Graduation Day!

I cannot believe that we finally got to walk across that stage and take home our fancy pieces of paper! :)

After I walked across the stage and sat down the first thing I did was check to make sure that I had a real diploma in my tube...don't worry, I did :)

How awesome to get to graduate with your husband and your best friend?!? Seriously.

One of the perks of graduating the same day as your spouse and getting degrees from the same department was that I got to sit with Brad at graduation (though we almost didn't get to...we were one person away from being split by a new row!)...we spent our sitting time text messaging family, trying to talk to MAM (she was a couple of rows back), talking to the guy that sat on the other side of me, and being so happy that we were finally graduating!

The ceremony wasn't too long (maybe two hours?) since we didn't really have a speaker and the people that did speak were quick.

I wore my contacts that really aren't made for my eyes... so I could only see part of the time. I actually couldn't see when I was walking across the stage...I was just praying that I wouldn't trip and fall! It was rough after the ceremony because all the professors line up and the students can walk through and hug them...I couldn't see enough to notice which teachers were mine (they weren't separated by departments...they were all mixed up) but luckily I was able to follow after Brad and I don't think I missed any of my favorite teachers. I am going to miss them! I have spent a lot of hours in their classes!!

Afterwards we tried to find our supporters quickly but it took us a while...thank God for cell phones! We took a few pictures outside of the Expo before it started drizzling.

Then we headed to Texas Roadhouse to have lunch. There were 20 people in our party...Mom & Dad {both sets}, Granny, Val, Alicia, Daniel, Amanda, Dave, Vicki, Perez, Uncle Ronnie, Aunt Nelwyn, MAM, MAM's bro Ross, MAM's parents, & me and Brad!

We enjoyed throwing peanuts at each other...my mother-in-law, Linda, continues to find peanuts in her purse from the crossfire...needless to say, we had a wonderful celebration lunch.

After we ate, Brad and I headed over to UMHB to take pics with MAM and her family. So glad we got some pictures on campus!!

The picture of us by the sign is the front of the building that we "lived in" for the last three years. Literally we had all of our classes there for the last 4 semesters (sometimes we even had three out of four classes in the same classroom!).

After some picture taking we headed home where our family was waiting for us.

A Red Velvet Cake from the most wonderful bakery was waiting for us along with a table full of wonderful presents.

Also on the table was this little piece of genious...

We had an absolute blast singing pop songs and following along with the words on the screen.

The song list includes...3 Doors Down -- Kryptonite A-Ha -- Take On Me Alicia Keys -- Fallin' All American Rejects -- Move Along Ashlee Simpson -- Invisible Avril Lavigne -- Sk8er Boi Blue October -- Hate Me Britney Spears -- One more time Cartel -- Honestly Cyndi Lauper -- Girls Just Wanna Have Fun Daniel Powter -- Bad Day Destiny's Child -- Survivor Franz Ferdinand -- Take Me Out Gorillaz -- Feel Good, Inc. Hinder -- Lips of an Angel Hoobastank -- The Reason James Blunt -- You're Beautiful Jesse McCartney -- Beautiful Soul Lifehouse -- Hanging By A Moment My Chemical Romance -- Helena Natasha Bedingfield -- These Words Panic! At the Disco -- I Write Sins, Not Tragedies Rihanna -- SOS Ryan Cabrera -- On The Way Down Snow Patrol -- Chasing Cars The Clash -- Should I Stay or Should I go The Fray -- Over My Head The Raconteurs -- Steady, As She Goes U2 -- Vertigo Whitney Houston -- I Wanna Dance With Somebody

You can make teams and have the game decide who sings which songs...there are one-on-one battles, duets, and more. Each team has a certain number of song skips.

I have not laughed so hard in a loooong time!! I highly recommend this game! It rocks! A BIG THANKS to Vick for buying it!! I think it is well worth the money!

It is a huge improvement from the "karaoking" that mom and I used to do back in the day with a CD, the CD book, and a cheap microphone we bought.

We are anticipating singing the country version once we find it...ohh...good times!

A little secret was uncovered during the party...MAM rocks SingStar. Vicki calls her the "silent killer" because you can't hear her sing but she always gets good marks (Cool! Cool! Cool!)...I knew she was a good singer but for real!

One of my favorite parts of the evening...

when MAM called my phone Brad picked it up (because I was singing) and said, "I can't talk right now because I'm about to sing Brittney Spears. Just come on over!"

LOL! :) Not only did he sing "Baby One More Time" by Brittney Spears, he was good at it! Gotta love my Bradley!! :)

It was quite a lovely party and a really awesome day in general. I don't think I will fully believe that we are college graduates until school starts back up in August and we don't go!

So... we finally did it. It took us 6 whole years without taking any semesters off and always taking at least 12 hours (except for maybe one semester when I could only take 9)...but...we finally got our degrees.

I remember sitting in my Fundamentals of Management class in the Fall of 2004...the professor (who was also my advisor) told us to use Play-Doh to make anything that came to mind...

I made a little Play-Doh Brad and Lacey with diplomas in their hands...It is hard to believe we have them now!

A big thanks to everyone who made our day so special. We love you all! Everyone has been so generous and we love all of our gifts!!

{Side note: I sent out thank you notes and received three thank you notes for the thank you notes, lol :) I bet the USPS loves us!!}

BVOTD: "Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything." James 1:4 NIV

Oh Happy Day!

Had a wonderful day! Went to church and then worked in the nursery...got to play with some really cute kiddos :)

Went to Village Inn with Vick (Brad went to another church after ours for a school project) and had a particularly yummy lunch ... Fresh Strawberry and Banana French Toast Combo (with a sunny side up egg and some sausage links). Then I went home and scrapped for a bit and made this....

Just for fun. Kinda random. All about how I love to sing!

Took this photo during the week I took photos for a "Week in the Life" album. I really need to print some more photos!

Supplies used: Boxer Scrapbook Productions paper, Bazzill cardstock, Heidi Swapp florals small, Tres Jolie French Kisses button (it is a button from the cutest little jam container, Amanda!!!), Rusty Pickle Swirly Whirlie Chipboard Accents, e-z Tintz Walnut Ink in white, Making Memories Chipboard Shapes Heart, Pressed Petals Chip Chatter "Hip" & "Tall", orange yarn, & a Zig Writer 0.5 mm pen.

I listened to this song over and over on youtube.com while I scrapped. (I think Tina got sick of listening to it!). I really like it even though I have never been a big fan of Bucky... Let me know what you think about it :) Kinda reminds me of the Judds song Grandpa (you can watch the video on youtube.com). Love that song. Old country is the best!

After some scrap therapy and some goldfish eating, I worked on a final review for my Organizational Behavior class. And then took my final (it was an online test) and ended up making a B on it plus my 35 points (because I never missed a class) so I really made like 118% on my final! That means that that I am down to only two finals and a presentation! That makes me super happy!! :)

After I finished my final I watched some TV with Bradley and then hopped online to check my email, facebook, blog, and read my favorite blogs and came across this.

My sister rocks. Totally made my day!!

So cool to see my life in a collage!

Hope everyone has a wonderful week!! :) Only 6 more days till graduation!

BDQOTD: "Following Jesus does not mean you will have no trials. It is the presence of assurance, knowing that God will get you through." 4/29/07

BVOTD: "Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart." Jeremiah 29:12-13 NIV (One of my very favorite verses!)

Shop Therapy

I have been bad lately and have been ordering up a frenzy online. I ordered this kit from Cocoa Daisy (and just got it in the mail today and I can't wait to play with it!) and ordered this Ali Edwards' kit today. (Not to mention the goodies I have been picking up from Scrapbook Fever!) Am looking forward to doing some serious scrapping in the days ahead. (Think of all the extra scrappy time that I will get when I graduate!! Ahh!! :)

As I see it, I deserve a little shop therapy.

I am recovering from a rough month (really multiple months but April was *by far* the worst) full of reading, studying, writing papers, making SWOT analyses for cases (if I ever read a case again it will be too soon), taking tests, creating a playbill, dealing with teachers, working on group projects, waiting on teachers to grade my projects, selling stuff to my Sales teacher, making presentations, etc.

Will be happy to not have to worry about this stuff anymore. I only have 3 finals and one presentation and then I am SO DONE!! Am looking forward to things slowing down here in just a bit. Cannot believe we graduate next Saturday! :)

My cool sister helped me get all of my announcements ready to mail...wow, who knew that would be so time consuming!?!??

As an added bonus, I have convinced my wonderful boss to let me work crazy hours (i.e. working from like 8:00 in the morning till like 11:00 at night a couple of days a week and then having DAYS off instead of just evenings...it is kinda how I have been working this semester since the earliest we got out of class was 2:00 pm everyday...I love working without interruptions...and being able to sing at the top of my lungs without being yelled @ :).

I am totally excited about having full days off...I am much more productive that way. I get more done at work and at home if I have a full day to focus on it.

Oh, and I thought I would leave you with a photo I took today near MAM's place...the yellow butterflies loved the yellow flowers :)

Check back soon...I have been tagged by my wonderfully talented scrap buddy Linda!! :)

BDQOTD: "He gives us an inexpressible joy. Love. Peace. Do you have these qualities? There is a joy in Christ that has physical manifestations/responses."

Just One More Reason...

why I scrapbook.

Gotta love watching Brad and Tina admire my work (an album that I made for Brad for our 2 year wedding anniversary). :)

Will hopefully get some good scrappy time tomorrow! (Will be working on my Design Team layout with Anika and Breann pics!!!) I totally miss scrapbooking right now!!

Also wanted to let you guys know that we are alive...and (I think) successfully making it through our last few days as college students.

ONLY 14 MORE DAYS TILL WE ARE COLLEGE GRADUATES!! CRAZY, NO?!

If only we can make it through a few more tests and quizzes!!

Hope you all have a fabulous and relaxing weekend!!! :)

(I am going to mix it up and give "A Brother Dan Quote of the Day" occasionally) :)

BDQOTD: "If you are not growing in the Lord, then you are simply drifting. Our holy faith is life changing."

What a good reminder...it is so easy to get caught up in life and responsibilities and so many things that are not even important... and forget to talk to God and dig into His Word. Thankfully, He continuously reminds me that He is there with me every day!! :) Gotta love our Lord!!!

More Scrap Time = Happy Lacey

I got to spend some time in my scraproom last night and made a few more creations. I set Bradley up with pillows and blankets on the bed in my scraproom, Tombstone on the laptop (he loves that movie), and some pizza for dinner and I went to town :) I have made 3 layouts so far this year...I think I am going to track how many scrappy items I make this year. Should be interesting.

The first page I made on Thursday night after my night class. I made it because one of my teachers handed out a sheet to fill out that said "What do you think you will be doing in five years?" and the only thing I could think of was raising babies...I am guessing everyone else wrote things like "working at my dream job" or "making lots of money"...and while I was sitting in one of my other classes everyone was talking about how they couldn't wait to get a job that pays $50,000/year...and I was just sitting there thinking "I could care less about getting a job that pays $50,000/year!"...so I decided to make a page that celebrates my weirdness...

The journaling in case you can't read it...

I get to take classes with my husband.

I have never been clubbing.

I have had the same job for 6 years.

I think more about having kids than getting a job that pays $50,000/year.

The only college roommate I have ever had is my husband.

I have never lived on campus.

It is going to end up taking me 6 years to get my degree.

I spent 2½ years at a community college before transferring to a 4 year university.

I own a house.

I have never had a beer.

I don’t smoke.

I have never done drugs.

I have a retirement account.

I am married.

I have never been to a college sporting event.

I have never been to Homecoming.

My vehicle is paid for.

I will be married almost 4 years when I get my degree.

I am not a member of any clubs at school.

I spend more time scrapbooking then I spend doing homework.

I saved myself for marriage.

I am married to Brad for as long as I live.

I will graduate with a 3.6 GPA.

I worked the entire time I was in college.

I never took a semester off after I graduated from High School.

Items used for this layout: Cosmo Cricket paper, white cardstock, 7 Gypsies Gaffer Tape (I am almost out of it) :( , big paperclip (I think from Office Depot?), Dymo labeler, Doodlebug Design Sew Easy rub on stiches (love those!), Bookworks Mini ABC's and Numbers (white), Rusty Pickle chipboard letters, and the font is CK Urban (thanks, Vick).

The other two layouts are my design team layouts...I did 10 Things I Love About Mom & Dad. Used some photos of dad I took at his birthday party at Stagecoach Inn last year. The photo of mom is from Mother's Day a couple of years ago of her holding a pink rose. Cute, cute :) Will be updating with those layouts later...

Thought I would give a little update on life too...

Some snapshots from our LAST first day of school!! Here we are by our front door looking "studious"...

and less studious...

He treated me to McAlisters for lunch where we got what we always get (yeah, we're boring)...a potato soup for me with no bacon and green onion & a 12" Godfather for Brad (I get part of his bread)...I drank DP even though it wasn't a DP day (=no DP for me on Friday)...and of course a chocolate chip cookie to share :) YUM!! We also did some furniture shopping but didn't find anything.

School is okay I guess. By far, my strangest semester yet. The classes all seem weird to me. And I have to wait around for like 3 hours every day. I think I will use some of that time to work out at the gym a couple of days a week. My work schedule is going to be crazy because we don't get out of class till 1:50 everyday! and then Thurs I have my night class & Monday we leave early for Bible Study.

I still don't really know what the Organizational Theory class is all about. But I do know that I am in it with Bradley :) We have to do a bunch of cases in there and talk in class (and the class has over 25 students so we have to go around the room...don't like that because the timing is always bad...either someone says your comment before you or they change the subject before it gets to you!). Having Org Theory and Org Behavior at the same time confuses me. Sheesh. How will I keep track of them??

I did not get my fave teacher for my Entrepreneurial class but I did get her for my Org Beh class :) She rocks it! I think that class will be pretty interesting. We have a group project where we find video clips that show org beh...I like movies :)

I really don't like being in the Sales & Sales Management night class without Bradley. It's a bummer to have to take two trips to school (or not be able to ride with Bradley in the morning). The teacher seems pretty cool but 3 hours is just so long. I get sleepy!

We do get a nice lunch break on Mon/Wed/Fri so we will be able to spend a long time at lunch with the Methodists (MAM's church). FUN! Yummy food, too! (Speaking of food...I am hungry!). And! I am going to get to see Perez there I think!! (Side note: She is feeling a bit overwhelmed by nursing school...pray for her if you think about it...she is in class from 9:00-4:00 four days a week with an hour for lunch. When she is not in class she is working or reading and doesn't have enough time to finish her reading every night.)

Waiting for ice and snow here. Luckily we have no trees that can fall on the house (cause our trees are so little!) and we live near the power generator plant thing so if we lose electricity it probably won't be for long (on of the perks of living in the city!). (And a side note to dad...you don't have to worry about me parking my car under the tree and then having to melt the ice off of the door handle to get in and move the car and then end up with a broken door handle! Ah, the memories!!). :)

Not looking foward to doing homework! YUCK! I can't seem to get back into the swing of things...I don't even want to reorganize my binder and add paper to it. Usually I have that done before the semester starts. Maybe I will get a new, cute binder...the purple one is getting old after a few semesters. (lol, I am such a spoiled American! kinda sad.).

Hoping my boy comes home soon. He went to install gas logs at a house near Buchanan Dam. I didn't want him to leave!! I am going to do some more cleaning and probably work on laminating and cutting out CBS memory verses. It's sad that we don't have Bible Study tomorrow night (cause of the ice storm warning...supposed to be icy out tomorrow!). I just love winter...just wish we would get some snow!!!

BVOTD: "For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place. When I was woven together in the depths of the earth, your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be." Psalm 139:13-16 NIV

I absolutely love those verses! How awesome to know that God formed us before we were born and that we are fearfully and wonderfully made?! That is so amazing!! :) Who can have a negative self image after reading that??

Heading Back to School...

tomorrow for my LAST first day ever! It feels really good to say that! I am not very happy about having to go back. Advertising and Promotion really soured me on school (not that I wasn't soured on the school before that but it is even worse now...I dread going back).

My last four classes (ever!) are Entrepreneurship, Organizational Theory, Organizational Behavior, and Selling & Sales Management. And I have one of my favorite teachers - Dr. Merr.! I am hoping that I have her for more than one class...that would be so wonderful!!

It is crazy to think that I registered for the last time today. School has been such a big part of our lives for so many years now. I took my first college class in August 2001 and have not taken a semester off since then...same for Brad. It is hard to believe that it will all be over after this semester. That is a crazy thought. Life will be different without tests and books (very expensive ones at that!) and teachers and presentations and lectures and parking permits and long lines!! Looking forward to having lovely diplomas in our hands in a few short months!!!!

BVOTD: "..do not worry about about your life, what you will eat; or about your body, what you will wear. Life is more than food, and the body more than clothes." Luke 12:22b-23 NIV

An Emotional Rollercoaster...

Was a very emotional last couple of days. I had a bummer of a semester...I found out that not only was I cheated out of an A in my Human Resources class (I made a 90.3% and the school considers a 90% a B) I was also cheated out of a B in Advertising and Promotion. I ended up with 2 As, 1 B, and 1 C (YES! I SAID A C!!!).

Now if you know me, you know that I am not a C student. I was completely shocked when I looked up my grade and saw a C for Advertising and Promotion. I had no earthly idea how he came to that grade. My first thought was that he confused me with another student. Then I looked up Brad's grades. He got a C too.

This is the class that I spent hours and hours and hours on. We did a project on Godiva chocolate and the paper was over 30 pages. The presentation followed his guidelines almost to a T. I knew I had a low test average but the tests were worth 400 of the 1000 (with 400 for the project/presentation, 100 for participation, and 100 for our status reports/homework).

I said I would edit and print the paper and have it bound but they told me they were going to do it. They said they would send me a copy of what they turned in but they never did.

The teacher just sent us a copy of the paper that they turned and it is just embarassing. They spelled the word Christmas wrong! There were so many mistakes I just could not believe it!! They even used contractions in the paper!

We are not surprised that he gave us such a bad grade on our paper now. The paper was really bad.

I told my group members that I could print all of the posters and cards and could laminate it at home. Instead, I got an email stating that we all had to bring $20 to pay for the printing because they printed our posters at some kind of printing shop.

Hindsight is 20/20...Brad and I should have fired them (or ourselves, I don't care) and done our own project. We would have saved ourselves from a lot of heartache and would have made a better grade.

As for the teacher...Brad spoke to him today and he said that our presentation was the worst of all the groups. Our presentation followed his requirements page more closely than any other group. I just don't get it.

He gave us Cs on participation when Brad didn't miss any classes and was awake for all of the classes (we had at least 2 different people sleep in class every day because it was an hour and twenty minutes of Powerpoint at 8:00 in the morning every day). Brad even added to the discussion the few times that the teacher involved the students in the class. He told Brad that it wasn't based on attendance, it is just whatever number he wanted to assign (i.e. he does not like us!).

He told Brad that we had a C on the project before group evaluations. That means our group members lied and gave us a poor evaluation and we got a D and an F on our project instead of a C.

What teacher puts that much weight on group evaluations? Doesn't he know some people are not honest in their evaluations?! We did not even get the chance to defend ourselves. Had we known that they were going to give us a low rating for no reason we would have split the 100 points between the two of us and not given an honest rating. We should have made group contracts at the very beginning and then we would have been judged fairly!!

Because of their evaluations, I ended up with a 62% and Brad ended up with a 59% on the project. Seriously. What is that?!?!??! We spent hours on that project. We just hope we don't have to be in a group with them again.

Brad is going to talk to the department chair and we may have to contest our grade (which I have never done before and really don't want to deal with but that grade is not in the least bit fair).

It is good to finally have a break from school...even if I keep thinking about that class and trying to fix this crazy mistake.

This semester went by fast but I was more ancy about getting out than I usually am. I'm sure part of that is just because it is December and I am ready to focus on Christmasy things. I LOVE CHRISTMAS!!! I just want to sit at home all day and make presents, decorate the house, watch Christmas movies, drink hot cocoa (even if it is 70 degrees outside!), and wrap presents.

Was blessed to be able to spend time with MAM and Dayne last night and then got a surprise visit from Alyssa and Josh (which is always welcomed!).

Today I took the whole day off work and slept till 10:00 (had a really hard time sleeping that late...I kept waking up thinking I was late for school or work). I love sleeping in...I rarely get to do it so it was really nice. I woke up and got right down to my task for the day...cleaning the very dirty house. I hate it when the house is dirty & disorganized and I actually really love to clean but I haven't had the chance to clean much since we haven't been home very often.

I made some good progress on the house. I did 6 loads of laundry (and the sad part is I still have more that I need to wash!), sorted some items to take to the Caring Place & to recycle, did the dishes, completely cleaned the bathroom (including the shower curtain), cleaned out the drain (ew!), sorted through some stuff and actually threw things away (I am such a pack rat that is hard for me to do!), and hung up a ton of clothes. Literally. The rod in my closet broke after I hung some of it up! lol Bummer, man. I have to wait for Bradley to come home to fix it.

I ran around the neighborhood...felt good to get out and run. I haven't in so long. I don't like running alone when it is dark outside...I hate that it is already dark when I get out of work. Bradley doesn't get home till late so I just end up not exercising. :(

I got a bubble bath in today which is always nice...FYI Amanda...those cherry fizzy balls are really nice but stained my new shower curtain :(

We used our ::sniff sniff:: last Chick-Fil-A combo coupon today at lunch. I have to pay for my own food from now on :( I did browse the new Chick calendar and it is a lot better than last years...so at least I will have that.

I must head to bed. I am an old lady and I need my rest. Sorry this post is so random and kinda a downer...here is the Bible verse of the day to end on a better note...

BVOTD: "I have forgiven in the sight of Christ for your sake, in order that Satan might not outwit us. For we are not unaware of his schemes." 2 Corinthians 2:10b-11 NIV

Camilla Seabolt (Executive Director of CBS) spoke about this verse at training 11.4.06. She said we are to walk in love because people are watching us walk around fully clothed in the armor of God. - I hope to always walk around fully clothed in God's armor!!! Some days it is easier than others...

Just Checking In...

to say that I am alive and I believe I will survive finals. The last three days have been crazy with two big group papers being due, the CBS Christmas party on Monday night (that was fabulously fun - I will try to post pics that MAM took soon!), and my Human Resources final tonight. I have been typing for most of the day and, in general, am sick of school right now. Can't wait till next December when I can totally enjoy the season without having to worry about papers, presentations, tests, and finals!!!

I did get a nice break today when I went to eat lunch with Mary Anna and Dayna...it just feels so good to laugh so hard (especially when MAM was backing out of her parking spot, noticed that a woman was backing out right behind her, exclaimed "UH OH! UH OH!", and then proceeded to honk the horn like crazy! Apparently her horn is not very loud and the woman did not hear it...she backed up and hit MAM's car. There weren't any marks on either vehicle though. We laughed about it most of the way back to school!!). Those girls are so much fun! Thank the Lord for good friends!! :)

Many of you will be shocked to hear this...but my tree is not even decorated yet! ::GASP:: Of course I kept the tree up all year and then when it is finally Christmastime, the tree base breaks! Brad got me a broken umbrella base (one of the perks of working at a patio store!) to fix the problem. I didn't want to decorate the poor tree while it was leaning against the wall for stability. I have big plans to decorate it soon, though...can't wait! :)

Hope you are enjoying this wonderful season. I know I will definitely be enjoying it more after next Tuesday (my last presentation!).

Side note: A couple of weeks ago, Brad brought up the idea of posting a Bible verse on my blog...I really liked that idea so here is the Bible verse of the day (which may actually have to cover a few days depending on when I post again!)

BVOTD: "And let the peace that comes from Christ rule in your hearts. For as members of one body you are all called to live in peace. And always be thankful." Colossians 3:15 NLT

Mi Vida Loca 10.2.06

Life is indeed crazy these days. So hard to believe it is already October!!!! Rushing trying to get everything done before it is due...

Here is a small update while I'm waiting for Brad to get out of class...

*School…
Is actually going really well. I just got a test back that I took last week in Marketing Research. I did not study for it at all because I was doing shower stuff with Vicki. The test said 42% on it and I totally freaked out thinking it was like a normal test (worth 100 points). The gal that sits beside me was like "What are you talking about?! You made 102%!" lol I laughed until I cried. I forgot the test is only worth 40 points to begin with!!! (And there was a 10 point bonus question)...sooo needless to say, I feel much better about myself now.

All my other classes are going okay I guess. Advertising and Promotion is not going that well. We have to do “Status Reports” every week. My group is having a hard time getting the information together. The idea is that all of the status reports combine to form the big paper that is due at the end of the semester. Hopefully we can get it together.

Photography rocks. Loving it. I found out that I did not really ruin the film the first week of class…the teacher gave us some sketchy directions and told us to mix 3 ounces of fix with 10 ounces of water…she did not tell us that the bottle that we pour it from is already diluted so diluting it in 10 ounces of water is not enough fix to fix the film. I actually had images on my roll…I just didn’t know that I was supposed to add more fix. A couple other people in the class had to reshoot their rolls because of this discrepancy. No fun L But, all in all, it turned out to be okay. I shot two rolls of film for the first assignment and the roll that actually developed was what I needed for my assignment. I am now printing the pictures for the “space” assignment…portraits are next!! YAY!

Human Resources is going okay. We haven’t had any grades at all. We have the class every Tuesday night (even on Halloween!) but we only have two grades in there…a mid term (that happens to be a couple days after the wedding!) and a final…that is it. Hopefully I can study enough to do really well on the tests.

*Wedding news…
Perez, Liesel, Nelwyn, Aunt Imogene, my cousin Kristi, and I all got together at Perez’s aunt Lori and uncle Kirk’s house on Friday night. I wasn’t originally going to go because I had a lot of things to do but Nelwyn convinced me to go. We ate some yummy tortilla soup and layered dip…and then Nelwyn and I folded the ceremony handouts (I have no clue what to call those things) and attached the vellum piece that has their names and the date around it. Very cute. We also watched the “Weebels” video and “Buddy” to keep Miss Emily (the flower girl) entertained. (She just hung out…very calm and collected even when it was an hour past her bedtime.) We also folded a ton of puff balls to decorate the reception area. We basically folded tissue paper, wrapped a wire around it, cut the ends, and attached fishing line. We left them all flat… it is going to take us forever to fluff all 150+ balls when we hang them on Friday!!! It was a very fun get together and also very productive! (Always a good thing when it is almost a week till the wedding!)

We had Perez’s final wedding showers on Saturday. Liesel threw the Bridesmaid’s Luncheon at a really fancy restaurant. Everything was quite lovely.
Good food (shrimp!, salad, chipotle chicken, and the best cheesecake ever),
good friends (Perez, Vicki, Liesel, Heidi, mom, Nelwyn, & Lori),
good centerpieces (beautiful daisy bouquets),
good favors (Godiva chocolate!), and
good conversation (about thongs, pantyhose, see through dresses, you name it…the waiter enjoyed listening to from the doorway).

Each of the bridesmaids picked a charm from a glass (an old Victorian tradition).

Perez got “lucky in love”,
Heidi got “next to get married” (the engagement ring),
Vicki got “travel” (a flip flop),
Liesel got “eternal love”, and
I got “financial stability (a money tree).

Quite fun, I thought. She really did a great job planning. I enjoyed getting dressed up and going out for lunch on a Saturday (I got to see how most people live…no work on a Saturday…what a nice idea!).

After the luncheon, the gals came over to my house and we finished up on the puff balls. When we finished the decorations, we did a little cooking (pizza dip & bread) and Liesel & Perez went out to get a Chick-Fil-A nugget tray. J We had Perez’s lingerie shower/bachelorette party at 7:00 pm. It was just the 5 cousins because none of Perez’s friends could come.

-We drank some champagne,
-ate a lot of food (nuggets, Texas Caviar made by Liesel, pizza dip, chips, chocolate, and cookies from Ye Olde English Bakery),
-played “name the couple from this popular TV show” (they were pretty good at coming up with the names…but no one ever hummed the “Family Matters” song! We kept humming the “Full House” song instead!). (Perez won the game…apparently she watches a lot of TV!)
-Played how well do you know the bride and we also quizzed Perez on how well she knows her groom (she missed 8 out of 25…not bad). Like at my shower, we made her put a piece of bubble gum in her mouth for every question that she missed. She did kinda look like she had just gotten her wisdom teeth taken out by the end of the game…
-Drank some yummy strawberry daiquiris (virgin for me, thank you…I am too crazy for all that alcohol).

Perez went home with a new wardrobe and (I think) a good time was had by all. I miss getting together with all of them…this is the first time all five of us have been together (for an extended period of time) in years. Super fun.

It is so hard to believe that my little Perez will be a married woman on Saturday!!!!

*Running
Haven’t done much of it lately unfortunately. Brad and I went running last night at the park though…around 9:00. We only saw two people the entire time. However, we did see a lot of animals…a couple of cats, a bat, an itty bitty baby scorpion that Brad stepped on (ew, gross!), a ginormous spider that Brad also stepped on, an itty bitty baby frog that was just about the cutest thing ever, and a fox. Quite a night for critters at the park!! It felt good to run though. I hate being out of shape, it stinks. I plan to rollerblade this week…if only Brad would have a night off of installs!

*Scrapping
Not much time for it though I wish there was. My scrap room is a mess and I hate it when it is disorganized! I have a lot of projects that I need to work on. I turned in my first design team layout last Monday. It was a Christmas page called “The Neon Tree”. I’m currently working on a little baby album for Breann & David…I also have a project for Perez that I need to finish before Saturday.

Well, I must go…lots of pictures to come in the near future…my little Perez will be a married woman soon!!!!!!!

WOOO HOOOO!!! As for All!!!

I got an A in Team Management! And Brad did too! :) Very exciting! It's always nice when my GPA goes up (even though it is only by a little bit!).

Brad goes back to school today until the end of June. Kind of a bummer. But he just wants to be finished. Not much longer and we will have our very expensive little pieces of paper! :) May 2007...mark your calendars!!

I will miss my Bradley though :( I like riding to work with him!! He is taking Finance at 8:00...ugh! That class is the worst class ever!! I made a C in it...the only C of my college career! I worked so hard in that class! He has a better teacher I think so maybe it will not be as difficult...he had this teacher for Accounting last semester. (Side note: My Finance teacher talked 100 miles an hour and assumed that the whole class had a background in Finance. I hadn't taken Accounting in years and certainly knew nothing about Finance. He would always sigh when we asked him to explain a problem.)

He has Christian Principles at 12:00...YAY! That class is the best!!!! I love the teacher and love the class material and idea of the class! The books for the class changed since I took it but I know it will be really good regardless. :)

He has a little break in between the two classes. Hopefully he will enjoy both of the classes and do really well! :)

As for me, I am going to work everyday except for Friday!!

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!!!)

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 :)

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!