Let it snow.....let it snow.....let it snow!

Winter is in FULL swing here! Last night it started snowing a little and by the time we went to bed it was snowing a whole lot! Then, today when I left for class everything was covered in snow and ice and it was so pretty. It was quite the scary trip up to school driving on the icy roads but I loved the winter "feel" of the day. I can't even remember a time when I was in so much snow and ice! Here are some pictures I took today. I was in class all day and just ran outside to take a few so I could capture before it got dark. The best part of the cold front is that classes are delayed tomorrow until 10:30 so Lance & I are making cookies and having a movie night!! I just went outside to soak in a little more of the pretty snow and it is that really pretty kind of fluffy powder snow! I hope it stays all week! :)
p.s I still haven't sent in my camera so the pics look kinda rough!

Lance & I on our snowy deck!

Pretty frozen treeThat is what I drove to school on.....proud of me or what!?

I think it's cool!

Ok I am putting myself at risk for being the biggest nerd in the world but I think this is really cool! So every since I have been back in Lubbock I have been noticing that I have been hearing lots of geese like honking (or whatever they do) and stuff. However, I didn't think much of it until I realized that Lubbock has been overtaken by geese! Every single lake and park has like 1,000 geese just chillin out. I guess they migrate here for the winter. Who knows! This picture is representative of EVERY park in this city right now. Interesting right? Well maybe not but if you lived here with a 20,000 geese you would think it's cool! :)

What's up with the WIND & electricity!!

So I should be fast asleep right now.....BUT the wind outside is blowing like 1,000 miles an hour and keeps knocking out our electricity! It is crazy! I have been sitting on the couch trying to read for a presentation I have to do tomorrow & about every 15 minutes the house goes completely black. I also keep hearing people's car alarms going off and branches and things hitting the side of the building. Not to mention it literally sounds like a tornado is twirling around. You wouldn't believe how loud the whistling outside sounds! Weird. I have been told to brace myself for Springtime in West Texas....I guess it has come early.
Ok that's all. :)

LOST!!

They're baaaaack! Kate, Sawyer, Sun, Hurley, Locke, Ben, Claire, Charlotte, Sied and the rest of castaways are only hours away! That's right the season premier of the best show in the entire world is tonight!

AND to top off my wonderful mood we convinced the apartment to give us new carpet (a battle we have been fighting for 5 months). So we are finally going to be living on nice clean new carpet & not the nasty sick carpet we have been living on!!

Both of these things probably seem pretty mundane to you but I am beyond pumped! :)

My Pride....

As I watched people on TV crying and yelling "Amen" while President Obama was giving his speech it gave me the strange feeling like I was watching people worship at church. It annoyed me for a second and I had to catch myself wanting to get upset and think..."That is so wrong, I am so glad I know this is just a man and not God....Good thing I have such a good head on my shoulders"! Then it hit me that there is no way I could ever understand how it feels to be an African American right now. For my entire life I have always know politics as something consisting of a lot of white guys and thats what I'm used to. As I was watching the inauguration I realized that I am most comfortable when a conservative type guy is the president and when the people in the crowd look and act like me. I realized that I am much more comfortable with President Bush & Laura and can easily trust and understand their lifestyle and values.

It helped me realize that millions of people in the world can't even stretch their imagination to understand the conservative white mind set and that President Bush and his family (and 43 preceding presidents) seemed just as foreign to them as some of the Obama supporters seem to me. I don't feel bad saying these things because that is just human nature. I think if most of us are honest with ourselves we would admit that we are most comfortable when we are with people that are like us. Whether it be because of race, hobbies or social class we just get along with those similar to us. I'm glad I had this realization because I don't ever want to become a person that is incapable of looking outside of "my" world and accepting and acknowledging the fact that my little world and comforts are not the same as a lot of other people. To Jesus we are all his children and all he cares about is whether or not we love him & show his love to others. White people, black people and every other color in between love Jesus and white, black and every color in between hate Jesus and bring evil into our world.

This post is really not intended to make any kind of political point, b/c I am not informed enough about real political issues to even comment on them and give my opinion. This is more to share how God worked in my heart tonight & gave me some what of a warning that I may be more prideful than I think. Pride is something that we are seriously warned about in the bible and I want to be as far far far away from it as I possibly can. I really think Pride is something plaguing the earth and is totally brought on by Satan.....and I never want to give him any type of hold on my life in this way! It is way too easy to think..."I am better" or "Too bad they aren't as smart as me" or "Too bad they don't know how to be a Christian"! I think Satan knows how easy it is for us to slip into this prideful attitude and it gives him waaaay to easy of a time twisting our minds to not even realize how prideful we can actually be at times. I am not meaning to speak for anyone but myself....however I am going take a much more active and prayerful approach to this part of my life!

Here are somethings I came across tonight: He's not joking around!

The Lord detests all the proud of heart. Be sure of this: They will not go unpunished.
Proverbs 16:5

Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall. Better to be lowly in spirit and among the oppressed than to share plunder with the proud.
Proverbs 16: 18-19

Crucial Pictures

Ok so I didn't have these picture when I posted about Betho's wedding weekend....b/c lets face it I am the WORST picture taker in the world who never has a camera! But I got if off my cousins blog and thought it was priceless. We all went to the Karakoe bar like this and most of us even did a solo or group act in our costumes. And yes...the wolf outfit even made it onto the stage as well. Poor little Avery in utero may be traumatized by all of the terrible singing that was forced upon her! We had so much fun and I was so glad so many people were able to make it!

Ok this picture has quite a dramatic story behind it! Betho's dress was suuuuuper hard to get on without messing up her hair. I mean it was like next to impossible to get her head through the teeny tiny top of the dress! So what is going on here is My mom is holding up the dress.....Betho is inside the dress trying to keep her hair ok....I am inside the dress as well looking up and trying to help Betho aim her head properly through the top of the dress and Jamie is holding up the back so we don't suffocate. Looking at this picture I am laughing but believe me NO one was laughing at that moment!! Or they were being very sneeky about it if they were! :)

Thoughts for the afternoon!

Ok I have to explain this picture! I was looking at Betsy Johnson fantasizing about her dresses. I have wanted to buy one forever but cannot justify spending that much money on a dress at this phase in my life. However, I saw this one and want it SO bad. I just don't know where you would even wear such a dress...especially here in lubock. So I need someone to invite me to some fancy cocktail party this spring so I can justify buying this dress with left over Christmas money!! :) Isn't it amazingly cute! I think so!!!

So I have no class Thursday or Friday and it is wonderful. I have one client Thursday but that's it! I have been cleaning our apartment, studying and doing yoga today and it has been so refreshing! We have been going going going so much lately and it has been really nice to have some time to myself today.

Being back in Lubbock has been nice....but I have been SO exhausted lately it is ridiculous! We have been so spoiled the last month by having NO responsibility & I think being back in the real world hit me hard! Going from sleeping in until 10:00 and shopping or reading all day, to getting up at 7 and studying and sitting in class all day has been a bit of a reality check! However, I think Lance likes the new exhausted me b/c this is the first time in our marriage that I am actually tired enough to go to bed when he does!

This weekend we are heading off to Abilene for a wedding. We are going to stay with Jason & Lindsey & the new Girod's will be staying there too! I am beside myself with excitement about some good face to face details about the honeymoon! :) I haven't gone this long without talking to Betho since I was on my honeymoon and it is terrible!!!! I miss our daily conversations. I have a small group of people that I call several times a week and some of my poor friends are probably so ready for Betho to come home so I will stop calling them every time I get in my car to go somewhere! Being so far away from so many people has made me very very close to my cell phone. If I am not studying or working on something I have to be on the phone chatting with someone! That probably means something negative about my personality that I can't just be alone with my thoughts haha but I just love a good chat on the phone!

That's all that's really going on right now. I am really enjoying being back in our little apartment and getting back into the swing of things here in Lubbock. Lubbock is starting to feel a little less suffocating and a little more like home and that is nice. Don't get me wrong, when we leave here I don't thing either one of us will look back but I am really starting to feel adjusted to the change and that has been nice!

Happy Winter! The wind chill was 17 here yesterday and I have only gone outside 2 times today. One was to take down our Christmas lights....we are those losers trashing out the complex with our Christmas decor in Mid January! oops!

Wedding of the YEAR!

Betho is no longer a Freede and is now a Girod! They had the most beautiful wedding I have ever seen & I am not just saying that because it was my sister's wedding. It was a crystal theme & every table either had a crystal tree on it or a flower arrangement with crystals hanging off of it. The ceremony was filled with flowers & candles, the food was YUMMY and the dancing was so much fun. I am typing this feeling so sad the everything is over. Not only was the wedding great but the entire weekend leading up to it was wonderful. Thursday we went to Karaoke for Betho's Bachelorette party & before we were there for even 5 minutes she was on the stage singing "Like a Virgin!" It was AMAZING! Friday morning we all got up & got manicures and pedicures and then we were off the the bridesmaids luncheon at the Curry's house. It was beautiful & we each even got our own personalized vases with our names painted on them! Friday night we had a great time at the rehearsal dinner at Cafe Adobe and got to hear everyone talk about how much they love Betho & Cody. I forgot my speech at the wedding and the rehearsal dinner though and had to wing it! Scary! :) Saturday morning we got up and had breakfast & a devo with all the girls and then spent the rest of the day being beautified! It was just the best day EVER & I will never forget it! Betho was the most stunningly beautiful bride I have ever seen. I Love you Nug! :)

Getting "Low...Low...Low...Low...Low" with Grandpa!

Betho with all the groomsmen!

Crazy girls leaping for the bouquet!

All of the Bridesmaids with Cody! So cute! :)

Betho's BEAUTIFUL flowers!

Baby Mangino halloween costume!

I don't want to make a habit of posting sports related things on my blog.....but I thought this was too funny to pass up. He is the coach at KU and every time I see him on TV I think he seems a little intense! These parents are so clever! :) It makes me laugh b/c I knew who the baby was supposed to be before I saw Mangino!

Happy 2009!

I hope everyone had a great New Years Eve and is having a good New Years day today! We had a lot of fun last night hanging out with friends. We went to Cafe Red Onion (my FAVORITE Houston restaurant) and then had a night full of playing Rock Band with some friends. I had never played it before and it is amazing! I had soooo much fun and woke up this morning with no voice b/c I had been singing so much. I was on the vocals and I'm sure the people in the apartments on either side of us did NOT appreciate my solos! However, I bet if they had seen the game they would have wanted to play too! It is so great.

Other than that I am still enjoying my free time and am getting ready for Betho & Cody's wedding on the 10th! This break I have gotten even deeper into my fascination with Harry Potter and think I am going to actually complete the entire series, which is something I would have never imagined myself doing. I am NOT a reader and thought people who read Harry Potter were kind of lame. However, Betho convinced me to give it a try and it is SOOOOOOOOOOO good!!! I mean the best thing I have ever read (which is not much), but still! I keep going to buy the books in the kids section of Barnes and Noble and feel like such a dork. But it is worth it!

I am going to be going back to school on Jan. 11th and am kinda dreading the trip and the beginning of the semester. I am trying to keep a positive attitude & am hoping this semester won't be as hard as the last one. My New Year's resolution is to not freak out about school and tests this semester! I am hoping I can carry it out. For my sake & my poor husbands!

Ok that's all for now. You are a great friend if you are still reading. Have a great New Year's Day! Happy 2009!!! Here are some overdue pics from Thanksgiving & Christmas! I didn't bring my camera when we left Lubbock FOREVER ago so I have a very minimal amount of pics!

The Future Girod's holding up their new "G" for their house!

Me looking at my mall gift card!!

Lance & I holding up our "AGAN" sign his mom made for us

Lance looking at his gift card (priceless)

Just hangin out outside on Thanksgiving

Fun with Rock Band! :)