*Day of Thanks!!*

I can't believe Thanksgiving has already come and gone already! Time is flying by! That's good and bad i reckon! :/ Well today was a chance for me to really look around me and give thanks to the one who's given me everything I have! There has been so much that this life has thrown at me and it's just amazing to me that through all those storms, I'm on the other side now and can look back and truly say that my faith is the only thing that got me through. Today, first and foremost, I am so thankful for my relationship with the Lord. My faith has been tested and although I haven't always done the right things, He has never left me alone and has gotten me through everything! I'd be no where without my faith. I am also thankful for every single thing that He has given me. I was so blessed to be born into the family I was. My parents are simply the best and I couldn't have asked for better Christian parents. My sisters and my grandparents have been there for me through everything and there is nothing but love among us all! My friends are just wonderful and I'm lucky to have them all! Finally, my biggest gift of all, Jeffrey! Wow, I am speechless and honestly don't know how to put into words how much he means to me and how thankful I am for him. He is amazing. I wake up in the morning and wonder why and how a girl like me gets a guy like him! :) Wow. That's all I can say. I am so so in LOVE!!! I honestly do not know what I would do without him. I don't remember life before him!!:) That, in and of itself is so surprising! Like I mentioned first, something that I've never been able to say any other year...is that I'm so thankful for the situations I've had to overcome to get to where I am today. In the midst of them all, I would question, worry, cry.. but now, it all makes sense. Everything really does happen for a reason. Now I don't do any of that, but can't stop smiling! I just look back in amazement of how I could question what the Lord's doing in my life! All I can do is be in a constant state of thanksgiving... not just on Thanksgiving! :)

So, just like every other Thanksgiving, I woke up so excited to watch the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade! My family has always watched it and long awaited the Rockett's performance! Well, wouldn't you know that the second I turned it on, they were in their last position just smiling away and then off they went! I was soooo sad!!! hahaha! Thanksgiving just wasn't the same... ! :( But I can say that today was the first Thanksgiving EVER that I've actually enjoyed the food and didn't force it down! lol. All because the Murrays are brilliant and know how to fry a turkey! Um yeh. It was delicious. I even went back for more turkey nuggets. lol! We started out at Grents house then headed over to the Murrays. Then, of course, headed home to pack for Jeff's hunting trip. Um, can I just say I cried when he left. I don't know why, but I did...! He's gone hunting almost every other weekend but I guess it was just the fact that it was Thanksgiving holiday, my parents aren't here, and I really just wanted to be with him. All I could do was pack myself! I'm headin over to his Mama's house and we're having a slumber party tonight and waking up early to go shopping all day tomorrow! So I'll be having fun too but ya know...! :( Speaking of which, I better go! Party won't start without me! :) ~

*To Oregon We Go!!!*

Oh my googles, where do I begin?!?! The smile on my face is humongous, contagious, and has no sign of going away ANY time soon! :)))) To start, Jeff and I have made it clear to each other that this is it! We have been inseparable and are simply just perfect for each other! He is truly my best friend and soul mate! So, unfortunately because Mama n Daddy are oh, only all the way across the country, we had to scrounge up some moolah for plane tickets for him to ask my dad the big question!! We got lucky, got a little extra money and off we went to Portland, Oregon! Jeff's never been past Kansas so the west coast was a far ways off! lol. So, Thursday, November 11th at 5:30 am we took off for Atlanta and from there, to Portland! Note to self: never ever book a flight that long with a boyfriend who has severe A.D.D., especially when you have the most important and last final exam of nursing school only hours after arriving home Sunday night!! OOOman! He was hilarious! I can say that now but when I was trying to study, no! haha. Probably the most memorable moment on that flight was when he leaned over to me after staring out the window and said, "Honey? What's all that white stuff on the ground?" Laughing of course, I said, "Honey... that's snow!" Poor thing has never seen snow! haha! But we finally arrived in Oregon where we travelled through time and gained 3 hours. Already tired, we still had a full day ahead of us at 1115 am!! My soooo excited parents greeted us with hugs and off we went to eat some lunch and catch up! After a short trip to the mall, we went to the mansion on the mountain where we were greeted by the cutest dogs ever!! so cute! one day, they're gonna end up in my luggage! ;) We cleaned up and soon went to a nice dinner in downtown Portland to the Charthouse on the water! It was so gorgeous at night! The perfect setting for 'the talk'!!! Jeff and I knew my parents made reservations, so I think he planned it in advance! ;) It was so cute.. the night before we were layin there and he was so cute n nervous asking me how he should do it and what he should say. lol. we even did a little role playin...! all in all, it was adorable! :) But, after dinner, before we left.. that's when it happened! I turned soooooo red, I'm sure!! It was dark and I was soooo sick but I'm sure you could still tell! haha! It was perfect though! The end result was a YES!!! :) So so so so so so (I could go on forever) exciting! I am stolked to be so lucky to have him and I cannot wait to spend the rest of my life with him! Now, just waitin on one more thing! ;) hehe! (Can't wait to write about that, hopefully soon!) The next day, we did some sight-seeing! We drove out to the Pacific Coast. It is so pretty! The mountains literally drop off directly into the ocean! Weird! The waves were enormous, which is the norm! Our coast is sand, theirs is rocks! Jeff got some pet rocks, haha! We went to Haystack Rock and then something else with like a tunnel through a huuuge rock that goes into the ocean. Funny story about that last one..I got absolutely drenched, but we won't go there. Just smile and nod!! Oh and another fun thing.. we spotted a Long John Silvers on the way home! It is awesome because I can't tell you how long I've said I wanted to eat there but, man it was good! Anyways! We finally made it home and sick me, of course went to bed. :( Jeff got me sick so it's all his fault! grrr! Saturday was a football and chicken wings day- one of my favorite things in the world!! I wish everyday was one of those days! We went Christmas shopping and came home to pack. :( Despite being a pretty short trip and my sickness with bronchitis, it was the best trip ever!!!! I can't wait to see what happens next! And with that, I'll keep you updated. Samantha (the cat) needs some attention. Until next time..~

:) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :)

*T-Minus 3 Days!*

Thursday can't come fast enough!!! Well, today is an absolute wonderful day so I'd love for this day to last, but as for tomorrow and Wednesday, they can fly by!! Thursday morning, Jeff and I are going to visit my parents!! Off we go into the wild blue yonder! Portland, Oregon here we come!! You know what that means! ;)))) Oh yes! It's going to be a trip to remember!!! I am soo sososos ecstatic but Jeff on the other hand is just a weeeee bit nervous! But, understandably so! He says he's excited about the future, as am I!! Oh my googles, I'm just overwhelmed with excitement and happiness and pure love!! :) I'm so thankful for everyday I get to spend with him and I simply can't wait for the things to come in the future! I can't wait for the day I marry the love of my life! It just won't come soon enough! lol. AHH!! :) Well, I've had some coffee today as if it's not obvious! Plus, I'm so glad I made a A on my test today! That is just unheard of, lemme tell ya! As much school as I've been through, I've never made anything but A's UNTIL this stupid nursing program! Ugh, it is tough. A lot tougher than I thought, even with all of my experience! But, my final's next week, then role internship, then December 13th I am DONE! Finito! No more! That's it! Done! lol. Ugh, that can't come fast enough either! haha! Well, I am so excited for both the near and further future! I am so lucky! It just gets better and better every single day! YAY!!! :) That's it for today! :)