The Start of the End

We safely arrived in Lynchburg just one week ago to start our official last semester as undergraduates. It seriously hard to believe. It blows my mind. We've worked so hard up unto this point - I plan to finish the semester out strongly! (I have pictures of Georgie & I on our roadtrip up here at the bottom...)

Sarah came up this past weekend for a little visit, which I was super thrilled about! She is spending this entire semester doing an internship in Washington, D.C. We keep saying that she is a big girl now... as if she wasn't one before! I am seriously excited for this opportunity she has but I definitely will miss her being around the good ole Lynchburg.

We got some good girl time in the few days that she was here. We saw some of our best friends and was able to chat and catch up on life. One of our best friends, also named Sarah, got engaged over break! So of course we had to hear the story and hear about the wedding details that are coming together! Seriously thrilled for Sarah and her fiance, EJ!

I just finished my first week of this semester. Both, Jordan and I's schedules are fabulous. He only has ONE class on campus which is on Tuesdays and Thursday. He has three online courses though. I only have class on Thursday and Friday but I'm pretty much gone all day.

Yes, that's right... I have a five day weekend!

That is until you throw my clinical schedule into the mix. That's when things get messy. I will be doing six weekends of leadership clinicals in the Surgical Trauma ICU this semester. That includes two twelve hour shifts during those weekends. I'm really excited about my assigned floor and being able to exhibit more independence. Basically, my partnered nurse should be able to sit down at the front desk and read a book... unless a crisis occurs! I also have a few clinicals on Mondays at one of the local high schools for my community nursing class. Those should be interesting!

Jordan and I are watching Georgie (his parents dog) for the first half of the semester while they are traveling abroad. I suppose Tyler will be helping care for him too when we have busy weekends. It has been super fun having a dog in the house. There is nothing better than a dog greeting you at the door when you get home from a long day!

Georgie is an extreme Mama's boy so we were unsure of how he would react to being away from his mom but he has done absolutely tremendously. We were actually surprised at how happy he seems! He is playing a lot and cuddleing with us.  He already learned where the door to go outside and potty is. He is absolutely loving the carpeted floors. His home is all wood floors, which is wonderful for us humans but Georgie really doesn't like wood. He loves to gallop around the carpet! It's so precious! He definitely keeps his eyes on me as his surrogate mother. He follows me around instead of Sheila for once in his lifetime, which has been fun! He is actually sitting on my lap as I am typing this. We've really been enjoying his company.

Georgie and I entertained ourselves for the 20 hour road trip by taking some photobooth pictures!

Having this little guy here with us is making really want our own dog. I mean I've always wanted our own dog but I do even more so now. Oh the tortures of waiting!

Here we go... full steam ahead!

A Hunting Endeavor

Last Friday, Jordan asked me so kindly if I would go up to his family's hunting lease with him. Of course, I said yes. The Frye's have leased this hunting land for a while now but I never had been up there since hunting really is not my thing. However, since my loving hubby asked... I went!

Their lease is in Jack County which is just over an hour away from our home. That drive wasn't bad at all. I was able to see some very different parts of Texas. The land over there is covered in rock, cacti, and low growing mesquite trees. Very different than our little so cherished "Colley-wood."

Jordan and I pulled into the lease and made a pit stop at the little check-in Cabin to eat our picnic that my mom had made us. Jordan also loaded up his riffle in case we were to see anything on our way to feeder number one. Jordan let me bring along Tyler's old BB gun, so that I could feel like I was hunting too! So I did a tiny little target practice session. It was fun! I also decked myself out in Jordan's camo gear! He asked if I wanted to use his camo gloves but I kindly said, "No babe, I got my camo gloves right here..." as I pulled out my leopard gloves! Leopard is definitely  my version of camo!

We then headed out to feeder one which was definitely an adventure. The roads, or should I say paths, were very bumpy, rocky, and holey. It was definitely fun though! We eventually got to feeder one and went and parked ourselves in the blind that's about 200 yards away from the feeder.

We spent time whispering back and forth and taking turns playing games our on phones as we waited for the sun to set. Just at about 5:40 pm we saw three deer appear across a little creek to our front right sides. Jordan and I watched as they ate grass and lurked amongst the mesquite trees.

He couldn't get a clear shot... we were watching two of the deer steadily. There were so many trees in the way but after about five minutes of just watching them, Jordan says, "I'm gunna shoot!" He had made up his mind since they had gone home a countless number of times empty handed from the lease... he was determined to do this!

He said, "shooting!" then all of a sudden a loud riffle sound shot off in the air and the doe went straight down about a 150 yards away. Then four deer sprinted away... there was actually five out there! Jordan and I ran out of the blind and as we did so, the deer tried to crawl away.  Naturally, I cried seeing the deer struggle so as hunters often do, Jordan had to deliver a second shot to kill the deer. He sent that bullet straight to the kill spot and the deer instantly died.

Tyler and his friend Caleb were also out at the lease... so we texted them and told them to come on over and that the deer was down. We took the two of them over to the deer and loaded the deer into the old truck, Jewel. We drove over to a clearing away from any feeders so that Caleb could gut the deer. He has had lots of deer gutting experience!

About an hour after the kill, we were headed to the Jacksboro butcher with the doe. This was the first deer that had been shot on the lease by the guys! Everyone was so excited! We ordered summer sausage, breakfast sausage, steaks, and burger meat! We are anxiously waiting to eat some venison stew and burgers!

The four of us got dinner at the Mexican restaurant in town the Jordan and I headed back home. Tyler and Caleb stayed out at the lease to hunt later than night and early this morning... They ended up getting a hog right when they got back to the lease! Two kills in one night, the biggest day at the lease ever!

Needless to say, although a deer lost her life, it was definitely a good day! I'm now the good luck charm ;)

A Great Big New Year

Happy New Year Y'all! 

This new year of 2012 holds many exciting adventures for Jordan and I. We first will start our last semester of our undergraduate degrees in two weeks, we have graduation from the "most exciting university in the world" in May, plan to move back to Texas after graduation, find our first grown-up jobs, become the best dog-parents ever, and perhaps have our very own place! 

The year's forecast looks bright and shiny. I am looking forward to all that this year holds... thinking about the adventures ahead also calls for the yearly evaluation and decision of what our New Year's Resolutions should be...

This year, I decided to look up "resolution" in the dictionary and thesaurus before I decided what I would like mine to be. Since it is so popular for people to break their New Year's resolutions by the second week in January? I wanted to see what I was actually committing myself to when I made my New Year's Resolutions.

Here are a few of terms that struck a note with me to define "resolution:" courage, dedication, perseverance, unconquerable will, true grit, backbone, spirit, purpose, resolve, self control, stability, unflinching, at any risk, and sincerity. 

The opposite of making a resolution is weakness and compliance.

So what do I want to commit myself to this upcoming year? What do I want to have self control over? What do I want to have an unconquerable will to achieve? What do I need courage to preserve through? Can I do this all with a purpose, sincerity, and stability?

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First and foremost, I want to dedicate myself to developing a deeper and truer relationship with my Lord and Savior. I feel like this resolution appears every year but the truth is that I desire to have a stronger relationship with God each and every year, hence why it is always on the top of my list. I bought Jordan and I brand new journals to start off the new year right! Blank, fresh, and empty waiting for our desires, prayers, dreams, goals, and conversations with God to fill its pages. I kind of want to start drawing in my journal to communicate with God as well since a picture is worth a thousand words. Just a new dimension to add! I might make the new journal thing a tradition for Jordan and I, that I buy us each a new journal at the start of the new year... It's such a fantastic thing to be able to look back over the past years of writings and answered prayers.

I want to maintain and deepen my love for my wonderful husband. Everyday, I fall more and more in love with that hunk of a man. I want to relish in the time that we spend together and not take any second for granted. I started really working out that this past semester and I want to continue to do so. I want to keep our relationship lively, young, and fun like it already is! I want to keep our love sincere and unconquerable! 

I am going to stay consistent with my running and workouts. I feel so much better about myself when I am in a season of working out so it's important to me to just keep running. I love my time while I'm running. I clear my head. I have time to myself. I pray. I dream. I grow stronger physically and mentally. I play games. I laugh. I sweat. I cry.

I have an unconquerable will to grow out my hair. My hair is already long for me since it grows as a turtle. I have been practically growing it out my entire life but I want it longer. I want Taylor Swift's long hair. It's true. So although this may be a silly resolution, I am just stating my dedication to growing my hair out.

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I also want to have the courage to deepen my relationships with my friends and family. I want to spend more time in my friendships since people are what is most important in this world. I want to be the best friend possible: loving, listening, kind, fun, and encouraging! I am so blessed by all of my wonderful friends that I want them to know it and believe that I truly love them and are appreciative of them.

Lastly, I am dedicating myself to my last semester of school. I need to be diligent in my studies and not tire out. I need to learn as much as I can and enjoy my last few months as a student nurse before I become a registered nurse. I want to take advantage of all my learning opportunities that my nursing professors and preceptors give me.

I will not be weak. I will not comply. I will show true grit.

Be strong in your endeavors,

The City of Lights

Whew! I can't believe that it has been almost a month since I posted about my parents anniversary. Time flies when you're having fun? Well that wasn't quite the case. Time flies when it's the end of the semester, is more like it.

I wrapped up the semester with three As and one B. I'm definitely pleased! My finals were not to bad but packing on the other hand, was just as bad as I thought it was going to be. Not only did I have to pack for a months time at home but for practically a weeks time for NYC! Oh not to mention that Jordan wouldn't be back in Texas until four days after I am... so I have to live off my NYC bags for that much longer at home. Craziness to try and separate the two and consider all the factors. Of course, things were overlooked. I forgot to bring some silly random toiletries to NYC, which was no big deal. I left some crucial things in the truck, for Jordan to bring home. For example: extra underwear, my laptop,  running gear, and Christmas presents! wha! However, I made it work.

So we spent five and a half days in the big city under all the lights and the honking horns. I had an absolute blast!  I adore all things about New York. The people, the places, the shops, the lights, and the noises. It's truly unique and nothing is more spectacular than NYC at Christmas time. NYC will always hold dear to Jordan and I's hearts since we were engaged there two years ago, right in the heart of Central Park. Of course, we had to visit again!

Let me reverse and start at the beginning of our journey to New York. We left Tuesday morning at 10, just after I had finished my last final at eight. Goodness! Can you say exhausting? Tyler, Jordan, and I piled ourselves and our stuff into the truck for the seven hour drive up towards the city. It was actually quite a fun drive since we got to go through Washington DC, Baltimore, Delaware, and NJ. We crossed into the city through the Lincoln tunnel in Hoboken. Of course, we entered the city at a great price - running tolls! Yes, we were cashless and acquired a great toll debt. I am just going to through this out there, WHY DON'T THEY ACCEPT CREDIT CARDS? It's so easy to swipe! If airports can do it, tolls can do it. Or hey, be like Dallas and have no booths - just drive under cameras. Bill me please. So after an hour of waiting to cross the tunnel after we exited for it and skipping out on the last 12 dollar toll booth, we made it into the city!

Has NYC ever seen a big ole honking Dodge Ram on it's streets? Doubt it! We made it to the hotel and then went out for dinner and visited Times Square!

As I already mentioned, we made it out to Central Park again. We wandered through the majority of the park, just enjoying the people, the performers, and the nature. We had the opportunity to eat at the Boat House but since the only thing on the menu I would eat was a hamburger, I suggested we skipped out. We then wandered our way around 5th avenue and found POP Burgers, conveniently a burger place, to eat lunch. It was such a fabulous little place. The food was immaculate. Tyler said he had the best burger there that he has ever eaten! Such a big deal, right?  After our bellies were filled with onion rings, burgers, fries, and shakes, we headed towards FAO Shwarz and walked down the rest of 5th avenue. We made stops in Berdorf Goodman, Henry Bendel, and Mckenzie Childs, of course!

Then we headed to Radio City Music Hall to see the Rockette's Christmas Spectacular! It was absolutely delightful. Such a good show!

The whole family went to the 9/11 memorial which was absolutely immaculate. You could totally feel the emptiness there. The memorial was incredible to see. Before we visited the 9/11 memorial, we also went to see the Dead Sea Scrolls since they happened to be in NYC the same time that we were. Those were really neat to to be able to see the manuscripts.

We also hit up the Metropolitan. It was my first time there. It was so neat!

Of course there was a ton of eating of fabulous food and a lot of shopping since that's what NYC is all about! We are so thankful to be able to share moments like these with our families. I had the best time! NYC truly puts you in to the Christmas Spirit, if I hadn't had enough of it at Liberty!

Merry Christmas to y'all & a Happy New Year,