The Last First

Yesterday Allie and I had our last first day of school!! (until we go and get our masters and PhD, of course. Jokes) It's hard to believe that many moons ago we sat on dorm room floors doing mastering chemistry or eating in the underground "cafeteria." Now we're living it up in H-town, just 115 days until they hand us that diploma. So surreal, but boy are we glad it's real!

We'd meant to take a picture of our first day of school outfits, but forgot, so instead you get our post-cycling picture via the iPhone, which is almost as good as the first day of school pic, no?

And now to survive our S2 semester....

Birthday Festivities

This Thursday was my birthday, but by the looks of things you woulda thought it was the whole dang week. My friends spoil me rotten.

Wednesday these fabulous friends took me out of some Buca di Beppo

And then Thursday I got to spend the day with this cool girl at our very favorite coffee shop/boutique.  

We ate yummy Mexican food and had good talks. 

Coffee shops, Mexican food and long chats. Could today be any better?!

Then sweet Natalie took me out for some chai tea and more good talks. 

(This is Natalie and I at our Halloween party. I assure you we were not dressed like this for our coffee date)

Friday, me and the girls got to hit up some H-town spots, like the breakfast klub and forever 21. After some Stephanie monitored shopping and a little photo shooting, we made it home. 

Then this sweet boy came and took me out for dinner after some afternoon fun at the park.

T'was a wonderful birthday indeed. I am spoiled rotten and blessed far beyond what I deserve. 

Happy Birthday Daddy

Today is my Daddy's birthday. I called him and I think we spent 47 minutes on the phone, which is a national record people. While talking on the phone was previously not one of his skills I've learned that you can teach an old dog new tricks. For instance, he can now cook and dust like...well, like a housewife. He is also a good secret keeper, another skill I hadn't previously known about.


But all jokes aside he is an amazing Daddy and I'm thankful for him for more reasons than I can count. I'm thankful that he's taught me the importance of hard work and the importance of laughing. He loves my momma well and I think that's a beautiful gift a Daddy can give to his daughter.

Thanks for carrying me like a baby and for boom-chacka-booming me up the stairs. Thanks for reminding me to study and for teaching me that "readers are leaders" and that I can "do anything I set my mind to." Thank you, mostly, for being a man who love Jesus and seeks to know Him more. For that I am the most grateful.

Thank you Jesus for a Daddy like mine.

Living the Dream

It's study time folks. So guess what I want to do. Anything but, of course!

The other day I was being particularly whiny about having to study when a friend reminded me it's a privilege that I get to study these things and that there are people all over the world who are dying to get to know what I know. I have limitless PowerPoint's, books, professors, not to mention interwebs that will fill me with information if I become their student.

Today I sat thinking about some young girl, somewhere who is praying to become a nurse. One who would give anything for the opportunity I have. One who may never get that chance.

The other day I went to get my nails did and the girl asked me what I do. After I told her I was in nursing school and where I went she smiled really big and said, "It's my dream to go there and become a nurse!"

Then I realized, I'm living the dream!

How quick I am to forget that! But such a good reminder. I want to stop taking for granted the gifts He's given.

On that note, off to study I must go.

What gift are you taking for granted you can thank Him for today?

Thank you Jesus, for school, for clinicals, for everything you've put in my life that is making me into a nurse. Thank you for the gentle reminders of your gifts and for your grace.

The room

Remember how a long time ago I talked about Allie and I decorating our new (new to me at least) room. Well, folks, three months later and it's happened. I would write all about it, but Allie already did that. Go take a gander. Something else is about to get a make-over and I'm so excited to share it with you, soon. 

Fearfully and Wonderfully Made

This semester, on any given Friday night, you can find me in the ICU for clinicals. Recently, I was standing by my patient's bed as the doctors came in to do their nightly rounds. After listing of the slew of ailments my patient had/has they walked away, one doctor ending the report with, "She just wasn't very well made to begin with."

My heart fell for a minute. That's not true. Sure, her body looks different than most people's, and she's spent a lot of time in a hospital over the course of her life, but I know for a fact that she is fearfully and wonderfully made. 

via

A lot of days of the week I get to be with people who's body's aren't up to any standard of perfection. But I have a God who uses all things for good and all things for His glory. So even when I can't see it, I know they have been fearfully and wonderfully made. What joy to rest in the fact that He uses even broken things to reflect His beauty. What evidence that it is Him alone who is capable of such.

"I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful,I know that full well." Psalm 139:14

Friday How-to: Making Good Decisions

Last night at Koinonia, our Sunday school's class mid-week Bible Study we discussed how to make good decisions. All of us are in a stage of life when big, life-altering decisions usually get made, so knowing how to do that Biblically would be excellent, agreed? We talked through a lot of verses like: 

Simply let your 'Yes' be 'Yes,' and your 'No,' 'No'; anything beyond this comes from the evil one. Matthew 5:37

In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He will make your paths straight. Proverbs 3:6

If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him. But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind.  James 1:5-6

There was a lot of good discussion and lots of thought provoking ideas. And sometimes lots of good ideas become too many ideas and it gets difficult to get down to the nitty gritty. But towards the end one of the guys said, "When we do all these things, our objective is to answer one question, the only question that really matters as we make decisions." So below I have provided a recipe for good decisions: 

Of course, sometimes we have two, or three, or four decisions that we believe will bring Him glory. What do we do then? I think those ingredients to the left come into play and I think that the Lord is gracious to speak boldly to us, so in that case our job is to listen. While a recipe card makes it seem a little simplified I think we so very often get stuck in "analysis paralysis" where we pray and wait a decision to death, even when the Lord has been loud and clear. 

So as we make decisions, let us be a people who ask the most important question: "Will it bring Him glory?"

Thankfulness Thursday 10.04.12

01. I'm thankful that the Lord knows just what I need when I need it. Learning to trust that He will come through every time is tough. To know that He doesn't hold out on us, but gives us the fullness of all good things, that's something to be thankful for too. 

02. A whole weekend away, with no homework. Remember how last week I told you about visiting some friends? Well it happened and it was wonderful. We played board games and garage sale-d and laughed and watched heartwarming movies and hung out with the youths from their church. It was just the weekend I needed. (See thankfulness point #1)

03. I'm thankful for stories. Sometimes I get so caught up in my own little world that I forget to listen to people's stories. When I finally do, my whole perspective changes. 

04. Airplanes, visas, and miracles. All of those things culminated to bring Yanelis to the US for the first time! I'm really (really, really, really) hoping I can go visit her in Kansas where she is doing ministry, but for now that's completely in the Lord's hands. 

Here's the first picture we took together, when we first met in Costa Rica in 2008!

Here's the most recent time we got to see each other, in March 2012, en CUBA!

05. I'm thankful for prayer. Isn't it comforting to know He listens all the time?!

Wise Word Wednesday: Talk About Your Joys

I'll let the words speak for themselves...

From Weeds to Flowers

Right now my small group is reading this book:

The other night as we were talking about sin, and the pain that often comes with realizing and getting rid of that sin, the Lord put a beautiful picture into my mind of the way that He graciously does that.

via

In my mind, sin is like a weed. Just as soon as you've ripped one out, two more have grown, and while it's easy to rip out superficially, getting down to the roots is anything but.

As this picture grew in my mind I imagined myself going out into the garden, relentlessly chasing weeds, picking them quickly, so that none would be apparent on the surface. I don't want people walking by seeing my weeds!

But then the Lord said, wait, that's not how it is at all. You see:

“I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. ² He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful. ³ You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. ⁴ Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me. John 15:1-4

First of all, I don't have to be the one finding and eliminating these sins with my own effort. The Lord's got that covered. I can trust that "He who began a good work in me will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus." Phil.1:6



via

As I remain in Him, he will sanctify me. He will search and know my heart and instruct me in the way I should go. Even if I could eliminate all the "weeds" I see, He knows the one's who's roots have started and need to be pruned, even before I've seen them surfaced. 

But the news gets better. You see, now I had this picture of a clean garden, where weeds were being maintained and pruned by a gardener. But then he puts beauty in the place where there was darkness. Vines that bear more fruit. Gardens full of flowers. The Lord does not seek to just rid me of the bad, but  to use it for good. We know that "in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose." Romans 8:28, so we can trust that when He takes out a weed He will plant a flower. He will take our hearts of stone and make them hearts of flesh.

via

As I continue to know Him, to remain in Him, and to be pruned by Him I watch my weeds turn to flowers. And a garden reflects the skill, love and attention of the gardener. May our lives be beautiful examples of weed filled lands turned flower gardens of immense beauty; a reflection of the gardener Himself.