Sisters Are a Blessing

A few days ago my sister called and asked if I wanted to go to coffee. Obviously I could never turn down an opportunity for sister time or caffeine, so I agreed to meet up with her on Saturday. What an incredible blessing it was! I had lunch at their apartment before we went for coffee, and it was great to spend time with both Becky and Justin. I am so thankful for the opportunity to have a "front row seat" and learn from their wonderfully God-centered relationship. After that we were off to the post office to mail some letters, and finally to a cute Santa Clarita Starbucks. We sipped our Java Chip Frappuccinos and enjoyed talking, laughing and taking about 5 million pictures. You can see the final product of that photo shoot in the slideshow to the right.:o) There were so many different conversations we embarked on, and I came away refreshed and encouraged. We decided to start meeting on a regular basis to encourage each other toward working through an Elizabeth Elliot book and memorizing Scripture. Accountability from other believers is such a wonderful thing! Finally we dropped by Goodwill to drop off some of Becky's stuff, and of course we couldn't help but go inside to see if there was anything good. Becky actually managed to find three tennis rackets for $8. Not bad at all. All in all it was a terrific afternoon, and I look forward to many more fun-filled Los Angeles adventures with my big sis.

Good Times.

The Wonder of a Lab Kit

As it turns out, for only $200 you too could play nurse.:o) I brought home my lab kit today and had a wonderful time unpacking it and looking in amazement at everything it included. It made me realize just how much I am going to need to learn over the next two and a half years to be able to use it all! There were of course a few things that I already knew what they were, but only a few. My aunt and uncle joined in the fun, and were even gracious enough to let me practice a few of my newly acquired skills on them. Thankfully neither of them were permanently damaged in the process, and I hope to use them as test subjects many more times to come during the course of the program. My uncle did ask if the bag I was pulling things out of was the same one used by Mary Poppins, and for some reason he cringed a bit when I started pulling out syringes and tracheostomy tubing.:o) I guess I'll have to draw the practicing line somewhere... They are such a blessing, and just in case I haven't mentioned it enough, I am very thankful for them. Speaking of blessings and being thankful for people, I am going to coffee with my sister tomorrow so I should head for bed. I hope you all had a wonderful week. Hooray for the weekend!

The contents of my lab kit.
(Btw, does anyone have any hot tips for how to label my stuff so that it doesn't get mixed up with anyone else's?)

How long is the quarter?

Today was Thursday, AEB (that's nursing language for As Evidenced By...:o) the fact that Emily left for school at 6:30 am and got home from school at 7 pm. So again I ask, "How long is the quarter?" All joking aside, today was a good day. I came away completely overwhelmed with how much I don't know, but I am determined to use that for good rather than evil. Rather than curl up in a ball and sob uncontrollably (as fun as that sounds), I have determined that with God's strength I will work harder than I ever have before and do my absolute best. As my instructor said today, "Nobody wants to be treated by a nurse who got less than a 70% average in their courses." Ten more Thursdays you say? Bring them on!

My first stethoscope:o)

My Car

I am thankful for the two and a half years of college that I spent without a car. They definitely made me more appreciative once I got one. Now that I have one, however, I am often astounded that I don't have to leave an hour earlier than I otherwise would "in case" the bus runs late. I don't have to plan for a grocery trip 2 weeks earlier than I need to go because it's the only time a roommate is going. I don't have to plan my social calendar around when someone else is going somewhere. I don't have to ride my bike to work at 5:30 am. And most of all I don't have to bum rides from poor defenseless friends who are probably more excited about my car than I am.:o) Bottom line, I am so thankful for my car! The fact that it is the kind of car I grew up loving and is completely adorable is just an added bonus. Now that gas prices are continually rising, I am also very thankful for the good gas mileage. I am getting more and more used to driving it, and Lord-willing I look forward to having it share in my commute for the next 2 and 1/2 years.

Too cute for words!

It just doesn't seem to have a bad side, so I took pictures of both.:o)

New Beginnings

Today was my first day of nursing school. I woke up at 5:30 am, took a shower, got ready, packed my lunch, loaded up the car, and was out the door at 7 am. I took three surface streets to the 118 East, to the 210 East, to the 2 South, to the 5 South, to the 10 East and arrived at my destination. It took me about an hour to get there, which left me two hours before my class. I purchased a one hour parking pass, parked my car, stood in line to pick up my quarterly parking permit, found out where to get my student ID, set up my student online account, went to the bookstore to purchase my nursing handbook, paid for my lab fee and liability insurance at the cashier's office, took the receipts of payment to the nursing office, was sent to another office, and had 15 minutes to spare before starting my class. I really enjoyed my first nursing class, and the professor was great. I think I'm definitely going to enjoy that one. I then had a three hour break between classes, so I went to my car to eat my lunch and then headed off campus to a nearby bookstore. I was able to buy most of my books there, and then I headed back to campus and purchased two books at the on-campus bookstore. There is only one more book I will have to purchase later because it wasn't in stock, and then I will be done shopping for them and can officially file bankruptcy.:o) Basically the cashier had to wrestle my debit card from my hand while I hyperventilated into a paper bag. Then I went to my 4-6 pm class, and discovered that it is mostly web based, meaning there are very few class times when I will actually have to be on campus. Hooray! Finally I lugged all of my books and myself to my car, got on the 10 North, to the 5 North, to the 2 North, to the 210 West (which was slowed because of an accident), to the 118 West, and took three surface streets to return to my aunt and uncle's house. I pulled into the driveway and thought, "One day down, only two and a half years to go.":o) Now I realize why they recommend taking baby steps and setting short-term goals. There is definitely great wisdom in that... It actually ended up being a very productive day, and now I have tomorrow and the next day off to recover. I look forward to all of the adventures God has in store for my over those next two and half years, and am determined to do more than survive it. Now remind me I said that during finals week.:o)

Here is a picture of the bookstore that took all of my money. I'm using it as a dartboard in my room.

Here is a picture of Cal State, Los Angeles. The campus is toward the front and the Los Angeles skyline is in the background.

On the Road Again

After a whirlwind seven weeks in Yuba City, I am back down in Los Angeles yet again. I really enjoyed my time spent working for the City of Yuba City, as well as getting to spend an extended amount of time with my family. Since I'll be going to nursing school year round for the next two and a half years, there is a good chance that I will never be home for that long ever again. The last week I was home my mom and sisters were on a missions trip in Mexico, so I had the opportunity to spend some quality time with my dad. We had such a good time and made some wonderful memories. I drove down from Yuba City yesterday, dropped my stuff off at my aunt and uncle's house where I'll be living, and then drove to Azusa Pacific University to hang out with my mom and sisters for one more night. Despite being a bit tired, I had a great time hanging out with them and hearing all about what God had done while they were in Mexico. I woke up nice and early this morning and went for a three mile walk with the adults (which thankfully ended at Starbucks:o) and then they dropped me off on their way up north. I spent today unpacking (which btw I have gotten way too good at) and getting things organized for school. I start nursing school on Monday, and am looking forward to seeing what God has to teach me in this latest adventure. I would certainly covet your prayers as it will be a bit of a transition to start at a new school (again), and to even get back into school mode after basically being off since the beginning of December. I pray you all have a blessed Easter as you reflect on the incredible sacrifice and ultimate triumph of Jesus as He died on the cross and rose from the dead three days later to save us from our sins in spite of our unworthiness.

I took this picture while I was in Yuba City. They work really hard to look as California as possible.:o)