The NEW Stephens

Super fun summer project

2009-07-13T23:11:00.004-05:00

I finished painting my treasure chest!! And I had a great weekend with mom. And I love Photo Booth.

Out for the summer!

2009-07-01T22:13:00.005-05:00

Summer school is OUT! Praise Jesus!

I can't tell you how many nightmares I've had about my summer school kids (SSK). I was placed teaching a younger age, not my own students. Little did I know I would be teaching kids that have a lot of potential, but are MAJOR behavior problems.... Lucky me! 10 little behavior problems all to my self. For 5 weeks. I will spare all but a few funny stories...

1. As I sat around a table teaching Math, from the corner of my eye, I saw a kid pulling out buggers with his index finger and immediately licking them off like a yummy treat. (Repeat 4 times). I know the other kids in the class saw him, but I couldn't say anything. Ha! I felt my stomach churching. How do you correct behavior without embarrass the child? So hard!

2. Heavy storms and thunderstorms + lights out and second graders = DISASTER. Half cried and the other half looked at me with eyes that screamed, "do something, please. hold my hand, or love me."

3. One little boy was DOPED up on heavy medication. One day when he wasn't on his meds, I heard his name thrown inside the boys restroom. Next thing I know, I saw a huge trash can in front of the door, blocking one of his classmates from exiting. These are 2nd graders! *While on medicine, he's completely different. Today, he quietly came to me and said, "Mrs. Stephens, you are the bestest teacher."

As a "horrayy, you survived" Josh surprised me with beautiful flowers :)

Beautifully orange!

Love,

Gilda

Nothing like it

2009-06-26T23:37:00.004-05:00

Living in Waco has been good so far. Josh and I are growing a little tired of living in a small city but there are also a lot of benefits here. I didn't do a whole lot of fun events this past year since I was so busy with school, but I'm looking forward to the next year as it begins. There are already some events I'm looking forward to.

I've always dreamed of having a neat house with lots of elegant decor that cover soft-colored walls and with high ceilings that welcome a cool during spring, but it wasn't until I moved to Waco that I realized how much that requires. My house doesn't have that kind of elegance, elegant decor, or an array of color on the walls, but I love my home. Getting a good deal on furniture or slowly buying decorative pieces has been a fascinating experience. An experience I cannot put a price on. Now, it looks good. And cute. And I like it. I've finally learned to accent the dark purple carpet with light brown couches! And more! Maybe I'll take a picture sometime.

I like my neighborhood. Josh and I fit in well here. I am finally talking more with the neighbors. To the right, they have a rooster and a mini car repair shop in the back yard. They have twins- age 3-who come outside to watch me play frisbeewith Shelby. Our neighbors to the left had a visit from the SWAT team earlier last year and they moved out soon after that. We never did find out what happened.

Our new neighbors are friendly. Josh and I talk to them too. About a month ago, though, it happened again. The new neighbors had a visit from the cops. This time, the cops chased one of them through their yard and threw the neighbor on the ground to handcuffed him. I SAW EVERYTHING! Josh and I were in the backyard doing yard work and sure enough I hear a "get down, get down right now." I thought it was my neighbor telling his dogs to get down, but NO! It was a cop. My heart raced a hundred miles and hour. For some reason, I felt strange watching. I couldn't watch someone get arrested. Maybe because the cop sounded so angry.

So, our neighborhood is probably not the safest either, but we haven't had any problems. No one has broken in to our car. Thank you, Jesus! or our house! Thank you, Jesus! And we feel perfectly fine in this sweet little house.

I'm glad I can finally share the things inside my heart!

Gilda

Shelby

2009-06-26T23:32:00.006-05:00

I was playing with my computer and photo booth the other day and I got this picture of Shelby in a second.

I don't know why her ears turned out bluish-black. Oh well.

I'm back!

2009-06-05T21:02:00.003-05:00

I've decided to return to the blogging world after being gone for nearly 10 months.

My first year of teaching is now over. I can't believe it. I have throughly enjoyed this year. It has been one of the most rewarding and challenging adventures ever.

Did you know that effective teachers...

-hardly ever sit behind their desk.

-work until 5 or 6 o'clock and often sacrifice family time among other things.

-often go unrecognized.

-impact student behavior!

-hate working so hard.

-spend aaa lot of money on classroom materials.

-give the students what they need to fill gaps.

I was blessed to work in the middle of a closely knit 4th grade team. Can't believe how tremendously patient and helpful these girls were. I don't know how it can get any better than this.

This year I also had my first margarita!

Update on family:

Josh finished his first year of law school. wohooo! He's working on the first quarter of his second year.

Shelby's swimming and starting agility classes on Monday :)

I leave you with a picture of my students just 3 days ago- End of Year pic! Good bye 2008-09.

Crazy neighbors

2008-10-24T18:01:00.003-05:00

Three nights ago, Josh and I woke up to a high vibration of loud music on our bedroom window. The neighbor (someone at the neighbor's house) decided to turn on their car stereo and blair music at 2:10 am. Josh called the cops and 20 minutes later the music was gone....

Fast forward until this morning. I woke up to a loud 'BANG' and deep voice yelling at the neighbor's house. My first thoughts were #1: a woman is being hurt. #2: a drug deal is happening and someone is really ticked. After being scared for a little while, I looked outside to see the SWAT team surrounding the neighbor's house! There was a dog with them, so we are sure they were being busted for drugs. It was crazy. I know why they are the SWAT team. Everything they did was really clean. No flashing lights, no million officers yelling "down, down" or pulling out guns. We didn't see the actual arrest, although I probably would have liked to have seen it. Josh and I wish we would of gone outside to ask what was happening. After all, it took place less than 10 feet away from our front door. We even considered asking the SWAT officers for a picture. JK.

We haven't seen anyone at their house since this morning. The only thing that's left outside is an orange sticky note on their white front door.

There's nothing on the news about what happened, but I'm sure something will come up.

......

I'm off to the Women's Conference at Antioch tonight and tomorrow!

Right before leaving the school, my co-workers said to me, "go get holy and please bring it back."

-I'm off the go get holy.

Gilda

Here come a few pics!

2008-10-05T14:14:00.009-05:00

August 7 at DBU for Josh's graduation!

A family so proud.

Mrs. Stephens' classroom!

Baylor Vs Northwestern!

Shelby and Josh playing at home.

Yes, Shelby's gained at least 6 lbs since we moved.

This is Kitty (never did get a name for her).

We gave her away to a good family last Monday.

Shelby and Kitty were good friends.

Everything's going really well, just really busy. I'm happy to announce that Josh and I have been able to spend a lot of time together regardless of the busyness. We work together at home a lot-I plan/translate stuff for school while he devotes multiple hours to reading. It's worked nicely since the beginning of the year. :)

Love,

Gilda

Crazy

2008-09-20T08:28:00.006-05:00

This is horrible. I know. I'm a horrible person for not updating in OVER A MONTH!! wow, I can't believe it's been so long.

Waco has been great. I have so much to update and many pictures to show.

I will start with my class. I started the year with 6 4th graders. But within the first 2 weeks of school, I received 6 more. So, I am finally up to the big 12. They are great kids, very talkative, but respectful and ready to learn.

Josh has also been doing really well. He's enjoying his classes although they are getting more and more difficult.

Shelby is massive! She's probably gained an additional 6-10 pounds within the last month. She's still just as sweet and just as hyper. And... she has a friend living with her right now :)

Just 3 nights ago, Josh and I couldn't sleep because there was a "bird" making noises outside of our bedroom the entire night. The next day after school, Josh hunted down the noise and found an abandoned kitty inside the neighbor's fence. Long story short, the kitty is staying with us for now. She is super cute, about 3/4 of Josh's palm, and probably 4-5 weeks old.

Josh and I have been thinking about a name for her. So far, we have (I have) seriously considered "Cookie" and "Pumpkin" but have both been shut down. We are hoping to get her the shots she needs, and then we can see about her living arrangements.

Shelby and the kitten are surprisingly friends. They even play together. It's cute. :)

I will load pics to my computer and update the blog with pics from the last month!!

Gilda

Greetings from Waco!

2008-08-03T21:38:00.007-05:00

We're finally here. Josh and I have really enjoyed living in this small town so far. Everything is seriously 5-7 minutes away. And by everything, I mean Walmart, Target, HEB (my new favorite grocery store), PetSmart, Rosa's, the mall. You name it. Yesterday we did a little driving (10 minutes) and found Bed Bath and Beyond, Old Navy, Ross, and Panera.

I didn't realize there was so much here!! This little town has a lot to offer.

Since our stay, we've realized a lot:

*We live in the ghetto side of Waco.

*Our neighbors to the left smoke bad things.

*Our neighbors to the right are creepy. They also have a rooster.

*Waco is the 17th poorest city of the US.

*We like having a house.

*My school is 5 minutes from Baylor Law.

We visited Antioch church today and really enjoyed it. We were really impressed with the sincerity and authenticity of its people. This morning, the service was about justice. Cool, huh. It was amazing. I cried. The service was also translated to Spanish. Again, very cool. At the end, I noticed the service was 1.5 hours, a little strange for me because I'm used to the Baptist way of hour long services. We're going back next week for the service a meet the staff luncheon.

My teaching classes are done. I learned so much and everything was so encouraging. And I feel extremely equipped. I should probably get back to doing some teacher-studying now.

Love,

Gilda

The joy in packing!

2008-07-20T23:08:00.004-05:00

I like to pack. I really do. One of the main factors in enjoying packing is time. It's all dependent on time. I can't really enjoy packing if I'm rushed, but I've enjoyed having plenty of time and a patient husband who lets me do my own thing whenever I want!

We've rearranged the apartment to allow ample space for the many boxes. So far, we're almost done. I'm SO thankful our family is coming to help us move, this indeed is a great feeling. ~Thank you so much Staffords, Vegas, and Stephens~ What a blessing! Specially after I found out I'll be taking teacher training courses the day of our move!

Here are the two cuties- one working hard, the other falling asleep.

Love,

Gilda

I have a JOB!

2008-07-15T20:48:00.003-05:00

In WACO!

I can't believe it. Everything's happened so quickly. Let me start from the very beginning. About four weeks ago, Josh's sister Stephanie and her hub were driving through Dallas coming back from Odessa and Josh and I had dinner with them. That night, Stephanie told me about the high need of Spanish-speaking teachers who are Bilingual/ESL certified, so Josh encouraged me to look into the process. I went down to Waco with my updated resume and cover letter, hoping to talk with a few school districts about the possibility, but everything was closed that Friday. Bummer.

That Sunday after, I emailed my resume to a lot of principal in the Waco district, and Monday morning, I received a few calls. One of the few principal who called really devoted her time to me and encouraged me to go further with the process. Principal Sims was so good. She got me connected with one of her teachers, talked to me about the job/school, and also connected with with an HR rep. I was accepted into the Alternative Certification Program that week, and I only had about 1.5 weeks to take the next available test. I was freaking out, but looked forward to the challenge. I knew I was pushing it by only having a little bit of time to study, but I had no other choice but to go for it.

Last Thursday I reported to the testing center at 1:30PM and after 5 hours of testing, I was tired and a little thrown off because the test was much harder than the content I studied and the 3 practice tests I took. But, I felt God during the test with me. Really, I did. Everything that led up to taking the test had God's hand all over, and I knew I was suppose to be there taking that test.

Yesterday, Monday, I received an unofficial score over email, and praise Him, I passed! Wohoo! I cannot tell you how excited, how thankful, and how in awe of Him I was (and still am). I e-mailed my unofficial scores to my HR contact soon after I received them, and today ladies and gents, I received a job offer for Sul Ross Elementary 3&4 grade Bilingual Teacher. Wohoo! Wohoo!

For so many reasons, I know this is good. The class I will be teaching will be students new the states and to the American school system. I'm talking children who've never had even a hint of tradition classroom education in English. I will be able to relate so well to them. I came when to the states when I was beginning 3rd grade, I know what it's like to be in their shoes. Most importantly, I can also relate to the parents, their concerns, and their fears. Oh, I can't wait!!

I have lots to do until then: pack, finish at GS, move, and start education classes. Geees. Josh and I are moving July 26- in less than TWO weeks!!

Bless your heart if you're still reading. There is so much more I wish to be able to say about God's hand over all of this... I hope you can see it just by the pieces that have come together!!

Gilda

Say Cheese!

2008-07-10T20:34:00.004-05:00

This is what we do in the Stephens household on a daily basis. We say cheese.

I apologize if this picture looks kinda of creepy, but I HAD to share it. Check out Shelby's huge mouth! Such a great capture! Shelby yawning and Josh was mocking her.

I'm back online now. Josh fixed my cord charger, wohoo! We are two weeks away from our move to Waco, I can't believe it. Today, my supervisor sent out a department-wide email notifying everyone of my departure. I was teary-eyed the entire morning, but I'm glad everyone finally knows. I know I've said this before, but I like working at GuideStone. In its honor, here are a few things I'm going to really miss:

1. My co-workers, including my sarcastically funny supervisor

2. Drops, Drops, Drops!

3. The Library

4. T&D

5. The Powerful Massages

6. The Free Coffee, Filtered Water and Frozen Yogurt

7. My Sweet Little Cube

8. The Generous Bi-Monthly Retirement Contributions

9. The Underground Parking

10. Baker Brothers

I am going to watch Baby Borrowers.... oh and I almost forgot, my parents came up for the 4th of July and they brought a TV with them. Yes, ladies and gentlemen, my parents brought a TV with them, and they left it here. So, we have a small, portable TV in front of packed boxes the living room.

Love,

Gilda

Good bye GuideStone

2008-07-02T17:16:00.002-05:00

I gave my 3 week resignation today to the director of my department and to my supervisor. It has taken a big load off my chest because I am finally able to talk about everything! On the other hand, I am extremely sad to leave. I love my job, my co-workers, and the organization as a whole. I'll miss so many things about it. So many things.
It has been incredibly busy around here...no rest, little play, little chill time. And though some things have worked out PERFECTLY, others really haven't. It's really hard to be positive right now, and it's even harder to completely rely on God for all of my needs. In a way, I don't really want to. I want to be able to take care of everything on my own, with my own "man" power- which I have little of.
If you wouldn't mind, could I ask you to please pray for me today? Pray for all of the changes going on, pray for me for patience, and for me to put all of my trust in Him who deserves nothing less.

Thanks! I promise to write more updates when I get my computer back :( Shelby bit the charger cord.

Signed a lease!

2008-06-22T18:15:00.004-05:00

We have a house! I headed down South to take a look at it on Friday, and I loved it. It's perfect for what Josh and I need right now, and it has a great back yard! Shelby needs a yard! It even has a fenced in area for dogs within the yard!
The owners live in Ft Worth, and they've owned it for almost 6 years. What's best of all, the owners offered a "scholarship" of $200 off per month for Baylor grads. Isn't that awesome!?
Anyway, we met owners and signed the lease on Saturday. What a blessing. Now, I just need one more thing...
Thank you, Lord, for your faithfulness! For providing for us when we mostly need you!

Love,
Gilda

Back on our routine!

2008-06-17T18:45:00.003-05:00

Josh returned to class today and I miss him. I loved having the entire past week with him and now I'm spoiled. He's gone to class until late tonight. He's working so so hard taking an Economics grad course, Fitness for Living, and writing a Thesis. My strong and intelligent husband is going full speed!

Shelby and I returned to running today. We usually go to Lakeside Park which is only only minutes from our apartment, but since it rained, we stayed in the complex and ran until we both gave up. It's fun running with a Lab mix.

I'm going to get a lot done tonight. In the middle of looking for a place to live and doing a little cleaning, I'm hoping to squeeze in Casablanca.

Better get started!

Love,

Gilda

Update on Surgeries

2008-06-15T22:03:00.003-05:00

Both surgeries went really, really well.

Josh had his second sinus surgery in Ft Worth on Tuesday morning. We arrived at the hospital at 5:30AM, the surgery began at 6:30AM, and he was released at 8AM! It was incredibly fast, and Dr. Palmer did a great job! Josh slept a lot, and expressed maximum pain only Saturday; all the other days seemed to be of low to no discomfort. He had no need for pain killers! We both return to work tomorrow.

Shelby's surgery went well too. Here's a picture of her that same afternoon. Need I say anything else?

5 Months Down! Part Two

2008-06-12T08:44:00.003-05:00

5 months as a MARRIED woman! I can't believe today marks 5 months since Josh and I married! It has gone by way too fast! Last month on the 12th, I looked at Josh and said, "Hey! Happy 4 month-a-versary. I am so proud of us. It's been 4 months of cooking, COOKING! cleaning, laundry and full-time work." I have really enjoyed doing all of the things above. Some have been harder to get used to than others (aka cooking!), but it's been fun to do things together.

I've learned a lot about myself since January. A lot of things I wish were different, a lot of things I can laugh at everyday, and yet there are some things that are a little weird.

I've created a mental note of some of these things for a while now. I know there will be more realizations for the rest of my life, but for now, here are few markers of life:

-I use way too much toothpaste every time I brush my teeth.

-If my apt is ever too messy, I have panic attacks (two so far).

-I am over protective of my dog, and therefore will probably be of my children.

-Josh says that after a certain time in the evenings, I hit a mental wall. At this wall, I get moody, irritable, and sometimes rude. Josh knows when to send me to bed.

-I can't sleep if my kitchen is messy, particularly if the countertops are not clean.

-I really enjoy cleaning, doing laundry, and taking good care of home!

-It's hard for me to eat leftovers in the evenings. I can eat leftovers for lunch just fine.

-I nurture Josh a little too much (all according to his mom. this is bad coming from his mom!).

-If my bedroom isn't dark when I go to bed, I have a hard time sleeping.

-I can see a lot of traits from my mom in me. My mom loves taking care of her house (and others): cooking for the fam, doing laundry, and having a spotless kitchen!

-If I don't get my way, I get really moody (only daughter trait, sorry, babe).

-I really like and need quality time with my hub on a daily basis.

-I prefer eating home food 10X more than eating out.

-I'm a light sleeper. Who knew! I've always thought otherwise.

That's all for now. Lots more to learn!

Love,

Gilda

At Home and Sick

2008-06-09T09:51:00.005-05:00

That's right, ladies and gentlemen, I'm sick again. And this time, I got it from Josh! Josh had a sinus infection last week, poor thing, he gets those pretty frequently these days. On Thursday, I started developing a few signs of sickness...

-a lot of sneezing

-scratchy throat

-loss of voice

It developed into a full blown infection over night, and since I didn't get the rest I needed (because I'm stubborn), I'm home from work today, taking antibiotics.

This week is going to be interesting. Josh has a sinus surgery tomorrow, wohooo! hopefully this will be the end of sinus problems and Thursday, Shelby is going in for surgery. In the middle of everything, I'm sick. Needless to say, I'll be off all of this week taking care of my loved ones, and hopefully getting myself better.

Right now, I'm watching Shelby eat pieces of newspaper. Josh and I have tried everything to keep her from eating paper in general, but in some strange way, she always manages to find more. I've given up for today. I think I'll let her eat as much as she wants.

On another note,

Yes, our car was broken into, see Josh, and yes, we are doing well. God has taken excellent care of us, and He's shown me how much our neighbors care about Josh and I. It has been a neat experience. To seal the craziness, the window repair man from Honduras (where my dad is from and where Josh has visited) so Josh and I spent some time talking to him about life in general. It was cool.

Love,

Gilda

5 Months Down!

2008-06-04T19:31:00.012-05:00

My dearest Shelby,

I can’t believe you have grown so much over these past five months! I remember how little you were when you came home for the first time. That first car ride was hard for you, but you’ve learned to love car rides since. When you were tiny, it was hard for me to treat you the way you needed to be treated because I didn’t know how! I was so scared. I grew up not knowing how sweet doggies could be. At first, it was a challenge to pet you, feed you, and even get near you. It wasn’t long, though, until you knew us, and I knew you. It has been such a joy to be with you these past few months. Though there have been some hard times, the good times have by far surpassed all other times. You have grown in so many ways, and I have too! Thank you for giving Josh and me so much laughter. We love you and we are so glad you're with us!

Several friends have told me, or at least hinted, that I'm obsessed. For the first time, I'm willing to admit it.

Love,

Gilda

Some Texas Lovin'

2008-05-27T22:34:00.007-05:00

Josh and I packed the car and the two us plus Shelby headed to Odessa for the weekend. Odessa that good ol' town. After so many years of hearing about the beautiful Balmorhea, and the Sandhills, I was finally able to experience these for my self. It was the first time to see Josh's mom since the wedding, and both parent's first time to meet little Ms. Shelby.

The Sandhills and Madison

Madison and London

I've been having a hard time loading videos- any suggestions?

Prayers for Jason and Hannah Hatch

2008-05-25T04:37:00.006-05:00

Jason Hatch is the director of the BSM at DBU, and has been for three years. He and his wife are loved by people at DBU.

Early on Friday, I received a call from a friend who used to be my co-worker at the BSM. He notified me that Jason's mom passed away on Thursday. The death was unexpected and sudden, and it happened while Jason and Hannah visited Jason's parents in Colorado. As you can imagine, the family needs a lot of love, prayer, and support from all of us.

BSM team 2006-2007

Kayla, Christy, Justin, Jason, Gilda

God doesn't promise that the Christian life will be easy or without pain or sorrow, but he does promise to be near to us, and to give us peace at all times; especially in times when we need him the most.

I'm thankful that the family will be able to see Mrs. Hatch again. Please pray for the Hatch family during this difficult time.

2008-05-11T20:36:00.005-05:00

I witnessed the sweetest miracles of love and grace this weekend.

Friday night, two of my dear DBU friends were baptized. Minako and Minato arrived as freshman from Japan two years ago, and it was then when they were introduced to Jesus for the first time. Both girls gave their testimony, and what a powerful sight it was!

It is estimated that only 1% of Japan's population is Christian, and most people are primarily Buddhist. (Guy in the red is a translator, although the girls speak English really well)

The second event was not one I wish took place, but it was, nonetheless, a blessing in its own way. Josh's co-worker's son past away soon after he was born two weeks ago, and Saturday was his memorial service. Little Elliot Skaggs touched the lives of many people; primarily the lives of his parents. Just a few months into the pregnancy, Elliot's family found out he wouldn't live past birth. Even still, his mom carried him until full-term, all the while being soaked in prayer by family, church family, friends, and people around the nation. God didn't answer their prayers in the way we all would have liked, but we all "still praise Him in the storm." The memorial service was a sweet, sweet, way to remember Elliot and the example of faith he brought; especially to his own family.

I was blessed on so many levels this weekend.

Thank you, Lord, because you allow us to see and feel your presence.

The graduation

2008-05-09T16:57:00.012-05:00

Today was Daria's graduation in Ft Worth. We had excellent seats thanks to Daria's dad who's a part of the faculty. This year's graduation ceremony was held outside, in front of the rotunda. It was a beautiful sight, until the sun took full force.

A little history about Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary:

*It was a part of Baylor School of Theology until 1908

*It started an undergraduate college named The College of Southwestern in 2005

*This graduation was particularly special because:

1. Southwestern is celebrating 100 years

2. The College of Southwestern celebrated its first graduation with a total of 11 students

3. The seminary faculty began a new tradition of wearing cowboy hats to every graduation :)

Right when Daria walked across the stage, Dr. Patterson, the president, asked her dad to give her the diploma. It was sweet.

After the ceremony, we got to see her.

The three amigos since freshman year at DBU, 2004/2005.

And after Josh and I got home, we realized what the sun did!

Poor Josh!

Congrats to all 2008 graduates!!

Have a wonderful weekend!

Gilda

Thursday

2008-05-08T13:42:00.009-05:00

Thursday kind of snuck up on me! The end of the week is already here? I got to sleep in a little this morning and then headed to the dentist. I had to be there particularly early because the receptionist scheduled too many people for the same time, and it was either re-scheduling or waiting until the doctor could see me. An hour and a half later, Dr. Zahn talked to me about 1. flossing 2-3 times/day 2. the difference between cavities.

This is what I learned:

Cavities are generally on the top or on the side of the tooth. If the cavity is on the top, you're eating too many sweets! If the cavity is on the side, you're not flossing enough!

Yikes! You never win.

-sweets cavity-

After the dentist I headed to my second appointment of the day. This one was much more positive. I love my doctor, Dr. Judy Taylor. She is so good!

I look forward to hanging out with Shelbs the rest of the day. I leave you with a picture of her after her grooming a few weeks back.

Love,

Gilda

Ramblings-a better title!

2008-05-07T14:50:00.004-05:00

Yesterday, we celebrated Brad's birthday at Don Pablo's. Happy Birthday, Brad! I had the one and only grilled chicken quesadillas with a little bit of sour cream. Getting together with friends always equals a good time. We even had nice service.

We finally sold our TV! It was sad parting from it. All the memories- almost 4 years worth of memories! No more Law and Order! No more Office! But, there's always the nbc.com after midnight.

I'm excited about tonight! I recently purchased a very nice mirror that will look lovely above the middle couch in the living room. Josh is hanging it tonight. I'm also making Mother's Day cards for the moms and sisters in law. I know- I'm cutting it short, but since everyone lives in Texas, I figured it would be ok (hopefully).

I have Thursday and Friday off this week!! Today, Wednesday, is my Friday! ahh.
Doctor appointments tomorrow and my best friend's graduation on Friday.

I better get back to what I was doing!

What is going on??

2008-05-05T07:11:00.005-05:00

What is going on?? I know awful things happen every day. I don't watch the news on purpose and restrict myself from particular stories on CNN's website, but despite my efforts, I am exposed to so much.

**Let me pause and apologize for not writing in nearly a month** I'm sorry!!

Anyway, I was reading about artist Guillermo Vargas over the weekend. If you haven't heard, news is spreading quickly regarding his inhumane way of portraying "art." As a part of his art exhibit, Guillermo took in a street dog, chained it, and starved it as he and his visitors watched the shameful 'masterpiece' weaken in front of them. Nativity, as the dog was called, eventually died. This awful portrayal of life took place in 2007, in Nicaragua, but Guillermo was asked to re-create his art work during the Biennial of 2008 in New York City. This, of course stirred millions of people everywhere. Just about a week ago, his "art" was banned from the art exhibit in New York.
Here's a small picture of Natividad in the gallery.

When asked about this exhibit, Guillermo said thousands of dogs die on the streets of Nicaragua. This dog died too, but this time, it died because of the selfish obsession for the creation of what one may call art.

Please pray for the safety of these creatures, and for the hearts of those who provide such heart-ache.

One Week

2008-04-11T06:52:00.006-05:00

This week has had lots of excitement. Overnight on Monday, Josh developed an intense sinus headache that came with lots of visits to the trash can and sleeplessness! Poor thing!! So Tuesday morning, he wasn't doing too good and I decided to stay home with him. It was a good idea. His sinus headache/symptoms didn't go away the entire day. On Wednesday, Josh's dad was came into town, and we had dinner with him :). Thursday, The Office! Wohooo!!! SO much fun to be with friends. Thanks, Brad for hosting us :) And, Josh had his dose of College fun. Lots and lots of Guitar Hero...lots.

After my absence on Tuesday, I came back to work on Wednesday, and this is what my office looked like. It was a "Welcome to GuideStone, Gilda" or a "This is what you get for being gone one day" prank. My co-wokers wrapped everything!! From the walls to my Kleenex box, and even my jacket hanger. Ha! Thanks for the laughs, guys!

Love,
Gilda

The super sweet weekend!

2008-04-07T19:04:00.012-05:00

This past weekend was a lot of fun! Two Sundays ago, my aunt called me and told she and her husband were going on vacation to San Fransisco, but were having mini, 3-day stay in Dallas! Josh and I were able to visit with them Thursday night, and I spend all of Friday with them. My aunt, uncle, and I started Friday by visiting my apartment and then DBU. After that, we headed to the Aquarium in downtown, and later to the JFK Museum.

"Why is there a leapard in a aquarium?", you may ask. Well, there's a special Aztec exhibit, and the leopard is a revered animal.
Its skin is so beautiful.

This last picture was taken at my brother's house.

Saturday night, Josh and I had dinner with Josh's sister, Christy. Christy was in Dallas for a pharmacurical conference. Needless to say, Josh and I had a blessed weekend, full of family and more family!

Love,
Gilda

Need a TV?

2008-04-06T16:55:00.004-05:00

Josh and I are selling our perfectly good television. Here's a picture:

A few facts:
-It has a 21'' flat screen
-It has a DVD player that works perfectly
-It has great sound
-It has 2 remote controls
-It is in great shape

We are asking for $75- which is a super deal since a good DVD player alone costs more than this amount.

So, if you or anyone you know is in need of a TV, know that we are looking to sell it as soon as possible.

Thanks for reading!

Love,
Gilda

Back with pictures

2008-03-29T01:05:00.010-05:00

Thank you for being patient with my short-term blogging. I'm sorry if you check my blog and never find anything new! Specifically, today's blog is dedicated STEPHANIE and the STAFFORD family! Thanks for being loyal readers!
I have lots of pictures from Josh's birthday party and Easter weekend with the parents!

Here are a few to warm you up.

Josh's excited about eating his chocolate cinnamon cake!
Candles: XXII

Mitch and Shelby sleeping pre-party.

Brad and Nathan
Miss Sarah
The guys grabbing another a slice................................

Josh, Shelby, and I had a wonderful Easter weekend in Houston. The three of us were able to spend the weekend with my family and Amigito (my mom's chihuahua).

You can't really tell how much bigger Shelby is, but she's 3X his size.

Amigito and Shelby did not become the best of friends. Actually, Amigito hated having another dog around. Shelby wasn't hurt by his indifference; she made his life miserable.
She was so caught in the act.
Amigito tried keeping to himself, but Shelby thought he was a toy.Shelby biting a tree trunkMy brother, Robert, telling Amigito to stop barking...at Shelby
Josh loves Shelby
It was hard to say goodbye to our family on Sunday. Sadly, I didn't get any pictures of my family throughout the weekend. How did I let that happen??

Here we are riding back to D-town.

Love,
Gilda

Josh: The best birthday boy! Shelby: The cutest puppy known to man!

2008-03-07T18:18:00.003-06:00

I am a terrible glogger friend! I'm sorry for not updating as much as I would like. It has been a busy few weeks...

About last week:

This week has been a week full of blessings! From celebrating Josh's birthday-March 9-everyday this week, to the adoption of Shelby.

Josh is turning 22 on Sunday! I can't believe how fast time goes by, and how much 22 years mean!! I love birthday weeks more than birth-days. It's important to celebrate one's life more than once a year, and what better way than to celebrate for 7 consecutive days! In honor of my birthday boy, Josh, I have stayed up with him watching the Band of Brothers DVD series every day this week! Last night, Thursday, when the Dallas area was submerged in rain, ice, and snow, Josh and I celebrated his birthday alongside some brave souls who risked their lives to join the fun. Our sweet friends came over to celebrate and eat Chocolate Cinnamon Cake!

I will upload party pics SOON!

And now, meet Shelby! Shelby is a cute puppy found astray in the streets by a co-worker, and after vet visits, medicine, and lots of food, Shelby came home for the first time this past Wednesday. Though we are not exactly sure of her age, the vet says she's about 9 weeks old, and as of yesterday weighs 8.7 pounds! We are uncertain of her breed, but most of us think she has pit bull blood. Shelby has been really sick-as you can imagine an astray puppy lost for the first 8 weeks of life, but the vet and her new owners are taking good care of her. We have seen the drastic difference in the last few days! She is TOO cute!

Love, Gilda

My Day Off!

2008-02-22T08:30:00.007-06:00

I have been looking forward to this week since last week. Though I love Monday holidays (President's Day), I love even more having two days off in one week!

These past three days have been a little on harder training side at work-from being introduced to the world of Omni (the gigantic database at GuideStone) to encountering different trainers with very different teaching styles. I look forward to a mentally and physically restful weekend.

Last night, Josh and I watched Premonition. The first part of the movie was a definite thriller. It wasn't as scary toward the climax, and it died down at the end. Overall, it was a good movie, but its final minutes didn't wrap up the story line as much as I would have liked.

I have finally decided to post a few pics of the apartment! We have moved things around abit since these pics were taken, but here they are:

Last week, Josh and I purchased two new (but used) dressers. The second picture file wasn't cooperating, but here is one of the dressers. The other dresser has the same pattern but it stands up vertically. Our closet is finally clean and organized!!

Sick, sick, so sick

2008-02-01T23:44:00.001-06:00

My week:
Monday: First day at GuideStone. Spent the day learning about benefits, GuideStone history, and its culture.

Tuesday: Today was a lot of learning and reading of procedures, taking tests over Outlook, Microsoft, and Sharepoint. I set up my voice mail, and visited with people I met this past summer. After work, Josh brought wood for our fire place.

Wednesday: Arrived late to work because my alarm clock wasn't set correctly. Learned a lot more about duties and responsibilities. Ate lunch at El Rey for the first time; it was pretty good.

Thursday: During Investments Class in the morning, I started feeling a scratchy throat... After learning a lot with Ledy, a fellow co-worker, and finishing my daily duties, I went home feeling sick. Around 8PM, I took some sleepy medicine. Around 9PM, Dash came over :) (Pictures below)

Friday: 1AM: Josh says, "Gilda, you're burning up..." At 5AM, fever was of101.6. At 7AM fever was at 102.0
Called in to work :( and went to the doctor. I was diagnosed with pharyngitis.
Josh took the day off and stayed home with me. Sleeping all day has left me sleepless!

This weekend, we are dog sitting for the Best family. Their puppy, Dash, is with us.

Meet Dash. He's almost 1!

Dash is keeping me company and helping me feel better.

Dash loves Josh. Josh loves playing with Dash.

Love,

Gilda

Go Netgear, Go!

2008-01-24T21:53:00.001-06:00

Finally! After 3 weeks of not being able to set up our new router, Netgear worked today! We now have Internet access from everyplace in our apartment. Here's a picture of Netgear, finally ALL the function lights are green!

I can't believe I start my very first full-time job next Monday. It was only a few weeks ago that I was notified about the company's decision to hire me! 2 days before graduation to be exact.
Since I'm on the subject, here are some pictures of graduation.

After the ceremony was over, we gathered near the fountain with the families.

My best girl friend, Daria

Sadly, both, my mom's and my camera broke down right before the graduation ceremony, and therefore we relied on pictures taken by friends. Josh's family and my family left for the restaurant immediately after the ceremony because it was FREEZING, so I have no pictures with my family :(

Chicago pics

2008-01-21T16:12:00.001-06:00

Dear friends, here are some pictures of the honeymoon. I hope you enjoy seeing them.

Josh and I on the Navy Pier, downtown Chicago is behind us.

Inside the Sears Tower. Josh was looking at the city a little more closely.

Josh and I on the Wheaton College campus.

Eating Chicago pizza right before Wicked!
I tried capturing a picture of our rings. This is the best picture I could get.

Josh and I are loving being in our apartment. It's great to know that we can be home, together!!

Ok. I have a story:
Today, I went to the county court house and a sweet old man said to me, "girl, it's Martin Luther King day; nothing is open. Don't you watch the news?" I felt so silly!! I knew this day was coming...around the corner! It's just that I haven't been fully here for the past month!! His comment brought me right back to reality though. I'm back now.

We love, love, love Chicago

2008-01-18T09:27:00.000-06:00

My goodness! It feels as if time has gone by so fast! Josh and I have loved our time here in Chicago and neither of us feel like we could have picked a better location.

We got to shop a lot yesterday! We took on the Magnificent Mile yesterday evening! Josh had been on the look for a wool coat, but every store was sold out of them. Every time we asked a sales associate, he/she would say, "no, we sold out back in November!" What! Texans are still wearing shorts and tank tops in November! Anyway, yesterday, without directly looking for it, we found it!

And since winter has been going on for a long time here in Chicago, we got the coat on sale with at 70% discount!! What a better way to shop! I purchased very nice clothing articles articles too!

After shopping, we visited Chicago's Mac store! Two story beauty! Oh, and we also headed to Wringley field... I promise to write less and post more pictures soon!

We are going HOME this afternoon... Love the sound of that!!

Tuesday in Chicago.

2008-01-15T20:51:00.000-06:00

Today, Josh and I visited Wheaton College. We took the train to leave Chicago, and about one hour later, we were in Wheaton, Illinois! It was beautiful, to say the least. We visited the Billy Grahm Museum and read about of our church fathers, American evangelical history, and great Grahm-family facts. We ate lunch in the college cafeteria-it was better than Aramark- full of whole wheat and grains (Josh's favorite! jk), a large salad bar, and well cooked foods.

....

After purchasing t-shirts from the bookstore, we headed back to Chicago; to the Sears tower.

Viewing the city right at dawn with my HUSBAND was one of the sweetest experiences yet. Not only seeing the beautiful sunset and later the city lights, but being able to share along side my best friend was wonderful!!

I just finished reading and now, Josh and I are waiting for Law and Order...a new episode!

Chicago, The Windy City

2008-01-13T20:44:00.001-06:00

Josh and I made it! We are finally in Chicago (wohoo!). We are sitting in our very comfortable hotel room creating blogs to share with family and friends. This evening, we went out to enjoy a little bit of this part of the city, but our sightseeing will really begin tomorrow... I will make sure to post pictures soon.

The emotions after the wedding were uncountable. I left wishing time would have not flown so quickly; I missed so many family and friends who joined our celebration and it is hard to clearly remember everything and everyone. However, I am thankful to have seen so many friends gather together.

Ok. I better go. My HUSBAND awaits me.

Gilda