Thankful

Sorry for such a break. It was a mixture of being busy, having nothing to write or just a lack of inspiration. Here I am at work on the day before Turkey day :( I am very sad about this because I think for all holidays everyone needs at least a week off to celebrate! I am super SUPER excited to go see my family. Unfortunately this holiday will not be like all the ones in my past. My Papaw is now in a nursing home and will not be joining us. Neither will my Mamaw, who loves my Papaw more than anyone could love their husband. She will be staying my his side and has been by his side everyday since he has been moved to the home. Also, my Grandma and Grandpa from Florida will not be making their yearly trip here due to health issues as well. All of this made me think of what I am truly thankful for...

I am very thankful for my family and the people who have influenced my life in such positive ways. I really can't think of a better upbringing than the one that I had. Along with endless kisses, hugs and I love yous, I have parents that never missed an awards ceremony, a theatre performance, volleyball game etc. They taught me the way of the Lord and what is right and what is wrong. They taught me perseverance and the value of hard work. I never had to go to daycare because my Mamaw and Papaw were always there when my parents couldn't be. My Grandma and Grandpa, who couldn't be there on a daily basis also found time to call weekly and made it here for graduation and important life events. My parents and both sets of grandparents taught me what true love is and standing by the side of your husband or wife through thick and thin. I hope to one day share even half of this type of love with my husband. Also, my teachers who pushed me to succeed and do my best. Those who not only helped me in the classroom, but also were a guiding hand when life got tough. Some of you are:
Mrs.Blake
Ms.Blue
Mrs.Haley
Mr.Shafer
Mrs.Rampp
Mrs.Jacobs
Coach Carmichael
SOLO!
Mrs.Nweke
Mr.Janis
Ms.Hardwick
Mrs.Cooper
Mr.Kosuowei

I cannot leave out the two who brighten my day, everyday. Mart and Samson, I love y'all!! If you two were not in my life it would be very boring! Thank y'all for being my sunshine on cloudy days :)

I am very grateful for my family, teachers and friends. Without these people I would not be the person I am today. I hope all of you have a happy and family filled Thanksgiving!!

What the weekend was about

This past weekend was packed full of family fun and good times with the Lopez's :) That is Martin's family!

It was his nephew's Augie 1st birthday! I absolutely LOVE 1st birthdays!!
Anyway, this gave plenty of time for pictures. I STILL don't have a camera and must result to using my dinky phone camera. So here is my Saturday in pictures...


This is Ellie. Martin's sister's dog. I came out of my shower and found her curled up in my suitcase. I just thought it was super cute!


These are the adorable cupcakes EJ, Martin's sis made. I am in love with the baby corn water squirters. They were for the kiddos though. The whole party was John Deere themed as well, amazingly adorable!! :)


Here is the birthday boy himself!! He loved the cake, as any 1 yr. old does.


DIG IN!!


Mart and I :) He is so handsome!


This is Elena and she just licked a lime. She is so goofy!



After the sun went down, we lit a fire, had s'mores and some decided to put on these sanitation suits...haha


So that was pretty much all of Saturday. Sunday consisted of relaxation.


Samson was more than exhausted from the weekend!


Until next time :)

What's Happening!

Haven't written in some time, not because I have been super busy or anything, but more because I don't have much "happy news" to write. My Papaw has been in the hospital for almost a week. To make a long story short, he has been in and out of the hospital/nursing home for a few years now. He was doing pretty well, but he fell recently and at around 93 yrs old it isn't good. Not to mention he also has Alzheimer's. I hate this disease and how it can rip everything from you and you have no control. After he fell, he couldn't stand so that's why he was taken to the hospital and now is going through physical therapy. I am not sure what will happen next. I think assisted living will be the best choice, especially because my Mamaw would be able to live with him there. It is just very expensive. Other than that, there are a few other surgeries going on throughout my family. Please pray for all of them.

As for school and everything else, it's pretty good. I am receiving a Who's Who in American Colleges and Universities award soon. I am also excited to register for my last semester of classes on Friday! This cool weather is something that I love and I am sure it will be wonderful when we visit Martin's family this weekend :)

Hopefully the next post will have happier news...

Lists, Countdowns and Things of that sort...

This weekend at my parents was so nice! So nice that we are going back this weekend too! No pictures were taken as the result of I don't have a camera, other than my phone camera and that gets frustrating to work with. This made me think that it is time to write my Christmas wish list (with pics included).


Canon Rebel or just a digital camera to cure my problem of not even having one. I realize the Canon is pretty expensive and will settle just for digital until my habit of dropping cameras and phones ends.


Sperrys because I am about 4 years behind the popularity of them and still really want a pair.


Methodist Cross necklace. My mom has one and I want to be just like her :) Really though, I feel like I have grown in my faith a lot and would love one.


James Avery Jewelry because it is beautiful and I have never owned any :( There is also a necklace, bracelet and earring set matching this!


Bath and Body Works Candy Apple. It is my fave scent! I am addicted to it and can't live without it. They only sell it during Christmas soooo I stock up!


Ralph Lauren Blue. Elizabeth, my lovely roomie got me to love this scent and I need more ASAP!

There is only 61 days or 2 months until Christmas! Ask Mart, I am big about countdowns...for instance...

There are:
7 weeks left of school (not counting finals)
147 days until I turn 21! (March 21st)
201 days until GRADUATION. Which means 201 days to find a job and a house. Ek!

That is all...for now. I also am in the works of making a "before we leave Sam" bucket list (Mart's idea), a "Congrats Lauren for graduating in 3 years" vacation (my dad suggested Japan!) and finally convince my mom to get in the Scentsy business with me! I'll update on all that next time.

Things of Recent :)

I am so glad that this week is over!! I had so many tests/projects and so did Martin, which made both of us exhausted. Now it's the weekend (almost) and home to my parents for the first time in about a month! I am very excited about this because I miss my family too much. Last weekend,we decided to go camping. It was my first time,so of course I had to take pictures.


Here is the view we had in the morning. It was at Sam Houston State Park.



This is our four person tent, which in my mind is perfect for two people. Also, no one told me that the tent will condensate overnight and will be slightly wet inside in the morning. I also felt so bad for Samson, that I let him sleep in the tent. Martin said this was a bad idea and I found out why the next morning when the entire tent smelled like Samson.


Finally, this is Samson. I felt so bad like I said before because he was tied up pretty much the whole time. When we did let him go, he enjoyed visiting with some golden retrievers and playing with his ball.

All in all it was a lot of fun and we plan to go again soon. Now onto Halloween! We have celebrated so far by carving our scary pumpkin...


Martin did such a good job on it. We plan to do another one next week and this time cook the seeds!


Here are our Halloween costumes! It is my first time doing a couples costume and aren't they cute? We got to go onto campus to promote the Halloween event we are having at work, Boo Fest! We got lots of stares and "how cute" and even more of "aren't y'all hot in that?" the answer is yes, so I hope next weekend will be cool so we aren't burning up.

So that is pretty much what we have been up to lately. We are both really ready for May to come and graduation. Taking one day at a time can be hard sometimes. Hopefully, all the holidays coming up will make time zoom by even faster!

Numba 1!

Reasons to start a blog:

1. I want to.
2. Relief from homework.
3. Something to do at work (once my work is done right?)
4. It's fun to pretend people will actually read it.
5. Reminds me of the glory days of Xanga..haha.

I think that is all...

Anyway,

Let me introduce you to the loves in my life...


Martin and Samson.



Samson again, just because he is adorable.



Calli, the dog that WAS mine. My mom fell in love with her and now is permanently glued to her hip.

Anyway, they keep me going along with my family. I am such an animal lover. That's all for now. Partly because I have nothing else to say and partly because I get off of work in 15 min! YAY!