25th Birthday

Wow! For starters, I am one blessed young lady. My family and friends really went above and beyond to make my birthday very special this year!

To kick everything off, Brandon had planned to come to Little Rock on Friday when I got off work to take me out to dinner and a movie. Due to the fact that he is a terrible liar, I really suspected that something was up... For starters, he told me he was giving me my birthday present that night! SO, as we were getting ready to leave, we were discussing which movie to see. It was then that he handed me his phone to show me the e-mail receipt for the 2 Jason Alean/Eric Church concert tickets!! I was so happy, (even if I wasn't all that surprised)! He is such a thoughtful and caring guy!

The view from our seats of Mr. Jason Aldean singing

After dinner at my favorite restaurant, Carino's, we headed to Alltel Arena. It was when we began walking down to our seats that I realized we were on the 6TH ROW, right next to the stage!! WOW, what a birthday present! We both really enjoyed ourselves and the concert was great! Both Eric Church and Jason Aldean did an incredible job. I loved singing along to the songs and swaying to the music next to the sweetest guy in the arena. =)

This is on our way out, so we could beat the traffic! What a fun night!

The next night, I celebrated with my family. My family, Mamaw, Papaw, Bo, Brandon, and Dusty were all there to celebrate. Brandon and Dusty grilled burgers and we all enjoyed eating them along with the chips and salsa that Leah made. For dessert, Mamaw brought 2 pies: coconut and pecan, and Leah had made me a birthday cookie cake! So, after dinner had settled for a bit, it was time to light the candles... As Leah lit them, she felt the need to share that it now took two boxes to fit my age on the cake, and I stated that maybe it was time to get the numbered candles, a #2 and a #5. Well, Leah got them all lit and everyone began to sing...

As it was time to blow out the candles, I leaned toward the cake, made my wish, and began to blow them out...

In a split second everyone's faces went into shock, and the next thing I knew, Brandon was messing with my hair. When everyone could finally speak, they shared that my hair had gotten a little close to the candles and quickly went up in a flame. As a gut reaction, Brandon had grabbed the flame and quickly put it out before I even knew what was going on!

Wow, what a close call!!! Thanks to him, only a few tips fell out, and the candle-blowing resumed. How's that for my "golden" birthday?! Mom quickly stated that from now on we will be using the # candles instead of so many! After everyone calmed down from the near catastrophe, we all enjoyed the desserts.

Next, it was time to open gifts. From mom and dad I got a sewing machine storage case, a calender from Compassion International, 2 Tyler candles, a Scentsy "fleur de lis" warmer and several scented waxes for it, the Love Comes Softly movie collections, and a small framed verse with Micah 6:8. Mamaw and Papaw gave me money and Bo gave me a very cute Precious Moments figurine called, "Pretty as a Picture". I loved every single gift! They all know me VERY well.

After dinner we enjoyed playing cards and visiting. Later on, Ashley and Chris stopped by on their way home to give me my gift. They gave me a cute scarf and thank-you cards, and 2 blank canvases to paint. Their gift was really thoughtful and I am so thankful to have such good friends that know me so well!

SO, finally the BIG DAY arrived...and very early! I had to be at my clinical at 6:30, which meant waking up at 5! But thanks to my sweet roommates, I woke up to the following..

"Happy Birthday" signs lining my path to the kitchen to start my coffee..

And these on my mirror while I was getting ready! They had snuck

in my room while I was asleep to put them up! They are SO sweet!

My day at the clinic went along rather uneventful... My CI, Sheila, had me a sweet card that the other two PTs had signed. Thankfully, the work day went by fast, and I was looking forward to a fun night that Leah and Tasha had planned: movie and dinner! Little did I know, (actually, I kinda did b/c he's a terrible liar) Mr. Brandon Lyon was at my door with flowers ready to welcome me home and join in on the night's festivities! =)

My flowers were SO pretty! I love Gerber Daisies!

I think we make a pretty cute couple!

The four of of: Tasha, Leah, Brandon, and I went to the new Conway movie theater and saw the movie, "The Dilemma". It was a romantic comedy and we all really liked it and laughed it alot! This was my first movie in the new theater and I was very impressed! After the movie we headed over to TGIFriday's to meet Jill and Dane for dinner. I'm so thankful for my friends and we enjoyed a very tasty supper and catching up on the latest happenings! SINCE it was my birthday, they had the wait staff sing me "happy birthday", and I got a very yummy birthday ice cream! (to go along with my vanilla bean cheesecake)

It was SO good!

We had a brief photoshoot outside TGIFriday's to capture the end of a great day!

Love my sister. She is always there for me no matter what, and

she really worked hard to make my birthday special!

Jill and I! I'm SO glad that she and Dane were able to come! Our other PT friends are scattered all over right now for clinicals...

Group shot in front of TGIFriday's!

I'm SO thankful for everyone that helped make my birthday so special. This was definitely a day to remember. I am blessed beyond belief!

*Snow Day*

Well, as I sit here and wait on the verdict, figured I might as well write an entry... I returned to Conway on Sunday in very unsafe conditions. The snow wasn't suppose to come until late Sunday evening, but when the church doors were opened after service, it was already coming down hard! So, once we got home, I packed up my things as quickly as possible and loaded my car. After eating lunch, airing my tires, and saying my goodbyes, I headed off in the snowy weather. It was so pretty and was quickly accumulating! Despite being pretty though, it really had the roads in a mess!! What normally takes me an hour-and-a-half took 2.5 hours! During the drive I saw at least 27 cars in the ditch or wrecked! I personally was almost in a wreck in the heart of Little Rock! The truck in front of me lost control and did a 360, then slid back toward me in slow motion.... by the time we both stopped sliding we were nearly facing each other, only inches apart!!!! AHHH! Thankfully, thank you Jesus, I made it back to Conway safe and sound. When I got into Conway, it had barely started snowing, but it quickly caught up with the rest of Arkansas over the next few hours! After a brief and slippery trip to Walmart, Tasha and I decided we better stay put!

Excited about the SNOW on Sunday night!

On Monday, I got lots of things checked off my to-do list! I got everything put away, including all the Christmas decorations. Tasha and I rented 4 redbox movies and we also enjoyed watching the Bachelor.

The back deck on Monday!

Now, on Tuesday morning, I am still waiting to hear the plans for the day. My CI was suppose to let me know around 7 whether or not she was going to brave the roads, and I still haven't heard anything. OH well....I guess it was good practice at getting back into a morning routine. Even had a practice cup of coffee! AND strangely enough, Leah will be glad to know I get in maid of honor, creative mode and found lots of cute wedding ideas on etsy.com :) Yet, had I known I wouldn't be starting clinical until Wednesday, I probably would've stayed home! According to the pictures I missed out on some good tube sledding and snowman building! But, on the bright side, I've gotten a LOT done.

SO, I guess I will be starting clinicals tomorrow... It feels weird to be in Conway and not around friends. With Nicki in Minnesota and Amber in Salt Lake City this will be a weird 10 weeks. We truly are on the home stretch! This will surely be a year of change: graduation, taking the NPTE, saying goodbye to friends, finding a job, finding a place to live, finally receiving a paycheck, WHEW!!! Lots to look forward to. That's all for now. I'm thankful for a snow day so I have time to reflect and prepare for what's to come. God Bless.

~Laura

Trip to the Sugar Bowl

So, I had quite an eventful Christmas break to say the least. First I should explain how I met the wonderful, Brandon Lyon. No matter what plans you make, you should never underestimate fate. On a cold, early December morning, my sister and Dusty were out on just another duck hunt. Little did they know what would come of their hunt that morning. When arriving for the hunt that morning, Brandon saw Leah get out of the car, and thought to himself, "Man, not a girl hunting with us!". Little did he know that she is a hardcore duckhunter that can keep up with any of the boys! SO, not far into the morning, Leah says, "Hey, you're tall, are you dating anyone?" I'm not sure where the conversation went from there but I'm pretty sure he thought my sister was crazy! Long story short, he added me as a friend on facebook and we started talking. Not much later, he invited me to dinner and the rest is history! We have a lot in common and really enjoy spending time together, so we'll see where this takes us! So far, it took us to the SUGAR BOWL!!! =) Brandon had extra tickets, so he invited me to come along with him, his mom, and his aunt and uncle to make the trip down to New Orleans, LA. We left on Tuesday morning, the day of the sugar bowl and made the drive down. When we arrived, we grabbed a bite to eat and headed to the superdome!

This is Brandon and I standing in front of the Superdome!

This is the line waiting to get in the Superdome (2 hours before the game mind you!) All of the fans were pumped and calling those hogs every chance they got!

Still waiting to go in the game!

This is during the National Anthem sang by Darius Rucker!

We had GREAT seats and really enjoyed the game, even though it was a tough loss.. We really came back and gave them a run for their money, but in the end we had too many dropped passes, sacks, and errors. Even after the blocked punt, we still could have made it a storybook ending, but the interception was the last straw. The fans were incredible, and every time we were on a roll the entire Superdome was erupting for the HOGS! It was still a very good game, but it would have been SO much better had we won!

The next morning we ate at Cracker Barrel before making the drive home. We all had a really good time, and I'm so glad I accepted the invitation to go!

New Year's Eve

This year's New Years plans were up in the air for a while! Originally I had planned to be a the annual Passion Conference in Atlanta, but plans changed, and thankfully I was able to sell my ticket to another student on ebay! Then, while saying some final goodbyes in Conway before coming home for Christmas break, my friend Lindsy invited me to her house up in Missouri for New Years Eve. I quickly accepted the invitation and looked forward to the trip!

On December 30th, I headed to Conway to meet up with amber to begin our road trip! Before leaving Conway, we had lunch and enjoyed visiting with Nicki and her husband Brandon at chick-fil-a. Then we made our way to Poplar Bluff, Missouri! Molly also met us at Lindsy's house. Once we arrived, Lindsy kept us entertained the entire trip! First, we made a trip to Walmart to buy food for the New Year's Eve celebration. Then we went to one of Lindsy's friends houses for a night of pool, skee-ball, and board games. Then next morning we headed into Cape Gerardiau, MO for Amber's hair appointment with Cody's sister and then of course some shopping! After the hair appointment we ate lunch at a cute downtown restaurant, Tractors. The best store we went in was called 'Trees n Trends' and we got lots of cute things for Lindsy's new house as well as some good Christmas bargains. Our shopping trip was ended early after this store due to a downpour!! It rained so hard on us most of the way back to Poplar Bluff. When we got back, it was time to start making the food and getting ready to bring in the new year!

This is a group pic of us, minus Laura Ward, Lindsy's brother, and her parents

This is part of the feast we whipped up!

Before and after bringing in the New Year, we enjoyed a very looooong game of phase 10! I started off in last place, but ended up winning! Well, we stopped after the 8th phase since we had been playing for nearly 3 hours!

Amber and I during the card game....we are silly!

And finally bringing in the new year!!! Happy 2011! It looks to be a good year: graduation, getting a job, and finding a place to live! Scary, but exciting! =)

We started off the new year VERY lazy! We spent the majority of the day watching the first season of "Friday Night Lights". We finally got ready in time to go by Lindsy and Cody's new house on the way to eat at 'Strawberry's'. Lindsy and Cody bought an older house with lots of land and have totally redone the inside of the house. It is SO gorgeous and I am very happy for them! It is truly the country dream home, with beautiful land and pond included! After eating dinner, we headed back in to Poplar Bluff to hang out at 'The Wine Rack' and then at 'Cosby's'. We had lots of fun playing darts, shuffleboard, and pool! After a late night, we got plenty of rest and then headed home after a delicious meal that Lindsy's sweet mom prepared. I had so much fun bringing in the New Year with these fabulous friends!

Once we got back into Conway, we met up with some PT girls at the new 3 Flamingo's Yogurt Company. Nicki, Jill, Erica, Amber, and I enjoyed some much needed girl talk for several hours before finally having to say goodbye. I'm really going to miss these girls over the next few months!! We've really gotten to be like family.

*Christmas Day*

After all the decorating, shopping, and present-wrapping, Christmas morning finally arrived! We had a very busy day planned: Opening presents at our house, Christmas lunch with the Jacks' family at Aunt Mary's, and finally Christmas night at Papaw Leonard's! Whew!

To start the day, Mamaw, Papaw, and Bo arrived to witness the opening of the presents, as they do each and every year. After presents, we all enjoy eating Bo's breakfast casserole and playing with our new "toys". This year, I also had gifts for each of them to open.

Our Christmas tree with WAY to many presents under it!

Leah and I were up and ready to open gifts! I decided to sport my onesie that I purchased for my class Christmas party. :)

My couch full of presents! I got WAY to much for Christmas!!! My mom goes all out and I am beyond blessed to have such a wonderful family. My favorite gift was the picture frame quote she made Leah and I that said: "Promise me you'll always remember: You're braver than you believe, and stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think" -Christopher Robin to Pooh

Leah and all her gifts! She also got a lot of presents, but hers were heavily hunting related...go figure! ;) She got the pink bow target, a duck gun, and a pink duck call!

Mom and Dad holding the painting I made for them. It says: The Jacks Family, established 1982, with the verse: "As for me and my house we will serve the Lord". It also has our four names on the branches of the tree. I am not a pro by any means, but I like making things for people that are all my own. The GOOD news is, next year I will have a JOB and can actually buy presents for people with my own money!!

I am also very blessed to have such a loving and wonderful grandmother, Sylvia Morgan (aka Bo) I wanted to make something for her that matched her living room, and I also knew she likes birds, so this is what I came up with. I also like the quote I found: "You don't choose your family, they are God's gift to you, as you are to them".

And last but not least, this is Papaw and Mamaw holding the painting I made for their living room. It says: "The Jacks Family, established 1953" They really liked it and I hope they enjoy it in their home.

Overall, we enjoyed a wonderful Christmas morning, and we all received WAY too many gifts!

After breakfast, we all hurried to get ready to head to Aunt Mary and Uncle Bobby Parker's for Christmas lunch. I was also very glad that Bo joined us this year! We had WAY too much food and enjoyed grazing the entire time we were there! After lunch, we enjoyed a fun game of dirty Santa! I got the Bath and Body works lotion I was hoping to get! The only one disappointed was dad, who received size small ladies house shoes, but he was able to trade them off later on for a filet knife from Papaw. It was SO good to see everyone and spend time together on this special day.

After lunch, we went home for a bit and had time to put away some of our presents. Before too long though, it was time to head to Star City for Christmas night at Papaw Leonard and Mrs. Wanda's. They had also cooked a delicious meal of ham, dip, and pies galore! After supper we enjoyed sitting around the living room and talking, as well as opening our presents of course! We all got gift cards to Dillards, which are always the perfect gift! I think this year I'll be smart like Leah and save it for a new bathingsuit or summer clothes!

As you can see, we had a very busy, but VERY blessed 2010 Christmas spent with those that mean the most! I can only hope for this much for years to come!

*Christmas Eve*

Each year, it is our family tradition to go to Mamaw and Papaw's house for Christmas Eve, and this year was no different. We always enjoy going shopping with Mamaw in preparation of this event. This year, Mom, Mamaw, and Leah met me in Little Rock to do our shopping. We started off at the new Target on University Ave, then shopped at JcPenney on Shackelford and then back to the Park Plaza mall to finish up. I always enjoy spending the day with those that mean the world to me!

Mamaw and I

This year we decided to go easy on the meal since we would have a large Christmas meal for lunch the next day. We had sandwiches, cheesedip, cheeseball, spinach/artichoke dip, and pecan pie, coconut pie, and chocolate pudding for dessert! YUM!

Mom and I

After cleaning up the dishes, we all sit around the dining room table as Mamaw and Leah hand out the gifts. We like to take turns opening our gifts so we can all see what each other is getting. Papaw is the only one that has trouble with this, as he is just like a little kid: excited and giddy to tear into all his presents. Next year, we should wrap extra, empty boxes for him because I think unwrapping them is his favorite part!

Papaw and Mamaw opening their presents

After opening presents, it is also a tradition to take our annual Christmas picture in front of the fireplace! So, after several attempts we finally got some good ones!

Our goofy family pic.

And our real family pic! Papaw gets irritated with us when we act silly.. :) But I love this group of people more than words could ever express!

* A DPT Christmas *

Well, here I am way behind on my posts again. So, I just wanted to capture a few of the highlights. With my final semester of class (ever) ending, along with the NPTE review course, December was a VERY busy month! Nevertheless, us PTers never miss the chance for a celebration.

~Class Pajama Party~

For our Christmas party this year, we decided on a pajama-themed party. All decked out in our PJ's, we enjoyed some yummy food and a fun game of Dirty Santa! The most interesting dirty santa gift was a white rat...ugh! But there were many normal gifts and everyone had a good time choosing their gifts! After dirty santa, we enjoyed a re-enactment of "Doug" by Park and Paul, followed by singing Christmas Carols along with Paige's wonderful piano playing! Following are some of the pictures from the fun-filled event.

Some of the girls: Britni (Renshaw) Brown, Erica Cason, Me, Nicole Atchley, Melinda Guffey, and Tara (Sterenberg) Reckert

Lindsy Johnson (Wilson ;) and I

Nicki Sessions, Me, Erica Cason, and Jill Womack

This is our group pic! We have all grown SO close over these last 3 years, and I couldn't have hand-picked better classmates and friends!

~PT Girl's Panty Party~

Keeping up with our PT tradition, we also fit in the annual Panty Party. I love these girls SO much and it is always fun to get together for girl-time. We all enjoyed time spent together with delicious snack-foods and a very entertaining gift exchange! Let's just say some of the panties we edible, while others were....not all there. ;) Everyone had a really great time!

Back row: Whitney Noechel, Molly Frein, Jessica Mathis, Tara Reckert, Lindsy Johnson, Brittany Sexson, Me. Next row: Amber Mohr, Angela Sawyer, Jessica Sanders, Jessica Green, Jessica Leach, Nicole Atchley, Leigh Farmer, Joanna Hanna, Christa Fraley, Paige and Kylie Bullock. Bottow Row: Nicki Sessions, Erica Cason, Kaitlyn Stambaugh, Gail Madill, Kristen Hook, Kyli Smith, Megan Goodwin, Jill Womack

Me with the wonderful hostess, Mrs. Nicki Sessions