"But he said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.' Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong." - II Corinthians 12:9-10
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)
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!
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!
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)
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!
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...
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)
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)
