Christmas

Christmas this year was different, yet wonderful.  Since my parents are living in China, and David couldn't get enough time off of work for us to go to Texas, we had our first Christmas here just the two of us.  We missed our family, but it was quite lovely.  

We spent Christmas eve outside at the park, eating Mexican food, and relaxing.  

Christmas morning we exchanged our gifts and had a big breakfast.  We video-chatted with my parents in China while we opened their gift (love technology), and talked to the rest of our family.

I'm embarrassed to say that I didn't really get any pictures on Christmas day, very unlike me.  But it was simple & sweet.  David treated me like a queen and washed dishes ALL day for me *swoon*
Later in the evening we had friends come over for dinner and fun was had all around.

This is my last Christmas break ever for school (yikes), so i'm going to try and soak it up.

A thrill of hope

Lately David & I have been reading some Advent material.  We were reflecting on just how much we need rescue, and how amazing that makes Jesus' coming.  We are so in need in lots of ways, and His birth reminds us of the unexplainable grace that comes with Him.  

No matter how "good" your life is right now, we are all depraved.

But especially for those feeling the weary world right now... those dealing with loss, those dealing with hurt, those wanting children that haven't come, those financially burdened, those who struggle with guilt, those who are sick... Jesus being born (and His death) saves us and conquers all of it.  He is the only hope that can't be taken away.  And that's the reason to rejoice.

Friendsgiving

We hosted our 3rd annual 'Friendsgiving' this year, and it was such a great time!  My sister also flew in for the week which was oh so nice.  Food, friends, family, wine, and cornhole in the front yard.  Just lovely.

Dexter couldn't quite get close enough while David carved the turkey.

Lovely ladies.

Dexter livin' the life.

Amelia wearing the best sweatshirt of all time.

Sister!

We missed seeing the our parents this holiday, but we're so thankful for the people God has put in our lives here.  Hope everyone is enjoying lots of good leftover turkey sandwiches.

Hymn Sing

Earlier this month we hosted a Hymn Sing at our house.  It's an event we do occasionally at our church where we come together to potluck and sing hymns together.  We had chili, cornbread, cool weather, friends new and old, guitars and violins all crammed into our house and backyard...it was a sweet time.  

As an adult i've really come to appreciate hymns.  I love the lyrics, often so real and relatable. One of my favorites is Be Thou My Vision.

Be Thou my vision, O Lord of my heart
Naught be all else to me, save that Thou art
Thou my best thought by day or by night
Waking or sleeping Thy presence my light

Be thou my wisdom and Thou my true word
I ever with Thee and Thou with me, Lord
Thou my great Father, I, Thy true son
Thou in me dwelling and I with Thee one

Riches I heed not nor man's empty praise
Thou mine inheritance now and always
Thou and thou only first in my heart
High King of heaven my treasure Thou are

I'll admit, I often don't act this way.  I often fail to put God first and am distracted by this world sometimes.  I often don't find my full satisfaction in Him.  There's some honesty. 

These lyrics resonate with me and pray that they will ring true in my heart more and more.

On the conversation of lyrics, I made this for my friend's 1 year-old baby girl.  I saw this quote on Pinterest and recreated it in the colors of her room.  Hopefully these words she'll take to heart some day.

And I don't know if I ever shared this, but I did another painting a long time ago in the same style but for our master bedroom.  It's Zechariah 4:6.

It's nothing fancy, but I like that I can also make a piece of art the exact colors I want and be picky, ha! And it's a good reminder to wake up to and go to sleep seeing every day.  

Before + After: exterior edition

So David and I are a little crazy, and we decided to paint the exterior of the house...ourselves!

Our house color before was fine - a nice neutral gray.  However, we noticed it was starting to fade in spots and it needed a fresh coat.  So we figured if we were going to repaint it, why not change it to something different and add some color?

I'll admit that I wasn't thrilled with the idea of painting it.  It sounded like waaaay too much work and knowledge of a paint sprayer that I did not possess.  But David was gung-ho about it.  He had visions of telling legendary stories to our future children of how we painted it ourselves (no joke, it was cute).  And once we got professional quotes that were several thousand dollars, I came around to DIY-ing it.

Luckily we have a friend who is very handy and already owned all the equipment we would need.  So with a lot of his help, and a few other friends, we were able to do it!  A very big thank you shout out to them.

Before:

After: finished front side, except that upstairs window... and we haven't put all the shutters back up yet.

When we were planning we worried it might be a little too bright for our old historic neighborhood, but we absolutely are in love with the color (Mesmerize by Behr).  And so far, our neighbors seem to love it as well (whew!).

This was Dexter's contribution:

We also randomly put up these lights in the backyard tree.  They make me giddy.

I'm happy with how the exterior projects are slowly coming along.  Next spring = more grass for our front yard hopefully!  Till next time.

This, that, and the homemade.

It's been a little while, readers (i.e. Mom).  Life goes on, let's catch up!

Although in most rooms of our house i've hung up things on the walls, there are a few rooms that i've just never gotten around to...one of them being the hallway.  But slowly i've been acquiring some more art and I finally decided to put up a few things.  And I love it.  (Sorry for phone quality pics, boo).

Photograph of downtown Augusta by a local artist.

Photograph from an artist at my parent's farmers market in NC.  I love dahlias and they remind me of my wedding bouquet.

Screen print by a local artist (and friend!).  Check out their Etsy shop here.

Walking down our hallway now gives me a smile.

Here's another piece I love, but have yet to put up.  It was made by a patient I worked with on a week of clinicals.  He is a lovely man who has Parkinson's Disease, and he loves to paint.  I was honored when he let me pick any piece I wanted from his room's "studio."  It's so special to me.

On the crafty end, I made my very first scarf.  Saying I made it seems like an over-statement...it was so easy.  I took 2 yards of jersey/knit fabric and sewed the ends together, which results in an infinity scarf.  I'm really happy with how it turned out and can't wait to make more for Fall weather.  And with JoaAnn's coupons, buying a bit of fabric is cheaper than what I can buy one for in the store.  

On the house end, David installed me a new ceiling fan for our porch.  There was an ugly and very low hanging fan there before that I almost hit my head on constantly.  This is simple, wobbles less, and has plenty of head clearance.  Win-win.

On the school end, classes are moving right along.  One thing that's been really neat is that we've learned how to make a few splints from scratch.   Hopefully I did my hand therapist mother proud.

On the kitchen end, this one of my favorite recipes and it tastes great in the Fall (or anytime, really).  Orecchiette with white wine.  This is one that David asks for all the time.  In fact, I might have shared it before? Don't remember.  So excuse me if I have.  But make it anyway.  ***Recipe note: I make it with ground turkey instead of veal, and I omit the capers...simply because it makes it less expensive.  But it always turns out delicious regardless.  And if you can't find orecchiette, any short, textured noodle will do.  

I hope that everyone is starting to experience the first signs of Fall like we are here in Georgia.  There's nothing like those first days of cooler weather, it gives me a huge smile every time I step out the door.  I see more camping and dog parks in my future.

Blur

Due to the craziness of school, this Summer was a blur.  

A mostly good blur though.  

Here's a little bit of what went on when I wasn't in class and on my short break:  birthdays, family time, puppy time, camp, a wedding, Hilton Head Island for our 3rd anniversary, friend time, Texas, and a Great Gatsby-themed party...just to name a few.

I'm back for my next semester again and it's crazy how fast time has gone already.  This time next year i'll be graduating and i'm sure it's going to fly by.  Part of me doesn't want it to go by too fast though because I enjoy moments like all the ones pictured above.  I have to catch myself so I'm not just wishing to quickly get though the next "stage" of life.  There's lots of good stuff that happens between the studying.

Till next time!

I'M FREEEEE!

REJOICE!

I am officially finished with my anatomy class and these are my ramblings:

I’ve used an electric saw to open someone’s rib cage and pull out their lungs. 

I’ve cried over the brachial plexus (more than once). 

I’VE HELD A HUMAN HEART IN MY HANDS…AND A BRAIN! 

I’ve learned words like ‘salpingopharyngeal’ & ‘anterior superior pancreaticoduodenal.’

I’ve skinned a face. 

I think I’ve identified every muscle and bone in the body.

I’ve flopped around intestines like it’s no big deal (they’re always in the way).

I've gotten used to the smell of formaldehyde (although it's still not pleasant).

And I’ve spent hoooours picking through fat to find any kind of nerve. 

(this isn’t even close to a complete list)

I feel like I’ve been come through some weird right of passage. 

I’ve never had to study this hard for a class in my entire life.

I had the best dissection group of girls I could have asked for.

I love my new classmates.

I’m so appreciative to the people who donated their bodies to allow us to learn like this.

I’m so in awe of how detailed God has designed our bodies.

I’m so thankful to Jesus for giving me strength, peace, and health to get through this summer.

I’m so thankful to my husband, family, and friends who encouraged me and let me tell gross stories.

(last but not least)

I’m so exhausted. 

This doesn't feel like summer.

Sorry for the absence.  Now that i'm back in school, my anatomy class has taken over my life.
This is what i've been up to.

This mega binder was just the material after the first exam.  It's as full as it would normally be at the end of the semester.  Madness.

Just. So. Tired.

I'm trying to stay positive and count my blessings to break up all this studying.  Just a few:

My sweet ballet girls.  I volunteer with an adaptive ballet class for little girls with special needs.  It has been my favorite thing to look forward to every week, and I always leave in a better mood because of them.  They just performed in the company recital and a city-wide talent show.  I'm so proud.  This is the class at our recital with their wonderful teacher, who also happens to be in the fabulous profession of OT.

David's birthday.  It was a low key day but we managed to both have the day off, which was quite a nice treat.  Ignore that the birthday pie is store bought.  That is just my life right now.

My crazy dog.  He's half husky/half lab, meaning he's normally fluffy and sheds a lot.  We had him shaved for the first time this week and I died laughing when I picked him up.  He looks like a skeleton!  At least a cute skeleton.

My hope is that your summer isn't as hectic as mine, but if it is, I hope you find the little things like these to break up your day and count it all joy :)

Remembering

Memorial day has come.

And although I'm so very thankful to the people who have served our country, this holiday I now spend remembering a different event.  This marks the time when we went through my miscarriage (previous posts here & here).

1 year ago when it happened, I never thought I'd be where I am now.  I never thought I'd get over the horribleness and traumatic complications of that day.  I didn't think I'd be able to go about life without dwelling on what happened.  I was looking into a black tunnel and could barely see light.

But now I feel like I can say that I've made it through to the other side of the tunnel.

God is gracious.  He has brought me to a place of peace that passes understanding...where I don't constantly question "why" anymore, but trust His better plan.  And He's opened my eyes the wonderful blessings this past year has brought us and I'm very thankful.  Some days still feel dark, especially on "anniversaries" like this.  I still have tears.  The memories of that day still cause me deep pain.  It hasn't been forgotten or swept under a rug.  But now there's hope in Him that brings me back, and there's nothing more comforting than that.

I don't mean to be depressing or draw your pity.  I write and bring it up because not only is it something impactful that happened to me, but I want to be an encouragement to others who are in my position.  I've heard the phrase that "your greatest ministries come from your deepest hurt," so that's what I want to do...share the light.  

I hope everyone spends time remembering this Memorial day.  Not just on our country or other things like mine, but on God's faithfulness to make beauty from the ashes.

Counting down the days...

Hello friends,
Although we feel busy, not a lot has been happening on our front.  After so much traveling earlier this Spring, it's been nice to stay home.

I've been enjoying the not-yet-hot weather on our new porch seat...

 Hosting parties for friends...

Admiring cute babies...

And of course chilling with my boys.

I'm trying to soak in these last few days of relaxation, because I start back to school again in a week!
For those of you who don't know, when I went through my pregnancy and miscarriage last year I had to take time off of school.  And because my Masters program is so fast-paced and structured, if you take any time off it has to be pretty much a year at a time.  Last year this time, starting back seemed so far away...but time has flown by and now it's here.  Looking back it's been a wonderful year "off" and i'm honestly so thankful for it.  As excited as I am to go back and finish OT school, i'm also nervous.  I'm joining a whole new class I don't know yet, and starting back with our most challenging semester.

Not gunna lie, this whole not studying and spending more time with my friends and family thing has been quite enjoyable.

But nothing is forever, it's just for a season.  And despite some anxiety I AM looking forward to finishing my degree, and meeting new people and opportunities.

I can't move on without remembering my "original" class I started with.  They all graduated this past weekend, and I was a little sad I wasn't in their position like I would have been.  But I'm happy for them and remember i'll be there before I know it.  They have been wonderful friends and helped me so much through my first year.

All this to say, I'm thankful for the memories i've had, where I am now, and what lies ahead.