Finally!!!

It has been a LONG road, to say the least. From several years of working on pre-reqs, and working as an LPN at the same time, to competing with lots of other students to get into the program and WORRYING myself silly about getting in, to getting in and making the decision to stop working and make some hard financial decisions this year, to finally being done...that about sums it up, if you leave out all the in-betweens. Obviously they didn't teach me not to use run-on sentences and incomplete sentences, or I didn't listen! :) However, I am thankful for what I did learn, and am more than ready to use my "RN brain" at a new job. I am excited about what this means for our family, and very excited about the opportunity to do Hospice. I have been pulled that way for such a long time. I truly believe that God did everything in His PERFECT timing so that I could do this. He held us up the whole time. In the midst of thirty to forty page care plans, the major stress of tests, and believing that I just might become a psych patient myself, He carried me through! I also would have never made it without the support of Jason, and all the help and prayers from our families. I know that Jason is ready to have his wife back, and in a less crazy state! He has been wonderful. I am so thankful to be surrounded with love. One of the things that I did not expect was to make the incredible friends that I did, and two in particular, as some of you know. They have been sisters in Christ to me, and truly amazing friends. I don't think I've known better, and I am excited about future time spent with them.We have so much in common, and yet, I look up to and admire them for having already traveled some of the life paths that I am just now beginning to go down, and how they handle everything so gracefully. They were an unexpected gift from the Lord. Now, I am just praying about NCLEX, and I know God will take care of me still.       "That I may proclaim with the voice of thanksgiving, and tell of all your wondrous works" Psalm 26:7

Celebration of Mothers!

This weekend marked my second Mother's Day, and we basically celebrated all weekend! We also got to enjoy both Jason's mom and my mom, and spent Sunday together with all the family at church and at lunch afterward. On Saturday, my mom and I enjoyed the Mother Daughter brunch at Lindberg, which turned out to be really fun. We used to go when I was little, but they haven't had one for a while, until this year. My mom sang and played guitar, as you can see from the picture above, which proved to be the highlight of the whole event. Then I came home and was surprised by my husband with a beautiful stepping stone that will hold Drew's handprints, (and hopefully go into a garden at our next house), and a beautiful onyx and diamond ring and necklace that is a Mother's Day/graduation present put together. I was so surprised! This man is good in the gift department! He knows just what I like. Sunday was spent at church and with our folks, and Sunday afternoon we finished planting flowers, and Drew helped. He also managed a face dive straight into the potting soil, which was loads of entertainment:)
Most of all, this weekend reminded me of how blessed Jason and I both are to have the kind of moms that we have. Jason will admit, if you ask him, that he is a "mommas boy". He is extremely close with his mom, and I consider her to be my close friend, also. She is tender and kind, and loves her kids and grandchildren more than life itself. She is beautiful and talented, too, and can really paint and draw, which most people don't know, but she's really good! She is also really funny, and gives us lots of laughs:) It's easy to see that Jason has endless good memories about his mom, and the kind of mom she was when he was growing up. One of the things he said was that she would always fix him macaroni and cheese with hot dogs, and turn on The Price is Right, when he got home from school. (I know, no other child would watch this, but that's just Jason). She always encouraged him in sports, and everything else he wanted to do. He also knew that he could get away with a lot more, if he just asked his mom. He was blessed! I, too, cherish my own mother more than words can express. Mostly because, above all else, she has always lived the kind of life, and walked the walk that I desire for myself. She is beautiful, talented, and incredibly smart, though she would never admit any of those things. She sings beautifully, plays guitar, and can write poetry, and draw really well. She was a stay at home mom, who spent hours reading to her children, playing with her children, and cleaning up after them! She did not push me to be the best, or the most popular, or the wealthiest. She didn't expect me to be perfect, and still doesn't. She did not push religiosity. She didn't push ANYTHING. Instead, she led by example, always encouraging me in my walk with Jesus. She remained faithful to Him, even after a failed marriage, the loss of her brother to cancer, and later her mother to cancer, during the tormented relationship with her father, and through my teenage years when I was such a handful. She always told me I was beautiful, not based on looks, but on my heart. I cannot express enough how incredible this woman is, but she IS. She taught me that "blessed are the humble", and "the meek", and blessed are women who walk with the Lord! Thank heaven for fabulous mothers!

"Pour aimer et etre aime"...( To love and be loved)

Jason, I remember when you asked me out. I almost fell out of the chair. How could this gorgeous and very gentlemanly guy be interested in ME? I was the girl who always found the bad guys, and they found me, too. I remember thinking, "How could I tell this guy no?" And later, when I couldn't decide what to do, my mom said, "What is it that you love about him?" I answered, "We can sit on the porch drinking coffee, and we don't have to say ANYTHING. We can just BE." I'd never had that with anyone. Everyone else had to be entertained. Not you, though. I could look into your green eyes and smile, and you were happy to recieve just that. I felt so safe with you, so perfectly fit in your arms, with my head against your chest, and your lips in my hair. I have never been so happy to be short in all my life:) I loved looking up to you, in all your tall glory:) You were like water in the desert. Then, when you asked me to marry you-of course I thought you were joking. I'm so glad you were not! Our friendship has grown deeper over the years, and I am so thankful for that. Sometimes people grow apart. We have grown closer. With God in the center of it, we can only grow closer to each other as we lean in toward HIM. You have grown spiritually, and emotionally, and so have I. You are the perfect compliment to my life. You are such a good Daddy, and I hope Drew grows up to be so much like you. Thank you for stealing my heart away, that first night that I met you, in the midst of my messy, crazy life, and pulling me in to the shore. Thank you for continuing to steal my heart every day. I love you. Happy anniversary.

"All boy"

These are just too precious not to share. Drew loves throwing a ball, any ball, and catching and bouncing it, too. He's also very into tractors and trucks. He has a John Deere tractor that he plays with nonstop, and one that he can ride on now, too, thanks to my friend Lisa. He is also very fond of wheels, so when Jason decided it was time to clean his wheels, Drew was all over it. He was "helping" the whole time, and kept patting Daddy on the head, which I guess was his way of telling him it was a good job:) He got a little sleepy towards the end, though. Cleaning the truck wheels is hard work!

A Special Easter

This year was a very special Easter! Of course, we all know Easter is special anyway, as it reminds us of the hope we have in the resurrection of Christ. This year we were able to celebrate that hope with some of my extended family in Illinois. We spent the weekend at my Grandma and Poppy Webbs' house, and also got to be with my dad, aunt, and some of my cousins. We spent Saturday evening at the park across the street from my grandparents' house (the same park I played at as a child), and attended church in Geneseo on Sunday. Drew had an excellent time picking through his first Easter basket, and sharing M&Ms with his cousin, Joanna. We also visited the John Deere grounds, which are beautiful, and Drew enjoyed feeding the giant fish they have there! He got to take a ride on Poppy's tractor, which was great since tractors are his favorite right now. Jason also got to discover something new on Monday, when he was treated to a Maid Rite hamburger...they are the BEST! (We need one around here.) It was a really good time, and we enjoyed looking through pictures with my grandparents and reminiscing. It's been too long since I've been there! We plan to take another trip there soon, hopefully in the Fall. Thank you Grandma and Poppy for a wonderful time! We love you.

Updating my long lost blog...

Well, I haven't been able to spend quite as much time on this blog as I'd like to, but every once in a while I remember it's here:) There are only about eight weeks left of school...yikes! I have had leads on two different jobs, and have turned in a resume for one of them. We have applied for some temporary insurance for Drew, and I now have major medical. Drew's should kick in shortly. He is growing every day. As of today, he surprised everyone and just took off walking. He's been walking for a while, about three of four steps here and there, short distances. Or he will walk if you hold his hand, but he's very stubborn, and if he thinks we want him to do something, he digs in his heels, (like someone else I know). He has been a lot more focused on talking than walking, and has a HUGE vocabulary. Yesterday he said "coffee", and today he tried to repeat me when I said "graduation"...haha. He was actually pretty close! Today he decided he wanted to walk more by himself at his grandparents house, and has been doing it ever since. We are proud of you Drew!  Here are some new pics...random pics: Drew with his toybox, at the park, loving on uncle Justin, and eating strawberry pancakes at IHOP (he knows what's good).

Uninsured? Not necessarily.

Last Friday we recieved the message that Jason's job would be making some financial cuts right now, due to the economy and the slow business in winter. The cut actually consisted of his company dropping the dependants from his insurance, meaning that Drew and I would no longer have Jason's insurance, though Jason, himself, would still have it. Now I should be done with school in three months, and most nursing jobs only require you to work thirty hours a week to have benefits. So either I will carry Drew and I, or Jason's job may quite possibly reinstate the benefits as business picks up this Spring. However, in the meantime we have to try to find a new plan for Drew and myself, and pay out of pocket for it. This seemed like such a scary idea- trying to find new insurance, or possibly going several months with no coverage. At first I was quite disheartened to hear this news, and felt like it was another of many hurdles we have had over the last year, since I've been in school full time. It was not long, though, before a peace came over me, and I realized that I already have full coverage insurance, which I have had all along. My Yahweh, my King, and my Father- has covered me. All the things that are to come, selling our house, finding a new one, getting the right job, illnesses, and finances- He has already covered all of them. Though I don't understand everything that He does or does not do, I know that my God is trustworthy, so to worry is in vain. I have the best kind of insurance, and it has been proven, time and time again, as He always takes care of us. I just have to keep reminding myself of the truth! :) If He cares for and feeds the smallest of things, the flowers, the fish, and the birds, then I have the promise that He will care for me, too!