A thankful heart: Rainy days

I woke up this morning to a dark sky with clouds that threatened rain.

And I got all giddy inside as I pulled on a long sleeve, short sleeve, and huge jacket for work.

I drove and watched the sky display God's power.

At work, I waited for the skies to open.

And open they did.

By the time I got home tonight, it was absolutely pouring.

I ran inside with my hood on, took the puppies out {in their jackets of course},

and then hurried to change into my comfy clothes and slippers.

We turned the heater on and enjoyed a warm dinner and lots of blankets.

Today, and everyday we have one, I'm thankful for rainy days.

So ... yeah

So many thoughts. And yet I can't articulate them. I keep starting these 'semi-creative' blogs, but nothing is working. So maybe if I just write it will be easier.

Thus, another edition of So....... Yeah, and other random thoughts.

My pastor started a teaching series on the book of Hebrews last week. translation: He's preaching about Jesus for the next few months. Which is pretty much the best topic ever, so I'm super excited. I'm learning a lot, and loving it. And it reminded me of a song I know... wanna learn Hebrews 1:1-4?

My blogging skills have been sub-sub-sub-sub-par this month. Shame on me. I won't give much more attention because it's kinda annoying for you when I just say how I haven't blogged much. Oh well. Each day is a fresh start.

Bummer thing about nursing is I don't get holidays off work. Like the rest of the world will tomorrow. Except my sister. Poor girl goes to a school who doesn't take President's Day. Really? ;)

My desk has papers and bills stacked on it. Yeah, three stacks. Pretty much my worst organizational nightmare. Wanna know what else is on my desk? Alcohol swabs, lotion, a picture frame, CD, water bottle, gum, stapler, business cards, recipes, cards, giftcard, and a printer. Too many things on top. On a good note, I made two homemade cards this weekend. Ignoring the piles made my heart skip a beat, but crafting made my heart smile.

J went grocery shopping with me again tonight. He's so good at doing that with me. I love it. It makes it so much better. And we went to the Brig for happy hour beforehand. Which makes a Sunday night a million times better. I'm thankful that he convinced me to go out with him. Thanks babe :).

I am loving this rainy weather. Although, I took a face dive on Friday night on our asphalt with my pups in the pouring rain. That was a bummer. I just did that a couple months ago, too. I am so my mother's daughter. She fell at work this week and broke a bone in her wrist. Yeah, I know. Awful. I told her it was a sympathy fall.

Luigi's whistling, which means he's tired at this hour. J took the pups outside for their last bathroom run. Which means it's time for me to get ready for bed. Ready or not...

here comes the week!

What about you? Are you off for President's Day? Any fun plans? :)

Days like today

Oh how I love love love love love the rain.

I'm especially thankful to be off on a day like today.

Although all weekend I pretended like we were having a rain storm (and it was cloudy!) 

and enjoyed hot tea, candles, a movie and music, and card making. 

Baker enjoyed sitting right in my card making area... but I couldn't really blame him... 

he had to have a good view of our movie :)

I made a few goodies for bible study tonight.

We trekked out in the rain... but not without the little ones' handy dandy jackets!

and cozied up on a blanket when we got back inside.

These were all documented by my iphone... and the pups' heads were typically in motion... 

[and this blog is not super perfect-sounding or even coherent... but work with me... 

I'm feeling a bit un-creative in the writing area].

My kind of day

If only I could be home instead of at school. :)

Spring, oh wait... April Fools!

From us to you on this lovely rainy day,

Happy April!

Following the rain

One of the zillion things I love about the rain is the sky that follows.

I apologize for the blur... it's the best I could do on the freeway. ;) I realize it may not be the greatest idea, but when God sends a piece of Himself, I have to soak it up.

The best day ever

Since we go to church on Saturday nights (for now), Sundays are our day at home, just me and J. To hang out and do whatever. I have had clinical every Saturday since January (yesterday was my last!) so Sundays have been our only day together. After 6 days of nursing in a row, I decided to take the day off from homework, and J and I planned a lovely rainy Sunday at home.

It began with rain. Beautiful glorious light steady rain. Thank you God for answering my prayer - you saved me some rain for Sunday!

Coffee, donuts, and movie renting/buying. Fun side note - we passed Mom and Steve on their way home from church. J frantically waved out the window as we drove past them, and they followed us in the parking lot to give hugs and pick up our tab. ;) Thanks for the Starbucks guys! We visited adoption Sunday ... where we got Emma only 11 months ago. Always dangerous. Boy were we tempted. We resisted... for now. ;)

We danced with Michael Jackson and laughed (a bit hesitantly at times) to Couple's Retreat. Seriously, Michael was a genius. A talented bizarre genius.

We had nachos with our final avocado before our grocery store trip.

We followed up a Mexican lunch with what is becoming a little routine - rolled tacos and a trip to the grocery store. The $1.50 strawberries are by far my favorite thing there right now. And the girl scouts at the door (not tonight due to the rain, but usually).

We (I) cleaned the house a bit and did laundry, and J took care of his fishies.

And we hung out with the kids.

Why we need another dog - Emma needs a buddy. As much as Lu and Em are buddies, Em is not allowed to go near him, which I believe hinders their relationship a bit. So one day Emma will have a little friend to run in circles with. Maybe after she's trained. Ha.

Ah, Sunday, please don't end. But even so, thank you for today.

It's March already?

I have to say, March has never stood out much to me in the way of months. I guess because we never had any big family events in March. I wasn't done with school, and it meant the near end of the rainy season. But this year, I'm approaching March a bit differently.

As much as I love (I mean, love) the rain, I also can appreciate the green grass and blue skies after the rain. Much thanks to my husband for reminding me of that beauty. March brings many blue skies - I will try to appreciate each day of them :). And there will be many - possibly 30.

March marks the halfway point of semester 3 - proven by the end of OB (tomorrow!) and the beginning of pediatrics (today!).

March means five months until nursing graduation (whooo hoooo!).

And much sooner, Emma's obedience class graduation!! You can bet John and I will be there with our cameras and noise makers, cheering for our little girl. We are proud parents, even if she doesn't exactly 'stay' for a whole minute or weave around the poles perfectly. We love her anyway. ;)

March brings John's grandma's 85th birthday! It's fun to marry into a family with key birthdays in different months than my family. It adds to the fun of a new month.

The end of March brings the much anticipated and highly desired Spring Break. That is the one perk of still being in school.

Most importantly, March means more memories. And many more moments.

Beginning with Emma and my photo shoot. Thank you Grandma for the camera clicker. I know it's technically John's, but I have way too much fun with it! (Emma, on the other hand, is not exactly as amused as I am, but she puts up with my antics like a champ).

Happy March!

These are the days of my life

Since I have clinical on Saturdays right now, Sundays are J and my only day together where we are both off. Since I did ACLS on Friday, I had a backload of homework to do on Sunday. In the midst of it though, there were some fun moments weaved into the weekend.

~ I saw my first birth in the hospital! What an amazing experience.
~ Good worship at church
~ Mexican food after no mexican for quite a few weeks - I forgot how much I love rolled tacos! And we found a new spot.
~ A visit from my favorite sister! Good thing my husband is a night owl and kept me up to see her.
~ Rain. Rain. And more rain.
~ A walk with Em and J
~ Breakfast at desk (the alternative to breakfast in bed when you're a student) ... thanks for the cinnamon toast honey.
~ Some productivity in the homework field
~ Grocery shopping with J
~ Homemade lattes
~ Fresh strawberries

Have I mentioned I love the rain?

The next 8 hours

I love it when the hour by hour forecast looks like this.
Especially when Emma's training gets canceled and I get to be home.
Mmmmmm. Rain.

Tue

Feb 9

6 pm

53° F

Precip: 75%

7 pm

51° F

Precip: 100%

8 pm

50° F

Precip: 50%

9 pm

49° F

Precip: 35%

10 pm

48° F

Precip: 15%

11 pm

47° F

Precip: 80%

Wed Feb 10

12 am

47° F

Precip: 80%

1 am

46° F

Precip: 70%

Curly hair... rain, and Emma

I've always wanted curly hair, like Jessi's hair. She can make the cutest crazy buns, or stick a barette in it, and it looks professionally done. Or straight hair, like Katie's. It curls perfectly and dries without the need for a blow dryer and straightener. But not wavy hair. I wanted it to be one or the other. I probably would have said the opposite if I had curly or straight hair. Oh well. I'm content.

Emma has wavy hair too. And she's content with that. Because she's cute. We tell her all the time.

Emma has hair like me. Wavy and kinda crazy, a bit rough and wild. I love it. And like me, hers gets a bit curly in the rain. Except, much more so than mine.

I love curly hair. And Emma. And the rain. So all three together delighted my heart.

She seriously melts my heart!

So ... yeah

[disclaimer] I've got nothing profound today. Just some random thoughts. More a stream of consciousness kind of thing. I tried to think of what moment stuck out today. But then I realized, there were lots of moments today. So here's a glimpse into my chaos of thoughts and events that make up the moments.

It's raining. Gosh I love the rain. I sure wish it would have thundered all day. Although Emma didn't like the one big clap we got. But it only rained half the day. Oh well. I can't be picky. I'm in Sandy Eggo after all. So, God, thanks for the rain. And thanks for letting me be home in it. That was pretty lucky. I am in the coolest bible study ever with the neatest girls. I love it. I love them and I love Wednesdays because of it. Emma is driving me crazy. She won't go to the bathroom in the rain! Seriously. We stand out there for 20 minutes of wet rain and freezing wind. And she shakes her head. And picks up sticks. And eats them as fast as she can before I take them away. And runs from leash end to leash end while I look like a lunatic dog owner. Yah yah. I have control of my dog people. Don't worry about it. That's what I think when I get the looks from the neighbors. But seriously, she is so stinking cute. And her hair is curly in the rain. Especially her face. I love it. I thought I was done writing papers. But apparently not. I have an entire class this semester dedicated to discussions and writing papers and editing them. I got a whole degree in this stuff. But I guess I didn't write about nursing theories, so it doesn't count. Oh well. Good news is, I was semi-productive today. 3 study guides, 2 paper critiques, some organization, and bible stuff. And, I start clinical Saturday. Yah Saturday. Kinda a bummer. Oh well. It's only 7 weeks. "Postpartum obstetrics." AKA, moms after they have their babies. Should be fun. Although, I seriously doubt they are gonna want a nursing student taking an hour to do their brand new baby's assessment. Oh well. I'll get faster. I gotta come up with some good conversation starters. Is it wierd that I'm excited about the new OB NCLEX review book I got? I made eggs and toast today. I thought that was pretty domestic. And valentine pre-cut cookies. Yep. They're the best. And yes, I need to go to the grocery store. Poor little Gizmo got stuck outside in the rain today. J and I almost adopted him. Cute cat. Have I mentioned how much I love my husband? He is so cute. And gosh my sister makes me laugh. And my nursing friends when I get 21 "reply to all" emails in a row with one liner responses. Hey, at least I have mail. I'll take it.

Well, I guess I'm not that exciting after all. Oh well.
Happy almost Friday!

Let's get together

3 great things about today:

1. It rained. Almost all day.

2. John came home. After 5 days apart!

3. We were invited to a super fun Christmas party by our friends, Dan and Erin. We know Dan and Erin from college. Erin and I were on the same hall sophomore year. Dan and I were in choir together. We also met up with one of our favorite couples, and two special friends, Ali and Anna.

I love getting to see friends. I love catching up and hearing about life for the past year, and it being totally natural. Thanks so much, Dan and Erin, for welcoming us so warmly into your home and showing us what friendship means.
Ali and me
Jessi and me
The four Js - we get to decorate cookies with these lovely people this Thursday. A treat for finishing the semester :)
The crew
Us with the hosts
I am so excited to make Christmas cookies with these two this Thursday. Jessi is one of the most creative people I know, so it will be fun. She made these sweaters. :)
I love friends.
I love Christmas.
I love that Christmas brings friends together.

God, you sure thought of everything, didn't you.

Friday smiles

10 things that make me smile:

1. Rain

2. The end of nutrition class - the beginning of the end of 2nd semester

3. Emma eating a peanut butter pretzel
4. Emma's footprints
5. Trader Joe's ABC pasta
6. Sending messages to my husband across the country via ABC pasta
7. Luigi
8. Christmas presents and wrapping and cards, oh my!

9. My friend's blog

10. John comes home tomorrow!

Rain rain, come again

Yesterday morning, I woke up to the sound of rain. I love rain. I love the sound it makes. The smell it leaves. The color it changes the sky and environment to. I love that it leads families to spend time together indoors with a blanket and coffee. Which is what hubby and I did. And it was perfect.

Many people complain about rain. Like, before it even comes. The weather man just says the word, and people cringe. Not here. It's sunny in San Diego.

That's not how I feel though. I hear there may be rain, and I start preparing for it. I watch the sky and wait for a hint of a cloud to show up, and I squeal with excitement. I open my winter coat closet and decide which I will wear. I may only get one chance. I reach up to the top of my closet and grab my scarves and mittens, you know, just in case. And I think, maybe, just maybe, it will rain.

And yesterday, it did. On my balcony. In my little city. Real rain.
And I woke up today, and the ground is still wet. That makes me happy. Because maybe, just maybe, the rain will stay another day.

One of these days I'm gonna have to live somewhere where it rains more than five days a year. Because I just enjoy it so much. The fact the God got water to stay in bundles of air in the sky and open those clouds at just the right time... that is truly amazing. And points to a creator.

Rainy days

Most people would hate to discover halfway through the drive from El Cajon to Oceanside that it is raining.
Not me.

I love the rain. I love opening my "big jacket" closet to grab my cozy jacket that I only get to wear when it rains. I love watching the drops start slow and get closer together and bigger in size. I love to turn on my windshield wipers, and then turn them up... and up. I love to get wet and then say, "wow it's raining out there."

So when it got progressively grey-er as I drove north, I smiled.
And when the sky broke open in Carlsbad, I cheered.
Most people would pull into work (or school or whatever you wanna call clinical) and run inside, trying not to get wet, and then announce with a frown, "it's raining." (someone did that today).
Not me.

I went to the beach, got out of my car, ran down to the water, got all wet - even wet jeans - and took a picture in the rain.
Because how beautiful is it when the ocean turns grey to match the sky. Pretty beautiful.
My God makes beauty from ashes. He is stronger than the storm.

"Praise the LORD from the earth, you great sea creatures and all ocean depths, lightning and hail, snow and clouds, stormy winds that do his bidding ... praise the LORD."
Psalm 148: 7-8, 14b