Thank you Nike

Thank you Nike for running the ad on thunder thighs. You speak to me so well!

"I have tunder thighs. And that's a compliment because they are strong and toned and muscular and though they are unwelcome in the petite section they are cheered on in marathons. Fifty years from now I'll bounce a grandchild on my thunder thighs and then I'll go out for a run. Just do it."

These type of ads are being run in many women's magazines. I saw this one in InStyle. I love it! Thanks, NIke, for appealing to the real woman.

Rita

We didn't even get any rain in Bellville. My family is a little upset about that. My mom woke up this morning, walked outside and said, "Oh man! Now I have to water my plants." My dad looked around and found a tiny branch that had blown from the tree. No damage at all. We are thankful but had hoped for some rain...and maybe a little bit stronger winds. We have a dead tree in our backyard that needs to come down. We were hoping the winds would blow it down for us. No such luck. I am thankful though...Bellville is still the quiet little town it was before...only now it doesn't have any gas.

The 12th Man

I did it. I have found the actual 12th man. No longer is it a body of people standing for hours at the football game, ready to go in for the Ags when he is called. No, there is an actual person - the biggest A&M fan I've ever seen in my life. I found this guy on the bus today - 03 route on my way to Langford. I will refer to him as Bobadoo from now.

I'm sitting on the bus, waiting to leave the MSC when on steps Bobadoo. At first glance you say, "Geez, that guy is wearing a lot of maroon. Maybe he's an athlete." (Because that would make sense to see that much maroon on one body at one time.) Bobadoo sat right across from me so I got a really great look at him. Not only was he wearing all maroon, each article of clothing and accessory had the A&M logo on it. None of these items were endorsed by any company so I scratched the athlete idea and came up with the idea that either this guy is joking or he is obviously the biggest supporter of A&M I've ever seen. I'm going to go with the last idea and run with it.

Bobadoo had nine things that I could see, all of which displayed A&M. Starting from the top, he had the hat, sunglasses, shirt, watch, bracelet, keychain, pants, sandals, and bag. Bobadoo's get-up would have been complete had he been sporting the Aggie ring...maybe sometime soon he will be able to add that also.

Bobadoo is definately the biggest A&M fan, the actual 12th man...I bet if he didn't have his sun glasses on, I would have seen a sun tan line across his face where his glasses were this past Saturday at the game. I'm willing to bet he was the first one there, the last to leave, and had the most A&M's on his body. Yay for Bobadoo...keep supporting the Ags for us two-percenters who struggle to find a maroon shirt in our closet.

Stress Fest

I just had a small little stress fest with myself and Sara. I am so thankful for her. I called my parents first to talk to them. It's strange how things change when you get older. When I was young, my parents were the only ones that could calm me down. Now that I'm older, my parents can still calm me down, but not like Sara can. I had tears in my eyes and she could hear how upset I was over the phone. She helped me to look at the situation and create a plan of action for getting things completed. I needed this. When I get stressed my head gets clouded and I can't think clearly at all. After two minutes of talking to her I wasn't stressed and felt very calm. (I'm still not thinking very straight though. I'm sure you can see that just from reading this...oh well...I'll blame it on other distractions.)

I'm done for now.

My New Season is the Best Season Yet

I was in San Antonio this weekend...that's right...when the Aggies have a home football game, I get out of the Big CS as fast as possible. Actually that's not my reason for leaving the Big CS this weekend, but the traffic that comes through College Station when the Ags play at home is insane. I know traffic gets crazy for any football game, but the Big CS is actually not that big. With 45,000+ students, residents, and football fans in for the game, the place gets a little crowded. This is a really long explanation just to say I was happy to leave for the weekend...and I am obviously a two-percenter (top two percent, I like to think, haha).

I went to see Matthew this weekend in San Antonio and watch his soccer game at Southwestern. They won 3-0 so kudos to Matthew and the whole soccer team. After the game we followed Chris to his house in Austin before heading out to grab some food. Chris, by the way, is now part of the Ransom Notes at UT, so I'm sending some mad props out to him. For supper we had Mangolian BBQ - a first for me and it was excellent. Everyone should try it.

Ok, ok...what's my purpose for writing tonight? Procrastination is always a possiblity. But tonight there's another reason...ok, actually I just felt like writing and do have many things I could be doing. However, if I were doing those many other things right now, I wouldn't be able to concentrate because I would be thinking about writing so I now find myself here writing, with one song playing on repeat in the background.

So...right, my new season, my current season, is definately the best I've experienced. My prayers of being single this past summer didn't work (thank God for that) and I now find myself in a relationship with the most Godly and amazing person I've ever known. To say that I am happy would be an understatement. I am constantly amazed at the way God works in my life. Through everything that has happened these past couple of weeks, I still feel there is nothing wrong with the world...ok, maybe I shouldn't go that far. There are things wrong with the world, but that's another entry for another night. We'll just settle with saying there is nothing wrong in my world. I do have an amazing life filled with wonderful people and every day I shout thanks to God.

Pray to be single? Why would anyone do that? About this time last year, I was the happiest I had been in my life up until that point. Confidence has been restored. I was closer to the Lord than I had ever been. Life was as close to perfect as it can get. All summer I tried so hard to get back to that point. I had somehow over the spring semester drifted a little and desperately wanted to be back the where I was in the fall, thus the prayer to be single...to focus all my attention on God.

Thankfully Matthew wasn't praying to be single. Instead his prayed to God saying he was ready should God want to put someone in his life...Enter Haley centerstage. (This, by the way, is my favorite part of our story.) He'll tell you that his prayers just work better than mine.

Now I am praising God that He knows everything and when I think I need to be single, He puts Matthew into my life. When I think the only way to get back the relationship I had with the Lord is to be single, He says, "Haley, the relationship that I have created for you with Matthew is going to glorify me more than you being single ever will." Praise God for that. I am now closer to the Lord than I was at the beginning of the summer. I am closer today than I was yesterday. I am so thankful for Matthew and our relationship and how God is using it to glorify Him.

How great is our God!

Before the Throne of God Above

Before the throne of God above
I have a strong and perfect plea.
A great high Priest whose Name is Love
Who ever lives and pleads for me.
My name is graven on His hands,
My name is written on His heart.
I know that while in Heaven He stands
No tongue can bid me thence depart.

When Satan tempts me to despair
And tells me of the guilt within,
Upward I look and see Him there
Who made an end of all my sin.
Because the sinless Savior died
My sinful soul is counted free.
For God the just is satisfied
To look on Him and pardon me.

Behold Him there the risen Lamb,
My perfect spotless righteousness,
The great unchangeable I AM,
King of glory and of grace,
One in Himself I cannot die.
My soul is purchased by His blood,
My life is hid with Christ on high,
With Christ my Savior and my God!

Words by Charitie Bancroft

Warehouse Fire

For the last week I have been wondering why my photography supplies have not come in when I ordered them two weeks ago and selected 3 day ground shipping with UPS. (Usually very reliable!) Then I went to class today and heard a guy in class saying his supplies had been damaged in a warehouse fire in houston and were sent back. When I asked him which company he had used, he said the one out of New York. Red flag for me! I used the same one. He asked if I was supposed to receive my supplies last Wednesday and yes, I was. We determined that my supplies were also caught in the same warehouse fire. It would only happen to me! Now I must locate some paper before tomorrow to get my prints finished before Monday. Actually, I need to get my prints finished tomorrow because I will be gone all weekend...Yay for getting out of the Big CS and going to San Antonio!

SCC

I'm a junior at A&M and I have just decided that I like to work in the SCC. I actually get a lot of work done there. I have just finished a project two days early. I don't think that's happened in my life ever.

I've really got nothing to say, just wanted to share that, haha...

God only gives you what you can handle

This semester is getting off to a rocky start for a couple of reasons and only one has to do with school. It's my fault that one of them is because of school. I haven't taken time to organize myself and get my mind geared up for school and because of that, I feel like I'm not really in the swing of things. My professors think otherwise. I have a project in my computer class do and I didn't take the time to figure out how to use the program. I've got a single print due in my photography class but spent 30 minutes trying to get the cap off of the film to develop it this afternoon. When I couldn't do it, I got frustrated with myself, poked my finger with a bottle cap opener and decided to wait until tomorrow to get some help. Besides, it will give me a chance to get some more pictures. But school is the least of my worries right now. (Which is odd...something major must be going one, right?)

I had a family crisis this past week which is hopefully starting to calm down a bit but with something like what we experienced, you can never be too sure. As a result, my mother is living with us for two weeks...well just one more now. Which is kind of nice. She is cleaning our house and cooking and doing some laundry. She is also teaching me the art of procrastination. (I didn't really need to learn it though.) "Do you have to go to class today? Do you have to study? Let's go shopping instead." Things a cooling down on the homefront but picking up in other areas of my life.

My best friend called me today and told me that her father passed away this morning. I drove back home to be with her this evening, will drive back to the Big CS for class tomorrow and Tuesday morning, then drive back to be with her and her family on Tuesday afternoon for his funeral. I don't know what to do for her other than be a friend and pray for her and her family.

Another friend asked tonight how in the world I was able to handle all of this. She said she would be on the floor with everything. To that I just replied, "Well, I have great friends and know that God is with me." I know that God won't give me more than I can handle. I am actually blessed by all of this because I know that God believes I can handle everything He has given me. I am doing my best, taking it moment by precious moment, pray by prayer. I won't let any of this get me down or diminish my faith. It only increases with every day...with everything I am given.

At the beginning of the summer, I wasn't dealing with anything. I've got more on my plate now than I have ever had and my faith is stronger now than it has ever been. I'll continue to walk by faith, knowing that God is leading me.

I want my sister back

I want my sister back. I want to see her smile again and hear her laugh. I want her to watch a movie with me or just sit and listen to music with me. I just want her back. She has had the life stolen from her and the only emotion that she can feel right now is sadness.

How do you tell someone that has lost every emotion in her body that things will get better. How do I make her realize this isn't what God wants for her life. That isn't who God had planned for her. I don't think God's intention is for you to be with someone who is going to hurt you. I think you must trust that God is going to bless you with someone so perfect for you and He doesn't want to hurt you. So when you are with someone that hurts you, I don't think God wants you to stay there. I believe that everything does happen for a reason, but I don't think the reason is to keep getting hurt. (I know a lot of this probably doesn't make sense, I'm just so upset right now that everything is just pouring out.)

I'm trying to supress any feelings of anger that I have right now. Truthfully, I am so upset that I want to just scream so loud that it makes me cry. To scream so loud that tears actaully fall from my eyes - I've only done it once before and I really think I need to do it again. I won't though. It gave me a really bad headache.

What I really want right now is to fly away with Peter Pan....second star to the right and straight on until morning.

Your Grace is Sufficient

"Your grace is sufficient for me
Your strength is made perfect
When I am weak
And all that I cling to
I lay at Your feet
Your grace is sufficient for me"

Nightmare

My heart is aching. I am living through a nightmare. How can I turn this around?

The Lord is carrying me right now because I can't walk - not on my own. In my mind, He is holding me, just like my father used to hold me when I was little. After I fell off my bike, I would run to him and he would lift me up into his arms, put my head on his shoulder with one hand, and with the other, hold my back and press my little body close to him. In the sweetest voice he would say, "Shh, Haley, you're alright." He could always calm me down. I feel like I have fallen off of my bike again - a much larger bike and God is holding me, his little girl, as tight as he can. "Shh, Haley, you're alright." (And yes, I can hear James Earl Jones.)

To my friends - I am so blessed by every single one of you. Thank you for always being there for me, for the little phone calls to say hello and for always being there for me. I thank you also for being there for Sara. Without her, I would be lost.

To my family - I think we have the best family in the world. I love the love we have for one another and I love how we all stick together in times of trial. We are stronger together than alone...I think we get that.

To Matthew - You are so special to me. Thank you for your support and for caring for me. God has blessed my life in so many ways just by putting you in it. Without you and your encouragement, I would never have been able to do something of the things I have, or said some of the things I have. I am so thankful for you.

That's it for me tonight.

I'm taking some timem to watch A Chorus Line right now. I have a little extra time and should probably be using it to do some reading, but oh well. I'll get my chapters read four more time before Tuesday so I think it's alright to take a little time to watch a movie. Besides, I have to write an introduction about myself for my construction science class (a class of 200+) so I might as well do something fun while I have to write about myself.

I like to write, but writing about myself is never something that I have enjoyed doing. I don't know why. Maybe it's because I don't want to come across as cocky, but I don't want to come across as not confident either. Finding the area in the middle, that says I'm confident, I know what I'm doing, but I'm not cocky has always been what I try to strive for when writing something like this. Why I didn't save the one I had to write last year will probably always be a mysetry to me. So I go with the usual things the prof wants to know...my year, major, where I'm from, goals, blah, blah, blah.

Wow. I just remembered everything I have to do...dang. So much for that movie.