Dear Weekend, Why must you be over?

Just when I thought you were starting, you're over again! What did I do to you? I thought we were friends?

Really, I guess it's not as bad as I'm making it out to be, but I'm just feeling so many emotions about the coming week. I'm nervous about my new school and excited at the same time. I'm dreading this assignment that I'm working on finishing that is a BIG chunk of my semester grade. I'm wishing Thursday was already here and I mean 5:30 Thursday when my classes are over and we hopefully get to go to the Hall.


So Saturday night, Quade took me to see When in Rome which was vey cute! There were some unexpected cameos in the movie that made it even better but I don't want to say who because I was happy I hadn't known before seeing the movie. So go see it!

I also got to watch the movie 500 Days of Summer with my sister and all I can say is AHHHHHHHHHH!!!! Not because I watched it with my sister because that was the great part...I hated it!! If you believe in true love DO NOT SEE THIS MOVIE! I really like Zooey Deschanel as an actress..especially in Yes Man. But, in this movie she played the part of a woman who didn't believe in true love too well. I'm BIG into the chick flick, love story movies so I guess I should've listened closer to the narrator guy at the beginning of the movie when he said "This is not a love story." If you're intrigued and think you'll disagree with me then by all means see it, but I can't get it out of my head and that's in a bad way. If you have seen it please let me know what you think. I felt soooo sorry for Joseph Gordon-Levitt's character big time! It does show that they are both good actors/actresses but I still don't agree.

Oh Thursday, Thursday

This was week two of my methods Thursday and even though it was better than week one I was still so drained. I have looked forward to and dreaded today for one main reason and that's to get my assigned placement school for the semester. I will be at Crockett Elementary in Bryan FINALLY in a second grade class!



I have been wanting a second grade class all along because it is my grade that I would love to teach. Another awesome thing is it is right by the apartment complex that Quade and I are planning to live at when we get married. Now, I know it's early to be thinking this way, but I'm hoping that I'll like this school and teacher so much that I can request her for my student teaching in the Fall. Then if I have experience with the school for methods and student teaching maybe my chances of getting a job with them will be high! Very wishful thinking I know but I'll have a better idea this time next week if I still want this dream.

Tomorrow, Quade and I are going to look at the reception hall for the wedding and pay the deposit to make it official!! I'm so excited that things are coming together so nicely. I'm hoping over the weekend I can make even more progress. :)

Bye bye cruise wedding...Hello dream wedding!!

I FINALLY CONVINCED MY PARENTS INTO MY FRAME OF MIND! And yes that did deserve all big letters! I am finally getting my dream wedding! My friends, the church, the cake (and eat it too lol), my family, the dancing, and best of all, a HAPPY future husband! I was worried that Quade would be disappointed because the cruise wedding meant having a paid for honeymoon and some forgiven debt he owes my dad. But, he is almost as thrilled as me.

So..how it all happened is a funny story. Sunday morning at church, one of the ladies was talking to me about the slip she is giving me for my dress from her daughter's wedding. I told her that'd be great even if we're probably getting married on a cruise. She then gave me a look like I had just stabbed her in the heart because she wouldn't be able to see me on my wedding day in my dress. So Sunday evening comes and she and I think some of the other ladies had talked and approached my parents saying THEY wanting to plan and do my wedding! Well my parents were speechless until they got home, where I was, and were very embarrassed. In no time at all we were planning again for June 11, 2011 where I will get married in my home church and this week we are booking the event center in Brenham!
My church


Front of my reception hall


We have a caterer in mind, planner in mind, and dress is almost all mine. I missed this wedding planning so much! It'll be a nice break away from when I've been studying which looks like I will be doing a lot of again this semester. In the end, it'll all be worth it.

She's On The List!

Our prayers have been answered and my sister, Courtney, is officially on the transplant list for a new heart and lungs!! But..doesn't mean our prayers are over by any means. Now we are waiting to hear just how high on the list she is for her organs. A patient is only allowed transplant if they have insurance which we do have but it takes several days for insurance to get approved. As of Thursday, she was put on the list. We are expecting to know just how high she is on the list either tomorrow or Wednesday possibly. So thank you so much for your prayers and please continue!


School is back! Tomorrow is the first day of classes at A&M, but thankfully I get an extra day and Wednesday is when Senior methods meets for the first time. I also have an online math class that starts tomorrow through Houston Community College that should be a breeze according to my friend Christa. I found out that I will be taking classes and in a school again this semester which in a lot of ways is a blessing in disguise because I will still be available for my sister when the time comes that we get THE PHONE CALL. I'm just glad that I won't be with the same teacher that I was supposed to have been with for student teaching. Just heard some things that had me very worried, but now that's all in the past. I think it's going to be a great semester since I already know what to expect, I'll have my great friend Christa in all my classes, I'll be wedding planning (whether it's on a cruise or at home I still don't know), and, most hopeful of all, my sister will finally be able to live life to the fullest!

Can't Sleep So Here Goes...

I've been putting off this posting because for whatever reason I cannot get my camera to upload any pictures and I really want to get this written before 7:30AM for reasons that you will read ahead.

Our fun wedding weekend was great. Even though I do not have proof to show yet, I got some great pictures and will get some posted hopefully when I figure out why my camera won't upload pictures.

This week, we have been in Houston on Monday and now Wednesday for continued preparations for my sister’s imminent heart and lungs transplant. This may or may not come as a surprise to you if you read my previous post back in December. Monday, I thought would be the day we officially found out if she was on the list or not, but now we've discovered that at 7:30 this morning (Thursday), a team of doctors, my sister's cardiologist, and other personnel will be deciding on if she does in fact go on the organ list and, most importantly, how long it will be before she can get the transplants. The doctor we spoke to today at St. Luke’s has no reason to believe she won't be put on the list. The only thing he is concerned is how long before it happens or her “score” as they call it. The thing that still shocks me to no end is how ready my sister really is. I did not realize until today in the examination room how much she wants this to be done soon. She is ready for a more fulfilling life and even though she knows the risks, she has no doubts that anything will go wrong but at the same time is prepared for anything that happens. I guess I'm just more hesitant since she gets to sleep during the whole thing and my family and I will be awake and biting our nails until it's all over!! I want this for her more than anything, but I want it with no PAIN, no WAITING, no RISKS, and no UNPLEASANT ASPECTS AT ALL! In truth, I know if everything were to happen this way, it would not build as much character and MOST DEFINITELY would not build as much faith as it will once this is all over. She is so incredibly brave and I only wish that I was half the woman that she has proved to be and she deserves so much. So please, if you read this before then, anytime tomorrow, and especially throughout this whole process, pray for her and for all of us. We know this is something that will not happen very soon, but the sooner the better. To give an idea, the doctor on Monday told us that on average, the wait time for organs is 6 months and this is even more complicated than average possibly because it's a heart and 2 lungs. Thank you in advance for all your prayers and we know for a fact that God is in control no matter what and his plan will be done.


My sister being silly as usual at an Aggie football game

As soon as I know anything I will be posting.

Alabama Wins!

I was so happy that Alabama won! Even though I was brought up in an Aggie home, my parents have always sided with Texas in a bowl game strictly because of state pride...but NOT ME. I'm true Aggie to the core so any team that plays the Longhorns I'm going to root for!! Yeah, it wouldn't have been awful if they had won but I'm glad they didn't. :) I am sad, however, about Colt McCoy was not able to play his last game after getting hurt so early on. I was very impressed with his press conference interview after the game giving God glory no matter what and praising Alabama for their victory. Kuddos Colt..you are a much better man then I thought. Even if you are a Longhorn haha!

This weekend is wedding weekend!! I LOOOOVVVVEEEE weddings and this is one that Quade and I have been looking forward to since we figured out that these two were getting married. Quade met his best friend Kevin at Blinn before he even met me and they have been close ever since. I met Kevin and his fiance' Sarah the night Quade and I went out on our very first date at the Texas Hall of Fame. I am now very close to these guys as well and couldn't be happier for them!!! Quade is a groomsmen in the wedding and I'm excited because Sarah asked me to be on house party. I don't care if that means I'm serving cake or just standing by the guestbook when people sign it, it's still an honor and privilege to me. The rehearsal starts at five so I've got to get moving quickly since I also plan on going shopping for a dress for the wedding before it starts. I'll be taking plenty of pictures!

Fellowship Wednesday and More Wedding Advice Needed

Well, I'm finally feeling a little better! I was able to get up enough energy to get fixed up and go to my mid week church fellowship with Quade so....good signs! I haven't been to my church's Wednesday night fellowship in a while and after tonight it made a little sad that I haven’t. I really enjoyed it! I want to be able to start sharing what I learn on here because God is so very important in my life and I want the same for my readers. Our lesson tonight was over the lead up to Judas' betrayal of Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane and Jesus telling Peter that he would deny him 3 times. What I never thought about before tonight was when we reached the part where Peter, James and John are falling asleep while Jesus is praying one final time to God before being taken. Jesus asked them to “keep watch and pray” while he was alone praying to God. Every time he came back, the disciples were fast asleep. The irony, or maybe not so ironic, is that Jesus left and came back 3 TIMES and each time they had let Jesus down and fallen asleep. If you don’t believe me then you can check out Mark 14:34-41. This isn’t irony that I was joking about...this is prophecy being fulfilled after he said it would. The heaviest verse, however, to me is verse 41 where Jesus returns the third time and tells them to “Sleep on now… for the hour is come.” I can just imagine how many times during Jesus’ crucifixion that Peter, James, and John replayed those words in their minds. The disciples ran out of time to obey what Jesus was asking them to do and they blew it. It pains me because I know I do this too. Pretty enlightening stuff and I welcome you to share your thoughts, stories, or even questions with me concerning anything! :)

It looks like my wedding just might be sometime June 2011 on a cruise after all. The more I think about how much money it will save and how wonderful it could be, I'm feeling better about it. I am starting to make a list of questions of what I want to ask our travel agent and/or wedding coordinator for whichever cruise line we go on. It has to be either Royal Caribbean or Carnival but I'm not sure which. There are different pros and cons to each and here are some. Carnival....the wedding package is much more reasonable than Royal Caribbean, it includes more of the typical wedding ceremony and reception and I can have more guests for a better price with them as well. Bad things, I have been on BOTH of the ships that sail out of Galveston for Carnival and even though cruising is totally new for Quade, I would like to enjoy new things as well. Not too much to ask for my honeymoon I don't think. Royal Caribbean....completely new territory for me! Never have been on one and I've heard great things for this cruise line. The ships are much bigger and more luxurious, BUT much more expensive. We want to splurge and get a suite on either ship we choose and if we do this on Royal Caribbean we lose a lot of money. I’m also more limited with the guest list, decorations, and food options for the reception. So, this is where y’all come in! If you have been on one, heard things about either Carnival or Royal Caribbean, or any advice at all you would greatly help me in deciding......


OR

Not the Best Start to the New Year

Well officially Happy New Year! Can't believe it's the 5th day of the new year and I'm just not posting but that's how crazy it has already been. Well unfortunately my New Years Eve plans weren't all that great. My church in Brenham has a barn party every year that Quade and I have missed every year since we've always been lucky enough to have other plans. I have to say it was pretty fun but right at the end as we were getting ready to leave, my throat became sore and ever since then I have been as sick as a dog. The sore throat as now turned into a hoarse throat and I keep coughing up nasty stuff and have an ear infection in both ears. So, definitely not the Happy New Year I was hoping for...oh but wait there’s more. Now, I am going to be graduating in December from A&M because of many different reasons. In the end, I'm actually happy it's happening this way. This semester should be a good one since I only have one class at A&M and one online math through Houston Community College. This way I can be more available for my family and more so my sister as the time comes closer and closer when we get the call for her heart and dual lung transplant. Bad part is I may not have a need for having an apartment, according to my dad, this semester when I am not a full time student. I desperately need it to be able to escape to and get work done without distraction of family and drama. I'm now student teaching in the Fall so hopefully my sister's surgery will be done and behind us by then and I will have a more clear schedule and can give of myself more fully as a teacher without distraction.
ON A MORE POSITIVE NOTE

The wedding...well I guess positive. I have been so excited about June 11, 2011 and preparations and getting my dress and now everything may be changing. Just the other evening, my mom and Quade were talking and began to fantasize again, we considered a while back, about a cruise wedding. My parents are, how you stay, anti-big wedding so when this idea surfaced again, it was terribly hard for my mom not to run squealing with delight from the room to my dad to say I was actually open to the idea again. Now, that I've been researching it more, I'm becoming more closed to the idea because there is so many limitations to the guest list and the reception packages are very expensive which would mean cutting the guest list drastically. Now, Quade swears that his family would throw us a great reception when we come back in Yoakum. But I'm the girl who wants to have everything in one day with ALL my family and friends. If we were to do this cruise wedding, it would be on a Sunday most definitely since that's when most cruises sail out of Galveston. Which brings me to my next point, Galveston. Sooooo many people wouldn't be able to come because it's that far away or nightmarish thing…"certain" people that are invited may decide to book the cruise which is also going to be our HONEYMOON. With some people that might be fun, but my mom is seriously already talking about her and my dad going on the same cruise!!!!!! EWWWWWWWWWWWW!!!!!!! I'm shivering at the thought!! Now everyone is just hoping and praying that I agree to do this for their sanity so I'm feeling so much pressure. Yeah, yeah, yeah I know the cliché it's MY day but really it's not since I am not paying for it. My dad will be and he'd much rather pay for it this way. In the end, it's very close in price because I would want the reception, photography, flowers, dancing...the works....and bottom line. I CAN'T HAVE IT! So fellow friends and readers..I NEED ADVICE!!!! Maybe I should just start playing the lotto and then I could pay for it.