Happy Birthday Janna!

Happy Birthday to the mother of these beautiful baby girls! They are changing so much... you may remember them from months ago when I asked you to pray for these newborns... but now they are growing and growing! I miss them sooo much! I just wish I could squeeze those chubby little cheeks!!!

Future Mr. and Mrs. James Grant Gilkey

Well Guys, I'm proud to announce that I will finally have a little sister! My brother-in-law Grant proposed to his girlfriend Elise on Saturday night as an early Birthday present! They went shopping then through the park that was all lit up with Christmas lights and they got out of the car and he proposed in a gazebo there! Then the whole family as well as her family met at Whalers Catch to celebrate with a huge delicious meal! Needless to say... Garrett and I are very excited for them! I can't wait to have another girl in this side of the family!

Gilkey... Now that's a Funny Name...

Oh Wait... its Officially my new name! I know what you're thinking... "I never thought she would blog again." However I have been considering blogging about the recent wedding... well recent if you consider 1 month ago recent. And there have been some changes in my life since then, so upon request here I am sitting at the computer blogging yet again.

Alright, first things first. I finally got married. You know after all the summer weddings and fall weddings as well I never thought my day would ever come... but it has come and gone and I must say.... It was WONDERFUL!!!


Then, there was an even more amazing honeymoon in Florida! It was nice to get away for a while and forget about all our troubles and to relax after the stresses of preparing a wedding!


Then after marriage and the honeymoon comes real life right??? Well real life came at us real fast. Turns out while we were gone they laid off people at Gare's work and well he was one of the chosen few. To make a long story short just two weeks after the wedding we were packing up things from Campbellsville and moving to a new town... well a new town for me! We have now moved into or should I say settled into a new home in Western KY. It's just a few short miles from The rest of the Gilkey family and its nice to be closer to home. However... we are still job searching... which is frustrating, exciting, and full of new possibilities... all of this being said... Keep us Newly Weds in your Prayers!

There you go... a new post! Hopefully there will be more to come. With house pictures when we get the camera ready for them... and new job experiences as well. Good night everybody!

Update on Babies... keep up the prayers!

Welcome to the Hallie and Hannah Higgs!!! Precious little miracles... they are doing good aside from the normal premie stuff... Hannah definitely needs the prayers bc she is still on oxygen. Just remember them!

Pray for Babies!

Well... I have two friends that have had a baby and are in the process of having babies... and they all need your prayers! Sarah Day (actaully now it would be Sarah Shelton) is a friend I graduated with who just had a baby boy earlier today... he was suppose to be due in early November but to their surprise he came quite a bit early... please pray for them... little Caleb Ryan weighs 1 lb. and is surprisingly breathing on his own!

Janna Higgs on the other hand is still in the hospital trying to have Hallie and Hannah! Keep on praying for them... so far all are in good shape they are just waiting for the babies to come!

Happy 1st Birthday Andrew David Figg!!!

Yesterday we helped celebrate my baby cousin Andrew's 1st Birthday... He went from a dark headed baby to a blonde little boy... in my opinion the cutest little boy I've ever seen! I know he had a great day... and he's not spoiled at all (ok... maybe just a little!)

Kayla's Bachelorette Party!

On Friday night some of us girls went out to celebrate one of my sisters last nights of singleness... We ate at Nagasaki and then took Kayla back to a friends house for embarrassment and fun... along with a cheese movie! Congrats Sis... your day is coming up quick!!!

Why not...???

Thanks to Andrea and Emily I was inspired to fill this out myself... check out their blogs for their own lists... (http://andreainkc.blogspot.com/ and http://emilyjo19.blogspot.com/ )

i am: future wife, daycare worker, friend, daughter, sister (take your pick!)
i think: about everything
i know: I'm loved
i want: a new digital camera (not the crapy old one I have)
i have: more than I need
i wish: I knew where I would be living after October 11
i despise: bad parenting
i miss: all the people I love in Campbellsville
i feel: somewhat alone
i hear: my ceiling fan running, the tv downstairs, and mom scraping a pan
i smell: the meatballs mom is making for Kayla's wedding
i crave: those same meatballs... they are so good but we are forbidden to eat them
i search: for answers daily
i wonder: what my future holds
i regret: not investing time in those that I have come in contact with
i love: Garrett Gilkey
i ache: for time with my other half
i care: that others hurt
i usually: have a clean room
i am not: a lover of sports (but because of Garrett I'm getting a little better)
i believe: everything will be ok
i dance: whenever I can (mostly alone in the shower or car!)
i sing: at the top of my lungs
i cry: all the time
i don't always: think about how I feel
i write: when I have something to say
i win: Phase 10 sometimes
i never: purposely try new things
i listen: to everything you say
i can usually be found: in the daycare (or my room)
i am scared: I may never have children
i am happy about: getting married in a few months

Wedding Gifts!!!

A Big Thanks Goes out to Mom and Memom!!! Pictured are the things... though its still early... that we have already received! Picture one... is from Memom with the brown w/circles shower curtain, note cards with monogram and my name (wedding colors by the way), as well as a Fiesta serving bowl and salt and pepper shakers... the Fiesta colors are peacock blue and sunflower yellow... which are the colors that we are going for! Thanks.
In the second picture... from mom! We can find a photo album for the Honeymoon that are close to being wedding colors... and a can opener and pan scrapers from Pampered Chef... which i Love! Thanks again!
Though these are only a few things... its still exciting to think about the wedding... and most importantly married life... I cant wait to be Mrs. Garrett Gilkey!

Cool Ideas...

On June 7 I attended a wedding for my good friend and neighbor Tiffany... there I got some ideas of what I would like to do and what possibly not to do as well! Her wedding was absolutely beautiful and I can't wait to see pictures! It was Tiffany themed with Tiffany Blue dresses and accents everywhere... lights hanging... fake diamonds sprinkled all around... the cake was white with small blue Tiffany box-looking cakes at its base... and the grooms cake looked like a little tux shirt! So cute... they were also kid friendly with a place for kids snacks... and in another corner a CANDY BAR! All of the candy was Tiffany Blue and White... this blue just happens to be the same color of blue that David's Bridal calls Pool... which is my color... great ideas Tiff!

Shown in the picture are the wedding program... a sample napkin... a Tiffany's box favor with a thing of soap that also looks like a Tiffany's box... and bag of candy from the candy bar which includes... blue and white m&ms, blue and white rock candy, and blue and white jelly belly's... the candy bar also had blue and white swirl candy sticks and lollipops... fun! And you could take what you wanted! Great wedding Tiffany... it was very enjoyable... not to mention getting to watch the bride and groom do fun dances together along with their wedding party!

May the planning continue...

Alrighty... I would say let the planning begin but as most of you know I already have started... Here is a picture (sorry for the blurriness) of my wedding planner, two giant books of invitation samples, ring bearer pillow, and two flower girl baskets... this is just a sample of what planning has already been done. I'm thinking about getting a cake from a place in Owensboro called Laval's if anyone knows about this place please let me in on your knowledge! We got the flower girl dresses yesterday because they are in my sister's wedding as well... with pool sashes... and I also was able to order pool sashes for all of the bridesmaids to go with their truffle dresses (which my sister ordered yesterday as well!)... http://davidsbridal.com/bridesmaids_detail.jsp?stid=2326&prodgroup=110 ... As exciting as it is to get this stuff... I must also add that I have been very disappointed in the services I have received from all David's Bridal's more on that at a later date though...

It really is wedding time... here are a list of the people that I know so far that have gotten married since I graduated... and the list will only get longer... Congrats to:
May 10 - Darrick and Kat Holloman
May 17 - Emily and Dusty Snyder... Crystal and Jordan Floyd... and... Chris and Sarah Adkins
May 24 - Mandy and Korey Oliver... Amber and Seth Moore
May 31 - Shawn and Amanda Greenwell
June 7 - Tiffany and Patrick Donahue... Kristen Caudill (this makes me a bad neighbor... I have no idea who you married!)

But like I said the list will go on!

Well...

I think I have an ear infection or just an ache! I woke up tossing and turning with a pounding in my ear about 3 am this morning... I took some advil and got some ear drops! You better believe nothing... is going to stop me from coming to see the people I love in Campbellsville this Friday! Just pray that i make it through work!

I Choose... YOU!

In exactly... 126 days... or 4 months and 4 days... or 18 weeks... whichever you may prefer... this man will be my husband! This is one of my favorite pictures of Mr. Garrett Gilkey taken even before we were dating... I think it was this picture that I saw and thought I could really like this guy! And well... as all of you know by now I more than really like this guy... I love and adore this guy! Although the next months are going to be difficult given that I am in Morganfield and he is in Campbellsville until the big day arrives I know that it will be all worth it in the end right!?!? I mean... afterall... I do get to spend the REST of my life with this wonderful man. If you don't know him then you are truly missing out on a God given man... the one that makes me laugh and is there for me when I cry. I miss you terribly Garrett Gilkey and I long for the day that I will be your wife! I love you and can't wait to see you again!

Missing Cville...

Well this is going on my fourth week at home I think and here are four people that I miss the most from Campbellsville! I got the privilege of getting to talk to them through ichat the other night which was great and helped me to miss them a slight bit less... but it doesn't trump getting to see them in person! Can't wait until next weekend when I get to come visit you all! Love you and miss you!

Outrigger Island!

On Outrigger Island we live God's Unshakeable Truth... well this past week I taught 4 year olds at our VBS... you gotta love VBS! The songs always... always get stuck in your head! It was a pretty alright week... I have no desire to relive it though! I'm exhausted and now know that I am in no way ready for children any time soon. I did learn that this week... being around tons of kids works as well as birth control! Hope you enjoy your vbs week if you should be so lucky as to have one! ;)

Congrats Tiffany and Patrick!

So... my neighbor is getting married today... Tiffany a girl I can remember for the longest time next to my bff Janna! Most of my summers were spent playing outside or swimming with Tiffany! As of 6 o'clock tonight she will no longer be Tiffany Farthing... She will be Tiffany Donahue! Congrats to Mr. and Mrs. Patrick Donahue!!!

Welcome Back to Morganfield... Take 2!

Alright here we go again...
You know that you're from the country when you have to travel back roads to get anywhere!
You know that you're from the country when you see Amish Crossing Signs alongside the Deer Crossing signs
You know you're from the country when you pass a truck that has "Chicks Dig It" plastered across the front windshield...
You know you're from the country when a glass of sweet tea brightens your day... and we have to make sweet tea more than once a day around here.
You know you're from the country when you can not avoid a country accent at any point during the day... seriously what are these people saying!?!?

So Long... from the M-field!

Welcome Back to Morganfield...

Alright Guys... here I am. Graduation and a few of the summers weddings have come and gone... here I am back in good ole Union County Kentucky. Is there anything more country and small town about Morganfield? I thought I would let you in on a few things that help you know that you are in a small town... feel very fortunate if you are still in Campbellsville and think that is small town!

1.) I was almost late for work yesterday because I was stuck behind not one but TWO tractors on the main highway in town!
2.) Everyone knows everyone... and their business!
3.) Also, I got behind a car shortly after the tractors who decided to STOP at a green light... and NO ONE even honked at this guy!
4.) You can't avoid "townies"... you know those people who graduated with you but all they have done since then was well... stick around here and have BABIES!
5.) Those babies are now at the daycare I work at... weird to see people my age and slightly older coming to pick up their toddlers!

I'm sure there will be more to come soon! But for now I must get finished getting ready and head to work! Kids are in need of care! Love you guys! Hope to see you all soon!

Summer Wedding Madness is ALMOST HERE...

So, I say I'm bad at this but then it just ends up that these pile up and I write several at a time... Anyway, So the end of school is coming as I said earlier... which then means the summer of weddings is almost here... If you look at my schedule for the next few months you will see one wedding right after another leading up to I guess the Grand Finale... MY OWN!!! (OCT 11, 2008) YIKES!!! Anyway... so the last time I was home at spring break I decided to take a picture of my closet door and the fact that it was covered with bridesmaid dress (two of which were mine for my friend Emily's wedding and for my sister Kayla's wedding).... needless to say as I was going to sleep at night it was a little overwhelming to see the dresses hanging there ready to be worn!

More Engagement Pics...

So I have a spring addition to the engagement pics... This is just one of my favorites.... THANKS ANDREA!!!
For more pics you can visit... http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=35411&l=88527&id=500267325

What's a Girl to do???

So I'm horrible at trying to get this thing up to date with my life... perhaps when school ends I will find the time to do this consistently. Anyway... so graduation is quickly approaching (9 days actually)... and I find myself getting slightly uneasy about what is to come. No not the up coming marriage or summer job opportunity... or even the fact that I don't know what kind of job I will have after I get married... none of that worries me at all. However, I have grow to absolutely love my church family here in Campbellsville at the Vineyard... and slowly it is beginning to completely break my heart at the thought of being away from this church for months. My weekends this summer are filled with weddings and showers... there is just no possible way that I can make the 3 hour drive every weekend... especially not with gas prices the way they are. So now I find myself crying out to God to show me what to do... I love the people at home but the church... well I'll just say I'm not getting fed the proper food there! This isn't a time for bashing my home church... no not at all... I just strongly feel like I need something more... so what's a girl to do??? I could visit different churches but that would just seem weird in my town, there's not much there. But then I thought... there is this one church... Grace Fellowship, I always thought they were a little crazy in high school but perhaps it was because I didn't know any better... or rather I didn't know what I was missing. So I messaged my friend Tiffany (long time friend and neighbor who attends this church)... and she begins to describe in a simple message how that church works... and I must say it sounds very similar to the Vineyard... not to mention she said that they would love to have me if I wanted to visit to try it out! So now I'm torn... I continue to pray... I need something new, something that will feed me for the months that I will be at home... but I don't want my family to think I hate going to church with them... no that's not it... I'm just hungry for more of God! Does anyone understand? What's this girl to do?

Should I Pinch Them???

So... as you all know today was St. Patrick's Day! I held a hall activity, coloring contest, to give the girls something fun and different to do. The prize was a itunes gift card... in my mind I thought now who wouldn't want an itunes gift card? However, sadly I was disappointed at the poor turn out of yet another hall activity. I mean come on, we try nearly everything to get these girls involved and nothing seems to draw them in... what on earth do they like to do with their time???

Anyway... I say all of this to simply say... we normally pinch people for not wearing green on St. Patrick's Day... should these girls be pinched for not celebrating in the fun by competing in this fun little contest??? Oh well... the day is done and project over... perhaps next time will draw a bigger crowd.

Happy Saint Patrick's Day to you all!!!

Wow... not so good at this...

So... it takes me forever to come up with something to write on here or to at least take the time to post it. I really don't have much to say, except the only thing that I have really done since my last post is try to finish up senior year and played in the snow a bit. A couple weekends ago Garrett and I did get our friend Andrea together and got the first addition to our engagement pictures taken... which is exciting. We both love the snow so we couldn't resist the opportunity to take some pics in the snow, however there will be more to come once it gets warmer out! I have attached just a few of the pics... however if you would like to see more simply go here: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=31318&l=8581c&id=500267325

The wedding is still months away though... I guess plans are coming together slowly but surely. I have other things that come before then such as graduation, a friends wedding, and also my sisters wedding... preparing for all of those consumes more thoughts than one might think. Though nothing can really take away the excitement of my own wedding it still just seems so far away...

Thoughts of early years... ahh...

So long ago... before there was Garrett Gilkey... there was this man... this wonderful, amazing, God-fearing man that I liked to call Granddaddy. He was my favorite person in the world, especially as I child... he would sing to me and I knew without a doubt that he loved me. He past away when I was in high school and I can truly say that my life has not been the same since... I go through days still where I think about him and think about how he didn't get to see the important days in my life... high school graduation, my upcoming college graduation, my upcoming wedding, and someday the birth of children (someday far far away)... Anyway, these thoughts do make me sad... but memories of him make me extremely happy. Today I thought of him and the song that he sang to me all the time... "You are my Sunshine." I looked for it frantically trying to find just the right copy on itunes so I could listen to it whenever I needed it... what I found were two good versions one by Sara Gazarek and the other by Sara Hickman... you should check them out sometime... and check out the lyrics too...

"You are my Sunshine" (lyrics)
The other night dear, as I lay sleeping,
I dreamed I held you in my arms,
but when I woke dear, I was mistaken,
and I hung my head and cried.

You are my sunshine, my only sunshine
you make me happy when skies are gray
you'll never know dear, how much I love you,
please don't take my sunshine away.

I'll always love you and make you happy
if you will only say the same
but if you leave me to love another
you'll regret it all some day

You are my sunshine, my only sunshine
you make me happy, when skies are gray,
you'll never know dear, how much I love you,
please don't take my sunshine away.

You told me once dear you really loved me
that no one else could come between
but now you've left me and love another
you have shattered all my dreams.

You are my sunshine, my only sunshine
you make me happy, when skies are gray,
you'll never know dear, how much I love you,
please don't take my sunshine away.

Senioritis!?!?

I have recently been experiencing what I seem to think might be a bad case of senioritis....
According to Wikipedia... "Senioritis is a colloquial term used in the United States and Canada to describe the decreased motivation toward studies displayed by students who are nearing the end of their high school careers.(In my case college!) By definition, Senioritis is not due to the direct physiological effects of a general medical condition such as hypothyroidism or insomnia but is typically said to include: slowness, procrastination, apathy regarding school work, a feeling of entitlement or privilege and a tendency toward truancy, increased drug use, malingering or feigning illness in order to avoid presence in a school setting, cognitive impairments, and changes in sleep patterns. Many high school students find themselves in a type of lame duck situation: their plans are made and a new chapter in their life is about to begin, so finishing the current chapter (the current term separating them from graduation) becomes just a formality or "holding pattern."
Oddly, the scientific meaning of the word 'Senioritis' would be 'inflammation of the senior'.
In College Seniors...
Senioritis, though typically perceived as a high school ailment, can also be found in college seniors. The typical causes of this may be burnout, or the obtainment of job offer letters. Having received a job offer letter, concerns about college GPA generally decrease and a sense of apathy in schoolwork can develop."
... I seem to have many of the symptoms that Wikipedia describes... I have just recently come to the point in my life that I feel as though I'm ready to move on to that new chapter in my life... this college chapter seems over and I'm ready to move on. Now if you would have told me that I would be feeling this way a year ago I probably would have laughed in your face... but its simply not the case today. I don't know if any of you out there have ever experienced "senioritis" or not... but if you have I suppose you can relate to how I feel if you have not... well its just not fun! Please... pray for me!

Engaged!?!?!

So... I'm horrible at keeping up with my blog... but I have been informed by a close friend that I needed to blog about the current BIG news in my life!

During Christmas Break from college I got Engaged!!! We finally set the date after nearly 2 weeks of being engaged... it will be Oct 11, 2008... I'm so excited! I guess this is the day that every girl dreams about for years and year and my day has finally come and I'm more than excited to share it with all! Below you can find pictures as well as the full story of the engagement!



I'm ENGAGED!!! to Mr. Garrett Gilkey... guess that makes me the future Erika Gilkey... weird to say now but I can't wait!



On Dec. 23, 2007... I was visiting with the Gilkey family... what seemed to be a normal day to me... we were scheduled to attend church that evening for a Christmas Eve Eve service... then back home to open gifts! So we finish church head back to the house for dinner and presents... then the opening of presents begins... I'm impressed at Garrett's taste in presents for I wasnt expecting much from a poor college boy!

Then all of the presents were opened and Garrett was asked to go move his car... what I thought would only take a few minutes turned into what seemed to be an eternity. The whole family was sitting around talking and enjoyting their presents and I was wondering where in the world Garrett could be! Then his mom asked if I would go with her to wal-mart to pick up some last minute stocking stuffers... and I was completely ok with that!

However on the way wal-mart we seemed to take a wrong turn... and headed straight back to their church... where I found that Garrett's car was the only one in the parking lot! She told me that this was my stop... so I got out of the car and anxiously walked into the church... I found Garrett standing next to the sanctuary door... all the Christmas lights were on the church... and I was still waiting to see what would happen!

He told me to come to the front that he had written a song and he wanted me to guess who it was about... the song went like this...

"I once knew a girl she was quiet and shy, she was the apple of her granddaddy's eye. Only for Granddads baby did he have ears to hear but his love for her rand loud and clear
Chorus:
This was just a reflection of the love of Christ We will never find its fullness His love is beyond our heights We will never reach it.
This girl grew up as most children do And as she did she found love to good to be true With broken heart in hand and still on the mend She made it through with her closest friend
Chorus
And now that time has moved on it is plain to see The man to love this girl is surely me Every song I write and every cheesy thing I say I promise I'll mean them with every breath, until my dying day
But it will just be a reflection of the love of Christ I will never find its fullness His love is beyond my heights We will never quiet reach it... But we will try"

This song was indeed about me... every word! Then he looked at me with tear-filled eyes and said "Erika I love you... will you marry me?" Now what was I suppose to say... but YES of course! To top it all off this was the first time I had heard the words I love you come from his mouth and be spoken to me... such a sweet moment that I had been waiting for and I was so happy to hear!

We then called my parents and our closest friend Emily and Dusty... then we prayed together right there on the alter of his church and headed back home to share with his family the good news!

Best day of my life??? Yes, I do believe so... so far that is!