Feliz Cumpleanos!

Hey ya'll! Its been a while. Again.

I know. I know. I'm a bad blogger. The worst.

Ohhh well. I'm not sorry. School has been crazy town x 12.

And I know you're not sorry either.

Somehow your life has continued even though you haven't been updated on my happenings.

But today is a special day. So here I am!

It's Tax Day! Woohoo. Let's celebrate!

Okay, jk.

Actually not jk.

It really is Tax Day!

But more importantly, it's my momma's birthday!

And she gave birth to me.
And I came into this world so fast,
She didn't have time to get an epidural.
So I figured I should give her a shout out!

Since she was born on the 17th,
Let's look at 17 things that make my momma awesome!

17. She makes chicken spaghetti that calms my soul.

16. She taught me how to make chicken spaghetti so I can calm my own soul.

15. She went back to school when I was a child and got her Master's. Say what?! I'm getting my master's now--without the two children and the husband and home--and I'm barely making it by the skin of my teeth.

14. Do teeth have skin?

14. Just kidding. That has nothing to do with my mom's awesomeness. But this does: She put her nursing career on hold to stay home with me and Stephen so we didn't turn in to hoodlums.

13. She's getting a new puppy.

12. She's naming the puppy after me.

Okay not really. The puppy's name is Ena. But it starts with an E too. soo maybbee.

not.

11. She's 100% Irish. Northern Irish. To be technical. Yes, my mother is a foreigner, born and raised. And thanks to this Irish heritage, she knows how to cook potatoes in a million different, incredible ways.

10. She passed on her potato knowledge to me. At least in mashed form. And now I have another food to make to calm the soul.

9. She has an green thumb. This, however, did not get passed on to me. But she does grow pretty flowers, and I do like to look at them! And I do predict that she will design me pretty flower beds on day when I have my own home!

8. She inspired me to healthcare professional! Granted I won't be a nurse because I refuse to learn pharmacology, but still, our careers are pretty darn similar. And now we can go scrub shopping together!

9. And she tolerates my 37 calls a year in which I try to convince her I'm dying. Many a phone call have started: Mom, I'm dying. No, seriously, I mean it. Sure this bump on my arm looks like a scab, but I'm pretty sure its a death spot. Or I know it sounds like I just pulled a muscle but I'm 67% sure this a femoral hernia. Or sure it might just be heartburn but I got on Webmd and I'm pretty sure I have erosive esophagitis.

8. She also gave birth to my brother. And when I tried to tell her as a child to disown him and kick out , she didn't listen. Not once. Though she did threaten to leave us both a few times and join the navy as nurse. Thanks for not doing that either! Though I'm sure the navy would have appreciated her a lot more than I did sometimes!

7. She went on a zillion of my school field trips. Even all the way to DC. And two years ago, she took me to Chicago. And it was awesome. And we're going back! Yes??

6. She also took me on my very first mission trip. All the way to Ecuador. Even though I was a wee ninth grader. (See, I can say things like "wee" because thanks to my mom, I'm 50% Irish.)

5. She married a keeper!

4. She manages to love and encourage me even though sometimes I'm a crazy, whiny diva.

3. She drove a truck loaded down with more junk than you can imagine through the rain and through the mountains to help me move to Charleston. Then she helped me carry all that junk up two flights of stairs!

2. She's beautiful!!

1. She loves me and prays for me and encourages me all the time!

I am one blessed daughter!

Happy birthday!!!

Happy BIRFday!

So today is Stephen's birthday.

In case you don't know, he's my favorite brother.

Granted, he is my only brother.

But even if I had another one, he'd probably still be my favorite.

Sorry nonexistent brother.

It's just that Stephen is kind of a trump card when it comes to brothers.

I mean. I can't lie. When we were younger,  sometimes I did actually try to destroy him.

He could just give me a look, and I'd burst into tears.

He also had this ridiculous way of yodeling my name.

And when he did, my heart would explode with anger.

I'm not kidding.

But somehow we made it through childhood.

And now he's one of my favoritest people.

He makes me laugh. and encourages me.

He can be weird and awkward. Like me but with better social skills.

And he always manages to love me even when I freak out like a crazy person.

--> Like I did when he told me to come work at camp with him. He told me over the phone that I needed to come--like the next day, and then I cried for the next 12 hours. Camp? Me work at camp? The last time I went to a camp was in the fourth grade. And I got homesick and had to come home early. But I went. Cause he told me too. And ended up spending the next three best summers of my life there. Thanks to Stephen.

--> And like I did here.

--> And like I did when we went out to CO this December, and he took me skiing. We had great fun on all the bunny slopes, but then he took me down a 3.5 mile run from the top of the mountain. I hadn't eaten in 5 hours, I'm outrageously outta shape, and I wasn't prepared for the dang 10,000 ft altitude (I live at sea level, people). Anyways, ya'll! I whined and complained the whole way down that mountain. I turned a 20 min. ski run into two hours. Again, not kidding. In my defense, I was cramped, starved, and feelin quite pukey. But for the 5 million times I told Stephen I couldn't make it, he always told me I could and never once told me I was a weinie.

And again in my defense, once we did make it down the mountain, I went right home and actually puked cause I really was that exhausted. I had like a 8 year puke-free streak going, and then it was ruined. But it was worth it to learn that even when I'm being a diva/dying on a mountain, my brother will be there with an endless reservoir of patience and encouragement.

So yeah, that's my brother. He's my fave.

And here's some of my favorite photos of us for you viewing pleasure.

Juggling together in Ecuador.

He came to see me off at prom.

Awkward beach picture.

With our cousin Sampson.

With our other cuzes.

Awkward Thanksgiving photo.

Christmas dinner.

In CO at his park this August.

CO this December.

Happy at the top of mountain. 

And then that night I puked.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, STEPHEN! I'm proud of you, I love you, and I miss you so much!

**Author's note: I know some of my classmates will read this because we're all looking for any and every excuse not to study pathophysiology. And you've probably noticed that my brother is ridiculously good-looking. And now you know that he is also kind and wonderful. And so I just wanted to go ahead and say, yes, he has a girlfriend! Sorry, ladies...

snickers.

So I haven't blogged in ages. I know, I'm lame.

I'm gonna try to be better. But I've said that before.

Shhh..

But I do want to try and blog more about Jesus and what he's been teaching.
It's been SO GOOD.

I'll also try to blog more stories about life. Because usually they're weird.
And it's very cathartic for me to get my weirdness out as much as possible.
And I feel like its good for all you normal people too.
For you to know its okay to be weird.
There's freedom in the weird. in the nerdy. in the awkward.

BUT back to Jesus!
Oh man, He has me in such a sweet and simple state.
And I'm loving it.

I'll start with this quote that came from the daily devo Jesus Calling. It's a great little nugget/supplement to add to some daily Bible reading. But this one day, it was SO what I needed to hear.

"As you anticipate what is ahead of you, you forget that I am with you--now and always. Rehearsing your troubles results in experiencing them many times, whereas you are meant to go through them only when they actually occur. Do not multiply your suffering in this way! Instead, come to Me, and relax in My Peace. I will strengthen you and prepare you for this day, transforming your fear into confident trust."

I'm typically pretty good at putting up a front of being a happy-go-lucky person. Whenever I take those animal personality tests, I'm always the golden retriever. Not really cut out to be the intense lion or a type-a beaver. And I am that personality, not easily worked up, stressed or angered.

But I still, for years, have allowed anxieties and fears to creep into my life in an everyday manner. Fears about school, loans, singleness, looks, reputation, career, etc. And like the quote said, I take situations in my head and play them out in every scenario possible thinking what is gonna go wrong. Things that might not be happening for weeks, months, years. And I worry about them now. And allow that fear to paralyze me and dictate my actions. Dumb.

But thank goodness for Jesus. He has been teaching me that life is no where near as complicated as I have made it. That I need to be simply resting in his goodness, faithfulness, sweetness, his security and plan each day. Because worrying does nothing but increase those anxieties, fears, and doubts.

So that's where I've been. Spending time with Jesus every day, resting in his splendid and unchanging security, and when my fears come a-calling, I repeat a verse to myself  or remind myself of Jesus's supremacy. And then those fears don't stand a chance! And I love it! And love Jesus all the more!! Ah, its a good spot to be in. And I know life won't always be this sweet, but even when life crumbles, Jesus is still at the foundation, and he can't be shaken! And I am so excited and thankful to be his!

And since no blog should be without some kind of picture, here's a few photos of what I've been doing in the kitchen..

Sausage, cheese, rice stuffed portobellos. 

Thought I was ready for mushrooms. 

No, they're still gross as when I was ten.

Stuffing was tasty though.

Homemade wheat bread.

Jambalaya. 

Snickers.

For breakfast.

Oh the humanity.

I wasn't gonna leave the house today...

but I just ran out of chocolate.

And it's finals week.

You do the math.

-----

Since Thanksgiving, there hasn't been too much excitement.

We had an OT bake sale.

I made chocolate chip cookies.

They involved these ingredients:

Half had the pb M&M's and half had an oreo hidden inside.

I didn't combine the two.

It would have been too much for one man.

Doesn't that look good enough to make ya cry?

Please don't.

I sent all the cookies to the bake sale.

Except the half eaten oreo one above.

But I regret this.

Because as I mentioned above, I just ran out of chocolate.

And these cookies would be nice right about now.

-----

The only other recent cause for excitement is that we had an OT Christmas party last weekend.

But I don't have any photos of the fun!

I forget to document a lot.

But don't give up hope.

I do have pictures of my hair from that night.

You see. I don't have a small hand mirror. Well, I did, but I lost it. Or it might just be in the in-between-the-car-seats-console-thing in my car. It's hard to say. But a small hand mirror is quite needed, especially when one needs to check that the back of their hair it isn't too spastic. But when one isn't available, you gotta do what you gotta do to make sure none of your bobby pins are looking like weirdos.

Here is about a third of my attempts to determine my bobby pin situation:

This last one finally convinced me that all bobby pins were appropriately and adequately placed.

-----

And now, after all that excitement, class is over!

And finals week is here, which means all I get to do this weekend is study.

But on the plus side, I get to stay in my pjs and eat chocolate like a fool.

And my parents are super sweet. And have been sending me care packages.

One included this monkey.

He sings and dances, and I'm in love.

They also included Christmasy kitchen towels, santa socks, mentos, chocolate, and gum.

The mentos and chocolate are gone as of 2:00 this afternoon.

The gum is not far behind.

And this is why I am now weighing my options.

Changing out of pjs to go to the store?

Or attempting to study in a chocolateless home?




I'll keep you updated.

Just call me the Baby Whisperer

I think the photo speaks for itself.

Cesar Millan better watch out.
This new Whisperer is putting all other Whisperers to shame.

But I have much more to tell you than this.

I travelled to Tennessee last week.
Past palm trees, rain, mountains, and an exit sign called Bat Cave.

Thanksgiving Day was awesome. And oh so very relaxing. It was just my parents and I. Which meant we kept cooking simple, yet still satisfying and delish. It was nice not to have to spend the whole day cooking up an epic feast and then cleaning up the aftermath.

Not that I ever do a lot of the cooking. Or cleaning. But it was nice not to watch others being hurried in the kitchen. Mom got to watch the Macy's Parade for the first time in years. And we watched the dog show. And the poodle didn't win. So it was a successful day all around.

We did miss Stephen though. He is still out in CO living the dream, working as security at a ski resort. So to compensate for our loss, we Facetimed him every night. And pelted him with important questions.

"Is it cold there?"

"Have you made any friends?"

"Do you miss me?"

"Can I come visit?"

"If I visit, do I have to go skiing?"

"If I go skiing, will I die?"

"Is it possible to ski off the mountain?"

"Have you found a lady?"

"Is it getting serious?"

"Are you in love?"

"If I come skiing, can I meet her?"

"If she comes skiing, can she bring her brother?"

I don't know why girls get a bad rap for asking too many penetrating questions. I only ask what I absolutely and crucially need to know. Being 23 changes nothing when it comes to being a pesky little sister.

The next day, while everyone else was out being hoodlums on Black Friday, Ann and her momma came up, and we went to hang out with Isaac Henry. And as you can tell from the photo above, I am, without a doubt, Isaac Henry's favoritest aunt.

Here he is with the woman who freed him from her womb.

Here we are altogether. It is always so fun to reunited. And laugh til we cry. We are hoping to get together again for a couple of days over Christmas.
Because
1) until we are all neighbors, various togethers will have to do.
2) Isaac Henry will be a whole 2 months and will have lots of fun reflexes I can play with.
3) Lindsey Jo and I want to watch the Twilight movies and make fun of them.

Then Saturday, after traumatizing loving on Isaac Henry, Ann and I went shopping with our mommas. Shopping on the Saturday after Black Friday is pretty magical. The deals are still there, but the scary people are not. I didn't get punched, maced, or elbowed. Shall we call it Sweet Saturday? All the fools are gone Saturday? Late bird gets the worm this time because we are not sleep deprived and still got ballin discounts so take that suckers Saturday?

Our shopping center knows how to deck the halls.

See? I wasn't kidding.

Here some finds from our shopping venture. Flannel and jeans. Doesn't get better than that.

It was an awesome break. I also got to see Ami working it at Kay's Jewelers. And I got to have a Thanksgiving leftover lunch with Beck and her family. It was wonderful, but way too short. And I think I'm going to have to make broccoli casserole this week because their's was awesome and I'm craving more.

So I have to grind it out for exactly two more weeks.
And then I get freedom for three whole weeks!
And I cannot wait!

Ready to have those 2 practicals and 3 finals in the rearview mirror as I drive back to Tennessee!