Full Time

Today was my first day of full time at the hospital!  

It was wonderful, pretty much the same, 

but now I have an office and a direct phone number.

I'm so excited to start my career at the hospital and am

so blessed to have the position I do now.  I couldn't be more thankful.

I have been reminded lately about how perfect God's timing is.

In the time I have been at the hospital, I have grown in my 

profession and been able to develop relationships with staff and

families.  I am definitely more mature as a social worker today

than I was even 6 months ago (when I started at the hospital).

Thank God for providing exactly what we need.

And I am so thankful for family and friends who are supportive

and a huge encouragement to me.

Now I'm just praying that my orientation/transition into

the new position area goes smoothly.

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Workout Plan

I am making a decision in my life to start consistently working out again.  I don't have some impossible plan to become a size 2 (I will likely never be that size again), but I do want to start healthy habits that will last a lifetime (I hope).  I'm also reading through a book called "For Women Only" by Shaunti Feldhahn.  This book is designed for women to better understand the men in our lives.  If you are a woman and haven't read this book, I would highly recommend it.

The book addresses many topics that are focused on helping us women understand the men in our lives (i.e. how they think, why they do certain things, ways that we can best love and encourage them, etc).  The final topic, which I am currently reading about, talks about the fact that men do care about their woman's appearance, even though they would never tell us that they really do care so much.  A man will notice if a woman cares about how she looks and it emotionally affects him negatively if the woman he loves is dissatisfied with her body, but then doesn't do anything about it.  For example, if a woman complains about the extra pounds she has gained, but then eats junk food all the time, it is really disrespectful and hurtful to the man she is with.  The point is that it matters to him whether we make an effort to improve ourselves, not as much whether we actually lose weight - it's the positive lifestyle changes that matters most.

So, even though *most days* I am content in my body and feel beautiful, I am going to make a decision to live a healthier lifestyle to not only benefit myself, but also to show Bert that I want to look good for him, too - even though he said I already look great in his eyes (what a great guy, hey?).

This workout plan starts tomorrow.  I'll keep you updated about my progress and thoughts as I attempt to start this new habit.  :)  I hope you all have a wonderful Sunday night!

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28 Years Together

Happy 28th Wedding Anniversary, Mom and Dad!

You two have been great role models for TJ and I.

I appreciate all the time you have spent with us growing up

and how hard you have worked to give us the lives we have.

You two are wonderful and I am so thankful to have you as parents.

I love you both!

 In Columbus, Ohio 2010 - pretty much sums up their relationship :)

Family Picture at TJ's Graduation from CCAD

 A picture taken in 2011 after church one Sunday

 Last year's anniversary picture at Saz's, where my parents met for the first time!

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Social Butterfly

Today I had a wonderful lunch with the ladies at work.  It was one of the best so far.  I'm so thankful for social workers at CHW that are easy to get along with and fun to chat with at work.  I'm looking forward to more times like this; when I feel more like part of a cohesive staff and less like I'm living in someone else's shadow (I am covering for another person's position, afterall).

I hope you all had a great day.

....I'm definitely looking forward to the weekend....

BUT am WAY more excited for next weekend when Bert comes to visit!

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. a puppy ? .

How cute is she?

After spending time with my friend's puppy, Summer,

I am seriously considering getting a dog someday.

I'm sure Bert wouldn't mind.

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100th Post

This is my much-delayed 100th post.  So much has changed since my last post...

I am still working at CHW, now 4 days a week, but still as an as-needed employee with no benefits or guaranteed hours per week.  This position has kept me busy and it has been wonderful, challenging, humbling, fun, and eye-opening.  I'm still unsure of what opportunities God will open up for me full-time at CHW, but I'm trusting His timing and praying for something to become available soon.

In addition to this, I went to Columbus, OH over Easter this year to visit with my younger brother and I ended up meeting an amazing man named Robert (well, Bert for short).  It was love at first sight...literally.  God has drawn us closer to each other over the past several months and closer to Himself throughout our long distance relationship.  Being apart from Bert has its challenges and struggles, but our relationship is strong and we both believe that this will be worth the wait.  We are visiting each other every 3-4 weeks and hope to live in the same state by May 2012.  Skype dates are also essential to maintaining our connection with each other.  In addition to this, we have grown even closer through doing a couple's devotional together.  I'm really excited to see where God leads us.

Student loans have recently gone into repayment for me.  I'm thankful that they are manageable at this time and am praying for continued discipline in saving money and budgeting properly.  This will be a continued expense over the next several years, so this is just the beginning of the 'JOY' of paying off my debt (not).

I don't think there is anything else to add at this time.  I'll try to be more consistent at posting, but I haven't been very good at this in the past either.  Dear friends, thanks for reading.  I hope you all have a wonderful evening!

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99 blog posts on the wall

This officially marks my 99th blog post ever!  :)

So, it's not really a big deal, but I thought I'd get

excited.

I recently started writing in an actual journal next to my bed.

Due to the ease of access and my newfound discipline, 

I write in the journal more than on my blog.

I think my favorite part of the journal is a section that is titled

"Highlight of the Day".  Every night, as I reflect on the past hours

and after reading my Bible, I write my highlight of the day

to have a clear perspective of how God has been faithful

in my life and how prayers have been answered.

It's a great reminder that each day is new 

and there is always something positive if you look for it.

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