Good Monday Morning!

A theme-less post...

Mom is doing alright, her white count is down, so she’s trying to stay away from germs as best as possible. Dad is leaving tomorrow to go on a business trip to California until Friday. Weston has a cold, which means he has germs. Germs that Mom needs to stay away from… like that’s possible. Please pray for them!

Guess what we did Friday?


We went to get our Christmas tree. Weston picked it out and it is gorgeous! See?



The Mountain Boy (literally, we got it from “The Mountain Boys” in Overton’s parking lot) picked it up and carried it off for us.



Speaking of Christmas, remember our Christmas pictures from a couple years ago?? Well, our church is making a new directory and since we didn’t schedule a session, we had to submit our own photo. See?


It's not the best, but it'll do... Next time the church makes a directory me and Parker will be married!

Anyways, I had a wonderful Thanksgiving break with my family and I hated driving back today. The sun was in my eyes like Dad said it would be… and I’m too short for the visor thingy to block the sun. It doesn’t really work out.

Speaking of driving back… I counted 8 dead deer on the side of the road. Yikes. Better dead than running, eh?

Oh yeah, I forgot to show you my cake I made for Thanksgiving. It kind of fell apart… it happens to the best of us I guess. I just iced right over the cracks! HAHA! I’m not quite Suzy Homemaker yet! It was still yummy! I also made homemade macaroni and cheese!


I brought back a some Christmas decorations so we can decorate our apartment this week! Yay! It’s Christmas time! :)

Happy Thanksgiving!

Today, I am thankful for family traditions! We had a wonderful lunch at my Aunt Kay's today and dinner at my Grandma Margie's tonight. I ate so much that I almost made myself sick! It was soo good - everything! I love having family traditions and spending time with extended family. I can't wait for Parker & I to start our own family traditions!

We're going to get our Christmas tree tomorrow too, I can't wait!

Happy Thanksgiving y'all! God Bless!

Day 14 - I am thankful for...

I am thankful for my amazing fiance, Parker. Over the last 6+ years we have grown as individuals, a couple, and children of God. You can read about most of our story (minus the last 1/2 year) in this post.

I am so thankful that I met this wonderful man. Not only is he strikingly handsome, he's kind, devoted, caring, and protective. He is a pretty funny guy and he can always make me smile. He's strong and athletic - in high school he was on the wrestling team, football team, track team, and swim team. Crazy, I know! In college, he graduated with honors, was the Senior Class President, and leader in FCA & BCM. Now he is a business man & volunteers as an FCA leader at a local middle and high school. I mean, his resume puts mine to shame, its ridiculous.

Over the years, his hair has gotten a little thinner, his truck a little newer, and his voice a little deeper, but one thing has not changed - his devotion to me, to God, and our families. I know he will be a wonderful husband, and one day, father. I am thankful to have the opportunity to love such an amazing man!

Day 13 - I am thankful for

... my wonderful family!
I am so glad to be home for Thanksgiving so I can spend time with my sweet family! God has blessed me with wonderful parents who support me and believe in me. I respect them and I'm proud to be their daughter. My brother, who is 11 years old, is the jokester of our bunch and keeps us laughing most of the time. He has grown up so fast and I don't like it one bit! Of course, Parker is part of our family too, and he blends right in!

My family also includes Parker's family, and I am so thankful to have great future-in-laws! They raised a wonderful man and I am thankful for their support. I also love my future-brother-in-laws & their wives (yay, I'll finally have sisters!!!) . Finally, I am thankful for my "niece" and "nephew," Abi & Cody. They may be my future-brother-in-law's step-children, but they might be my only niece & nephew ever. I love them so much that I'll claim them and boast the name "Aunt Laura." I love spending time with the Morgan bunch and I'm so thankful they welcome me into the family!

Day 12 - I am thankful for...

... these crazy girls:

... otherwise known as my awesome roomates!!

They make me laugh at least once a day. They cry with me... shoot, sometimes I cry with them. They cook smelly foods, hahahaha, oh wait, this is supposed to be what I'm thankful for??? Just kidding. Lauren always let me know where the sales are and Roman keeps me up on the Greenville news. Amanda brings us all together (literally - our circle of friends originates with Amanda). Roman & I met in 5th grade, Amanda & I in 6th, and Lauren & I met through facebook (through Amanda) as Seniors in high school applying for Teaching Fellows.

These girls will provide my medical care one day. Roman is going to med school. Amanda is going to med school/PA school. Lauren is going to pharmacy school (she decided it pays more than TF, haha, jk).

But for now, they are my saving grace when I get home from a long day. They make me laugh and they make me smile. They give me hugs and snuggle with me in bed. :) They introduced me to Grey's Anatomy. They are wonderful friends.... and for that, I am thankful!

What are you thankful for today?

"Engagement pictures"

My sweet friend Amber agreed to take pictures of Parker and me this weekend. We explored a couple places and had a great time posing. Amber does not claim to be an expert photographer, but I think she has great raw talent. She definitely has an eye for some awesome pictures! Because the pictures were such large files, I had to do some compressing, but if you want to see the bigger version, just click on the photo!
We all figured if it didn't work out, we had plenty of time to try again, but I think it was quite successful! Thanks Amber!

Day 11 - I am thankful for...

Today I am thankful for good food. I know it isn't as sentimental and deep as being thankful for family, health, friends, etc... but I'm feeling the need to be light-hearted.

So... good food:
Watermelon. A good salad. Yellow cake with chocolate icing. Home-made macaroni and cheese. Chili cheese fries. Chips & salsa. Ham, string beans, rice. Barbecue chicken. Thanksgiving foods...

Man! I am ready for Thursday.

Day 10 - I am thankful for...

Today I am thankful for my sweet friend Amber who spent most of her afternoon taking pictures of Parker and me. The pictures are delightfully good and I can't wait to share them with you! Maybe later tonight or tomorrow...

Happy Weekend!

Go Heels & Go Pirates!!

Day 9 - I am thankful for...

Fridays! Tonight, I get to hang out, cook dinner for my fiance, relax, and not worry about my papers/exams/thesis/reading... I get to just be. Thank God It's Friday!!! :)

Parker is coming to Chapel Hill for the weekend since I'll be driving to Greenville on Tuesday for Thanksgiving break (and my parents didn't think I should spend the time/gas driving home for two days, coming back for one and half days, and then back). I'm excited to spend some quality time with Parker, and if the weather is nice tomorrow, my sweet friend Amber is going to shoot some pictures of us! :)

Update on Mom: She is doing okay. The treatment obviously makes her tired and a bit sick. Her emotions are up and down like everyone else's. Please keep the prayers & encouragment coming!!!

Random: I saw a former student yesterday, which is always weird... but this one was one of my favorites from last year. He's the one who said the capital of Turkey was Rooster :)

Random #2: My friend who is a school counselor told the girls the other day that she had a student named "La-a." Which you would think would be pronouced "la uh" but the girl told her that "the dash is pronounced." Her name was "La dash uh." Seriously. I knew I was going to have trouble with some names in my class... but really???

Day 8

Boy, I'm feeling thankful for a lot of things today. This "I am thankful for" activity really helps me recognize all the blessings in my life. Have you noticed that too?

Today I am thankful for my education. I seriously love learning. I know I'm a nerd, but I don't care. I love reading (most of the time) and discovering new things. I love going to the library and looking at all the books. I think I might retire from my teaching career (that hasn't started yet) and be a librarian instead. I also love going to the manuscripts department in Wilson Library and looking at all the old documents. Its so cool, looking at slave letters or memo's sent by the Chancellor or scrapbooks from the 1800s... Maybe I should just research instead of being a teacher or a librarian. But then I'd have to publish my work... and I'm not really into that. I like to learn just for the sake of learning.

I'm thankful that teaching is a pretty awesome profession where I can follow through on my passions... and continue to learn.

I am thankful that I can learn at this awesome university. Actually, I am thankful that I live in a country that I am able to learn about anything and everything.

I mean, don't you just want to go to the library and pick up a good book and learn something new? I mean you won't have to take a test, or write a paper, or give a presentation on it... but just so do it for the sake of learning.

No? Ok, maybe I'm a little extreme.

But boy do I love to learn! I love my history classes - they are pretty stinkin' awesome. My history professors are pretty smart too... one is the Dean of the Honors Program, one is the chair of the Undergraduate History Department, one is a graduate of Yale, Harvard, & Stanford, and one is a world leader in research for the Holocaust - he even has his on [legit] wikipedia page. How awesome is that!?! I am thankful to go to this school and have these contacts, resources, and professors!

Day 7 - I am thankful for...

I am thankful for my friends that cry with me, hug me, & make me laugh. I am thankful for a sweet voicemail from friend who cried on the phone because her heart is breaking too. I am thankful for a friend that met me on campus, just to give me a hug, and ended up crying with me in front of tons of other people, including a tour group walking by. I am thankful for a friend that was on the bus with me and cried too, so I wouldn't feel so ridiculous. I am thankful for friends that send me messages of encouragement and scripture passages to lift me up. I am thankful for the people that lift me and my mom and our family up in prayer all day long.

I am thankful that my sweet fiance has lots of corny jokes to make me laugh, and that he doesn't laugh too hard when I don't get them. :)

I am thankful that my mom is a much stronger person than me. I am thankful that even though she was sleeping this morning, she answered my phone call so we could talk. I cried and cried, but as always, she is so strong and assures me that she will be just fine. And for that, I am thankful.

On days when it's hard to feel thankful...

...I am thankful for the peace God gives me, the guard He uses to keep the devil's lies away from me when I can't do it on my own, and the friends He blesses me with to wipe away my tears.

Today we got some sad news.

My mom's full body scans revealed spots on her lungs and liver. She started chemo this morning and will continue to have it once a week.

Please pray for us. We need your prayers and encouragement.

Sorry for such a short post, but I really don't know what else to say. I'm sad. I'm heartbroken. I hurt - we all do. So, that's all I can say about it right now...

Day 5 - I am thankful for..

On this wonderful, sunny Monday evening, I am thankful that God chose to use my family to share his glory. I know there is a greater purpose for my mom getting sick and our family having a rough several years... and I know it will serve God's glory. So even though there are days when I'm just sick of it all... today I am thankful that God saw something in us that he could use for his glory.

What are you thankful for today??

Day 4 - I am thank for...

Today, I am thankful for the outdoors. I am constantly amazed at the vastness of the sky, the intricate processes of nature, and the details of our world. Think about it, how big is the sky? How does the sun rise and set every day? How does the weather change? How does each and every tiny creature grow and survive? Think of all the details God created and perfected so our world could function as it does. It really blows my mind the way each of these infininte details work together to create what we see as the great outdoors. Boy do we take advantage of the beauty right outside our window...

The sunset at the Pamlico River...


The Pamlico River again...

The Atlantic Ocean at Atlantic Beach...
The vast sky on 264 west bound...

Day 3 - I am thankful for...

Not much time to post today... but,

I am thankful for sweet, cuddly, newborn babies!

This morning I went to see my friends Carrie & Beaty's new addition - Miss Halle Grace. She was so sweet and beautiful. I got to snuggle with her for a good while and catch up with Carrie. It was wonderful! I love babies and I love holding them and looking at them... and giving them back to their parents for all the hard stuff :)

What are you thankful for today??

Day 2 - I am thankful for..

I am thankful for weekends. My weekends are wonderful - time with my family and/or friends. Time to leisurely do work (usually) without the demands of class & deadlines. Time to fellowship with other Christians at church. Time to take a breath, catch up on sleep, and rest.

TGIF!!!

What are you thankful for today??

I am thankful for...

After seeing the facebook trend going around - write what you're thankful for in your status - I decided to put a spin on it. Each day for the next 15 days (that is until Thanksgiving Day) I will write about one thing I'm thankful for... Will you join me?? If you don't have a blog/facebook - you can leave a comment... or you can even if you do!

Today, I am thankful for....

Rainboots!!

And umbrellas...and raincoats... and dry clothes...

Because I haven't been outside in 3 days when it wasn't raining.... So I am thankful for rainboots that keep my feet warm and dry. And they let me splash in the puddles.

What are you thankful for today?

Don't miss the post I did earlier today called Boys are Jerks and Girls are Stupid! I think you'll like it...

Boys are Jerks & Girls are Stupid

Parker & I have been talking for some time now about how mean guys can be, and how silly girls can be, particularly when it comes to relationships. Not that we are experts or anything, but this is just what we have observed. We've had a whole set of theories and funny conversations about it, but Parker wrote down his theory and I liked it so much that I asked if I could post it on my blog... I hope you like it and get a laugh or two or three... Please know that we are just being silly...kinda... It's called "Boys are Jerks and Girls are Stupid"

Boys are Jerks & Girls are Stupid

This idea may surprise some of you, but by the time I am finished, I’m sure you will all agree with me. Close your eyes and think back to when you were little - about 4 years old or so. If you are a boy, what would you do when girls were around? Girls, think about what you would do when boys were around. You can open your eyes now. I can remember when I was in kindergarten – about 5 or 6 years old. We had stations set-up around the room and the teacher gave us a certain amount of time at each station. My favorite station was the one that had the cardboard bricks and beanbags. Raise your hand if you ever played with these when you were young. About two or three stations ahead of mine was a group of girls. As you all know, boys like to build, put things together, and play war. We enjoy playing with guns and playing good guys versus bad guys. Anyways, in my station, I would build a wall out of these oversized cardboard bricks. I would build the wall about four blocks high and as long as it would go. I’d barricade myself in a fort, and when the teacher wasn’t looking, I’d throw a beanbag over my wall at the girl’s station. Now most of the females are probably thinking, “Aww, you were flirting.” But, if you think about it, it wasn’t a nice thing to do… throwing things at girls and all… Boy=jerk. Then, the girls would get mad and, at their earliest convenience, they’d throw the beanbag back at me. But I was in my fort, so the beanbag would knock over my wall of bricks. After I had my ammunition back, I would rebuild my wall and the process would repeat. Girls=stupid.

Now move up in age to late elementary school. What always happens? The boys chase the girls around the playground. Boys=jerks. You might ask how this makes the girls stupid… DUH!! They keep running! If the prey is caught, the game is over.

Then middle school comes along and boys start to find girls attractive. Girls mature faster than guys do. Boys make fun of girls for maturing sooner and girls become self-conscious because of boys. Boy=jerk, Girl=stupid.

High school has the same result as middle school, except now the girls are dating the guys that made fun of them in middle school. In high school the story goes… guy kisses his girlfriend’s friend. Boy=jerk. Girl breaks up with boy. Girl’s friend starts dating boy. Girl’s friend=stupid. Boyfriend cheats again. The vicious cycle keeps going on and on.

College comes along, boyfriends are still cheating, and girls are still dating cheaters. Girl gets ditched by boyfriend. Girl turns to friend. Boyfriend finally shows up, but girl is with her friend. Boyfriend gets mad that girl left and makes her feel guilty. Girl feels bad and apologizes. Boy=Jerk, Girl =Stupid

Does anyone see a pattern here? This pattern continues throughout life. But, wait! What about people who are married for 40/50 years? My first response is 60% of new marriages end in divorce. However, the couple that makes it 40/50 years has found a way to work with the pattern. Girl finds guy who is a slight jerk because she is smart enough not to put up with a complete jerk. Guy finds a girl that he couldn’t stand losing and tries his best not to be a jerk. The guy is still a jerk at times and the girl is still stupid at times, but they have found a unique way to coexist together. Thank the Lord.

Stitch by Stitch

Remember my Grandma's stocking I've been cross-stitching? This is what it looked like last November...
This is what it looked like in August... about 3 months ago...

And this is what it looks like right now...

I still have a lot to do before Christmas. I have another angel, a few snow flakes, a bird, the outlining and the border at the top. Yikes, that's more than I thought. But it looks good doesn't it?

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Update on Mom:

Good news - the scans shows that the back 2 tumors are gone! Praise God! One in the front has gotten smaller and one has stayed about the same. For now, the plan is to let the treatment (& God!) continue to wear 'em down. Her oncologist took her off Tykerb (the preventative medicine) for a few weeks because her eyes have been really swollen and Dr. White thinks its a side effect of the Tykerb. Hopefully, the swelling will go away and she can start it back soon! We don't want this mess coming back - ever - again. To God be the glory!! Another step in the right direction!!

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Thank you Veterans and families of Veterans! Thank you to those currently serving in the military and the families of those serving in the military. Your sacrifices humble me and I am forever grateful for the freedoms that my family and I enjoy because of you. God bless you!

Happy Monday!

I had a lovely Monday and I hope you did too...

First, I woke up on time, got ready on time, and got to class early.

I signed up for Senior Orientation for Teaching Fellows... and I got my first choice - Pitt County (where I grew up and want to teach)

Then, I turned in a 5 page paper and found out my friend Amber couldn't use her Phase 1 basketball game ticket for the season opener... and offered it to me. Sweet!

I also looked in my planner to find that I have no other papers due this week. And no books to read this week. (First time all semester!) Sweet!

I got to see my Dad at the game (he came with some friends) and we won our season opener... and I came home to find that I had won Phase 1 tickets to the the next game. Boy is it my lucky day!

Then Stellan (Mckmama's youngest) had a successful surgery and is SVT free! Praise God!

Man, this Monday was even better than last Monday when I found my Burt's Bees!

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Please pray for my mom - she has a doctors appointment with the oncologist tomorrow and scans after that. We'll get the results on Wednesday! We're trusting God!

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Sorry for the scattered post lately, this semester has been kicking my butt! Only four weeks left!!!

God Answers plainly

So, lately I have been wondering 2 things about faith and God:

1) Why does it seem like God is around more at certain times compared to others?

2) Why do we have to follow all these rules that the God commands?

I know that our relationship with God largely depends on how much time we put into it. But sometimes it seems like our walks are "dry" even when we are spending time with Him regularly.

I also know that God's commands are to help us, not to hurt us, and they are for our benefit. But sometimes they seem out-of-date and irrelevent, you know?

Often times when I'm looking for answers I ask God to "spell it out" for me because I'm so likely to miss it if He doesn't. Example: When I was leading a small group freshman year for the first time I asked God to speak to me about what to teach on. I felt like I was supposed to speak on Ecclesiastes 4:9-12, but I wasn't completely sold. So I asked God to "spell it out" for me... and that night I couldn't sleep so I was flipping channels on TV and Joel Osteen was preaching on that exact scripture. Thanks God!

Anyways, I had been thinking about these questions and amazingly enough, on Sunday, in the sunday school class that Parker & I recently joined, we read Psalm 19. It says:

"The heavens declare the glory of God;

the skies proclaim the work of his hands.

Day after day they pour forth speech;

night after night they display knowledge

There is no speech or language

where their voice is not heard.

Their voice goes out into all the earth,

their words to the ends of the world.

In the heavens he has pitched a tent for the sun,

which is like a bridegroom coming forth from his pavilion,

like a champion rejoicing to run his course.

It rises at one end of the heavens

and makes it circuit to the other;

nothing is hidden from its heat.

The law of the Lord is perfect, reviving the soul.

The statues of the Lord are trustworthy, making wise the simple.

The precepts of the Lord are right, giving joy to the heart.

The commands of the Lord are radiant, giving light to the eyes.

The fear of the Lord is pure, enduring forever.

The ordinances of the Lord are sure and altogether righteous.

They are more precious than gold, than much pure gold

They are sweeter than honey, than honey from the comb.

By them is your servant warned; in keeping them there is great reward.

Who can discern his errors? Forgive my hidden faults.

Keep your servant also from willful sins; may they not rule over me.

Then will I be blameless, innocent of great transgression.

May the world of my mouth and the meditation of my heart

be pleasing in your sight, O Lord, my Rock & my Redeemer."

Answers to question 1 & 2 in respective order. Thanks God.

Happy November!

I cannot believe it is already November!! This semester is flying by!! I can't lie... I am ready to reclaim my life after I finish this semester. 18 Hours + Friend's wedding + Senior History Research/Thesis + Babysitting = kicking my butt. Five more weeks of class left before exams! I can do it.

Oh my goodness, I found my Burt's Bees lip balm today. Praise the Lord. Really, I screamed with joy when I found it in my coat pocket this morning. Ask Amber. It's true.

Quick story:
Last Friday in my Art History class, I got called a nerd. And picked on by the professor (it's a small, friendly class, don't worry). You see, we were talking about how artists commemorated the Emancipation Proclamation... We got on the subject of Lincoln and we were talking about how he is standing in almost all the paintings. A girl in the class said "He was unusually tall so the artist probably painted him standing so he wouldn't look abnormal compared to a chair... I think he had some disease" and I said, "Oh, he had Marfan syndrome." Everyone laughed at me and some guy called me a nerd. The professor said "Oh we have a Lincoln fan I see."

Um not really. You see, in my high school anatomy class I had to do a project on Marfan Syndrome and that's how I knew about it. But really people... doesn't everyone know that?

So there you go. Art History, History, & Anatomy nerd. Great...