So long 1037 Griffith Road.....Thanks for the memories!

This blog entry is dedicated to the wonderful "Griffith Girls"! Many of you may not know what a "Griffith Girl" is however, to those of you that do, you know it is the best thing in the entire world. To quickly explain, at ACU you have to live in the dorms your freshman and sophomore years and after your sophomore year you can move off campus. Well, when my friends and I were trying to move off campus we couldn't decide who should live with who and how we were going to split up among houses. We thought it was just too depressing to live 5 minutes away from each other (this makes me laugh now that I live in Houston and most people I want to see are at least 15 minutes away) and we just had to find an alternate solution. So....we found a group of I think 10 town homes that formed a little square and about 12 of us just split up among the available houses. We were so close we could literally talk to one another from our windows. We did everything together and I spent two of the best years of my life in walking distance from some of my very best friends in the entire world. We would all go to class in the morning and if we were able to come home for lunch we would just walk around the parking lot and see who was home by the cars and just let ourselves in with our lunch. No doors were ever locked and you always knew who was home just by looking out your window. There was NEVER a time when at least 1 or 2 friends weren't home and if by some very strange chance no one was home you could always count on Riley, Chloe, Bailey or Bently for company....those were the wonderful griffith puppies of course!

After graduation most people left Abilene and moved on to different cities and most of the original girls moved out. However, Betho and Kara moved into Me, Betho, Ally & Sara's old house while they finished up school or worked on master's degrees. Not to hold onto the past too much, but I think Betho and Kara keeping one house alive gave all of us a little comfort. We always had a place to stay if we were in Abilene for something and a place to hold onto a small piece of the life we once had before bills, work, getting up early, and not being in walking distance from a friend at all times!

However, like all good things....they must come to an end sometime. As of tomorrow Betho and Kara will officially be moved out of 1037 Griffith Road and there won't be any of the original "Griffith Girls" left! :( I hope the community lives on and that the new people take advantage of such a wonderful place to live! Here are a few pictures of some of my favorite memories of 1037 Griffith Road and some of the other Griffith houses! I really do feel SO blessed to have these wonderful college memories! They will literally last me a lifetime!


Ally's "Disney" themed Birthday Party! Yes, she was turning 21!



We went to a Halloween party this night and Lauren (top right ) got pulled over for making an illegal turn. We were all in full costume and the cop shined the light in her face and said, "Name please....Age....Hair color".....she was wearing that full Afro wig and when he said hair color we all BURST out laughing....the cop was not amused!


A visit from Rox, she was definitely our favorite out of town visitor!



One of our annual Griffith Christmas parties. They were always secret Santa parties and we looked forward to them for months!



Halloween pumpkin carving contest. We worked SOOO hard and got last! :(



I came home really late one night from the library and someone had put this scary thing in my dark room! I thought it was a man and RAN down the stairs screaming. Traumatizing!



Our last Griffith Christmas party!



Bailey, Bentley, Riley & Chloe!

4 years!

Wednesday was Lance & my 4 year anniversary. Well our 4 year dating anniversary. We called Jamie & Jay's rehearsal dinner our first official date as a couple. We decided this was our first time out as a "couple" because at dinner someone asked very bluntly, "So is this you boyfriend"? And nervously looking at Lance I went out on a limb and said, "Yes". Luckily that was the right answer and we have been together ever since. So April 16th 2004 was a very monumental day in my life! :) Here are some pictures that show us 4 years ago and now. The picture where we are frowning was on the way to Mexico. I had literally known Lance for about 5 days in this picture. My friends and I decided to invite him and his roomie with us on a road trip. It was a great way to get to know each other, especially because we got lost and because we got pulled over for almost and hour. The cops pulled us over and accused my sister of having drugs in the car. I have NO idea why, probably because a lot of people leaving Mexico do have drugs, but it was rather humorous watching her letting the cops know exactly what she thought about the situation and the acquisitions against her! Needless to say, Lance and I just sat on the curb for an hour while they searched the car...haha! The other picture are just a bunch of pics we have taken over the years. I apologize for the lack of very recent photos! Someone stole my camera and I am still SOOOOO depressed about it! It had our entire first year of marriage on it and I hadn't put them on my computer yet! :( But enjoy the funny pictures. I can't believe I have been with Lance since I was 19!! Best 4 years of my life.

Sick Day.....YUCK!

Calling in sick as a teacher is the worst thing! I had to do it today & HATE it! I hate calling in a leaving a substitute with thirteen 4 & 5 year olds. I know everything is fine but I think about how hard it is for me to handle all of them sometimes and I see them everyday! But needless to say I would have been useless today. I am not sure if it is just me or if it is a lot of people, but allergies are about to take me down. I had a severe allergic reaction to Roxanne Bradford's dog on Friday and have been dragging around with a migraine type headache for days and days. I told Lance yesterday that I thought I needed to go have my head examined. And of course he told me that it was probably allergies or a sinus infection, which I'm sure it is. That's why I love Lance. He is so level headed. If it wasn't for Lance I would probably think I was dying to some terrible disease every time I had a headache or a fever! :) But say a little prayer that I can somehow get rid of this headache! As lots of you probably know, having a headache for days and days is TORTURE! I have to go back into work tomorrow so it would be nice if I could be headache/allergy free!

On a different note, I would like to ask those of you who read this to really pray for clarity on where Lance and I should be going to graduate school. It is too complicated a situation to really go into detail about on the blog, and once I know more I will post. But to make a long story short. Lance and I are probably going to be moving to Lubbock to go to Tech but some things still need to fall into place. We previously thought we were going to be going to Abilene for school but that may not be the case anymore. We are praying for quick decision making from the departments we have applied to, clarity on where God wants us to be, Lance to do well on the GRE on Monday (grad school entrance exam.....not fun!), and for things to go smoothly in finding an apartment. I am also a little nervous about the program at Tech, because it is known for being very challenging. I know I will do fine, but I am praying daily that God will take away this doubt I have in myself as well!

Thanks so much everybody!

Have a great day today and I hope the allergies in the air haven't gotten you too! :)

P.S I just saw an add on the computer that said 57 days until swimsuit season!! I mean I know I cannot be the only one who can't believe this! For all of you seasoned wives out there.....how do you stay swimsuit ready when you are married and cooking for a man who could eat 5 bowls of ice cream a day and not gain a pound! Maybe I need some self control, but I must say it has been harder being in shape as a wife than any time in college!

The Smart is FINALLY here & RIP Rugby!

Ok, I know most people are going to think I am crazy but I have been waiting for this car to come to America for 5 years. They may have been here for a while but I was unaware until today. Lance and I were leaving Lupe Tortilla and saw a Mercedes dealership that was selling smart cars. I saw these tiny little cars in London in 2003 and then again in 2005 when I studied abroad! I wanted one so badly but they didn't sell them in America. But now they are HERE! However, there may be some negatives about a car like this. Like how safe is a car this small and what would the resale value be? I also wonder if I would constantly be in the blind spot of F-150's or giant SUV's?! I am a little scared that I would get squished in this little thing. I drive a little VW Beetle right now and was thinking that it was about the size of the smart car but its not. My tiny beetle is almost twice as big. I would also never be able to give up my little Beetle. Lance surprised me with is when we first got married and it has too much sentimental value! However, someday I am pretty sure I am going to have to get myself one of these Smart cars. They are just too cute to pass up!

On a sad note we had to say goodbye to our first family pet today. Lance and my first pet, Rugby, died today. He was a beta fish and I thought they were supposed to live for like five years! I guess not! We were sitting watching TV and I said to Lance, "I think Rugby is floating sideways." Yes, he was in fact floating sideways and dead. Oh well, we are going to go get a replacement fish today. I mean you can't let such a pretty fish bowl go to waste. As you can see I am very sentimental about the fish. I do feel a little bad now though b/c on an old post I said I "secretly wished my fish would die b/c I hate cleaning the bowl." Sorry RUGBY! I hope you can forgive me wherever you are! ;)

The Office is Back!

All I have to say is that the Office is back tonight with a bang! It was one of the funniest ones I have ever seen! Lance and I were CRACKING up laughing the entire time. If you didn't TIVO it watch it on nbc.com. SO FUNNY! :)

Wonderful night in!

Sometimes staying home, cooking and watching a movie is the best thing in the world. I know this is somewhat dull but we just had the most wonderful night in. Lance and I ate yummy Roast, that I didn't ruin thank you very much and watched a movie. I love that it is staying light until 8:30 and I LOVE the weather. I guess it is just the time of the year that I love, but this was just such a wonderfully pleasant night I had to post about it. :) To be honest I am probably just in a really good mood b/c I cooked something that was good. However, I did accidentally cook it with some plastic left on it. Who's perfect...right!? I have a really bad track record for cooking new things, so was pleasantly surprised at my dinner tonight.
Happy Tuesday!

That's all!

Baby Ethan Powell

I am writing this entry with tears in my eyes for a baby that I don't even know. My mom has been keeping up with a family for the past several months now through a blog for their son Ethan who was diagnosed with Leukemia at his 2 month check up. I was unaware of this blog and only started reading it 3 days ago. But I have been so touched by this family I had to share it with those of you who read my blog.

These people were given a 15% chance of survival and truly believed with all their hearts that God would bring healing to their son. Thousands and thousands of people have been praying for this baby throughout the course of his illness and his parents had a supernatural ability to have 100% faith in Jesus that he would heal their baby.

I have spent the last hour reading their posts and watching videos and have been overwhelmed and amazed at these people's faith. They didn't doubt God for a single second and never stopped praying for their baby boy to be healed of his sickness. I may not be very accurate with this information because I was not keeping up with this family until this week. However, I am pretty sure that Ethan was in remission from his cancer but was left with no immune system.

A couple of days ago his Dad posted that Ethan was going downhill fast but not to stop praying for Ethan to be healed. Again, without ever meeting this family I am amazed at their faith in Gods ability to heal. However, yesterday their precious baby died peacefully in their arms.

I cannot imagine how anyone could deal with something like this. I cannot imagine anything rocking a strong faith more than this probably has. These people believed that God would and could heal their baby and he did not. However, they posted the DAY that their baby died that they still believe and will still continue to pray for healing of themselves and will now devote their lives to finding a cure for cancer. His Dad posted the day Ethan died that he was mad at "cancer". He never once said that he was mad at God. What AMAZING faith!!

I say all this to say please stop what you are doing for a few moments and please pray for the healing of this family. I can only imagine the lies Satan is trying to feed them in this time of weakness! I have no doubt that this amazing, faithful family will overcome by the power of God. But they still need our prayers. They already have thousands of people praying for them but you can never have enough people fighting for you through prayer.

Here is a quote from Ethan's Dad yesterday: "Although the devils wants to convince me and you otherwise, I still BeLIeVe... PRAYER WORKS!!! And I hope that you do to."

I thought that was amazing and am so encouraged by this family. What a loving heart they have. They have just lost their precious baby boy that they have been fighting for for months. Yet, they still encourage others to believe in God and in prayer! They have definitely encouraged me. People like them help me realize that as Christians we are part of a community and family stronger than any blood family could ever be. God has the power to bring together people in so many mysterious ways and the tragic death of this sweet little baby is in some way part of his perfect plan.

As hard as it is for us to accept sometimes we have to trust that God is in control and God is perfect. This is something that I struggle with daily but find such great comfort in. I will be praying for this family and thanking God daily for his wonderful, perfect plan for our lives.

Here is their website if you would like to see it:
http://www.ethanpowell.com/

No words.....

Well I guess I have some words but I will try not to vent too much! Just in case you don't have cable and were thinking of getting Comcast PLEASE save yourself now. I hate to be negative on my blog but I am just trying to be a good friend to the innocent people of the world that haven't been subjected to the Devil that is Comcast. They are evil. They pretend they are going to come to your house and they never come. They give you fake names and numbers to get you off the phone. Their technicians pretend they came by your house but left b/c you weren't home. Their supervisors tell you that you are going to get a free month of cable for all the "issues you have had" and then you call the next day and they pretend they don't know you. They will put you on hold for 1 hours just to transfer you to a voicemail. They put you on hold and then hang up on you! So all that to say comcast is evil, I really think the Devil may be working for them. Save yourself and your nice, sweet personality and never get anything associated with that devil company. Say a little prayer that they actually come to my house tomorrow b/c if they don't show up it will the the 5th time in 6 days that I have rushed home to find out they are not coming! They actually made Lance mad. And if you know our family at all you know that if it made Lance mad it must be a 100% terrible, horrible, suuuuper annoying situation!

Ok it is out of my system. I hope everyone is having a wonderful week! I get to hang out with my college roomie and amazing friend Kara tomorrow who I haven't seen in a while. I am VERY excited! Friends are one of the best things on earth! :) I can't wait to catch up and have her come see my apartment. Lance is going out of town tomorrow until Sunday so I am all alone for 4 days! Which mean I will eaither have to sleep at a friends house or grow up in sleep alone in my apartment. Hopefully I can muster up courage! I feel now that I am 23 I am a real adul. 21 was definitey a very college, kid age and 22 was just the year after 21. But now that I am 23 I guess I have no excuse to aviod the "adult" world and sleep alone like a mature adult in my apartment.

Can't believe little Rox is Preg!!

As many of you already know Roxanne is Pregnant. Rox is one of my very very best lifelong friends and she is having a little baby!!! When she told me I literally stopped dead in my steps in the target parking lot and almost dropped all my bags! Having someone so close, who got married 7 days before me, about to be a Mommy is so crazy but SOOOOO exciting! Rox and I have gone through so many things and have really done most things in life at the same time (like getting married a week apart). We were supposed to be neighbors and have our children a week apart but I have come to terms with this. We will just make sure that her next baby is born a week after mine! :)

But I am so happy and can't wait to see this wonderful, extremely athletic little thing! I feel like it's a girl, I have no idea why but we will just see. Rox and I also have the same baby girl name. We both want the name Avery for our little girl and said that whoever had a girl first got the name Avery. But I must say if someone is going to get my name I'm glad it's Rox! Name number 2 is Molly so if you are reading this Rox I call Molly next!

Please pray for the Bradford family and their little baby to be! Rox & Brian are going to be amazing parents. They are so much fun and filled with so much energy. It is great to know that people like them have been given the gift to raise a child. Rox is the ultimate advice giver and encourager! This little one is going to have such a wonderful Mommy. They will do a great job and I know this baby will be such a wonderful, kind Christian person someday!