Saturday, February 28, 2009

joy

what a crazy busy week.
RA interviews.
the end of my maternity rotation.
but in spite of it all, God gave me the gift of joy, and reminded me of how much he loved me through phone calls, hugs, and the presence of dear ones in my life.

"happy hour" with my sis
lisa saved my life
last day of maternity!
jodi, alison, marcella, emily & eve
panaderia! scotty, abby, alison & lisa (denae was sick.) =(
eating our pastries

Friday, February 27, 2009

job offer

hiring freezes. a struggling economy. cancelled internships. no nursing experience.
all of these realities brought me a small amount of fear at the beginning of this month. i wanted to trust that God would provide a job for me, but these facts didn't make it easy.
so, in the process of me trusting, i applied for a job at salem hospital. they were coming to campus and if we sent our resume to them ahead of time, we could have an interview while they were here. since it sounded relatively painless and like a good experience to have, i sent in my resume. i was undecided if i even was interested in this hospital. but i thought that even if i didn't want to work there, i wanted to knowledge that somewhere wanted me. =) so i applied.
the next day, i had an offer for a full-time position, day shift, working on the oncology floor.
after touring the hospital on friday and getting confirmation in other places, i feel like this would be a good fit for me.
so, i have a job! God is so faithful.

Thursday, February 26, 2009

interviews galore

it has been really good to be a part of the interview process for RAs next year. i know i don't have too much say in the final decisions made, but it still has been helpful for me to get a chance to interact with the candidates and get some closure.
however, it doesn't mean that it isn't hard for me, and that my heart doesn't ache just a little when i remember that i won't be doing this again next year. on the last night of group interviews, i got a little teary. i got it together before i had to talk or lead the group through their next activity. although my tired state probably did contribute to my tears, i know that there is more to it than that.
jacob & j keep teasing me about how i will be in tears all the time next year without them, but the truth is that they may not be that far off. i dragged my feet when God pulled me into res. life and now i am dragging me feet as this season is slowly coming to an end.

last night of group interviews-
abby, scotty, alison & lisa (denae was in class)

Thursday, February 19, 2009

story time

“fairy tales are more than true;
not because they tell us that dragons exist,
but because they tell us that dragons can beaten."
-g. k. chesterton

just another reason why i will never be too old for stories. =)

Monday, February 16, 2009

lunch w/ my sis

one of the best parts of my week is my weekly lunch dates/other adventures with my "sister" lisa. she is a delight.

ordering the same thing
"senior picture"
(we had to get our picture taken for the yearbook & he suggested we do a handstand for our picture. although we declined for the yearbook, we decided to take one of our own.)
we didn't order the same thing. apparently this is how we feel about it.
neither of us had ever been in the darkroom. we snuck in. =)
and here's the secret passageway that got us there!

a grand thing

even though i am tired on wednesday nights after two days of clinicals, i always know i will be glad to be at staff meetings once i get there. it is such a grand thing to be greeted by 16 faces of those who i love and love me back.
hat night and finger sword fighting are just bonuses. =)




♥ day

valentine's day has never been one of my favorite holidays. i like the idea of having an increased effort to let people know that you love them, but i don't necessarily think it needs to be on february 14th and needs to be accompanied by candy, balloons, flowers and the colors of red & pink. however, despite my slight reservations about the holiday, i did enjoy this particular valentine's day, as i spent the evening with some dear friends.
the cookie making party at becca's turned into three hours of silliness as we took pictures, threw candy hearts into each other's mouths and laughed heaps. this may have been one of my best valentine's days yet. (i also got a delightful acronym and godiva from my family, which was also lovely. while i think demonstrating love shouldn't be a yearly occurance, i did enjoy my treats!)

in the bathroom-alison, liz, jared (my favorite neighbor), J, jacob, becca & bethany


more pictures here.

Monday, February 9, 2009

grand prix

after getting all my homework out of the way in preparation for lucy to come, it was a little disappointing to have my bestie get sick and have her car breakdown (thankfully, before her journey began.) so, with all my work out of the way, i headed home! it was a restful weekend, with movies, sleeping AND getting to go to the awana grand prix night, where i proudly witnessed paul's acceptance of the 2nd place trophy in speed. with an excellent design of an iphone car, he also came close to winning an award in design also. i was so proud.


waiting for the race to begin

the exciting race itself

the awards ceremony

alison, paul, trophy, john & peter

on sunday, john visited corban college & daddy took me out to dinner after dropping him off. since i wasn't feeling well, we went back to my apartment & watched enchanted after our yummy meal from red robin. a delightful evening that could have only been made better if i hadn't been sick. =)

fireproof

fireproof: one of the best movies i've seen in a long time.
i anticipated it being a little cheesy, but ended up being blown away by how moving it was. excellent acting. realistic story. hopeful & pro-marriage. i loved it.

love is a choice.

Thursday, February 5, 2009

getting off campus

wednesdays are great days. i finish my second day in a row of clinicals, to come back to hang out with four great AACs. this week we had a field trip to eat pizza and our location for eating this treat was the flagpole in the middle of the intersection.

"sometimes you just need to get off campus."

abby, lisa, scotty, alison & denae


Wednesday, February 4, 2009

fun facts

as much as i wanted to avoid THIS, i did it. i didn't want to fill one of these lists out for the very reason that everyone else is doing it, despite the fact that i love lists. but, since my best friend helped me think of things about me & i like reading other people's, here's my list of fun facts about me. here's my list-

1. I love to feed people. Baking for other people is one of my favorites, and many have eaten my kettle corn.

2. I love to play with my three brothers, with my favorite activities to do with them being playing board games, watching movies (to quote later) and dressing up.

3. I once played Lady Capulet in my fifth grade’s rendition of Romeo and Juliet. I also got to be the narrator in Dudley Do-Right during that same performance. Although I was relatively quiet growing up, I loved being on stage.

4. I still like to pretend things.

5. My favorite place to shop is Goodwill. Also, I am not a fan of the mall.

6. I tell myself bedtime stories (which also are told while standing in the shower, doing the dishes, etc.), and have even made myself cry with one of these stories.

7. I got to go horseback riding with my best friend, Lucy on her 16th birthday, and the horses ran away with us.

8. I like to sing, even though the last time I was in a choir was three years ago. I also like to play the piano, even though I probably should be better than I am (since lessons lasted from 3rd grade through high school.)

9. My personal belief is that cats are much more amazing than dogs. I have had three in my life, with two of them currently living-Davy & Jane. I like their independence along with their purring. However, it should be understood that I do still like dogs quite a lot.

10. When I was younger, my motto was, “when in doubt, chicken out.” (I would use this phrase to explain my reason of refusal to do something risky that my friends would want to do.) Since then, I have balanced my naturally cautious inclinations with some adventure.

11. I love soundtracks-both scores & compilations of songs. I have heaps.


12. My hair is twice as thick as any normal person should be and grows exceptionally fast. I once donated it to Locks of Love. Also, I have never dyed my hair and don’t ever plan to.

13. I have an American girl named Addy. My best friend had Felicity. When we thought that we were too old for dolls, we tied our dolls to a tree and left them scared and helpless all day long. (We dressed up so that they wouldn’t recognize us.) As a result, I felt guilty for days.

14. I love corny, romantic movies, like Enchanted. But I like lots of different kinds of movies…just not scary ones.

15. When I was in fourth & fifth grade, I read the Chronicles of Narnia at least 10 times each. I would cycle through all 7, usually read a few books and then begin the cycle again. I still have a special love for these books, along with many other children’s books.

16. I have yet to have my first kiss or boyfriend.

17. I love Jordan, my 2004 Jeep Liberty. She’s dependable, has a great heater and gets along with me very well.

18. I have had the same ink cartridge in my printer since freshman year of college. And despite printing heaps of notes & papers for nursing school, it is just now slowly beginning to run out.

19. I waited until I was almost 18 to get my ears pierced. Earrings are now just one more thing added on my list of things that entertain me.

20. My favorite accent is Australian, especially after spending three weeks there. It is like a combination of my two of my other favorites: British & Southern accents.

21. I once kayaked up a secluded river in Hawaii by myself, and it was one of the best moments I have ever spent in God’s creation.

22. I wear sometimes glasses, even though I don’t need them. They feel make me feel sophisticated, and help me become motivated to study as if putting the glasses on is also putting on my studious personality.

23. My favorite backpacking trip was in Sisters, OR in August 2008, yet had the worst conditions I have ever experienced outdoors: rain, thunder, lighting, heat, getting feverish and mosquitoes of Biblical proportions.

24. Growing up my favorite colors were pink, lavender & turquoise, but now my favorite color is GREEN.

25. I didn’t want to be a part of Residence Life, but felt like God wanted to me apply my freshman year. I am now in my third year on the Apartment staff, and am thankful beyond words for God asking this of me. My cup overflows.

Sunday, February 1, 2009

to sum up

great moments from the past week-

movie night


being present for two c-sections (which means i was there when two babies were born!!)
talking to kyle
talking to devan
seeing bryan!
pottery class

lunch with lisa

trash pick-up
italian dinner night
group pictures
visiting the injured member of our staff