, I plan on having a day of rest and church back at my apartment. I am so glad I was able to pack so much into this week, and it has been great, and will continue to be. Praise God for such a wonderful week!!

Times are changing

Even though I am a morning person, I don't usually look forward to when we 'spring forward' in the spring. However, since I have started my job making the morning drive in pitch black has always been a little different for me. I am so fortunate to have a job that I ABSOLUTELY love!! And, praise be to the Lord, I am a morning person.

Life seems a little brighter, literally and figuratively, when I wake up at 4:30am, get ready, and walk outside to see the sun beginning to rise. It makes me so happy to have the joy of the Lord shining through another day. I praise Him that the sun is rising on another beautiful day.

Life has been a struggle here lately, but I have the joy of the Lord and that is what keeps me going. I have a saying that I love, ''Nothing easy is ever worth it." And how true that is. Life is hard work, school is hard, but in the end it will all be worth it. I have my final test of the week today at 11am. Hopefully, all will go well.

I am so thankful for the many blessings I am surrounded by, some being my job, my church, the opportunity to be in school, and so much more. Life is good because the Lord has blessed! Next week is spring break, so I will have more time to post and catch up on a few things, HALLELUJAH to the LORD!

Flowers for a Flowers

Yesterday was a glorious day at work!!! I got a beautiful bouquet of flowers from work with a card that said "Happy Birthday - Building Maintenance - Neal, Clint, Michael, Tingle, Marlowe, John, Spooner and Cheryl" I thought that was very sweet because Neal put the names that I call everyone on there, not just generic names. :)

Aren't they BEAUTIFUL!?! It made me so happy!

Also, I get off at 2:30pm and have to go to class at 3pm, and of course, as luck would have it... it started pouring right before I clocked out! As I walked to the door I decided I was going to get wet no matter what... so to just do it. Well, Clint, my associate manager stopped me and said 'Do you have to go to class?' When I responded yes, he said well, give me your keys and I will go get your car. I told him, thank you, but I won't melt. He however insisted, saying I was not going to get wet on my birthday. So, I told him where my car was and what it looked like, and haded over my keys. Clint came back a few minutes later soaked, driving my car right up to the building. He also held my door open while I got in the car and shut it for me. I felt so bad, yet I was overjoyed at this act of kindness. A true gentleman. I am so thankful for the presence of Clint at my job. He definitely makes things fun and interesting. I am blessed to work with so many great guys... so blessed. I truly have the BEST JOB EVER!!