Pretty as a Picture

I love pictures.  But I am really bad when it comes to showing them, printing them, and sometimes taking them (when my battery is dead!)  I am trying to get much better at that.  Right now I have both camera batteries charging :)

Here are a few pics from graduation...

My graduation hat: It was a good excuse for a girl's night!

Mom, Colby, me, Brian, Bri, and Dad at WKU

My biggest fan!

On Sunday, I had my graduation party; here are the pictures I promised...

My nanny (Dad's mom) and I

Some of the girls.

The man who had to listen to all my rants, raves, and stresses.  Thanks for being there!

So, it's not a bazillion pictures, but I'm on the road to getting better at that. ha.  Tonight, I have an excuse: STREP THROAT.  I get it once or twice a year, but this time it's different.  The doctor said it's a different strand of strep, like B or G possibly, so it's hutting me a little harder than normal.  I had to miss work and lay on the couch. Sounds nice right? NO... I couldn't even relax because I was so miserable.  Right now, my parents are on their way to bring me dinner...thank God for having such a wonderful Mom and Dad.

Upcoming events:  signing my contract as a 4th or 5th grade teacher (TBA), off the entire weekend (WOW!), and wedding shower on Sunday.  

What a Weekend!

**I think I promised pictures in my last post...I don't have my SD card with me :(  Next time, promise!**


Today, I had my graduation party.  It was so nice to see everyone together: family, friends, neighbors.  We had such a great time catching up, and good food, too!  I opened some very sweet cards and much appreciated gifts.  Thank you!

But something that is more exciting than that...I can officially announce that I will be an aunt around November 27th!!!  Bri and Colby are expecting a little Gibson baby. :)  I have already received permission to spoil him or her; Bri says it is inevitable.  haha, so true.  We are very excited!

More good news...Brian's brother, John, is moving from North Carolina to Kentucky this coming Wednesday.  It will be so great to have him here to help take care of Brian's mom and dad.  Plus, we just miss him!

In other news, tomorrow, I am going to sleep in and go shopping in the afternoon.  Later in the day, Brian and I are going to Bed, Bath, and Beyond to register for our wedding showers.  Wow...my first day of summer break; I am so happy...and even though I will be working at The Whistle Stop, I am trying to enjoy it to the fullest.  I hope your summer is off to a great start!

So Many Blessings.

It's a good thing that I like change, because a lot of it has been happening lately!  

(1)  Brian's dad is home, safe and sound.  He stays there by himself at night, which made us nervous at first, but he has been doing great adjusting back to "normal" schedule.  

(2)  I am graduating today, summa cum laude.  Four years absolutely flew by.  It still doesn't seem real, and I don't think it will until I walk across the stage at Diddle Arena.  We are going to eat at Mariah's in Bowling Green before commencement ceremony.  I just wish the weather was a little brighter, but we can't have it all.

(3)  Not only is today a big day because I am graduating college, this morning, Brian and I bought our first house!  It's absolutely perfect...I'll post pictures in another post.  It has everything on our "wish list", which we thought would never happen.  We assumed that there would be sacrifices along the way, in order to find our first home.  Hopefully, by mid-July, we will close and it will officially be ours!

(4)  And lastly, in my previous post, I said I had some good news......I GOT A TEACHING POSITION!!!  I will go this coming week to sign my contract.  I am thrilled, ecstatic, and nervous.  People always told me during college that every teaching vacancy has 200 applicants and it's so hard to get a job.  I always told them that you just had to be the best of the best.  Teaching is not the career I have chosen, it is my calling, something I feel passionate about.  

So many changes in the month of May, so many blessings. In just two months and two days, I will become Mrs. Howard, another great prayer answered.  Life is never perfect, but right now, it's so darn close.  Nothing has been handed to us though, and I'm very proud of how far Brian and I have come.  It has taken lots of determination, dedication, and hard work, but it has been so worth it.  

Now I must go get ready for graduation, so pictures will follow in the next post hopefully!

It's the Weekend :)

Right now, the weekends don't mean much to me, but I have a few hours to relax tonight.  I work every Saturday at The Whistle Stop from open to close. My last day there will be end of June, I think.  Sundays are free, but they seem to go by too fast, and then it's Monday!  I cannot wait until I am able to have a full two days off each week (although I'm sure the first year, my weekends will be filled with planning).  And for some strange reason, it has rained/stormed almost every weekend...and there's another chance for this weekend to be more of the same.

On the bright side, house hunting has been fully launched!  We will be looking at a couple of homes for sale this coming week.  Keeping our fingers crossed that we find one that has everything on our wishlist.  Wouldn't that be just perfect?  I know it's not that easy.

Also, stay tuned...I have some good news to share, some already know, but it's not time to tell the whole world yet.  & no, it's not a baby...ha!  That is what everyone has thought when I am keeping good news a secret ;)

Lots to Share...

Well, today, as I sit down and begin to tell all of you what has been happening, I feel overwhelmed.  Where do I start?  We've been pretty busy, let's just talk about one thing at a time!

Brian has exciting newst!  His dad may possibly, just maybe get to come home this week.  For those of you just catching up or tuning in, Dave has been in the hospital since early March after suffering a massive heart attack.  After several surgeries, the VAD, and physical therapy, his recovery will be able to continue at home.  Jewish Hospital has been his home for far too long, it's time to help him find "normal" again.  Thanks again for all the unending prayers, the miracle happened.

Last week, I gave a speech at ECTC and I landed myself in the WKU News.  Read more about it and see pictures here: WKU News.  I was very honored to be invited to the meeting and met so many people from across the state.

In the life of student teaching, I have 7 school days left at Howevalley.  I will be so sad to leave the family I have joined there.  Everyone was so welcoming and the kids have such big hearts!  I will miss them so much.  In 9 days, I will graduating from WKU.  Wow...the past four years have seriously flown by.  I'm so happy about the friends I met along the way and the connections I made.  It would be a great graduation gift to hear about the outcome of my teaching interviews by that date, if not sooner :)  I can't wait to find out where my life will take me in the Fall!

Tonight, Brian and I are meeting with a realtor to officially begin our search for a home.  We've looking online  for months, but now it's time to actually narrow it down and visit some of the houses.  Our favorite areas are Rineyville, Cecilia, and Glendale.  We may not purchase until after the wedding, depending on if we find something we like.

That's all for today!  I have some down time and Lifetime Movie Network is calling my name :)