Thanksgiving/Beginning of Christmas

"Let's start at the very beginning. A very good place to start." Name that movie!!!

Duh...

But really...let's start with last week. Thanksgiving. It was a lovely break! We saw friends and family and ate to our heart's content. I think I'm still trying to work off the food baby I have in my tummy. And booty. And thighs. Oh great.

1. My Pretty Tree:
I'm so glad I got a picture of this tree before the leaves started to really fall off. I was on a walk last week and this tree just looked STUNNING! So I just had to snap a picture of it. Beautiful!

2. I pack too much:
Have I mentioned before that I pack entirely too much when I travel?!? Well. I do. I pack an outfit. Or two. Or three. For each day. One of those outfits is a workout outfit and the others are just for whatever weather might occur that day. I'm fully prepared, ya know? You could really learn from me :)

3. Sweet Potato Pie Round Two:
My first crust. Yes. I said first. Which implies that I made more than one. I made two. My first one fell in while baking. So I nibbled on the fallen one all morning. (The beginning of the food baby.)
What a beauty!
And look! An actual pie plate! Makes a world of difference. It really does. Here was my first attempt at this pie. It was just as tasty both times, but the second one was a little more presentable.
Proud baker!

4. Wicked!!!
I got to see Wicked AGAIN! The same cast that I saw in Memphis! Oh it was delightful! And you know what made it extra delightful? Besides the fact that I was with the best parents in the world, WE WERE ON THE SECOND ROW SMACK DAB IN THE MIDDLE!!!! Woooo Weeee!!! Oh my goodness, it was so good. If you have not seen Wicked before, click here and find the nearest city to you and go see it. Best show out there! It's magical and enchanting and heartwarming. Oh it's just remarkable! If I were talented/strong/brave/intense/wise/green enough, I'd be in Wicked. I'd be Elphaba. No question about it. I'd have a set of pipes belting ballads and fly to the western sky, singing Defying Gravity like nobody's business. But for now...I'm teaching pre-k. I'll stick with that :)
Me and my b-e-a-utiful mamacita.

5. Happy Birthday to Me:
This is what I did on my 24th Birthday. Rode in the car for 7 hours back to Memphis. Yee flippin' haw. You know why this birthday was a good one though? I'm not 23 anymore! I LOATHE prime numbers and 23 is a heinous prime number. 24 is a great number. Lots of numbers can go into it! 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 8, 12! Oh what joy! So yes, happy b-day to me.

6. Can't forget the pooch:
Leia sleepin' like a baby on the ride home.
Sleepy goggie after a long ride in the car.

7. Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays!:

My mama-in-law found a fabulous 6 1/2 foot, pre-lit tree at one of her bargain stores in Stillwater, and it is fantastic! Jamie, my sweet hubster, put it up the other night and I decorated it. Look at him go!
He loves taking pictures...
Me in my new Christmas pajams, next to the final product.
We still need a tree topper of some sort, but for now, here's out pretty Christmas tree! Love it!

8. As of now...

For now, I'm going to do my BEST to be a better blogger. I know you all have just been DYING to know what I'm doing with me life.

Wait?

You haven't?

Anyhoo....

For those of you who care...I'm going to have to figure out a normal schedule to keep you all updated on my really interesting...ehh...slightly boring life.

This week, I started working at my new job and it is excellent! I LOVE the ladies I work with and I LOVE the children and I LOVE the school as a whole! I'm really going to love this job a lot! Praise Jesus.

9. Grandma Bonnie:

We had a little scare yesterday with Grandma Bonnie. For those of you who know, she has not been doing well for a long time now and has been in terrible shape at the nursing home. Yesterday, my mom got a call saying that my Grandma was turning black and blue and quit breathing. She was on her way to meet Jesus. Well, I was on my break when my mom called me to tell me to start praying, and I was an immediate basket case. I still had to go back to work, but felt torn, not knowing what to do. I decided to gain composure of myself and try to finish out the day since it was my first week of work. Well, I walked in the building and my boss said, "Alright, Miss Abby. What's wrong?" (If you know me well enough, you know that when I cry, my eyes turn squinty and my face is one splotchy ball of ugly. Think of the big red blog on Jupiter.) Obviously, I didn't keep my cool very well, and I told her that my Grandma is possibly dying as we speak and that she may be on her way to meet Jesus. Well, my boss let me go for the day and I raced home to pray, cry and nap.

All this to say, Grandma Bonnie is still with us. She fought like crazy and up from the grave she arose!!! We are unsure of why God is keeping her with us when she is so ready to see her husband again in heaven, but she's here for a reason. Please pray for a few things:

1. My mom and uncle. It's so tough for them to see their mama like this. Pray that they know how to handle this situation to the best of their ability. Pray that they seek Christ for comfort.

2. Obviously, my Grandma. Pray that when she does go with Jesus that she goes with the angels in her sleep. Pray that she feels absolutely no pain and that she goes peacefully and quietly.

3. Friends a family. Pray that we can wrap our arms around each other in comfort and be thankful we all know/knew her. Also, pray that we quit questioning God. That we can just be thankful she's still with us and to trust in His mighty plan for her life, whether it last another hour or another few months.

Thank you for your faithful prayers. I appreciate it greatly.

That's all for today. I ran my first 5 K race this morning and I'll post about that tomorrow! Woo hoo! Get excited!

Love love love and have a TERRIFIC Saturday!!