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!!
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
I know that we have all heard the Potter's Hand song and we have seen this before - but really let it sink it - think about it again... just one more time. Let your mind soak it up. You can look like work in progress (where I am most of the time), you can be a pot that might not sell for millions of dollars and look messed up - but was made and crafted with love and purpose (middle), or you can be working on the ornate designs that take years to craft... God is still working on me - and one day I hope to get to the point where I can have ornate designs - but I fear right now I have begun a work in progress and am being crafted with love and purpose - because my days, my steps, are created for the glory of God. 
