Finished!

I can't believe it! I am finished with my first YEAR of graduate school.

It was so much harder than I thought. Working a full time job and going to school isn't the cake walk that I planned it to be... but it is great! There were times when I didn't think I would make it through... But the Lord is merciful and gracious, and I have!!

After the storm, the University of Alabama terminated the semester as of April 27. The end of classes, finals and even graduation have been cancelled. The Spring graduates will now be attending the Summer graduation. Grades were to be posted as of May 10th, as is. If you didn't like your grade, you could request to take your final. Wow, what a roller coaster this has been!! In what may be the LOWEST and WORST GPA I have ever had... I have decided to accept my B's and run with them. 3.0, never in my life... and while inside I am disappointed, the stress and magnitude of what has happened over the past week causes me to just go with it. My brain is so scattered, my life a whirlwind... I am just thankful to be done, so, I will take all of my B's knowing that in the end this is what's best. God has taken away the stress of finals, He has answered my prayers. His answers aren't always what I want them to be... but I rest assured knowing His ways are so much better than mine. Praise God!

This is an amazing journey that God has brought me on. He has changed my plans, and through following Him the desires of my heart of changing. As I continue to grow I hope that I grow deeply in the Lord and that I continue to become closer to Him.

So, I continue with school starting back May 31. I am completing my research the first half of the summer, and taking Complex Calculus the second half. Hunter left for Basic training and AIT today, and will return in August. I am excited for this amazing journey God is taking me on.. and I am so thankful for how much He has blessed me!!

The Tornado That Changed Us All

There literally are no words. Pictures do no describe the devastation in Tuscaloosa. The heart of Tuscaloosa, flattened.. communities rendered unrecognizable. People from my church who have lived here for years, have driven down streets and not been able to recognize where they were.

Wednesday, April 27 will be a day that many of us will never forget. Working and going to class... I remember checking the weather multiple times that day. Houses had just finished patching roofs from the storms the week before. We didn't know how bad it would get; we were bracing for severe thunder storms with a possibility of tornadoes. I went to my 3 o'clock class, knowing bad weather was on its way. When the sirens went off in class my heart dropped. Much to my dismay, my teacher didn't understand what the siren meant and it took us a while before we frantically moved downstairs. As we were standing downstairs I was using the wifi to check facebook and news pages. I saw a picture someone posted of the tornado just as the power went out. The weather alert then went off for us to take cover. Me and a few girls from my class ran from the hallway into the bathroom, we figured it would be a little safer than the open hallway. It was pitch black and we could hear the winds, the doors to Gordan Palmer opening and slamming uncontrollably. It was utter chaos. The warnings had been extended.. after it was over we all came outside phones were going crazy and it was so hard to get in touch with anyone. It was then that we were told to go and get somewhere safe. Everyone was coming out of all buildings on campus and I drove a friend to her car across campus. Then I started trying to get to my apartment. The first road I tried was completely blocked... traffic was crazy and there was mass confusion. I talked to my sister on the phone and she let me know that entire areas had been wiped out. Little did I know the tornado went across every available path for me to get home, completely cutting me off. I tried a least eight streets trying to remain calm and work my way home... as I was traveling down Greensboro we were told again to turn around that you couldn't get through. As I was turning around I say a man and woman carrying a computer server up the street. They asked if they could have a ride to their car, which was parked up the street and I agreed. I told them where I lived and asked about getting to my apartment...they, as well as others around me told me it was impossible. The cops began yelling at us telling us more tornadoes were coming and to get to a safe place and off the streets. It was then that this family became my new friends. I did the unthinkable. My first thought was 'Do not talk to strangers!' However, this lady looked at me and said, we have a basement, you need to come with us. In what was probably the craziest moment of my life I agreed. There was no way to get home, and I had no way of contacting anyone else... my phone was dying. So, in the midst of chaos, I took this family to their car and the lady rode with me to their house. I went home with STRANGERS!! (and lived to tell about it!) It was so crazy, my phone lived long enough for me to tell my mom I had picked people up off the side of the street and was going home with them; how heart wrenching is that?!

Upon arriving at their home I met their children and another family. We began our camp out, getting out the radio and checking the weather. Their power was soon restored and we watched the weather pass us by. Unsure of how to contact anyone or what to do about work I asked the lady if I could borrow her phone to contact my family. Thankfully this was a Christian family who seemed grounded in their faith. I told my mom I was staying with 'Jesus people' however, that didn't make her feel any better; she wanted me out of there! I prepared myself to go in to work the next day and the family offered me a room in their house, let me take a shower and use some clothes for pajamas. They were truly angels sent by God.

I woke up the next morning at 4:30am, unsure of really what to do or if I would be able to go anywhere. I decided then that I would go home first, start my phone charging and then contact work. I drove through Northport and completely around Tuscaloosa, and then backtracked home. I was finally able to make it, and I couldn't believe my eyes along the way. Twisted metal, cars, homes... devastation everywhere. When I arrived at my apartment I was so thankful to be home!! My apartment was relatively untouched. I woke Gabby to let her know I was finally home... after leaving my house at 5:30am Wednesday, I was finally able to return at 6am Thursday. As my phone charged I got online and posted to facebook that I was safe.. and then called my Mom. She was so happy that I was home. I called work and made sure I didn't have to go in.. so I settled down and tried to calm down. I checked my facebook and saw that Hunter had driven through the night to get to Tuscaloosa. I couldn't believe it. He drove from Arkansas, to check on me. I sent him a text saying that I was ok and sorry that I had been unreachable. He and one of his friends had come and worked through the early hours of the morning to set up a shelter. He then asked to come to my apartment and see me. Seeing him was a relief. It was unspeakable to finally see someone I knew and to be able to know I was truly safe.

In the days to follow I went out with my church to help with the destruction. I have cooked, prepared and passed out meals. I have cleaned trees out of yards, and helped anyone that would let us. I am so thankful for my college group and our willingness to work. So much devastaion is all around us... I have posted many pictures on facebook, but honestly the pictures do not do it justice... Lord, help us all.

Please be in prayer for those still missing and those who have lost everything... even in this trauma those of us who are alive are truly the lucky ones. Stuff can always be replaced. It was a ghost town the first few days, with no traffic lights or power working it was very hard to get around. We have power crews from all over the country and National Guard units from all over as well. I am so thankful for all those who have come to Tuscaloosa to help us. Praise the Lord for the goodness of people and the outpouring of support. This recovery will take a long time.. but through it all may God receive the glory for what he has done and the blessings he has given us! 

Date night

Good Morning to all! I haven't been able to update recently due to school being so crazy... However, I have a few things to catch you up on. About two months ago a young man who goes to my church asked my college minister to let him get to know me. I was very apprehensive at first... but after hanging out with him and the college group several times I found that he was a nice guy, and if nothing else... it didn't hurt to be friends. So I stopped completely avoiding this guy and three weeks ago he asked for my phone number. Starting that Monday we have texted and talked on the phone non-stop.

Friday night he took me on the best date I have ever been on. Wednesday night he asked if he could take me on a date on Friday. I told him yes and that was that. He worked all the details and told me everything would be a surprise. :)

He picked me up and we started driving. Me, not being from Tuscaloosa.. had no idea where we were going. As we turned on the road he asked if I could guess where we were going. Unfortunately, with my poor sense of direction, I didn't have a clue until we pulled into the parking lot. He took me to Cypress Inn, a beautiful riverfront restaurant with a great atmosphere and beautiful views and landscapes. He had reserved a table overlooking the river, and the view was spectacular.

This is a picture of the restaurant I found online... if you look at it, coming from the left of the picture, we sat at the third window from the end... near the corner. :) What a view. I had blackened tilapia that was just amazing! I can't wait to try my hand at a few tilapia recipes.

After dinner we again started driving... me, without a clue. He took me then to All Fired Up. A place where you can create, paint and fire your own pottery. it was fun picking a piece of ceramic and painting it just how I wanted it. I can't wait to get them back this week!!  It was so fun just creating whatever you wanted.. they even allow you to print out pictures so you can stencil them onto your ceramic. WHOA. I definitely started off with something simple... I just painted a cross.. and of course I painted it blue and green.

After this the night's surprises were over, and he asked me if I wanted to go watch a movie. It was having so much fun I didn't want the night to end. Saturday, after I went home to be with my family for Easter, he called and asked me to be his girlfriend. At first I was hesitant, but we discussed many things and I am at peace with the decision to say yes. He will be leaving for basic training in two weeks, but after that he will be here for good. He has promised to write me letters, and I can't wait. Honestly, how cool would it be to have letters to show your grand kids? People hardly ever write anymore... and I am excited for this opportunity to do so.

This week I am preparing for finals... I have a final Monday, May 2nd and Thursday, May 5th. I am starting to study this week... and hope and pray that I do well on each of them. I am stressed, but I know that I am blessed. Mary Allison's wedding is just around the corner!! Oh how much fun we will have. So.. here's to the next two weeks of non-stop craziness. I pray each of you have a blessed week!

Check this out!

My best friend Mary-Anne Gillis and I are combining our professional lives with a little bit of flair. Check out our daily style adventures plus so much more at her blog 'Dream a Little Daydream'.

I love Mary-Anne and can't believe how spectacular our friendship is. Keep in mind, she is my fashion coach. The outfit featured in this post however, I was able to put together myself!! Aren't you proud?

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!

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! 

Garage Giveaway

What a weekend filled with God's blessings!!! Friday night the college group got together to watch a movie and have pizza. It was a great opportunity for us to hang out before a day of service. Saturday was the church's second 'Garage Giveaway'. It is just like a garage sale, except we invite needy families to come and take, yes TAKE, whatever they need. The garage giveaway in the fall was a huge success with over 600 people coming to get what they needed.

Saturday morning we opened the doors at 7am and wow. It was amazing.  I wish I had taken a picture of all the stuff. Krista, the organizer of the giveaway said we had three times the stuff from last time. I was especially excited to work this giveaway because I missed working the first one due to being home for the weekend. I got there at 6am as we started to set things up and get ready for the day.

We registered each guest and took their information and asked them about their knowledge of Christ and salvation. We started off the morning bright and early with a woman coming to know Christ! Praise the Lord!! I was a great opportunity to serve and I thoroughly enjoyed helping ladies find clothes in their size. I had so much fun holding something up and having ladies say yes or no to whether they liked it or not. Wow... what an experience.

We had around 500 people come to the giveaway this Saturday... and so many seeds were planted. I am so blessed to be a part of a church that works so diligently for Christ and His kingdom. To God be the glory!

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.

Law School Formal

WOW. Friday night, for lack of a better word was... interesting. Here we go.. from the beginning. After class I went to Starbucks to finish working on a problem with Anne. I was super motivated and determined to study all night Friday before leaving for Mary Allison's shower Saturday.

As Anne and I were sitting in Starbucks a guy we have met through studying at Starbucks walked in. This is not unusual as the three of us see each other in Starbucks and chat all the time. He has even been to visit my church a few times. This time, a new motive popped into his head. He came and sat down beside us and rather than getting out his books, continued to just wait on us. After a while Anne decided to give him our attention... much to my dismay as I really wanted to finish what we were doing and get home. He then presented his request to us. Friday night was the Law School Formal, and his date had to cancel due to her work schedule being changed. So.. he wanted me to go with him.. Mind you, it is around 5pm and he wants me to be ready at 7pm! He apologized for the late notice and said if nothing else, I would get a nice dinner out of it. He said he would take me to Chuck's and that it was a bribe if he needed it to be. Unfortunately for the two of them (Anne for all for this from the start) I had no idea what Chuck's was... so the bribe was not effective. After much begging, questioning and me continually saying that I needed to study... I finally gave in. What would it hurt to go to a short dance with the Law school.. after all... I had NO IDEA what I would be getting myself into.

So, with that Anne and I finished our problem and rushed to her house.. I tried on dress after dress and nothing fit... I was going to be embarassed by being improperly dressed in front of a bunch of Law students.. however, if I couldn't find anything I could back out! Unfortunately we finally found a dress. It was too skimpy and not my taste... but I figured I could wear a cardigan or coat over it. So, we rushed to my apartment.. I needed shoes, my hair fixed and make-up. When we got to the apartment, Gabby completely disapproved of my outfit and offered for me to wear one of her dresses. This dress, to me, is gorgeous.. and it fit me way better. With Gabby and Anne trading off doing my hair and make-up I was finally ready and made it to his house at 7pm, exactly!

Poor quality.. but it gives you an idea of what I looked like....

So... we went to dinner (which took forever) and finally arrived at the Formal at 10:30pm. For those of you who know me... I don't drink or party... and I was greatly mislead... because this is exactly what I had just been brought too. Everyone there was completely drunk... and as most times that I have seen people drinking.. looked as if there weren't having any fun. I tried my best to act normal, but I think that the fact that I was not drinking along with all the other people really bothered him, and others around us. I was so thankful when he was ready to go home. I prayed all night that no one I knew would walk up to us.. Lord, it would have ruined my witness. And I was so thankful to get out of there. The law student, who I am trying my hardest not to name, and Anne thought that they had really done me a favor by 'broadening my horizons'. However, I must say that my horizon through Christ does not need broadening.. my convictions are my own, and I do not try to force them on anyone; and I do appreciate those who respect my convictions. While the night wasn't horrible, it is definitely something I will NEVER do again. And the next time someone asks me to help them out, I will learn to just say no. Part of this is due to my naivety in certain situations.

However, I do wish to think that everyone would be like me... until otherwise noted. I am proud to say that I live my life differently from others. And I praise my Lord for giving me the convictions and desire to do so. I so hope that each of you, when feeling the tugging of the Holy Spirit in your life will slow down, listen to what He has to say...and follow His commands. This life, is the only life that is completely fulfilling and rewarding. A life of Christ is the only life I choose to live!

In the end, this was a good learning experience for me. I now know more about two people that I see very often, and I know that when they suggest something, I am immediately to say no. Also, the two of them now know that I am not going to budge on my convictions and that my stand for Christ will not be moved. The experience made me miss my friends in Troy and Sean... for they would have never put me in such a situation. But, that is what life in the 'real world' is for... Learning, living, and being on your own. Making decisions and making the most out of life and what it throws at you.

....When I don't fit in and I don’t feel like I belong anywhere

When I don’t measure up to much in this life

Oh, I’m a treasure in the arms of Christ....

~Forgiven by Sanctus Real~