Happy Birthday To Me!!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME!!! Well technically I don't turn 30 until 1245 but it's after midnight on the 24th so I'm celebrating!! There have been a few times I have cried about turning 30. There have been times I have been embarrassed to admit I'm turning 30. While I still don't plan on announcing to EVERYONE my age, I'm actually excited about it!! This evening at work (well I guess technically last night at work), I was told in report that one of my patients had died at about 0300. He was only 20 yrs old. His death was unexpected, sudden and left everyone in shock. At about 1600, the charge nurse came up to me to let me know that something that had never been done before was going to be done tonight. On my floor we have a balcony that overlooks the city. It has flowers and a water fountain. It's really pretty and relaxing. Anyway, PICU (Pediatric Intensive Care Unit) called wanting to reserve it and we allowed it. A 5 week old baby was going to be dying tonight. The baby had not left the hospital or been outside since it was born. It had been staying alive thanks to machines. Tonight the family decided to take the baby off the machines. They wanted to do it outside so the baby could be outside for a little bit before dying. I was discharging a patient when the family of the baby got off the elevator. The mom was in a wheel chair holding the baby which was slightly blue in color. A nurse was walking along side the mom squeezing air into the baby's tiny lungs through an ambu bag. There wasn't a dry eye. Both deaths were so sad. Both made me realize a bit more how excited I should be about my birthday. I am getting older and what an awesome thing! Not everyone makes it to live 30 years!! I have been so blessed. Ecc 3 talks about how there is a time for everything. I dont' know why today was the time for the 20 yr old boy and the 5 week old baby to die. I don't know why I have been blessed with 30 yrs of life. I just know that I have been so I should celebrate!! With that said....HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME!!!! Thank you Lord for blessing me with 30 great years of life!!

Reflections of sort.

Today is my last day in my 20's. The thought is both weird and exciting! It's weird to think that in less than 24 hours I'll be 30. It doesn't seem possible. I always thought by the time I would have a good paying job, my dream truck and be more financially set than I am right now. At times it is humbling to not be at that place in life. Even though I complain about it at times, I'm content where I am. I have a car that works, a job, a nice place to live, family and friends whom I love and who love me back. I have a good life. While it's kind of weird to know I'll be 30 tomorrow, I'm excited. I've heard it said that the 30s are better than 20s and well my 20s were pretty good. Tomorrow also marks another life milestone. A year ago tomorrow is when mom and I loaded up Lil Red to get ready for our road trip to Iowa. On September 26th we got up early and hit the open road. I can't believe that in a few days I'll have been in Iowa for a whole year!!! When we were driving out here, I remember telling God "Whatever it is you are bringing me to Iowa to learn, give me the openness to learn it fast so I can get back to California!" lol! Then December came and I got my first apt. I signed only a 6 month lease because I couldn't stand the thought of being stuck in Iowa due to an apt lease. 6 months was bad enough. The 6 months came and went before I knew it. As much as I'd love to be back in California with my family, the ocean and In-N-Out, I know I am where God wants me and I don't want to be anywhere else. I have an awesome boyfriend. We recently started attending a new church that has alot of energetic people our age. I start a new job on the 13th of October. It is still in the medical field but in a different area. I am currently working at Mercy's hospital. On the 13th I'll be working at one of Mercy's clinics. I got hired on as a receptionist but I'll be doing a variety of things. I'm both nervous and excited. I'm having to take a slight pay cut but the positives outweigh that one negative. I'll be working Monday through Friday 0800-1630. I'll have every weekend off and all major holidays off. Yay! Things are going good. =) A few other things coming up that I'm looking forward to is a trip to Maryland that Adam and I will be taking the beginning of October. The end of October my parents will be arriving...YAY!!! I can't wait!!! Yes it's been quite a year. Some good and of course some not so good. I'm excited to see what the next year holds!

No Place Like Home

What a summer it has been! June 20th I moved into a new apartment on the other side of town. It was a slow process because I would move stuff in the mornings before work. And it was so hot and humid to me, I would only make a couple trips so I had time to get cleaned up and relaxed before work. On the 26th an old friend of mine came up to visit with her 2 kids. Sandy and I have been friends since the 5th grade which is a long time. I was soooooo excited to see them!! That is one of the great things about old friends...no matter how much time passes since you see each other last or talk, you always seem to pick up where you left off. They left on the 29th for back home. Adam and I went to church and then moved the last few items from my old apartment to my new apartment. On the 30th I turned in the keys, went to work, got off at 2330 and then by 0200 Adam and I were on the road to the airport in Omaha. By 0630 we were in the air on our way to CALIFORNIA!!! Man I thought that day was never going to come!! We flew into LAX where my parents picked us up. When we got home, we had a big family bbq. One of my mom's sisters and brothers were both there with their families and my grandmother. My brother and his family were also home. It was the first time my family had been home together in a couple years. That is way too long!! It was so great to see everyone!! We relaxed, went shopping, went on a harbor cruise, hung out on the beach, enjoyed In-N-Out, and just so much more!! My grandparents came out from Arizona on the 3rd. I was soooo happy to be able to see them!!! On the 4th, we had a house full again. This time with my dad's side of the family. That evening we all enjoyed fireworks. Christian did really well. He didn't get scared or anything. This was the last year Fontana is allowing people to do fireworks. Saturday morning Dave, Bev and Christian left for back home in Idaho. Monday morning mom, dad, Adam and I left for LAX. That was so hard. I hated to say bye to them. I hated to leave California. I hated to come back to Iowa. We had a 4 hour lay over in Dallas. My cousin and her husband moved there about a year ago. She picked us up and we went out to dinner. It was really good to see her. Adam and I got back to Des Moines around 2230 that night. For a few days there I had a real hard time adjusting to being back. But I'm doing fine now. I'm excited about things that are happening. Life is slowing down and I'm now focusing on a new job. With the help of a couple smart professionals, I'm confident I'll get the right job. I know God has something out there for me. It's just that His time and my time aren't usually the same. But I have come to the place where I can quietly wait confident that He WILL provide the right job. So I'm patiently waiting (at least trying to). I'm almost all unpacked and feeling more at home again. My new apartment is smaller and older than my previous apartment but I like it. My parents are coming out in October to visit. I'm looking forward to that.

Be Still

Psalm 46:10a says, "Be still and Know that I am God". Steven Curtis Chapman sings a song about this which I have found myself humming ALOT lately. In May of 2007 I graduated from Trinity Christian College with a BA in Political Science and a minor in Psychology. I was excited to be done and on to a new career, something out of the medical field. Now here I am back to working in the medical field. I want out so bad. I love helping people but in this aspect. I want out of my job so bad. I am all but burned out. I have been stressing that no one will want me since all my work experience is medically related. I need a better paying job as well as simply a new line of work. This is a time where I am simply having to be still and know that God is God and that He will provide my needs and a new job in the right field at the right time. Lord, help me to be patient and wait, trusting that You will provide. Help me to be still and know that You ARE God.

a dream come true

Over the past weekend, Adam and I took a road trip to Memphis, Tennessee to see Amy Grant in concert. For Valentine's Day, he bought me a membership to her fan club and the concert tickets. I didn't think this weekend was ever going to come but then it did. We had a good drive down there though I must confess I slept most of the way. On Saturday afternoon, Adam and I walked to the concert hall to attend the sound check. There was just a small group of us there for it. So we got to talk to Amy, get her autograph and take pictures with her. I was on cloud 9!!! That evening we got dressed up and walked to the concert hall to enjoy an awesome performance by Amy Grant, her band and the Memphis Symphony. It was absolutely amazing!!! It was also a dream come true. Amy Grant has always been my favorite singer. I think part of the reason is I remember growing up to her music. My mom still has some her original recordings on vinyl records. Her concert left me uplifted, encouraged, inspired and on cloud 9. Thank you Adam for making a dream come true for me!!