Like father, like daughter.

I love my daddy on earth like I love my Father in heaven.

If anyone ever asked me about my daddy, I would try to talk about him for hours. I would talk about his incredible commitment to serving the Lord, his heart for others, how I am the biggest daddy's girl on the face of the earth, and how he is a 23 year old inside a 45 year old man's body. I would tell you about how hard he works to support our huge family, about how much I adore him, our similar personalities, how his leadership has shaped me as a young woman, and about how he walks around on his hands and loves to ride around on his unicycle. I would think back and smile remembering when I was  little and he would fly me around on his hands and then drop me on my bed so I would almost bounce back up to the ceiling. I couldn't ever wait until bedtime. Then, he would be accompanied by my beautiful mother and we would say our prayers and sing a bedtime song. 

You are my sunshine, my only sunshine. You make me happy when skies are gray. You'll never know dear how much I love you. Please don't take my sunshine away. 

The relationship I have with my parents is a gift from the Lord. Sometimes, I look at how my friends and peers interact with their parents and I realize how blessed I am. For example, a few semesters ago I was going through an extremely difficult time. I went to bed in tears and woke up the same way. I stared at my phone for 10 minutes trying to decide on whether or not I wanted to call my momma. I knew if I called her she would make me feel better and she would begin praying for me without hesitation. However, I also knew that calling her would involve me talking to her, which was something I definitely didn't feel like doing. After going back and forth in my mind for quite a while and contemplating what I wanted to do, my phone begins to ring. Can you guess who it was? Yep, it was momma. As soon as I answered, she knew something was wrong. "Aly, what is it"? While on the phone with her, my daddy texted me. It read: DLA mucho! DLA meaning Daddy loves Aly, which is something we have said to each other for years as a little reminder we are thinking about each other. Momma and I talked for about half an hour and before we hung up I asked her, "Mom, why did you call?" She didn't know. She said that she just had a feeling that I needed her. Maybe it was a mother's instinct?  I believe that it was Christ. He knew what I needed. I needed comfort and prayer when I was doubting Him in my life.  

After talking to my parents last night on Skype, I was thinking about how crazy much I miss them and about how amazing they are. The thing is, I never actually say anything. I know how incredible my daddy is, but does he? It's about time I told him. 

"Love God, your God, with your whole heart: love him with all that's in you, love him with all you've got. Write these commandments that I've given you today on your hearts. Get them inside of you and then get them inside your children. Talk about them wherever you are, sitting at home or walking in the street; talk about them form the time you get up in the morning to when you fall into bed at night. Tie them on your hands and foreheads as a reminder; inscribe them on the doorposts of your homes and on your city gates". 

        -Deuteronomy 6:5-9

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Ecclasiastes 4:9

To say that I miss this girl is a super understatement.

It's hard to explain our friendship to people. I almost don't even get it. Especially considering that I met her less that a year ago and she WILL be my best friend for life. Without a doubt. Our brains are in sync, we believe in the same things, we act alike, we have the same sense of humor and are both in love with music. My whole life I have struggled with friendships. It never made sense to me how people who were my best friends were the first to turn their backs. My favorite thing about Chelsea? That will never happen with this girl. 

That hardest part of our friendship is that she now lives about 3 hours away from me.  I guess that this is technically my fault since I moved to UMHB from College Station. Sometimes I wish I didn't love my Crusaders so much so that I would be miserable and move back. Now, I just couldn't do that. =))

"The most beautiful discovery true friends make is that they can grow separately without growing apart". -Elisabeth Foley

Last time I went to Montgomery, you couldn't have wiped the smile off my face even if you tried.

Best friends for life. Straight up. 

Rewind back to the weekend.

This morning, waking up for class was one of the most difficult things I have had to do in quite a while. Maybe it was because we stayed up everyday this weekend until about 7 am, maybe not. Who knows? (completely sarcastic)  However, it was completely worth it.

I was worried on Friday because I was about to spend a weekend with about 7 people that I didn't know very well, inserting myself into their close circle of friends. It all started out with one good car ride. We were expecting to be driving for about 2 1/2 hours. It only took about 2 1/2 minutes until I knew that I loved every one of them.  

I didn't stop laughing one time this weekend. For example, we drove through Jack in the Box thinking that we would be driving through quickly so we could finally be on our way to Cypress. WRONG. It took about 15 minutes for us to order. They wouldn't accept Jessica's coupons, Tim was about to slap the ignorant lady, Brooklyn just wanted one simple cheeseburger yet couldn't find one, and the lady working there was ordering things for us and telling us that that was what we wanted.  It was so bad that the lady in the vehicle behind us got out and came to ask if we were having any problems. (with a complete attitude of course. It wasn't our fault!)  That total of 25 minutes in the drive thru had me just about peeing in my pants. 

The next 2 1/2 hours were spent with Brooklyn and I finding out how crazy alike we are! Every time either one of us began to speak and tell a story, it was quickly responded with a "Holy crap, no way! Me too" by the other. Then we would just laugh for about 5 minutes every time we said anything, mainly because it was exactly what the other was thinking. 

I officially have a new nickname given to me by Jared Cash, declaring it as my wrestling name, "Salty Cracker". I didn't know how I originally felt about it, but now I for sure I love it. Especially because I can hold up a saltine to my shirt and say that it is my name tag.  Jonathan and Jared are SET on his sister and I wrestling one another. I refused every single time, but it's fun to pretend like it will happen. =))

My favorite part of the weekend was one fantastic talk with one fantastic person. That's all I'm gonna say about that. =))

Every single day spent in Cypress was sooooo happy. I wish I could have had hidden a tiny camera on my shirt so that I could have recorded everything that happened. Everyone deserves to have been laughing as hard as we all did. We probably ended up gaining about a year in age from all of our endorphins. These are my new favorite people. =)) 

"Let me give you a new command: Love one another. In the same way I have loved you, you love one another. This is how everyone will recognize that you are my disciples-when they see the love you have for each other."  -John 13:34-35

Precious People.

So, today I was eating my weekly Subway lunch with Lauren (ritual, tradition... I can't remember the word that I want to use) and she was talking about a blog that she follows that picks a person once a week and talks about how awesome that person may be. SOOOO my bright mind decided that I wanted to tell the world how SIMPLY AMAZING Lauren Ashton Rodriguez is.

This hot mama is quite possibly one of my newest favorite people. Hands down.

Let me give you a few reasons why:

• Her heart for the Lord.
• Her sweet personality. 
• Best lunch buddy ever. 
• She loves Justin Beiber. 
• I know her secrets. =))
• She casts no judgement.
• She is hystericallllll. 
• She watches The Secret Life. 

Lauren, where have you been all my life? Oh, goodness me. 

Loving with all that I have.

Living at UMHB over the summer is the most absolutely, positively, amazing thing EVER. Although I wish that I was here just enjoying my summer with my sweet, sweet friends instead of lame-o school, I still just love it. (and yes I just used an adjective twice to describe the same word)  I was originally worried about how it would be living with someone that I had never met. However, our good Lord works in mysterious ways. She went to TCU (which many people know was the first college that I attended) AND is also a dancer.  And she is just straight-up cool. Who would have thought he would put me with someone with so many qualities that related her to me? Definitely not I. I'll say it again, He is just so so good.

Today is also an extremely happy day because I passed my first nursing test with flying colors! (Worst analogy ever, I know) My grade was higher than any of my other tests last semester, which is an amazing answer to prayer. There is no way that I am going to be able to say that I did that by myself. Everything that I do, is through Him.

It's nice knowing that I am finally where I belong. What took me so long??

Not too much at once. FALSE.

People always say that God won't give you more than you can handle. I have even told that to my friends who have struggled. However, when those words are spoken to me, it almost doesn't seem possible. Having not succeeded after a whole semester of nursing and now having to stuff the same classes in one month? Almost impossible. There is only one way that I am going to be able to do it. FAITH. 

Faith that I am taking these classes for a reason. If I'm not supposed to be a nurse, He will tell me.
Faith that He will give me strength.
Faith in my desire to be a nurse and my heart for helping people who can't help themselves.

Sometimes I begin to worry that my decisions in school and my future have been based on what I have wanted. That the calling I thought I heard, was myself. I don't want to live my life doing what I want. I want to be a light in working because it is what HE wants for me.

Then, after I start feeling insecure, wanna know what I do? I pray.


Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened. 
                     -Matthew 7:7-8