Freeeedom

This girl is DONE with school!  At least for a few summer months, that is.  Ahhhhh the smell of sweet, sweet freedom.  It's delicious.  Unfortunately for Steven, the studying never ends...but I guess that's the price you pay to be a top notch Doctor, right?  So proud of him.

For the Neeley Crew we have a pretty fun (well, at least for me) summer lined up.  My mom is coming into town to play with me for a few days this Friday...the first week of June my family is going to visit a bunch of church history sites and I'm going to tag along with them. After Steven takes his big medical board exam in the middle of June (seriously, that kid is studying 12 hours a day for this thing, six days a week.  I do not envy him in the slightest) we are going to escape on a fun little cruise with his parents.  After we get home, Steven will start his 3rd year of medical school!!  I can't believe it!  This whole next year he will be doing rotations in the hospital so he's pretty excited about it.  Because he is doing one of his most time consuming rotations first, I'm pretty much ditching him the entire month of July because I would never see him any way.  I'll be back in Arizona the first few weeks of July, and then I'm going to Florida to visit his family the second half.  I'm so grateful to have family that is willing to let me tag along, otherwise I would be SO bored this summer.

There will be the occasional week or two within there that I will be back in Texas so I have lots of pinterest projects lined up for me to do.  And I'll be home all of August so I've gotta have something to do to fill up my days before school starts again.  My sister-in-law should be having her baby sometime in August so there will probably be a quick trip to Houston thrown in there too.

Hopefully I should be better at this blogging thing because I'm a free little bird now.  And hopefully I'll be better with the camera.  I am the WORST at taking pictures, even with instagram.  I was just not born with photo passion I guess and I always forget.  I'd like to think that it's that I'm so passionate and excited about life that I forget, but that's probably not true.

The last two months

Man has a lot happened in the last two months, and man do I STINK at blogging. In my defense, I think I have been much more busy this semester and I have chosen to spend my free time with my hubs. Although...I think I may have given that same excuse last semester so now this excuse probably isn't as credible. I will try to touch on the highlights of the last two months as briefly as I can.

1. Probably the first of which was spring break! I was able to visit my fam in AZ, and Steven was able to ski with his fam in Colorado. Our spring breaks didn't overlap this year which was a bummer, but we still feel lucky to have been able to get away and see our families.

2. The week after my spring break my mother-in-law and Steven suckered me into finally doing a tough mudder!! It was 12 miles, with about 24 obstacles. It was intense, but it was really fun! And the crazy part is, is that Becky and Steven did it TWO times. I joined them their second time around because they went much slower (thank goodness). Steven teases me that I should do another so I can say I ran the whole thing, but I'm thinkin not. This girl doesn't have anything to prove.

3. 14 different tornados hit DFW a few weeks ago and holy smokes was that craziness! Those storms come on so fast. I was at school, and when class started it was cloudy, but nothing was really going on, and within an hour all chaos had broke loose and we were hangin out in stairwells. Thankfully, Steven had gone to school with me that day, so we weren't separated on opposite sides of the town. We were pretty nervous that our place was going to get hit, because there were two just north and south of it. I feel so blessed that everything was perfectly fine. A few miles south of us...not so much. The damage across the metroplex was astonishing. A friend of a friend took this crazy picture from his neighborhood:

4. We finally got a new car!!! I am soooo thrilled. It has been such a pain to share Steven's truck when our schools are 50 minutes apart from each other. However, we were able to spend wayyyy more time together because of the car-pooling and schedule-balancing so that was a blessing during a tough time.

We are loving life! ttfn.

A Valentine's Day I'm Sure I Won't Forget...

My Valentine's Day started out like this:

I have the sweetest hubby! :)

BUT...15 minutes later it was this:

(insert horrific picture of my beautiful yellow car being smashed to bits)

Ya. It's been a rough 48 hours since.

Not fifteen minutes after I took the above picture and posted it on facebook a large, red SUV somehow "didn't see me" and merged into my rear right tire (he was switching lanes). I was in the far left lane of the freeway going at about 65-70 mph. I spun out and hit the cement median three or four times. My air bags went off, and somehow I have walked away practically untouched (minus some nasty bruises and a rug burn over my shoulder and collar bone). I have been thanking the dear Lord for saving my life every minute since the accident.

The man who hit me was at LEAST 70 years old, was wearing super thick tinted glasses and was walking funny. It was obvious he should NOT be on the road. Unfortunately, I didn't see who hit me (it happened from behind me and I don't have eye balls in the back of my head!) and the man says he "doesn't know who hit who". We have no witnesses. There were no cameras. And the police don't know who is telling the truth (um, me! Kinda obvious!). Basically, it's kind of an insurance nightmare. My car was only covered under liability insurance because it was considered totaled after the bad tornado/hail storm last May. So if we get any money at all it would be from the old man's insurance company. But guess what? He hasn't even filed a claim yet! And he won't admit that he hit me. Ughhhh...I'm dying. Can I just stop being an adult? I don't like it!

But, I'm alive, when I should be dead. I still have a mission here on earth that I need to fulfill. It was not my time to go (which I am ok with!). We'll see what happens with the insurance. Keep your fingers crossed for us!

-Amber

Give a girl the right shoes...

So I'm wrapping up on my third week of school and I don't think my mind has made the connection that I'm in school again. Kinda like when I first got married...I couldn't quite get my brain wrapped around that fact. Anyhoo, this nonchalant feeling that I have about school so far is a little weird considering that I've already written 5 lesson plans, read a book, done a book report on said book, taken three quizzes, done homework every night and oh ya, I've also done two observations. Weird, right? I should feel like I'm in school...huh. Maybe it'll click in next week. This is what I have come to realize in the last three weeks:

1. I think I'm allergic to one of my classes. Don't laugh, I'm being serious. Without fail the moment I sit down in that class I get an exploding headache. The moment I walk out I'm fine. I'm trying not to take this as a sign or something.

2. Sadly, I've realized how anal I am about the way I look/other people look. Let me explain. For whatever reason, it is a new super weird trend that all of the college girls throw up their hair in a ratty mess, throw on this gigantic piece of fabric that looks like a rag, but I'm guessing it's supposed to be a shirt, and some yoga pants/running shorts in warmer weather. Trust me, I understand the whole weird college sleep schedule-I did that my whole freshman year at BYU. The only thing I can think of is that it's the alcohol messing with these girls? I'm not quite sure. Anyway, they look like a bag of poo when they are in class. Also, I have one teacher that has some serious hair problems. I'm not quite sure what she washes her hair with, but it always looks slimy and matted to her head. It's pretty gross. I'm not saying everyone needs to dress up nice for school. I'm just simply asking they throw on a pair of jeans, a fitted t-shirt, and comb their hair...is that too much to ask?

3. Unlike my high school self, I have noticed that I have become the girl that everyone kind of ignores because she is always in the back corner of the class with her nose buried in a book. I don't know why I've become this weird recluse, but it is what it is. I'm also the girl everyone thinks is a total nut job because I get so incredibly nerdy when class starts. My eyes light up and I'm poised for optimal learning. My fingers are ready to zip away with note taking on my laptop and I have all of my readings and homework color coded and beautifully annotated. Ya, I know. It's embarrassing. I know you know what kind of girl I'm talking about. Everyone had this person in their classes growing up, and now I'm her. I'm pretty okay with it though, it has helped me find my inner Zen with life.

4. I have also realized that I have a better day depending on the shoes I'm wearing. Totally random, right? But, it's true. If I throw on some adorable color-popping flats, or cute boots it just does something to my self esteem and I have a fabulous day. If I throw on my ratty pair of sneakers or mocasins, I don't necessarily have a terrible day, but it's usually just "meh". I guess the quote from Marilyn Monroe is true:

“Give a girl the right shoes, and she can conquer the world."

-Amber

We're back!

So I stink at blogging. Oh well, it is what it is. Here's what we've been up to lately:

1. Steven and I finished Fall '11 semester with a bang and we are both pleased by our grades. Steven is doing EXCEPTIONAL and I couldn't be more proud. In fact, I brag about him all the time. I probably shouldn't, but I can't help myself. He's just so dang handsome and SMART. The kid puts me to shame.

2. We spent Christmas this year with Steven's family in Florida. It was a blast! I love my in- laws. It is a constant go, go, go when you are with them, and the Neeleys have a special talent of making you more tired when you get back from vacation than when you left. It was a great two weeks that consisted of Disney, Gators, Pirates, awesome Christmas skits (Steven was the donkey and I was Mary), and snuggling cute little nephews. It was wonderful!

3. Because Steven only had two weeks of Christmas break we were back in Texas on Jan 1st so he could start school on the 2nd (bleck!). I then ditched him on Wednesday to spend the rest of my break with my family in Arizona. Steven tagged along the following weekend to attend my younger brother's mission farewell. Jordan is off at the MTC, learning the beautiful spanish language so he can enrich the lives of others in Colombia. I couldn't be more proud of him. While I was in Arizona I ran errands with my mom, went on special dates with Jordan and snuggled my niece and nephew! I feel so blessed that I was able to spend my Christmas break with both sides of the family.

Now I am back in Texas and have started my second semester at TCU. I really do love it there. You can't compare it to BYU (it's like comparing apples and oranges), but I can say that I am starting to catch the "purple pride" bug. At the end of my educational career I may end up being a horned frog through and through. That school has been so good to me and I have made great friends.

That's basically all for now! Ta, ta!

Sometimes...

I haven't blogged in FOREVER. I know, my bad. I just thought I'd put this up here, for no particular reason. I loved it and thought it was cute. Have a great day ya'll!

(yes, I'm catching on to texan lingo...)

Living in the NOW

I've been falling into a little mental rut lately, or actually, two ruts if you will.

I often find myself reminising about the "Glory Days" (basically high school) OR what people would like to call "Wishing My Life Away". Now don't get me wrong, it's great to remember all the good times you've had, and it's even better to have dreams and goals. But for me, this has gone to a level much more deep and troubling than just that, and gosh darn it I will stop! I must stop because it's getting ridiculous, and to be blatantly honest, it's been making me a depressed Amber, and not the bouncy, happy Amber.

Let me explain a little further. In high school, dancing, singing and cheerleading was my life. MY LIFE. That is no more. It's been a struggle dealing with it too. Church choir just doesn't seem to "do it" for me, and now that I'm married, dance and cheer are for one, not financially feasible, and two, my time is better spent on my husband, church callings, work, and homework even if I did have the money. This is rut numero uno.

Rut numero dos: I cannot stop thinking about babies. I swear, I feel like everyone is pregnant. Everyone is having a baby (I had THREE shower invites just for October-THREE) and that's just here in Texas, not counting everyone I know in Arizona and friends from Utah. Baby makin is becoming a serious deal, and apparantly I missed the memo. Not only that, but I have prayed, I have fasted, and I have prayed and fasted almost EVERY month and the answer is stronger and stronger: Not Yet. I don't get the answer "No" (thank heaven!) just "Not Yet". I cannot deny how strong that answer has been. Why not now? I have no idea. Actually, I do. I'm supposed to finish school. So here's rut number two: I dream and dream of the day I will finally be done with school so I can be a mom.

Here's the problem, and this is why this MUST stop: I am totally neglecting all of the many blessings I'm able to enjoy right here, right now in the present, because I'm either locked away in the past or future. So to help myself get out of this mind set, I'm going to make a little list of why I love my life right now:

1. I can write this blog without having a baby cry in the other room or someone running up to me because "so and so" flicked a booger on the other "so and so".

2. I basically get to do whatever I want on my own schedule.

3. I AM MARRIED. One dream accomplished.

4. I have the opportunity to finish my education! I love school, and love learning.

5. I get to travel whenever I want to.

6. I get to run a million errands without buckling children in and out of carseats a million times and I don't have to deal with the two year old meltdown in the check out line (win!)

7. I get my husband all to myself.

8. I have made great friends here in Texas, and I get to hang out with them and their sweet kiddos all the time.

9. I nanny for the BEST family in the ENTIRE universe!!! Those three sweet babies are my everything. All the laughs and cries over little boo boos and all the runny noses really make me feel like I'm making a difference to someone that really matters to me. How I love those sweet kids and their parents. I dread the day I have to say goodbye.

10. I can have a craft sprawled out all over the table or floor and do it all day long without having anyone stop me.

11. I get to do SO MANY fun recreational things with my hubby and his family! They are so so so much fun! I'm glad my husband is so active and brings back those fun active times for me.

12. Less laundry. Nuf said. I. hate. laundry. I told Steven that once he's on full salary in 8 years that the first person I would consider to help around the house is a laundry lady. I hate it THAT much. I'd rather clean a million toilets than do the laundry, yes seriously.

13. Less messes! Although, my cat does a great job at messing up the apartment. I got home today and discovered that he had gotten into the cheeze-it box and there were cheeze-its scattered all over my kitchen floor. I swear...his cute fuzzy face saves his life sometimes...

See? Lots to be greatful for and lots of fun things about my life! I feel better already :) I think I should make this a mental exercise every single day. Today is the first day of conquering my mental "illness". Here's to many many more!

-AN