weekend recap.

I'm not sure where all the time is going these days.. I miss having the time to blog!!!

This past week Jery was in Virgina visiting his family! He had a great time, but I think he wishes he would have stayed longer! He got home Friday morning about 3 and later that afternoon we headed to San Antonio. *I personally don't know how he can stand being in a car, but he's a great sport*

Friday night we celebrated my cousin's birthday and then Samson and I went to visit my best friend! Emilee has a Godlendoodle - a golden and a standard poodle! He is huge and fluffy! Samson and Tucker are a month apart and both love to play with dogs their own size! Samson lives with little Miss Harlii and Tucker lives with two miniature Schnauzers! They played GREAT!

Saturday was spent preparing for and taking bridal portraits! Mom and I both had a lot of fun, and can't wait to see how they turned out!!! We were both exhausted by the time we went home and went to bed super early!

Sunday morning mom and I went to my bridal shower. My AMAZING aunts *Linda and Jenny* threw me an incredible bridal shower! They went all out! I LOVE it! I left there feeling so blessed to have such wonderful family members who would do all that for me! I promise to post pictures as soon as they send them to me!

Afterward we hit the road again! Back to Abilene for a few days! Later this week we are headed to the NASCAR race with some friends! It might be the last one we see live for a while so we're pretty excited!

And then the week we have been waiting for will be here!!! Jery's family and friends will be heading down and our wedding is THURSDAY!!! EEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!

home.

I'm stuck home while Jery is out explore the mountains in Virginia. One day I'll be able to pick up and leave whenever I want.. but while I'm still in school I can't. Jery went to visit some family that lives in a beautiful part of the country! *I'm only slightly jealous...another 18 road trip wouldn't be too fun though!*

Things have been pretty quiet with him gone, and I think I am finally caught up on school work! Maybe by the time he gets home I'll have caught up on house keeping duties!

I can not believe how close it is to the wedding!!!!! I've starting making plans for when everyone is in town! We WILL be touring parts of San Antonio!!! I pick my dress up tomorrow and have bridal portraits on Saturday!!!!!

I am going to take advantage of the opportunity and head to bed early! I'll post pictures when Jery gets home with the camera!

thankful heart.

Driving home tonight I stopped and realized all the things I have to be thankful for. I love those moments when God stops you in your tracks and reminds you how lucky you are. I am a very fortunate person and I sometimes forget that.

I am thankful that Jery and I are healthy and happy.

I am thankful that the truck situation has worked out in an amazing way.

I am thankful that I have a supportive husband who encourages me in every way.

I am thankful that I will have a degree in May.

I am thankful for my friends and family who are wonderful and supportive.

I am thankful to know my Lord and Savior.

I am thankful that my apartment has AC again.

I am thankful/span> for my dogs that bring so much joy to my heart.

I am thankful for life.

samson.

Samson and Mona! She is full grown, he was about six months and practically the same size!!!


At my moms begging to be let in..


Samson is rather spoiled... he LOVES a clean bed and will lay in his crate forever when his bed is clean.. he'll lay in our bed when it's not.

Samson is our eight month old Great Dane. He's a fantastic dog. He is a first for us both, and we have fallen in love with the bread. He was a trooper on the drive to Illinois and had a blast while we were there! We could let him outside and he knew to stay in the yard! *AMAZING for a dog who lives in an apartment!*

Today I decided that I am going to begin training him to be a therapy dog! I am doing some volunteer work with the Pet therapy department of a local hospital! It is incredible! One of the ladies who works in the department told me that this type of therapy originated in England!!! I am super excited and hope that he will be able to be a therapy dog in England some day!! Most places require that the dog be at least a year old.. so we have a little while before he'll be able to, but I'm gonna start working with him! He has the perfect personality and temperament to do something like this, and it will be great socialization for him!!

I am taking Jery to their pet visitation on Sunday and praying that he agrees this is something we should do!

I am so amazed at the doors God is opening in our lives and I am excited about what He has planned for us in England!

home coming.

As a military wife I know a particular kind of home coming. The excitement in standing there amongst a bunch of other military families..waiting.. Waiting to see the ones we have been missing for so long. Waiting to touch them, hug them, hold them, kiss them.. The tears that flow in that moment when they say their plane has landed.. they are within feet from the building. The joy that is present when the first one walks through the door.. The type of home coming that is unimaginable, that seems to take forever to get here but is worth every second when they are in your arms again.

But as Christians we have another home coming celebration.

I sat in chapel a few weeks ago and listened to a great message. The speaker had a great point I'm sure, but that is not what I remember. At some point during the message the speaker used the words - home coming - in reference to a Christian being united with Christ. I was captivated by God's voice from this point on.

This world is not my home and one day I will leave this place and rest in my eternal home - Heaven.

If you know how incredible a military home coming celebration is, imagine what kind of celebration we will have in Heaven. When our Lord and Savior, our Creator, the King of Kings is doing the planning. I can not even fathom what that celebration will be like. I know it will be incredible. Look at the second picture of the father reaching for his daughter. Imagine that It is Jesus reaching out for you, His child. Beckoning you to run into his arms.. how amazing will that moment be.

Jesus says in John 18:36 "My kingdom is not of this world. If it were, my servants would fight to prevent my arrest by the Jews. But now my kingdom is from another place."

One day we will rest in His Kingdom, and we are promised that His Kingdom is not of this world. This world can be a dark and scary place, full of disaster and disease.. but as Christians we know our time here is short..

What an amazing God we have. We each get our very own Heaven home coming.

oklahoma.

I despise you.

Can you do that? Truly despise a state?! I don't know... but I think from now on I will opt to avoid Oklahoma. It is a dreadful state! I have several friends who are from Oklahoma and they promise me it is a wonderful place. I just can't agree.

The very first time I drove through Oklahoma it was AWFUL! We were in an RV and we eventually had to pull off the road and wait for the storm to pass. My uncle pulled off the road... he NEVER stops on a road trip.. and it was bad enough to make him stop. I honestly thought the RV was going to be blown over.

The second time I drove through Oklahoma again.. AWFUL! Jery and I were headed to Illinois... driving 30 MPH on the highway because we couldn't see two feet in front of us..

The last time I drove through Oklahoma.. we got sideswiped at 70 MPH! In a vehicle that should potentially be getting on a boat to sail away to England.. LOVELY. and the crazy highway patrol didn't even file a report.. I mean honestly! We didn't just call you out here because we wanted to meet you.

I refuse to drive through Oklahoma again. I think I may actually be in luck seeing as we are moving to England and will probably not drive from Texas to Illinois again.. or at least not for years.. and at that time flying will be my first option.

Like I said I have great friends from Oklahoma.. it is not necessarily the people.. although the gentleman who hit us was........an interesting person.

It's the state!

ending.

I am still amazed at how fast time is flying by. I feel like we just got to Illinois and tomorrow we'll be packing to go home. Spring break is ending and I'm kinda sad.

The week before spring break we had a departmental chapel. They read us this little story:

Is Your Hut Burning?

The only survivor of a shipwreck was washed up on a small, uninhabited island. He prayed feverishly for God to rescue him, and every day he scanned the horizon for help, but none seemed forthcoming.

Exhausted, he eventually managed to build a little hut out of driftwood to protect him from the elements, and to store his few possessions.

But then one day, after scavenging for food, he arrived home to find his little hut in flames, the smoke rolling up to the sky. The worst had happened; everything was lost. He was stunned with grief and anger. "God, how could you do this to me!" he cried.

Early the next day, however, he was awakened by the sound of a ship that was approaching the island. It had come to rescue him. "How did you know I was here?" asked the weary man of his rescuers. "We saw your smoke signal," they replied.

It is easy to get discouraged when things are going bad. But we shouldn't lose heart, because God is at work in our lives, even in the midst of pain and suffering. Remember, next time your little hut is burning to the ground it just may be a smoke signal that summons the grace of God.

I think it is a great reminder of how easy it is to forget that things are in God's hands. We were asked to think about our life. When will our hut burn? The week before spring break - amidst the tests and papers due - or after spring break - in the last stretch to graduation. I know that the next few months are going to be hectic and busy. My hut is going to burn after spring break. I think that is why it is sad that it's ending.

It's not easy knowing that it could be a while before we are back here. We live a different way of life when we are here. Partly because we are on vacation when we are here, but partly because the way of life here is completely different than what we are used to. It's relaxing. I know that Jery enjoys being here, and that leaving here will be even harder this time. We know that we will come back to the states.. we just don't know when. I will probably come back more often and sooner than Jery, but again we don't know when that will be. It's easy to say bye to people when you know that in a given period of time you will see them again. Not so when you aren't sure when that will be.. months.. years..

Anyway.. reality is knocking on my door and I would rather avoid it. But being the military wife that I am.. I will put on my big girl panties and get done the things that have to get done. And pray that it does all get done.

Just remember - if your hut is burning.. God has a plan.

monday in illinois.

We are having a wonderful...relaxing time in Illinois!

We had a party on Saturday night to celebrate our marriage! Someone had the bright idea that we should feed each other cake....oh goodness. We were both being nice and polite until Jery decided to smear BLUE icing all over my face...So I quickly scooped up some icing and rubbed it all over his face! Then proceeded to make him promise he wouldn't do this again at our wedding *I was fine with it in my jeans and shirt.. my wedding dress.... I doubt I'd be so thrilled* I am sad to say that the only pictures from this endeavor came our blurry..

The next morning I took Michael to the train station bound to Chicago. He went to visit his sister for a few days! Later in the day we drove to Iowa *I love how outside of Texas you can actually travel from state to state*.. The Mississippi River divides Illinois and Iowa, and every winter it is home to lots of bald eagles. Apparently they leave on "March 1st" so we were a few days late! We did get to see a couple though.. It is pretty incredible.

here is one of the eagles..

Today we took Chris out to Argyle State Park outside of Jery's home town.. It is beautiful. It is covered in pine trees.. I could sit out there and read a book all day smelling the pine enjoying the peace and quiet.

This is a "water hose" in Illinois.. look at all the pine trees in the background.

I <3>

We also went down to the "old bridge" out by his moms.. It's has been closed for some time now, but gives you a since of adventure when you walk across it..

If you look close you can see the water flooding...

Probably the best part of the trip thus far however has been a gift from mother nature. Something that is almost annoying to them here, but something we don't seen often in Texas..

*RAIN*

I can honestly say that it has been blissful to open the window and listen to the rain.. One might think it would be a damper on a spring break vaca.. but not in my eyes.. I was amazed at how long it has been since I've seen rain.. I wish I could just bottle it up and bring it home with me! The ground here is soaked.. even just walking around you can feel how saturated the ground is!

Samson and Harlii are doing great! They are enjoying the wide open spaces and behaving quite well! We let Samson outside and he runs all around but stays pretty close to the house.. aside from constantly getting muddy *from the glorious rain* he stays out of trouble! They are both awe struck by the cats, but the cats are so found of them.. but I am thankful they are being good!

here is the little man enjoying life in the street..

Kimmie wasn't too sure about them at first.. but she's coming around!

after a long day of running and playing... please notice that he covers three fourths of a queen size bed....

Illinois.

WE MADE IT!

After a slightly long..restless drive we made it to Jery's mom's. We left Abilene about 4 yesterday afternoon and got here about 6 am! Samson spent about 5 hours in the bed of the truck.. which didn't go well so we let him ride in the cab the rest of the way *four people, one jack russell, one great dane, one truck, lots of miles... SNUG*!

We slept for a few hours and are now showering and getting ready for the day! I have not seen Samson and Harlii this spunky in forever!!!!! Samson just begs to be outside and runs like crazy! His mom lives out in the country with a pretty big plot of land so he has all the room he wants!

unproductive.

Today, the day before we leave for spring break in Illinois, was suppose to be a super productive day. It has turned out to be the complete opposite.

This is what we should have. Packed bags.

.....We haven't gone to get our suitcases from the storage unit.


I did do laundry. Slightly important since it hasn't been done in two weeks.. In the midst of laundry I discovered I suck at this -
Seeing that I have been unproductive today.. Jery's shirts weren't taken to the dry cleaners. Therefore I was left to iron them.. that didn't go so well. Thank goodness for ABUs that don't need to be ironed, and dry cleaners for shirts that do.

Well we are off to play catch up on the things I haven't accomplished today. I have such a wonderful and understanding husband.

flowers.

I have never been a huge fan of flowers. Bottom line: they die. They are so pretty and exciting when you first get them and then shortly after they die. Very sad.

I do however love roses. They are beautiful and can be dried. I still have every rose I have ever gotten at my moms house!

But I have found a new love in flowers. tulips.

They are absolutely beautiful. I am afraid they don't last long and sure they aren't a good flower for drying, but that is ok. ACU always plants new flowers for special events, and the latest one was Sing Song. They put these huge pots outside the campus center and planted red tulips. They really are such a pretty flower!

So aside from my new love of tulips.. I want a garden. Jery and I have been talking about all the things we are going to do when we move to England.. I want to go see every garden in the entire country! And I want to plant my own! I'm not sure how well this will work with Mr. Samson roaming around, but I'm going to attempt!!

Just my random thoughts for the day. Enjoy.

pictures.

Just a couple new pictures of our pups... Samson has gotten HUGE! They had just gotten baths and were running around without collars...

Miss Harlii!

Mr. Samson

He has such a fun personality!

I mentioned in another blog that we celebrated Noah's first birthday this Sunday.. here are some pictures from that..

He was excited to have accomplished a child's toy... GO CHRIS!

The sweet Becker family... Noah was tired of pictures by this point.

Singing happy birthday to Noah!

Emily and I!

He is an ADORABLE one year old!

Joslyn and Haily!

silly.

I attend an interesting university.

University policy - MWF you are allowed 9 absences before being dropped from the class - sounds fair.
My 400 level, senior class - you are allowed 9 absences before being dropped from this class.
My 100 level, freshman theater class - you are allowed 5 absences before being dropped a letter grade.

Please someone explain to me how it is that I can miss 9 classes of a high level seemingly important class, but I can only miss 5 of a silly theater class that contributes NOTHING to my field of study.

Here is my dilemma - I have missed this theater class three times thus far in the semester. All for things that I could not avoid. I have legitimate proof that I was somewhere that required me to miss this class. I have two more school project that will be approved by the university that are going to require me to miss this class. And my wedding. So because I am participating in school activities, went to the doctor, and was required to attend a meeting I am going to get a B at best in this silly class. I understand that I could have moved my wedding around and not had to miss class, but that is only once absence. There should be no reason why this particular teacher makes up his own attendance policy. If you are an upper level class that is important for one's career field.... make up all the attendance policies you want. However, if you are a freshman level required class don't be ridiculous. Accept university forms as a reason for me not to be in your class and don't drop my grade. Get over yourself and stop pretending that any of us care about your class.

That is my soap box for today. *still a great post to come*

downhill.

It has been made clear to me that my blogging skills have been lacking this week! I have found myself with a to-do list that is never ending. I have also found guilt for blogging instead of being productive. I'm not exactly sure what to do about either of these problems, but I'm certain that God will guide me from now till May and every day that follows.

We are headed to Illinois this week, and I think the excitement is making it difficult to concentrate. It never fails that the week before spring break is the craziest week of the semester *I might beg to differ come finals week which is also conveniently our last week in the states..but for now we'll stick to this* It is a busy week in school, but also at home. We are addressing more invitations than we know what to do with, we are attempting to pack and get everything ready for Illinois, I have several volunteer duties this week, I have tests and papers all week, and Jery, aside from working crazy hours, is attending briefings on how to have a "smooth move"... I have begun to realize that we are in the downhill slope of these months. The last three months seem to have flown by and I have a feeling the next three will go even faster. Busy weeks and busier weekends between now and the day we board a plane.

We have made a decision that our dogs will not be joining us in May. The cost of bringing them to England before they have completed their quarantine time is unreal and frankly not worth it. They will be staying in Texas until sometime in July. I attempt to keep these thoughts farthest from my mind, but know that the day we leave will be harder knowing we won't see them for a couple months. Again.. God will get me through those days too!

I went to a couple doctors appointments on Friday to work on my medical clearance! As soon as the doctor faxes those papers we will be ready to go before the board! We also went to my sweet sweet baby cousin Noah's birthday party this weekend! Last year around this time we were all frantic. He did not have the easiest birth and spent several days follwoing his birth in the NICU! Today, however, he is a beautiful, healthy, ADORABLE one year old! As soon as we figure out how to get pictures off our new camera I will post some pictures from his party!

Now I must go and study statistics. I have an interesting blog coming for all your military folks.