Blessings

Yesterday marked the last day of classes as a law student. Two classes are officially done and that leaves three finals and I'll be done!

I was sitting in my last class yesterday and my professor took some time to give us a little talk about life and it was amazing. When I graduated high school, my chemistry teacher read of "Oh the Places You Will Go" and I felt like I was in that moment again.

Professor Hensen told us about his experience and about getting to where he is now. He had always dreamed about being a law professor but it wasn't until more recently that he was able to do just that. He told us that we should hold on to our dreams and always chase after them. He reminded us that our dreams are the most important thing that we will ever create.

So, I'm sitting in class, trying really hard not to cry. I am overwhelmed with blessings. I feel fortunate enough to be able to chase my dreams for my first job. I don't have to settle for a job that I don't want in order to pay off student loans. I don't have to settle for a job that I don't want because the job market sucks and taking something is better than nothing. I am going into a job that I know that I love and will be able to work with people that I love. I am going to the location that I want - home with my family.

Chris and my family have always been there for me supporting every dream that I ever had. I was never told that I couldn't do something or that I shouldn't do something. I appreciate that more than Chris and my family will ever know.

I just thought that I would share. Please keep hold of your own dreams and chase them with all that you have. I did and it feels amazing to be 2 weeks out from graduating law school!

Weekend Recap

Well, I am a little late updating you on the weekend, but hey, its finals time here at the law school and I don't have a lot of free time.

Friday, Maggie and I took the 3 hour drive down south to spend our last weekend in Pomona as college students. Maggie will be leaving for Texas in a few weeks and she wanted to have one last visit before she left. Friday afternoon we ran a few errands in Willow Springs while my car was getting its oil changed. We then headed to the house to get started on dinner. We had a few people over and charcoaled steak on the grill. Luckily we got the steaks done before the downpour started. We then relaxed around the house the rest of the night while the puppies played.

Saturday morning, I was up bright and early with the pups. It was a pretty decent morning. Temps weren't bad and the sky was clear. I spent some time outside with the doggies. I also go started making cupcakes for the big birthday party for Saturday night. We all got around and headed to town. We ran a few errands, did a little shopping, had lunch - all during massive rain. We got back to the house early afternoon to finish getting ready for the birthday party.

Chris and I headed to town around 3 for our food tasting at our venue. No decisions have been made yet on the food. Everything they brought us to try was so good. The biggest decision that we have to make now is whether we want to offer our guests 2 choices of meat for dinner. Any of you who have been wedding guests or planned a wedding, what are your thoughts?

Saturday night we had a 6 person birthday party. We celebrated April/May birthdays (Doris, Trent, Bryson, Maggie, dad and myself). The boys also had a small Easter egg hunt. Here are a couple of pictures of the night.

The flooding down south is just crazy. We have gotten so much rain. All over town things are flooded, our fields are flooded, our driveway entrance is gone. Apparently the wind with the storms last night knocked over a light pole in our field and a tree which is now covering the county road ruining both our fence and my parents. Can we just have warm spring now please?

Sunday was a pretty lazy day. I  stayed pretty busy on the phone with Cheryl and the family. Maggie and I even stopped by the hospital on our way back to Columbia. Thank you all for your prayers. Rodney is doing some better. They released him from ICU yesterday and he is in the cardiac unit at the hospital. They are still saying no surgery will help his blockage though. We are hoping he will be released at the end of the week.

Time to get back to the books.

Prayer Request

For those of you who believe, can you please say an extra prayer for me please.

Chris's step dad Rodney had a massive heart attack yesterday morning. The docs have discovered 100% blockage on the left side of his heart, which the right side being okay. The inserted a balloon in order to help blood flow but the blockage was too bad for a stint. As of right now, they are saying the blockage is too severe that doing surgery will not help and they think the damage cannot be repaired. He is in ICU in Jefferson City, Missouri and remains listed in critical care. They will run more tests tomorrow to discover the extent of the damage.

I appreciate in advance you keeping this family in your thoughts and prayers.

Just a thought

Chris's aunt has been a great help to me the past few weeks. She has been great to talk to amongst this whole wedding ordeal (see previous post about my wedding nightmares). She usually posts a pretty good status on facebook. Today's was extra special for me and exactly what I needed. I thought that I would share it with all of you.

Laugh when you can... Apologize when you should... And let go of what you can't change... Love deeply and forgive quickly..."lifes too short to be anything but happy". Take chances and give your everything... You have to take the good with the bad... Love what you have... Always remember what you had... Forgive... but don't forget.. but always remember.. that life goes on.

Today I am choosing to be happy!

What I am Loving Wednesday

Seeing as how I am super stressed today, I feel like I need to look more into my blessings in life. So, today I am linking up with Jamie at This Kind of Love for What I'm Loving Wednesday.

I am loving the fact that there is only 24 days left until graduation (aka our hooding ceremony)

I am loving the fact that there are only 100 days until I finally move home to Pomona for good.

I am loving the fact that Friday I will be heading home for my last weekend in the country as a law student.

I am loving the fact that Maggie gets to have one last weekend in the country with me before she moves off to Texas to produce the news in Abilene.

I am loving our engagement pictures. When I am upset, I go back and look at them. (Photos courtesy of D Coleman Photography)

I am loving the fact that Chris has been working such long hours on the farm. Cannot wait to see our new fence (yup, I"m a farm gal loser)

I am loving Christopher. He is seriously my best friend and am thankful for him in my life every day!

Hope that Wednesday is treating you well.

Wedding Nightmares

Well before I get too in detail about the dreams, I'll start by telling you about why I am having these dreams.

About a month ago, one of Chris's cousin's (Matt) proposed to his girlfriend of about a month (yes, just a month). Well they originally talked about getting married in October, just a couple of weeks after us. Well, things have changed and they are now getting married in August, just a mere 6 weeks before our big day. Despite how upset I was at this (I still cannot believe that a female would do that to another female), I tried to keep my mouth shut. I don't need Chris's family mad at me or going around saying that I don't want them to be happy or have their special day. That isn't it at all. I just want to have my own special time and I think the months before and after ours should have been left alone. Case in point, another one of Chris's cousins (Shay) got engaged just a week after Matt. Shay's girl originally wanted a fall wedding, but happily agreed with Shay about getting married in the Spring of 2012 so as to not take away from our time.

Yes, I am fully aware at this point that I look childish and selfish. I may be and I am okay with that. Chris and I have been together for 7 1/2 years and have endured a long distance relationship for 6. I am about to graduate law school in less than a month. Truthfully, I feel like this should be our time and the families should respect that.

Ok, so when Matt first got engaged, they had even talked to us about using the same venues we did. Right now, they are saying they don't have a venue picked out yet. Granted, they have picked a wedding date. Some people have theorized that the venue is picked but it is being kept secret. I have shared very little details of the wedding with anyone except my mom, bridal party and really close friends. Shoot, my dad doesn't even know what my dress looks like. But the thought of someone getting married just 6 weeks before us and using the same ideas as us terrifies me beyond belief. Despite the fact that Chris and I have been discussing our wedding for 7 years and actually planning details for 1 year, someone using something first in time relation will make us look like we copied. The biggest details (songs, colors, themes) were discussed and I try not to bug them every time that I think about something major that I don't want copied, but thoughts are racing in my head.

I have been stressing about this so much that it is causing me nightmares. Last night I had a dream that I was sitting in their wedding and as she was walking down the aisle, I realized that we had the same dress. Talk about panic. Then as the dream continued, I couldn't find another dress that I was in love with in 6 weeks. It was terrible. I woke up with a pounding heart and tears streaming down my face. It's days like this that I hate living all by myself because I have no one close when I woke up.

Despite being reassured time and time again by everyone, I cannot stop thinking about it. I try to distract myself with school work and focusing on my own wedding. I have tried shopping, eating, exercising, organizing, cleaning. Nothing seems to work.

Someone please help me otherwise I will be crazy for the next 160 days til our wedding!

5 Question Friday

Well, I had a little time before class started, so I decided I needed to post for 5 Question Friday. I had missed a few weeks, but things have been super busy in my life. Yes, so busy for both Chris and I that we have to schedule time to talk on the phone. So anxious to not have to do this long distance thing anymore. But anyways, onto the questions.

1. What is your favorite sign of spring?

Flowers for sure. I love walking outside and smelling flowers and fresh mowed grass. I love the look of all the blooming trees and flowers on the ground. It just puts me in a better mood 

2. What was your best birthday ever?

April 30, 2005 was the best birthday that I can remember. I am sure that I had some pretty fantastic birthdays as a child, but none that really stand out to me that I can remember. My birthday in 2005 was perfect though. My dad sang to me at 6:52 am like he does every year since that was the time I was born. My birthday was on a Saturday and I had taken the day off. Chris told me that he had something special planned. He picked me up just before lunch time with a card in hand. He apologized that he had to go help his dad move something for an uncle but it wouldn't be a long delay. Well, it turns out there was no moving, it was Chris's way to distract me and sneak away to Tingler Prairie (part of the conservation department). Turns out, he had made me lunch (all of my favorite meal), packed a picnic (that his dad set up before we got there) and we had a great little lunch on a deck in the middle of a field overlooking a lake. It was beautiful and absolutely perfect. (Learned later, he was planning to propose that day, but the ring hadn't wasn't in before the picnic. We then spent the afternoon with Chris's family and dinner with mine. It was a perfect day!

 

3. What is your favorite dessert?

I have many favorite desserts and will be enjoying them again for my birthday in a couple of weeks. My mom always makes me a homemade chocolate cake with homemade chocolate icing and grandma makes me a banana pie. But I also enjoy homemade ice cream and peach cobble (fresh peaches only)

4. What is the best excuse you've ever used to get out of a ticket?

Unfortunately, I have not been able to get out of a ticket. I guess it is not in my nature to cry and play the girly role just to do that. One officer I actually argued with about my speed and even asked to see his radar gun. Probably not the best idea. But hey, I worked for an attorney and have gotten out of both speeding tickets that I have received 

5. Do you wake up before your alarm, with your alarm, or after hitting snooze several times?

I am one of those freaks with an internal clock and I wake up generally before my alarm goes off. If I happened to have a rough night and my alarm goes off, I always get up with the alarm clock. Not getting up is wasting valuable productive time 

Hope that ya'll have a great weekend. My weekend will be spent working on outlines and papers - sounds gross, but worth it when I graduate in one month