I’m Thankful For…

These guys. And not just these pictured, but for all the young men in my youth/CnC group. They annoy me and tease me. They make me laugh, cry, and want to shoot them (or myself). But they challenge me to be better. They inspire me to give everything that I’ve got. I’m proud of them. These guys are cool and I consider myself very blessed to have them in my lives. Even though they probably wish that I wasn’t a part of their lives. Too bad. Haha

Typical Andrew

Jonathan, attempting to succeed at the “Lauren Face”…He is working on it.

Mr Caleb was always one to hide under his desk in elementary school, in an attempt to dodge the camera. Let’s just say that I was surprised to find this on my phone. haha

 

See?

 

I’m Thankful For…

I’m thankful for my little friends. They make life precious and I’m grateful for the opportunities that I’ve had to be a part of their lives! They all have special places in my heart. ❤

Ms. NoraKate

Ms. Brylee Jo

I love my girls!

Precious Bria Marie

Kayla and Bo…he was laughing.

Britton enjoying his first youth carwash

Sweet Riley…such a miracle baby!

Mr. Fred…He loves it when I call him that. (His name is actually Micah but don’t tell him that I know that)

Breck and JoJo

Carter D

Teaching Britton about life.

JoJo trying to get me to pose

Audrey and Peyton.

I’m Thankful For…

Let’s be honest.-I’m way too blessed to list EVERYTHING that I am thankful for. Seriously. But I’m particularly appreciative of certain ones.

I’m thankful for my mom.

My momma and myself. #twins

My mom is pretty awesome. And by “pretty”, I mean, incredibly and overwhelmingly so. She has taught me SO much and there is no way that I could ever repay her. Ever. She is supermom, ya’ll. More than just being a mom, she has been a friend, an example, a teacher, a worrier, a leader, and someone who gets me in trouble. 😉  We get comments ALL the time about how alike we are. In looks, in speech, in facial expressions, in the way we deal with things, in our humor.-All sorts of things. And I take that as one of the highest compliments.

Several people have told me that they are envious of our relationship. (I’ve had people tell me that about my relationship with everyone in my family, honestly.) They say things like “I love watching ya’ll interact. Like, you both know your place but you have so much fun. You both act crazy and have a good time but she is still the mom and you’re still the daughter.” or “Man, I wish my mom and I could hang out like that. Like, it isn’t even awkward. Ya’ll goof off and crack jokes and talk about everything under the sun. And it isn’t even weird. It’s like ya’ll are friends or something…” or “I always thought your mom was intimidating. I had no idea how she had a daughter that was so crazy and funny…but then I was with you the other day. My heavens, she is hilarious! You just feed off each other and it’s so much fun. You guys act just alike and I had no clue! Like, when we all went over to your house, your mom was right there with us, hanging out and making jokes. It was awesome.” I generally respond with something about how that person can have a good relationship with their parent too.-and it doesn’t have to look exactly like mine. But it makes me realize how thankful I ought to be for this sort of relationship. We goof, we joke, we have a good time. We talk, we cry, we argue, and we love each other. And that is what makes it special.

Tornados call for selfies whilst having “bonding time” with the family in a closet. 😛

Ya’ll, that is real talk. My mom is the mom that hangs out with us and doesn’t make it weird. She has quirks and does things that make me absolutely crazy. (Seriously.) But she is amazing and I’m glad that people think we are alike.

I’m thankful for my mom.

Te amo mamá. ❤

xoxo

Lighting Fast Catch Up…

All of my fellow Adventures in Odyssey listeners should’ve gotten that reference.

Y’all. Two words.

Good. Intentions.

Really. I actually DID have them! Ha! I’ve been so busy lately that I’ve scarcely had time to eat. (Who am I kidding? This ol’ gal can EAT!)

Honestly though. It has been very busy. Its the third week of school and I’m drowning in homework, highlighters, and sleep deprivation. Too much time has definitely not been an issue! I have no idea how it is going to work when ACBS starts (on Monday!!), but I do know that I’m going to be doing really good to keep my head above water!

That being said, taking seventeen hours of classes, working part-time, being involved in my church, and basic housework/hygiene (because ain’t nobody got time for anything fancy!), means that blogging will not be my utmost priority. (Let’s be honest.-when has it ever??) Anyway, this is my apology in advance.

I hope everyone has as much fun and excitement with their day-to-day life as I am having… Or maybe not. That kind of wouldn’t be a blessing. Ha!

Xo

 

It Has Been A While…

Y’all. Its been forever. I’ve missed you.

I’m sorry that its been so long.-things have been crazy.-and when they weren’t crazy (which is rare), I lacked any motivation to post. But I’ve thought of you often and tried to think of something to post about. Pretty much the only thing that I have come up with, is playing catch up…hopefully that will bring some inspiration to write. *crosses fingers*

Playing catch up is going to take a while and will have to be in several posts. 1) There is a lot to catch up on and 2) I don’t have time to sit and write an incredibly long post about everything that has been going on. And I doubt you’d want to stick through a post for THAT LONG. Ugh. Just thinking about it makes me want a nap.

Anyway, here is a list of some of the big things that have happened since my last post:

1. LCA 2016 Graduation
2. My brother graduated from ACBS (Apostolic College of Biblical Studies)
3. My brother graduated from TCC with his ASSOCIATES in SCIENCE
4. My brother officially has become an OSU student. #woopwoop
5. I turned nineteen. Basically, I’m ancient.
6. I went to Illinois with my brother for a fun little jot to see some family and take a breather for a few days.
7. My parents went on their dream vacation to Alaska/Canada/Oregon and Washington Coast. (They had a lot of fun and got some breathtaking photos!)
8. We had our youth carwash and yard sale…I got sun burned so bad!
9. I got a new job.
10. I GOT A SCHOLARSHIP!!!
11. I learned to ice skate. I’m no medalist but I can get around. I’m proud of this. haha
12. Vacation Bible School hosted by The Lighthouse Church
13. The Lighthouse Church; Youth Camp (which was an…adventure…)
14. We got more cows! Now we have Amethyst, Leonard, Penelope, and Theodore.
15. Summer Heritage in Colorado Springs
16. ADMIT conference (THIS WEEK!!!

There are a lot of other events that have happened since March that I didn’t list for various reasons but trust me, its been busy! I hosted a reception for all of the ACBS graduates,  helped with a surprise party for Trent’s TCC graduation, and, at the last minute, I got to play organizer for the ACBS graduation which included directing the graduates down the aisle. Not a huge deal, but I think I was more nervous than the graduates. haha 😀  I literally got this assignment RIGHT BEFORE THE MUSIC STARTED so I had no time to figure out how to make it efficient. I was a teensy bit stressed. 😛  It went well, thankfully!

I’ll probably make an entire post just for my scholarship, but I’m so excited about it that I HAD to go ahead and at least talk about it a little…

1. It’s an absolute miracle. No lie. I’ll go into details more on the actual post but let’s suffice it to say that I got to apply for this scholarship AFTER the deadline was up, I just found out that I had absolutely ZERO financial aid, and it is way more than I deserve. God is faithful.
2. The scholarship is called “Bridging the Gap” and is specifically for those majoring in childhood development and education. It is a HUGE blessing to anyone who gets it. It covers books, fees, tuition, tutors, etc.-everything except a ten dollar copay per credit hour. Basically, its a full ride scholarship that will bend over backwards to help you succeed. And THAT is amazing. I’m so honored to be a part!
3. The people. WOW. They are some of the sweetest, most caring, most helpful people that you’ll ever meet. No lie. They have helped me SO much. They give you everything you could possibly need to succeed and are always there for guidance and advice. Easy to talk to, quick to communicate, all that stuff that EVERY college student wants but most, unfortunately, don’t get to experience. They are amazing! So: Linda, Melinda, and Amber…if you ever read this: YOU ROCK!

Anyway, I’ll try to keep playing catch up and hopefully get inspired to do some serious blogging. (Though it won’t be this week because ADMIT is here…I’ll explain what ADMIT is and why it is so important in another post.)

Thanks for reading along and stay tuned! 🙂

xo,

Miss Lauren Nicole

Wowzas…

The title is pretty irrelevant, but I wonder what it would be like if I had an eastern accent. You know, turning my ‘-er’s into ‘-aah’s? Example: Forevah, nevahmind, watah, pahfume, etc… I’m generally told that I “don’t really have an accent”, but on a few occasions, people have complimented my accent. One of those times, I was at one of the malls here in Tulsa with Brooklyn; the lady was from North Africa. Apparently I am easily amused. Ha!

Anyway, pardon my prattling on.

It’s been a long time since I posted. Too long. I’ve been working on Bible College homework and studying for Midterms next week. Which doesn’t seem possible at all, but time flies, right?

One big thing on my agenda is our Easter Drama at church. I’m playing a few parts and I’m so excited about it! God really spoke through our drama last year, even during the rehearsals. A young man in our church had injured his back at work and couldn’t function because of it.-I have no idea how he got to practice or why he came because he could barely walk. Anyway, we were rehearsing and God started touching us. That young man ended up healed and perfectly fine. It was amazing! That being said, I’m so excited to see how God will touch us this year.

Here a some photos just so this post will feel more worthwhile. 😉 I know I’ve said it before, but I’m reeeally, really going to try to do better with my blogging. Really. *crosses fingers and squeezes eyes shut*

Brylee Jo holding Hannah

Brittany and Hannah

Leonel…hehe

Pastoral Anniversary Setup

Pastor and Sis. Howard at the surprise event

Jeriah, brother to Leonel…can you tell?

JoJo and Yours Truly

He finally came home!

Birthday Buddies

Me and my girls. ❤

My valentines…

Ms. Kelsi. Love her MUCHO!!

Jeremy and I took a photo together. My home folks will get the distance between us…and myself…I was about to fall on the ground from laughing. Obviously. Ha!

View from the church

Gorgeous sunset while failing at riding bikes…long story

Same sunset

It’s always a joy to have Cara in town!

We went to see Tim Hawkins!

 

Is He Really That Old?!

That is what people ask after they us after a long time. They ask how old we are and then question us as if maybe we have gotten our own ages incorrect due to some random problem. Like no, I remember how old I am, thanks for your concern. -But that is a different story. 😉

Today, my sweet brother turns twenty-one. TWENTY-ONE!! He is practically a grandpa, goodness.

Those of you who actually know us, know that Trenton and I are pretty close. Especially for siblings. We actually get quite a bit of commentary on it. “Do you all EVER argue?!” “So you’re really friends? But he/she is your brother/sister!” “That is so weird! You guys just….get along like you’re friends or something!” “I hope my kids are like that someday!” “I could never be friends with my brother. Ever. He is just too annoying. Maybe if he was like Trent but not the way he is now…” etc.

This photo is very old. I would say perhaps 2011?

We  honestly don’t argue very often, but yes, we argue. Everyone argues regardless whether they are siblings or not. It’s called being human and having a different opinion. Trent makes me upset or frustrated sometimes and I’m sure I do the same for him. (I don’t get mad often. It really takes a lot to make me angry, but Trent has done that before too!) However, we work through it. Just like you would with your friend or coworker or anyone else. We have fun together, we spend time together when we can, we tell stories and jokes, we play games (and pranks!) together. We are friends. In fact, we often stay up for a little bit before we go to bed and talk upstairs. We will laugh and be funny, or we will have a serious conversation. Whatever. Trenton is my brother AND my friend. I wouldn’t have it any other way. (He is one of my most favorite people ever. I mean that.)

So, Trenton Cole, I hope your birthday is great and you live long and prosperously…cause I’ll probably still be hanging around bugging you. 😉 I love you big much. ❤

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A Taste of My Saturday

As most of you all probably know, I live in Oklahoma. You know how you visit states and the locals talk about how random the weather is (stay here 5 minutes and the weather will have changed, etc.)? Yeah well that is actually true here. Seriously. Its ridiculous. It gets SO hot (and yes, we all know Arizona gets hotter by degree, but let me tell you something honeybun, 110 with 98% humidity will win against 115 with no humidity every time!), it gets freezing cold. It rains like we are in the mountains and it gets dry like we are in a desert. Tornadoes. Oh how we Okies love us some good ol’ tornado weather. Most people don’t understand this so let me try to explain; there is something about the atmosphere right before a tornado. It feels coiled like a spring, crouched like a cat ready to pounce. Its amazing. The colors look alive, the sky starts getting dark and you can hear the thunder rolling for miles. Its incredible. We don’t like the damage that tornadoes bring, the devastation to so many lives, but we love the feel of that charged breeze on our face right before the strong winds hit. We got respect for them for sure, but we like that feeling…most of us. haha Anyway, that is where I live.

We’ve been having crazy wind and a lot of fires around here lately. It hadn’t really affected ME however, until yesterday. One of our neighbors had a prescribed burn going and it got windy. BOOM, it was crazy. Ended up spreading onto about 5 different people’s property and caught some hay on fire. My dad and I came out of the barn on our 4wheeler to check the mail and saw smoke. Dad mentioned it was a bad day to be burning and I had already decided it was too much smoke for it to be okay. Sure enough, the house across the road from us had a roaring fire getting their hay. They were running the horses out of the back pasture and trying to get to the next house to warn them. I jumped off the 4wheeler to get my mom so we could help and dad went on ahead to start getting water on it. By the time I got back (maybe 2 minutes of being gone? I ran all the way back to the house. Which is a bit of a distance) it was about to get to two things. 1) the next house 2) the tree line. Either one would’ve been disastrous. Literally the whole valley would’ve probably gone up in smoke, especially since we lost so many trees to the drought that we have been in for the last several years. Thankfully the firemen got there soon enough to prevent that. We lost all of that hay (it was quite a bit) but everyone is safe, the animals are all safe, and the homes are as well. I’m pretty sure I got about a year’s worth of cardio though. Ha! Anything exciting happen over your weekend??

I’ll have to upload the photos some other time but that was a small taste of my weekend. It has been super long because my brother is in Arizona (he had to play for a wedding). He has been there since Wednesday and I am ready for him to come home! I miss him so much. I’m glad that we are so close but its cons are that we miss one another a ton when one of us abandons the other. (Yes Trenton, I feel abandoned. *sob* 😉 ) Thank you for reading this long and rambling post! 🙂

 

xo

Quick Word(s)

I have been absent mucho lately. Obviously. Most of this is due to the fact that I am transitioning and getting settled and so blogging is not of utmost import at this moment. However, I did promise an explanation for my abrupt ‘break’ from blogging a little while back. Without going into details, I faced a bit of a personal security threat (read: stalker) and thought it best to kinda lay low for a bit. It was pretty frightening at times but it seems to be taken care of. So, now that we are safe and sound, hopefully I can get some blogging done!

Thank you all for your patience and understanding during this random leave of absence. It was a bit stressful and all that jazz but I’m thankful that it has been taken care of!

Off to the blogging races! Ciao!

xo

Photo Stinkin’ Overload

You’ve been warned. You’re welcome.

Here are the photos that I promised…(I thought that I had more but apparently they are in hiding. Which could very well be a good thing. ha!)

 

Mel, Mallory, Brooklyn, and Myself. Mel and Mallory were ‘Kate Spade-ing’ together and I had left my bag by my seat so I jumped in with a coat…making it work. 😉

Elevator photos are a tradition with my youth group. There were some unwilling individuals in this particular elevator. I pray the Lord touches them…Ha!

Andrew was attempting (successfully) to photobomb a photo…instead it looks like we are having a prayer meeting.

Mel and I with some young people from Pastor Ham’s church in Louisiana. Such fun, wholesome young people!

Mel, Madison, and I. (Check out Madison’s hoodie! He is going to school to pilot helicopters!)

Francisca and I! (Yes her name is actually Brooklyn)

 

Now for some random photos because who doesn’t like photos?!

Underground tunnels in Tulsa with some of my girls. ❤

Trenton and I…We were actually kinda cute!

Trent and I before school. He is so cute!

When dad graduated from Bible College….I don’t recall the year at the moment.

And again. Trenton and I are also going to Bible College and I LOVE it!

Kaylen, Kristen and I…I laugh when I see this photo!

And again. 😉

Kaylen and I. I miss her. Come back Kaylen!

Kaylen, Brecklin, and I at practice for the Easter Drama

Bless his heart.

Ms. NoraKate as a teensy little thing. ❤

‘Hepzibah’ and ‘Sarah’ waiting for their cue.

Mr. President. Yes I am holding his chocolate milk. haha

Mi Padre and I went camping over Labor Day. The cones were there because of the flooding. And I’m pretty sure I was laying in the tent when I took this photo. Ha!

Trent was sick and couldn’t do our pre-church selfie. So Kaylen helped me out. 😉

CnC. I love these people. *I was shoving Trent only because he tickled me. 😉

One final thought.

Those are some of my favorite 2015 moments and while they probably don’t seem to be related, they are pretty much in order. Except of course for the photos of Trent and I as children. Tune back in later and I’ll try to have the rest of my promised update!

 

xo