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!