The Aftermath

After the events of last weekend, we ended up staying with some friends for a couple of nights until we felt like it was safe and we were ready to return. Chris and I both have been working a lot lately, so we haven't spent much time at our apartment other than sleeping and eating. This weekend will be good for the both of us to have a day or two to relax together and do something fun. We are expecting our new car to arrive on Saturday, so that will be exciting. Also, there is a grape stomp/wine fest in New Braunfels that we might go to this weekend.

A Killing Nextdoor

Last night our next door neighbor shot and killed his girlfriend. Chris and I had just sat down to watch a movie and eat pizza when we heard a really loud thud from the direction of our neighbor's apartment. It didn't sound like a gun shot, but more like someone had fallen really hard--abnormally hard. A couple seconds later we heard a bunch of screaming going on outside of our apartment, and my first thought was that a girl was getting beat up by a boyfriend or something, but we heard more than one female voice screaming, so we went out to see what was going on. They were screaming that their friend had just gotten shot inside. They were crying and one of them was already on the phone with 911. Chris went inside to see if he could do CPR or if he could help, and he said that our neighbor was holding a towel to the girl's neck and that she was bleeding really bad. He said that she was really pale and there was blood splattered on the walls and curtains. My immediate reaction was to go and pray, so I went back to our apartment and just got on my knees. I realized then that Chris wasn't with me and it scared me because I didn't know if there was a harmful person next door or what was really going on. So I went to look for him and at that time, the first police officer had just arrived. He went into the apartment and started administering CPR, but she didn't breath. Chris basically saw her bleed to death. It was apparently an accidental shooting. The guy and his girlfriend were having relationship issues and he wanted to leave her for one of the other girls that was there, and he said that he was about to leave and was going to take the gun with him, but someone had messed with it and the hammer was cocked. It was pointed at her and went through her neck. The girls outside were screaming and freaking out. The other police officers arrived and that was when we decided to go back to our apartment. We ended up leaving the apartment complex for a couple of hours and went to some friends' house. We returned at about 10:30pm and there were still a ton of cops there, along with a forensic, crime scene vehicle. They asked if they could ask us some questions, so we went up to our apartment for the questioning. Their door was open and there were investigators taking pictures inside. We gave our testimony of what we saw and heard, then the cop left. We had a hard time sleeping and feeling comfortable today around here. Hopefully there will be more on the news tonight.

After Easter

We had a great time returning to Indiana for Easter weekend. The highlight, of course, was getting to see all of my wonderful family. It's bittersweet returning home because leaving is still hard. It might take several years before I can leave my family and the familiar city where I was born and raised, before I can leave without having emotional attachments. But perhaps that feeling will never go away. I feel that way about Purdue, too. It's been hard the last several months receiving so many wedding invitations from friends I met at Purdue, because I know that we won't be able to go to any of them. If money grew on trees, we could. Speaking of weddings, I am in two this year. I am honored to be the Maid of Honor in my sister's wedding, Laura Bonser. She is marrying Josh Wilkerson on June 17th in Dallas. I am super excited about sharing in her day because I know it will be just beautiful and everything will bring praise to the Father. She is such a beautiful daughter of the King. I love her heart and the way that she just spouts out encouragement. And one thing you can be sure of if you know her, is that she will most certainly speak the truth and the words of God into your life. I'm so thankful for her. I will also get to be in the wedding of my dear friend and sister-in-Christ, Jessica Davey. We have known each other for several years and have toiled through a lot together, even though we've lived hundreds of miles apart for the last couple of years. She is absolutely beautiful, too, and Jesus shines through her heart and life, too. Wow, I am blessed to have such dear people in my life. Jessica's wedding is December 16th in Michigan, and she will be marrying Christopher Kreeger. When we talk, I refer to our men as "her Chris" and "my Chris."

Rounding the Corner

The last several weeks have been crazy. I started my job about a month ago and since then, life has been a little unbalanced. My priorities have suffered. You know how it's supposed to be my relationship with the Lord, then Chris, and then work/school? Well I think I've been trying to fit them all together on the same level, which hasn't worked out or been beneficial. I've been working crazy hours at work, usually directly after school, so that makes for extremely long days without seeing or speaking up to my husband. In school, I have finished another block and have moved onto my Math, Hospitality Supervision, and Wine classes. I'm enjoying them and am appreciating the time off my feet. My dear sister, Jessica Davey, has asked to me be in her wedding on December 16th. I have known her since high school and I can't wait to be there to share in her special day. It's weird, we haven't seen each other in probably 3 years or so, but we talk about once a month, and we are closer than most of my high school and college friends. There's something about understanding the depth in truth of what it means to be sisters in Christ. Also, Chris and I have been car shopping for awhile now and we are looking to buy in about a month or so. Having another vehicle will enable us to move to another side of town. We think we'd enjoy living in Austin so much more if we lived somewhere with trees and grass and where we can have a puppy. So we're also going to move at the end of June when our current lease is up. Chris has been busy working on his project for the Perspectives class that we've been taking, and he's also been pretty busy at work lately, too. Here's some pictures of what we've been up to in the last couple of months. The first is of when we went out to Bastrop State Park a couple of months ago. The second is of me and my closest girl friends at school. Jennifer, Kristen, Sarah, me. Together we occasionally enjoy a drink after class.