March 29, 2013

Friday Letters


Dear Jesus: I am so thankful for you. Thank you for enduring the pain and sacrifice con the cross for me. I do not think "thank you" is even a strong enough term. This Easter holiday is for you, as is every day. Thank you for continuing to lead me and believe in me. Thank you for being the good in me. Thank you for always showing up. Thank you for giving me all of the opportunities that you have given me this past year. 

Dear Fiance: You are so amazing... seriously. Coming home to a clean house AND newly organized closet was fantastic! Also thank you for still thinking I am beautiful even when I always often look like a hot mess. Good luck at baseball this weekend. I hope you get some games in before the rain. 

Dear Spring: I am so glad you are here... although they said next week to expect a freeze again! WHAT!

Dear Aunt Pam: Thank you thank you thank you for all of your help with the wedding!  I wish we could hear the funny comments and ideas that Uncle Jackie would be coming up with. However, I am glad Mike has been put into your life he has some pretty good comments too :)



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March 27, 2013

Wedding Wednesday

Engagement Pictures

      Cam and I had our pictures taken back in December... I have no idea why I never blogged about them. I love them. I loved our photographer and I can not wait for my bridals in May! We chose George Street Photography and Video as vendor and our personal photographer is Akisha... She rocks and has the same type of dog as us! Crazy huh... who knew there was another Deuce in Texas! 

We decided to take pictures at the baseball field at our former high school... mostly because it was close, but there is that sentimental factor there too. High school sweethearts and all. :) 

We also took pictures in Fort Worth at the Stockyards. We both were a little nervous about having our pictures taken, but it turned out being a lot of fun.  Here are some of our favorites. Enjoy the pictures... we love them!












March 21, 2013

I Am Alex

    Last week I had shared the photo below on my Facebook. Little did I know that it would lead me to a heart breaking story and one amazing lady in the great state of Texas.


The Lazy Pit Bull had originally posted this photo and story. Earlier this week I sat down to read the whole story of Alex and his owner Mali. It was absolutely heart breaking. I encourage you all to visit I Am Alex on facebook and give some love to Mali. She deserves it and she needs it. 

Anyways... to start Mali has begun the "I AM ALEX" movement as way to be an ambassador for the "bully breeds". She explains that the label "bully breed" includes all breeds that have a bad reputation and have been "black balled" from society. If you know anything about the dog world or have watched the news ever you know that Pit Bulls and Pit-mixes have a bad reputation and are misunderstood. 

Back to the story of Alex... He was not a Pit Bull at all. He was a Molosser which is a Cane Corso and Italian Mastiff mix. Absolutely beautiful is what I like to call him. Mali, Alex, and family live in a town outside of Houston, Texas. On March 2, 2013 Alex was murdered. Alex had gotten out of the back yard because a fence had blown down and Mali searched tirelessly for hours upon hours to find Alex. The Tomball Police were also trying their best to help find Alex. On March 4th, two days later, they had received an anonymous tip from an eye witness saying he had spotted a "giant black pitbull and he had been killed and drug into the woods". 

Yes... you can pick your jaw up from the ground and grab those Kleenex. Someone killed Alex and left him in the woods. 

I can not imagine. I do not want to imagine. I do not have words for the person who completed that horrible act. I am not even going to waste my time and energy worrying about him or her. 

I am writing this post for Mali. I want her to know that we hear her and her message is being spread throughout the country. I want Mali to know she did everything she humanly could to bring back Alex. Just like a mother, she loved Alex unconditionally. There will never be another Alex. But... There are so many other dogs that need our love and our help. 

Now more than ever. We need to stand up for the voiceless. We need to open our minds and our hearts.

I hope you go "like" I AM ALEX on facebook and send up a pray or two for Mali and everyone involved in this. More than that... I hope you go love on your own dogs. 

"He is your friend, your partner, your defender, your dog.
You are his life, his love, his leader. 
He will be yours, faithful and true, to the last beat of his heart.
You owe it to him to be worth of such devotion."
-Unknown


I fully support the I Am Alex movement and am posting this picture for him. I personally have two big dogs who happen to be the sweetest pups I know. If you would like to join me in support of Mali and Alex just send me your pictures or post them on to his facebook page.



March 20, 2013

I Can't Believe

     Today I am linking up with The Sunshine Diary for her first week of the "I can't believe" link up party!

I can't believe...

... that today is the first day of Spring, 
and the meteorologists are forecasting
 a snowy mix for this week

... that my wedding is now only 128 days away 
(that is 4 months people!)

... that this is my very last semester at UCO,
and Cam's last season playing

... also that I will be starting GRAD SCHOOL in the fall
... that my best friend's childhood house is 
being sold and bought by a new family


... I am super bummed about said house



March 17, 2013

I Work Out...

   Yall... I am probably most definitely  one of the worst self motivators on the planet. I  can not get myself to keep doing any physical activity these days. Last summer I got into Hot Yoga (I had a Groupon) and it was awesome. I loved it. BUT... Without the Groupon the classes cost an arm and a leg and I obviously do not want to part with my arms or legs. In high school I was a cheerleader and gymnast so I spent a lot of my time tumbling or stunting... which were awesome and I miss being able to do those things on a daily basis. I was always surrounded by a group of girls and we were all working out the same way. I could do it. When it comes to working out by myself I can not. This is a problem.

Being almost 4 full years out of high school you can imagine I am completely out of shape. I am not complaining about my weight or anything... I just want to be healthy and in some type of shape. I would rather be able to not lose my breath carrying in groceries or bouncing up and down with a 6 month old on my hip... seriously this is real life. I am a mess. {Disclaimer. the 6 month old is not mine I am a nanny}

So... I decided to buy Jillian Michaels 30 Day Shred DVD. It was $9.00 at Target and I could not pass it up. I have always been a fan of Jillian. I have her Power Yoga DVD as well. My plan is to blog about my fitness journey each week. I am hoping this helps me keep myself accountable. I also hope this helps me track my progress. Hopefully at the end of this I will be proud of myself and not disappointed. I am going to start Monday.

Wish me luck!


March 15, 2013

Friday Letters

    Today I am linking up with Ashley over at the Sweet Season for my very first edition of Friday Letters.

Dear Friday: Thank you for finally showing up... this was one of the slowest weeks ever. You are also the official start of my Spring Break!

Dear Cam: Thank you for being you. We had a great conversation about the future yesterday while you were cooking dinner. I love that you think about those types of things. You also always know how to make me laugh even with I am super mad at you... Also sorry for those crazy emotions. I am a girl what can I say? :)

Dear Kennedy: I can not wait for you and Kelsey to get here. Thank you for wanting to spend your weekend with me :)

Dear Baseball: I am ready for you... Please be nice to us and lets have a great baseball weekend!

Dear Sun: I am so glad you are deciding to come out today... I can not wait for the 80 degree weather you will be bringing... If you could just stick around until about December that would be fantastic.

Dear Deuce: You sure know how to make a girl feel loved. Thank you for cuddling with me while watching Duck Dynasty.



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March 9, 2013

The One & The Two

 
    I started this book by Craig Groeschel a couple months ago. I have not finished it because I have a hard time finding the time to read anything that is not a psychology textbook. Anyways, so far I have really enjoyed this book. It is super informative and you can totally hear his humor in the words. If yall have not read or listened to Craig you need to... he is the lead pastor at Life Church and he has written a handful of books.

I decided to read this book simply because it the title says "Preparing for a marriage that goes the distance". Hello... that is what we all want right? I really wish I would have read this book years ago... The first 7 chapters explain the importance of finding the one the right way. Craig is very open and candid with his story and testimony and he explains that he was the "player" in high school and college. He also explained how to break up with the "wrong" person and what not to do while dating... all things that would have been helpful in my younger years.

He emphasized order... Order matters, he states that "doing some things in the right order is essential for spiritual success". The very first priority that we should have is to Love the Lord as stated in Matthew 22:36-39. He goes on to say that without Jesus in first place {The One} the things that come next will never really work. This is why in my last post I mentioned Cam as my two and Christ as my One. That is the truth. I did not mean it in a rude or downgrading way...

Jesus is THE ONE! He is the person we should all reach out to FIRST. He is THE ONE and the ONlY ONE who will COMPLETE your soul. This really imprinted on my heart... I know that Jesus is ALWAYS the one we should call out to first, but in reality that is not what I always do. So, I have really been trying to do this more. I have been trying to turn to God first. He is THE ONE for me. He is also THE ONE for Cam. Jesus Christ is the ONLY ONE that is able to complete us.

We only love because He FIRST loved us. 1 John 4:19.


We have to receive His love before we can give any love to anyone. Craig says "His love must overtake you, envelop you, and fill you". I love this. Those words are so eloquent and truthful... seriously gives me chills.

The only way that I can fully love Cam is to fully love God. I must give Him my 100%...He wants all of it... Yall that is crazy... Our Lord wants all of me the good, the bad, and the ugly.

Back to the lesson about The Two... Craig explains that our commitment to the One and our commitment to our Two are "intricately bound together". Loving the One is critically important to finding happiness with your Two. And loving your Two is one of the best ways to love the One.

So maybe I did not do the whole order thing the right way... but I found my One and I have found my Two. The more I learn about Jesus and the more I become like Him the deeper I can love Cameron. I think that is the ultimate goal... To love like Jesus and to love Jesus.

I hope to write an additional blog post about the other important points in this book, but I feel like this one is the most important for me.


March 8, 2013

What I learned in College

    Because it is my last semester of my undergraduate career I thought it was only fitting to write about what I learned during my 4 years of college. And I find it more fitting to write posts in bullet or numbered form... they just look better right?

  1. I met THE ONE... no not Cam, he is my two and I was lucky enough to meet him in high school. My freshmen algebra professor is an angel... seriously. I plan on writing a whole post about this sometime, when the time is right. 
  2. It is perfectly fine to look like a homeless person... actually the more homeless you dress the better.
  3. Sleeping in when it is pouring outside instead of going to class is ok... actually doing this will prevent many problems... like looking like a wet dog.
  4. Grades are not the end all, be all. Those people in the real world will not give a hoot about your 3.87 GPA. Promise. 
  5. Making friends is important. Unfortunately I learned this lesson a little too late. Yes... this could be a whole post in itself too. 
  6. Believe it or not learning to live like a "broke college student" is important... it also sucks. You will get used to it... Ramen noodles will never taste good. 
  7. It is perfectly fine to eat cereal (fruit loops) for breakfast and dinner. 
  8. Work hard. Nap Hard... I might have taken these words from Uncle Si. 
  9. You can google just about every thing.
  10. It is ok to not know exactly what you want to do... that realization will come with time. 
  11. Do not schedule 8 am classes... you will not go.
  12. Also do not schedule classes on Friday, if possible. I waited until the last semester to do this... why I have no idea? No class on Fridays is the best. 
  13. Have fun. Enjoy it.






March 6, 2013

New Look

     I decided to finally sit down and try to figure out how to re-design this little blog here. Those birds and blue and yellow colors were not doing it for me anymore. Luckily I have some great friends to copy... ha! Also thanks to Pinterest and Google anyone can figure out how to do just about anything. Hope yall like the new look. It was fun and I am sure it will change again if I ever figure out how!

Baseball season has started... Actually started February 15th, I am a bit behind. I love baseball season for several reasons. (1) the sun... around this time the sun peaks out behind the winter clouds every now and then and it is awesome, (2) seeing family every weekend is fantastic, (3) eating good food every weekend is also fantastic :), (4) the crack of the bat... that sound really can put anyone in a good mood, unless that bat happens to be the other team, (5) seeing my love so happy and excited every day, and (6) baseball pants... 'nuff said :)

I also love that Cheryl (my future Mother-In-Law) takes these unbelievable pictures and shares them with me! Enjoy yall... Hope everyone is having a great week.


p.s the picture in the middle on the far right is my new favorite picture... I can just envision it on the wall of a baby boy's nursery in the very far away future ;)