Annual Meeting Day 1 & 2

Our Home Office - Notice the banners between the columns

The Riverwalk in Downtown Milwaukee

Last week I had the privilege of attending NMFN's 150th Anniversary Celebration. We left on the 22nd for Milwaukee on Midwest Airlines. If you've never flown on Midwest, I highly recommend it. They give you pretzels, drinks of course, and best of all fresh chocolate chip cookies. We arrived in Milwaukee at 6:30 and proceeded to walk 2 1/2 miles to a bowling alley, where everyone else already was. The walk took us past our Home Office and Lake Michigan. It was a beautiful day outside - the sun was setting and it was only 70 degrees. We bowled for a couple of hours then called it a night. On Sunday morning I ran in my first 5K. It was an AMAZING sight. 7,500 people ran/walked the course, which also took us around Lake Michigan. I finished in 40 minutes because I walked and ran. I'm not pleased with my time, but at least it gives me a goal to beat in the next race. While we were running, there was a plane flying around with a banner that said "Northwestern Mutual 150 Years." Crazy!

We had our first leadership session that afternoon, followed by a trip to the Milwaukee Zoo. NMFN rents the zoo each year and throws a HUGE party. There were 6 circus tents full of food, arcade games, and bands. The Oscar Mayer Wienermobile was also in attendance and people could try out to be in a commercial. All the while, the plane and banner from earlier in the day flew over the zoo.

Cassie, Me, and Stephanie on the Shuttle to the Zoo

Alex and Alex (two of the interns) in front of the rotisserie chickens

Wienermobile!

Believe it or not, Milwaukee is an awesome vacation destination. There's a Riverwalk (see picture at the top of the post) that runs through town, similar to San Antonio. The architecture is absolutely amazing. Milwaukee is the hometown of William Harley and the Davidson brothers (a.k.a. Harley-Davidson), Miller beer, and the Milwaukee Brewers. If you can't tell...I had a blast.

The drawbridge in downtown. I've never seen one that works like this.

Up next...Day 3 (maybe 4)

Happy 19th Birthday Brette!!

Habitat for Humanity

On Friday the 13th, the interns, Michael, Jason, and I worked on a Habitat for Humanity House. This was the 2nd time I have participated in Habitat for Humanity, but for many of them it was their 1st. I was told that we would be doing finishing work - landscaping, trimming, etc. Once we got there, however, we worked on siding, painting, removing rocks from the backyard, and erecting the back portion of a chainlink fence. Thankfully it was overcast outside. Even so, it was still really hot! I had also arranged for Jason's Deli to deliver boxed lunches to us. 15 minutes after the deadline I decided I would call them to make sure they were coming. We were only a little over a block away from the restaurant. When I called, they asked me if I was sure I was calling the right Jason's Deli -yes. Then they asked if I was sure I had scheduled it for that day - yes. They also asked me what address it was supposed to be delivered to - I told them it was on the order. I then asked if I could give them the order number. They said they wouldn't be able to look it up that way because it would require the use of a computer and it wasn't a good time to do that - what? I spent $180 for someone to tell me I didn't know what I was talking about and to tell me it wasn't a good time to use the computer? I proceeded to tell the gentleman that I would bring everyone up there to pick up our lunches. He said, "You're bringing 17 people up here right now?" YES!!! It all worked out in the end, but it was definitely frustrating at the time. Here are some pictures of that fun, but tiring day.

Digging out the dirt around the fencepoles.


Group Picture in Front of the House

Wheelbarrow of Rocks - These were small compared to some of them we had to remove.

Stay tuned...I just returned from our 150th Anniversary Celebration.

I will be outlining the events of each day, daily.

Rain, Rain Go Away

Here are some recent pictures of the rain. Who would have thought
Texas could be green in July?

Above: Rainclouds in Glen Rose

Flooding in Granbury...I had to pull over for 20 min. because the roads were covered with water.

Germs

I read an article today titled 100s Of Bacteria Colonies Found On DFW Playgrounds. It talks about the playgrounds at restaurants like McDonald's, Burger King, and Chuck E Cheese. I played on all of those as a child, as I'm sure most of you did as well. I survived and loved every minute of it. Most likely they hadn't done a study 25 years ago to see what kind of bacteria could be found on the playgrounds. That being said: Do you allow your children to play on them?

I have mixed feelings. I have become somewhat of a germaphobe, but I've also heard that you're not supposed to completely shelter your children from germs or they won't develop immunities.

Any thoughts?

-Recent Pictures-

Natalie and I all spruced up after The Bluebird Cafe. Natalie's one of my best friends from elementary school. She got me my current job and is now living in Nashville.

Erin and I at Razzoos - Erin's my new roommate and a great friend from high school.

Before:

After:

Just Call me Brace Face

Actually, please don't. I should have known that I was in for a treat today at the dentist's office. Due to TMJ, my teeth do not meet where they're supposed to and are quickly being ground down. In addition, in order for me to open my mouth completely I have to unhinge my jaw. That's obviously not a good thing. I am going to an orthodontist on the 3rd for my first appointment. The dentist estimated I will have to wear them for 2 years. Great! A 27 year old with braces. I know there are plenty of people who have had them in their 20s and above. The issue for me is that I never had ANY trouble with my teeth or skin in high school. What happened when I got to college? My face broke out and my teeth and jaw quickly deteriorated. Oh well, what can you do? I also found out that I have 7 flossing cavities. That doesn't mean that floss is what caused them, it's actually the exact opposite. I'm not a consistent flosser, but I will be now. Especially since it's going to cost me about $100 a tooth to fix.

Moral of this story: FLOSS, FLOSS, FLOSS!!!!

Skydiving and Dancing!

Brette and Justin (her boyfriend) went skydiving last weekend for the first time in Granbury. Donny and I went to watch, wondering why anyone in thier right mind would trust their lives to a parachute.

I also included a picture of Donny's first dance at prom. Notice the 'serious' dance face he has going on!

The black dot in the middle of this picture is the plane.

Brette on her way down

Brette's instructor, Brette, Justin, Justin's Instructor

Donny getting his groove on with the High Schoolers!

God will Provide!
(Before reading this post, see previous post if you haven't already)

Thanks for all of your encouragement after my previous post. As I was going through my mail yesterday, I found what looked like a bill from Atmos Energy. They were my gas provider when I was teaching and coaching. When I opened the 'bill' it was actually a credit of $150. I called them and they said they've been searching for me for over a year now to refund my money. What a blessing!!

Transition and Pictures from Kansas

(Beware - Long Post Ahead)

Have you ever had one of those moments in your life where you say, "Okay God. I get it. You're in charge?" I've had many of those in my lifetime, but none as poignant as last week's.

Brette got in another wreck two weeks ago. She rear ended a guy at a stop sign. I happened come upon the wreck and quickly got on the phone with the insurance company. It turns out the guy didn't want to call the police, because according to him, "They would ask if they had been drinking." He looked at his truck (a Dodge Ram) and decided that Brette's car (a Chevy Cobalt) didn't do any damage. I informed him that we would gladly pay for his car to be cleaned because he had spilled coffee when she hit him. I gave him my business card, told him to call me the next day, and we went on our way with only minor damage to Brette's car. The next morning, I received a call from him informing me that his neck now hurt and that he needed some advice as to where to go to the doctor. I tried to give him the benefit of the doubt and told him I would find out from someone where he should go. When I called him back he asked me if I would make the appt. I quickly said no, because we were not paying for any medical bills unless there was a police report filed. I let him know that in order to file the report, I needed his insurance information. He gave it to me, but called back within 5 minutes to tell me not to use it because he would get in trouble. So...I didn't file the report, especially because he said his neck was feeling better (conveniently). I didn't hear from him for another week. He called to ask if I had filed the report. - HELLO!!! You're the one that didn't want to call the police and the one that didn't want me to use the insurance information. -

I went through that with him and he decided he DID want to file a report, but he didn't have his insurance information. I'm sorry, but what an idiot!! I tried to feel sorry for this guy. I'm an eternal optimist and wanted to believe him. I can't anymore. He's called me 10 times a day at work and has been asking for Brette's information from anyone who answers the phone. The receptionist asked him to stop harassing me at work and told him no one would give him Brette's information.

In the meantime, I was called into my office last week and told that Brette no longer worked for us. I had no idea that it was coming (by choice - I wanted her to get and keep the job by herself). Even though I was shocked, I understood their reasoning (nothing serious, she just needed a little more experience). Throughout the time that I was visiting with Brette's immediate boss, I kept hearing "Just Pray, Just Pray." I was extremely worried about our finances and the fact that even if Brette found a job the next day, it would still be a couple of weeks before she got paid. As I was hearing the words "Just Pray, " I remembered that just a day before, I had received a check from Charter Cable because I had overpaid them. I had also gathered all of my books to sell to Half Price books. They were sitting at the front door ready to go, the day that she was let go. At that point I knew that God was taking care of me. I also received a call from a H.S. friend of mine asking me to meet her and her boyfriend for dinner. In casual conversation, she mentioned that she was looking for a new place to live. At that point, I joked that she could move in with me.

Fast forward to yesterday. Brette and I got into a sisterly tiff (don't we all?) and I informed her that I would like for her to move out. After a few choice words and obtaining a job (thank goodness), Brette let me know she would be moving out on Thursday. In the meantime, I called my friend to see if she would consider living with me. We met for dinner last night and discussed the details. She e-mailed me today to let me know that she will for sure be moving in. I can't wait!!

I must say that a part of me is sad that Brette will be living elsewhere. Even though we have had some rough moments, I have thoroughly enjoyed getting to know her as an adult, not just a little sister. However, this will be a better situation for both of us. She won't have to pay as much rent and feel like I'm trying to be her mom. I won't feel like I need to "parent" her and will be able to care for myself, not myself + Brette at all times.

I could go on and on about the wonderful way God has worked in my life these last two weeks, even when it seemed like nothing more could go wrong. I am practically in tears thinking about it.

Let me now switch gears to our trip to Kansas. Donny and I left on Friday to spend time with my grandma. After taking two hours to get out of the city limits (due to traffic) and 6 1/2 more hours of driving, we finally made it to Grandma's at 12:30 am. The trip was only supposed to take 5 1/2 hours. Don't you love traffic? Grandma took us to a casino on Saturday. I arrived with $100 and left with $700. I'm not going to go as far as saying God condones gambling, but once again, I felt like I was being taken care of. I'm going to let the pictures now speak for themselves.

Please keep us in your prayers. This will be a big transition for the both of us.

Donny at the Dalton gang museum

Me at the Dalton Gang Museum

Donny, Grandma, and the "Widow Women" playing Bingo.

Donny and Grandma

Me and Grandma

Love these Shoes!

Donny is the main speaker for graduation tonight, therefore he decided to buy a new suit from Dillards. Thankfully it needed to be tailored. I picked it up last night and decided to 'browse' the clearance shoe racks. I happened to find these $185 Cole-Haan shoes, marked down to $46. They are definitely the most comfortable dress shoes I've ever owned. They also have them in brown. Should I go back and get them?

Prom and Other Random Pictures

Corey and Mema toasting their nachos.

Sweet picture of Mema and Brette

The Granbury Riverboat

Donny has been the current juniors' sponsor since they were freshmen. They've been fundraising for 3 years, therefore allowing them to have Prom on The Granbury Riverboat. Because Donny was their sponsor, it meant that I got to attend Prom as his date. I must admit...I got my hair and nails done, bought a new dress, makeup and shoes. It felt so fun to "go to prom" again. We had a catered meal, a 3 hour cruise, and more dancing than we could handle. To top off the night, we were treated with fireworks. Awesome! I've only gotten one camera developed so I'll be posting some additional pictures in a week or so. Until then, enjoy!

Before Prom at Grand March

Zoey's such a doll!


On the boat before dinner


On the boat after dinner - FYI...That's Donny's principal in the picture. Not cool!

And now...Donny's got some work to do on his farmer's tan. I always joke about it, but I'm just jealous that he tans so easily.

Happy Birthday Kenny (today) & Jennifer (the 27th) !

Jennifer and Kenny are very special to me. I have known them almost 8 years now. Jennifer and I met first at ACU. We were acquaintances up until we took a class called P.E. for Elementary Teachers. One day as I was sitting several rows away from her, I heard her say she worked at a camp. The next thing I heard was "It's a Presbyterian camp." Because ACU is affiliated with the Church of Christ, most of the students attended Church of Christ camps. Imagine my surprise when I found out Jennifer was Presbyterian also. I quickly asked her if she was talking about Prairie Valley and Gilmont, two camps that I attended as a child. At that point, I was a sophomore and unsure of what I was going to do during the summer. Jennifer told me that she was the Assistant Director and there were still positions available for counselors. Within a day, I received an application from her and sent it off. In the meantime, Jennifer introduced me to Kenny, a wonderful man, who quickly became a great friend as well. To make a long story short, I was offered the job and had one of the most amazing experiences of my life. I worked at camp for 4 years with Jennifer and 3 with Kenny.

I have come to love Jennifer and Kenny like they were family. I have been with them through their engagement, marriage, the birth of their son, and now the excitement of expecting their daughter in August. Kenny is in Princeton Seminary and only has 1 year left. I can't wait for them to move back to Texas!

Happy Birthday! I love you guys!!

Mother's Day

Bottom Row: Aunt Suzy, Mom, Mema, Aunt Marie

Middle Row: Sarah, Me

Back Row: Corey, Uncle Joe, Jeff, Terry

Apparently Corey, Uncle Joe, Terry and I were the only ones who took the silly picture "seriously."

Mother's Day weekend was great for everyone. Corey came in on Thursday and we headed straight for Mom's. On Friday, Corey went to school with Mom, then went to Mema's and helped her make pies. Saturday, we all got together to have a Mother's Day lunch since Corey was leaving at 7:00 Sunday morning. This was the first Mother's Day where Mom, Corey, Brette and I were together.

Happy Belated Mother's Day to all of you mothers out there!

My Brother's Coming to Town!

Today I'm picking Corey up from the aiport. It's been almost a year since I last saw him. Crazy!! I'm excited that Donny will finally get to meet him and that we'll be able to spend more than a couple of hours together.

Tornado Warning

Today the tornado sirens went off for the second time in less than two weeks. We all proceeded to the stairwell, where they told us everything was 'clear' after about 10 minutes. It was weird calling people and letting them know that there was a chance that a tornado might touch down somewhere near our office. Luckily that didn't happen and now all we have to worry about is wind, rain, and hail.

Poor Amanda...

For those of you who didn't watch last night's episode of The Bachelor, Amanda was not given a rose. I thought she blew her chances when she told him the most romantic date she'd ever been on was on the show. That might have been the case, but I'm not sure that that was the best answer she could have given. Does anyone besides me think that for such a handsome guy, he has NO personality? He's awkward and he CRIED. He CRIED for goodness sake. I'm totally okay with guys crying, but on The Bachelor, and on the 3rd episode? Give me a break.

Monday night = Bachelor watching party

I actually know someone on The Bachelor. This is the first time I've ever known anyone on T.V., except for when my sister qualified for the Junior National Jump Rope Championships and was on ESPN. Amanda graduated from Grandview a year earlier than me and also went to ACU. We've decided we're going to track her progress by having weekly parties at my friend Erin's house. Have you ever known anyone on T.V.?

What should I do when counting

sheep won't even work?

I was finally able to go to sleep at 5, after cleaning out a junk drawer, organizing a new calendar (please send me your birthdays), and updating my blog. My eyes are really tired, but other than that I feel great. Hopefully this is not going to happen on a daily basis.

It's 3:30 A.M.

And I'm awake. As a matter of fact, I've been awake since 2:00. I'm completely exhausted, yet can't go back to sleep. It might have to do with the fact that I'm coughing like crazy. I read in a magazine that Whooping Cough has come back. It said if you are around children, especially babies, and you're between the ages of 11 and 64, you should get a new vaccine. I'm not sure what a Whooping Cough sounds like, but I can imagine. This all started with a tickle in my throat a couple of weeks ago. No pain, just a tickle. I would cough when I yawned or laughed, but that was it. It's now developed into a full-fledged, hacking, smoker's cough (sidenote: I do NOT smoke, but have always had a smoker's voice and cough). Do any of you have a suggestion as to what over-the-counter cough medicine works the best?

I'm going to make one last attempt to sleep. If I'm not asleep by 4:00, I guess I'm going to stay up. I think my dad must have cursed me. For as long as I can remember, he's gotten up at 3:00 or 4:00 in the morning to read the paper and drink coffee. I am definitely a morning person, but not one who wants to get up at 3 or 4 to prepare for the day.

Check out my Slide Show!

Blades of Glory

Donny and I went to see Blades of Glory this weekend. It was a typical Will Ferrell movie - hilarious at times and dumb at others. I would recommend it though.

My weekend was pretty uneventful. We signed the papers on Brette's car on Saturday morning then went to eat with our grandma and aunt. I then decided to surprise Donny and take him to a movie and dinner.

Today, I've pretty much been a bum. I ran some errands and layed (laid?) out since the weather is so nice.

I'm still enjoying the LASIK procedure. On Tuesday, I was seeing 20/15 which is considered better than perfect. It's still hard for me to believe that less than two weeks ago I was unable to see the E on the chart without contacts or glasses. I don't have to wear the goggles anymore (thank goodness) and I'm able to wear makeup. I took a picture on Easter with the goggles on, but it hasn't been developed yet. I'll be sure to post a picture when I get one.

Update

Sorry again that it's been so long since I last posted. I kept thinking I would post when I had pictures to go with what I wrote, but as of today, I have 5 cameras waiting to be developed. So...here's a rundown of the last month.

-Around the first week of March, Brette a 2003 Hyundai Sonata. She loved the car because it was fully loaded with a sunroof. It probably wouldn't have been her first choice, but beggars can't be choosers, right!? Anyway, two weeks ago, while I was in Lubbock, I received a phone call saying the dealership had messed up the paperwork and the lender had backed out. They told me that Brette would need to bring the car in (on a Friday night) so that they could inventory it. They also told me that I could come in on Monday to finalize my part of the paperwork. At that point, I thought everything was taken care of.

That was until I got back to Dallas and received a call from Brette saying they wouldn't let her leave with the car. By that point I was furious! It was not her fault that they made a mistake, they had lied to me, and they wanted her to go without a car until I could come sign the paperwork. I told them they needed to give her a ride home and I would try to get there by 9:00 that night. This was after my plane was delayed and it took them 45 minutes to unload our luggage. I had also planned on being at Donny's by 8:00 because we had to leave early the next day for a wedding. I drove to Fort Worth in the POURING rain, ran some errands, and made it to the dealership by 8:30. As I was pulling in I decided to call the two managers I had been working with only to find out that they were both gone for the day. WHAT??? By the time I walked in the door and was SOAKED, I told them I wasn't signing anything and that they needed to give us everything out of the car and they could have it back. Of course, they couldn't find the keys, so we had to return the next day.

To make a VERY long story short, we were actually glad to give the car back because the 'check engine' light came on only two weeks after Brette had the car. Since then, she's gotten a Chevy Cobalt that she absolutely loves. As we speak, they are adding a sunroof and power windows and locks.

Bottom line: DON'T go to Toyota of Fort Worth, DO go to Hillard Used Cars and talk to Chris

-I'm finally done traveling for a little while. I love traveling, but it's nice to be in my own bed for more than 2 days a week. On a side note, I left some of my clothes at the Marriott in Waco and they mailed them to me free of charge! Who would have guessed?

-Donny and I went to a wedding a couple of weeks ago for two of his friends. The wedding was at the groom's parents' lake house. It was beautiful! I got to meet a lot of his friends that he went to high school with and their parents.

-My 87 year old grandmother fell at the fitness center last week and broke her hand and one of her ribs. She's about as good as can be expected, but I think it kind of shook her up. Luckily she's in really good shape for an 87 year old and nothing else major happened. She even drove herself home right afterwards. I guess that's where I get my stubbornness from!

-The greatest thing that has happened recently, was that I got LASIK done on my eyes. One of my New Year's Resolutions was to get LASIK done by the end of the year. I went in for a consultation last Monday and by the time I left, I had scheduled my surgery for Friday morning. My mom and I stayed in a hotel on Thursday because I had to be there at 4:30 in the morning. I went to a follow-up appointment on Saturday and the doctor said I was already seeing 20/20. I can't believe it! It's so weird to get out of bed and be able to see everything. The only drawback is that I have to wear cute goggles every time I go outside for a week. Donny and my dad say that I look like Curt Rambus (apparently an NBA player that used to wear goggle-like glasses on the court). I am also not allowed to wear makeup for a week. I can do without it if it means I can see without contacts or glasses!

Sorry!

I know it's been almost a month since I've posted. I am going to write a LONG post tonight to catch everyone up. I hope you all had a WONDERFUL Easter, despite the cold!

Fort Lauderdale, Here I Come!!

Tomorrow morning at 6:30, my flight will leave for a place that looks similar to this:

Ok, so there probably won't be mountains in the background, but I am VERY excited about getting to see the Atlantic Ocean for the first time. I've been fortunate enough with my job to visit all sorts of new places, Fort Lauderdale being one of them. My flight arrives at 10:30, allowing me to spend the rest of the day relaxing on the beach. On Thursday, I have a conference and will fly back that night. Even though it's a quick trip, it will be fun just to get away.

On Saturday, I'm getting to see Kenny, Jennifer, and Kennan, as Kennan is turning 2! It's so hard to believe that he's already 2. It seems like just yesterday Jennifer called me to let me know they were ready to have children. Then, not too long after that, I remember receiving the call that they were expecting Kennan. I am so thankful for their friendship and can't wait to spend the afternoon with them. Here's a picture of their precious family. They've got one more on the way too!!

For those of you who have Spring Break this week, I hope you enjoy it!

3rd Time's a Charm?

Yesterday was the 3rd time in a month I was fortunate enough to go to the ER. Ok, so maybe fortunate is not the word to use, especially when it involved my leg being lanced and packed. Apparently I developed a strep infection in my leg that probably started as a small cut from shaving. I originally thought I had been bitten by a spider so I decided I should go to the doctor. The first doctor diagnosed me as having an infection, but gave me medicine that was ineffective when treating strep or staph infections. So...that led to my trip to the ER yesterday. The infection had grown to cover the entire inside of my left thigh. I am off work for two days and will have to remove the packing tomorrow.

Other than that, life's been pretty crazy. I'm out of the office 3-4 days a week so I feel like I'm never caught up. We're looking for an assistant so if you know of anyone that wants to work a couple of days a week let us know.

Fun Times in the Lubbock Airport

Okay, not really. My flight was originally scheduled to leave at 11:40 this morning. On Friday, after my extreme lack of sleep, I decided that there was no way that I would be able to make it to the aiport by 11:40. As a result, I changed my flight to 2:50. Thank goodness I did! We didn't even get to the airport this morning until 11:30. Those of you who know me, know I hate being late. I had no desire to rush through security and run to the 11:40 flight.

So...I compromised and made it on the 2:05 flight. Until then, I'm sitting in the airport bar because there isn't a Chili's or Friday's. Apparently this is the best place to get food (unless I want Burger King or Pizza Hut). I had some chicken strips that were decent. The diet coke is a little flat though.

We had a great turnout at the career fair and I interviewed some excellent candidates this morning.

I'm turning around and leaving for New Orleans tomorrow at 9:50. I was already nervous about going because it's Mardi Gras week, but now I'm especially nervous because there was a tornado there last night. Oh boy!

Hello from Texas Tech

I just arrived in Lubbock in order to prepare for the Tech Career Fair and On-Campus Interviews. When I left Dallas it was raining like crazy. It's nice and sunny here. The wind is blowing pretty hard, but that's to be expected. What's Lubbock without tumbleweeds blowing across the road?

I ended up spending two days in the ER last week. On Thursday night I woke up about 2:00 and couldn't go back to sleep. At 3:00 Brette woke me up saying she had a really bad pain in her back. I blamed it on overexertion and tried to go back to sleep. I then heard her sobbing in the living room so I knew it was serious. In the time it took me to get dressed to take her to the ER, she said the pain had relented. So...I told her I'd go to Walgreens or Wal-Mart to get her some medicine and heating pads. I drove all over the west side of Fort Worth and NOTHING was open at 3:00 in the morning - not Walgreens, Wal-Mart, Tom Thumb, Albertson's, CVS or Target. I was heading back to the apartment when she called to tell me the pain was back. After that we loaded up in the car and headed back to Baylor Medical Center. She was obviously in a lot of pain and they determined after a CT scan that she had kidney stones. If you've never had kidney stones, you cannot imagine the pain that they cause. I had them in college and hope to never have them again. We ended up being in the ER from 4:00 to 7:00 in the morning. My mom came up and took care of Brette while I went to work. I probably would have taken the day off due to my lack of sleep, but I had a HUGE meeting that day.

Brette's okay now, it was just a rough week for the both of us. First the wreck and then the kidney stones. What are the chances?

Experiences in the ER

Brette progressively began to feel worse, as can be expected when involved in a major accident. I got several calls (she couldn't get out of bed to come get me) throughout the night informing me that she was becoming more and more stiff. I was worried, but not extremely worried until she told me that she thought she was having a migraine. Brette usually doesn't get headaches, let alone migraines.

I went into work this morning but decided to leave at noon to take her to the minor emergency clinic. Because she was involved in an accident they refused to see her. So off we went to the emergency room. They got us in very quickly but that was about all that happened quickly. We sat behind the curtain in "Bed 5" for almost 6 hours. In that time we heard two people get diagnosed with appendicitis and one get diagnosed with pneumonia due to congestive heart failure. One thing I realized is that there are a lot of people out there who do not have someone else to rely on in times of need. One lady was asked if she wanted to be resuscitated if she were to flatline. She couldn't make up her mind because she hadn't yet discussed that option with her husband, who was her roommate in the nursing home. It broke my heart to hear her say, "Help me. Someone please help me!"

Mrs. Mason, know that there was someone on the other side of the curtain praying for you and the decisions that you and your family will have to make. God bless you!

Wrecked....

My poor sister! Brette just got a car on Sunday. Mike bought it for her and brought it down from California. We were both excited because we've been sharing my car for almost 6 months now. With my new position and Brette's new job with us, we had to figure something out. She couldn't get a new car, because she had no credit. So...Mike found her a '96 Toyota Corolla with only 79,000 miles on it for almost nothing. It was in perfect condition. The interior looked brand new and it worked like new. He drove down here on Sunday, we had dinner and then she drove off into the wild blue yonder. Until...

Today, when a guy decided to hit her from behind going 40 mph while she was stopped at a stoplight. The impact crushed her back end, folded her hood, caused her to hit her head on the steering wheel and hit the guy in front of her. I feel so sorry for her! I remember what it felt like to get my first car. I also remember what it felt like to get in my first wreck. She didn't get a ticket but the guy that hit her got three. He didn't have a license or insurance and he got a ticket for hitting her.

I am so thankful that in all of that she wasn't seriously hurt. The guy said his brakes went out and that he had only gotten the car a couple of hours earlier. Sketchy? Sounds like it.

I'm not sure what will happen now. We simply can't function with only 1 car. If any of you have a car that is for sale or have a personal friend who's a car salesman/dealer please let me know. I'd definitely like to see if there's something we can work out.

Please pray for Brette and everyone involved, that they won't be in too much pain in the next days and weeks to come.

3 Degrees is COLD!

Last week I was given the unique opportunity to attend training in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Who goes to Milwaukee in the middle of January, you ask? Apparently anyone and everyone who wants to learn more about our internship. It truthfully didn't feel 3 degrees until the wind started blowing. Our home office is beautiful! It's right on Lake Michigan and has amazing views. Most people I've talked to say there's not much to see in Milwaukee. I guess for someone like me, who hasn't done much traveling, it was great. I loved the old buildings and churches and seeing snow everywhere I looked.

Next week, I will be at Texas Tech on Monday and Tuesday, and then in New Orleans for some meetings from Wednesday through Saturday. This is the busiest time of year for me since college is back in session.

Before I forget...GOOD NEWS! I now have a laptop so I'll be able to post more often!

---------------------------------

Donny got a new truck! It's awesome, it's affordable, and his TrailBlazer was about to fall apart. My favorite part about it is it has heated seats. The picture doesn't even do it justice!

---------------------------------

Check out the following video of Father Guido Sarducci's "5 Minute University." Once you click on the link, hit play and turn up your volume.

http://lazowska.cs.washington.edu/scienceforum/tsld085.htm

Sorry this post is so random. Hopefully I've covered everything!

Christmas has Come and Gone

I can't believe Christmas is already over. It seems like yesterday I was shopping for last minute gifts and stocking stuffers. I love Christmas and all of our family traditions. This year, new traditions were added as we spent Christmas with Donny's brother and sister-in-law and their family. I am looking forward to continuing old traditions and adding some of my own in the future.

On Dec. 30th, my cousin Jennifer got married. The reception site was about 5 miles away from the church. Unfortunately, we were not given permission to decorate the reception hall until 6:00, with the wedding beginning at 7:00. On the way to the reception site, we all became lost and didn't arrive until 6:15. We decorated for 30 minutes, then had to leave to make sure we arrived at the wedding on time. We also got lost on the way back and had to make a big circle around town to find the church. We finally arrived at exactly 7:00 for a beautiful ceremony. The reception was beautiful as well! Jennifer and Brian had a great DJ and everyone danced the night away. There are some cute pictures of Donny and my grandma dancing on the photographer's website. It is located at www.julieannphotography.com under current clients/Jennifer and Brian's wedding.

On New Year's Eve, Donny and I opted for a night at Woody's Tavern here in Fort Worth. I had never been there, but Donny assured me it would be a fun place to spend our evening. We got a seat at the bar (after having to spend $20 to get in) and asked if we could play trivia. They gave us the keypads and I beat Donny 6 games to 1. He may be able to beat me everytime we go bowling, but I've got him beat when it comes to trivia.

This past Friday, Donny's basketball team (undefeated) played their toughest district opponent (also undefeated). There was never more than a 7 point lead for either team and fortunately, Donny's team won by 3 at the buzzer. It was incredible! I love watching him coach and the feeling of confidence in his ability to call the right plays at the right times.

They are now 1st in District and will be going to the playoffs! Congratulations!!