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.