(Some) Things I am Thankful for:

• My wonderful fiance (I could go on and on, but you guys know the drill).
• Lonnie has a job that he likes.
• My grandfather is out of the hospital.
• My brother Calvin is being discharged and coming home in a few weeks.
• I get to work part time.
• I only hate my job part of the time.
• Wonderful friends (insert your name here).
• My parents are so nice to me.
• My girls Bible study group.
• My shiny ring (as I look at it as I type).
• That I was born in Texas.
• My college years (all 6 of them).
• That the new move of P&P did not totally butcher the book.
• My brother Paul is doing so well in Austin.
• Free wireless internet.
• Morning walks with my Mom.
• The media mail option at the post office (shipped 5 heavy boxes of books yesterday, total cost= $39.00.)
• My fun red truck (still feels like it's new, but it has 107,000 miles on it)
• Betsy is back in the Big D!
• Seeing prayers answered.
• Prayer, even though I have no idea how it works.
• God saving me for Himself and from myself.
• The starry nights in West Texas.
• The rush of skiing down a mountain.
• Bluebonnets in the springtime.
• Newborn calves.

Pictures of my future home!

Here the view from my future living room window.

Here is another view out my future living room window.

Here is a deer at Glacier National Park, about 30 miles from my future home.
This is close to the place where I got my ring! Isn't he cute?

Here is our guest room, just waiting for people like you to come fill it up! (Don't worry, we are getting a bed for it!)

The most wonderful man ever...

Just so the rest of you are duly informed, I am marrying the most wonderful man ever. Yes, I know, some of you are convinced that you are married to the most wonderful man ever, and you are welcome to hold that thought. Just hold it, knowing that you are wrong.

Let's give some background to all this wonderfulness. Several months ago when my fiance and I decided to get married, he was just out of grad school and needed a new car (his old one had 216,000 miles on it, yes that many zeros!) So I told his that he should get a new car and not worry about getting me a ring. So he did, and I was very glad since he has already hit at least one large deer since moving there, and I am sure that there will be more. I would rather he be in a SUV then his old car.

Now he has been sleeping on an air mattress for 2 months in Montana, and I couldn't figure out why he wouldn't buy a bed. I mean money is tight, but sheesh. Well, when I went up there this past weekend, we went to Glacier National Park and in the middle of a stream on a big rock, I was given a beautiful ring. (I am trying to figure out how to put pictures up so I can show you). My future husband has been sleeping on an air mattress for TWO months so I could have a piece of jewelry. Actually, come to think of it, he is still sleeping on the air mattress.

His patience with me and all of my fears, and obsessing, and he just comes back and tells me he loves me and can't wait to spend the rest of his life with me. The other night, I woke up in the middle of the night and I wanted to cry when I think of how blessed I am.

Off to the wild blue yonder

Tomorrow I leave to go visit Montana for the first time! Weeee! I am so excited, I haven't seen my fiance in over 6 weeks and that is way to long. I will finally see the place where I will be living in a few months, eeeek. Don't worry I will take plenty of pictures so that the rest of you can enjoy the natural beauty without the freezing temperatures. Today it was so warm here in Dallas that my mom and I thought about turning on the AC this afternoon. Not motivating weather to pack for Montana. I just hope that I pack enough layers. The ski coat will just stay in Montana, no need for it to come back to Dallas. Just think in less then 24 hours, I will be snuggled up next to my fiance drinking the Kona coffee he got me for my birthday. Wow, I am so lucky.

Now for some random side notes:

Riots erupt across France, people are killed and at last count I know of at least 1800 cars had been torched. Now mind you, this goes on for several days. Like this is a BIG FREAKING deal. So how long do you think it took the Dallas Morning News to put this major news story on the front page? 2 days? Let's be generous and say a week to get their act together and journalize? Oh no, no, our illustrious rag took 11 days! That's right can we count the days? Mind you, during this 11 day period when no one in Dallas knew that there were riots in France because it was 2 paragraphs on page 28, there was another cover story for 3 days. Yes for 3 of those days we learned about the 100 or so protesters in South America who don't like Bush. Now whatever your feelings may be about Bush, there is no way that these stories are remotely comparable. Which story could change the face of Europe/France? As of now the Dallas Morning News has lost what last few particles of credibility it had left in my mind. Come on people.

Second random point: I don't know if I should be ashamed or not, but if were going to be living in Texas next year, I would vote for Kinky Friedman for governor. http://www.kinkyfriedman.com/

Yes, he may be crazy, and have his own reality show on CMT, but I have come to believe in him. Hey like he says "How hard can it be?" I really think he is on to something. And it's not like he could jack it up more then the other guys already are. So save yourself for Kinky!

Road to Recovery

Well, instead of going out and dressing up this Halloween or Reformation Day or what ever you want to call it (yes, I was raised by a man with a theology degree), I worked. Yuppers, I worked the 3-11 evening shift at the hospital.

I have to admit, I was a bit anxious. Last year when I worked, there were 3 nurses for all 25 cardiac patients on the floor. You do the math. Just us vs. The force of cardiac disease and poop explosions. I still have nightmares about the night. It was a very scary Halloween. But a year later, a lot of things have changed on the floor, and I am so thankful. A new nurse manager/I am now PRN, so life is a lot better. This one year anniversary was kind of a nice point of reference to help me get over some anxieties about work.

This should be interesting starting a new job again in 2006. It will be the third hospital I will work since I became a nurse in 2002. I just keep moving around too much!