$3.58

So, I just wanted to share this story, that on retrospect is actually quite boring, but its been my day so far, and I feel like complaining..

I get to work to find that my "all important electric outlet" ( as in, its the only one close enough to plug in my computer, printer, internet modem) had blown a fuse. I went to the office to report it. I went back to my office and waited for a repair man, and looked for an extention cord to no avail. I waited some more and decided it was stupid to wait on a repair man. I then went to Wal Mart to buy an extention cord, where I waited in a line of two people for FIFTEEN MINUTES because the guy checking us out was the slowest, most annoying man in the WHOLE WIDE WORLD. He would actually STOP checking out items to talk to the lady he was checking out....four little containers of baby food took ten minutes. It took every single ounce of self control not to go totally crazy on that dude. I know...how horrible of me. Anyway, I FINALLY returned to my office where I realized that the extention cord I had bought for $3.58 was a TWO pronged extention cord and I needed a THREE pronged extention cord....I then said "Shooting Stars!" Or some other "s" word...and at that moment the repair man showed up and as I was crouched there on the floor looking at that extention cord. He then did something that took approximately 3 seconds and my outlet was back in business....only an hour after work SHOULD have begun.
Yes, my attitude has been entirely lacking thus far today. Honestly, can I get a redo?

indeed

1.I had to breakdown and turn my airconditioner on this afternoon. blazen hot. hello texas summer, so nice to have you...

2. I just watched Houseboat, Cary Grant is awesome...if you have some how missed the boat ( ha!) and not watched all the cary grant movies then I suggest you remedy that pronto.

3. For those who are concerned and have questioned my "good judgment"...my "cold turkey" was oked by physicians. And my headache was actually most likely NOT related to said ex-pain-managment. Don't worry I'm not doing anything bad. Although I'm not liking having the pain back.

4. Brett and I are going to Disneyland...I mean the Bahamas...on our honeymoon. WOO! How exciiiiiting

5. Because I'm a nerd I went back through journals/blog and on July 14th 2005 I was in the hospital with a kidney stone, July 14th 2006 I was flying to New Zealand, and July 14th 2007 I will be getting married....I'm not good with sciency/math related things but I'd have to say if I continue with this upward trend 2008 is going to blow some minds. ( I honestly can't think of anything better than a wedding..so maybe this is the end of the trend)

6. I painted my toenails pink. bubble gum pink.

7. Brett and I recieved our first offical wedding gift ( SO EXCITING!)...unfortunately it didnt have a card with the persons name on it...so whoever gave us the totally-awesome-crock-pot...fess up! ( if you have any information regarding this particular gift that might lead to the identification of its donor please call 1800-PRESENTS...or since that's not a real number, leave me a comment.)

major-ness.

I have gone off of my pain meds completely. Cold. Turkey. So far things havent been TOO bad, but I have started getting those "totally awesome" lower back pains again...and I was kinda like, "oooh yeeeeeah, I forgot about you!!" And if you're wondering WHY I went off the pain meds, I dont know if I can fully explain my reasoning except that i was really convicted that I was just covering up my pain with fake relief instead of really seeking God about what to do about it. So, I decided the best way for me to make a good decision at my next doctors appointment ( may 22) was to really re-evaluate the pain, see exactly where I stand...and most importantly pray...And I find I pray harder when I'm in pain. haha. That and cry. I cry more when I'm in pain as well...but whatever...this is going to be fun. And I'd appreciate your prayers too! I realized just how discouraged I had become about all this mess...I realized I'd gone into HARDCORE denial about it. So much so that I'd rather pop pills then deal with it....and that I'd rather not pray about it rather than face more "nos" and more "waits" and more "silences"...which was wrong. very wrong. God help me, I need more faith.

And do you think its a coincidence that I've been having AWFUL headaches pretty much consently since I stopped taking the Tramadol?! No? yeeeeeah me neither.
My sister was right, I'm a total druggie. ( she's so supportive). :-P

But to end on a positive note:
...dum dum dum...I got my wedding dress. Oh maaaaan, while I totally hate David Bridal for being all evil and nonhelpful once they have your money, my dress more than makes up for it.
I want to wear it all the time.
So, if you see a girl at the post office mailing invitations in a wedding dress....its more than likely me. Because my dress is hotness in white. I mean, seriously, I loooove it. And I'm pretty sure I'm never going to look this hot again, so get your cameras ready we better document the moment while we can.....seriously this is it. Get ready.

check check double check

So, yes, I DO actually read my own blog every now and again...mostly to remind myself where I've been and where I'm going...yeah I'm a dork. Deal with it.

Anyway, tonight I ran across this particular gem...and after reading the ending paragraphs I was relieved to realize that I had infact found someone who really DOES fit my "relationship criteria" and that I had not compromised in any way.
*Whew*

AND I'm marrying Brett in less than a year of that post....I'm pretty sure there is a hidden lesson to be learned here, but honestly the only thing I could think of to say was, "way to go Abigail, way to bag a total HHB See Carmi's blog for definitionPLUS the whole "literary nerd" thing! Yessss!"

Good one God, good one.
Yeah. There is definitely something to be said for that. :-)

"Irony Day"

So, today was a "Bad Weather Day" Holiday at the high school...which meant I got the day off! SWEEEEEET!!!

Question: Who has the best job in the world?
Answer: Abigail

Anyway, ironically today was possibly the most gorgeous day eeeeeever. I mean, seriously, spring...rock on.

Things I did on "Bad Weather Thursday"

-I woke up at a decent hour ( 9:45) because I was have a horror film dream complete with crazed stalker who runs through fields next to train tracks ( whatever) killing people with shovels. meeeeh. I woke up wondering where the HECK my brain came up with that! Meeeh.

-I then spent the next few hours addressing wedding invitations. FYI I have completed ALL of my invitations...as in all of MY SIDE of the invitations. I rock. And if you recieve an invitation from me, dont comment on the handwriting...I was watching the 8th season of friends at the same time...what do you expect from me?!
So, now all I have to do is wait for the Brett's-side and we'll have a wedding invited to! Woo.

-So, after addressing till my little left hand was about to wilt...I went for a run....one mile running...and another mile walking wanting to cry because of a HARDCORE stitch in my side. Meh. I'm a whimp! But, hey, I give myself major props for passing up those two eighty year old women who were walking hardout. yup.


-I went to " Thursday Sandwiches with Papa"-which was extra fun because Mom was there too...Anna also modeled her bridesmaids dress and she is TOTALLY HOT in it. I mean, seriously, the Abt Sisters are gonna rock this wedding...Sorry, boys, but these girls are married.... But our husbands are Luuuuuuucky. ;-)

-After lunch mom and I scrounged up a few more addresses for me, and then we watched Lost ( because we'd worked so hard we needed a break)...

-Did I mention that today was gorgeous and sunny? Because it was...and I think I have a few more freckles on my nose to prove it. hehe.

-Had a Girls Night with Anna and Katie ( because we're all sisters...) and we had ALL the girlsnightingredients:
Junk food. Check. Taco Bueno
Girlie movie. Check. John Tucker Must Die.
Lots of laughter. Check. heeeellllloooo it was anna and katie and I...we're funny.
More junk food. Check. Now and Laters ( I'm really going through a phase with this particular candy).
Secrets. Check. Little did Katie know but Thomas was waiting for her when she got home tonight...he's been out of town for a week and he called to say he'd be surprising her and he needed us to keep her out of the house. Anna and I are ALL about helping these kinds of things. ;-)

-I've had a migrane hanging out in the wings of my head for three days now. I've had enough. GO AWAY.

entitled

So, just to catch you up: If you didnt read yesterday's post I am currently doing a challenge with my Bible Study girls. And as part of the challenge I must list two things that I'm grateful for about my life.
Yesterday it was:
1. Fabulous friends who have broadened my horizons.
2. The adorable old people that I get to talk to because of my job.

Today it is:
1. My apartment: Specifically how fantastic it has been sleeping with the windows open this week...and the hardcore rain storm at 5am this morning made for the most fabulous sleep EVER. I have truly loved living in my apartment this year, and I SOOO wish I had someone to move into it when I leave! I'd hate for a perfect STRANGER to benefit from my upcoming nuptials. ;-)

2. I haven't decided yet...


~~

In other news, I'm going home to eat my curry leftovers. YUM!!

my parents..

I love this picture of my parents...But, I gotta say, when I realized that in this picture my parents are actually YOUNGER than me. That was weird.

( from left to right: Steve, Billie, Mom, Papa...)

viva le difference!

So, last night at bible study my girlies and I had a "shifting of priorities" session-where we listed all the things that we do in a day, and then we went back through and took out all the things that are part of our "choices" section of the day ( i.e. things that we do during "free" time, such as talking on the telephone, watching TV, checking blogs etc.) and then we made some NEW choices. Each one of us set goals for ourself in the coming week. For instance, I am going to make a special note to spend at LEAST an hour in Bible Study this week...it seems that I've drifted into this really nasty "short but sweet" zone, and this week I'm getting out of it! And I will be spending at MOST an hour on the internet during my evening hours ( always my struggle, aye?! )
Basically, we've shifted our free time to fit a Life we strive to live..

I'm excited about our plans, and the decisions the other girls made about there lives...at the very least its good to look at the way we live and see just exactly what we're doing. We say we live a Christian life style, but are we REALLY?? If someone came in and shadowed me for a day would that know that I had a relationship with Jesus other than the fact that I don't live immorally? I mean, a LOT of nonbelievers live in a Moral lives...so what's the difference?

So, this week we're striving to live the Difference.

On an added note, we also set some other fun challenges for each other this week: For instance I have to come up with TWO things EACH day that I am truly grateful for about my life.

Today, I already have one ( and its only 9:32) !

1. I am grateful for friend's like Melanie Tan who has an eye for beauty and shares that Beauty through pictures. How else would I learn to love places like Singapore without ever having been there? God has blessed me with friends who quite literally share the World with me. I am truly thankful.

home again.

So, I'm home again. I did end up going out of town with Brendan in tow. I've got the best friends and family and quasi-family a girl could ask for...

Now I am home...with a box of wedding invitations sitting in the center of my bedroom floor.

And after 4 hours and 45 minutes of talking, Brett is sufficiently caught up on my weekend ( and I his) and I think we can all sleep well tonight. ;-)

good night.

24 hours

I think I have a stomache virus. I need to get over it before this afternoon, because I told Brendan I'd take him to Auntie D's and Fort Worth this weekend. meeeeeh.

At least I havent actually thrown up yet. meh.

I wanna go to bed.

Why, its going to be a wedding!

So, there are a couple of reasons why I'm going to marry Brett. One of which is that he makes me laugh. A lot. I also admire the seriousness with which he approached his task of writing about his groomsmen on our wedding website. It brought tears to my eyes.

And, just in case you haven't visited in a while...I also wrote a little snippet about the time between "we're just friends I promise" and "we're totally getting married", which is located in the "My story" section.

Other than that...things are about the same.

Wedding update:
I'm currently banning all clothes from J.Crew because of an incident we'll just call "And then the zipper broke..." and therefore I'm still on a hardcore hunt for "bridesmaids dresses that are red and also rock"

I have several things I really should do this week regarding the Ultimate Wedding Check List, but instead, I've just watched the days drift away without doing any of them.

One thing we DID accomplish this week was schedule some all important "Brett and Abigail face time" which, you know, is pretty much my highest priority. And I'm pretty excited about that development.

Next week I get to go retrieve my wedding dress from the alterations place. I am totally excited about this, because that dress is like a drug or something...I just WANT IT SO BADLY.

Marble Slab Ice Creamery requests your first born child as payment for their services at weddings and other events-and therefore they will NOT be a part of our reception. This is sad because brett digs icecream...but seriously, marble slab has an incredibly high opinion of itself.

Snap out of it!

So, to combat general discord and funk. Here are 10 things that make me happy...and after that, I'm seriously going to do some work.

1. baby pictures. In general most baby pictures make me smile.
2. abc.com. I dont know who's bright idea it was to put TV on the internet, but it made lunch breaks a million times better.
3. Daddy long legs. I read this book last night...for the twenty-zillioneth time. Because an old book is like an old friend. Better and more comforting every time.
4. friend sharing. The idea that so many of my friends could be friends with each other, if they ever got to meet.
5. strawberries. I've been eating them for three days straight
6. Brett. the things about him that make me happy could fill a multitude of lists.
7. The thought that everyday is a NEW day in Christ.
8. cupcakes with lots of icing. just because.
9. rain on the roof. The annoying awnings on my apartment block the sun, but they are fantastic for making rain sound comfy.
10. sunday lunches. Sunday lunches with my family are a wonderful thing.

I can still smell it.

There is nothing like a reminder of your mistakes, that little something that sticks with you long after its over and you've "moved on"....

Obviously, I mean than in a deeper sense, but since I don't particularly want to go into that- I'll tell you the less deep meaning:

I was lying on my back listening to praise music and reading blogs when I got this incredible desire for chocolate ( darn those stupid people that talk about cupcakes on their blogs! that's just rude!)
And being the resourceful girl that I am I mentally went through my fridge and pantry and realized that chocolate covered stawberries were a possibility....

Of course, if your IMPATIENT like me...and you decide to melt the chocolate "fast" than you'll find yourself with a burnt tongue, scrubbing a stubborn saucepan that has burnt chocolate incrusted upon it about five minutes after starting the whole process.

My house still smells like burnt chocolate, even with the windows open.

I'm going to go cry now...

"It's just too hard!"

"I'm tired."

"I've been away so long now...its too late."

The excuses are endless, but the truth remains:
He's waiting.

Won't you come?


Jesus replied: "A certain man was preparing a great banquet and invited many guests. At the time of the banquet he sent his servant to tell those who had been invited, 'Come, for everything is now ready.'

"But they all alike began to make excuses. The first said, 'I have just bought a field, and I must go and see it. Please excuse me.'

"Another said, 'I have just bought five yoke of oxen, and I'm on my way to try them out. Please excuse me.'

"Still another said, 'I just got married, so I can't come.'

"The servant came back and reported this to his master. Then the owner of the house became angry and ordered his servant, 'Go out quickly into the streets and alleys of the town and bring in the poor, the crippled, the blind and the lame.'

" 'Sir,' the servant said, 'what you ordered has been done, but there is still room.'
"Then the master told his servant, 'Go out to the roads and country lanes and make them come in, so that my house will be full. I tell you, not one of those men who were invited will get a taste of my banquet.' "

A cautionary tale

Do not pray with other people unless you plan on totally loving them. I gotta say my favorite part of Bible Study is praying with the girls, or rather hearing them talk to God.
Honestly, my heart just swells and I want to cry pretty much every SINGLE time I hear them pray! Its a glorious thing. I know I've said it before, but I'm going to say it again...I am incredibly lucky to have friends that will share their Walks with me. It's an honor above all others.

I will never be the same.

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Sunday sharing

So, I just checked...and yes, on the 11th of February I prayed that God would make me like Rebekah in the Bible, who basically left everything she knew and went off IMMEDIATELY to her new husband, at that particular time I suppose in a lot of ways I did not doubt how much I loved Brett, but I may have had some doubt about everything else.
I was starting to see that loving Brett was going to require a bit more than just my love.
Afterall, things were going so very predictibly here in Nacogdoches.
I mean, after two years, I had really great friends. I had the best Bible Study girls ever. I had a great job where I did all the things that I pretty much wanted to do, and only a few things I didnt want to do. I got to have coffee with Anna and Papa twice a week, and "sandwiches with Papa" once a week. I got to have sunday lunch made by my fabulous mother, I got to spend time with my wonderful church family twice a week....I mean, come on, life...it was great.

So, I'm telling you this today, because Steve preached on Rebekah this morning, so it seemed fitting to share now....

But, here's the deal. It always seems that God tells me "to go" whenever things are really great. And I think that's important. The timing is important. Because, where is faith if life is going badly and God tells you to pick up and leave? Where is the faith if you can't see any fruit in your life and God tells you to try something new? Where is the faith if you're lonely and God tells you to go and find some new friends?
No, I am excited about the very large amount of change that is ( and is going to) happen in my life for the very reason because everything was going so well! I know that it is time to learn something brand new, to learn to lean on God in new and different ways, to learn even more of His faithfulness, to learn more of His love.
I'm excited because I can't imagine it getting better. But, I know that it will..

By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later recieve as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going.

He didnt know where he was going.

In a lot of ways I do not know where I am going, either
.
All I know is who I'm going with ( yay!) , but other than that I'm at a total loss.

I'm just delighted to realize that God totally and completely answered my prayer from February 11th. Because, I'm ready to go.

Self-love

Oh, I could go through all life's troubles singing,
Turning earth's night to day,
If self were not so fast around me, clinging
To all I do and say.

My very thoughts are selfish, always building
Mean castles in the air;
I use my love of others for a gilding
To make myself look fair.

...

Alas! no speed in life can snatch us wholly
Out of self's hateful sight;
And it keeps step, whenever we travel slowly
And sleeps with us at night...

O miserable omnipresence, stretching
Over all time and space,
How have I run from thee, yet found thee
reaching
The goal in every race.

Inevitable self! vile imitation
Of universal light-
Within our hearts a dreadful usurpation
Of God's exclusive right!

The opiate balms of grace may haply still thee,
Deep in my nature lying;
For I may hardly hope, alas! to kill thee,
Save by the act of dying.

Oh Lord! that I could waste my life for others,
With no ends of my own,
That I could pour myself into my brothers,
And live for them alone!

Such was a life Thou livest, self-abjuring,
Thine own pains never easing
Our burdens bearing, our just doom enduring
A life without self-pleasing!
~ Frederick William Faber


Sometimes I am totally blown away that some guy from the 1800s was able to say exactly what my heart is trying to get out...so much better than I ever could.

production value

So, one of my major tasks before I depart from my job is to make a detailed job discription/ procedures manual.

The job description will be helpful to my bosses in deciding if they want to move my job to part time, if that's even possible ( ha!)...
and the procedures will be helpful to whomever comes after me to know how to DO all the stuff I do.

Am I a total dork that I find it incredibly fun and satisfying to write out step by step how to do things?

I guess in a lot of ways I think back to when I started this job...do you remember me crying? And do you remember me saying possibly not-so-nice things about the person who did my job before me? Yeah, me too. I remember it so well, in fact, that my greatest desire is to make it as EASY as possible for the person that comes after me. I mean, its bad enough that the NHSAA is loosing another employee after just one year...that's two employees in two years....believe me there is a learning curve to any job and I feel like they are loosing that particular part of having staff. Hopefully my indepth steps will help the learning curve a tad. ;-)

Of course, the major question here is should I include in the proceedures "watch this week's episode of Lost on abc.com"?? Yeah, I know..its a tough call, but this might be one of those times where I'll leave it up to the discretion of the employee.

Other thoughts, that don't have a place in this blog:

-It looks like its going to rain...this could seriously interfer with my "I'm going to run for miles" plan. Ah well, I wasnt that attached to the plan anyway.

-I bought little boy's basketball shorts because there is NO WAY I'm going to wear the teeny tiny shorts that girls are apparently suppose to wear to work out in...I mean, seriously, the selection of girl's workout shorts stinks. Apparently I'm suppose to run in my UNDERWEAR ( that's what they look like)and I dont hate anyone in the world enough to subject the streets of Nacogdoches with that kinda scene.

-I watched The Holiday last night. Major Chick flick. I'm getting in as many as I can in the next three months. hahaha!

-I'm planning to go shopping with Christa today, I've missed my bonding time with my Bible Study girls lately. Meh. Life is just so crazy-busy. I dont like it.

I'm a fan.

I loooove bloggers. I really do, I mean, I may have only met you that ONE TIME...or I may have only spent the weekend with you...or I may have NEVER met you. But, I love you because I get to read your thoughts and look at your pictures.
Blogs make me happy.

Incidently, I've made some additions to my "I read..." list.
And hey, if you have a blog and you don't think I know about it. Tell me about it! I love adding to my family!

( because, I cant tell you how totally cool it is when I see people that I know "talking" ( aka. commenting on posts) to other people I know-because they "met" here.)

Just say anything...

I've been trying to blog all morning. But, I kept trying to make it actually SUBSTANTIAL or something...
Which is just silly, we all know this blog is mostly me giving you moment by moment updates on my mental state ( which is, as we have all noted a thousand times, a bit on the rollercoaster side of late) and to tell you how hungry I am.

I am. I'm hungry right now. What I would do for some pizza. Or some cake.

Anyway, I'm going to push on through and just forget about being poetical at this point. Because, the truth is, I need to post something because I need to push that post with the picture further down on my page because its doing something totally wacky with the layout. Boo.

So, I'm doing much much better today-and yesterday too for that matter. Yesterday was the mostly lovely weather ever. It was the kind of-high in the mid 80s, sunny-weather that tricks you into thinking that Texas is a fabulous place to live in the summer. HAHAHAHA! WRONG! It was also a nice day because I went wedding cake shopping with Mary ( Brett's mommy!), I think we were both disappointed that, unlike in the movies, they do not in fact bring out a whole bunch of cakes for you to taste.
( seriously! have you noticed that? that in movies people are always tasting cakes? And in reality I have never ever heard of that happening! Its just MEAN. ) Because, the cake lady was uber talented and her store smelled so incredibly good it was just MEAN that she didnt offer us a cookie. ;-) hehehe. But, it was fun...and I'm half way to making a decision on cakes, which is much better than I was the day before yesterday. And besides, it was fun to talk to Mary, people talk about mother-in-laws being horrible and everything. But, I totally lucked out. I mean, totally. She's just lovely!! I can't wait for you guys to meet her ( if you already havent). But, I was sitting in her office while she was on the phone looking at all her pictures of her boys and family etc. and it made me miss Brett something terrible. Meh.
three months seems like forever.

Of course, then when I think of all that needs to be done in three months, I think...wait. No, its not forever, its only 90 something days! AAAAAAAHHHH!

Alright, I'm going to try and do some work before lunch. I'm having "Sandwiches with Papa" today, since its Thursday...which I guess means I wont have pizza or cake. That's ok. good company beats pizza/cake any day.

advertising...

So, if you've gone and checked out Brett and my wedding website and then read the "Our Story" section ( which is still not completed...sorry, we're busy!) you'll remember a particular chapter of our tale about how we "re-met" at a New Years Eve party...well, my dear friend Hung-who was also at that particular party-just sent me two pictures...and this one totally made me laugh!
Hahaha...I'm such a dork. Who even KNOWS what I'm doing in this picture...anyway, I think it pretty much proves that brett and I ending up together is some sort of a miracle-why Brett would think me being so socially retarded was hot is beyond me!

um. yeah.

So, I'm fighting a major stress out at the moment. It seems to come in waves. I seriously told people JUST YESTERDAY that I wasn't worried much at all about the wedding. that things seemed to be working out great.
And then today, its like...yeah, but:
do you HAVE all the invitations lists? No.
Do you have information to give the cake lady tomorrow? No.
Do you really know what to do about the bridesmaids dresses? No.
Do you have an idea about music besides that one song you wanted? no.
Did you finalize the programmes? No.
Have you figured out a place to get tuxes? Do you even have ANY of the boys measurements? No. No.


Oh...and there is more...believe me. There is more. I think my biggest problem is I just hate that its all up to me. I mean, I WISH I could blame someone for this, or give some of my jobs to someone else. But ultimately I'm the only one. I'm the bride. Or something. Blah.


Ok, I feel a bit better.

In other news, I had a fantastic time talking to Louise on the phone last night until 1:30am. Yeah, it was great, because i was still very much on West Coast time and wasnt even the least bit tired...until I woke up this morning and wanted to shove my head into a pillow permenently. But whatever, it was great talking to Lou. I have the best friends ever.

A very long engagment.

OK, so no. its not a very long engagment. But when I left washington this morning and realized that quite possibly I wasn't going to see Brett until the end of MAY. I consequently got annoyed at the three months that stand between us and being together ALL THE TIME.

But, anyway, that's not what I started out blogging about...
I had a really lovely weekend in Washington-even though I totally missed the freak Easter Snow of 2007 here in Nacogdoches Texas ( check out my Papa's blog for pictures!!! you wont believe it till you see it!!)

Yet, my weekend was filled with quality goodness-such as just plain sitting around with Brett...I mean, seriously, nothing better than sitting in a coffee house for...hours....with a total hottie sitting across from you. ( turns out I really don't miss Brett's glasses at all. They were apparently NOT what made him hot. haha)...or watching Firefly and Stargate ( yes, go ahead, we're nerdy what are you going to do about it?) ...or just doing normal every day things with Brett in toe.

Brett and I were also productive in the sense that we worked on our website ( I'll come back to this...) and we also decided where we're going to live-and just so you nosey people will know...brett and i will be living in the apartment complex that he currently lives in...only we'll be in a two bedroom/two bathroom apartment instead. This makes me happy for several reasons. First, Brett has really enjoyed getting to know a couple, Mike and Katie Wright, who also live in this complex....and i look forward to having good friends near by as well. I am also happy because I always like the possibility of having room where people can feel comfortable to hang out and stay a while. I think this apartment will do the job nicely. :-)
( so come visit us, why dont you?)....

I was also very social this weekend as well, since I met a great deal of the people that Brett spends time with-whether through work or at Bible study type things...

The Army people: So, Brett and I had dinner with a couple of other lieutenants ( two couples and two single guys...plus random next door neighbors...). This of course was really good because I'm pretty sure Brett had mentioned me to these people enough that they were seriously starting to wonder if I actually EXISTED. So we proved at least one thing to them....hehe. I was also interested to see a non-christian military perspective....in a lot of ways I was surprised by my first experience and in other ways...I wasnt surprised at all.
But, anyway, I'll hold off on my thoughts until I've had a little bit more time with these people. I will say that I liked them and I can only hope that Brett and I can be some Light to them- and that I will keep my more controversal views about politics and World Views to myself...hehehe...

The Bible Study/Church people: So I got to go to Chapel, and then after that we had a very large lunch at the Drake's house ( the Navigator missionary couple that I stayed with a few nights this trip and last time I visited)....Ok, so one thing I'd like to say here, boys greatly out number girls. Obviously. And in a lot of ways I'm not use to that. And I don't always know what I should or shouldn't say. What I usually do is try to be clever. Which may more may not result in me putting my foot in my mouth. But, ultimatley, I feel out of my league in most of the social situations I've been in so far.
Which, is a good thing. I guess. You know, more room to learn, more room for God to say something rather than me say something...but yeah, this is going to be interesting. I just want people to like me. I dont know if that's a good or a bad thing.

The Friends people: Not to say that the other people arent friends-but I also got to hang out with Mike and Katie a little bit more, which was fun, and I look forward to really getting to know them better. And then also, Denny ( one of brett's college roommates) was in town...and he's totally fun to hang out with. I suppose I put these people in a different category, because I didnt feel like I had to "work hard" around them, necessarily, and I appreciated them for their friendliness-not just to me, but to the people I saw them intereacting with over the weekend. I am forever finding people in social situations that I wish I could be a little bit more like them....I think its a good thing, hopefully, something good will rub off on me and in the mean time it'll be fun to hang out with them!


Ok! so, Brett and I DID work on our "wedding website" this weekend, and I'll go ahead and give you the address as long as you promise to come back and look at it again in the future. We're not finished with the "our story" section, or with the "wedding party" section...and there are going to be a few more pictures and events and other such tidbits coming too. So, try not to hold the "roughness" against us just yet! Thus The Wedding Site

red dirt

So, I'm currently packing, well, not RIGHT NOW because I'm BLOGGING right now...but you get the idea.
Anyway, off to Washington to see my beloved. Yay! It's probably not responsible to be going away this weekend, when most things that need to be done are HERE not THERE.
But, I tell myself that every moment with Brett is a better moment. So there's that.

Tonight I went to Cushing, Texas ( Population 631) and had dinner with Dr. G and Brendan. It was quaint. And very "deep east texas" ...and as we were driving down back country roads, where cows, wild flowers, and trailerhouses all live together in harmony...and I looked out the window and thought, " I love this place."
I love those little houses way out in the country and I wonder about the people that choose to live there, way far away from the Big World...
But, I believe that while there are little tiny churches that have 7-10 cars parked outside for the Wednesday night service...I will love this Country. And I will have hope for it.

the dead blog scrolls

So, I sent a blog post to a friend instead of posting it here....she in turn wrote her own post about the same topic.

I don't think I will publish mine. It was more for myself than anything. I cried while I wrote it. I cried for those that I wrote about.
I cried because my words meant nothing, it didnt matter what I said, it didnt matter what I did. Nothing I can do can change the heart of man...

So, how is it that I still have hope? How is it that I still cry about it? That I still pray for these dear friends?

'Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit,' says the LORD Almighty.

Oh yes, the day will come...

So, Lord help me to pray.

a bloggers new favorite thing.

So since I am the type of person who "creates a written picture" of my life on a daily basis ( I'm not sure who I was quoting just then but I felt like it needed to be in quotes), it seems ONLY NATURAL and RIGHT for Brett and I to have a...

WEDDING WEBSITE!!!

Oh my goodness,it is JUST THAT GOOD!!!

Yes, the very thought of reducing our lovestory to a few paragraphs and a couple of fabulous pictures is just TOOOOO TEMPTING.

Oh yes, this website is going to be totally wonderful. You just wait. Of course, you'll have to wait until after this weekend, because that's probably the earliest that Brett and I will have to work on it together, so yeah, but the wait will be worth it.

There will be embarrassing pictures of the wedding party along with fabulous bios ( many of the wedding party are still single and I will be taking numbers if you'd like to inquire after a date or something), previously untold stories from the archives of the Brett and Abigail Love Story, and of course, wedding RSVP options and registery help...I am also excited about the "Attractions" section...since we all know that Nacogdoches is one of the MOST EXCITING PLACES EVER and I want all of our out of town guests to be able to appreciate it in all its glory.

*sigh*

When WILL I ever get any work done again?!

Army's 100% healthy insurance.

Brett is having "his eyes done" tomorrow....I can't recall the exact name for it ( another blasted acronym), but its all the rage these days and basically he'll come out with 20/20 vision or something equally good (?!)...This is, of course, ironic since I've always been a not-so-secret fan of glasses in general and now Brett will be glasses free forever...or until he turns 40 and needs reading glasses *sigh*
But, I love irony... so I dont think our relationship will suffer in the least now that Brett will be able to see without visual aid ( haha)...unless of course, he'll be able to see my many many flaws more clearly...that could be a problem.

Nevertheless, I do ask for your prayers for Brett's surgery...I have heard that this particular eye surgery can be pretty uncomfortable and no fun for a few days afterwards. So, I know Brett would appreciate your prayers... and I, being the worried fiancée, am also a tad worried that he'll be blinded by some retarded army doctor. So, if you think of it....pray for him. Thank you!