Oh, the Future...

I have officially been engaged for 2 weeks...actually 17 days...and 8 hours...but who's counting?

Last week was my very last week of class in my college career...ever...hopefully...;) This week I have 1 exam on Tuesday, and then I'm free! Where did 4 years of my life go? In some ways it flew by, it some ways it crept along. But it is so surreal to think that I'm almost finished with college, I'm engaged and planning a wedding, and this time next year I will be married and not a dependent of my parents.

Some years we write Christmas letters that go out with our Christmas card, and the letter just tells what's gone on in our family's life throughout the year. Some years there is a lot of major life changes, and some years it seems like nothing happened. When reflecting on the past year, however, it is clear to see that it has been a major year in our family.

My brother graduated college AND got a big boy job. I worked in Orlando with him as my boss for 7 weeks this summer (that's a major thing :)...he was a good boss though). He also changed jobs this fall, and moved to ATL...he will officially never live permanently at our house again...WEIRD. My parents finished off the upstairs of our house that they've been working on for a while (and it looks great). I passed the Praxis, observed an obnoxious amount of hours, finished my senior recital, got engaged, and finished my last semester of classes in college...and that's only been in the past 3 and a half months.

So much has happened. The Lord has provided strength when there was none, peace when we were uncertain, and grace when we didn't deserve it. One of my favorite things to do is reflect and see God's provision and faithfulness throughout life's happenings. I'm already humbled by his provisions for our wedding, and I've only been engaged for 17 days...and 8 and a half hours.

I'm excited to see what is in store for 2011. Although, I know the general plan for me to student teach, look for a job, and get married, I know God has so much more in store than just those things. I know that God will use this time of uncertainty to teach me more than I could imagine, and I pray that my eyes and ears are open to Him as he shows me. There are so many questions of "How?" running through my mind as I reach my first year of being a "grown up". How will I make money? How will I cook when I can barely boil water? How will we find somewhere to live?

As I was at the church that Wesley's music group, Impact, was playing yesterday, I was thinking about all those things. I had just prayed that the Lord would help me to know he is in control, and they sang this song.

If you have a minute...or 6 minutes and 21 seconds...listen to it. It is a wonderful reminder of God's sovereignty and perfect plan.

 "Where shall I go from your Spirit?
Or where shall I flee from your presence?
If I ascend to heaven, you are there!
If I make my bed in Sheol, you are there!
If I take the wings of the morning
and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea,
even there your hand shall lead me,
and your right hand shall hold me.
If I say, "Surely the darkness shall cover me,
and the light about me be night,"

even the darkness is not dark to you;
the night is bright as the day
for darkness is as light with you."
Psalm 139:7-12

First Engagement Festivities

After Wesley and I got engaged on Friday, our sweet friends John and Emily asked if they could throw us a party. How can you turn down a party?! Of course, we said yes. They invited our close friends, and it wasn't a surprise, but nobody mentioned anything to me about coming, so I wasn't expecting about 90% of the people that came. It made the non-surprising party a pleasant surprise. :)  The following are pics documenting the fun night of engagement party-ing...

The cute set up

the engaged girls...

Very different rings for different personalities

Sweet home and school friends

We're actually engaged at the same time! (for a few weeks :))

Reenactment of the proposal

At TCBY with J and E after we got back into town...very sleepy, but happy to be engaged :)

Thank you again for everyone who has made this time special for us! We're excited about what is to come.

My Black Friday Adventure

Black Friday.

A day for shoppers to get deals, retail store employees to get exhausted, for me to get engaged.

ENGAGED?!? Yes. Engaged! I'm getting married! When, you ask?! I don't know. But I'll let you know when I find out.

Would you like to know how it happened? Okay...here it goes.

On Thanksgiving Day, Wesley called me and said since we had to be at work 4, he'd come get me at 3:15. Let me just tell you, I'm very protective of my sleep. So when he said we could leave my house 45 MINUTES before we had to be there, I immediately disagreed. I believe my exact words (with caps making emphasis) were "it does NOT take 45 MINUTES to get to work!" So he settled for 3:30. I went to bed at 9:30ish, and slept soundly until 2:30 when I rolled out of bed to start preparing for the day. As I was putting my mascara on, he sent a text that read "Can you come let me in?!" I read it and thought "Well, he's perky for 3:30 AM", and then proceeded to go let him in. He came in the house, and while I finished getting ready, my parents woke up and came in the kitchen. (Sometimes if I'm making noise or the lights get turned on and I happen to wake my parents up, they come say hello before I leave, so it wasn't abnormal for them to have gotten up.) They wished me a good day, I told them to go back to sleep, I grabbed me and Wesley a couple cokes, and we headed out the door.

We walked out the back door into the 45ish degree weather and darkness, and I began to walk to the car. Wesley didn't move from the back steps, and asked me to come back to him. I just figured he wanted to hug me before a long day, so I went over to him and hugged him. He said "are you tired, Babe?" and I obliviously said "uh huh"...and he said "I might have something that will wake you up." Then he moved the jacket that had been draped over his arm the whole time he'd been at my house, and held up a ring box as he got on one knee. He asked me to marry him, and I, shocked, stunned, and so excited, said, "um, yes!"

We went back inside, where my mom had the camera ready to take some pictures...of course :)

Needless to say, my Black Friday working experience was not as dreadfully long as I'd expected it to be. The proposal was perfect and turned what normally would have been an ordinary day into a fun, memorable day. When we got back from work Friday night, we celebrated with both of our families at my house and had a great time. 

Oh the ring is perfect too...I love it. He did VERY WELL!

We're excited to be engaged, and start planning not only for a wedding, but for a marriage. The next few months will be filled of uncertain times, but I know they will all be adventures of faith. 

Thank you to everyone who has congratulated us, supported us, loved us, and prayed for us. We are SO blessed, and so thankful! 

Until next time, my friends...

May I have that pen? I have things to mark off my TO-DO list...

I love me some to-do lists. My Vera Bradley planner (affectionately referred to as "Vera") is very accustomed to my daily, weekly, and even long term to do lists. I make lists of all the projects I have to do, and then I make lists of the things I need to get done within those projects. Excessive? Maybe. But I'm graduating on time :)

One of the major things I marked off my to-do list this semester on September 18th was the Praxis. If you get out your reading glasses, or get really close to the computer then you can see that...

I PASSED!!!! WHOOO HOOO!!!! Marking that off of my "Things I need to do to graduate" to do list was a wonderful feeling. 

After the Praxis on my to do list came "Figure out observation stuff". In my blog about TB tests and Sonic Blasts I mentioned that I had to do 205 hours of observation. At that point I had 35 hours listed in my file. Now I am happy to say that I will have 330 observation hours when I finish in December! Where did they come from, you ask? Well independent hours can come from any time you work with children...including babysitting, children's choir, camps, VBS, etc. I had 41.5 of those hours, and since I worked at a student conference for 7 weeks over the summer, I put 200 of my hours from that down. I've also been observing on Wednesdays and other days that classes get cancelled. I'm almost there!

The next big thing on my to-do list was my Senior Piano Recital. Want to see the awesome poster my brother made?

Didn't he do great? I agree :) My recital was this past Friday. This is the thing that has seemed untouchable for 4 years. I felt like I'd never get there. But it came WAY faster than I thought it would. As I've prepared for it and thought about it over the past several months, the thought has always made me a little queasy. I'm done, and it still makes me queasy to think about! 50 minutes, on stage by myself, in a formal dress when I'm used to practicing in shorts and a sweatshirt, playing everything from memory while people watch me? That's still nerve racking. But somehow, I WASN'T NERVOUS that day! Yes, I was very happy to get it over with. However, I wasn't miserably anxious like I thought I'd be. I say somehow, but I know how. Not only did it put me at easy having my family there and hanging out with them, but I know that the prayers that were prayed on my behalf helped the most.

This week I had several lasts:

-last paper in college

-last time to play piano at the University of Mobile

-last time to sing in the University Singers

-last Christmas Spectacular performance

-last time to wear a velvet top choir dress (hopefully)

From here, I have write a lesson plan, do a group project, take finals, and participate in wedding festivities for one of my best friends. Not much left!

It's so crazy to me that I'm almost done with classes in college. Although part of me feels like it can't come soon enough, the other part of me feels like I just moved in yesterday. I do know one thing though. I would not be where I am today without the support and encouragement from family and friends the past few months. When I thought about the fall semester in the summer, I felt overwhelmed. I knew it'd be a hard, long, and stressful journey. However, I have enjoyed the journey, and I know that I did not go on the journey alone. Thank you to all of you who prayed, supported, and encouraged me the past few months as I crossed over major hurdles in my life. 

Well, maybe I'll blog again soon...I marked something else off my TO DO list recently that is very exciting :)

George W. and Scuffed Shoes

This post is a week late, but better late than never! Last Thursday, I got the opportunity to attend the University of Mobile's Leadership Banquet. The set-up was beautiful, and the turn out was great. It was all wonderful...especially the speaker.

George W. Bush.

I'm officially a big fan. I already was, but this up-ed his stats in my heart. He was funny, entertaining, down to earth, and all other good things. I did not get to meet him...He ate at the table front and center, and I ate at the table FAR back and WAY to the left. I was in the same room with him, however, so that's good enough for me. Although I did not get to meet him, I was able to get close to his table...

Yes...my hand was on his place setting. Here's a closeup...

Yes it kind of looks like George W. Blush, but I promise it's Bush. 

Anyhow, picking out my outfit for my first experience of being in the room with a former president was quite a dilemma. First, I had to pick out my outfit several days in advance. For anyone who knows me well, you know I had a hard time with that. I firmly believe that it is my "prerogative" to change my mind...at least that's what I'm told. I picked out my outfit at school, and then realized my closed toed black pumps were at home....dun dun duuun. Fortunately, I went home for Sony Star class last Tuesday, so I was able to get them then. However, there were a lot more beat up than I remembered...(Mom, have you been using and abusing my pumps?!) 

See, I've had these pumps since my senior year of high school. I got them for Homecoming...let's reminisce, shall we? :)

 Notice the shine of my shoes...oooh...ahhh...shiny...

You can't see my shoes here, but I just like this picture with my Daddio.

Back to the shoes...

As you can see they're pretty scuffed up...

What's a girl to do?! 10:45 PM the night before the banquet...no shoe polish...no time the next day to buy any...quite the dilemma...

Naturally I did what any girl would do in such a situation...I got out my black Sharpie.

Yes...I colored in my black pumps. I had to do something! I was going to be in the same room with George W!

Before

After

 Granted, they do have a purple/bluish tint where the sharpie was, when you're standing up, no one can tell...

Good as new!

Now, in my family we like to make fun of each other because we pick the most random times to do things. For instance, changing the pictures in picture frames 5 minutes before we're supposed to leave for Wesley's college graduation. I, however, did not pick a random time to fix my shoes. I chose a time when I should have been doing something else. Something important. Something that was due at 12 that night. Something called homework.

I began my homework at 11:25, thinking it would only take me 10 minutes based on past experience with that class...WRONG! A friend came in at 11:48 and started talking to me, and I never looked up from the computer or quit typing. So I finally finished at 11:52...with time to spare!

I've been told I'm like a vegetable cooker...I work better under pressure...:) Ironically enough, I'm now off to do a project that I've been putting off for 3 days...I'm going to plan a music field trip...oh the fun projects of a Music Ed major!

TGIFB...Thank God it's Fall Break. (almost...)

It is almost fall break, which means the semester is half way over, which means I only have 8(ish) weeks left of class in my college career (hopefully), which means I am very happy! Time has definitely flown the last couple months. I hadn't been home all semester until yesterday.

I went home to speak at the Sony Star Class dinner. For those who do not know what that is, please allow me to explain. Sony was my high school's Adopt a School sponsor. We were 1 of 2 schools in the USA who had "Sony Star Class"- a scholarship program in which students turn in portfolios of community, church, and school activities as documentation of what they have done. Sophomores turn in portfolios and they typically choose 12 of those as finalists. Those finalists turn in another portfolio near the end of their senior year, as well as go through an interview process. After that, one student is chosen for the "Sony Star Class scholarship." I happened to be that student in 2007 (and I am able to type this because of the Sony laptop that came with the scholarship!) So last night I went to the dinner and just gave the class of 2012 some advice and encouragement.

Not only was I glad to go see people I hadn't seen since I graduated, but I was also just glad to go home. School isn't hard right now, but it is at times slightly overwhelmingly busy. Vera (my Vera Bradley planner) helps me out, but it was a good treat to go home. PLUS, my brother was home, which is always a rare treat. He actually attended the dinner with me and my mom. Something happened when we walked in that has never happened before. Wesley was "Lindsey's brother"...nobody knew who he was! Everybody knew who I was!? If you know both of us well, you know that our personalities are different. As the younger, I have always accepted the fact that I'm "Wesley's sister". (If he was a terrible person, I'd have a problem claiming it, but for now I'll claim it) 


Not only was he known as "Lindsey's brother"- His nametag read:

HA...I'm saving this forever.


On a different note...while driving to Dothan yesterday, my gas light  came on. Typically I have about 30 miles before I run out, so I figured I'd just wait til I was on my way back to Mobile to fill up. This morning when I filled up, I put 13.5 gallons in my car...that may not seem like alot, but my tank averages about 11.7-12.3....13.5?!?!...I was so shocked that I got out the owner's manual at a red light to see how big my tank was. FYI: it holds 14.1 gallons. I was .6 gallons away from being stranded. Using my mathematical part of my brain, along with much thinking time between Dothan and Mobile, I figured out if I had driven for about 5 more minutes, my car would have died. Thank you, Lord, for strategically placed gas stations.

TB tests and Sonic Blasts

Today I went to see the Associate Dean in the School of Education to discuss student teaching. We went over my file (sounds very official, doesn't it...) and discussed what I have left to do before student teaching. Here's what I found out...

I'm a planner, yet a procrastinator. I know what I have to do, I just choose not to do it until later.

We're required to do 205 hours of observation for Music Ed. According to my file, I currently have 35 hours. Awesome. If you do the math, you see that leaves....yes, 170 hours before December. Needless to say, most of my free blocks from Monday to Friday 8-3, I will be at a school. I figured out if I observe every Wednesday, and the mornings every other day of the week, I can have all my observations done the week before Thanksgiving! Good news-I get my observation hours. Bad news- I don't get to sleep in until Thanksgiving. But worse things could happen :)

I also found out I had to have a TB test. Actually I already KNEW I had to have one, I just hate shots, blood, and all other things related with medical things. So I put it off for 3 weeks, and today was my TB test day. It was awful. Worst experience ever. Just kidding, I hardly felt it. Afterward, my awesome significant other insisted on taking me to Sonic after the intensely traumatic medical procedure I had done-I think it's mostly because he wanted some tea...but I didn't question the motives, I just went with it and got a Sonic Blast out of the deal :)

Other than those 2 things, I didn't find out anything interesting. I'm on schedule to graduate...if the Praxis was nice to me...and now I just have to stop procrastinating and get on the ball.

Realization: Making a PLAN to be productive...WAY easier than actually being productive.

Observations here I come.

PS. I thinking about being domestic soon...I think this VERY cute apron from etsy.com would help me do so.
Just throwing that out there.

This is the day, this is the day...

This is my last semester...hopefully. I keep going over the things that I have to do before Student Teaching, and when I think about it all, my shoulders raise, my face tenses, my air flow cuts off, I turn blue... just kidding. My shoulders don't raise.  :)

Anyway, I have to remember to just take it one day at a time. This is the day that the Lord has made and I WILL rejoice and be glad in it...even if I have to do 23409847 things before I can graduate in May. I'm not really THAT stressed out...today anyway. But that's probably because I have had a very productive day thus far. I don't have classes on Wednesdays. (Later in the semester I'll have to observe, but for now I'm enjoying my day off in the middle of the week.) I walked about 3 miles this morning with a dear friend, and not only got some nice physical activity, but also fit some quality talking time in there...it was a great start to the day. Then I did some things and got ready to go to lunch, when low and behold, my significant other asked if I wanted to ditch the caf today and go to Momma G's! What kind of question is that?! It's $1 Nacho day...OF COURSE I want to go to Momma G's. I had a nice lunch, and although he raised my blood pressure because he made me 3 minutes late to piano lessons (and he was talking about gross medical procedures just to watch me gag), I had quite an enjoyable lunch with that Wells boy (as my dad calls him).

Piano lessons were...well, we won't go there today. Let's just say I have 4 weeks to perfect 10 songs by memory. Moving on....After piano, I went by the mail room to pick up packages. I got 2 packages and thought both were books, but one was a packet of flashcards for the Praxis! Now, I was expecting them (since I ordered them), but I read reviews right after I bought them and saw that they had terrible reviews. HOWEVER, after looking through them, I realized the "reviewers" were probably just bitter because they did not use the flashcards to their full potential and probably failed. These flashcards are awesome! Is it weird that I'm really excited to study my Praxis flashcards? It's okay if it is weird. I think I'm excited because I'm a little more confident in my ability to pass it since I have some help. Plus I learn better with flashcards, I just HATE making them. So I'm thinking that money with be well worth it.

I think it's easy to rejoice and be glad in days like today...when I have no school and have time to blog in the middle of the day.  It's days like yesterday when I have to remind myself to breathe that I struggle with rejoicing. The thing is- I do not necessarily have more on my plate than I can handle, but I have more on my plate than I can handle if I don't keep my focus on my purpose. It's the difference in focusing on the whats instead of the whys. If I get caught up in the "whats" by looking at "what I have to do" and marking it off my list, then I've completely lost the point of life. If I strive to remember why I'm doing something, I'm ultimately remembering the bigger picture-which is about more than just me.  I think it's important to prioritize tasks, but I also know it's beneficial to keep the goal in mind. Sometimes the tasks can fog the goal, and that's why I get short of breath when I look at my planner. Student Teaching will be worth it, my senior recital will be worth it (especially when I hit the very last note of the last piece), school will have been worth it in May. Marriage will be worth all the dating and waiting, whether I get married on my timeline or not. Every good thing is worth the work and wait. There are lessons to be learned everyday, and EVERYDAY is a day that the Lord has made and I am to REJOICE (not just endure) and be GLAD in it. Now if I can just remember that, I'll be good to go. :)

Today has been full of rejoicing. My latest smile came from my Papa as I typed this...He called, I answered, and my 78 year old Papa said "What's up?!" Thank you Lord for smiles in the midst of days when I take day to day tasks too seriously.

P.S. Here are some pieces I made before I came to school. I'm hoping Mom will send some supplies by way of a friend that's going home this weekend...I need something for stress relief...I mean, to help me rejoice :)

made from my grandmother's necklace

silver brooch made from a vintage clip of earring of my grandma's

Made with 3mm glass pearls and vintage green brooch

Another year...another blog post.

Another year has passed. Time for another post...and this time the plan is to be consistent. We'll see how that goes!

As of last Monday, I am a senior in college. Whereas some people have the hardest semesters academically at the end of their college career, I do not. It's not necessarily "easy", but after 6 semesters of taking 18 and 19 hours each semester, I have a huge 15 hours. I have Wednesdays completely OPEN. I didn't know what to do with myself last week when I looked at a weekly schedule and saw a lot of open space...then I remembered I have a senior piano recital (Oct . 29th), 2 big exams to study for before student teaching, and 17 days of observation. I might also be working 10 hours a week in an office at school. Needless to say, my "open" schedule became "closed" quickly, but I know I'll survive.

This summer I worked at a student conference for 7 weeks where Compassion International was a sponsor. There was a promo video played every week, and every week I had tears in my eyes after the video. It was so moving, and so burdening at the same time. The 3 minute video really opened my eyes, and the packets and packets of children that need sponsors made my heart ache. Then I asked myself, "But what can I do?" The first couple weeks, I just dismissed it as me being overly emotional. But around week 3, it really hit me that it wasn't just emotion. It was a burden from the Holy Spirit.

A sponsorship is $38 a month. It doesn't sound like much, but when you don't have an income, it is alot. But the video they showed weekly was made for students. Students that don't have jobs, or a steady income. The video showed 3 adults who shared their childhood troubles, but gave testimonies of the teenagers who sponsored them and gave them hope of Christ when they had no hope and no one to show them love. I was overwhelmed by the fact that I wanted to help, but didn't know how. Then it hit me.

Right before I left for the summer, my mom and I went to a jewelry making class. We learned some of the basics and got some good ideas for designs. When I got home that day, I started looking through my grandmother's old jewelry to see what I could take apart and make into something new (mostly because I didn't want to spend money on beads). I took apart some things and began to experiment, and soon I realized I had a new hobby.

Repurposed necklace

So when I was thinking about what I could do to get some money, I thought of the jewelry I had made. Not only did I enjoy making it, but I could use that "talent" or hobby to make a difference for the kingdom. So when I came home after SLU, I began brainstorming, creating, investing, etc. I'm still praying about and figuring out the details, but it's coming together. I may not be able to do anything with it for a few months since I have to graduate and finish all the things that comes before that, but it is exciting to think about.

It's not just that I like making "pretty stuff". I think there's something beautiful about taking apart something that's not so pretty and making it new. It's like what the Lord does to us when we become a new creation.