Where Do I Begin?

Life in Fort Worth has been fast and furious! So much has been happening. Sometimes, I feel overwhelmed to sit down and write about it all. However, I am going to attempt a summary since my last post to present day. Let's see...three of my closest friends have gotten engaged in the last month. Congratulations to Tim and Brittany, Brad and Laura, and Bryan and Chelsey! Chris and I were actually able to be apart of Bryan and Chelsey's engagement night. It was so special for us. I actually introduced Bryan and Chelsey in February of last year. Bryan and I grew up together. We met in Mrs.Dubose's first grade class. He tried to kiss me at the water fountain, and I slapped him. We've been best friends ever since! Bryan and I went to school together from the beginning of elementary until the end of high school. We parted ways for college. I can remember taking pictures with Bryan at my high school graduation and wondering what in the world I was going to do without that boy! Of course, our Mom's were crying and taking pictures. It was bittersweet. Nevertheless, Bryan and I stayed in touch through college. He even came to visit me a couple of times. Every once in awhile we would catch up on the phone. Of course, when we would talk I would always ask if there was anyone special. We always joked about how there was no need for him to date anyone until I found the right one for him. We laughed, and he loved the idea of me picking out his future wife. Hmm...Little did we know what the Lord had in store. Fast forward. I meet Chris. We begin a friendship. Two years later we begin dating, and he introduces me to Chelsey. One night just the three of us went to see the movie "We are Marshall." We had a great time and ended up talking forever in the parking lot after the movie ended. It wasn't long before Chelsey became one of my good friends. The more we talked and the more we got to know one another, the more I liked her. Last December, I was talking to Chelsey about Bryan. I came across some old pictures of us, and I thought....I could see this working. Chelsey wasn't sure at first, but she was open to the idea. I raved about Bryan, but it wasn't hard to do. A month or so later, I called Bryan and told him he better live up to all I claimed that he is. Ha! Poor thing. Well, before I knew it, we had a date on the calendar for them to come to Waco. You see, Chelsey lives in Rockwall, Texas and Bryan lives in Shreveport, Louisiana. So, all of this was kind of a big deal. I was a little nervous. I had never done this before. The weekend went great, and they have been friends and more than that ever since! Naturally, Bryan wanted Chris and me to be apart of the night he proposed. We were thrilled to be there. It was a perfect night filled with so much love and laughter. The two become one on June 27, 2009. God is good. In the midst of everyone getting engaged, I've been searching for an apartment and job, celebrating birthdays of dear friends and family, working hard at the hospital, meeting new friends, and doing my best to stay in touch with my old friends. With Chris working full time at Ruth's Chris Steakhouse as well as going to school and being in a time of transition myself, it has been difficult. However, Chris and I have been able to spend time with our friends we love the most here and there. Just not as much as we would like. We did get to be with Matt and Courtney for dinner and a concert. It was so good to be with them even just for a night. I lived with Court for four years, so she and Matt are family. We ate at Mi Cocina and saw Michael Buble at the Fort Worth Convention Center. It was great fun! I love his music. He is a very talented artist and performer. Ryan gave Regan a surprise birthday party at a great restaurant downtown and bought all of our dinners. We had a blast celebrating with Regan and catching up with the whole crew. A few friends were able to come in for Christopher's birthday, and we had lunch at Joe T. Garcia's! Chris was really surprised. He thought it was going to just be the two of us. After lunch, Chris and I celebrated his birthday by going to see the Impressionists exhibit from Chicago at the Kimbell Art Museum, watching some football, going to church, cake and ice cream with the Redwine family and Dr.Shirley, as well as seeing the movie "Fireproof." What a wonderful movie! There is so much trash these days that I love seeing clean movies with powerful messages. If you haven't seen it, you need too. What else? I have been doing some baby sitting for a couple of families. They are awesome. Their children are absolutely adorable in every way, and bless me so much. My parents have been down to visit a couple of times. In fact, they passed through on my Dad and sister's birthday. By the way, it has been way too long since I have seen my sister. I am missing her more than anyone! I will get to see her for Thanksgiving though! Thank goodness! The last time my parents were here, I made a decision on an apartment. I must have looked at 20+ apartments. Whew! I kept coming back to this particular one that I have chosen, and I am super excited about having a place of my own. It's so cute. Thank You Lord that You are my Home, but for providing a physical roof over my head. I know I am forgetting stuff. Oh! Yes! Chris got into practicum for counseling! Yay! We are so excited. This is a big deal, because not everyone gets in. We are so grateful to God for pouring out His grace on our lives. We are so undeserving. We recognize that every good and perfect gift is from Him. Another awesome thing God did was provide a place for me to work, and it is right across the street from where I am living! I was offered the job a couple of weeks ago and recently accepted. It seems like a great fit, and I start January 5th. My prayer is that I will continue to work with all of my heart for the Lord and not for men. Up until this point, I have been working for free finishing up my internship for my last semester of graduate school. My parents have so graciously and generously supported me through my schooling, and now the Lord has provided a way for me to support myself. There's so much to do in the coming days, especially with trying to move, graduating, holidays, and starting a new job. Wow! Maybe I should just stop here for now. I have so many pictures I could post, but it would take forever. For now, I will just post these two of Bryan and Chelsey on their engagement night and me and Chris on the balcony of my apartment I am living in now. I really needed to do this tonight. Even though I have a million other things I could and should be doing, it feels so good to sit down and write and share...Thank You Lord for the ability to do so!