Different, But The Same

It's been over two years since I posted anything on this blog. Wow! I almost forgot that it existed. I have enjoyed going back and reading old posts an reminders of things I had forgotten. So much has happened in just two years time!

Life has changed.

I have been married for over three years to an incredible man that God has made into a spiritual leader and warrior for Himself. I have watched him go from a young man full of life, energy, and anticipation for what his future held to a young - but older than he was - man that the Lord has matured into a strong, wise, godly husband and leader of his household. He has become a great protector, provider, and example of Christ Jesus.

I have worked on the same unit in the same hospital this whole time. I love my job. I don't always love it at the moment, but I love having the consistent opportunity to serve and show Christ's love to others. It is good for me to be in an environment where I am constantly reminded that we are called to trials on this earth & that I was made to be the hands and feet of Jesus by serving sacrificially, even when I am tired or patient family members are rude or some child has messed up his bed sheets multiple times within a few hours and I have to change them over and over again. It is good to have to look past my own wants and needs and consider the needs of others above myself.

My family has changed. My siblings have grown and matured, life has happened, and we have had joy and mourning. In April, my earthly father accidentally committed suicide. This has been the greatest challenge of my life so far, and has brought both the deepest hurt and the closest intimacy with God that I have ever felt. A blessing of pain is the insatiable longing for relief it causes. I am more aware than ever before that this world is not where I want to be forever. I want to go home to my Eternal Father and bask in His perfect presence, free of sin and death. However, I am finding joy in serving Him while I am here. All of our days are numbered, so as long as I am here, I know that I am supposed to be here and I will seek to accomplish the goals that my Heavenly Father has set for me.

Other loved ones have died. In fact, we lost 8 family members in one year back in 2010. Many new lives have started. I now have multiple close friends that have children, some have multiple children! I have gained a sister in law and a brother in law. We bought a house. We bought a car. I have learned all about "real food," gardening, sustainability, alternative health, and many other subjects. Friends and family have moved away. Most of my closest friends are still close to me in spirit, but physically farther away.

Life is different.

The Trinity is still the same as He was two years ago. Still faithful. Still steadfastly loving. Still just and righteous. Still gracious. Still merciful. Still slow to anger and abounding in love. Still pardoning my iniquities and forgiving my transgressions. Still giving me undeserved kindness and compassion each day. Still true. ALWAYS true. God never changes.

Life is different. Life is hard. Life is good, because God is a good and true and faithful God who never changes. I can always count on Him and the truth of His Word.

"Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever." Hebrews 13:8

PTL!!!!!!!

Today I found out that I got the job up in CVICU! I am soooooooooo ecstatic! My two loves in nursing are cancer and heart, so this job is a big deal! There are over 1500 nursing students graduating in this state this year, so to get a job at all, much less my dream job, is very exciting!

Now I just need to keep praying that God will help me finish out school strong and continue to guide my footsteps as I serve Him.

Future thoughts

Well, I had an interview on Monday for the CVICU in the hospital I currently work at. I would looooooooooooooooove to get the position. However, I heard that a lot of people applied, so it's competitive. Now I am just trusting the Lord to put me where he wants me to be.

PRAYER REQUEST: Please be praying that if it is God's will that I will get this job. They said I should hear something by the end of next week.

Good news is that I've been on top of my game with my school work and have finished almost all of the semester projects so that I can concentrate on studying for tests and learning what I need to know to pass my state boards. God is so good to give me the time I need to accomplish the tasks I am assigned.

Just read a friend's blog and saw that she had created this saying & loved it:
"Think, read, and pray before a choice you make.
Use your mind, engage your heart, before a step you take."

Pray, pray, pray! :)

When you give a neighbor a cookie...

We had a funny thing happen tonight.

Background: We live in an apartment complex. Back around Christmas time we baked our neighbors some cookies. Other than that, we do not know our neighbors, we just see them walking by now and then.

Tonight we had a tornado headed right towards the area our apartment is in, so Paul and I were gathering blankets and heading towards the middle of the apartment when we heard a knock on our door. It was a couple that lives upstairs, seeking shelter from the tornado. So, we let them and started chatting and then we heard another knock on the door, and when we opened it, it was the other two sets of neighbors from upstairs. So then there were 8 of us crammed in our little apartment. Eventually the storm let up and the neighbors went back home. A few minutes later Paul opened the door to check the weather, and there was a little green frog sitting on our doorstep, looking at us. I looked at Paul and said, "This is where we draw the line." lol.

In other news, I only have 9 weeks of school left! Praise the Lord! I am so excited to be graduating soon.

Bi-annual blogging is no bueno.

So, I haven't blogged in almost exactly half a year. Oops. You'd think I was in nursing school or something. Here's my life update:

LAST SEMESTER OF SCHOOL!!!!!!! HOORAY!!!!! I am ecstatic. I love my classes so far! Last semester was rough because the information in lecture was either uninteresting or were bits of information we had learned in previous classes. This semester I am getting slammed with new information, but it is super interesting and is really connecting the dots for me.

Marriage is wonderful, wonderful, wonderful. I love seeing my husband every evening when we get home. He is so helpful around the house (yes, even after 6 months) and it's just such a relief to finally be married after 4 years of dating. Oh, and I have had the most fun cooking different meals. I found that I LOOOOOOVE to cook and I had no idea! Marriage has made school much easier as well. I was able to pull off a 4.0 last semester thanks to the support of my husband.

I've applied for a job on the floor that I love. We will see what happens. I want the job sooooo badly. It's the one of the reasons I went to nursing school. However, God will put me where He wants me to be.

I started a new quiet time schedule. In the mornings I am now getting up 37 minutes earlier than before. I roll out of bed and spend the first 7 minutes praying, then I spend 30 minutes reading and meditating before I start to get ready for the day. It has been a challenge this week with my early morning school schedule, but I have enjoyed every minute of it.

Well, that's the update. I want to start blogging more often again. I have missed it!

"Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path" Psalm 119:105.

I love this verse because it is so simple, but so true. If we aren't using the light (the Bible) to guide our way through life, then we are walking in darkness and we will never find the way.

Thank you, God, for Your Word!

One Month!

Paul and I have been married for a little over a month now. Monday made one month for us. For our one month anniversary, we ate at the Olive Garden and it was soooooo good! Their white chocolate raspberry cheesecake is one of my favorite deserts in the whole world.

Paul surprised me by bringing home roses! I love roses!!! I'm not a big flower person just because they are so expensive and they die so quickly (it's a lot of money for something that won't last long), but I really like getting them every once in a while for a special occasion, so our 1 month anniversary was just perfect! Paul knows me so well!

On Tuesday night (day after our 1 month) we decided to dive into our wedding cake topper (which is more like a whole cake) for our 1 month rather than our 1 year, because so many people have told us that no matter how well you wrap the cake, it never tastes that good after it has been sitting in one's freezer for a whole year. We will just make a new cake to celebrate when we get to a year.

Paul wanted me to take a picture of the dinner I made for him on Tuesday night. It wasn't anything special, but he thought it was really good. I made stuffed baked potatoes, fruit salad with whipped cream, and cut up some bell peppers. Of course, cake was dessert. YUMMY!

Married Life

I am enjoying married life soooooooo much! It is so nice to have my own husband & home to take care of every day! Of course, my sweet husband is making being married a breeze. On the days that Paul leaves the house for work before I do, I receive a little love note on the refrigerator. I've been finding that I now wake up and run to the refrigerator with anticipation, wondering what my note for the day will say. It is so much fun!

I have also been enjoying cooking for myself and my husband. We have been eating a lot of fresh fruits and vegetables since it is summertime. Since we live so close to the grocery store, it hasn't been hard at all to stop by on my way home and pick up fresh produce, especially since the produce has been on sale these past few weeks!

I have also found that my relationship with God has deepened since Paul and I have been married. It is an exciting challenge to spend my time serving my husband and at the same time, developing character qualities that have been lacking in the past. Being married and living with my husband is allowing me to clearly see some of the areas where I am severely deficient as far as Christian character goes.

There is the verse in Proverbs that says, "He who finds a wife finds a good thing and obtains favor from the Lord," but I think the same goes for she who finds a husband. Too bad the best one is taken now! ;)