By His Grace

the vacation before the vacation

2011-10-15T23:00:00.000-07:00

As I mentioned before, I spent almost a week in Seattle and Tacoma. Before I left, however, I spent a wonderful couple of days with one of my very favorite people, Cassie. She came up from San Diego, and we worked on whittling down our Los Angeles "bucket list." We definitely made a dent in it, and while doing so managed to enjoy some delicious food, great conversations, and some of the best coffee I have ever had.:o)

Venice canals

Full of gorgeous houses and gardens

And (without question) less expensive than traveling to the originals:o)

Venice beach

My bias is still toward Santa Monica but Venice is absolutely beautiful

Cass learning the cha cha cha at a local park

A vanilla latte @ Cafe Luxxe

And for non-coffee drinkers there was apricot tea

And (of course) there was a visit to our fave local spot

Santa Monica

Breathtaking

Come again soon Cass! I miss you already.

the miracle of flight

2011-10-13T21:24:00.000-07:00

Today I went from here:

To here:

In 4 1/2 hours. And because my first flight was not until college (and my family frequently drove from Washington to Los Angeles), the novelty of it all was not wasted on me. :o) It was a wonderful week and one that left me refreshed and ready for the next couple days of work. Now I'm off to bed so that I don't wake up feeling "jet-lagged", but rest assured that photos of my trip will be coming soon!

and now back to days

2011-10-01T14:04:00.000-07:00

Well my month of nights is over and I'm back to day shift. And it's a Saturday. And I'm off work! This week I survived what my sister (after having it herself) referred to as the "plague." This particular illness was one that my niece brought home from the nursery and can only be described (for the purposes of this audience:o) as a rather terrible flu. For some reason the immunity to disease that I've collected during my time at the hospital has not extended to pediatric bugs. And not only am I susceptible but I always seem to have a worse version of them than other people do. Curious... But I'm always thankful for illnesses...after the fact. They force me to slow down. To sit (or curl up into the fetal position) on the couch. To read. To watch a movie. And to think.

And as I thought I considered how busy I have been. Then I thought, "But what have I been doing?" A lot of what I've been doing has included fun memories, laughter, and of course my wonderful family. But then I thought of other things. Not necessarily bad things, but things that could have been skipped. Things that failed to maximize that time God has given me or to glorify Him. And I prayed. That God would give me wisdom in all that I do and that I would live each day to the fullest. Not that I need to be busier, but I do need to leave out things like time spent on Facebook or Youtube or any of the other time wasting and unedifying activities I choose to invest my time into. There are plenty of things to fill that time with and I can already think of a few. One is this blog. So here I am seven months later picking it back up again. And now I'm off to see what else the day holds. Thankful for my health but thankful also for all God taught me in this illness.:o)

A Saturday morning of crepes, coffee, and quiet time spent in God's Word.

Cooking for One

2011-03-26T23:03:00.000-07:00

There are so many things I love about my new place. I love that I can hear birds outside in the morning. I love that I can walk to Starbucks in about 5 minutes. I love that I can have people over any time. I love that my manager and his wife are incredibly sweet and go the extra mile to make sure I have everything I need. I love how close it is to work and the beach. I love the layout. I love the wood floors. I love that it's starting to feel like home. One thing I don't love, however, is cooking.

I've always loved to cook. I started in junior high and haven't stopped since, but cooking for one is an entirely different matter. When I lived with my aunt and uncle I tried to cook once a week, and it was so fun to be able to cook for them. When I'm at my sister and brother-in-law's house, cooking is always a blast. They are always great "patrons," and we have very similar tastes. When I was there Thursday Rebecca and I made Chicken Spaghetti and lemon bars. They were delicious and so fun to make. When I'm home though, making a whole casserole or dessert just isn't an option. The casserole because I'd be tired of it, and the dessert because I'd eat it.:o) Part of the problem is I lack variety in ingredients at the moment, but I also lack recipes ideal for one. So - I suppose it's something new to work on and a challenge to overcome. Regardless, in case you hadn't noticed, I love my new place!

P.S. - I did make something yummy tonight!:o)

I Think I'll Go Walking More Often...

2011-03-21T22:12:00.000-07:00

My Dad

2011-03-19T23:15:00.000-07:00

Today I had the immense privilege of hosting my first (hopefully of many) visitors. That is, visitors that do not have the last name of Brown and thus do not really count as visitors.:o) Today my dad, mom, sister, and my sister's fiancé all came to see my new place and go out to dinner. It was so fun to see them, and since they all heartily approved of my new place they have been invited back! We went to Wahoo's Fish Tacos for dinner (all I can say is if you haven't been: go!) and then came back to my place for brownies, ice cream, and coffee. It was my first opportunity to use my oven, so quite the momentous occasion!

The most interesting part of the visit, however, was my dad's assistance with the ~~evil~~ non-user friendly corporation known as Verizon. Now let me state for the record that I have had a Verizon cell phone for years and constantly recommend it to all my friends (mostly because I want to be able to talk to them for free within the network:o). But...my experience with their land line/internet service has not been the same. I'll spare you most of the long, boring details and just say that I have lost track of the number of times I have talked to them, gotten different answers, and waited on hold for over 45 minutes. As of yesterday I would have said the most annoying part of the whole thing has been still not having internet two weeks later, but then today I opened my mail and found a bill for $230. Say what? You want me to send to you a check for $230 for internet and phone service I don't have? Enter my dad. My dad is amazing. In so many ways really. One of those ways is his ability to navigate the world of "consumer." He can purchase things for far less than anyone I know by pointing out a blemish or problem or somehow haggling with them, but does it in a way that the person selling it to him feels that it was a terrific sale and probably adds him to their Christmas card list. No, I'm not exaggerating.

It's incredible really, and sadly not a trait I inherited. I'm more of the, "What's that? You want to rip me off and sell me that broken item for much more than it's really worth? Ok, but can't I pay you a little more for it?" Really. I'm bad at it. If you'll recall, the only reason I am paying less than the listed price for my apartment is because Becky was there when I applied. Anyway, when I opened the bill I panicked. I called Becky and Justin who were super helpful and supportive and told me to call Verizon right away. Then I happened to talk to my dad to give him directions to my apartment and mentioned it to him. He offered to help and given his history, how could I refuse? He actually sat on the phone for close to 2 hours, and they have now dropped all of those charges and are billing me less per month for my service. And I'm related to him - by birth! I also have to point out that the rest of my family was so gracious, and didn't complain about going to dinner far after the time we had planned. Kate made a few noises when she realized Wahoo's was going to close (which is reasonable considering how amazing their fish tacos are!), but they were just as gracious about eating late as they were about sitting on the floor to eat dessert. Oh family, aren't they just wonderful?

8 Minutes

2011-03-08T22:40:00.000-08:00

In 8 minutes I can cook pasta, run a mile (or at least half a mile:o), and now - drive to work. Yes ladies and gentleman, the rumors are true. My commute time is now 2/15ths of what it used to be. And that's just in the mornings! In the evenings it's about 1/32nd of what it once was. People have been asking me, "What will you do with all of that extra time?" Well today I got a library card, checked out a classic Carey Grant movie, bought something at Goodwill, took a walk on the beach, and drove home in the amount of time I once spent commuting. Location, location, location...:o)

The view from my walk.

Amazingly refreshing after 8 hours in a computer class.:o)

Thank You Starbucks for Free Internet

2011-03-07T21:40:00.000-08:00

I love setting realistic goals. They're just so easy to meet. For example, I made a goal of blogging within a year of my last post. And look: I'm a whole 2 1/2 months ahead of schedule!:o)
Not to worry though, you're not too far behind. My niece (who was not yet born in the last post) is now 9 months old, has two teeth, is eating solids like a pro, and will soon be crawling.

I graduated from nursing school, got hired on my first choice unit - neuro/trauma ICU - in their new grad program, finished my job as a care partner and said goodbye to the float team and vascular surgery, and started classes for my new job (this morning). I moved out of my aunt and uncle's house, moved into and out of my sister and brother-in-law's condo, and moved into my own apartment. I celebrated another birthday, celebrated snow in L.A. in January, celebrated passing my boards and becoming a fully licensed nurse, and celebrated becoming a car owner.

I had a few months between finishing school and starting the new grad program so I went on fabulous adventures with my sister, brother-in-law, and niece (including, but not limited to, the Getty museum, apartment hunting, my first meal at Chick-fil-a, driving from NorCal to SoCal after Christmas, and grocery shopping trips). Everything is exciting with an adorable baby.:o) Between these adventures I squeezed in a trip to Seattle to visit a former roommate and her family, a trip to San Diego to see a friend in the Coast Guard, and a trip to New York (my first visit to the east coast!) with friends.

Whew! Well I think you're up-to-date now, but there is a slight possibility that I may have missed an event or two. Through every one of these adventures I saw clearly God's grace and sovereignty prominently displayed. Not sure how I managed to be surprised by how awesome He is yet again, but somehow I find my limited human understanding requires constant reminders. He provided in ways beyond anything I could have imagined and I hope to someday go back and share a few specific examples. For now, however, I am considering myself caught up on blogging and will be moving on to tales of adventures as a new grad and other current events. At the moment my internet is not working, so my ability to check e-mail and blog will be limited by my ability to fit Starbucks into my budget.;o) Oh, and for all of my faithful readers, you should excited to hear that my current rather ambitious goal is to post within the next 6 months. Just kidding...I think.:o)

Technology

2010-05-15T16:05:00.000-07:00

Today I am blogging from a hospital room. Technology. It's a beautiful thing. Speaking of beautiful and hospital rooms...my lovely older sister has been in this room since she was admitted last night. It turns out that my precious niece seems to be on a different time table than the rest of the world, and as a result Rebecca started having contractions on Thursday evening that just didn't seem to go away. She and Justin came in to have them checked out Friday afternoon and have been here ever since. The story for now is that they are going to be giving her some medication to try and slow down the contractions and then have her on bed rest for a couple of weeks. The goal is to keep my eager niece in for another two weeks. I'm not sure that my sister is seeing bed rest as the best invention in the whole world at the moment, but I am hoping to have the privilege of spoiling her rotten for the next couple of weeks. Laundry and dishes here I come!:o) Lord-willing she will be discharged tonight and will get to be home for the remainder of the pregnancy. However, as the last couple of days have shown us, the Lord's timing is perfect and no amount of calculations or medical science can predict a due date. I am eager to meet my beautiful niece, but am hoping that she'll stay put for a little longer. Prayer for Rebecca and the baby would be appreciated, as well as for Justin while he tries to get through two more weeks of a summer class he's in. Oh, and sorry for the lack of pictures. We did actually take one this morning while we were eating the breakfast I brought with me, but I don't think I'm authorized to post it. And, since I really want to be able to see my niece when she's born and someday babysit, I probably shouldn't attempt it.:o) Hope you're all enjoying the weekend!

Dinner Thursday (Until I Think of a Better Title...)

2010-04-15T19:33:00.000-07:00

This week I made a recipe which I found on this website. I've found this website to be an incredible resource. Both in terms of yummy recipes (have I ever told you about the mocha icing brownies?) as well as cooking techniques and just feeling more comfortable with "ad libing" on a recipe. Tonight I tried out her "Chicken Spaghetti," which is actually a lot more exciting than the name suggests. And speaking of ad libing, I made a few alterations to the recipe tonight. I'll try to remember them all and include them below. I'm not sure if I've already addressed this on here, but I often feel like I am cooking at a grocery store. When I first looked at this recipe I saw "1 jar diced pimentos" and thought "Who has those?" Then I went to the cupboard and there it was. What a joy it is to have the privilege of cooking here!

Chicken Spaghetti

Ingredients

2 cups, Cooked Chicken (I used boneless skinless chicken breasts rather than a fryer chicken)
3 cups Dry Spaghetti, Broken Into Two Inch Pieces
2 cans Cream Of Mushroom Soup
2 cups Grated Sharp Cheddar Cheese
¼ cups Finely Diced Green Pepper
¼ cups Finely Diced Onion
1 jar (4 Ounce) Diced Pimentos, Drained
2 cups Reserved Chicken Broth From Pot (I pulled out some of the chicken bullion for this before cooking the spaghetti)
1 teaspoon Lawry's Seasoned Salt
⅛ teaspoons (to 1/4 Teaspoon) Cayenne Pepper (I didn't have any Cayenne Pepper so I used chili powder instead)
Salt And Pepper, to taste (I actually didn't need to add any salt or pepper)
1 cup Additional Grated Sharp Cheddar Cheese

Preparation Instructions

Cook 1 cut up fryer and pick out the meat to make two cups. Cook spaghetti in same chicken broth until al dente (I used chicken bullion to cook the spaghetti in). Do not overcook. When spaghetti is cooked, combine with remaining ingredients except additional 1 cup sharp cheddar.
Place mixture in casserole pan and top with remaining sharp cheddar. Cover and freeze up to six months, cover and refrigerate up to two days, or bake immediately: 350 degrees for 45 minutes until bubbly. (If the cheese on top starts to get too cooked, cover with foil).

Serves 8.

And voila!

Dinner is served.:o)

At the end of a long day...

2010-04-12T22:02:00.000-07:00

...there are few things more incredible than getting a care package in the mail. I'll post more about that when I'm not in the middle of three shifts in a row at work, but wanted to post a quick, "Thank you!!!" on here. Happy Monday!

Traffic and Sunsets

2010-04-10T10:15:00.000-07:00

Two weeks ago I came to the realization that I may have lived in Los Angeles too long. I had gotten off of work at 4:30 pm (rather than my usual 7:00 pm), and found that the freeway was not moving. Not even a little. In fact it took me a good 30 minutes just to get to the on ramp, which is only a few blocks from the hospital. As I took in the brake lights and smog, and simultaneously began to feel my left leg complaining from the constant in and out of the clutch, I decided I couldn't take it any more. I simply couldn't fathom sitting on the freeway for another 90 minutes. So, I instead made a spontaneous trip to the beach. It's really not that far from where I work to the beach. One hospital I work at is within walking distance (and I so enjoy walking there on my lunch break!), but even the other one is much less than 90 minutes from the ocean. So I quickly put on my left turn indicator and eased back into the traffic which was actually moving. As a result of my spontaneity, I had the incredible opportunity of sitting on the boardwalk and feeling the ocean breeze on my face while I read a book I've been wanting to read for a while. And as the sun began to set over the ocean I sat there completely in awe of God and His creation, and the words to the wonderful hymn "How Great Thou Art" came to mind.

O Lord my God, when I in awesome wonder

Consider all the works Thy hands have made,

I see the stars, I hear the rolling thunder,

Thy pow'r thru-out the universe displayed!

Then sings my soul, my Savior God, to Thee:

How great Thou art, how great Thou art!

Then sings my soul, my Savior God, to Thee:

How great Thou art, how great Thou art!

So, did this:

beat this?

I think so, but maybe I've just been living in Los Angeles too long...;o)

Inspiration and Burnt Chocolate Chip Cookies

2010-04-09T00:36:00.000-07:00

Webster defines being inspired as, "outstanding or brilliant in a way or to a degree suggestive of divine inspiration." I define inspiration as those bursts of energy and ideas which inevitably come to me after the clock has dinged twelve times to remind me that we are officially entering the a.m. and the beginning of a new day. In this case, I was inspired to blog. I have been remiss in my blogging for quite a while now (as in a trip to my blog last week revealed pumpkins as the header...) so why I felt the need to finally catch up while most sane people are sleeping we may never know. But here I am, so if you're reading this early Friday morning please know that I do plan to edit after getting some sleep.:o)

Much has happened since I last blogged in...yes, October. Apparently the big news back then was that I was approaching midterms. I have since survived those midterms, two quarters, and have made it into my last three quarter of nursing school. God is so good!

As you can probably tell from the picture above the big news right now is that my sister and brother-in-law are expecting a baby and that in a few months I'll be an aunt! Wow. Those nine months really fly by. Especially when I don't get around to making the announcement until she's in her 7th month.:o) I actually can't remember if I knew about the baby by the time I last blogged, but if I did I had been sworn to secrecy. Whenever I get into trouble with Justin now, he reminds me that he has the power to have their little girl call me Auntie Em. Apparently if I'd seen the Wizard of Oz his threat would have more of an impact...

In case you've forgotten who I am, or at least what I look like, here is a recent picture. Justin's brother Micah took quite a few pictures at our Easter celebration last weekend. The picture above started out as a picture of the caramel apple pie I had made. Then suddenly I was in the picture. And then it was supposed to look candid or something to that effect. And by the time everyone had contributed their assistance in setting up the picture, it appeared as if I was "removing the pie from the oven" with my bare hands. Ah photography.:o)

What a blessing each of these sweet girls are! Sarah and my parents were here for Easter which was such a treat. They're now back up in Northern California, but the other two I saw today. Kate came over to Justin and Rebecca's condo and cut our hair. I can't tell you how wonderful it is to have a home salon where I feel 100% comfortable asking my hairdresser to make changes if I want them. Plus, she'll work for free or Starbucks. Even with their expensive coffee, it's hard to beat that price at a salon!:o)

Before that Becky helped me with plans for her upcoming baby shower so that I wouldn't be too overwhelmed. I've tried explaining to her that the guest of honor is not expected to contribute in any way, but I can't deny that I've appreciated her input and creativity. Perhaps in the next couple of years I'll get around to posting some pictures from that event.;o) And then I in turn thanked her for her assistance using up the last of her butter in a batch of burnt chocolate chip cookies. I really dislike burning cookies. It's just such a waste of perfectly yummy cookie dough!

Well now you're pretty much caught up on my life, or at least as much of it as I'm feeling up to typing out at 12:30 am. I look forward to (intermittently) sharing fun memories and how God's been working in my life as I finish up my last year of nursing school!

If you have to take a midterm...

2009-10-29T21:22:00.000-07:00

Pajamas and hot chocolate is the way to go.:o) Aren't online tests the most amazing invention?

Two midterms and one 70 questions "quiz" down.

One midterm next Tuesday.

By God's grace, another round of midterms is almost behind me.:o)

It's raining here today...

2009-10-14T15:32:00.000-07:00

and I was given the day off from work. So that means,

cinnamon vanilla candles

trying out a new oatmeal chocolate chip cookie recipe (yummy and warm!)

sweaters

studying and listening to classical music

and just enjoying the much needed rain!

Speaking of Undeserved Blessings...

2009-10-10T09:16:00.000-07:00

Over the last couple of weeks I have been eating really well. A little too well maybe. Which is part of the reason why all recent pictures have been of my surroundings, and not of me.:o)

Last week I made Mexican Rice Casserole (recipe complements of my wonderful friend Kristen!). She made it for Rebecca and I when we were in Seattle and we really enjoyed it. It was a big hit here as well, and we finished off all leftovers last night.:o)

I had a really fun time making it, but right about the time I finished I began to remember why I typically try to clean up as I go along.

Thankfully my aunt was out working in the yard for most of the time, and by the time she came in she said, "Wow! It smells delicious and the kitchen looks great.":o)

Then last Sunday Rebecca and I had our first "official" Sunday Sister Afternoon. (We'll come up with a better name eventually.:o) We made yummy banana muffins and then topped them with some cream cheese frosting and fall sprinkles. Nutritious and delicious!;o) Then we sat on her couches and talked, laughed, and ate our muffins while sipping chai tea. Did I mention this was the absolute highlight of my week???

And last, but not necessarily least, I made scones yesterday. I got out of my psych clinical early and came home ready to bake before going to a friend's high school play. This particular baking adventure may not sound overly significant, but it was. For whatever reason I've always been intimidated by scones. They just seemed too challenging to attempt. It turns out (like many things in my life) all the apprehension was for nothing. They were incredibly easy, and delicious. We had them with breakfast this morning, and the consensus was that they are a keeper. What has the cooler weather inspired you to bake recently?

Undeserved Blessings

2009-10-03T21:46:00.000-07:00

I have frequently referred to the exciting and surprising joys which fill my life as "unexpected blessings," and without a doubt they are. Last night, however, I was challenged to reclassify them as something else: "undeserved blessings." At the recommendation of my wise older sister, I decided to attend a children's ministry Biblestudy which meets on Friday nights. One of the couples who lead the study are close friends of my sister and brother-in-law, and I have enjoyed getting to know them as well. The group has been reading through "A Simple Christianity" by John MacArthur, and last night they discussed a chapter titled "In the Likeness of Men." I've known (I think) since before I could talk that Jesus is the Son of God, and that He came to earth as a man to die on the cross for the sins of the world. In spite of this knowledge, I rarely pause to reflect on how much He gave up to come or the sinfulness and unworthiness of the humans He came to save.

The leader pointed out that His overwhelming and incredibly undeserved gift should alter the way in which we live our lives as Christians. The fact that Jesus gave up the comforts of Heaven and His face-to-face relationship with the Father to come to earth and die, should radically change our worldview and force us to reconsider what we "deserve." The word deserve is defined as to "be worthy or deserving." Psalm 103:8-12 says:

"The Lord is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love. He will not always accuse,

nor will he harbor his anger forever; he does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to

our iniquities. For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his love for those who fear him;

as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us." (emphasis mine)

The reality is that we deserve death (Romans 6:23). We deserve eternal punishment, and are instead given eternal life. God sent His Son to die an unimaginable and horrific death on the cross so that we might spend eternity in Heaven with Him, and all we must do to receive this free gift is place our trust in Jesus Christ (John 3:16). So the next time I'm tempted to respond with "righteous" indignation toward the person who has dared to pull into the gas station slot I "deserved" because I was there first, I pray that I will remember that I am a sinner who actually deserves death and was instead given life, and that this remembrance will allow me to smile graciously and settle back into my seat. The God of the universe saved me from what I deserve. And I can wait.

I'm off to work, but before I go...

2009-09-26T06:14:00.000-07:00

"This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it." - Psalm 118:24

How I Spent My Summer Vacation

2009-09-24T09:54:00.000-07:00

Well it is now 9:00am on the first day of school, and I am finally admitting to myself that perhaps summer vacation has come to an end.:o) I started out working a few extra days at the hospital, then flew up to my parents house, and then spent my last week with friends in Seattle. What a blessing each of these experiences were, and I returned to Southern California feeling refreshed and ready to start another quarter. This time next year I will be starting my last quarter of school! So exciting to think about, but my prayer is that I won't wish away the next 15 months. I have such a tendency to anticipate what is ahead to the neglect of my current surroundings. I pray that God will give me the courage to boldly proclaim the Gospel to my fellow nursing students, professors, and patients. And I pray that my quarter in a psychiatric facility will not be full of fear or a desire to "escape," but rather compassion, patience, and love for the people God places in my life. May God be glorified through all I do and say!

A pictorial glimpse into my vacation (more pictures from other cameras to come...):

Those of you who know me well will be surprised to know that I woke up early

enough to watch the sunrise almost every day of my vacation!

I watched my incredible little sis play competitive soccer and volleyball.

Enjoyed another "Gold Rush Days" with my parents in Old Town Sacramento.

Summer in September

2009-09-02T22:24:00.000-07:00

So this morning, I slept in. We're talking SLEPT IN! What a wonderful feeling. No alarms, no school, no work, no finals. No finals.:o) A-M-A-Z-I-N-G. On a side note, I don't think my body handles finals quite as well now as it did four years ago when I was a freshman. I know all of you older readers will get a chuckle out of that statement, but when my alarm would go off after a couple of hours sleep, I wasn't exactly springing from my bed... Yes. Finals are indeed over, and I am a free woman! (At least for the next 2 1/2 weeks...) I had quite a "to do" list for today, as I forced myself to write things down as I thought of them rather than doing them when I was supposed to be studying. Anyone who I've lived with can tell you I become quite the chef, cleaner, organizer, etc. during finals week.:o) Anyway, I wasn't as productive today as I'd planned to be, but I did get quite a bit done and even managed to scatter some fun in along the way. I mentioned to my aunt that I really wanted to bake something, and she recommended a cake recipe they have. The recipe is actually on a trivet that sits next to their stove. That sounded good to me, but to be honest it was the first time I'd ever made a cake from scratch. Sad I know, but the boxes are just so easy.:o) It turns out, making a cake is actually pretty easy, and tasty too. It was even educational, as I learned for the first time that you can make buttermilk from milk and vinegar. Ah. Learning finds me even on vacation.;o) So I'm including the recipe below. Give it a try. It honestly took me very little time, and the result was delicious!

Hershey's Chocolatetown Special Cake

Ingredients:

1/2 cup Hershey's Cocoa
1/2 cup boiling water
2/3 cup shortening (I used margarine)
1-3/4 cups sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 eggs
2-1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1-1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1-1/3 cups buttermilk or sour milk*

* To Sour Milk: Use 4 teaspoons white vinegar plus milk to equal 1-1/3 cups.

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 350°F. Grease and flour two 9-inch round baking pans.
(I used a 9x13 pan and it turned out just fine. I baked it for about the same amount of time too.)

2. Stir together cocoa and water in small bowl until smooth. Beat shortening, sugar and vanilla in large bowl until fluffy. Add eggs; beat well. Stir together flour, baking soda and salt; add to shortening mixture alternately with buttermilk, beating until well blended. Add cocoa mixture; beat well. Pour batter into prepared pans.

3. Bake 30 to 35 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes; remove from pans to wire racks. Cool completely: frost. 8 to 10 servings.

So my left eye is twitching...

2009-08-31T21:18:00.000-07:00

This won't be a long post as I really should be studying for finals, but I wanted to give you a quick update/ask for your prayers. Tomorrow I'll be taking two nursing finals (one worth 40% of my grade), and then I'll be on vacation for 2 1/2 weeks! I am so looking forward to the time off, but for the next 12 hours (ok minus a couple hours for sleeping:o) I desperately need to study. I'm reaching the point where it seems each thing I learn pushes something I learned earlier out of my brain. I'm also coming to the point where I know there is more to study but would prefer to just take the tests right now and get them over with. However, since I don't foresee my instructor sending out an invite to come to campus at 9:30pm to take the final:o), I need to get back to the books. I'm in the home stretch, and at this time tomorrow I'll be done!!! And with that little pep talk out of the way, coffee pot here I come...

Finals

2009-08-30T14:45:00.001-07:00

*A special thank you to my brother-in-law for this amazing and incredibly accurate image:o)*

Sunday Sermon

2009-08-23T22:21:00.000-07:00

A friend of mine asked me how God's been working in my life recently, and last night I finally replied to the e-mail. I won't put my actual response up, as after I read it again at a time other that the middle of the night when I wrote it, it actually made very little sense. Sidenote: I really need to learn that e-mailing people at midnight before I go to bed is generally a bad idea.:o) Anyway...the gist of what I said revolved around God's faithful reminders in my life that loving Him and loving those around me should be a central priority in my life. I saw firsthand my own sinfulness and selfish nature last week when I worked two twelve hour shifts, and God opened my eyes to thoughts and heart attitudes which were far from glorifying Him. By His grace (and only by His grace) I didn't verbalize any of what I was thinking to those around me, but my heart was sinful. Unfortunately, my failure to be continually in prayer during those shifts was a major factor in my failings, and my prideful arrogance which motivated me to believe I could get through those days by my own strength was my downfall. However, our great and gracious God allowed me to fail miserably and have a couple of really terrible days, and as a result He convicted me and showed me that in those shifts I loved myself more than I loved my patients, co-workers, and most importantly, more than I loved my Savior. This lesson is one which I often think, "I should have learned that by now!" And then I remember. I am a sinner, saved by grace. Until I die I will never fully learn lessons or achieve perfection in any area of my life, much as I may want to. So all of that leads me to today. Rick Holland preached the message this morning, and when I walked in I looked at the bulletin to see the title of his message. Can you guess what passage he was preaching on? Yes. Matthew 22:34-40. Verses 37 through 40 say:

"'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments."

Hmmmm...so that means I need to love those people in my life who love me, as much as I love myself. I suppose that's doable. But does it mean I need to love the doctor who swore at me and the nurse who pointed out my errors? Yes. Especially them. What an incredible challenge. Can I do it on my own? Absolutely not. Can I do it by God's grace and through His strength and power? Absolutely. I am without excuse. So there you have it. The God of the universe loves me enough to let me fail miserably so that I may be reminded of my inadequacies and sin, and of His perfection and power. What a great God we serve.

If you're interested, I can highly recommend this morning's message. It's not up quite yet, but I believe they'll post it here in the next couple of days. I start my last week of class for the summer quarter tomorrow, and then on to finals next week and two weeks of vacation!

Kate and I went to Santa Monica this weekend to celebrate her 19th birthday. She wanted funnel cake.:o)

Fun Monday, Minus the Scrubs

2009-08-03T18:57:00.000-07:00

This morning my alarm went off as usual at 4:30 am. I squinted my eyes while looking (ok scowling) at the clock. Then I remembered. I'd stayed up late last night to finish up a paper that was due today. Then of course the calculations started. Ok, if I eat breakfast in the car, fly through the shower, shift my devotions to this evening... Yep. I'll reset my alarm for 5:00 am. I don't actually think that the extra half hour was particularly helpful, but at 5:08 am (about the time I was actually making movements toward prying myself from my bed) I received several text messages. It's amazing how quickly good news spreads.:o) My instructor was sick (no that's not good news!) and my clinical was canceled for the day. Ah, I thought. Amazing!!! Now back to sleep. However, I had gotten up to go to the bathroom and glanced outside. The sun was just beginning to show its first rays, and there were clouds! I know that might not sound too impressive for some of you, but around here in July that's rare. And clouds meant an incredible sunrise. (The lack of clouds make those rare also...) I glanced over at my bed and back outside, and it was decided. I made myself a cup of coffee, grabbed my Bible and headed outside to the front yard. And may I just say, it was totally worth it!

These pictures do not begin to capture how beautiful it was, but I kind of like that. It reminds me that our Creator has fashioned our eye in such a way that it is far superior to any man-made devices.

The remainder of the day included a nap:o), cleaning up my room and then doing some much needed vacuuming and dusting, cleaning my bathroom, sending out some overdue e-mails, paying the additional tuition due after the recent fee increase, painting my nails, mailing off a rebate, finishing an assignment due at midnight for my online class (before 11:59 pm:o), and various other odds and ends which seem to pile up in the midst of the quarter. I have said it before and I'll likely say it again, few things are as productive or relaxing as unexpected days off, and our all-knowing God knew just how much I needed this one! Now, off to the kitchen to make some yummy chocolate chip cookies to share.:o)

Thank You Lord...

2009-07-24T15:41:00.000-07:00

...for bronchitis! As you can see I am back to blogging. By God's grace, after 10 days of a powerful antibiotic, I am also back to breathing, sleeping through the night, standing for longer than five minutes without needing a two hour nap, and a myriad of other seemingly simple activities. During this latest illness I was made aware of many blessings which God showered on me. I can't remember all of them now, but I wanted to share a few that I can recall with you.

*It created a thankful heart. I am never so thankful for my usual good health (that I too often take for granted) as I am when I'm sick.

*It reminded me of how many wonderful people the Lord has placed in my life who encourage and support me. From taking me to the doctor, to midnight check-ups, to uplifting e-cards, friends and family met so many of my needs.

*It provided another reason to be thankful for my current living arrangement. I distinctly remember being sick in the dorms my first year in college, and how miserable it was to go through it on my own. My aunt and uncle were amazing! My aunt was literally in and out of my room the whole first night, and she even stripped my soaking wet sheets off the bed after my fever spiked to 104.5. If that isn't love...:o)

This was the make-shift sick bay they set up in my room. Let me just say, it was wonderful!

*My nursing instructor allowed me to miss a day of clinical. Not my first choice, but definitely necessary at that point.

*This is a bit of a random one, but I had ordered a few "fun" books a little while before I got sick. I had had some recommendations, and decided to check them out despite my limited time for reading. They were a little later than expected, but that made their arrival precisely during the time I was laying in bed. Time and books...how rarely those two things coincide!:o)

*I had wise family members who suggested I visit the doctor. Those of you who know me know how bad I can be about doing that, but I am quite certain the bronchitis would have drug out much longer without the prompt treatment.

*The two midterms I took right as I was starting to feel a little better went really well. (My uncle suggested that it was because I was taking "performance enhancing drugs"...;o)

*At the advice of those wiser than me I took some time off of work while recovering, and that allowed me to spend time with my aunt, uncle, and another family member who was visiting. We even took a trip to the Reagan Library, which is always a treat.

This is by no means an exhaustive list, and I cannot possibly remember (and likely was not even aware of) everything. I mostly wanted to share my experiences of God's faithfulness and sustaining grace in the midst of a few tough days. My prayer while I was sick was that above all God would be glorified, and He certainly provided for all of my needs and more. I am excited to be healing and feeling a million times better, but am so very thankful for all that the Lord taught me through it. If nothing else it reminded me of how thankful I am that this world is not my permanent home, and how eagerly I am anticipating an illness free eternity with my Savior.

Joy Filled Chores

2009-07-11T05:01:00.001-07:00

Even

painting

can

be

fun

when

you

paint

with

friends!

Random Things Which Make Me Smile :o)

2009-07-10T08:00:00.000-07:00

1. Mint chip ice cream.

2. The smell of fresh cut grass.
3. Doing my devotions outside early in the morning.
4. Seeing sunshine through rain.

5. Having air conditioning in my car. (I think having a car for several years without air conditioning when I was growing up has helped me not take this for granted.:o)
6. Cold seedless watermelon on a hot summer day.
7. Having mornings when I don't have anywhere to be and can sleep in and then linger over a cup of coffee and God's Word.

8. Getting mail from friends.
9. Looking back through my prayer journal and praising God for His faithfulness as I see how He has answered prayers.
10. Spending time with my sisters and brother-in-law.

Fun Scrubs Monday: Wednesday Edition

2009-07-08T17:02:00.000-07:00

So here we are on Wednesday and I have not yet gotten around to posting about my "Fun Scrubs Monday." I suppose it's a good thing work canceled me today, as a Thursday Edition would have just been ridiculous.:o) I had a wonderful weekend, with some time spent with family on the holiday and even some working in there somewhere. I worked a 12 hour shift on the 4th which ended up being so wonderful, and a terrific learning opportunity. When I started this job I was terrified of the ICUs, but I have to say that the surgical/transplant ICU is now one of my absolute favorite floors to work on! Sunday was a wonderful church service in the morning and some studying in the afternoon. And then Monday.

I knew before I went to clinical Monday that I was scheduled to go to the operating room. And I remember even thinking to myself at one point, "Maybe I'll see an open-heart surgery." And then of course I laughed.:o) And I was wrong. I saw three!!!!! I arrived at the OR desk and was looking at the surgery board. There were some dental surgeries, appendectomies, etc. And then I saw it. A surgery with a heart drawn next to it. (Yes, believe it or not, we draw cute hearts despite our knowledge of what an anatomically correct heart looks like. The real thing just isn't quite so cute.:o) Before I could even mention what I was thinking, the scheduler said, "I have you in the heart room." Of course doing a little victory dance in the hallway would have been somewhat less than professional, so I just calmly said, "Ok. Sounds good." But on the inside I was doing cartwheels!

Because I am aware that not all of you have a love for medicine in the same way I do, I shall spare you the details. I'll simply say that it was incredible! As they were doing the surgeries and explaining the procedure and the radical alterations they planned to make, I stood in awe. Not of the surgeons and the surgery (though they were pretty great), but in awe of our Creator. The heart in our textbooks astounded me, but watching a heart beat overwhelmed me. In Psalm 139 David says, "For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well." You may already know this, but just in case you'd like the opinion of someone who has stood about 10 inches from a beating heart: YOU ARE FEARFULLY AND WONDERFULLY MADE!!! Thank you Lord for the privilege of having a front row seat to observe your handiwork!

Ok, so these scrubs aren't too fun, but after wearing all white for a year they look pretty exciting.:o)

Watching televised fireworks with my aunt and uncle on the 4th.

Random Things Which Make Me Smile :o)

2009-07-03T21:18:00.000-07:00

I've decided (at least for a while) to make Friday posts titled "Random Things Which Make Me Smile." (In case you were wondering I am indeed thinking of getting a trademark for that clever and original title...;o) Not sure how long this will last, but here are the first ten!

1. Pulling into a parking spot and finding leftover minutes in a parking meter.
2. Feeling the ocean breeze through my sun roof as I drive home from a long day at work.
3. Sunrises and sunsets. (With my current schedule I see plenty of both...:o)

4. Singing as loud as I can in my car with the windows all rolled up.
5. Learning something new about a Bible passage I've read many times.
6. Phone calls and text messages from friends.
7. Having class only two days a week.
8. Baking (and sharing) chocolate chip cookies.

9. Successfully running all the way up the big hill on my run.
10. Discharging patients from the hospital. (Especially new moms who smile in amazement at their precious little ones all the way to the car.:o)

Moving Other People

2009-06-30T20:36:00.000-07:00

After having the pleasure of taking part in several of my own or my family's moves, I've decided that moving other people is much more fun. For example, you show up and pack a few boxes when convenient and then return to your (hopefully) clean and tidy home. You wake up in the morning and find your shampoo and conditioner right where you left them while showering, rather than running around with wet hair muttering to yourself, "Why did I think that 12 labels which said 'miscellaneous' were a good idea?" Basically you can have as much or little adventure as you choose.:o) I had the opportunity to help my sister and brother-in-law move into their new condo last weekend. I really did very little, but it was a lot of fun! Their new place is great, and we even managed to get everything at their old place into boxes before the day of. Pretty impressive if I do say so myself. Here are a few candids I snapped in the midst of the excitement!

I think this was officially called the "staging area."

The kitchen was our last hurdle the night before, and our need for sleep motivated us to finish it quickly. (Amazingly enough all of the dishes arrived in one piece....as far a I know...:o)

Rebecca handled the whole thing remarkably well.

As did Justin. His answer to everything was saran wrap.:o)

Boxes, boxes, everywhere.

Still smiling in front of their new place at the end of moving day. Remarkable!

Remember how I said hopefully in the above paragraph? Here is a picture I took of my room when I was attempting to organize it in preparation for a new quarter after returning from my summer vacation.

(And I can't even use the excuse of "moving.":o)

Fun Scrubs Monday

2009-06-29T18:59:00.000-07:00

I don't think I've mentioned it yet, but I have begun a new clinical rotation for the summer in pediatrics. What a blast! Kids are a truly special patient population. One of the new and exciting changes that comes with peds is our ability to wear fun scrubs for the first time. No more boring and painful to look at white scrubs which basically function as a giant billboard proclaiming, "I know nothing and will probably get in your way!":o) Apparently those scrubs also scare small children, and thus the transition to exciting and colorful patterns. Here is my selection for week one.

I've had this top for a while, but this was my first opportunity to wear it. Pretty exciting, huh?:o) Today I was in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit. We had a trauma case come in and things got fairly intense for a while, but by God's grace I learned a lot and was able to (for the most part) stay out of the way of those who knew what they were doing. The nurse I was shadowing was awesome, and totally willing to teach me every step of the way. What a difference that makes! Well I'm off to read another chapter in my textbook before lecture tomorrow, but I'll leave you with the verse I was working on memorizing while walking during my morning break today. Let's see how I do... "Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is - his good, pleasing, and perfect will." - Romans 12:2 NIV (Ok so I had to peek once. Guess that means I'll be working on it during my break from work on Wednesday!:o)

My Favorite Little Guy

2009-06-28T15:16:00.000-07:00

I tried to include this in my post yesterday, but it wasn't cooperating with me. I wanted to share this with you so that you could catch a glimpse of how special this little guy is, and what a huge blessing it was to be able to spend a week with him! (Sorry about the video quality...I was attempting to video while holding him, which proved harder than I thought.:o)

I hope that this has brightened your Sunday a bit, and pray that you are rejoicing in this day that the Lord has made!

Summer Adventures

2009-06-27T21:05:00.000-07:00

Well I'm back from my summer vacation. Wow! It seemed like only a week. Oh wait, it was a week.:o) During finals week our wonderful friends the Waites came to California and then some of us headed to Palm Springs for the Resolved Conference. For those of you who don't know what that is, it's basically a short, intense weekend full of wonderful sermons from some of my favorite pastors and a lot of fun in between. My head felt so full by the end I thought it might burst, but I came away with so many Biblical truths and convicting concepts. Some things were new, and some I'd heard before but deperately needed to be reminded of. If you're interested, you can listen to the messages here. I can highly recommend every single one of them, and if you're ever able to go the conference, DO IT!

After a few days at Resolved we headed up to my parents house for the next week. I'm not sure how to summarize that week, but I suppose I'll just say it was one of the best weeks of my life. I miss all of them SO very much now, but it was certainly worth it. Probably the best way to tell you about it is through pictures (of which I have plenty...).

The group in front of In-N-Out.

Waiting for Resolved to begin.

The hotel we stayed at had a wonderful pool which we frequented.:o)

Sara and I.

We did a lot of driving while they were here. They were pretty amazed at the length of California...

We celebrated Father's Day while they were there.

Peter volunteered to help me "drive."

Esther has the most contagious smile and laugh.

Luke and I.

The girls.

Several of the Waites write music, so we spent much of our time learning their songs.

Bethany and I toward the end of Resolved. A little tired but still smiling.:o)

Well I think that just about sums it up. I have many more pictures, but hopefully you have something better to do with your day than spend it all on my blog.:o) Just a quick note, two of the Waite kids are heading into the military in the next few months and anticipating boot camp/basic training and all that that entails. The oldest is currently stationed in Iraq and will Lord-willing be headed back to the U.S. soon! So if you think of it please be in prayer for them. I'm sure they'd greatly appreciate it!

New Recipe

2009-05-21T18:54:00.000-07:00

My aunt and uncle have been gracious (and brave:o) enough to let me try my hand at the culinary arts each Thursday night for the past several weeks. Thankfully, we have managed to achieve some sort of caloric intake each of those nights thus far, and I have had a BLAST in the process. I cooked a lot when I was in jr. high and high school, but after moving out and realizing the cost (and pain) of having hundreds of ingredients on hand whenever I wanted them, my ability to enjoy actual cooking was greatly diminished. (Added to this was the fact that I was suddently aware I would be the only person consuming that 9x13 casserole...for the next month...) Now that my aunt and uncle have been gracious enough to indulge me, I'm exploring new recipes and re-discovering old family favorites. It's been a little bit like those cooking shows I occasionally catch glimpses of where the person is cooking and ingredients just appear "as if by magic." I of course tend to roll my eyes and think, "Right." However, my current situation is actually remarkably like that. On Sunday or Monday of each week I select a recipe, and by the time I go to cook it on Thursday each ingredient has "magically" appeared. I am so blessed!(Unfortunately my uncle has suggested that they might not appreciate me quite so much as a house guest if I'm still here 40 years from now...;o) So, all of that to say, I tried out a new recipe this evening and really ended up enjoying it. I know how much I appreciate getting new recipes from others, so I thought I'd try contributing for once.:o) Enjoy!

Southwestern Shredded Beef Sandwiches

Ingredients:

1 cup chopped onion (1 large)
1 Tbsp. cooking oil
2 cups shredded beef master recipe (see recipe below)
1 10-oz. can diced tomatoes and green chiles
1 tsp. ground cumin
1 tsp. chili powder
1 Tbsp. chopped fresh cilantro
1/2 cup shredded cheddar or Monterey Jack cheese (2 ounces)
4 onion rolls, split and toasted, if desired
1 cup shredded lettuce

Directions:

In large saucepan, cook onion in hot oil over medium heat about 4 minutes or until tender. Add shredded beef, undrained tomatoes, cumin, and chili powder. Bring to boiling; reduce heat. Simmer, uncovered, about 5 minutes or until heated through and desired consistency. Stir in cilantro.
To serve, sprinkle some of the cheese over bottoms of onion rolls. Spoon about 1/2 cup meat mixture over cheese on each bun. Sprinkle with remaining cheese and the shredded lettuce. Add roll tops. Makes 4 servings.

Shredded Beef Master Recipe:Trim fat from a 3 to 3 1/2 pound boneless beef chuck pot roast. If necessary, cut beef to fit a 4- to 5-quart slow cooker. Place 2 large onions, cut into thin wedges and 2 cloves garlic, minced in the cooker. Top with beef. In a medium bowl, combine 1, 14-oz. can beef broth, 1 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce, 2 tsp. dry mustard, 1 tsp. dried thyme, crushed; 1/2 tsp. salt, and 1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper. Pour over beef in cooker. Cover and cook on low-heat setting for 11 to 12 hours or on high-heat setting for 5-1/2 to 6 hours. Remove beef and onion from cooker, reserving juices. Using two forks, shred beef, discarding any fat. Skim fat from juices. Add onion to beef; add enough juices to beef to moisten. Place 2-cup portions of beef in airtight containers and refrigerate for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 3 months. Makes 6 cups.

*Note: There seems to be a great deal of flexibility in this recipe. At least I think it turned out ok in spite of my modifications. For example, I used garlic powder instead of the cloves, black pepper instead of the cayenne pepper, less dry mustard than it called for (because I ran out:o), fewer onions, ground thyme instead of crushed, etc. Goodness! Now that I think about it, perhaps I should not be recommending this recipe. I have no idea what it actually tastes like!:o)

Rebecca's Shop Giveaway!

2009-05-17T22:13:00.000-07:00

So I realize that my last post was a shameless plug for Rebecca's Shop, but here I am again! My talented, creative, and did I mention wonderful sister is hosting a giveaway for her Etsy shop. She's giving away both a beautiful necklace and an adorable beach themed frame (see pic below). Although I have already benefited from her amazing abilities in the form of a super cute necklace (see previous post), I have definitely entered to win these items also. You can check out her blog and giveaway here, and her amazing Etsy shop here. Hope you all have a wonderful Monday!

When I Grow Up...

2009-05-03T22:12:00.001-07:00

So I have something incredibly exciting to share with all of you. My sweet and amazingly talented older sister Rebecca has just opened her very own shop on Etsy. I realize that as her sister my opinion could be considered just a little biased:o), but if you doubt me feel free to see for yourself. She has all kinds of sweet and creative products on there, including magnets, necklaces, frames, and notepads. She has allowed me the privilege of taking part in some of her crafting days, so I can tell you first-hand that she puts a lot of creativity and work into making everything. I can also tell you that I absolutely love the necklace she gave me (pictured above), and have gotten several complements on it. Also, as the self appointed director of the quality control department;o), I would like to mention that my necklace survived the nursery test. Yes. That's right. I wore it this morning to help with twenty 10-14 month olds in the nursery, and despite their fascination with it and continuous tugging it's still in one peace.:o) Rebecca is so sweet and has told me she's not sure how she'll do in the marketing department. I may not have the skills to contribute much toward making things, but marketing I can do. The babies in the nursery seemed a little confused by the business cards I whipped out of my pocket when they expressed an interest in my necklace, but don't be surprised if you end up with one in your hands within five minutes next time you see me...

Coffee and Classes

2009-04-30T14:30:00.000-07:00

The title for this post was inspired by two things which have been a big part of my life during the last month. (Notice blogging is not one of them...:o) So to those of you reading this and thus still checking on my blog I will say, "Why?" Just kidding.:o) Thanks for stopping by! I thought I'd give you a quick blurb on the last couple of days, ok fine, weeks, wait...months? since I last posted on here. There has not been a shortage of blog ideas, just a lack of time and yes, motivation.:o)

Some highlights from my blog vacation:

* I finished reading a book titled "How to Survive and Maybe Even Love Nursing School." Can you believe it only took me a year to read, and I finished even before I finished nursing school?!?! :o)

* Rebecca and I took a quick weekend trip to San Luis Obispo and stayed with friends there. It was fun to be back in the city where each of us spent a couple of wonderful years, and as always it was good to spend time with friends.

* I officially survived all of my med/surg rotations and finished my first year of nursing school!!! What a whirlwind it has been, and it turns out that all of the people who told me it would go by fast were right. Sorry I doubted you.:o) In July I will reach the halfway mark of the nursing program!

(The only picture you will ever see of me smiling with this book.:o) Taken after I got the results of my last med-surg final and I realized I was done with it forever!)

* I've been meeting with Kate on Tuesdays to work on her math homework with her. Although math will never be either of our favorite subjects (and I really don't know any more than she does about it...shhhh...), it has been fun to spend more time with her and make some fun memories along the way.

* My fabulous friend Cassie traveled down from San Luis Obispo for a "meet and greet" and job opportunity at a school in Los Angeles. It was wonderful to spend some time with her, despite the fact that it reminded me how much I miss her!

* A friend who is in the Army and currently stationed in Iraq sent me a package with a rug, chai tea set, military Gideon Bible, and a patch with the symbol of their base. Definitely an unexpected but special gift. Their unit recently passed the halfway mark of their time in Iraq, and will Lord-willing be headed back to the U.S. in October.

* My wonderful friend and former roommate Kristen gave birth to an adorable little girl. Danielle Grace was born March 4, 2009 and I CAN'T WAIT to meet her!

* I have started a new quarter and am now in the fifth week of classes. Yes, in spite of all of the graduation announcements you are all receiving some of us are currently taking midterms. My clinical rotation is currently in OB/Postpartum/Labor&Delivery, and what a privilege that has been. I'll post more on that later!

* Some good friends were in town for a Pastor's conference at our church in the beginning of March, and their family has now decided to come to California for a vacation this summer. I can't wait!

* I was home for Spring Break in March and had such a wonderful time with my family! It's always fun to spend some time with each of them, and get caught up on their lives. I even found some time to teach Sarah how to drive stick shift. It turns out she's actually a natural. She didn't stall the very first time she attempted starting in 1st gear!!!

(The snow which decided to come during my "spring" break.)

* Still trying to work two 12 hour shifts a week, which has been tough but wonderful at the same time. Each time I work I note how much God has been teaching me in this job, as well as how much easier it becomes the longer I do it!

* My sister Rebecca is opening an online business and has allowed me the privilege of providing a small bit of assistance. What a pleasure it has been to have an excuse for spending more time with her, and oh how many memories we've made already!:o) She is going to be showcasing her items at a craft fair this weekend, and I am certain she would greatly appreciate your prayers for that. Also, don't worry, I'll be giving you the scoop on her website soon so that you can check it out for yourselves!

So there you have it. Whew! I suddenly feel rather tired... Guess I should get started on reading the six chapters I need to have completed for my OB lecture next Wednesday so that my next post doesn't start out, "Well that nursing school thing was fun while it lasted." Good thing the sun is shining and the porch looks so inviting. Come to think of it, so does my bed.:o) Thanks for checking in and catching up with me. My goal is to be a little more consistent, but if not I'll see you all in August.;o)

Vacation Checklist

2009-02-22T22:22:00.000-08:00

Here are the pics (finally) that I promised! It was a
wonderful (albeit quick) trip home, and I'm looking
forward to heading home again in a few weeks for Spring
Break!

Departure before dawn? Check.

Breakfast? Check.

Coffee? Check.

Exciting weather? Check.

Beautiful display of God's majesty? Check.

Gorgeous homecoming queen sister? Check.

Epic balloon arch? Check.

Viral bronchitis ridden sister to greet us? Check.
(Update: Kate is now sick also, but I have managed to avoid it.
Ah the benefits of working with sick people every day.:o)

Going North For the Winter?

2009-02-12T22:12:00.001-08:00

Seems a little odd, but that's precisely what I'm doing tomorrow. Turns out I'm not a goose...:o) My younger sister was crowned homecoming queen last year, so I'm driving her to Nor-Cal tomorrow morning to pass on her crown. Looking forward to some quality sister time, and excited to see my parents and Sarah. It will be a super quick trip (driving home tomorrow and back on Sunday!), but it promises to be full of fun and memories nonetheless. The timing is perfect also, since I really feel that I tanked the nursing midterm I took this morning. Few things are more disappointing than failing a test you spent hours of your life studying for. When I think of all of the late nights, writer's cramp, missed blogging time;o)...but I digress. I have decided to look at it as a learning opportunity. I still feel that I really put a great deal of time and energy into studying, and that I have learned the critical information needed to care for a patient with renal failure. Which is the point of all of this learning I suppose. So, I'll take a vacation, study hard for the final, and move on with my life. Good thing my hope is found in the Lord, and not dependent on myself or my report card! Not sure I'll have any spare time to blog this weekend, but hopefully I'll return Monday with some fun pictures. Any big plans for the weekend?

Recovery and Addiction

2009-02-09T20:03:00.000-08:00

The good news is that I'm finally starting the recovery process and feeling a bit better. The bad news is that I am now quite addicted to Lipton's Cinnamon Apple Tea with honey. I've never been a big tea drinker prior to this cold, but now I might willingly subject myself to another one if it means unlimited access to this beverage. I know, I know. I'll get help. Just as soon as I finish what's currently in my mug.:o)

This weekend was an amazing time to relax and recover. After being canceled from work on Saturday, I spent the day rather lazily in my pajamas. I did get some homework done, but I actually spent some time curled up under the electric blankets of my bed reading a book for fun. (I'd almost forgotten what that's like...:o)

Sunday brought a wonderful church service and sermon from Rick Holland. During second service I attended an Evangelism class with Justin and Rebecca. I'm so excited about it! Can't wait to learn more. After church Becky and I went grocery shopping, which is always a treat. Amazing what we can find to chat about while comparing the price per ounce of various chicken products...

Today has been business as usual. Slept in a little. I haven't really been sleeping through the night since I got sick, so when I wake up in the morning and feel my sore throat and stuffy nose the thought of burrowing deeper in the covers is incredibly enticing. (Just have to make sure that this new habit doesn't continue tomorrow when I have to be out the door before 6 am.:o) One thing that was unusual was the rain and even hail, yes I said hail, that we had today. There is even snow up on the hills by my aunt and uncle's house. It's been raining for a few days, and although I realize that moisture falling from the sky is not at all unusual in certain parts of the world, it is quite extraordinary in the land of the perpetual drought. Well I'm off to make a plan of care for a patient I had last week. Make sense to you? Me either.:o) Happy Monday!

To the north was blue sky, clouds, power lines, and snow. Gotta love Southern CA.:o)

To the south was this. Naturally this was the direction I was headed...

Perfect day for a scarf!

Sick Day

2009-02-07T10:48:00.000-08:00

sleeping in. hot tea with honey. fuzzy socks and slippers. electric blankets. kleenex. beginnings of a Rudolph nose. warm shower. comfy sweats. unmade bed all ready for a hasty retreat. thank you Lord for another unexpected day off to recover.

Go my favorite sports team!

2009-02-01T22:50:00.000-08:00

So apparently today was the Super Bowl. Actually, surprisingly, I watched it. Well most of it. For the first time! Due (pretty much completely) to the fact that my aunt and uncle watched it, and I was home. Can't say I was rooting for a team. But (thanks again to my aunt and uncle) I do actually know what teams played. So, here is a pic to prove my enthusiasm.

This one's for you Justin.:o) (For the rest of you, you'll have to listen to comedian Brian Regan to fully appreciate this picture.)

The part I definitely understood was the amazingly delicious food my aunt and uncle whipped up.

After eating approximately twice our weight in food we each got comfortable and enjoyed the commercials...I mean the game.

My aunt is actually a pretty incredible recliner referee. She pretty much always made the right call the first time, even when the actual referees didn't.:o)

And I multi-tasked. Doesn't it put you at ease to know that your nurse may have studied her drug cards between commercials?;o)

Expect the Unexpected

2009-01-31T21:44:00.000-08:00

Today was one of those days which goes completely contrary to plans, but ends up being completely awesome anyway. I woke this morning to the sound of my phone ringing at 4:30 am, which generally means that UCLA is either sending me to their hospital in Santa Monica or canceling me. (Generally I'm not awake enough to care which it is.:o) In this particular case , they were calling to tell me that they were overstaffed and not to come in. Since this also meant that I got a few more hours of sleep, I shut off my phone, rolled over, and slept for another couple of hours! Hooray!

When I did wake up I stumbled to the bathroom and proceeded to break the handle on my toilet while attempting to flush it. Enter my uncle. He comes innocently strolling down the hallway in his pj's and bathrobe and I step out in front of him. "Uncle Bill?" He looks suspicious. "Yes?" "I think I broke the toilet." He chuckles and heads into my bathroom, takes the toilet lid off, and confirms my assessment. "Looks like we'll need a parts run," he says. I sigh. It seems like I'm always making work for him. A little while later he has changed into his Saturday work clothes, taken apart the toilet, noticed the handles in my shower are turning a little funky, noticed my shower isn't draining properly while messing with the handles, put something down my drain to fix it, fixed the handles, and figured out a way to flush my toilet temporarily until he gets parts. He comes out of my bathroom, and lets me know everything that's now fixed. "You know Emily, it makes it a lot easier to fix things if I know they're broken." I smile sheepishly (we've had this talk before) and remark, "I did tell you about breaking the toilet." He smiles. "You're right. You get credit for that." As he heads to the garage to work on all of the things he had actually expected to do today, he teases over his shoulder, "Well now you'll have something to blog about." To which I replied by running out with my camera and snapping a picture of him. For my blog...:o)

(I have been blessed with the greatest uncle ever!)

In spite of the rough start to the morning, the day did become a bit more productive. As I sat down to breakfast I began thinking about all of the homework I should be working on, and then stopped myself. These were twelve extra hours I hadn't planned on having. (Ok...so I slept in a bit and didn't quite have the full twelve hours anymore...but you get the point.:o) I decided to use the day for all of the things I've put on my mental long-term list of things to get to when I have some free time. Ha! (On a side note, it turns out my lack of "life" and slight obsession with kidneys and nephrons has paid off. I just found out that I got an A on my nursing test Thursday. My first A in a Professor Washington class in two quarters!!!) Anyway, today I vacuumed, detailed, and washed my filthy car, organized some files and drawers that haven't been looked at in ages, trimmed my nails, worked on my blog, cleaned my bathroom, vacuumed, organized some school paperwork, typed out some long overdue e-mails, balanced my budget, and even sat down to watch some TV with my aunt and uncle. It certainly wasn't what you'll find written on my calendar for today, but it ended up being exactly what I needed. (Further proof that the God of the universe knows my needs better than I do, and knew that I needed some unexpected time off more than I needed a day of work. Thank you Lord for teaching me flexibility and for reminding me to expect the unexpected.)

Monday, Monday

2009-01-26T18:44:00.000-08:00

woke up. went running. ate breakfast. studied for ten hours. ate dinner. more studying. still smiling.:o) school is hard. God is good.

"How great is your goodness, which you have stored up for those who fear you, which you bestow in the sight of men on those who take refuge in you." -Psalm 31:19

Heart Donor

2009-01-23T21:29:00.000-08:00

At UCLA it is not uncommon for transplants to be performed. I think you could almost say it is routine for organs to be transferred from donor to recipient. But today, after 12 hours on the pediatric oncology unit, I became somewhat of a donor. Because tonight, at 7:15 p.m., I left the floor and left a little bit of my heart behind.

My patients and their families were amazing. Some of them have been patients for months. Some have been in and out of UCLA their entire lives. Today I became a part of their hospital memory. I played soccer in the hallway, figured out a way to create a train with an IV pole, a little red wagon, and a bed sheet, took vital signs, ate a chicken fajita made by a grandmother in a hospital room (on a George Foreman grill!), made beds, played cars, watched medical personnel sprint down the hallway in response to a code blue, took strawberry ice cream to a little boy who had come back from radiology and couldn't think of anything in the whole world that sounded better, sent specimens to the lab, and prayed for a family who lost their precious little girl.

Nursing is an emotional roller coaster unlike anything else I've ever experienced in my life. There are triumphs and tears, and everything in between. By the grace of God I know without a shadow of a doubt that I can trust Him for everything that happened today. I can trust that His sovereignty extends to the lives of my patients and their families, and that that little girl is safe with Him in a place where "code blues" don't exist and morphine isn't needed for pain. And because I can trust Him, I am headed for bed so that I can (Lord-willing) get up in the morning and do it all over again. There will likely be tears and hopefully some triumphs, but most importantly there will be prayer. Lots and lots of prayer.

Thank You Lord...

2009-01-19T19:05:00.000-08:00

Today on a Freeway in L.A.

2009-01-07T19:22:00.000-08:00

I have decided that this will be a regular installment on my blog, as new and strange things seem to happen every time I drive down a freeway in L.A. Today was no exception. Being the conscientious driver that I am, I was of course using my eyes to attentively scan the cars a ways ahead of me.:o) I began to notice that there was a general slowing down, combined with brake lights and swerving. This in and of itself was of course nothing unusual, but it did make me more alert for potential problems. What I saw in the next few hundred feet, however, was quite unusual. Even for L.A.! I can't be positive, but I'm fairly certain someone toilet papered the freeway. It is of course possible that it simply fell off of a delivery truck, but this being L.A. I'm going to go with the first explanation.:o) It was everywhere! Some of the strips had been run over multiple times, which had resulted in a sort of confetti texture. It was floating in the air, almost a tiny bit like the closest thing to snow I'll ever see in Los Angeles... Some of it was still in rolls in the road, which was the cause of all of the swerving. The rest was in long, long strands which floated through the air looking for an innocent victim/car to suddenly begin mummifying. Of course it created chaos on the freeway, but I couldn't help but laugh at the situation. Every time I think I've seen it all on the freeways, they outdo themselves.:o) For the remainder of the drive home I passed and was passed by cars bearing remnants of the TP battle they'd just survived. Some cars had it flying from the antennaes like little white flags, while others had it streaming from the back as if its occupants had recently been married. And with each reminder I just giggled, and wondered what they'd think of next...

(Sorry about the lack of picture. I so wanted to snap one! But ultimately I decided against it, as an accident on top of the toilet paper might have sent some of the very fragile commuters over the edge...:o)

Blessings

2009-01-06T18:18:00.000-08:00

I thought this blog post was going to be about the incredible adventure of cleaning my room:o)...but as often happens it has taken another route. One of my prayers for 2009 has been that my eyes would be opened to see the ways God is working in my life, and the many blessings He showers on me every day. I fear I am all too quick to grumble about the trials without giving thanks for the praises. (Come to think of it, shouldn't I be praising Him in the trials?)

I went to my first day of clinical orientation today, and then tomorrow I'll be headed to the hospital for orientation there. It was bittersweet as I found out how many of my classmates did not pass our lecture last quarter and will not be able to continue with us. They will certainly be missed. One the other hand, I discovered that several of my favorite classmates are in my clinical this quarter. What a blessing! As I woke up this morning and stumbled to the shower at 5 am (it turns out that an abrupt transition from vacation time to school time takes its toll on your body...), the Lord brought to mind several of my classmates and I spent some time in prayer for them. What a difference it makes to spend time with people after you have just been praying for them!

I left my orientation feeling behind already (I am supposed to read about 100 pages by Thursday), and a bit overwhelmed. On the way to my car, however, I listened to an amazing message from my big sis, after which I couldn't help but smile and thank the Lord for the gift she is to me. Tonight I also had the chance to talk to some old friends for a while, and literally laughed for an hour straight. Friends and family are such an incredible blessing and gift from God!

I know that in my sin nature and weakness, and utilizing my own strength, I might (ok...would) have come away from today overcome by the weeks that lie ahead and wanting to crawl into bed forever. However, with a willingness to take situations to the Lord in prayer when they arose and trusting in His sovereignty, it was incredible to realize how relaxed and free I felt. At times like these I can never remember why I thought it was a good idea to attempt taking on the world all by myself. Wouldn't you think I would have learned by now?:o)

Lastly, I wanted to include a link to an article that someone else posted on their blog. It was definitely an encouragement to me, and a reminder of God's ability to accomplish absolutely anything, and then use whoever He chooses to proclaim His greatness.

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/columnists/matthew_parris/article5400568.ece

The Last Day of Vacation

2009-01-05T14:36:00.000-08:00

Today is technically the last day of my Christmas vacation. The technically comes in because after arriving back at my aunt and uncle's house last night I suddenly realized how much I needed to accomplish before starting school on Tuesday. Here's at least part of the list for today:

1. Finally update the blog I have neglected for the past month! (I was so sure I'd have plenty of blogging time while home. Silly me... I'll try to post about my time home at some point or another.)

2. Unpack/find my room.

(Ok...I know it's here somewhere...)

3. Schedule myself to work Friday and Saturday. (I'm going to try juggling two day of work this quarter. Why must life be so expensive??:o)

4. Shop for, pack, and mail a care package for a friend.

(SO long overdue!!!)

5. Study for the medication math test I just found out I'll be taking tomorrow.

(May I just say that there is something fundamentally wrong with taking a test on the first day back at school.:o( )

6. Mail a couple of books I just sold on half.com.

(Thank you Lord for the unexpected blessing of some extra cash.:o)

7. Assemble the humongous packet of information that verifies I have received every vaccine known to man and have medical malpractice insurance, a CPR card, etc., etc., etc. (I get to do this every quarter...until December of 2010.)

8. Enjoy a cup of mint hot chocolate in my new Christmas mug.

(I found this hot chocolate while organizing the stuff under my bed. Apparently there are benefits to cleaning.)

9. Consume an incredibly healthy and ever popular chili dog while hanging out with my wonderful aunt and uncle and pretending to understand the rules to that odd game where everyone tries to kill each other for a silly ball that probably costs about $10 at the local athletic store. (I think they call it football here in the States...)

10. Find my bed and then take my aunt up on her offer of helping me put an electric blanket on it since I practically froze last night.

(Perhaps I'll find it early enough to get an adequate amount of sleep so that I can start off my quarter refreshed and ready to go. Hehe... What are the chances of that happening?:o)

I Think I'm in Love!

2008-12-06T21:10:00.000-08:00

Today I reported for work at 6:45am as usual. The scheduler told me I'd been assigned to post partum, and after a momentary blank stare he gave me directions. I took off in the direction he had indicated, and thankfully found it fairly easily. I found out that I was supposed to go to the team huddle to get report on my patients, and as soon as they started talking I decided I must have walked too far and ended up in another country! I wasn't keeping up with the lingo at all, and once we finished meeting my head was still spinning. Thankfully the Lord graciously provided several really great nurses who sweetly explained pretty much everything to me. I was hoping that at some point I'd get to hold a baby or two, and was pleasantly surprised (and a little overwhelmed) when the charge nurse asked me to get 11 of the babies and take them to the nursery for the doctor's rounds. So, I walked into the rooms and somehow convinced all of the parents to trust me with their newborns.:o) Once I got them to the nursery they all promptly started crying, so I was able to spend the next couple of hours rocking, changing, feeding, burping, and praying for eleven precious little ones. IT WAS AMAZING!!! I distinctly remember holding one of them in my arms and just being in awe as I thought, "I am so blessed! Thank you Lord for giving me such an incredible assignment." Towards the end of the day the nurses started telling me what a great job I was doing and thanking me for everything. Then the nurse who was in charge of the NICU, labor and delivery, and post partum asked me to leave my contact information so that they could request me. And, on top of all of that, the nurses called my supervisor to tell her how great I had been. I was certainly blown away, since I'd been feeling rather incompetent all day.:o) It made me realize that as I prayerfully strive to follow the teachings of Colossians 3:22-24, the world will notice a difference.

"Slaves, obey your earthly masters in everything; and do it, not only when their eye is on
you and to win their favor, but with sincerity of heart and reverence for the Lord. Whatever
you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know
that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are
serving."

In my sinful nature I am certainly not able to achieve this standard, but by the strength and grace of God it is something that I spend a great deal of my work day praying about and am convicted by the Holy Spirit when I begin to lose momentum. Certainly all this was made easier by a wonderful group of nurses and patients... A little before I completed my shift I was standing in one of my patient's rooms, and doing some charting while she watched a football game. At one point she turned to me and asked (in reference to the players), "Can you imagine getting paid to do something you love?" She quickly turned her attention back to the game and I knew the question was semi-rhetorical. It did, however, cause me to momentarily pause and reflect. Then I smiled to myself as I thought, "As a matter of fact, yes. Yes I can.":o)

The Kingdom of God Belongs to Such as These

2008-12-05T23:25:00.000-08:00

Today was the first day of my Christmas vacation!!! I must admit I was almost giddy with the thought of it. As soon as thoughts of homework and studying started creeping in only to be immediately dismissed, I just grinned like an idiot.:o) And, on top of all that, I had such a fun day! I had initially thought I'd be working today, but they ended up not needing me. Of course, as soon as I found out I wasn't working, my day filled up quite nicely. My nursing instructor called and asked me to meet her at the hospital where I was doing my clinical so that she could give me papers to distribute to my classmates. So, I met her at 11:30am and then headed up to my sister's house after hearing that she had gone home with a fever. Incidentally I specialize in pretending I know how to care for sick people, so it worked out rather nicely. Then around 4:15pm I left her apartment and went to a seminary family's house to babysit. They have six of the most wonderful children I have ever met, so you know the evening was a blast! We wrestled, ate dinner, watched a movie, played hide and seek, played miscellaneous games, brushed teeth, and with rather minimal effort completed bedtime rituals (undoubtedly all wrong:o) by bedtime. It was all so much fun, but the highlight of the evening was definitely when the 4-year-old approached me and said, "Miss Emily, do you know about Adam and Eve?" What followed was a seriously in depth Old Testament survey, which honestly put my own study to shame. There were of course a couple of confused moments. (Somehow the rainbow ended up with Adam and Eve...) But overall he went through several books and amazed me with his memory and insight. I thought of a verse that corresponded nicely,

"At that time Jesus said, "I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have
hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children."
-Matthew 11:25

What an unfathomable blessing it is to know that not only that precious little boy is able to learn about God's providence in the lives of Old Testament persons, but so can anyone else who chooses to study His word. Being "wise and learned" is not a prerequisite. It was also quite encouraging to see that the time and effort that so many wonderful individuals invest into teaching the "little children" is not by any means wasted. Just thought I'd give you something to ponder over the weekend. I'm off to bed as I'm working a 12 hour shift tomorrow, Monday, and Tuesday. What are your weekend plans?

How Could I Ask for More?

2008-11-30T17:39:00.000-08:00

Have you experienced those moments in life where you look around and think to yourself, "I am so incredibly and richly blessed by God. How is it that I ever complain about anything? Ultimately I am a lowly sinner who deserves only death and yet, on top of the already unfathomable gift of Jesus Christ, look at all that God has chosen to provide for me!" Unfortunately, this moment of clarity which came to me on Thanksgiving day, always seems to be fleeting. As soon as the inevitable trials and struggles appear, someone beautiful walks by, another wonderful person gets married and leaves my shrinking circle of single friends, or I fail an exam, I revert back to my attitude of self-pity and self-entitlement. As my mother used to say (much to the embarrassment of my sisters and I:o), I use the "f word." In our house, that referred to the word fair. I feel I deserve better than I have, and rather than embracing the all-sufficiency of Christ, I whine and snivel about everything I wish I had. Ridiculous! Yet even today, 3 days after Thanksgiving, I found myself complaining to my aunt and uncle about how difficult finals/studying were going to be this week. Then I laughed out loud, took some time to thank the Lord for the conviction of the Holy Spirit and His unlimited forgiveness toward me, typed out this blog, and am headed to study for finals with a (at least somewhat more) joyful attitude and a heart prepared for a few more days of hard work.

Speaking of rich blessings, check out this incredible gift my family gave me at Thanksgiving. I'm not sure if you can read the bag, but on the front it says "Fun with Finals!" On the other side of the bag they put a verse, Isaiah 40:30-31, which says, "Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength." And of course, at the bottom of the back it says, "Save the world - one blood pressure at a time!" I felt so special as a result of their thoughtfulness, and definitely more prepared for finals!:)

After going out for lunch on Saturday we had a quick photo shoot in an attempt to capture our yearly Christmas picture.

What a great looking group of kids!

I voted for this one...but I think I was outnumbered.:o)

While the committee deliberated...

Kate and I had fun with the camera.:)

A Calm Before the Storm

2008-11-25T17:49:00.000-08:00

I realized today that although I've created several posts in my head over the last couple of days, I haven't actually managed to transfer them through my fingers and into my computer. So now that I have a couple of minutes before class starts, I decided to do just that.

This weekend was a time for one last gulp of air before I head into Thanksgiving and then finals. I headed up to my sister and brother-in-law's house on the pretense of helping them prepare for the family that will be coming in for Thanksgiving. Not sure if I accomplished more in the way of distracting or helping, but I got some fun pictures along the way.

Before I could truly enjoy the weekend I turned in my 61, yes that's right, 61 page case study for the nursing clinical.

For a true appreciation of the length you need a side view.:o)

With my project out of the way I was free to help make pizzas.

It turned out to be one of our best efforts yet!

And we finally made our pumpkin muffins. Super easy and SO yummy!

Becky and I worked on some crafting to make the place cards for the tables. I'll be sure to include a picture of the finished product in one of my future posts.

Even Justin got in on the act when Becky and I declared we could take no more circles.:o)

With a lit pumpkin spice candle, peppermint hot chocolate, relaxing music in the background, and two of my favorite people what more could I ask for?

And then today the break was over, I was up before 5 am, and it was back to reality and the fun of playing nurse. One more day of clinical for the quarter!!!

10 Things I'd Rather Be Doing...

2008-11-17T20:12:00.000-08:00

Than writing a paper on the medical practices of extant cultures.

1. Blogging (Oh wait...already doing that.:o)
2. Curling up on my bed with hot chocolate and a good book.
3. Having a tooth ripped out without Novocaine.
4. Trying out new hairstyles.
5. Hanging out with my sisters.
6. Drinking a Starbucks Peppermint Mocha.
7. Visiting old friends.
8. Cleaning my toilet (I think that that is actually overdue...maybe I should go do that...nothing worse than a dirty toilet you know...;o).
9. Watching 5 blissful, uninterrupted hours of A&E Pride and Prejudice.
10. Singing karaoke with my former roommates in the pink apartment.:o)

I wanted to include some pictures and just remembered that I found these the other day. They're actually from when I went home in September. Thought they might make you chuckle...:o)

My family and I were in old town Sacramento while they were having Gold Rush days.

My dad and I had a lot of fun trying on some of the hats.

People looked at us a little weird.:o)

But we had a ton of fun!

If I remember correctly, this is my reaction to my sister's attempts at teaching me how to flip on a trampoline. Never quite got the hang of it...:o)

Can You Imagine?

2008-11-16T17:19:00.001-08:00

WARNING: LOTS OF PICTURES!!! (It's my first experience with fire season in L.A. What can I say?:o) Can you imagine being dedicated enough to a sport that you would play your playoff game in the midst of Los Angeles fire season. First thing Saturday morning (as I was getting off my 12 hour night shift), I got a call from my aunt asking if my sister's game that I was planning on going to was still going to happen. I had only seen a few snatches on the news during work about the Sylmar fire, so initially I was a little confused by the question. Then I turned on the radio in my car, and heard the news that they had closed the 5, 14, 118, and 210 freeways, effectively blocking off most exits from Santa Clarita. Of course the determined Master's team was unfazed, and simply left early to take an extremely complicated roundabout way of getting to Fullerton. I left Westwood around 10 am, and proceeded to beat them there. As I came around this curve and approached Fullerton, I suddenly realized that the large pillar of smoke ahead of me was completely unrelated to the fires up north. I called Kate to ask if she had heard about this fire, and she said no but that they were still going to play the game. So, after a bit of waiting (both for myself and the other team), the Master's girls arrived. They played a TERRIFIC game, and after winning 1-0 are headed to Florida in a few weeks to play in another playoff game. Go Master's!!! Kate started in the game, and I was so incredibly proud of her. She's worked so hard this season, and I felt so blessed to be able to go to the last game (on the west coast anyway). Having said that, who seriously thought it was a good idea to continue this game? Think I'm exaggerating? Let me show you...

So here is the beginning of the game. You could smell some smoke and it was windy, but otherwise a really nice day.

This is how the fire to the east of the field looked at the start of the game.

This was the fire to the southwest of the field at the start of the game.

Then they started getting bigger.

On both sides.

And bigger. (Note the unfazed players calmly continuing the game. Kate is the blue player in the very center of the picture!)

And bigger.

Before we knew it the smoke had increased and was now overhead.

Pretty much covering the sky.

Which of course caused the sun to turn red and all but disappear.

How did the field look at this point? Glad you asked.:o)

There was this one patch of blue sky left, but other than that it was almost hard to see the players.

The players seemed to (understandably) slow a bit, but they got blurry in my pictures as my camera seemed to think flash at 1 pm was a little silly.

At this point my flash came on which helped the pictures, but as you can see so did the lights on the field!

If you're wondering how I looked... Sorry you asked, aren't you? So maybe being a firefighter isn't in my future.:o)

After all of the excitement of the game, Kate and I started driving home. We called my sister and brother-in-law to ask about road status, and it turned out it was all closed off. There was one side road that was semi-open, but not advisable. The San Fernando Valley was apparently experiencing rolling blackouts, so signals were down and naturally no self respecting southern California drivers were giving way which led to multiple accidents. So, what did we do? Hung out in Studio City of course! We had so much fun shopping in some cute stores, introducing Kate to California Pizza Kitchen, getting Baskin Robbins with my birthday coupons, and even watching the movie Fireproof. (Which, btw, we really liked.) We finally made it home to my aunt and uncle's around 10 pm, at which point my body reminded me that I had only taken a brief 2 hour nap since 8 am Friday morning. Sleep was looking pretty good, so I hopped in the shower to wash off some of the ash and smokey smell, took some time to thank the Lord for keeping us safe, and crawled into bed. It was all-around a wonderful day, and if Kate and I don't die of lung cancer in the next few years I look forward to enjoying fond memories of our fire day together!

I'm so thankful for the God-given blessing of sisters.:o)

Sunrises and Much Needed Reminders

2008-11-12T12:10:00.001-08:00

I should be studying for the midterm I'll be taking in a few hours, but I had something on my mind so I thought I'd share. Yesterday I had a vacation day from school, so of course I used that free time to work.:o) I am so thankful that the Lord provided this job!!! I am continually amazed at the blessing that my job at UCLA is, and the amount I'm learning while there. I really enjoyed my shift yesterday. It was by far the toughest patient load I've had yet, but SO rewarding. My patients were awesome, and they're families were so great. I did a million things I'd never done before (sometimes making it up as I went along...:o) and ran around like a crazy person. At one point I went to cover for another CNA who was monitoring a confused patient, so that she could take her lunch. He was pretty quiet when I got there, so I pulled out my note cards to study for the nursing midterm I have today. The patient's wife saw me studying and immediately asked, "Can I quiz you?" So for the next hour, she taught me all about heart dysrhythmias and kept me laughing at her fun pronounciations and declarations that nursing school was "ridiculous." At the end of the shift (which of course went overtime), she told me I was wonderful and gave me a big hug. And they pay me to work there!:o)

Anyway, after I got off work I ran into Coffee Bean to get one of the free holiday drinks they were giving away and headed to the next hospital to pick out my patient for clinical today. Of course they were low on patients, so I hung out waiting for a few hours and then frantically attempted to piece together a newly admitted patient's chart. (Everything you've ever heard about doctor's handwriting is true!) By the time I got home it was 10-something, and I still needed to do the entire write up, I hadn't had dinner, and I needed to be up in about five hours. Admittedly, when I ran into my uncle in the living room after getting home, my mind was not exactly engaged in thinking about the grace of God and the incredible opportunities that my day had held. Instead I proceeded to detail for him how long my 12 hour shift was and how difficult it had been to pick out a patient for clinical. In the course of the conversation about work, he casually mentioned that they had had some excitement at the school where he works because one of their students had come to the office complaining of chest pain. He said she's in 10th grade, and near the top of the list for a heart transplant. Now I know my uncle was just adding to a conversation about medical things, but as soon as he said that I couldn't help but just stop talking. I stopped whining, stopped having a pity party for Emily, and just thanked God for my heart. I can't imagine simultaneously worrying about high school geometry and whether or not my heart will continue working long enough to find a donor!

I know this has gotten lengthy, but it was such an amazing reminder that I wanted to share it with you all. It turns out, working a 12 hour shift and going to clinical and taking a midterm the next day doesn't equal the end of the world. God is sovereign. He will provide for me both in the easy and tough days, and I can trust Him for that. You could try to count up just the blessings I remembered and included up above, but it would take you a while. And you know something? On top of all of the blessings the Lord has already lavished upon me, the sunrise this morning was incredible. How could you possibly feel tired or stressed with this on the horizon?:o)

Lamentations 3:21-26

21 Yet this I call to mind
and therefore I have hope:

22 Because of the LORD's great love we are not consumed,
for his compassions never fail.

23 They are new every morning;
great is your faithfulness.

24 I say to myself, "The LORD is my portion;
therefore I will wait for him."

25 The LORD is good to those whose hope is in him,
to the one who seeks him;

26 it is good to wait quietly
for the salvation of the LORD.

Sore Wrists and Caramel Apples

2008-11-09T16:58:00.000-08:00

Today has been a day of studying and homework, so I am taking a much needed break to simultaneously blog and procrastinate. Isn't multi-tasking wonderful?:o) Yesterday I had the incredible privilege of spending time with some of my favorite people in the world. The Brown and Hall children got together for a "Sibling Day" in Santa Clarita. We went to Sam's Club, made taco bowls and caramel apples, and then went bowling. So much fun!!! (My athletically challenged body is admittedly a little sore. After bowling. It's ok. You can laugh.) I'm so thankful that Becky married into such an awesome family of people who love the Lord and enjoy spending time with us.:o) I eagerly anticipate many more sibling days in the years to come, but for now (since I have a huge midterm on Wednesday) it's back to the world of heart dysrhythmias. (Or maybe I'll go make some hot chocolate.:o)

Bowl, Becky, bowl!

Steph and I perfected the gutter ball...

Sisters.<3

I bundled up and spent some time studying outside this afternoon. The sky was gorgeous!

Studying in style.:o)

"Your One Beauty"

2008-11-08T23:06:00.000-08:00

Last night Kate came over after her soccer game, and we watched the movie Little Women together. Becky and Justin got it for me for my birthday, and it had been quite a while since we had watched it. We got a good laugh over how several of the characters and situations correspond to our own lives, as we also grew up with four girls. (Of course we always point out that although Kate has a sweet disposition like Beth, she is neither fragile nor planning on dying anytime soon!:o) After the movie was over we were sitting in my room, and I mentioned to Katie that she's been planning to trim my hair for a while but hasn't had an opportunity to do so. And then it happened. This "crazy" haircut idea I've had for quite a while popped into my mind and I went with it! Kate was totally behind the idea, and I think possibly even more excited than I was. She graciously agreed to cut my hair, and we went into my bathroom to do it. A lot of laughs and a few shrieks (from both of us...) later, I emerged with a new hairstyle and a great deal of excitement. She did a terrific job if I do say so myself, and I'm so excited to have finally gotten up the courage to do it. I think it will be a fun and easy hairstyle to have during nursing school. After we had finished, I suddenly realized that the second daughter in Little Women actually cuts her hair really short at one point in the movie. Life imitating art perhaps?:o) I also remembered that after she cut it the youngest sister says, "Jo! How could you? Your one beauty!" So, now I'm hoping I didn't just cut off my one beauty...

Before (with my amazing hair stylist!)

And after.

Attempting to pull it up...

I promised my mom a pic of the back.:o)

Love at First Sip

2008-11-06T17:30:00.000-08:00

It has rained here in LA for a few days and the leaves are starting to fall from the trees, but to me the most significant indicator that fall is in full swing is Starbuck’s reintroduction of the Peppermint Mocha. For my birthday my aunt and uncle generously gave me a Starbucks card, or as my mother cleverly refers to it, chose to support my “habit.” (I of course like to remind her that there are far worse “habits” I could have.:o) As soon as I walked into the store and saw it on the menu, I felt the holiday spirit welling up in me. It signaled the coming of Thanksgiving and Christmas, and therefore the end of the quarter. The end of the quarter?!? I have some serious homework and studying to do! Late nights, early mornings, hours in front of my computer… Looks like Starbucks has brought back the Peppermint Mocha just in time.:o)

The Miracle of Life

2008-11-02T21:21:00.000-08:00

This week I had the incredible and humbling privilege of watching a baby enter the world, take her first breath, and lay contentedly in her mother's arms for the first time. I had wanted to blog about it earlier, but had a pretty full week of fun opportunities. So, to capture some of the enthusiasm I had immediately following the surgery, I have decided to include an excerpt from an e-mail I sent someone about it. I don't think they read my blog, and if they do I'm sure they'll understand...:o)

"This morning for my clinical I was observing in the OR [operating room], and I was really hoping to see a C-section. I had observed one before I started nursing school, and had decided then that it was my favorite kind of surgery since you end up with a baby at the end.:o) Anyway...when I went to check in at the front desk for surgery, the guy (without me saying anything) pointed out a C-section at 7:30 am, and suggested I go to it! To make a long, long, long story short, my day ended up being pretty rough and a lot of other things happened, but I couldn't stop smiling all day over the miracle I witnessed this morning. I got to watch a baby being born, and got to spend the first several seconds and minutes of her life praying for her and her family. I got to watch her take her first breath, and see the look on her parents' faces the first time they saw her. It was kind of interesting to see the nurses (who have seen this quite a few times before), as they scored how healthy she was and counted her fingers and toes as if babies are born every day.;o) I, on the other hand, couldn't stop being in awe of our Creator and marveling over the miracle of human life. I think that perhaps the entire abortion argument could be put to rest if those who call themselves pro-choice could have stood where I was standing this morning."

It truly was an awesome opportunity, and I'm so thankful that the Lord allowed me to have a front row seat! Along the same lines, twenty-one years ago today the Lord sovereignly chose to give me life, and I'm certainly glad He did!!! This weekend was terrific. I got to go to work on Friday, and had a rather frantic but great day. On Saturday I was able to spend several hours hanging out with one of my most favorite people in the whole universe, and there are few things that can top that. Becky and I had a wonderful day of hanging out, making fall sugar cookies (which turned out pretty cute if I do say so myself), and even managed to squeeze in a movie and some errands. It was SO nice to be able to relax and be encouraged by her sweet spirit and wonderful older, wiser sisterly attitude. Today Becky, Justin, and Kate came over after church to celebrate with my aunt, uncle, and I. We had some good food and fellowship, and I was so thankful for all of them. My gifts were wonderful, but the thoughts behind all of the presents, calls, and e-mails were even more precious. I'm so thankful for the last 21 years of life, and I pray that God would enable me glorify and honor Him with every year I have left!

I was laughing with my uncle about how young I look for a 21-year-old, and decided to look back over some old pictures. I found this one from my 18th birthday, and was excited by the realization that I definitely look at least a little older... (Not to mention I had a good laugh over this picture.:o)

The wonderful siblings who came to help me celebrate.

Becky was sweet enough to make me cupcakes with the "good icing." 21 years old. Pretty cool...:o)

The Problem with my "To Do" List

2008-10-19T17:26:00.000-07:00

On Friday evening as I was driving home from a day of work at UCLA (and by driving I mean sitting in traffic), I suddenly felt extremely tired and like I really just wanted to curl up somewhere and hibernate for the next few months. As I began to think through everything that needed to be accomplished between then and the next time I would be making that drive (which is next Friday), I suddenly realized how overwhelming it all was. I came away from that car ride having learned two valuable lessons. First, don't think about your "to do" list when you can't do anything about it. Second, when you very first start thinking that your list might be more than you can handle, realize that that is absolutely an accurate assessment, and start praying that God will give you the strength you need to accomplish everything He has planned for you. Unfortunately, like a lot of my lessons, this one was learned in retrospect. I'm so thankful that God is continually teaching me and allowing me to learn the lessons He has for me. Truthfully I didn't learn these lessons until I was sitting in church this morning, and literally cried as I confessed to God that once again I had attempted to strike out on my own rather than relying on Him. I've decided the verse I want to memorize during my drives this week is I Thessalonians 5:16-18, in which Paul says, "Rejoice always; praying without ceasing; in everything give thanks; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus." I especially like how it's not sometimes or in some things, but always and in everything. What an incredible and necessary reminder.:o)

On another note, I had another wonderful weekend with my parents who had come down for Kate's last Saturday home game. We made some fun memories and had a terrific time together. I've included some photos from the last two weekends below. I would also really appreciate all of your prayers for this week. I have three midterms in addition to my usual clinical and work schedule, so it's a good thing that I can trust that God will provide my strength. Lots of studying, reading, memorizing, and perhaps a little sleeping to do, so I don't anticipate posting again until next weekend. I hope you are all having a wonderful and blessed Sunday, and Lord-willing I will be able to catch up with some of you once my first round of midterms are behind me.

Kate warming up before the game.

Hanging out with our very own soccer star after the game.

The hospital where I work.

My dad and I in the obligatory sign picture.

My mom and I in front of the main entrance.

Celebrating my 21st birthday early with my parents. (They gave me some clothes, a camera card reader, and "Let the Nations Be Glad" a book about world missions by John Piper (admittedly my favorite gift:o)).

Answered Prayers

2008-10-15T13:50:00.000-07:00

I finally got around to doing a little organization of my desk the other day, and ran across a post-it note on which I had listed several prayer requests that others had given me. I smiled and took a moment to think about each of them. It was a fairly old list, so of course there had been new developments in each of them. My mom's health was on the list, and as many of you know she has since had a procedure done and is no longer experiencing any of the symptoms she had been having. Katie's adjustment to college had been answered with many new friends and some adventures of our own. A friend's difficulty with a class in school was answered with her not only passing the class, but graduating as well! Another friend had been having some health issues, and is now starting to feel better and able to do more of the things she loves. One friend had asked for prayer for a pamphlet they were working on, and have since finished it and blessed and encouraged more people than I think even they hoped it would.

So after reading these and seeing how God had chosen to answer each of the requests, I realized that although not all of them had been answered exactly the way I thought they should, they had all been answered. Some of the answers might not have been what I would have thought of, but they all exceeded my expectations and reminded me of how thankful I am that God is sovereign and I am not. He answered each request in a manner that is according to His plans and for His glory. The more time I spend in prayer, the more thankful I am that I can go to Him at anytime and for any reason. The God of the universe desires that I talk to Him. This struck me as I was reading in Psalms yesterday and read 18:6 where David says, "In my distress I called to the Lord; I cried to my God for help. From his temple he heard my voice; my cry came before him, into his ears." Pretty incredible, huh?

Time with family at Souplantation last weekend.

Sibling time...some of us were pretty excited about the kid cones...:o)

The First 12 Hours

2008-10-04T19:28:00.000-07:00

I have quite a bit to accomplish before I head for bed tonight, but I really wanted to do a quick post on my first day at UCLA since I know several of you have been praying earnestly for me. It was AMAZING! Truly, I was able to see God's graciousness and goodness toward me all day long. I learned more than I could ever have imagined could be learned in one shift, and was able to retain a good portion of it. The twelve hours honestly flew by, and in spite of the concern I had about the length ahead of time, I couldn't believe it was over when 7pm came around. Yet another reminder that worry is sin, and I can absolutely do without it.:o) My preceptor was a terrific CNA, and she was incredibly patient with me. Speaking of patient, I had several really great patients who were also very understanding. A couple of them actually found out that it was my first day toward the end of my shift, and said they were really surprised as I'd done a wonderful job and had seemed to know what was going on. Praise God! Next Monday I am orienting in Pediatric unit, which I am SOOOO excited about. I have been looking forward to spending time in a Peds unit since before I started college, so I am thrilled to be going there in a few days. I could use your prayers for this next week, as I anticipate a few sleepless nights between working 24 hours and having some tests and clinicals. I spent some time in prayer today, and was reminded that God can work in and through me for His glory despite my fleshly complaints of exhaustion or being overwhelmed. I know He will carry me through this next week if I go to Him as my source of strength. Speaking of which, I was really wanting to find a verse that I could go to this week when I was feeling like curling up in a ball somewhere, and I stumbled across Colossians 1:9-12. It says, "For this reason also, since the day we heard of it, we have not ceased to pray for you and to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so that you will walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, to please Him in all respects, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; strengthened with all power, according to His glorious might, for the attaining of all steadfastness and patience; joyously giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified us to share in the inheritance of the saints in Light." This verse is packed full of so many wonderful reminders, but I was especially encouraged by Paul's reminder to the Colossians that he is praying that they will do all of this "according to His glorious might." Praise God that we can accomplish all He has ordained for us to do through His power. Well I'm off to do some reading and studying. Thank you all so very much for your prayers and encouragement!

A picture of my UCLA uniform on my first day of work.

As you can see my scrub top says "UCLA Health System Care Partner." (Don't I look so excited to have woken up before 5am?:o)

10 Reasons Why...

2008-10-01T21:25:00.000-07:00

I have decided to do a blog of 10 reasons why I'm thankful for my schedule. I was prompted to post on this topic because I have gotten about 2 hours of sleep each of the last two nights, and have been praying that the Lord would give me a content and thankful heart rather than the ugly and complaining one my sinful nature tends toward in these situations. Not surprisingly He has been faithful, and when my alarm went off 2 hours after I had climbed into bed for the second morning this morning, He allowed me to not only hear the alarm (which many people can attest to the fact that this in itself is a huge deal) but also to wake up feeling somewhat refreshed and ready for the day. I stumbled to the bathroom, and spent some time in prayer as I showered. The day and clinical were somewhat successful, and I am so thankful to the Lord for sustaining me and giving me the strength to accomplish all that was needed. So, here is the list I compiled in the car today. As you will see, it's a mixture of some funny and wonderful things I have experienced (although it may no longer be quite so funny after I get a full night of sleep tonight...).

1. When you leave your house before the sun comes up, you have the incredible experience of watching the sun rise while you drive to clinical. It always brings a smile to my face and is a wonderful start to my morning. As the first rays of sunlight appear on the horizon, you can't help but praise God for blessing you with yet another day of life.
2. When you leave CSULA at 10 pm you get to see the lights of downtown Los Angeles in a way you never can leaving campus any other time of day.
3. Very few other people truly understand how much fun this schedule can be, so there are almost no cars on the road. Hooray for no traffic!
4. Somewhere around 1 am as your eyes start to cross and you begin to contemplate the fact that you could only possibly receive 1 point maximum for the 27 pages of paperwork you have almost completed, you start to laugh in a way that would probably get you labeled as insane if anyone else was awake to hear you (so it's a good thing they are all in bed:o).
5. When you live with people who have a wonderful sense of humor, it can be fun to hear all of the jokes they come up with about how they have forgotten your name and can't figure out what happened to the girl who was living in the front bedroom.
6. When you pack both a lunch and a dinner you get to decide what foods you eat when, and even have the power to change the menu while you are eating. You also develop a new appreciation for the inventors of the microwave oven and microwave dinners (until you get to your nutrition class...:o).
7. Having scrubs for your uniform means you basically get to wear pajamas from 7 am - 10 pm, and when you get home at 11 pm you really do get to wear your pj's. Yay for being comfy!
8. Ever since my fellow students and I started measuring the quality of a nursing student based on the size of the dark circles under their eyes, I seem to be near the top of my class!
9. With a little bit of preparation the night before, you can climb out of bed and (without opening your eyes) walk with your hands out in the general direction of the kitchen. If you press enough things you can eventually start your coffee without ever really waking up. (The trick to this is to keep your hands out so that your nose is protected when you slam into walls.)
10. At various points during the day you hit "walls" which seem impenetrable. Truthfully, in my own human strength, they are. So the reason I am most thankful for my schedule, is that it provides almost constant reminders of my own inadequacy and my total dependence on God as my source of strength and joy. Thank you Lord for supplying all of my needs according to Your riches in glory by Christ Jesus!

Fun picture of the day. I took this at the Long Beach Aquarium this weekend, because my uncle pointed out that the name of the fish (which you can't really read here) is "Sarcastic Fringehead." It made me thankful that my parents went with Emily...

The First Day of Fall

2008-09-25T07:00:00.000-07:00

Each year when the first day of fall rolls around, my dad's excitement is contagious. He is of course ecstatic about the falling temperatures, and I am thankful for that as well. I also thought of a few more things to be thankful for on this Thursday (although this list is far from exhaustive). I am thankful for the decrease in gas prices as I increase my driving. I am thankful that my last orientation meeting at UCLA is scheduled for this morning, which means that I will Lord-willing be starting work soon. I am thankful to be starting another quarter of nursing school. I am thankful for God's faithfulness in my life, and that He continues to care for me and convict me of sins despite the ridiculous number of reminders needed. I am thankful for shrinking flip flops. Although that last one may sound a little weird, it's very much true. On the first day of fall I walked out to my car, and discovered that the Old Navy flip flops I had left in there had literally shrunk in the heat (...apparently the weather didn't get the memo about it being the first day of fall). Don't believe me? Here is photo evidence with another pair of my flip flops for comparison.

Anyway, I am thankful for shrinking flip flops because this discovery corresponded to a lesson I recently learned through Elisabeth Elliot's book "Discipline: The Glad Surrender." The last chapter I read was about the discipline of possessions, and she talked about the necessity for Christians to keep from becoming too attached to the things of this world. So when I discovered the shriveled little flip flop in my car, I laughed and was able to say, "Oh well. Guess I didn't really need those." By the grace of God, another lesson learned...for now anyway.:o)

A Remarkable Weekend

2008-09-22T16:13:00.000-07:00

If you had asked me Thursday what my plans for the weekend were, I would have told you I didn't have any. If you asked me today what I did this weekend, I would be hard pressed to remember it all!:o) Becky and Justin invited me to go to Biblestudy with them on Friday evening, and then I spent the night at their apartment. We slept in a little bit on Saturday, and then went to breakfast and ran some errands. The rest of the day was spent doing stuff around their house and doing some shopping, and then we went to Master's to pick up Micah and Katie for dinner. We had a lot of fun making pizzas and chatting, and I ended up spending another night at Becky and Justin's after we took Kate and Micah back to school. On Sunday Kate and I went to church together. The sermon was from Luke 23, and Pastor MacArthur talked about the reactions of the people surrounding Jesus on that day. I was struck by just how much was going on around Him, and yet how focused He remained on why He was there. I had a lot of fun with the kids in the nursery during second service, and then Kate and I drove to the Getty Museum to spend some time there for a school project she had. Afterward we went to Diddy Riese, and then spent a few hours studying for a history test she has this week and just enjoying being sisters. I've included a couple of pictures from our adventures below. Overall it was a wonderfully encouraging weekend, and I look forward to my first day of a new clinical tomorrow!

The view from the Getty.

Katie taking time to smell the roses.

Hanging out in the gardens.

Kate and I.

A candid shot.;o)

Katie nearly fell into the creek taking this one, so I felt it just had to be included.:o)

A shot of the waterfall and gardens. Kate and I enjoyed the garden area most of all, and agreed that God is by far the greatest artist of them all.

What I Did During My Summer Vacation

2008-09-18T11:02:00.000-07:00

I vaguely remember a time in my life when I was annoyed by the obligatory essay entitled "What I Did During My Summer Vacation." Of course now that the first day of class means I am already behind on reading, have a pop quiz, and am seriously contemplating the sanity of signing up for the class, I sort of miss that easing back into school. Despite the fact that my summer vacation was only 2 weeks long, I managed pack a whole lot into it. The first week I flew up to visit my family, and had such an incredible time with all of them. I had seen them during a couple of weekend visits before that, but it was so nice to just be back home and really enjoying quality time and talks with each of them. The next weekend they brought me back to my aunt and uncle's house, and then they spent the weekend here. My former roommate also came for the weekend, and then convinced me to take a spontaneous trip with her to see people in San Luis Obispo. I'm so glad she did, because I had such a wonderful time seeing old friends and making new ones. We did A LOT, and even managed to complete the last couple of things on my list of "Things to do Before Leaving SLO." Then I came home on the train last Friday, spent all day Saturday at Universal Studios with my aunt and uncle, spent Monday reorganizing my room, went to computer training at UCLA on Tuesday, and hung out with a friend in Laguna Hills yesterday. Yes, all in all, I'd say I was able to do a lot in a little over two weeks! Tonight I start classes, and I'm hoping my last orientation at UCLA will be next week so that I can start working soon! God used this vacation to remind me how blessed I am with wonderful friends and family, and how thankful I am that He is in control of my life and I am not (of course I needed a reminding as I too often find myself forgetting...). He continually demonstrates His sovereignty in my life, and always perfectly orchestrates everything according to His will and for His glory in a way that is so much better than anything I could have imagined. So, bottom line, I am back to school, back at my aunt and uncle's house, back to blogging, back to homework, and (hopefully soon) back to work.

Cassie and I in Hollywood.

Montaña de Oro.

Cass and I.

More Montaña de Oro.

Cass had a little too much fun with the seaweed.:o)

The sun coming through the clouds over the ocean was gorgeous!

The rock cleverly named "The Rock" in Morro Bay.

The waves crashing into the rocks were so beautiful!

Katie, Cassie, and I in Morro Bay.

We successfully climbed Bishop's Peak, and spent some time in prayer at the top. It was amazing!

My Olympic Moment

2008-08-21T18:09:00.000-07:00

I'm headed into that time of the quarter when I feel a need to take one last gulp of air, and then just put my head down and start pumping my arms wildly as I sprint toward the finish line. (Hmm, perhaps I've been watching too much olympics.) As funny as that image is, I look even more ridiculous in real life as I run from one thing to the next (sometimes in scrubs and sometimes in heels:o). I turned in a group project tonight, and that marked the last assignment to be turned in. From here on out I will be studying as much as is humanly possible in a desperate attempt to cram every minute piece of information that could possibly be on the finals into a brain that can not possibly accommodate it all. Depending on how far away you live from me you may be able to smell the smoke... I have included a few pictures as a reminder (mostly to myself) that I have made a lot of fun memories recently, and that someday, despite how I may feel right now, I will Lord-willing be making them again!:o)

A night at the Hollywood Bowl for three of the four sisters.

A fun day of swimming and relaxation.

Becky and I took a trip to the famed Diddy Riese in Westwood for ice cream sandwiches.

A shot of Kate's first game on the Master's College soccer team. (Also the day of her first goal!!!)

Uncle Bill, Kate, and Aunt Sandy at the birthday celebration. (Happy birthday #18 Katie!)

Katie and I having fun as usual.

A little of this. A little of that.

2008-07-23T21:18:00.000-07:00

Today was a productive day at the hospital. I learned a lot of new skills, and worked toward improving some old ones. I'm beginning to think, however, that productive = exhausting. I really wanted to just come home and collapse into bed, but the one remaining midterm made that an impossibility. In spite of my sleep deprivation today, I was able to do blood glucose monitoring, observe a liver ultrasound, give medications, flush a tri-lumen centeral cath, learn proper technique for insterting a foley catheter, help other students with their patients, and work on my eighteen page care plan. Who said nursing school was difficult?:o) Tomorrow night I have one last midterm, and then I am free. Lord-willing I'll be house sitting this weekend, which means time to hang out with two of my favorite sisters! Hooray! I also found out today that my second interview with UCLA will be next Tuesday. I'm kind of hoping this one will take less than two hours, but regardless it is my latest prayer request. Well it's off to bed so that I can be out the door by eight (coffee in hand), and in the library for approximately eight hours. What could possibly be better?

Midterms in July

2008-07-20T18:48:00.000-07:00

Somehow typing those words just seems wrong. Midterms in July? I think not. July = swimming, working, hanging out with friends, going to the beach, watching fireworks, vacations... Putting July and midterms in the same sentence is just not right. Despite what I may think, however, midterms are upon me and it's time to hit the books. I have one midterm on Monday and one on Thursday, so I'd greatly appreciate prayer for both. I had a wonderful time with the fam this weekend, although it was probably the shortest trip ever. They got in at 10:30 pm last night, and left at about 3:00 pm today. Despite the brevity, it was great to see them and I look forward to seeing them again in a few weeks. Because they ended up arriving later than planned, I had a chance to hang out with Becky and Justin for a few hours (which was wonderful as always). Becky and I made some chocolate chip cookies which turned out pretty yummy if I do say so myself.:o) Katie is now officially a resident of Los Angeles (I'm so excited!!!!), so I will hopefully have pictures of our adventures together in some of the posts to come.

All of the sisters together. Can you tell which ones just drove 6 hours???

An Abundance of Answered Prayer

2008-07-19T08:34:00.000-07:00

This week has been a week full of answered prayers. On Wednesday I passed my med math exam! I was very excited to have passed, but a bit nervous that I can now administer medications.:o) There is a lot to remember... On Friday I had a two hour phone interview with the nurse recruiter at UCLA medical center. It turns out that two hours is a long time to be answering questions about yourself. A few of the questions were rather interesting, and I wasn't sure how well I had done at answering them, but the recruiter said I did well and to call back next Tuesday to set up an in person interview with the nurse supervisor. Hooray! I was thinking as I prepared for and during the interview that interviewing takes on such a different feel when you are viewing it from a Christian perspective. Nerves are calmed when you remember that the sovereign God of the universe already knows whether or not you will get that job, and you can trust that He will be glorified whether or not you get it. Pretty cool, huh? On my way to school yesterday I went to the hospital to get a feel for how long it would take to get there. It only took about 30 minutes, but that was at 1 o'clock in the afternoon so it will probably be a little longer. It's a HUGE campus, and I felt a little intimidated after seeing it. However, I wanted to make sure I'd be able to get there with no problem for the interview. I think I'll just leave about two hours in advance.:o) My family is coming into town today to move Katie down for school. I'm looking forward to spending some time with all of them, and I'm really excited to have Katie down here full time. I'm also hanging out with some people who are staying at my aunt and uncle's house. Between the two families they have 5 kids under the age of five, so you know it's not dull. Here are some pictures from our adventures thus far...

This is Jaken. Such a sweet little girl!

This is Gracie. I think I scare her a little...

This is Abbie. To say she isn't shy would be an understatement.:o) So much energy!

Jaken discovered my cell phone. Starting early I guess.:o)

Today I Was Shot In Both Arms

2008-07-17T19:54:00.000-07:00

When my uncle comes home I always try to greet him with something out of the ordinary (which I guess means that it is ordinary for me...), and so today it was "Today I was shot in both arms." He has of course grown used to this routine, so he just paused and then said, "So just a typical day in North Hills then, huh?":o) I actually went to the doctor today to get two shots, so I'm a little sore in both arms. It's a bit strange going to the doctor now that I am starting to learn a little bit more about medicine. Somehow the fact that I am in nursing school tends to come up, and then I've noticed that they speak to me differently. It's actually pretty neat to understand what is going on to a certain extent. I would have to say that the injections were well performed, and I hope to be able to do them that well someday. For now, however, I prefer giving injections to the fake arms in the nursing skills lab.:o) Tomorrow morning I have a phone interview with a nurse recruiter at UCLA medical center. She told me it could take up to two hours to complete, so I'm guessing I'll probably be talking to more than one person. I would greatly appreciate your prayers . Ultimately I am trusting God that if this job is what He has in store for me then I will get it and if not then I won't, so that definitely helps eliminate nerves. I'll let you know what ends up happening, but I'm excited to see that all of the predictions of job availability are coming true already! Below is the long overdue beginning of pictures from my trip to Seattle.

Kristen and I.

Pike's Place Market.

No trip to Seattle is complete without a trip to the first Starbucks.:o)

So many fruits and vegetables!!!

Someone graciously offered to take our picture after many unsuccessful attempts to get us in with the sign...I think maybe they were just hoping to get a picture in that spot before it got dark.:o)

A Bite Size Post

2008-07-15T10:50:00.000-07:00

Earlier this week I was lamenting the fact that I felt quite overwhelmed by everything I needed to accomplish, and a very wise friend (aka my sister) advised me to take things in bite sizes so it wouldn't feel so overwhelming. I have decided to apply this to my blog as well, and I'm hoping that this new system will actually make me a more successful blogger. I always try to wait until I have enough time to blog about everything I've been up to, and then I end up with ridiculously long and infrequent posts. For example, I was waiting to blog until I had pictures to post from my trip to New Mexico, but instead I'll just post them when I get them. So, in addition to rethinking how I can be more successful in life;o), I have been fairly busy with school. It turns out that taking a vacation in the middle of the quarter can lead to some stress. But, it was absolutely worth it. I flew to New Mexico to meet up with my family on their vacation, and we spent time with some family friends in New Mexico and then went to Texas to see my grandparents. Although it was a little hard to get back into the swing of things at school, I felt encouraged and blessed by my time there. I'm taking a med math exam tomorrow, which I have to pass with a 90% to be able to pass the quarter and give medications and injections. (Of course, when you think about it, would you want your nurse to have gotten less than a 90% on their med math test?:o) Also, I am in the midst of the application process for a student nurse position at UCLA medical center. I am supposed to set up a phone interview with them today. And lastly, my midterms are next week and mi familia is coming into town this weekend, so I really need to get a lot of studying done this week. I would really appreciate your prayers for all of this. I've included a few random pictures from this summer below. I'll post vacation pictures when I can. Hope you are all having a terrific Tuesday!

A friend and I went to the beach in Santa Monica. (Becky, this picture I took for you. Heal the bay!:o)

Palm trees. Enough said.

The boardwalk.

The view of the beach from the end of the boardwalk.

This one's for Kristen.

Did I Say Lazy Summer Days?

2008-06-26T21:19:00.000-07:00

I really need to work on homework so that I can go to bed and wake up at 6 am to register for next quarter's classes, but I've really been wanting to update my blog. (I promise to post about my trip to Seattle as soon as I can!) Hard to believe that it's been so long since I last posted anything, but I haven't exactly had any free time. After returning from Seattle I jumped right into summer quarter, and between school and spending time with wonderful people I've been staying incredibly busy. Speaking of which, thanks to some canceled classes and a holiday, I'm leaving next week for a 6 day family vacation in New Mexico and Texas. We'll be visiting some wonderful friends in N.M., and then traveling to Texas to see my grandparents. I can't wait! So now you can see why I really should be doing homework right now...

My aunt snapped a picture of me on my way out the door to my first clinical yesterday. (It was way too early in the morning to pose for a picture.:o)

Lazy Summer Days

2008-06-07T23:21:00.000-07:00

Okay. Maybe that doesn't exactly describe how my day went, but I can honestly say that every time I got this feeling I should be studying and realized I didn't need to a huge smile and possibly even a squeal or two escaped my mouth. I had a fairly large list of things to do before I fly out of LAX tomorrow, but I actually managed to accomplish it in a relatively short amount of time and then got to enjoy a relaxing evening of watching National Treasure with my aunt and uncle on their new flat screen TV.

I think the numerous relocations and trips of late have made me an efficient packer. My aunt asked me if I'd started packing as she was starting the rice maker (to which I replied no), and I had completed all packing by the time dinner was ready. So, in case you didn't catch it, I am now officially able to pack in less time than it takes to cook rice. Yes I know. Pretty incredible. Don't worry...I'll put a chapter on packing in my autobiography someday.:o)

Study, Study, Study

2008-06-05T14:31:00.000-07:00

Since I last blogged I have completed two written finals, two practicums, made a mind map poster, flown to Sacramento for my sister's graduation, and even managed to sneak some studying in occasionally. Was it really only last Wednesday that I blogged??? I wanted to thank you guys for all of your prayers for my tests. My two practicums went really well. One was half written/half practical, and the written portion covered abbreviations used in charting. Thankfully the test only covered 40 of the possible 300 that we had to study. It was pass/fail so I know I passed that one. The second half was a demonstration of skills we've learned over the quarter. It included everything from wound care to enemas and all things in between. That one was also pass/fail, so I found out that day that I passed. The second practicum was for my assessment class, and we had to be able to examine the entire body. I was a pretty nervous, but it ended up going way better than I anticipated and I didn't miss any points. My instructor was also impressed by my accuracy taking blood pressure, and I absolutely had to give all credit in that department to my aunt who has graciously let me take her blood pressure almost every day. (Of course her doctor told her she needs to, but that's besides the point.:o) My two written exams were today, and they went pretty well. I actually did better on the one I thought I would do poorly on, so I guess what I learned is to plan for failure and then I'll be sure to exceed my expectations.:o) All joking aside, they both went just fine and I have only one more tomorrow before I'm FREEEEEEEE!!! My summer vacation starts tomorrow at 2:30pm, and ends June 16th at 8am. I definitely have big plans and a lot to squeeze in during that time. On Saturday I'll be packing and getting caught up on everything I've let slide while studying for finals. On Sunday I'm flying from LAX to Seattle to visit a dear friend/former roommate and her husband. They have graciously invited me to stay for a week, so I'll be up there until the following Saturday. I'm sure I'll have plenty of material to post from our adventures, but for now I should probably stop thinking about fun and get back to studying. Not that studying isn't fun...;o)

I know this is random, but I haven't taken any pictures lately and then I realized I never got around to posting these pics I took of my current living situation. This first pic is of the front of my Aunt and Uncle's house.

Here is a pic of part of my room.

And here is most of the rest of it...

And the last of it. Maybe I should try to get a job for Google taking 360 pictures...

Practice, Practice, Practice

2008-05-28T21:48:00.000-07:00

Today was a great day for assessment. The sun was shining, the birds were singing outside the window, and I could think of nothing better than staying indoors and studying for a final. I managed to run a few errands and do a little packing for my trip this weekend, but for the most part I just assessed things. My stuffed duck, my Aunt (multiple times), and even my Uncle once he got home from work. They were both so great, and vowed to "prepare me for all of those difficult patients.":o) I now feel fairly competent at assessing the posterior and anterior thorax and lungs, heart and neck vessels, peripheral vascular, abdomen, musculoskeletal, and neurological systems. I know all of the normal findings and how to test for exciting things like deep vein thrombosis and carpal tunnel. I'll stop here so as not to make you all too insanely jealous, but I was sure you'd like to know.:o) How was your day? (Btw...if you think of it you could be praying for my final from 2:30-3:30 pm tomorrow!)

Here is me looking like a nerd in my lab coat.

Why Worry?

2008-05-26T21:20:00.000-07:00

It's difficult for me to comprehend that the month of May is almost over. Didn't it just start? As I was looking over my calendar for the past month, I suddenly felt a little tired. I definitely packed a lot in, and I'm very thankful for all that I had the opportunity to do. It did, however, make me think about a passage in Matthew. Several verses in chapter six talk about worrying, and verse 34 says, "Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble." Although I faithfully write future events down in my calendar so that I don't forget them, I have no concept of just how full each month, week, day, and hour will be. And that is a good thing. There is a reason God designed us without the ability to see into the future. He knows my future, and I can trust Him for it. I can make plans with friends and family, but they must always made be with the qualifier "Lord-willing" and then left, free of worry, in His hands. Now if only I can remember that as I head into the next week and finals.

Isn't it pretty?This picture is for Justin. (Just in case anything ever happens to them, a picture is important.)

My friend Cassie was in town the other weekend, and got a kick out of this sign. Apparently they ran out of speed bumps signs...

Weekend in S.C.

2008-05-25T21:31:00.000-07:00

I had the incredible privilege of spending the weekend with my sister and brother-in-law in Santa Clarita. My Aunt and Uncle were out of town for the weekend, and they were nice enough to let me invade their apartment. We had a marvelous time together, and even managed to check a few things off their list. We did a bit of shopping, gardening, cooking, and even sleeping. It's so fun to hang out with them and just do regular things. One of the highlights of the weekend was Justin's orange juice cup when we went out for breakfast. In addition to realizing there must be an orange shortage in the world based on the size of the cup, we also concluded that the girl on the side who is supposed to be marketing the juice looks a little scared. Perhaps we should be too?

Observations of a Commuter

2008-05-09T19:00:00.000-07:00

The following is a list of valuable things I've learned during my short time as a commuter in L.A., and I have no doubt they will aid you in driving should you ever come to visit:

1. Under no circumstances are blinkers ever to be used. This gives the enemy (aka other drivers) foreknowledge of your next maneuver and depending on how you view it this a) might give them a chance to adjust accordingly to give you room or b) allow them to keep you from merging into their lane.
2. The etiquette of stop signs outlined in the California Driver's Handbook is only necessary for other drivers. If you feel like going...go!
3. The traditional method of pausing when green lights turn green to make sure that the intersection is clear is unacceptable. There will be people running the red light. Deal with it. In fact, you really should anticipate when the light is going to turn green and start going prior to the actual change to save other drivers the hassle of having to honk their horn to remind you that green lights mean go.
4. Driving in the right lane does not give you the right to drive the speed limit. You should be going faster. If a driver pulls up right behind you, they are probably trying to pass on the right and therefore you need to speed up. If they seem to be getting too close to your rear bumper, do not be alarmed. L.A. drivers are very kind, and they are simply planning on saving you gas by pushing you forward.
5. The City of Los Angeles was experiencing technical difficulties when all of the speed limit signs were produced. They should be considered typos. Add 10 mph to the posted speed limit. This is the actual speed limit. Then drive 10 mph faster than that.
6. If you see a long line of cars backed up at your offramp and are worried that this will make you late, don't be. Those drivers are likely all from out of town and don't know the proper way to exit the freeway. Simply drive the two miles remaining before your exit in the lane to the left of all of the ignorant people sitting in line, and then merge into the lane at the last second. If the person behind you has a strange look on their face, do not be concerned. It is just dawning on them that they went about the whole thing wrong, and they appreciate your efforts to demonstrate the right way to do it.
7. If someone puts any part of their car anywhere in front of you in your lane, they have the right to be in front of you.
8. If you see a fender bender, major collision, stalled vehicle, a car, a pretty bird, or pretty much anything off to the side of road, be sure to slow down to a crawl and carefully observe every detail of it. The people behind you will appreciate you slowing down the speed on the freeway to 5 mph, which allows for a nice, leisurely, and relaxing drive home.
9. When making a left hand turn at a signal, expect it to be unguarded. This means that you are basically being encouraged to run a red light since that is often the only way to make it through the intersection. Refer back to rule number three for how to handle being on the other side of the intersection when drivers are running the red light.
10. Assume that nobody else needs to get where they are going as badly as you do. Drive accordingly.:o)

If you look really closely you can see the buildings of downtown Los Angeles in the distance cleverly muted by the lovely brown overtones of a crisp morning smog.

A Bunch of Random

2008-05-06T18:15:00.000-07:00

The title of this post pretty much says it all. Between midterms and life I haven't gotten to post about several things I've been wanting to, so welcome to the blog of a procrastinator.:p

I had the privilege of rooming with Kristen for a year while I was at Cal Poly. She had just recently become a Christian, and her passion and enthusiasm for growing in her knowledge of and love for the Lord was a continual encouragement. She is now residing with her new roommate (her wonderful husband) in Seattle, and I get to talk with her every so often. For Christmas last year she gave me an incredible bracelet that I absolutely love, so I thought I'd share a picture. The inscription is "Pray," and I'm always thankful for the visible reminder as I go through my day. It also makes me think of Kristen, and I often end up praying specifically for her.:o) You can check out her blog "The Jolly Wife" in the sidebar to the right.

Too Cute!

I have discovered over the past few weeks that Los Angeles is a wonderful, central location that allows me to see people more often than I have in the past. I have a friend from high school who is coming here for an internship this summer, and another former roommate from Cal Poly who will be here in a couple of weeks for a track meet. I am thrilled to be able to see them and get all caught up on what's been going on in their lives. I am also thankful that there is always plenty to do with people who come to visit. L.A. is certainly not lacking in the tourist attraction department, and I always have a good time seeing the sights (often for the first time) with them. So who's up for coming to see me next?:o)

(This could be your picture here. Hint...hint.:o)

There are also several people living down here who I am LOVING living closer to. This past weekend provided time for hanging out with my favorite older sister and brother-in-law. My sister and I hung out while Justin went to the library to study, and then I had dinner with them. Below are some pictures of our our efforts at making homemade pizzas, which actually turned out quite well.

Justin works tirelessly to roll out the dough into a perfect, round shape.

Becky proudly displays her masterpiece.

The incredibly well-made pizzas were cooked in the Brown's amazing new oven!

My sister, the lovely gardener:o)

Last week I went to the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (although I found out it's LACMA to the locals) with Justin's siblings my "brother and sister," Micah and Stephanie. I have to admit I'm not really one for museums, but it was so great to hang out with both of them for a little while. Steph and I went out for pizza afterward, and it was so wonderful to hear about what's been going on in her life and what I can be praying for. Upon returning to her car she discovered that she had received a ticket, and I have included a picture of what has to be the MOST ridiculous parking sign I have ever seen. Perhaps this area of L.A. is in need of making some money on parking tickets?

So what exactly are you trying to say?

Finally, I also have a couple of pictures from my time at The Master's College two weekends ago. After attending for a couple of weeks back in January, it's a little ironic that the only pictures I have are from after I went there...but that's ok.:o) I had a nice "old-fashioned sleepover" in my old dorm Sweazy with my former roommate and a few friends, and went out for an amazing breakfast at the Egg Plantation in Santa Clarita the next morning. My parents and sisters also came into town that weekend, and it was wonderful to see them!

I ended up being just in time for a girls vs. guys water fight. ("Unfortunately" I couldn't participate since I didn't want my camera getting wet.)

Paula got a little excited.

The girls talk strategy while waiting for the tardy boys.

The heat of the battle.

My wonderful former roommate Leanne.

Believe it or not in between all of this fun and frivolity I actually have found time to study, and my midterms went really well. I can't believe the first quarter is rapidly coming to an end already, and I have already registered for my summer quarter classes. I start my clinical in a hospital next quarter, and I can't wait to have real, live, non-mannequin patient contact. I'm sure I'll have lots of fun stories to share at that point... I hope you're all doing well, and I promise to do my best in the future to post as things happen rather than all at once.:o)

If You're Looking for Emily

2008-04-24T22:38:00.000-07:00

You might try her bed, or her desk, or the couch in the family room, or the hammock in the backyard. She'll likely be there, book in hand, waiting for a good excuse to be distracted.:o)

We Interrupt This Studying...

2008-04-22T22:09:00.000-07:00

Top Ten Ways Emily is Likely to Distract Herself From Studying:
(not in any order)

1. Type this post.
2. Go on a longer run than usual.
3. Talk on the phone.
4. Clean her room.
5. Update her budget.
6. Run errands.
7. Organize anything that can be organized.
8. Accomplish things that have been on her "to do" list for weeks.
9. Daydream about absolutely nothing, and then realize she has no idea what she's been reading for the past ten minutes.
10. Update her calendar, planner, or "to do" list to make it seem like she's actually accomplishing something.:o)

Freedom in Slavery

2008-04-08T21:27:00.001-07:00

Last Sunday I went to a "Chapel Elective" session at Grace Community, titled "Are You Sure It's God's Will?" As you can imagine it was well attended. Most people put a lot of time and energy into trying to figure out what God's will for their life is. The speaker did a really excellent job of laying everything out and explaining what Scripture has to say about it. One part that stood out to me was his definition of freedom. He said that the world defines freedom as "the ability to do what you want." I would agree that this is the definition I hear most often. He then went on to say that the Bible actually defines it as "the freedom to do what is right." As he put it, Christians are "free from slavery to sin and are now slaves of Christ." It's hard to imagine having freedom as a slave, but the reality is that the freedom of the Bible is far more liberating than the freedom advertised by the world. I was convicted that I too often focus on all of the things I "don't get to do" as a Christian. I think about all of the "restrictions" the Bible places on us, and get completely bogged down by rules and regulations and following the letter of the law. In actuality, however, Galatians 5:13-18 tells us that we are free. It goes on to say, "But do not use your freedom to indulge the sinful nature; rather, serve one another in love."

Do I see the freedom in my slavery? Do I live like someone who is free to do what is right, or someone who doesn't get to do what is wrong? Am I focused on all of the things I "miss out on," or the many things I can do to bring glory to God? Do I get weighed down by and become consumed with unattainable perfection, or do I thank God that I am a great sinner and He is a greater Savior? Are my actions determined by what effect they will have on me, or whether or not they will please God? Bottom line, am I focused on God, or am I focused on me? These are the questions that have been swirling around in my brain, and I now pass onto you. The closing thought that the speaker left with us was this. "Don't ask, 'How do I find God's will for my life?' but rather 'How do I use my life to fulfill God's will?'"

Sisters Are a Blessing

2008-03-29T21:28:00.000-07:00

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

2008-03-28T22:06:00.000-07:00

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?

2008-03-27T21:45:00.000-07:00

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

2008-03-26T18:39:00.000-07:00

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

2008-03-24T20:32:00.000-07:00

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

2008-03-22T21:09:00.000-07:00

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)

Winter Wonderland

2007-12-29T16:47:00.000-08:00

After spending a few days in Oregon, I have come to realize that I am a California girl through and through. Although I love spending time here with family when I come to visit, the lack of sun and constant drizzle start to get to me after a while. I know the rain keeps things green, but I'll take the dry and warm. I'm sitting at my Grandma's computer sipping hot coffee and appreciating God's creation...from inside a warm house. Yesterday I went with my parents, sister, and extended family to play in the snow. It was really fun and I had a wonderful time throwing snowballs, building a snowman, sledding, and taking lots and lots of pictures. I'm not sure my camera will ever forgive me... It was seriously cold, but so amazingly beautiful. The snowflakes were HUGE! On the way home we stopped for hot chocolate at a really cute country store. It was a wonderful day of memory making, and it made me especially thankful for my family. I'm off to hang with my sisters. I'm taking them to our church's New Year's all-nighter on Monday night, and I'll probably have some fun pictures and stories to post about that later.

Amazing!

We ended up playing in front of a ranger station.

The Fam.

My adorable cousin Emma playing in the snow.

My cousin Amanda with blue lips.

A sled that actually rolled up on itself.

The amazing (and tall) snowman we built...

The Dal Soglio Family...I'll be living with them in So. Cal.