Today...

Here are twenty four things that have happened in the last 24 hours:

1. I finished packing for my flight to Knoxville, TN (around 9:30 PM).
2. Went to bed earlier than any other night this summer- 10:30.
3. Didn't sleep a wink because I was anticipating/excited about seeing Wade today for the first time in 10 weeks!
4. Woke up at 5:00 AM to go to the airport for my flight. That is WAY too early to be getting up!
5. Boarded the smallest plane I have ever been on. I think it holds only 30 people!
6. The plane's air conditioner broke as we were waiting in line for the runway.
7. We had to go back to the gate and get off the plane.
8. We waited. For some reason my toe started to bleed (from a previous shaving mishap)and I had to go buy a band aid at the airport store.
9. I offended the cashier because I said her accent sounded kind of like a Kenyan's...she was from Liberia...
10. Found out the flight had been completely canceled. WHAT the mother?!
11. Had to wait in line to see about catching a later flight.
12. Was told I had to wait until tomorrow, or catch a flight into Knoxville later tonight during a possible storm...
13. Decided (with the help of Wade, his family, and my mom) that it would be better just not to go to Tennessee after all.
14. Instead, chose to apply my ticket to go to Harrisburg, Pennsylvania next Monday to visit Wade and his family in their home state- yay for still getting to meet everybody and also being able to stay longer!
15. Had to quickly request my baggage to be sent back to me, becaue it was about to leave for Knoxville without me! And a girl just can't go without her make-up!
16. Worked with Mr. Lucas at the ticketing counter and got my ticket to Pennsylvania with no extra cost! Thank you, Lord!
17. Was picked up by my dad at the airport approximately 4 1/2 hours after I was first dropped off by my mom.
18. Ate lunch with my parents and my pastor and his wife at Busy Bee.
19. Teared up with laughter at lunch, due to both a hilarious (and random!) conversation about PASSING GAS and being delerious from sleep deprivation.
20. Took a 2 hour and fifteen minute nap to try and get some zzzz's.
21. Cuddled with Moses. Awe...sweet kitty.
22. Picked up Chicken Express for dinner. YUM-E!
23. Watched a show on Animal Planet about animal attacks and became even more concerned about the mountain lion population that supposedly lives in my neighborhood.
24. Talked to Wade, and we decided it was good I didn't end up coming tonight because it's storming pretty heavily there right now!

ALL that to say- everything happens for a reason. I am no longer going to Tennessee, but I will be able to see Wade in a couple of days and for a longer amount of time. So, I am really excited and can't wait to be in Pennsylvania! I think it all worked out for the best in the end. Soon I will post pictures of PA, not TN!

1%

Brandi came in town and we had a blast. That is the only picture we took together (sadly).

So I took this personality test (thank you, Brooke). Apparently I am an INFJ. When I read the description about this personality, it seemed really accurate! It should also be noted that only 1% of the population is INFJ- which makes me special (and no, not "special" in a bad way)!! You should take the test and see what personality you have!

(http://www.humanmetrics.com/cgi-win/JTypes2.asp)

Then read up on your personality type by going here:

http://www.personalitypage.com/high-level.html

Here's a little bit about me (an INFJ):

INFJs are gentle, caring, complex and highly intuitive individuals.

**They are usually right, and they usually know it.**

INFJs have uncanny insight into people and situations. They get "feelings" about things and intuitively understand them.

They may tend to internalize conflict into their bodies, and experience health problems when under a lot of stress.

They have strong value systems.

Only one percent of the population has an INFJ Personality Type, making it the most rare of all the types.

INFJs are concerned for people's feelings, and try to be gentle to avoid hurting anyone.

** indicates something important for you to remember!! :)

Delays

Here I am, waiting on my friend Brandi to get in to Dallas from Amarillo. I haven't seen her in about a year and a half and I am so ready to get some hang out time in with one of my best friends! Her flight was delayed a little, so I have time to update you guys on some recent happenings in my life.

Let's start with my trip to Port Aransas/Corpus Christi. I went with my sister and a bunch of her friends, plus 2 babies. It was really a good time- so thank you to Kelly for letting my tag along!



This picture pretty much sums up the whole weekend. The 2 minute ferry delaying our beach time...

The strobe light jellyfish at the aquarium. That's not it's scientific name- just a lil name I gave him. Those neon light zoom around his entire body. No joke. It was so cool!

One of the only pictures of me from the weekend. Standing in front of the USS Lexington (it was HUGE!). It was very windy there...

Pelicans are neat birds. :)

Next: For those of you who don't yet know, I enrolled in graduate school last fall to get a Master's in School Counseling. I was enrolled in a co-hort program which is an intense and fast paced program that allows you to complete your degree in a year and a half. It is very hard to do! I knew this going into the program, but I found myself incredibly stressed and overwhelmed working full time (teaching a TAKS grade) and going to school full time. Since about January, I also had mixed feelings about being a school counselor. You see, I love my job as a teacher because I get to be around kids and provide them an education, but I am also "second mom" to these kids for 8 hours (sometimes 9 if in tutoring) of the day. In the counseling program I was learning that a counselor's role the majority of the time is filled with paperwork. Yes, I would be able to work with a certain set of students one on one from time to time. But, I wouldn't really be building the same kind of relationship with children the way I can as a teacher. The majority of my time would be acting as a third administrator/testing coordinator.

So after much thinking, crying, and prayer I came to the decision to drop out of graduate school. It was a really tough decision because I was halfway done when I quit, and I had become friends with the people in my co-hort. Everyone has always told me that I would want to get out of the classroom at some point, and that I needed a back-up plan for when that day comes. When I would hear people say this it made it an even harder decision! But then I started thinking. Maybe I will get tired of the classroom. But wouldn't I get tired of counseling? Don't we all get tired of our work at some point? Isn't that why we retire? The way I see it, I will probably get tired of working no matter what my job may be.

I guess one day I might decide to go back to graduate school, but that has been delayed. Or, maybe I am not meant to be a counselor. Maybe I am meant to be a teacher. So, at least for now, that's what I'll be.

I will leave you with a verse that I often think of when I consider whether I made a good decision.

"Many are the plans in a man's heart, but it is the Lord's purpose that prevails." -Proverbs 19:21

You see I had plans, but I don't think they were God's plans. He makes sure that when we stray to chase our own rabbits, He always pulls us back to the beaten path.

Wordy Wednesday

Tomorrow I leave for the beach! I'm so stoaked!!! I thought it would be appropriate to include beach-ish lingo to describe how excited I am...

I am: ready to go to the beach (Port Aransas). Woo-hoo!!!
i dream: weird things
i think: about the future
i know: I should not be worried about things I can't control
i want: to be at the beach!
i have: an addiction to Cokes
i wish: I didn't feel sore from working out...
i hate: Chinese food
i miss: Wade :)
i fear: spiders, snakes, and traveling (except I always enjoy it once I get there...)
i feel: happy and loved
i hear: a movie on TV
i smell: like Velvet Tuberose (from Bath and Body)
i crave: to know more of Jesus
i search: facebook all the time, haha
i wonder: if I could ever live in a foreign country? That would be fun!
i regret: not saying the right thing to some people, or not holding my tongue.
i love: looking at nature (stars, mountains, oceans, sunsets, rivers, trees).
i ache: in my stomach almost all the time...
i care: about my family and about Africa.
i always: get nervous about silly things!
i am not: a very good singer.
i believe: that salvation comes from Jesus only.
i dance: for fun!
i sing: mostly in church.
i cry: i am mad or tired.
i don’t always: treat Moses (the cat) nicely.
i fight: rarely.
i write: some short stories.
i lose: and I hate it!
i never: like to miss work.
i listen: to my iPod.
i can usually be found: in my apartment, classroom, or my parent's house.
i need: rest (and thanks to summers, I'm getting it!).
i am happy about: seeing Wade in 3 weeks and meeting one side of his family. :)
i desire: to be a good photographer.
i hope: I have a good group of students this year!!!

A Birthday and Rome

First of all- Happy Birthday to Wade (even though he's already in bed and won't read this for awhile)!!! He's one good lookin' cowboy...



I want to live in one of those apartments in the reddish building one day. In Rome, Italy.

Sweet home Alabama

My second favorite place in the U.S. besides Texas- GULF SHORES, ALABAMA!!!

Sunset on the beach. Can you see why I love this place??

They have the same hair. haha Kell and Stell.

An action shot of the madness that is Stella.

Yes, those are my chips. The odds don't look good for me...

Frisbee on the beach! Yay!