Exes

do you think it is possible for two people,

who used to be in love but are not any longer,

to be friends without it becoming complicated?

i have my thoughts on this, but was curious what other

people thought too.

please let me know your thoughts.

thanks!

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Love

Happy Valentine's Day!

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A Great Year

This year has been amazing so far.  God has been completely faithful and proven, yet again, that He is in complete control.  Not only have I been blessed with wonderful friends and a great family, but God's timing has been perfect.

This week's sermon at church was about contentment in every circumstance God places you in.  The verses we went over were Philippians 4:10-20.  More specifically, Philippians 4:13, "I can do everything through him who gives me strength."  As was taught on Sunday, this verse isn't a promise that we will be successful in anything we attempt because "God promised we can do all things through Him".  This verse speaks to the truth that if we put our hope and joy in Jesus Christ as our Lord, we can do all things because God is our strength.  When we become weak, He is strong.

At this present moment, life is good.  I recently passed my WI State Statute exam to become a Certified Advanced Practice Social Worker.  In order to be certified nationally, I need to take one other exam.  I'm hoping to take the final exam sometime in March.

In addition to passing the State exam, I also got offered a position at Children's Hospital as a medical social worker!  I'm so excited.  I knew that the position would be available sometime soon, but wasn't positive the timing would work out for me to apply and get the position.  Thankfully, God's timing was perfect and I had my temporary social work certification and official transcript just in time for the interview.

With the exception of posting about the position on this blog, I am trying to keep the news a bit of a secret for now since I haven't officially started yet.  I have to go in to the hospital on Wednesday to do some paperwork, but my official start date will be February 22nd.  :)

So, all in all, things have been really good for me lately.  I'm just continuing to pray that the Lord will guard my heart for the right guy and hopefully lead me to my future husband soon!  So far, I'm being patient and waiting for God's perfect timing in this aspect of my life as well.

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28 Hours per Week

My supervisor at the Outreach Center and

I have been praying lately about whether the Center's

board of directors would approve bringing me

onto the staff full-time.

This has been quite the topic of conversation lately.

Even prior to graduation, I was being asked about my

plans longer-term with the Center.  I always replied that

"I don't know what the future holds, but I am praying about

where God would have me be long-term.  Right now, I am

thankful for my position and enjoy what I am doing at the Center."

This, I believe, was a good answer to their question....

until the board of directors questioned my commitment to

the Center long-term.  Since I wouldn't give a "straight" answer

about my future at the Outreach Center, the board interpreted my
response as not being committed to the Center at all.

God has a funny way of working things out in the end.

The grant that would have funded my position (back in October)

fell through.  That same week, I received a phone call

that offered me a wonderful position at my "dream" job.

Months have gone by.  I prayed and waited.  Prayed and waited.

Finally, I decided to commit to the Outreach Center.  The board of

directors met to talk with one another about my position and future here.

When they reached a conclusion (based on our resources), they offered

me 28 hours a week. 

God has a funny way of working things out in the end.  I felt a mix of disappointment

and relief.  With this schedule, I am able to pursue the other opportunity

as well as stay at the Center indefinitely.  This is what I had hoped for from day one.
Unfortunately, this schedule also limits the savings I can put together and will not
sustain me long-term.

Now, I sit and wait.  Praying that God would open doors where
I am meant to take opportunities...

and closes doors when I am meant to stay put.

I am so thankful for my position at the Outreach Center. I am thankful for an understanding supervisor who has supported my professional and personal development since day One.  And I am thankful for a God who is always faithful and has my best interest in mind.

I'm hopeful about my future...excited to see how it all fits together.
And I will, of course, keep you posted when I find out.

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Reborn Babies

Have you heard about these?

They are created to resemble a real baby - weighing the same

and having lifelike features.

In fact, the woman who creates these babies 

adds imperfections to each one to make them appear

more real.

Some women purchase these "reborn babies" and

raise them as if they were their own.

It's documented in "My Fake Baby", a documentary

on Showtime.

Your thoughts?

Find out more at:

(My Fake Baby show) - http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1179892/

(Reborn Baby Website) - http://www.reborn-baby.com/

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Happy New Year!

It is now the year 2011.

I had a great 2010, but I'm ready for a fresh start.

May this year be filled with God's love, friends, family, 

good memories (yet to be created), love, laughter, and blessings.

Here's to a great year!

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The Past Few Weeks

I've been gone for a while again.

So, let me recap the past few weeks:

On Saturday, December 18th, I participated in a pinning ceremony at UWM.  The ceremony was for graduates of the criminal justice or social work department.  Being from the social work department, I thought it would be fun to get pinned by the Dean of the college.

Sunday, December 19th was my graduation day.  Finally...after four semesters, I am done with Graduate School!  :)  All the hard work paid off.  I ended up just shy of a 3.9 GPA.  Not too shabby!  I'm so so so thankful that it is done.  Granted, at some point in my life, I'm sure I will miss school, but I'm ready to leave my future work at work and enjoy some much needed free time.

In addition to graduation, the Outreach Center has asked me to join their staff full-time.  They are currently working to approve my salary and are deciding exactly what my position will look like.  I feel so blessed to be in the position I am currently (out of school, employed, living at home, and ready for the future).

Okay, so back to the past few weeks...

On Monday, December 20th (at 5:30am mind you), I went to West Allis Memorial Hospital to have my tonsillectomy.  It was my first surgery EVER and I was definitely anxious the day of.  The anesthesiologist, who put in my IV, had to try to get the vein twice (which was a bit traumatizing for me...with a fear of needles and all).  But after that, all I remember is waking up in the recovery room and then eating some popsicles afterward.

Days 1 through 6 were the worst.  I was able to eat soft foods (mashed potatoes, soggy cereal, popsicles, pudding, hard-boiled eggs) and drink lots of fluids, but my ears, tongue, and throat were in pain.  My tongue swelled up to about twice its size.  It is still a bit numb and sore, but is definitely getting better.  My throat is finally feeling only mildly uncomfortable.  No more pain meds for me.

I go to see the doctor tomorrow for my post-op appointment, and I'm hoping I get good news to start back on a general diet.  I did have a "normal" meal tonight, which went well.  Here's to feeling completely back to normal.

Since I did practically nothing for the past two weeks (or so), I still feel a bit loopy and out of sorts (hence my not writing in this blog).

December 25th was Christmas.  Merry (late) Christmas blog readers!  It was a wonderful time with family.  Other than having to cut my food into TINY pieces, Christmas was great this year.  :)

December 26th was my graduation party.  This was another great time with friends and family.  I was so fortunate to get generous gifts that allowed me to send in my social work certification application and fees!  Now, it's just a waiting game to see if I'm approved to take my State and National exams to become an APSW (Advanced Practice Social Worker).

So, that's my update.  I'll be sure to post more as the new year comes.

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