Summer Fun!

So...
As you can see...above is my first completed summer project! (well...almost complete. I still need to sew the back on...but, that is easy peasy!). I have a list of things I want to get done on summer break.

Things like:

 1. a deep cleaning of the house

 2. tshirt quilt (check) 

3. get caught up on almost 3 years worth of scrapbooking (one year down)  

4. read a book (haven't started yet) 

5. work on stuff for Ladies Day (in progress)  

6. read for next semester (haven't even started!) 

So...I have a long list but, I am getting there! 

We went at the beginning of June to TN for 2 weeks. One week to visit family and the second week we were at church camp (we had 10 baptisms). The day we got back into TX we stopped at Brownwood/Bangs for a rehearsal dinner and a wedding for DJ and Chaylie the next day. Also, the day of the wedding Erika flew in from AL to spend 10 days with me! WE HAD A BLAST! Two days after she left we had company for another night! This is pretty close to what our schedule looks like most of the time though! CRAZY!

But, as soon as company left I rested a few days and began work on this quilt. It probably took about 10 hours to finish. I took a lot of Josh's old baseball shirts and jerseys and CAREFULLY (they are almost sacred haha) cut the into equal squares. Then I had to stabilize them bc they are so stretchy. Then came cutting the sashing...tedious!!! ugh! The sewing was pretty easy though. He LOVES it! I can't wait to get the back on so he can use it!
I also have t-shirts from my high school and college that I want to make into a quilt. THEN...I have a lot of sentimental shirts between Josh and I that I want to quilt. (I have the shirt he wore on our first date, the shirts we were wearing when he proposed, the first shirts we bought each other, the shirt I wore on our wedding night when we ate supper, and hopefully this year I will have the shirts we wore when we found out we were pregnant) This will probably be my favorite quilt!

So, this is a little peek into my summer!

New semester...new experiences...new desires

So...I am 3 weeks into a new semester. As usual I panicked unnecessarily the first week. It is always the most overwhelming. We lost 3 students from the program last semester (because of grades) and one Monday (because of anxiety). So, now there are 18 of us. We had our first day of clinicals on Monday...a 10 hour day at the hospital :( yuck! After doing my 'clinical prep' day between services and after evening services on Sunday (and not seeing one second of the 'big game')...I got to the hospital at 0630 ready to go! Me and my partner had the awesome opportunity to go to the OR with our patient! We were able to watch a lap chole (laproscopic cholesystectomy (gallbladder), lap appy (laproscopic appendectomy), and ventral hernia repair (belly button hernia). We spent almost 2 hours in a chilly OR room loving EVERY minute! We even got to wear hospital issued scrubs (this is a big deal to us nursing students). It was so neat to be with the patient through the whole process from pre-op to watching surgery to post-op! It was neat being able to tell the patient about what we saw during his surgery!

As I stood in front of the mirror tonight I got so blue...disgusted really and how far I have let myself go. School is no excuse... I needed time to clear my head so I went for a walk/jog for a while. It is so hard for me to eat healthily when we eat out so often (usually when asked by members of the church). Not only eating out but Josh and I have talked many times about working out...but have never gone one step farther. So over the past few weeks I have attempted working out by myself a few times (because I could not keep up with any of my classmates who have asked me to go with them). I felt good afterwards...but doing it alone is NO fun...I miss ERIKA and our workouts! I need motivation! Then I look at my schedule get overwhelmed and loose the motivation... It is time to drop the excuses and get to work.

But, why does eating healthy have to be so much more expensive?!

I really am happy though! I am happy I am going back to school...I am happy that I have a loving husband who got up at 0530 Monday morning to make me breakfast bf clinicals...I am happy I have a loving family...and most of all I am happy I have a Savior whose love is unconditional!

I am trying!

So, since I last blogged we are settled in our new house that the church bought. They are converting the garage into a student center! We have also had a week of vacation in AL and a week of church camp in TN. Also, my good friend Sarah had a baby girl named Shelby and I love her!!!

So, today after services we had to run over to a members house real quick for a chat. Regular preacher business. While Josh was speaking I stepped outside and was trying to help a lady on the phone. All of a sudden I head a car wreck. I knew the noise immediately. So I started walking to the fence in the back of their yard when I heard screams. I began running across the street still in my heels and dialing 911 on the way. When I turned the corner I went into 'rescue mode'. There was a minivan smashed into a light pole. Just as I noticed the man lying beside the vehicle I heard the screams of a little girl from behind me. There were 2 girls, one about 7 and the other about 5. I think the oldest was in shock but the little girl was hysterical. She kept screaming 'where are we and what is wrong with my grandpa?' then she would just cry and scream. Neither of them had shoes on. So I ran over to the van and dug until I found their shoes and took them to the little girls. When I was in the van digging I saw the victim...he was lying there, barely breathing, with foamy saliva coming out of his mouth. I stood to the side, out of the way, until the ambulance, police and fire dept. arrived. A man approached me and asked if I had seen anything and I told him no, that I had just heard it. He said the driver had a seizure and hit the pole. Thankfully the first people on the scene were a trauma surgeon and a nurse. I cry as I type this because of how wonderful our Savior is. I may never know if that was providence that the surgeon was there but this man may live another day because of him. After rescue arrived I began to walk back to the house bc there was nothing more I could do (there were a ton of people there already and I would just have been in the way). I got to the fence and realized the gate had locked behind me. So I walked the block around to the front of the house. As we drove home all I could think about were the horrifying screams of those precious girls and the fact that if their grandfather made it thorough how guilty he would feel, even though he couldn't help it. As we walked into the house Josh asked if my feet were hurting...I didn't even notice...I had been running and walking in my heels until the balls of my feet were raw. The rest of the day all I could think about was those girls and how scared they were. To stand there and realize how fast your life can change makes me want to make some changes....

I want to pray more. I want to study more. I want to love more. I want to teach more. I want to forgive easier. I want to give more chances. I want to have a better attitude. I want to be a better wife and daughter. Life is too short to be selfish and self centered. I am so thankful for the 25 years I have been blessed with and I pray I can have many more healthy years...but, if I don't I want to be ok with that too. Please pray for me as I begin these changes.

This and That

I wasn't sure if anyone actually read my blog or not...so in the craziness of last semester I let it go. I was informed by my mother-in-love though that she reads it and that I am way behind :)

So, run-down....

I am finished with this semester of school. I will take chemistry in the summer before beginning clinicals in the fall. I worked for the school newspaper last semester and really got into photography and learned a lot of new 'tricks' on photoshop! I will post a few pics at the end. I have now completed my first sets of couples pics, senior pics, engagement pics, wedding pics and maternity pics. Along with a shoot I did for a family for Mother's Day. I am enjoying it a lot...editing is time consuming though!

We just finished up our spring gospel meeting and Focal Point. Also, Josh's parents just left this morning after visiting a weekish. This week we will begin painting the new house (still praying our in AL will sell). Hopefully we will be moving in the house the first week of June. Just in time to pack up and go to AL and to Reelfoot for camp! We will miss Sardis, but I think we will have a lot of fun at Reelfoot too!

I am also anxiously anticipating Sarah and Hilton's baby's arrival!!! It cannot get here soon enough for me! Next week the baby will be 'fully baked' as Sarah said. :) I hope she has it before we leave or waits until we get back! (like things run on my time table...ha!)

Am I missing anything?.....If so I will try to post again soon :)

over half way done!

I didn't realize my last post was Sept. 17...whew...it's been a while! Well, first semester of my second time in college is almost over. Only 5 weeks left :) I just got done with my second test in all of my classes (except history). It will soon be time to register for next semester.

Thanksgiving is quickly approaching and Josh's parent will be flying in to spend about a week with us! Then, before you know it....Christmas break!!! I have been trying to talk Josh into letting me put up the tree...he says it is too soon :( Well, thats about all that has been going on...school, school, school...

school school school...toes!

This picture is from when Molly came to visit Josh and I!

Well, school has been going pretty well. The only class I am really working hard in is Physiology. I lucked out and the other 3 classes are easy. I had my first test last week (in art) and I made an A!

I have my first physiology lab test next week and then a physiology lecture test the next week...eek! That is a lot of Phys. in 2 weeks!

So...before I begin my hard core studying tomorrow I am going to a Pedi-party tonight at one of the college students house! I am excited....we will be doing pedicures, watching girly movies, and eating sweets!!! Then get to crackin tomorrow! Keep me in your prayers while I study and take my test next week!~

I know, I know!

Me on the second day of school....I think it was the second. I am wearing the backpack my mom got me for back to school. Also, me with my new toy.

Whew! What a week!

Here is the quick version of the past few months....

SCHOOL!

I have spent the past few months getting ready to go back to school. Cleaning out things in the house, getting supplies, being sure everything is up to date....except my blog obviously! So...this week was my 2nd week and school and I have felt so overwhelmed this week. I have had about a dozen cards that I have been needing to write and send for weeks! I haven't sat down and watched television at all in 2 weeks until today. Well, that is not entirely true because last Friday and Saturday I got food poisoning and watched tv while I was laying on the couch sick. SSooo... I had no idea going back to school could be this stressful! I came home from school crying Monday because I felt so overwhelmed and behind already! I have spent atleast 40 hours...honestly probably more than that studying this week! I am hoping I remember how to study soon and I pray that some of this Physiology will come back to me!

Also, why did nobody tell me that at a public college nobody wears clothes?! I walked around in shock last Monday when I got to class and 90% of the girls in all of my classes were wearing extremely short shorts....I am not sure if they even qualify as shorts! And the language!!! I have 4 professors this semester and I have heard all of them curse! Some on a 'every class' basis! On, the second day one of my professors cursed in class and said "Are anyones ears burning from that?" very sarcastically. Yeah, seriously! I guess that I was sheltered at the last college I was at...even though it wasn't a christian college, it was a private college and we had dress codes and standards! So, off that soap box now...

I am happy I am going back, I just wish I was closer to being done and that the college was more 'Christian friendly' (I'm sure there is better wording than that). Josh and my mom are so encouraging and that means a lot. Josh is helping me so much! He is amazing!

So, please keep me and us in your prayers as I continue my education and I beg you to continue to pray that our house will sell in Alabama. So many things that we need hinge on that house selling.

I hope all is well with each of you.

I can't say when I will be able to write again so maybe I should say Happy Thanksgiving and Merry Christmas now! haha