week 1

well...week one of the rest of my life is almost over. and i'm thankful for this week and all that i've learned and seen.

1. apparently my new employer is often referred to as the University that Ate Birmingham
2. it spans about 15 blocks, so as you can imagine, i'll be doing lots of walking
3. to get to work in the morning i drive 23 blocks east, and then take a bus 14 blocks back west. to get home i do the same, just in the opposite direction
4. i have learned a lot about how to take care of patients and all the rules that of health care
5. on our tour of the hospital today we visited the helipad. a helicopter was coming in for a trauma and we got to see it all happen. don't get me wrong, it's not that i want anyone to be hurt bad enough to have that happen, but it was one of the coolest things i've ever seen
6. everything i've learned has increased my resolve and i'm more than ready to be done with school and be able to move forward in my career
7. pray for me as i move forward with classes and start applying to nursing schools-for wisdom and that the Lord would give me favor in their eyes!

making progress

I've been reading The Pilgrim's Progress. I'm just finishing it up. And look back on the story a few things come to mind:

1. This spiritual battle is real. And it's going on around us ALL THE TIME. I think I would live my life differently if I were more aware of the reality of what is going on in the spiritual realm.

2. Throughout the story there are places the pilgrim stops to rest, places the Prince of pilgrims created for that purpose. But there are also places that he is told he should never stop or be tempted to rest, these places are created by the enemy to trick him into a slumber that he would never awake from. He needs the guide to tell him when it is okay to rest, and when he needs to keep moving forward.

3. All the characters are named by the chief character strength or fault. I wonder what my pilgrim name would be?

A couple of my favorite quotes (these both come from Part II of the story):

...but I am resolved to keep in the good way, to run when I can, to walk when I cannot run, and creep when I cannot walk; yet to keep my face toward Zion. My journey may be long and toilsome and my mind and body weak; yet my heart is set on that fair City at the end of the way, beyond the river that has no bridge.

I see myself now at the end of my journey; my toilsome days are over. I am going to see the head that was crowned with thorns and the face that was spit upon for me. I have been living by hearsay and faith, but now I am going where I shall live by sight, and I shall be with Him in whose company I delight. I have loved to hear Him spoken of, and wherever I would see His footprints on the sand of time, there I delighted to walk. His name has been to me a precious treasure-sweeter than all perfumes. His voice I rejoice to hear, and His face to me exceeds all beauty in earth and sky. His Word I have used as food for my soul and for antidote against my faltering. He has kept me back from my iniquities, and He has held me fast. Yes, my steps He has strengthened in His way.

part 4 of in my heart i'm still a dancer

76. Just after posting part 3, I had my very first wreck and my car was totaled. Thankfully, no one was hurt and it wasn't my fault.
77. Thanks to number 76, I am now the proud owner of a new-er car.
78. For the first time in my life, I am not afraid to follow my dreams. No matter how scary it may be.
79. I prefer my sweet potato casserole with brown sugar and nuts.
80. Tomorrow I will eat my first Lebanese food in exactly 5 years. I am overjoyed. There's some fattouche and a schwarma calling my name!
81. I wear a retainer most nights for TMJ. I started this habit in Africa when I put a whole in one of my teeth from grinding them at night. Something about a civil war made my life a little stressful then.
82. On Monday I will start my 10th new job in two years.
83. My new job is a Patient Care Technician in the Trauma/Burn ICU at UAB Hospital. If I end up in nursing school at UAB, hopefully this job will last a while.
84. Not long after Part 3, I also had my very first case of food poisoning. I may never eat fish tacos again.
85. I also recently participated in my very first Ash Wednesday and Maundy Thursday services.
86. I recently read an article about milk that totally freaked me out. I am now on a mission to eat as much organic and locally grown or raised food as I can. It will be a learning experience for sure.
87. I am thinking of applying to nursing school in the great state of TX or CA. Why not?
88. When I get stressed I don't eat. Quite the opposite of most people.
89. And if given the choice between sleeping or eating, I'll always choose sleep.
90. I can't study while its still daylight outside. It must be hereditary cause my sister is the same way.
91. Speaking of my sister, in May I will see her for the first time in over a year.
92. I had to buy scrubs for my new job. They came in the mail today. As I suspected, I am not cute in scrubs.
93. I took an entomology class in college. Complete with bug collection. I did great on the tests, but flat out failed my bug collection. Ever since having to collect bugs I am terrified of any bug that flies.
94. I also took a Mammalogy class where I had to skin and stuff a rat. Yes folks...as much as I wish it wasn't, its true.
95. Other than being overseas for 2 years, J.Crew is the job I've had the longest. 1 yr and 8 months.
96. I'm not a jewelery person, but I have one necklace that I wear every single day. It has a pendant in the shape of Africa. It's a constant reminder of what the Lord did...and opens doors of conversation almost every day.
97. I sometimes find myself reading blogs of people I don't know. I'm not sure how I end up there or why, but I find it intriguing.
98. I also read a lot of recipe blogs. A LOT. I'm not really sure why since I never cook any of the recipes. But a girl can dream.
99. My 31st birthday is coming up very soon-so far I feel like it will be harder than 30.
100. I love you all and appreciate your friendship more than you'll ever know!

if the world were a village

I saw this on the Tom's website recently and thought it was worth sharing. Apparently the statistics come from a book "If the World Were a Village" by David Smith.

if the world were a village of 100 people...

1 has AIDS
3 are slaves
14 are illiterate
20 are malnourished
23 drink polluted water
25 have no shelter
30 are unemployed
33 have no electricity
40 have no shoes
45 live on less than $2 a day
48 have no sanitation
56 have parasites

a great future!

There remains for us only the very narrow way, often extremely difficult to find, of living every day as thought it were our last, and yet living in faith and responsibility as though there were to be a great future.
Dietrich Bonhoeffer

Kyrie

Lord Have Mercy

Jesus I've forgotten
The words that You have spoken
Promises that burned within my heart
Have now grown dim
With a doubting heart I follow
The paths of earthly wisdom
Forgive me for my unbelief
Renew the fire again

Lord have mercy, Christ have mercy, Lord have mercy on me

I have built an altar
Where I've worshipped things of man
I have taken journeys
That have drawn me far from You
Now I am returning
To Your mercies ever flowing
Pardon my transgression
Help me love you again

I have longed to know You
And all Your tender mercies
Like a river of forgiveness
Ever flowing without end
So I bow my heart before You
In the goodness of Your presence
Your grace forever shining
Like a beacon in the night

God, be merciful to me, a sinner!
Luke 18.13

i try to pretend it didn't happen

ignore it so it doesn't hurt so bad.

but the reality is
every day I miss him.
11 years later it doesn't really hurt any less.

I cried tonight remembering him.
remembering what a redneck he was.
that time he tried to creep me out by turning his eyes opposite ways.
his tattoo he got for one of his last birthdays.

how he never stopped believing in the people he loved.
no matter how bad they hurt him.

I cried tonight because i'll never get to know him as a funny shrinking old man.
I cried because he'll never get to know me as an adult. to see how strong i am.

I cried because sometimes a little girl just needs her daddy.

i spoke too soon :(

pretty sure she's dead, and something new-er will be replacing her soon.
i'm very thankful i walked away with only a few bruises and air bag burns!


yes, all the hoses were hanging out from underneath, and my wheel well was falling off


the other car was a big truck so my car ran right up underneath her.

she was a beauty, well...not so much, but she sure got me from place to place. and i was planning on giving a run at another 140,000 miles.

part 3 of in my heart I'm still a dancer...

51. My RHR (resting heart rate) is 45. Yes...I am in fact alive.
52. I had tubes in my ears 2x as a kid.
53. Between ear problems and malsorption (I won't gross you out with that one) I spent most of my time at Children's Hospital.
54. A recent fundraising event for that same hospital is what gave me the final push I needed to pursue nursing school.
55. I never wear shorts, except to run in.
56. I am currently working one job 40 hrs a week, working a 2nd job (J.Crew) somewhere between 5 and 10 hrs a week, I'm taking 6 hrs in school, and training for my 1st half marathon. So...I'm kinda tired.
57. I've never had a wreck. One fender bender where no one's fender was actually bent. Outside of that, so far so good.
58. I've had 2 speeding tickets and one ticket for rolling through a stop sign.
59. I took the ACT twice because I wanted to do better...I wanted to go to DUKE.
60. I go through a gallon of milk, a loaf of bread, and at least one box of cereal every week.
61. I'm pretty sure if the Lord had blessed me with the ability to sing I would be super prideful about it.
62. I have a routine in the morning. Every morning I get out of bed at 6:30. I get clean and then blow dry my hair. At 6:51 I sit down, turn on the Today show and put my makeup on. At 7:00 I get up and start getting dressed. I grab some breakfast, and walk out the door at 7:15. Every day. Without fail.
63. When I was a freshman in college I smoked 2 packs of cigarettes a day...the Lord is gracious and merciful, abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness.
64. My favorite jobs I've ever had were a car wash and Starbucks. I think it had something to do with being on my feet, talking to people, and not having lot of crazy stuff to remember.
65. I have no idea what size my bed is. Sometimes I'm convinced it's a full, others that it's a queen. So I just buy whatever and make it work.
66. When I grow up I want a great dane named mr. darcy.
67. I think movies and tv should be sunshine and roses, so I really don't watch thrillers or dramas.
68. When I need to relax I listen to bluegrass music.
69. My sister and I have the same favorite scripture, neither of us knew it till we were adults.
Psalm 63.3 for those of you who are curious.
70. 1 Timothy 1.15,16 is the scripture the Lord used in my life as a college student to show me how He wanted to use me.
71. I love white pants during the spring and summer!
72. I have to use the exact same amount of shampoo as conditioner every day. I can't handle one bottle being finished before the other.
73. I love to shop online and would buy my groceries that way if I could.
74. I look so much like my grandmother that total strangers ask me if I'm her granddaughter. And so much like my mom that people tell me that they met my mom and I'm like well how did you know it was my mom. They laugh.
75. Pizza is by far my favorite food IN THE WORLD.

i took a walk today...

well, it was actually yesterday...it snowed in Alabama and I thought it was a perfect chance to show you my lovely neighborhood.


my neighborhood is known for all the parks...i live between the 2nd and 3rd parks and they make for a lovely place to run.


it's the oldest neighborhood in Birmingham, so there are lots of lovely old houses that people use for weddings and events...


pretty red berries in the snow!


a view through one of the intersections.


my apartment building