Another post just b/c I can & I miss it!

So I posted about Betho's shower but I really miss blogging and actually have some free time tonight so I am going to blog some more! I could actually be doing 1,000 things like school work or cleaning the kitchen but It will get done eventually!

I really don't have much to report on school. I just finished my first round of test. I didn't do amazing but I didn't do terrible either & I am just relieved they are over! We are at mid term now and that mean I am 1/8th finished with grad school! YAY! I have been learning a lot about how Speech Pathologists can work in the NICU and lots of other settings and I am really starting to get excited about actually doing this job as a career and not just seeing Speech Pathology as classes and lectures! I have had the chance to work with a lot of clients and it has been really rewarding already.

We are pretty used to Lubbock now. I can almost get anywhere and that is nice. It is a super easy town to get around in and I fill up on gas WAY less! We live right next door to a super walmart and that is amazing! I am just not organized enough to get all my grocery shopping done in one trip so it is nice to have a walmart next door for those items I forget! Which is a lot...always! We also have a chicken express right across the street. I would love to say I am one of those girls that has never eaten that and never will but then I would be TOTALLY lying. In college I would allow myself to eat it 2 or 3 times a semester but the fact that I am stressed out a lot & those delicious chicken fingers and biscuits are just across the street is dangerous. They don't have those in Houston so the temptation was eliminated but now it is back! I cannot even imagine the calories in that meal.

We still haven't found a church but have liked a lot that we have looked at. It is super hard to find a church and Lance and I tend to lean in a little bit different directions when it comes to what we like in a church. I mean we both believe in the same thing but when it comes to the worship style we are a little different so we are trying to find a place that we are both happy with. However, we have been praying about it so I'm sure it is only a matter of time before God will show us the way. Along the lines of church, I was driving to school today and that song "I Know My Redeemer Lives" came on and I am not kidding I burst into tears. I LOVE that song and I swear hearing that right before I began my school day changed my day. I was so happy all day!

Lance is doing great in school too! I am so glad he is getting this degree and can't wait for him to have a job he loves! He is an extra good husband lately and has been making my life so easy. He even made tacos and cookies last night for dinner. We are nearing our year and a 1/2 anniversary and I can't believe it has already been that long!

I will leave you with the top 10 things on my mind right now.....

1. I am loving "John & Kate plus 8" No kidding it has made me want to have 5 kids.
2. I am super creeped out in the amount of twisted creepy movies coming out lately. I don't like it at all.
3. I am so happy that it feels like fall here. It never went above 70 today.
4. I just learned a little fashion tip that I love. It is that you should always wear three pieces. Like a cardigan, belt or scarf with your outfit. I love it and have been sporting cardigans for the first time in my life!
5. I haven't had time to cook yummy meals and it makes me sad. I feel like Lance and I eat bad food lately and I hate that!
6. Being in Houston this weekend made me realize how much I miss it and how much I miss teaching. I saw my kids this weekend and hung out in Lance & my old neighborhood and it was super sad!!
7. Having TONS of kids someday has really been on my mind lately. I don't want kids for a good 2-3 more years but for the first time in my life I really think I want like 4 kids.
8. I am really excited about Betho's wedding....it is really starting to seem like a reality.
9. I have noticed I have really bad test anxiety and am desperately trying to figure out how to chill out!
10. I want Jamie to have her baby and can't wait to meet Josiah. I also can't wait for Roxanne & Brian to find out if they are having a girl or a boy!

Ok that's all for now....I have a lot of paperwork to do and I can't put it off anymore!

Shower Fun

I had so much fun this weekend in Houston for Betho's shower! Her shower was an "English Tea" theme and it was super proper and fun! We even got a lesson on how to eat the food the proper way, and not the southern way! I got to spend a lot of time with family, ate at Papasitos twice, saw lots of friends, went to First Colony on Sunday and ate at my favorite Chinese restaurant (Goo Goo Yen) after church. It was SOOOO good to just get to hang out with the family. It was also amazing to see college friends and hang out like old times. Here are a few pics of the shower. Enjoy! :)

some of the family posing for a pic!

enjoying some tea & scones!

The amazingly cute chub monster baby Anna Kate. If you want to see how much she has grown since I have moved to Lubbock check my post from about 2 months ago when I posted right after she was born! This was her first "girl party".

COMING HOME!!

So I have 2 tests down and one to go on Thursday and then I AM GOING TO HOUSTON FOR BETHO'S SHOWER!! I am flying out of Lubbock Thursday afternoon and staying in Houston until Sunday. I am so excited about going to church at First Colony, seeing the family,seeing everyone at the shower, going to church and going to Pappasitos! Poor Lance isn't coming and he is going to have to spend the weekend alone here in Lubbock. However, I am thinking he will watch a lot of football and be perfectly fine!

Ok I am going to clean my MESSY apartment and then study!

Oh and I have to send out a public blog congrats to Rox and Brian on the baby!! I can't wait to meet this little person!!!

Lubbock Rodeo & Country Music Concert!

Well I am heading to the Lubbock county fair in few minutes! We are going to listen to some country band and go to the fair. Considering I have never been particularly interested in country music this should be interesting. But I figured we are only going to be here for 2 years and may never be back.....so why not embrace Lubbock...Right? I will post later with pics if I can get my camera to work.

Nothing else really big to report. I have had a bit of a rough go of Lubbock so far. I got sick and had an allergic reaction to my antibiotic....which hasn't happened to me since I was 5.....and I looked like I had the worst ever case of chicken pox for about 5 days! When I walked into the doctors office the people around me slowly began to move away. I think they were afraid they may catch whatever I had! My face was absolutely covered and one of my eyes was a little swollen shut. Fortunately it has pretty much gone away now & it only still lingering around my feet! Hallelujah!!

Lance & I are both still studying away day & night. However, I can't really complain about being busy b/c it has made this semester FLY by so far! I cannot believe it is almost October. I made pumpkin pie the other day in honor of the first day of fall and decorated my apartment with my fall stuff. In Lubbock it actually feels like fall so it makes me excited that all the fall/winter holidays are coming up. But more than that it makes me happy that my semester is nearing the 1/2 way point to being over!!!!!

I am heading to Houston Thursday for Betho's shower and am really excited. Soon after that we will be going to Abilene for homecoming and I can't wait to see everyone again! I am assuming I will also be making a trip somewhere in the next 1-3 weeks to meet Josiah Blackburn too! My cousin Jamie is due VERY soon and I can't wait to head to Houston to meet him! I am just praying I don't have a test or something that day. So I have a lot of trips I am looking forward too. Not to mention I have 2 tests this week so as I am flying to Houston on Thursday I will have just finished the last 2 of my first rounds of tests!

I definitely feel REALLY far away here in Lubbock. However, the longer we are here the more I am getting used to it! Now that my horrific rash is gone I am looking at Lubbock a little more optimistically! During the rash "incident" every morning I would wake up and get SO mad that I still looked like a freak! Then as I drove to school I would just think to myself....I look like someone threw a red can of paint all over my body and I live at the end of the Universe!! Good attitude I know!! Poor Lance probably thought he lived with a monster...both in the physical and emotional sense!

However, we have met some really great people that I know God put in our life and we have really been enjoying church. It is just a reminder that no matter where you live, or what you are doing God has a plan and knows what is going on. I have also been reminded that everything isn't always easy and that's ok too. I think he had to knock me down once we got here in order to knock some sense into me and make me chill out.....but I am grateful that he did b/c I have really been able to see Him working in my life since our move.

Ok that's all I for now.....I am off to the fair! I hope everyone has a great weekend!

Quick Addition!

I just read in Meredith's blog that Christmas is 99 days away!!!!! I love christmas SOOO much and can't wait! I decorated my house in November last year b/c I was so excited. So hopefully this news makes someone elses day as much as it made mine! :)

bethanyandcody.blogspot.com

Bethany Lynn Freede has entered the blog world and all should read! I have the link posted in my blog so the inner thoughts of Betho are just a click away! I have is linked as "the future Girods"

And now about my blogging...I have been the worst blogger ever and it is for several reasons.
1. We don't have a wireless router yet so if I wanna blog I am stuck in this little study nook and I don't like blogging in the same place I study for hours.....too much negative association!
2. I have been studying 24/7! I have a test a week for about the next month and I am still trying to get into a routine with school.
3. All I have been doing is school! I have been seeing clients that are really interesting, but because of confidentiality I can't write about them.

However, as soon as things slow down I will try to be better about blogging! But I'll fill ya in on some Lubbock stuff....we have had some prayers answered already. I have made some really good friends already and that has made everything much more enjoyable. We haven't found a church yet but we know there are lots of good ones out there. We visited one a couple of times and we are going to try out class on Sunday. We are adjusting slowly but surly to this crazy weather here. Every morning when I leave for school it is in the 60's or 70's and it is AMAZING! I don't know the last time I wore a sweatshirt in Sept. but right now I am definitely bundled up and it is great! :)

We are both looking for internships for the summer and hoping everything goes well. For both Lance & I our internships are kind of a big deal b/c it may have a lot to do with where we settle after grad school. It is probably more of a big deal for Lance so we are just hoping he can find something great, that is near family, and is what he wants to do!

That's all for now, I am going to take a nap. I sat in my research methods class all morning dreaming about my bed! I hope everyone has a great end of the week & weekend! :)

LOVE THEM!

Ok this is very different for me to be overly interested in politics. BUT I must say I am pumped about the McCain/Palin ticket! I spent last night and tonight watching their speeches and I am so pumped about the possibility of having them as our leaders. McCain has so much class and didn't waste any of his time slamming other people. He has done so much for our country and I am AMAZED by his war stories. I love the way he just simply states his ideas and has faith in the fact that what he is saying is right. It is definitely clear (in my opinion) that he has our Countries best interest in mind!

I don't know much about Sara Palin at all, but from what I can tell she is GREAT! She has what seems to be a really great family and she's not afraid to admit that they aren't perfect. It is absolutely insane that supporters of "you know who" will get on TV and use the F word every other sentence about the republican party and then judge a 17 year old girl for getting pregnant and judge McCain for his failed first marriage. The fact these people who live by the idea of "do whatever makes you happy" actually have the nerve to come down on this poor girl is beyond me. I was actually on people.com today and was looking at pictures of all the celebrities piling into Denver to be at the convention. Among them were numerous people who have children out of wedlock, people who believe in religions like Scientology, people who are on their 2nd or third marriage etc. Here is a little blurb from one of many things written about Palin's daughter...

"Unwed pregnant teens, redneck baby daddys, shot gun weddings -- are these the corner stones of GOP family values? In case you didn't hear, John McCain's baked Alaskan has a pop tart. Yes, Sarah Palin's 17-year-old daughter Bristol is unwed and five-months pregnant, by Levi Johnston"

"If Sarah Palin has accomplished anything in this election cycle, it's to expose the right wing extremist for the bigots and hypocrites they are"

I am not one to judge and I know people come from a variety of backgrounds and have a variety of beliefs. I also understand that some people that define themselves as "Republicans" are terribly hypocritical and closed minded, even racist and probably stir up a lot of hatred in a lot of people. It just gets a little bit disgusting when people start throwing insults at innocent people and are SO horrible hypocritical! Uggh....it is just disgusting! I do need to say that I have respect for Obama as well. I can't imagine how hard it must be to be in any politicians shoes. I agree with VERY LITTLE of what Obama has to say, but I don't think he is a bad person.

So there is my 2 cents about the McCain/Palin ticket. I am loving it! :) GO USA! :)