Goodbye 2008

I suppose its time for an update, when our lives have changed quite considerably since the last post on July 29th!

Tyler did graduate from the DPS Academy in Austin! The 6 month commute between Abilene and Austin is over, for good! We sure are glad to be able to live together like a full time married couple again, but are better for the challenges we faced and overcame! We have moved to Hillsboro, Texas. It is a small town in between Austin and Forth Worth right on Interstate 35. Since moving here on October 1st, we have been able to attend the First Baptist Church regularly and Tyler has started patrolling as commissioned Peace Officer. He has seen some pretty interesting things as a State Trooper. He loves his job, even though the hours are strange and he has to work weekends and holidays. We are so happy that he has great job satisfaction and that he has already started a path to a successful career!

Tyler and I will actually celebrate our ONE YEAR wedding anniversary on Tuesday, December 9th. It has been a whirlwind of a 1st year of marriage, and of course we have been through a whole lot together for only being married 1 year, but it has been a memorable one and we are thankful for our first year has been a fantastic year, and we can only seem them getting better and better! Here is what all our first year of marriage included:

1. Tyler starting work with the DPS
2. Tyler going through the 6 month long academy, and GRADUATING
3. Finding out we are Pregnant with a baby girl
4. Moving from Abilene to Hillsboro

It may not seem like a long list, but we both agree that we are almost just exhausted from the hard work and surprises that 2008 included.
One of the biggest changes for me, was going from working full time to not working at all. I had worked for Lauren Engineers and Constructors for a little over 2 years when Tyler and I moved to Hillsboro, and now I am staying at home and preparing for Anslee to get here. I am glad that I am able to stay home, right now, considering Tyler's work schedule. Its wonderful that I am always off when he is and that we have that time together guarenteed. It has just been a change becuase I enjoyed being productive and having specific goals to meet on a daily basis. I know that we have made the right decision for me to stay at home, and as time goes on, I am adjusting better to being responsible for things here at home.

At 30 weeks pregnant, I am feeling good and constantly saying prayers of thanks to the Lord for such an easy and healthy pregnancy. Anslee is growing at a perfectly normal rate, and I have not suffered through any kind of symptoms. I also continue to pray that the last 10 weeks of this pregnancy will continue to go just as easy as the first two trimesters have gone! We are still on target for a Valentines Day delivery, but we will so how she cooperates when it gets closer to time!

Trevor and Jacy's weddings are closely approaching and we are all very excited for those days to get here so we can celebrate with them! Life is not slowing down, but we are certainly glad to have exciting events to look forward too.

Look for more updates soon, now that I am at home, there should be no excuses! :)

Weddings and Babies!

Tyler and I are so blessed! We have so many exciting life changes to look forward too, and we thank our God each day for the work he is doing not only in our own lives, but in the lives of our friends and family. Speaking of family!! Jacy and Brian are getting married on January 31, 2009. This is one wedding that we have been waiting for with much anticipation for a while, and one that we will never forget! Jacy has been very busy planning away. So far, the rehersal dinner, church, and reception site have been selected and put on the calendar! I have been so impressed by her ability to plan large events, considering that is what she does for a living, and I know this will be her best work yet!

Here are the future Mr. and Mrs. Brian Russell at the Coleman Rodeo. We all got together that late weekend in June in Coleman and went the annual Pro Rodeo there that they hold. We had a lot of fun, but we always do when we all get a chance to get together! I can't wait until their wedding day! Until then, I will be enjoying every second of the planning that is going on. Tyler and I will both be in the bridal party for this wedding too!

Trevor, Tyler's cousin and probably closest friend, will be marrying Grace Brazille on January 2nd of this year in Denton. They meet at UNT in Denton where they both went to school and participated in Young Life. I would post a picture of them, but I do not have one of the two of them. We are excited about their big day as well! Tyler will be the Best Man in this wedding!

Tyler and I have some very special friends that are getting married this upcoming weekend! Ryan Gibson and Libby Connel! They will be married on August 2nd in Clyde! They met at HSU and both are very dear to Tyler and I as we were all very close all through our college careers. We had a bachlorette party this past Sunday for Libby, and we all had such a good time. Here a couple of photos to give you some insight to how much fun we really had!

This is Libby asking a married couple a few tables down from us some wedding advice. She got some good advice from them, they had been married 32 years. They told her to have a sense of humor, trust your spouse, and to balance the checkbook! I think all married people would agree to those bits of advice she got! Every time Libby finished an assignment (like asking a married couple for marriage advice) she could "tie a knot" on the ribbons attached to her veil.

We ate dinner at the Texas Roadhouse for her party, and every now and again the waitors and waitresses will do a line dance. When they started dancing, we made Libby get up there and learn the dance and preform with them. This was her attempt at their line dance. Erin was a good friend and went with her. I just followed them around with my camera. I would say a good time was had by all. :)

Since I last blogged, Tyler and I found out that we are expecting a baby! The baby is due is (for now at least) on Valentines Day 2009! We are so excited to so very soon be adding a member to the family. We have names picked out that we are throwing around, but nothing has been set in stone just yet. Here are some of the pictures of the baby that the doctor was able to take. They were taken on July 9th, when I was 8 weeks and 4 days pregnant. Right now I am 11 weeks and 3 days pregnant!

The baby only measured 2.04 cm long at this time, but was growing perfectly. In this picture you can see the head and the two little legs! Its head is taking up most of the photograph becuase the brain is developing at wild rates, so the bigger the brain the better! This baby is so smart already. My next appointment is August 5th, and it will be so interesting to see the difference in size in those 4 weeks. We will be excited to find out the baby's gender on September 29th. Tyler will graduate on September 26th and the first thing we will do is find out if we are having a baby boy or a baby girl! I am so thrilled that Tyler will surely be able to be there. I would not have it any other way for sure! The heartbeat was so fast. It was moving around...dancing and playing already. The heartbeat was 183 beats per minute! So fast and so alive!

This is what the doctor called the "Teddy Bear" view. It is the side view and they use this view to measure from crown to the bottom exactly how long it, which gives you the gestational age of the baby. It was a good thing they could figure that out for me, because we did not have a clue how far along I was! I ended up being a lot less pregnant than I thought, which is a blessing because it gave me 2 more weeks to prepare mentally and emotionally for this child!! I think that Valentines Day would be a very special day for the baby to be born, but I guess we will take it on whichever day it decides to grace us with its presence.

Life really is coming fast at us all. We feel blessed because everything that we are experiencing in the next few months are things that will bring us all great joy. There does not seem to better things to look forward too in life than Weddings and Babies!

In the Swing of Things

Well I could start out this blog by apologizing again for taking so long to update, but I guess that can just be assumed now for all that read this blog, becuase I have to apologize every time that I update.

Things have been going well for Tyler and I as we continue on through the DPS Training Academy. Tyler has continued to do extremely well in all of his classes, passing all of his test with high A's. We are always proud of him, but really never expected to see anything less! He did go through the OC Pepper Spray test this past week. He had to run through an obstacle course after having been sprayed with the pepper spray directly in the eyes. He has to fight off an instructor with his asp baton and he had to make an official arrest before he was able to call for "back up". He did very well, and some irritation but it did not last too terribly long. He will now be able to carry the pepper spray upon graduation. We are in week 11 of the Academy. Which means there are 15 weeks left. We are making great progress and doing well in the meantime. Life is just continuing on as normal here in Abilene for me. I have been able to see my friends often, and my parents as well...which has all be great and I am so thankful for everyone trying to keep me busy during the day while Tyler is gone. We are almost half way, and I am looking forward to the downward slope towards his graduation day (September 26th).

We had the opportunity to take some photos I thought I would share over a weekend a few weekends past. We had a great time, and we had a good friend take them. Her name is Stephanie Ellison and we were really pleased with her work.



We had such a blast taking these pictures. We took most of them at HSU, were we met. Its such a beautiful campus and it has sentimental value for us, so it was the perfect place to start off. I thought the blogspot might be a good place to show off our pictures! So here are a few more!



Tyler forgot to shave for the pictures, so we did have a minor discussion about that, but he apologized and said that in our next session he promised he would. I just thought it was funny that he had forgotten to shave considering being clean shaven is part of his lifestyle for sure up at the Academy.





I thought the pink flowers in this pictures to the right were gorgeous. I loved how Stephanie was able to bring out the colors when she was editing the pictures. Stephanie really would like to get started in a photography studio, running her own business someday, and I really think she has the potential to do great things with photography. It was fun to have her be the one to take our pictures. She loves HSU like we do! We also took some down by the train station here in Abilene, and I thought those turned out pretty cool too.



I really loved how she was able to do the shading around the edges. I loved her work! Its so funny to think that my hair has changed so drastically since we took these photos. Tyler made the comment that it was weird to see these pictures, becuase he has already gotten so used to my hair being 6 and a half inches shorter than it is seen in the pictures!












We did actually sit down in the middle of the train tracks for this picture, and Tyler was so worried that a train might come, and he must have some sort of 6th sense, becuase one sure did come and we did have to hurry off, but luckily we were still able to get a pictue like this one on the right. I love pictures on train tracks! I think they always turn out really neat looking. So here is ours I guess! We did actually get a picture with the train coming up behind us too....





It really was cool to be able to snag a picture with the lights of the train coming toward us, but it was kind of scary when Tyler made mention of the fact that the train could kick up any kind of debris on the tracks that could easily hit us, so we moved quickly after we snapped the photo and headed off downtown. Stephanie had all kinds of places she wanted to go. We are actually going to go out again for another session with her, because a storm came through and caused the lighting to be off that night so we had to cut our time short.


I love this picture, not that is is really visible to the eye on this blog, but it is our picture with the words of 1 Corinthians 13 behind us. Of course that is the Love verse that the pastor at our wedding read aloud to our friends and our families, and to us as we were about to be married. I love that verse becuase its a very simple reminder about what love is and it also reminds us what love is not. This picture can actually be printed out in a an 8x10 size with the words being seen perfectly. I was so glad that Tyler agreed to let us have these pictures taken. I look at them as an investment, and something we will always want to keep and of course share with our families. We might even be able to use one of these for a Christmas cards this year. I know thats forever away, but it never hurts to start preparation for things like that!

Well I hope this LONG blog has made up for the last month or so that I have failed to update. Besides Tyler doing FANTASTIC in his studies, physical health, and everything emotional, there is really no more news for now.

We appreciate all the prayers and support from our wonderful friends and family!

5 is better than 6!

Ok, again, I am apologizing for not updating sooner. I always have the best of intentions to do, but its amazing how fast time passes by and I find myself realizing that there are not enough hours in the day to get done with everything I had started the day intending to do!

The last few weeks have been come and gone, and thats the way we like it right now! Tyler has successfully completed 1 month officially in the DPS Training Academy, and is finding that he is really good at what he does. He has passed all of his tests, every spelling test with a perfect score, and staying in good shape mentally, physically, scholastically, and emotionally while being down in Austin. He feels like there is nothing they can do to him that would make him want to give up, and that makes me very proud of the character he posesses. We are in the middle of week 5 now. With 5 months to go now instead of 6. 5 is better than 6, so I will take it!

The weekend before last, when Tyler was home, we were able to go up to Mineral Wells, TX and spend time with Tyler's parents, sisters, cousins, 2nd cousins, and Aunt and Uncle. We had a really good time, while eating really good food and having really good conversation with each other. Tyler's dad, Jay, and his uncle Bobby Jack, and his cousin, Doug are all involved with the DPS. Jay and Bobby Jack are retired DPS law enforcement officers, and Doug is currently a Highway Patrol Sergeant in the Weatherford Office. I thought it was great that they were all together and all have this career in common, so I took some pictures. Bobby Jack and Frieda have the cutest home, and thats where all these pictures were taken!

Here they all are, standing exactly same. It must be something they have all learned while being a part of the DPS. Or maybe its just a male stanse for picture taking in general. Who knows?!

This is such a great picture of Tyler and his dad! I think that it is so special how Tyler and his dad share the passion for a career. They have always been the best of friends and very close, but Tyler following in his father's footsteps and having that they will have always to share. I think that Tyler has learned so much from watching his dad, and how valuable that has become for him not only personally, but now professionally as well.

Tyler's aunt had some GORGEOUS flowers growing in her backyard. I think Tyler was really sick of me trying to take pictures of everything, but the flowers were too pretty to pass up the excellent photo opp. so I made him. I know in the pictures he looks very bald. This is not true though. Tyler does in fact have some hair, much more than can be seen from the pictures. Its just the glare...I promise. Ha! and I am actually much more tan and 10 lbs lighter than I look too....

It was great to see Jacy and Lacy and Nate in Mineral wells also. Whenever there is a chance to get a picture of the three of them together, I always try. The one from this particular weekend turned out really good I thought!
Jacy (in the middle) had just got her hair cut and colored and I could not get over how great it looked. We were sad that Brian, Jacy's boyfriend, couldn't make it to the get together because he had to work. He was having to work that weekend.

We were excited that Lacy and Nate were able to make it down from their home in Keller! They have been married almost 2 years, in July actually! It was fun to be able to catch up with them and hear about the things going on thier lives. I was envious of Lacy...she is a teacher and gets summer's off. I wish I did too!





Well, as far as my work goes, it has been unusually stressful lately. I did have the opportunity to travel out to one of our major construction sites last week. It was interesting to be able to see the product of our work back in the corporate office, so that was good, I am just not a fan of traveling. It was exhausting, they work longer hours and in a much different type of enviornment that what I am used to back at the home office in Abilene. The drive down there was beautiful (Hwy 6 all the way to Hillsboro was the route I drove). I am glad I didnt get lost though...I was almost sure I was going too!

Now, its just waiting for the weekend! Tyler will get home on Friday and we don't have anything planned. I am going to attempt to cook again, seeing as how last week was a success!

Be waiting for the next exciting update! I will have a full report on my attempts in the kitchen!

Looking Forward...Not backward

It has been a while since I last updated...an apology is due to my faithful readers...so I am sorry! I had Jenny, with PinkArmchairDesigns designing a new blog page for your viewing pleasure...don't you love it?! I do!

Time has actually been going by fairly fast for us, and for now thats a good thing. 2008 holds a lot in store for us to look forward too, so thats what we are doing. Looking forward to what happens next.

It seem as if a lot has happened lately, Tylers closest friend and cousin, Trevor Watson proposed to his girlfiend, Grace Brazile. We are so excited for them! Grace is going to make an lovely addition to the family, and all of us are so thrilled. Last we had heard they were planning to have their Wedding Ceremony on January 3, 2009! Its amazing how fast the next few months of their lives will pass by! We are looking forward to the next chance we get to see them! So that is an event we are looking forward too!

Speaking of weddings...we will be attending a few this summer. It is so neat to watch God work in the relationships of our friends. Abby and Cody are getting married on July 5th. We will be there, in the big city of Hereford as they "take the plunge" and become the Neinest Family (ok i am so sorry if I didn't spell the name right!!) Then, not long after that Ryan and Libby will tie the knot on August 2nd. We will again be traveling to another big city...Clyde,TX for this wedding. We have been waiting a long time for this one, as they have dated the longest out of any our friends! So until then, its showers and planning and preparing!

Tyler's sister, Jacy, is headed out on a nice vacation in just two weeks! I am so jealous! Her boyfriend, Brian and his family are taking Jacy with them to the Virgin Islands for a nice little rest and relaxation after his taking a very stressful Certified Financial Planner exam a few weekends back. They are both looking forward to that trip, and even though we are jealous...we hope they have a fun time while they are there!

As far as the Academy goes, Tyler is to no surprise doing GREAT. He is enjoying the challenges he faces everyday...and overcoming them. He is enjoying what he is learning, and he is retaining it all too. He has made pretty much all A's so far on tests that he has been given. He is in the middle of his 3rd week. He says he feels like he is really getting used to the routine they have them in every day. He has also made some good friendships with those guys that he is going through the Academy with. I feel like I know some of them myself! I prayed a lot for his making good solid friendships with the guys he is working with. I feel like that makes the process easier and more enjoyable for him. He has spelling words every week that he has to learn how to spell correctly and have a full understanding of the defintions of these words. This week, while I am at home, I have been writing out the words and the definitions on notecards to make the studying a little easier on him. It turns out he has so much information to learn its unreal! I mean, I feel like he is even going to end up being fluent in spanish! Here is a picture of the notebook he has put together. Please remember, he has only been there a little over 3 weeks, and he brought this home to show me after he completed his second full week.

When he showed me this notebook I was amazed, but when you think about it, law enforcement officers have to know so many things, especially state law enforcement officers. They have to have an understanding of the legal system so in depth, I mean...so much is crammed into these 6 months. I can really see now how the 6 months time period they have to train gets used to the max. They learn so much.

We very much enjoy our weekends together. Those few days of the week teach us not to take any second of our time together for granted. We are making it through, the both of us, with big smiles on our faces still! See!

This was even right before he was about to head out on Sunday afternoon, and we were both still smiling! I know it seems like in every picture Tyler is wearing the same thing. Well he has too. Its his "uniform" for now! I think green shirts and a bald head are cute on him! ha!

Well that is all for now! I promise to keep up better on my updating now that its designed so cute!

And He is Off!

March 30th has come and gone! Tyler has finally started his training down in Austin. During the week, Tyler lives in Austin and works from typically 5 am to 8 pm. He starts his day bright and early with a good morning work out. They do all kinds of physical training down there to get them prepared for whatever kind of contact with people they make while on the job. Then he gets to clean up, have breakfast and head to class. He has to be in class for the majority of the day, because they have a lot to learn in these 6 months about Texas State laws (and a lot of other things!) They do all sorts of other kinds of training throughout the day, and eventually they will learn how to do high speed chases and will be able to go to the shooting range to learn how to use their weapons appropriately. This week has started a 6 months that we will never forget. I feel like he will be facing a lot of challenges that will grow him to be the best commissioned peace officer that Texas can find. This is a huge challenge for me as well. It is incredible to realize the strength that the bond of marriage can bring to your life. I never thought that I would be the type of girl that would emotionally able to have a husband that would be away for an extended period of time. I found that because I love him, I am able to get through this FOR him and WITH him. I have to admit that it times its hard to not be selfish. Its hard to think about how this is affecting me and my life, but I constantly remind myself that I became WE, and this is his dream. In saying all that, I get to share the experience. I will proud with him on September 26th when he graduates, and until then, I will struggle through the time being WITH him because this is what he wants, so I want it too. I don't get to talk to him very much, but the times that I do, I cherish and hold on to...to get me through until the next time.

Tyler had to get his hair cut. It was a requirement that the Academy made for the Recruits. I have some pictures to share. Please believe I had so much fun being the photographer this time.
This is Tyler sitting in the chair getting his haircut. I was really embarrassing him by snapping so many photos of him while he was in the seat, so of course I was having so much fun doing it!














I thought this one (on the right) was funny because the stylist had left just a little bit on the top! I am so glad I have these pictures. I honestly think he looks really nice with his haircut short. I think that probably he is in recruit school right now with people whose haircut didn't favor them in the same way that Tyler's did! Oh I have more! You can tell he was so annoyed. I love it!

And this is the final product! He is still just as handsome and now his hair is "regulation" length. Tyler does get to come home on Friday! I am so excited. I don't like being apart from him during the week, but I will certainly LOVE the weekends even more so now!
The pictures (below) are Tyler getting ready to leave to head down to the Academy. He got everything packed down to just one bag, and was ready to head out. At this point I was getting really sad. I am glad that I have these pictures though, it will be important for us to have them years down the road.

This was Tyler as he was headed out on the road towards Austin!

















I knew that I was never going to be ready for him to leave, but I have been ready to watch him begin the career of his dreams even before we were married. I have been able to talk with him almost every evening since he has been gone. He is doing GREAT. He is keeping up with all the physical training just fine, as we all knew he would. He said that classes are long (8 hours of class each day!) but that he is learning a lot and that for once he is really interested in what is actually being taught. He mentioned to me that 6 people have officially left the training campus and have decided to not go through with the program. I am so thankful that Tyler has a different outlook on what he is doing. He can see beyond the 6 months of hard training. He sees the satisfaction it will bring him in the long run and I love his ability to look at things like that. He has taught me how important it is to not always live for instant gratification. He is out there making me so proud, and when we talk he seems more alive than ever. Of course I am ready for this to be over because I miss him more than I have ever missed anyone or anything in my life, but I am trying to take on his view of the long term success he is gaining, so for now I am doing fine. My friends have been amazing and so have my parents. My parents have let me come over and lounge with them at night, and my friends have called me constantly! Kendall, Christen, Becky, and Chelsea were all so incredible to meet me half way between Abilene and Fort Worth at the Smoke Stack in Thurber Mingus (haha haha you guys!) to have dinner on Wednesday night. They did that just because they want to be a part of keeping me busy with positive and fun activities. I can't thank them enough for how they have all taken care of me (and that includes my amazing parents as well)

I know this page is like a shrine to Tyler. He will be so embarrassed, but I wanted all to be able to stay updated on his well being while he is gone!

As for me, it looks like I will be doing some traveling with my job. I am going to Waco to visit the major construction project (power plant expansion project). I will be there Monday, April 14th through the end of the week. After talking with my boss, this is the best thing for me in my career here at Lauren for now, so I have decided that even though traveling to the jobsite isn't exactly what I want to be doing, its something I need to go ahead and do to continue my success at work!

Happy Easter!

Easter weekend was so much fun for Tyler and I! Both of us really love and enjoy the time we get to spend with family, so special holidays and other times we get to spend with those we love are always times that we look forward to!

On Thursday of this past week, we went down to Coleman to see Tyler's parents and Lacy, Tyler's sister. Lacy was down on her Spring Break (she is a school teacher in Keller) so we went and spent some time catching up with her. We had some pretty good food while we were down there too. Tyler's family always knows how to throw a feast of a meal...no doubt, every time we go down there I enjoy the food we eat so much!

Tyler had to work on Friday (I had the day off !) so we came back down to Coleman after he got off on Friday night. Jacy came in town and so did the Watson crew. We hung out, ate more good food, then woke up early on Saturday. Tyler and I went and walked at the Coleman Park, which was fun. It was a little cool, but it kept us awake and moving! We took the morning kind of slow, ate a good lunch (Ham...one of my very favorite meals!) Then we went out to Glen Cove, where Tyler's aunt lives and basically had a family reunion! I love being a part of a larger family. Its different for me, but I feel like I have gotten to know everyone, and I love that even though the family is so big, they are still so close to each other. I think it all has to do with what they were all taught while growing up.

We drove back on Saturday night so that we could make it to our church on Sunday. We went to Sunday School and church then headed over to my side of the family's dinner. We had great food, and lots of interesting conversation. Tyler had the chance to visit with my Uncle Gary who is in law enforcement as an FBI Special Agent. He told us about how he has worked closely with the DPS and everything, so Tyler of course really enjoyed that! He loves that almost as much has loves sharing stories with his dad about DPS. I know that is a bond that means a lot to Tyler, so its always interesting to listen in our their conversations.

Funny story. I made Tyler mad this Easter. We had agreed not to do any gifts for each other during Easter. I couldn't help myself though. I like little chances to surprise him and give him little things, so i did anyway. Instead of being excited about his Easter basket I gave him he just got mad at me. Oh well. I will eat the candy if he doesn't!!! (Plus i know he won't stay mad for too long!)

6 days until the Academy begins. I can't help but be really excited for those guys who graduate on Friday (the class that is just one ahead of Tyler's class) I know they are all really excited to begin their careers as commissioned law enforcement officers. I really can't wait for this week to happen exactly 6 months from now. I feel like things will be really different for us. Its crazy to think that so much is going to happen between now and then. I am so excited for these guys graduating, and I am so excited for the guys that are going in with Tyler's class as they begin starting Sunday. I know lots is in store for them. I have to say again though...this week, exactly 6 months from now I will be a very happy and excited woman!

Please pray for Tyler! We are really excited that this time is finally coming!

Thats all!

Alarm Clocks and Smoke Detectors!

5 am comes so early in the morning! Tyler and I have been setting our alarm clock for 5 am because that is the time he will have to be up and on the Physical Training field at the academy. I have to be at work at 7:30, and he doesn't have to be at the DPS office until 8 am, but starting in 13 days he will have a rude awakening at 4:45 am if he doesn't start waking up early. I would feel bad sleeping in later if he was getting up so early, plus it gives us some time to hang out with each other if we both just get up and get around.

The only meal that I am really good at cooking is breakfast, so getting up earlier gives me a chance to make different things and let Tyler test them out. He always ends up being the guinea pig for my attempts in the kitchen. I have to say though, in my defense, I did (well WE did) cooked homemade French Fries and pork chops. Tyler did make some really good and creamy mashed potatoes last night too! Its fun to experiment in the kitchen together...it makes for a lot of laughs and burning smells....oh and i hate the sound of the smoke detector!!!! It has gone off just a time or two...again, at 5 am, not the most pleasant sound to hear.


Work for Tyler and I has been good, it has been keeping us busy and keeping our bills paid...so no one can complain about that I suppose. I am of course, still after 20 continuous months of employment, trying to get used to the fast paced world that is corporate America, but again the bills are paid....

Tyler of course could not be more happy during his work day. He goes to work and learns about the things that he is most interested in, and prepares himself to become like those that he works around. I know I should be so proud...and I am!! Its just a blessing to know that he is excited about the career he has chosen, so many people don't have that luxury.

I still feel like the time change is throwing me off. Anyone else?

Thats all!

Pictures!

December 9, 2007

A Day to Remember!

I wanted to post a few pictures, mostly because I am really trying to get better at posting our pictures online. Plus its fun to be able to look at pictures while at work. I promise I do work when I am at work. I really do.

This photo (to the left) was one of my favorites from the wedding. Mostly because you can't really see the difference in our height as much because I am standing on the step above the one that Tyler is on. No one knows that though because of my dress. Well now everyone knows. Well everyone who reads this post, which is actually probably not many!

The photo on the right is one of my favorites from the wedding! It has all of our closest friends in it. We were so lucky to have such an incredible group of people in our wedding. A special thanks to Norman Trihn who traveled all the way back from Spain to be with us on our special day. That is a true friend! Everyone in our bridal party could not have been more loving to us and excited for us. We are truly blessed by AMAZING friends and GREAT family!

Anyone who has ever met me knows that I love the Ladies of Sigma Alpha very dearly. I was so honored to have them come and support Tyler and I on our special day. I have to say that I consider each girl in this picture a sister a for life (and of course I also consider everyone in Sigma Alpha a sister, even if they aren't in the picture!!)


Of course if I am going to love on Sigma Alpha, I have to love on Theta too. We were so glad to have them be apart of our wedding as well. Theta is special to both Tyler and I, so we were so excited that they were able to come and enjoy our day with us as well.








This picture really is one of my favorites from the reception. Chelsea, the hot red head that is about 3 feet in the air grabbing for the bouquet. She was successful in her fight to be the one to catch the bouquet. Her mad basketball skills really helped her in this endeavor. They say pictures are worth a thousand words. I say they are worth a lot of laughs as well. Chelsea, heres to you my friend.



There are several other pictures that I have that I will post later. I am tired of posting pictures for today. I hope that everyone enjoys looking at them!

The Biggest Loser

I really think that it is probably fair to say that all of us have a favorite television show that they watch, or record to watch every week. Tyler and I are no exception to this. The Biggest Loser comes on Tuesday nights and you can rest assured that we have not missed an episode. We plan our Tuesday evenings around the two hour long, life changing, reality series show. I never thought that I would be one to really get hooked on one particular television show, seeing as how I never watched Friends or Seinfeld religiously like all my close friends did. Ever since I outgrew Saved By the Bell, Family Matters, Home Improvement, and Full House, I thought my addiction to television sitcoms were long gone. Then reality TV comes back and I can watch people literally loose an entire small child in body weight. It amazes me to watch these people's lives change because of the healthy decisions they are making. Don't get me wrong, any of us would lose the weight we wanted too if we spent over 8 hours a day being very active and had personal trainers like Bob and Jillian. I still can't break away from the TV during those 2 hours because every week I am so shocked by the change that takes place when they begin to make healthier lifestyle decisions. I just had to throw it out there, that Tyler and I both enjoy this show, probably way too much.

Enough about TV. I am getting so excited for the Spring season to be here. The weather right now drives me crazy. 77 and perfect one day. 30 and snowing the next. 66 the next day with a little wind. We have to keep our summer/spring/winter/fall closets all out at once, and I hate having a closet that is just overflowing....(yeah right!!) I am excited about Spring though, I have a lot to look forward too. I have 2 GREAT friends who are getting married and that I have the honor of being in their wedding in the summer months, so this spring I hope to be helping them out with all their plans. I know from just being married 3 months ago how much help another warm body can be in the planning processes!

So Libby and Abby: I am ready and available for your services. Ryan and Cody are lucky Men...and have many years of happiness awaiting them!

Well I think this is all for now!

Our First Blog

So my great friend Abby Horrell has introduced me to www.theblogspot.com and I have to say that this is all very new to me, so all who are reading...please be understanding if you find all the things I write about completely boring.

Tyler, my wonderful husband, is at a very exciting place in life. He is right in the beginning of following his father's footsteps in pursuing a career in Law Enforcement with the Great State of Texas! He leaves in 27 days to go to Austin where his training to be a Highway State Trooper will all begin. We are both very excited about the opportunity that Tyler has been given to move right into the career of his dreams! March 30th is the big day where he will travel down to Austin and begin the training school. The training will last until September 26, 2008. I look forward to that very day because I will watch him walk across the stage as a Recruit graduate in full uniform, as a commissioned peace officer. This is what Tyler has wanted to do since he was a little boy and to be able to watch him succeed in his dreams and achieve his personal goals is such a blessing for me. I am so excited to be a part of his pursuing his career with the passion he has for it. No doubt, those 26 weeks aren't going to be easy for him, as he will undergo a lot of physical and emotional stress. I have no doubt that he will get through it with great success. I also look for forward to September 26th being the day of his return, because that also will mark the 2nd year we have had together as a couple, and I think that will just make the day extra special for me! (Our first date was September 26, 2006)

I will continue to work here in Abilene and look forward to the weekends when Tyler will be off (lucky for me, he does get the weekends off and even a few holidays here and there)

I feel like I have a lot of things to look forward too this year, and I understand that there will some "not so favorable" times, but I am trying to remain positive in knowing that by the end of 2008 so much growth will have taken place in our lives.

It is crazy to think that Sunday, March 9th marks 3 months since Tyler and I were married. It seems like time goes by so quickly. These past three months have been the best three months of my life and I know that as time goes on, life will get better and better!

Well thats the first blog...