A New Addition to My Scrap Studio...

SOOO excited about this! I am not really a standing scrapper though I have had to be for the last year or so. I saw this chair at the Container Store (one of my favorite stores!!!) a long time ago and wanted to get it but wasn't sure if it would work at the desk Brad made or not (we put a laminate table top on top of two cabinets).

I got Brad to take me there tonight and we ended up going home with this wonderful chair...he says it is ugly but I beg to differ.

He wasn't too pleased with the instructions that came with the chair but we figured it out :) He had to sit on it to make it all fit snuggly together. (I think he looks a like a model in this picture!).

It is really cute and comfortable too! :) It spins (always a plus!), has a pneumatic lift, and rolls across the carpet!

All in all, it was a wonderful evening. I got to eat mama's trio and yummy bread from Macaroni Grill and even checked into getting some exterior paint for the house at Home Depot. And you can bet your money that I will be enjoying my new chair well into the future! :)

A Few Scrapping Projects...

that I have been working on lately...

I got some good scrapping time in on Saturday night at the lss with Amanda, Vicki, and Julie (and the always funny Patti and her goat Tinkerbell...I know, that name rocks!). We ate a lot of candy and laughed a lot!...

I decided to scrap some pics I had of Brad with Granny...feeding the cows and having lunch at TeaLicious (they have the best peach tea ever!)...

Had a wonderful weekend...DID NOT want to head back to work today!! But since we closed at 5:00 instead of 6:00 I had some extra time (really I worked till 5:30 so I got an extra 30 minutes) and decided to go shopping at Old Navy and Target.

I also bought some frame kits from Target tonight...made some for my graduating CBSers and for Perez and Josh (I figure I am safe since they don't read this thing..)

I really loved the kits though...thinking about going back to get some more.

I should probably head to bed so I can get some sleep...early morning tomorrow!!!

SCHOOL'S OUT FOR SUMMER!!!

We are indeed done with school (me for the summer and Brad till June 3rd I believe...he is a hard core college student right now...he is taking 2 classes next session). I think that I made an A in Team Management but we shall see...95% on one presentation...90%, 87%, and 95% on the tests...

BOY DID THAT BIG PROJECT STINK!!! My team interviewed 3 team members from Dell. My team was not much of a team when it came to teamwork...it was pretty much just "work" with not much "team." I did A LOT of editing over the last two days. I think that the grade will be pretty good though. We think that one person in the group may have not used quote marks when they should have been used. Not so good. Plagiarism is not smiled upon. We told the teacher about it and I gave her a copy of the notes that I got directly from the team member.

The presentation went alright...people liked my slides :) I took a picture of Dell when we went there for the interviews and made that the background for all the slides. Glad that class is behind me but I really did enjoy it! I really like the teacher and we did all kinds of cool activities that made me think "outside of the box." Plus, the people in the class were really cool. Three weeks went by fast.

Got to see my good buddies this evening...AND my mommy! What a day! :) Went to the mall with MAM and Riss and had a good time catching up!

Looking forward to doing some scrapping tomorrow after work at the lss (local scrapbook store)! It has been far too long since I scrapped! I need to create something! I think I'll start by making some cards later this evening. :) But I really could use a long nap...or a good night's rest.

SO GLAD that Taylor won AI...ya know, except that I wanted Chris to win. I liked Taylor over Katherine. I thought that Katherine's song with the Meatloaf dude was horrible. Enjoyed the "Puck and Pickler" segment of the show...Wolfgang Puck and Kellie Pickler together...quite funny really. It was nice to hear Chris sing again...and is it just me, or was he a lot better than the dude (his buddy) he sang with???

My dance show started again (So You Think You Can Dance!)!! Pretty exciting stuff. They changed the host lady but kept the same song...I like the song a lot for some odd reason. Wish the people on it would wear some more clothing.

Ran 6.5 miles this week. I ran 3 miles with Brad at the park on Sunday...it was a bummer because we finished so early that I didn't get to catch any fireflies :( ...but I didn't eat any bugs either, so that is good!! :) We also ran at the gym at school...3.5 miles because I really wanted to finish watching Oprah...it was about the Holocaust.

So, so behind on house cleaning. I told Brad that I need to lock myself inside and not leave till it is clean...I think it would take a few days at least. It will help when I have Fridays off again...it really throws me off when I don't have that extra time. I've been doing well to get some laundry done...the rest of the house has been very neglected lately...a heads up for you, Vick. Be prepared for a bit of a mess.

Brad and I want to see the movie Cars...sounds like it will be really good. :) We never really go to the movies because we usually buy used movies cheap and watch them at home. I think we may actually venture out to see that one...I mean come on could it be any more perfect for us??? Brad loves cars and I love cartoons! :) It is the best of both worlds.

Went to a big sale at Old Navy the other day with Perez (BTW Perez...you better comment so that I know that you read this thing!!! If you don't, I might have to call you and harass you on your brand new fancy orange phone!!)...and I was quite pleased with my purchases. Three sweaters that were $9.49 each (that I have had my eye on for a long time but thought they were too expensive at $24.50 each...I am soooo Brad's wife!!!) and two pairs of flip flops for $5.00. Darn good deal if you ask me. (In case you were wondering...yes, I wear sweaters in the summer. It is very cold at school and work during the summer...I guess in order to compensate for the heat outside). I even persuaded Alicia to go and check out the sale...she returned to work with a few sweaters, some tank tops, a belt, and a shirt for her boy.

Brad and I miss the little T-t-t-tia girl. Kinda sad to look around and not see her. But we did have a nice time at work together last Saturday. She was a working girl...she sat in my lap and hung out...ate some food...snacked on a greenie...enjoyed watching people...except little kids...it was like she could sense that there were little kids near her and she would growl. We miss her a lot!!

I also wanted to wish Paula and John a HAPPY, HAPPY 30th Wedding Anniversary!!! They have been such examples to both Bradley and myself. They really are like second parents to me!! I love them very much! :)

I'm gonna go catch a few before...(anyone [besides Vick] recognize that movie line??? It is from one of my favorites!!!)

HGTV Crews at GFAP!

Kinda crazy, huh?! Who woulda thunk it? :)

I was here the first day Julie (the owner) came in a looong time ago (way back in July 2005)! :) She brought in the Mexican tiles and said that she was doing Lanscaper's Challenege and needed to find some furniture that would match the tiles. She said she had been to some other places and they were rude and overpriced...so she went with us :)

I was also here for the filming in August. They were here for a few hours. There were 2 men filming and 1 lady directing. The HGTV lady in charge was really nice...she directed them in what to say, where to sit, etc. They had a lot of outtakes...and they laughed a lot.

We thought it was funny that in reality, Julie just came in by herself and worked with Ken. The designer lady never came in till the day of filming! And they pretended that she knew something about the furntiture ("this is cast aluminum", etc.).

The lady that made the cool table ("it is almost art" according to the designer lady) called the shop today. She is local and wants to do some tables on consignment.

I love HGTV! :) It is really fun that I got to witness part of the filming and all!! I never knew how long it took them to film it and run it on tv! It took them at least 2 months just to edit all of the filming! They take hours and hours of footage (like 20 + if I remember correctly)!! Brad actually went out to the house to deliver the furniture!! :) It is a bummer we didn't run any advertising during the shows but people have been calling the shop saying that they saw the show! :) It is good advertising for us!!

I should probably get back to work now (yes I am clocked out)!

I Think This is the Beginning...

of a beautiful friendship :)

We are dog sitting tonight...meet Tia the chihuahua...she belongs to a dear family that we love SO MUCH!...We have already had a great time together today.


We like to sing her the "t-t-t-tia" song! :)

We laid around and surfed the net for a bit...then we made Tia our "delivery dog"...we took a trip to GFAP and she left with a fan club telling her goodbye...they were all very impressed with how calm she was...we went on two deliveries with Tia on her throne (pillow)...she seemed to fall for Brad quickly...she would frantically search for Brad when he would get out of the truck...

We took her into Target in my bag. (Is this Tia's first trip to Target, Mel & Riss???) She seemed to enjoy the trip. We were surprised no one bothered to kick us out...they are pretty unwelcoming and like to kick people out for reasons they made up...

Brad went into Chick to get us some food and she cried and cried (for the first time and she had been with us for a few hours!)...she kept watching for him and putting her feet up on the door so she could get high enough to see him...when he finally returned she was happy as a clam (yes, clams are happy)...

Not sure if I should be concerned or not...but he called her "his girl" earlier...should I be worried??? This little dog is replacing me slowly!!

She was a little leary of the man and the lawnmower outside (Brad. I suppose she thought he was a mean machine outside or didn't like the noise)...she barked a lot...but when I closed the blinds she was fine.

Now I am sitting with Brad and Tia on the sofa eating some Chick...we are about to watch "Tombstone"...I have never seen it and it is one of Brad's favorites...

Just Checking In...

We have A LOT to do in the next 8 days for Team Management! We have another test tomorrow...I ended up with a 90% on the first one so I was pleasantly surprised! :) Hopefully tomorrow's test goes well! We have to write a big paper as a group, take another test next week, and do two presentations. So we will be busy!! But it is almost over...we're over halfway through already! :)

Brad and I got to eat lunch with mom today so that was fun. :) We worked really hard to get a hold of her...kept calling her on her cell phone but she refuses to keep her phone turned on and doesn't check it during lunch breaks...we ended up running across the mall to find her and luckily Brad spotted her before she went to go get some crackers for lunch (like that qualifies as being called "lunch"!!).

Got some free Chick for breakfast today...such a nice treat :) The chicken minis are really quite delightful...and I enjoyed my chocolate milk as well :) Nothing like waking up and going to see the way cool Chick-Fil-A cow dressed up in a nightgown holding a "Free Breakfast!" sign!!! :) I made Brad leave the shopping center from the opposite direction so we could loop back and see the cow :) Totally made my day!

As if you thought our world didn't already revolve around Chick-Fil-A, we also got to hear one of the local Chick-Fil-A franchise owners speak at our class yesterday! And he gave out some free combo coupons! :) (Like we don't already have a gazillion!...but do not fret, we are giving some away to deserving people...they certainly will all be used before their expiration dates...let me know if you would like a coupon or two) :)

I wanted to put a link so that you guys could hear that awesome song I talked about the other day...If you go to http://www.klove.com/Music/ you can hear a sample of it. It is a really awesome song!!

In case any of you have cable tv and can tune in to Landscaper's Challenge on HGTV tonight at 8:30 p.m....keep your eyes peeled for GFAP!! :) That is some exciting stuff!! I think I may be taking a trip to the MIL/FIL's to watch! :) I got to see the people when they came in to shop. I even got some pics during the filming somewhere...maybe I will post them if I can find them?? It will air again tomorrow (Friday) at 12:30 a.m...and again on Saturday at 10:00 a.m...

EDITED: We watched the show and it actually showed GFAP quite a bit!! More than I thought they would! And Cecil was on national television!!! He was answering phones in the background!! :)

I must get back to studying...pray for us :)

My Savior, My God

~Aaron Shust "My Savior, My God"~
I am not skilled to understand
What God has willed, what God has planned
I only know at His right hand
Stands one who is my Savior

I take Him at His word and deed
Christ died to save me this I read
And in my heart I find a need
For Him to be my Savior

That He would leave His place on high
And come for sinful man to die
You count it strange, so once did I
Before I knew my Savior

My Savior loves, my Savior lives
My Savior's always there for me
My God He was, my God He is
My God He's always gonna be

Yes, living, dying; let me bring
My strength, my solace from this spring
That He who lives to be my King
Once died to be my Savior

That he would leave His place on high
And come for sinful man to die
You count it strange, so once did I
Before I knew my Savior

My Savior loves, my Savior lives
My Savior's always there for me
My God He was, My God He is
My God He's always gonna be


I love this song. It is exactly what I need to be reminded of daily. He is always there for me. He will always be my God.

God is so amazing. I cannot even put into words how my life has changed because of the Lord. It leaves me speechless and awestruck. There is no way to really explain it.

He has come into my life and changed me and molded me. I know bad things will happen in my life but He has given me a new perspective. I truly am a new creation because of Christ. I see things from a heavenly perspective instead of an earthly perspective (or at least try to).

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, He is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!” 2 Corinthians 5:17 NIV

What a blessing it is to be in the hands of my King…
To know that I can talk to Him anytime and about anything…
To know that He wants to hear about the little things that we so often feel are unimportant…
To know that He died to save me, a sinner, to set me free from death…
To know that He lives…
To know that His grace is enough...

Jesus did not have to die on that cross, but He willingly gave His life to set us free. To me, the cross means freedom and grace and love.

It is so simple and yet so difficult to grasp sometimes. All we have to do is admit that we are sinners and have fallen short, believe that He died on the cross for us and rose again, confess our sins, and ask Him into our hearts. That is so simple...and so powerful.

After years of questioning what to believe, I have learned that while I will never fully understand God, I do know that He loves us with a perfect, extravagant love and offers us His grace without limit. He wants to be a part of our lives. He wants us to come to Him. He wants to use our lives to grow His kingdom. He wants to give us an amazing life full of blessings.

'For I know the plans that I have for you,' declares the LORD, 'plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope. Jeremiah 29:11 NASB

I love that verse. I know it is true because I have seen it unfold before me in my own life.

When I see a new little baby or a beautiful sunset or wake up in the morning and see my wonderful husband beside me

I KNOW FOR SURE AND WITHOUT A DOUBT THAT GOD IS REAL.

He is active. He is moving. He is answering prayers. He is working miracles. He is blessing my life so many times over…even though I don’t deserve it.

What a wonderful ride this life is with Jesus by my side!!!! If you have not made a committment to the Lord, talk to Him! He wants you to get to know Him!! I promise, your life will never be the same!!!!!

My Weekend...

I always have lovely weekends; however, they always go by way too fast!! On Friday Brad and I finished up our first week of school and then went to Target to buy some mommy's day presents and Chick-Fil-A (because...where else would we go?!). I love spending time with Brad...he is just so much fun and so silly and always keeps me laughing.

After work on Saturday, Vicki picked me up and we headed over to Amanda's for a scrapping extravanganaza. Before heading to Amanda's we decided we would stop at Fazolis for some dinner...not the best idea we've ever had. I tried to make small talk with the girl at the counter but she basically told me that she hated working there and wished that she didn't have to be there because it is a terrible place to work. I think that was the consensus of all the people that worked there...even the manager seemed frustrated (or we thought he was the manager?). At one point the girl told Vicki that she didn't want to ring up her slice of cheesecake so she should just take it. Vicki and I looked at each other in shock and she put the money on the counter...which she may have pocketed? Somehow they ran out of meat sauce at an Italian restaurant...and I also saw the guy in the back touch my pizza without gloves. It was an unpleasant experience, really. You could tell they did not have Jesus!!!!! They were so negative and disgusted with the world. It is amazing what a difference He makes!!!!!!!!!!!!! I don't understand how people get through difficult situations without Him...He is my source of peace and love and a constant companion that never leaves me.

After the Fazolis incident, we headed to Amanda & Dave's. We haven't been there in so long it was strange but nice (hint, hint, Amanda...do not forget we are alive) and brought back lots of fun memories from back in the day. I also got to see my favorite cousin Perez...so that is always nice :) AND! She brought us candy! Which is ALWAYS welcomed! :) (YUM! Gummi coke bottles, Razzles, coffee flavored candy, and cow tales!). I got a little bit of scrapping done but not much. Nothing postable, that is for sure! And to top the night off, Perez spent the night and went to church with us on Sunday!

After early service and Sunday school, we got some stuff for school in line and I took a little nap (I am a little sleep deprived lately). Then we headed to mom and dad's...we ate some really yummy fajitas, played Life (the boardgame which I haven't played in a long time and was really excited about it...), watched the Survivor finale (even though at least 3 out of 6 of us had never seen any of the other episodes). Then Brad and I went home to study for our Team Management test...not the best timing for a test really. I didn't do all that well on it but we'll see what I end up with!

So, all in all, it was a really nice weekend...I was definitely not looking forward to going to school today. And there is no CBS to make Mondays better! :( I will be excited when the Bible Trek starts up in June!!! I miss Bible study!

Happy Mother's Day!!


Me and Mom on my wedding day :)


I have the best mommy in the world...really :)
She has always been there for me when I need her.
She taught me valuable life lessons.
She showed me to how to love others.
She taught me to never throw in the towel.
She set such a wonderful example for me of what a mom should be.
She is so supportive me in whatever I put my mind to. There was never a moment when she was not supportive of my decision to get married at 19. She encouraged me to not let Bradley go. :)
She always wants to hear what I am up to and anticipates my Monday night calls.
She loves me unconditionally.

Mom, I love you and I am forever grateful for the sacrificial love that you have shown me over the years. I can never thank you enough!!! Thank you, thank you, thank you :)


I also wanted to say Happy Mother's Day to all the mommies that read my blog...I hope you have a wonderful, carefree day and get pampered! :)

My Latest Scrapbook Page...

I decided to relieve some stress (& procrastinate studying) and scrapbook tonight...

I always enjoy time in my scrap studio :)

It is a just for fun page...

A moment in time...

What Brad & I were thinking and doing at exactly 3:45 p.m. on March 30, 2006 :)

It is a sad, sad day :(

Chris was kicked off of AI...
What was America thinking?
Never in a million years would I have ever thought that he would be kicked off before the other three!!
Now, don't get me wrong, I think the other three are good singers...BUT
Chris should have at least made it into the top three
You could tell he was shocked...
Katherine was shocked...
the judges were shocked...
Simon even stood up for him
You want to know why??
BECAUSE CHRIS SHOULD HAVE WON, THAT'S WHY!
HE ROCKS!
He really was the best singer.
And I know that he will still do really well...get a recording contract, etc.
But sheesh!!
I have lost my faith in AI voting Americans!! :(

Some Randomness...

Summer school started.
It's really not so bad at all.
Not sure why I always refused to take it!
15 days and I am done with a course!
Currently taking Team Management with my wonderful Bradley.
3 days down, only 12 more to go!!!! :)

Work is going well.
We work mornings and Saturdays.
Not so bad of a schedule.
But I DEFINITELY will be missing my Fridays off!!

Been looking through some old pictures lately.
What a dork I was!! (and am still!!)
I surely loved my ginormous glasses!!
I remember waiting and asking mom and dad if I got my glasses in the mail...
This is my school picture from Kindergarten...red & white frilly dress with my Minnie and Mickey glasses :)
What a look that was!
But I miss the good old days of being a kiddo!!!

I got a new CD from my friend David...
The band is called Concept7.
I know three of the guys in it...
all from Community Bible Study...
Super great Christian hip hop CD
I am listening to it right now.
Let me know if you are interested in purchasing one...
It comes highly recommended by me :)

I ran at the gym today...
And surprisingly it was not too difficult.
I guess all the 3-4 mile park runs are helping!
I ran 3 miles today and Brad ran 6.
We have a deal that when we run on treadmills he has to double what I run.
He says I am catching up to him though :)

Haven't done much scrapping lately...
But I will definitely be scrapping this weekend...
Maybe both Friday and Saturday nights!
I've got a few projects simmering in my brain... :)

I have not watched Amercian Idol (AI) yet tonight...
I am a major fan...not of the name...but of the show.
I do believe that Chris is going to win.
I really hope he was not kicked off tonight!
Last week I figured Elliot would be getting kicked off but he did really well on Tuesday night.
I figure Katherine will be leaving tonight.
Tell me Chris did not get kicked off.
The news lady almost spoiled the surprise...
but I made Brad change the station just in time!

Went to a super fancy wedding on Saturday...
For a long time friend of Amanda's...
I must say, the fanciest wedding and reception I have ever been to in my life.
A chocolate fondue fountain with strawberries...
Parmisan Truffles that were to die for...
I am certain that I will be seeing those again in heaven...
Dr. Pepper on the tap...
I was bad and drank DP two days in a row...
I can't have it again till Friday!!
(Just in case you are wondering why...I decided to only drink soda two days a week about a year ago. I was drinking way too much of the sweet stuff and decided to cut back...)
The wedding had the most beautiful flowers ever!
Amanda was the matron of honor...and a mighty pretty one if I may say so myself...
Some people say Dave looked "spicy" errr "spiffy" too! :)

A few things I am loving...
hello.com for picture sharing...what did I do before I had it?! The IM program on it is fun too :)
My camera...I take a ton of pictures!
Those neopolitan coconut candies...YUM! :)
Sleeping when it is raining (but not when it sounds like the house is going to blow over!)
The weather right now...breezy and just quite lovely in general!
This new blog! :)

Alicia Graduates!

Alicia graduated on May 6th!! We all took a trip to the Expo Center to witness the exciting event. We had to convince her to walk but I think (I hope) she was glad she did. I know she was happy to show off her diploma. To celebrate, we ate at the Cotton Patch Cafe. Yummy! :)

We had a beach-style graduation party at GFAP on May 7th! Valerie and I decided to go with a beach theme...we decked GFAP out with all the decorations we could think of. It turned out pretty cute I think :)

My favorite decoration was the inflatable monkey I got from Party City for $2.99. What a buy! He was very popular! :) Except with Caden that is...he was a little unsure of that monkey. After all, they were about the same height! Caden was not very sure about the big straw hat either...

All in all, I think the party was a huge success. I know I had a lot of fun watching Logan and Caden play.

It's hard to believe that in a year Brad and I will be graduating!!! :) I can't wait! (But I will probably miss it when it's over!).

So...a BIG congrats to Alicia on a huge accomplishment! :) We are very proud of her!

I Decided to Make the Switch..

As a direct result of photo upload limitations on xanga...I have moved over to Blogger :) I hope that I will be pleasantly surprised with picture upload allowance... :)