Tears and Rain

Ever feel like crying for no real apparent reason? That's how I'm feeling right now. I'm not totally sure why but I think I know, but not really. I came to a realization this week, maybe that's why. I've yet to really accept this realization but just because I'm not accepting of it doesn't mean it's not true. But maybe it's a combination of things...frustrations, annoyances, feelings, emotions, hormones. Yep, those darn hormones, they can make life pretty interesting.

Ever feel happy for no apparent reason? I'm not feeling like that right now (as previously mentioned) but I do have moments like that too. I like those moments. Moments where "nothing" makes you smile. You're just happy in your nothingness. Peaceful, content...

It rained tonight. November second and it rained. It smelled so fresh. I loved it.

Anyway, that's it for now.

FLOWERS

I decided I needed a new look to my blog. I think I like it but haven't really decided. I also need a new picture but since my computer crashed I haven't been able to access all my pictures in picassa from the blog site. I guess that will be for another day. Anyway...

My spring/summer has been busy with many trips home, weddings, spending time with friends and, of course, work. I feel like it has flown by and am not looking forward to the cold that is coming. I am enjoying the weather we re having now, though, along with all the gorgeous colours of fall.

I decided I would post some pictures of flowers. I like flowers. They make me happy. This is just kinda a test to see if I like my blog. I will try to blog more often but I'm not making any promises...

Mother's Day!!

Happy Mother's Day to my wonderful mom!!

I made a quick trip home Monday morning to spend some time with my mom for Mother's Day. I was there less than 24 hours but we had a wonderful time.




Brian and I took mom and dad out to Tobin Lake for supper. It was beautiful out there. The sunset was amazing as it reflected on the water.





The sad thing is that there is still ice on the lake. It was still pretty, just not a usual sight for this time of year. Hopefully it will soon be gone!!

Happy Birthday

So people have been getting after me to blog about Guatemala so I guess it is time to get on it now that life has slowed down a bit. Part of the problem is that there is so much to tell I don't even know where to start so I think what I am going to do is just go through my pictures and tell stories accordingly.But, Guatemala stories won't start until my next blog.This one is all about me...and my 30th birthday!!

I returned home from Guatemala to find my room filled with 750 balloons. That's a whole lot of balloons. My friends informed me it took them 2 hours to to stuff my room. I informed them that it took me half an hour to pop them and another half an hour to clean up the latex massacre. As you can see from the pictures I am in about 5 feet of balloons...just my head sticking out!! I could hardly open the door and when I did they came pouring out into the hall. I don't know how they got them all in there. Needless to say, I didn't get to sleep in my bed that night. LOL. I will also warn you that I look terrible in the pics because I had been up since 3 am and it was now after midnight...a long day of traveling. I was exhausted. Thank You everyone who helped with this surprise. It is a great 30th birthday memory!! (See facebook for more pics).


Another great birthday memory was going to The Phantom of the Opera with Allison. I have never been to anything like this before and it was amazing!! Loved it. I think I'm hooked!! We went to the matinee on Saturday then met some other friends for supper. We were kind of getting a little loud and when the manager came over to our table we thought she was going to ask us to leave. We were wrong, thank goodness, but funny none the less. After eating entirely too much, being embarrassed by a loud rendition of happy birthday 2 times (once by the staff and once by a solo performance brought specially to me by Shawna) we left before we did actually get asked to leave.



That led to the next part of the evening...which was playing the game of life. Now, this kinda sounds like it wouldn't be that exciting but when you change the rules and add some of your own...Life becomes a lot more fun...and funnier!! Alison had many tickets for reckless driving, and had many car accidents that involved her kidnapped children...cause she couldn't have her own. I blame the Bahama Mamas (aka Maui Waui's). Joleen, on the other hand, was a baby making machine. Shawna was into farming...many things, and Sheila was just a little slow in life!!

Anyway, some good memories, some good times. Thanks everyone!!

THANKFUL

I just want to say how thankful I am for family and friends. Your support has been overwhelming once again. I can not begin to explain what that means to me. A friend told me tonight that she thought I wasn't telling many people about this trip. I guess I wasn't sure of how people would take to it all with everything else that is going on. I was very wrong!! I have been humbled and overwhelmed with the support.

I sometimes feel that my health is the thorn in my side. It is one of the things in my life that humbles me (ask me and I can tell you many humbling stories!!) and that keeps me crying out continually to the one who has fashioned me this way. At a young age I decided that my health was not going to stop me from doing the things in life that I wanted to do, things that I was passionate about. (Fear or good judgment might but not my health!!) I know and feel that God is once again using my situation for HIS purpose.

I know some are hesitant of me going back to Guatemala and I understand their hesitancy. I know I don't have to explain myself but feel that it fits well with Bob's lesson on commitment and vows from Nehemiah today. When I decided to go to Guatemala for the third time it was only after much prayer and consideration. I know that it is a passion for me but I also want to do God's will for my life. When I felt like God was giving me the okay to go then I made my commitment to Him and to the team. Commitment of time (I take holiday time from work), commitment of money and commitment of self...physically, mentally and spiritually , (am I willing to be challenged...cause there is SOO much personal growth and learning in these experiences, I'm never ready for it but am I willing?) I know I have health problems but my health problems will exist no matter if I am here or in Guatemala. I made that commitment when I was feeling well. God knew what was yet to come my way before I left. He gave me peace about that decision. I'm trusting that my God will take care of me, that His name will be honoured and that no matter what happens, it is for the betterment of His kingdom. I know He is with me no matter where I am in this world.

I am not on the plane until bright and early Friday morning (Okay, it'll be early but not so bright yet.) I am willing to stay if that is what I feel He is telling me. Please continue to pray!!

LIFE

Life is what happens when you're busy making plans.

Yep, that kind of describes how things are going for me right now.

There have been so many unexpected things come up in my life lately that I don't even know where to start. I can't even say that they're good things either. That would be way easier to handle. And some of the things I have tried to plan...well they just haven't been going as planned.

Anyways...

I am asking for your prayers. They are greatly needed at this time.

I leave for Guatemala on the 11th of April. I am going for 12 days this time around. I am very excited but scared at the same time as my health has been very uncooperative for the past bit. Please pray for my health and safety of travel and that God will make it clear to me if it would be unwise to travel at this time. Right now I feel that I am to go ahead as planned but...things don't always go as we plan May I have an open heart to what He wants me to do.

Also pray for the work we will be doing there...that people will see Christ in us and through us...that doors will be opened for opportunity to share, not just about the physical healing that Christ can bring, but also of the spiritual healing He can bring to those who believe, because of what He did for us on the cross.

Thank You in advance for your prayers, they are much needed and appreciated.

A Celebration!!

I wanted to do a blog about Easter but I had a really hard time putting all my thoughts together. I mean how do you really put in to words what Christ did for each and every one of us? Can our human minds really even comprehend it all? I don't think we can.

This is what I do know. Christ died for me and my sins. He took on MY sins. And not just my sins, but the sins of the WHOLE world. Can you imagine carrying the sins of the whole world? But it didn't stop there. Not only did He die for me...he defeated death and was resurrected. Now that is the celebration!! He rose again!! The cross and the tomb are empty!! Through that resurrection He brought life to EVERYONE who believes. And not just life, but ETERNAL life. Those of us who believe are going to live FOREVER with God. How can we not celebrate that?

What a gift. Can you imagine the day?!

"Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. In his great mercy he has given us a new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade - kept in heaven for you, who through faith are shielded by God's power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time. In this you greatly rejoice." 1 Peter 1:3-6a

La Tortuga De Mar (The Turtle)

About 2 years ago I developed a great love of the turtle. I am not 100% sure as to why or where this love came from. Perhaps because they are not at the top too many peoples list of favorite animals. They're the underdog. They're not terribly cuddly, kinda ugly looking and you can't really interact with them much. Although they are kinda ugly, I find them very beautiful creatures, as most of God's creation is. (I say most because there are some creatures that I just can not find beauty in...ie. bats, snakes, some spiders. I know some may beg to differ but I will disagree). Maybe it is for these reasons I love the turtle so.

Some look at the turtle and see the shell as symbolizing heaven and the square underside symbolizing the earth. The turtle represents how we as humans need to unite heaven and earth in our own lives.The turtle withdraws and goes within when it is in turmoil. It naturally knows to do this.The turtle's life is one of steadfastness in effort and patience, slow and steady. A life of "non doing". The turtle is also always at home within itself.

I think we have a lot to learn from the turtle. How often do we as humans try and solve our problems on our own. It seems that only after our efforts fail do we look to God (who is in us) for help. We rarely do this naturally. And what about patience? How patient are we with God's plan for our lives? We want to know the answer now and most of us are not satisfied when He answers our prayers with a wait. We would even sometimes rather have an answer we don't want than to have to wait. And that life of "non doing"? Haha. we are such a society of do do do and go go go. We have little time to sit and do nothing and just listen to what God has to say to us, to bring our desires to God or to just praise Him. And how many of us are at home with ourselves? We are always striving to have what others have, to meet societies demands, to be people we are not or people that God did not intend us to be. I mean it is good to strive to be the person God wants us to be but we often tend to strive to be other things as well. We are not happy with who God wants us to be...we want to be what society thinks we should be. The two are often not congruent.

Yes, we have a lot to learn.

So, the next time you see a turtle, be it living or otherwise, think about what it represents. Could you take some lessons from this creature? I know I could!!

More Ramblings

So, I figured I should blog again. Life has been busy but I can't really tell you what I have been doing. March is going to be even busier and then April is here...when I return to Guatemala (if all goes as planned). I guess it is a good way to say good bye to my 20's and hello to the big three-o!! Yep, thirty. I'm quite alright with it. I've had a whole year to get use to the idea that I will be thirty and not fit into society's mold of what that means. Not that that means much...I have never fit into the mold society puts on people so why should this be any different. I decided that this year was going to be a year filled with a lot of fun and adventure. I got an early start on that...a prequel to my thirtieth year, I guess.


Life is as you make it. I never thought myself much of an optimist but I guess I am (as has been pointed out to me by a friend). How you view life affects how you deal with things. I think you need to take what you've been given and make the most of it. Not to say that there won't be bumps in the road, that you won't go through grieving times, times where you'd rather just give up than go on. You take that much needed time then do what you got to do to use that as opportunity. Not that you necessarily need to move on, you just make the most of it. But I guess your experiences also shape how you view life. I try to be understanding of that but I know I could be more so. I often wonder if I could be around someone with a pessimistic view of life with out it getting to me?...Hmm...



Life is also what happens when we are busy making plans...and that can be good, bad or indifferent. We never know where life is going to take us. Sometimes things just come out of no where and cause us to reevaluate things in our lives, which is never a bad thing. But sometimes we are challenged in areas where we thought we knew exactly what we thought. And that is sometimes what causes the most problems. Anyway...Allison tells me I talk in riddles. Perhaps I do when I don't know how to say what I want. I was never good with words... expressing how I feel or what is on my mind. O well.

Public Confession

I didn't really know what to title this entry but thought that the title would at least get people's attention. I guess I could of called it "New Years Resolution " but I don't make new years resolutions... for 2 reasons...I can make changes at any time in my life, why wait for a new year, and...I have yet to meet anyone who has actually succeeded at keeping a resolution made at the new year. Maybe I'm just scared of failure.. who knows.

Anyway...

My confession is this...Over the years I have written many notes, cards, letters and words of encouragement to many people in my life...people I have known very well and are great friends as well as people that I have crossed paths with briefly in my life. Right now you're thinking "and the problem is??" Well the problem is... that they hardly ever get sent. They sit on my desk or cupboard or in a drawer or are carried around in a bag or purse until i finally resort to throwing them out. My garbage has seen many cards and notes come its way. I'm not 100 percent sure as to why I don't end up giving them to the people they are intended for. I have a few thoughts behind it all but i will not bore with the details. So, my resolution is that I will work on actually sending people these cards, notes and words of encouragement. Writing them is not the problem...it is the sending, as you can see.

I don't really know why I have decided that this is important. I guess it is because I know that when I hear kind words, when I get a note of encouragement, even a card just saying hi it, at the least, makes me smile. I figure if I can make someone smile, even briefly, about a situation, in the midst of chaos, or whatever, then why not!!

I received something from someone the other day. It made me smile. It reminded me of the many promises and blessings of God. She didn't write anything herself but she thought I would like it. Sometimes that is all it takes.

It all seems so simple...

So, I have already sent one. It only sat on my cupboard one day and then I took it to work and put in the mailbox of the person it was intended for. I did have a whole conversation with my self about it all (see previous blog entry about conversing with self).but decided that this is what I decided I needed to work on over the next year and that I was going to improve in this area and I was NOT going to FAIL.

(I know, I Know, it really does sound like a new years resolution, but it isn't!!)

Anyway, I may continue to have a very happy and encouraged garbage...but hopefully not. Hopefully I will be able to encourage the many people in this blessed life of mine.

Random Thoughts

Well, I thought I should blog but I don't really know what to blog about. I think that is part of my problem with blogging...I always have so much going on in this mind of mine that I find it hard to focus it down to just one thing so I decided I would just blog about some of the random thinking...

Why are nurses responsible for everything that goes on in the hospital. I had been at work for an hour yesterday and THREE parents/caregivers came out and made it very clear about things that they were not happy about. I'm sorry that those things happened but they were totally out of our control. By the end of my shift I decided that some times you're the pigeon and some times you're the statue and yesterday we were definitely the statue (we were crapped on a lot!!)

I am thankful for good friends. I spent the day with a good friend today then came home and talked on the phone with another for over 2 hours!! These friends are both friends that I can do and/or say anything with. I can not care, I can vent, I can laugh or cry, I can be me. They understand me and know where I am coming from. They listen. They think I'm weird but they like me for it (i think, lol). They are wonderful friends and I think I'll keep them around.

I really had a good time at home this Christmas. I had enough time off to go home for a few more days. This meant we could have some down time and just hang out and visit with family and friends. There was time to do about half the things (maybe) we wanted to do. We ate too much, played games and just had a really good time.

I wonder if other people have total one sided conversations with themselves...or is it just me. I think it comes from living on my own. It all just carries on nicely in my head. I don't necessarily answer myself but it's more just like one big run-on thought. Is this bad? Maybe this is why I don't have many friends...I don't need them...I just converse with myself...much easier this way...just kidding I do have friends (I think).

I hate fat days. I really do. And the worst thing about it is I can't even talk about it. As soon as i mention it people bite my head off. I didn't say I was fat or that I even thought I was fat. I said I am having a fat day...meaning I am feeling larger than previous days... usually meaning the shirt i want to wear isn't quite fitting how it should or how it usually does. I do have fat days okay!!

I wonder what this year is going to bring for me. Will I be brave enough to do the things I want to? Will I make new friends, try new things, see new places? Will it be a year of new beginnings? (It's the year of the rat, you know, which signifies hard work and new beginnings, so I've been told.) Will this be a good year full of good times and good memories or a year filled with hardship and challenges? I am really hoping for the good year but we don't always get what we want do we?!!

Well, that's about it for now. And just in case anyone is wondering I am planning to go to Guatemala in April!! I missed my opportunity to go in February but I trust that God knows what He is doing when He closed that door. Please pray for me...heaven knows I need it!!

At home this Christmas it was like a winter wonderland. Very beautiful!!

<-Playing games at Christmas time

10 Random Memories

I stole this idea from a friend who did a blog about 10 random memories. I thought it was such a great idea!! My problem may be keeping it to only 10 though.Hope it brings some good memories to mind for you...or atleast makes you smile!!

Hmm, where to start...

Memory 1...I remember in grade 4 having ruler fights with Allison and Marlon Penner during class. We got some pretty good hits in. We sat right up front and I don't think we ever got in trouble for it. I guess the teacher figured if we were dumb enough to let our friends beat us with rulers then we didn't deserve to be told to stop.

Memory 2...Grade 1...Allison and I went up town with out a note of permission from our parents. I had just got a new strawberry shortcake purse and wallet for my birthday and it had money in it that needed to be spent!! We got caught and were in big trouble for it. I think this was foreshadowing of what was yet to come!!

Memory 3...Decorating for Christmas almost always took place the holiday Monday of Remembrance Day. My mom loved (and still loves) Christmas time and so we started early at our house. She would buy a box of christmas oranges and lots of different christmas candies and chocolates and it would be a whole day affair...Okay, maybe only a half day but it seemed to take the whole day at the time.

Memory 4...Dustyn and I had got matching BMX bikes. His was blue and mine was red. We were both just learning to ride them out side (they were a little bit bigger than the one we were used to). My parents had just bought a new car as well. Well, i was having a little trouble getting my balance and I drove straight into the back driver's side. LOL. good thing there was no scratches left behind.

Memory 5...Janny Joe... the American hero...my nickname from grade three and four. I can laugh at it now but it made me cry then. It was the feminine name for GI Joe given to me by the male population in my class. It was from this experience that I learned to fight and stand up for myself...it took a while but I eventually cried less and cared less.

Memory 6...Three wheeling with siblings, cousins, friends. Lots of great memories, a few of which involve driving into electric fences (not a good idea but quite humorous!!), trees and tipping. Surprising that none of us were ever seriously injured from these experiences.

Memory 7...My friend Joyce telling me to stick out my tongue and then to wiggle it. After doing so I asked her why. She said she just wanted to see if I would do it. I have to explain that I had just been studying for finals in university and had not slept for days. At that time you could of told me to do anything and I probably would of.

Memory 8...Many sleepovers with friends growing up. Usually involved people doing and saying stupid things. (Hmm,, this is still happening) ...60 seconds, christmas oranges, bread and water, Venice House, Grey Cup, eating ribs, Oak, thought dreams...and the list goes on!!

Memory 9...I had just had eye surgery, I think. I was one eyed for some reason anyway. (Normal state for me there for a while.) Being one eyed puts your depth perception off a little. I was trying to open a jar of pickles and couldn't so I asked a friend to help. We still couldn't get it open so i took a butter knife and started to hit the top. My friend was still holding on to the bottom. Well, I was on target for the first 3 hits but the fourth one i was a little off and i smacked my friend's hand with the butter knife. Hurt her a little. We told her it was her fault for trusting a one eyed jack with a knife.

Memory 10...Being frustrated with my love life and announcing my only requirement for dating. Another wonderful example of me not using my "inside" voice.
P.S. inside voice here refers to keeping things inside my head and not announcing them to whoever may be around at the moment.

Okay, one more. I have many but if i typed them all out we would be here forever. One memory just leads to another and another and another

Bonus Memory...I think it was the first year I was in the city for university. It was exam time in December and i was exhausted (as everyone is at this time). I was walking east on Taylor. I can't remember if I was actually going anywhere. I think I just needed to get out and try and clear my head. So I'm totally in my own little world when this car full of people drives by shouting my name. I'm was like...what in the world!! The car stops and waits for me to get there. I approach cautiously!! Here it is Monica, Melissa, Diane and Joyce. Jamie might of been there too. They were having a Christmas party and were wondering if I wanted to come. They even had a gift for me. This was when I wasn't sure about these people but I decided to go. I got cookie cutters (which I still have) and my favoritest (yes, I know that is not a word) book ever...Monster at the End of the Book starring Grover (of course I still have this too!!) I sometimes wonder how different my life would be now had these friends not been so persistent in proving they were not as weird and scary as I had been told!!

So, these are just a few of the memories back in the cobwebs of my mind. There are so many more I would love to share. If you're reading this and have some to add feel free to do so. I believe I will have to do this again sometime!!

Just Thinking

I was just sitting here and thought I should blog. I don't usually come up with intelligent things to blog about. My thoughts are usually quite unique and entertaining. If you only knew the things I have considered blogging.The only thing that keeps me from doing so is that then there would be incriminating evidence against me...in print!! Heaven knows I do not need more.Anyway...

As many of you know I love quotes I found a really good one from Grey's Anatomy a while back and it has got me thinking again.

"You got to wonder why we cling to our expectations because the expected is just what keeps us steady...standing...still. The expected is just the beginning, the unexpected is what changes our lives."

I think this is kind of a nice way to say that we sometimes limit ourselves. We have these certain set of expectations that we think we should meet, either because we put them on ourselves or society puts them on us. If we do not meet, or feel we can not meet, these expectations what do we do?

We sometimes forget that there is so much more!! We not only limit ourselves but we limit what God can do in and through us when all we want is the expected!! There is so much more than what we think we should be or do or have.

So, the next time you feel you are not measuring up or you wonder why things aren't as you think they should be...look beyond the expected to the unexpected!! Where does God want you and how is He going to use you if you strive beyond and if you believe beyond the expected to the unexpected?

Failure

Sometimes it's hard to keep your head up and keep going.
Sometimes we fear failure and it keeps us from doing the things we really want to do.
We must remember...Life=Risk=Failure!!
Keep on Keeping on and you will succeed.

Is Screaming Beneficial?

So, i was just wondering...Is screaming beneficial? Has it been proven that screaming has benefits for us? I don't mean screaming cause our team just won the Grey Cup (Go Riders!!) or screaming AT someone. I mean just screaming out loud at nothing cause you are so frustrated or angry or whatever. I mean, if there are benefits from it why do I not do it when I feel the urge? (Not that I do other things that benefit me all the time but that's beside the point).

Well, I decided to google it. (yep, when all else fails...google it) It looks like screaming out loud for this reason actually releases stress and harms no one. Hmm, who knew. Not that it does anything for the situation you're wanting to scream about but hey, it makes you feel better!! They recommend that you be in a big open space with few people around. Probably a good idea if you don't want people to think you have totally lost it but how many of us actually have a wide open space just out our back door when we really want to scream? Not I!!

They also suggest that you make a list of all the things you want to scream about then go find a place to go scream about them. Kinda funny cause i don't ever really realize i need to scream about something until i actually want to scream about it. I don't actually try to find things i should scream about. Maybe I need to start. Maybe that will be my next outing. Anyone want to come scream with me??

Ha, anyways I guess I found the answer to my own question. Yes, screaming is beneficial. So, the next time i feel like I need to scream I'm just going to scream no matter if I'm in a wide open space or not.Now the question is...Is screaming better than laughing cause you know they say Laughter is the best medicine!!

Hello Again!!

Well, it's been a while and I figured I should blog while I have a minute. Life has been busy since I last did an entry. Kind of ironic because the reason I started blogging again was because I was mocking myself and the lack of life I had. Kinda funny. Anyway...

I'm not really sure what has taken all my time. Nothing in particular, everything in general. I tried some new things. A few of which I hear echoes of myself saying "I would never do that" previously in my life. Ahh, isn't life funny!! I strongly agree with that quote...life is what happens when you're busy making plans. That's how it seems to go for me atleast. Oh well, I can't complain.

A lot has been on my mind lately too. Work has been extremely busy again and my heart has been heavy. It really makes you think about what is important in life and what just doesn't matter. I am so thankful that I love my job as much as I do. It makes it easier, that's for sure. On top of all this I feel that my job is the only thing keeping me here in Saskatoon right now. I can't say why for sure. I have so many great friends, an awesome church family. I am enjoying my life. I am happy. But, I feel there is so much more.I ask for your prayers in this area...that God would lead me to where He wants me, that He would open and close doors accordingly and that I would be willing to stay or go, as he directs.

Enough with the serious stuff...

One of the new things I decided to try was hunting. My dad has hunted for as long as I can remember but I have never joined him on this adventure. This year I decided to give it a try. It was great. I would definitely do it again. Dad shot a good size buck when I was with him but I never had the chance to take anything down. This year dad used a blind for hunting. Keeps you out of the wind making it a little warmer as well. Just sitting there and watching and listening...wow...just makes you appreciate nature, life and God in all His greatness. I also got to spend some time with my dad, which was nice as well. We were in pretty close quarters at times so good thing we get along!! And for all you wondering how I did hunting with a bad eye...I must say my target practice went pretty good. I guess we'll have to wait until next year to see how I do with a moving target!!

This has been longer than I intended. I'm supposed to be cleaning my house but the mess won't go anywhere and I needed a break.

The Game of Life!!

This past weekend I went to Lloydminister to visit Allison. We had a great time and after stuffing ourselves with the chicken dinner we made (we decided a turkey would be too much for the 2 of us) we played the game of life!! It was fun. Kinda got me to thinking...

Is there some things in my life that I just like the idea of? I say I want it but do I really? Am I willing to sacrifice for it, change my habits for it? Or,is it just the thought of it, the perfected, scewed view that I want and if I can't have that then I don't want it? At the same time I think...but why settle? Why not go for that perfection, why not strive for it, wait for it, dream of it...

There are so many things I want to do, so many places I want to go and so many things I want to experience but sometimes I get caught up in this game called life. Sometimes our choices are limited due to things beyond our control. But, am I willing to take chances, make sacrifices and make changes to accomplish and experience these things or is it really just the idea I am after?
I guess that is something I will have to figure out for myself as I go through this game called...LIFE!!

Thankful

This past weekend was a girl weekend. Leora and Heidi (her daughter) and Allison came and stayed at my place and we hung out and did what you do when you have girl weekends. That is not the purpose of this post, though.



As I was sitting here thinking about the weekend I realized how thankful I was for the place I have. There was lots of room for us to sit and watch a movie, we all fit around the kitchen table, there was room for Heidi to run in circles. We all had a place to sleep that was not on the floor. (I slept on the couch but it was very comfy and still, was not the floor.) There was even room for all of us to be in the kitchen at once as we cleaned up after supper. It was great!!...For all of this I am thankful.

But most of all, I am thankful I have friends and family that I can share this with. People who have been my friends forever...as long as I can remember, some who have been my friends for a shorter time and some who are new friends. They all bring something different to this life of mine. For them I am very thankful!!



I know you all can't come and enjoy my new place with me so I am posting some pics. It's easier than trying to describe them. Not all my furniture is here yet (but we won't talk about that right now) so the walls are looking pretty bare and I haven't put out a lot of those little things that add that personal touch. But, it will all come together eventually.

Missing Guatemala

Ya, I know, I'm talking about it again!! There was clinic this past week and so I checked out my friends blog. Hearing about what they were doing and seeing familiar faces brought tears to my eyes but what really got me was the clip of them singing at church on Sunday. Man I miss that place so much. It is hard to explain and doubt I ever will be able to. So, until next time I will hold close and cherish the time I have spent there and I will continue to pray for the amazing people and work that they do there. (Oh ya, and it must be soon time to return as I am starting my last
bag of coffee and whatever would I do if I ran out!!)
The picture on the left is of me doing a lumbar puncture...with a lot of assistance. What a great experience!! The middle picture is with Ruben and Luke oh ya...and coffee...freshly packaged. That was just Luke's order!! The third picture is me with a pediatric patient. We designate one day of surgery to the kids.

Trying This Again

Well, I'm going to try this blogging thing again. I can't make any promises about how good I'll be at updating but I have spent some time figuring out how it all works so updating shouldn't be so much of a chore.

For those of you who don't know... I moved. I now live in a 3 bedroom duplex. Yes, all to myself...no roommates. What am I doing with all the space? Enjoying it fully!! I love being above ground as well. It is great.I still have a lot to do to get settled as I am still waiting (not so patiently anymore) for some of my furniture. It is starting to look like a home though, as more things get put in their places. Pictures and stuff on the walls would help greatly in this area but those are the finishing touches, I guess.For those of you who don't know... I moved. I now live in a 3 bedroom duplex. Yes, all to myself...no roommates. What am I doing with all the space? Enjoying it fully!! I love being above ground as well. It is great.I still have a lot to do to get settled as I am still waiting (not so patiently anymore) for some of my furniture. It is starting to look like a home though, as more things get put in their places. Pictures and stuff on the walls would help greatly in this area but those are the finishing touches, I guess.

Not much else to say right now. For those of you wondering...I'm not sure when my next trip to Guatemala will be. I was hoping for October again but it doesn't look like that will be do able. I am quite disappointed but such is life. Hopefully I will be able to make the January clinic. I guess we will see. I have posted some links of some of the work that friends of mine are doing in Guatemala. Check out their stories to see what I am missing. I miss that place greatly. That is where my heart is!! You can also check out the Health Talents link to see what kind of work and programs they offer. Here are some pics of my time in Guatemala. I will be posting more of these but I have run out of time!!