A few Christmas pictures

I feel very overwhelmed. I woke up in a panic over all the things that I need to get accomplished. I NEEDED to blog about Christmas :-) We had a party for the team, hosted my dad and sisters and brother in law, went to my family, and then ended at the Austin's. I didn't take very many pictures, and took none at the Austin's, but here's a brief look at the festivities.

9-5

The Mustangs are 9-5 this Christmas. Not bad, not bad! Last night's game was a heartbreaker. We lost to Henderson by 4. Apparently, we were up by 1 with 16 seconds left and after some BOGUS officiating, we were down when the buzzer went off. I wasn't there, I would prefer not to go into labor during a stressful ballgame, and I just had a feeling I would either leave with very high blood pressure or having embarrassed myself after this game. I have that kind of intuition. Weird.

Husband hates the loss, but is pleased that the team played better than Saturday. We screwed ourselves over at OBU. I won't go into it...except to say that I wanted to beat them SO BAD so I knew my oersonal yearning for the win would somehow effect the outcome of the game. That's just how my life works.

We have one more garuntee (for money) game on the 29th, and then I'm looking forward to several more wins! Currently, we are ranked 6th in the NCCAA. This is our first year in the NAIA, so we can't compete in their post season. We are dual affiliated, so our post season will be played in the NCCAA (note the extra "C.")

I am not a photographer (and I have a crap camera,) but here is a link to some of my pictures from this season.

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2132283&id=55006813&l=01a715beee

The Big 3-0!

Not my age...the number of weeks pregnant I am :-)




This picture was taken 12/20/09. I cropped everything else out because I was obviously disheveled, but you can definitely see the bigness!

And Her Name Will Be...

Langley Elizabeth Austin

I'm one of those people who have kept a list of potential baby names since I was something like 12 years old. I know, don't judge me :-) I clearly remember making the first list. "Mary Anne" was my favorite name for a girl -- just like my favorite Babysitter's Club character. In the past 15 years my favorite girl names have ranged from Mary Anne to Corbin to Abigayle (none of which we would ever use now,) but when real life happened and we had to choose a real name for a real child, I found the task challenging!

I always knew my first daughter's middle name would be Elizabeth. Elizabeth is my middle name, as well as my mom's, nanny's, and great-grandmother's. So, Elizabeth was already settled (good thing Josh was ok with this.) But the first name...I had a list of about 30 names that could be options. I wanted a name that had some meaning, something special about it, and not too commmon but definitley not too weird or hard to spell. I was also working around my mother who taught 2nd grade for 20 years and had several "no way" names. Who can blame her? You don't want to look at your beloved grandchild and have visions of a devil child. There were some names on the list that Josh immediately crossed off - he didnt want to picture a devil child from summer camp when he looked at his own precious off spring. So, those were a few of our challenges.

I went through the list first and crossed off names I wasn't crazy about anymore and names that didn't go with Austin. Josh went through the rest crossing off the ones he didn't like, leaving us with 2 or 3. That's it - all those years of keeping a name list and we crossed off all but 3! Then we came together and discussed the name finalists. You know, does it sound right if you have to yell it, would her initials be obscene, do we like what the name represents, etc.

Langley was the only option at that point. Langley was my maternal great-grandmother's maiden name. I love that. I love family names. I love that it was hard to even find the meaning of Langley when I googled it - it's definitley not too common. I love that you can tell Langley is a girl - at least in my opinion.

To be honest, I stole the name from my aunt. She has 2 boys, but one of them would have been Langley, if born a female. I got her blessing on using the name.

So, "baby girl" is now officially Langley. We are happy with it. I do have a boy name just in case. I do reserve the right to change my mind about Langley at any second - but she would just be nameless again, because we don't have any other options!

By the way:

• I went to the doctor yesterday and Langley weighs 3 lbs and 6 oz.
• Her weight and measurements put the due date about 5 days earlier (well the machine said it, not the doctor)
• She was not cooperative (AGAIN) during the ultrasound. Think tuck position. Both legs pulled into her chest. Perfect form. Little stinker. Doctor Martin did get a "between the legs" view, but apparently having her legs tucked could possibly cause some shadows - so again she would only say "this has to be a girl, I mean as best I can tell..." My girl is already being slightly dramatic.
• I had my glucose test, rho gam (sp?) shot, and registered at the women's center. I always leave the doctors office overwhelmed. It gets more real each visit!

Warm Thoughts

Since today would be the perfect day to snuggle under the covers or stay inside with my sweats on all day, I like to think of the beach, warm breezes, sunshine....you get the idea.

So, I thought of the US Virgin Islands - our honeymoon location.

December 8, 2006 Josh proposed. Let me tell you, the only reason I know the date is because I remembered he played Hendrix that night, so I went to their website and looked under news archives to find the date - in case you didn't know our year revolves around recruiting, pre-season, and then 4.5 months of game time. Our calendar is academic - new year really starts in August for me.

3 years ago today I was in major wedding mode! Seems like forever ago. Today I'm in baby mode. The thought of having to wear beach attire, or shorts for that matter, is frightening! My skin has never been whiter, my ankles (and other things) have never been larger - so summer can take it's time.

So think warm thoughts on this lovely December day. Family and friends, weddings, new babies, the beach, and Christmas!

My Traumatic Kroger Experience

It has been such a Monday...so maybe for my enjoyment only, here is what happened to me Saturday evening in my local Kroger:

Let me preface by saying that I rarely go to Kroger by myself because I always have some sort of minor incident and I usually start sweating. What is the deal with me and Kroger you ask? I have no clue. Walmart and I get along just fine, but a trip to Kroger ends in "are you kidding me?" "I'm never coming in here again." "Did that really happen?" It is important to note that I really enjoy Kroger's selection and produce and I wish I could shop there more. But I can't.

So, I enter Kroger at 5:05 pm and immediately stop at the bananas. Bananas are the very first item you encounter in my Kroger. I get my fruit, check said produce off my list, and then my cart gets rammed into. What the? A lady with her 2 teenage sons is apparently so engrossed in the weekly ad that she rammed into my cart, never looked up from the ad, never even acknowledged the ramming of my cart occured. I gave her a crazy look, said "excuse me" and headed away from the weirdo cart lady. So, at 5:06pm I take a deep breath, chuckle to myself and go on my way to finish crossing off my list.

As I criss cross the store, I pass several employees and managers who greet me "how are you, can I help you find anything?" Maybe they were trying to distract me and the other shoppers from the ridiculously long check out lines.

Time to check out. The self check outs are all open. I have far too many items for that. There are 3 normal lines open - with at least 5 carts in each line. You know how grocery stores are on weekends, 1 cart equals at least 3 people with at least 1 of those people in a foul mood. I am alone, 1 tired pregnant girl with 1 cart in the midst of this chaos. I was next in line, and then it happened. A motorized wheelchair cart rammed into ME. Not my cart - my butt.

I turn around, mouth and eyes wide open. I see a woman who is not old, not large, and appears to be fully functioning and not in need of a motorized cart. She apologizes, blames her 3 year old daughter, slaps the fire out of said child, and makes the child apologize. I'm sorry, did this just happen. Yes, to me. My big pregnant self. Where are the managers now?

Note to grocery store managers: open more checkout lanes. If you yourself have to scan my freaking items, please do it. I'll appreciate it. The child who got blamed for reaching over and pushing the button on a motorized cart that ran into my big pregnant butt will appreciate it.

I manage to check out and be kind to the overworked checkers and baggers. I get outside, already dialing Josh and start crying. I mean it didn't feel good to get rammed into by a motorized wheelchair cart, but I was not injured, but this was definitely something I needed to cry about. Josh was driving back from St. Louis. He was like 6.5 hours away and apparently my words were not accurately describing the situation, because he was not as concerned as I needed him to be. I was just stunned and a little embarrased and pissed that only 3 checkout lanes were open because I'm pretty sure if they were all open, this would not have happened. Ok, who am I kidding? This crap was going to happen to me.

I replay the situation to Josh and my mom, even saying "you know how I had a car wreck that was not my fault and it totaled my car? I was completely stopped and the car ran into the back of me. Yeah, exact same thing just happened between me and motorized wheelchair cart." Bless their hearts. They didnt laugh immediately. Just reading it now is hilarious to me...

That is my traumatic Kroger experience. Do these things happen to anyone but me? Do share...

Sing, Sister!

Dad and daughters


I didnt get any pictures of her solos, but her she is with the choir.

Me and Heather before dinner

Again with the choir...

Brooke's skit. They were a string of lights...

Not a great quality picture and I look tired and pale, but it's always good to get a sister pic!

My baby sister is a senior this year. I got to go to a Christmas program Har-Ber's music department does each year. It was a great evening, and ya'll the sister can sing! She has been all-region and all-state choir every year.

The rest of the weekend has been low-key...naps, errands, finished Christmas decorating, church...but I have a hilarious story to tell later. Let's just say I won't ever be going to our Kroger alone again.

As Seen on Channel 7...

Sully showed some CBC love last night on KATV at 6:00 and 10:00...here's the youtube version of what you missed

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OKpqO-aH7eQ

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=shkmK60H_Dk&feature=channel

7-3...Basketball Update!

The Mustangs won Tuesday night! The record is now 7-3! It was a tough trip to Iowa over Thanksgiving and December's schedule includes Harding, Ouachita, Henderson, and Arkansas State....tough might not really describe it. Remember, small schools gotta get paid sometimes!



You can get caught up on the season here: http://thecabin.net/sports/college/mustangs



CBC has been doing some website updates, but you should be able to access the schedule and roster here: http://www.cbc.edu/athletics.aspx?id=402

T Minus 3 Months!

3 Months till our due date! There will be many changes going on in the next few months. As of today, I officially have a new job title! I am very excited to be the Director of Retention and Recruitment! The new Dean of Students will do a great job but the transition will take awhile. He will take over Housing, Chapel, Student Conduct, and Career Services. My new position includes Admissions, Student Retention Programs, Student Activities, and the Orientation Classes. Many of the things I dreaded and/or despised about work are no longer in my job description!! I did not see this plan coming, but am thanking the Lord!! No job is perfect or without stress, but my stress will change and be greatly reduced so I can be a better wife and mother! All of this came about 2 days before Thanksgiving Break and was made official today. Crazy good!

Over the break I got a new vehicle...I'm so glad that whole saga is over. We prayed that we would make wise decisions throughout the process in settling with the insurance. As I payed bills tonight I thanked God for taking a very negative situation (totalling my car) and turning it into a positive.

I started decorating for Christmas the day after Thanksgiving. So far, I have 2 of my 3 trees decorated and my santa collection out. More to do, but I tire out pretty quickly these days. After about the 30th time of hitting my belly on the same corner, I got pissed and decided to take a decorating break. Josh told me I had to learn how to get around as a big body...he makes me laugh :-) Here are a few pictures to prove I am in the Christmas spirit.

The large, non-pre-lit, silver and gold tree.

The "special tree." I like to collect ornaments from everywhere I go and the tree holds many years of special memories.

We are cuddling up on this chilly night. Here's a picture of my sweet boys enjoying a night at home!

Jon and Kate, Thanksgiving Break, Goodness Sakes

Everyone around here is ready for the next few days! On our campus it means ALL the students have to go because we close the residence halls and offices and thus, everyone can actually relax for a bit! I hope to blog during the break, but I realized it had been a week so I decided a post was neccessary today.

My doctor's appointment went well! I gained 4 pounds which is right on track and all my measurements were "perfect" according to the doctor. The visit was very short and sweet. I have the glucose test and an ultrasound next month. That being said, we've decided to wait until after that appointment to announce a name. I am a lunatic, but it is seriously my luck to tell you all my precious little girl's name only to find out in 4 weeks that "she" is actually a "he" - which would really send me into a tailspin! Everytime we do an ultrasound (i've had 4) she has been a little shy, facing the back, or crossing her legs, so "90% sure it's a girl" is the best I've gotten from the Dr. You'll just have to wait on her awesome little name until her lunatic mother accepts that 90% sure is pretty much a sure thing. Goodness Sakes.

We finally settled with the insurance over my wreck will be car shopping. Pray for us - car shopping will challenge our two very different personalities to get along. I will be very intense, focused, down to business. Josh will be very "go with the flow," "we don't have to decide right this minute," "just calm down." Lord give me patience and kind words... And a great new vehicle that I love and won't have buyers remorse over!!!!

Last night I watched the final episode of Jon & Kate Pluse 8. I was a huge fan of the show...you know the ones when they were married. I have made a conscious decision not to watch the show since they announced their divorce. Honestly, it broke my heart, I cried. Neither Jon or Kate was without fault, Lord knows she said some things she regrets, but I just loved watching them and their kids, warts and all. They are Christians, they demonstrated their faith without being pushy or fake, but now it's like watching 2 totally different people. What happened to the Jon who wore t-shirts with bible verses or references or who said his favorite part of their Hawaiin vow renewal was "all the scripture in the vows?" What happened to the Kate who had a million index cards in her kitchen with verses on them and who talked openly about their church? Most everyone has an opinion on this family (I won't open up that can of worms,) but the fact is the demise of their marriage is heartbreaking, losing another Christian presence on television is frustrating, and knowing that those kids will forever have access to some unflattering and untrue stories and photos and opinions of their parents is concerning. I watched last night so I could have closure - I told you I was a fan, I even have Kate's first book- now I hope they will seek God in all they do and eventually HE will be glorified through them.

Ramblings

* Just to get this out of the way...the CBC Mustangs are now 5-0! I'm so glad they won Tuesday night - not just because I like to win - but because they drove 8 hours to get there, I had to spend a weeknight by myself, and again, everyone on the team scored! Long trips are hard on everyone involved, so at least you feel like it's worth it with a win.

* Tuesday night, I had only my 2nd or 3rd out-of-the-blue pregnancy emotional meltdown. I was sad, I wasn't scared - the tears just came. I left work and got in "big red," my Pop's truck that I'm driving until I get a new vehicle. I guess the smell of the truck (he was a smoker,) the time of the year, and overall insano hormones combined and I just started crying. I cried all the way to El Acapulco (because nachos mexicanos is always the answer for tears - happy or sad ones,) I was also doing the semi praying out loud/talking to myself thing...Glad it was dark because I looked CRAZY. I even started laughing at myself at one point.

So, I get to El Acapulco, dry the tears, get my food, get back in "big red," and Steven Curtis Chapman's new song comes on the radio. Seriously - I couldn't control myself - the song is called "Heaven is the Face." If you're not familiar with the story of his daughter's death, google it or go to http://www.stevencurtischapman.com/. The lyrics are so honest, so sad, yet so beautiful.

I had only heard the song once before this night, but what stood out to me was his description of heaven in the bridge of the song:

But in my mind's eye I can see a place
Where your glory fills every empty space.
All the cancer is gone,
Every mouth is fed,
and there's no one left in the orphan's bed.
Every lonely heart finds their one true love,
And there's no more goodbye,
And no more not enough,
And there's no more enemy.

Amen! That kind of just pumps me up!

I was originally trying to come up with a Thanksgiving post, you know "I'm thankful for..." but I couldn't do it. It would be way too long, too sappy, I would feel guilty later for leaving someone out unintentionally. But, in this season, I am so thankful for heaven and all the aspects of grace, redemption, love, promise, and joy that it brings mind. Both my Pop and Papa are there, along with many other loved ones - of course we miss these loved ones, but oh my how I rejoice knowing where they are. All because of the salvation they were offered and accepted through Christ during their life on this earth.

Ok, I'm crying, I'll move on.

* I go to the doctor this afternoon! I'm wearing a dress today, only because it was the lightest thing I could think of to wear as I have to be weighed after lunch! Last month I had gained 7 pounds --- exuse me? Yes, 7. I had gained a total of 3 up until that point so 7 was extreme! I really was not alarmed. I know I'm going to gain weight, I love to eat and I'm growing a human inside me, so I totally embrace the pounds. HOWEVER - I need to put myself in a good position to be able to get back to normal after this human is out of me.

I have been on the treadmill this month, probably averaging 3 or 4 days a week, for an average of 20 minutes each session. My treadmill has an incline up to 10, so I make up new workouts each time, adjusting speed and incline, so that I don't get bored and quit. It's nice to workout just to make yourself feel better and be heathly - not for specific outcomes like bathing suit season.

*I'll end the ramblings here. I'll have a doctor's report in the next post (and maybe even the revealing of the name!) Have a great rest of the week!

Consider it a "babymoon"

Josh and I spent the weekend in Branson. It was the ONLY weekend until the baby is born that we didn't have a basketball game or major holiday. We headed up on Friday and went to the Dixie Stampede - love it. Everything in Branson is already Christmas, even the shows, so I had to be "in the spirit" even though it's not even Thanksgiving.

First picture of the trip. I looked terrible, but we were happy just to have a change of scenery and time together away from work and basketball.

During the Dixie Stampede pre-show. Please note the boot mug...it was the highlight of the pre-show.

After the Dixie Stampede, we went to the festival of lights. Even though it's too early (in my opinion) for Christmas, who doesn't love some lights?!

On Saturday we went to breakfast and then headed to Tanger Outlets. Oh my. We had to park on some gravel behind the outlet mall -- needless to say it was crowded! We went in a majority of the stores but hardly bought anything at all. I would find 1 or 2 things, but refused to stand in line at a checkout for 30 minutes just for 1 or 2 items. My impatience saved us tons of money! Even with a lack of bargains, the weather was nice and it just felt good to walk and not be in a hurry.

We headed out to the Landing for a late lunch, did a little more looking and then headed back to the condo for nap time! Saturday night we were not hungry, so we had ColdStone for dinner, played putt-putt, and drove through the Trail of Lights [not to be confused with the Festival of Lights.]

PUMPED about more pre-thanksgiving Christmas Lights.

I love my husband so much and am so grateful we had a little time to "babymoon."

In other news, here is a 25 week pregnant picture. I go to the doctor on Thursday and am looking forward to hearing that precious little heart beat! She has been pretty active and I'm feeling pretty heavy these days. But. overall I feel great!

3-0

The Mustangs are off to a great start this season! All three of our first games have been at home, which is some fine scheduling by the coach I must say. We travel to Paragould Thursday to play Crowley's Ridge College, which will be a good game I'm told.



Our first game was the night of my wreck. I only saw 1 minute of regulation and then overtime. I was so traumatized by that point, the closeness of the game didn't even phase me :-) Here is link to the newspaper write up about that game.



http://thecabin.net/news/2009-11-06/cbc-wins-overtime-against-williams-baptist



Our second game was Saturday against Lyon. Our play improved and I was proud of this win as well! Both Williams and Lyon have solid programs, so these were good wins for us. I can't find the link to the Log Cabin Democrat Article and the State Paper just included us in the "sports breifs section Sunday and Today (Wednesday) as well. [I'm not complaining, we generally get NO LOVE from any local media, so I'm happy with the coverage.]



Last night's game was against Shepard College - this was their first game EVER. Needless to say our bench played most of the night and everyone, I mean everyone, on our team scored. I couldn't help but feel bad for the other team. We've been there, I know how it feels. As a small college, CBC has to play garuntee games to help fund the athletic program. Most of these games are in the Men's Basketball program - joy. So, we go play NCAA Division 1 and Division 2 teams and get paid for it. We compete with these larger schools most of the time, but then there are times when we play someone like Tennessee Martin and this happens:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lester_Hudson



Yes, the only player in NCAA history to do this, and it's against little old CBC. We just had to go with the "any press is good press" theory, because CBC was mentioned on SportsCenter.



And then last year, as I tune in on my laptop to our game against Arkansas State and we were UP BY 5....I thougt I was hallucinating...but don't worry ASU called a timeout and kicked it into that D1 overdrive and beat us pretty handidly. But, it's a fun memory.



Our players enjoy competing against these larger schools - one thing is for sure: WE ARE NOT SCARED. I won't mention names, but this year, some schools in our area refused to schedule us or cancelled on us before the season started. For some reason, that brings me a tiny bit of personal satisfaction.





09-10 Season so far....

November 3 vs. Williams Baptist -- CBC Won 86-80

November 7 vs. Lyon College -- CBC Won 78-67

November 10 vs. Shepherd College -- CBC Won 89-51

The Season Started with a Bang...or More Like a Crash

I was involved in a car accident Tuesday night as I was on my way to the gym for the game.








I was stopped in a line of traffic at a red light and was rear ended (HARD,) which caused me to hit the car in front of me, and that car hit the vehicle in front of it. I saw it coming. The first thing I thought after I opened my eyes was, "the airbag didn't go off!" I know this is a blessing because I would have been much worse off if the airbag would have hit me and the baby.

I got out of the car and called 911. Everyone was fine, I definitley had the most damage and I was SCARED. TERRIFIED. SCARED TO LOOK DOWN. The 911 dispatcher repeatedly asked me if I was ok, I told her I was 23 weeks pregnant. Again, "are you ok?" "I think so." After the 5th or 6th time, I finally said " ma'am I'm talking to you, standing, walking, don't appear to be bleeding, don't think anything is broken, but I dont know if I'm ok."

The guy who hit me heard me tell 911 I was pregnant and he immediately went into a low-level panic. I couldn't help but feel a little bad for him. Well, after I hung up with 911, I tried to call Josh. It took several phone calls to several different people to get him on the phone. He was in the locker room, bless his heart. Thankfully, my father-in-law was in Conway and my mom was on I40.

It seemed like 30 minutes before the police got to the scene of the accident. I was shaking out of fear, I felt confident I was ok, but I needed to know my baby was ok. During the waiting period and phrenzy of phone calls a precious stranger walked up to me and asked if she could pray for me. I don't remember her name, what I said to her, or even most of the prayer she prayed, but God Bless Her! She prayed for me and the baby, and I'll never forget this stranger.

Finally, the police came, the tow truck came, and an ambulance arrived. I decided to let my father in law take me to the hospital ( I have since been reprimanded several times for not riding in the ambulance, but get over it, I was in shock, I didn't know that was a big deal.) My mom was at the ER waiting. I got in fairly quickly and we heard baby girl's heart beat first thing. The heartbeat was strong and she was moving alll around - I immediatley felt better! Everything checked out fine, I finally stopped shaking, so mom and I headed to the gym.

I caught the last 2 minutes of the game, as they went into overtime. I had had such a traumatic night, that I wasnt even nervous during such a close game! The Mustangs won in overtime by 6 - thank goodness. It was such a crazy night, I was so scared, but I felt the presence of God the entire time.

Josh and I have had many conversations about how many things actually went right in this situation. We are so blessed with family and friends and a workplace that has been so supportive. My car is totaled, so we are dealing with all the insurance and junk like that. This is one of those times I just want someone else to handle it, but I'm the grown up here. We are just thankful that the baby is ok, I am working through my soreness, and trusting the Lord with the stress of all the details that come along with paper work and settlement decisions.

Keep us in your prayers!

IT'S GAME DAY!

GO Mustangs!! CBC v. Williams Baptist tonight at 7:00.

November 1

My due date is 4 months from today!! Monday will mark the 23 week mark in this pregnancy! It is good to finally be looking pregnant. Until about 2 weeks ago, I just looked a little chubbier than normal...I described it as my "pooch getting poochier." But now, the belly is rounding and I'm looking as pregnant as I feel!

I can not even describe how much I LOVE feeling every little movement the baby is making! It is still just magical to me. I woke up at 4:00 am this morning and she was kicking all over my left side. I have never felt her on my left side, it was like she discovered a whole new territory early early this morning. I was sleepy but it made me smile just laying there feeling her kick and roll!

I've had a great few days off, although I've spent a lot of time in the car. Halloween was a non-event for us. We weren't even home to greet the trick-or-treaters because we went to Crowley's Ridge to scout some teams. I did dress Henry up in his King costume and took a picture before we left!

The drive to North East Arkansas is SOOO boring, but we were a little shocked by all the flooding we saw. My heart goes out to all those farmers and land owners whose fields now look like lakes. We actually had to drive through water that was covering the road twice. As thankful as I was all weekend for beautiful sunshine, I know these people are even more thankful for a break from rain.

I hope you have all enjoyed your weekend. Have a great Monday!!

It's My Friday!!

Several months ago I asked for October 29-30 off, because I needed to use some vacation days. My job goes from being c-r-a-z-y some months to slow other months. October starts hectic with the Volunteer Fair, Family Day (see pictures below) and midterm and then slacks off after Fall Break. Everyone at this point is in some kind of routine and very few students actually come in my office for anything. Of course the normal drama that any College campus experiences still occurs, but honestly, this time of the year, I find it very hard to be motivated. There are several things that I could/should be doing - planning ahead type things, but I work best under a little bit of pressure it seems. I have been looking ahead to the Spring semester, figuring out how I can prepare for certain events that will happen after I have the baby, but my mind wants to think about the holidays and baby things instead of work! I am always more gung-ho about work after a few week-days off (fall break just didnt cut it for me this year.) Needless to say I'm looking forward to setting my Out-of-Office Assistant and getting non-work things accomplished for the next few days.

For my own benefit here are some things I will/should get done:

• Go to the dentist


• Get my oil changed


• Renew my driver's liscence


• Get my hair colored and cut


• Look into switching Josh's health insurance


• Dust the house


• Catch up on laundry


• Spend time with husband (by going with him to scout some teams)


• Church and lunch with Life Group


• Continue cleaning out the baby's future room


• Take a nap

My Friend Robin and her daughter .

Family of CBC employee's...seriously, could these kids be any cuter?!

One of the inflatables during the Family Day "Plaza Party"

International Student Scholarship Benefit Luncheon during Family Day.

Note about Family Day 2009: you may notice NONE of my family was there...because several of them were at the Razorback game in Dallas. I couldn't go because of this event that I was in charge of - I tried hard not to be jealous or whine :-) Josh says I have no right to complain because I went to Hawaii last year with my mom and he had to stay home for over a week by himself. Ok, he's right.

I was very, very thankful that Family Day went so well and that the weather was perfect!

Small Town USA

I was telling some co-workers at lunch about this and thought it was blog-worthy...



In the music video for Justin Moore's Small Town USA, please notice the church and the preacher. The preacher is my cousin Kevin, and yes he is a real preacher. The video was shot in Poyen, AR where Justin Moore is from and they used many of the local people. It just cracks me up that Kevin is in this video!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L2RZQlxkMUE


By the way, I love country music -- I can't help it!

A Beautiful Weekend!

Well, my weekend started by getting an H1N1 shot - thank you Faulkner Co. Health Department. I know many people are "iffy" about this vaccine, but after doing some research and talking with my doctor, I decided to get it while it was available. One of the OBGYN's in my doctor's office is pregnant and she got the shot, too. Also people, I'm around germy college kids all day, so I feel good about my choice.




Saturday was so nice outside. First, I made some blueberry pancakes because we honestly had nothing else in the house to eat for breakfast and I was starving! We watched College Game Day in our pj's and just relaxed most of the day. Yes, we watched the Hogs, play - we just won't discuss it.




Last night we had a game night with our Life Group. We played Partini (it's a fun group game) and the ladie's team won!! After that, we had made plans to go out with our friends Thomas and Dominique. We hadnt seen them since thier wedding in June - I actually found out I was pregnant the very next day! So, we met at Olive Garden and then went to watch Law Abiding Citizen. Ok, I like Jamie Foxx and Gerard Butler, but this was not my kind of movie! I spent a lot of the movie with my head buried in Josh's shoulder because i would get so startled. Let's just say there's a lot of killing - Josh, of course, totally enjoyed the movie! It was great to see our friends, though!











This is Josh, Thomas, and Alex and Thomas and Dominique's wedding reception.



Me and Josh at their wedding reception.


Today was Life Group (really, I call it "Sunday School") and Worhsip Service (I call this "Big Church,") and then we went to Chili's for lunch. After a nap, I made my list and headed to Wal-Mart. I normally do 1 big shopping trip a month and then I only have to go for short trips a few other times a month. Today, the list seemed longer than ever - seriously my basket was overflowing, I was sweating, and the toilet paper started falling out of my cart as I hiked a 1/2 mile to the car! Needless to say I'm exhausted :-)



So tonight I will watch my shows and relax. There are several things that need to be done around the house, but instead I'll just mentally prepare for Monday!!

Our Life and Random Thoughts

I enjoy lists. They are a major part of my life. I have lists everytwhere - in my (huge) planner and on sticky notes at home for chores and groceries, at work, Christmas lists,and what I call the "baby list" for what I need to buy/do before the baby is born. So, you'll probably see frequent lists on this blog. So, for my first official post, a list is fitting:

1. Josh and I have been married since June 9, 2007. The picture above was taken at our rehearsal. In those 2 years and 4 months we have learned a lot about ourselves, each other, and how to balance work and marriage (since we both work at the same school.) Prior to getting married, I graduated from OBU, worked for 1 year in Marketing at Magic Springs and Crystal Falls, and earned a [free] Master's Degree from UCA, among other things.

2. We are expecting our first child on March 1, 2010! Hopefully our daughter will make her debut between the end of regular season and the beginning of post season basketball! (Our perfect time frame is February 24-March 2...we'll see if she cooperates!)

3. Josh is the Men's Basketball Coach at Central Bapstist College. When he was first hired in 2006, he was the youngest college coach in the state and now he has the best single season winning record in the history of CBC. I never imagined I would be a coach's wife, much less a basketball coaches wife - it's very ironic actually if you know my dad!

4. It's hard for me to be a "good" coaches wife. Like I said I work at CBC as well and I have a very multi-dimensional job in Student Services. Basically, I can't be real friendly with the players because I'm an authority figure at school. It has been really hard at times, really wanting to be involved in my husbands job/ministry, but really having to protect myself and remain professional. But, my hearts desire is to be the "team mom" - making cookies, having them over for dinner [ occasionally], and being the biggest and loudest fan at every game! Maybe one day!

5. Our first "baby" is a Silky Terrier named Henry. We adopted this ADORABLE little stinker from the animal shelter in March of 2008. He is a character. I have several Henry stories for later!

6. I still don't always think of myself as a grown up. I know, I know. But man, responsibilities can overwhelm a woman! But, the Lord has so evidently put me in circumstances and placed people in my life that have blessed me beyond measure. I struggle with being a good wife, sister, daughter, grand daughter, niece, cousin, employee, and friend all at once. I pray every day that God will guide and protect me and all my loved ones - and He does. I may not notice it, but He always leads me when I'm lost and answers [one way or the other] when I ask.

7. This is the end of my first post. I know it is a bit boring and random, but that's me some days :-) Have a great weekend!

First Post - Test Run

Since I LOVE reading everyone else's blog, I decided it was time to start my own! In the past few months I've "anonymously" read about people I have known since childhood, college, and have just met. I also keep up with people I remember, but were never really friends with...the internet is weird like that. I hope to be a decent blogger, keep family and friends updated, connect with other bloggers, and demonstrate how God has blessed me!