Late 20's...

OK, so I'm back at it. I have decided to really be committed to this blogging thing. I have found quite a few blogs that I stalk...ahem...I mean...that I am dedicated to reading, and it has made me want to be more dedicated to writing on mine. I may not be a daily blogger, but my goal for now will be to at least blog once a week. I think that's a pretty obtainable goal.

So on to a real topic...it's my 27th birthday! Thinking back to when I was in my early 20s (crazy to be able to say that), I pictured my life to be totally different than it is. I'm not really sure what I thought I would be doing with my life at 27, but I never pictured it to be this great! Now that I'm in my late 20s (I guess I can refer to it as such), I have a completely different outlook on life. I have realized that each day is a new beginning and a blessing none the less. I realize how precious life is and how important it is to make the most of each day given to us. Enough with the sappy stuff...I'm super pumped about being 27 and where my life is at this moment. I am married to my best friend, we have 2 super cute pup kids, my family is wonderful and crazy all at the same time, and I have definitely chosen my friends wisely, they are all too good to me!

My sweet husband took me to dinner for my birthday!

Today you are you, that is truer than true. There is no one alive who is youer than you. -Dr. Seuss

Oh the things that can happen in a year...

So it's been over a year since I have posted anything and I decided to get back in to it. Lots of things have happened in the last year! Short recap with pictures...

I started a new job in a PICU here in Shreveport... (tie dye day at work)

I really love my job, and I am very thankful to be able to take care of kids every day! It is such a rewarding and fun job! The people I work with are really great too, which always helps make work more enjoyable!

After 8 months, that seemed like an eternity, Jon and I were able to move in to our first new house! We had it built and were able to pick everything out and make it our very own! It was so much fun!!

Jon and I did not take a big vacation this year, but we have made a few short weekend trips to visit family and friends.

We went to Fort Worth for the weekend and stayed with our favorite couple, Adrianne and Ruben. We made it to a Rangers game and had the best seats, thanks to Jon's Uncle Jimmy!

Fourth of July weekend we took a trip to Dallas with Jon's parents to visit his uncles. We went to eat at some great places, went shopping, watched the Addison firework show, and even made it to Prestonwood for church. It is always a lot of fun to visit with Jon's family!

Last but not least we went to New Orleans so that Jon could visit LSU-New Orleans CRNA school open house. We had the chance to visit with our friend James who is currently in CRNA school there now. It was such a fun trip and great to get to visit with James!!

Most importantly Jon and I got in engaged this year!! Yahooo!!

Jon took me to eat at The Mabry House for my birthday and we sat at the chef's table. The food was outstanding and the surprise proposal was even better! As you can see in the picture above, I was so excited! We immediately started picking out a date and planning the wedding! I'm sure that most of my post to follow will be about wedding planning, because that seems to be what takes up most of my time these days!

To sum it up...Life in the past year has been very eventful, and I am very blessed and thankful for the life He has given me!

I haven't updated in a while, and I don't have a legitimate excuse really. We have been busy, but not with anything new. I finished with my orientation in the PICU (well actually I am currently working my last shift on orientation as I type this blog). I am loving it so far. It is a lot different from H/O and Cook, but it is still wonderful! I am happy with the decision I made to move, although I do miss my friends in Fort Worth. Speaking of...Jon and I went to Fort Worth for a quick trip this past Wednesday and Thursday. We met Cindy (from Cook) and her daughter at a restaurant called "Twisted Root." It was a neat place! Once you order your food you get a name of a famous person, instead of a number, and mine was Jenna Jameson and Cindy's was Oprah. That was pretty entertaining! After lunch we met a man from a moving company at the apartment and finally got the quote for the move...$3300!! Thank goodness my new job is going to pay for it (at least we are hoping! I will find out for sure later today) Wednesday night we met Jon's uncle Jimmy at his favorite mexican spot in Dallas, Mia's. It was also very good! Later that night I had to make a trip to Cook and visit my people! Thursday we went to Dallas and had lunch with Jon's uncle Jeff and then went to pick out granite for our kitchen and bathrooms! It was a quick trip, but I really enjoyed the time I was able to spend with Jon and also with his family and my friends in Fort Worth!
The house is coming along! I need to post some pics on here, I know. They have poured the slab, framed it, put shingles on, and wired the electricity! The brick is supposed to be put on this week! I am so excited about that! We debated about what brick to use and then once we decided, we had to then decide what mortar and how to do the mortar...too many decisions! I am enjoying building the house, although it is a bit overwhelming at times. I do know that I am ready for it to be finished so I can move in! Living with my parents is really not bad, in fact it's a good thing, but I miss having my own place.
Jon is enjoying his job. He is still on orientation, working days, and he is so ready to be on his own and working nights (I am too!). We don't see each other on the days we are working because he is on days and I am on nights, but at least we have the same days off! He did get an e-mail from the job where he first interviewed in Shreveport (the job he really wanted) saying they had a position open and they wanted to know if he was still interested. Unfortunately he signed a contract where he is, so he has to stay put for 2 years. He was a little disappointed, but also very flattered because apparently 30 other people applied for the job.
That's basically where we are now. Just working, living with our parents, trying to save money, and patiently waiting for our house to be built. Until next time...

Home Is Where The Heart Is

We are back home in Shreveport.  We left Fort Worth on Wednesday with our cars loaded down about 3:00 and made it to Shreveport around 6 or so.  We unloaded the cars and went straight to meet some friends for boiled crawfish! YUMM!  It was definitely a great welcome home dinner!  Ever since we have been home we have done nothing but spend time with our friends and family.  It has been so wonderful to be able to see my parents and my brother everyday and to run errands with Jon and his parents.  I am excited to be home!! Tomorrow I start my new job at Sutton Children's Hospital.  I am excited about that too, but I am also pretty nervous.  This first week will simply be hospital orientation, so I will be bored out of my misery this week, but next week I will begin in the PICU.  I am a little scared but looking forward to learning a totally different area than H/O.   I already miss the H/O kiddos at Cooks and still think about them and pray for them every night.  They have definitely made an impact on my life, even in the short time I was there.  I have a greater understanding of the power of prayer and the awesome work God does because of the opportunity I had to work with those children.  I pray that God has lead me to an even greater opportunity, and I am so thankful for the ability to be a nurse and care for children; it is definitely my calling.  

On a side note...everything is about to get started on the new house!  They are framing up the slab on Friday and then hopefully will pour the slab the following Monday!  I will have pictures when all of that begins!!

Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.      1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

Happy Cinco de Mayo!!

Today marks 3 years for me and Jon!! It's crazy to think that a little over 3 years ago I was on my way to Austin for a girls trip and I get a phone call from a random guy that my hairdresser gave my number to. I'm glad I answered and I'm glad I accepted his invitation to go on a date, although I insisted it be a lunch date and I meet him there. He, being Jon, turned out to be the love of my life! I couldn't be happier and I am so thankful to be with him! I love you Jon! :)

There is no place like home

So the decision has been made...we are moving back to Shreveport.  I found a job working in the PICU at Sutton Children's Hospital in Shreveport, and Jon is most likely going to work in the Cardiac Care Unit at Willis Knighton in Shreveport.  We are both excited!  I am finding it hard to be too excited because I will miss my job at Cook Children's and all the wonderful people I have met there!  But like I told my mom, you can make new friends but you can't make new family.  So I will be home with my family and still be in touch with all the new friends I have made.  I am very nervous about my new job, because it is a great responsibility, but I am also very excited and anxious because I know that I will learn a lot!  We have plans to build a house, so I will be living with my parents and Jon will be living with his until our house is finished.  This was a difficult decision for me to make, but I prayed about it and weighed the pros and cons and I have decided that this is the next step.  I am really excited and looking forward to what the future holds!

"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." Jeremiah 29:11 

New York City

When Jon and I first met and were getting to know each other, we started talking about traveling.  I told him that I had always wanted to go to New York and he told me that he would take me one day.  I didn't think it would come true so soon!  We left for New York on Easter Sunday and came back four days later.  It was an incredible trip!  We did all of the "typical touristy" things, went to Battery Park to check out the Statue of Liberty, went to Ground Zero, saw the Brooklyn Bridge, went to the top floor of the Empire State Building, walked around Central park, etc.  We were also told to do a few not-so-touristy things...so we went to Serendipity and drank frozen hot chocolate, ate a cupcake from Magnolia Bakery, ate at Tavern on the Green, and racked up on purses in Chinatown.  We had a really good trip and had so much fun spending time together.  There are too many pictures to upload so I included the link to all of them. 

http://www2.snapfish.com/thumbnailshare/AlbumID=431116008/a=48541434_48541434/otsc=SHR/otsi=SALBlink/COBRAND_NAME=snapfish

Update on Moving Status

Jon and I are still thinking about moving back to Shreveport.  We love living here, but we are missing home pretty bad.  Jon has an interview in 2 weeks at the hospital he really wants to work at in Shreveport.  The manager told him that there were 3 people leaving, but he doesn't know how many people they will hire to replace those leaving because they are already overstaffed.  If they do hire someone, it won't be until late July or early August.  I went ahead and applied for a job at a children's hospital in Shreveport, but I have not heard anything back.  If we do move back we would like to buy/build a house.  We found a neighborhood that we would love to build in, but we have to find a builder who can build a house in our price range that meets the qualifications of the neighborhood.  Another thing we are thinking about is that if we build, we would have to start building no later than July/August and keep our fingers crossed that it would be finished in time to close by December 1st, that way we would be able to receive the tax credit being offered right now.  If we can not find a builder to build what we want, where we want, for the price we can afford, we will start to look for a house once we find jobs.  It's a lot going on, but it's pretty much all in slow motion.  Basically Jon and I both have to have a builder lined up ready to build (if we find one that works out for us), then we have to both find a job, give the builder the word (or contact a realtor to find us a house), and move home and live with our parents until our house is built (or we find a house we like).  It's a waiting game now and then once we find jobs the race will be on.  I have prayed about this for a while now, and I feel this is what we are supposed to do.  If we do not find jobs in Shreveport that we want, then it was just not meant to be.  I am doing my part, Jon is doing his part, and God, well of course he's putting his plan to work.  We'll see what happens...

What's been going on...

It has been a while since I have updated, so I am going to try to condense things as best I can.

Starting where I left off...

Jon's parents came in the last weekend in February to help celebrate his birthday (which was February 28th).  We had a great time! Friday night we went to eat dinner with his parents, his uncle Jeff and his wife Mandy and their daughter Maddie, and also his uncle Jimmy.  We spent the rest of the weekend with his parents and had so much fun.  On Monday I took Jon to eat at Texas de Brazil.  We could hardly walk out of the restaurant because we were so full.  I think Jon had a great 27th birthday!

at Pappasito's with Jon's family

at Texas de Brazil

The following weekend we went to "Texas Mardi Gras."  It was basically a texas country music festival in a huge warehouse.  We had fun, but it was very crowded!  We found some new bands we like, and of course Jon came home and downloaded some of their music!  One thing that was similar to Mardi Gras in Louisiana was the fact that girls were flashing left and right for beads.  It was worse than actual Mardi Gras in New Orleans! I was a little shocked and annoyed at the same time!  Sommer and Michael met us there to watch the Eli Young Band.

My granny turned 100 this year!  She is a Jehovah's Witness so she does not celebrate holidays, including birthdays, so we had a "family reunion" in order to celebrate the milestone.  It was great to see all of my family, especially my granny.  Happy 100th Birthday Granny!

Jon and I have become pretty good friends with a girl I work with, Adrianne, and her husband, Ruben.  They actually just got married on March 21st here in Fort Worth.  It was a beautiful ceremony and reception and Adrianne looked gorgeous.  I am so happy for them! 

Congratulations!

a few of Cook Children's H/O nurses

Jon and I went to our first pro-basketball game this month.  It was so much fun!  Jon's uncle set us up with a man he knows and we got some pretty awesome tickets to the Dallas Mavericks vs Miami Heat game!  It was a great game and the Mavs pulled off a win right at the end!

This was definitely shortened, but I am going to try to stay on top of updating more.  We are headed to New York in 2 days, so I will definitely be posting a blog about our trip!

Stuck Between a Rock and a Hard Place

Life has been pretty much the same...working, sleeping, hanging out with Jon on my days off.  Recently Jon and I have each been faced with a difficult decision.  To make a long story short, Jon is not totally happy with his job.  He is homesick often because he has not made any friends here in Fort Worth and his parents and all of his friends are back home.  It makes it harder on him when I am working and he doesn't have anyone to hang out with.  So Jon decided to apply for a job here in Fort Worth in hopes to be happier (shorter drive, hopefully nicer people at work, and maybe make some friends who live in Fort Worth).  He went for the interview, and  is still doubting staying here.  There are a lot of things that are causing him to want to move back home and a few things, mainly hopes, wanting him to stay here.  He is trying to weigh the pros and cons and come up with a decision this week because he will have to let the new job he applied for know if he will accept or not.  Then based upon his decision, I will have to decide what to do.  If he wants to stay, hooray, no decisions for me. If he decides that home is where he really wants to be, then I will have to decide if I will stay here alone or move back home.  I do get homesick and miss my family and friends often, but I do love my job and the hospital I work at here.  I don't feel that I will find a job back home like the one I have here.  I have also made friends here who I enjoy spending time with, so I am not as homesick as Jon.  I hope and pray that things will work out here in Fort Worth, but I want what is best for Jon and what will make him happy.  It worries me and makes me stressed out, but I have to put my faith in the Lord and believe that He will direct Jon's decision based on His plan.  

The Lord says, "I will guide you along the best pathway for your life. I will advise you and watch over you."   Psalm 32:8

Valentine's Dinner at Piranha Killer Sushi 

After Jon's residency graduation we drove to Broken Bow, OK to relax for the weekend with some friends from back home.  It took us way longer than we expected to get there and we were both very tired.  We hung out on Friday and made smores by the campfire and got in the hot tub for a little bit.  We called it an early night, because we were both pretty tired from the eventful day.  We woke up Saturday and made breakfast before we went on a hike.  It was pretty chilly and Jon and I were not totally prepared for the cold weather, but it was still fun and so pretty!  I was pretty tired after the hike so I took a nap.  That evening we hung around and ate some dinner and then visited with everyone by the campfire.  It was nice to sit around and relax without worrying about things (besides the pups, because we had to board them).  We left pretty early on Sunday morning and I slept most of the way home.  It was nice to be able to relax all weekend, although I was tired a lot.  

Thank goodness I was called off of work on Sunday because again I was pretty tired.  Today Jon convinced me that I needed to go to the doc, so I did, and I am sick! The doc gave me some meds and I got a shot in the hip (yea, hip! I should have questioned the medical assistant but I didn't)  :(  I had to call in to work tonight.  The doc said I need some rest (after the weekend of resting you think I would be rested out but apparently not)  I have been pretty busy and somewhat stressed out lately, neglected taking care of myself I guess.   So I plan on laying low the next two days so I can recuperate and take care of the kiddos who are truly sick and need some TLC.  Until next time...

The cabin in Broken Bow, OK that we stayed in.

Hiking along the river.

When we truly care for ourselves, it becomes possible to care far more profoundly about other people. The more alert and sensitive we are to our own needs, the more loving and generous we can be toward others.
- Eda LeShan

Jon's Residency Graduation

When Jon and I were getting close to graduating nursing school he found out about a residency program that Parkland Hospital in Dallas, TX offered to graduate nurses.   He was very interested since he definitely wanted to work in a critical care setting and he loves to learn!  He did some research and asked a few people about it and decided to apply.  After applying he heard numerous "horror stories" about how hard it was and that not many people make it through, but that if you do make it through you can work anywhere afterwards.  He thought long and hard about it and decided to apply and give it a shot.  He got an interview and we made a quick trip over here (not to mention I forgot his nice clothes for the interview).  Despite his casual attire they loved him and offered him a position on the spot, which apparently is unheard of.  He was beside himself but wanted to make sure this was the right thing to do so he weighed the pros and cons and decided to go for it.  So as soon as he accepted, the pressure was on me to find a job in the DFW area! :)  Luckily Cook Children's wanted me!  So we made the big move over here and in September Jon started the program.  After 15 weeks of class and work, 9 tests, many hours of studying and long work/school weeks, he was finished, and early might I add.  He did so great on all of his tests and during clinical hours that they let him out on his own early! I know it was a hard program to complete, but he sure did make it look easy!  I am so very proud of him!  I never had a doubt in my mind that he couldn't do it (he's the brains of the pair).  Hopefully now our schedules will be close to the same and we can enjoy spending time together again!  Congratulations Jon on completing the residency program, I am so proud of you!

I'm so proud of him!!
All the SICU Residents
      All the residency students

Family Time

Jon's parents came to stay the weekend after Christmas.  Sunday night we decided to go out and do something fun.  We went to eat at the Flying Fish (which is delicious by the way!), and then decided to go to the Gaylord Texan in Grapevine, TX to see an ICE exhibit.  We packed all our warm clothes, because we heard it was pretty chilly where all the ice was.  We got there and we were having so much fun just looking around the place that we almost didn't make it to see the ice before it closed.  Jon and I got the blue parkas they offered us, so that we could slide down the slide.  We went into the exhibit and it was so cold!  They said it was 9 degrees in the rooms!  BRRRR!  It was so neat.  They had tons of ice sculptures, from bears to Christmas ornaments, to Santa, and a gingerbread house, but my favorite was the nativity scene.  They also had 2 huge slides that you could slide down, and that was a lot of fun, except I quit sliding 3/4 of the way down and had to scoot to the end :)  After we felt like we had frost bite and had finished going through the exhibit, we thawed out by walking around the hotel and checking out all the cool stuff they had there!   We had a really fun time and it was a nice closing to the Christmas season!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

It's been a while since I have posted anything...Life has been somewhat busy lately.  Where did I leave off...Thanksgiving....well after (and even before) Thanksgiving people start getting ready for Christmas.  I am usually one of the ones who has most all of my Christmas shopping complete by Thanksgiving and I can't wait to get the tree the day after.  This year was not that way.  Jon and I did not start Christmas shopping or get a tree until December 19th!!  I was not in the Christmas spirit this year.  I don't know why.  I did everything I could to get in the mood...listened to non-stop Christmas music, watched my favorite Christmas movies (Elf, Christmas Vacation, A Christmas Story), decorated the apartment, wrapped presents, etc.  I just felt like all of these tasks were a hassle instead of an enjoyment.  The only reason I can come up with as to why I felt like this about Christmas was because I was missing my family and Jon.  We didn't get to see each other much before Christmas, and were only able to spend Christmas Eve and half of Christmas Day together.  Big change from our usual 24/7 being together!  I can't say that I was a scrooge the whole time.  Once Jon and I packed up the car with all the presents and our luggage and loaded up Charley and Annabelle and headed to Louisiana, I got super excited! I sang Christmas carols the whole 3 hours! Christmas Eve we spent time with Jon's family and then pulled a late night at my parent's house opening presents and playing games with my family.  It was so good to spend time with the ones I love so much!  Christmas Day we ate lunch at my grandma's and then went to Jon's mom's and ate again! Delicious!  I was able to eat all the goodies I missed out on at Thanksgiving.   Overall Christmas turned out wonderful, and I am very thankful that I was able to spend it with those that are close to me!

Jon and I by our Christmas tree :)

Happy Thanksgiving!

Thanksgiving almost seems to be overlooked these days.  As soon as Halloween is over, all you see is Christmas trees and Santa Claus everywhere.  Thanksgiving is a time to rejoice and be thankful for all that He has given to us.  Thanksgiving was a little bit different for me this year.  In the past I have spent the day with family, eating, napping, and watching football.  For a few years I visited my sister and we had a Thanksgiving dinner for all of her friends who couldn't go home for the holiday.  This year I have entered the "grown-up world" and I have to work tonight.  Jon went home to spend time with his parents and friends, and that left me here to have dinner with Annabelle and Charley before I go in to work.  I was a little sad at first, but I made the most of it.  I bought Charley and Annabelle some Dingo rawhide/chicken treats for them to feast on while I ate my dinner.  They loved them!  She went and hid so no one would take her treat away, and he gobbled his up in seconds.  

I did my best to replicate the dinner I would have had at my grandmother's house today.   I bought a rotisserie chicken (closest thing to a big turkey I could come up with) and some mashed potatoes from Target.  I bought some green bean casserole and cornbread dressing from Central Market, and I made the infamous peas and cheese.  Every year we make a dish we have named peas and cheese.  It sounds and looks disgusting, I will be the first to admit that, but it is, by far, my favorite thing to eat at holiday dinners.  It's basically butter and velveeta cheese melted then mixed with green peas and mushrooms with some sugar and cayenne pepper for seasoning.  I love it!  I even had some Crystal Light peach iced tea!  For dessert I bought a mini apple pie, and I don't think it was the fact that I wanted dessert as much as it was the fact that the mini pie was so cute!  My dinner was good, but it wasn't the same as being home with all of my family.  It made me realize that not only is it about the big dinner, but most of all the precious time you get to spend with your family.  

This Thanksgiving I am very thankful for the life He has given me and the people He has placed in my life.   He has blessed me with an amazing family, a wonderful boyfriend, loyal puppy dogs, and sweet friends.  I have a job that is very rewarding and gives me the opportunity to care for people who need it the most.  I love everything about this life!  Thank you Lord!  

It is a good thing to give thanks unto the LORD, and to sing praises unto thy name, O Most High….
Psalm 92:1 

Precious Time

I have had so much fun this past weekend!!  Jon and I finally had a whole weekend off together!  Friday I made dinner, red beans and rice, and we hung around the house because Jon had worked that day and was pretty sleepy.  Saturday we woke up bright and early and ventured to Dallas to the museum to see the King Tut exhibit.  It was very interesting!  After the museum we went to the Northpark mall and did lots of shopping.  I was just looking for a dress for a Christmas party, but Jon racked up on some clothes!  We were there so long and we never even made it to the second level! We drove back to Fort Worth and went straight to Joe T Garcia's!  It was exactly what we needed after walking all day, and it was delicious, as always!  That night we just hung around the house because we were both pretty tired from the busy day.  Sunday we woke up and made pecan waffles..YUMM!  Then we went to see Role Models, which was hilarious! Since we went to the matinee movie, we had the whole afternoon left to do things.  We couldn't come up with anything to do besides eat! :)  Jon was in the mood for some barbeque and we wanted to try some place new, so we went to Red, Hot, & Blue.  It was just what we wanted! Perfect!  We came home stuffed and laid around on the couch and watched the American Music Awards.  Monday we woke up and planned on making German pancakes, but we didn't have all the cooking supplies we needed, so Jon made us a big breakfast of eggs, bacon, and biscuits! (If you didn't already know, we love to eat!)  We spent the afternoon looking for Christmas trees, but we never found one we really liked.  I did get a pretty wreathe for the front door, which I am super excited about!  We ended our fun weekend curled up on the couch drinking homemade hot chocolate and catching up on Grey's Anatomy.  I couldn't have asked for a better weekend or someone better to spend it with! 

You know you're in love when you can't fall asleep because reality is finally better than your dreams.  

- Dr. Seuss

Make New Friends but Keep the Old

So it's been about 3 months since we have lived here and I am finally meeting new people and making new friends.  Unfortunately every time I have the chance to go out with new people Jon has to work, but we are trying to plan something when he can go too!  

On Halloween I was invited to go to Jessica's (she works at Cook on the 4th floor and went to college with Amanda and Gina, two girls I work with) house for a party before going out downtown.  We had a lot of fun!  We played a few drinking games which had us laughing all night.  We learned how to do the "stinky leg" and saw a bunch of promiscuously dressed girls out on the town.  Overall we had a really good time!

All the girls at Jessica's before we went downtown.

This past Monday when I got off of work I went to eat breakfast with a few co-workers.  I had always heard them talking about breakfast at Esperanza's, but I always doubted how good mexican food would be at 7 in the morning.  We all decided to go, and I quickly found out that mexican food at 7 AM is pretty good after all.  They had a few strange things on the menu,

 including cow's head meat and tongue meat, but I stayed away from those! I ordered something I could not pronounce that had chorizo in it, which I was told was mexican sausage.  I assumed it was patty sausage crumbled, but it was actually somewhat like chili mixed in with my eggs.  It didn't sound or look that great, but I really enjoyed it!  The dish is apparently one of the best things on the menu because 90% of the table ordered it.  

This past weekend I went out with Sommer and Tiffany from work, and a few friends of Sommer's.  Before we went out, Tiffany and I went shopping at Northpark Mall in Dallas.  It was a mad house!  There were so many people there that it made shopping not so enjoyable.  I did find some jeans, which I desperately needed, and Tiffany finally found a shirt right before we left.  So we met out later at Bone Daddy's to eat dinner and then went out downtown.  We first started at the Library, which was fun, although it was very crowded.  We then made our way to Houston St Club (I think that was the name of it), where they have a camera at the bathroom waiting line and a huge TV in the bar for all to be entertained.  You would be surprised how many girls go into the guy's bathroom, alone usually, because the girl's take so long in the bathroom!  It was fun to get out of the house and meet some new people!  I had a really good time!

Me, Tiffany, and Sommer at Bone Daddy's.

I'm very glad that I have accepted the invitations to go out with the new people I am meeting.  I have enjoyed getting to know them and meeting their friends.  I look forward to hanging out more often, especially when Jon can come and have a good time too!

Visitors

So, Jon and I have been here 2 months and have come to love it!  Jon's parents and our good friends, Matthew and Kay, helped us move in.  It was a job to say the least!  We moved in to a two bedroom apartment so that our friends and family would come and visit.  Our first guests were Amber and Devin.  We had so much fun when they came in town!  We went to the Dallas Zoo and then that night we ate dinner at P.F. Changs (one of my favs!) and then went out downtown.  We started at the Flying Saucer and then went Pete's Piano Bar.We had a blast!

  

Our next visitors were my parents and my little brother! We had plans of going to the Fort Worth Zoo but Hurricane Gustav ruined our outdoor plans.  We went to the mall and then to eat dinner.  We also made a stop by the water gardens in downtown Fort Worth the next day.  I loved it when my family came in town!  I always love their company!

 

A couple of weeks later Jon's parents came to visit, but I had to work.  I was only able to eat dinner with them before I went to work one day.  I know they had a good time, especially when they went to Central Market and racked up on some goodies!

* This picture is from a different time, but I didn't want to leave anyone out! :) *

I'm glad we have had so many people come to visit us, and I look forward to more people coming to stay!  We love having guests! :)

New Beginnings

I graduated from college in August and was ready for my "life to begin."  I accepted a job in Fort Worth, Texas and was anxious to move from home.  Jon and I packed our things and made the big move!  It was scary and exciting all at the same time! Scared of being an adult, totally on my own, with a new job/career, and my whole life ahead of me.  Scared of meeting new people and leaving all my friends behind.  Excited about leaving home (a little sad too), but ready to see what else was out there.  Now here I am!  I am a "real nurse,"  at an incredible children's hospital, and I work with great people! I couldn't be happier with my job!  Jon loves his job, and although we have totally different schedules now, we are adjusting.  Fort Worth is a fun city with lots to do.  Jon and I have slowly learned our way around, at least to the grocery store, the good restaurants, and the mall!  We are having a lot of fun in this big city!  Moving here was definitely a huge step, but I'm glad I took it!    Overall, I am very thankful that God has lead me down this path, and I am looking forward to what He has planned for me!

Trust the Lord your God with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.
Proverbs 3:5-6