The Bruner Bunch

Let the nursing begin

2010-06-23T16:50:00.002-05:00

There are two words to describe my first few weeks of nursing classes...whirl-wind. The condensed version of my classes, though convenient, are CRAZY. Fortunately for me and my classmates today was the last day and all that stands in the way of us and freedom is two tests! As making beds, giving shots, and taking blood pressure commences I begin the unfortunate studying that comes with Pathophysiology. Though interesting, the class in itself is pretty rough...but I'm hopeful! One thing that has kept my sanity intact is World Cup! None of my nursing cohorts share my enthusiasm for the sport, so I am left to share my opinions with Penny. But she is a great listener, and always agrees with me. She even celebrated with me for the US's late stoppage time goal this morning! On that note, let's give it up to our soccer boys for their performance today and winning their group for the first time since 1930! Way to go! Hopefully the world cup will not be a horrible distraction for me, and wimbledon for the that matter. Honestly studying is about the only thing I have been doing, no other real updates. Well time to hit the books!

until next time...

God Speak

2010-05-05T14:45:00.003-05:00

We have been doing this very interesting series at Church about hearing God's voice. Not so coincidentaly, we have also been doing a study on prayer with our life group. They both seem to fit together perfectly in the lessons that we are learning. I encourage everyone to do this prayer study with John Eldriedge. It is AMAZING!!! to say the least. A few things he talks about are prayers of intervention, praying with authority, and he communicates the seriousness of prayer in our lives. After every chapter I feel the need to fall to my knees and have an hour long conversation with God. What is interesting is that in the series at Church, we have been learning to hear God's voice in a few different ways. Through His Word, through others, and through prophecy (now don't freak out, stay with me!).
I think we have all experienced this is some way or another. Maybe someone says the exact thing you have been needing to hear or praying about. Or, God puts it on your heart to say an encourgaging word to someone and you had no idea how much pain they had been dealing with. In these small ways God speaks to us and allows us to interact with each other in Kingdom building ways. I remember one time when I was going through a very rough patch and questioning God in several ways, someone came up to me that I had never met and said 'Don't worry, God loves you'. These simple words, which we know and have been taught for so long have a HUGE impact on someone, like me, who was questioning God's love. I have been able to witness and experience so many encouraging examples of this over the past few weeks.
Now, what John Eldriedge has to do with this is that our communication with God is directly impacting the people around us. We must realize that our walks are not separate, but they intertwine and connect. Each interaction we have with someone is an opportunity to welcome the Kingdom of God or invite satan to have more footholds in our lives. It is a profound thought, and very heavy...but also very true. Our prayers allow us to receive direction from God and if we aren't walking step by step with Him we are missing out on opportunities to further His Kingdom on this earth. I appreciate how these studies have opened my eyes to the seriousness of spiritual warfare going on around us. My views on prayer, and even how I pray have seriously changed. This is just a snipet, so please go do the study. Can you imagine the difference we can make in the world if we all walk with the authority that God gives us through Jesus! Jesus told us we would do more miraculous things than he did, so what's stopping us!?!?!

The Big D

2010-04-13T09:39:00.002-05:00

Sunday was finally race day! I had so much fun spending time with Randy in preparation for our half marathon debut. It was great being with someone who was in the same boat as me.
Sunday we had to get up a 6 to get ready and drive over to the race sight in time. Apparently this was a smaller race, but it didn't seem all that small to me. I think there were a little over 5000 runners. As you can imagine the start was insane. The first few miles were so much fun though! Since everyone still had energy there was so much cheering and yelling, it was hard not to run super fast because of the adrenaline. Randy and I ended up finding each other around mile 2 and ran together for most of the race. Thank goodness she was a great pacer for me!
I felt surprisingly well throughout the race until the last couple miles. It felt like the last bit of energy was sucked out and I had nothing left. Seeing a man being taken away on a stretcher did not help either. I finally crossed the finish line and felt relief. It was the best sense of accomplishment!
I knew that I would probably have really bad knee pain afterwards, but it hasn't been as bad as I thought. My legs are still recovering but the soreness is finally starting to subside. I never really pictured myself as a long distance runner, but I'm really starting to get into it. I'll for sure do another half marathon in the Fall if not a full. There is just something about pushing yourself physically to reach a goal that is so fulfilling. If you haven't experienced it before then you should, it is a wonderful feeling.

Until next time...

Long Awaited

2010-03-10T11:18:00.002-06:00

Wow, has it really been this long since my last post? I was surprised to see my Merry Christmas banner still up. Well I guess it is definitely about time that I update on things going on in Abilene! School is well under way. Thank goodness Spring Break is around the corner!! A well needed rest is exactly what I need. School has finally slowed down after two weeks of craziness and I can finally take a deep breath.

Here are the things that have happened since my last post:

I quit working at ACU
I started working at ACU's Medical Clinic
I applied for Nursing School and took my entrance exam
Jon's brother, Mark, got married
Elizabeth got married
My parents celebrated their 35 wedding anniversary!!

I guess those are the major ones.

I have a TON of pictures to post from Elizabeth's wedding and Mark's wedding. Those are coming soon. Also, I'll update on school and everything once I get some more time next week.

Until next time...

Leaving ACU

2009-12-16T16:25:00.002-06:00

I'm not sure how many of you know yet, but I've officially resigned my position at ACU. Jon and I made the decision that I would have to leave this next semester as I start to take classes at ACU full time. As unexpected as this was, I'm excited to begin this new stage in life. Nursing school is becoming more and more of a reality and I am so excited. Friday is my last day before Christmas, and my last official day will be January 8th. I hope to work part time next semester, and all during school. So, if you know of any part-time work in Abilene let me know!!!

Until next time...

Running/Skiing

2009-12-14T10:50:00.003-06:00

After watching the season finale of 'The Biggest Loser' I have had enough. If these people can run a marathon, I sure can. For several years now it has been a I wanted to accomplish. I'm finally stepping up and making it happen, in moderation.

After discussing with Jon the how consuming school and work will be, we decided a good compromise would be for me a just run a half this time. So, a half marathon it is. The date is set for April 11th in Dallas, The Big 'D'(that is the name of the marathon, not how I refer to Dallas). I somehow recruited my friend Ashley to run with me for moral support. This morning was our 2nd run, so far so good! We've also been recruiting other Abilenians to join us! So far we have added 6 others, anyone else who wants to run just let me know. Jan 5th is the last day to sign up before the entry fee increases. If you don't want to run you can come and cheer us on during the race! We will need all the support we can get. Especially around mile 10. Posters and bull horns are preferable.

In other news, we leave to go skiing/ snowboarding this Saturday. FINALLY!!! I had so much fun yesterday getting out all our snow gear and packing everything. Snowboarding is SO much fun and I'm glad I get to go two years in a row. I'm just praying my legs hold up and aren't super tired.

This will also be the beginning to our Christmas break and time with family and friends. We can't WAIT to see Jace and Randy and have so much fun with them on the slopes. Then it is off to have some relaxing time with Jon's family. This will be my first Christmas without my family and I'm super bummed. But hopefully our amazing Thanksgiving will tide me over for a while. I'm excited to be with Jon's family and learn all their family traditions, and have some yummy Christmas food!!

Until Next Time...

Christmas Ready

2009-12-07T11:13:00.003-06:00

I feel that I had a wonderful productive weekend. Saturday I was able to accomplish most of my Christmas shopping in 3 hours!!! And no, it was not all online!
I think this is a world record. Never have I been done so early and actually had presents under my tree for more than a few days!!

Yesterday we put up lights on the entire house. Poor Jon had to climb on top of the house because the ginormous bushes in the front yard don't lend themselves to ladders very well. I never realized how many lights are necessary to decorate a house. I always thought dad having 3000 lights on the tree was overzealous, but now I'm spoiled by the sparkling wonder. 800 lights on the front of the house just doesn't do it. Watch out Walmart, your after-Christmas sale lights are MINE! But I must say that our simple Christmas lights are very pretty. We waited until dark and then went out to the street for the best vantage point. I think we win the best house on the block prize hands down. Even without an inflatable snowglobe that lights up and snows inside.

I was also able to wrap all of our presents yesterday! I had to make a dollar store run for tape, and got the cutest present name tags! I might stock up on them for next year. I found the cutest stocking for Penny! I've been looking for a doggie one for a while, and who else would have one but the dollar store! I'm thinking about writing Penny on it somehow, but I think the stocking pretty much says whose it is.

We also had pizza night last night! Margaret and Jeff gave us the great idea to make our pizzas at home. Since then Jon has had a secret desire to make some. They actually turned out really yummy! Mine was Cheese, Pepperoni, Sauteed Onion and Mushroom! Mmmmmmmm. The best part is that there was a Harry Potter marathon on the rest of the night. Pizza and Harry Potter, what a great combo.

Now back to the study grind. I have my final tomorrow and have to get started on hard core studying. A part of me feels ready as these should be questions that I've seen before...but you never know with Pat. Wish me luck!

Until next time...

Giving Thanks for Thanksgiving

2009-12-01T15:13:00.002-06:00

We're back. One week ago we began our trek up to NYC, the big apple. Smile planted, suitcase loaded, over sized glasses shading, I was ready to go. Here is a recap of the events as they unfolded.

Wednesday

Flew into NYC, took Jons 1st of many taxi rides into the 'The City'
Settled in then walked down Broadway to see the parade preparations
Subwayed it to union square, rain prompted cab ride to din din at Mole (pronounced Mo-lay)
Mole for mommy's birthday, several margaritas and appetizers later had birthday celebration including new Kindle

Thursday

Hit the parade route a 9 am, got to see the balloons!!
Walked back to Sarah's apartment to see the live performers at Macy's
Went to Kate's ex-boss Michelle's for champagne and cheese and 123 types of Salami
Dinner at Landmarc in Lincoln center, run in with American Idol runner-up Adam Lambert
Home to watch the UT/A&M game

Friday

Battery Park to see Lady Liberty, through financial district to see 911
China Town, had a few shady run-ins, and cops were busting people...very deterring
Little Italy for lunch, mmm pizza and canoles!
Union Square to look through all the booths
Back to Sarah's to rest
Met Ruth, Kate's coworker, for drinks
Christmas Spectacular at Radio City Music Hall!!!
Tree in Rockefeller Center, not yet lite though
Dinner at the French Roast

Saturday

Spin class with Kate
Brunch at the Grey Dog down near the Village
Shopping on 5th avenue, H&M was very disappointing
Back to Sarah's to rest
Chinese Takeout, watch Annie
Watch Elf

Sunday

Back to TX

So that was Thanksgiving in a nutshell. Sorry no pics, dad has the camera. It was a super fun trip. Thanks mom and dad!!!!

until next time

Prayer

2009-11-12T10:34:00.003-06:00

I know it has been a long time since my last post. Life has caught up and blogging is the first thing to go when that happens. But, after last nights church service I feel the need to share.

For the past couple months our life group has been listening to a series by John Eldridge on prayer. We've been discussing such topics as God's will, and if prayer can really affect our lives if God all knowing. Can we intervene on the behalf of others or does God's will for them to suffer have greater purpose. Just to name a couple. Being a Christian woman, I know how necessary prayer is in my day to day life. And as a sinner I also fail to do it as often as I should.

Last night we had a group called Global Awakening come to church to speak about the amazing things that God is using them to do around the world. Things I've always dreamed of but never thought I would get to experience. My heart has always been aflame to see great works and miracles. Being raised in the church I never felt I had a powerful testimony about God's healing and restoration in my life. When I interned in Africa I had great expectations of seeing God's wonder and the magnitude of the spiritual forces that are at work around us. I came back let down, not understanding why God didn't show me the things that I earnestly prayed for. Since then I've heard stories and been jealous of God's intervention and restoration in other people's lives.

Last night opened up a whole new can of worms. We watched a few videos of the work this team is doing, healing people around the world. They are literally causing the lame to walk, blind eyes to see, and all pain to be taken away. Of course skeptical me thought 'well, maybe this is a coincidence, they just feel better for now but not permanently'...endorphins can do a lot after all. But I know these thoughts are from the evil one. After all Jesus told his disciples that they would do even greater works than he. A concept I have always struggled with. As the service progressed we began to see person after person say that God had healed them. Of course we were all astonished and I was skeptical. I've never been one believe the preacher who yells out that there is a person with a specific problem in a room of 5,000 people and not find someone in the crowd with the problem.

The whole experience was overwhelming, but at the same time I thought it was the answer to prayers that have for so long gone unanswered. At one point I suddenly felt the urge to pray for a woman sitting beside me with arthritis in her knees. We prayed for 10 minutes over this woman to no avail. I was crushed. I truly believed that when I looked up at her she would be smiling and overjoyed. But no. In James 5:13-16 it tell us to pray for the sick and our prayers will be answered. After this event I've come away with more questions than answers. Why does God choose to heal some and not others? Is my faith too weak to heal the sick? Does the Spirit not dwell in me that it might heal others with God's power? If anything, this has made me more hungry than ever. Yet with all of Jesus' promises I was still not assured.

However, in all my doubt God imparted a wonderful gift to me. The peace that I have been seeking for a while now. When doubting my ability to heal others He said 'there will be a time for healing. You will not only heal with your heart but with your hands'. What affirmation that Jon and I have followed faithfully in his direction over the past few months. I almost started crying. I have an overflowing of peace now that God has everything laid out before me. I didn't exactly get what I expected last night. But maybe God showed me what I needed even more than I knew. He tends to do that sometimes.

I am going to continue praying for Barbara, you can join me if you like. I know that she is also seeking restoration and affirmation from God. Both physically and spiritually.

Until next time...

The 12 days of 12th day: 1-6

2009-09-02T11:21:00.013-05:00

I know that you have been waiting a whole year for this!!! It is finally here. The 12 days of 12th day are well under way, as is the gift giving around the office. Read the days to the tune of 'The Creation Song'

DAY 1
Day1, day 1, we can't rest till 12th day's done.
surprise: freshman common reading

DAY 2
Day 2, Day 2, we will bring a drink to you...
surprise: favorite sonic drink

DAY 3
Day 3, Day 3, lets go on a shopping spree
surprise: $20 at the campus store, here was my buy! looks much better in person, the ACU is embroidered.

DAY 4
Day 4, Day 4, Jeans on Friday that's for sure.
surprise: not really a surprise that we got to wear jeans on Friday

DAY 5
Day 5, Day 5, Campus Cash is your surprise
surprise: campus cash of course, $20 that I haven't spent yet

DAY 6
Day 6, Day 6, Halfway there don't let it slip
surprise: cookie bouquets! I got a little guitar cookie

That's all for now, I'll do the other 6 when we get them all. They just keep getting better and better!!

until next time

A year of work comes to a close

2009-08-14T11:18:00.002-05:00

I can finally start the countdown to end this year of working with the Fall 2009 class. It has been long and arduous. Tomorrow freshman start moving into their dorms. Many of my students are on their way to Abilene at this very moment. I can't wait to see all of them on campus, in their dorms and making friends. The rewards of this job are sweet though it takes a long time to get them. I feel like the little Christmas elves on the movie Elf. They spent all year gearing up for this one day, they celebrate for about 4 hours, and then it is back to work preparing for next Christmas. So it goes with Admissions. Class of 2013, check, class of 2015 here I come!!!

Going back to school

2009-08-07T13:12:00.002-05:00

For the past year and a half I've been debating going back to school to pursue a degree in nursing. Well, I'm finally putting money where my mouth is... School starts in three weeks and I'm going to start on my leveling classes for nursing. I'm really nervous about it all, but I'm determined!! I've decided to go through the Patty Hanks program at ACU so I can get Jon's discount and still have time to work part time. Jon's been super supportive and wants to make it work too. I'm so excited about the prospect of this new career, and finally getting into the field that I initially was drawn to 6 years ago. There are still a lot of things that need to fall into place for me to start nursing next Fall, the main one being able to keep working full time as long as possible. Keep me in your prayers, the unknown is always scary.

until next time

Krystina

Bring on the Harry Potter Mahem

2009-07-22T10:33:00.004-05:00

I FINALLY got to watch the 5th installment of the Harry Potter series last night. No, this is not the most recent movie that is out in theaters. I felt like I needed a refresher on where Harry's been over the past 5 years before getting into Movie number 6. I finally finished my marathon of Harry Potter movies last night YAY! It is interesting to watch how much the acting of the characters in the movies improve from year to year. I'm sure the next one will be great, although I've heard mixed reviews. I'm still trying to convince Jon to dress up with me when we go see it...but at this point I feel like all the avid Harry supporters have already seen it 3+ times and we've missed all the excitement that induces the urge to dress up. Shucks...well in case you were wondering how we would dress up, I made an artistic interpretation of how we would look.

Jon would be Harry, of course. I would go as Hermoine. And Penny would be Ron, she has the redest hair. The jury is still out on the awkward girl to my left. What was that you said? Possible Halloween costumes...I think so!

Until next time...

Penny learned how to sit!!!

2009-07-15T10:59:00.006-05:00

Penny Update!!!

Mom and dad were AMAZING to watch our little bundle of joy while we cruised to Mexico. It was great to have a week of good sleep and no crying puppies. We were really excited to get back and see her though. I had weird dreams that when we got back she was full grown and we missed all of her cute puppiness. Luckily, she wasn't full grown but she did gain 3 pounds!!! She was so much bigger and she seems to be huge now. Luckily with her growing body comes a growing mind too! Jon and I decided to start giving her a treat every time she went outside and pottied. Well, she's caught on pretty fast. Now she runs to the laundry room and waits for us when she comes inside. We also decided to start teaching her how to sit. After just two days she is sitting on command without a treat. What a good girl!!! We do have a long way to go, but it makes me so excited that she is so smart with such a sweet little personality. Here are a couple of newer pictures of her! Her hair is starting to get lighter too.

She always does the little head twist...it's like she's saying 'huh!?'

LOVES the kitchen tile!

She's really good at the one armed, take it yourself picture pose.

I need to learn how to upload video, I have some great footage of her and Jon playing last night. So funny!!!

Until next time...

So much to update, so little time....

2009-07-13T11:35:00.005-05:00

Where do I start. So much has happened in the past couple weeks. The majority of which has been spent on vacation! Which I definitely approve of. Let's start from the last post.

Jon and I celebrated our first year of marriage :) It is so hard to believe that a year has gone by already. Since our house was our present to ourselves...we took it pretty easy. Jon and I both had to work on Sunday too, so no out of town quick trip either. We just had a nice romantic dinner at Copper Creek Saturday night and then had our wedding cake top for desert. Sad to say it was awful. The frosting had detached itself from the cake and there was a 1/2 inch gap all the way around. We managed a few bites for photos sake then had cheese, wine and chocolate covered strawberries, yum! And yes, I did break out our champagne flutes and engraved knife and server for the occasion. I also tried to re-create our little toasting picture from the wedding, but that didn't turn out all that well.

Sunday through Tuesday was Passport Student Orientation. It was real long, but all my students showed up so I was really excited. No cancels so far! It was so great to see all the families that I've been working with, some for over a year, finally here and so excited. I can't WAIT till August Passport, Move-in and Welcome Week!!! Only a month to go...crazy.

Friday Jon and I left to go down to Lake Jackson and hang out with my family for the fourth of July. This was our first big trip with Penny and we were a little nervous how she would do in the car that long. Well, she did amazing!!!! She slept pretty much the entire way, and pottied every time we stopped for a break. good girl! I was most excited about her meeting Shiloh and Sophie. I knew that she and Sophie would be little pals and hit it off, and boy were they. They spent the entire weekend play fighting, tackling, pouncing, chasing. It was so fun to watch them, and a nice break from following Penny around the house for hours. That night we grilled out and Jeff and Margaret came over to hang out. It was great to catch up with them and have relaxing family time. On the fourth we just relaxed, mom and I shopped some sales, ate dinner at a family friends house, then went to watch fireworks. I have to give props to Lake Jackson, it was a pretty good show this year! Sunday we just relaxed and got last minute things for the cruise.

Speaking of the cruise...we had such a great time. It was super relaxing, so nice to get away for a while and have no worries except what to eat for dinner...oh yeah and my stupid sunburn. It was wonderful to hang out with Jon's family and go on a proper vacation with them. I think they enjoyed it too. I'm definitely up for another round of cruising, but we won't go on Carnival next time. A word to the wise, you get what you pay for. Anywho, I won't go into all the details now, but I'll post some pics from the trip soon.

Now it is back to work, I officially start my new position at ACU today. We'll see how things go...

Until next time.

Our newest addition to the family

2009-06-24T09:56:00.006-05:00

She is finally here!! Saturday morning we went and picked up our new little bundle of joy, Penelope (Penny) Bruner. Jon and I were really nervous about meeting her for the first time, we hadn't really seen pictures of her since she was a tiny little 2 week old puppy. We went to the farmer's market in downtown Dallas to meet her breeder. (The farmer's market is amazing by the way! everyone needs to go there sometime and check out all the fresh produce and flowers, just awesome!) When he pulled her and her sister out of their kennel I started beaming. They were the cutest little puppies I have EVER seen. Unfortunately we had to choose between the two sisters, who looked identical. We seriously couldn't decide. Finally we made a decision and she said goodbye to her sister. Later we saw the another guy walking with the other puppy, I covered Penny's eyes so she wouldn't get sad. Saturday was a rough day for her and she slept a LOT. She finally perked up a little and we are starting to see her personality a lot more. She is really inquisitive, playful, smart and determined. But she is learning really fast and is already attached to us which I love. Here are some pictures!

cuddles

sleeping with daddy

tug of war

favorite toy "the beaver"

I'll have tons of stories to share, I'm sure. Jon and I are already having fun trading stories about her silly/cuteness. Hopefully you'll get to meet her soon!

Girls night out

2009-06-19T14:24:00.002-05:00

Last night was super refreshing. After a long week me and a few gals from work hit the Warehouse up for a couple drinks. Although we were 4 of 8 people there for a majority of the night, and we could hardly hear for rave music blasting in the background, it was such a good time. There is something about sipping martini's with the girls every once in a while that reinforces our 'poshness'. After all, there are not many occasions in my life that I get to wear the fancy top I bought that one time cause it looked amazing, despite having nowhere to wear it to. Case and point, the floor length Grecian formal dress I bought Sunday which I'm already lamenting to have to take back. But Jon made me come to my senses. Stacey, Stacey, Ashley and I got in some great well-needed girl talk. Who would think that when you step into this place you are transported from Abilene, TX to an awesome chic place in some big city. It's a great feeling. Too bad the realization that these prices are ridiculous brings us down off of cloud 9 (no not the trashy strip club in Abilene), but it is worth it.

One thing to top of this night of pleasantry was seeing Kim Leedy's bachelorette party take place!!! It was great to see Cherry and Lauren Baker and the girls , it reminded me of my party back in the day. We decided that everyone should get more than one bachelorette party in their lifetime. We are now designating a once a month bachelorette party where we alternate being the 'bride'. Why not? You know you are jealous you didn't come up with the idea yourself, and yes you can come if you want. But you have to come to Abilene. Here is to more girls nights out to come. Cheers!

Jon=25

2009-06-11T09:45:00.005-05:00

Today Jon turns the big two five. A quarter of a century! No big plans tonight, just a nice night at home. Maybe the new Terminator movie...we'll see.

HAPPY 25th BIRTHDAY JON!!!

New Job

2009-06-11T09:22:00.003-05:00

Over the past few months I have felt really drained in my work and very unsuccessful. It has been a weird mental battle for me to keep working hard and not give up even though I know that it is highly unlikely that I will meet my enrollment goal in the fall. I've spent a lot of time in prayer about it because Jon and I just bought a house, so I couldn't quit. Plus there aren't a ton of jobs open right now. After a while, my big (higher up) boss approached me about taking a position that one of my coworkers, Ashley, left open. I was super skeptical because I knew how hard this job was on Ashley and the struggles she had, it did not sound appealing. But after a couple of long talks with my boss and big boss, I began to think that this might be a good change. Better than what I'm currently doing at least.

So, as of Monday I accepted a new job in the admissions office at ACU. I will now be the admissions counselor for pre-senior high school students. I am hoping that this will be a well needed refreshing change from what I am currently doing. My boss has promised me that this position is being recreated and he wants me to run with it and make it my own, which I am very happy to do! I am hoping to make this more of a marketing position, that was another promise made to me. Please keep me in your prayers because right now I really need a job that gives me purpose and that I feel I'm good at. I've been struggling to believe that I have the ability to perform and be good at my job. I hate that feeling! And in sales success is measured in black and white, not a good combination for me right now.

Also! Jon is up for a promotion at work. New hierarchical positions aren't created that often at ACU, so advancing in your career can take a long time. But it so happens that a new supervisor position opened up in Jon's department and he is in the running for it! :D We are keeping our fingers crossed that he gets it. If this falls through there is another guy that might be leaving, and we think Jon might get his job...so there may be a lot of changes happening for him too.

In case you haven't heard...

2009-06-05T09:59:00.006-05:00

I am FINALLY getting a puppy. The wait has been long and arduous but it is almost here!! Unfortunately I was misleading in my last post about puppies, and we ended up getting something completely different. It is called a soft coated Wheaten Terrier. Here are a few pics for you to fawn over:

Teenager

Adult

'Show Dog' hair cut, not as cute

We have heard nothing but wonderful things since we started looking at them a while back. Our little girl will be ready two weeks from tomorrow!! Jon and I decided to name her Penny, short for Penelope (pending it goes with her personality) . I will definitely post some pics once we get her. I can't can't can't can't wait. YAY!!!!!

House Update

2009-05-31T17:40:00.008-05:00

There isn't that much to update on besides painting and being moved in. Everything is still in shambles and I'm so tired from cleaning the old house and getting it ready that I have no energy to set up the new one. Once we get things set up cute I'll post those pictures. But, here are a few before and afters to keep you satisfied for a while.

Kitchen Before:

Kitchen After:

Still need to paint the cabinets white

Entry Before:

Entry After:

Bathroom Before:

Bathroom after: (not quite done)

Stay tuned, there are more to come!!

Israel on my mind

2009-05-28T16:43:00.002-05:00

So I can't stop thinking about this sermon that David McQueen gave at Beltway a couple weeks ago. To cap off a series called the Release Initiative, he talked about the faithfulness of God. Now, I have heard countless sermons on God's promises and his faithfulness. But David has a way of putting things together and conveying messages in ways that are so easy to relate to. These concepts that would usually be fairly difficult to understand and more than that articulate to others, seem to float wistfully from his mouth. This week was just one of those especially great ones.

Let me recap. He talked about the promise that God made to Abraham in the Old Testament. That he would bless him and his descendants would be like that stars in the heavens, a great nation. These people are of course the Jews, God's chosen people. Many people believe that God for some reason 'changed his mind' when he extended grace to the gentiles. I hope that you don't believe this, because if God changed His mind about a covenant with Abraham, then he could definitely change His mind about grace for the rest of us. However, this replacement theory has been believed and taught by many Christians for hundreds of years. Therefore procuring hate and prosecution towards God's chosen people. But even during World War 2, when Satan tried to completely wipe out the Jewish people God stepped in and eventually returned them to their homeland of Israel. Fulfilling his promise to them and prophecy. One reason I believe that Beltway is so blessed is because they bless Israel, as scripture says if we bless God's people we will be blessed, if we curse them they will be cursed. I think that is testament to the rapid growth and blessing that has come to Beltway. And of course God's faithfulness.

This has been weighing on my mind for the past couple weeks because I think it impacts us dramatically. So often I am not Kingdom-minded. I fall into the routine of my own little world and my sole relationship with God and I forget that there is a battle being waged and an even bigger one to come. The Jews returning to their homeland is a prophecy which begins the timeline of Jesus' return. Political events are starting to be eerily reminiscent of those foreseen long ago. I mention this because I believe it is so important to spur one another on and for all of us to start seeing the big picture here. It is not about your job, your relationship, your home, etc. it is about recognizing the signs that God has given us, and starting to fight. As the Israeli nation comes back to the Lord, we come closer to seeing Jesus return. Be bold in living your life for the Lord, what do you have to loose? If God is for us who can be against us? I know I am not as eloquent with words, but I hope this encouraged you to keep God's will at the forefront of your minds. And not just His will in your life, but His overall plan for our salvation. Many Blessings.

And the winner is...

2009-05-21T16:11:00.002-05:00

KRIS!!!

I don't know about you, but Jon and I were so anxious to get home and see the results from this long awaited season finale. I thought this show had, by far, the best musical guests of the year. But, hey why not save the best for last. I thought it very fitting that Adam performed with Queen and Kiss, both of whom are awesome but lets face it...their prime was gone years ago. This is why I think Adam lost. Although he was talented indeed, he fits into an era that has passed. Rock and Roll is not what it used to be. Sure, we love to sing along with those good 'ol favs that everyone loves, but is it current? I think that many people are mad that a regular guy who doesn't have the creative genius of a 'rock god' won. But I happen to think that is precisely what the show is about. Sure, Adam is 'glam' and 'hollywood' and honestly he will still probably be a bigger hit than Kris...but I think that American Idol is about finding the undiscovered hidden talent in everyday people and making them into something extraordinary. I love that Kris was the underdog that got a chance and ran with it. Kudos to both guys who are super talented in very different ways. I think it could have gone either way honestly. I wonder how that 100 million votes breaks down, I really wish they would release those. Good season American Idol. Truly the most talented bunch we've seen so far!

oh....and how awesome that Kara DioGuardi totally showed up bikini girl in both talent and physic. You get it Kara!

Make a Move

2009-05-18T10:59:00.002-05:00

This weekend Jon and I started making the first move into the new house. We still have a little sprucing up to do though. Saturday I spent 3 hours scrubbing a wall to get stupid wallpaper glue off. This dedication to my new little house came at a cost though, on Sunday morning I could barely lift my right arm :( However, this will save us time and money on the house which I am okay with. But my shoulder is not in agreement. We also learned how to replace a thermostat, yay us! I feel like this is going to be an awesome learning experience for us. Before now, I had no idea about appliances, flooring, roofing, foundations, landscaping, etc. But soon enough I will. We have a guy that is supposed t0 come by tomorrow to texture our walls and then the painting will ensue! I thought this would be a much faster process, but I am learning patience.

Yesterday we also got some moving done! I packed up most of the office/2nd bedroom to move it over. After the first load, I realized how much longer this takes than just throwing it in the car. So we made 2 more loads of just packing whatever was not attached to something into Jon's car. The good and bad part about this initial move is that I now really understand what an extra 1000 square feet does, it dwarfs all the furniture you have. Honestly, the house looks the exact same as before we started moving things. This just makes me realize how much more furniture we need to buy, good for me and bad for Jon. Which reminds me! We made our first big purchase, other than the house itself. We got our fridge!! It is sooo pretty! We won't officially get it until next weekend though. Beal's has some great deals if you are looking for appliances. They have a 'damaged' room with really nice appliances that stores can't sell because of dings or scratches. Ours was an overstocked item in perfect shape that was about 30% off! Also, in case you are in the market...May 23rd is a "no tax for energy star appliance day" in Texas. Just fyi.

Well that's all for now. Hopefully I'll get some new pics soon of the house all painted! yay!!

Happy (belated) Mother's Day

2009-05-12T11:35:00.004-05:00

This weekend I had the pleasure of visiting many moms! Luckily Mam-ma came down with a friend from church who was having surgery. She was helping her in her post-op and keeping her company during the several weeks she is in Dallas. I could not pass up the chance to see Mam-ma, so Jon and I packed up went to Dallas Saturday after graduation. On the way we had pleasure of eating lunch with Jon's family and seeing his aunts and Maw-maw (not to be confused with Mam-ma). We stopped to see them in Weatherford for a few hours, then eventually made it to Dallas. That night, me, Jon, Mom, Dad, and Mam-ma went out to eat at Houlihan's. I had a very interesting Noodle bowl, which I wouldn't recommend. I would recommend the stuffed chicken. YUM! Mom always knows best and picks the yummiest thing on the menu! We called it an early night.

Sunday we got up and went to church at Prestoncrest Church of Christ with the Wenzels! yay! I haven't been to that church before but it was beautiful! Mom and Mam-ma were, of course, adorned with their corsages. This was the first year Mam-ma had to wear white roses in over 55 years. What a blessing to have your mother around that long!! In addition to seeing the Wenzels, I also had the pleasure of running into Sarah Dean Smith! and I got to see her precious little boy. Happy first mother's day Sarah!!!

After church we went out to lunch at La Madeline with the Wenzels. Tomato Basil soup! yum!! But we had to hit the road shortly after. Many more moms to see!! Next we headed to see Grammy. Jon's grandma on his dad's side. We visited them for about an hour. Showing house pictures and catching up. Discussing the most reliable electricity companies, a civil suit against Michelin tires, etc. We left with two packs of rootbeer in hand, score! Then we headed over to aunt Jo's to visit Maw Maw. They had a brisket cookout, but seeing as it was 4 pm it wasn't really chow time. We again showed pictures of the house, and made it out of there with brisket and rolls. How are we so luck! So I'm sure you can guess what we had for dinner that night!

To all you mothers out there, I can't imagine where we would be without you. Thank you for your guidance, friendship, nourishment, reliance, support, sacrifice and unconditional love. You deserve more than one day of celebration, so just know that every day we succeed in life you are praised.

Today is the day

2009-05-06T10:27:00.004-05:00

We are closing on our house in T-minus 1 hr and 41 minutes, that is as long as everything has gone through at the bank. We haven't gotten the official thumbs up yet and we are just hoping it all goes okay. I'm debating whether or not to take our camera...is that a weird thing to take into a meeting with the realtor, lawyers and bank people? I just want to document everything. I can't wait to get our little picture with the SOLD sign in front of our house. Hopefully I will get to put up a post with that later.

My mom and dad are so excited that they are coming into town tomorrow night to stay with us and see the house/help with ideas. The last thing I want to do tonight is clean house :(....I actually wouldn't mind starting to pack! Maybe mom can help with that a bit too! I'm debating taking Friday off to hang out with them. It would stink for them to be in town and us have to work all day. I love when they come up to visit so I'm super excited! Hopefully they will bring Sophie for a visit too!

Dog search is commencing tomorrow! Yes, it is true! Jon has finally approved our search for a dog with money in hand. We are still open about which kind of dog to get, but we are leaning towards a Labradoodle or the new dark horse in the race, an English Springer Spaniel. If you know of anyone selling them pray tell asap! Here are pics of the two types of puppies. Which do you think?

Springer Spaniel

Labradoodle

Have a blessed day!

Krystina

The good/bad weekend ahead...

2009-04-29T16:16:00.003-05:00

So Monday I almost had an emotional breakdown. While talking to Briana on google chat I realized that wedding dress shopping weekend in Abilene is THIS weekend, while I'll be in Nashville. As much as I was excited about a fun weekend with Jon in Nashville I slowly realized that he will be going to bachelor parties and golf outings while I am in a hotel for 3 days, missing one of my best friends shining moments. I literally almost started crying...and I'm getting a little choked up now too. AND to put the cherry on top I'm missing Brooke's birthday and her fun chillin and grillin party before everyone leaves Abilene forever. As much as I want to be excited about being away from work for a few days, I can't when I know what I'm missing. ARGH!!!! Hopefully we will race back in time for a little bit of Brooke fun Sunday night, fingers crossed!!!

End of Preview Days!

2009-04-27T16:39:00.002-05:00

Ahhhhh...I can finally breathe a sigh of relief! Today was our last preview day of the year. After about 8 preview days, 5 presidential days and 1 big Premiere weekend I am one tired girl. From this point on I do not have to worry about going out of town on a Monday or Friday...finally! I can plan my vacations in peace.

House Pics

2009-04-22T14:16:00.006-05:00

Okay okay already. Here are some pictures. Not of everything because we only had a few okay ones. The best news is that the appraiser from the bank went by today and said that we got a really great deal on it! woo-hoo! We close in exactly two weeks as long as nothing happens. Anybody up for a house warming party?

Keep our new address in mind. 1333 Summoner Abilene, TX 79602!

Krystina

House Update

2009-04-21T15:32:00.003-05:00

Okay, so the house buying is in full swing. Last Wednesday we put in an offer on our potential house. Then they counter offered, then we counter offered, then they accepted it. YAY! We already had the inspection taken care of, no major problems. All that is left to do is square away our financing with the bank and the close! Our date set to close is May6th, so pretty soon. Anyone who will be in Abilene and loves lifting heavy objects please let me know! I will post pictures once things are more finite. Also some good news, Jon and I got our tax rebate in the mail yesterday! The even better news was that it was for $600 more than we had estimated. What joy! I am actually getting a present from the government! I have already mentally allocated this money for a new puppy. Thank you IRS!

Tea Party?

2009-04-16T14:52:00.007-05:00

Last night I had the pleasure of participating in Abilene's Tax Day Tea Party protesting the outrageous spending by our Federal government. It was refreshing to see all those Abilenians supporting our founding fathers. I always get really sentimental when I hear of courageous soldiers fighting to preserve our freedom. I stirs up the American inside of me and makes me so proud of our country. Well yesterday I had the same thing happen. After work I ventured to downtown Abilene to show my support. I didn't have any signs or tea bags, unfortunately, but I think the other participants more than made up for me. There was a sea of red, white and blue and flags waiving in every direction. The statement in our national anthem 'the land of the free, and the home of the brave' took on a new meaning to me. We are an outraged people demanding our freedom. Our freedom from the tyranny of tax burdens and a government that doesn't care enough about our hard earned money to read the bills they are signing. Why are congressmen and women from other states, not Texas who represents us, signing off to take our money and spend it as they choose. When will the 10th amendment be reinstated instead of rejected? We are a people who are also brave. We will stand up and fight for what we believe in since our elected officials won't. We will stand up against slander and spoil and defamation because what we believe in is the foundation of this country and we wont sit back while Washington stops on the dreams of our founding fathers. I am so proud of my fellow Americans who are fed up and finally doing something about it. Praise God that there are still people willing to take a stand to keep His name as a governing force of our Nation.

Some of my favorite posters from yesterday:

"If God only wants 10% who does Uncle Sam think he is?"

"The Government is my newest dependent"

"Taxation WITH representation aint so hot either"

"Don't tax what I haven't even earned"

"Tea party today, tar and feathers tomorrow"

"Give it back freedom doesn't need change"

"Save our trees stop printing money"

And here are a few pics:

Update on the house soon!

Krystina

House!

2009-04-15T16:10:00.001-05:00

Okay, so today is the day. In t-minus 4 minutes Jon and I are driving across town to put an offer in on a house. I'm super nervous and I lost sleep last night. I'm a little hesitant to move from our cozy little duplex into the unknown. Fingers crossed, here we go!

It's about that time again...

2009-03-12T11:26:00.004-05:00

yes, I must do some venting about the political circus going on. I can NOT begin to understand how our government is functioning right now. We have begun a downward spiral with the economy which, lets face it, has been inevitable. The way Americans have been taking the 'American dream' instead of earning in has short changed all of us. Now all of our dreams are turning into nightmares. I don't feel sorry for people who have stupidly taken out ridiculous loans for houses they could not afford. People may have lead you to believe it was a great deal, you could afford it, etc. But the reality is you put your name on the dotted line and are responsible for your ignorant decision! They outsmarted you by convincing you something was a good idea when obviously it was not. Okay okay, I know that the house values have plummeted and so on. But, if we knew all of the outcomes before we made decisions then we wouldn't be human would we. We know that in investing, in houses, stocks, whatever... we are taking a risk. You know when you buy a house it can depreciate or appreciate in value. So deal with the consequences of your decisions. Now, maybe I'm being a little harsh. Some people are in a heap due to job losses, 401ks disappearing. I know all that. The fact of the matter is we aren't guaranteed anything in life. Hope for the best, prepare for the worst.

The thing I don't think people realize is how during our time of crisis the government is slowly sneaking in and taking over! Once we are dependent on the government they can run our lives!!! Here is an example...why are so many people in this foreclosure situation? One reason is because banks gave loans to people they knew could not pay them back. What is the solution, bail out the banks who are struggling and then force them to make more loans! Isn't this what got us into the problem in the first place! I just don't get it. What will happen to our free enterprise when we dictate what a company can and can't do. It will disappear! It is happening with our banks and lenders, it is also happening with education. Next year Obama plans to make all student loans direct lending. Who agrees that our K-12 school systems are amazing. There has to be competition in the marketplace! There has to be the ability for success and failure. Do people not see that when there are more businesses there are better-made products, better prices. There is incentive to make themselves the best.

Finally, since when is there reward for failure. Is this what we are going to teach our children about America. When you fail there is always someone there to hold your hand and make it right. That is what our government is doing with our economy right now. The reality is that sometimes you fall on your face and you have only will power to help you get back up again and succeed. It is also in our school system where we don't want to use red ink or give Fs because its too 'harsh'. We are raising people, a workforce of tomorrow, who have been babied and won't be held responsible for their mistakes. We need to teach our kids that it is not okay to fail, but sometimes it will happen and you learn from it. Otherwise...why is there motive to succeed. If there are no repercussions for the things I do wrong, then why do what is right. Why make the extra effort to be great when there are no consequences for being lazy and failing. Children who have no motivation for success is to our economy like children who have no motivation to keep laws is to our society. Detrimental.

Okay, I'm done with my rant and rave...for now. These are completely opinions so take them or leave them, what have you.

GREAT FIND!!!!

2009-02-25T11:50:00.002-06:00

So here is an update on the vacation search! last night Jon managed to find a goldmine!!! There is this new, to us, website called www.bookit.com. This website has amazing deals on hotels and all-inclusive resorts for literally half off, plus they include flights! We found an amazing 5 star all-inclusive resort for only $1350 total for a week, including flights!! This deal was less than half the amount when we priced it straight from the resort website. So definitely check it out sometime and get some great deals. You're welcome.

Summer Vacay

2009-02-24T10:37:00.009-06:00

For those of you who have sadly grown out of the 2.5 month summers and month long Christmases, I'm sure you share my pain. Vacation is a valuable commodity that must be used wisely! However, that always crucial decision of what to do with your precious time can be a tough one. Relaxed/adventurous, expensive and short/longer and cheap, with family/without family...This has been the debate amidst the Bruner household as of late. Let me bring you up to date!

Several months ago the opportunity was presented to maybe go to Hawaii with our family! winner! but plane tickets are not cheap, I don't have to tell you that...so we opted for something a little more realistic and in our price range. What flashback comes to mind when throwing around vacation ideas?...duh! My roommate cruise senior on the Carnival Fantasy. All-be-it it was semi-close to being at a drunken spring break extravaganza, but you get what you pay for right? Well, we girls had fun so I figured we Bruners could conjure up some fun too. Well, we found the seemingly perfect option! Leaving out of Galveston, late May early June, we could even afford the Oceanview!

We've been rolling it around for a while and had pretty much decided when out of the blue our plans go awry. Who was the culprit you may ask? A stingy 'reviewer' who claims cruises are awful and woke Jon up to the reality of the expenses on board. So now we are back to square one. I can't complain because we are looking at some all-inclusive resorts in Mexico, and Jon is willing to spend more money. Honestly...never thought I would say that. So, if you have any feedback on affordable places to go, please divulge. We are very open to suggestions. If not, enjoy some pics from senior year on the Carnival Fantasy!

In front of our boat, I know it looks pretty but don't be deceived...it was about 23 yrs old.

Our fun table buddies. Not pictured, older man who we believe had a total alcohol bill of over $800 by the end of the cruise...nice.

Some of the entertainment. Yes, this is a talking chair...no, we were not in camp Carnival for the little kidos.

I ran into Paris while in Cozumel, and got a pic with her.

Brooke and I practicing our emergency evacuation skills while trying to withstand the wind

Oh snorkeling...what a joy!

Don't forget to leave any vacation advice!!!

xoxo
K

Post Valentines High

2009-02-16T13:31:00.002-06:00

What a day...valentines. A most loved and hated holiday by singles and romantically attached alike. Jon and I have found excuses in the past to have a very low key valentines day. The last time I even went out to dinner for valentines it ended tragically. After driving around from restaurant to restaurant for hours...literally...we opted for fast food, we had to eat at some point! Plus, how did we know that restaurants in Abilene actually take reservations!

No, this year Jon and I opted for the traditional low-key celebration. However there was a pleasant addition to our homemade meal. I somehow convinced Jon to get us each a massage to, you know, celebrate our love by relaxing. It was magical! I haven't had a massage in some time, so I made sure to work up a ton of knots to make it more worth while. If you happen to like the idea of a massage and live in Abilene, go to Healthy Skin. They offer you wine and a fruit plate while you wait! nice, I know. After falling asleep and becoming acutely aware of how relaxed I was it was over. On to grocery shopping and cleaning. Note to self, do not schedule anything after a massage for the entirety of the day. ever.

We ended up cooking a wonderful dinner at home, just the two of us. AND! BONUS! I got to use my china for the first time. I was honestly really scared to use it, but it was beautiful and did not break when I picked it up. Woo-hoo! However I did manage to singe my pretty Gerbera Daisies to the point of no return with tea candles. I think one may have survived though!

It was a wonderful valentines. Thank you Aphrodite!

Update

2009-02-05T17:15:00.003-06:00

Soooooo...I know it's been a while. I'm starting to get awful at this! At first I had to keep myself from writing several posts per day! Oh how things have changed. I have been a very busy girl since Christmas though. Last week I was in Houston doing my whole job thing. I used to really really like being 'on the road' recruiting. Face time with students is so much better than over the phone. But this last trip was excruciatingly long. I was away from my hubby for too long, and I didn't feel like any of our events past Tuesday were even worth being down there. Oh well. I must admit, shopping at the Galleria during our spare time was a pick-me-up though. The next biggie is our Houston Rockets game. I wasn't super duper excited about this one until I went and saw the Penthouse Suite and the Toyota center...then I got a little excited about having our event there. However, with this event I'm really afraid of the two extremes that we'll have nobody show up or we'll have double how many we plan for. The later is definitely better than the first...we'll see.

One new thing is that I've started my new years resolution of working out again. I have been really bad for the last 6 months and I need to get out of this funk. I've gone twice so far this week, both in the morning! So I'm proud of myself, even if I'm starting my resolution a month late. One funny thing is that I think everyone in my office has made the same resolution, lets face it everyone's resolution is to loose those 5 extra pounds. I literally see somebody there every time I go. We are such an active group!! I wish us girls still did intramurals. That is always such a good outlet for me, both physically and competitively. Poor Jon must contend with my competitive outrage in Mario Kart. I take it very seriously...but it's all I have! He won't play me in real sports because I get very easily frustrated...what can I say, it's my Achille's heel. So if anyone is reading this and needs a not-really-in-shape athelete to fill a position for them, I'm your girl.

Well I gotta hit the phones...7 more calls and I'm out!

Peace!

Family Time

2008-12-22T11:40:00.004-06:00

My family is coming TOMORROW!!! I have been so excited for so long and it is finally here!!! Kate and Mam-ma got into Houston last night and everyone will be driving up to Abilene tomorrow afternoon. In anticipation, Jon and I did some serious cleaning Saturday. Our house hasn't been this organized ever. It feels so nice to have cleaned everything out and have a place for it all. I also think this is the first time that all the laundry/sheets/towels have been clean, or at least they all were for a few hours. I've seriously been dreaming of a white Christmas for Abilene, but the forecast says it will be more like summer than winter. So no snow for this Christmas :(

However...I can rest assured that I will be sick of snow by the time we get home from skiing. Yesterday while fliping through the tv channels I came across and old episode of 'The Girls Next Door' (don't judge me!) where they went snowboarding in Vail!! I allowed Jon to tune in this once so he could get some pointers from their instructors and see what it is all about. Guess who shows up half way through the episode! Shaun White...duh! He was helping Kendra learn how to ride a rail. I must admit I was jealous. I went to the snowboard park the last time I went snowboarding, but I couldn't work up the courage to do anything :( but maybe this time!! I think I'm getting ahead of myself a bit...we still have Christmas to contend with.

This past weekend I was trying to finish up the last of my Christmas shopping, as was everyone else in Abilene. I don't mind saying that Walmart was hell on earth. Satan was definitley attacking my patience and holly jolly Christmas spirit! I literally walked a fourth of a mile to get inside and they didn't even have what I was looking for. My favorite part was sauntering behind the families of 5 pushing one cart down the isle. I think Walmart should mandate that only one family representative is allowed at a time the week before Christmas. They get the same amount of revenue and because people are in a better mood and aren't crazy mad, thus they may not be in a panic to get out as fast as possible. But, I'm glad to say that I made it out with some of my sanity intact. I won't pretend like it didn't give me a headache for a majority of the day though, seriously.

One thing I am proud about is that I have all my presents wrapped and nicely under the tree before Christmas eve! This is a wonderful feat for me. Usually I wait to go home and shop in Houston last minute, but since we are hosting I got things done much earlier. Another reason was because we had to mail Jon's family their presents and had to be done very early to get it there in time. This got me in the present mindset far earlier than normal.

All in all I am SUPER excited for Christmas and I can't believe it is almost here! Before I go I must say to remember what this season is truly about! God's promise of salvation being fulfilled with the greatest gift of all. Jesus our savior!!

"Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying,
'Glory to God in the highest,
and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests.' " Luke 2:13,14

Also, if you have never heard Handel's Messiah performed, put that on next Christmas' to do list. The ending song is the famous Hallelujah chorus which is so beautiful in it's entirety.
Listen:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nnHksDFHTQI

Have a blessed Christmas!

Krystina

Blessings

2008-12-11T11:12:00.004-06:00

So, last night one of my prayers was answered! I have been praying for a long time about Jon and I meeting some new couple friends and getting more involved at Beltway. When we placed membership a few months back i knew that it would be hard for us to get plugged in at such a big place. One thing that we have wanted to get involved in for a long time was a life group. We had expressed interest a while back, but nothing came of it and I was a little let down. But, Jon and I pursued it because we felt it was necessary for us to get involved at Beltway. Well a few weeks ago we found out that there was a group starting to meet on Wednesday nights that was being led by a couple in our Sunday morning class. We had never talked to this couple, so we didn't know what to expect. But, it happened to be perfect timing and the night that we needed to meet on. Honestly, at this point I had almost given up hope of finding a group we could fit into and I was starting to enjoy my Wednesday nights at home. Isn't God funny how He sometimes waits until we are so comfortable to ask us to change, making it so much more of a commitment to Him. Well, God is always and totally right. I went into last night dreading it a little, I hate forced awkward conversation and I was worried that Jon wouldn't talk and it would be up to me. But, God is so gracious and blessed us with a wonderful evening! The group wasn't studying anything right now because of the holidays and different couples being gone a lot. It was a great time to just talk, get to know the group, and share what's been going on in our lives. We stayed for almost 3 hrs!! Plus, Jon stepped up and was such a wonderful spiritual leader. I love him so much! The night was wonderful and we feel so great about God choosing this group for us. Literally we were almost giddy! How perfect is God's timing.
Romans 8:28 "And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose."

First Bruner Thanksgiving

2008-12-09T11:11:00.005-06:00

This year I celebrated two monumental things in my life on one very special day. I celebrated my first Thanksgiving as a married woman with my husband, and I spent my first holiday away from my family. It is great to have a new family, it is twice as much fun to have two families than just one. But, I think it is going to take a while to adjust.
This Thanksgiving I learned so much more about Jon's family. We decided to never do holidays together until we were married so we could put off the switching back and forth business. So, as this was my first big holiday away from home, it was also Jon's first holiday to have me around. Jon's family does things pretty similar to mine, but it is neat to see all the traditions that they have. The biggest one was the difference in recipes! I know that every family does there own signature Thanksgiving dish, and The Hickl signature dish is something I look forward to year-round. It was as if I had a whole different Thanksgiving meal experience! One cool thing that Jon's family does is cook the turkey in his grandma's very very old oven. It is soooo different! It looked like a giant metal crock pot. But I just loved that they still cook it in there! And it tasted wonderful!
One thing that I'm not used to is visiting both sets of grandparents over the holidays. Since my mom's family lives in Idaho it is always an either/or scenario. After we spent Thanksgiving day with Jon's mom's side of the family, we spent the next day with Jon's dad's side of the family. It was great to get to see all of them as well, but it was tiring. We did get to have two Thanksgivings in one so it was well worth it!
One thing I really missed this year was having a ton of leftovers! Even if we go to my aunt and uncle's house for Thanksgiving my mom still fixes some things at home so we can have Thanksgiving for days. I missed not having all the leftovers to gorge myself on. I was actually surprised how little I ate this year! Usually I come away with at least a 3 lb gain, but I felt about the same this time around. I'm sure I'll more than make up for it at Christmas.
As sad as it was to be away from my family for the first time, I survived and had a wonderful time celebrating with Jon's family. I'm so glad that I married someone who's family is so similar to mine so I always feel at home. Here are a few pictures from Thanksgiving:

Katy and I in our apron's working hard on the Thanksgiving Feast to come!

Jon and I worked hard to make this beautiful apple pie.

My first Bruner Family Picture!

Ma-ma working hard in her apron to make sure her recipes were perfect

Yay for our first Thanksgiving!

Overall my first Thanksgiving away from home was wonderful and I am so Thankful to have such a wonderful new family!

Encouraging Words

2008-11-25T09:59:00.003-06:00

One thing that has been on my heart lately is the power of the tongue. In the Bible we hear a lot about the power of the tongue and that it is necessary to master it. For the past few days I have been thinking about the power of the words we use. When we speak to people we have the power to bestow life or death on them. Too often I find myself biting my tongue because for a long time I've believed that it is better to speak truth than lie. Well, that has translated into sometimes saying the first thing that comes to mind and not rationally thinking about what comes out of my mouth. If I have hurt or offended you by that I'm sorry.

Jon and I are in the class at church called Marriage Matters. Right now we are doing a series on the Celebration of Sex. You might think this would be super awkward but the class has been wonderful!!! It is so amazing to hear about what other couples struggle with anonymously. It was interesting what we talked about this past Sunday since it had been on my mind. I thought this was a great example of how our words can affect people.

A couple did this little role play where the husband kisses the wife on the neck and she has the choice of how to respond.
A. "Is sex all you think about!?" (think very sarcastic/irritated tone)
or
B. "How about we finish this tonight?" (very sweet/seductive tone)

The way a husband would react to the different responses affects everything else that day. With the first response he would be defensive, frustrated, misunderstood and he would take that with him to work and all the people he interacts with that day. With the second response he would feel elated, loved and wanted and he would take those positive feelings with them throughout the day.

That is just an example of the ways that we can speak life or death into people. The way we react to people and situations is a way that Christ can be shown.

Here is another example:
Yesterday I had the pleasure of talking with a girl who is wanting to come to ACU for College. She really wants to do missions or youth ministry. While we were talking she said that another University she was looking at was discouraging her from her calling because they don't support women in ministry positions in the church. How sad that this poor girl wants to give her life in servitude of the LORD and someone would dare condemn her for it. They spoke death into that girl and into the Kingdom of God. I tried to speak as much life, as God gave me grace to, into this girl. I pray that she was uplifted in that, and I hope that harsh words of other Christians have not tarnished that amazing heart God gave her.

It is our purpose as the body of Christ to spur one another on in the Faith. By speaking life into people, we speak God's grace and goodness into their hearts. Because we have faith in God we have hope of the eternal and therefore we have joy! Be joyful in the grace God has given you, and the promise of a new life. The trials of today will soon be over because we look towards something greater. Let these feelings of hope and joy flow from your mouth and bless those around you. Speak life!!!

Many Blessings

Tight Tights

2008-11-20T13:18:00.002-06:00

Today was the first time I have worn tights since about 4 years ago with a thing called pledging. You siggies know what I'm talking about! 3-4 layers of pantyhose in that suntan color...but at least they were warm on those cold nights outdoors. After that I swore to never wear panty hose or tights again. I caved this morning. With the 40 mph gusts of wind and nearly freezing air I really don't blame myself. It was a last minute decision, I stood at my back door contemplating if I should take the time to squeeze into them. With one final gust I was sold, tights it is! Most times you like putting on your new clothes and wearing them for the first time, but I think tights are the one piece of clothing where this isn't the case (and possibly new white tennis shoes, because they are almost neon white). It was difficult to even do the classic 'roll up' to put them on. I forget how much thicker tights are than pantyhose. I got a bit of a workout pulling and jumping to stretch them out for the first time. Once I successfully got them on I was sad to see that all the decorative lines on them were all over the place. Then I tried to swivel them around my leg despite their skin tightness. I finally gave up and left my other leg to be crooked. It wasn't worth it. Now having worn them for several hours they are growing on me. The keep away the tinge of cold in the air and are pretty slimming on my normally enormous calves. I think that tights and I may have rekindled a relationship. I shouldn't hold the bad experiences with pantyhose over them. I just hope I can go the whole day without getting a run.

Jon is a Mutant

2008-11-18T11:28:00.004-06:00

"I am a mutant" exclaims Jon while limping out of the Chiropractors office. He went in for a check-up yesterday after several days of a stiff neck and pain. I had been waiting for his visit for well over 30 minutes so I knew something had to be wrong. After a few touches to the neck the doctor ordered an x-ray and his suspicion was confirmed. Jon has an extra vertebrae in his neck. If only Jon were a teenager and knew karate...then I could call him a Teenage Mutant Ninja. I don't think we could put turtle on the end of that and it be a reality. Because of this extra vertebrae his neck is actually longer than most other peoples. So I guess this makes our family the Brontosaurus' of the human race...minus the tail. Don't get excited just yet...there is some bad news to go along with this anomaly. Because his neck is longer than normal it is crooked and Jon has to have adjustments over the next several weeks and then once every 4-6 weeks...for forever I guess. We are scrambling to get another doctor to confirm b/c, of course, the first time we need to use the health insurance we've been paying into they don't cover it :D. As crazy as this whole thing is to think about, Jon is still in constant pain. Please pray for him and me as we try to figure this whole thing out and hope he doesn't need surgery or anything to straighten his spine. That's the latest for now...I'll keep you posted on any new developments.

Lately...

2008-11-13T11:43:00.006-06:00

I know that I have not been the best at blogging lately. My intermittent posts have not been all that fantastic and are very random! Let's get back on track with the last few weeks!

So I just finished up being on the road for work! It was a crazy few weeks, but things went well and I even got to stay at home one of the nights I was down in Houston. We FINALLY had our big event down in Houston, it went very well and I was, for the most part, pleased! It has been hard to be in and out of town and away from Jon so much. When I've been home work has been so crazy and tiring and laundry is non stop. There is no household chore I dislike more than doing laundry! I'm really glad that I had the first year before getting married to get adjusted to traveling for work. One frustrating part of my travels was missing all of my favorite shows! All my recruiting events are in the evening right when my shows are coming on. Plus, my computer doesn't do well with episodes online. Maybe I should just invite all the students over to somebodies house and watch the shows instead...it could be a great way to get to know students!

All in all I'm very glad the past few weeks are over, and I hope it is a long time before I have to get a rental car and drive all over Texas. Those of you who think driving Abilene to Houston is tough...try driving it 8 times in 3 weeks :D. It's good to be home at last!

Go Wildcats!

2008-10-21T10:21:00.004-05:00

One thing that I've found interesting over the last year is how much more school spirit I have. Not because I have to for my job...but real legitimate school spirit! I wasn't the best Wildcat supporter while in college. I didn't attend sporting events regularly or anything, I rarely knew when they were happening even! But as Homecoming approaches this weekend I am getting more and more excited. I had to miss the last home football game and I am so excited to see our guys do amazing! Plus, I just love how alums come back and the parade and homecoming chapel and the homecoming queen. It is all so much fun and such a fun tradition. Here is a pic of Siggie pledges during the Homecoming parade when I helped with costumes! They are so cute!

It's so ironic how my job has made me appreciate ACU like I never did as a student. I knew ACU was a special place, I just didn't know how special. ACU is truly a gem. I think that we have become so adjusted to what ACU has to offer that we don't realize how special it really is. I love talking with families who have never seen or heard about ACU before after they visit the campus. They are blown away every time. They tell me all the things they are impressed with and love and it makes me realize how other schools are lacking in so many areas. I understand why older Alums don't want ACU to change. They have an idea in their mind of what ACU is and that it should always be that way. But they can rest assured that ACU's heritage is not going anywhere and God will always be praised on this campus. Praise God for the abundant blessings He pours out on those who are faithful.

A day in Houston

2008-10-15T17:58:00.002-05:00

At this moment I am sneaking internet from Cafe Express while sitting in the parking lot. It is really funny to see how long people will wait thinking that I am going to back out. I feel sorry for some of them actually. But I need internet and I want the comfort of my car...is that too much to ask? Plus there is a 4 story parking garage behind me! I'm amazed how people will wait for an up close parking spot at Walmart, in the meantime I have parked and already beat them inside. The lengths we go to be lazy!

I have been piddling all day and I'm so tired of it! I've had to kill 6 hr in Houston from a school visit to a church visit and couldn't stand to drive all the way home. I blew 2.5 hrs at Panera Bread...impressive I know. They actually have free Internet, so I ate and worked there until I got terribly bored. Then I went by DSW and got some clearance shoes and walked around the mall for a bit. Just now I got an amazing smoothie from Jamba Juice...nothing compares...and I only have about 20 more min to kill. I think I've done pretty good! I really wanted to take a nap because it is such a dreary rainy day, but I thought that was a bit risky, and this car isn't that big. I hope that my church visit goes well! I'm really tired though... and tomorrow I have to be up at this college fair by 7:30, did I mention that I'm staying at my parents house over an hour away :( 5:00 wake up call for me! And I still have to drive an hour home after my visit tonight. The next 24 hr is going to be terrible. But I'm hanging in there!!!

Fall into the season

2008-10-07T10:58:00.002-05:00

I am so glad it is fall!!! I'm ready to pull out all my sweaters and boots and carve pumpkins! It is still in the 80s here is Abilene, but I am holding out hope for that eventual cold front to blow through and cool things off. I really want to go and take pictures in a pumpkin patch! I've always wanted to do that, especially when I see all the cute family photos. They all have on their jeans and matching cable-knit sweaters. They should be on the front of a J.Crew magazine. I'm not sure if I can convince Jon to do it, but he has been more open to wearing sweaters lately, which is a good sign. My favorite parts of fall are
a. The leaves changing and the amazing colors (we're going to Illinois in a few weeks and I can't wait to see the trees!)
b. Thanksgiving, my fav food of all time!
c. Wearing fall fashion, and I love pea coats
d. That Christmas is just around the corner!

While riding in the car back from Church Sunday I was wondering when it would be appropriate to start playing Christmas music again. Jon thought I was ridiculous, but I have gone 10 months without it! So...I went onto Pandora yesterday and tuned into my Christmas station from last year. Jon was right...it is too early. I hate that I always want to forget Thanksgiving and move on to Christmas. How could I with all that amazing food!!! This year however will be different. In efforts to keep our families happy during the Holidays, Jon and I have decided to do Thanksgiving with one and Christmas with the other. This year, Thanksgiving is with the Bruners. It is going to be really weird to not be at home this year. I can't say that Hickl Thanksgivings at my aunts house are the most fun...but the food is always top notch. I have no idea what the Bruners are used to and I'm a little nervous. What if I don't get my fill of broccoli rice casserole? Mom knows it is my favorite and always makes enough to last for a few days! I can only hope for the best I guess.

I was always worried about when this time would come because I'm the first in the family to screw our traditions up. I'm trying not to worry about it, but it is really hard. So, those of you who are single...enjoy your time of normalcy and tradition while you can!

H is for Horse

2008-10-01T18:02:00.007-05:00

Last week I had the pleasure of discussing one of my favorite things...horses. Not that I know too much or have a lot of experience with them, but what I do know I love. Darby, my student recruiter at work, has a lot of experience with horses and shares my passion. Although I think hers is a little more qualified. She has ridden for several years and used to have an instructor and everything. You know you are so jealous of her. After our talk today she said that she decided they were going to go riding this weekend, all that horse talk made her crave it. I wish I had a stable to go to when my horse urge hit. I've only had a few experiences riding horses. All but one have been the whole ride in line and sway side to side thing. You know what I'm talking about...

My latest horse excursion was while Jon and I were in Jamaica. My horse was named Viceroy and it was, of course, the ugly one. Here is a picture of Jon and his horse Cornstick and me and Viceroy. (please note that Jamaican horses are very small, I was worried they couldn't carry us the whole way! Jon is as big as Cornstick!)

Another not so good surprise was that Viceroy was also a very competitive horse. He was constantly trying to move to the front of the pack, but the horse in front of us kept cutting us off. There were a couple little tiffs full of biting and kicking, and that was even with the guide... I must say I was a little worried about riding up a mountain on an angry bitting horse. But, this was also when I learned to appreciate horses even more! It was so funny to see their personalities come out! In their little horse world being at the front of the pack is the most important thing, and I'm glad that Viceroy wanted us to be a leader. I also think that Viceroy had some kinda of complex because he knew he wasn't a pretty horse, so he wanted to make up for it by being the fastest. I hope it wasn't because he heard me say he was ugly :(

All that to say that I'm super jealous of Darby and her horse experience. However, this only aids in my determination to have horses on a ranch some day!

3 Months

2008-09-29T20:06:00.003-05:00

Saturday Jon and I celebrated our 3 month anniversary. We forgot the to acknowledge the first two, so I thought we should at least celebrate our quarter of a year anniversary. This was really an excuse to go on a date and spend some quality time together. Here is how the day unfolded:

Sleep in until lunch
Lunch at Sharky's
Visit the Mercer's (a. to borrow the lawn mower b. to get our baby fix and remind us why we are investing in birth control)
Go to the park, walk and take pictures of things
Jon mows the lawn, Krystina goes to Walmart (fitting into our roles nicely eh?)
Krystina attempts to cut Jon's hair (for two hours!)
Dinner at Spano's
Putt Putt at Prime Time
Home and watch a movie

All in all it was a pretty great quarter of a year anniversary. Here are the few things I have learned in the first 3 mo of marriage:
1. make sure you have separate sinks for getting ready in the morning
2. bad morning breath is killer, keep scope nearby
3. a good nights rest and snuggling don't always go hand in hand
4. remember to turn the closet light off when you leave the house
5. you really don't have time to cook family dinners
6. the weight gain is real!
7. you have to watch his shows if you expect him to watch yours
8. girl nights are necessary, and boy nights too

So far that's it, but I'm sure there is much more to come...stay tuned for the 2nd quarter of a year anniversary.

Heroes Season Premiere

2008-09-23T11:04:00.004-05:00

We begin this season with a recap of last season, overall 3 hrs of Heroes greatness! Jon and I did get a little bored being caught up from last season since we just finished it a few weeks ago, so we had to fast forward through the recap. We just couldn't wait to get to the good stuff.

Last season ended with a nail bitter. Nathan Petrelli was shot twice in the chest right before he announced that he could fly. In the opening scenes of the new episode we find Peter and Claire facing off four years in the future. Claire is donning some dark locks which actually look pretty good on her, especially with the dark side of Claire we haven't seen before. Things have not gotten better since they saved the world the first time, and Peter vows to make things right. This is where we find out that Peter goes back in time and is the shooter that gunned down his brother to keep the secret from getting out. The show progresses by updating us on the various stories that have been going on.

Nikki (Jessica) now becomes Tracy, who is the assistant to a corrupt politician. Her aim is to convince Nathan Petrelli to replace a recently deceased senator.

Claire is found by Sylar who eventually overtakes her and absorbs her power. We also find out that Claire is even more special than others and Sylar can't kill her. Also, Mr. Bennet's files on the 'villains' locked away in level 5 fall into Sylar's hands.

Mohinder and Mya discover a way to take 'heroes' genes and give them to others so everyone can have powers. Against Mya's urging, Mohinder injects himself and wakes up with heightened senses and amazing strength. After he and Mya 'bow-chika-wow-wow' he wakes up and realizes that something is very wrong with him. Blisters on his back would indicate...yes.

After confronting Peter about shooting Nathan Matt finds himself in the African desert. After walking what seems like miles he collapses, starts talking to a turtle and then realizes a man is there to help him. I believe this man is similar to Isaac Mendez in his ability to paint the future. However, he says that Matt wasn't supposed to be there and the future has changed.

Hiro and Ando uncover a new destiny for themselves when Hiro's father lets him in on a secret. It is a diagram that maps some sort of molecular structure, possibly the answer to genetic codes Mohinder is looking for. But just as Hiro looks at the diagram and new girl makes her debut as being 'super fast'. I don't remember her name, but she is French. After going to the future, Hiro finds out that he is eventually betrayed by Ando and he feels he can't trust him any longer.

There is much more to the story, but the main idea is that Peter has drastically changed the future by shooting his brother and not necessarily for the better. Mrs. Petrelli (who can apparently see the future) has a bad feeling about what is to come. As do I!

This season is going to be so intense. I can't wait! So if you are not a Heroes fan you need to get on the bandwagon and become one!

Thanks Ike!

2008-09-16T11:14:00.006-05:00

We Survived!!! No worries...Lake Jackson is intact. I cannot say the same for our neighbors up the coast :( I talked to mama Hickl yesterday as the power came back on at our house. We suffered minor damage to the fence in the back yard and lost a rose bush, both minor concerns. As the power returned Mom had also just finished cooking the entire contents of the freezer before they went bad. I'm sure the Hickl house was a hopin place with air conditioning, running water and an entire freezer worth of food.

Now on to Surfside beach which was not so lucky. Several beach houses were down or had the dreaded 'X' marked for tear down. But do not fear! Several of our favorites are still intact! Kitty's purple cow survived...

and a very surprising performance was given by the Surfside water slides. I believe theses were closed down about 10 years ago, I always thought they would have collapsed even without hurricane force winds. But it out-performed some houses! Very impressive!

Surfside is not the same, but at least we have these few landmarks to hold onto. In times like this I ask myself why the ugly brown beach houses didn't get ruined instead of the pretty ones. Those ugly ones always outlast, and maybe their longevity is the source of their old ugliness. Who knows, at least Surfside can't get much worse and we can only go up from here.

The 11th and 12th days of 12th day!

2008-09-09T13:36:00.010-05:00

Please tell me this whole time you've been singing these blog titles to the tune of The Twelve Days of Christmas. I can't stop singing it in my head and it makes me super excited for Christmas in 3 months!!! Now on to the reveal!

Day 11: If you are an employee of ACU you guessed it...Starbucks coupon. This only days after Hayley (the boss man) said that this idea was nixed. I guess the idea box was running empty. But who doesn't like to fuel up in the morning or mid-afternoon! Homemade coupon pictured below.

Day 12: There is much jubilation and a sigh of relief as this is the last day students can leave and the campus blame it on us! Sing along with me now...'On the 12th day of Freshmas, my big boss gave to me...a comp day to take for free!' I can't say that I wasn't expecting this, after all the idea box is empty remember! What else do hard working successful employees want besides cupcakes, Starbucks, Krispy Kreeme Donuts or even, shall I say it, a raise? But we've already gotten the first three and we are all crossing our fingers for the 4th to come. So hoorah! Pictured below was the deliverer of this great news. Note the little man...this, of course, was the response of everyone in the office minus Jeremy with his gimp knee.

*Also I wanted to add that over the weekend Jon and I used the 2nd day of 12th day gift card to Century Cinema to see Tropic Thunder. Rating= 3 out of 5 stars. I'm glad we didn't have to pay for it, but it was entertaining enough for a Friday night in Abilene. Disclaimer, don't be deceived by the opening previews for ridiculous movies, Jon had to clue me in that they were part of the movie and supposed to funny. After that realization it made much more sense.

The 9th and 10th Days of 12th day

2008-09-05T09:20:00.007-05:00

I missed reporting on yesterday's commemorative gift because it came late in the day. So, I am combining both the 9th and 10th days.

9th Day: Black nalgene-esk water bottle with rubber comfort grip, white ACU logo on the front. The top also works as a handy hook to attach to a belt loop! Pictured below.

10th Day: Krsipy Kreme Donuts all around. This would have been another good one to announce beforehand so I didn't eat double breakfast.

ANTM Has Returned: Season 11

2008-09-04T15:36:00.004-05:00

Last night I turned on the tv and looked at the shows recording for the evening. To my pleasant surprise I see America's Next Top Model with a little red dot next to it. Finally! The absence of tv drama from my life was making things dull! But lucky for us, last night kicked off the season with a two hour episode. I must say Tyra was thinking outside the box with her 'futuristic' theme. But nobody can complain about full length leotards and tie up stiletto boots. I must say that the season premieres are a little cheesey for my taste, but props to Tyra for keeping it light and fun for the contestants. I know some of them can take things a bit too seriously. In no time we get to meet some of the contestants. Here are a few to keep your eye on in the upcoming weeks:

Elina-The sometimes lesbian that is open to loving anybody no matter what their gender. She announces mid-way through the show that she has a crush on Clark (we'll get to her in a bit). My favorite part of this episode is how the camera man cathces a hug between the two as Clark is handed her spot in the house and Elina rejoices.

Isis-The born in the wrong body he-she. 'She' believes that everything about her is female except the physical...and no 'she' hasn't not had a complete transition to female...enough said. Some are concerned about any nude scenes that may come to pass, and I am too!

Hannah-Grew up in a small town in Alaska with no electricity or running water. In her interview she runs around like a moose while Tyra strikes fierce run for your life poses. Claims to be very naive as their are no people where she came from. Seems like a 2008 flower child.

Clark-Overly confident barbie doll who admits she will use and manipulate people to win. She places toward the end in the first round of pictures while they 'talentless' girls give her a run for her money...including bff Elina.

Marjorie-Shy and sometimes spastic girl from France. She came to the US when she was 7 and then was home-schooled...not a good combo for a foreigner trying to fit in... She ranked first in this weeks competition, but will her unconfident awkwardness get in the way like it has for so many others?

Sheena-The ghetto asian. Currently lives in the Bronx and brings a sort fo 'flava' to the mix. She kinda reminds me of Cha Cha DiGregorio from Greese for some reason.

McKey-The boxing cage fighter. She's a fiery red head who skated by the first round of judging with her back to the basics boxing pose. Good call to take the fight against global warming so literally! But it may not work next time.

Best part of last nights show was when Tyra announced who would be staying. I wasn't aware of who was who, and for about 15 seconds could not figure it out! They were both crying and hugging...finally one of them said I'm sorry and I finally felt some closure as the Sharaun fell to her knees and sobbed. It was so dramatic! Especially for the first elimination! I can't wait to see what else is in store.

On The 8th Day of 12th Day...

2008-09-03T16:18:00.004-05:00

So at work we are currently having the 12 days of 12th day. Similar to Christmas, but without Jesus' birth and including the freshman class...so Freshmas. We are celebrating because the 12th day of classes is when official enrollment numbers are taken and we can all breathe a hopeful sigh of relief! In the spirit of hopefulness our boss is presenting us with small tokens to commemorate each day. Lets get everyone caught up shall we?

Day 1: Same Kind of Different as Me-book the Freshies are reading and everyone else in the world apparently!
Day 2: Two movie tickets to Cinemark Theatre
Day 3: 2 cupcakes because 3 cupcakes on 3rd day is just predictable
Day 4: Wear jeans to work on 5th day
Day 5: (Wearing jeans from 4th day) Get fav Sonic drink for mid-afternoon snack
Day 6: $10 iTunes gift card I have yet to receive
Day 7: The Three Amigos (Which meant more to me than anyone else because Jon and I searched high and low for a dvd version the night before! My crave was fulfilled!) plus an astounding amount of candy and drinks and popcorn
Day 8: Mini-massage for 10 min...Mandy was great but it was a real tease!

I will keep you posted on the upcoming 4 days of Freshmas. So far, so good. I'm keeping my fingers crossed for a 'take the day off' day.

Six Flags

2008-09-02T10:29:00.002-05:00

This past weekend I had the pleasure of going to Six Flags with Megan and Brooke! I haven't been to a theme park of any sort in about 4 years, so it was long overdue. I now finally understand why my parents never took me as a child and would bribe me to not go. I distinctly remember one time I wanted to go to the local fair with my mom. I was about 7 I think. As we were pulling into the fair grounds my mom, in a last effort to avoid the horrible day in store for her, offered to take me shopping for toys instead. But I was determined! I said no, of course, because the fair came only once in like 10 years so we HAD to go! My poor mom was throwing up after just a few rides because for some reason children love the rides that spin around in nauseating fast circles. She never took me to the fair again after that. On Saturday I finally felt her pain. I wasn't bent over a trash can at any point, but ever since the second round on the Batman ride I've had a continual spinning headache. This was the first time I have gotten even remotely sick on a ride, which I think means I'm finally an adult.

Some pics from our wedding

2008-08-28T11:08:00.008-05:00

Friends Jace and Randy took a break from the dancing to snap a shot with us

Almost same picture from Sara's wedding, but Sara and I changed spots. Note to all pictured, must take this picture at everyone's wedding.

Jon and I dancing the night away. I'm guessing this was 'our' dance. We actually got to dance a lot!

Mom helping me put on jewelry. I love that you can see the whole back of my dress!

One of my favs of me and my dad, although dad has his eyes closed. But he did in almost every picture so this was the best I could do.

Me and my lovely maid of honor (and also sister) Kate!

The Olympics

2008-08-26T13:12:00.004-05:00

It has come and gone so fast, like it always does. I just got into the routine of coming home after work to 8 hours of Olympic coverage and now it's gone. Last night Jon and I sat bored stiff. No more Heroes (yes we finished season 2 already) and no more Olympics. I'm fortunate enough to still have hours of footage of events I heard about but wasn't able to watch. That will be comforting for a few more days.

The 2008 Olympic games were pretty outstanding. Let's review some of the highlights:

1. Duh! Michael Phelps winning his 8 gold medals (and in great fashion with the Olympics being 8-8-08)
2. U.S. Men's gymnastics getting bronze with like 10 alternates on the team
3. "Smashing" France in the 4x100 meter relay in swimming (take that!)
4. Nastia Liukin getting Gold in all-around gymnastics (not a surprise but it was great to knock out China for a change)
5. The Chinese being ridiculously underage (but there is always a need for some type of scandal, steroids are overrated)
6. Treanor and Walsh dominating in sand volleyball for their 2nd gold
7. U.S. women's' soccer outing Brazil in soccer 1-0 in overtime for gold for the second time
8. Glenn Eller winning gold in trap shooting. Not that cool sounding at first, but he was the youngest of the final 6 contestants, is active in the U.S. army and set a world record!
9. Our U.S. doubles ping pong team (who were Chinese) that got the farthest ever in any Olympics. They were outed by their Korean counterparts!
10. The U.S.'s Shalane Flanagan who got the bronze in the women's 10,000m. The only U.S. woman to ever medal in this event, and she did it after having a stomach virus for 3 days! I cried when she won. But that is just how important these Olympic games are to me!

Now lets take a look at the not so amazing Olympic moments:

1. Both the men's and women's 4x100 meter relays dropping the baton on the final leg and loosing out on Olympic gold. Tragic in itself, but even more so because the same thing happened in Athens. Can't we learn!!!!
2. Women's water polo team loosing out to The Netherlands in the last minute of the game. The men also lost to Hungary.
3. Wallace Spearman getting disqualified in the 200m final for stepping on the inside line of his lane, forfeiting his Silver metal
4. The bronze medallist in the 200m final also stepping on the inside line of his lane and forfeiting the bronze. Luckily two U.S. runners were there to accept both medals!
5. Nastia Liukin being outed for gold on the uneven bars by the 12 yr old Chinese girl in a tie-breaker. Tragic!
6. The U.S. not winning any medals in diving and China dominating in every diving event by like 100 points.
7. U.S. Softball being outed for gold again, and this is the last year for it. (Isn't softball like basketball in that we should dominate and have no competition!)
8. U.S.'s boxing hopeful Andrade outed in the quarterfinals by South Korea's JungJoo. He left the match crying but I don't blame him! Then China won gold....again.
9. The U.S. having no athletes compete in the singles matches for a metal, however the Williams sisters pulled out a gold in doubles, and the Bryans managed a bronze
10. Newcomer Katie Hoff being out-touched for gold by England's Rebecca Addlington in the 400 m freestyle by .07 seconds. She was robbed!

(Please note that these events are not rated, they are simply listed in the order I remembered them)

So many great memories to take with us from this year! Now, on to the 2010 winter Olympics in Canada! Let's hope they can out-do China's show, but without the whole winning half the gold medals part.

The Freshman of 2008

2008-08-25T15:01:00.004-05:00

It has been a long year. They say that the year after College is this big transition year into responsibility and adulthood. I decided to add getting married into the mix, so I must agree with this especially in my case. It was really hard for me to stay in the college town that I'd been living in for the past 4 years. Getting engaged made it a little easier, but even a year later I'm still not completely sold on the idea. I was lucky enough to land a job for the very University I had just graduated from. Living in Abilene and not being associated with ACU was really weird for the brief time I worked under another employer. My first 'real' job was to be an Admissions Counselor. I thought it would be all fun and games at first, but I had a rude awakening that things were going to get serious fast.

The last year has been up and down for me, I've had high points and very very low points. I feel like I am finally to a place of closure after the past year. My students are here and enrolled, and today is their first day of College. The idea of having to start over from scratch is really scary. After all, this year has been an uphill battle for me. I have never had to work so long to see the fruits of my labor. I'm the type of person that would rather work as hard as possible for a short amount of time than draw the work out over the long haul. With this job I got the best of both...work as hard as you can for the long haul. That's not to say that I'm not looking forward to next years class. I just know how long it will be between that first conversation and them being here. In the meantime, I look forward to watching this freshman class excel and succeed. Hopefully that will be a continual means of motivation for me. I will never forget the way it felt to walk in during opening ceremonies of Welcome Week and see all of the Freshman class together, and most of all to know that many of those students wouldn't be here without me. I finally feel refreshed and rewarded after a year of exhaustion.

Heroes

2008-08-22T13:44:00.005-05:00

This past Christmas my parents had the great idea of getting my then fiance a 6 month trial with Netflix. Now we are hooked. Since the 6 month trial was up, we decided to keep the account the account going and are even considering upgrading. Yes, their marketing scheme worked on us! We are addicted. One part of netflix we haven't taken advantage of is their 'Watch Now' option. Immediate movies, seemingly free. What could be better!? Well the selection over the past few months has not been ideal. We had felt this way a long while until we discovered that you can watch TV sitcoms as well, and then our hope was restored.

On this past Sunday evening, Jon (my husband) suggested something that, at the time, seemed to be a wonderful idea! We had been hearing a lot about Heroes, a drama series on NBC. I'd seen the trailers for the new season premiere, and yes I was interested, but with so many of my favorite shows finally returning this fall (minus Lost) I didn't think there was time to throw another in the mix. I caved. We stayed up watching episodes past 1am, a rare occurance in the Bruner home these days. We have completed the first season in 4 days! That is averaging 5 shows a day. And no we don't have lives!

I found the show to be very addicting! I even have dreams about it! (Will I soon discover my hidden abilities? Peter Petrelli didn't discover his until late in life!) I must give props to the writters, at least for the first season. Every episode left me hanging in agony and wanting more. Luckily it was only a mouse click away. I'm worried that I am being spoiled with this instant satisfaction of knowing what happens! When the series starts again and I have to wait a week for answers, I really don't know what I will do with myself. This may be a new approach to watching tv dramas. Just wait and then you can watch it all at once!

Last night ended the marathon of Heroes: Season 1. I was a little let down by the anticlimatic ending. It was good, but the Peter Petrelli and Sylar fight scene lacked a little something. I do understand that they are new to using their powers, so I'm just hoping that in future seasons we will get to see some much more cool action scenes. Right now I am anxiously awaiting season 2. Jon and I decided against starting it last night, we needed a break to get back into reality. Hopefully 24 hr will be long enough!

Bonsai

2008-07-18T10:48:00.002-05:00

Early this week I was made aware of a new supposedly amazing restaurant in town assuming the name Bonsai. This new restaurant is comparable to the famous Abilene Fuji's. It was rumored that this Bonsai was even better than Fuji's. I was so taken aback, because speaking against Fuji's is as close to blasphemy as possible. I had to see for myself.

Jon and I went to Bonsai last night with great expectations. "What could possibly be better than Fuji's?" we asked ourselves. "This must be close to heavenly!"

First impression:
It does have some better curb appeal than Fuji's, but let's be honest...Fuji's is a square white building with a green sign. You can definitely tell that it is new, as there are strings of triangle flags hung around the entirety of the building. As I walked up to the hostess stand she asked me, "will you be dining in our sushi bar or our grill tonight?" WHAT! Sushi Bar! This IS heaven. I never thought Abilene was affluent enough to support a sushi bar! But let's not get ahead of ourselves.

Dinner:
The menu was almost exactly the same as Fuji's. For a brief moment I wondered if this was really Fuji's number two and they just changed the name in order to create a seemingly great competitor. Then I tasted the rice. Fuji's 1, Bonsai 0. Jon described it perfectly, it tasted like something you would get at a buffet Chinese restaurant. Not a hibachi grill. The rest of the food, was different but good. The salad dressing had way to much ginger in it, and the soup was really spicey. The steak was tasty and tender, my favorite part of the meal.

Overall:
Bonsai is not Fuji's. Whoever thought this place was better was deranged. Maybe they were high on Rainbow and Philly rolls, and I can't blame them for their fixation on the sushi bar. Bonsai was a little higher priced than Fuji's, and their menu's contradicted each other, which was super confusing. If you can't get into Fuji's on a Friday night, then Bonsai is a good second option. But it doesn't hold a candle to the original Abilene hibachi wonder.

New Name

2008-07-18T10:37:00.004-05:00

Today is day 21 with the new name. Not legally of course, but in all other respects of being married. When I came back to work last week it was a whirl-wind of Bruner. It seems my work was more prepared for the name change than I was. On our honeymoon I was still traveling under the name Hickl, so I haven't really had the chance to get adjusted. I'm starting to get there. It will be a while before I don't have to think for a few seconds before responding when asked what my name is. Not the best feeling when people question your true identity because you take so long to answer. It makes people feel very suspicious.

Nevertheless, I am on my way to social security today to finally get my name changed legally. Then it's on to DPS, then banks, then insurance...so on and so forth. They even have packets online that come with all the documents to fill out. At first I thought it was so rediculous that people would need that, but I'm starting to see how those people make a living making new brides lives easier. After all, once the wedding is over life is supposed to become easy and blissful. So far, I can't complain too much.