A Moment to Breathe

Howdy friends!  I know, I know...I am a TERRIBLE blogger.  To say that it's been a while since my last post is, well, a tad of an understatement.  However, I am not sorry to say that I have been pretty busy...which I am very thankful for.  I'd rather be busy than bored!

SO - a few updates on life...in chronological order. ;)

In my last post I shared the exciting news that my best friends, Sydni and Blake, were expecting a sweet baby girl.  Well... SHE'S HERE!  Gabriella Grace Brannon was born on June 21, 2013 at 9:51 am, after her Momma worked pretty darn hard for about 28 hours to get her here.  I was so blessed to be able to be there to share the experience.  I've always known that bringing an infant into the world was one of God's most precious miracles.  What I didn't know, was that I would be one big blubbering baby each time I saw that sweet little angel.  I HAVE NEVER CRIED SO MUCH IN MY LIFE!  And I couldn't stop.  It started the moment I heard the first cry while standing outside the delivery room door and it just didn't quit.  Maybe I'll be able to keep it together the next time one of my friends has a baby (Allye & Terry in a couple of months)...although I doubt it!

Anyway - Gabbi is usually my first stop each weekend when I get to Brenham.  I wait all week to kiss and love on that beautiful baby girl (AND spend quality time with her lovely Momma, of course)!  MoMo just cannot wait to spoil her rotten for the rest of her punkin' head life!

NEXT on the list of events - grad school update!

This summer, I officially finished my first year of grad school.  PHEW!  2 MORE SEMESTERS TO GO!  This fall I will complete my first externship placement in a pediatric therapy setting.  Scrubs are purchased and I am ready to go!  By the way - I realize that scrubs are not intended to be a fashion statement, but I would just like to know...WHO on earth to they measure their sizes on!?  Let me tell you, an extra small in the "scrubs world" is not the same extra small of my world.  I mean, come on!  Child-sized adults need something to wear to work too! ;)  Complaining aside...I did finally find some that fit (kind of) and I am super excited to not have to pick out what I want to wear every morning.  After this semester I will complete one more externship in the spring and then..... GRADUATE!  Praise Jesus, glory, HALLELUJAH! AMEN!  If you thought you were wondering if I was ever going to graduate, SO WAS I.

AND last, but MOST DEFINITELY not least...

This. Happened.

I know what you all are thinking....and you are right. ;)  (It's about TIME!)  After 8 and a half years, we are finally getting MARRIED!  Jonathan proposed on July 21st.  We had just arrived at Sydni and Blake's house after church and, unbeknownst to me at the time, were being watched by some of our closest friends and family.  The whole day was perfection.  I couldn't have dreamed for it to be any better and it was a day that I will never forget.  Except, I did forget what he said before dropping down to one knee.  Luckily, so did he.  And I do remember the "will you marry me" phrase...thank goodness.  He did good! :)

Needless to say, we are so VERY VERY VERY excited about the next chapter of our lives and all that God has in store for our marriage.  October 11, 2014 here we come!

DISCLAIMER: It may be another semester before the next post!  #GradSchool/WeddingPlanningProblems

Lattes, Highlighters, and Ice Cream

Howdy, friends!  WOWZERS has it been awhile since I had the time to sit down and write one of these.  I hope this post finds everyone warm and cozy (even in 80 degree December weather) and ready for Christmas!  For the first time ever, I think, I'm actually done with all of my shopping before the week of Christmas...thank you gift cards and online purchases.

There are so many things to be thankful for this season.  There always are, but let's be honest - we aren't always so good at taking notice of those when things are tougher than usual.

First and foremost, I just finished my first semester of grad school.  WHEW!  No kidding, I still feel like my nose should be buried in a research article or I should be typing an essay.  Talk about a whirlwind!  When people asked how my semester was going my answer was always the same - "It's....going. Fast."  If I ever told you that I was busy before, I lied.  I have never been this busy in my life!  I know, I know, it's grad school.  But, holy smokes - it's also craziness. And fun. And inspirational (most of the time). And hard. And insane.  The good news is, I love my future job.  This semester, I worked with two adult clients who have aphasia. I loved it. Even on the hardest days, it can be so rewarding.  Not only have I learned a lot, but I've also made some pretty great new friends.  We have such a wonderful group of ladies.  I'm totes thankful for that!  ;)

Lattes, highlighters, and ice cream - that's how I survived my first semester of grad school.

If you want to know what being an SLP graduate clinician is like, check out the blog below.  Cracks me up every time I read it...because it is SO true:

http://whatshouldwecallslp.tumblr.com/

Also new to my life this semester, is this sweet little punkin' head!

Meet Oakley.

Oakley is "Jonathan's" new puppy.  He got him a few months ago.  And the reason I put quotations around that...is because I think he is half mine. :) I'm pretty sure Oakley would say the same thing, if you asked him - he sure does love Mom!  Okay, okay...maybe he loves Dad too. ;)

What else?  I'm saving my favorite surprise for last.  But until then,

HOW 'BOUT THEM AGGIES!?!?!?

Needless to say...I've been a happy girl just about every Saturday this semester.  My personal favorite (besides when we BTHO Bama), was when we BTHO Mississippi State.  Since Jonathan is a Mississippi State alum, we had a little house-divided situation going on.  I'll root for the Dawgs against most teams, but not on this day!  We're hoping to have some of his buddies in town when the Ags take on the Diamond Dawgs in baseball this year.  Lucky for me, my boyfriend no longer wears a jersey for State...no conflicting loyalties for me!  BTHO MSU!

Here's an idea of how that Saturday went for Jonathan and I:

He was at the field all day while Oakley and I cheered on the Ags at home.  He texted me when the game started and asked if I would record it so he could watch MSU "beat down" A&M...at half-time he told me I could stop the recording. :)  Jonathan didn't like Oakley's choice of attire much.  But I sure did!  What can I say?  He's a smart pup! WHOOP!

Okay, okay...I told you I would save the best for last.  A couple of months ago I got some incredibly exciting news from my best friend and her hubby...this is how they broke the news:

AHHH!!!!  Syd and Blake are going to be parents!  And I get to spoil the heck outta that child!  I'm beside myself.  Absolutely cannot wait.  They are going to be such wonderful parents and they are so excited.  I've always told Syd that she was meant to be a Mom...and Blake is going to be such a good (and soft) Daddy - sorry B!  I can't think of anyone who deserves it more.  I already can't keep my hands off of Syd's baby bump...and I don't have a care in the world if it's annoying. Baby is due June 27th....until then I will be frequenting the baby departments wherever I go. AND - Syd is getting a new niece a little over a month before Baby B is due.  OH BABY! (literally.)

As if two babies weren't exciting enough...my sweet friends from high school, Tori and Jacob, are expecting a baby boy!  We attended their gender reveal party a couple of weeks ago - it was perfect!  Can't wait to squeeze that little one too!

Well, all these babies on the way means I have a lot of spoiling to do...

Hope everyone has a wonderful, Christ-filled, CHRISTmas!  See y'all in 2013! Thanks and Gig'em!

July 25th...Amazy.

I know that I am not the only one who has dates on my calendar that I will remember for the rest of my life.  There are the obvious ones like birthdays, holidays, anniversaries, etc. - and naturally, 9/11 will be a date that every American will hold sacred for the rest of their lives.  The human brain has such an amazing capacity that it allows us to associate our emotions with our memory.  You may not be able to remember where you put your keys when you came home from work yesterday, but you will forever remember the date that you got in a major car accident or went on your first date...and you sure as heck better remember your anniversary (guys....)!  Maybe if we had an emotional breakdown every time we laid our keys down, we would remember!

* Brace yourselves, folks. This post could be a lengthy one. *

For me... July 25th will never be just another check on the calendar. July 25th marks a wound on my heart, the internal ache that threatens to draw a tear...the lesson learned and the joy that comes after the pain.

This is Terry.

Terry is my uncle, the youngest of my grandmother's (Mom's side) 7 children. At birth, it was obvious that Terry was different from the rest of his siblings. With several health complications and various anomalies, Terry spent the majority of his first years of life in a hospital. My mom, aunts, and uncles could give better specifics, but at some point the doctors diagnosed Terry with a rare disorder called Pallister-Hall Syndrome - caused by mutations to the GL13 gene. You can look up some more in depth descriptions, but for the sake of quick understanding, I have commonly compared PHS to Down Syndrome.  Don't misunderstand - it is NOT Down Syndrome and they are two separate disorders, but it is a really easy reference point for those who are not familiar with PHS, particularly with respect to cognitive disabilities. In the title of this post, some of you may be confused by the word "amazy".  In Terry-isms (as my family likes to call them), that means amazing. If you haven't been able to tell already, Terry is a big part of my career inspiration - a degree in special education and a career choice that revolves around helping people with disabilities.

When Terry was born, the doctors had never seen anyone like Terry. They told Gran that he would never walk, talk, or live to be 5.  On July 25, 2010 at approximately 4:20 in the afternoon, Terry left his earthly body and entered the gates of Heaven, at the age of 42. He walked and talked every bit of those 42 years - a living, breathing, miracle testament to God's unbelievable grace.

There are so many things that I can talk about with respect to Terry. My entire family has joked that we could write a book, and I'm certain that it would be a best-seller. However, one of the things that I have come to realize since his passing, is that I have so much more than funny stories and pictures.  I have lessons.  I have blessings. I have morals to the story. I have JOY.  And what else can you do with joy, but share it?  So what things did I learn?  Let me tell you...

When Terry became sick, it was one of those moments where you stop and say, "It won't happen to us." How juvenile, right? That's the kind of thing that we always criticize others for thinking - It can happen to ANYONE. But while it's part ignorance, it's also part optimism. To clear this up, Terry did not die from PHS. He had cancer -  a Ewing's Sarcoma. In April of 2010, the doctors at Memorial Hermann removed a 10 cm mass from his adrenal gland, a kidney, his gallbladder, and a large portion of his liver. With one of the characteristics of PHS being benign abnormal growths, we were holding onto the prayer that this mass was only that - an abnormal growth. A couple of months after a remarkable recovery from a very invasive surgery, we received the disappointing news that it was in fact cancer and an aggressive one. For Gran's birthday we had a family gathering at my aunt's to celebrate and, as God would have it, that would be the last family gathering we had with Terry physically present. He passed about 3 weeks later, while on hospice care - in his own bedroom, at his and Gran's house (which is attached to my house), with our entire family there.

On the first day that things started to become real, I left work in the middle of the day and came home to be with him. I will NEVER forget that day. When I got home, I went in the house to change and then hurried over to his bedroom door, which opens up to our back porch. A few family members were in the room and Terry was sitting on the bed - in pain. His eyes could barely open and he hardly finished a sentence because he was so groggy.  I sat down on the bed next to him, placed my hands on his, and watched as he lifted his head and his eyes opened to a sliver. He couldn't see me, so I softly said, "Hey buddy". He didn't have to ask. He knew it was me from the sound of my voice. "Missy!" And he pulled me into an embrace, resting his head on my shoulder. My Aunt Becky took this picture while we were sitting there together:

In what some would think were his weakest hours, Terry was still teaching us. One day he pushed my aunt and I out of his room with the command that he needed "some time with God." If you knew Terry, you knew that when he said get out...you better GET. OUT.  Nervous as we were about leaving him alone, we stayed just outside the door and listened. His prayer went something like this -

God, it's me, Terry Majors. I hope I didn't wake you up or bother you, I know you're really busy. I'm in my room. My back hurts really bad. Really bad. Please, please help me. I'm begging you to help me. My back hurts. And if you won't help me.................... I love you God.

How convicting is that? Talk about faith in its purest form - knowing that you can go to Him in prayer, ask Him for an answer, and know that the answer could be "no". And if it is, "no", there is a reason and you are going to trust HIS PLAN. That, my friends, is faith like a child.

In those last few days while hospice care was at our house, I can remember feeling like I was in some kind of dream. I kept thinking - This can't be real. He can't be dying. I don't know how to deal with death. I don't know how to cope. Don't leave me. And I kept praying - God, save him. Make him better. Make him live. Don't take him. His answer? "No." Then, my prayers changed. God, take him. SAVE HIM. Bring him home to you. Take away his pain and bring him home to YOU.  And that Sunday, Terry went home.

No more pain. No more tears. No more anomalies. No more health issues. No more cancer.
Only perfection.

God's plan...is perfection.

For the entire duration of Terry's life, he lived with Gran. They were partners in life...and sometimes (okay, most times) crime. ;) We had really worried about how Terry would handle it if Gran passed and he didn't have her anymore. We also worried about how Gran would cope without Terry.  There was never one without the other.  Again, God's plan - it's perfect.  Terry passed in July of 2010 and a little over a year later, in November of 2011, Gran met him in Heaven. It warms my heart to think about the two of them up there together - bossing each other around and taking care of each other like an old married couple. My goodness, I cannot wait until the day that I see them again. GOD IS GOOD. ALL THE TIME.

Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial because, having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love him.

James 1:12

Even in pain, there is joy. Without Terry, I couldn't tell you that from experience. You can be sad and hurt because someone is gone, but you can rejoice because God blessed you with such a beautiful person, such a beautiful moment in time. You can rejoice because He is fulfilling His promise. You can rejoice because He IS.

Terry knew that.

July 25th marks a day that I can rejoice.

Video that was played at Terry's funeral

Angels Among Us by Alabama

Life - Real.

Howdy friends!  I hope this blog post finds everyone doing well.  With an assignment due date moved back 24 hours, I found that I finally had a sliver of time to sit down and give a little update.


Holy moly!  June turned out to be way more busy than I had planned on!  The summer school course that I am taking this month is usually a 6 week course, but in order to give us a little more time off before diving into the grad program, our professor decided to cram it all into 4 weeks - which we all greatly appreciated.  However, it made my schedule for the past 3 and a half weeks a little crazy.  Don't mistake any of that as a complaint though, I would much rather be busy than be the opposite!

So what else is new?  A lot of events going on this month.  Jonathan started full swing with his new job the first weekend of the month and has been going nonstop since.  From what I can tell, he is loving it.  I am so thankful that God has provided a way to keep baseball in his life...and in mine!  What's more...he is SO close!  It has been so great to be able to see him every weekend and not have the stress of traveling so far to do it.  We are really enjoying having all this time to spend together. Even though most weekends that I am there he is working tournaments all day, it's still a huge difference and I feel immensely blessed!  One of the things that I know Jonathan has been really thankful for is being able to spend more time with his godson, Cooper.  Coop just turned 2 and until now, Jonathan has only been able to see him on holidays.  I know he was really ready to be around enough that Coop could really get comfortable with him and know who he was. Without surprise, that little boy loves his Oggy!

One more benefit of him being in B-Town - I get that much more time with one of my best friends, Sydni. Syd and I met while I was at A&M and we lived together for a year. Who would have known the friendship, no - sisterhood,  that would come out of that year of living together. When life gets rough and I start to feel discouraged, Syd has been there every time...with a bottle of wine and some Blue Bell. (She knows me pretty well!)  Soon after the ice cream and wine, comes the "saddle up and get over it" and the constant reminder that GOD'S PLAN IS BETTER THAN MINE. She truly is my faith drill sergeant!  With all that said, you can see why I am so blessed to have her and am so thankful to have the opportunity to spend more time with her. I've always loved this pic of us from the day that Blake proposed to her:

Other things? Let's see...

Mom left last Wednesday with a group of others from GSUMC on a mission trip to Rwanda.  She has been wanting to go to Africa for a long time.  If didn't know this already, Mom has a real heart for missions work, so this opportunity is very exciting for her. She returns this coming Sunday and I can't wait to hear about her trip and about all the ways that God was working through their group to change lives across the world.

Mine and Sam's sweet friend Courtney was married to her wonderful guy, Rob, last Tuesday in Key West.  We are so happy for the both of them and it breaks our hearts that we couldn't be there for it.  They are such a GREAT couple.  Here's the funny thing - when we were in high school the 3 of us always said that Court would be married first, then ME, then Sam.  Boy, did we get it wrong!  Sam was married in May, Court was married last week, and then there's me...oh my. ;) On that note, here's a little throwback for ya:

On Sunday I got to go help my wonderful bff's, Kat and Kyle, move into their new home. I am so excited for them as they start a new chapter of their lives - being married AND being homeowners!  It was so fun and special to be there to help them get started.  Love 'em!

Other than those things, the rest of my life has been filled with work and school!  One of the really great opportunities that I've had this month is to observe in some pretty amazing speech-language pathology settings.  And I want to go on and tell you more about, but there is so much!  I will save that for another post, coming soon!


Leaving you with this from my devotional the other day:

"Listen carefully: Unless a grain of wheat is buried in the ground, dead to the world, it is never any more than a grain of wheat.  But if it is buried, it sprouts and reproduces itself many times over.  In the same way, anyone who holds onto life just as it is destroys that life.  But if you let it go, reckless in your love, you'll have it forever, real and eternal." - John 12:24-25 (The Message)

Lord, help us to remember every day, to give our lives up to you and to seek your will - not ours.  We want to be reckless in our love for life, knowing that you hold it in the palm of your hand and that a life in you is real and eternal. Amen.

Professional Bridesmaid for Hire

Some of you may have heard me speaking of my recent "career" as a bridesmaid.  It seems that I am at the point in my life where ALL of my friends are getting married. And when I say all, I do mean that four of my closest friends have gotten married in the past year and a half. Is it my turn yet?! I suppose that is up to other forces, besides my own. (*cough* *cough*) This semester in particular has been FULL of wedding festivities, with two of my very best friends getting married within 2 weeks of each other.

While helping plan 2 weddings at one time was busy and certainly blocked off quite a bit of my calendar, now that both weddings are over, I do have to say - I thoroughly cherished every bit of it. I have felt truly honored to stand next to both of these beautiful brides on their special days. It was such a special moment in my life to see both of them take the next step in their lives with two of the most amazing men. So, I figured I'd write a little about each wedding...in honor of the brides and grooms. (Notice the plurals?)

First to tie the knot was Sam and Phil on May 12th at The Salt Lick venue in Driftwood, TX.  What a gorgeous bride my best friend was!!!

It was such a special moment to watch her walk down the aisle and marry the man of her dreams. As she came up to the front and noticed the tears welling up in all four of her bridesmaids' eyes she ordered, "Get it together girls." Much to my surprise, she was the calmest I had EVER seen her!  I felt like a proud momma standing up there as she recited her vows without even the slightest crack in her voice.  Sam and I have been best friends for almost 18 years - it was a strange feeling to watch her do this! I can't think of anyone more perfect for her than Phil. Especially when she told me that he "hops" with her when she gets excited about something - thank goodness he's someone who can take that job! My personal favorite event of the night: Phil's "routine" for the garter toss. I don't know where he learned that, but it was.......... well, it was all Phil. The night was even complete with 3 wedding crashers who asked for money for a cab ride back to Austin when they were kicked out. Seriously?

Next on the wedding list - Kat and Kyle. They were married this past weekend, on May 26th at Ashelynn Manor in Magnolia, TX. Again, my best friends make the most gorgeous brides.

This was a pretty special event. For one, Jonathan and I got to experience being in the wedding together - which was equally honoring for both of us. The four of us have been best friends for a long time. We have learned a lot from each other and have shared some really wonderful memories. As the guests heard in my toast, Jonathan and I were actually the people who "planted the seed" in getting these two cuties together. We didn't have to do much though, they really were meant for each other.  God had a special plan for them 6 years ago, and He has so much more in store for them down the road. There have been some pretty big moments in my life that I would never have made it through without both Kat and Kyle. I am so incredibly happy for the two of them and all that life has in store for them in the future! I have to say, the dance floor at this event was hoppin'!!! We even got my date on the dance floor - those of you who know him will know how much of a milestone that was! It was so great getting to run into some old friends at the wedding. A real Cy-Fair reunion! 

And to top it all off...look what we got!!!!!!!

I would say that we "caught" both of these things, but that wouldn't really paint an accurate picture. If we didn't catch them, we would have been knocked out by them.  It was more like having a target on our chests. Not going to lie, I was greatly appreciative! Can't wait for those pics!

So...that wraps up wedding season for this MOH. Anyone else getting married and looking for a seasoned professional? I only charge a small fee. ;)

What to do with my extra time now!?!?!? Oh wait...grad school here I come!

An Intro to Me

Hello friends!  Welcome to my new blog, Grace and Diamonds.  Let me start with a warning - this is my first attempt at blogging.  Forgive me of my lack of technological creativity, if you will!  I'm starting this in an effort to keep friends and family updated with life happenings, because life is always changing. A little disclaimer on the title, Grace = my middle name and the thing that keeps me going, GOD'S grace. Diamonds = the baseball kind of diamond, not the sparkly kind. Got it?

Let's start with some introductions, shall we?  Here is how my life works...

This is me.

I was born and raised in the fabulous CYP (Cypress, Texas), graduated from Cy-Fair HS (BFND), but most importantly...here it is sports fans:

I am the LOUDEST and PROUDEST member of the FIGHTIN' TEXAS AGGIE CLASS OF 2010.
(whoop!) :o)

After receiving my degree from Texas A&M in Special Education, I set out to pursue my career goal of becoming a speech-language pathologist through the post-bachelorette program at the University of Houston.  Currently, I am finishing up my post-bac year with one more class over the summer. I applied to the U of H graduate program for communication disorders and sciences in February and received a notification of my acceptance in March.  I cannot begin to explain my excitement to begin this program this coming August. Over the past year, my passion and deep interest in this career path has become so strong. Can't wait to have all those letters after my name and start spending every day in a job that I am in love with!

Something else you should know - I am an incredibly blessed girl, which is something I thank the Lord above for each and every day.  He has certainly placed some special people in my life, those of which I cannot imagine life without.
I have a truly amazing, and interesting, family.  My poor parents have YET to become empty nesters - I am living at home again as I make my journey through grad school. Although, I'm not so sure that they aren't halfway avoiding the whole "empty nest" thing!  I have the best big brother a girl could ever ask for and an absolute wide array of aunts, uncles, and cousins - all of them especially unique in their own way. (And when I say unique, I do mean strange as well. :o) )

I also have some pretty awesome, crazy, fun, and beautiful ANGELS for best friends. They have each been there for me through different times in life, each of which I could not have made it through without them. Don't worry, there will be many stories to come!

There's also one other person...some of you may have heard of him?

*sigh*

That's my boo!  Jonathan and I have been together for 7 & 1/2 YEARS.  Yes, that's what I said. 7 & 1/2. Sometimes I still can't believe it's been that long myself.  I feel like just yesterday we were keeping our feelings on the DL because we had different homecoming dates and we didn't want to make things awkward.  What were we thinking? Wasn't high school one big awkward moment anyway!?  

Since then, we've been through ups, downs, and all arounds.  Our love story is a special one.  Isn't everyone's?!

Jonathan is a recent graduate of Mississippi State University, where he majored in Business Administration and was a two year starter as a shortstop on their baseball team.  After coming within a couple of outs from a trip to the College World Series, he completed his college baseball carrier and moved on to play in the Detroit Tigers' organization. Some pretty excruciating injuries brought him to decide that it was time to "hang 'em up" and he returned to Starkville to finish his degree.  Before playing at MSU, Jonathan spent his first two years of college on the Blinn baseball team in Brenham, Texas, where some amazing relationships were started. One of which has brought him to his present position.  Beginning in August, he will become an official member Blinn Baseball's coaching staff as an assistant coach.  As you can imagine, I am one proud girlfriend. I cannot wait for this year to start because I just know that he is going to make one heck of a coach!  Brenham has been a particularly special place for both of us and we are so excited to start a new chapter of our relationship that isn't quite so long distance!  Like I said, God has truly blessed our lives in the most beautiful way!

I'll end this "about me" sesh with some pictures of some other important "beings" in my life....

*Lexi*

*Lucy*

*Ike*

*Tucker*

That's all for now folks. Here's a little message to wrap this one up:

"I thank my God every time I remember you. In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, being confident of this, that He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus."    - Philippians 1:3-6