39 Days

Thirty nine days of being a mommy to Maddie and Rachel.

Thirty nine days of sleeping less than three hours at a time... always.

Thirty nine days of tears, laughs, hugs, exhaustion, and pure joy.

Thirty nine days of feeding babies, pumping milk, washing bottles, changing diapers.

Thirty nine days of cycling through every emotion that exists within a matter of minutes at times.

Thirty nine days of falling in love with my husband in a whole new way as we take on the 

immense blessing and challenge of parenting together.

Thirty nine of the best and hardest days of my life.

I can't believe it's only been thirty nine days.

I can't believe it's already been thirty nine days.

I have learned that I can function on far less sleep than I ever thought possible. 

[being a night nurse, I thought I already did this. well, now I reallllllllly do this.]

I have learned that anything and everything has the potential to make me cry.

[the thought of them getting one day older, trying to feed them, Maddie's puckered lip when she cries and Rachel's hoarse high pitched whimper, their snuggles, anyone doing anything for me, sweet texts, cards, verses of encouragement... you name it.]

I have learned that being a mommy is the hardest thing I have ever done. 

Harder than I ever thought possible.

I have learned that being a mommy is the greatest joy I have ever experienced. 

Greater than I ever thought possible.

I have learned that each day is made of moments, and living in this moment is the best way to live. Thank you Mom for this best piece of advice and encouragement you could have given.

I have learned that my Savior's love for me is deeper than I ever really understood.

I have learned He truly is my strength when I am weak.

I am SO thankful for the blessing of being a mommy.

Madelyn Joy and Rachel Claire are the biggest gifts I could have ever received.

Thank you Lord for these moments.

My only Caretaker

Tonight in studying Psalm 121, I realized something.

God is the Maker of heaven and earth.

He is the Protector of Israel and the Protector of each of his children. 

He protects me.

He never slumbers or sleeps. He never gets tired. He never closes his eyes or rests even for a second. He is constantly aware and constantly with us.

I know this truth. Thank you Lord for being my protector and the Maker of the heavens and this earth. Thank you for never sleeping.

But I realized something new.

He cares for me. He tends to me. He protects me.

And he has never entrusted anyone else with this job.

He entrusted Adam to tend to the garden in Genesis 2:15. 

But he did not entrust anyone to tend to Adam.

Not angels, not even the mightiest of angels.

God tends to Adam.

And God tends to me. God loves me and you so deeply that he himself cares for his children.

I am so thankful to serve a God who truly deeply loves, cares for, and protects his children. 

Lord, thank you for never slumbering. Thank you for being aware of everything always.

Regardless of the circumstances I encounter or the feelings I feel, I know that you are the one who is tending to me. You are the one who cares for me.

I am humbled to be your child.

"I lift my eyes toward the mountains. Where will my help come from?

My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth.

He will not allow your foot to slip; your Protector will not slumber.

Indeed, the Protector of Israel does not slumber or sleep.

The Lord protects you; the Lord is a shelter right by your side.

The sun will not strike you by day or the moon by night.

The Lord will protect you from all harm; He will protect your life.

The Lord will protect your coming and going both now and forever."

Psalm 121:1-8 (HCSB)

This is most definitely my next passage to commit to memory.

A thankful heart: New Discoveries

This morning, Mom and I mapped our own 15 {turned 16} mile walk

through Old Town, Mission Hills, Hillcrest, Balboa Park, and Banker's Hill

{by the way, mapping a 15 mile walk is not as easy as it sounds}.

I am loving our weekend walks

because they are filled with new discoveries.

Discovering more about each other.

Discovering new eateries, coffee houses, and neighborhoods.

Discovering new friends and stories.

Discovering how our bodies react to walking and carrying so much.

Just today, I discovered:

Mission Hills is a darn cute little neighborhood,

Hillcrest and 1st through 6th avenues are actually delightful to walk through,

there is a coffee bean on washington {hello favorite!},

a new {becoming not-so-new} friend who joined us for the second half of the walk

 {mom and me with our new friend, Leti at espresso mio}

there is a real town called Rio in Brazil... not just in the movie,

mom is really good at braiding her hair without a mirror,

the living room cafe has yummy breakfast burritos {#whoknew?},

I don't get such bad blisters when I walk a little slower and use second skin,

I will walk through any neighborhood I'm considering moving to in the future,

espresso mio is owned by one of the sweetest marathon-running ladies,

places that seem so far away are actually only a couple miles,

my cell phone battery only lasts 6 hours when i use the gps mileage tracker,

I love walking and talking with mom,

every home has special character

{the house mom fell in love with},

it's sometimes fun to wander off the beaten path for a picture or two,

and God is  e v e r y w h e r e .

I'm so thankful for new discoveries.


{ps: 13 DAYS until the big 3-day!!!}

I choose Faith

Lately in my quiet time and in my women's bible study,

I've been learning about faith.

I'm learning that faith requires both believing and obeying. And that unbelief is sin. Faith pleases God. 

Faith is taking God at His word. "Faith is the assurance of things hoped for and the conviction of things not seen." 

"Faith comes from hearing, and hearing from the Word of God." The outcome of faith is salvation. 

I'm reminded that trials will come. And that I am to be faithful through them. 

I must know His Word. I must choose to live by faith.

I'm learning about the rest of faith. Kay Arthur {incredible woman} says that 

the rest of faith is uniting the Word of God with faith for a particular situation. 

In every situation, I want to take what I know is true based on the Word of God, and then apply faith. 

I want to trust that God's Word is TRUTH. I want to believe God. I must believe God. 

And I must walk in obedience to His Word.

So many times, I have chosen to {not completely} trust God. 

To {pretty much} have faith {except for the little part that doubts}. 

To {worry instead of} rest in His promises. 

To believe {lies more than} the truth. 

But God is faithful even when I am not. He knows my heart, and He loves me regardless of what I think or do. 

He loves me even when I choose the passing pleasures of sinful words, thoughts and actions over the rest of faith.

He has given us His Word to live by. He has revealed His character to me. 

He spoke the world into existence. I have no problem believing this. 

Yet, I doubt His power in little life situations.

I am choosing to live by faith. 

I am choosing to rest in faith. 

I am trusting God. 

I am believing God. 

I choose to know the Word. 

I choose to obey God. 

I choose the Truth.

"For in just a very little while, "He who is coming will come and will not delay. 

But my righteous one will live by faith. And if he shrinks back, I will not be pleased with him." 

But we are not of those who shrink back and are destroyed, but of those who believe and are saved."

Hebrews 10:37-39

The W in Christmas

My mom (via my grandma) forwarded me this story in an email...

I must share it. I can identify with this woman at the beginning of the story.

Each December, I vowed to make Christmas a calm and peaceful
 experience.

 I had cut back on nonessential obligations - extensive card writing,
 endless baking, decorating, and even overspending.

 Yet still, I found myself exhausted, unable to appreciate the
 precious family moments, and of course, the true meaning of
 Christmas.

 My son, Nicholas, was in kindergarten that year. It was an exciting
 season for a six year old.

 For weeks, he'd been memorizing songs for his school's "Winter
 Pageant."

 I didn't have the heart to tell him I'd be working the night of the
 production. Unwilling to miss his shining moment, I spoke with his
 teacher. She assured me there'd be a dress rehearsal the morning

of the presentation.

 All parents unable to attend that evening were welcome to come then.

 Fortunately, Nicholas seemed happy with the compromise.

 So, the morning of the dress rehearsal, I filed in ten minutes
 early, found a spot on the cafeteria floor and sat down. Around the
 room, I saw several other parents quietly scampering to their seats.
 As I waited, the students were led into the room. Each class,
 accompanied by their teacher, sat cross-legged on the floor. Then,
 each group, one by one, rose to perform their song.

 Because the public school system had long stopped referring to the
 holiday as "Christmas," I didn't expect anything other than fun,
 commercial entertainment songs of reindeer, Santa Claus, snowflakes
 and good cheer.

 So, when my son's class rose to sing, "Christmas Love," I was
 slightly taken aback by its bold title.

 Nicholas was aglow, as were all of his classmates, adorned in fuzzy
 mittens, red sweaters, and bright snowcaps upon their heads.

 Those in the front row- center stage - held up large letters, one by
 one, to spell out the title of the song.

 As the class would sing "C is for Christmas," a child would hold up
 the letter C. Then, "H is for Happy," and on and on, until each
 child holding up his portion had presented the complete message,
 "Christmas Love."

 The performance was going smoothly, until suddenly, we noticed her;
 a small, quiet, girl in the front row holding the letter "M" upside
 down - totally unaware her letter "M" appeared as a "W".

 The audience of 1st through 6th graders snickered at this little
 one's mistake. But she had no idea they were laughing at her, so she
 stood tall, proudly holding her "W".

 Although many teachers tried to shush the children, the laughter
 continued until the last letter was raised, and we all saw it
 together.

 A hush came over the audience and eyes began to widen.

 In that instant, we understood the reason we were there, why we
 celebrated the holiday in the first place, why even in the chaos,
 there was a purpose for our festivities.

 For when the last letter was held high, the message read loud and
 clear:
 "C H R I S T  W A S  L O V E"

 And, I believe, He still is.
 Amazed in His presence... .humbled by His love.

Checking in

So, I don't know what happened, but I haven't blogged in like a week or two, or something awful.
And I haven't read any blogs either!

Ahhh!

I'm ok though :)

I'm learning a few things.

Working is exhausting. I mean, working in general is not a fun thing. But working five days IN A ROW all day long is super exhausting. By the time I get home, figure out something for dinner, and feed and walk the puppies, it's like 7:30 at night! And dark outside. Well, it's dark a lot sooner than that. But then, the thought of cleaning or doing laundry or writing cards or being on the computer is exhausting. Especially the computer screen. Want to watch me fall asleep fast? Make me sit in front of the computer after 8pm (potentially why this blog has taken an hour to write).

I know. Welcome to the real world, Jordanna. No, but seriously. This is my first time working full time, I realized. (I've been in school for wayyyyy too long, and I don't recommend that). And it's overrated. Who in the world thought it would be a good idea to work 5 whole days a week??? I feel like work gets in the way of life.

Don't get me wrong. I enjoy my job. This has nothing to do with that. It's just the fact that you are in one place for so many hours during the week.

So anyway, all this to say that I'm just getting in the groove of this whole thing. A month in.

Not to mention Christmas is in like 8 days or something like that... I am so not ready... I hate that feeling. I love Christmas. I love preparing for things and getting ready. I love being ready. But I'm still working on the Christmas cards I've been working on for months. Which comes before everything else... Ayyy yiii yiiii.

Anyways... all this to say, blogging unfortunately hasn't made the cut of what gets to happen during my two and a half hours each night when I'm home. But I have much to show and much to talk about, and I'm trying to get better... so hopefully I'll be back at this regularly again soon :).

The lack of eloquence in this post is partially due to the busyness of my mind right now. Sorry for that! I will probably come back and recant a few things.... :)

For now, thanks for sticking with me. And remember to take a few moments to be still and remember Jesus, the true reason for the season.

Because I created this blog as a challenge to myself to thank God for the little things, today's moments included spending a few moments watching the sky - since I have a love affair with God's sky.

Happy almost Friday!!

Unashamed

These two aren't shy to tell each other they love each other. 

[this is the best I could get in a dark living room as they chilled on the back of the couch]

I love them. And I love the example they set.

Love unashamedly.

Cuddle just because.

Smile big.

Look people in the eyes.

Take a breather, and for once, don't check the clock.

A nickel here, a quarter there

Yesterday, my husband sent me this amazing article that discusses the idea that money can buy a bit of happiness. Read it. It's a great one.

I had an entire page written about my thoughts on money and experiences and ya-di-yah... but I feel it is wiser and more effective to let this article speak for itself without [quite] so much of my commentary.

I can say that most of the principles articulated are true and worthwhile. And the times we have tried them, it has been so worth it.

A few of Sierra's quotes:

"She and her husband swapped their cars (and car payments) for bicycles."

"It’s okay to think small. Spending on several small treats — like a massage, a good book, or dinner at your favorite restaurant — will bring you more happiness than one big-ticket item like a sports car."

"What really makes people happy is connection. When we’re engaged in a leisure activity, we’re more likely to be socializing with others, forming and strengthening our relationships. It’s these strong relationships ... that bring us lasting joy throughout our lives." 

"Frugal happiness seekers can use these principles to their advantage."

"Splurging on a series of small indulgences is worth more happiness than one large splurge."

"We can get more happiness out of large purchases by saving for them in advance, rather than buying them on credit ... It’s not simply that being debt-free is a happy way to be; you’ll also get pleasure from anticipating the purchase while you’re saving up for it. Once you have your new couch or dream vacation, you’ll enjoy it more knowing it’s the fruit of your hard work as a saver."

We're definitely still learning.
It's a work in progress.
And I like that.

Nursing school reflections: Preceptorship

As nursing school is quickly coming to an end, I have had many thoughts. Some contradictory, most positive. The thoughts that follow occurred in the past 72 hours as I completed my preceptorship - the last of my clinicals in nursing school.

I worked Saturday and Sunday nights, and went straight to school Monday morning for a 12 hour day. Needless to say, it was pretty exhausting. But I learned a few things.

I love oncology. Like, really love it. Not the cancer part. But the part about getting to know your patients, and walking with them through a difficult period. Supporting them and caring for them and with them. Loving them. And taking care of them after the battle is complete. One way or another.

I really like working nights. As much as I am not a night person. I am a "J can we go to bed" at 9pm kind of a person. Not so much of a "party til 3am" kind of a person. Sleeping in the day is pretty tough (although Sunday, I had Benadryl to thank), and I think J misses me at bedtime. :) But I sorta like being awake in the wee hours of the morning. When patients finally fall asleep and the floor is quiet. It's like your kids finally fell asleep. It's a sigh of relief and accomplishment, for them mostly. And you get to really talk to your patients. I got to know them. And their families. And we were there when they were sick at 0300. That is a humbling thing.

I love the nurses on the oncology floor. They have such hearts for their patients. They love their job. And they love each other. They are friends. And they welcomed me into their little night group of nurses so quickly. One girl told me about "NOTY Moments" (pronounced 'naughty moments'). Nurse Of The Year. AKA - when you screw up. She was a new grad RN. Since January. And she encouraged me (in a funny way) by telling me some of her NOTY moments. She made me laugh countless times. And my preceptor. She was and is an incredible nurse. Thank you Jeanne for the greatest experience in such a fast 60 hours.

I can't believe the next time I will take care of patients in my scrubs will be when I am a nurse (Lord-willing). When it's me that's taking care of them. That is terrifying and exciting, overwhelming and humbling all at the same time. The terrifying part comes through most frequently at this point. But once I'm there, how often I am humbled by my patients and nurses.

I thought about these things as I drove to the hospital and prayed that God would keep my hands safe, and my patients safe, and that He would bless each night and each relationship encounter I had, and that I would learn and grow and be humbled and encouraged by encouraging others.

And today, as I put my house back together (thanks for not letting it fall too apart, hun) and played with my pups and layed outside a bit and enjoyed my Jamba Juice my sweet husband brought me for lunch (thank you babe. I love you so much), I continued to contemplate these things. 

And I realized, I am so incredibly blessed to be doing what I am doing.
To be in the position where people allow me to take their lives in my hands. That is a truly humbling thing.
To be healthy and able to work, when so many aren't.
To be young enough to be able to stay awake for 24 hours at a time (although not ideal) without too much of a headache. And then sleep for 8 hours and get back to life. 

On that note, it is time for me to get ready and head to school for my final class of nursing school.

Remembering Holiness

God often meets me through music.
And in my car.
This morning was one of those times.

I was listening to this one song, and I was overwhelmed with its simple message.

Holy, Holy, Holy
Is the Lord God Almighty
Who was, and is, and is to come
With all creation I sing:
Praise to the King of Kings 
You are my everything
And I will adore You

Blessing and honor, strength and glory and power be
To You the Only Wise King

Filled with wonder
Awestruck wonder
At the mention of Your Name
Jesus
Your Name is Power
Breath and Living Water
Such a marvelous mystery

I looked around and saw the birds and the trees and the clouds.
And I thought, this is Your creation, Lord.
And your creation worships you by simply being.

Then I looked at all the cars sitting in traffic.
And I thought, each car represents a person with a story.
Each person is part of Your creation, Lord.
And so many people are missing what you are offering.

And then I looked inside my car.
And saw me.
And realized, I so often forget how simple it is.
I get discouraged and I forget
that You are Holy.

In the midst of the brokenness in this world and in me,
You are Holy.

Why is it so simple for the birds of the air to worship the God of the universe
but it is so hard for people to acknowledge the Creator?

Why do I make it so complicated
when it is so very simple?

Holy are you Lord. 
Blessing, honor, glory, strength, and power be to You.
Jesus, your name is power, breath, and living water.
It's such a marvelous mystery.

Help me remember.

"Holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty;
the whole earth is full of his glory."

Isaiah 6:3

Adventures in Del Taco

It went something like this...

Yesterday, I decided to walk over to Del Taco. Not because I like it there, but because it was close and cheap, and I needed something to eat between classes.

I ordered my food and heard a weird sound around the corner by the bathrooms, but ignored it. I noticed it took an especially long time to get my food and there suddenly seemed to be no one around. The lady handed me my order without looking at me and walked off. I thought, gosh I love it when customer service people are friendly.

As I was leaving, I looked to my left around the corner to see a man lying on the ground, appearing unconscious, and some employees gathered around with one on the phone. I asked if they needed help.

"Are you medically trained?"
"I'm a nursing student and I know CPR."
"He's just lying there. I dunno..."

I stepped in and knelt down, prepping my hands for chest compressions. This is where the rubber meets the road Jordanna. Ok - check for breathing. He's breathing. Ok - check for pulse. Wait... if he's breathing he has a pulse. Ok - check for consciousness.

"What's his name?" They told me. "Sir, can you hear me?"
No response.
He's definitely unconscious.

Ok - call emergency personnel. They're on the phone - great. Then I hear the lady say to 911 "ok thanks, bye" and hang up. I say, "are they sending an ambulance?" "Yes - she said to call if I needed help." Great, thanks 911. Ok - I'm in charge. Keep him alive and safe. Well, he's alive. But safe. 

"Do you guys have any medical history on him?" (he was an employee).
"No."
"Did anyone see what happened?"
"I think he was getting the trash in the bathroom."
That's not exactly what I meant... how else can I ask that question... oh well, I'll figure it out later.

He opens his eyes. "Sir can you hear me?"
He wasn't responding. I told him where he was and who I was, and told him I was going to stay with him and he was ok. We were taking care of him.
His eyes met mine for about a second. Check the pupils. Oh wait, I don't have a pen light... hmmm... can I get him to look at me to see if they react... nope, he's not gonna look at me. Maybe I should take his pulse and respirations. They were normal. That's good.

He was sweating buckets and super confused. The next thing I know he's pulling his pants off frantically. "Sir, what are you doing?" He stops and looks at what he's doing. "You can put your pants back on, it's ok. You can relax your head, you're ok." He buttons his pants back up. Whew. 

In the meantime... here comes 15-year-old girl who works there... "He needs to have his head between his legs. He needs to be sitting up. That's what they say." Oh gosh I'm so glad I know that is NOT what you do. That's before you pass out... he's passed that part. "No, he's ok laying here. I don't know if he hit his head so we aren't going to move him too much right now. Thank you for your help." She leaves.

And then, the glorious sound of a siren getting closer and closer. The store manager says "They are just driving around out there but they aren't coming."
"Ok - they probably don't know where we are. Can you go outside and tell them we're in here and open the door for them." She goes.

Here come the paramedics... all 5 of them. I stand up and grab my food, and give my report.
"I found him unconscious but breathing...."
"Ok. Are you a nurse?"
Yes! No.... almost... "No, I'm a nursing student, but I'm CPR and ACLS certified."
"Ok thanks."
They totally didn't need to know that. It was a yes or no question. 

They did their assessment. They know just the right questions to ask. They got the people to tell them he had been shaking when they found him. SEIZURE!!! Oh, ask if he was shaking... smart. Be more direct... Oh I forgot to tell them his pulse... "His pulse is 80." "Ok thanks." That's normal Jordanna, they don't care about normal. Let them do their job. 

As I'm leaving and they are getting him on the stretcher to take to the hospital, I say to the paramedic with tattoos down his arms, "do you need anything else from me?" "No thank you maam." Obviously they don't need anything else from me, there's 5 of them and they know way more than me. 

I talked with another employee who told me in broken English he had an assault called on him on the trolley and they brought him to her (what...? Oh, I get it... I think...)

As the paramedics are climbing into the ambulance, "An employee just told me he's aggressive." "Ok thanks." Doors closed. And they're off. I don't even know if that's what she was saying. And they can take care of themselves. But still, they might need to know. 

Lessons learned:
- I really don't like Del Taco's food that much
- Pay attention to weird sounds and environmental changes
- People often have a reason to be less than polite :)
- I love (sort of) knowing what to do in emergencies
- I can stay calm and take control
- Be nice to people trying to help 
- Don't try to be a paramedic (even though it's most definitely the coolest job in the world)
- Just give the important info in report... concisely... ONE time... not FIVE times
- I know better questions to ask for next time (if there is a next time)
- Giving report is fun. It's cool to say "this is what's happening, this is what I did, your turn."
- I can't wait until I can answer "YES" to the "are you a nurse" question!

Listen to My voice

Tonight was Emma's first obedience class. Well, we went last week, but this was the first week she got to come. And man was I nervous for her. J had to meet us there, and I talked to her the entire way there.

It's gonna be ok Em. There will be lots of doggies there, but Mommy and Daddy will be there, just listen to my voice Em.

I prayed with her in the car in the parking lot.

We waited for J to get there and boy was she excited to see him. Then they said, spectators to the side. Only one trainer. J said, go for it. So he went to the side, and I stayed with her.

We had to line up with the other dogs and "heel" down the asphalt. She got to go with the little dogs. She was so good. She walked with me and listened to my voice.

I cried when we got back and the big dogs took their turn, and I hugged her and told her how proud of her I was. I looked at my proud husband standing on the sidelines smiling, and I returned the smile through wet eyes.

Gosh I'm ridiculous.

I love my dog like I birthed her. Have I mentioned that? Just wait til I have kids.

The first day of kindergarten is gonna be rough.

Heck, the first day doing anything new is gonna be rough. Riding in a car seat. Sleeping in a big girl/boy bed. Going to the doctor. Crawling.

“I am the good shepherd; I know my own sheep, and they know me, just as my Father knows me and I know the Father...[The sheep] will listen to my voice, and there will be one flock with one shepherd." John 10: 14-16

Some days are rougher than others. Sometimes letting go is hard to do. Sometimes I have to trust that someone else knows better than me. Like these dog trainers. And my God.

He has a plan that is bigger and better than anything I could come up with on my own. He's shown himself to be faithful and true, when I listen to His voice. I am His sheep and He is my Shepherd. I need Him to lead me like Emma needs me to lead her. I need to hear His voice.

Thanks, God, for using my dog to remind me yet again of your simple truths.

Thankful for the Repairman

Today J and I took our cars to the shop for their check up. John was proud that his '97 camry was in tip top condition. My sweet explorer, however, needed a bit of tune up. They changed the transmission fluid and some cap to something, and heck if I can remember the name, or what it does.

It was rough to watch. When we picked up J's car, I saw mine in the shop, with the hood up and some boxes sitting on it. I said to J, oh it hurts to see it like that.

But it worked. And my beautiful blue car smiled at me as I hopped in it, feeling as good as new.

And I got to thinking.

God is our repairman. Sometimes (many times) I have to go to the shop. He prunes me so I can be more fruitful. And it's tough to go through. And to watch.

But He prunes us to be more fruitful. He is the vine. We are His branches. We can only bear fruit if we remain in Him. John 15.

It's tree trimming season. Winter. They just clipped all the leaves off the trees in our complex. Like, all of them. So I am seeing this first hand. And I know it is rough for those branches to feel bare and exposed. But in just a few months, they will be more beautiful than ever. I can see the bigger picture.

That is the cool thing about God. He knows what will be in a few months. He can see the biggest picture. That is why I trust Him to do the pruning. To be my Repairman.

To Grandma's house we go

Every year since I can remember, whenever I spent Christmas with my mom instead of my dad, we went to Grandma's house. I love love love going to Grandma's house on Christmas. My family doesn't have a lot of routine things we do, but Christmas morning is an affair to remember. This year, John and I met my parents over there for breakfast.

The thing about my family is that it's big. As in, there are a lot of us. So, the tree is always so exciting. There is no tree like Grandma's tree on Christmas morning.
We always have a huge breakfast full of yummy foods. Then we head into the living room, stake out our spots around the room, and my cousins pass out the presents. My sister and I did it until I was about 18, and then I decided it was time to let my little cousins (who are not so little anymore) pass them out. Since that is of course the funnest job. Then it gets crazy. People are yelling,
Thanks Grandma!
Thanks Aunt Lindy!
Look Mom!
What'd you get? Oh cool!
It's the best!!
My mom found my littlest cousin, Nick, and helped him open her gift. He loved his new lion.
My grandma got glovittens just like mine! She was so excited.
John and Carly usually buddy up and take pictures together. I love that they love each other!
Steve got a neck massager, which he tried out a couple different ways :)
Grandma had gotten a digital camera for her birthday that she still didn't know how to use. I told her I would show her how and she would love it once she understood it. And boy did she!

She started off by saying, isn't this how you do it? You hold it out in like this? Is it pointing at us? I was cracking up. She's so hip.
Yay she gets it! She was so excited that she could see the picture on the screen and that it looked good. I am so proud of her!

And my most amazing beautiful ladies whom I love so much.
Christmas is the best. It was a bummer that we didn't feel good this year - John has been sick - but we still had a great time. It is always amazing to get everyone together.

Lessons from Nursing School

In honor of being halfway done with nursing school clinicals (!!!), I want to share some things I have learned while at clinical this semester.

- Everyone has a story. Take the time to listen to it. You may be the only one who does.

- There are a lot of hopeless people in this world. Including San Diego. Show them hope.
"God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory." Colossians 1:27

- Jesus Christ is the only Hope.
"Find rest, O my soul, in God alone; my hope comes from him." Psalm 62:5

- Life can change in an instant. One minute you are working for Cal Trans on the side of the road, and the next, you are paralyzed with a metal halo on your head.

- Be thankful for every moment. God works in those moments.
"As soon as Jesus was baptized, he went up out of the water. At that moment heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and lighting on him." Matthew 3:16

- Everyone needs to be encouraged. Even the man who talks to himself on the street corner. I met him. He needs encouragement. And someone to love him.
"Brothers, if you have a message of encouragement for the people, please speak." Acts 13:15

- Life can get so hurried. Minutes turn quickly into hours, which slip into days. Slow down. There isn't much good that comes from hurrying.

- Thank God for every breath. Not much good comes from complaining. Everything good comes from loving, encouraging, praising, thanking, and listening. Use every breath wisely.
"Let everything that has breath praise the Lord." Psalm 150:6

- Things aren't always what they seem. Resist judgment based on assumptions.
"Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven." Luke 6:37

- It's all about the love.
"Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?" Jesus replied: '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." Matthew 22: 36-40