the crazy, oh so wonderful, life of Jessica LeAnne

....

2012-01-15T15:11:00.001-08:00

So I know I said I'd try and post more often but time sure has gotten away from me. We went to Winter Heritage Youth Conference in Hurst, TX New Years weekend and then my family and I went to San Antonio on New Years Day to go to Sea World. It was a blast but exhausting because I started student teaching the next day. I have been in the classroom for two weeks now and am loving it!! The kids are awesome and my cooperating teacher is great! My first day to teach a lesson though my supervisor was there :/. I guess it went ok, but I know I definitely have room for improvement. Last week I started teaching Social Studies everyday and will continue to the rest of my time. This week I am taking on a couple days of Language Arts. It seems so far away, yet so soon, that my full responsibility weeks will be here. I will be on full responsibility (meaning I teach everything all day everyday) for two weeks starting February 6th. Then I will still just teach here and there and then have full responsibility again my last two weeks (the end of March/beginning of April). I'll try and update again soon! But until then I am headed to church. We've been in revival with Bro. Disotell and it's been amazing! In fact, we have a lady who received the Holy Ghost last week, getting baptized tonight! Her husband is a backslider and they have found a new home! Thank you Jesus! God is doing great things in Bryan, TX!! Have a blessed Sunday!

Tis the season

2011-12-29T07:59:00.001-08:00

So I know I've been MIA recently, but i joined the world of iPhones at Christmas. Therefore, I am addicted. Yes, addicted. I downloaded the Blogger app so maybe I'll post more often ;). Today we are headed to Ft. Worth for Winter Heritage and then Saturday my family and I are headed to San Antonio for New Years at Sea World! Post pics later!
Happy New Year!!

Merry Christmas Eve!

2011-12-24T13:01:00.000-08:00

I can't believe it's already Christmas! Last night my family went and looked at Christmas lights around town and got some Spoon's :). The last neighborhood we decided to go to was Pebble Creek, a pretty ritzy one. Well we came up to a house where the lights were flashing all kinds of crazy! We thought, EW! Then we saw a sign that said to tune your radio into a certain station. So, we did. Here's what it was:

So neat!

Well, here's from my family to yours...

Merry Christmas!! May you be blessed on this special day!
And remember, Jesus IS the reason for the season!

"For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace."
Isaiah 9:6

what sweet friends i have...

2011-12-15T07:02:00.000-08:00

Last Saturday I went on a Starbucks date with my sweet friend, Rose Marie, and Miss Cece. I haven't seen them in about 2 months [waaaaaay too long for Rosie and I]! It's always so much fun when we're together! I love these two to pieces!

On Monday night, Jennifer and I had our annual "best friend Christmas dinner/gift exchange." We had a simple dinner this year at Blue Baker [one of our freshman memories] and exchanged gifts. Sadly, I didn't get a single picture of us together, but I did take a picture of the super precious gift she made me!

And it looks amazing on my "music wall"! :)
Yesterday I went and saw my sweet friend, and former boss, Laura and her sweet baby Caleb. He is getting SO big! He is such a handsome ham! ;) I am so thankful for Laura and our friendship! She is definitely irreplacable and I love her to pieces!

Our sometimes sweet kid's choir practicing last night. No, really, they are a sweet bunch of kids and I have the privilege of helping with them every week [even if I may get grumpy]. ;) They are doing a phenomenal job of preparing for our Christmas service this Sunday!

[Doesn't the new carpet look awesome?! Looks like a completely different building!]
Today is my last day of work and I couldn't be more ecstatic! After three and a half years I never thought this day would get here! And after 5 years, I have completed my last college class ever, and now all I have left is 12 weeks of Student Teaching starting January 3rd! It is so hard to believe that all my hard work and struggles are finally to the end. I never would have made it without God's help! He has given me the strength as well as the determination to complete what I started. I am so blessed!

Merry Christmas!

christmas time.

2011-12-15T06:59:00.000-08:00

Our family Christmas tree.

My pink and black tree in my room. :)

the little things.

2011-12-05T06:12:00.000-08:00

the little things in life.

My favorites (from Starbucks of course): Caramel Brulee Latte, Caramel Apple Spice, Salted Caramel Mocha and Pumpkin Spice Latte. Mmmmm!

Because it's a cold and rainy day today :) love.

Happy Monday!

finally.

2011-12-04T18:12:00.001-08:00

Well, I finally had the time to sit down and blog about this last month and so here I am. Since lots of writing is boring and most people only look for the pictures on here, I'll do an update through pictures with as little writing possible.

This was the lesson I taught on Colonial Williamsburg back in October. The kids got to "visit" 6 places in Colonial Williamsburg and then do a worksheet on each place they visited. It was a lot of fun and I think, for the most part, they enjoyed it!

I had to create an interactive bulletin board for one of my classes so I did it around the lesson I taught. There were cards on the clothespins with descriptions of each location they visited. Each student had to come to the board and pick a card, then put it in the correct pocket. I was not able to be there when they used it, but Mrs. Green said it was wonderful! Speaking of teaching, I will be student teaching in Snook in a 4th grade Language Arts/Social Studies class starting January 3rd!!!! I am SO excited!! :)

West Coast Conference 2011!!! Was AWESOME! We had SO much fun! My cousin, Melanie, from Ohio flew in and met Brittany and I there. It was so good to see her (since it had been 2 years) and spend some time together. We got there on Wednesday and Melanie left Sunday, Brittany and I left Monday morning. On Sunday night, we decided to visit the Hyler's church. It was awesome!! Always love getting to see them! Needless to say, we were completely exhausted from the trip, but loved every minute of it! I was so happy to see all my sweet friends there too!

Love all my sweet friends!!

I know there are probably things I have missed, but this is all for now. Hey, at least I got WCC pictures up! ;) [Even if they are a month late.]

I am so excited it is December! Can't believe it's already here! I have been finished with school for about 2 weeks now (minus my online class) and it has been wonderful! I have a new found love with pinterest. If you've never explored before, you must now! Addiction! This is how I plan on spending my Christmas break! :) Oh, and my last official day of work is December 15th and I couldn't be more excited! :)

I'll try and do better about posting next time, but no promises! :)

Lesson plans.

2011-10-19T11:33:00.000-07:00

One of our 5 billion assignments this semester is to write a lesson plan. Not hard, you say? Wrong. It's not your typical plan out a lesson lesson plan. It's a 5 page, scripted out, super detailed lesson plan. Oh, did I mention that we are supposed to teach this lesson to our actual methods class!? Well, we are. Yikes. So I asked my wonderful mentor teacher, Mrs. Green, today if she could let me know if there was something she would like me to do my lesson plan on that I could teach. She is so amazing, she gave me the teacher book and told me what lesson she wanted me to do and now all I have to do is plan it! It makes it soo much easier when I am given a topic and something to work with rather than having to come up with it all on my own. Now I just have to have it all completed, put together, and ready to teach next Friday! It should be lots of fun! It's called "Life in Colonial Williamsburg". We are going to take a "walking tour" of Williamsburg to learn about that daily life in the colonial Virginia capitol. The students are going to visit six stations, which each represent an actual site at Williamsburg. At each station, pairs will examine visual and written information about an aspect of colonial life--such as government, social life and religion--record nots, and complete a task. Then they will write a letter describing life in the colonial capital and compare it to life in their community. With all the stress that comes with this, I am super excited about getting to do this interactive lesson and setting it all up! I will have to take pictures since it will be my first lesson plan to teach!

Tonight I am headed to Austin for my Cert test at 8am tomorrow. Please pray! I'm super nervous about it and really don't want to have to take it again. Although, I am super excited to get to see Noe, Shalonda, Victoria and Savannah! My mom and I are headed there as soon as I get home from methods and will make it there just in time for their church service tonight.

p.s.-15 DAYS 'TIL CALIFORNIA!! :)

My month.

2011-10-15T21:38:00.000-07:00

Warning: this post is sure to be full of random ramblings since it's been so long since I've posted! :)

Let's see...I had my Generalist certification exam on the 24th of September and I found out my results this week: I didn't pass by two points. One. Question. I was very upset about it and then realized that I only knew two other people who did pass. Most everyone I know failed by a few points. I do have to say though that passing is an 80, therefore, I didn't really do bad. But it was a big let down knowing now that I'll have to retake it. But I'm putting that off until Christmas break or next semester. :) My plate is already too full this semester. On the topic of certification tests, I am taking my Social Studies/Language Arts 4-8 Test next Thursday in Austin. I am keeping a positive attitude about it and just going to pray that I pass. Because I know that "I can do ALL things through Christ who strengthens me." :)

On September 25th, my sweet friend (and former boss) Laura had her sweet baby boy--Caleb Buchanan. He is absolutely precious. I went and visited her last Thursday and am making plans for my next visit. It's so special to me because she told me when she was just 5 weeks pregnant and now he's here. It's amazing to see the precious life God created. He is an absolute doll! I love him already! :)

I am really enjoying my methods (5th grade SS class) and love going each week! It is quite the experience, especially when Mrs. Green has me get up and do the lesson, or review. As much as it makes me nervous, I love it. Wednesday we went on a "field trip" to the high school. Our school doesn't have a gym large enough, and with risers to fit all 800 students, so we went to the high school for the student vs. staff basketball game to kick off their biggest fundraiser: Hoopla. This is to raise money for different big projects and fieldtrips for the students. As crazy as it was getting everyone there, it was a blast! I love these kiddos! I am getting more and more excited about having my own classroom come next fall, Lord willing I get a job...and locally at that. I really would like to stay around home as long as possible. But I'm putting it all in the hands of God because I know His plan is far greater than mine.

Today I went to the funeral of a baby girl. One of my old friends, who I just saw last Sunday, was due with her second daughter today. This last Tuesday she found out that the baby had passed in the womb and she would have to deliver her naturally, 3 days before her due date. Little Kyndal Grace was born and went to be with the Lord on Wednesday, October 12th . I can't possibly imagine what this family is going through. I just pray that God would reach down and comfort them in this tragic time.

Today I also put up my Christmas tree! Yes, you read that right, Christmas tree! It is super adorable! It's black with white lights, so it can pass as a decoration to match my room for now. Once it gets closer to Christmas, I'll put some ornaments on it and make it look like a real Christmas tree. :) I was just too excited to wait so I did it now...in October. :)

On another exciting note, only 18 days until our trip to California for WCC!! I. Can't. Wait. I'm so excited to see my friends from last year and to make some new ones! I just have a feeling it's going to be a great time. Until then, I have about 14 bajillion, well not really...but really, projects to do. I definitely have a horrible case of senioritis. But on a positive note, only 6 weeks of school left! Then student teaching and graduation will be here before I know it. I can do this. :)

That has been my month.

And if you are still reading this super long and random post, bless your little heart. :)

Happy Weekend!

5th Graders, Teaching and Testing

2011-09-24T17:33:00.000-07:00

These last two weeks have been quite crazy for me. I started my field experience last Wednesday. I go every Wednesday and Thursday from now until Thanksgiving. So far I really like it. 5th grade Social Studies is not my choice, but so far so good. :) Mrs. Green, the teacher I am with, is a sweet lady who is already letting me slowly take over the class. I'm not gonna lie, it is very intimidating, but hopefully I will adjust soon and be confident enough to take over. :)
Today I had my first certification exam: the Generalist EC-6 (Early Childhood thru 6th). It took me about 3 1/2 hours to complete and was a little difficult. Let's just hope I did ok. I'll find out my scores in 2-4 weeks. If I passed, then I will be officially certified to teach preK-6th...minus my degree. :) If not, then I'll have to retake it next semester. Let's hope that's not the case though.
Tomorrow is church! And I'm excited to see what God is going to do! :)
Happy Rest of the Weekend! ;)

Venting.

2011-09-13T20:38:00.000-07:00

I'm not one to blog about negative stuff, but there are just those times that I need to vent. And I chose to do it this way tonight. Long story short, I'm in an online class, that I took and failed this summer, with the same professor. Did I mention that she is not very nice? That's putting it...nicely. She tends to send sarcasm, major sarcasm--and I don't do well with that--in her emails when I ask her a question. Granted, when I first emailed her this summer about the final, I didn't think to look in the syllabus first. No big deal right? Wrong. Her response: "Jessica, the syllabus clearly states....". That email didn't even end with a valediction. Thank you professor for making it clear that the syllabus clearly stated. I'll be sure and check next time. Well yesterday I went to take a quiz only to discover that it was closed. I missed it. So what did I do? (After I checked the "Quizzes" portion of the syllabus). Yep, I emailed her. A very nice email too. I simply said:

Professor S,
Could you tell me when the quizzes close and are due, please? I looked on the syllabus and couldn't find it.
Thanks!
Jessica Lyons '11

Polite, right? Well the response I get:

Jessica,
At the end of the syllabus it states: Each week you will have chapter quizzes and maybe an exam to take. All of these will be due the following Sunday by 11:55 pm. Failure to complete these before the due date/time will result in a zero.
Did that help?
Sincerely,
Ms. S

Did. that. help.? As a matter of fact, I think. it. did. Thank you for highlighting it yellow (blogger wouldn't let me do that so I made it red) and making the font 5 times bigger than it is stated in the syllabus. I think it helped.

How is it that these things always happen right after you get out of church? It's times like these when I have to step back and bite my tongue. Send back a nice email, not a sarcastic one.
God, please help me with my attitude.

Romans 12:14-21
14Bless them which persecute you: bless, and curse not.
15Rejoice with them that do rejoice, and weep with them that weep.
16Be of the same mind one toward another. Mind not high things, but condescend to men of low estate. Be not wise in your own conceits.
17Recompense to no man evil for evil. Provide things honest in the sight of all men.
18If it be possible, as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men.
19Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord.
20Therefore if thine enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirst, give him drink: for in so doing thou shalt heap coals of fire on his head.
21Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good.

24...and counting.

2011-09-12T11:42:00.000-07:00

Happy 24th Anniversary to the best parents in the world!
I love you mom and dad!

The promised, and long awaited, pictures!

2011-09-11T14:09:00.000-07:00

As I promised, here are pictures from the last couple of months that I haven't blogged. I made them collages to save time. :)
-----
Heritage 2011:

Heritage was absolutely incredible this year, as it always is. God moved in a mighty way in all of the services and the preaching was amazing! I am really excited now about Winter Heritage, which is in just a few short months!
-------
Babysitting beautiful Miss Olivia Janie. She's getting entirely too big! The first time I babysat for her she was just 1 1/2! The sister and I before church one night :) In August, our youth went to a amazing Youth Rally in Weches, TX. Bro. Mark Copeland from Sebasta Pool, MS preached an incredible message that was just. for. me. And I also got to see the Cooley's! I haven't seen them in ages and sweet little Cherish is all grown up now :( Sis. Fillmer and I showed up matching one night at church! Lol! :)

-------
Also, I have super exciting news (for those that care lol) I am going to West Coast Conference in California again! I booked my plane ticket about a month ago and then ran into a problem with attendance for my Senior Methods. I thought I was going to have to cancel it because one absence would cost me a letter grade, and I would be missing two days. But I prayed and my teachers are going to excuse it! Thank you Jesus! I am soo excited and can't wait! Brittany informed me last night that we have 51 days! ;)

I start my Field Experience this week and I am super excited! I am in a 5th Grade Social Studies classroom at an Intermediate School in College Station. I will be there all day every Wednesday and Thursday for this semester. Then starting in January I will student teach! Whoop! I submitted my student teaching application today and now I can't wait to find out placements for that. I put in a special request for Snook Middle School to be with Sis. Kerri's co-teacher (so I can work with her also ;)). So we shall see soon! I'll keep you updated as I find out.

Happy Monday! :)

9/11.

2011-09-11T13:32:00.001-07:00

Today is a very special day in America. It is the 10th anniversary of the terrorist attacks on America. Many gather to remember those lost in the planes that slammed into the Twin Towers, the Pentagon and Flight 93 that crashed into a field in Pennsylvania. Although I was not directly affected by losing a loved one on this day, as an American I was affected as I watched history being made. This is what is in this rising generations textbooks. It's amazing to me to look through and remember history. We learn about wars in history classes, but have no true perspective because we weren't there to see it. But to know that we were alive when this happened is crazy. I still remember the exact room I was in when the attacks happened. I was in 7th grade in first period science class with Mr. Phillips. I remember him turning on the TV and the assistant principal, Mr. Caperton, came in and told him he had to turn it off. I remember being confused of what was happening and not really learning the whole meaning until after school when Shalonda picked me up. I am just thankful to know and have the reassurance that no matter what happens in this country or world, God is in control. Not the terrorists that try to plant fear in us, or the president, but God.

"1 God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. 2 Therefore will not we fear, though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea; 3 Though the waters thereof roar and be troubled, though the mountains shake with the swelling thereof. Selah. 4 There is a river, the streams whereof shall make glad the city of God, the holy place of the tabernacles of the most High. 5 God is in the midst of her; she shall not be moved: God shall help her, and that right early. 6 The heathen raged, the kingdoms were moved: he uttered his voice, the earth melted. 7 The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah." Psalm 46:1

"For thou, Lord, art high above all the earth: thou art exalted far above all gods." Psalm 97:9

-------------------------------------------------

Today is also Grandparents day. Although I only have one living grandparent, my dad's mother, I am thankful to still have her. We lost my dad's dad when I was just 5 months old, my mom's dad passed away 5 years ago tomorrow, and her mom passed away 2 years ago this last month. I will always cherish the memories I do have of my grandparents and will continue to make memories with my Grammie while I still have her. :)

Happy Grandparents Day!

I'm still alive!

2011-09-04T14:07:00.000-07:00

I know, I’ve been a terrible blogger. But life has been pretty crazy in the last couple of months. Where should I even begin? The last I blogged was about camp. We went there at the end of June/the beginning of July. We came home from camp and two weeks later was Heritage. We went to Colorado Springs for that and had an amazing time. God moved in mighty ways, which I expected nothing less. I am so thankful for the presence of God that we felt and the Word that we heard. Since then and during all of that I completed 3 summer school classes and started my last first day of college, EVER! I am so excited! This semester is going to be great! I started Senior Methods, where I will be in class all day Tuesdays and in a classroom at a school all day Wednesdays and Thursdays. I will find out this next week at my second workshop where I will be placed. Then I will begin Student Teaching January 3rd, 2012 and I will graduate either May 11th or 12th, 2012!! This is going to be an exciting year! Other than that life has been great! God has blessed me in so many ways it's unbelievable! I have learned alot this summer and am so thankful for the lessons I've learned and the trials I've endured. I am just excited to see what He has in store for my future and am trusting in Him for His perfect will in my life.

Until next time....when I promise to post pictures and not wait 2 months. :)

Camp...and life after

2011-07-09T15:47:00.000-07:00

I know, I've been slacking. But I have my reasons-life's been busy. :) We got back from camp a week ago. It was so much fun and we met a bunch of new people! I did something though that I never do, I only took 14 pictures. I know, what a shame. There was just always something going on that I never thought about pictures. I promise I'll do better next time. We had some awesome church at camp, and Bro. Andrew Howard preached some awesome messages. It fun, hot, and tiring, but worth going. :)

[us girls Thursday night]

[Bro. Howard's such a crackup--he had to be in the picture!]

[My sweet friend Megan who got married today-Congratulations! :)]

On Thursday night, several of us went to Porter, TX for the 40th Pastoral Anniversary at the church there....really we went to hear Bro. Ron Garrett preach ;) He did awesome, like always.

Last night we had our walk-a-thon fundraiser. It was so super hot (104 degrees!), but we walked our 5 miles. :) Then Lauren, Brittany and I hung out for awhile. This town is pitiful. All we do is eat and drive around, but when you're with awesome people it's always fun! ;)

[me looking like a nerd in Lauren's glasses ;)]
Then today I went to see Rose Marie and Miss Cece. It was so good to finally catch up with her. I have not seen them since their wedding and I haven't hung out with her since way before that. It was much needed. And my baby is growing up way too fast! But she sure is beautiful! :)

Right now I'm watching Miss Reagan and Kyndal. We're going to head to the mall for a little bit, and maybe the park. Just thought it was finally time for an update.

Hope everyone has a fabulous rest of the weekend! :)

one.

2011-06-28T07:33:00.000-07:00

I have one class done, one to go, and one day til camp! I am soo ready for this day to be over! I finished my online class last night and right now am sitting outside of my Stat class. I will be taking the last test in there today instead of Thursday since we leave tomorrow. I am so very excited about being finished (almost) with school and then leaving for camp in the morning! [Maybe not the 7am part of leaving though]. I have a feeling it's gonna be fun and we are going to meet lots of new people, at least that's what I hope. I will be sure to take lots of pictures and post them when we get back! :)

Happy Tuesday! ;)

4 days.

2011-06-22T20:37:00.000-07:00

That's right, only FOUR days of summer school left! Thank You Jesus! After a few break downs and panic attacks the first week, I thought I was going to be in for it. Especially after I got my first Stat test back and found out I had made a 40. Thank the Lord that this "prof" curves maajorr. Seriously. It is impossible to make below a C in his class, and that's no lie. That 40 was a C. An F is considered anything below a 0. Hello?! I love it! [Not Stat, but the test curves. ;)] So for the next four days I have: a Stat test tomorrow, two online History tests Friday, another Stat test Tuesday and two more History tests and an essay to finish by Tuesday. And then I will be d.o.n.e. I am so ready! Technically summer school isn't over until Thursday, but we are going to a youth camp in Oklahoma and we are leaving early Wednesday morning. The camp starts Tuesday night, but my pastor wanted us to all go and so he made some accomodations to include me. :) I am so excited about it and to meet new people! But right now I am procrastinating doing homework and studying for my test tomorrow (that is impossible to fail so I'm really motivated to study...not!) so I better get off and at least do something.

It's almost Friday! Smile! :)

Father's Day

2011-06-19T13:27:00.000-07:00

Happy Father's Day to the best dad in the world! Thanks for being a godly father and thank you most of all for raising me in this precious Truth! There is nothing that could mean more!

I love you Dad!

Happy Father's Day!

{no title.}

2011-06-19T13:12:00.000-07:00

I had the best birthday ever, thanks to my wonderful family and friends and all the sweet comments and gifts!! Although I had class and work, I still managed to enjoy my day! ;) I went to eat with my family and the Fillmer's at one of my favorite places, Chuy's! Then came home and opened presents. :) Then I unfortunately had to study for my Statistics test I had Friday morning. But overall, it was fabulous! Friday night we went to Carino's to celebrate my youth pastor's birthday (which was the same as mine). Yesterday, my sister, Sis. Fillmer and I went shopping in Houston...we had a blast!

[what I woke up to on Thursday....thanks sister ;)]

[Brittany, Myles, me and Sis. Fillmer]

[me and my momma!]

[a few of my presents :)]

[awesome flowers from my mom!]

I had a wonderful 22nd birthday and am now going to enjoy my year! Alot of great things are going to happen when I'm 22....one of them being graduation! I can't wait! ;)

22.

2011-06-15T22:05:00.000-07:00

Today is my birthday! I can't believe that I am 22! I am so thankful to be blessed with life on this special day!

(I just realized that the post date shows June 15th....not sure why but it should be June 16th) :)

I found this cute little website the other day and decided to post this one:

Happy Birthday to me! ;)

Also a HAPPY BIRTHDAY to my awesome youth pastor, Bro. Kevin--who is officially OLD! ;) To my sweet "little sister" Hollie, to my uncle Stephen and to *fingers crossed* Angela's sweet baby boy that is supposed to come today! There is still time for him to be born! ;)

Have a happy day everyone! :)

the Mr. and Mrs.

2011-06-11T15:40:00.000-07:00

[Rose Marie and I at Rehearsal Dinner]

Today one of my best friends, Rose Marie, was married. She was an absolutely beautiful and stunning bride! I pray the best for these two dear friends of mine, and their sweet daughter, Cecelia Marie!

Congratulations Mr. and Mrs. Austin Barret Reyna!

Weddings and tests.

2011-06-08T19:43:00.000-07:00

Boy has it been a week. Last Saturday my cousin got married. They had a short, simple and sweet wedding, just like them.

[the set-up]

[my cousin (the groom), the beautiful bride (my new cousin!) and I]

Congratulations Mr. and Mrs. Lee Lyons! I am so happy for you both and wish you the absolute best!

This coming Saturday my dear friend Rose Marie is marrying her love. I am so incredibly excited for them and can't wait to be a part of their big day! I will post pictures after the wedding!

So you read tests in the title? Yes. Summer School. I had my first Statistics exam today. How did it go? Well, after the test I came home and layed on my bed and cried for a few minutes. It was terrible. Awful. The worst test I've ever taken...maybe. I was stressed out already, and then got online to look at what I needed to do for my online class and saw that I have about 12 lectures to watch/listen to, an essay to write, and two tests to take. All before Friday. I love school. NOT. But I can do this. I only have 14 more days of misery. I will survive!

Happy Wednesday! :)

Kindergarten Retirement

2011-06-01T16:29:00.001-07:00

Today my mom, sister and I went to a retirement party for our kindergarten teacher! Brittany and I both had the same teacher, Mrs. Davenport. It's been 17 years since we met the first year that Bowen Elementary opened-the year I started Kindergarten. Mrs. Davenport was an awesome teacher!! She is also giving me 3 boxes full of stuff to use in my classroom soon! And knowing her, there is no telling what all is in them! I'm so excited! Mrs. Donaway-the P.E. coach, and Mrs. Souquette-our Spanish teacher, are also retiring this year. Bowen was, and still is, full of wonderful teachers! If I stick around this area long after I graduate, I may just have to look into a job there! ;)[us when I was in kindergarten...don't you love the sunflower dress?! Hah!]

[Mrs. Davenport and I 17 years later!]

Monday.

2011-05-30T10:00:00.000-07:00

I hope everyone has a Happy Memorial Day! My mom, sister and I are sitting up at the store until 2, and then we are headed to Houston to shop a bit! :) I start summer school tomorrow-very sensitive subject-and so I figured I needed to celebrate the best I could before I'm imprisoned to school for a month. LOL ;) Seriously though, 7:30am-11:30am and then work from 12-4! :/ Other than school, it's a busy month around here. This coming Saturday, June 4th, my cousin Lee is getting married. I'm so excited for Lauren to become a part of our family! Can't wait for their big day! Then next Saturday, June 11th, my sweet friend Rose Marie is getting married! I'm her guestbook attendant and I am so excited to be able to share a part in her big day! :) Besides two weddings and school, my birthday is in 17 days and then we have a youth camp in Oklahoma the last week of June! I'm so excited about this month and everything going on (minus the school part)! :) Hopefully I will find my camera charger before this weekend so I can take pictures and post them! :)
Happy Monday! :)

edits.

2011-05-28T16:26:00.000-07:00

Please excuse the ugly layout and messups. I'm trying to figure out a new background and stuff and some are messing up. My computer is also being really slow so I'm getting a bit frustrated with it all....so it's in the works! lol :) Maybe tomorrow I'll figure something out.

i'm still alive.

2011-05-20T16:04:00.000-07:00

I know it's been forever since I've blogged, but it's been pretty hectic around here. We finally got our floors completed, but we are still in the process of moving everything back where it goes. I had every intention of uploading pictures this weekend, but that clearly didn't happen. Lol! Well I finally have them on my computer and thought I would post a few to show the new floors and the new paint jobs in our house. There will be more to come later when everything is 100% complete!

The Floors. Bamboo Strand Woven Hard Wood Floors. We absolutely love them! And they look awesome in the house!
My Bedroom. It was hard to get a good shot of the walls and the floors, but I figured you could see the floors in the other pictures, so here is my new wall color. I love it! It's called Couture by Valspar.

The Guestroom. This is the room that caused all the problems and replacements in the first place. It was also the only room that had not been painted. So it finally got done and here it is! Next step, new decor.

The Hallway. If you had never seen our hallway before, trust me, it was ugly. Right before I graduated High School we painted it two-tone blue. And we had blue carpet. It was wretched. But now it looks completely different and a million times better!

These are the only rooms I have taken a picture of. Once everything is put back together, I will take pictures of everything--and post them soon! :)

So long for now! :)

Long Time, No See.

2011-04-30T09:30:00.000-07:00

Boy, it has been forever since I last blogged! Life has been super hectic around my household. It all started with the water leak we had [that I blogged about here]. Since then, we have had to clear rooms and prepare to get new flooring. Yes, we are getting wood floors! We are so excited! The only not so exciting part is moving every single piece of furniture out. Currently my desk and all my decor is in the garage. I decided to repaint my walls since everything has to be moved out anyways. I absolutely love the color I went with! I've always had a boring light tan color because I never wanted to be stuck to a color in decorating. Well I decided to go bold this time. I chose "couture" by Valspar. It is a deep pinkish red color and it is perfect! My dad finally added the crown molding also. We went with black on that and it looks good! I can't wait for the floors to be put in to top everything off. It will look much better than the 20 year old blue carpet we have now! Lol! I'll add pictures when it's all completed. I just haven't had the time of day to add the pictures from my camera to my computer.

On another exciting note, CLASSES are OVER! Thank the Lord! I have two online tests to complete and one final on the 11th, and then I will officially be done with my first Senior year! Whoop! It is so weird to think that if I was on time I would be graduating in two weeks!! Honestly, I'm glad I'm not in a way because I'm not quite ready for a real job. I know though that after student teaching I will be so excited and ready! I have to take two classes this summer--Statistics and History--and then I will be completely finished with basic classes! This fall I start Senior Methods, which is class all day Tuesday (these are the subject area classes for teaching) and then I will be at a school in a classroom all day Wednesday and Thursday. That leaves working all day Monday and Friday. But I am really excited about this next step in my college career. I can't wait to see what God has in store for me after graduation either! There are some major things I am praying about, but it is all in His will and His timing. Now I just have to trust Him and accept that sometimes, things don't always happen how we want them too, but that He knows what is best. And for that, I am truly thankful!

Well, I hope to have pictures up soon! Maybe I'll have some down time this next week since I don't have classes! :)

Happy Saturday everyone!!

Happy Birthday Sister!

2011-04-13T05:01:00.000-07:00

Today is a very special birthday, my sister's 20th! I can't believe she is no longer a teenager! I mean, it was ok for me to turn 20, but her?! Crazy how time flies!

I love you Brittany and hope you have a fabulous day!

Happy Late Birthday!

2011-04-13T04:35:00.000-07:00

Life has been so busy that I forgot to post about two very special Birthdays from this last week! Oh no!

Last Monday, April 4th, was my sweet friend Lauren's 17th Birthday! We celebrated by going to Houston this last weekend.

I love you bunches Bertha!! ;)

----------------------------------------------------

Yesterday was Sis. Fillmer's Birthday! I am so happy and excited that they are here and are a part of our church now! She is an absolute sweetheart!

I love you Sis. Fillmer and hope you had a fabulous day!

My crazy, oh so wonderful, life.

2011-04-11T04:07:00.000-07:00

Wow. It has been a crazy couple weeks! I know I said I'd get pictures up last week, but that's how crazy my life has been. I feel like I've been going and haven't stopped.

Warning: This post is a looong post and picture overload...forreal.

Let's see...the week before last we had a hot water leak in our guest bedroom. It started in our bathroom when we noticed that the floor in front of the toilet was hot. Well a couple days later, the floor in the guestroom was the same. By the next night the guestroom floor was wet, so we had to move the bed away from the wall for the night. That next day the water was out halfway across the room so we had to move everything in that room to the garage. I'll spare you the details of the stinch that came from in there. Just trust me, it was a stinch. A horrible one. The plumber wasn't able to come out and fix it all until Friday...mind you, the smell started on Wednesday. Gross. After spending all day Friday trying to find where the leak was, they finally finished around 8pm. Bless their hearts. And to our disadvantage, homeowner's insurance won't cover even a penny because it was under the slab and appearantly our policy states above slab only. Just lovely. Well now we have everything re-sheet rocked and in the process of being repainted. The next step is new flooring. I think we are all secretly thankful [minus the cost] that the flooring has to be replaced since we have 20 year old blue carpet. It's stylish, let me tell ya. Ha!

Not this past Friday, but the Friday before, the youth group went to Houston to the Galleria mall and to a quaint little cupcake shop, Crave. :) We had a blast!

Brittany, Lauren and I went into this store called Gregory's. Gregory's is a store that is expensive. Really expensive. The sales lady, Monica, was probably the most awesome sales lady ever. We went in just to look and she told us that every girl who comes into Gregory's has to try on diamond sparkly shoes. So we did. These shoes were about $3000. woah. Talk about being scared to put your foot in the shoe. Although, we did feel kind of like Cinderella. :)

The next Monday was Lauren's 17th Birthday, so we all went to Texas Roadhouse for dinner on Sunday night. I love this girl to death! And I hope she had a fabulous birthday!

This past Thursday I babysat Miss Reagan for a bit while her parents went on a date night. She is just precious!

She found a polka dot Gymboree gift box and just had to give me a present. So here was my gift from Reagan. Absolute the sweetest thing ever.

That same night I went to Jennifer's and she cooked me dinner and helped me on my first lesson plan! I had so much fun! I miss hanging out with her everyday like we did freshman year.

This last Saturday Brittany, Lauren, Lauren's mom--Kim, and I all went to the Galleria, again. We had the absolute best time ever! These two are the funnest people I know! Seriously, your sides will hurt after you are around them for 5 minutes! And we definitely shut down Macy's. They were turning the lights off on us! It was a long but fun day!Sis. Fillmer and I on Sunday morning. I love this family and am so glad they are a part of our church right now. Not to mention that they have the most precious and handsome little boys, Michael Austin and Myles.

This week is going to be a crazy week as well. I have a ton of homework and group meetings. But on the bright side, only four weeks of school left! So hard to believe that summer is so close! But I can't wait! And Ladies Conference is this weekend! I am so excited! Sis. Hyler from Atwater, California is our guest speaker and I can't wait to hear her speak to us! Now if Britney could come with her that would be the icing on the cake! Wink! I love you Brit!

Last night we had an incredible move of God. I am still in awe of how mighty He moved. It all started in pre-service prayer and didn't end for another 2 hours. Not a note was played and not a song was sung. But there was an intense presence of God that filled that sanctuary. We had an old-fashioned, Holy Ghost prayer meeting. I know I was changed and I know there were many others that were too. I am so amazed and blessed and thankful that I am a part of a church like this and that I have experienced it for myself. God is preparing our church for many things. I just want, more than anything, to be ready for Him! His will in my life is first and foremost and I am seeking after it everyday.

Happy Monday! :)

....

2011-04-06T08:40:00.000-07:00

So I know that I said I'd blog on Sunday, well, it got away from me. As did Monday and Tuesday. Now it's Wednesday. And I still haven't blogged. And I'm at work and can't upload pictures. So, this is my goal for this afternoon after methods with my sweet kinder friends. Check back later!

The craziness of my life...

2011-04-02T20:20:00.000-07:00

Boy has it been a weekend at our house! Here's just a sneak at what I did this weekend.

I am too exhausted so I will upload pictures and tell about them all tomorrow.

Goodnight!

Weekend

2011-03-27T12:39:00.000-07:00

My weekend started off with with dinner with my girls from work. We try to get together about once a month for dinner and to catch up. We went to this fairly new place here in town, Genghis Grill. It was soo good, but just a tad expensive. After that I headed up to the church for our "rock-a-thon" fundraiser. I only stayed until 1am because I was doing Big Event on Saturday morning. I was a horrible photographer this weekend. I didn't take very many pictures. :( But I'll post what I have.

The Big Event is the largest, one-day, student-run service project in the nation. You can read all about it here. This was my first year to participate in it and I really enjoyed it. I bought donut holes from Shipleys for our group, since it was 7:45am. My group [the girls from work and a few others] went to and elderly couples house and helped them clean inside. A few washed inside windows, a few washed outside windows. Another couple polished baseboards and cabinets and me and another girl washed crystal and polished silver. Dr. and Mrs. Denton bought us pizza for lunch and we all sat out on the patio and had a "picnic". It was a lot of fun!

After Big Event on Saturday, Brittany and I were in a crafty mood. So we made things/did changes in our rooms. I hung a collage of photos above my bed [because I am obsessed with pictures and have a bajillion]. Then I took a cardboard box [that Heather sent me my prizes in] and covered it in fabric and added a flower to match my bulletin board. It makes for a great desk "junk catcher"! Wink!

This afternoon I made some homemade brownies and so I just sat down with these two little sweeties and had an afternoon snack of brownies and ice cream. :)

Spring

2011-03-24T06:51:00.000-07:00

[a picture of our flowers I took last year]

.....
I am so glad it's finally Spring! I absolutely love this season! The only thing I don't love is the allergies it brings. I'm just ready for the sunshine and spring flowers and nice weather...and it's here! I hope everyone has a terrific Thursday!
...
"The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God will stand forever."
--Isaiah 40:8

A Jacob Experience

2011-03-21T19:42:00.000-07:00

I must tell you, we are having the most incredible start to spring! God is moving in our services like never before! Yesterdays services were incredible, and tonight, youth prayer was out of this world awesome! We usually pray from 7-8 and then Pastor Jones talks to us for a bit. Tonight, God had something else in store. We prayed from 7-8:45! And Bricen was soo close to getting the Holy Ghost! I believe he can and will get it tomorrow night! Pastor Jones preached yesterday about A Jacob Exeprience--get ahold of what you need and never let go. Jacob wrestled with an angel until the break of day, until he got the blessing he needed. He needed and wanted a change. When that angel touched the hollow of his thigh, Jacob was forever changed. I want God to touch me and forever change me, for the better. I believe that we just scratched the surface of our Jacob Experience! God is no where near finished with what He has in store for our church! Revival is breaking out in Bryan, Texas and I am so thankful it is at the Bryan United Pentecostal Church! There is no other church I'd rather be a part of! I am so thankful that my pastor stands for Truth and does not water it down to make people "feel good". There is no such thing as a "feel good" religion. It is the whole Truth and nothing but the Truth. After prayer I went to Starbucks [because I needed coffee for the homework I should be doing right now...] and the barista [who knows me by name, sad, I know] asked me what I had been up to. I told him that I just got out of youth prayer and he asked me how it was. I replied, "Absolutely awesome!" [Might I add that this was the perfect opportunity to invite him to church, and I didn't. I feel awful that I didn't take that chance...next time he will be getting a church card.] He then asked me what the main thing was that I prayed for. I just simply said, "Everything." By everything, I mean the will of God. I believe that the will of God in my life is everything. I want His will in my schooling, when I graduate, a job, who I marry, my future family, etc. I believe that seeking the face of God for these things is vital in my life. I am so thankful to Him for His presence I can feel everytime I go into His house. There truly is a sweet annointing in that atmosphere.

Spring Break

2011-03-20T12:08:00.000-07:00

Life has been pretty crazy lately! A lot has happened and so I figured I would update with pictures!

------------------------

The Friday before Spring Break, Mrs. Rollins invited me to their Rodeo Day. It was so much fun! Here are some of my sweet friends!

On Tuesday, I picked up Miss Reagan and Miss JoAnna for a play date. Brittany and I took them to On The Border and then to the park. They had so much fun and are absolutely hilarious!

On Wednesday, I went to Normangee to see my sweet friend, Amanda, and her precious little family. I didn't take any pictures though :( We went to the park and just talked and caught up on life. I miss her so much since she moved from my neighborhood to 30 minutes away. :(

Thursday my mom, sister and I went shopping in Houston. It was fun and I got a bunch of cute things, but we were exhausted!

Friday was cleaning day...and boy did we have a lot of cleaning to do! But so glad it's done! And I even bought some pretty spring flowers for my window :)

Today was church and it was awesome--as it always is! I am so excited to see what God is going to do tonight! It's always a great excitement when looking forward to the next service! That's the only way it should be! Living for God is an exciting life and I am so thankful that I do!

Some of my Sunday School Sweeties!

I am NOT looking forward to school starting back tomorrow, but on the bright side we only have 5 more weeks left!! :)

8 years

2011-03-17T06:29:00.000-07:00

Today is the 8th anniversary of the opening of our business, Amish Furniture for Generations! It is so hard to believe that I was in the 8th grade when we opened and am now a senior in college! Boy how time flies! It has been an awesome 8 years and truly a blessing to our family. We can only thank God for the success we have had so far! To "celebrate" my mom, sister and I are going to Houston today to shop! Wink! :) I have a bunch of pictures to post from everything this last week...hopefully I will get them posted soon!

Happy St. Patricks Day!

{catch up.}

2011-03-09T08:39:00.000-08:00

Boy has time gotten away from me! A lot has gone on since I last posted. Let's see...a couple weeks ago I went and visited my long lost friends, Rose Marie and Bear, and sweet little Miss Cecelia Marie. She is growing waaay too fast and I could just gobble her up she's so precious! Wink! I spent several hours at their new, beautiful home. We caught up on each other's lives since we hadn't done so since January! That's not normal for us! We usually see each other at least once a month so two months was too long. But on the other hand, we had a lot to talk about! ;)

[I can't get over how grown up she is now!]

...

Then my parents left for the Indiana Furniture Expo [in case you don't know, we own Amish Furniture for Generations and our builders have a furniture expo/show every year that my parents go to] on that Saturday and were gone til the next Sunday [as in 3 days ago]. Boy was I ever glad they finally came home. It seemed like they were gone for a lot longer than they were. My sister and I, along with Josh from church [who will open the whole week we are in Indiana in May for another Amish Wedding], opened and ran the store for the two Saturdays they were gone. It wasn't as bad as we thought it would be. We definitely kept each other entertained! On the second Saturday, [last Saturday] I decided I would make Chicken Pot Pie for us for lunch. It was delicious, but I burned myself pretty bad and now have this awful scar. :( Oh well...part of life. ;) That Saturday night was Miss Kyndal's first birthday party. I can't believe she is one already! I still remember the day she was born, and it seems like it was just yesterday!

[look at that precious face with icing all over!]

...

This Sunday we had the Guidroz with us to begin a Family/Marriage Seminar for our church. This coming weekend is the marriage part {that I thought I would get out of since I'm not married}. Appearantly it's opened to the young singles as well. This should be interesting! Lol! Sunday night after church we honored our First Lady for her 10th annual 29th Birthday as she put it! ;) We love Sis. Jones and are so blessed to have her as a godly example in our lives. Her and Pastor Jones mean the world to me and I am so thankful for them!

[isn't she just beautiful?!]

...

Monday night we celebrated my dad's birthday as a family since he was not here on his actual birthday [Saturday, the 5th].

This week has sure been a hectic one. School has been busy and life as well. Tonight I had piano lessons and kids choir. I think I'm going to start calling them the Crazy Kid's Choir! They sure had a fun time tonight!

[love these crazy kiddos!]

...

I am so glad tomorrow is my Friday [school wise]. And that, my friends, means spring break!! I don't have many plans, I'm just ready for a break. I will be working some and visiting with some of my sweet friends that I don't get to see very often, Amanda and William and their sweet kiddos. I sure am excited!

Well now that I've written an essay of a blog, I should go start my real essay that's due tomorrow night! :/

Happy *almost* Spring Break!

Happy Birthday!

2011-03-05T14:43:00.000-08:00

Happy 51st Birthday to the best dad in the world!!

I love you!

I am so thankful for a father who loves me no matter what and makes sure that my sister and I are well taken care. But most importantly, a father who loves God and has raised His family in the truth!

Happy Birthday!

2011-03-04T21:12:00.000-08:00

Happy birthday to my amazing pastor's wife!

Today was Sis. Jones' birthday and she deserved the best day ever! She is one incredible, godly, talented lady. I look up to her in many ways and aspire to be just like her when I grow up! Wink!

I love you Sis. Jones and hope you had a fabulous birthday!

Revival is when...

2011-02-27T21:49:00.000-08:00

Revival is when we take the time to pray.

Revival is when we're willing to obey.

Revival is when we purify our lives and we tear down the idols in our lives.

Father can You hear our desperate cry?

There is a longing only You can satisfy.

Revival, oh Lord, revival comes from You.

[not sure who the writer of this song is, but it is awesome.]

Revival is here!

Today we were honored to have Bro. McClain with us. He preached an incredible message this morning called "Circumstance for the Miraculous." God is getting ready to do the miraculous in our church. Let me take that back, He is doing the miraculous! Tonight not a single note was played and not a single song was sung. God moved in that place from the time prayer started until 8:00. Six year old Madison was in the altar praying and seeking the Holy Ghost as well as Bricen. They were so close to recieving it! Seeing these young children seeking God was the most precious thing. Our older young girls [the 9-12 year olds] were also seeking God. Nine year old Avery was filled with the precious gift of the Holy Ghost and baptized in Jesus Name!! What an incredible service! I can't wait to go to church Tuesday night and see what God is going to do! So many new people are coming in and I believe that God is about to send a flood of souls! Our church is just seeing the beginning!

[Avery being baptized in Jesus Name!]

[Bricen praying]

This morning on the radio, I heard a song that I fell in love with. [I couldn't find a great recording online, but you can at least listen to it here...song starts at 30 seconds.]

It says:

I don’t know why, I don’t know how
You ever looked at me
I don’t deserve
A love of Your worth
Still You’re embracing me
I can’t say it loud enough
I’m gonna lift my voice unashamed
I’m gonna shout and proclaim

Unbelievable, inconceivable
Is Your great love for me
From the rooftops shout
Gonna let it out
How great is Your love for me

Compassionate love
Infinite grace
Immeasurable care for me
The black of my sin
The red of Your blood
The white of my heart made clean
I can’t say it loud enough
I’m gonna lift my voice unashamed
I’m gonna shout and proclaim

I am so thankful for God's love for me. He didn't have to die on the cross to save me from sin. He didn't have to give me a second chance, more than once. But He did and His love is so great!

[Angela and I]........[Lauren and I]

Awesome Giveaway!

2011-02-22T06:24:00.000-08:00

So, I LOVE to follow all kinds of blogs: craft blogs, teacher blogs, friends blogs...you get the picture, I LOVE blogs! Many of these different craft blogs often have giveaways. The other day I decided to enter just for the fun of it at All Things Thrifty for a $25.00 giftcard to La Flor Couture. I had entered on several different blogs before, but never won anything. Well, this time, I WON! I was shocked and excited! So today when I saw that Evy's Tree was having a giveaway, I decided to enter to win this (or several other styles):

If you'd like to enter to win, head on over to Evy's Tree and read about how you can do just that!

Happy Birthday!

2011-02-21T09:58:00.000-08:00

Happy 48th Birthday to the best Mom in the world!!

I love you!

I am so thankful to have a mother like her! She is the best cook, mom, wife...you name it! I am thankful for the example she is to me! I hope to be as awesome a mother as she is one day!

Happy Birthday!

Also, Happy 47th Birthday to my wonderful Aunt Nancy!

Happy 58th Birthday to Bro. Riley!

Happy 38th Birthday to Sis. Michelle!

Today is just the birthday day!

Youth Weekend 2011

2011-02-20T22:14:00.001-08:00

Yesterday our youth went to Lake Charles, LA for Youth Weekend 2011. It was my first year to go [our youth has gone for the last 3 years but I've never been able to] and we had a blast! I was dreading the 4-4 1/2 hour drive we had but it ended up not being bad at all. We had so much fun laughing and talking that it didn't even seem like 4 hours. We ended up arriving late because we stopped at a Cheddars an hour away and it ended up taking longer than we expected. But we heard some awesome preaching by Bro. Phil White! I always love to hear him, he is incredible and one of my favorite preachers. :) He preached "The Changing of the Guard." He talked about the changing of the guards at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and also at the Tower of London. These guards are highly trained and dedicate many, many, many hours to guarding these precious jewels [at the Tower of London] and the tomb [of the unknown soldier]. They make sure that during the changing of the guards nothing happens that would endanger the protection of these places. Bro. White related it all to our generation today. We are the coming generation. It is our duty to make sure we protect our jewels: holiness, baptism in Jesus Name, modesty, purity, salvation and many more things that are precious to our faith. We can't afford to let our guard down and let these jewels fall or things to slip in. It is not time to forget about what our elders founded and the stand they took, but it is time to support that and stand even firmer. I am so incredibly blessed and thankful that I have a pastor that believes in and takes the stand that our elders made. This was an incredible message and I am so glad I was able to be apart of Youth Weekend and hear what God had to say to our generation!

My sweet friend Emily was there! I was so excited to see her!

The conference center was right on the lake so after we went down to take pictures. It was absolutely beautiful and the weather was gorgeous!

The guys and gals

Sweet Miss Kyndal Leanna

Our amazing and beautiful youth pastors' wife, Sis. Jennifer!

Miss JoAnna and I tonight after church...LOVE this child!

I hope everyone had an awesome weekend! Looking forward to a great week! :)

My Valentine's Weekend

2011-02-14T21:31:00.001-08:00

This weekend was a Valentine's craft weekend for me! It all started on Thursday night when I decided to make my Methods kiddos their Valentine's. I had seen the homemade crayons online and wanted to make them. So I did. Turns out it takes a lot longer than I expected, but it was fun! And they turned out so cute and the kids loved them!

[First I peeled the crayons]

[Then I broke them into small pieces] [Put them into the cookie sheet] [Baked them in the oven] [Froze them in the freezer] [And Ta-Da!! Homemade crayons!]

[The final product]
Friday I went to their Valentine's party. I was reminded once again of why I want to be a teacher. These kiddos are so sweet! One little boy came to me and here's how our conversation went:

[him] "You wear two pants"

[me] "I wear what?"

[him] "You wear two pants!"

[me] "This isn't pants, it's a jean skirt!"

[him] "That's just too much, that's just too much!"

It was just too sweet! Another little girl asked me my name and then told me that she liked the name Miss Lyons. I love these kiddos.

I then made my "Valentine" [Miranda] an adorable M for her room. Then I really felt like being crafty so I made her card and a card for my boss [just because I found cute stickers].

Then I got addicted to making crafts and made an R for my mentor teacher, Mrs. Rollins. Since her blog is Rollins' Roosters, I added the cute little rooster. I love this door hanger!

Tonight we had our annual Valentine's dinner with Miranda and Aubrey. We had so much fun! I made us homemade Chicken Fettuchine Alfredo and their mom made us the most delicious dessert! We also exchanged presents. Bricen and JoAnna were there [Pastor and Sis. Jones are in the Phillipines] so Brittany and I brought them a "pwresent" [as JoAnna says] as well. Bricen loved his monster truck and JoAnna loved her baby doll! These kids are so precious!

I hope you all had a Happy Valentine's Day!

Muah!

Happy Valentine's Day!

2011-02-14T09:28:00.000-08:00

I will post pictures from my weekend later! Hope everyone has a lovely Valentine's Day! Much love!!

Confessions of an Obsessed Blogger

2011-02-09T18:52:00.000-08:00

So, I have to be completely honest...I am a blog stalker. I LOVE to read blogs [even if I have no idea who they are!]! Ok, maybe I'm a bit obsessed. But it is so much fun to read other blogs that are fun and inspiring! I have found so many creative and fun ideas, that if I only had to time to do them all! Today my mentor teacher, Mrs. Rollins [who I love and am very excited to work with], and I were talking about blogs. She gave me the link to a teacher blog, and now I am obsessed. I think I will be spending all my time stalking those now! {wink wink} There are some posted on my sidebar for all you other stalkers out there that are teachers! :)

About my Junior Methods...I am loving it! Today I was able to start working with my group of kiddos. They are working on a research project on any animal of their choice and will ultimately write a research paper. And by research paper I mean like five sentences. They are in kindergarten. They are absolutely adorable and are so excited to be doing this with me! I can't wait to see their finished products! Friday is their Valentine's Party and I am so excited that I was invited to go! I feel like a kid again...making Valentine's and all! {Even though it's the most depressing holiday known to man! LOL}

But for now, I'm off to stalk more teacher blogs! :)

Heaven Rejoices!

2011-02-07T20:09:00.000-08:00

Yesterday was another incredible day at church! Sunday morning the presence of God was so strong in that place! We had visitors in the altar praying! Then on Sunday night, Stephen was baptized in Jesus Name! His daughter, Maranda, was baptized just a few weeks ago.

"I say to you likewise there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine persons who need no repentance." --Luke 15:7

I'm telling you, God is doing some awesome things at Bryan UPC! Pastor Jones preached last night about being in the world but not of the world. There is nothing in this world that is worth losing my soul over. It pays to live for God! Don't believe me? Try it! Others may look at me and say I'm weird because I don't do certain things, but when you are a child of God your perspective on all of that is changed. It's not weird to pray everyday and it's not weird to worship God like we do, it's a privilege and I am so thankful for it! God came so He could deliver us from this evil present world, and I am so thankful that He did! I am proud to say I've never tasted a drop of alcohol! I am proud to say I've never smoked a cigarette! I am proud to say I've never done many things! But most of all, I am proud to say I am a child of THE KING! I'll say it like Pastor said it last night, "Don't flirt with the world, flee from it!"

Double Trouble!

2011-02-06T14:26:00.000-08:00

Today I babysat two of the cutest twins, Carly and Ally! They are so sweet and adorable! They are about to have a baby brother they said. :) (Their mommy is pregnant, I'm just not sure what she's having...and she's due on my birthday!)

Let It Snow!

2011-02-04T08:32:00.000-08:00

Well, it's true, it snowed last night! It wasn't very much, but enough to stick. Everything in town pretty much is shut down for the day. School was cancelled (it never fails, it always happens on Fridays when I don't have classes!) which means work as well since I work on campus. It's been verrry cold here for the last few days with temperatures not getting above 31 or 32, but I absolutely love it! I couldn't handle it for a whole winter, but a week or so is good. I decided to head out this morning and snap some pictures. I wish there would have been more snow. Would've made for better pictures, but these will have to do. Now it's a perfect day to curl up and read a book....I mean do homework. :/

5th Sunday

2011-02-01T14:19:00.000-08:00

This Sunday we had a 5th Sunday Service, which means we just had a morning service with dinner on the ground after. Then on Sunday night we rented a gym and had fun! :) The man in charge didn't want us to set up his volleyball net, and he wouldn't come do it for us, so we had to make do with a "volleywall". You know you're redneck when...LOL! But we still had tons of fun! Now, me along with about 14 other people I know, are all sick. There is something going around and it is not fun! I sure hope to be better soon! But on a positive and exciting note, I start my Junior Methods in a Kindergarten class tomorrow! I'm so very excited!

Happy Birthday...one day late!

2011-01-28T06:00:00.000-08:00

Yesterday was one of my sweetest friends birthday, Miss Britney! [Sorry I'm a date late posting! But I know you know I love you! ;)] Britney is one of the sweetest and most beautiful [inside and out] people I know and I am so glad I have gotten to know her, even if it has only been a few months! I feel like I've known her forever!

I hope you had a wonderful birthday! I love you and can't wait to see you again!

Also, it was Miss Savannah's 7th birthday! I can't believe this baby is seven already! I still remember the day she was born and me visiting her in the hospital! I love and miss you Savannah! I hope you had a wonderful 7th birthday!

Excitement everywhere!

2011-01-25T21:11:00.000-08:00

Wow! This has been an exciting week, already! On Sunday morning Maranda was baptized in Jesus name and on Sunday night EJ was baptized in Jesus name!! That's three people in two Sundays!! God is doing good things at Bryan UPC!! It was so awesome! Maranda just looked like a completely new person and EJ smiled from ear to ear the whole time! It was precious to witness it!

(Just look at that precious smile!)

Then on Monday I went and got my official name tag for Junior and Senior Methods and Student Teaching! Call me a dork, but I was soo excited to get it! I also drove by the Elementary school that I will be at (in a Kindergarten class!) and it just broke my heart to see where these children live. It was probably the worst place I've ever seen. It is so sad. I hope that I can make an impact on these children in ways I may never know. That is my prayer, and after all the ultimate reason I want to teach sweet children.

I feel so official now! Miss Lyons! :)

Today I picked up Miss Reagan to give her Mamaw a break. Her parents are on a cruise for their anniversary. I just love this picture because she never wants to smile for pictures. This time she was actually being silly! Love that silly girl!

Tonight we had awesome church! God moved in a mighty way! I am so thankful that I can feel His touch! I dont' ever want to take it for granted.

Me and my sweet babies matched so Sis. Jones had to take our picture :) They were all, and a couple still are, my Sunday School babies.

And I can't forget....today is Angela's birthday!! Whoop! She's finally 18!! Lol I love you Pangy Poo and hope you had a fabulous day!!

This weekend is going to be an exciting one also! Man, I'm just having an exciting week! My friends from California, Beau and Austin and their parents, are coming in town! Now I just need all my other Cali friends to come visit!! **Ahemm... you know who you are!! Britney, Chantal, Eliana, Chloee**

Tomorrow I am taking the practice Teacher Certification Test. I'm not going to lie, I'm a little nervous. But I shouldn't worry because this isn't official (unlike my name tag :)).

---Philippians 4:13 "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me."---

My week...so far.

2011-01-19T12:43:00.000-08:00

Well, Sunday night after church the youth all went out to Bro. and Sis. Riley's house for hamburgers and games. We had so much fun! I'm not sure that Nana and Poppy did after awhile with all the loud mouths there! Wink! But needless to say, I at least had a blast!

The amazing Nana who made it all happen! I love her!

Monday was just a relaxing day and I did absolutely nothing all day. It was wonderful. But then on Tuesday all that ended. School started again. Tear. I had 3 back to back classes on Tuesday, but then I didn't have anything today because my Junior Methods (yes, I should be student teaching this semester but I'm a year behind. Who cares.) field experience won't start until the week after next. I will then be in a classroom at a local school for 3 hours every Wednesday. I'm not gonna lie, I'm pretty excited about that part. Now the other classes, Geography and Women in Politics in particular, I'm not looking forward too. But I'm sure it will all be over before I know it. And then I will just be that much closer to graduation. I'm counting down now: three more semesters (including this one). I. Can't. Wait. I'm keeping positive thinking this semester in hopes that it won't be as stressful and will go by faster.

And thanks to Vera Bradley, I am staying very organized (and positive with the weekly I'M THANKFUL FOR...) This week: the opportunity to go to school [even if I sometimes hate it].

;)

Revival!

2011-01-16T12:17:00.000-08:00

It's Revival Time at Bryan United Pentecostal Church!! God is doing so many great and exciting things! Pastor and Sis. Jones are in the middle of a Bible study with the Mosley family. In this one Bible study they do each week, there are about 25-30 members of that family there! Well this morning, many from that family that has not been to our church yet, were there! And even better, Wanda [who recieved the Holy Ghost the other day] was baptized in Jesus Name!! I believe she is just the first of many more! Heaven is rejoicing today!!

Also, another lady in that family, Dana, was there. I got to talking to her after service because we both looked so familiar to each other. Come to find out she works in the office right down the hallway from mine! I see her quite often and now I know who she is! I don't think that any of this is coincidence! God is just simply doing amazing things!!

Happy Birthday, Jennifer!

2011-01-13T18:21:00.000-08:00

Tonight I went to dinner with my girlfriends from work. We usually try and get together about once a month, and we wanted to before school starts next Tuesday, so we went tonight. Jennifer's birthday is this Saturday so Holly and I brought her a cookie cake and presents and we celebrated. :) I love my girls from work and having our date nights! We just missed Lauren tonight! :(

There's Just Something About That Name

2011-01-13T08:30:00.001-08:00

[Jesus, Jesus, Jesus
There's just something about that Name
Master, Savior, Jesus
Like the fragrance after the rain
Jesus, Jesus, Jesus
Let all Heaven and Earth proclaim
Kings and kingdoms shall all pass away
But there's something about that Name]

I am so thankful that I can just whisper, "Jesus" and He is there. The Bible says He is as close as the mention of His name. Thank God for the Name! It's the Name that saves, the Name that brings healing, the Name that gives strength, and it's the Name above ALL Names! I am so thankful for the Name of JESUS!

Falling in love with Jesus...

2011-01-09T23:00:00.000-08:00

...was the BEST thing I've ever, ever done! Tonight we had awesome church! It all started when a few of us young people went to the church before choir to pray. We spent about an hour before choir praying for the service tonight and what God is doing and gonna do. Then at 5:30 we started our regular choir practice. Not long into our practice, all of a sudden all of the electricity went out! It was crazy! We later found out that it was due to a fire that was not far from our church. (Very sad situation...keep those people in your prayers). So, we just moved the piano from the practice room into the sanctuary and continued to have practice. We were almost done and Sis. Jones asked us to go over one more old song. That song was Falling In Love With Jesus. If you don't know it, listen to it here. Not the best recording, but nonetheless, amazing song! While we were practicing, the Holy Ghost fell in that place and we were all weeping and crying out to God! It was awesome! That spirit carried over into prayer and into our service. During worship, the electricity went out again, but that sure didn't hinder us from worshipping! If anything, it pushed us to worship harder! It was such an awesome presence of God in that place! I am so thankful that I am blessed to feel Him everytime I walk into His house! There is truly no other place I'd rather be! Pastor Jones preached an incredible message tonight about learning to hear the voice of God. I've heard several messages in the past few weeks that have been about listening to the voice of God and spending more time with Him. I am so thankful for a pastor that listens to the voice of God! And I'm so thankful that God is calling me to be closer to Him. I am so excited to see what the near future holds, not only for the church, but for my life in particular! Living for Him is the most important thing, and making it to Heaven is all that matters! There is nothing in this world worth living for because it only leaves you empty and longing for more. I am so thankful that I have Him living in me to fill that void and emptiness inside. Many people turn to drugs, drinking, boyfriends, girlfriends, jobs, suicide and the list continues. But when you have Him you don’t have to turn to these things. He becomes your very best friend if you fall in love with Him wholly and completely. I want to make sure that I make God the foremost of my every day. I want to be used of Him in ways I never have before. I want to win souls this year. I want to see the greatest revival I’ve ever seen. I want to fall completely in love with Him all over again. I am so thankful to know that He knows and is in control of my future. Jeremiah 29:11 reminds me of that. It says, “ For I know the thoughts I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.” I can truly say that falling in love with Jesus, is the best thing I've ever, ever done!

Youth Night

2011-01-08T14:50:00.000-08:00

Last night we had youth night at the church. We brought games and ordered pizza, as well as jammed out on the piano, organ and drums! ;) It was an absolute blast! There's nothing like good, godly fellowship! I am so excited to see what God is going to do in our youth group in 2011!! He's already doing great things!! Reagan, Brianna, Theresa, Gentri and Kyndal

Me and Rea-Rea :)

I love Pangey-poo! ;)

Brittany and Madelyn

Becca

Concentrating on Balderdash!

Playing Mad Gab!

Friends are friends forever.

2011-01-05T22:56:00.000-08:00

Tonight I had dinner with my bestfriendsinceseventhgrade. I can't believe we've been friends for nine years now! We were talking about that tonight and how it doesn't seem like it's been that long, yet it seems like we've known each other forever! I am so thankful for our friendship! We've been there for each other through thick and through thin! We looked at old pictures tonight and reminisced on how attractive we were...not! Haha! It was definitely good for a great laugh!! I told her that in 4 more years we'll look at the pictures we took tonight and laugh again! I love her! And it wouldn't be "us" if we didn't have a photoshoot!

and this is why I love her! :)

He is our strength

2011-01-05T10:27:00.001-08:00

Please remember to pray for the Howard family today as they remember the life of their son. It's a tragic thing to bury a child, or loved one, especially 2 within 9 months. Please keep them and the Jones' and that church in your prayers.

----

"God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble." Psalm 46:1

----

"But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles and soar; they shall run, and not be weary; they shall walk, and not faint." Isaiah 40:31

Winter Heritage 2010

2011-01-03T20:13:00.000-08:00

This past weekend we went to Winter Heritage in Ft. Worth. The preaching was absolutely amazing and were messages I needed to hear! Bro. Burgess, Bro. McKillop and Bro. Bow did phenomenal! Friday night a new young girl in our youth group received the Holy Ghost! It was beautiful! I thank God for sending new people and filling them! We are in the midst of a great revival and I believe this is just a glimpse of what is to come in 2011! I didn’t take as many pictures this trip as I usually do. Sad day, I know. And a bunch of my friends weren't able to come this year. :( But I got to meet new ones and see the ones that were there! I had a great time! It was the perfect way to start the New Year!

Love this girl!

This picture is our personalities exactly. Love it!

Photoshoot with Emily :) Crazy girl!

New friends!

This last Tuesday and Sunday we were blessed to have Bro. and Sis. Bellew, Heather and Bruce with us. This is a sweet, awesome family! Glad to have been able to spend time with them while they were here!

Please continue to keep Pastor and Sis. Jones, as well as the Howard family in your prayers. Bro. Gary Howard (Bro. Howard is Pastor Jones' pastor, as well as uncle) lost his son this last week and they are in desperate need of our prayers. This was his second child to lose within 9 months. I believe the funeral is this Wednesday. Let's just remember to lift them up in prayer over the next few days. God is a faithful God!

Happy New Year!

2011-01-01T18:50:00.000-08:00

I hope everyone had a fabulous New Year! I know I did! We brought it in the best way possible, having awesome church and fellowship! Winter Heritage was absolutely incredible, and God did some awesome things! I am so excited about what this year holds for the Church!! It's gonna be good! I will post pictures later...I'm going to bed since I got no sleep this weekend! :) Happy 2011!!

Woohoo!

2010-12-30T00:24:00.001-08:00

I am officially done with my wintermester class! Whoop! I just completed the test (and it's 2:24AM). Now I'm off to pack for Winter Heritage...yes, I still have not done that! We leave tomorrow and I'm super excited! Pictures will come when we get back!

As we near the end of 2010.

2010-12-28T09:06:00.000-08:00

Wow! I can't believe this year is almost over! Time sure has flown by! It feels like just yesterday we were starting 2010 and now it is almost 2011! It has been a year of good and bad, happy and sad. But God has been good!

In 2010....

I completed my junior year.

I started a "new" job.

I got a wonderful new boss.

I officially became a senior in college by hours.

I was accepted into my major.

I turned 21.

I got my first gun.

I went to the best Heritage I've ever been to.

I started piano lessons again.

I made a 3.25 GPA.

I made new friends.

I celebrated my sweet Cece's 1st birthday.

I made a new friend from China.

I got my Concealed Handgun License.

I went to California for the first time.

I went to WCC for the first time ever.

I took my first Wintermester.

...And these are just a few of the things I did! I hope to add many great things to this list for 2011!

Overall, I had an amazing year! I am so excited to see what God has in store for my life in 2011, as well as this church! I believe this is going to be a great year of revival in Bryan, Texas! We already have over 30 people in Home Bible Studies, and it just keeps growing!! God is doing great things! Sunday, Pastor Jones preached about having the favor of God on your life and to do so you must have a humble spirit. You must do everyday what is right and I am striving everyday to do just that. I want the favor of God on my life, and I want His will more than anything. I pray that 2011 is even better than 2010, and I pray everyone has a blessed and Happy New Year!

Merry Christmas!!

2010-12-25T10:38:00.001-08:00

I hope everyone has a very merry and blessed Christmas! Remember, Jesus IS the reason for the season!

T'was the night before Christmas...

2010-12-24T17:18:00.000-08:00

"For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace." Isaiah 9:6

---

During this time of year it is so easy to get caught up in the spirit of Christmas with shopping, and lights and presents and so on. But let us not forget the real meaning of Christmas, Jesus Christ.

---

I hope everyone has a very merry and blessed Christmas!

Merry Christmas!!

It's Christmas Time!

2010-12-21T23:40:00.000-08:00

I can't believe it is almost Christmas!! The only sad thing is that it has been in the 80's the last two days...and I hate it! It doesn't feel like Christmas at all. :( But it is supposed to get cold[er] for Christmas! So let's hope it does!

Sunday morning we had our Christmas service. The choir and young girls ensemble sang, as well as the kids choir. In my Sunday school class, we had a birthday party for Jesus! The kids loved it!

Opening their presents!

Sweet Angels--Julianna, JoAnna and Reagan!

The girls ensemble

Kids Choir

LOVE this family!

Pastor and Sis. Jones with Sis. Castolenia

Sunday night we had our annual Christmas Banquet at the Pebble Creek Country Club. I was absolutely beautiful, as it is every year!

Youth Skit: Straight No Chaser- The Twelve Days of Christmas. I had my mom video it, but she didn't know how to work the camera so I don't have a video at all :(

LOVE this lady! SO blessed to have them in my life!

My "grandma"!! Love this amazing lady!

Then on Monday night we had our annual Ladies Christmas Party at the Jones'. It was a wonderful night of food and fellowship and we revealed our Secret Sisters. I am so thankful to have the friends and family I have at church! God is doing great things at Bryan UPC and I can't wait to see what is to come!

Merry Christmas to all, and to all a goodnight (since it's 3am!!)!!!

I love my life!

2010-12-13T22:19:00.000-08:00

First off I just have to say, I AM DONE WITH SCHOOL!!!!! WHOOP! For the semester that is. I took my last final today, and thank God!!

Ok, now about my last week. It was awesome and horrible in several ways. Let's start with the horrible: I had 5 tests and several nights with little sleep due to studying. But it has all paid off now! I have a month break! Well, kinda. I start an online 2-week wintermester this weekend. But it shouldn't be too bad.

Now, for the good: Friday night was out Youth Christmas Party at the Wiggins' house. It was such a blast!! We all wore our tacky Christmas sweaters! :)

the girls of Bryan UPC Youth :)
Brittany and I in our matching sweatshirts :)

Angela in her tacky adorable bow :)

Me and sweet Lauren

A super fun game we all played. Sis. Jones gave us a word and each team had 10 seconds to sing at least 5 words of a song with the word she called in it. It was a blast!

Saturday night my mom, sister and I went to see Beauty and the Beast! It was AWESOME!! You should click here and check out the video of it! I absolutely loved it and can't wait to go to more shows! Then, for the highlight of my weekend, my sweet friend, Britney Hyler, came to church Sunday night! When she texted me after church Sunday morning to say she was coming, I was ecstatic!! She was in Dallas with her friend, Mary, and they decided to come to Bryan to visit! I wish everyone could have seen the looks on the Jones' faces when they walked in! They were priceless! Our visit was very short but we did get to go eat together. I miss her already and can't wait until her visit here for a week *ahhheem!!*!! :) I love you Britney! :)

Today, I babysat for my sweet Cece while her momma took her last final and her daddy worked. It had been ssoooo long since I saw her last, and she's growing way to fast! After my final, Rosie, Cece and I all went to dinner. It was MUCH needed! We were a month overdue, and that is just not acceptable for Rosie and I! lol

I am so thankful for this much needed break from school! I will be catching up on my rest for sure!

Straight No Chaser

2010-12-05T14:03:00.000-08:00

The first time I heard this group was on the radio last Christmas. They are awesome! Just watch and listen! What talent in one group! Here's another fun one!

Our Thinking vs. God's Promise

2010-12-03T09:03:00.000-08:00

I ran across this and thought it was awesome! Something we should think about when we are feeling these different things.

It's impossible--All things are possible (Luke 18:27)

I'm too tired--I will give you rest (Matthew 11:28-30)

Nobody really loves me--I love you (John 3:16, John 13:34)

I can't go on--My grace is sufficient (II Corinthians 12:9)

I can't figure things out--I will direct your steps (Proverbs 3:5-6)

I can't do it--You can do all things in Me (Philippians 4:13)

I am not able--I am able (I Corinthians 9:8)

It's not worth it--It will be worth it (Romans 8:28)

I can't forgive myself--I forgive you (I John 1:9)

I can't manage--I will supply all your needs (Philippians 4:19)

I'm afraid--I have given you power, love and a sound mind (II Timothy 1:7)

I'm worried and frustrated--Cast all your cares on Me (I Peter 5:7)

I don't have faith--I have given everyone a measure of faith (Romans 12:3)

I'm not smart--I give you wisdom (I Corinthians 1:30)

I feel alone--I will never leave you nor forsake you (Hebrews 13:5)
--Author unknown

Crazy week.

2010-12-02T22:15:00.000-08:00

This week has been one crazy week! Sunday was church in the AM, family pictures in the afternoon and church in the PM. Shalonda and her girls came and spent the night on Sunday night for a funeral we went to on Monday. It was so good to see them again! Church Tuesday night was INcredible! God is doing some amazing things here at Bryan UPC!

Savannah, me and Victoria

Jo-Jo <3>

Tonight I had dinner with my girls from work. It is always so much fun when we get together! I am so thankful to have all of them in my life!

I love you girls!

Family Pictures 2010

2010-12-02T21:28:00.001-08:00

Thanks to our awesome photographer and my best friend since 7th grade, Jennifer! I love you! :)

Sneak Peek..

2010-11-28T14:48:00.000-08:00

...of our family pictures we took today :)

More to come later!

Good words to live by...

2010-11-27T15:04:00.000-08:00

I found this plaque today at Hobby Lobby and thought this was an awesome quote to live by! Especially when making major decisions in life. I always want the will of God in my life, no matter what!

Thanksgiving

2010-11-26T20:33:00.001-08:00

I had a wonderful Thanksgiving! We spent most of the week in San Antonio with family and friends and had a great time! The start of our shopping on Wednesday! Yes, we splurged at Vera Bradley...we love that store!
Mom and Uncle Steve peelin' sweet potatos

Family friends...Leo, Stacy and Samantha Chas and Greg

Cookin', washin', talkin'...that would be us! lol

Courtney, Amber, Aunt Nancy and Uncle Steve

My dad's sisters...Nancy and Chas

My cousin Amber

Cousins :)

Headed to shop on Black Friday

Designated Driver lol

I hope everyone had a blessed Thanksgiving Holiday! Now only 28 days 'til Christmas!!

Thankful

2010-11-24T10:09:00.000-08:00

I just want to take a minute this Thanksgiving and say that I am so very thankful for many things....my family, friends, Truth, my church, the opportunity to go to a wonderful school, an amazing boss, and much, much more!! God has truly been good to me and I can't say thank You enough! I hope everyone has a Happy Thanksgiving!

He's the only reason...

2010-11-23T05:09:00.000-08:00

I woke up this morning with this song on my mind.

He's the only reason I live, but OH what a reason. He's the only reason I live, but oh what a reason. There is nothing in this world, worth living for, it'll only leave you empty and longing for more, He's the only reason I live, but ohh what a reason!

I am so thankful that I am living my life for Him. I want to serve Him more and more with every day I live!

All the WCC pics!

2010-11-19T23:09:00.000-08:00

Here's all the pictures!! Well, most of the good ones at least :)
Hopefully this one works better!

Free slideshow created with Smilebox

Praise His Name

2010-11-19T09:24:00.000-08:00

This song is truly an awesome song! When I'm facing a storm in my life, or I just don't know what to do, I'm so glad to know that I can just praise His name and He'll take all the hurt and confusion away! Oh how I love Him!

Praise His Name

When you're up against a wall,

and your mountain seems so tall

And you realize that life's not always fair

You can run away and hide, let the old man decide

Or you can change your circumstances with a prayer

When everything falls apart, praise His name

When you have a broken heart

Raise your hands and say

Lord You're all I need, You are everything to me

And He'll take the pain away

When you feel you're all alone, praise His name

And you feel all hope is gone

Raise your hands and say

Greater is He, that is within me

And you can praise the hurt away

If you'll just praise His name

Ohhh,

You can overcome, by the blood of the Lamb

And by the word of your testimony

You'll see the darkness go

As your faith begins to grow

You're not alone, so how can you be lonely

(A special verse Sis. Jones wrote)

When you're feeling overwhelmed

By the cares of this life

And you really don't know just what to do

I'm glad to know that

You can put your hand, into the Masters hand

For He's leading and He's directing You

West Coast Conference

2010-11-15T22:31:00.000-08:00

This last week was the best week of my life! I was able to attend West Coast Conference in California, and I LOVED it!! I made so many new and great friends, and memories! It was so much fun to be able to hang out with good, godly young people and laugh until you almost died! It was my first time to California, but was definitely not my last! WCC is for sure on my agenda for next year! I took tons of pictures so I may not get them all posted tonight, but I will post them! :)

On the way there!

Bricen doing his schoolwork :)

Hellooo California! :)

First night

Thursday morning

Thursday night

Friday morning Starbucks before church :) Much needed! lol

Downtown Fresno

Friday night

The best pastor's wife ever! LOVE her!

Yes, we are retarted and took pics in the elevator :)

Faith and Eliana :)

Beautiful Whitney and I! Love her!

New friends!!

Headed to lunch with friends!

Thanks to the Deatherage's for letting us come over and have fun! :)

This was definitely the trip of my life! :)

And this is only a portion of the pictures! I'll put the rest in a slideshow and post later.

Back home!

2010-11-14T22:09:00.001-08:00

I had the absolute BEST time of my life this week at West Coast Conference! I'm a bit exhausted to post all the pics tonight, but I will soon!! :)

It's here!

2010-11-09T15:45:00.000-08:00

It is finally here!! We leave at 7 in the morning for California!!

I am so excited! I will post pictures when we get back!

What a week!

2010-11-06T20:34:00.000-07:00

Whew! It's definitely been one of those weeks. Stress, stress, stress. I had a test on Thursday--that I bombed :(--and I have been doing homework since 11am today. I have a 4 page paper left to write, and I've already written a 3 page paper. I have a test on Tuesday, that I haven't even studied for. Then a Assessment Activity for my Education class and a 300 word response for American Lit. All by Monday night. Thank God we get an extra hour tonight! I need it!

Tonight the Aggies played the game of the season! It was an incredible game! We sat in the living room and my dad cheered to...the radio. LOL! I'm so glad we beat OU! 33-19! I'm a PROUD AGGIE tonight! WHOOP!

We leave for California in t-minus THREE days!! I am so excited I can't even explain it! We are bound to have a blast, I mean, how could we not?! It's going to be UH-MAY-ZING! I can't wait to post all the pictures, because believe me, there will be plenty! :)

t minus 8 days.

2010-11-02T07:55:00.000-07:00

I will be in California in 8 days!!!! I'm SO excited!! It is so hard to try and concentrate on all my tests and projects that I have before we leave! But at least it gives me something to look forward to after all this stress!!

Stars On Course

2010-10-30T22:29:00.000-07:00

Last night, several of us from the church made a trip to Katy, TX for Bro. Cowen's Pastoral Installation Service. This church is an incredibly blessed church to have the Cowen's as their pastor. They are one awesome family and I love them dearly! The service was incredible and Bro. Tom Johnson from Colorado Springs preached Stars On Course, and it was incredible! He talked about how God's timing is perfect and when in the will of God, you are right on course! God is moving in Katy, TX and revival is about to break out!

Congratulations Bro. and Sis. Cowen! I love y'all!

LOVE this lady!

Thankful.

2010-10-28T22:02:00.000-07:00

Today I am just thankful for God's protecting hand. I experienced something like I never have before. Let me explain. I have a break between class from 2:00 until 3:55 on Thursdays. Well I usually go to a building called Rudder Tower, and either nap or read. Today I went into G. Rollie White, right across the street from Rudder, and got a snack so I decided to just stay there because it was closer to the building my class was in. I'm not sure if it was in my dream--because I did take a nap--or what, but I remember thinking out of the blue that if a gunman came to A&M campus, Rudder would probably be the place he would go because that's where most of the people are. I don't know if I was thinking about that because of what happened at the University of Texas (or t.u. as we Aggies like to call it) about a month ago, or what (if you don't know about what happened, you can find out here.) Well, I thought nothing of it and went to class at 3:55. When I got there and class had just started, someone spoke up and said, "We just got a Code Maroon." (Code Maroon is the emergency alert system here at TAMU.) The message read:

"Code Maroon. Sighting of armed subject at Rudder Tower. SEEK SAFE SHELTER until further notice. 4:00pm"

Sure enough about 30 seconds later I recieved the message on my phone. Fear. The first thing I think of is all the bad things that could happen in this situation. Talk about scared out of our minds! I have never even been close to a situation like that. You read about it happening at other campuses, but never in a million years did I think we would ever have to worry about that here at A&M. Well I prayed and we went on with class. Granted, not many of us could concentrate because we were so worried. Teachers in the building came and locked our classroom doors and told us to stay put until we were told, even past class time. At about 4:33, we got another Code Maroon that read:

"Code Maroon. UPDATE. No armed subject found at this time. Police are still searching. Continue to shelter in place. Bus pickup to exit campus-GO TO LEWIS STREET BEHIND DUNCAN DINING HALL. 4:33pm."

I didn't know whether to feel relieved or even more worried at this point. I had already texted my sister, and she was telling my mom, and my dad. I also texted Pastor and Sis. Jones and asked them to pray. It was right after that when I just felt a peace and knew that everything would be ok. Why worry? I am God's child after all and He WILL protect me! Our class is over at 5:10. At that time, we still had not heard any more news so we had to stay on lock-down. We turned KBTX Live Streaming on and were listening to that when, finally, at 5: 34 we recieved another Code Maroon that read:

"Code Maroon. All Clear. Person with replica weapon identified. No danger. Resume normal activity. 5:34."

Whew! What a relief! We were finally able to leave and go home...only 30 minutes later than normal. Although in the end there was no danger, I am so very thankful that God kept His hand on our campus. The last thing I want to see is a shooting on campus, or anywhere for that matter.
Proverbs 3:25-26 says, "Do not be afraid of sudden terroror of the ruin of the wicked, when it comes, for the Lord will be your confidence and will keep your foot from being caught." I am so glad that I have this hope in Him! HE is good ALL the time!

Here is the news article from our local news on this incident.

crazy, oh so wonderful.

2010-10-24T12:37:00.000-07:00

I know, it's been awhile.

Life has been quite the hectic one.

Since I last blogged, I went to Miss Cecelia's first birthday party, had pedicures with Rose Marie, finished my first round of tests, went to the Youth Harvest Party and went shopping in Houston with the sister. It's been crazy, oh so wonderful.

Me and my Cece after my pedicure date with Rose Marie.

I can hardly believe that West Coast Conference is only 17 days away! I am so excited I can hardly contain it! I can't wait to be in California!! But, I have so much stuff for school to do before then. Unfortunately. Major projects, and my second round of tests starts this week. One each week for the next 3 weeks. But on the bright side, only 25 class days left in this semester! Whoop! And even better than that, only 3 semesters left after this one, until I'm done with college. Forever. Unless I decide to go on to Grad school, which I highly doubt I will. ;)

On Friday, I kept Miss Reagan and she had so much fun! She helped me cook Potato Soup for the youth party, and she also did the dishes for me ;).

She's such a big helper! And quite possibly one of the cutest kids I know. But then again, I am a little biased. :)

Well since I'm procrastinating doing my homework before church tonight by writing this blog, I better end here and start on the school stuff. Believe me, I'd much rather blog all day. :) I hope everyone has a {crazy, oh so wonderful}, rest of the week!

Happy 1st Birthday!!

2010-10-07T21:30:00.000-07:00

I can't believe that one year ago today my sweet Cecelia Marie was born! Time has flown by! She is a beautiful baby girl, and my sweetie! I am so thankful to have her and Rose Marie and Bear in my life! I love this family! Happy Birthday Cece! Auntie Jess loves you!

Love fall.

2010-10-07T18:05:00.001-07:00

Oh I just LOVE fall! It's my favorite time of year! This week the weather was so nice that we had class outside in two of my classes! I've never done that before, but it felt so good!

Tonight, Brit and I are keeping Miss Reagan and Kyndal while their mommy and daddy are on a date! I love these sweet girls!

And right now, Brit and Rea are making some cookies. But not just any cookies, they are Monster Cookies! I'm so excited about these! Appearantly they are HUGE and YUMMY! I will let you know how they turn out :)

They sure call for a lot of ingredients!

I am sooo glad tomorrow is Friday! It's been a loonnngg week.

Finally FALL!

2010-09-27T11:52:00.000-07:00

From this: 110 degrees

To this: 68 degrees

And it was even cooler when I woke up this morning!! Thank you Lord for this awesome weather! It is finally feeling like Fall!! Let's just hope it stays this way!

my life.

2010-09-26T13:10:00.000-07:00

I hope everyone had a fabulous weekend!

I just thought I'd post a few pictures from this last week! :)

Me and my Cecelia Marie :) Love this baby!

Brittany, Me and Rebecca last Sunday Night.

a double rainbow

After the storm yesterday. My God never ceases to amaze me!

Yesterday I made Chicken Pot Pie, for the first time, for dinner. It was delicious! And Brittany made a super yummy Chocolate Chip Cake!

Sis. Kerri and I, and our sweet Sunday School babies!!

HE Is Faithful

2010-09-23T21:35:00.000-07:00

(the version on itunes is better!)

A couple weeks ago at choir practice Sis. Jones played this song that she wants us to learn by Mark Condon for us. The song is the most incredible and beautiful song I've ever heard. You hear it, and your jaw drops. But then you hear the story behind the soloist, and your eyes fill with tears. You see, Jina McCool, the soloist, lost her husband a little over a year ago to cancer and he left her with their two young children. It's one of the most heart breaking stories, but so incredibly amazing that she can still stand and sing that He is faithful.

"I Still Believe"
Verse 1: "I don’t comprehend all that I have been through
And I don’t pretend to have answers for you
Yet through it all I can say
My God is faithful
Sometimes my nights seem like they’ll never end
Like a tide from an ocean that never comes in
Yet I know, the morning will come
And what has been lost shall be won
Chorus: I still believe In a God who restores
I believeThat He still opens doors
I believe, In a God
Who is faithful
I believe In a God who still heals
I believe In a God who is real
I believe, in a God Who is faithful
Verse 2: When I prayed and I prayed and my faith seemed to
wane
When I cried my last tear and felt crushed by the pain
In a sweet tender way He’s been there
He’s so faithful
When my friends have gone on and I’m still left with grief
When I’m weak and I’m shaking like an insecure leaf
He gives me strength to move on
The courage and faith to be strong
Bridge: Although some of my prayers
Have not come to pass
And some of my hopes and my dreams
Have been dashed
I know that God has a plan
Greater than I understand"
© 2010 Markollection Music
I know I didn't lose a husband, but I have lost friendships that meant alot to me. This song speaks directly to my heart. Here lately I feel as though the friends that were closest to me, no longer are. When you try and you make an effort to reach out to them, but it's not returned, you just can't help but be saddened sometimes. But I am so thankful and blessed to know that when those friends let me down, God NEVER does! He is ALWAYS faithful! Through the darkness and the light. He said He'd never leave us nor forsake us! I am so glad that I serve the one true living God and that He is there to listen anytime I call on the name of Jesus!

Remebering.

2010-09-13T16:34:00.000-07:00

This weekend was one that marked special and sad events in my life, and many Americans. Saturday was the ninth anniversary of 9/11. It is hard to believe that it has already been nine years. I still remember that dreadful day. I was in seventh grade science class with Mr. Phillips. I didn't understand what had happened until Shalonda picked my up from school that day and explained it. I am very thankful that I was not directly affected by it, as far as having a family member involved.

Sunday was a special, and sad day for my family. Twenty three years ago, my parents were married. I am so thankful that they are my parents and hope they had a wonderful anniversary. The sad part was that it marked four years since my grandfather passed. My parents don't like to say that he passed on the twelvth, but on the eleventh. I don't blame them though, because I wouldn't want to mark my dad's passing on my anniversary. It's hard to believe that he's been gone that long, and that him and my grandma are no longer here. But I know they are in a much better place.

Today has not been too great of a day for me. My allergies decided to show up and bother me, really bad. I think I've come to the conclusion that I'm allergic to cats. I was at a friends house last night and she has a cat...and since I left there, I've been sneezing. :/ But I will survive :) Now off to study for the rest of the night. Have a great evening!!‏

Lessons.

2010-09-08T20:02:00.000-07:00

I am SO excited!!! I finally started piano lessons again today!!! I took for 6 years from Sis. Cooley when they were here, but that was 5 years ago. The good thing is that I never stopped playing, even though I wasn't in lessons. Sis. Jones has been saying since they have been here that she was going to teach, but never has. Well, she finally is!! I really can't express how excited I am to be back in them!

weather.

2010-09-07T10:34:00.001-07:00

Boy, this weather here is crazy, thanks to Tropical Storm Hermine! It's raining so much that I feel like I'm gonna drown just walking outside! Just last hour, I was sitting in class and we got a Code Maroon-that's the emergency notification system here at A&M-message that said: "Tornado Warning. Tornadic activity near College Station moving toward campus. Seek shelter immediately. 11:10" Wow, that's really comforting especially when you are in class and can't do anything about it. Thankfully we were in a class that was on the inside, with no outside windows. But even more, I am thankful that the tornado didn't hit! We then got another message that said: "Tornado warning has expired. Resume normal activity. Continue to monitor weather via local media. 11:32". Whew! That message definitely made me feel better! Don't get me wrong, I love rainy weather, especially since it's beginning to cool off too, but I'd rather be at home curled up in a sweatshirt with a Starbucks! Man, I really can't wait for fall!! It's definitely my favorite time of year, and it's almost here!!

Happy 20th.

2010-09-06T08:33:00.000-07:00

Happy 20th birthday to my dear friend, Rebecca! I hope you have an awesome day!! Well, as good as you can with school...especially on Labor Day. :) I love you bunches!

The beginning of my semester.

2010-09-06T08:27:00.000-07:00

So, our internet is still not working at home. Long story. All I have to say is that it better be here tomorrow.

Well, school has offically kicked off the new semester. My first week was not too bad. I had one class that I absolutely could not handle--History of the Atlantic World, so I dropped it and added a different History--History of Modern American Women. We shall see how it goes. :) Other than that, I really think I'll like my classes. But I do know that I'm not going to like all the reading that is going to come with the classes. But I am determined to do good this semester!

Back to school

2010-08-30T08:35:00.000-07:00

Well, today is officially the first day of my first Senior year, since I will be a second year Senior! I can't believe that I'm already there! It seems like just yesterday I was a Freshman and was getting lost on the huge A&M campus. And now, I'm the "big dog". In a way I'm excited to start back, and in a way I'm sooo not ready! But I am going to make the best of it and do my best! And keep in my mind that our California trip is only 2 months away and then school will almost be over! I'm praying that God will use me in a way this semester that He has never done before! I want to be a soul winner and a witness for Him! I hope all those starting back today also have a fabulous day!

I will post all my pictures and stuff from my last week of summer, later. Our internet just now got fixed...when I don't have time to post, of course. :)