It's been a while! So here it comes.

1 Thess 5:13 "Praise God in every situation for that is what is glorying to him."

That is hard to do.  Especially in a place like Waco.  That is my prayer - that I would be able to praise and thank God even in the hard times.  This is a hard time for me.  I do not see what I need to be thankful for or what I should praise God for.  However, Taylor encouraged me through that and God showed me through the movie Soul Surfer that I have a lot to be thankful for!  Be encouraged!

Oh how I love this boy.  Johnathan Taylor Clark.






More fun times in the red truck with Taylor!  This boy is so encouraging!  He text me the other day and told me

"Have a great day.  The path of the Lord is straight keep your eyes and heart on target so that when you take the wrong step your neck will hurt and you will have to straighten back out.  Gods plan for you involves me and I'm super excited.  I love you baby."

Wow!!  I hope that one day you have a guy like mine.  Every girl deserves to have a man encourage, love, and appreciate her.  He treats me with so much respect!  I am sorry I always talk about him, but this whole Long distance thing is killing me.  He is amazing and I hate that I spend Monday-Friday without him.  But that makes the weekends that much better and I know that God has a plan.

 This is just one of several carts at one of our book runs in the bookstore.  We made about 5 last week.  And this particular book run cost us of $50,000 dollars.  Books for class are so expensive!  But they are beginning to look interesting - the more I see them the more interested I become in reading and learning about the subject matter.   













After  buying the books - we put them in boxes and then on a dolly to transport them into our cars and then to the bookroom.  It is quite a process and each book run takes about 2 hours.  In this instance it took about 3.5.  This has been my job for the past 2 weeks and it is about to be finished!  I am beyond thrilled to get rid of these books!   

This is the book room.  I think we have most of the books done and finished.  It opens tomorrow from 9-5!  Woooo.  I am so ready to be finished with these books.  I have been dreaming about books.  haha - it is a scary thing!

These are over 500 athletes books.  Alphabetized and categorized by sport and last name! 








Meg came over the other night and helped me hang and decorate my room!  I love that my cousin and I are so close and are best friends!  She is amazing!  We made choc chip cookies and ate all of them.  DOn't judge.  Starting my diet and workout plan tomorrow!

Doesn't my room look good!  That is my bedside table with my pictures of Taylor on them!  And then that is my bed!  The bedding is from Target and the picture is from Target too!!  Doesn't it all look good?  I am very pleased at how it turned out.

This is our fridge door!  I love my sisters!! And that is the precious Natalie and Ben.  Their wedding is November 26 ?  The Saturday after Thanksgiving!  How precious!  He is soo in love with her!  How precious is that save the date!  It was baseball themed and it had a baseball on it.  And said we are saving you a seat for the big game! ha  Love it!  

My world in Waco is beginning to feel a little like home.  Home is where love is and where you end your day with someone you love... So it's not quite love, but it's close.  

This is where I sit every morning from 8-845.  Common Grounds. 8th street. Waco.  in front of the deer.  It reminds me of Taylor and of East Arkansas.  Have I mentioned that I miss Taylor and I love East Arkansas?  Well I do.  How relaxing is this picture.  I love sitting in front of it and praying and getting my devo on with God.  I look forward to it every morning.

It's nice to look forward to something everyday in a place I am not exactly happy with.  I still cry and I still miss home.  I don't know if I will ever like this place - but I know that I have plenty of people praying for me and wishing me the best.  I have been home every weekend thus far - so seeing taylor and my family makes me happy and is what really helps me through the week.

I am thinking about starting a morning devo/prayer time for girls at Common Grounds.  If I do this - what book should I use?  Should we just do bible stories - or should we just pray and talk about life?  Let me know what you think!















I have been reading this book by Francine Rivers.  It is such a good book and she does an excellent job at portraying some important women in the Bible.  I am reading about Bathsheba right now - and she gets a pretty negative rap about her relationship with David.   I mean she practically through herself on David and then committed adultery with him.  However, Francine writes with compassion on Bathsheba  and trys to get us to see her with more mercy from a women's perspective.  David was an amazing man of God.  We all want that right?  He was attractive and could play the harp and worship God as if God was right there with him - which is was.  All she wanted was for David to love her back and so she did what girls do best... used her looks.  She did what i took to get his attention.

I am so thankful and so blessed to have "my David" in my life.  And i understand sort of in a weird way what Bathsheba was going through.  When I first met Taylor I really did get excited and loved his fervent love for the Lord.  I wanted to be apart of it just like Bathsheba, so I understand it her passion for this man.

I hope you have/will have/or will experience this type of love for a man one day - because it's amazing.  Don't settle for less.  I am blessed to be have Taylor in my life and reading this book has helped me understand his love for the Lord and be thankful that he IS in my life.







I hope that you have enjoyed my blog post today.  
Hope that your day is better than mine.  Have a charmed day and a blissful week!
Abby

The Time Has Come.

I am finally here. I came to Waco. I can not believe it. I know I have shared my reluctancy to come for the past week or so, so I thought why not share my journey with you.

I woke up yesterday morning at about 8 and packed my last final things into my car. I ended up coming by myself because with a twin blow up and no furniture what was my mom supposed to do? It ended up being smarter to come alone. And it gave me reason to suck it up. So I did.

I don't have any furniture yet - if you didn't now that, well it's because Ashley's can't deliver until next week. So I'm without it for a while. I slept on a blow up which ended up not being that bad. I did however wake up several times.

So here is my house - without furniture and I'm sure the next time you see it it will be decorated because one of my roommates, Taylor, No not my boyfriend, but Taylor likes to decorate and is bringing some stuff!

This is the kitchen...

And this is my poor room and blow up mattress.... :(  It will be okay - I will have a great bed next week.  Maybe!

After I set up my blow up mattress I was hungry so I went to Chipotle and grabbed some food - there were a lot of people in there and so I decided that I wanted to spare myself and not eat alone in public... YET. i know its bound to happen, however, it was not about to happen on my first night.  So I took my food and where am I the most comfortable and feel at home?  Okay East Arkansas with Taylor - yes I know that!  But the other place?  the Baseball Field - if you looked at the pictures to help you with that... NOT FAIR! ha

So I went to the baseball stadium and guess what!  It was open!  That was a God thing!  So I sat in the stadium, watched the sunset, and listened to worship music while eating chipotle.  It reminded me of my days at Brookhill Ranch Camp when we would have vespers services - I saw God that night! 

So this is the Song that Played... Kari Jobe You Are For Me  

I know that You are For Me

Even in my Weakest...

WOW! this was definitely a weak moment for me and God totally spoke to me through those lyrics to calm my heart!  

I know I have said it alot but Deuteronomy 31:7

Be strong and courageous in the Lord, for you shall go into the land which the LORD has given to you.  For the Lord has gone before you.  

 

The Lord has definitely been here!  I have faith that he has created some divine appointments for me here and will give me the strength and the persistence to find those and create relationships and influence them and encourage them in the name of the Lord.  Jesus will be glorified here.



We all know how much I love Fireproof and how often I watch that Movie!  I am so pumped about my baseball experience and I get home ready to hop in my bed (very loosely put) and watch fireproof.  YAH RIGHT!  My computer is black and white.  So who ya gunna call?  RACHEL!  my best friend Rachel is a computer/tv/electronic genius!  So I call her.. no luck!

I decided then to call Taylor and go to bed... that didn't work out to well - we talked for an hour!  :) But he is so sweet.  I miss him so much!  But I get to see him tonight I hope that today goes fast!

So here are some things I like and I have found on different blogs!  Check them out!  I love my Google Reader Account and thanks to katisgetaway.blogspot.com  which you should all go visit - I have found some great reads!

 CUPCAKES TAKE THE CAKE!  


CLICK HERE FOR SOME GREAT CUPCAKES!

Evereyday I find the cutest most delicious cupcakes and recipes on this blog!  DIVINE!

KELLYS KORNER
HERE

This is Harper and if you are looking for some cute ideas or how to dress your kids - read this!  She is adorable. I mean just look at that shirt! 

JIMMY CHOOS AND TENNIS SHOES

HERE

kati indtroduced me to this blog.  Tara (the girl on the far right) puts up the cutest and the funnest looking dresses.  Check this funky color peacock one out!  Adorable!  and her stories are fun too!

JOY'S HOPE
HERE

this lady has the cutest little girls, a store on etsy, and every sunday puts up a wonderful verse!  It's great!!! I love reading her blog and she just had a baby boy!

FINDS ON PINTEREST!

How weird are these stuffed animal/organ dolls.  If you are a med student or just like the inside of the body - i dare you to put these on your Christmas List!  They are all the rage!  (NOT)  It's creepy... Just think about it - Hey mom this is my pet large intestine it's name is BOB.  NO!  that is so wrong!  

So I have found a place to eat breakfast and get coffee - Common Grounds.  They open at 7.  I think I am going to try and make it a ritual and they give you 20% if you bring in your own mug and leave it!  And since Lisa Stagg and her girls gave me the cutest mug during Miss Arkansas - (Below the red one) I am going to bring it in and drink from it every morning!  Oh and I can't forget my Nature Valley Bar and they have wifi - which I don't have at the house at the moment and I am dying.. 

Went by the Registrar's Office and signed up officially for classes and got my Baylor Student ID!!! WOo HOO!!  and this is the Simpson Building where I will be working.. Except for the next two crazy weeks in the Book Room.  I will post tomorrow about that- because this post is already too long and I have a lot to say about it! 

I hope you have enjoyed my post.  Taylor is on the phone so I am going to stop posting and talk to him..

Charmed to write for you

and at the moment in utter Bliss (talking to Taylor :)

Abby

Fireproof

I will get to the reason this post is called fireproof later on - but first, let me catch you up on my life!

In 2 weeks I am moving to Waco.  I do not want to go.  I am reluctant to go.  Most likely it is because of my last post.  It's fun dating and being with the man you are crazy about.  God has blessed me so much with him and I can not imagine life without him.  However, in 2 weeks I will be leaving everything that I know as right and comfortable and moving to a place where I know no one.  How scary is that!

There are some things that you need when you move.  Besides your shoes and jewelry, which by the way if you know of any safe, organized, and compact way of traveling with tons of shoes and lots of necklaces and earrings - pretty please post and let me know because I am at a loss for packing!  ha Anyways - you need furniture (and you need your sidekick - okay so that was cheesy - but I will miss him :)

So I went to Ashley's Furniture Homestore in Benton.  why did I go there?  Because one of my best friends Bethany worked there and there is an Ashley's in Waco and I had this fabulous idea that if I found furniture I liked here that the people at Ashley's would be nice enough to give me the SKU numbers of the pieces I liked.  Seems like I was dreaming.

Play by play.

Abby and Mom walk in.  4 Sales Reps walk up and greet us with big smiles.  Mom tells story about Waco. 4 Sales Reps FLEE.  We search for furniture for an hour and a half.  Still No help!  We ask for SKU numbers.  They say We don't know!  I take pictures.  I call Ashley's in Waco.  THEY HELPED ME!

After multiple conversations with some dude at the Ashley's in Waco - I have bought my furniture and it will be here - well in 3.5 weeks.  Guess what!  I move in in 2 weeks!  I will be sleeping on a blow up mattress for a week and a half!  WELCOME TO WACO!  So I will be driving back my first weekend in Waco because I don't have furniture and because Taylor is playing in a softball tournament and I want to watch!

Here are the pieces I ordered:  Hope you like!

The other night I went out with Ashlee, Aaren, and Caitlin to Zaxby's and the Movies.  We went and saw Friends with Benefits.  Well, they watched it.  I left after 5 minutes and came in just in time to see the credits.  Let me tell you one thing - if you liked that movie I am praying for your soul.  I was so mortified, embarrassed, and violated at that movie.  I should have known not to go into an R rated movie that was titled Friends with Benefits - I was stupid.  Tomorrow I will se Winnie the Pooh with Jessica!  So excited for that day date with my princess.  Surely I will take tons of pictures!!

Philippians 4:8 (NIV84)

8 Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.

I went to Moro last night to see Taylor.  We went to eat with his mom and let me tell you, I have been craving Ameca - and you can only eat it in Forrest City so why not go there.  I just wanted their Pollo Fundido!  Mrs. Lisa (Taylor's Mom) introduced me to Don Jose's!  Oh my goodness, it is easily in top 5 best Tex Mex Fat Food Restaurants Ever!  It was so good!  So if you are ever in Forrest City - go to Don Jose's it's on the Left side of the Freeway coming from Little Rock.

After dinner we went to Dr. Perkins house and watered his flowers because he was out of town.  He had so many flowers - but they were beautiful!  I had so much fun hanging out with Taylor and his mom.  It's so nice just to be around him.  We have been long distance for 5 months, now that we are together it's very BLISSFUL!

This is what I found in my passenger seat when I got in the car!  Isn't it beautiful!  Taylor is such a sweetheart.  Sorry if I talk about him too much - but he is really amazing.  And since he hasn't really met anybody I am trying to introduce him and keep y'all updated on us until you do get to meet him!

Today I went and got my hair done by Robin - we always have the best talks!  I look forward to seeing her every time.  Today we talked about life and moving to Waco and of course... Taylor!  Steven, her husband, and she dated for 6 years before getting married and now have a precious baby named Raffi!  She is a chunk, but rightfully so - she is adorable!

I went to babysit my 2 favorite little girls in the world this afternoon.  They made me do Dance Dance Wii - whatever it's called and they "tricked" me by saying oh these are the easiest ones.  Yah, they were rolling on the floor laughing at me doing the russian dance and then the iko iko dance.  If you are familiar - just picture a very uncoordinated girl dancing to them.  Umm... bad!

Tonight I came over to my friend Rachel's house in Conway.  I LOVE CONWAY!  anyways, she lives by herself and i came to keep her company.  After catching up, watching new episodes of our favorite ABC FAMILY tv shows Switched at Birth and PLL - we worked on Taylor's homework.  No, we could not answer all of them infact, we called 2 lifelines - Bethany - who was a help and Daddy Tab.  Oh Daddy Tab knows the answers to everything!  Finished 2 tests, a pop quiz, and worked on Taylor's Term Paper due tomorrow... It's still not finished even though I choose to blog - it will get done don't you think?  oooo gotta love procrastination!

Funniest moments while writing the paper =

"rachel, I think that Alexander the Great and Steve Jobs are the same person"
"Why?", asked Rachel
"Well think about it - Alexander had a great nation and he built it up with Alexandria and his libraries, his successful army, and his intellect was above all others.  BUt when he died successors just couldn't fulfill his shoes and it eventually died and Greece took over - therefore ROME.  Steve Jobs has created a great empire called Apple.  He has built it up with his iphone, ipad, and isoftware - but think about it - does he have any successors?  Does he have anybody in his footsteps getting ready to take over?  NO.  Steve Jobs goes on sabatical and comes back with the ipad - seriously!  How do you do that!  When he dies... i predict Apple will die."

I am currently on a Mac - so I hope i am not a great philosopher and predicting the future - but I could write a thesis on that one day.  Getting my doctorate in Philosophy.  Not!  I am done after Baylor.

We then watched.... my favorite movie of the week.... wait for it wait for it!

FIREPROOF!

I have watched it literally almost every night for the past week.  okay well i've watched it 3 times since returning from the beach Saturday.  It has such a good message and I love the music!  I downloaded the soundtrack :)

I cry on key every single time.  It is just such an emotional journey to see his life transformed.  What if we lived like that.  What if we lived everyday focusing on one thing to change or to impact.  Would people be able to see a difference?  What they start to see Christ in you?  Sometimes I wonder what impact I am making on other people.  I can be good at a lot of things - we call can.  But God calls us to be good stewards of his word and make sure that everyone knows the Gospel and about him.

One of my favorite books growing up was Amelia Bedilia.  She took everything so literal.  If she would have read the bible, I suspect she would have gone up to everybody she saw and asked, Do you know the Gospel.  I want to spread it to the ends of the earth.  And she probably would have been our storybook version of Forest Gump (you know the part where he walks everywhere).

God can have such an impact on other people through us if we let the Holy Spirit move.

You know this song/verse gives so much hope that good things can come out of the trials.  And they do..  Take Fireproof for example.  His wife served him Divorce papers after he had completed something like 30 days of the Love Dare.  Wow!  Would you have kept fighting?  He cried.  He wept - he laid his heart on the line and with God, that is very important, that WITH GOD - he completed it and led his wife to Christ.  Get it?  Got it?  Hope you do because that's truth right there.  

And with that truth you have to and must trust God.  When I see quotes like this it always reminds me that God speaks to us.  I feel like everytime I read that God is actually saying that to me - Abby, Trust me.  Dugh!  I mean are you silly or something!

It is the Lord who goes before you. He will be with you; he will not fail you or forsake you. Do not fear or be dismayed. (Deuteronomy 31:8)


God goes before you.  Always!  He knows the road, he knows what bumps and bruises are coming up and he is ready to be there for you when you fall.  He WILL be with you.  He doesn't ever leave your side.  So don't be scared.  Face it and go for it.  


I am convicted in this verse because I know that God has gone before me to Waco - he has prepared my place.  He knows what will happen this semester and this year.  L Y I am ready for it!!

Don't be scared. But instead have Bliss.

Be charmed,
Abby