Las Vegas in Pictures

Sweet friends. I am embarrassed to tell you how many pictures I've posted, but I just could not leave out any! I took far more, and even left all of Madame Tussuad's out, but that has to be a whole post in itself because it is so cool! Anyway, hope you enjoy Girls Weeked '08 in chronological order, in pictures! :)

Friday night on the plane!

Our Girls Weeked Guide!

Sally was missed!

Our fancy hotel room!

You can't have too many dresses, can you?!

Saturday: Off we go...

Free coupons!! (And no, we did not us the 'free beer' ones.)

This is what we looked like the majority of the time!

Our Hotel!

The Bellagio! Gorgeous!

Inside in the garden!

The M&M Factory!

They melt in your mouth, not in your hands!

Paris!

The (so very cool) Venetian Hotel!

Venice!

The Beatles LOVE - Cirque Du Soleil

Dinner at the Cheesecake Factory!

Jen winning some money!

Me...not so much!

Cesar's Palace stairs...

It was gorgeous!

You know we needed a bathroom picture!

The Bellagio at night!

After some delicious PF Changs!

Last day!

Sweet Olive's wrote this for us!

Cheers!

The end.

Viva Las Vegas

Before I begin telling you about an amazing Girls Weekend in Vegas, I have to tell you that I am feeling quite overwhelmed by the blog. You see, May is insane. It always has been, and always will be, but I feel like I have SO much to blog about, and NO time to blog about it. I hope some of you understand.

This month is filled from day to day and weekend to weekend. Two weekends ago was my roommates bachelorette party in Waco. Still haven't blogged about that. Then came girls weekend in Vegas. Just now blogging about that. Tomorrow I graduate from stinkin' college. I totally think that's blog worthy. The next weekend my cousin graduates in Colorado. Then the next weekend my little brother graduates from high school. Oh, but it doesn't stop there. After that my roommate gets married, and then I'm off to Florida. Crazy? I say yes. Do you now see why I am overwhelmed by the blog?

Enough complaining...it's time for all the juicy details. Be aware, this is the unabridged version of Vegas. Pictures will come in a different post! And that post will be dedicated to JUST pictures. I promise.

We left Friday eveningish. Jen and I headed to the airport, checked our bags, then off we went. We, of course, had ourselves a quick meal before getting on the plane, then bought some entertainment (aka magazines) for the ride. We then boarded and all was well. We did have a layover but that was fine and we made it was really perfect timing. Y'all, have you flown Southwest? As if it isn't already the funniest airline, try flying to VEGAS on Southwest. Hilarious. People were hootin' and hollerin' all over the place. Quite the eventful trip, but we were so very entertained. We finally arrived, retrieved our baggage, then waited for sweet Jo to get there, who flew in shortly after us. It was quite the reunion when we were finally together. Laughter started immediately. And of course, immediately we wished for Sally to be with us.

We finally arrived via tram to our gorgeous NY NY Hotel. Oh my gosh. What I loved about the whole city is everything is OVER THE TOP. It was fabulous. Once we got our bags to our (smoking) room (I mean, why do they give you the option online just to have you get there and them tell you all the non-smoking rooms are unavailable. Ugh. I don't understand) but, it really turned out to not be that bad. So we dealt with it. By this time, we were all starving, so we made our way to the restaurant downstairs. It was so convenient. Here is where the (silent) laughter began. Oh my. Our waiter was hilarious/awkward which made for a hilarious meal. Plus, you can't forget about the "pinky charlie horse" I had while eating. This caused me to violently throw my fork and knife down and immediately start laughing. The girls thought something was terribly wrong with me...it was only my cramping pinky. To our stomachs delight, we ended the night and fell fast asleep!

Saturday morning we were up and at 'em. Since we were new to the city, we had A LOT to see. We headed out and thus began our 1289587 mile journey on the strip. Caution: When in Vegas, bring COMFORTABLE, supportive shoes. Not flat Target flip flops. Literally, all day, we walked and took pictures. Walked some more, and took more pictures. We did make it to Madame Tussuad's that day, which was spectacular. It was so worth the entrance fee, well, at least I thought it was. Madame Tussuad's is where they have all the stars (famous people) made out of wax. It is freaky but so very cool. We took pictures with tons of them. And yes, Matthew McConaughey was present. :)

After Madame Tussuad's we realized what time it was and really needed to be heading back to the hotel to get ready for The Beatles LOVE Cirque Du Soleil show. So, we began our hour long hike back to the other end of the strip. Fact: The strip is LONG. You are immediately fooled by all the maps. They make everything look so close together. Then you walk it, and realize how spread out everything is. We made it back, and soaked our feet for a bit, they were disgusting and quite swollen.

We finally were all pretty and dressed up and were on our way to LOVE...in a cab! You want to know the BEST part?

WE HAD FRONT ROW SEATS!!!

Jen's dad, Jack, was so generous to get these tickets for us! So, this is a HUGE shout out to Jack! Thank you, thank you, thank you! We love you and loved the show so much. I still can't stop talking about it...or singing it for that matter!!

After the AMAZING show, we went and at in Cesar's Palace at the Cheesecake Factory. I'm not gonna talk about how were we placed at an awkward table, by an equally awkward statue, but other than that, our time was amazing and our waiter, shout of to David, was so much fun. We were all BFF by the time we left! Our final destination that night was our bed. And, oh, it was a fabulous destination.

Sunday was a more relaxed day. We slept a bit longer, ordered room service for breakfast and then laid by the pool for a good two hours. I did feel a bit guilty because really, my Mom should have been laying by the pool since it was mothers day...but we'll just say I did that in honor of her! Love you, Mom!

After some sun time, we took our showers and so enthusiastically walked our toes off again on the strip. There was still so much to see! So, we walked some more and took some more pictures. Surprised? I didn't think you'd be. :)

That night we decided to get all dolled up again and went and ate a fabulous dinner at PF Chang's. It hit the spot. We were starving by the time we ate and so everything tasted fabulous.

While waiting, we played a few slot machines. I spent my money, lost it all, then decided that gambling wasn't for me. We all only played a few dollars, and just for fun. Jo and I had never experienced that, so it was an adventure. Unfortunately, I lost it all. But Jen redeemed herself and came out ahead. Thankfully, we had enough self-control to stop. But it was still fun!

After dinner that night, we once again, headed back to our delightful hotel to get some shut eye. This is when we had the major discussion about my pregnant looking inflated feet. Go to Jen's blog to see the hilarious video she took of Jo and I. These our are everyday conversations. What's even greater is that we had NO idea she was filming us. It is quite humorous.

Monday was good-bye day. There were mixed emotions about leaving. I wasn't ready to leave because I didn't want to leave my girls and all the fun we were having, yet at the same time, I was ready to get back here to my crazy schedule and start some what of a routine!

We packed our stuff up, checked out, and then left our bags at the hotel while we made one more trek down the strip. We didn't have to leave till later that afternoon, but leaving our bags at the Bell Hop worked out perfectly! Here, we watched the Bellagio Fountains, this time during the day (at night they were BEAUTIFUL!) ate some lunch, and then all shared a dessert at the Olives Restaurant in the Bellagio. They even wrote Girls Weekend 2008 on our plate for us. It was absolutely, hands down, the most precious thing. We all wanted to take our waiter home with us!

After our "closing ceremonies" at Olives, we made it back to our hotel in time to catch the shuttle to the airport. We were beyond exhausted, but so happy that GW08 was a success!

After getting to the airport and checking in, we realized that we might not make our connecting flight in Phoenix, so the Southwest people so generously switched Jen and I to a different, non-stop, flight! We were thrilled! Of course, I panicked to whole ride home because our travels were a bit turbulent, but we made it safe and sound!

We had an ABSOLUTE blast! Seriously, I love those girls. I love that we can all come together, from all different stages of life, and be just the same as we were growing up! These girls mean the world to me. Their friendships are ones that I don't take for granted and are such a huge blessing to me. I love you, sweet friends! Thank you for making Girls Weeked 2008 the best weekend this year!

Off to plan Girls Weeked 2009...

Excitement All Around

HI FRIENDS!!!

Can you sense my excitement with the ALL CAPS beginning?!

There are just a few things that are making my heart so very excited at the moment.

First of all, work has been SO FUN this week. When I arrived to work on Monday they had officially deemed it "Lindsee De Mayo!" There was fun lights up, mariachi music playing, and my desk was all decked out in fiesta things. Too fun. Please do remember that I work with guys. They did this all by them self. All I can say is, "Way to go!" It was just a fun, welcoming day. They even let me pick where we went for lunch. I said one word, "BJ's" Yum. BJ's it was.

I truly forgot how much fun (if that word is allowed) this job is. We laugh all the time. I love it. I do feel like I am here for the summer, but I have to keep reminding myself that this is permanent. I am NOT going back to school in the fall. I don't EVER have to take another final. I don't EVER have to step foot in another class. It's a very odd feeling. Although, come August it will probably feel even stranger. But, we won't talk about that.

Onto the next exciting thing....

I AM LEAVIN' ON A JET PLANE....TOMORROW!!!

Where, you ask?

Well, that is for me to know and for you to find out. This weekend is our 3rd Annual Girls Weeked. And yes, Weeked is spelled right.

All I am sayin' is, "What happens there, stays there!!!!" Take a wild guess where we might be headed?!

Normally, Girls Weeked consists of 4 individuals. Myself, Jen, Joanna, and Sal. I am sad to say that this year Sal will not be joining us. Oh, how we wish she was. I'm not even sure it will be the same without her, but clearly, being in another country presents some travel issues for her. But, all of us know that the Lord has called her elsewhere for this time, and we, of course fully support her and completely understand. We will miss you, Sal. More than you know. And I promise we will be thinking about you every moment. And don't worry, we will share some belly laughs that may include some tears on your behalf. ;)

I am so excited I could bust a gut. GWO6 was amazing. GW07 was divine. GW08? Well, you'll have to wait for that post upon our return. I am sure there will be PLENTY of pictures to bore you with.

Until then...I've got to get movin' and make myself a packing list. If not, nothing will get accomplished.

Have a FABULOUS weekend, sweet friends.

Relax, have a belly laugh or two!

Here Goes Nothin' (Or Somethin' I Guess)

Just checking in for a brief moment to let you all know that my FIRST DAY OF WORK is TOMORROW!

(This would be me freaking out!)

I can't believe it's already here! Tomorrow begins the next, new journey!

Some emotions I'm feeling? Excited. Anxious. Scared. Joyful. Relieved. Tired. Inadequate. Encouraged. Content. And so many more that I can't even put into words. I know these are all sorts of emotions, but they are all so true!

Have I ever told y'all about God's perfect timing and preparation for this job? Let me just brag on the Lord for a bit.

First of all, girls ministry has always been such a joy in my heart. Even while in high school I loved loving on the younger girls, and yet, I was so intrigued by the older ones. When it came to serving in my youth group, there was hands down, no questions asked. I was there. I wanted to serve. I wanted to be apart of it.

So, I did just that. I started serving.

There was something quite unique about all of this though. You see, our youth group has always been mainly student led. I guess you could say it's "for the students, by the students!" Yes, the youth pastors have done a fabulous job leading us, but they have loved just assisting the students and helping them grow their leadership abilities. When I got into Jr. High, our Jr. High youth pastor left, leaving our group empty handed. The search was on. During the "search" we had some amazing adult youth workers that stepped up to the plate and served where they were needed and really just loved on all of us. They finally found a Jr. High youth pastor right at the end of our 8th grade year.

We were all thrilled to move into high school because we were excited about having Greg as our high school youth pastor. He was great! Well, low and behold, he left the December of our Freshman year. Leaving us, yes, empty handed yet again. We were sad but were excited for Greg's new adventures. Thus, began the search, yet again, this time for a high school youth pastor.

During all of this time a sweet lady, Lauri, had been working with student ministries doing the administrative stuff. Yet, she also ministered to the girls on the side. She was fabulous. I so looked up to her and wanted to get to know her, but she was so busy! I truly thought she had the coolest job! Our search ended I think around the middle of my sophomore year and we had a youth pastor, finally! The timing though didn't quite work out and he ended up leaving a year later! I know, I am making our church sound like people come and go all the time. Needless to say, my class wasn't blessed with having a youth pastor. Yes, we had some AMAZING youth workers, but we were sad not to have that consistency.

The one consistency you ask? Yes, my friend Lauri. Could there be anyone more amazing? I think not. This girl stepped up to the plate during all the 'searches' and truly did everything she possibly could for our youth group. She worked so hard! And Lauri, I hope you know it DID NOT go unnoticed.

Finally, my senior year, I was blessed to have her as my small group leader. And y'all, she doesn't "beat around the bush", she means business! She challenged all of us to love the Lord like no other and was a true example to us. I can say that that year was when I "bloomed!"

After serving 10 years at our church, she too, left after our senior year. As sad as I was I knew that the Lord was calling her elsewhere, and frankly, I'd already had my fair share, so I figured I should share the wealth. ;) But, I did learn so much from her. I think our senior year Jen and I spent almost every waking moment with her, doing anything and everything!

After she left is when the church realized that having that 'girl' leader is so vital. There are just so many things that young girls need that a youth pastor simply cannot give. And vise versa.

Soon after, they hired Jessica. She was fabulous, just graduated from Moody Bible Institute and was ready for this job! She was great. The girls loved her, and she got the ball rollin' again! That is, until she got engaged and her beloved fiance' was moved her to Ohio last November. I think you know what I'm gonna say, yes, another search.

Here is where the Lord comes in. (Ha! As if he hasn't been here the whole time!) You see, I am on the 5 year plan. If I would have graduated on time, it would have been last spring, like everyone else. But, sweet SHSU has quite the program for us education majors, thus, pushing my graduation back to this May. At first I was highly annoyed. Who isn't? When everyone else is graduating you wish so bad to walk across that stage too. But, all was well, I only had one year and I would be done!

So, I did my year, and here I am.

Friends, do you see?! Had I have graduated on time, this position would have never been offered to me. At the time, last May, Jessica wasn't even engaged. There was no talk of her leaving in the near future. So, I would have graduated, and then most likely gotten a job as a teacher.

But, I am graduating this May. There is no one in that position. In my heart I always thought about this job. I thought, hmmm, I wonder if they would even consider me?! But, I kept my mouth shut. I knew they would have had to wait a long time to hire me, and really, they wanted someone sooner.

But, the Lord IS good, and faithful, and undoubtedly, his timing IS perfect. He DOES know they desires of our hearts and he CAN do more than we can imagine. Amen?

So, here I am. Starting this position tomorrow. Doing what Lauri did, and doing it after looking up to her so much.

In the past the Lord has shut some doors on different girls positions, but, he has clearly opened some. He knew what He was doing.

And, as if He isn't faithful enough, you wanna' know the funnest part? About 2 weeks ago I was introduced at church. You want to know who was there? LAURI! Y'all, I never mentioned she moved to Florida and just happened to be in town for a wedding. Yes, she knew about me taking this job, but had no idea I was being introduced. You should have seen the delight on my face when I saw her and then got to hug her. Because, little did both of us know that she has been training me this whole time. All through high school. It has come full circle.

And boy, do I have some big shoes to fill! Lord, help me!

The Lord IS good. Yes, it is so fun to brag on Him!

Off to bed, I better get my beauty sleep! ;)

Love you all so very much!

It's Only the Beginning

It's official. I am no longer a student teacher. Weird. Very wierd.

Oh, but my heart is elated. Can you believe that the only 'college' thing I have left is the culminating conference tomorrow?! Then I am a free woman.

Oh. My. Gosh.

In a normal situation I would ask, "What am I going to do with myself now?" Oh, but wait, I start work THIS monday, so I know exactly what I will be doing. I will become a working girl! I am so excited. Is it really legal to be THAT excited about starting work even before you are a college graduate? Maybe I should take my temperature. ;)

Yes, it is then end of my ever-so-long-awaited-5-year-college-expereience to be over.

But, there is always an ending, and then a beginning. This is only the beginning for the REST OF MY LIFE!

My mentor teacher and kids showered me with gifts. Seriously. They did TOO much! I am so blessed to have had 2 AMAZING mentor teachers. I wish I could do more for them! I am just hoping they know how much I appreciated everything they did for me. My heart was so full.

When I arrived to school on my last day, my teacher had a little table decorated with:

A Diet Coke...FROM SONIC!! :)A Sonic gift card!
Funfetti Cupcakes...my ABSOLUTE favorite. I know, an almost 23 year old is in love with Funfetti.
HUGS. Need I say more?! And last, but CERTAINLY not least. A GAP gift card. I was shocked...and still am.
Not only was it filled with all those goodies, she also put tons of candy in my bag to match the themes we had done while I was there! PRECIOUS.

My favorite, you ask? Oh my, the precious book they made for me. Know that I will be sharing it with you. You know I can't resist sharing some 5 year old love.

Y'all, not only did I get an amazing teacher, but all of this goes to show you how much she listens! All of these things are my favorite, and she knew! She was so generous!

I seriously do not take any of this expereicne for granted. Teachers have a hard, hard job. So much of me still wishes I could be buying cutsie things for my own classroom next year. I think I will always feel this way. It's just comes natural to me! But, the Lord has other plans for me, and I am thrilled!! I know one day I will have my own classroom, and when that time comes, I will be even more grateful for the wonderful experience I had student teaching.

Until then, I guess I'll have to buy cutsie things for my new office!!! Ahhhh!!!!

To my wonderful mentor teachers, thank you, thank you, thank you for the wonderful student teaching experience you gave me. Not everyone is so blessed!