I thought that with the end of the year rapidly approaching, it would be appropriate to do the required look back over the past year on my blog, so here goes!
Time really has flown this last year -- I remember last Christmas time, Nathan and I were putting up our new four foot tree in our tiny little apartment. 
Literally, you could reach everything from the couch. We ended up driving out to Georgia for Christmas to spend with my family, even though we were only able to stay for a couple days. Classes started again in January, and to be honest, I can't even remember what classes I took that semester. Shows how much I learned! But thus began the best year of my life, and it's continued to be amazing every new day.
I finished out the semester at TJC in Texas, and we spent the first few weeks of the summer on vacation taking a roadtrip up to Minnesota. I got to meet some of Nathan's family for the first time, and we had a (very) early birthday party for his grandma (we celebrated her birthday first of July ... it's actually in December, or sometime in the winter). We got the see the Mall of America, and I rode my first rollercoaster there in the mall! 
We got back to Texas just in time to load up our u-Haul in pouring rain, and prepare for out trip out to Tennessee. Loading up that truck wasn't the only time it rained on us during that move. When we moved all the stuff out of the apartment and into storage, it rained. When we loaded up the truck, it rained. When we drove out to Tennessee, it rained. When we moved into our new house, it rained. I'm just thankful that none of our belongings got too wet or damaged.
We were greatly blessed when we moved to Tennessee and found out how large and beautiful our new home would be. We hadn't had the chance to come out and see it for ourselves, so we had to rely on friends taking pictures and promises from our landlord that it would be fixed up and presentable. Apparently, the two guys living in here before us were very uneligible bachelors who only needed a pathway from the door to their bed, because in all the pictures we saw, there was about three feet of crap piled on either side of the bedroom, and a small little path going through it. But we unlocked the door for the first time and set foot into a beautiful little two bedroom house that we will call home for at least the next four years. We absolutely love our home, and there's not much you can do to drag us out of it once we get home from the day.
Nathan continued working with his company in Texas, and I got a job at a rehabilitation hospital in town. The hours aren't the best, and I'm often tired from it, but it is fulfilling work, and in the long run, I love my job. I started my first semester at southern, and the last four months here have sped past. I finished my last final this morning, and I'm so happy to be done. I got accepted into the nursing program, and I'm so proud of myself for getting in.
We had some sad things happen this year as well though. As most of you know, we lost our dear little niece, Eleyna Petersen, at Thanksgiving time. Her passing has cast a shadow on many Thanksgivings to come, because we will always remember the sadness. Nathan and I spent our first wedding anniversary down in Florida at the funeral, so I'm hoping we can make it up next year by going somewhere special.
So now it's Christmas break, and I have a few days of freedom before I embark on what will possibly be the hardest two years of my life. But it'll be worth it, and I'm looking forward to it all (lol .. .ask me again in five months).
I want to wish everyone out there an amazing Christmas season -- don't forget what it's really all about, and spend time doing what matters most.
Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night. 
Tuesday, December 18, 2007
What a year this has been!
Sunday, November 25, 2007
she was only 4 weeks old.
How do you tell someone you're sorry that their baby died? I've never even had a child -- I don't come close to understanding that parental love, and I'd venture to guess that most of you out there don't either. Those who do have children have a better idea of the pain of losing a child, but only those who have lost that baby can empathize. I don't even know what to say when I talk to Brent and Patricia -- my stomach just ties itself in knots, and my eyes fill with tears. My heart breaks to hear the cries at night for the baby that is no longer here.
How much more precious the hope of the resurrection is when a tragedy like this happens -- we are all looking forward to that day now, when Jesus hands Eleyna back to Patricia's arms, and all the pain is healed.
This is the saddest day I've had in a long time -- quite possibly ever. I'm dreading going to this funeral service, because I know how painful it will be on everybody. I don't know what is worse -- burying someone who lived a full life, or burying someone who didn't live at all. You can't help but wonder what they would've become or how they would've turned out.
Please keep this family in your prayers -- the hardest part is still to come. No one will forget the baby, and I doubt it will ever get much easier. That hole will always be there, it just dulls slightly with time.
Thursday, November 15, 2007
more political correct crap...
The newscaster just announced that Lowe's Home store tried their best to be politically correct this holiday season. Instead of labeling their catalog section for holidays trees in the correct term of "Christmas Trees", the page proudly displayed the heading "Family Trees", along with pages full of pictures of brightly decorated spruce trees. Apparently, enough smart people stood up and protested, and Lowe's realized that most people still do celebrate Christmas as just that -- a celebration of Christ. So they issued an appology and the next catalog will be printed display the correct heading of "Christmas Trees"...
And just in case anybody out there is an idiot and confuses a family tree with a Christmas tree, I've included a picture to jog your memory:
and that, my friends, is a family tree.
Friday, November 2, 2007
RN (to be)
The Nursing Committee here at Southern met on Wednesday afternoon, and may I say that was one of the longest days of my life. The coordinator of the department had told me that I could call her on Thursday morning to find out if I got into the program. So early Thursday AM, I called her office and...no answer. I called as many other numbers for people in the nursing department that I could find for the next hour and a half, and still no one answered. Finally, just before I left for convocation (2 hours later), someone answered their phone and gave me the amazing news that I DID make it into the nursing program for this January. I was so happy that I broke into tears. It was one of the best days of my life.
November has already come upon us and it amazes me how fast this last year has past. This time last year, I was planning my wedding and stressing out about everything. But my life is so great right now -- I feel like all my dreams are coming true, and I know that sounds like a cliche, but it's true. Everything I've ever wanted, I have, and God is just soooo good to us.
We are headed to Gatlinburg, TN for a long weekend this thanksgiving to celebrate our first anniversary. I'm really looking forward to the trip, because it is so incredibly beautiful up there, and I'm just praying it snows, because that would make it even more perfect.
Who said you need lots of money to be happy?? They obviously didn't have the blessings that I've been given, and so every day, I thank God for how much he's poured out upon me.
Sunday, October 28, 2007
Pumpkin spice and everything nice
I've decided that my absolute favorite smell in the world is Pumpkin spice. I just revel in the fragrance everytime I'm near it. I have a Pumpkin candle that sits on my coffee table, and I can finally burn it again, because the weather has turned cool, and the heat that is put off by the candle helps warm the house. =) That's one thing I love about fall and winter -- you can burn candles again without making the house an oven. Actually, I love everything about fall and winter. It's just a wonderful time of year. Even tho the plants are dying, and everything turns brown, there is so much life in those leaves while they are changing colors. It puts a smile on my face every time I see the bright reds and yellows of my backyard trees. Anyway, back to my smell goods. I'm addicted to smell goods for the house. During the summer, I found the Fresh Air Minimatic, or whatever they are called. Anyway, it spurts out air freshner every few minutes, and I loaded up the house with those. Don't get me wrong, the house doesn't stink, but I'd like to prevent any stinks from coming up. =) The funny thing is that the last air freshner I bought is kind of large, and it has an aerosol can in it, so the spray is kind of loud, and it sounds a bit like a fart. So when I had company over for dinner once, just a few days after I bought the freshner, we had quite the explaining to do that it really was just an air freshner, and not Nathan farting! JK.
Back to fall -- the weather has been so beautiful lately. Even with the few days straight of rain last week (which we terribly needed), you just can't help but love the fall.
I carved my very first pumpkin last week. I had planned on carving three of them, but the other two are still sitting on my kitchen floor. But I did enjoy every icky bit of carving the first pumpkin. I don't like Jack-O-Lanterns, so I did mine with a leaf shape from a cookie cutter, and it turned out quite nice. I'll upload a picture of it.
A little boy came by the house last friday, he was from AW Spalding elementary school. He was selling cookies and pies, and we couldn't pass up buying something from him, even tho his sales pitch was horrid. =) But we both canvassed for so long, that we've got to encourage the little kids now so they might spend a summer in a program. But one summer is enough ... really...
Sunday, October 21, 2007
A Nation of Wimps
check out this great article. So well put!
http://psychologytoday.com/articles/pto-20041112-000010.html
morons and such...
I have a serious problem with so called Christians catering to the whims of atheists and other non-believers for fear of stepping on their ever evolving big toe. Let me explain: I was listening to the radio the other day and heard an announcement on the local news that the committee for the Annual Holiday Celebration here in Chattanooga had decided to ax the live Nativity scene put on by the local Baptist church because some idiot complained that it offended them at the celebration. And though they made the announcement that it did not necessarily follow with their beliefs, they didn't want to step on anyones toes, so they were removing it from the program. But I bet you if some towel-head showed up and wanted to do a skit about Muhammed, the committee would've voted towards it, in order to show how loving and supportive they were of different cultures.
PEOPLE!!! This is CHRISTmas...I know that Hallmark has turned it into a day of amazingly expensive ornaments, cards and wrapping paper, and Toys R' Us has thrown their chips into the pot for toys and gadgets, but it's Christmas...what's next?? Renaming the holiday to .... Holidaymas? O wait, we already call it Xmas. One of these days, congress is going to make a brilliant vote to outlaw angels on top of our trees.
If you don't believe in Jesus, don't celebrate Christmas. Go celebrate Hannakuh, or Kwanza, or New Years, or better yet, just celebrate yourself...cause that's about all the excitement you're gonna get. Why is it that when I worked in retail stores, I couldn't tell a customer "Merry Christmas", but rather, had to say "Happy Holidays", for fear that someone might not believe in God and be offended. But how about my being offended that I can't talk about Jesus, even in a simple way of telling someone Merry Christmas.
I'm tired of having to tip toe around on eggshells to keep from offending people. In our effort to stop alienating "weird" people and make everyone feel warm fuzzies, we've created a group of morons that can't think for themselves or have anybody tell them straight.
It's getting old, ya'll.
Jesus is the reason for the season.
Thursday, October 18, 2007
modesty vs. stupidity
So Nathan and I went to the aquarium today and we were sitting there resting our feet when a family walked by with a little girl dressed in an itty bitty denim mini-skirt. The girl was probably 6 years old, if that, but the skirt was so tiny that I couldn't help but wonder what mother would put her little girl in that. Sure, she's little, so who cares if she's dressed modestly, right? It's not like she's got boobs to show off. But I was deeply struck with the thought that in today's world, when you take your kids out, especially little girls, you really should be careful with how you dress them. I bring this up for two main reasons:
#1: You're in a public place that is known for having TONS of kids come through every day. Who knows what sicko is staking the place out and looking for little kids. Most normal people would never notice the little girl in the itty bitty skirt -- she's just a cute little blondie. But somebody with a fetish for children, that would be like a homing device. Just put some leggings on the child!!! It could save you a ton of heartache.
#2: If she can wear whatever when she's six and not worry about how much of her body it shows, she's not going to want to change when she's 13 and suddenly worried about how she looks. Why not save yourself the fights, and dress them cute, but covered. Don't get me wrong -- I'm not saying shorts and stuff are wrong...not at all..But just think. If you wouldn't want to see her in the outfit when she fills it out, then don't put it on now. It's not that difficult of a decision to make.
You might be a nurse if..
You Might Be a Nurse If . . .
1. You have the bladder capacity of 5 people.
2. You have your weekends off planned for a year in advance.
3. You believe that "ask a nurse" is an evil plot.
4. You believe that unspeakable evils will befall you if the phrase "wow, it's really quiet" is uttered.
5. You mutter, "great veins" when being introduced to a stranger.
6. You believe chocolate is a food group.
7. Your favorite sedative is exhaustion.
8. You think that caffeine should be available in IV form.
9. You have ever had a patient look you straight in the eye and say, "I have no idea how that got stuck in there..
10. You have been exposed to so many x-rays that you consider radiation a form of birth control.
11. You have ever had a patient say, "but I'm not pregnant; I can't be pregnant, how can I be having a baby?"
12. You have ever had a patient control his seizures when offered some food.
13. Your feet are flatter and tougher than Fred Flinstone's..
14. Your alcoholically challenged patients know you by your first name, and can point to "their room".
15. The hems in your scrub pants are held in with steristrips.
16. You refer to motorcyclists as "organ donors."
17. You are the only one at the dinner table NOT allowed to talk about your day at work.
18. You've ever had a patient with a nose-ring tell you, "I'm afraid of shots."
19. You believe that the sight of a full moon can ruin a perfectly good day.
20. You stare at someone in utter disbelief when he or she actually covers his or her mouth when coughing.
21. You think of chocolates, coffee, Coca-Cola and the cafeteria's frozen yogurt when anyone mentions the 4 food groups.
22. You've ever sworn you are going to have "NO CODE" tatooed on your chest.
23. You believe every patient needs TLC: Thorazine, Lorazapam, and Compazine
24. You believe that if warm wine enemas were routinely ordered, patient complaints would greatly decrease
25. You hope there's a special place in Hell for the inventor of the call light.
26. You believe not all patients are annoying. Some are dead.
27. You believe the definition of stress is when you wake up screaming and you realize you haven't fallen asleep yet.
28. You think friends help you move. Real friends help you move dead bodies.
29. You believe the gene pool could use a little chlorine
30. You believe experience is something you don't get until just after you need it.
31. You believe a really good, quality tape is like the Force, it has a light side and a dark side and it holds the universe together.
32. Your sole purpose in life is simply to warn others.
33. You see stress as a normal way of life.
34. You have a tendency to laugh at your patient's "big" problems.
35. Your sense of humor seems to get more "warped" each year.
36. You know the phone numbers of every late night food delivery place in town by heart.
37. You think pizza, cookies and coke make a balanced meal.
38. You tell cops where to go without fear!
39. You can only tell time with a 24-hour clock.
40. You believe the problem with the gene pool is that there is no lifeguard
Tuesday, October 16, 2007
Top 20 Countdown
Wow, what year is this? Britney Spears and Backstreet boys are back to back on the MTV Top 20 Countdown for the first time since, what.... 1998? Lol. And they even have something in common -- they are both missing something: Britney has even LESS clothes on, and Backstreet boys are less one member. ( I never did know all their names though, so I never could tell you which one is missing ).
It's just interesting how history comes around to bite you in the butt.
Sunday, October 14, 2007
churchwear and such
Nathan and I walked into church yesterday and sat down about three rows from the front. Not too long after we settled in, three young girls from Southern walked in and sat in the row in front of us. Now I'm not one to judge, and normally, I really don't pay that much attention to what other people wear to church, unless it's some super cute shoes or something. But I was amazed at what these three girls had on. It seriously looked like they were headed straight to a club after church (that's some pretty early carousing). One girl had on a top that I could swear was being sold at Frederick's last year...and if it wasn't, it would've doubled for lingerie just fine. The other had on an outfit so tight that she might as well have not been wearing any clothes at all. I just wonder what happened to wearing your best clothes to church, and coming to church FOR church, not for a fashion competition and to make sure everyone sees you. The girls proceeded to eat their little debbie's snacks that they'd brought along with them, and talked/texted through the entire service. I thought snacking through church ended when you were 5????
At the same time, gripping about what other people wear to church should, at times, be kept to yourself. Case and point -- The church we went to in Texas is now beginning a second, contemporary service in the afternoon. You can wear whatever, don't have to dress up at all, and it'll be all contemporary music and just really laid back. This idea bothers me, because it will eventually lead to a split in the church, I'm sure of it. However, I think one thing that led to this new service is the fact that many church members often complained about the casual dress of certain people helping with music, etc. And you know what? If these people were coming to church in cutoff dirty jeans and Lynard Skynard t-shirts, trying to lead music up front, I could see room for complaint. But their clothes were always neat and clean and pressed, just no suit and tie. So other people complained until the idea came up for a casual, afternoon service. All I'm saying is, pick your battles. There's worse things than someone wearing nice jeans to church. let me think about what some of thse worse things could be -- o! a split church. So in the end, the complaints didn't do any good -- they actually turned out for the worse.
Some people seem to take being a church "family" a little bit to the extreme. Stay out of other people's personal business -- especially if they didn't offer the information to you in the first place. It's just that -- THEIR business, not yours. Stop complaining about little things that bother you. Chances are, there's tons of things you do that bother other people, starting with complaining. If someone is really doing something wrong -- and I mean wrong according to the Bible, then you have reason to go to the pastor. But don't go to all your little friends first. Just mention your concern to the pastor, and move on. The Holy Spirit isn't on vacation and leaving his job with you.
Wednesday, April 4, 2007
how's married life??
"I just want to tell you that you can't judge your whole marriage off of
the first few months, or even the first year ... It's just so difficult,
adjusting and all. Don't get frustrated and give up ... It does get better. It
just takes time, getting used to living with someone else and everything."
the very first post ... ever
I used to write so freely -- songs, poetry, journals. Something happened though. I sometimes wonder .. could that "something" that happened be growing up? Am I just too busy to enjoy the simpler things of life, and to sit down and think about them, to the point where I am overflowing with ideas and thoughts. Things that I simply must get out of my system? But at the same time, I cannot force it out. Lord knows I've tried. I've tried writing songs again, and thats just how they sound -- painfully forced. And so .. I give up.
So this is my attempt to slow down at life and enjoy the finer things.
